《King of Beasts》 Chapter 1: The Fighting Bug Youngster Chapter 1: The Fighting Bug Youngster In Green Sea City, a vacation destination where the sea, trees, and light rail blend harmoniously, many traditional cultures are still preserved. Nestled beside Emerald Mountain to the east and connected to the south by Green Sea¡¯s Maple Park, the ce was bustling with people, and a long banner stretched between two trees. A young girl squeezed through the crowd, and as her eyes fell on therge characters ¡°Fighting Bug Tournament¡± emzoned on the banner, a huge cheer erupted around her. ¡°Lu Ran won again!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it himst year too?¡± ¡°Right, and it was aplete victory both times!¡± While the crowd buzzed with conversation, in the center of the venue, under the disbelieving gaze of a bald old man, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years stood up. ¡°Thanks for the honor.¡± He smiled as he spoke. Fighting bugs, one of Xia Country¡¯s folk games, is also known as cricket fighting in the north.Just moments before, at the Fighting Bug Tournament held in Maple Park of Green Sea City, Lu Ran led his champion bug to aplete victory over a host of experienced veterans, seizing the title of Bug King. And this wasn¡¯t his first championship either. ¡°You little rascal!¡± The old man scratched at his sparse few hairs, his eyes fixed irritably on Lu Ran across from him. Ever since this Lu Ran started participating in the Fighting Bug Tournament, he had never lost. How could this be? How could this teenager¡¯s experience in cricket fighting surpass that of their group of old men? ¡°Just lucky, I guess.¡± Lu Ranughed heartily. Suddenly, however, he seemed to sense a gaze from the surroundings and his body jolted. ¡°Excuse me, everyone, I¡¯ve got to go!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed, and he quickly packed up his champion bug, squeezing out of the crowd and heading towards the exit. But before he got far, he was immediately blocked by someone who had taken a shortcut. She was also young, tall and with a fair face, her ck-tea-colored hair tied back in a ponytail, showcasing long, fair legs full of youthful vigor. However, her expression was far from friendly at the moment. ¡°So you took time off just to participate in this Fighting Bug Tournament? Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls?¡± Fang Lan stood with her arms crossed, waiting for Lu Ran¡¯s exnation. ¡°I was focused on the tournament, so I had my phone on silent,¡± Lu Ran retorted with a shrug. ¡°You¡¯re about to start your senior year of high school, you know that?¡± Fang Lan said with exasperation, massaging her temples. ¡°Really¡­ I¡¯ll go back to remedial sses tomorrow,¡± Lu Ran replied with resignation. ¡°I¡¯m pushing you because I want what¡¯s best for you!¡± Fang Lan nced at the jar in Lu Ran¡¯s hands and continued, ¡°But first ce again¡­ not bad at all. Green Sea City is a major hub for bug fighting, and even the average old man in the park has decades of experience. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve wiped the floor with them again.¡± ¡°Sometimes, some things can¡¯t rely solely on ¡®experience¡¯,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. ¡°¡®Talent¡¯ is what¡¯s most important.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not praising you!¡± Fang Lan said, a bit annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m telling you to focus on your studies for now. Once you¡¯re done with your college entrance exams, you can engage in bug fighting as much as you want.¡± ¡°Got it, got it,¡± Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively. ¡°But I¡¯m not that interested in bug fighting anymore. It¡¯s not challenging at all.¡± ¡°You know what? What about taking on hunting? My ancestors were hunters, so maybe I¡¯ve got the genes for it¡­¡± He pondered for a moment. Hunting, which involves catching or killing game, is mainly for managing wildlife resources, controlling animal poptions, and maintaining ecological bnce. Of course, these goals were unrted to him; his interest was purely because his family had a pet that was naturallybative and needed a proper outlet for its instincts. Currently, in Xia Country, there are still several ces where legal hunting is allowed. With that in mind, Lu Ran opened the jar containing the Bug King and released the valuable insect into the wild, as he had said, the game had lost its appeal to him. ¡°Hunting¡­¡± Fang Lan watched Lu Ran with a nk expression. ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of turning your family¡¯s Erha 1 into a hunting dog, are you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t resemble a hunting dog at all, except in appearance.¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°I could train it, though. It¡¯s too fond of fighting, and it¡¯s not good to always suppress its fighting urge. But it¡¯s pointless to talk about this; getting a hunter¡¯s license is pretty difficult.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re joking.¡± Fang Lan replied, somewhat speechless. But then, as if a thought had struck her, she fixed her gaze on Lu Ran and said, ¡°Wait a second, you haven¡¯t given up on that idea, have you? Are you preparing for that?¡± ¡°Not at all. Even if I go, wouldn¡¯t it be easier to hire a professional team with money? What¡¯s the point of all this hassle? Right?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s going to rain,¡± Lu Ran hurriedly said, not wanting to continue the topic. ¡°Huh?¡± Fang Lan was startled and looked up at the clear sky, not a cloud in sight¡­ ¡°The weather forecast said so.¡± Lu Ran waved his hand and started walking toward the exit of the park. He was fooling her, actually; it was the park¡¯s insects who told him. ¡­ Before long, the sky over Green Sea City was covered with dark clouds, and a downpour seemed imminent. Lu Ran and Fang Lan took shelter in a restaurant, both to avoid the rain and to have lunch. ¡°I¡¯m going to Shanghai for school the day after tomorrow. Why don¡¯t youe stay at my ce? You¡¯re about to start your senior year, and my parents can cook for you instead of you ordering takeout every day. It¡¯s not healthy,¡± Fang Lan suggested, sipping her tea. ¡°My parents have mentioned it several times,¡± she added. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine on my own, but thank them for me,¡± Lu Ran replied, also taking a sip of tea to soothe his throat. ¡°Thank your godfather and godmother!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, thank the godfather and godmother for me,¡± Lu Ran said. He and Fang Lan were childhood friends, and her parents were close friends with his. After Lu Ran¡¯s parents were confirmed dead, he was taken in by the Fang family. However, once he could take care of himself, Lu Ran moved out to live on his own. His parents had left him a significant amount of money, so he had enough to live on. ¡°I can¡¯t take care of you anymore. Let them convince you,¡± Fang Lan said, knowing she couldn¡¯t persuade Lu Ran. She understood his temperament all too well. To put it nicely, he was independent-minded; to put it not so nicely, he was rebellious, not just in small matters but in many things. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can take care of myself. Just wait for me in Shanghai. I¡¯lle to you next year, and then I¡¯ll be under the protection of the great senior!¡± Lu Ran said cheerfully. ¡°Get into university first,¡± Fang Lan replied, casually crossing one leg over the other and scrolling through her phone. She had excellent grades and had been admitted to Shanghai University, also known as Southern First University, with exceptional scores. Because of her parents¡¯ upation, she chose to major in animal medicine. Although Lu Ran¡¯s academic performance was also good, getting into Shanghai University wouldn¡¯t be easy. The uing year would be crucial. ¡°Easy peasy,¡± Lu Ran said, not seeing any difficulty, though he hadn¡¯t yet decided which major to choose¡­ But it would probably be something rted to animals, right? Like¡­ ¡°Beastmaster?¡± Fang Lan suggested. ¡°What? What beastmaster?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, looking at her. Is that even a major? That would be called animal science. Fang Lan suddenly spoke up, and Lu Ran initially thought she was addressing him, but then he realized she was muttering to herself, looking at her phone. ¡°I came across a post, I¡¯ll send it to you,¡± Fang Lan said. Soon after, Lu Ran¡¯s phone received a link from Fang Lan. He tapped on the link to the post, which was titled: Help! Do you believe in supernatural phenomena? Huh? Seeing this title, Lu Ran¡¯s brow furrowed. Footnote:
  1. Erha(¶þ¹þ): ¡°Erha¡± is a yful nickname for the Husky breed, originating from Chinese inte ng. This moniker refers to Huskies being named for their naturally lively and sometimes seemingly silly behavior. The number ¡°two¡±(¶þ) in Chinese is sometimes used to describe the silly or adorably clumsy behavior of people or animals.
Chapter 2: Supernatural Chapter 2: Supernatural Below the title was the body of the post, as described by the poster: ¡°Here¡¯s what happened: about a day ago, I suddenly received a mysterious ck card. As soon as I got the ck card, a string of text appeared before my eyes, and there was a prompt sound in my ear. It instructed me to use the card to contract and capture an animal as a pet beast, turning me into a beastmaster. At first, I thought I was like anime protagonists who had stumbled upon some great adventure. But it wasn¡¯t that simple. Right after I followed the card¡¯s guidance andpleted the novice mission, I was teleported to a very dangerous ce. It was teeming with wild beasts, and I nearly died! My pet beast was seriously injured while protecting me. The nearby pet hospital waspletely unable to treat it, and the doctors dered there was no hope. What should I do? I have a feeling that we¡¯re bonded¡ªif my pet beast dies, something bad will happen to me too¡­¡± In addition to the text, the poster also attached a photo. It showed arge cat that appeared as if it had been petrified, its eyes gouged out, and one leg missing. Its condition was wretched, oozing grey blood, with bizarre-looking injuries.Fang Lan looked serious and said, ¡°You¡¯ve finished reading it?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Fang Lan spoke angrily, ¡°The injuries look off; the picture must have been Photoshopped. This person¡­ I suspect they¡¯re an extremist who abuses pets.¡± Such a poor attempt at a third-rate story seemed like a stunt to grab attention¡ªtoo fake to be true! Did they think they were ¡°the chosen one¡±? ¡°Indeed,¡± Lu Ran agreed with Fang Lan. There were many such people, but his gaze remained fixed on the phone screen. At first nce, the post indeed seemed like a ploy by an animal abuser looking to attract attention. However, Lu Ran was quite sensitive to this kind of seemingly fake news. Supernatural phenomena¡­ Images of a city being invaded by countless monsters immediately sprang to his mind¡­ Was he thinking about that dream again¡­ Lu Ran sighed inwardly. In fact, he was extremely concerned about such supernatural information. The reason was simple: he harbored a secret unknown to others. He could clearly hear the ¡°inner voice¡± of non-human creatures, possessing a superpower akin to understanding thenguage of beasts and engaging in telepathy with animals. He acquired this superpower two years ago. At first, he wasn¡¯t very adept at it, but after practicing, he can now hear the inner voices of many animals. He could predict the weather, and he could dominate the fighting bug tournament in Green Sea City¡ªall thanks to this superpower. And along with this superpower came a strange dream. Every so often, he would dream of the city being invaded by various monsters, dying miserably within it, before waking up in a cold sweat. Initially, Lu Ran even saw a doctor, but no illness was found. However, there was no doubt in his mind that something about him was not normal. Therefore, precisely because of his own abnormality, Lu Ran always felt that there must also be something abnormal about the world. Yet, for so long, the only abnormality he discovered was within himself. Even on the inte, where supernatural and ghost stories aremon, in the end, he couldn¡¯t verify any of them¡ªthey seemed fabricated. This time, although Lu Ran took the post seriously at first, he quickly shook his head. He had been deceived too many times to believe in such casually concocted tales again. The world, after all, is quite scientific¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s eat first.¡± At that moment, the waiter finally brought the dishes to the table. Seeing this, Lu Ran put down his phone and said to Fang Lan. ¡°Alright,¡± Fang Lan nodded. In fact, the image was quite gory, but Fang Lan didn¡¯t seem disturbed by it, which could only be attributed to her background in a family of animal medicine. As they picked up their dishes, Lu Ran asked, ¡°Are you going to bring all those pets to Shanghai with you?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Fang Lan replied. ¡°I need to maintain my weekly update frequency; otherwise, my fans will miss me.¡± Fang Lan was actually a cute pet blogger who regrly shared her experience of raising pets online. She never showed her own face, only that of her pets. However, Lu Ran always had his reservations about Fang Lan¡¯s im to be a cute pet blogger. After all, the pets Fang Lan raised were snakes, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes¡ªcreatures far from what one would typically describe as cute. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ll have to rent your own ce,¡± Lu Ran shrugged, half-joking. With those ¡®cute pets¡¯ of hers, if Fang Lan could sneak into the dorms without getting caught, he¡¯d concede defeat. Even if the dorm supervisor turned a blind eye, the roommates would surely have a fit¡ªperhaps even plotting Fang Lan¡¯s demise in the middle of the night. Would you be able to tolerate a roommate who keeps pets like scorpions, centipedes, or snakes in the dorm? ¡°Living on my own is fine by me,¡± replied Fang Lan nonchntly. ¡°You better pass your exams ande over quickly so you can share the rent with me.¡± ¡°As if I¡¯m fond of your pets,¡± Lu Ran said, exasperated. He wasn¡¯t a coward, but Fang Lan had a history of using spiders and other creepy-crawlies to terrify him since they were seven or eight years old, leaving him with a bit of a childhood trauma. What kind of girl is she? He thought. She hasn¡¯t changed at all¡­ Aren¡¯t cats and dogs cute enough? As they bantered back and forth, the rain stopped, and they had almost finished their meal. Since Fang Lan had ns to meet up with her best friend in the afternoon, she settled the bill first and left the restaurant, leaving Lu Ran behind to pack up the leftover food. Fang Lan¡¯s visit was only to check on Lu Ran, having heard he¡¯d taken a leave from school. Lu Ran knew that Fang Lan¡¯s family cared about him. ¡°Ah, boring~¡± A momentter, Lu Ran also left the restaurant. He breathed in the moist air and gazed at the rainbow in the sky, his mood shifting. High school is so dull, barely any leisure time for oneself¡­ He took a step forward, eagerly anticipating his entry into university. But before he could take a few more steps, a sudden voice made him freeze in ce. Following that, Lu Ran lifted his hand, staring intently at the ck card that had inexplicably appeared in his grasp. It was the size of a poker card, made of stic, and it wasn¡¯t a membership card from the restaurant, nor was it a flyer someone had slipped into his hand. It had appeared out of nowhere, very abruptly. Moreover, Lu Ran began to experience visual and auditory hallucinations¡­ In that moment, he felt both the quiet and the noise around him, as if he was in a world of his own. Text kept refreshing and the voice persisted, rendering Lu Ran¡¯s expression increasingly incredulous. [Beastmaster qualifications detected¡­] [Contract card has materialized¡­] Novice mission: [Please use the contract card to capture an animal as your pet beast to be a beastmaster!] Prompt 1: [Beastmaster: An upation that involves contracting, training, andmanding pet beasts for work andbat.] Prompt 2: [Contract card: A tool that enhances the user¡¯s mental strength to capture pet beasts; it contains a space suitable for the pet beast to rest.] Prompt 3: [The contract card cannot be used on humans.] Prompt 4: [The sess rate of capturing with the contract card depends on the user¡¯s mental strength and the quality of the card. Do not attempt to capture a creature that you cannot control, as it may result in damage to the contract card or bacsh from the pet beast.] Prompt 5: [¡­] ¡°What is this?¡± Standing at the curb, Lu Ran held the ck contract card, sensing the constant flow of people around him, certain that this was not the inner voice of any animal. This sensation was entirely different from when he used his superpower. Lu Ran took a deep breath. ck contract card, pet beast, beastmaster? At this moment, his mind suddenly shed back to the post Fang Lan had sent him, recalling the poster¡¯s description! It was an exact match! Could it be, that person was telling the truth? Chapter 3: The Contract Chapter 3: The Contract On the street, Lu Ran held the ck card in his hand, his heart pounding rapidly. Looking at the ck card, he first felt numbness, then a rising heat. How is this possible¡­ No, it might be possible after all. Lu Ran recalled the supernatural phenomena he had experienced. This world was indeed not as simple as it seemed. Beastmaster? The upation sounded simr to that of a bug fighter. He was intrigued.Due to his parents¡¯ professions, he was extremely interested in anything that involved interactions with animals¡ªfrom bug fighting to ancient biology research¡­ ¡°Does my awakened superpower have anything to do with this ck card?¡± ¡°Judging by the situation of the poster, I am not the only one who received a ck card.¡± ¡°That means I¡¯m not some chosen one.¡± Then, Lu Ran¡¯s expression stiffened as he remembered that strange dream. If the supernatural really existed, could it be a premonition? If the events from the dream were to happen, Blue Star would be doomed. Even if the sky fell, there would be tall ones to hold it up, but even the capable couldn¡¯t possibly protect everyone. Thinking of the tragic death he had seen in his dream, Lu Ran fell silent. He was actually quite fond of this world. ¡°Let¡¯s see what happens if I try to engage with it.¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t be sure; he could only continue to study the ck card. Prompt 8: If the novice contract card is not used within 24 hours, it will automatically disappear, and the holder will lose the qualification to be a beastmaster. From the initial prompt that appeared, Lu Ran quickly understood that the so-called contract card could be abandoned by simply not undertaking the novice mission. ¡°Abandon it? That¡¯s out of the question.¡± After a moment of silence, Lu Ran put away the ck card and nced at the forum again. Now, having memorized all the prompts, he wanted to add the poster as a friend to ask for more details. These prompts were crucial, but not enough! He needed more information! Lu Ran reopened the link with great anticipation. However, the next moment, he was stunned. ¡°Where¡¯s the post???¡± He jabbed at the screen repeatedly. Lu Ran had only refreshed the page, and the post had vanished. The poster¡­ Who was it again? What was the name? ¡°The admin must have deleted the post. Which jerk deleted such an important post? Could it have been Fang Lan who reported it just now?¡± Standing on the street, Lu Ran could only feel the chill in the air. ¡°I can¡¯t waste time on this.¡± Quickly, Lu Ran shifted his focus. With only 24 hours avable, he had to start on the mission as soon as possible. However, he still needed to keep an eye on the forum, to not miss any crucial updates. He had to manage both tasks concurrently. The information he had so far was that after forming a contract with a pet beast, he would be teleported to a dangerous ce. Fortunately, there was still a chance to return after going to this perilous location. Having yed some video games, Lu Ran quickly associated the mechanics of novice missions and novice trials. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be sent to a dangerous ce¡­ then the animal I contract with must have decentbat abilities!¡± ¡°Only by doing this can I avoid ending up like the poster from earlier¡­¡± Regrettably, even though Lu Ran wanted to contract a fierce beast, finding one withbat capabilities within a day in a small city like this was nothing short of a pipe dream. Even with telepathy, he didn¡¯t necessarily mesh well with every animal. Being chased after chatting with stray dogs wasn¡¯t a one-off incident for him. After a thorough analysis, Lu Ran made his decision. ¡°To be safe¡­ I¡¯ll choose it¡­¡± With a n in mind, Lu Ran decided to head home first; his target was there. His home wasn¡¯t far from here, located in a nearby upscalemunity, just a ten-minute bike ride away. After much thought, Lu Ran decided to contract with an animal he was familiar with. At least it would follow hismands 100%, eliminating the risk of the pet beast being disobedient in a dangerous location. Lu Ran quickened his pace. Before long, he arrived at his front door. With practiced ease, he unlocked it with his fingerprint, and the door swung open. Whoosh! It seemed the movement at the door had been detected from inside, as a figure immediately darted out towards the entering Lu Ran. ¡°Woo¡­¡± The creature, resembling a wolf, pounced on Lu Ran and immediately stuck out its tongue, panting as if expecting something. This creature was elegantly built, with thick fur, erect ears, a tail like a brush, and two blue eyes. On its forehead were three white marks, resembling three burning mes. It was unmistakably a Snowfield Dog breed, a Husky,monly known as an Erha. This was Lu Ran¡¯s pet dog. Having been raised by Lu Ran since it was a pup, the Erha had developed a strong bond with him. After training by Lu Ran, it could executemands with more precision than a police dog. ¡°Go, stand in the corner for a while,¡± Lu Ranmanded. ¡°Woof???¡± The Erha looked utterly confused. Though it didn¡¯t understand why, faced with Lu Ran¡¯s order, the Erha turned its head resentfully, but it took note of this slight! Meanwhile, Lu Ran, watching the Erha¡¯s imposing stance in the corner, sat down opposite it, observing it seriously. This Erha¡­ Lu Ran had found it after he acquired his superpower, back when it was still a young pup. Whether it had been abandoned or had run away on its own, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t say for sure. He decided to take it in because, at that time, his superpower had already be quite proficient. However, he was still unable tomunicate normally with this particr fellow. In theory, with his ability, simplemunication with higher intelligence animals like cats and dogs shouldn¡¯t have been difficult¡­ But this one, it seemed as if it was missing a screw in its head. To train his superpower and out of worry that such a young dog wouldn¡¯t survive on its own¡ªlikely to end up as meat in a dog meat shop¡ªLu Ran brought it home. Adopting this Erha marked the beginning of what could only be described as a hellish life for Lu Ran. This creature¡¯s temperament was just too unstable. Even with telepathy, it took a long time for Lu Ran to tame it. Initially extremely aggressive and belligerent, it only became docile after being tamed by Lu Ran. In short, it was peculiar. It perfectly inherited the Erha¡¯s intellectual shorings and retained the fierce wolf nature of its lineage. Lu Ran felt that its personality had a striking resemnce to Yazi, the second son of the Loong from legend¡­ Ancient historical texts recorded that Yazi was fond of killing and fighting, with a fierce and unyielding character. The smallest grudge had to be avenged. It was always depicted with a treasured sword in its mouth, ring with rage, carved on knife rings and sword hilts to enhance its power. Much like the mythical Yazi, it had a penchant forbat and holding grudges, but unlike Yazi, its grudges were short-lived, forgotten after a good sleep, showcasing a rather positive attitude. Of course, it had its merits. It never forgot a kindness, repaying any debt of gratitude. Once it understood that Lu Ran was its savior, it was obedient and loyal to him, at least not an ingrate. ¡°General Ha.¡± Lu Ran sat on the couch, gazing at General Ha, who was standing in punishment, feeling somewhat at a loss for words. General Ha was a nickname Lu Ran had given his pet because of its domineering nature as a pup, reminiscent of a bossy canine executive. And in turn, General Ha referred to Lu Ran as ¡°Boss Lu.¡± ¡°Things areplicated.¡± ording to the prompt on the ck card, a beastmaster and their pet beast establish a contract, both undergo varying degrees of evolution. The beastmaster would be superhuman, and the contracted beast, no matter how weak it was before, would gain the power of the fierce beast! Clearly, this ck card endowed its holder with a path to supernatural evolution! Lu Ran was uncertain whether leading General Ha down this path would result in good or bad oues¡­ ¡°Woof!!!¡± General Ha tilted its head, its blue eyes wide with confusion at Boss Lu¡¯s indecisive actions. ¡°Forget it, no point discussing it with you; you wouldn¡¯t understand with your smarts anyway,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, then his expression turned serious. Best to form the contract first and then see. Though just a dog, Lu Ran trusted General Ha¡¯sbat abilities, as this was a creature trained by a superpower user like himself. Moreover, this was the animal he felt the closest to¡­ Choosing another pet beast to entrust with life and death decisions, he wouldn¡¯t be as reassured. Most importantly, General Ha was a battle enthusiast; there was no need to worry whether it would adapt to fighting enemies. It was, therefore, the optimal choice at present. Lu Ran took out the ck card and flicked it like tossing a card. In the next moment, the ck card, surrounded by a halo of light, flew swiftly towards General Ha. As the ck card neared, a bright white halo erupted, leaving General Ha stunned, scared enough to turn tail and run. But the dazzling light quickly enveloped it! Chapter 4: Pet Beast Profile Chapter 4: Pet Beast Profile When someone holds a contract card, they can establish a special connection with it. To put it simply, the cardholder gains the ability to infuse their mental intentions into the ck card. This is the key to capturing a pet beast! To contract a pet beast, there are three steps involved. First, hold the contract card in hand. Second, identify the target creature, reinforce the impression of it, and pour the intense desire to contract it into the card. Third, bring the contract card close to the target creature. As the contract card, carrying the beastmaster¡¯s mental power, approaches the target creature, it begins the capture process. Sessful capture signifies thepletion of the contract. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡±At this moment, Lu Ran sessfullypleted these three steps with ease. Under the envelopment of a white halo, General Ha seemed to sense the unique aura belonging to Lu Ran within the white light and offered no resistance. Amidst its confused cries, enveloped by the white glow, it vanished on the spot, as if transformed into a beam of light, absorbed by the ck card. It was then that Lu Ran¡¯s brain thundered suddenly, feeling a warm andfortable sensation all over,pletely recovering from the mental fatigue caused by the earlier infusion of mental power! What was particrly remarkable was that he felt a closer connection than ever to both the contract card and General Ha! ¡°Magical.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s pupils traced a line of light, and with a mere thought, the fallen contract card vanished instantly, reappearing in his hand as if it had teleported. He had not possessed such an ability just moments before. It was only uponpletion of the contract that he and the contract card became fully bound! In addition, at this time, the appearance of the contract ck card had changed somewhat. On one side, in the upper half, there appeared an image of Erha, recing the original solid ck. This was clearly General Ha¡­ Beneath the image, there was a stack of white text, introducing the details. Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Unawakened Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 1 Skills: None ¡°It¡¯s like a game card,¡± Lu Ran observed the image and information emerging on the ck card, his curiosity about its origin and purpose deepening. What kind of person created such a thing, and what was their aim? However, what concerned Lu Ran more than these developments was the disappearance of the series of prompts he had seen when he first received the ck card, reced now by a mysterious countdown timer that appeared before his eyes. ¡°Novice Trial Secret Realm teleport countdown 59:59,¡± Lu Ran remained silent, unsurprised by the arrival of the 59:59 countdown. Was the poster referring to this very stage? Novice missionpleted, indeed it¡¯s the novice trial, pretty much what was expected. ¡°General Ha,e out.¡± ¡°Err-woo¡ª¡± With the ck card in hand, Lu Ran had a thought, and General Ha was summoned forth once more. On the floor, arge circr summoning circle appeared first, followed by an eruption and dissipation of light from the circle, revealing General Ha, now an entire sizerger than before, atop it. Through this entire process, General Ha was continuously stunned, immediately starting to run in circles, sizing up its erged self, somewhat unable toprehend the changes it had undergone. It could clearly feel that it had grown stronger; its strength, vision, and sense of smell had all improved. Most importantly, its appetite had likely increased. It was famished at this moment, and after turning a couple of circles, its stomach started growling¡­ then it looked towards Lu Ran with a pitiful gaze. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first, we still have plenty of time,¡± said Lu Ran. About to enter a dangerous ce, indeed it was essential to let General Ha have its fill first. Lu Ran immediately went to prepare food, getting General Ha¡¯s dog food ready. Pig trotters, minced meat, vegetable scraps, meat and vegetable soup¡­ Today¡¯s menu was rather simple, mainly due to theck of time to make anything tooplex. ¡°Awoo!¡± General Ha let out an excited howl before eating, then plunged its head into the food bowl. As General Ha was gobbling down its food, Lu Ran observed it. General Ha, previously a medium-sized dog, now had a stature that rivaledrge breeds. No wonder the pet beasts he had seen before had suchrge bodies; after being strengthened, pet beasts clearly became more robust in size! Good! ¡°I¡¯ve also grown stronger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t seem to have gotten taller.¡± During General Ha¡¯s mealtime, Lu Ran weighed himself and measured his height. Then, he went to his room to fetch a one-handed sword and swung it a few times, feeling it was much more manageable than before. Lu Ran came from a rather privileged background. His parents were well-known zoologists. This favorable environment not only sparked Lu Ran¡¯s interest in various animals but also allowed him to pursue other hobbies. For instance, like many teenagers, Lu Ran was interested in swords and firearms, and his parents fully supported his diverse interests. As a child, he was sent to a renowned swordsmanship dojo and even apanied his father to Hawaii during vacations to learn shooting. These previously useless hobbies now seemed somewhat useful. About to be teleported to the Trial Secret Realm, it might be wise to carry a weapon for self-defense. In the past, even though General Ha was fierce, Lu Ran armed with a weapon was confident he could easily subdue it. But now, he had a vague sense that after the contract enhancement, General Ha¡¯sbat abilities had surpassed the concept of an ¡°ordinary dog.¡± Its strength wasparable to that of fierce beasts like lions and tigers, marking it as a supernatural canine species. Inparison, although he also received some enhancement, the extent was not as significant as that of his pet beast. His new abilities were mainly a stronger control over General Ha. Under such circumstances, having a suitable weapon for self-defense seemed very important since he couldn¡¯t rely entirely on his pet beast. However, it was uncertain whether weapons could be teleported along with him. ¡°And this¡­ should be brought along as well.¡± Lu Ran set down his custom-made iron-shing sword and opened a drawer, from which he took out a piece of jewelry. It was a pendant, shaped like a broken antler, white in color, and strung on a cord, appearing rather ancient. It was said to be an heirloom amulet from his mother¡¯s family, passed down through generations. As something left by his mother, Lu Ran now regarded it as a form of spiritual support. Thinking of his parents made Lu Ran somewhat mncholic. They had died overseas while investigating an undiscovered rare animal. Their bodies were never found, leaving only a recording of their anguished screams as they were attacked and torn apart¡­ Lu Ran has never epted that his parents are gone for good, always wanting to venture into that rainforest himself to search for them. When Fang Lan heard that Lu Ran was interested in hunting, he thought Lu Ran was considering heading out into the wilderness again. But as Lu Ran pointed out, if he were to go into such dangerous territory, why would he rely solely on General Ha as a hunting dog? It would be like serving up his own head on a tter. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to hire a professional team with money? But now¡­ With the antler pendant secured and the iron-shing sword in hand, Lu Ran returned to the living room. By this time, General Ha had finished devouring a bowl of food and waszily lying on the floor¡­ On seeing Lu Ran emerge, it nced over and then got up, panting and smiling. ¡°Woof!!¡± Lu Ran was at a loss for words. Because the dog was implying it enjoyed the sensation earlier and was keen on another round! It seemed¡­ it wanted to be even stronger. ¡°You¡¯re really greedy, you know. That¡¯s it for now, but there will be plenty of fightsing up for you.¡± ¡°If you can defeat your opponents and return safely, maybe you can be even stronger.¡± ¡°Whoo?¡± General Ha looked puzzled for a moment, then adopted a sharp expression, walked a few steps, and put on the sunsses that were under the coffee table on its face, starting to exude an air of dominance. Chapter 5: Novice Trial Secret Realm Chapter 5: Novice Trial Secret Realm Lu Ran paid no mind to the excited General Ha in sunsses. In addition to weapons and an amulet, he had prepared some medicinal ointments, mineral water, snacks, and several wilderness survival tools. Although unsure if they would be needed, it was always best to bring them along. The only issue was the weight¡­ But it was not a major problem; he could always discard something if the situation called for it. As time went by, with Lu Ran¡¯s continuous preparations and never-ending lectures for General Ha, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but feel a headacheing on. ¡°Do you really understand?¡± ¡°The contract has strengthened your physique, but why do I feel like your intelligence hasn¡¯t been enhanced along with it?¡± During this time, Lu Ran looked at the impatient General Ha with a sense of weariness and a headache. For instance, he mentioned that the uing enemies might be creatures they had never encountered before and that they should be cautious. However, General Ha just kept showing a disdainful expression.What did that mean? Lu Ran felt a chill in his heart. He had a bad premonition, but with only a few minutes left on the countdown, there was no time for further thought. ¡°That¡¯s it, then.¡± ¡°Come back here.¡± Lu Ran summoned the ck card. This card could now be absorbed into his body and summoned at any moment. As the teleportation was imminent, Lu Ran first returned General Ha to the ck card, then secured the card. At least now, he didn¡¯t have to worry about being separated from General Ha during the teleportation process. ¡°Awoo!!¡± General Ha entered the ck card, and Lu Ran began to meditate with his eyes closed. Even with his eyes shut, the countdown was still clearly visible before him. Time continued to slip away¡­ Three¡­ two¡­ one¡­ As thest second arrived, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but tense up. After all, he was just a high school student. It was at this very moment that the space around Lu Ran began to ripple. The space twisted like a vortex, rapidly distorting and ultimately swallowing Lu Ran¡¯s figure, making him vanish from the room. However, though Lu Ran had disappeared, the backpack he was carrying and the iron-shing sword he was clutching did not teleport with him. Apart from the essential clothes and the amulet around his neck, all other items, even the food and drink, were left behind. Lu Ran felt his body undergoing extreme shifts in weight as if enduring a relentless series of gravitation changes, never anticipating the teleportation process to be so unsettling. As the world-stabilizing sensation faded, Lu Ran realized he had truly arrived at a new destination. He opened his eyes. Before himy a dimly lit dense forest. Before he could take a closer look, familiar text and a voice appeared once again. Teleportationplete. Current location: Forest of the Demon Cat (Novice Trial Secret Realm) Difficulty: Simple-Level Trial Mission: Survive one day. Secret Realm Introduction: The Forest of the Demon Cat is a natural maze formed by a dense variety of trees, which once was the habitat for numerous supernatural beings. Twenty years ago, a bizarre ck Rainstorm caused mutations among the forest¡¯s creatures, which then unleashed a Beast Tide on the surrounding towns. The Empire¡¯s Beast Taming Legion responded swiftly, suppressing the Beast Tide and eradicating the forest¡¯s powerful mutated creatures. After twenty years of recovery, only the Demon Cat n and some weaker supernatural beings remain active in the forest, which has since been renamed the Forest of the Demon Cat. As a neer Beastmaster who has wandered into this ce, your primary objective is to survive and wait for rescue. Prompt 1: This secret realm is a projection of the Forest of the Demon Cat; resources and creatures within cannot be taken out or contracted. Prompt 2: Challengers will receive different levels of rewards based on theirbat performance in the secret realm uponpleting the mission. Prompt 3: If a challenger is in a near-death state, it is judged a mission failure, and they will be forced to return. Prompt 4: Challengers temporarily gain the Eye of Data, which can scout for information on resources and creatures within the secret realm. Good luck on your adventure, and let the trial begin! ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Lu Ran mused upon seeing Prompt 3, feeling that the creator of the ck card seemed to have a sense of humanity. But not much. Although it was considerate that a challenger in a near-death state would be teleported away, there was the problem that one might not receive treatment upon return, just like the poster had experienced. Moreover, there¡¯s an even greater possibility that a challenger wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to be in a near-death state and could be instantly killed. The human body is, after all, very fragile. And this secret realm, it¡¯s a projection of another world? ck Rainstorm¡­ Beast Tide¡­ Damn, that doesn¡¯t sound like a novice dungeon at all. Lu Ran had to proceed with caution, knowing full well that any sense of joy was out of the question. ¡°Argh!!¡± Summoning General Ha once again, Lu Ran remarked, ¡°Couldn¡¯t bring any weapons or supplies over.¡± He regretted this but had mentally prepared for the possibility that he couldn¡¯t bring those things along. ¡°ording to the prompts, all enemies and resources here are illusory. I wonder if there¡¯s anything to eat in this ce. We can¡¯t take anything out, but can we use them here?¡± ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha, who had just reappeared, wasn¡¯t giving any thought to Lu Ran¡¯s analysis. Instead, the dog started running around in high spirits, clearly enjoying the moment. Lu Ran stayed silent, frustrated. ¡®Come on, General Ha, get it together! We¡¯re not here for a leisurely walk!¡¯ ¡°I mean¡­¡± Just as Lu Ran was about to say something. Rustle, rustle, rustle¡­ Suddenly, a noise arose, interrupting Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts and causing his expression to be one of caution as he carefully scanned his surroundings. ¡°Argh.¡± General Ha, circling around Lu Ran, also became alert, as if sniffing out some danger. Something was approaching! The dog quickly halted and tensed up, positioning itself protectively in front of Lu Ran. The surrounding area was incredibly dim, with only a few rays of sunlight piercing through the leaves to the ground. The rustling noise in the eerily silent, dense forest grew louder. Standing on the somewhat damp ground, Lu Ran tried to pinpoint the direction of the sound, but to no avail. However, General Ha was locked onto one direction, staring seriously in that direction. ¡°Over there?¡± Lu Ran gazed towards a dark bush about waist-high. The rustling persisted, and finally, as the noise grew clearer, the bushes in front of Lu Ran and General Ha were violently parted. The creature that suddenly appeared let out a series of low growls. Its red pupils fixated on Lu Ran and General Ha opposite it, unable to hide the ferocity within. Simultaneously, General Ha¡¯s fur bristled, and it responded with a loud bark at the creature that had appeared!! ¡°Woof!!¡± How dare this creature threaten them, General Ha took note of this offense. This was¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s eyes narrowed. This was a cat-like creature with a lean, dark red body, extremely long ws, and what appeared to be greyish long hair on its head! A Demon Cat! Species: Demon Cat Attribute: Unawakened Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 2 Introduction: A bloodthirsty hunter in the dense forest, it likes to tear open its prey and drink their blood. Lu Ran¡¯s temporarily acquired Eye of Data activated. Staring at the Demon Cat, its information quickly surfaced. ¡°Species Level, as I understand it, indicates the strength of the species. Tigers are stronger than cats and dogs, and cats and dogs are stronger than small herbivores like rabbits. This Demon Cat has the same species level as General Ha, meaning General Ha doesn¡¯t have an advantage.¡± ¡°And Growth Level likely rtes to the growth stage, simr to juvenile or adult stages. The higher the level, the stronger the physical attributes. General Ha is only Level 1, while it is Level 2, which is troubling.¡± In an instant, Lu Ran assessed that this creature was no mere fodder for novice practice. As the standoff continued, the atmosphere grew tenser. Lu Ran held his breath, observing the surroundings, trying to maintain his calm. If the novice mission was to survive a day, there was no need to engage in a head-on confrontation with such a creature, especially just after entering the Secret Realm. Tost the day, it would be better to find supplies and a safe ce to hunker down, avoiding unnecessary fights and conserving energy for unavoidable battles. At this moment¡­ Turning to run could, if sessful, avoid a confrontation, but if it triggered the Demon Cat¡¯s hunting instinct and it gave chase, whether the escape worked or not, it would result in a very passive situation in this unknown forest, wasting a lot of energy. The best choice now was¡­ to intimidate the opponent! After careful consideration, Lu Ran made a move that surprised both General Ha and the Demon Cat. Lu Ran stared intently at the Demon Cat, suddenly spread his arms wide to appearrger, and roared at the creature! ¡°Uraaaa!!!¡± Lu Ran shouted, trying to scare it off. His father, who often dealt with wild animals, had told him that when facing a ferocious beast in the wild, it¡¯s best not to turn and run, but to confront it and show dominance. This could make for a more dignified end. And, if lucky, if the wild creature wasn¡¯t very familiar with humans, there was a slight chance that the intimidation would work. However, afterpleting the set of intimidating actions, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that the atmosphere had gotten even more off. General Ha wore a look of utter confusion. The facial expression of the Demon Cat twisted for a moment before it roared and burst forth, lunging at Lu Ran. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but curse. Which part went wrong? Moreover, his telepathy seemed ineffective against this Demon Cat! The Demon Cat was nimble, but thankfully Lu Ran had been enhanced and could see its movements clearly. At this point, Lu Ran abandoned all other ns and prepared to face the Demon Cat head-on. He had handled countless cats over the past decade. He had even picked up and carried a small tiger by the scruff. No, that wasn¡¯t right. He was now a Beastmaster and needed to get used tomanding a Pet Beast in battle, not fighting himself. ¡°General Ha! Save me!¡± Lu Ran shouted, realizing his role. ¡°Restrict it! I¡¯ll find a weapon!¡± Meanwhile, the bewildered General Ha¡¯s gaze sharpened as he lunged toward the attacking Demon Cat. As the two figures collided in the blink of an eye, Lu Ran, stepping back to look for weapons like sticks and stones, heard a blood-curdling scream. ¡°Meow-o!!!!¡± A pitiful scream, followed by a low growl, echoed through the dense forest, prompting Lu Ran to look quickly. He then saw General Ha pinning the Demon Cat to the ground, biting its throat, roaring dominantly while blood sttered everywhere. The Demon Cat, which seemed so formidable, was taken down in one fell swoop. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran stood frozen in ce, feeling awkward about whether to pick up the stone at his feet or not. So, what was the point of all the analysis and the mental battle with the Demon Cat? Was his assessment of the enhanced General Ha¡¯sbat capabilities and the Demon Cat¡¯s battle strength somewhat off? ¡°Uh-oooh!!!¡± At this moment, General Ha, standing at a distance, turned his head and let out a call, looking at Lu Ran as if to say, it was easy, just like a war god. Lu Ran pondered. He had been yed. That¡¯s not right. Could it be that even among Middle Supernaturals, there were disparities? Could the gap between level 1 and level 2 be not as big as I thought? Judging by size, this Demon Cat was indeed more than one level below General Ha. Indeed, in the natural world, sizergely determinesbat power! Well¡­ ¡°Impressive, truly worthy of a General I trained.¡± Lu Ran could onlyment, genuinely surprised by General Ha¡¯s ferocity. ¡°Woof!¡± Hearing this, General Ha disyed a look of intelligence, as if to say, what are you talking about, I don¡¯t understand. Chapter 6: Hope for Leveling Up Chapter 6: Hope for Leveling Up The demon cat was thus subdued. Lu Ran looked at the demon cat with its neck bitten through, finding the sight incredibly surreal. Although everything here was referred to as a projection, the bleeding demon cat appeared to be a real living being¡­ Poor kitty, you met such a tragic end. But it was either you or me. Hmm? Before Lu Ran could dwell on this for too long, suddenly, the demon cat that General Ha was pressing down was enveloped in a white light. The cat itself, along with the blood flowing from its body,pletely shattered and disappeared under the wrap of the white light! ¡°Wha??¡± Discovering the spoils of battle mysteriously vanishing before his eyes, General Ha revealed a look of astonishment. What surprised him even more came afterward. Thepletely vanished demon cat, in fact, left behind a trace. It ultimately condensed into a firefly-sized point of light and flew into General Ha¡¯s body. At that moment, General Ha felt his physique as if it had been further strengthened.¡°Leveling up by defeating monsters?¡± Lu Ran, observing the change after the demon cat¡¯s disappearance, immediately recalled something, his gaze fixed on General Ha. However, seeing that General Ha¡¯s growth level was still at level 1, he couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled. ¡°That should have been right¡­ By killing the enemy, General Ha¡¯s strength has increased a bit. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s definitely an improvement.¡± ¡°One isn¡¯t enough to level up?¡± ¡°How many are needed to advance to level 2?¡± ¡°Wait! Perhaps, this is the very purpose of the Trial Secret Realm.¡± Lu Ran suddenly pondered a great deal. Lu Ran¡¯s original n was simply toplete the novice mission normally, avoid some conflicts, survive the day, and after bing more familiar with the situation he found himself in, then n and attempt some higher-difficulty challenges. But the discovery that defeating monsters could actually lead to leveling up, and that General Ha¡¯sbat strength was far stronger than he had imagined, his thoughts began to waver. Is it possible to appropriately increase General Ha¡¯s level here? After all, the final reward seems to be rted to the performance in the trial. Being overly cautious and surviving to the end versus fighting one¡¯s way through to the end, the rewards are bound to be different. Probably, this Novice Trial Secret Realm isn¡¯t as terrifying as I thought. Instead, it seems to be a great opportunity for neers to train. The poster¡¯s situation was so dire, likely because they were too weak! Of course, there might indeed be more formidable enemies within the secret realm¡­ But at least, if faced with a demon cat like before, General Ha seemed more than capable of handling it! Lu Ran was torn, wanting to seize every possible opportunity. He had a hunch that this mysterious ck card would definitely impact the world order, but he also worried that his own greed could lead to danger. ¡°Woof!!¡± At that moment, General Ha was busily pawing at the ground, as if searching for the now-missing demon cat¡­ ¡°Stop that,¡± Lu Ran said with a sigh. ¡°That guy ispletely gone. For now, let¡¯s just stay put, you rest up and regain your strength.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± Lu Ran ignored General Ha¡¯s cocked head, dissatisfied with the effects of the Eye of Data. If the Eye of Data could show the experience bar from level 1 to level 2 for General Ha, even just a percentage would be helpful. Unfortunately, whether using the Eye of Data or checking General Ha¡¯s information through the contract card, there was no way to know exactly how many demon cats needed to be defeated to reach level 2. However, Lu Ran did make an unexpected new discovery: he noticed that the Eye of Data seemed to also provide information about himself. Species: Human Beast Taming Level: Apprentice Beast Taming Skill: None The information was still very simple. The only thing that caught Lu Ran¡¯s attention was the so-called beast taming skill. In the attribute table for General Ha, there was also a skill bar. But whether for General Ha or for himself, the skill bar showed no skills¡­ How exactly does one acquire skills? If they gained skills, perhaps theirbat strength could be further enhanced. ¡°We just had a fight here, causing quite amotion¡­¡± ¡°It might attract new enemies. We just need to wait for them here, like sitting ducks. This area is rtively open, and if enemiese, we can take the initiative to some extent.¡± Lu Ran exined his reasoning to General Ha, concluding that staying at this ¡°spawn point¡± was better than venturing into theplex underbrush. This was Lu Ran¡¯s final decision, leaving it to fate. ¡°Uh oh!¡± General Ha nodded, indicatingpliance. In its understanding, Lu Ran was in charge of strategizing, and its job was simply to fight. ¡°Stay alert.¡± While waiting for prey toe, Lu Ran kept busy, continuously using the Eye of Data to observe. After all, ording to the prompt, the Eye of Data could not only view information on living creatures but also on resources. What kind of resources? After some exploration, Lu Ran made quite a discovery. Ordinary grass and trees showed no particr information when viewed with the Eye of Data, but there were indeed some unique nts nearby that proved to be useful. For instance, he found a red mushroom under a tree. Name: Hemostatic Mushroom Level: Ordinary Level Introduction: A fungal species that, when crushed and applied, can slowly heal wounds. Do not ingest, or hallucinations of tiny dancing figures may ur. Also, on a slimmer tree, distinct from otherrge trees, he discovered several green fruits. Name: Wood Scale Fruit Level: Ordinary Level Introduction: A tree fruit with juicy flesh that provides a strong sense of satiety. Eating it can restore some energy. Wood Scale Fruits are favorites of fruit insects, and consuming them has a high chance of providing additional protein nutrition. ¡°It¡¯s good that we didn¡¯t leave immediately; to think that such resources were hidden nearby, but these resources are just outrageous¡­¡± Lu Ran felt a pang in his stomach. If they had fled from here at the beginning, whether they could find such resources elsewhere was another question. Ignoring the tricky introduction and relying on these two resources alone, staying put didn¡¯t seem like an issue as long as they didn¡¯t encounter any overly powerful creatures. ¡°Should be able to use these, right?¡± Since the demon cat had vanished instantly, Lu Ran also worried that the Hemostatic Mushroom and Wood Scale Fruit would disappear once picked. But as it turned out, Lu Ran¡¯s concerns were unfounded. After tentatively digging up a Hemostatic Mushroom, it did not disappear, indicating that they could only not be taken out of the secret realm. ¡°Not bad.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. With these items, he felt more confident about helping General Ha level up efficiently. Hmm? ¡°Ugh¡­¡± While in a good mood, Lu Ran felt a wave of warm breath and saw General Ha had somehowe over, panting hotly at the hemostatic mushroom, drooling as if asking if it was edible. ¡°Haven¡¯t you just eaten beforeing here?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a fight; how could all the energy be used up? This is a topical medicine, not for eating. You¡¯re also not allowed to eat anything else here without my permission.¡± ¡°Woof.¡± ¡°No means no.¡± After some back and forth, under Lu Ran¡¯s disapproving gaze, General Ha finally gave up on the idea of eating the hemostatic mushroom. In fact,pared to meat, Lu Ran¡¯s Erha preferred to eat vegetables and fruits, so it had another nickname: noob dog 1 . Next, Lu Ran began the arduous task of picking the wood scale fruits. Although he and General Ha had indeed eaten before arriving, that wouldst at most half a day. When hunger set in again, their abilities would undoubtedly decline. At this time, the wood scale fruit, which could restore energy and relieve both hunger and thirst, became very important. Some time passed. Lu Ran had collected all the wood scale fruits and hemostatic mushrooms nearby. Half an hour had gone by since they entered. To Lu Ran¡¯s dismay, staying put did not seem to attract any new enemies. ¡°Do we need to take the initiative?¡± Lu Ran frowned, but his expression changed in the next moment. Rustle, rustle, rustle¡­ Lying on the ground with squinted eyes, General Ha also suddenly opened its eyes, alert. Because a familiar sound was heard again. ¡°The experience baby is here!¡± ¡°Woof, woof!¡± But Lu Ran¡¯s excitement did notst long because the rustling¡­ wasing from all directions. Lu Ran¡¯s heart tightened; there were many creatures approaching¡­ definitely not just one! Momentster. A drop of sweat trickled down Lu Ran¡¯s face. The ck bushes were torn apart again, and five figures emerged. General Ha: ¡­ Lu Ran: ¡­ Is this really a simple-level novice secret realm? Lu Ran was stunned. He suspected the creator of the secret realm was targeting him! He wasn¡¯t cheating, after all! Hear me out¡­ thank you¡­ Footnote:
  1. Noob dog(²Ë¹·): The phrase ¡°noob dog¡± here is a y on words. In Chinese, ¡°²Ë¹·¡± (c¨¤i g¨¯u)bines ¡°²Ë¡± (vegetable) and ¡°¹·¡± (dog), suggesting someone as fragile as a vegetable that falls over at the slightest touch, and is a humorous way to refer to someone with low skill. In this context, because ¡°Erha¡± likes to eat vegetables, it is referred to as ¡°²Ë¹·¡± (noob dog).
Chapter 7: Anomaly Chapter 7: Anomaly Lu Ran¡¯s scalp tingled. One, two, three, four, five¡­ What appeared were five demon cats! Damn, do demon cats have a social habit? These five demon cats are currently staring intently at Lu Ran and his group. If it were just five demon cats, it would be one thing. But Lu Ran noticed something else about the five demon cats that had arrived¡ªone of them was markedly different from the other four. The four of them were simr to the previous demon cat they had encountered, all considerably smaller in sizepared to General Ha. However, thest one was significantlyrger, its size now rivaling the original General Ha, its body not lean like the other demon cats, but instead, brimming with muscle.Species: Demon Cat Attribute: Unawakened Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 3 With a quick sweep of the Eye of Data, Lu Ran pursed his lips¡ªthis was a level 3 demon cat¡­ At this moment, Lu Ran really wanted to suggest they just slip away. As brave as General Ha was, two fists are no match for four hands. However, these five demon cats had clearly surrounded them, leaving no chance to slip away¡­ What to do. Should he let General Ha enter that state? Previously, Lu Ran referred to General Ha¡¯s state as the normal state, implying there was also an abnormal state. If one considered Lu Ran¡¯s superpower, the strange dream, as a kind of illness. Then, it wasn¡¯t just Lu Ran who was ¡®ill¡¯. General Ha was too, perhaps, this was also the reason for their encounter. Once it engaged in battle and reached an excited state, it would lose its sense of reason and pain, bing like a mad dog. In this state, General Ha¡¯s potential seemed to be fully unleashed, significantly increasing itsbat power. Currently, only Lu Ran¡¯s telepathy could awaken General Ha into this state. General Ha also had hidden potential, which was why Lu Ran believed in itsbat capabilities. But actually, Lu Ran didn¡¯t want General Ha to enter that state. He always felt that state was somewhat dangerous, and every time General Ha came out of that state, it would have to faint for a while. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s take it one step at a time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, quickly thin their numbers.¡± ¡°Also, keep an eye on that demon cat leader.¡± With the previous battle experience, Lu Ran adapted quickly and immediately issued orders to General Ha. During the fruit picking period, Lu Ran also found a new weapon¡ªa handy wooden stick. The stick was fairly sturdy, andbined with his enhanced physical condition, Lu Ran felt that as long as he didn¡¯t get his neck or other vital areas wed by the demon cats, he stood a good chance of taking one down. Of course, this was assuming he was up against the lower-level demon cats. Facing the massive level 3 demon cat, Lu Ran felt that it would be a bit more challenging. In that case, he would have to rely on General Ha. ¡°Meow!!!¡± Surprisingly, the leader-like demon cat did not seem to have any immediate ns to attack. With a roar, the four level 1 and level 2 demon cats charged first. Perhaps sensing that General Ha posed a greater threat, they had a surprisingly unified target. They leaped forward, simultaneously swinging their sharp ws at General Ha, not considering Lu Ran as their primary target. Whoosh! A stone flew through the air. ¡°Got lucky there, hit one.¡± In the blink of an eye, three demon cats had closed in on General Ha. The one whose movements had paused was the one that had been suddenly hit in the head by a stone, looking stunned. Lu Ran, armed with a stick in one hand and throwing stones with the other, tightened his grip on the stick as he eyed the demon cat he had hit, which was now ring back at him with a vicious gaze. Meanwhile, General Ha had already engaged in battle with the three demon cats, showing tremendousbat strength. Just one sh was all it took to bite the neck of a demon cat, blood spraying everywhere, instantly killing it. But given the current situation, General Ha could only defeat one instantly; the attacks of the other two demon cats undoubtedly hit General Ha. ws shed, and in the blink of an eye, General Ha¡¯s back and side were torn open, blood spurting out, skin and flesh bursting apart. ¡°Argh!!!¡± General Ha felt a terrifying pain, its blue eyes starting to show bloodshot rage as it furiously charged at the nearest demon cat. Although Lu Ran very much wanted to check on General Ha¡¯s condition, he too was in a dangerous situation, having attracted the attention of one demon cat. While General Ha was battling the three demon cats, Lu Ran, armed with the wooden stick, rushed over, and the demon cat that had been hit leaped into the air, ws tearing through. Lu Ran swung his wooden stick, anticipating the demon cat¡¯s intention to w through his weapon. Given the sharpness of the demon cat¡¯s ws, the stick might very well be torn apart. However, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t intending to sh head-on with the enemy. Utilizing the length of his weapon, he altered the trajectory of his attack, dodging the demon cat¡¯s swipe and, with a thud, jabbed the stick into the demon cat¡¯s body. Impacted by the blow, the demon cat was sent flying several meters. ¡°Should¡¯ve sharpened the stick.¡± Watching the demon cat being knocked away, Lu Ran quickly followed up, grateful for his training. Since childhood, he had dealt with various unruly animals, including disobedientrge dogs. Otherwise, an ordinary person would surely falter in such a situation. It could be said that General Ha¡¯s obedience was half due to Lu Ran¡¯s stick reinforcement training. After all, who else had been suppressing itsbat desire all this time? That ¡°Boss Lu¡± was General Ha¡¯s recognition of Lu Ran! At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s goal was to quicklynd another blow on the demon cat¡¯s head. Unfortunately, the previous attack wasn¡¯t fatal; the demon catnded and, in a sh, agilely got back up and charged ferociously once again. ¡°Useless,¡± thought Lu Ran, nning to repeat his earlier maneuver. However, as Lu Ran focused intently, suddenly, a roar caused the attacking demon cat to halt abruptly, as if giving up the assault, immediately stopping and stepping back a few paces. This cry made Lu Ran¡¯s expression stiffen, and he quickly turned towards the leader demon cat, thinking it was about to strike, since the roar had juste from it. But to Lu Ran¡¯s astonishment, the ¡°leader demon cat¡± in the distance, after that cry, didn¡¯tunch an attack but instead gave him a deep, almost human-like look, then turned and left the area. At the same time, the remaining two demon cats, except for the one General Ha had bitten through the neck, also chose to retreat, as if following the leader demon cat¡¯s lead. ¡°Roar¡ª¡± Seeing this, General Ha seemed eager to pursue, but Lu Ran immediately ordered, ¡°Wait.¡± Lu Ran¡¯smand was effective. On hearing it, General Ha, though still maintaining a fierce posture and watching the retreating demon cats, began to suppress its own ferocity. One of the conditions for General Ha to enter its mad dog state was its own bloodshed, which had already been met. However, seeing the group of demon cats voluntarily withdrawing, Lu Ran hesitated. In the blink of an eye, Lu Ran and the four demon cats at a standoff watched as several demon catspletely retreated back into the jungle. As the demon cats disappeared, Lu Ran finally breathed a sigh of relief, rxing his body and looking at his trembling hands. Although he didn¡¯t understand why the demon cat leader ordered the retreat, continuing the fight would have clearly been disadvantageous for him and General Ha. Even if they ultimately won, it would have been a pyrrhic victory with serious injuries. He still thought to himself, ¡°Is this really a novice trial?¡± At that moment, General Ha seemed rather frustrated, dissatisfied with not being able to kill all five in one second. As for taking on five at once¡­ it didn¡¯t feel like it would lose. ¡°Sorry, General Ha, things are tooplicated here, can¡¯t let you fight to your heart¡¯s content. Next time¡­ Hmm? Wait a second.¡± While speaking, Lu Ran noticed some changes in General Ha. Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 2 Skill: None Unbeknownst to him, General Ha, having just killed another demon cat, had reached Growth Level 2, with an obvious increase in attributes. Because of this, even though it had been scratched a couple of times just now, the responsive General Ha was still able to send a demon cat flying several meters with a single blow, disying incredible strength. This change delighted Lu Ran. ¡°Perhaps the demon cat leader sensed the strengthening of General Ha¡¯s aura and decided to retreat.¡± ¡°They must also be extremely unfamiliar with us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the higher-level demon cat leader ordered its subordinates to probe.¡± ¡°And the result of the probing is General Ha¡¯s ability to instantly kill a lower-level demon cat, and it seems to be getting stronger as the fight goes on, with a trend of gradually increasing aura.¡± ¡°Although they have the advantage in numbers, the demon cat leader didn¡¯t dare to gamble, didn¡¯t dare to risk injury over the pursuit of two prey.¡± ¡°In nature, if a predator is injured during the hunt, what often awaits it is a decline in its own status within its group, as well as the deadly danger from its natural enemies.¡± ¡°The projection creatures here, although extremely aggressive, likely hunt just for food, not for senseless attacks, retaining some biological instincts of nature. That is to say, my initial judgment was correct. Some battles don¡¯t necessarily have to be wonpletely; as long as you can instill fear in your opponent and deter them from fighting, you can survive.¡± Lu Ran quickly analyzed the situation, and though unsure if his analysis was correct, it seemed to be one of the few exnations avable. ¡°Anyway, General Ha, let¡¯s quickly get you treated.¡± Facing General Ha, who had once again made a great contribution, Lu Ran looked at its wounds and then at the hemostatic mushrooms he had collected: ¡°Although I don¡¯t know the efficacy of this thing, we can only rely on it right now.¡± Hopefully, these mushrooms are more effective than the medicines he had prepared. ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha nodded in response to Lu Ran¡¯s call. ¡°Woof?¡± But the next moment, as General Ha moved towards Lu Ran to receive treatment, it suddenly paused, confusedly staring at Lu Ran¡¯s neck. From there, unbeknownst when, a golden glow emanated. It was Lu Ran¡¯s heirloom, the divine deer antler amulet pendant, which had unexpectedly started to emit a faint light. This sudden change was the reason General Ha halted in its tracks. The golden glow, as it drew closer, made General Ha feel as if its very bloodline was being suppressed, as if it had encountered a mighty tiger, clearing its eyes significantly. The glow grew stronger; initially dim, now even Lu Ran began to notice the change in his pendant. As he observed, he couldn¡¯t help showing a puzzled expression. Because of the Eye of Data, which he had acquired upon entering the secret realm, at this moment¡­ at this very moment, it had also captured data about the heirloom amulet he had brought from the outside world! Name: Divine Deer Antler Level: Epic Introduction: Legend has it that the antler of a divine deer, after absorbing the power of a forest rich with natural energy, will nurture healing powers. Chapter 8: Conclusion Chapter 8: Conclusion How is this possible? Seeing the transformation of the pendant, Lu Ran¡¯s mind was clouded with confusion. My family¡¯s heirloom? I hadn¡¯t noticed it since I came in¡­ Was it also brought here? But its transformation at this moment was too astonishing. Originally, with the emergence of superpowers and the ck card, Lu Ran felt that this world was strange enough, that there must be some unknown elements to it. And now, discovering that even his family¡¯s heirloom had an extraordinary origin only added to his amazement. His expression was one of puzzlement. He focused inward on the ck contract card floating in his mindscape. His thoughts were still muddled.So, these supernatural forces were not modern, not only recently in existence! They have been around since ancient times, for who knows how many years! His family¡¯s heirloom was surely tied to this series of supernatural forces as well. ¡°There¡¯s too much I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Or rather, did an ancestor of mine also get chosen by the ck card, bing a beastmaster? And this antler, was it something they brought back from a secret realm?¡± ¡°However, if the ck card has existed since ancient times, then why has there been no information about it until now¡­¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for that poster, if the ck card hadn¡¯t appeared in my hands¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, just how many people have been chosen by this ursed ce to be beastmasters?¡± ¡°Ow, ow!¡± While Lu Ran was lost in thought, General Ha, who had been stunned while looking at the pendant, came back to his senses and began to feel the pain of his wound again, crying out in agony. Ouch, ouch, ouch¡­ His cries woke Lu Ran from his reverie, snapping him back to reality, as he said: ¡°I¡¯ll use this to heal you.¡± The healing power from the divine deer, of epic and rare level, had to be stronger than thosemon hemostatic mushrooms found everywhere, right? The pendant must have been in a sealed state before, having lost its original strength, which is why it hadn¡¯t been detected initially. And now, havinge to this ce and absorbed a certain amount of ¡®supernatural energy¡¯, it had awakened, that must be it. ¡°Healing power.¡± Holding the hemostatic mushroom, Lu Ran looked at General Ha and pulled off the pendant. In that instant, holding the contract card, that familiar sensation returned to Lu Ran. He took a deep breath. Focusing his intention on healing General Ha, he locked it onto the pendant. The next moment, the divine deer pendant emitted a sparkling golden light! Then, the golden light enveloped General Ha¡¯s wounds, and under Lu Ran¡¯s watchful eye, an incredible scene unfolded. The torn wounds on General Ha¡¯s body began to heal rapidly. In just a few seconds, the bloody injuries hadpletely healed, without even a scar left behind. Except for a few bald patches where the fur was missing, it was a near-perfect recovery! Even General Ha felt a warm sensation throughout his body, as if nourished by the essence of nts. ¡°Oh!¡± In just a moment, General Ha was again stunned, not understanding what had just happened. Lu Ran, however, had an expression of great joy. He quickly patted the healed area on General Ha and said, ¡°You¡¯ve gone bald, but you¡¯ve also be stronger 1 , and your skin has toughened up quite a bit!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was taken aback, looking down at his body with heartache, but then he turned his excited gaze back to the antler in Lu Ran¡¯s hand. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, it seems we¡¯ve be invincible,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. Forget it, the questions about the heirloom can wait until we return. ¡°Woof Woof!!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes sparkled like shlights, nodding frantically, feeling that with this pendant, not just five cats, he could take on fifty! This item was simply too powerful. With it, as long as one wasn¡¯t instantly killed, what injuries couldn¡¯t be healed? ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°We can¡¯t ce all our hopes on the protection of our ancestors, but this surprise¡­ it changes the n a bit.¡± He gripped the pendant tightly, took a deep breath, and recalled the face of his mother. Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t know the specifics about the divine deer pendant, he understood that this item was their greatest reliance at the moment, their security in this trial secret realm¡­ The feasibility of levelling up in their n had significantly increased once again. ¡­ Having obtained an epic item, Lu Ran felt that to continue ying it safe would be an injustice to the heirloom left by his ancestors. After ying two demon cats, General Ha progressed from level 1 to level 2. So, what about from level 2 to level 3? Lu Ran wanted General Ha to level up as much as possible here, gaining strongerbat capabilities. Being slow by one step can meangging at every step, and this truth applies everywhere. Given the opportunity, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t nning to miss any chance to harvest resources. If there were ever a crisis in the future, having enough strength would mean not only better self-preservation but also the ability to protect those he cherished. Why couldn¡¯t he be the ¡°tall one¡±? Someone had to stand at the pinnacle of the world. If he could reign supreme in bug fighting, why not in beast taming? ¡°With this continued increase in strength, even if that dream bes a reality, I should be able to stop those monsters from destroying the city under my feet.¡± Thinking of that dream, Lu Ran felt even more motivated. Four hourster. Deep in the thick forest. ¡°Idiot, didn¡¯t I tell you? Although we have an item that can heal wounds, we should still try our best to avoid getting hurt!¡± After recovering, Lu Ran and General Ha, fueled by greater ambition, started to proactively hunt for prey. During this time, they encountered some new supernatural beings. Most were between level 1 and level 3. Their species level was mostly lower supernatural. Take the tooth-eared rabbit, for instance ¨C an extremely aggressive type of rabbit, seeking its own doom! Or the giant rat beast, which looked bigger than a duck and was rather well-formed. It was a pity that without the proper tools ¨C and since they were phantoms ¨C Lu Ran couldn¡¯t dissect and study these unseen creatures, which was something he would have been inclined to do. These creatures, without exception, stood no chance against General Ha, even if they were 1 or 2 levels higher. Inparison, those demon cats were actually a bit harder to deal with. After all, it¡¯s called the Forest of the Demon Cat; these creatures were probably just the demon cats¡¯ prey. This made Lu Ran feel that facing these guys was the kind of difficulty one should expect in a novice secret realm. However, aside from these, there were also some tough customers, like the middle supernatural species level 3 green snake that General Ha had just taken care of. Of course, General Ha himself also suffered quite a bit of damage. Perhaps it was the cumtive effect of the healing power of the divine deer pendant, General Ha felt a sense of security that led it to adopt a more brutal fighting style. For victory, it now resorted to trading blow for blow, a savage tactic. Such methods are quite extreme in nature, where most battles are survival-driven or for food. Incurring injuries means straying from life, but General Ha was indifferent to this. Quickly, it developed a new fighting style that even Lu Ran had to admit was a testament to the dog¡¯s innate talent. But this recklessness was prone to idents! Take the snake, for instance¡ªit was venomous! Thankfully, they had collected antidote herb along the way. ¡°Woof.¡± Pinning down therge snake, General Ha wore an innocent expression. By now, its level had reached level 3. This had both General Ha and Lu Ran in a state of extreme excitement. If they could keep leveling up at this pace, then within just 24 hours, they could ensure that they would be able to fight in high spirits the whole time. After all, getting stronger is truly exhrating. However, despite the thrill of leveling up, they decided to pause their journey for a moment. Lu Ran discovered traces of human activity. It was a tattered tent. The big snake they had just dealt with had been guarding near this tent. Approaching the tent with caution, they encountered no further incidents. Inside the tent, besides a yellowing travel journal, there was nothing else. Lu Ran picked up the travel journal, excitedly flipping through it. He couldn¡¯t understand the text, but perhaps because of the Eye of Data, he was able to grasp its meaning. This is the first stop on my journey, the once serene deep forest, now the Forest of the Demon Cat. I came here full of confidence to investigate the true cause of the forest anomaly from years ago, but I was wrong. Father was right; I shouldn¡¯t havee here¡­ The travel journal ended abruptly. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°Riddle man, get out of the secret realm!¡± Lu Ran was frustrated by the scant information recorded in the travel journal. He had hoped that, aside from the trial mission, he might unlock some hidden quest. Even without the travel journal, he knew that ¡°forest anomaly¡± was a key phrase for this secret realm. ¡°Woof.¡± Nearby, General Ha urged Boss Lu to stay calm. Let¡¯s go level up. ¡°Right, we only have one day.¡± Lu Ran sighed, mainly because there was too little information about the Forest of the Demon Cat, and given their weak strength, even if the secret realm held other secrets, exploring them would likely be troublesome. But this travel journal, after careful analysis by Lu Ran, did reveal some information¡­ Seeking the true cause of the anomaly¡­ Perhaps it suggests that themonly known ck rainstorm, which triggers mutations in creatures, is only a superficial reason. The father of the person who left the travel journal didn¡¯t want him toe here, which could mean that his father knew some inside information, indicating that the journal owner likely came from a notable background. Lu Ran remembered these details, and then, it was time to focus on leveling up, as remembering these details was of no use at the moment. Gradually, Lu Ran and General Ha became engrossed in leveling up, continuously traversing the Forest of the Demon Cat. Along the way, they did not encounter enemies that were too difficult to handle. The toughest situation was facing a group of demon cats at once. In such cases, getting injured was inevitable. If it were a normal Beast Taming duo, even if they could win, their injuries would likely prevent them from going on. But for Lu Ran, who had the divine deer antler, injuries were the least of their concerns. ¡°Level 4!¡± ¡°This is too hard.¡± Time passed by, and Lu Ran, who could see the mission countdown, was constantly watching the ¡°one-day limit.¡± At this moment, they had been on the move for nearly 24 hours, either searching for monsters or fighting. If not for the fruit that replenished their energy, both he and General Ha would have been exhausted long ago. Even a sled dog couldn¡¯t withstand such an ordeal. The growth from level 3 to level 4 was rtively quick for General Ha, but the process from level 3 to level 4 took nearly a full day for Lu Ran and General Ha, and they still hadn¡¯tpleted it. There was no progress bar for the growth level, so Lu Ran and hispanion could only fight as much as possible, after all, it was the only way they knew to level up. Fortunately, hard work pays off. With just 1 minute left on the mission countdown, General Ha finally managed to defeat onest demon cat and raised its growth level to 4. And then, an even more exhrating event urred for Lu Ran! Congrattions onpleting the novice trial. Rating: S-level! Prompt: Trial ratings are divided into nine levels: SSS, SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, F. Congrattions on obtaining an identity card. Congrattions on acquiring 10,000 crystal coins. Congrattions on obtaining advanced resources, meteorite mine. Congrattions on obtaining advanced resources, attribute awakening fruit (grass). Congrattions on acquiring the beast taming skill: super beast mimicry. Congrattions on acquiring the Eye of Data (primary). Please choose your return location, 1: Initial teleport point, 2: Infinite City! Prompt: Infinite City is arge, safe area active with beastmasters who have passed the novice trial. It contains various special facilities serving beastmasters. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± A series of prompts appeared, and Lu Ran felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders. Then, unexpectedly, his attention was drawn to the prompt about the return location. Footnote:
  1. You¡¯ve gone bald, but you¡¯ve also be stronger(Äã±äͺÁË£¬Ò²±äÇ¿ÁË): This quote originates from the Japanese anime ¡°One Punch Man,¡± where the protagonist Saitama has a famous line: ¡°I¡¯ve be bald, and I¡¯ve also be stronger.¡±
Chapter 9: Infinite City Chapter 9: Infinite City ¡°I choose, Infinite City!¡± ¡­ Infinite City. Sacred and majestic. It seemed as though it was nestled in a rift in the world, isted from everything else. In the deep blue silk-like sky, diamond stars sparkled dazzlingly. Rampant starlight sprinkled generously across thend. Across the vast area, those gray-white rooftops, under the twinkling starlight, quietly showcased their simplicity and mystery. At this moment, within a room standing in the southern part of Infinite City, a figure slowly materialized amidst a sh of white light.This person was none other than Lu Ran, who had just recentlypleted the novice trial. Lu Ran cautiously observed his surroundings, not expecting that his return would present him with two options. Upon seeing the choices, he naturally did not hesitate to select Infinite City, the gathering ce of beastmasters. Through this ce, he should be able to unravel many mysteries. However, at this time, Lu Ran was most concerned about the rewards he had just received. After all, this was the result of a day¡¯s hard work with General Ha. With nine ratings from SSS to F-level, he had received an S rating. He was quite satisfied with this rating. Although it wasn¡¯t the highest, an S-level rating was certainly not something the average person could achieve. Only Lu Ran and General Ha knew what they had done in the secret realm that day. To say they were like weasels entering a henhouse would not be an exaggeration¡­ Most people would probably only manage an E to F-level rating if they avoided danger and persisted for a day. Inparison, he owed much to the pendant; without the Divine Deer Pendant, he and General Ha wouldn¡¯t have gotten far. Unfortunately, even though he had a powerful healing item, General Ha¡¯s species level was still too low. Before evolution, after all, he was just an Erha, not very efficient inbat. If someone had contracted with a fierce tiger or a pr bear, ignoring injuries, they would likely be more brutal in fighting monsters. But that was alright. General Ha should still be able to evolve indefinitely. As long as they worked together, they could surely break through species limits. It was not impossible for them to rival or even surpass mythical creatures like giant dragons in the future. The wonders of the secret realm made Lu Ran believe. Thanks to the Divine Deer amulet, they were off to a strong start with several nice rewards. Lu Ran took out his identity card, one of the rewards he had obtained in the secret realm. It looked and felt simr to the contract ck card, only it was white, and it seemed like all those resources were stored within this card. The identity card disyed: Name: Lu Ran (can be renamed) Beastmaster Serial Number: Below these two basic pieces of information, there were four more options: Communication, Team Up, Backpack, and Teleport. The 10,000 crystal coins and three resources he had just earned in the secret realm were all in the Backpack. Among these three resources, the beast taming skill was also in card form, which could be tentatively referred to as a skill card. As for the crystal coins, they had no physical form, just a digital disy, simr to online banking. Lu Ran surmised that these crystal coins must be the ¡°universal currency¡± of Infinite City, likely used by swiping the card? He looked around the room, which contained only the most basic furniture and a few other items. One pir tform, in particr, caught Lu Ran¡¯s attention. This was because it had a spot that seemed perfect for ¡°card swiping.¡± Lu Ran approached it, and the next moment, an optical screen appeared before him with a dense array of images and text. ¡°This is¡­¡± Name: Spider Cave Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Simple Challenge Crystal Coins: Name: Wild Boar Valley Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Ordinary Challenge Crystal Coins: Name: Giant Beast Forest Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Hard Challenge Crystal Coins: The screen showed basic information about some secret realms and the cost in challenge crystal coins. It seemed that entering other secret realms required purchasing a ticket. There were 10 secret realms listed on the first page, and Lu Ran saw that he could flip through to page 5, meaning there were over 40 novice-level secret realms avable to him! Flipping further, Lu Ran also found some particrly outrageous ones, like Lake of Death. Name: Lake of Death Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Abyss Challenge Crystal Coins: ¡°Really is¡­¡± Lu Ran was momentarily at a loss for words. The secret realms¡¯ difficulties seemed to range from simple, ordinary, hard, to abyss. The challenge cost for these secret realms typically ranges from 100 to 1,000 crystal coins. With the 10,000 crystal coins at his disposal, Lu Ran could attempt numerous challenges. However, after a cursory nce, nothing piqued his interest¡­ The previous simple-level novice trial in the Forest of the Demon Cat was taxing even with the aid of an epic item¡ªthey were exhausted and injured multiple times. Ordinary difficulty¡­ and even more so, hard and abyss-level challenges, are best avoided until more is understood about them. Lu Ran recalled seeing options formunication and team up on the identity card, which suggested that these high difficulty secret realms are likely intended for beastmasters to tackle in teams. But apart from these secret realm dungeons, Lu Ran also discovered an absolutely safe secret realm, standing on its own¡­ Name: Training Secret Realm Secret Realm Level: Novice Activation Crystal Coins: 1/day The pricing was very affordable, seeming to indicate that it is simply a training ground. ¡°It¡¯s better to first thoroughly analyze the materials obtained. They should help strengthen both General Ha and myself.¡± Leaving the pir tform, Lu Ran noticed the optical screen automatically disappeared. He then turned his attention to the resources in the backpack. In the secret realm, he had obtained temporary ess to the Eye of Data. Now that the trial waspleted, it appeared he had permanent ess to the Eye of Data, even outside the realm. However, it was only primary level,cking thepleteness of the one inside the secret realm. The in-realm version could reveal information about other creatures, while this primary Eye of Data could only disy details about himself, his pet beasts, and low-rarity resources and items, which significantly reduced its strategic value. Name: Meteorite Mine Level: Advanced Introduction: An iron ore born from the influence of extraterrestrial meteoric forces, possessing excellent energy conduction and amplification properties, suitable for crafting weapons and equipment. Name: Grass-type Awakening Fruit Level: Advanced Introduction: Can aid pet beasts with grass-type potential to awaken their innate grass-type powers. Meteorite Mine, Grass-type Fruit! No need to borate on the Meteorite Mine; the inability to bring in weapons was a disappointment for Lu Ran. He suspected that ordinary weapons and even firearms from the outside world could not be brought in. The only items that could be brought in were those with supernatural powers, like the Divine Deer pendant. Given that the meteorite mine is also a special resource, weapons forged from it should presumably be portable, right? Lu Ran was very satisfied with this reward, but at present, he was unsure what to craft with the meteorite mine or where to go for the forging process. The grass-type fruit also excited Lu Ran. The supernatural beings he had encountered recently were all attribute-less and unawakened, which was undoubtedly strange. ording to his understanding, attributes like wind, thunder, water, and fire should exist. Why did none of the creatures possess any? This suggests that for supernatural beings to awaken their attributes, it must not be easy, likely very difficult, and external guidance would be necessary. Attribute awakening fruit is clearly one of these external aids. Currently, it¡¯s unknown whether General Ha possesses the grass-type attribute. Lu Ran felt that General Ha probably did not have it. Although Erha enjoyed eating vegetables, it was hard to imagine any corrtion between Erha and the grass-type. However, it¡¯s not a big issue. Having obtained the attribute fruit, if it¡¯s not usable, the worst-case scenario would be to sell it or trade with others for an attribute that is needed. First, it¡¯s crucial to identify General Ha¡¯s attribute. Determining the attribute of a pet beast was also something Lu Ran intended to rify. Of course, these were not the rewards that pleased Lu Ran the most. His greatest delight was receiving a beast taming skill as a reward. To Lu Ran, the value of a beastmaster to their pet beast must lie in the beast taming skill. Lu Ran felt that the strength of a beastmaster was likely determined by their beast taming skills. This skill could potentially enhance thebat power of a pet beast or even the beastmaster¡¯s own strength! Hmm¡­ Name: Super Beast Mimicry Introduction: A beast taming skill that allows beastmasters to simte and learn from the behavioral traits of their contracted pet beasts, gaining strength and skills akin to those of fierce beasts¡­ What? Lu Ran: What??? ¡°Damn it!¡± Just as he was starting to feel ted, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but curse loudly in his room. What is this? How could it be? While he didn¡¯t know what other beast taming skills were like, this particr skill seemed to perfectly address his ownck ofbat strength. But, learning the behavioral traits of my own contracted pet beast? Are you serious? Lu Ran¡¯s face turned from green to purple with frustration. In ancient times, there was the Twelve Animal-Style Boxing, created by those who emted the movements of twelve different animals to develop practical fighting techniques, so this beast taming skill seemed somewhat reasonable on the surface. Had Lu Ran¡¯s contract been with a loong, a tiger, or a bear, he would have eagerly learned from them to gain the strength of a bear, the eyesight of an eagle, the speed of a leopard¡­ But the problem was¡­ his contract was with Erha. Lu Ran envisioned himself imitating the behavioral traits of his own Erha¡­ ¡°This skill is ridiculous, who came up with this?¡± Lu Ran clenched his fists. ¡°Even if I¡¯m beaten to death in the secret realm, and even if I never be a powerful beastmaster in this lifetime, I absolutely refuse to y the role of¡­ of an Erha. Probably. No, I have to find a way.¡± Chapter 10: Xiaobailong Chapter 10: Xiaobailong After studying in his room for a while, Lu Ran stepped out. He had a realization: his only beast taming skill, if not learned, would be a waste, and definitely not a case of the grass being greener on the other side. As for how to effectively use super beast mimicry, he already had ideas! General Ha was just over a year old, still highly impressionable¡­ Hmm, he wasn¡¯t going to learn canine behavior, but he could prevent General Ha from acting like a dog! How exactly to achieve this, he was still missing some items. Once he returned to Green Sea City, he could attempt further. As for now¡­ He came to Infinite City to gather more information. The quicker he learned what he needed, the quicker he could return. ¡°The Divine Deer pendant must be kept safe and hidden; fortunately, it can also be ced in the backpack of the identity card.¡±Before leaving, Lu Ran had made thorough preparations. The Divine Deer pendant was currently his biggest secret, one he absolutely couldn¡¯t let others discover, to avoid covetousness. Epic level resources¡­ Although he did not know how many ranks it exceeded ordinary or advanced, there was no doubt it was a very rare treasure. Of course, the main thing was, it was a keepsake from his mother. After leaving the house, Lu Ran found himself in a residential area filled with grey and white buildings, and there were no people nearby, making it quite deste. He had originally thought that Infinite City would be bustling, filled with many fellow beastmasters, but it seemed he was mistaken. Lu Ran looked around and then walked towards the outskirts of the residential area. When he reached the main entrance of the residential area, he finally saw the first person. Dressed in a neat white suit, wearing thick-rimmed sses, the man exuded a serious demeanor, but¡­ seated on a bench, book in one hand and frequently reaching into a bag on the table beside him to grab chips and put them into his mouth, he didn¡¯t seem so stern after all. As Lu Ran approached, the man noticed him. ¡°A neer?¡± Noticing Lu Ran¡¯s approach, the man turned around, his tone seemed cheerful, and said, ¡°Neer, congrattions, you¡¯ve passed the novice trial.¡± Lu Ran looked at him and asked, ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous, let me introduce myself. I¡¯m also a ¡®resident¡¯ of this residential area and should be considered your senior. I passed the novice trial and became a beastmaster just over half a month ago.¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re all from Xia Country, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, feel free to ask me. Think of me as your guide to Infinite City.¡± The man in the suit and sses stood up, smiling cheerfully. ¡°What should I call you?¡± Lu Ran chose to ask. It was clear that the man was here waiting for neers, and Lu Ran was willing to oblige him. It seemed that indeed, many had be beastmasters before him. He already had a guess about the man¡¯s identity. ¡°My name here is Waves Xiaobailong.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°And you? There¡¯s no need to use your real name; most beastmasters change their names on their identity cards upon entering Infinite City.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like an online nickname.¡± ¡°Passerby A,¡± said Lu Ran, who had indeed changed his name. At first, Lu Ran had wanted to call himself ¡°xxx,¡± but he worried that being too ostentatious might attract unwanted attention, so he chose something more low-key. ¡°Ah?¡± The suited man was taken aback upon hearing this. That¡¯s rather ordinary. He had assumed that young people would choose more mboyant names. Waves Xiaobailong shrugged: ¡°Alright, I know you must have a lot of questions. How about I answer them for you?¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°First, I want to know what exactly happened to me.¡± Waves Xiaobailong pondered for a moment before answering: ¡°Well, about that¡­¡± ¡°It was roughly three years ago when many ck cards, known as contract cards, suddenly appeared all over the world. A conservative estimate suggests that hundreds descended upon Xia Country alone.¡± ¡°That incident was likely the first time contract cards appeared, and since then, countries around the world havee to realize that such supernatural forces exist.¡± ¡°Three years ago?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Yes.¡± Three years ago, contract cards and beastmasters first came into the public eye in Xia Country? What about the Divine Deer pendant then? His family heirloom must have at least a few hundred years of history. ¡°What happened next?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Three years ago, about a few hundred people in Xia Country were chosen to be beastmasters, but not many passed the trials to enter Infinite City,¡± exined Xiaobailong. Lu Ran remained silent. ¡°After that, the ck cards would descend once every year, two years ago, one year ago¡­ In Xia Country, each time, a few hundred people were chosen.¡± ¡°And other countries?¡± ¡°Perhaps due to poption counts, many countries only had a few individuals selected; our country is on the higher side.¡± ¡°Of course, while we have many beastmasterspared to other countries, considering our own poption of over a billion, those chosen are but a tiny fraction. So, with official suppression, this matter didn¡¯t have much of an impact. There were undercurrents beneath the surface, but on the surface, all remained calm.¡± ¡°But a month ago, there was a new change.¡± ¡°The annual descent of the ck cards came again.¡± ¡°All over the world, many more ck cards appeared this time, far more than in previous years, and the duration was longer. Up to now, ck cards are still frequently descending all over the world, selecting different individuals to be beastmasters.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen the serial number on your identity card, right? That indicates the order in which you passed the trial.¡± ¡°The officials predict that the scale of this event is sorge that it would be difficult to keep under wraps. Society is bound to be shaken, so now, the officials are considering how to disclose this information to the public without destabilizing society, and how to systematically manage beastmasters,¡± continued Xiaobailong. ¡°Clearly, you and I are among the lucky ones this time, and moreover, we¡¯re quite capable. Generally speaking, most people can¡¯t get through the novice trial, not because it¡¯s hard for ordinary people in Xia Country to encounterbat-capable animals, but because it¡¯s hard for ordinary people to quickly adjust their mindset.¡± ¡°After all, Infinite City has its own consciousness and will arrange suitable novice secret realms to some extent based on the neer¡¯s contract situation.¡± ¡°Of course, having a pet beast from a powerful species initially is a huge advantage¡­ Those rich guys overseas¡­ Damn, they have all sorts of creatures, their advantage is too great.¡± Once again, Lu Ran fell silent. So that¡¯s how it is? ¡°Are you with the official institution?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Sort of,¡± came the reply. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the second team within the Neer Recruitment Department of the Beastmaster Administration Bureau, part of the Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance.¡± ¡°The Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance is Xia Country¡¯s official beast taming organization. It was established three years ago as a special department that¡¯s not open to the public.¡± ¡°Internationally, other new beast taming institutions have also been established, maintaining a bnce among various parties.¡± Waves Xiaobailongughed and said, ¡°In any case, I wouldn¡¯t be here recruiting people without being paid.¡± He was quite candid. ¡°After passing the novice secret realm, I joined Xia Country¡¯s official beast taming institution. My current job is to guide and exin things to neers who have just passed the novice trial. Now you understand, right?¡± ¡°So, you want to invite me to join the official organization?¡± Lu Ran inquired. That made sense. With beastmasters possessing supernatural powers, it was indeed unlikely that the official organization would allow them to act freely among the public. To be honest, Lu Ran was somewhat resistant, mainly because he didn¡¯t want to get too close to others, like teaming up to challenge secret realms, as that would make it inconvenient to use the divine deer pendant. ¡°That¡¯s one way to put it, but it¡¯s all up to you,¡± Xiaobailong said. ¡°So far, not everyone is willing to join the official ranks.¡± ¡°As long as you ensure that you won¡¯t use the powers of a beastmaster for evil or break thew outside, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether you join the official organization or not. Of course, whether you join or not, every beastmaster must be registered.¡± Lu Ran was surprised, as he hadn¡¯t expected this answer. In an instant, Lu Ran imagined various scenarios, such as the official institution initially trying to forcibly manage beastmasters, resulting in a bacsh and severe losses, leading to a more lenient approach to managing beastmasters. Otherwise, it could be that in these three years, the group of people who became beastmasters had grown powerful enough to slip beyond the control of the mundane world¡­ That seemed unlikely, however, or else the outside world would have already descended into chaos. Generally speaking, it¡¯s the more powerful factions in the external world that can more easily obtain animals of strong species as pet beasts. Moreover, the power of a beastmaster in the early stages couldn¡¯t possiblypete with technological weaponry. Chapter 11: The Game of Gods Chapter 11: The Game of Gods ¡°Actually, for us ordinary people, joining an official organization is already the best way out.¡± ¡°Most beastmasters who have survived the past three years now work for official institutions. Their beast taming levels are very high, possessing intelligence, experience, and resources that are hard for us neers to ess. By joining an official organization, you can enjoy a part of it with the collective¡¯s support.¡± ¡°But there must be some obligations, right?¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t believe in free lunches. ¡°It¡¯s not too bad. For instance, if a beastmaster causes trouble, it¡¯s the responsibility of the official beastmasters to maintain the nation¡¯s stability and security¡­¡± ¡°From what I remember, there are few mandatory missions, and you can totally choose an office job. Recruiting neers like I¡¯m doing is a personal choice. Even so, the sry is quite good,¡± Xiaobailong said with a smile. ¡°How about it, interested?¡± Forget it, Lu Ran politely declined: ¡°I need to think it over.¡± ¡°Ah, no problem, you can take your time to understand.¡± ¡°Any other questions?¡± Xiaobailong didn¡¯t nag about it, giving Lu Ran enough autonomy, which left a good impression on him.However, Xiaobailong inwardly shook his head. Lu Ran was obviously a student. He hadn¡¯t been through the harsh realities of society. Otherwise, he would understand how rare such an ¡®iron rice bowl¡¯ 1 job was. ¡°There are¡­ but too many, I don¡¯t even know where to start. Can you tell me what I should know right now?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Sure,¡± Xiaobailong said: ¡°As you¡¯ve seen, after passing the novice trial, if you enter Infinite City, you will be teleported to a residential area. The house you¡¯re teleported to will be your home here, essible only by you. Outsiders cannot force their way in.¡± ¡°Beyond the residential area, Infinite City has many facilities and is quite extensive. You¡¯re free to explore on your own. But as far as I know, there isn¡¯t just one Infinite City; there are many. For instance, the Infinite City of Xia Country and those of foreign countries are separate. Even within our own national territory, there are as many as seven Infinite Cities, divided ording to administrative regions.¡± ¡°If you want to visit other Infinite Cities, you¡¯ll have to use the teleportation circle within the city. Activating it consumes crystal coins. The facilities in each Infinite City arergely identical, with only some differences in the secret realms. There¡¯s no real need to force a visit to another city.¡± ¡°Inside Infinite City, you can meet other beastmasters and visit stores run by them. In those stores, you can sell or trade the resources you¡¯ve gathered from the secret realms. You can also use crystal coins to buy essential resources for nurturing your pet beast. I rmend choosing stores with official backing for your transactions to avoid being cheated.¡± ¡°Furthermore, fighting is prohibited within Infinite City. Vitors will be punished by patrol beasts. If you need to settle a dispute, you can go to the arena.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the secret realms.¡± ¡°The novice secret realm you¡¯ve justpleted is one of the simplest. It¡¯s practically devoid of pet beasts above level 5. Other secret realms are not so forgiving.¡± ¡°If a beastmaster wants to improve their strength, unless they are extremely wealthy or powerful in the real world and can buy resources from other beastmasters who have ventured into the secret realms, the fastest way to grow is through the trials of the secret realms themselves.¡± ¡°By the way, I should rify something. I don¡¯t mean that you can ¡®level up by defeating monsters¡¯ in all secret realms.¡± ¡°You must have noticed in the novice secret realm, by ying monsters, you could increase your pet beast¡¯s level and experience. However, that is a special reward mechanism of the novice trial secret realm. In future secret realms, such benefits are rare.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. No levelling up by defeating monsters? Wouldn¡¯t levelling up be very difficult then? ¡°That¡¯s how it is,¡± Xiaobailong said with a smile: ¡°However, the secret realms we have ess to, even though still projections, contain resources that can be taken out. Utilizing these resources is another way to enhance your pet beast¡¯s strength, and it¡¯s not necessarily slower than levelling up throughbat.¡± ¡°So, beastmasters who enter the secret realms do so for various reasons. A minority aim toplete the realm, while many others are there solely to gather resources. Whether theyplete the realm is irrelevant; their goal is to collect resources and then leave. Of course, the rarer the resources, the harder they are to obtain. They are either guarded by formidable beasts or dropped from monsters¡­¡± ¡°Here¡¯s some good news. Unlike the novice trial secret realms, subsequent realms allow beastmasters of the same level range to team up. This is another advantage of joining an official organization; you can systematically team up with beastmasters skilled in different areas to better harvest and train in the secret realms.¡± Team up¡­ Lu Ran mulled over the idea. That was precisely why he was hesitant to join; he simply didn¡¯t trust strangers and wanted to avoid teaming up with people he didn¡¯t trust. He believed there were many good people, but he had no illusions that everyone in the world was good. He wasn¡¯t ready to reveal the divine deer pendant. Xiaobailong continued the promotion: ¡°The Donghuang Alliance¡¯s secret realm strategy team is currently the beast taming team with the mostpleted realms in the country, filled with many strong members.¡± ¡°However, these are ordinary secret realms we¡¯re talking about. The most important realms are the breakthrough secret realms. When your pet beast reaches a level that is a multiple of 10, you¡¯ll encounter the corresponding level breakthrough secret realm. Only by passing through the breakthrough realm can both the beastmaster and the pet beast continue to level up, break through their limits, and you¡¯ll also obtain a new contract card, giving you the opportunity to contract a second pet beast¡­ Currently, the breakthrough secret realm is the only way to increase the number of contracted pet beasts, and contract cards are one of the few resources that cannot be traded.¡± ¡°So, you understand now, the breakthrough secret realm is what truly matters.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Alongside the breakthrough secret realms are the public secret realms, but they don¡¯t have much to do with you, no need to worry about them. The struggle for ownership of public secret realms is a matter for therge guilds.¡± ¡°Alright, do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran asked while absorbing the information, ¡°these secret realms¡­ they¡¯re all projections? What exactly are they projecting, and do other worlds truly exist? Is this all just a game, or¡­?¡± Xiaobailong pondered the question for a moment and said, ¡°Hmm, your question is a bit beyond the scope of what I know, but as far as I¡¯m aware, current secret realms seem to be all projections.¡± ¡°As for whether those powerful beastmasters havee into contact with worlds that have real life, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°However, I can tell you a pattern. Generally, ordinary secret realms do not allow contact with other civilized worlds. The novice secret realm and ordinary secret realms we enter are basically projections of wilderness areas from another world, with no human presence. Only in the breakthrough secret realm is it possible to encounter humans from other worlds, toe into contact with human projections! At present, the breakthrough secret realm is an important way for us to understand Infinite City and this Beast Taming system.¡± He shrugged and said, ¡°In short, we currently know very little about Infinite City and can only y by its rules. It¡¯s still too difficult to fully understand it, so think of it as a game from the gods, or the resurgence of a lost, highly advanced supernatural civilization. Unless something unexpected happens, a brand new era of Beast Taming is definitelying to Blue Star because of this game.¡± ¡°To a greater or lesser extent, the world as we know it is going to change because of it.¡± ¡°Young man, your urgent task now is to seize the dividends of the new era and quickly improve yourself. This is much better than simply going to school, working, and earning money. My mortgage of a million was solved mostly by just selling materials, can you imagine that¡­¡± ¡°Of course, that material was something I didn¡¯t need. If it¡¯s something useful for yourself, it¡¯s better to keep it for your own use. By the way, what¡¯s your secret realm rating?¡± ¡°Looking at you, it seems you¡¯ve had a tough time, hasn¡¯t it been easy?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± He looked at Lu Ran. ¡°It¡¯s indeed not been easy,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°By the way, I also want to know how to find out what attribute my pet beast has.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quite knowledgeable, asking very key questions,¡± Xiaobailong said with a smile. ¡°In many ces in Infinite City, there are ¡®attribute stones¡¯. Just let your pet beast attack the attribute stone, and then ording to the characteristics shown by the attribute stone, you can know the attribute of your pet beast.¡± ¡°However, to awaken your pet beast¡¯s attribute, external stimtion is needed, usually with ¡®attribute awakening fruit¡¯. This method is the mostmon, but attribute fruits are advanced resources, and it¡¯s not easy for neers to obtain them.¡± Footnote:
  1. Iron rice bowl(Ìú·¹Íë): The term refers to a job with lifetime security, especially a position in a state-owned enterprise or government department. In Chinese culture, the rice bowl is a symbol of livelihood and sustenance, while ¡°iron¡± suggests the stability and permanence of such employment.
Chapter 12: Testing Attributes Chapter 12: Testing Attributes ¡°It¡¯s a pity, if it were before, attribute fruits weren¡¯t so expensive, and there was a decent umtion over time. But recently, with a massive influx of beastmasters into Infinite City, attribute fruits have be extremely scarce, monopolized by the major powers.¡± ¡°Anyway, although pet beasts can obtain strongerbat power after awakening their attributes, let¡¯s wait a bit longer. There¡¯s no rush right now. Once the neer wave passes, there should be stock on the market, and by then, you should have saved enough crystal coins to make a purchase,¡± Waves Xiaobailong said. ¡°Alternatively, you could choose to join the official ranks¡­ usually, you can get the benefit of free attribute awakening.¡± ¡°Free distribution of attribute fruits?¡± Lu Ran finally heard some good benefits. ¡°How could that be! It¡¯s through other means.¡± ¡°Which is better for the pet beast?¡± ¡°Obviously, the attribute awakening fruit you pay for,¡± Xiaobailong¡¯s mouth twitched, stating the obvious. Freebies are good enough, no point in being too hopeful. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran resigned himself. He would definitely choose the awakening method that was best for his pet beast; it¡¯s not like he couldn¡¯t afford attribute fruits.All toy a solid foundation for General Ha! ¡°Well, that should be enough exnation for now. My Beastmaster ID is 7386. Let¡¯s add each other as friends. If you change your mind, you can contact me.¡± Waves Xiaobailong felt that Lu Ran was catching on fairly quickly. Indeed, students have strong receptive abilities. Moreover, in his view, Lu Ran was also quite cautious, clearly not fully trusting him. That was good too. Often, such people were less likely to die early in the secret realm. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°No problem, huh.¡± Xiaobailong nced at the time and expressed surprise, ¡°It¡¯s gettingte, time to clock out. I¡¯ll be aplete good Samaritan and take you to the nearest attribute stone. I¡¯m also on my way to grab a bite. Some restaurants within Infinite City are truly exceptional in vor; you should try them when you have the chance, although they are expensive!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lu Ran.¡± With that, he straightened his clothes, ready to leave. Lu Ran hesitated for a moment but ultimately followed. ¡°Compared to the vastness of Infinite City, there are still rtively few beastmasters at present, andbat beastmasters rarely show their faces. They are mainly focused on improving theirbat strength and are often active within Infinite City. Almost all you see are lifestyle beastmasters¡­¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t the central district, so there are even fewer people¡­¡± Along the way, Waves Xiaobailong continued to exin to Lu Ran. He spoke with ease; after having understood this information himself, he must have exined it to many others by now. Lu Ran listened quietly. He was just about to ask about the differences betweenbat and lifestyle beastmasters, but soon, his attention was drawn to two figures. After arriving in Infinite City, he finally encountered the third and fourth persons! On the deserted street edge, under a tall ancient tree reaching dozens of meters high, two figures were standing in front of a two-meter tall boulder. The former, slightly older, was a maturedy, probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, about the same age as Xiaobailong, dressed in professional attire. Thetter was a youth around Lu Ran¡¯s age. However, judging from the youth¡¯s dark and rough skin and his simple clothing, he seemed to be from the countryside. Xiaobailong made this judgment also because of the pet beast beside the youth¡­ A wild boar standing over half a person tall, with long tusks and a body covered in earthy brown fur! Such animals were not found in the city for people to contract! Xiaobailong was slightly surprised. He just didn¡¯t know whether this wild boar was a domestic pig that had undergone a contract mutation and reverted to its wild ancestors, or if it had been a wild boar prior to the contract. Some domesticated animals are likely to revert to their ancestral form after being contracted, such as pigs reverting to wild boars, or dogs to wolves. In any case, thebat strength of a wild boar is much stronger than the cats and dogs raised in the city. Thisd has an incredible start! Passing through the novice trial secret realm should be a breeze for him. ¡°Shenghua, a neer?¡± Xiaobailong clearly recognized the maturedy dressed simrly to him. Seeing her paired with the youth, he understood the situation. It was definitely like him and Passerby A, a senior guiding a neer to test their attributes. ¡°Xiaobai,¡± the maturedy in the ck silk professional attire greeted Xiaobailong and Lu Ran with a slight smile, saying, ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m in luck today. I found a powerful neer with a C-level rating. I¡¯m taking him to test his attributes.¡± ¡°C-level?!¡± Xiaobailong¡¯s face twitched. Good luck indeed¡ªif he could recruit such a promising neer into the organization, a hefty bonus would surely follow. Unfortunately, when he had previously inquired about Lu Ran¡¯s rating, Lu Ran had been evasive, leading him to guess that Lu Ran¡¯s rating couldn¡¯t be very high. After all, given his age and demeanor, it was clear he was a rich city kid, and considering how disheveled he was, it would be impressive if he could evenst a day. ¡°You got lucky too, stumbling upon a neer,¡± Shenghua chuckled. ¡°Haha, yes,¡± Xiaobailong replied as he introduced them: ¡°This is Bixia Shenghua, my colleague. And this one¡­ Passerby A, a neer.¡± At this point, with the sight of Bixia Shenghua, Lu Ran gradually confirmed that Xiaobailong was indeed an official representative. It seemed that to scout for new talent, the officials had deployed quite a few staff members to wait and guide here. ¡°Passerby A¡­¡± Upon Xiaobailong¡¯s introduction, Shenghua and the wild boar youth were briefly taken aback before nodding. ¡°This one is Pig Raiser¡­ uh, that¡¯s the ID he chose for himself,¡± Shenghuamented, feeling that the younger generation had some odd tendencies. Each one of them, not much for formalities, are they? ¡°Ah, it does go well with the pet beast, so, is it rock-type?¡± Xiaobailong remarked, ncing at the attribute stone which had petrified in ayer and then at the grunting wild boar. ¡°Not bad, a rock-type swine pet beast. With proper training, itsbat capabilities can be quite formidable.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Xiaobailong nodded towards therge stone and said to Lu Ran. The attribute stone itself was greyish-white, and at the moment, one area of the stone had a raised bump resembling a clod of dirt¡ªan indication of the petrification phenomenon. ¡°The attribute stone is made of a special material. Just let your pet beast attack it, and it can show different changes based on the beast¡¯stent attributes. Then, you can choose different awakening methods depending on the attribute.¡± ¡°The basic attributes include elements such as wind, rock, lightning, grass, water, fire, ice, and others.¡± ¡°Generally speaking, after a pet beast attacks the attribute stone, if petrification urs, the beast¡¯stent energy is of the rock type; if it turns red-hot, it¡¯s fire-type; if it bes wet, it¡¯s water-type; if frost forms, it¡¯s ice-type¡­ In short, different attributes will exhibit different phenomena. You understand, right?¡± ¡°Of course, in addition to the basic elemental attributes, there are also some rare ones, such as light or dark, which are truly serendipitous finds.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lu Ran nodded, looking like it was all quite simple. ¡°Go on, give it a try.¡± Shenghua chimed in from the side. Even though the attribute test wasplete, Shenghua and Pig Raiser didn¡¯t leave. Instead, they stayed to see what would happen with Lu Ran. At this point, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t wait to find out General Ha¡¯s attribute. He reached out his hand and summoned the ck card to his palm. ¡°Pet, summon!¡± As his intention took form, a circr summoning circle appeared on the ground. Simultaneously, the circle erupted with dazzling light, and soon after, apanied by a grunt, the figure of arge husky materialized. ¡°A husky?¡± Seeing the husky, no one was surprised. The initial pet beasts of most urban beastmasters, chosen by the Beast Taming system, were typically pet cats or pet dogs. Compared to a wild boar or the like, getting through the novice trial with a pet cat or dog was considered quite a feat. Judging by the husky¡¯s species, Bixia Shenghua and Waves Xiaobailong inferred that Lu Ran¡¯s novice rating couldn¡¯t be high. ¡°Hit that stone.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t dawdle. Right after summoning General Ha, he immediately gave themand. ¡°Woof!¡± Hearing the order, General Ha nodded, looked at therge attribute stone, and after gathering energy for a moment, a dim white light enveloped him. In the next instant, General Ha charged towards the attribute stone. ¡°Not a bad talent.¡± Watching, Shenghua and Xiaobailong nodded with surprise. The beast had a basic understanding of how to use its energy. It seemed that ¡®Passerby A¡¯ hadn¡¯t just lucked through the trial secret realm; he must have gone through several battles. Pig Raiser and his wild boar also nced sideways, watching General Ha collide with the attribute stone. Bang! A sh of white light, and General Ha¡¯s head made intimate contact with the stone. In the next moment, the four onlookers heard a heart-wrenching yelp. ¡°Ow ow ow ow.¡± After hitting the attribute stone, General Ha was in so much pain that he forgot his own name. His head was actually quite tough, but the stone was clearly tougher. ¡°I mean, seriously¡­¡± Lu Ran, seeing this, could only feel a headacheing on. It¡¯s not like he asked General Ha to risk its life. Why charge with such force? Is there a grudge or something? That should be enough! He maintained a calm expression, pretending he wasn¡¯t all that familiar with the husky, ignoring the astonished looks from the three onlookers. There was no need to guess; they probably thought the husky wasn¡¯t the brightest. However, their attention was quickly drawn to the attribute stone. The attribute stone, having absorbed the energy, showed immediate changes. In the area where General Ha had struck, a dozen white marks, resembling scratches made by a knife, rapidly appeared to the naked eye! Seeing this change, Xiaobailong said, ¡°Scratches, could it be wind-type?¡± ¡°Generally speaking, huskies belong to the snowfield dog breed, which is more often associated with ice-type. Wind-type is quite rare, but it¡¯s clearly better.¡± ¡°Wind-type?¡± Lu Ran asked, ¡°How is that attribute?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good one,¡± Shenghua replied. ¡°Wind-type is known for its speed, and it¡¯s said that some creatures that can¡¯t fly can eventually soar by harnessing wind-type energy¡­¡± A flying Erha¡­ Lu Ran looked at General Ha holding its head, chuckled, and shook his head. Not a noob dog, but a mad dog, huh? It wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. Chapter 13: The Cat-Eared Maid Café Chapter 13: The Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦ ¡°Which is more valuable, a grass-type fruit or a wind-type fruit?¡± After confirming General Ha¡¯s attribute, Lu Ran asked again. ¡°Hmm?¡± Xiaobailong did not expect Lu Ran to suddenly ask this question. He exined, ¡°Although the wind-type is also good, the grass-type has more functionalities. Beyondbat, it has many auxiliary effects. Most flying creatures are wind-type, but grass-type pet beasts are rarer. Therefore, grass-type fruits are pricier on the market.¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I got a grass-type fruit as my clearance reward. Though attribute fruits are scarce now, I should be able to trade it for a wind-type fruit, right? Where would be the best ce to make the exchange?¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be a problem¡­¡± Xiaobailong nodded, but in the next instant, his pupils shrank. Shenghua, standing beside him, reacted the same way, both of them staring at Lu Ran in astonishment.¡°What? What did you say? Your novice secret realm clearance reward included a grass-type fruit?¡± Xiaobailong eximed in surprise. ¡°Right.¡± Lu Ran casually revealed this fact during their conversation, having learned that advanced resources were only somewhat rare for neers at the bottom, and not considered rare in Infinite City, so he felt no pressure in asking. Among his three clearance rewards, the beast taming skill was likely the most valuable. ¡°Did your rating reach D?¡± Xiaobailong continued to probe. Upon his words, the wild boar youth and the others turned their eyes on Lu Ran. It was somewhat unexpected. How did he manage to get a D rating with just a husky? ¡°E and F ratings don¡¯te with resource rewards, just basic crystal coins. It¡¯s only at a D rating that you¡¯re awarded advanced resources,¡± Bixia Shenghua exined. ¡°You actually reached a D rating¡­ and you were so lucky to get a grass-type fruit,¡± Xiaobailong couldn¡¯t believe he had misjudged the situation. Quickly, a smile appeared on his face, and he lost all interest in eating, pulling Lu Ran along as he said, ¡°Come with me.¡± ¡°I know a ce where we can definitely find a wind-type fruit.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Seeing Xiaobailong¡¯s enthusiasm had doubled, Lu Ran had no choice but to be dragged away by him. Before leaving, a thought crossed his mind, and General Ha, clutching his head, turned into a beam of white light, returning to the contract card. ¡°Shenghua, I¡¯ve got something to take care of; I¡¯ll be heading out first.¡± Xiaobailong, full of excitement, didn¡¯t forget to say goodbye to his colleague. Seeing this, Bixia Shenghua adjusted her sses, watching Lu Ran and the others leave, she mumbled, ¡°Look how happy the kid is.¡± ¡°Shenghua, is a grass-type fruit very rare?¡± the wild boar youth asked. ¡°It¡¯s considered one of the more rare advanced resources. The chances of getting a grass-type fruit with a D-level rating are not high, his rating might even have reached C-level.¡± ¡°C-level? That¡¯s the same as mine.¡± The wild boar youth was surprised. Being C-level himself, he knew how difficult it was to achieve that rating in the novice secret realm, having experienced several close calls. After all, his pet beast was a boar that had reverted to its ancestral form and mutated into an upper supernatural wild boar post-contract! In the natural world, boars are notoriously tough creatures, not something a husky could measure up to. ¡°I¡¯m curious too, how exactly did he manage to secure a D-level or higher rating with just a husky¡­¡± Shenghua pondered, saying, ¡°Maybe they are just naturally talented. I forgot to mention, some seemingly weak animals, like chickens, ducks, and bugs, if they are a perfect match with their beastmaster, have a chance to awaken as upper supernatural species right from the initial contract,parable to lions and tigers. Such cases are rare and sought after. Maybe, just maybe, that¡¯s what happened with him¡­¡± ¡°Some people are born to be beastmasters.¡± ¡°Anyway, that ¡®Passerby A¡¯ is quite remarkable. If you run into him again, try to engage more deeply, make a friend. After all, many secret realms can¡¯t be conquered alone, and having a strong partner can make things much morefortable.¡± ¡°Hahaha, that is impressive¡­¡± The wild boar youth scratched his head, taking note of Lu Ran and General Ha, feeling a bit envious. He might indeed seek some advice and get to know him in the future. ¡­ Xiaobailong pulled Lu Ran along, speeding all the way. During the ride, Xiaobailong even rented a shared motorcycle on the roadside, taking Lu Ran towards the central district. ¡°Where are you taking me¡ª,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but ask from beneath his helmet. ¡°Now, you won¡¯t find wind-type fruit at any old store, but the ce I¡¯m taking you to next won¡¯t disappoint,¡± Waves Xiaobailong assured. Vroom Vroom Vroom¡ª¡ª As the motorcycle dashed along, Lu Ran saw many people, but there was no interaction between them. Finally, Waves Xiaobailong brought Lu Ran to a stop in front of a store decorated in a very ¡°anime-esque¡± style. When the bike came to a halt, Lu Ran turned his head to look at the store¡¯s name emzoned in cutesy font, his mouth twitching involuntarily. It read: Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦! ¡°This is where you¡¯re taking me??¡± Lu Ran asked, ncing at Waves Xiaobailong who licked his lips with a hint of anticipation, expressing his skepticism. ¡°Yes, the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦ is a chain information agency established by a powerful intelligence dealer among the second-generation beastmasters. It has many branches in the various infinite cities. On the surface, it looks like a caf¨¦, but it¡¯s actually an intelligence hub. If you ever want information,ing here and making a purchase is always the right move.¡± ¡°Instead of aimlessly searching various shops for a wind-type fruit,missioning the help here is much more efficient.¡± ¡°Wee!¡± As Waves Xiaobailong and Lu Ran were talking, the door to the caf¨¦ opened and out stepped a woman dressed in a ck and white maid outfit,plete with cat ears and a tail essory. At her feet was an adorably dressed pet beast resembling a plush cat with a bow tie. ¡°Ah, Mr. Waves Xiaobailong,¡± greeted the cat-eared maid, beaming at the sight of Waves Xiaobailong. ¡°Hehe, Little Ling 1 ,¡± Waves Xiaobailong chuckled, his suit-d figure resembling a cultured beast: ¡°Brought a neer to broaden his horizons.¡± At this point, Lu Ran waspletely speechless. He saw the barely concealed smile on Waves Xiaobailong¡¯s face and couldn¡¯t help but feel a wave of criticism. Initially, he thought Waves Xiaobailong was just a straightced office worker, but it turned out he was a closeted flirt. That made sense¡ªwhat straightced person would name themselves Waves Xiaobailong? Ah, men. Considering how familiar he seemed, it was clear he wasn¡¯t a stranger to ces like this. Lu Ran put a mental question mark on whether this ce truly was an intelligence hub, remaining skeptical. ¡°A neer, wee, wee,¡± the cat-eared maid said, offering Lu Ran a warm smile. ¡°Hello,¡± Lu Ran said as he removed his helmet. ¡°Let me introduce you to Fengyu Piaoling, who became a Beast Taming master about a month ago. In general, we¡¯re all fourth-generation beastmasters, although Xiaobailong and I preceded you by nearly a month. She is currently working here, and if you ever need to get your hands on some special information, you cane here to purchase it. Don¡¯t underestimate this caf¨¦; it¡¯s currently the secondrgest intelligence agency in Xia Country, second only to the official one.¡± ¡°Little Ling, this is a neer who passed the trial today. He received a grass-type fruit as a novice reward, but his pet beast is of the wind type. He wants to exchange it for a wind-type fruit. Is there a way to do that?¡± The cat-eared maid named Little Ling lit up upon hearing this and turned to look at Lu Ran, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not easy to find a wind-type fruit elsewhere nowadays, but you¡¯vee to the right ce.¡± ¡°Please,e inside.¡± The interior of the maid caf¨¦ was decorated in a rather ssical style, with bookshelves piled up all around the room. The ce resembled a cat¡¯s dwelling more than a caf¨¦, with several pet beasts of different species lounging in various spots, in addition to the pet cat following Little Ling. Most conspicuous of all was what appeared to be a statue enshrined at the center of the shop. The statue was also a cat, but it looked more noble than the pet cats, with gem-like eyes watching over everything. ¡°It¡¯s quitete; there¡¯s no one in the shop right now, so feel free to sit anywhere,¡± Little Ling said as she led them inside. She handed Lu Ran a menu with a smile, ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± Lu Ran thanked her again and nced at the menu. When he saw the prices of the coffee, which were higher than the cost of entering a secret realm, his fingers twitched. He was not eager to spend money right away and looked up to say, ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind the high prices; the ingredients for the beverages here alle from secret realms. They have added effects when consumed, so the price is justified,¡± Xiaobailong said with a chuckle, as if noticing Lu Ran¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on the matter at hand,¡± Lu Ran said, showing no interest in the pricing, as he wasn¡¯t familiar with the value of things and wasn¡¯t inclined to drink just yet. At that moment, Fengyu Piaoling had already taken out a tablet-like device and stood next to Lu Ran. ¡°A wind-type fruit, right? And you¡¯d prefer to trade items for it,¡± Fengyu Piaoling said as she used the tablet to search for the intelligence Lu Ran needed. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°We have intelligence on three wind-type fruits.¡± ¡°The cheapest and most suitable for you costs 50 crystal coins.¡± ¡°That cheap?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. You see, his novice clearance reward was 10,000 crystal coins. And 50 crystal coins were even less than the change needed for the coffee and milk tea. ¡°Generally speaking, if intelligence is cheap, it means it¡¯s not difficult to obtain and there¡¯s a good chance you could get it elsewhere. Would you like to consider it?¡± Fengyu Piaoling asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran said, deciding that 50 crystal coins were worth the convenience. Fengyu Piaoling smiled slightly and said, ¡°There¡¯s a ce to swipe your card on the table. Just ce your hand on it.¡± Lu Ran looked at the sensor screen on the table. He stretched out his hand and ced his palm on it. The next moment, a voice popped up in his mind, and a string of text appeared before his eyes. [The cat-eared maid caf¨¦ requests to deduct 50 crystal coins. Do you agree?] ¡°Agree,¡± Lu Ran said. The next moment, Little Ling tapped on the tablet and said, ¡°Okay, the intelligence is unlocked. It has now been sent to yourmunication mailbox.¡± Themunication function of the identity card can be used to send emails, make phone calls, or video calls. Lu Ran checked his mailbox and immediately saw a system email from the cat-eared maid caf¨¦. [The Beastmaster Guild¡¯s Medicine Pavilion in Infinite City No.6 is collecting grass-type fruits indefinitely. They support transactions with crystal coins or item exchanges. Currently, the Medicine Pavilion Guild¡¯s public resource exchange list includes wind-type fruits.] ¡°Infinite City No.6? Medicine Pavilion Guild?¡± After obtaining the intelligence, Lu Ran didn¡¯t keep it to himself and shared it right away. Clearly, he still needed an exnation for this intelligence. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The cat-eared maid pondered for a moment and said, ¡°We are in Infinite City No.3. Infinite City No.6 is in the southwestern region. You need to go through a teleportation circle or reach the corresponding area in reality to enter. As for the Medicine Pavilion, it¡¯s a Beastmaster Guild.¡± ¡°The Beastmaster Guild is a collective of beastmasters, initially established to conquer secret realms of abyssal difficulty together. Most are formed by unofficial beastmasters. I¡¯ve heard of the Medicine Pavilion; it was founded by a second-generation beastmaster. They have many support and healing-type beastmasters, as well as several lifestyle beastmasters skilled in creating medicines. It¡¯s akin to amercial pharmaceuticalpany within the guild structure. So, the intelligence you¡¯ve obtained indicates that they have wind-type fruits and need grass-type fruits, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°So, I need to go to Infinite City No.6 to make the exchange?¡± ¡°No, the value of your grass-type fruit is actually higher than that of the wind-type fruit. Since you¡¯re a new customer at the cat-eared maid caf¨¦, I¡¯ll give you a perk. I¡¯ll contact someone from the Medicine Pavilion for you. They wille to you with the wind-type fruit for the exchange. Since the grass-type fruit is more valuable, I¡¯ll try to get you some additional resources as well.¡± Fengyu Piaoling said, ¡°And remember to give me a five-star ratingter~¡± Footnote:
  1. Little Ling(Сôá): ¡°Little¡± followed by the first character of the surname or name is used to address young people or those who are younger than oneself, conveying a sense of friendliness and closeness. Such a form of address is verymon in the workce, among friends, or in neighborhood rtionships.
Chapter 14: Lone Ranger Chapter 14: Lone Ranger ¡°Definitely deserves a five-star rating,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. Who would have thought that the secondrgest intelligence agency would be so down-to-earth? ¡°So, do you need any more intelligence? For a neer like you, I would highly rmend some advanced breeding intelligence,¡± Little Ling¡¯s cat ears twitched, catching Lu Ran off guard. ¡°What does advanced breeding intelligence entail?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Well, for instance, the resources needed to nurture your pet beast, which secret realm you can find these resources in, which secret realm offers good training opportunities with lower risks¡ªall of this constitutes advanced intelligence.¡± ¡°Or the monster data and adventure guide for a certain secret realm. That¡¯s also considered advanced intelligence. Very suitable for a neer like you.¡± ¡°Of course, the most critical¡­ the best evolution path! But that¡¯s even higher-level intelligence.¡± Lu Ran looked towards Xiaobailong. Stroking his chin, Xiaobailong nodded and said, ¡°After joining the official ranks, you can actually get basic intelligence for free, but advanced intelligence stilles at a cost.¡±¡°Of course, a lot of the intelligence was paid for with the lives of our predecessors,¡± Little Ling added. Lu Ran nodded in understanding, but¡­ ¡°I need to think about it first,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°No rush! I¡¯ll go contact someone from the medicine pavilion then,¡± Little Ling replied. ¡°Okay. Wait, there is actually another piece of intelligence I need,¡± Lu Ran suddenly remembered something he almost forgot! ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± Little Ling was curious. ¡°If I want to buy weapons, armor, or other equipment, or purchase materials to custom forge a weapon, where¡¯s the best ce to go?¡± Lu Ran inquired. ¡°That intelligence is quite simple,¡± Little Ling said with a slight smile. ¡°You could ask Mr. Xiaobailong right beside you. But here, I¡¯ll rmend a ce in Infinite City with a good reputation for free.¡± ¡°The coordinates are 8766, 1273. The owner of the forge house there is a top Forgemaster among third-generation beastmasters. The prices are fair, and whether you want to buy equipment or have a weapon forged, you can choose this ce.¡± Lu Ran noted the coordinates, but soon after, he asked with curiosity, ¡°By the way, what exactly is a lifestyle beastmaster¡­¡± He had a rough idea, but needed to confirm it. ¡°Uh, didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Xiaobailong, stroking his chin, was the first to speak: ¡°I, as well as Little Ling here, are actually considered lifestyle beastmasters.¡± ¡°Lifestyle beastmasters are those who don¡¯t focus on challenging or exploring secret realms or primarily aim to enhance the strength of their tamed beasts.¡± ¡°The most brute force way for a beastmaster to improve themselves is to enter secret realms for training, but as you¡¯ve experienced with the novice secret realm, you know that ce is very dangerous. Most people, after one experience, decide never to enter again.¡± ¡°Instead, they learn some special skills, such as cooking, forging, or pharmacology, to earn crystal coins frombat beastmasters.¡± ¡°Then, they use crystal coins to buy resources to level up, or hirebat beastmasters to protect them as they enter breakthrough secret realms. This is also a stable way to level up. In short, it¡¯s two different choices.¡± ¡°Has Mr. Xiaobailong given up on bing abat beastmaster?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, I have a wife and kids, and after giving it some thought, I decided not to do something so dangerous. I¡¯m quite content with life as it is now, even as the most ordinary lifestyle beastmaster, the benefits are beyond what those elites out there could imagine,¡± Xiaobailongughed. ¡°I was going to rmend that you be a lifestyle beastmaster. Often, such fellows live the mostfortable lives, but now¡­¡± Thinking of Lu Ran owning at least a D-level rated husky, Xiaobailong realized that Lu Ran probably didn¡¯t need his suggestion; he would make a good choice on his own. ¡°Yep, the basics are what Mr. Xiaobailong has just described. I also work here because I don¡¯t like fighting,¡± the cat-eared maid Little Ling smiled and said: ¡°I¡¯m quite satisfied with my job here. The seniors in the store take good care of me and leave a lot of work and training opportunities to me.¡± ¡°Look, even an intern like me can manage such a big ce on my own!¡± Little Ling¡¯s eyes shone with pride, after all, this was a very famous intelligence center in Infinite City! Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Are you sure they¡¯re not just using you for extra work? The caf¨¦ owner sure is ruthless, squeezing so much work out of an intern. Lifestyle beastmaster¡­ Lu Ran pondered in his mind, feeling that it did not conflict with being abat beastmaster. If a beast tamer was skilled enough to create custom nutrition meals for their pet beast and craft equipment for them, they could surely raise their pet beast to an even higher level. But, in the end, it alles down to the issue of energy and talent. ¡°Lu Ran, if you need to buy weapons, let me take you! I¡¯m more familiar with the streets of Infinite City, and I can give you some advice too,¡± Xiaobailong, realizing Lu Ran¡¯s potential, became even more attentive. After all, Lu Ran was like a walking jackpot! ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not nning to go just yet, I¡¯ll go by myselfter,¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to trouble him too much, so he said. ¡°Alright then,¡± Xiaobailong replied, a bit helpless. ¡°You guys talk, I¡¯ll be right back,¡± the cat-eared maid Little Ling said at that moment. ¡°But before that, let¡¯s add each other as friends.¡± Lu Ran nodded again and added her to hismunications. Afterward, Little Ling gestured for Lu Ran and Xiaobailong to rest while she went to contact the Medicine Pavilion Guild through the exclusive channels of the maid caf¨¦. Meanwhile, Xiaobailong looked at Lu Ran with eager eyes again, saying, ¡°Lu Ran, what¡¯s your rating?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s high, whether joining an official institution or the major guilds, you can receive generous nurturing. If you have this in mind, I can help you with introductions.¡± Lu Ran grinned and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that high, not even better than that Pig Raiser. Joining a force or something¡­ I don¡¯t have any ns for that yet, I want to understand more first.¡± Xiaobailong was speechless. This kid really doesn¡¯t budge. ¡°The current beast tamingmunity can roughly be divided into four batches: the first-generation beastmasters from three years ago, the second-generation beastmasters from two years ago, the third-generation beastmasters fromst year, and our batch, the fourth-generation beastmasters.¡± ¡°Among the first-generation beastmasters from Xia Country, there are only 13 people left active on the front lines, all holding high positions in the Donghuang Alliance.¡± ¡°The second and third generation beastmasters are quite active nowadays,¡± exined Waves Xiaobailong. ¡°Whether it¡¯s the creator of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ or the guild leader of the medicine pavilion guild, they are all second-generation beastmasters. These individuals are pirs within the Xia Country¡¯s Beast Tamingmunity.¡± ¡°The cat-eared maid caf¨¦, the medicine pavilion, and other Beast Taming organizations, though privately established, are actually part of the Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance of Xia Country. They operate independently without direct orders from above but are still under oversight.¡± ¡°This can be seen as the difference between purely official beastmasters and semi-official beastmasters,¡± continued Waves Xiaobailong. ¡°I am a purely official beastmaster, while someone like Little Ling is semi-official. In the end, there¡¯s no such thing asplete freedom.¡± ¡°If you want a secure job, a position within the system, like me, you should join an official institution. If you prefer more freedom, you can be part of various guilds and chambers ofmerce. These are like employees ofpanies, and thesepanies are also part of the Donghuang Alliance¡¯s forces.¡± ¡°The Donghuang Alliance is Xia Country¡¯srgest Beast Taming group,posed of official institutions and various guilds.¡± Though Waves Xiaobailong stood to gain a bonus for recruiting Lu Ran, he didn¡¯t like to deceive others andid out the options clearly. In his traditional view, most people still trust the security of an ¡®iron rice bowl¡¯¡ªa secure job. ¡°After all, at the end of the universe is a spot within the system.¡± ¡°There are roughly these two choices, especially since, if you want to enter a secret realm dungeon, you almost always need to team up. Wild teams are unreliable, and no one dares to join them. If you¡¯re looking for a reliable team, it¡¯s either an official strategy team or a guild¡¯s team.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I solo?¡± asked Lu Ran. ¡°Soloing¡­¡± Waves Xiaobailong felt a pang in his stomach. The naivety of the young is fearless. ¡°Do you think, why are there only so few first-generation beastmasters left?¡± ¡°Besides those who gave up their identity as beastmasters to be lifestyle beastmasters, the majority¡­ died in the secret realms.¡± ¡°Even in teams, the beastmasters who can solo are few and far between, no, it¡¯s fair to say there are none.¡± Lu Ran pondered. In truth, he was inclined to solo, especially since he possessed the divine deer pendant, and he didn¡¯t want to reveal the pendant. This was the reason why Lu Ran had been hesitant about Xiaobailong¡¯s various invitations. Joining an official organization or a guild would surely lead to situations beyond his control, and he feared the potential consequences. Instead of facing endless troubleter, he preferred to solo from the beginning. So, could he possibly outperform teaming up with others if he soloed using the divine deer pendant? If possible, he would start off as a lone wolf in the early stages. Once the advantages provided by the divine deer pendant were no longer significant, and the secret realm dungeons in theter stages became more challenging, he would consider joining an organization. By that time, he would have gained some strength. No, at that point, perhaps he could form his own small team or even a guild, only with people he could trust! ¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± At this moment, Little Ling came out again and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted someone from the medicine pavilion, and they will send someone over soon.¡± Lu Ran looked at Xiaobailong and said, ¡°I need to think about it, thanks.¡± ¡°Take your time to consider,¡± Xiaobailong nodded. ¡°What did the medicine pavilion say?¡± He then asked Little Ling. ¡°They will exchange wind-type fruit,¡± Little Ling replied. ¡°In addition, I managed to get an extra 700 crystal coins for Passerby A.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± said Lu Ran. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± Little Ling said with a smile. ¡°Juste to spend more here in the future.¡± As an intern¡­ she urgently needed arge number of positive orders to secure her position! ¡°Alright¡­ Also, I¡¯ll have a cup of this,¡± Lu Ran said at that moment, pointing at the ¡°vitality tea¡± on the menu. A pot of tea for 50 crystal coins, the same value as the intelligence he had just received, was considered the cheapest drink there. Vitality tea, produced from the level 2 secret realm, Lookout Canyon, was a ce where apprentice beastmasters couldn¡¯t reach. Lu Ran was mainly interested in the effects of the tea, which could relieve fatigue, clear the mind, and remove some minor ailments from the body. Although he had been strengthened and his physical condition had improved, he had been running around in a secret realm all day without sleep, and now he was struggling to keep up. He hoped the tea would help him tost a little longer. Additionally, the prep sses for the uing senior year at school had been intense recently, and he hadn¡¯t had a good sleep in a long time. ¡°Sure,¡± Little Ling said upon hearing his request and immediately went to prepare the tea. ¡°Luxury, but it¡¯s nice for the youth to enjoy themselves,¡± Waves Xiaobailong said. ¡°It¡¯s on me, have a few drinks too,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been waiting to hear,¡± Xiaobailongughed heartily. Lu Ran shrugged; this was his way of setting up a polite refusal forter. Soon, a pot of tea was brought up, and Lu Ran immediately poured a cup for Waves Xiaobailong as a token of gratitude for his help. As for Little Ling, being an employee, there were rules against epting treats from customers within the caf¨¦. The two of them sipped tea while waiting for someone from the medicine pavilion guild. True to Little Ling¡¯s word, the person arrived quickly. Before long, the sound of a cry was heard outside, and a youth dressed in a pharmacist robe, riding an eagle, arrived at the maid caf¨¦. Chapter 15: The Return Chapter 15: The Return A person d in a pharmacist robe adorned with golden threads approached. The eagle they were riding stood three to four meters tall, its back easily capable of carrying a person. The eagle¡¯s plumage was a majestic golden-brown, and its gaze was sharp andmanding. ¡°I am Ginger, a director of the Medicine Pavilion Guild.¡± Afternding, the person swiftly retracted their avian pet beast outside the maid caf¨¦. At this time, Little Ling, Lu Ran, and others, having heard themotion, had already made their way outside. Seeing Lu Ran and the others, the director from the Medicine Pavilion Guild introduced himself. ¡°Cool.¡± Although the golden eagle had been retracted, Xiaobailong and the others had all seen it. Xiaobailong couldn¡¯t help but remark on the raptor¡¯s impressive appearance.¡°Indeed.¡± Lu Ran nodded in agreement. Although Lu Ran couldn¡¯t discern the golden eagle¡¯s level, he felt certain that the creature¡¯s level definitely exceeded level 10, and it might even be beyond level 20. He wondered how it wouldpare to a fighter jet in terms of prowess. This person was likely not a fourth-generation beastmaster like Xiaobailong, Little Ling, and himself, but rather a third-generation beastmaster who had achieved that status a year prior. After all, in Xia Country, it would be somewhat challenging for ordinary people toe into contact with eagle-like creatures. This eagle was most likely not an initial pet beast, but one contractedter. Hmm¡­ For his second pet beast, he also wanted one that ordinary people couldn¡¯t easily obtain! ¡°Hello, Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦, Fengyu Piaoling.¡± At this moment, Little Ling stepped forward to speak. Both Little Ling and Ginger appeared to be of college age, which reminded Lu Ran that since his arrival in Infinite City, the beastmasters he saw were all young adults, generally between 18 to 40 years old. ¡°It was us who made the contact just now. This is the neer friend I mentioned, Passerby A,¡± Fengyu Piaoling introduced Lu Ran to the other party. She didn¡¯t bother to introduce Xiaobailong; after all, this matter didn¡¯t concern him. ¡°Hello, brother, you¡¯re quite lucky, having obtained a grass-type fruit. Are you interested in joining the Medicine Pavilion Guild? Once the assessment period for joining is over, we¡¯ll assign you a set ofmercial residential property near our real-world base of operations. It¡¯s very convenient,¡± the director Ginger said upon arriving, opting to first extend a warm invitation to Lu Ran instead of diving straight into business. Being able to procure an advanced resource like a grass-type fruit indicated that Lu Ran¡¯s novice rating was at least D-level. In reality, D-level already counts as a decent performance for neers. Both the official channels and the major guilds are aware that 90% of neers only manage to secure an E or F rating. The only ones who might hope for a high rating are those who knew about Infinite City even before receiving their ck card, with someone to guide and n their trials from the start. Furthermore, there are those with innate beast taming talents or upations that involve frequent interactions with fierce beasts. Aside from these few, a C or D rating is exceptionally high. ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran was momentarily taken aback. Little Ling wasn¡¯t surprised by the conversation. Talent is, after all, a scarce resource among the various powers in Infinite City. However, Xiaobailong¡¯s eyes widened, fearing that Lu Ran might be snatched away. This Ginger is really not ying fair! But luckily for Xiaobailong, Lu Ran didn¡¯t abandon him, and his response relieved Xiaobailong. ¡°I¡¯m still a high school student, and all this happened so suddenly. I might need to discuss it with my parents first,¡± Lu Ran said with a look of conflict, as an indirect refusal. That statement was purely made up. ¡°A student, huh.¡± Ginger shook his head. He could see that Lu Ran indeed looked underage. Well, such a person would be more trouble than it¡¯s worth to recruit. He said, ¡°Anyway, if you¡¯re interested, just contact me anytime. So, shall we proceed with the trade as previously discussed?¡± ¡°Give me your beastmaster id and ID, and I¡¯ll transfer the crystal coins to you.¡± ¡°Sure, ID Passerby A, number 9528.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a really good name,¡± Ginger remarked, a bit envious. A true Passerby A wouldn¡¯t be able to burst out a grass-type fruit like that. In his view, Lu Ran could at least pass as a supporting character who would survive a dozen episodes in a TV drama. Ginger regretted choosing his own name; what was he thinking at that time? Now, changing an ID costs 10,000 crystal coins, an expense not easily borne. Infinite City is truly ravenous for money, he cursed internally. Shortly after, Lu Ran received the transfer from Ginger. At this moment, what Lu Ran was most concerned about was the wind-type fruit. He had already taken out the grass-type fruit from his backpack, ready to trade. The grass-type awakening fruit looked like a green pear. Ginger took out the wind-type awakening fruit, which looked like a white pineapple. After exchanging their items, with the grass-type fruit in hand, Ginger smiled with satisfaction and said, ¡°Pleasure doing business.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Lu Ran, now holding the wind-type fruit, was eager to awaken General Ha¡¯s abilities. ¡°No need to thank me.¡± Ginger chuckled and added, ¡°I have other matters to attend to, so I won¡¯t stay long. Little Ling, if youe across deals like this, feel free to look us up. We¡¯re always buying grass-type fruits and, uh¡­¡± ¡°Passerby A, if you have any rare resources you want to sell, you can also ask directly if I¡¯m interested in buying. I specialize in that at the Medicine Pavilion, and if you need to purchase any medicines, you can inquire with me as well.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran andpany responded. After finishing the conversation, Ginger nodded farewell and summoned an eagle-type pet beast, hurrying away¡­ It seemed he had no intention of probing further into Lu Ran¡¯s background. ¡°The Medicine Pavilion is more of a chamber ofmerce than a guild. As a director there, he must be busy,¡± Little Ling said with a smile. ¡°But Lu Ran, you¡¯ve been eyeing his bird, no, his eagle. Are you interested?¡± ¡°Cough cough.¡± Lu Ran, holding the pineapple-like white fruit, put it into his backpack and replied, ¡°It does look a bit cooler than my pet beast, and it seems pretty good for traveling¡­¡± ¡°Is flying like that allowed in Infinite City?¡± ¡°As long as you have a flight license, it¡¯s fine. Infinite City has a dedicated licensing area. Unlicensed flying might get you penalized by patrol beasts¡­¡± Xiaobailong said, ¡°Your Erha is a wind-type and should be able to fly once it transforms its energy into wings¡­ You could do that too¡­¡± ¡°A Husky knight?¡± Lu Ran shook his head and dismissed the idea; he¡¯d rather contract a proper flying pet beast. A knight riding an Erha would be too silly. ¡°By the way, if I want to leave Infinite City, I just use the ¡®teleport¡¯ function on my character card, and I can return to Blue Star, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°That¡¯s correct, but since we¡¯re neers, our ess to Infinite City¡¯s features is limited. We have to go back to our own house to teleport,¡± Little Ling exined. ¡°Are you nning to leave?¡± Xiaobailong inquired. ¡°Although I¡¯ve had some vitality tea, I still feel a bit tired. I think I¡¯ll head back to sleep for a while. Besides, after being away for a day, I suspect people back in reality will be worried about me.¡± ¡°Indeed, after being gone for an entire day, it¡¯s about time to head back and check in. You don¡¯t live alone, do you? Suddenly disappearing can easily cause your family to worry. I¡¯ll send you my real-world mobile number. If you encounter any troubles in reality, like issues with your parents or school, you can contact me. I should be able to help you resolve them,¡± Xiaobailong said. ¡°Also, whether or not you¡¯ve decided to join the official ranks, please contact me as soon as possible in the real world for identity registration.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded. If he wanted to maintain the identity of a beastmaster and frequently enter Infinite City, then he indeed needed to handle things properly in reality to avoid any trouble. ¡°Then, see you around,¡± the cat-eared maid Little Ling also said. ¡°Hold on, I should buy some basic intelligence first,¡± Lu Ran contemted and then decided. Since he wasn¡¯t nning to join any organization, he could only purchase basic intelligence from here. ¡­ Before long, Lu Ran said goodbye to the two and made his way to the street. He imitated what he had seen Xiaobailong do earlier and rented a shared motorcycle. The price was 1 crystal coin per hour. Lu Ran felt it was expensive since 1 crystal coin couldst a whole day at the training ground. However, he had already indulged in such expensive tea, so he wasn¡¯t going to quibble over this little expense¡­ He really didn¡¯t feel like walking now. He pondered the idea of someday building his own tricycle and then having General Ha pull it. After all, their breed was originally sled dogs, meant for pulling people. This would also save a good amount of crystal coins. Wind-type pet beasts¡­ aren¡¯t they known for their speed? It would be good endurance training. After leaving the maid caf¨¦, Lu Ran did not head straight for the residential area but took a detour on the way to the forge house that Little Ling had told him about. He had received three rewards from the novice secret realm: the beast taming skill he could use himself, the grass-type fruit which he had already exchanged for a wind-type fruit suitable for General Ha, and thest item, the meteorite ore, which had not yet been fully utilized. Lu Ran wanted to forge it into a weapon. With this, he would have made full use of the rewards from the trial secret realm, achieving a perfect start! ¡°Infinite City, Beastmaster, it¡¯s quite interesting,¡± Lu Ran licked his lips, savoring the tea he had just drunk. It was delicious; next time he would try an even more expensive one. Riding his beloved shared motorcycle, Lu Ran quickly arrived at his destination. However, upon arrival, he immediately regretted it; he looked at the forge house which had closed after ¡°business hours¡± and, after his mouth twitched a few times, he emotionlessly rode the motorcycle back to the residential area. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it next time,¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth. Actually, it didn¡¯t even take an hour for Lu Ran to return to the residential area he hade from, and he returned the shared motorcycle to its designated spot. Afterward, he headed straight for his own private room, eager to return. Just as he had said, he had been missing for 24 hours and hoped it wouldn¡¯t cause any trouble. In theory, as an orphan who had taken a long leave from school, and having just met with Fang Lan, it shouldn¡¯t stir up too much trouble¡­ Coming to Infinite City early, he had achieved his goal, yet notpletely. He had learned a lot of useful information that would allow him to be stronger in the future, but unfortunately, he had not uncovered any intelligence regarding that strange dream. It could be that the dream was false, or it might be that Xiaobailong and the others were not high enough level. But Lu Ran actually had a guess: if the dream was a premonition, then is it possible that Infinite City is training Beastmasters to defend against some disaster? Back in his white room, Lu Ran once againmented Infinite City¡¯s stinginess, because each teleportation between Infinite City and the real world also cost 5 crystal coins, making a round trip cost 10 crystal coins. Really, crystal coins were needed everywhere. Fortunately, he had a high rating in the novice trial, so he had more crystal coins than the average neer. In his private room, Lu Ran held his identity card, and with a thought, a familiar voice came to his ears. ¡°Do you want to spend 5 crystal coins to return?¡± Yes. Lu Ran thought. Teleportation countdown 10¡­9¡­ Ten secondster, inside Lu Ran¡¯s private room, with a sh of white light, his figure disappeared immediately. It was still that sense of weightlessness, and momentster, Lu Ran opened his eyes again. Back in the familiar room, Lu Ran took a deep breath and immediately looked toward the messy living room. The items he had prepared for his trip to Infinite City were still scattered on the floor. Then, Lu Ran picked up his phone. He tapped the screen and his heart skipped a beat. Because there, ring back at him, were over a dozen missed calls. ¡°Great.¡± Lu Ran quickly unlocked the phone to check who had called. He soon became bewildered, as all the missed calls were from Fang Lan. And they were made just after he had entered the secret realm! In addition to the missed calls, it seemed Fang Lan had also sent many messages! Fang Lan: Lu Ran, why aren¡¯t you answering your phone again (angry face)!!! Fang Lan: Big trouble, do you remember the post I shared with you when we were eating? Fang Lan: Ahhh, you might not believe it¡­ but it might be true because I just, suddenly received a ck card too! (shocked face) Chapter 16: Fang Lans Message Chapter 16: Fang Lans Message Damn! Seeing Fang Lan¡¯s message, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but clench his phone, immediately worrying about her situation. How could this be? She was chosen right after me? Although Xiaobailong mentioned that ck cards are descending en masse, this coincidence seemed too uncanny. Has she already formed a contract with a pet beast? Lu Ran quickly scrolled down, eager to find out whether Fang Lan had followed the ck card¡¯s guidance to be a beastmaster. Even though he and General Ha had a st in the novice secret realm, and he kind of wanted to stay a few more days, for ordinary people, that ce was still very dangerous. Fang Lan: Hey hey hey, this is really happening, pick up your phone, where have you died off to again? Fang Lan: Should I follow its guidance to be a beastmaster? It feels risky, but¡­ it seems so intriguing, I don¡¯t want to give up this chance, what should I do?The next message was sent after a gap of over ten minutes. Fang Lan: Damn it, I¡¯ve decided, I¡¯m going to try, I can hardly hold back anymore. Lu Ran: ????? Don¡¯t try it! Wanting to try everything will only hurt you! Can¡¯t you think it over for a bit longer? Who makes such a quick decision. Fang Lan: I¡¯m back home, I n to form a contract with my beloved treasure. It seems making a contract with arge dog might be better, but I still want to give it this ¡®evolution¡¯ opportunity! Beloved treasure¡­ Lu Ran remembered, that was a spider, Fang Lan¡¯s favorite spider. The breed was the ¡°Daxia wolf spider,¡±mon in many regions of Xia Country, and a very ordinary kind of spider. They were bulky, agile, and ferocious predators, known in some ces as ¡°ground heroes,¡± important natural enemies of various agricultural and forestry pests like scarabs and moths. But the reason Fang Lan particrly adored her Daxia wolf spider was because it was¡­ a rare, abnormally colored Daxia wolf spider. Themon Daxia wolf spider was a dusty gray, while hers was a blue-purple hue. Still, is forming a contract with a spider truly okay¡­ Even though Xiaobailong said that Infinite City has its own consciousness and would arrange an appropriate trial secret realm based on the initial pet beast chosen by the neer, Lu Ran remained concerned. This one¡¯s as impulsive as me. Guess that¡¯s just how siblings are, even without any blood rtion! He continued to scroll through the messages. Fang Lan: !!! Fang Lan: It¡¯s so magical (astonished face), I¡¯vepleted the contract, and it¡¯s be so cool, it¡¯s almost as big as your General Ha now!!! Fang Lan: [Image] Lu Ran stared at the picture sent by Fang Lan, showing a medium-sized dog-like blue-purple Daxia wolf spider, momentarily stunned. Wait, can a spider that small really get that big after awakening supernatural powers? Fang Lan: It¡¯s so strong, its poison has be much more potent, the toughness of its silk has increased dramatically, and even the silk it spits out can be poisonous now. I tested the poison, and it seems like it could knock out an adult instantly¡­ Lu Ran: ???? Wait, why does your pet beast inherently have poison-type abilities?! Ah, the Daxia wolf spider naturally has poison? Then that¡¯s fine. Damn, those who form a contract with electric eels must have their own lightning power. Fang Lan: I¡¯ve got ten minutes before I teleport away, not sure if Xian and I will be okay, but it should be fine¡­ It said it would protect me well. Fang Lan: Lu Ran!!! I didn¡¯t tell my parents about this, just texted them saying I¡¯m staying at my bestie¡¯s house tonight. When you see this message, don¡¯t go bbing to them, wait for me to return. If I don¡¯te back, please take care of mom and dad. I¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s head ached reading Fang Lan¡¯s messages. Fang Lan had always been bolder than him, even wilder in personality, daring to catch spiders and snakes with her bare hands in elementary school. It was no surprise she was excited about something like this. Lu Ran quickly tried to call Fang Lan¡­ No answer¡­ It seems she¡¯s still in the secret realm or Infinite City, not yet returned. ¡°She should be fine.¡± Lu Ran had indeed considered the possibility that if ck cards were descending inrge numbers, people he knew might be chosen one day. But he didn¡¯t expect it to happen so soon. Fang Lan did one thing better than him. Before heading into danger, she left a message for someone she knew. His own preparations were not quite enough¡­ He¡¯d learn from this. If he entered Infinite City again, he¡¯d leave a message in advance to avoid any trouble¡­ ¡°After the full term starts, the time to enter Infinite City will undoubtedly be greatly reduced, and taking a leave of absence for it might be difficult.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t let my studies interfere with beast taming.¡± ¡°Right now, I can skip holiday makeup sses, but once the term begins, I won¡¯t be able to take leaves like this. Forget it, I¡¯ll cross that bridge when Ie to it. Xiaobailong said he can take care of these things, I¡¯ll ask him about itter.¡± Lu Ran tried calling Fang Lan again, but still no one answered. He slumped onto the couch, his head growing heavier, but Lu Ran was certain that Fang Lan was fine. If he didn¡¯t possess the talent for telepathy, Lu Ran had to admit that when it came to interacting with animals and sensitivity to the wild, he was no match for Fang Lan. Worrying wouldn¡¯t help, so he decided to wait. ¡­ Meanwhile. Infinite City No.3. A tall figure stepped out of a private room, excitedly gazing at the mysterious starry sky. ¡°What the heck, it was just a novice trial, so simple, but how did we only get a B rating after performing so well?¡± ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s first see what this ce is all about.¡± Fang Lan looked around and quickly noticed another figure emerging from a private room nearby. Seeing this figure, she hurried over. ¡°Um¡­ hello!¡± ¡°Are you a neer?¡± The figure was dressed in a ck T-shirt and brown shorts, draped in a whiteb coat, her long, beautiful legs encased in ck tights, her cool demeanor immediately made Fang Lan stop in her tracks. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Fang Lan stared at the woman, captivated by her beauty¡­ but she was so aloof. Hmm? Fang Lan took a closer look at the woman and suddenly remembered something. ¡°Are you¡­ Dr. Gu?!¡± Fang Lan eximed with surprise. ¡°Do you know me?¡± the woman in theb coat responded, taken aback. ¡°My name is Fang Lan, I¡¯m a freshman at Shanghai University in the animal medicine major this year, I¡¯ve seen your interviews, Dr. Gu.¡± The woman in theb coat was even more surprised, not expecting that a random neer she met would turn out to be her junior. Her cool expression melted into a faint smile as she said, ¡°I see, nice to meet you. I am indeed Gu Qingyi. Since you¡¯re a junior, just call me Senior Gu.¡± ¡°It seems you have many questions right now, and I have some time. Let me help rify them for you.¡± ¡°Great! Thank you, Senior Gu!¡± Fang Lan instantly became a fan, because she knew how remarkable the person in front of her was in the academic field. So young, yet a double doctorate in animal medicine and animal science! Could it be¡­ she too has been chosen as a Beast Tamer? ¡­ Green Sea City, Starlight Community. While waiting for Fang Lan, Lu Ran had intended to summon General Ha and help with his awakening attribute, but he felt that General Ha seemed to be asleep in the ck card space. ¡°Heh, even you get tired, dog.¡± He gave up on the idea of summoning General Ha for an immediate attribute awakening. Indeed, not only had he been tired all day, but General Ha had been fighting all day and was even more exhausted. Although injuries could heal, the fatigue of the body, spirit, and mind could not be easily restored. He himself had drunk Vitality Tea, while General Ha only ate some fruit¡­ so he decided to let it sleep a bit longer. Lu Ran also nned to take this time to review the Basic Beast Taming Handbook he bought from the cat-eared intelligence dealer, so he could y the part of a big shot when Fang Lan returned. The handbook wasn¡¯t very expensive; the dealer only asked for 100 crystal coins, probably because it wasmon knowledge. After all, ording to Xiaobailong, such basic information is usually provided for free by the official guilds. However, Little Ling emphasized that their basic intelligence contained small pieces of knowledge and tips that others did not record, assuring Lu Ran that he wouldn¡¯t regret the purchase. Lu Ran materialized the handbook he bought and flipped to the first page. The first page was a simple introduction to Beast Tamers. Beast Tamers are those whose upation involves the contracting, nurturing, andmanding of pet beasts! The strength of abat Beastmaster, in particr, is roughlyposed of two parts. One is thebat power of the pet beast, and the otheres from the Beast Tamer¡¯s own beast taming skills! The basicbat power of a pet beast is determined by both the pet beast¡¯s growth level and species level¡­ Lu Ran began to search for important information. ¡°The level of a pet beast is the numeric level seen by the eye of data, with level 1 being the lowest and the highest level currently unknown. But, as Xiaobailong mentioned, every 10 levels, a pet beast hits a bottleneck and can¡¯t level up any further.¡± ¡°Simrly, beastmasters are categorized as apprentices, level 1, level 2, and so on, corresponding to the pet beast levels from 1 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30. To increase their own level, beastmasters must help their pet beasts break through their bottlenecks, which is achieved by passing through the breakthrough secret realm of the corresponding level.¡± ¡°Passing through the appropriate level of the breakthrough secret realm just once benefits all pet beasts¡­¡± ¡°It seems that the breakthrough secret realm is an unavoidable checkpoint¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. He continued to seek out key information. ¡°A beastmaster without beast taming skills cannot be considered a qualified beastmaster.¡± ¡°There are many types of beast taming skills, broadly divided into those that consume the beastmaster¡¯s power to enhance the pet beast, and those that utilize the pet beast¡¯s power to enhance the beastmaster himself. Hence, two schools of beast taming have developed¡­¡± ¡°The source of beast taming skills is the rewards from secret realms, with each secret realm dropping different items. Some special secret realms have a 1% chance to award a beast taming skill card at S rank¡­ so obtaining a beast taming skill card is extremely difficult.¡± Damn, Lu Ran was startled upon reading this and couldn¡¯t help feeling fortunate that although he only achieved an S rank in the novice secret realm, he was incredibly lucky to have obtained a beast taming skill card. That¡¯s a relief. Of course, it might also be rted to the reward critical hit mechanism of the novice secret realm. As Xiaobailong exined, the rewards from the novice secret realm are far more generous than those of an ordinary secret realm of the same level, serving as a benefit for neers, including the experience gained from killing monsters. Super beast mimicry¡­ this skill probably belongs to thetter school, where the beastmaster is enhanced through the power of the pet beast! ¡°A beastmaster can only learn one beast taming skill per level stage, so in a situation where there¡¯s a choice, it¡¯s best to select the skill thatplements one¡¯s beast taming well.¡± ¡°That means¡­ I can only learn a new skill once I reach level 1 beastmaster.¡± Lu Ran continued to read on. ¡°Theoretically, there is no rarity level for beast taming skills; the effect they produce depends entirely on the beastmaster¡¯s own development of the skill. There are no useless beast taming skills, only incapable beastmasters¡­ a rather familiar saying.¡± This point was specifically bolded in the handbook, making Lu Ran take careful note of it. Beast taming skills are not just about their surface effects¡­ a beastmaster can further develop them! A thought crossed Lu Ran¡¯s mind, aligning with his expectations. Shortly after obtaining super beast mimicry, he had already considered improving this beast taming skill¡­ He continued to scan for more critical information. For instance, the species level of pet beasts is divided into supernatural species,mander species, sovereign species¡­ and within each species, there are lower, middle, and upper levels¡­ Then there are the basic effects of different attributes and their rtionships of restraint. Of course, all these are quite simple, but what Lu Ran valued most was a page in the handbook dedicated to the theory of cultivation direction! This was, in fact, the most important page in the handbook! A pet beast¡¯s skills need to be developed by the beast under the guidance of the beastmaster. Depending on the method of cultivation, each pet beast can be unique. However, due to the limitations in a pet beast¡¯s energy and learning abilities, the direction of skill development for a pet beast can generally be categorized into four main types! Chapter 17: The Theory of Evolution Chapter 17: The Theory of Evolution Pet beast skill development branches into four major directions: energy release, energy flow, energy shaping, and energypression! The foundation of these four developmental paths is energy ovey! Every pet beast, with simple training, can awaken the energy within and ovey it onto their body, thereby enhancing their own strength. This is the most fundamental application of energy for a pet beast. Depending on the attribute, the effects of energy ovey on the body differ. Oveying rock-type energy can bolster defense, while wind-type energy can increase movement speed¡­ Each attribute has its unique effect. However, this simplest use of energy cannot y a decisive role in the oue of a battle. To secure victory, one must master more advanced applications of energy¡­ ¡°General Ha can now ovey attribute-less energy onto his body. I wonder if he can still do it after awakening to wind-type,¡± Lu Ran mused to himself. Indeed, energy ovey is fundamental. After reaching level 3, General Ha, on his own, grasped this skill during battle, as have many creatures in the secret realm.When everyone knows something, naturally, it no longer has a decisive impact on victory. ¡­ Upon mastering the basic ¡®energy ovey,¡¯ depending on the choice made, four advanced applications extend from it¡­ Firstly, energy release; energy is a part of the pet beast¡¯s body, and they can easily manipte it when it is attached to their form. However, when energy is released from the body, control over it is lost. But some exceptionally talented pet beasts, through training, can not only discharge energy for long-range attacks but also control the trajectory of the released energy, exerting a suppressive effect on the enemy! Energy release is apulsory course for every pet beast that desires to possess a long-range attack method. Lu Ran contemted and then nodded in agreement. Having long-range attack capabilities indeed holds significant importance in battle. Energy release skills are like the long-range moves seen in animations and games, simr to the energy stsmonly featured. Secondly, energy flow; this involves manipting energy to make the ovey on one¡¯s body flow rapidly, like the currents of rivers and seas. Compared to static energy ovey, flowing energy can significantly amplify various enhancement effects on oneself. With proficient use, one can achieve rapid-fire skills and instant casting effects. Hmm? Lu Ran quickly understood as he read. He made aparison: it¡¯s roughly the difference between old-fashioned bows and arrows and a submachine gun. One requires charging for each shot, while thetter¡­ allows for continuous firing. In other words, if there is a cooldown period between skills, then mastering energy flow could reduce skill cooldown times! ¡°This direction is also very important¡­¡± Thirdly, energy shaping; energy is formless, and basic energy is as weak as a breeze. However, through changing its form, energy can be materialized. Materialized energy can maximize the properties of the energy itself. The handbook on beast taming provided many examples. For instance, with wind-type energy ovey on the body, a pet beast can shape it into a pair of wings of wind, thereby gaining the ability to fly. Or with ice-type energy wrapped around the hand, a pet beast can shape it into a solid ice de weapon, enhancing its lethality. Lu Ran pondered, feeling this was also a technique not to be overlooked. Fourthly, energypression; energy has different qualities, and a pet beast can release vast energy, thenpress it to the extreme to enhance its quality and gain greater strength. A cautionary note: this technique requires great control and a robust physical constitution, as energypressed multiple times bes highly vtile and puts a tremendous strain on the body. It is very dangerous; if it explodes, the resulting destructive force is astonishing, potentially causing significant self-harm while inflicting heavy damage on the enemy. Energy release, flow, shaping, andpression are the four advanced applications of energy. These methods are not in conflict and can bebined in pairs, such as shaping and release. For example, a pet beast can shape ice-type energy into ice spears and then release them, resulting in a long-range ice spear attack. This is the rudimentary form of a skill. The responsibility of a beastmaster is to choose the right energy application techniques based on the learning talents of their pet beast, helping thembine these into skills! ¡°Seems like skills do indeed have to be developed by oneself,¡± Lu Ran thought, stroking his chin. At first, he had assumed that pet beasts would automatically learn skills upon leveling up. Now, thinking about it, General Ha and the like have only just touched the supernatural. Their species bloodlines don¡¯t possess any formidable legacies, so starting from scratch is normal. The information at hand was undoubtedly very helpful for Lu Ran. For General Ha, a wind-type, shaping was a definite skill to learn without a second thought. After all, it concerns General Ha¡¯s ability to fly¡­ As for release¡­ that¡¯s also very useful. Lacking long-range attack capabilities simply won¡¯t do. Instead of General Ha going in for a direct bite, spitting out a wind orbparable to a storm would be much cooler. Energypression¡­ that¡¯s useful too! Worried about the strain on the body causing injury? That¡¯s the least of their concerns with the divine deer pendant! Self-destructive fighting style? General Ha already got quite proficient with it in the novice secret realm¡­ Flow is about sustainedbat capability, which is also very important. ¡°Looking at it this way, each direction of energy application is crucial; they all need to be practiced¡­¡± However, these four directions are still rtively basic concepts. Lu Ran narrowed his eyes and continued reading, only then realizing what truly constitutes the core element that determines a pet beast¡¯sbat strength! Energy application is something any pet beast can practice. It all depends on effort and talent. But what follows¡­ is rted to evolution! It¡¯s the greatest opportunity for every creature, a chance to change their destiny! Every 10 levels up, a pet beast can awaken a new attribute or carry a new trait through special resources. By awakening new attributes, a pet beast can gain a second, third, fourth attribute¡­ And these so-called traits are simr to ¡®special abilities¡¯. Traits such as ¡®Amplification¡¯ allow a pet beast to freely control its size, bing either a gigantic creature or a mini pet. The ¡®Sun¡¯ trait enables a fire-type pet beast to transform its fire-type energy into ¡®Sunme¡¯, possessing a far more terrifying temperature. The ¡®Vibration¡¯ trait allows a pet beast¡¯s attacks to carry a vibrational effect, thereby enhancing its destructive power. The ¡®Divine Loong¡¯ trait grants a pet beast the characteristics of a dragon¡­ Traits are diverse and numerous, with endless possibilities. Thebat strength of a pet beast without traits is significantly different from that of one with traits. Most importantly, ¡®attributes¡¯ and ¡®traits¡¯ determine the direction of a pet beast¡¯s evolution. Whenever a pet beast acquires a new trait or undergoes an awakening of a new attribute, it raises its species level. Furthermore, when the count of new attributes + traits reaches three, a pet beast can experience ¡®evolution¡¯, undergoing a significant transformation in form and greatly enhancing its species level, thereby gaining stronger attributes. This means that a pet beast has two opportunities for evolution at level 30 and level 60. However, the resources for awakening new attributes and the trait crystals required to bestow traits are extremely rare, only dropping with a small probability in abyss-level secret realms, which is the ultimate goal for Beast Tamers. ¡°Evolution¡­¡± ¡°Traits, new attributes, damn.¡± Lu Ran could no longer contain his excitement about delving into the secret realm. Throughout the text, the evolution of General Ha seemed the most enticing aspect, but all this seemed too far out of reach. He found even the simple-level neer secret realm challenging, let alone an abyss dungeon. For now, he should focus on training General Ha in the four directions of energy application. Lu Ran spent half an hour poring over the Basic Beast Taming Handbook, wearing out the information inside. Apart from basic knowledge about Beast Tamers and pet beasts, it also covered somemon knowledge about secret realms, teaming up, and lifestyle Beastmasters. After finishing this, Lu Ran felt he had only just begun to understand Infinite City and Beast Tamers. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Next, Lu Ran was going to flip through the handbook again, but suddenly, a familiar sound reached his ears. Lu Ran looked surprised, pulled out the ck card, and confirmed that the sound wasing from it. Had General Ha woken up? ¡°Roar!!!¡± With a casual wave from Lu Ran, a well-rested General Ha was summoned, bustling around him energetically. ¡°Seriously? You fought all day, slept for just over an hour, and you¡¯re good to go?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s blue eyes looked eagerly at Lu Ran, its single tuft of hair on its head wobbling constantly. Mainly, it was hungry again. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wait, never mind the food for now, you¡¯re awake at just the right time!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. He was holding a skill card for ¡°Super Beast Mimicry,¡± and pondered for a moment. A beastmaster could only learn one beast taming skill at each level. On reflection, this Super Beast Mimicry didn¡¯t seem too bad. General Ha could fight and heal its own wounds. On the other hand, it was crucial for him to enhance his ownbat power. Therefore, Lu Ran didn¡¯t feel that learning Super Beast Mimicry at the apprentice stage was a disadvantage. On the contrary, he found the skill to be excellent, especially suitable for his current newbie stage. After all, the most painful thing for a beastmaster was to be beheaded, an utterly ruthless rule of the game. It was like when he and the old-man were bug fighting in the park. His bugs were about to win when the old-man yed dirty, knocking him out cold. Who could he evenin to about that? As for the concern of bing more like General Ha after learning the skill¡­ Lu Ran already had an idea! Name: Passerby A (Lu Ran) Species: Human Level: Apprentice Beast Taming Skill: Super Beast Mimicry Learning a beast taming skill was simple. Activate the skill card, and the card would vanish. Then, the information about Super Beast Mimicry appeared in Lu Ran¡¯s mind. Afterward, General Ha, sensing something amiss, watched as Lu Ran took out two swords, a wooden sword and a custom-made iron-shing sword. ¡°Roar?¡± General Ha looked at Lu Ran. ¡°Take it, hold it in your mouth.¡± ¡°Do you remember the sword techniques I taught you before?¡± Lu Ran stuffed the wooden sword into General Ha¡¯s mouth, instructing it to bite down, while he himself held the iron-shing sword. Man and beast faced each other, continuing their standoff. Previously, Lu Ran had mentioned that General Ha¡¯s personality was somewhat simr to that of a defiant individual. Additionally, the deepmunication between Lu Ran and General Ha made for a powerful team. Thus, Lu Ran often enjoyed putting General Ha through unconventional training not typical for a dog. For example, learning swordsmanship alongside him. After all, ancient historical texts recorded that fierce warriors would clench treasured swords in their teeth, staring down their enemies with a fierce re, the sword hilt resting in their mouths to increase their power. inly speaking, Lu Ran wanted General Ha to channel the spirit of those legendary warriors. General Ha was already quite adept at shing movements, but such skills in a dog were of little practical value and could even lead to self-injury. However, times have changed; it¡¯s now an era of harnessing energy! ¡°I had nned to forge a meteoric iron sword from the meteorite mine for self-defense,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve had a change of heart. When it¡¯s forged, you shall wield it.¡± ¡°Meteoric iron swords have excellent energy conductivity and enhancement effects. It would be a waste for me to use it, but perfect for you.¡± ¡°Strive to be a swordsman dog, and I will mirror your sword techniques to gain the abilities akin to a beast swordsman. Perfect.¡± Lu Ran felt like a genius. ¡°Errr¡­¡± General Ha, sword in mouth, looked utterly incredulous. It didn¡¯t fully understand, but it got the gist: was it to resume its former training? However, it always felt that making a dog practice swordsmanship wasn¡¯t a human thing to do. This grudge, it noted. ¡°Anything is possible,¡± Lu Ran dered with an air of righteousness. ¡°We¡¯re both ¡®evolving,¡¯ attempting to break the mold. Those who follow the trodden path will end up the most ordinary! Think about it, your wind-type energy release,bined with the sword in your mouth, would create sword qi, wouldn¡¯t it? Who says dogs can¡¯t wield swords!¡± General Ha looked on with newfound respect. Sword qi? What was that? It sounded impressive. Chapter 18: The Sword-Bearing Dog Chapter 18: The Sword-Bearing Dog ¡°I¡¯ve had a dream since childhood¡ªto be a swordsman who wanders the world, upholding justice and honor.¡± ¡°But as I grew up, I realized that dreams are just dreams.¡± Watching General Ha with a sword in his mouth, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit sentimental, as if an old father was entrusting his dream to someone else. ¡°Whether I can seed or not, this dream is now yours to carry, General Ha!¡± ¡°You must be a swordsman with a heart full of justice in my stead!¡± ¡°The rules and constraints of human society are many, but the world of dogs is a ce of freedom.¡± ¡°Come, take this sword and let your brilliance and talent shine!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, sword in mouth, didn¡¯t seem to understand Lu Ran¡¯s inspiring spiel. Whatever Boss Lu says goes, I guess¡­ It turned its head, swinging the wooden sword back and forth, already quite adept.Lu Ran looked on with satisfaction. This pup is indeed teachable. However, whether this direction of training would ultimately be viable, Lu Ran didn¡¯t know for sure. The mythical image of a beast that defiesmon perception is, after all, a fabrication of man. Lu Ran wondered, if a trait could grant a pet beast incredible special abilities, might there be a trait that would better enable General Ha to wield a weapon? This was crucial for whether General Ha could continue down the sword-bearing dog path. Currently, due to super beast mimicry and the meteorite mine, the sword-bearing dog path could maximize its advantages, which is why Lu Ran considered this training method. But the road ahead would still depend on circumstances¡­ Beast Taming, after all, is like that, groping in the dark, creating miracles. ¡°I remember reading in the handbook that beast taming skills are not set in stone; a beastmaster can develop them further with their own talent.¡± ¡°Do I have the ability to further develop super beast mimicry?¡± Lu Ran had previously thought that super beast mimicry involved a beastmaster imitating a pet beast, thereby gaining the beast¡¯s power. So, could it be possible to use super beast mimicry in reverse, allowing the pet beast to imitate the beastmaster, thereby acquiring some human traits? For example, the skill to use tools. The greatest difference between humans and animals lies in the use of tools and the creation of tools. A sword, theoretically, is meant for human use. However, if General Ha could also receive feedback from Lu Ran, it might just improve its swordsmanship. Beastmasters imitate pet beasts, and pet beasts imitate beastmasters¡ªessentially, there¡¯s no difference. If this could be achieved, it would be killing two birds with one stone! ¡°Forging a new path in a given field is undoubtedly difficult, but simply reversing the process seems to clear the path significantly. This could be a promising direction for development,¡± Lu Ran mused, feeling that developing Super Beast Mimicry in this way might be worth a try. As Fang Lan had put it, Lu Ran was never one to follow the crowd or take the usual path. More challenging endeavors only served to fuel his motivation. nning to start researching other uses for Beast Taming skills during his apprentice neer phase was exceedingly rare! As for the development process, Lu Ran needed to delve deeper into understanding the Super Beast Mimicry skill. After learning it, the basics already surfaced in his mind, as if a skill card had instilled certain knowledge. ¡°Follow my movements,¡± Lu Ran instructed. ¡°Woof!¡± Inside the room, General Ha followed Lu Ran, mirroring his sword strikes. Both strived to synchronize their movements as closely as possible. ¡­ In the living room, Lu Ran had only conducted a preliminary experiment with General Ha, spending roughly 30 minutes. During these 30 minutes, Lu Ran unexpectedly discovered that imitating General Ha¡¯s sword practice was entirely feasible. Even if swordsmanship was not General Ha¡¯s most proficient ¡°talent.¡± However, after practicing swordsmanship with General Ha using Super Beast Mimicry, Lu Ran could indeed feel a subtle improvement in his physical condition¡ªit was slight but definitely there, not just a cebo effect. Perhaps with more time, his strength would grow even stronger, to the point of being able to grapple with lions and tigers barehanded. ¡°Huff¡­¡± Momentster, Lu Ran set down the Iron-shing Sword and exhaled a warm breath, feeling a bit tired. He nced at General Ha, still lively and vigorously executing sword cuts, and scratched his head. Alright, General Ha is truly remarkable with boundless energy. While other beastmasters worry about their pet beasts growing resistant due to fatigue, General Ha might justin that Lu Ran doesn¡¯t have enough stamina. ¡°Ow?¡± Sure enough, when Lu Ran paused, General Ha sent a puzzled look his way. Why stop practicing? ¡°Because I feel your strength waning. Haven¡¯t had a meal? I¡¯ll go prepare some food,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was taken aback, almost forgetting his own hunger. As Lu Ran pondered and turned to prepare food, including his own meal, he already had ideas about the reverse application of Super Beast Mimicry. Although unsure of sess, if other beastmasters knew, they would surely be astonished. After all, developing beast taming skills is a challenging task even for advanced beastmasters. While preparing the food, Lu Ran continued to refine his thoughts. The essence of Super Beast Mimicry is quite simple. Once Super Beast Mimicry is learned, a unique visualization space emerges in the beastmaster¡¯s brain. Super Beast Mimicry involves visualizing the pet beast¡¯s behavioral characteristics, and the body naturally starts to mimic them. As long as the actions between the two are simr, the beastmaster gradually receives feedback. And the bridge connecting the beastmaster and the pet beast is the mental strength formed through the contract. ¡°The mental bridge allows me to receive feedback from General Ha. If I also want to give feedback to General Ha, I need to find another bridge. Using the same mental connection would create a blockage, which is why Super Beast Mimicry normally can¡¯t function in both directions at the same time.¡± ¡°Compared to other novice beastmasters, I have a huge advantage¡ªthat¡¯s the two years of telepathy training I¡¯ve undergone!¡± ¡°When General Ha falls into a rage, I can use telepathy to awaken it from the confusion, proving that the mind can also serve as a bridge between me and General Ha.¡± ¡°Perhaps, I can use this mental link to simte the bridge established by Super Beast Mimicry, to transfer my own realizations to General Ha, thereby doubling its sword practice gains!¡± Mind and mental bridge, in action together! Lu Ran felt it was worth a try. While thinking, he quickly prepared the food. However, when he returned to the living room with the dog food, his expression froze in surprise. ¡°Damn.¡± Because in the living room, he suddenly saw General Ha, holding a sword in his mouth that was shimmering with a dazzling white light. At that moment, General Ha seemed to have wrapped the attribute-less energy around the wooden sword. The wooden sword looked as if it had transformed into a divine weapon. ¡°How did you do that!¡± Lu Ran asked, slightly agape. ording to the handbook, it was impressive enough for a pet beast at the lower stage to cover its body with energy. But to rely on the body to wrap energy around an external object in contact with it was an advanced application of energy ovey. This required a lengthy period of training to possibly achieve. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha looked disheveled at Lu Ran; it¡­ wanted to release sword qi. But it couldn¡¯t. ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t mess around! We¡¯re still at home!¡± ¡°If you actually release it, what¡¯s going to happen to my house!¡± Lu Ran hurriedly called for a stop. Although the chances were slim for a level 4 Erha to master advanced energy skills like energy external wrapping and energy release after just half an hour of practice, seeing that General Ha had already grasped one of them, Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to take any chances. In any case, Lu Ran was currently stunned. Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly took out the handbook. He flipped to the section introducing species levels. The species level of a pet beast determines vital physical qualities such as vitality, energy reserves, and physical strength. The higher the species level, the stronger the basic attributes of the pet beast, making it easy to outss pet beasts of lower species inbat! But there¡¯s one attribute not included in the species level¡ª¡¯learning ability.¡¯ The prehension¡¯ of a pet beast cannot be directly observed; it must be discovered by the beastmaster during the teaching process. The higher the species level, the stronger the base attributes of the pet beast¡ªa natural advantage; the stronger the learning ability, the faster a pet beast can learn various skills¡ªan acquired advantage. Therefore, species level does not determine everything; a beastmaster must be adept at discovering the talents of their pet beast. Lu Ran put down the handbook, looking at General Ha in utter astonishment. So, it seemed that General Ha, which didn¡¯t appear particrly bright yet exhibited formidablebat prowess, didn¡¯t have much of an advantage in terms of species level. Instead, it possessed an extraordinarily high talent for learning skills? That was quite an abstract concept. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, although not knowing what Lu Ran was thinking, felt that Lu Ran was looking down on him. It took note of this slight once again! Upon reflection, Lu Ran remembered teaching General Ha various skills, and it indeed learned them remarkably fast. Initially, he had attributed this to telepathy, thinking that it was because of this connection that General Ha understood things quicker. Now, it seemed that General Ha also had great learning ability on its own¡­ No matter how one looked at it, the stronger General Ha became, the better. He always knew General Ha was not simple! ¡°Eat up, we¡¯re going out after,¡± Lu Ran said cheerfully as he set down the dog food. Next, he wanted to awaken General Ha¡¯s wind-type attribute. However, awakening the wind-type attribute couldn¡¯t be done at home. What if something went wrong? A wind-type General Ha might just tear the ceiling apart. Therefore, Lu Ran decided to take General Ha to his secret base to awaken the attribute. That ce was behind Maple Park, where hardly anyone went all year round. It was quiet, the perfect ce to train General Ha while waiting for Fang Lan. ¡­ Green Sea City. Wildlife Park. A youth dressed in a tactical uniform, apanied by a massive Rottweiler, bypassed several blockades to reach a particr area. During this time, the officers blocking the area cast surprised nces at the police dog, which was sorge it was almostical. ¡°Captain Luo, you¡¯re here,¡± said a woman in ck, in charge of the cordoned-off area inside the wildlife park¡¯s beast area. ¡°Liu, give me a rundown of the situation again.¡± The man referred to as Captain Luo, upon seeing the gnawed remains and bloodstains on the ground, felt his heart sink. His police dog bared its teeth aggressively but seemed somewhat intimidated after picking up certain scents. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a simple case of a fierce beast injuring someone. The beast¡¯s keeper had obtained a ck card and thought he could form a contract with the fierce beast. Instead, he suffered a bacsh. The man is now dead, but the beast has undergone an initial mutation and evolution and has escaped from the zoo. Its whereabouts are currently unknown.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Manchurian Tiger, and the most likely escape route would be the back hills of Maple Park. Although it¡¯s usually not crowded there, it is still connected to Maple Park and the Starlight Vi Area. We must deal with it swiftly; otherwise, any pedestrian encountering it could be in lethal danger,¡± the woman in ck said with gravity. Chapter 19: Awakening Chapter 19: Awakening After dining, Lu Ran followed a shortcut from the Starlight Vi Area into the back hills of Maple Park. Every child likes to have a secret base at a young age, and he was no exception. Moreover, in Lu Ran¡¯s view, this ce was a geomantic treasure. His Bug King, which could easily dominate the Fighting Bug Tournament, was found right here. With such a great location, there was no need topete with those old men for resources at Qingming Mountain, thergest mountain in Green Sea City. ¡°You cane out now!¡± ¡°Woof.¡± After arriving at the back hills of Maple Park and seeing no one around, Lu Ran used the ck card to summon General Ha. Lu Ran was in a good mood. With the contract card and character card, things were convenient.The ck card allowed him to carry General Ha with him everywhere. And the backpack space of the character card allowed him to carry many things that were previously inconvenient, like his custom-made Iron-shing Sword. ¡°In a sense, you and the sword are a good match, after all, there are many ces both of you are prohibited from entering.¡± General Ha, confused: ?? Is that evenparable? ¡°Let¡¯s move on, we need to go deeper,¡± Lu Ran said. As he walked, Lu Ran recalled key information about attribute awakening. Through the Basic Beast Taming Handbook, he also knew of other methods to awaken attributes. The methods of awakening could be roughly divided into five types. First, innate ability. Creatures with species levels at themander level or above could awaken their attributes shortly after birth through their natural talents. Clearly, General Ha didn¡¯t qualify. His talents were all invested in intelligence¡ªwho would believe that? Second, awakening through impact. In nature, lower-level creatures without awakened attributes sometimes awakened after being attacked by a corresponding attribute force, although there was a very slim chance of this happening. But this method was incredibly dangerous, often a matter of life and death. Third, energy flow. Advanced creatures could utilize their energy flow to a high degree, even infusing their own energy into other creatures to nourish their bodies and assist in awakening attributes. Fourth, nurtured by sacrednd. If a creature stayed in a ce rich with natural energy for a long time, there was also a chance to awaken attributes. However, generally speaking, such geomantic treasures are found within secret realms, either guarded by powerful beasts or upied by major forces. Fifth, attribute resources. There are certain resources that contain pure attribute power, which can be used to unlock a creature¡¯s potential, allowing it to awaken its attribute. This was the method that Lu Ran was about to use. Xiaobailong had mentioned that joining the organization would provide an opportunity to awaken attributes for free. Lu Ran guessed that this was probably done through the use of advanced energy flow techniques or by staying in geomantic treasure sites rich with natural energy. Inrge organizations, there are certainly many powerful beastmasters, and a type of secret realm known as a public secret realm would have its geomantic treasure sites imed by these organizations as well. However, ording to Xiaobailong, awakening with attribute resources would provide a greater boost and better development for a pet beast. Thus, Lu Ran was no longer concerned with the other methods. ¡°Let¡¯s do it here.¡± Finally, Lu Ran arrived at an open area surrounded by dense greenery and featuring a natural cave. He took out a wind-type awakening fruit from his backpack and looked at General Ha, who was hissing at a snake not too far away. The area was rarely visited by people because of the abundance of insects and snakes; without good reason, no one would venture here. ¡°Never mind that for now.¡± Lu Ran tossed the wind-type fruit, which had a white exterior and was shaped like a pineapple, towards General Ha. In the next instant, General Ha turned his head, his eyes lighting up as he leaped to catch the fruit in his mouth. ¡°Arf!¡± General Ha excitedly bit into the wind-type fruit, drooling at the mouth. He could feel the immense allure the wind-type fruit had for him. ¡°Go ahead and eat,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. Receiving themand, General Ha opened his jaws wide and stuffed the entire wind-type fruit into his mouth. Abyssal maw. ¡°Ergh.¡± However, General Ha soon realized that the fruit was somewhat toorge to eat all at once. ¡°Arf.¡± Puffing up his cheeks, General Ha stirred the attribute fruit in his mouth. Under Lu Ran¡¯s speechless gaze, he finally managed to swallow it all. Panting¡­ Eating the fruit had clearly exhausted the dog, who took a moment to catch his breath. But soon after, General Ha¡¯s eyes widened as a light sky-blue energy began to slowly emerge from his body¡­ This is¡­ the power of wind! Witnessing this scene, Lu Ran also perked up with utmost attention, watching intently! ¡°Awoooooo!!!¡± On the ground! After consuming the wind-type fruit, an astonishing force of wind emerged from General Ha. The sky-blue energy wrapped around its body like a faint current of air. Amidst the turmoil of this energy, its fur fluttered in the wind. It also erupted with a tremendous presence, creating tiny whirlwinds in the vicinity. The grass on the ground and the green leaves around all stirred with its howls! Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Wind-Type Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 4 Skill: None Feeling the breeze on his face, Lu Ran was thrilled to see General Ha¡¯s attribute changes, filled with amazement. He could confidently assert that General Ha¡¯sbat power had increased by more than just a notchpared to before! This was the disparity between pre-awakening and post-awakening attributes! ¡°Arf!!!¡± After the awakening, General Ha appeared to be startled. But quickly, it gained control over the newly stimted wind power, allowing it to smoothly wrap and ovey its entire body. Looking at General Ha, now enshrouded in a nearly invisible sky-blue energy, Lu Ran thought he looked incredibly cool. Truly like those divine creatures from legend, majestic andmanding. ¡°General Ha, run around the t ground.¡± At that moment, Lu Ran pointed to a rtively open area and ordered. Ap around, about 200 meters? This would be perfect to test General Ha¡¯s current speed. As soon as Lu Ran finished speaking, General Ha responded with an ¡°awo¡± and instantly dashed away. Only a sky-blue afterimage was left in its ce. No¡­ Its full-speed run was like a sky-blue afterimage itself. Its form, clear yet blurred. Lu Ran had seen cheetahs run with his own eyes, animals reputed to be the fastest runners. But now, Lu Ran could only say, General Ha¡¯s speed had absolutely outstripped that of a cheetah. And it was a no-contest kind of outstripping. Lu Ran forgot to time it, but in the blink of an eye, the fellow had run a fullp and returned. ¡°Is this the power at level 4? What if it reaches level 40?¡± Lu Ran was astonished. ¡°Whoo!¡± Looking at General Ha panting as it returned, Lu Ran smiled, ¡°Good, next up is testing attack power.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked calm and focused on the surrounding stones. It pped a stone on the ground with its paw, which was wrapped in wind-type energy. Crack. The next moment, the stone seemed to shatter, instantly developing a dense web of cracks like a spider¡¯s web, and then broke into several pieces. ¡°Awesome¡­ This really is a qualitative leap.¡± Lu Ran crossed his arms and nodded with satisfaction. Then he stretched out his hand, and a wooden sword materialized in his grip. ¡°General Ha, catch the sword.¡± Lu Ran threw the wooden sword, and General Ha leaped up and caught it in its mouth. ¡°Wrap the wind-type energy around the wooden sword and try attacking again.¡± ¡°Awoo.¡± With its new power, General Ha was clearly addicted; it sought that same sensation once more. Before long, not only was General Ha¡¯s body oveying with energy, but the wooden sword it held also began to coil with white flow. The sword, as if conducting electricity, naturally became enshrouded with wind-type energy. Buzz buzz buzz¡ª Soon, with the wind-type energy wrapping around it, a blue-and-white sword qi emerged on the brown body of the sword. This blue-and-white qi looked like a swirling storm, continuously emitting the sound of airflow vibrations. General Ha¡¯s gaze became sharp as it looked at the sword, a look that only Lu Ran could understand. It was saying: sh, sh, sh, wreak havoc! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!! General Ha swung its head subconsciously, adopting a sword-swinging stance. The wooden sword sliced through the air, leaving a trail of wind marks, stirring up the surrounding flow. It was a pity that General Ha had not yet mastered the technique of energy release; otherwise, it might have been able to produce real sword qi! ¡°This feeling¡­¡± And as Lu Ran watched the wooden sword, he thought General Ha was getting cooler by the second. He hadn¡¯t realized how impressive Erha was before. Now, even if they were faced with a rhinoceros known for its defensive strength, Lu Ran felt that General Ha could y it with a single stroke of the sword! However, coolness doesn¡¯tst more than three seconds. Before Lu Ran and General Ha could revel in their delight or find a new target to test their power¡­ Boom!!! General Ha, with the wooden sword clutched in its jaws, suddenly experienced an unexpected event¡ªthe sword exploded, splintering into a cloud of wooden fragments that scattered across the sky. The loud noise startled General Ha¡­ to the point of actually leaping high into the air in surprise. ¡°What the heck¡­¡± This spectacle also left Lu Ran, standing nearby,pletely dumbfounded. What on earth had just happened? As he watched the wooden sword burst from General Ha¡¯s mouth, Lu Ran was momentarily at a loss. Had the sword been unable to withstand the force of the wind wrapped around it? ¡°Argh!!!¡± Meanwhile, General Ha, having realized what happened, gazed mournfully at the remains of the wooden sword. Its sword! Where was its sword? It hadn¡¯t even made its move yet, and the sword had already failed. ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ this just shows how strong you are,¡± Lu Ran said with a wave of his hand, indicating it was no big deal and not feeling the least bit upset. He had more. Lu Ran took out an iron-shing sword, but then, looking at the sharp de and then back at the bewildered General Ha, he fell into deep thought. Was it really safe to give General Ha such a dangerous weapon now? ¡°Quack!!!¡± Boss Lu was pondering this when suddenly a ck crow flew overhead. Itnded on a tree branch and cawed at Lu Ran a few times. My lord, a yellow-furred, ck-striped big cat has intruded into our territory. Lu Ran: ? Lu Ran looked at the crow, which, like the bug king, was one of his generals. Not just it, but the majority of Green Sea City¡¯s stray cats and dogs had also been subdued by Lu Ran, effectively making the whole city hiswork of informants. If there were to be a king of the city¡¯s wildlife, it would undoubtedly be Lu Ran. Still, in the end, it all came down to the connections he¡¯d made while practicing telepathy¡­ However, the message brought by this crow was a bit strange¡ªwhat¡¯s this about a yellow-furred, ck-striped big cat? Hmm? Chapter 20: A Tiger in Trouble Mocked by Dogs Chapter 20: A Tiger in Trouble Mocked by Dogs A yellow-furred, ck-striped big cat¡­ A stray cat? ¡°rify that,¡± Lu Ranmanded. The intelligence of a crow equals that of a five-year-old child. To understand its report, he needed to ask several times. Lu Ran¡¯s telepathy worked smoother with higher animal intelligence. If the other party was dim-witted, he could only discern the inner voice through their instinctual behavior. For example,municating with insects was rather difficult. However, Lu Ran felt that telepathy was still far more useful than a mental connection.Every beastmaster could actuallymunicate simply with their pet beast via the contract¡¯s inherent mental connection, which allowed for mental exchanges but was limited to the contracted partner. In contrast, Lu Ran¡¯s telepathy was not restricted to contracted creatures, which made it more convenient. Moreover, whether mental exchange or telepathy, both were challenging to use initially and required gradual practice. Learning it two years in advance allowed Lu Ran to avoid many detours in beastmunication. Big¡­ bigger¡­ a bigger cat than itself. The crow looked at General Ha and described again. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha was startled. Beside him, Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened. You call that a cat? Bigger than General Ha, that¡¯s got to be a tiger! Though indeed, tigers belonged to the cat family. ¡°Nonsense, how could there be a tiger here?¡± Lu Ran spoke up, but the next moment, General Ha seemed to ponder and turned in a certain direction. Its nose quivered, catching the scent of a fierce beast. A dog¡¯s sense of smell was inherently sharp, and with the awakening of wind-type abilities, it became even easier to capture certain scents from the air. ¡°Roar!¡± General Ha alerted Lu Ran. ¡°No way, a real tiger?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the crow¡¯s report; now even General Ha sensed the approach of a fierce beast, leaving Lu Ran somewhat astonished. This ce was no dangerous secret realm! Where did the fierce beaste from? Green Sea City had no wild tigers, and the only ce Lu Ran could recall with tigers was¡­ the wildlife park. It couldn¡¯t be that a tiger had escaped from the wildlife park, could it? ¡°Thanks for your help, I¡¯ll bring you some snacks next time!¡± Lu Ran said, and the satisfied ck crow flew off. The king is wise! Gluttons! In Lu Ran¡¯s view, every animal was a glutton, easily subdued with a little food. At this point, Lu Ran certainly lost any desire to have General Ha continue sword training. His brow furrowed, he pondered deeply. If it truly was an escaped wild tiger, he had to contact the fire department immediately; he couldn¡¯t let it hurt anyone. The nearby parks and residential areas were often bustling with elderly people and children. ¡°General Ha, let¡¯s go,¡± Lu Ran said. He wasn¡¯t worried about his own safety. Not to mention General Ha¡¯sbat ability had made a qualitative leap; it was just an ordinary tiger, after all. Even if he had to step back, if faced with danger in reality, he had his ultimate card up his sleeve. Not the Divine Deer pendant. But Infinite City teleport! It only took 10 seconds. He could teleport to Infinite City from Blue Star immediately. Even if there was a nuclear bomb heading his way, as long as there was a warning, Lu Ran would not be scared. Sometimes Lu Ran even fantasized that if someone coveted his treasures in reality, he could just stay in Infinite City until he reached level 100 beforeing back! However, unfortunately, the bad guys wouldn¡¯t write ¡°bad guy¡± on their faces, and one must always be vignt. ¡°Roar.¡± At this moment, General Ha nodded and followed Lu Ran, heading in the direction of the scent General Ha had detected. About a kilometer in, Lu Ran held his breath and, along with General Ha, hid behind a tree, looking out at the giant beast standing in the mountains¡­ Hiss¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s eyes widened, because there before him was a Manchurian Tiger with a shoulder height of at least 1.5 meters and a body length of over 3 meters! So big! Compared to this massive creature, even General Ha, now the size of arge dog, seemed very petite. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The Manchurian Tiger clearly noticed the approach of Lu Ran and hispanion, looking in the direction of the tree and letting out a deep roar. ¡°This isn¡¯t an ordinary tiger, it¡¯s a supernatural tiger beast that has evolved,¡± Lu Ran observed, quickly realizing why the tiger was sorge. It was clearly like General Ha at the beginning, strengthened by a contract and havingpleted its initial evolution! The Manchurian Tiger of this size was much more terrifying than the demon cat. What was going on? Where was its beastmaster? It couldn¡¯t possibly be wild. ¡°Err-woo¡ª¡± At the same time, what made Lu Ran quite helpless was that, even when faced with such a fierce beast, General Ha was not scared at all but instead was filled with a fighting spirit. ¡°Stop messing around, we¡¯re not clear on the situation yet. This guy probably has a beastmaster, right? If we hurt it, we might have to pay for damages,¡± Lu Ran was confused. ¡°Besides, this is a first-ss protected animal. If we take it down, I, Boss Lu, am going to be in deep trouble,¡± he then joked with General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha red. The beast had a beastmaster? Don¡¯t joke. It smelled the scent of human blood from the other party. If there was one, it must be inside its stomach by now. Lu Ran: ? ¡°What.¡± Lu Ran was bewildered. He seemed to have thought of something and quickly came to his senses, pulling out his phone and trying to dial a number. If it was just an ordinary fierce beast that had escaped, he was intending to call the fire department, but now the situation was clearly different. ¡°Come on, pick up.¡± General Ha was confronting the Manchurian Tiger while Lu Ran leaned against a tree making the call. Fortunately, the call connected quickly. A familiar voice came through. ¡°Hello, who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Waves Xiaobailong?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± the other side responded with surprise: ¡°This voice¡­ Passerby A?!¡± ¡°Haha, you contacted me so soon, I thought you¡¯d need to sleep first, have a good rest for the night. Do you want to know where to register your identity information?¡± Xiaobailong asked. ¡°¡­No rush on that, listen to me first, I was walking my dog in the hills behind ourmunity, and we encountered a Manchurian Tiger. It seems like the tiger has undergone evolution, and I haven¡¯t seen its beastmaster.¡± ¡°The most important thing is, it seems to have eaten someone. My dog smelled the scent of human blood on it.¡± After Lu Ran finished, there was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, after a moment, ¡°Ah?¡± came the response. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Momentster, Waves Xiaobailong couldn¡¯t help but swear. ¡°Now, what¡¯s the situation? Are you in danger? Where are you? It should be ¡®contract bacsh¡¯. This kind of situation ismon abroad. Some people try to use a ck card to contract fierce beasts, but they can¡¯t control them, leading to their own demise.¡± ¡°Lu Ran, listen to me. First, find a safe ce and give me the address. I¡¯ll immediately find someone to handle this.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lu Ran nodded, not expecting toe into contact with an official beastmaster so quickly. He had thought he would only encounter them in reality when it was time to register his identity. ¡°I¡¯m at¡­¡± Lu Ran was about to tell Xiaobailong his location when, the next moment, a tiger¡¯s roar vibrated through the forest. The giant tiger stopped confronting General Ha and, as if enraged, roared and pounced! The shocking roar was something only those who have truly heard it could understand. Even through the phone, Xiaobailong could hear the terrifying roar. On the other end, Xiaobailong¡¯s face turned pale. Once contracted, a tiger species is at least an upper supernatural species. Even without an awakened attribute, even at level 1, they could easily and simply overpower lower-level species and creatures¡­ This was bad! ¡°Passerby A!¡± he shouted anxiously, wanting to ask Lu Ran what was happening. However, Lu Ran did not continue the conversation for the moment. As the giant tiger attacked, General Ha¡¯s eyes shone as if the tiger¡¯s aggressive move was exactly what it wanted. A sky-blue energy enveloped its body. Whoosh! The dust where it tread stirred up instantly. With the boost from the power of wind, its sprint turned into a blur, its speed far surpassing that of the giant tiger. Speed is power. In the eyes of Lu Ran and General Ha, this giant tiger was all brawn and no brains. The opponent was likely only level 1, not even capable of the simplest energy ovey. Facing General Ha, who had awakened its attribute, the tiger was indeed just a big cat with arger body. Faced with General Ha, swift as a gale, the Manchurian Chinchi 1 was also somewhat taken aback. However, by the time it reacted, its body had already collided directly with General Ha¡¯s. ¡°Uh-oh¡ª¡± However, even though the Manchurian Tiger was only level 1, General Ha and Lu Ran finally understood what it meant to be the king of beasts among the high-level species. Even with many disadvantages, the impact alone allowed General Ha to feel the tremendous force bursting from the opponent, causing it to wince in pain. It was almost overwhelmingpared to General Ha at level 1. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Because General Ha¡¯s speed was too fast, it resulted in the Manchurian Tiger being unable to properly deploy its hunting skills, and it was sent flying several meters by General Ha¡¯s collision. The impact from General Ha could bepared to a speeding car hitting the Manchurian Tiger. This collision made the Manchurian Tiger realize that General Ha was not to be trifled with, and it turned to leave. However, General Ha, having encountered such a formidable opponent, had no intention of letting it go. ¡°Aowu!!!¡± Energized, General Ha picked up a long branch beside it, intending to use it as a sword to perform ¡°sword techniques.¡± Swish, swish, swish. The power of wind wrapped around the branch, making it look like a gleaming wind de. Holding the wind de in its mouth, General Ha pursued closely. The king of beasts just like this! Dog Head Sword sh! Seeing this scene, the Manchurian Tiger was even more dumbfounded, running and looking back at the same time, almost tripping over itself in the process,cking any semnce of the king of beasts¡¯ demeanor. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, Passerby A!!!¡± At this moment, Xiaobailong was still shouting. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m fine,¡± Lu Ran, hiding behind a tree and watching this unfold, scratched his head and said, ¡°The tiger just attacked, and I helped you deal with it on the fly. Thankfully, my Erha has awakened its attribute and leveled up, otherwise it would have been really dangerous.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity, such a big tiger would have been great if it hadn¡¯t hurt anyone,¡± Lu Ranmented. ¡°I suppose this counts as emergency avoidance.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ you, you subdued it?¡± Xiaobailong was astonished. But then, thinking of Lu Ran¡¯s decent performance in the trial secret realm, and considering that General Ha had awakened its attribute, it did have a significant advantage over a tiger that had just touched the supernatural, he began to understand. Phew¡­ Xiaobailong breathed a sigh of relief. It¡¯s good that no one was hurt. Although he didn¡¯t understand how Lu Ran and his group had such courage, it was rare indeed. Are these really just high school students? What on earth does this guy¡¯s family do? ¡°Stay safe, and send me your location. I¡¯ll contact the relevant departments in your area to retrieve that tiger.¡± ¡°Thanks to you, otherwise the consequences of a Manchurian Tiger entering the city would have been unthinkable. I¡¯ll arrange for a bonus for you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Forget the bonus, I don¡¯t need the money. Instead, find a way to get me into Shanghai University without having to take the college entrance exam¡­ I don¡¯t want to take it¡­¡± Lu Ran said. In fact, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t really interested in a diploma either, but having studied for so many years, he felt it would be a waste not to get one. Never mind, he decided to be a Beast Taming master with a diploma. Xiaobailong: ??? While talking, Lu Ran walked towards General Ha. By this time, the Manchurian Chinchi already had several scratch marks on its body, oozing blood. Cornered at the base of the mountain by General Ha, who was holding a branch, the Manchurian Tiger shook with fear, its face filled with terror like a frightened bird, and it kept growling in an attempt to scare off the enemy. Lu Ran looked at the branch in General Ha¡¯s mouth with surprise¡­ This guy¡­ was progressing so fast. Just a moment ago, the force of the wind had shattered the wooden sword, and now it was already skillfully wrapping energy around the branch. A genius, perhaps. ¡°You look a bit unfamiliar; you must have arrived in thest few months,¡± Lu Ran said, turning to the Manchurian Tiger. He had seen the ones in the wildlife park a few times, but he didn¡¯t recognize this one, so he guessed it was new. It was a pity; it had already harmed someone, and he wondered what would happen to it next. Before long, among the teams that had entered the back mountain of Maple Park to search for the escaped Manchurian Tiger, a fourth-generation beastmaster paused and picked up his phone. ¡°Officer Luo Shang, this is the First Bureau. The ¡®Manchurian Tiger escape and attack incident¡¯ previously reported by Green Sea City has been resolved by a local Beast Taming master. He has the tiger under control, and I will send you the location.¡± ¡°What?¡± Luo Shang, fully armed with weapons and apanied by a supernatural police dog, showed a look of surprise and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t there only one Beast Taming master in Green Sea City, which is me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a neer Beast Taming master.¡± ¡°A neer, how could they possibly¡­ Yes! I¡¯ll bring my team over right now.¡± Luo Shang took a deep breath, incredulous. He himself had be a beastmaster only a week ago, with a D-level rating, which was quite high. Yet even so, his professionally trained police dog trembled at just the scent of the escaped Manchurian Tiger. What kind of neer could subdue a supernatural tiger beast without the aid of firearms? Could it be that the other party has a contract with an even more ferocious wild beast? Momentster¡­ Luo Shang arrived with a group at the location sent by Lu Ran, and then¡­ they witnessed a scene that left them speechless. A gigantic Manchurian Tiger, sorge it was absurd, was curled up at the foot of the mountain like a wronged big cat, being intimidated by an Erha holding a branch¡­ Next to it, a youth with the appearance of a student was sitting on a rock, ying with his phone. Footnote:
  1. Manchurian Chinchi(¶«±±½ð½¥²ã): This is a yful name for the Manchurian tiger, as it has golden fur simr to that of a golden chinchi, and both are members of the cat family, hence it is referred to as the Manchurian Chinchi. In China, the adorable image of a tiger is often referred to as a ¡°big cat¡±.
Chapter 21: Siblings Reunite Chapter 21: Siblings Reunite ¡°Um¡­¡± At this moment, a group of police officers are staring at the bizarre scene, somewhat bewildered. What in the world! Luo Shang is stunned, and so is the police dog beside him! He had thought that a beastmaster capable of subduing a supernatural Manchurian Tiger would have a fierce beast like a bear under contract. But what did he see instead? Erha? These dogs, known for their poor obedience and weak aggression, struggle to be police canines. How did one manage to make a ferocious tiger as docile as a cat? ¡°Police officers, you¡¯re finally here.¡±Seeing a group of people approaching, Lu Ran suddenly realizes that special departments, like the military or police, must have broadly be aware of the existence of the ck card. With the number of beastmasters still low, it would be too troublesome if they had to deal with everything personally. In the Donghuang Beastmaster Alliance of Xia Country, there must be no shortage of ordinary people! ¡°May I ask if there¡¯s anything else I need to assist with? Something urgent hase up for me.¡± Lu Ran speaks up. He is indeed in a hurry now. Because Fang Lan has finally returned. The two had just spoken on the phone, but since Lu Ran couldn¡¯t leave the scene, he had to wait. Now, he¡¯d rather go to Fang Lan to check on her situation than stay here. ¡°I¡¯m Luo Shang, thank you for your help! You¡¯re Lu Ran, right? We can take it from here¡­ You can go ahead with your urgent matter, and we will personallye to express our gratitude when you have time,¡± Luo Shang says. Luo Shang doesn¡¯t dare to neglect someone like Lu Ran, who is a ¡°master¡± of his craft. Even if Lu Ran appears to be just a student on the surface, Luo Shang knows that some powerful beastmasters could easily hold important positions within the Donghuang Alliance, enjoying high status. If Lu Ran is also an official member, with his strength¡­ his position might even be higher than Luo Shang¡¯s! Until Luo Shang can figure out Lu Ran¡¯s true identity, he can only follow Lu Ran¡¯s lead. ¡°No need to thank me, it¡¯s the least I could do!¡± Lu Ran, hearing that he can leave directly, is very pleased. He nces at General Ha and says, ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve removed the big cat¡¯s teeth and ws, and one of its legs is broken, so it shouldn¡¯t pose much danger anymore¡­ It¡¯s all yours now¡­¡± The Manchurian Tiger roars in anger. ¡°You call that a cat? Your whole family must be cats.¡± The police officers exchanged nces, unsure of what to say next. Soon, Lu Ran and General Ha left the scene. Before they departed, General Ha cast a majestic nce at the Manchurian Chinchi and the huge police dog. Neither the Manchurian Tiger nor the police dog dared to make a sound. Finally, as they watched Lu Ran and hispanion walk away, the Manchurian Tiger curled at the foot of the mountain breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted¡ªthe two demons had finally left¡­ But then, it caught sight of several ck gun barrels aimed at it and fell back into contemtion. ¡­ In Green Sea City, within a room in the Li Jiang Community, Fang Lany on the sofa in her pajamas, a facial mask adhering to her skin, trying to relieve the tension in her spirit. *Sigh*¡­ She was finally back. After returning, what annoyed Fang Lan the most was that rascal Lu Ran. She picked up her phone again and looked at the reply from Lu Ran, so exasperated her facial mask was about to fall off. Lu Ran: !!! Lu Ran: You¡­ you were chosen too? Lu Ran: I¡¯m not ignoring you, I was just chosen two hours before you¡­ When you messaged, I was already in the secret realm. Lu Ran: Have youe back? ¡°I¡¯ll give you a big ghost head in reply.¡± She had wanted to talk to Lu Ran about this incident as soon as it happened, but it turned out he knew before she did and didn¡¯t tell her. It was infuriating. She had already called Lu Ran. She wanted to have a proper face-to-face conversation with Lu Ran about this matter. Ding-dong¡­ Shortly after, the doorbell rang. Lu Ran, who hade to apologize, waited cautiously outside the door. This ce¡­ was where Fang Lan kept her pets and also her residence. Fang Lan owned several properties because it was inconvenient to live with her parents due to the many crawling pets she kept. Therefore, she moved out quite early to live on her own. So now, she was living separately from her parents. ¡°Lu Ran!¡± The door opened, and Fang Lan, looking at Lu Ran, who hadn¡¯t even changed his clothes and was in a sorry state, had a lot to say. But when it came time to speak, she didn¡¯t know what to say. Never mind. ¡°Come in first.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Lu Ran patted his chest, took a deep breath, and entered the room. In the living room, Fang Lan and Lu Ran faced each other. Fang Lan was the first to break the silence, saying, ¡°I won¡¯t pursue why you didn¡¯t tell me when something happened.¡± ¡°Because I guessed what you would say.¡± ¡°You were afraid I¡¯d worry, that I wouldn¡¯t believe you, that I wouldn¡¯t let you try, right?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­¡± Lu Ran replied, awkwardly. ¡°Regardless, in the future, you must share dangerous situations with family.¡± ¡°The main thing is, I didn¡¯t expect that the ck card would be a mass descent,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°We were chosen one after the other¡­ I was nning to tell you aftering out, and besides, you didn¡¯t tell mom and dad either.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking back! Cough, so you contracted your family¡¯s Erha, right?¡± Fang Lan stood up just after sitting down, her hands pressed on the table, looking seriously at Lu Ran. ¡°What was the rating?¡± Perhaps because of the tacit understanding between rtives, both believed that the other would surely pass the novice secret realm with ease. ¡°Not bad, S-level. General Ha is very strong now, I might team up with youter to conquer secret realms.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t hide the rating from Fang Lan. But sometimes, the more you tell the truth, the less others are inclined to believe it. As expected, Fang Lan was stunned and somewhat disbelievingly said, ¡°What did you say, S-level? How is that possible¡­¡± ¡°Is your General Ha amander species???¡± ¡°No, just middle supernatural.¡± ¡°Then how can you be S-level? My Xian is from an upper supernatural species, and I only got B-level!¡± Fang Lan was clearly confused because Senior Gu had told her she was one in a hundred talents, and thepatibility with her spider pet beast was extremely high, so the initial species level wasparable to that of a lion or tiger. If Lu Ran¡¯s General Ha were also from a high-level species, she could understand Lu Ran getting a high rating, but middle supernatural¡­ it was puzzling how he achieved such a high rating. ¡°Species level doesn¡¯t represent everything. There is something that is not included within the species level, and that is the capacity to learn.¡± Lu Ran sat on the sofa, crossed his legs, picked up a cup, poured himself some water, and while drinking, he continued: ¡°My General Ha has an extremely high aptitude. After just a few battles, it easily grasped energy ovey. Through the tempering ofbat, it has reached the skill level where it can easily wrap and cover objects with energy.¡± ¡°In terms of its mastery of energy, General Ha can be said to crush those wild beasts. We fought all day long, so achieving an S rating is not surprising. Didn¡¯t I tell you a while ago that General Ha has an extremely highbat ability? Now you believe me, right?¡± ¡°It seems you don¡¯t know much about Infinite City and beastmasters. Well, if there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, I¡¯ll exin it to you,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile, eager to apply his newfound knowledge. Fang Lan, seeing Lu Ran flexing his Versailles 1 syndrome again, expressed her dissatisfaction directly: ¡°No need! I just hadn¡¯t adapted to the secret realm at first¡­¡± ¡°When we¡¯re free, let¡¯s go to the arena in Infinite City and have a match between your General Ha and my Xian.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Lu Ran immediately agreed. He was also curious to see how formidable the upper supernatural species Daxia wolf spider really was. Fang Lan¡¯s pet beast was from an upper supernatural species, which honestly surprised Lu Ran, yet it also made sense to him. Fang Lan had grown up interacting with these creatures, so a highpatibility was only natural. The Basic Beast Taming Handbook records that the beastmasters chosen by the ck card are typically individuals who have a lot of interactions with animals, either through their upations or by having pets at home. Moreover, the higher thepatibility between the beastmaster and their pet, the more potential the pet can unleash after the initial contract. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡± Lu Ran had already agreed to the duel, but seeing Fang Lan still biting her lip and staring at him, he felt a bit guilty. ¡°You¡¯re S-rated¡­ I thought my rating was high.¡± It turned out that Fang Lan was still dwelling on that matter. She had always been ahead of Lu Ran in every aspect since they were kids. Now that Lu Ran had surpassed her, she probably had mixed feelings about it. ¡°Hehe,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the initial rating doesn¡¯t determine everything. If there¡¯s such a thing as the strongest king in the beastmaster upation, you¡¯ll definitely be one.¡± ¡°You do know how to talk!¡± ¡°By the way, have you been approached by an official from Infinite City?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Did you ept?¡± ¡°I did¡­¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I ept? Didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Uh, not yet,¡± Lu Ran replied. At the mention of this, Fang Lan became excited and said energetically, ¡°Guess who I met in Infinite City.¡± ¡°Dr. Gu! Gu Qingyi, so she¡¯s also been chosen as a beast tamer.¡± ¡°You certainly don¡¯t know as much as I do. She told me a lot, and I epted her invitation. As for what exactly I¡¯ll be doing, she said she¡¯ll contact me in reality to discuss it¡­¡± ¡°Gu Qingyi? Who¡¯s that?¡± Lu Ran felt the name sounded familiar but couldn¡¯t recall who it was. ¡°A young and beautiful doctoral student from Shanghai University. Forget it, you only have eyes for Erha, bugs, and such, beauties are not in your league,¡± Fang Lan said disdainfully. Several of her female ssmates had secretly inquired about Lu Ran, but none had sparked his interest. That was just as well. She felt many girls were only after Lu Ran¡¯s family fortune! ¡°Nonsense! I do like beauties,¡± Lu Ran objected, not wanting to hear it. Indeed, during his adolescence, he should have been dating, but with his family¡¯s turmoil and the acquisition of his superpower, he hadn¡¯t pursued that path, which was understandable. ¡°Is Dr. Gu reliable?¡± Lu Ran asked again, worried about Fang Lan being used by others. ¡°Of course, she is a first-generation beastmaster. She entered Infinite City three years ago and is very powerful! Her novice secret realm rating reached SS, even higher than yours!¡± Lu Ran found it hard to believe. ¡°A first-generation beastmaster, really?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­ that¡¯s what she said.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth fell open slightly. A first-generation beastmaster with an SS novice rating? Xiaobailong had said that there were only 13 active first-generation beastmasters left, right? Could Dr. Gu be one of those 13? Lu Ran looked incredulously at Fang Lan, who was also eagerly looking back at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Just feeling a bit emotional. Why is it that you enter Infinite City and meet a first-generation big shot, while I only meet a¡­ well, a pretty good person too.¡± ¡°I can introduce you to Dr. Gu. I¡¯m just a B-level, and she called me a rare genius. With your S rating, you¡¯d definitely get even more attention!¡± ¡°Then the two of us will be her top lieutenants, a perfectbination!¡± ¡°As far as I know, the alliance seems to ce a lot of importance on cultivating fourth-generation beast tamers¡­¡± ¡°Us, the SB 2 With her cheeks puffed in annoyance, Fang Lan shot back, ¡°Shut up, or I¡¯ll lock you in the dark room and have you spend the night with the crawling pets.¡± Footnote:
  1. Versailles (·²¶ûÈü): It is used to describe those actions that are intentionally showy yet pretend to be casual. This usage originates from people posting photos or experiences rted to the Pce of Versailles and then pretending to share them humbly, when in fact they are showing off their travel, lifestyle, or social status.
  1. SB(ɵ±Æ): ¡°SB¡± is an acronym for the pinyin initials of the Chinese term ¡°Éµ±Æ,¡± which ismonly used in online contexts as an insulting term. The literal meaning of this phrase refers to someone who is foolish or behaves stupidly, but its actual use carries a strong derogatory connotation.
Chapter 22: An Identity Too Pure Chapter 22: An Identity Too Pure In Xia Country, at the Shanghai branch of the Donghuang Beast Taming Alliance. The First Bureau of Shanghai. A youth dressed in a white suit passed through multiple security checks and entered a high-rise building. After taking the elevator to the third floor, he knocked on the door of a certain room. ¡°Come in.¡± Waves Xiaobailong entered the room. Not long after he got involved in the ¡°Green Sea City Supernatural Fierce Beast Escape Incident,¡± he was summoned by the First Bureau to report on the situation. The First Bureau, officially known as the Public Security Guardian Bureau, is responsible for the prevention, cessation, and investigation of malignant activities involving beastmasters and supernatural beings. The escape incident of the supernatural Manchurian Tiger in Green Sea City fell under the jurisdiction of the First Bureau. ¡°Leader Li¡­ Leader Zhao is here too?¡± However, what Waves Xiaobailong had not expected was that waiting for him was not only a leader from the First Bureau but also his direct superior, the leader of the second group in the Neer Recruitment Department of the Second Bureau.¡°Little Bai.¡± After Waves Xiaobailong entered, his superior nced at him and said with a smile, ¡°There are no outsiders here, have a seat first.¡± ¡°Thank you, Leader.¡± Waves Xiaobailong expressed his gratitude but still remained standing. ¡°Bai Junjie, right? The Green Sea City incident, you were the one who contacted the First Bureau, right? Thank you for that,¡± said Leader Li of the First Bureau with a chuckle. ¡°It¡¯s part of my duties. I was just passing the message. The main problem-solving was done by that neer named Passerby A.¡± ¡°How much do you know about this neer?¡± Leader Zhao inquired. ¡°Uh, a bit¡­¡± Waves Xiaobailong looked at his superior somewhat sheepishly. Lu Ran indeed had promising potential, but he hadn¡¯t managed to recruit him. He hoped this wouldn¡¯t upset his superior. Please, not the bonus¡­ ¡°Little Bai¡­ this Lu Ran, he is a talent, a genius, we must convince him to join the official ranks,¡± Leader Zhao of the Second Bureau said earnestly. ¡°Take a look at this file.¡± Waves Xiaobailong took the file from his superior with a puzzled look. Clearly, although not much time had passed, Lu Ran¡¯s information had already been thoroughly investigated. Name: Lu Ran. Gender: Male. Age: 17¡­ The information at the beginning was as simple as it could be. Xiaobailong wasn¡¯t surprised to learn that Lu Ran was a student. What did catch him off guard was the information regarding Lu Ran¡¯s academic performance¡­ Passerby A was actually a top student? Could he be both literary and martial arts? As Xiaobailong quickly scanned the document, he came upon a key piece of information that changed his expression. ¡°Lu Ran is an orphan?¡± ¡°Yes, his parents died five years ago.¡± ¡°Look at his family background¡­¡± Xiaobailong continued reading. Father, Lu Qiancheng, a zoologist who served as a professor at Jinling University andter was employed as a biology consultant by the Natural Life Company. He went abroad 22 times for wildlife ecological surveys¡­ Mother, Lu Yunxiu, a biologist who served as a professor at the Capital University and was employed by the Natural Life Company as a biology consultant, holding several patents in biological medicine¡­ Grandfather, Lu Hai, the vige head of Lujia Vige, a hunter¡­ Grandmother, Lu Ying, a veterinarian in Lujia Vige¡­ Lujia Vige, a vige of hunters, where the vige head is elected based on hunting skills¡­ ¡°Damn.¡± Xiaobailong was astounded by the striking array of family information. He knew this Passerby A¡­ Lu Ran was not ordinary, but his background was too pure! If he couldn¡¯t be an outstanding beastmaster, who could? It was as if the genes of a beastmaster were inscribed in his blood! Other beastmasters merely have deep connections with animals and pets, but Lu Ran¡¯s family, for generations, seemed to have upations rted to animals. What a formidable character! No wonder he could achieve a good rating in the novice secret realm with just an Erha, let alone subdue a supernatural tiger! It¡¯s just unfortunate that his elders passed away early, including his parents, leaving him all alone. ¡°Do you understand now?¡± ¡°It is said that ¡®dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes¡¯¡­ and you¡¯ve also witnessed his talent firsthand. The family education he received is certainly not something the average person canpare with. Such a talent would be wasted if he were to join a civilian beastmaster guild,¡± leader Zhao said with a tone of cherishing talent. ¡°Old Zhao, this person, I¡¯m entrusting to your Second Bureau. You must pull him over; there will be a generous reward when the timees! The neer faced the fierce tiger without any fear and was even able to subdue it. He¡¯s truly a natural-born protector of the nation!¡± Leader Li from the First Bureau looked eagerly at Leader Zhao and Xiaobailong. At this moment¡­ Xiaobailong felt the heavy weight of responsibility. Perhaps even Lu Ran himself had not realized that his background had caught the official eye so firmly¡­ After Xiaobailong left, Leader Li and Leader Zhao put down the documents and continued to chat over tea. ¡°Ah, the number of beastmasters is increasing. The alliance is about to undergo a major restructuring of departments, and it¡¯s uncertain where we¡¯ll be assigned. I hope we can still stay in Shanghai¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s tough, don¡¯t worry too much about it. Let¡¯s just enjoy our tea.¡± ¡­ In Green Sea City. Lu Ran and Fang Lan were discussing the details of the novice secret realm they had experienced. Lu Ran had entered the Forest of the Demon Cat, while Fang Lan had ventured into another map¡ªthe Spider Cave that Lu Ran had seen before. Lu Ran could only say¡­ Fang Lan entering the Spider Cave realm was like returning home. ¡°I¡¯m starting to suspect that you need to unlock some hidden plot to get an SSS rating.¡± ¡°No, didn¡¯t you carefully read the prompt when you first entered the novice secret realm? The rating is based on bat performance¡¯!¡± ¡°You probably need to eliminate all the beasts in the novice secret realm to get close to an SSS rating.¡± ¡°How is that possible¡­¡± ¡°Why not? The novice trial secret realm is just a small part of the simple-level secret realm, with hardly any creatures above level 5. If someone¡¯s initial pet beast ismander level, there might be hope, right?¡± Fang Lan and Lu Ran were in the midst of their intense discussion when suddenly, Fang Lan¡¯s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Fang Lan hushed Lu Ran with a sense of urgency, saying, ¡°It¡¯s Dr. Gu!!!¡± ¡°Be quiet.¡± After that, Fang Lan answered the call. ¡°Senior Gu!¡± ¡°Fang Lan?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s me.¡± On the other end of the phone, Gu Qingyi smiled and said, ¡°You mentioned before that you were interested in joining the secret realm strategy team, but I¡¯ve been thinking, and it¡¯s not suitable for you. After all, you¡¯re still a neer, and frontlinebat would be too dangerous for a girl like you.¡± ¡°What about the research department?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°Currently, the research department doesn¡¯t have any openings for neers either¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Actually, I still suggest that you continue your education,¡± Gu Qingyi advised. ¡°But not at Shanghai University, instead at a new university dedicated to serving the beast taming upation.¡± ¡°If everything goes as nned, it should start recruiting students in about two months. The rapidly increasing number of fourth-generation beastmasters is sufficient to support a school.¡± ¡°When the timees, formerbat and lifestyle beastmasters from official institutions and various guilds will teach at the school, along with some seasoned professors who have been studying supernatural beings for the past three years.¡± ¡°The school will focus solely on imparting knowledge and strengthening the spirit. The goal during the schooling period is not to conquer secret realms, so safety is highly prioritized. After graduation, students can freely choose where to go, whether it¡¯s an official institution or a beastmaster guild. You can think of it as a buffer zone, as most young people can¡¯t quickly adapt to the beast taming upation.¡± ¡°My suggestion is that you further your studies here. From what I understand, this university allows students to apply for graduation at any time. Once you have a clearer understanding of what suits you, you can make your choice. What do you think?¡± Beast Taming University? ¡°I¡¯ll follow Senior Gu¡¯s advice,¡± Fang Lan responded, surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected there to be a university specifically for beast taming, which implied a significant number of fourth-generation beastmasters. But¡­ what about her rank as ninth in the province on the college entrance exam? Was that effort all for nothing??? ¡°I, I, I¡­!!!¡± Lu Ran had excellent hearing. Even though Fang Lan didn¡¯t put the call on speaker, he could clearly hear what was being discussed. As the conversation reached a pivotal moment, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. A Beast Taming University?! That sounded much more interesting than Shanghai University. He wasn¡¯t going to Shanghai University anymore. He didn¡¯t want to finish his senior year of high school either. Could he get a direct admission to this new university? The flexibility offered by the school is indeed far greater than joining an official institution or a guild. There, one can gain ess to essential knowledge through the school while also having the freedom to solo in secret realms to level up privately. It seems like the best choice for oneself. Most importantly, at only 17 years old, diving headlong into secret realms could be overwhelming for Lu Ran. He believes that proper social interaction with peers is absolutely necessary. ¡°Senior Gu¡­¡± Fang Lan, catching Lu Ran¡¯s hint, said, ¡°I have a younger brother¡­¡± ¡°He too has been chosen as a beastmaster and has passed the novice trial,¡± ¡°But he¡¯s just about to enter his junior year of high school. Is it possible for him to go directly to beast taming university?¡± After Fang Lan finished speaking, Gu Qingyi pondered for a moment and replied, ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem. However, the university is likely to be divided into several campuses, with cement based on a beastmaster¡¯s talent. You two may not necessarily be assigned to the same location.¡± ¡°Your strength should easily secure you a spot in the main campus after the assessments. As for him, I¡¯m not so sure.¡± While Gu Qingyi saw potential in Fang Lan, she wasn¡¯t nning on giving her any undue advantages. ¡°That¡¯s great, thank you, Senior Gu! We¡¯ll go through the assessments ourselves,¡± Fang Lan expressed her gratitude. ¡°No need to thank me. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you both grow quickly. Currently, the progress of conquering Infinite City has been at a standstill for a long time, and there¡¯s an urgent need for fourth-generation beastmasters to step in,¡± Gu Qingyi said with a slight smile. ¡°Also, if you have time tonight at 8 o¡¯clock, you might want to watch TV.¡± ¡°If nothing unexpected happens, the official announcement about the existence of Infinite City and the ck cards should be made.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just Xia Country, but the entire world that will be affected¡­ The surge in the number of ck cards has exceeded control¡­¡± ¡°The era of national beast taming is upon us.¡± Chapter 23: The Second Pet Beast Chapter 23: The Second Pet Beast After ending the call with Gu Qingyi, Fang Lan exchanged a look with Lu Ran. ¡°National beast taming¡­¡± ¡°That was quick,¡± Lu Ran had not expected it at all. Would the existence of Infinite City and beastmasters be announced so soon? He thought there would be more time. After all, he was like a beta tester now, even if it was the fourth test. And once it¡¯s announced, it would be like the game¡¯s open beta. Things would probably get even morepetitive then. They both nced at the time¡ª6:42 PM.Less than an hour and a half remained until the time Gu Qingyi had mentioned. ¡°The ck card distribution hasn¡¯t shown any signs of stopping¡­¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°An early announcement could allow Xia Country to gain more beastmasters.¡± ¡°As for whether such supernatural events will cause any significant impact on the stability of existing societies, it doesn¡¯t really matter anymore. After three years of exploration, every country must understand the importance of the upation of a beastmaster.¡± ¡°Heh, that¡¯s true. Nowadays, you graduate only to be unemployed, and finding a job is tough. Bing a beastmaster and gathering resources in the secret realm seems like a viable path,¡± Lu Ran said with augh. ¡°Besides that, industries rted to pets are about to boom.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, you should hurry and tell your parents to quit their current jobs and go all-in on a business venture in Infinite City. There are definitely opportunities there,¡± Lu Ran pondered, stroking his chin. ¡°Why? They¡¯re quite old; how could they be chosen by the ck card?¡± Fang Lan remarked. ¡°Starting a business in reality isn¡¯t bad either, whether selling starter pet beasts or opening a hospital specialized for beastmasters,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°But never mind, you¡¯re not short on money anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true. I¡¯m short on crystal coins!¡± Fang Lan dered. At that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s phone rang. Hmm¡­ He hushed with a finger to his lips, signaling Fang Lan to keep quiet. The caller: Xiaobailong. Lu Ran thought for a moment and answered the call, having a pretty good idea of Xiaobailong¡¯s intentions. ¡°Hey, Lu Ran, have you eaten yet? I heard from Officer Luo that after you handed over the tiger, you went straight back.¡± Tiger? What tiger? Fang Lan watched Lu Ran eagerly. Ah, keeping secrets from me now! ¡°Haven¡¯t eaten yet¡­ By the way, what will happen to that tiger?¡± Xiaobailong pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°If it were an ordinary tiger that had eaten someone, it would definitely be put down immediately.¡± ¡°However, supernatural fierce beasts are too rare, so it will probably be sent to a special department for reformation and training, to see if it can have a chance to ¡®make amends for its crimes¡¯.¡± ¡°I did some digging, and it turns out that the keeper was very experienced. He specifically chose the healthiest contract, thinking he could tame it. But after being enhanced, a pet beast is in its hungriest, wildest awakening phase, and since they barely have any affection, it¡¯s a tragedy waiting to happen.¡± Lu Ran sighed. Thankfully, he hadn¡¯t foolishly gone to the wildlife park looking for his first pet beast. General Ha might be simple, but at least he¡¯s obedient. ¡°What a pity,¡± Lu Ranmented. ¡°Yeah¡­ Oh, Lu Ran, about that thing you mentioned to me before, I think I can help you sort it out. I have some special connections that can help you with your academic issues.¡± ¡°When do you have time toe over so we can talk in detail?¡± On the other end of the phone, Xiaobailong rubbed his hands covertly. After looking through Lu Ran¡¯s information, he kind of understood why Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to join any organizations¡ªprobably because of being sensitive about being an orphan. No problem! He¡¯ll get Lu Ran to open up. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t want to go to Shanghai University anymore,¡± Lu Ran said. Xiaobailong: ??? ¡°Huh? Capital University works too, any domestic school, your choice!¡± Xiaobailong felt a twinge in his stomach. Why are these young people so fickle these days? Lu Ran was surprised. Although Xiaobailong was just a member of the Neer Recruitment Department, he seemed to have strong connections. ¡°Not going to any of them. Someone just rmended that I go to Beast Taming University. It seems they¡¯re going to start enrolling students in the next two months.¡± ¡°Beast Taming University?¡± Xiaobailong was astonished. He had never heard of it. What was that? ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not being scammed? Beast Taming University¡­ I¡¯ve never heard of it. Who told you this?¡± ¡°Gu Qingyi, Dr. Gu, do you know her?¡± ¡°Gu Qingyi¡­ Dr. Gu¡­¡± Xiaobailong fell into thought. A momentter, his eyes widened. ¡°Is it the Dr. Gu I¡¯m thinking of? The first-generation beastmaster?¡± ¡°You know her?¡± Xiaobailong was shocked. He had heard of this person, Gu Qingyi, the first-generation beastmaster of Xia Country, and one of the thirteen most powerful and active beastmasters in Xia¡¯s strongest tier. It could be said that Dr. Gu¡¯s status in the Beast Taming circles of Xia Country was iparable, even superior to that of his boss¡¯s boss. Lu Ran, acquainted with such a figure? Suddenly, Xiaobailong remembered Lu Ran¡¯s background. Both of Lu Ran¡¯s parents were well-known zoologists and, considering their age, could very well be considered predecessors to Dr. Gu academically, making it entirely possible that they knew each other! This¡­ Xiaobailong was stunned. He had assumed Lu Ran was a wild card, but it turned out, he had a hidden big shot? ¡°Ahem, someone in my family knows her,¡± Lu Ran said, ncing at Fang Lan. Every word was the truth. But he had the feeling that Xiaobailong had misunderstood something. Nevertheless, he could tell that Dr. Gu was indeed a very important person. ¡°I¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°By the way, where do I need to register? I hope I don¡¯t have to leave the province,¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Give me a moment, I¡¯ll consult with leadership¡­¡± Xiaobailong was sweating profusely, feeling that the chance of recruiting Lu Ran was bing slim. Soon after, the call between Lu Ran and Xiaobailong ended. As soon as the call was over, Fang Lan immediately turned to Lu Ran and asked, ¡°What tiger? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It was just when I took General Ha out for a walk, I came across an escaped Manchurian Chinchi from the zoo and helped the police handle it. Just a small matter,¡± Lu Ran said nonchntly. Fang Lan replied, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that now. I just noticed that there¡¯s a lot of information about the ck card online now, you should take a look.¡± ¡°Ah? They¡¯re not deleting it this time?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That makes sense, it¡¯s about to be announced officially anyway, so there¡¯s no need to delete it. That poster with the pet beast cat, I had originally wanted to add him as a friend to ask for some details, but the officials were quick to delete the post.¡± ¡°Cough cough cough,¡± Fang Lan said a bit sheepishly, ¡°About that post¡­ I might have casually reported it and contacted the admin to delete it¡­¡± Lu Ran: ??? It was you! At that moment, Lu Ran also took out his phone. Online, there was a fair amount of information about the ck card, although not too much. The information was primarily circting in forums rted to ¡°supernatural events,¡± ¡°pets,¡± and ¡°animals.¡± For instance, when Lu Ran entered an animal forum, he came across a post like this: Brothers, I need help! Post content: If every animal on Blue Star had the chance to undergo a supernatural evolution, which one would be the most powerful? My mom bought a bag of mantis shrimps this afternoon for dinner tonight, and I heard that a mantis shrimp can throw 100 punches in one second and produce lightning. Sounds strong, right? Comments below: Don¡¯t test the waters, did you also get a ck card? I advise you to stay calm. It¡¯s better to find a reliable pet beast, don¡¯t be clever. If you contract with a weak one, then it¡¯s game over. Check out the pinned post, there¡¯s a strategy guide posted by a big shot, read it 100 times. Lu Ran: ¡­ He switched to another forum. Damn it! Post content: Why is there information about contract cards all over the inte? I thought I was the only one¡­ Speaking of which, is there a big shot who can guide me on what pet beast I should contract with? I only have a turtle at home, is that contractable? I¡¯m soft, lightweight, easy to knock over, a master at serving tea and pouring water. Is there a big shot willing to mail me a loong egg? Comments below: A loong egg? Wishful thinking. Having a turtle is not bad; maybe it will evolve into a Xuanwu one day. I have a Border Collie that I just took to get neutered. Do I dare to contract with it? Do I dare? The way it looks at me, it seems like it wants to kill me. Lu Ran: ¡­ What a talent. It seemed that with the increase in rted information online, people who had received ck cards were not hiding their experiences but were actively asking questions. Lu Ran noticed that the posts had all suddenly appeared today, suggesting that the number of people selected today must have increased significantlypared to yesterday. And some tutorial posts, Lu Ran sensed a strong official vor to them. ¡°Do you have any ideas for your second pet beast?¡± Lu Ran asked Fang Lan, who was also looking at her phone. Fang Lan nodded and looked at Lu Ran: ¡°I¡¯m thinking of choosing a snake.¡± She revealed an excited expression: ¡°Since they can evolve indefinitely, I want to raise a loong!¡± Lu Ran covered his forehead and smiled. ¡°Good idea, we¡¯re on the same page.¡± ¡°Frankly, now that supernatural beings have appeared, it stands to reason that fantasy creatures like loong could exist too,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°I¡¯d regret not making a contract with one.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re interested too?¡± Fang Lan asked, surprised. Lu Ran shrugged and said, ¡°But I hate snakes, and fish seem inconvenient. Maybe I¡¯ll see if I can evolve a western giant dragon first, but that¡¯s after I get a second contract card.¡± ¡°The birthday gift you gave me is still lying around at home. A lizard and a giant dragon seem quite rted; they might be on the same evolutionary chain.¡± ¡°Ah, the red-eyed eagle lizard hasn¡¯t been killed by your care yet?¡± Lu Ran replied helplessly, ¡°What are you talking about? I¡¯m a pet expert, but indeed, that one has some issues with its personality. It¡¯s too timid. It ys dead with just one look from General Ha, nomunication possible. Forget it, I might as well change to another.¡± ¡­ In Shanghai. Xiaobailong immediately made a call to his supervisor, Leader Zhao. ¡°Bai Junjie? What¡¯s up?¡± Leader Zhao asked. ¡°Leader, that student Lu Ran seems to be noticed by others ahead of us.¡± ¡°Do you know about Beast Taming University? He seems to have been rmended to attend there.¡± ¡°What?¡± Leader Zhao was confused and said, ¡°I know about Beast Taming University¡­ the alliance is currently organizing it. Who¡­ isn¡¯t he an orphan? Weren¡¯t you the first to contact him?¡± Xiaobailong replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but he knows Gu Qingyi. It seems to be a family connection¡­ that Dr. Gu, the one from the official strategy team.¡± Leader Zhao was a bit displeased at first, but upon hearing the name Gu Qingyi, he fell silent. ¡°Goodness¡­ a top-tier Beast Taming legacy.¡± ¡°I see, in that case, forget about Lu Ran. It might be that Dr. Gu is looking to build her own team. Therefore, there¡¯s no need to bother with Lu Ran anymore.¡± Leader Zhao on the other end of the phone shook his head. ¡°By the way, Xiaobailong, Beast Taming University wants some people to set up an admissions office. This is a rare opportunity; are you interested in going?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Xiaobailong was startled. Was this a promotion? ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate, it¡¯s a good thing. ording to internal information, the First Bureau, Second Bureau, and others are going to be disbanded in a few days, and there will be a major reshuffle of positions. I expect to be transferred elsewhere as well. Compared to other positions, Beast Taming University definitely offers more prospects for development.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go, Leader Zhao¡­ thank you.¡± Xiaobailong was overjoyed, but then it hit him that this meant he would have to deal with Lu Ran again. Chapter 24: The Age of National Beast Taming Chapter 24: The Age of National Beast Taming After a while, Lu Ran received another call from Xiaobailong. ¡°Lu student, I¡¯ve found out that the Alliance is indeed nning to establish a Beast Taming University.¡± ¡°Right, right,¡± Lu Ranughed. Your bushy-browed and big-eyed Xiaobailong is not as well-informed as I am. ¡°Yes, it seems that the Beast Taming University is indeed more suitable for young beastmasters like you¡­ Also, my position might change in a while. I¡¯m going to be doing recruitment work for the university, so if you have any questions then, you can contact me.¡± Lu Ran was surprised, but replied, ¡°No problem. Oh, about the registration¡­¡± ¡°Oh, that. Leave me your mailbox, and I¡¯ll send you an electronic formter. Just fill it out, attach the front and back photos of your ID card and send them to me. That way, you won¡¯t have to make a trip out.¡± ¡°Great, thanks for the trouble.¡± Lu Ran was naturally happy to hear he could spare himself the outing. On the other end, after hanging up the phone, Xiaobailong straightened his tie. As a seasoned professional, he had a pretty clear idea of what Leader Zhao meant.Lu Ran was no simple character and even knew a big shot like Dr. Gu Qingyi. Now that he knew Lu Ran would be attending Beast Taming University, the old leader took advantage of his remaining energy to send Xiaobailong to work at the university office. It was partly a promotion and partly to continue building a good rtionship with Lu Ran. This way, even if the old leader was transferred elsewhere, he could still maintain a connection with a promising talent like Lu Ran, creating an additional pathway. Conversely, the regret of not having personally discovered and recruited a potential talent like Lu Ran seemed insignificant. ¡°Ginger is still the spiciest, huh. Compared to that, the Medicine Pavilion Guild¡¯s Ginger is quitecking,¡± Xiaobailong mused. Meanwhile, after hanging up the phone, a smile appeared on Lu Ran¡¯s face. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°I¡¯mughing because Dr. Gu really seems to be a big shot. Brother Xiaobailong has always been keen on pulling me into the official circle, but the moment I mentioned Gu Qingyi¡¯s name, he immediately dropped the subject. He probably thinks I have a close rtionship with Dr. Gu and that I¡¯m one of her people.¡± ¡°Now, with Dr. Gu not knowing me and the officials thinking I¡¯m one of Dr. Gu¡¯s people, they won¡¯t bother me anymore. I can enjoy some freedom for a while.¡± Fang Lan rolled her eyes and said, ¡°I was wondering why you kept mentioning Dr. Gu, you¡¯re really scheming.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t like being managed by others, and school offers more freedom. Plus, I was telling the truth; it¡¯s probably their own imaginations running wild¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Well, now all that¡¯s left is to wait for the announcement from Beast Taming University.¡± ¡°I need to level up quickly; maybe I can be a teacher by then. When that happens, I¡¯ll make you the ss president,¡± Lu Ran joked. Fang Lan: ??? ¡°Why don¡¯t you just be the principal.¡± ¡­ At eight in the evening. By this time, the vast majority of people had already put down their work and studies, turning to rest and entertainment. In this era of the inte,pared to watching TV to rx, people exhausted from a day¡¯s work prefer to hold their smartphones and scroll through various short videos and thrilling white novels, seeking brief pleasure for their brains. However, on this particr evening, everyone¡¯s smartphone, across various apps, simultaneously received a notification. There were video apps, news apps, and almost all types of apps had a pop-up. The content of the news was very eye-catching. Live broadcast! The lost super ancient civilization¡ªdid another super civilization exist on Blue Star in the ancient times? The format of the broadcast was an expert interview, with one host and two experts. In the living room, Lu Ran and Fang Lan were watching while eating takeout. Initially, Lu Ran was curious about how the officials would exin the existence of Infinite City, but he soon found amusement in the situation. It turned out they were using this approach. Indeed,pared to alien civilizations and unsolved mysteries, this method was easier for the public to ept, especially since Xia Country itself has many mythological histories. The content of the live broadcast roughly stated that three years ago, international expedition teams discovered a mysterious relic in Antarctica, which contained information about a lost super ancient civilization. In ancient times, Blue Star was filled with spiritual energy, and under the nourishment of this energy, every creature possessed terrifying power, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas. Humans have existed since that time and, in order to survive better, they invented the art of beast taming. Through the power of beast taming, they strengthened themselves. The beast taming civilization went through a long period of development and reached its zenith. However, due to unknown reasons, the spiritual energy of Blue Star suddenly disappeared, and the supernatural faded away. Mythical creatures became ordinary animals, and humans began to devolve because they no longer adapted to the environment of Blue Star. In order to preserve the ember of civilization, this beast taming civilization, with itsst strength, built a city in a different space¡ªInfinite City, a projection connecting to the history, with the intention to pass down the beast taming system. The relic discovered by the international expedition teams was the mechanism that opened the legacy. Currently, the inheritance system of the super ancient beast taming civilization has been activated and begun to select inheritors on arge scale in the modern era. ¡°Damn, is this for real?¡± Many who were lying on their beds watching the live broadcast were taken aback by the content. They subconsciously thought this was some kind of spoof broadcast, but after seeing the official media certification mark, a bunch of people were immediately bewildered. ¡°Professor Niu, given this, it seems that the development of this beast taming civilization far exceeds ours. How should we treat it?¡± During the live broadcast, the female host asked an elderly man with a respectable appearance. ¡°This is an opportunity. We have always considered ourselves to be the life walking at the forefront of the world. Who would have thought that there was such a prosperous period in the super ancient times? We should actively make contact with and explore Infinite City, excavating the lost history. From the information we know so far, the various supernatural powers brought by the super ancient civilization could bring us huge changes in many fields such as medicine, transportation, and military.¡± ¡°Professor Ma, there has already been information online about many teenagers being selected by the ck cards issued by Infinite City. However, ording to existing intelligence, there are certain risks involved in epting the ancient civilization¡¯s inheritance. Do you have any advice for those who have been selected?¡± Professor Ma, with a thoughtful look, said: ¡°I believe the most important thing is not to randomly choose an initial pet beast. If one is not very confident, they should contact the officials as soon as possible. In turn, the officials should also promptly disclose the known trial secret realm information to increase the trial sess rate for the selected individuals.¡± ¡°Although this is an opportunity, it is also very dangerous. I hope that those who have been selected will proceed with caution, and those who have not been selected should not be discouraged. They can try raising pets, which is an effective way to increase the likelihood of being selected.¡± ¡°Also! Be sure to treat the pets you raise with kindness! Care for them with all your heart!¡± ¡­ ¡°That sounds reasonable,¡± Fang Lanmented while slurping up some spicy snail noodles. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with it, but it just seems too simple,¡± Lu Ran said while munching on grilled durian. While eating, the two pondered whether the information released by the official sources was true. Following the live broadcast, major media outlets also began to release various news items. Reports such as ¡°Fierce Beast Devours Owner¡± and ¡°Beastmaster Trial Deaths,¡± which had not been previously released, sprouted up like bamboo shoots after a rain. At the same time, experienced Beastmasters who had been selected a while ago started offering advice to neers. This situation was not just happening in Xia Country; it was happening in every country on Blue Star. The world was boiling over! In less than an hour, the world seemed to have had ayer of fog lifted, ushering in a new era, dreamlike and fantastical. Older people couldn¡¯t readily ept this new reality because their worldviews were already formed. However, the younger generation, deeply influenced by the inte, were ecstatic. It was as if they had been waiting for this day all their lives. Which teenager doesn¡¯t have a fantasy of being special? Rather, the changes in the world right now were exactly what they had been looking forward to, as if this was the true face of the world. Once the information about Infinite City and the Beast Taming civilization was released, the supernatural was no longer just a topic of discussion on a few forums. The gaming groups, resource groups, and ss groups Lu Ran was part of all became instantly lively. He first clicked into his ss group to take a look, because it seemed someone was mentioning him there. Yang Xishuai: Hahaha, no way, am I really the only one in our ss who got a ck card? Yang Xishuai: [Image] Yang Xishuai: Don¡¯t be sad, guys. Once I be a big shot, I¡¯ll definitely take you all with me. Ah, what to choose for my initial pet beast contract. In the group chat, a lucky individual who had been selected was full of pride. The others were a mix of envious, jealous, and bitter, as if they had just bitten into lemons. Some were fawning over Yang Xishuai, looking for a pat on the back, while others offered less-than-ster suggestions. But at this moment, Yang Xishuai had eyes only for Lu Ran. Yang Xishuai: @Lu Ran, just wait, I will avenge my grandfather. Lu Ran: ? What? How is that my problem? Who¡¯s your grandfather? Yang Xishuai: You took leave to participate in the Fighting Bug Tournament, huh? You even defeated my granddad. He couldn¡¯t sleep all night. But it¡¯s okay, I¡¯m here! How about a contract with bugs as my initial pet beast? I feel like with infinite evolution, the bug species will be the strongest! Lu Ran: ??? Damn, no wonder your name sounded so weird. You¡¯re into cricket breeding? Shit, the old man who got second ce that I beat, that wasn¡¯t your granddad, was it? Lu Ran quickly closed the group chat but then thought better of it and sent one more message. Lu Ran: Contracting with bugses with risks. You might want to consult the official sources. You want to challenge me with supernatural bugs¡­ have some shame! After that, he closed the group chat. ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Fang Lan was also peering into various groups and couldn¡¯t help butugh. ¡°A fan of mine was also selected. He was confused when he got his contract card, and just as he was pondering over it, a giant southern cockroach flew by. He instinctively used his ck card to shoo it away, and ended up contracting with the roach¡­ Now, with an hour left before the trial, he¡¯s panicking.¡± ¡°Ah, that.¡± Lu Ran said: ¡°Generally speaking, cockroaches are tough little creatures. I feel¡­ I feel like they might actually make it through.¡± ¡°Cough.¡± Fang Lanposed herself and said, ¡°My fans are pet lovers too, so the chances of them being chosen by the ck card seem pretty high. I need to gather and summarize some materials to share with them quickly.¡± Lu Ran nodded and then yawned, feeling sleepy. ¡°You handle that; I¡¯m getting sleepy. I¡¯ll just crash here tonight. Make sure you keep those climbing pets of yours contained. I don¡¯t want to wake up in the middle of the night to find spiders or centipedes crawling on me, thank you.¡± Chapter 25: Forging a Sword for the Dog Chapter 25: Forging a Sword for the Dog The next day. Lu Ran woke up and nced at the time. Hmm¡­ the sun was already high in the sky. He had slept for a full twelve hours. Finally, his weary body had gotten the rest it needed. Since entering the novice trial secret realm, he hadn¡¯t had a proper rest. And this time, he was spared that strange dream, allowing him to sleep soundly. ¡°Nice!¡± On the soft bed, Lu Ran stretched outzily.After waking up, he still felt a bit surreal. It all seemed like a dream, the experiences he had. But when he summoned the ck card, he knew it was all real. After tidying up a bit, Lu Ran noticed that there was no one in the living room and realized that Fang Lan must still be asleep. He didn¡¯t call out to her. Do girls really stay up thatte? Fang Lan had gone through the novice secret realm too, butst night it seemed she stayed upte chatting in the group again. She would probably sleep until the afternoon or even the evening. Lu Ran left a message for Fang Lan and then quietly left. He hailed a taxi and spent half an hour returning to his own home. First, he sent the information that needed to be given to Xiaobailong, then he quickly made some food. ¡°Aooo!!!¡± After the food was ready, Lu Ran summoned General Ha, who had been cooped up in the ck card for half a day and was nearly bursting at the seams. If Lu Ran hadn¡¯t warned him in advance, the creature might have torn the ck card apart. The next day¡¯s local news would have featured a ¡°Supernatural Erha Destroys Card in Owner-Eating Incident.¡± At this moment, as soon as he came out and saw there was food, General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up, he restrained his restless heart, and plunged his head into the food bowl. ¡°Eat up, eat up.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to Infinite Cityter.¡± Lu Ran was nning to return to Infinite City. Not that he was ready to enter the secret realm so soon. Instead, he wanted to check if the forge house had opened today. His meteorite ore was still waiting to be forged into a sword. General Ha, already so strong with just a stick in his mouth, could fight tigers as if they were cats. If he had a sword forged from meteorite ore, wouldn¡¯t he be unstoppable? Even facing a tiger of the same level that had awakened its attributes, he should have the strength for a fight, shouldn¡¯t he? ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha nodded and sped up his eating. ¡°So, which of the advanced energy application skills like shaping, flow,pression, and release do you want to practice first?¡± Lu Ran pondered as he watched General Ha eating. General Ha¡¯s species level was still low, but his learning capability was strong. To bridge the gap between species levels inbat, it was crucial to leverage this advantage and develop new skills quickly. ¡°Woo~¡± General Ha indicated contently that he wanted to learn them all. He believed in his own talent! ¡°Right, then let¡¯s train them all simultaneously! Let¡¯s set a small goal to start with: develop one skill in each of the four categories.¡± ¡°Woo woo!¡± General Ha¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, nodding frantically to show there was no problem. ¡°However, just practicing these four doesn¡¯t seem to tap into all your potential. I¡¯ve thought it over, and we¡¯re going to add a bit of cultural ss to your training regimen,¡± Lu Ran decided after a moment of contemtion, pping his hands. At these words, the smile that had just appeared on General Ha¡¯s face gradually faded. Cultural ss? Did that mean the same dreary activity that Lu Ran did under a deskmp, furiously writing every day? Food fell from General Ha¡¯s mouth as he took a step back in shock, his eyes wide with fear. He could endure any training that released energy and made him stronger, but cultural ss¡­ Lu Ran sat down. ¡°I think it¡¯s quite necessary.¡± Actually, his biggest concern wasn¡¯t General Ha¡¯sbat power. It was his intelligence. Notbat intelligence, but everyday intelligence. After all, in the past year of living together, this dog had proven to be not so bright. Everyday intelligence was important too. Just take the incident in the Forest of the Demon Cat, for example. This fool had actually drooled over a poisonous mushroom. Was that sensible? If Lu Ran wasn¡¯t around, he was certain this creature wouldn¡¯t survive three chapters. Any moderately smart college student could easily trick this dog into losing his way. As a beastmaster, Lu Ran was naturally very worried about his charge¡¯s mental state. Being an exemry student skilled in both literary and martial arts himself, Lu Ran decided that in order to make General Ha ¡°well-rounded¡± and prevent future pitfalls, he would, from now on, include some mental and logical training, as well as cultural lessons during General Ha¡¯s rest periods. ¡°Just learn quickly enough, and there will always be more to learn,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Woo woo~¡± General Ha looked sad, his gaze falling to his food bowl. Suddenly, his meal didn¡¯t seem so appetizing anymore. It was one thing for a dog to practice swordsmanship; he had epted that. But to expect a dog to read books too? He took note of this grudge. ¡­ When you wake up, remember to tell mom and dad about us bing beastmasters. I¡¯m going to head to Infinite City soon, and I¡¯m not sure when I¡¯ll be back. If it¡¯s urgent, you can find me in Infinite City. You remember my ID, right? Passerby A, 9528, just add me as a friend. After a disheartened meal, General Ha was retracted into the card by Lu Ran to continue pondering the meaning of a dog¡¯s life. ncing once more at the message left for Fang Lan, Lu Ran confirmed everything was in order before he took out his identity card and activated the teleport function. Would you like to spend 5 crystal coins to teleport to Infinite City? Yes. As soon as Lu Ran had the thought. Crystal coins -5. Ten secondster, after a day¡¯s absence, he returned to Infinite City, to his personal room. Lu Ran didn¡¯t n to stay long. Although he intended for General Ha to learn skills, now was not the time. Before leaving, Lu Ran checked his bnce of crystal coins. Good, there were plenty left. He wondered how much it would cost to forge a decent weapon. Lu Ran opened the door and walked directly towards the exit of the residential area. This time, he did not see Xiaobailong at the door. Aside from registering as a beastmaster, he actually had another matter that needed Xiaobailong¡¯s help, which was to sort out his high school attendance issue. But since he had already taken leave for the holiday remedial sses, and school was still a while away, there was no rush. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± This time, feeling quite energetic, Lu Ran chose to walk to his destination instead of using any transport. It was a good opportunity to take in the scenery of Infinite City. On his way, Lu Ran saw many people, most of whom seemed as new to the city as he was, stopping and looking around like tourists exploring a new attraction. Lu Ran guessed that these were neers who had entered Infinite City only a few days ago and were in a phase of extreme curiosity about everything. ¡°Just one day apart, and it¡¯s already a lot livelier than yesterday,¡± he observed. Moreover, Lu Ran gradually learned to distinguish between veterans and neers. Neers mostly wore normal clothing, while the veterans included some affiliated with the official bodies, who wore more formal uniforms that looked like they were custom-made, as opposed to the non-officials who dressed in an eclectic mix. Armor, mage robes, beast skin clothing, Taoist garments¡­ this variety left Lu Ran feeling a bit disordered, as he sensed the inconsistency in styles. ¡°Ordinary clothes are mostly what people wear from reality, while these distinctive ones are likely custom-made, simr to the divine deer pendant, whiches with attributes and special functions.¡± On his way, Lu Ran quickly arrived at his destination, the forge house. He looked up at the building named ¡°House of Forging¡± and breathed a sigh of relief ¨C thankfully, it was open today. Creak. Before Lu Ran could enter, the door opened from inside, and a youth dressed as a hunter emerged, sporting a hexagram badge on his chest, probably a guild emblem. Following the hunter was a middle-aged man only wearing a sleeveless white tank top and brown shorts, potbellied. The man said to the hunter youth, ¡°Good luck, and remember to bring me back a bottle of good wine after you clear it.¡± ¡°Definitely. You¡¯re busy, Old Lin, looks like there¡¯s a new customer. I¡¯ll head off first,¡± the hunter youth said, ncing at Lu Ran outside before bidding farewell to the man. ¡°Mhm,¡± Old Lin¡¯s gaze settled on Lu Ran at the door. ¡°A neer, here for forging? Who referred you?¡± ¡°Cat-eared maid. Is this Master Lin?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Ah, those intelligence dealers. Alright,e on in,¡± Master Lin said. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know upfront, forging here isn¡¯t cheap, and it might be more than what a neer can afford.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve brought my own materials,¡± Lu Ran said as he followed him into the forge house. The interior was simple: a counter, a few small round tables, and stools. But the walls were fascinating, adorned with various props like shields, long knives, bows and arrows, and armor, all of which looked top-notch. Behind the counter, there seemed to be another world, separated by a curtain leading to another room. Even from the outside, Lu Ran could feel the waves of heat emanating from within. ¡°What materials have you brought, and what do you intend to forge?¡± Master Lin returned to the counter, took a seat, and motioned for Lu Ran to sit as well. ¡°I have a piece of meteorite mine; I want to forge a sword.¡± ¡°Hmm? A top-notch material among high-quality materials, not bad,¡± Master Lin expressed surprise, continuing, ¡°Is it for personal use? But generally, meteorite mine is more suited to forging armor for pet beasts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s for a pet beast,¡± said Lu Ran. ¡°For a pet beast? A sword?¡± Master Lin fell into thought, asking, ¡°What kind of beast do you have, a monkey, a gori?¡± Even for monkeys or goris that can wield weapons, it would be impractical to use a sword. With such fine materials, wouldn¡¯t it be better to craft some armor? At the very least, arm guards would be an option. ¡°It¡¯s neither. My pet beast is an Erha, so I¡¯d like to have it custom-fitted. Is that possible?¡± Lu Ran inquired. Master Lin: ?? An Erha? His expression froze. Forging a sword for an Erha? What kind of joke was this? In all his years in the trade, this was by far the most bizarre request he had ever encountered! Please give the book a rating and a review on NovelUpdates. It helps the website and helps people find this novel! Advance Chapters: If you¡¯d like to support our trantions with a one-time donation, you can do so via Ko-fi. For early ess to chapters, 10 days in advance, consider subscribing to our Patreon. Discord: https://discord.gg/pCWPSD3bWA Chapter 26: I Cant Teach You That Chapter 26: I Cant Teach You That To forge a sword. For a pet beast. The pet beast is a husky. Master Lin understood each sentence. But why, whenbined, did it make no sense to him? Was he the one going mad, or was it this neer in front of him? ¡°It means just what it says¡­¡± Lu Ran knew that arming a husky with a sword was a bit againstmon sense. Like couldn¡¯t see a future in that.But the thing was, he had super beast mimicry. One day, when he sessfully reverse-engineered andpleted the super beast mimicry 2.0 version, he and General Ha could achieve ¡°dual cultivation.¡± By then, theirbined swordsmanship experience could grow exponentially, and bringing the concept of a swordsman dog to life would pose no problem. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve encountered such a business proposition,¡± Master Lin said after a moment of silence, seriously looking at Lu Ran to make sure he wasn¡¯t joking. ¡°I don¡¯t rmend you mess around like this. Although it seems fun and unique, from my forging experience, such a weapon has nopatibility with a canine creature.¡± ¡°Unless you can evolve your pet beast into a humanoid form, like a werewolf of the West. But that¡¯s far beyond your reach.¡± ¡°Thank you. But I¡¯ve made up my mind. Can you forge it?¡± Lu Ran said. This uncle seemed quite nice. Master Lin paused, pondered for a moment, and then said, ¡°Interesting, it seems you have your own ns. I¡¯ll just handle the forging and take no responsibility for what happens afterward. If your dog injures itself, don¡¯te to me. If you can ept that, bring me your materials.¡± ¡°Only a meteorite mine, that will be 2,000 crystal coins.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°That¡¯s expensive.¡± He thought it would cost maybe only a few hundred crystal coins at most, given that he was providing his own materials. ¡°You have only one meteorite mine,¡± Master Lin said. ¡°How could one type of material be enough to forge a weapon?¡± ¡°Release your pet beast, and based on its attributes and other factors, I will help you incorporate other advanced materials.¡± ¡°When the finished product is ready, it won¡¯t just beparable to weapons of rare quality, but it will certainly stand out amongst those of high quality. Even if used by a dog, it will be able to slice through iron as if it were mud, and create a huge advantage in lower-level dungeons.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Since the intelligence dealer had spoken highly of this ce, Lu Ran chose to trust Master Lin¡¯s words. It was just 2000 crystal coins, and he could afford that. For General Ha! ¡°Make the payment.¡± Master Lin tapped the table and pointed to a spot where a handprint was to be ced. Upon hearing this, Lu Ran transferred the 2000 crystal coins and then took the silvery meteorite mine out of his backpack and ced it on the counter. In this way, apart from a few thousand crystal coins he had not yet spent, Lu Ran had utilized all the rewards he obtained from the novice secret realm. ¡°The remaining few thousand crystal coins, I¡¯ll save a portion for running dungeons, and the rest will be used to buy food for General Ha as rmended by the Basic Beast Taming Handbook for wind-type pet beasts, to help improve his growth level¡­¡± Lu Ran nned in his mind. ¡°Master Lin, how long will the forging take?¡± As he asked, Lu Ran also summoned General Ha. Inside the forge house, the circr summoning circle appeared. ¡°Owooo~~~¡± With a sh of light, General Ha appeared, full of life and looking around. It must be said, huskies are truly handsome, even considered top-tier in terms of looks among dogs. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Master Lin looked at General Ha, lost in thought. He had thought that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast might have some special characteristics, but was there any difference from an ordinary husky? ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha looked at Master Lin, as if asking, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± ¡°Just a high-quality weapon, find a ce to sit, it¡¯ll be done within an hour. Also, this fellow is wind-type, right?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Master Lin took only a nce at General Ha to determine its attribute. Wind-type pet beasts typically have fur that appears soft and flowing, as if constantly caressed by the breeze. ¡°Wait here.¡± He picked up the heavy meteorite stone, weighed it in his hand, and called out to the back room, ¡°Old pal, time to get to work.¡± ¡°Oh!!!¡± In the steaming back room of the forge house, next to a massive furnace, a turtle-shaped creature with a dark reddish shell and limbs and head made entirely of red mes let out a loud cry. The next moment, Lu Ran felt the temperature in the forge house rise several notches. His gaze was drawn to the back room; he was eager to see what kind of pet beast was there, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t see it. Since he had to wait an hour, Lu Ran naturally couldn¡¯t just sit idly; he stroked the fur of General Ha, who was lying beside his legs, while his eyes wandered over to the wall. There were weapons, equipment, and items hanging there, none with marked prices. He had the Primary Eye of Data, and could discern the information of these non-living low-level items. The Primary Eye of Data was a reward only for those who achieved a rating of S or higher in the novice trial secret realm, and this was one of his personal advantages. Name: Maple Knife Level: High Quality Introduction: A short knife with a de enchanted with the fire attribute, activating the me requires drawing on the user¡¯s physical energy. ¡­ Name: ck Steel Shield Level: High Quality Introduction: A shield capable of absorbing a certain degree of elemental damage. ¡­ Name: sh Gemstone Level: High Quality Introduction: When activated, it can form an energy shield thatsts for one hour. The energy shield will disappear after being hit once. ¡­ There were many types of equipment and items hanging on the wall. After seeing several swords, Lu Ran fell into thought. If General Ha was to use a sword forged from the meteorite mine, should he not also have a sword himself? After all, he couldn¡¯t bring the Iron-shing Sword from home into Infinite City. Also, he was quite interested in one-time-use defenses like the sh Gemstone. For a beastmaster, being the biggest weak point in battle was without doubt. Until he could strengthen his physique through Super Beast Mimicry, such one-time defensive items could greatly enhance his safety. Unfortunately¡­ his backpack was rather empty, and he probably couldn¡¯t afford much. No matter, the Divine Deer Pendant would be enough. Lu Ran continued to observe the equipment and items on the wall. At this point, he had alreadye to understand the hierarchy of resources: Ordinary, High Quality, Rare, Exquisite, Epic, Legend. The divine deer pendant ranked at the fifth tier, which made it quite precious. Therefore, Lu Ran grew more curious about the origins of his family heirloom. When time allowed, he considered investigating back in Lujia Vige. He hadn¡¯t been back there in a long time¡­ After the passing of his grandparents¡¯ generation, his parents rarely kept in touch with the vige. Forty-five minutester. Master Lin emerged from the forge room, holding a middle-length silver-white sword in his hand. ¡°Customer, your weapon is forged.¡± ¡°Please check it.¡± Lu Ran stood up and looked at the sword ced on the counter. Name: Wind Meteor Sword Level: Advanced Introduction: A weapon capable of conducting and enhancing wind-type energy. ¡°Your pet beast should be capable of energy ovey, and you know how to wrap energy around its body, right?¡± Master Lin asked. ¡°This sword has the ability to conduct and enhance energy.¡± ¡°Even if your pet beast hasn¡¯t mastered energy external wrapping, it can still wrap energy around this sword. If it has mastered the technique, then wrapping it will be even easier and more efficient.¡± ¡°Once energy is wrapped around this sword, it will enhance the attribute¡¯s energy effect, causing greater damage.¡± ¡°Meteorite mine is among the top of advanced resources. In theory, it can conduct and enhance any attribute, but since your pet beast is wind-type, I¡¯ve enhanced its wind-type conduction and strengthening effects with some additional materials.¡± ¡°Of course, it still retains the ability to conduct other attributes, so it can continue to be used after your pet beast¡¯s awakening of a second attribute.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ With this sword, even if your pet beast doesn¡¯t exceed level 6, it could severely injure supernatural creatures of level 10¡­ For a neer like you, that¡¯s a significant boost.¡± The premise¡­ is that you can truly wield it well. Don¡¯t end up ying with fire and hurting yourself, or get injured while using the sword. Master Lin looked skeptically at the excited Erha. ¡°Great sword!¡± Lu Ran was in high spirits; the effectiveness of the sword was yet to be known, but he was very satisfied with its appearance. Its silver-white body and dazzling sword light, with patterns like a storm, matched well with General Ha¡¯s color scheme. ¡°Here.¡± Lu Ran picked up the wind meteor sword that Master Lin had set down and bowed slightly. The next moment, General Ha bit the hilt of the sword and backed away a few steps. Seeing this, Master Lin¡¯s face showed a hint of surprise. ¡°Woof.¡± Following that, General Ha¡¯s eyes sharpened, and an impressive surge of energy began to emanate from its body. Shortly after, streams of white energy, gradually transitioning to sky blue, wrapped swiftly from the hilt towards the de of the sword! Boom! In just an instant, the wind meteor sword emitted a stunning brilliance. The originally faint streams of energy, under the buzzing resonance of the sword, seemed to swell into a terrifying hurricane! It was like a storm dancing on the de. ¡°Stop!¡± At that moment, Master Lin¡¯s eyelids twitched, reminded of Erha¡¯s penchant for making a mess, and he called for General Ha to halt the further unleashing of energy. ¡°Indeed, the effect is impressive. It only injected a small portion of energy, yet it could be enhanced to such an extent,¡± Lu Ran said, feeling that the 2000 crystal coins were well spent! ¡°Speaking of which, your pet beast has actually mastered the energy external wrapping technique¡­¡± At this time, Master Lin was even more surprised by General Ha¡¯s control over energy. Although the wind meteor sword had excellent energy conduction, he could tell that Erha¡¯s own level was also quite remarkable. This Erha¡­ is it below level 10? Generally speaking, few pet beasts under level 10 can master such an advanced technique as energy external wrapping. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite intuitive,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°We are very satisfied with this sword.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re satisfied,¡± Master Lin nodded, observing General Ha skillfully managing its power. This dog¡­ its actions with the sword were quite practiced, probably trained for a long time. It can¡¯t actually fight with the sword in its mouth, can it? Don¡¯t joke. He looked towards Lu Ran, thinking this guy might not be a simple neer. A normal neer couldn¡¯t train an Erha to this level, let alone bring out meteorite mine and 2000 crystal coins! But then again, whoever he is, it¡¯s none of his business. ¡°Alright, if there¡¯s nothing else, I won¡¯t see you out,¡± Master Lin said, stretching. ¡°Hold on, Master Lin, how many crystal coins for this?¡± Lu Ran pointed towards the wall. Name: Wind Cutter Sword Level: Advanced Introduction: An enchanted wind-type sword that activates wind des by drawing on the user¡¯s physical energy. ¡°Oh? Did you use it yourself this time?¡± Master Lin asked. Weapons like the Maple Knife and Wind Cutter Sword, which naturallye with enchantments, are actually for Beastmasters¡¯ self-defense, or for use in specific secret realms. In some secret realms where ice-type creatures are abundant, a Beastmaster holding a Maple Knife enchanted with fire-type energy can inflict substantial damage on low-level creatures, even without much physical strength. They are quite useful for novices. ¡°The Wind Cutter Sword is 1,500 crystal coins,¡± Master Lin said, ncing at it casually. ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Lu Ran said, gritting his teeth. ¡°Alright, then transfer the payment,¡± Master Lin said. Soon, Lu Ranpleted another transaction here. Afterward, he casually asked, ¡°Master Lin, where did you learn your forging skills?¡± Beside him, General Ha looked up at Lu Ran. Is Boss Lu nning to forge a sword for it himself in the future? Love it. ¡°You interested in learning?¡± Master Lin nced at Lu Ran as well, and given the substantial amount Lu Ran had spent that day, he added a few more words: ¡°My situation is a bit unique and not suitable for you. I learned forging in a breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know if it was bad luck or good fortune¡­¡± ¡°90% of breakthrough secret realms test a Beastmaster¡¯sbat abilities, but the one I encountered was ridiculously about making Beastmasters forge a piece of equipment suitable for their pet beast, with quality requirements too¡­ Apart from lifestyle Beastmasters, who would bother with that stuff?¡± Master Lin cursed and said: ¡°Fortunately, I have exceptional talent and managed to learn a few tricks from a master forger in the secret realm. Out of all the Beastmasters who entered, I was the only one who cleared it. If you want to learn, isn¡¯t the Alliance preparing a Beast Taming University? Surely someone there will teach.¡± Chapter 27: Version Update Chapter 27: Version Update Lu Ran felt as though he had asked a question to an empty room. But indeed, he had been pondering learning a secondary upation. In Infinite City, the three most popr lifestyle upations were nutritionist, alchemist, and Forgemaster. For a pet beast to level up, aside frombat training and daily exercises, diet was key. Eat seven parts, train three. Choosing different ingredients and reasonably pairing them in a pet beast¡¯s diet could elerate the growth level of the pet beast. As for how to pair these ingredients, that was what nutritionists studied. Alchemists, like nutritionists, were also considered abat beastmaster¡¯s best support. In Infinite City, healing-type pet beasts were rare, as were healing-type beastmasters.If a beastmaster and their pet beast suffered severe injuries or poisoning in a secret realm, they usually relied on an alchemist¡¯s healing potions and antidotes to save their lives. Typical beastmasters venturing into secret realms would pack plenty of healing potions in their backpacks for emergencies, but of course, these potions¡¯ effects couldn¡¯tpare to the skills of a healing-type pet beast. Lastly, Forgemasters tended more to serve beastmasters rather than pet beasts, as not many pet beasts required equipment or items. However, beastmasters themselves were rtively weaker and thus, fully arming themselves was essential. These three upations were the mainstream secondary upations in Infinite City. As for other lifestyle upations, they were somewhat niche. Honestly, Lu Ran was quite interested in learning all three, as they all seemed useful. However, finding a systematic way to learn them did not seem easy. It was probably best to wait for the establishment of Beast Taming University. At that time, he might choose not to enroll inbat but to learn a secondary upation instead. Having purchased two swords, Lu Ran bid farewell to Master Lin. With these items, he could return to practice swordsmanship with General Ha. He hoped the practice efficiency with the supernatural weapon would far surpass that with the wooden sword and the iron-shing sword! ¡°General Ha, let¡¯s go.¡± This time, Lu Ran didn¡¯t recall General Ha, but let it stroll alongside him outside. A man and his beast, walking down the street. ¡°Woof.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten, we¡¯re going to buy you food now.¡± Lu Ran shrugged his shoulders; it was currently challenging to tailor a specialized nutrition meal for General Ha. Following the rmendations from the Basic Beast Taming Handbook, Lu Ran decided to prepare a general wind-type pet beast meal for General Ha. The pork trotters, canned food, and poultry and beef at home were not bad, but they definitely weren¡¯t suitable for the now supernatural General Ha. To elerate General Ha¡¯s leveling up, he would have to do like other beastmasters and use ingredients dropped in secret realms to prepare food. Some secret realms drop items like ¡°Supernatural Poultry Meat¡± and ¡°Supernatural Beast Meat,¡± which have higher nutritional value than ordinary meats. In addition, the variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables avable was far richer than in the real world. ¡°Woof woof.¡± As Lu Ran walked, he pondered how many days¡¯ worth of food he should buy for General Ha, deciding it would depend on the price. He had initially thought 10,000 crystal coins was a lot, but now, it felt like it wasn¡¯t going very far. How were the neers who didn¡¯t achieve an S rating supposed to survive? ¡°Woof woof.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up, hmm?¡± Lu Ran mused as General Ha continuously nudged him, signaling that there was someone familiar ahead. A familiar person? Who could it be? The streets of Infinite City were lined with tall trees of unknown varieties, their deep green leaves fluttering in the wind. Lu Ran looked up to see a youth and a wild boar running side by side, apparently exercising. ¡°Huff puff¡­¡± ¡°Pant pant¡­¡± It seemed they had been running for a while. As the pair approached, Lu Ran recognized them as the Pig Raiser from yesterday¡¯s attribute testing. General Ha had a good memory. ¡°It¡¯s you!!!¡± At that moment, the Pig Raiser also recognized Lu Ran and stopped along with his pet beast. He hadn¡¯t expected to run into Lu Ran again just a dayter. Although both had tested their attributes in the same location and their ¡°starting points¡± were not far from the residential area, this ce was clearly at a distance from there. ¡°I remember you are called¡­ Passerby A, right?¡± the Pig Raiser said, surprised. ¡°Uh, are you¡­ exercising?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yeah, just a simple workout to build stamina. Going to the training secret realm costs money, these basic exercises can be done outside,¡± the Pig Raiser exined. Hearing this, Lu Ran coughed internally. Compared to the other¡¯s frugality, he seemed to have been a bit too extravagant. ¡°Pant, pant¡­¡± However, his pet beast seemed quite dissatisfied with its beastmaster¡¯s penny-pinching ways. It was probably being shortchanged on its meals. ¡°Hey, would it be possible to add you as a friend?¡± the Pig Raiser suddenly had a thought, his eyes lighting up as he spoke to Lu Ran. ¡°We could team up to explore secret realms in the future.¡± The Pig Raiser remembered Shenghua mentioning that Lu Ran¡¯s initial rating wouldn¡¯t be low and that, like himself, he had a lot of potentials. Being a stranger in Infinite City No.3, it was always good to make more friends. ¡°I can¡­ but I might not challenge any secret realms in the short term,¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t refuse the friend request. As the two exchanged their beastmaster IDs, Lu Ran asked, ¡°Are you following that Shenghua and joining the official ranks?¡± Pig Raiser shook his head: ¡°No, I just contacted Shenghua in real life to register my identity. I chose to join a guild instead.¡± ¡°A guild?¡± Lu Ran was somewhat surprised. Scratching his head awkwardly with augh, the Pig Raiser said, ¡°I urgently need arge sum of money, and that guild offered better terms.¡± ¡°What kind of terms?¡± Lu Ran asked curiously. ¡°As soon as you be an official member, you get an immediate 2 million growth fund.¡± ¡°That much?¡± Lu Ran was astonished. Getting 2 million just for joining¡­ To be honest, that would be very tempting for most people. But then, it made sense, as the Medicine Pavilion Guild had also mentioned they would arrange housing for official members. They were really investing a lot to recruit people. ¡°There are conditions, though. There¡¯s an assessment, and right now I can only be considered a probationary member. If I don¡¯t pass the assessment in a month, I can¡¯t be an official member,¡± exined the Pig Raiser. ¡°It¡¯s said to be quite difficult. That guild is an elite guild of Infinite City No.3, only taking the best of the best. My C-level rating isn¡¯t much, and Shenghua knows my situation. She suggested I try this guild first, and if I can¡¯t make it through, considering joining the official rankster is not toote.¡± ¡°Good luck,¡± Lu Ran said. The Pig Raiser must be from the countryside. Lu Ran¡¯s grandparents were also rural folk, and his grandfather made a living by hunting. He understood that,pared to the city, most areas were still very poor, and the desire for a substantial amount of money to improve one¡¯s life was only natural. For Pig Raiser, Infinite City No.3 might represent the only chance to change his life and leap across social sses. ¡°Are you heading to Beastmaster Square?¡± Pig Raiser asked. ¡°Yeah, I need to buy some food for it,¡± Lu Ran said, looking toward General Ha, who was showing a fighting spirit against the wild boar. ¡°Snort, snort,¡± the wild boar looked at General Ha with disdain. General Ha: ?? ¡°Hahaha, what a coincidence, I need to buy some food for mine too. Let¡¯s go together,¡± Pig Raiser suggested. Before Lu Ran could respond, both Lu Ran and Pig Raiser simultaneously looked up at the sky. No, it was not just them. In every Infinite City around the world, all beastmasters inside were stunned. The familiar prompt sounded in their ears without warning. Detection of beastmasters passing the novice trial has reached 100,000. Now updating Infinite City facilities¡­ New Infinite City building added: Divine Beast Leaderboard. The Divine Beast Leaderboard is located in the center of the Beastmaster Square in each Infinite City, consisting of four leaderboards: Supernatural Species Leaderboard, Commander Species Leaderboard, Sovereign Species Leaderboard, and Overlord Species Leaderboard, each recording the top 10 positions. The leaderboards are settled monthly, and at settlement time, the beastmasters on the leaderboard will receive a substantial amount of crystal coin rewards ording to their ranking. To be listed, each leaderboard only includes pet beasts of the corresponding species, and there are certain listing restrictions. Pet beasts¡¯ potential will be judged based on theirprehensive performance in secret realms and arenas. All beastmasters are encouraged to actively challenge secret realms and engage in Beast Taming duels. Next update milestone: When the number of beastmasters reaches 1 million. The voice came quickly and left just as fast. After the voicepletely disappeared, the previously silent Infinite City instantly became as noisy as a boiling pot. Both big shots and newbies were attracted by the update. In the Beastmaster Square of every Infinite City, the nearby beastmasters could see a gigantic four-sided stele suddenly standing tall with an astonishing glow. On the grey-white stele, the ck and gold lettering shone brightly. Supernatural Leaderboard: First ce, none. Second ce, none. Third¡­ Commander Leaderboard: ¡­ Sovereign¡­ Each side of the stele disyed a leaderboard, but as of now, all the rankings were nk. ¡°Damn, there are already 100,000 beastmasters worldwide? What happened these past few days?¡± beastmaster after beastmaster expressed their surprise. ¡°Heavens, stingy Infinite City is finally willing to shell out crystal coins as rewards! This wretched ce finally has a facility for handing out benefits.¡± ¡°Divine Beast Leaderboard? Only 10 spots? I¡¯m doomed to be the man who can¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°No more talk, I¡¯m heading to challenge the secret realm right now. With no one on the leaderboard yet, I might snag a few minutes of fame and brag for a lifetime with a screenshot.¡± On a forest path some distance from Beastmaster Square, two neer beastmasters also wore expressions of utter confusion. ¡°Crystal coins¡­¡± Pig Raiser mumbled repeatedly, his expression changing from desire to shaking his head, seemingly doubting his own strength. Next to him, Lu Ran seemed a bit dazed. ¡°It¡¯s over, it¡¯s all over, damn.¡± The facilities can update too? This update caught himpletely off guard, making him feel utterly backstabbed by Infinite City. With the leaderboard now a reality, how could he continue to develop his skills under the radar? It wouldn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t make it onto the leaderboard, but if he did, wouldn¡¯t that be like announcing to the whole server: Boss Lu and General Ha are awesome? Beside him, General Ha nodded thoughtfully, his eyes gleaming with wisdom and sharpness. Pig Raiser and his pig looked at them: ?? Why did this man and dog seem even more over the top than them? Chapter 28: Divine Beast Leaderboard Chapter 28: Divine Beast Leaderboard ¡°Let¡¯s go check out the beastmaster square.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. Right now, all he wanted to know was what form the divine beast leaderboard took. Would it affect him too much? ¡°Okay¡­¡± Pig Raiser nodded, clearly also very interested in the divine beast leaderboard. Now, it turned into two people, one pig, one dog, making their way towards beastmaster square. ¡­ Xia Country, Infinite City No.3, beastmaster square. At this moment, the square had already gathered several hundred people.Some former beastmasters felt deeply emotional, having never seen so many beastmasters congregated together before. At this time, everyone stayed near the divine beast leaderboard, discussing and observing the leaderboard together. ¡°This leaderboard seems to be regional, calcted separately for each infinite city. A friend from Infinite City No.7 sent me a message saying that someone there has already made it onto the leaderboard.¡± ¡°Really? If each infinite city is calcted separately, then it feels like there¡¯s hope, but I wonder how many crystal coins one can earn at settlement¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s still tough, the number of beastmasters is probably only going to increase, it¡¯ll definitely get verypetitive.¡± Crystal coins are the universal currency used in infinite cities, needed everywhere, and with the addition of a facility that rewards crystal coins, the beastmasters were naturally very pleased. Lu Ran and Pig Raiser seemed to have arrived just in time. After they reached beastmaster square, they coincided with a change in one side of the divine beast leaderboard. Regional announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard, Supernatural Species Leaderboard updated. Leaderboard divine beast: Species, ck Bear. Attribute: Dark-type Species level: Upper supernatural Growth level: Level 8 Beastmaster: Dark Wind Reason for leaderboard: Evolutionary mutation from a ck bear, possessing immense strength, awakened the power of darkness, in the simple-level Novice Secret Realm, Forest of the Demon Cat, surpassed a level 10 middle supernatural species demon cat with a single blow! The Divine Beast Leaderboard¡¯s Supernatural Species Leaderboard¡¯s first ce was immediately upied by the data of this ck bear. Now, those present at beastmaster square all heard the so-called regional announcement. Seeing the change in the leaderboard, many of the neers who had just arrived in thest few days were shocked. A dark-type ck bear¡­ What did this guy do in the real world? ¡°Dark Wind, whose initial pet beast is actually a ck bear? And a natural dark-type?¡± The crowd was abuzz. It was no surprise, however, that a level 8 dark-type ck bear could kill a level 10 demon cat with a single blow. Given its higher species level and more rare and powerful attribute, this feat was not strange. Before people could further specte about the identity of Dark Wind and which force¡¯s monstrous neer he might be, the leaderboard updated again! Regional announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard, Supernatural Species Leaderboard updated. Leaderboard divine beast, Species: Tiger. Attribute: Rock Species level: Upper supernatural Growth level: Level 7 Beast Tamer: Loong Tiger Fight Reason for leaderboard: Evolved mutation from a Manchurian Tiger, a powerful species, awakening the power of the mountains, in the ordinary level Novice Secret Realm Wild Boar Valley, surpassed a level 8 upper supernatural species rock boar! With this update, Dark Wind, who had just secured the first ce for a few seconds, was immediately pushed to second ce. This contract tiger, the fierce one with the ID Loong Tiger Fight, directly topped the leaderboard, suggesting Infinite City considered the rock tiger¡¯s performance to be even stronger than the dark-type ck bear. ¡°Wow, so impressive¡­¡± At this moment, just witnessing two people getting on the leaderboard, Pig Raiser was stunned. He feltpletely out of his league with this leaderboard, with its bears and tigers. Although his wild boar was also quite strong, it seemed to be a very challenging task! ¡°It seems that this Supernatural Leaderboard is specifically prepared for the fourth-generation neers.¡± At this time, someone spoke up. Because below the Supernatural Leaderboard, besides the settlement countdown, there were a few lines of small text notes. Note: The Supernatural Species Leaderboard only includes pet beasts of beast tamers who have been in the role for less than one year. Note: Equipment, items, one-time resources, and teammate assistance that providebat bonuses to pet beasts will decrease the weight given to their application for the leaderboard. Note: ¡­ ¡°It seems to be a way to prevent veterans from raising new pet beasts to snatch resources from neers. But then again, for the second and third-generation beast tamers who are battling at the front lines, their pet beasts have mostly evolved tomander species, right? Those leaderboards should be even morepetitive.¡± People¡¯s attention shifted to the Commander Species Leaderboard, Sovereign Species Leaderboard¡­ and while overlord species beasts had not yet appeared on a global scale. At that moment, the leaderboard updated once again. Since the divine beast leaderboard had just been introduced, its update frequency seemed particrly high. This time, it excited many because it was no longer the supernatural leaderboard being updated, but rather¡­ Regional announcement: Divine beast leaderboard and sovereign species leaderboard updated. Leaderboard divine beast, Species: Nine-star light tail sparrow. Attribute: Light, Space Species level: Lower sovereign Growth level: Level 43 Beast Tamer: Star Reason for leaderboard: Perfect evolution in the first stage, a sovereign species with the special attributes of light and space, in the hard level four secret realm Sky Ind, continuously crushed a lower sovereign species level 41 Rin Sky Serpent with the self-created finishing move ¡°Star Cluster sh¡±! ¡°Is it Guild Leader Star?!¡± Compared to the two unknown neers, this ID Star¡¯s beast tamer seemed to have a significant reputation in Infinite City No.3. Seeing him topping the sovereign leaderboard, the square once again buzzed with activity as a group of veterans patiently introduced this person to the neers. ¡°Star¡­¡± ¡°You know him?¡± Lu Ran asked, noticing Pig Raiser muttering to himself. ¡°Yes, the guild I joined is called Star Cluster, and this Star¡­ he¡¯s the guild leader of the one I joined. Sister Shenghua said he¡¯s a prominent figure among the second-generation beastmasters, his family is in real estate¡­¡± ¡°Ah, no wonder that guild is sovish.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression froze for a moment, thinking about it, his apartmentplex was called Starlight, could it also be this person¡¯s family business? Never mind¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not looking anymore.¡± At this point, Lu Ran roughly understood what the divine beast leaderboard was about. He breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, although the divine beast leaderboard affected him, it wouldn¡¯t have too much of an impact. It was good that only parts of the battle achievements needed to be exposed under the scrutiny of the public eye, and it wasn¡¯t some sort ofpletion leaderboard. It was just capturing a battle highlight, a standout performance, which meant the risk of exposing his epic item was significantly reduced. Reading the text description, most people would surely focus on the individual performance of the pet beasts. Although the snowfield dog wasmon and not particrly strong, there were exceptions, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange for a powerful one to suddenly emerge, especially when there are high-level species bugs around. Gaining attention was inevitable, but with it came the promise of substantial crystal coins rewards. There were pros and cons to everything. However, Lu Ran felt that all his thinking might be pointless. After all, considering how formidable the divine beasts on the leaderboard were, it was uncertain whether he and General Ha could even make it onto the board. Currently, it was challenging for General Ha topete against those high-level species pet beasts. Their only hopey in its learning capability and the super beast mimicry 2.0¡­ to see if it could learn some powerful skills ahead of the high-level species pet beasts. Lu Ran felt that the divine deer pendant could also help General Ha train in powerful skills. The main feature of energypression techniques was the high load they ced on the user, making them difficult to control. But as long as the bacsh could be healed, wouldn¡¯t skill experience be able to increase rapidly? ¡°I¡¯m going to buy some things, do you want to stay here and keep watching?¡± Lu Ran asked Pig Raiser. ¡°Ah, are you done watching?¡± Pig Raiser looked eagerly at the leaderboard, seemingly willing to continue. ¡°What¡¯s the use of just watching this? We can¡¯t even get on the board. It¡¯s better to focus on cultivating our pet beasts, which might give us a better chance of making it onto the leaderboard.¡± Lu Ranughed to himself. Ah, the youth¡­ Infinite City is really something, isn¡¯t it? With this new feature, how many guilds and beastmasters will be whipped into a frenzy over the honor of having a divine beast? Isn¡¯t this just the same old online game leaderboardpetition tactic? Wait a second, could the information released by the officials be real? Could Infinite City actually be something created by a civilization to pass on their legacy and cultivate beastmasters? ¡­ Meanwhile. Outside, in Green Sea City. After waking up, Fang Lan thought it over and decided to follow Lu Ran¡¯s advice, telling his parents that he had been chosen to be a beastmaster. ¡°That¡¯s the situation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity, especially since I¡¯ve been recognized by Dr. Gu! A person of her stature, you wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint her, right? If you don¡¯t support me, I might just start shedding tears.¡± Wouldn¡¯t that scare you? Those are precious pearls, not spiders! Fang Lan¡¯s parents furrowed their brows, their expressions solemn. They had naturally seen the overwhelming news, but still¡­ What a situation this was. Their daughter being selected should have been a cause for celebration, as it was a testament to her talent. However, the news also mentioned the dangers of the secret realms within Infinite City. No parent would want their child to frequent such perilous ces, even if their daughter wasn¡¯t exactly the gentle type. ¡°No, it¡¯s too dangerous. I forbid you from entering the secret realms. It¡¯s fine to lead an ordinary life. Or perhaps you could consider a lifestyle upation, like you mentioned?¡± Fang Lan¡¯s mother suggested. ¡°How about a pet beast veterinarian?¡± ¡°How could I do that? That would be a waste of my upper supernatural species! The little spider would cry; it doesn¡¯t heal, it only poisons.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fang Lan¡¯s father struggled to keep a stern face and said, ¡°How about, as Dr. Gu suggested, you go to Beast Taming University first? Study and train there for a while, and then decide what to do after graduation? At your age¡­ education is most important. And absolutely no dating, that¡¯s even more out of the question!¡± ¡°Also, you need to find Lu Ran and keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything dangerous¡­ Both of you are such a worry. If something happens to him, how are we supposed to face his parents in the afterlife?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Fang Lan was at a loss for words and feeling disheveled. She was already of age¡ªdating should be the least of their concerns! That darn Lu Ran. It turned out that him asking her toe clean to her parents was just a ploy to have her charge ahead in convincing them. How cunning could he be, couldn¡¯t he be more like General Ha? Chapter 29: Unrestricted Cheating Chapter 29: Unrestricted Cheating Afterying it all out to her parents, Fang Lan left in a huff. Seeing their daughter¡¯s reaction, Fang Lan¡¯s parents fell into silence. As she grew up, she was bing increasingly difficult to manage, though she was never easy to handle even as a child. ¡°What should we do? Even though we said all that, it seems hard to control her now.¡± ¡°At this point, we can only prepare for the worst,¡± Fang Lan¡¯s dad said gravely. ¡°Have another child? How can you think like that! I don¡¯t agree!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s mom eximed in anger. Fang Lan¡¯s dad was frustrated. What kind of solution was that? ¡°If I really can¡¯t control her, then I¡¯ll be a beastmaster myself, personally oversee her leveling up and protect her. Don¡¯t underestimate me because of my age; I was once the king of bug fighting in Green Sea City. I have the talent.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, how does one get a ck card? Do you think I still have a chance?¡± A man¡¯s youthful spirit never dies. ¡­At Infinite City No.3 in Xia Country, within Beastmaster Square, Lu Ran and Pig Raiser arrived at a food store. By this time, both had retracted their pet beasts, which is a standard rule in most small establishments. It¡¯s not a case of no ¡®xx and dogs allowed,¡¯ nor is it a concern that pet beasts can¡¯t control themselves around food, but rather a worry that some pet beasts might sh in a confined space, leading to idental injuries. After all, the pet beasts contracted by beastmasterse in all shapes and sizes, some even harboring species enmity towards each other. Until a beastmaster¡¯s control reaches a certain level, it¡¯s not umon for two pet beasts to suddenly be entangled in a fight, which is why Infinite City has patrol beasts. ¡°Passerby A, this¡­ how does this work?¡± Inside, both Lu Ran and Pig Raiser were surprised to see no actual goods, just a series of self-service ordering machines. Pig Raiser seemed to have never seen such a device before and looked utterly puzzled. ¡°Self-ordering, huh? That¡¯s absurd.¡± Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected Infinite City¡¯s amenities to be so up-to-date, what with self-service ordering machines and shared motorcycles. Who told him this was a relic of a super-ancient civilization? All these facilities are thoroughly modern! Don¡¯t tell him that even super-ancient civilizations used these gadgets! At this point, Lu Ran could only assume that the style of the shop was a result of the owner¡¯s personal decoration choices. Otherwise, it would mean that the consciousness of Infinite City could monitor the outside world like an AI, continuously learning modern knowledge and transforming itself. ¡°Just like this.¡± Lu Ran tapped on the machine in front of Pig Raiser, and the screen immediately disyed a series of categories such as wind-type ingredients area, rock-type ingredients area, general ingredients area, seasoning area, and so on. Upon a further tap, icons of various food resources appeared, each with an introduction detailing level, use, and price. After making a selection, all one had to do was swipe a card on the machine; crystal coins would be deducted, and the materials would appear in the backpack¡ªextremely intelligent. However, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t entirely sold on the idea since, with such smart technology, online shopping should be an option. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is, so convenient!¡± Pig Raiser eximed. ¡°But these ingredients are so expensive¡­ a potato costs 2 crystal coins, and a cabbage also costs 2 crystal coins? Why not just rob people?¡± Lu Ran went quiet for a moment before saying, ¡°Infinite City doesn¡¯t allow fighting, otherwise robbery would have started long ago¡­¡± Pig Raiser: ¡°¡­¡± The crystal coin-priced potatoes and cabbages obviously weren¡¯t ordinary; they just resembled those varieties. The resource level was ordinary, simr to the hemostatic mushrooms and wood scale fruits that Lu Ran had seen before, possessing certain special nutritional effects. Most beast taming teams entering the secret realm to collect resources were after these kinds of resources. They would gather them in the secret realm and then sell them outside. As long as the selling price exceeded the cost of entering the secret realm in crystal coins, there was profit to be made. ¡°I¡¯ll pick some too.¡± At this time, there was no one else in the store, probably all attracted to the divine beast leaderboard. Lu Ran approached a self-service machine and started selecting quickly. First, he chose ingredients rmended by the basic beast taming handbook for a wind-type general recipe: coo-coo pigeon eggs, wild wind chicken meat, windfall fruit, and tornado greens. Lu Ran bought a half-month¡¯s supply, nning for two meals a day, with each meal costing about 20 crystal coins. That added up to 600 crystal coins just for half a month¡¯s worth of meals! It wasn¡¯t that Lu Ran was scrimping on meals; it was that these supernatural nutritional meals were not easy to absorb. Two meals per day were sufficient. Lu Ran spared no expense for General Ha, purchasing the top-tier nutrition meals rmended in the recipe book. Some ingredients were for enhancing physical strength, while others were for increasing energy intensity¡ªnothing was overlooked. ¡°It seems if I keep feeding General Ha these top-tier nutrition meals every day, my crystal coins will run out in no time,¡± Lu Ranmented, suddenly understanding why the beastmasters got so excited when the divine beast leaderboard was released. Raising a pet beast was incredibly expensive. Maintaining just one pet beast was costly enough, but to raise severalrge, advanced pet beasts would be financially ruinous. Lu Ran looked out the window at the divine beast leaderboard standing tall in the center of the square, realizing he needed to start earning crystal coins in the secret realm soon. ¡°Keep buying.¡± After purchasing the basic food, Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush to leave but instead essed the advanced resource zone. Basic food was essential, as every living creature needed to eat, and the difference in this aspect between pet beasts was not very significant. To be stronger more quickly, one had to use some more expensive, special resources. Name: Spirit Rice Level: Advanced Introduction: Long-term consumption can enhance control over energy. Price: 1 crystal coin per grain So cheap¡­ but one grain??? That¡¯s a rip-off, way too expensive, not needed. General Ha already has excellent control over energy. That wasn¡¯t the kind of resource Lu Ran was looking for. He continued to flip through the pages. Finally, he saw a description that caught his eye. ¡°There it is, that¡¯s exactly what I need! I knew there had to be a resource like this.¡± Name: Flowfruit Level: Advanced Introduction: Upon consumption, the energy within a lower-level creature will slightly expand and start flowing rapidly at an unsustainable speed, significantly boosting the creature¡¯sbat abilities for a short time. However, once the effect ends, the creature¡¯s body will suffer immense damage due to the high-speed energy flow. Price: 50 crystal coins per piece Without hesitation, Lu Ran bought five pieces. Even if it was expensive. In Lu Ran¡¯s view, this Flowfruit was tailor-made for them. The effects could be considered quite a double-edged sword, as it allowed a pet beast to enter an enhanced state of energy flow, thus boosting itsbat abilities. In the secret realm, if one faces a desperate situation, choosing to consume a Flowfruit and triggering a burst of energy could potentially turn the tide and help one ovee the crisis. However, the flip side is that if the situation isn¡¯t reversed, the aftermath could plunge one into an even more perilous state. For veteran beastmasters, their pet beasts are typically adept at energy flow, rendering this item not particrly useful. But for pet beasts that have not yet mastered energy flow or are not proficient at it, the enhancement provided by Flowfruit can be enormous, boostingbat capabilities by several levels. However, it¡¯s usually the neers who suffer without efficient healing methods after using it, as it¡¯s akin to looking for trouble. Lu Ran bought a few to have on hand for emergencies in the secret realm, where they could be used to explode with power in the face of danger. As for the resulting injuries? That¡¯s where the divine deer pendantes in. Others might be cautious and worried about side effects, but Lu Ran was not concerned. An epic item like the divine deer pendant could surely heal the bacsh caused by an advanced resource. Moreover, consuming a Flowfruit casually in daily training could allow General Ha to experience the state of frenzied energy flow in advance. With General Ha¡¯s intelligence, it wouldn¡¯t take long to draw inferences from one case and thereby gain some experience. This was Lu Ran¡¯s way of maximizing the advantages of the divine deer pendant in daily training, essentially a legal way to elerate training without the risk of a ban. ¡°Have you finished buying?¡± Lu Ran asked after making his purchases, only to find that Pig Raiser was still hesitating. ¡°Ah¡­ I still need to think it over. If you¡¯re done, you can go ahead without me,¡± Pig Raiser said with a troubled look. Lu Ran shrugged. Indeed, being short on money makes every decision difficult. Lu Ran was considering waiting for him, but just then, a friendship request caught his attention. Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden requests to add you as a friend. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran fell silent for a moment. It was Fang Lan. ept. After epting Fang Lan¡¯s friend request, she immediately bombarded him with messages. Fang Lan: Doggie! You¡¯ve trapped me! My parents won¡¯t let me challenge the secret realm now, what should I do! Lu Ran: If I were your dad, I wouldn¡¯t let you challenge it either. It¡¯s too dangerous. Fang Lan: ??? Lu Ran: Did you know about the updates to Infinite City¡¯s facilities? They¡¯ve justunched a divine beast leaderboard, right in the beastmaster square. Lu Ran¡¯s attempt to change the subject was unsessful, and Fang Lan retorted: Don¡¯t try to switch topics on me. I was already notified about the divine beast leaderboard by a push notification on my phone before I logged in. That¡¯s actually the reason I came here. Lu Ran: Good to know. It¡¯s true that challenging the secret realm can be dangerous, but why not spend some time in the arena? You can earn a spot on the leaderboard through the battle highlights in the arena, reap the benefits of training, collect crystal coins as rewards, and most importantly, it¡¯s much safer. Surely your parents wouldn¡¯t object to that. Fang Lan: Huh? ??? Fang Lan paused, struck by the realization. That¡¯s actually a pretty good option. Once she bes the champion of the arena and demonstrates her absolute strength, her parents should have no reason to restrict her from challenging the secret realm. That¡¯s so like Lu Ran, Fang Lan thought excitedly. She said: Not a bad idea. Starting today, I¡¯ll be staying at the arena. To celebrate, I¡¯ve decided to dye my hair purple. Do you think purple hair looks good? Eh¡­ Lu Ran felt queasy. Are you trying to make sure everyone knows you¡¯re into poisons? Here¡¯s hoping the neers to the arena don¡¯t drop like flies! Chapter 30: The First Skill Chapter 30: The First Skill ¡°The sword has been forged, food has been purchased; for the next half month, I¡¯ll diligently assist General Ha in developing skills within the training secret realm of my private room! Sword qi, de Storm, Swordsmanship¡­ I¡¯ll research them all.¡± After parting with Pig Raiser, Lu Ran returned to his private room in high spirits. As for Fang Lan, she ran off to the arena, saying she wanted to watch for a while to understand the rules. Lu Ran didn¡¯t apany her; he had little interest in beastmaster battles. Even in gaming, he was a dedicated PvE yer. ¡°Fang Lan also mentioned letting General Ha spar with that wolf spider¡­ Forget it, better not bring that up and risk dampening her spirits.¡± Inside the room, Lu Ran released General Ha. ¡°Roar~~~¡± As soon as it emerged, General Ha was eager to test its mettle with the Wind Meteor Sword. Clearly, it hadn¡¯t had its fill during the time at the forge house. ¡°What is there to battle now? Let¡¯s train for half a month first; our level is still too low. After all, we¡¯re soloing; I doubt we could even get through a simple-level novice secret realm!¡± ¡°Whimper!!¡± General Ha became anxious, trying tomunicate something urgently. The gist was: Does the Divine Deer Pendant still have energy? Why not find a forest secret realm to replenish some energy first? That way, we¡¯d be in better shape for the intense trainingter. It¡¯d be troublesome if we got injured during training without any healing power left! Lu Ran: ? ¡°Holy smokes.¡± Lu Ran stared at his dog, doubting whether General Ha was possessed by someone else. Could it really grasp suchplex logical rtionships? To think of fighting, its intelligence seemed to have skyrocketed all of a sudden.¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I feel the energy in the Divine Deer Pendant is quite sufficient,¡± Lu Ran said. The pendant was a rechargeable resource, drawing on the force of nature from forests to convert it into healing power. Although he felt it hadn¡¯t charged much in the Forest of the Demon Cat, it was still enough to treat General Ha¡¯s routine training injuries. ¡°Whimper~¡± General Ha appeared disheartened. ¡°However.¡± Lu Ran nced at General Ha. He hadn¡¯t yet mentioned the ¡°Flowfruit¡± to it; that thing was akin to a self-harm training method. He wondered if General Ha could ept that¡­ Healing the self-inflicted damage caused by consuming flowfruits does indeed require an abundance of healing power. The remaining amount might be uncertain, but it¡¯s probably best to err on the side of caution. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to visit a simple difficulty level forest secret realm to stock up on more energy. As long as they avoided provoking any level 10 bosses, there shouldn¡¯t be any danger in merely replenishing energy. On their way, Lu Ran nned to find a couple of low-level monsters for General Ha to enjoy a trial run with the Wind Meteor Sword. It would be a way to satisfy itsbat desires. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll indulge you. We¡¯ll find a secret realm for you to enjoy, but once we¡¯re back, you need to practice swordsmanship with me. We¡¯ll undergo some rigorous training,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Roar!!¡± General Ha was thrilled. Boss Lu was truly considerate! Its tail shot up into the air with excitement. ¡°Let¡¯s pick a secret realm then,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile, walking over to the pir tform to select an appropriate secret realm. Since they needed to replenish the energy of the Divine Deer Pendant, they¡¯d definitely need to choose a forest environment. After looking around, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes finally settled on a particr secret realm. Name: Forest of the Demon Cat Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Simple Challenge Crystal Coins: Lu Ran¡¯s previous novice trial secret realm was also the Forest of the Demon Cat. However, that realm only epassed a small area of therger forest andcked truly formidable creatures. Re-entering could mean encountering beasts above level 5, and perhaps even some Demon Cats with awakened attributes. ¡°Maybe we should go with this one again,¡± Lu Ran thought to himself. They were already familiar with the environment, and the wood scale fruits found there were an excellent resource for replenishing stamina. Gathering some for the uing half-month of intensive training wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea. ¡°Back to the Forest of the Demon Cat, how does that sound? You¡¯ve made quite a few enemies there, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°!¡± General Ha paused for a moment. Ah, had it? It couldn¡¯t quite remember. ¡°Woof!¡± No matter, it would assume it had. Time for revenge. General Ha was eager to try, taking a go-with-the-flow approach! ¡°That settles it then,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. Would you like to spend 200 crystal coins to challenge the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm? Yes. Lu Ran thought to himself. Teleportation countdown 10¡­9¡­ ¡­ Ten secondster, Lu Ran and General Ha opened their eyes to the familiar environment, apanied by familiar sounds. Teleportationplete. Current location: Forest of the Demon Cat (novice secret realm) Difficulty: Simple Challenge mission: y the leader of the Forest of the Demon Cat. Secret realm introduction: ¡­ Prompt 1: The maximum stay in a novice secret realm is 8 hours. Challengers can choose to return at any time; teleportation takes 10 seconds. Prompt 2: Granted the blessing of the novice secret realm, challengers temporarily obtain the Eye of Data, which can detect internal resources and information about creatures within the realm. Prompt 3: ¡­ Upon returning to the Forest of the Demon Cat, Lu Ran noticed several changes, such as the ¡°novice trial secret realm¡±bel being updated to ¡°novice secret realm¡± and the trial mission ¡°survive one day¡± being reced by the challenge mission ¡°y the leader of the Forest of the Demon Cat.¡± The leader of the Forest of the Demon Cat is a level 10 demon cat with an awakened grass-type attribute, experienced inbat and difficult to deal with. The level 10 demon cat that was easily in by a single swipe from the ck bear on the Divine Beast Leaderboard was likely not this realm¡¯s leader. In any case, General Ha is currently only level 4, and since it¡¯s a solo run, it would be unwise to provoke that creature. Even though teleportation takes just 10 seconds, the leader is not alone, and who knows how many minions mighte to harass them. ¡°Woof! (Sword!)¡± Inside the secret realm, General Ha looked towards Lu Ran. ¡°Here you go.¡± Lu Ran sighed, taking out the Wind Meteor Sword and the Wind Cutter Sword from his backpack, handing the former to General Ha to hold in its mouth, and gripping thetter himself. Now armed, Lu Ran felt¡­ facing those demon cats again, he could take them down one by one with a single swing! ¡°Same strategy as before, we stay put, replenish the pendant¡¯s energy for a few hours, and then consider whether to venture deeper to collect resources,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°If any enemies approach in the meantime, you handle them.¡± Lu Ran looked around and noticed that their spawn point still had some wood scale fruits. He decided to start by gathering them right there. ¡°Roar~¡± General Ha was obedient this time, mainly because it now had a new toy. Eagerly fiddling with the Wind Meteor Sword, it was intent on mastering it and was still preupied with its inability to release sword qi. Meanwhile, Lu Ran, wielding the Wind Cutter Sword, began to chop down trees, transforming into Logger Vick 1 . Whether it was just Lu Ran and General Ha¡¯s luck or something else, just minutes into the secret realm, the bushes started rustling with a familiar sound¡­ Indeed, as Lu Ran picked fruit from the tree and General Ha stood on the ground, a demon cat emerged from the bushes. Species: Demon Cat Attribute: Unawakened Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 8 ¡°Meow-ao!!!¡± The demon cat strutted out, much stronger than any other demon cat Lu Ran had encountered in the novice trial secret realm. However, despite being 4 growth levels above General Ha, neither General Ha nor Lu Ran showed any sign of weakness. After all, it was just an unawakened demon cat. Whether itsbat power exceeded that of the Manchurian Chinchi they once faced was debatable. Even if it did, it probably wouldn¡¯t be by much. General Ha, now upgraded with new equipment, should have no trouble defeating it. ¡°General Ha, take care of it,¡± Lu Ran ordered, continuing to pick fruit. Below. General Ha gripped the Wind Meteor Sword in its mouth, eyes sharp with determination. An enemy had finally arrived. It wanted to give Lu Ran a surprise. General Ha clenched the Wind Meteor Sword tightly, channeling and amplifying the power of the wind, focusing it entirely on the de! Boom! General Ha swung the sword, and a remarkable ¡°storm¡± of energy was flung from the de, transforming into a de of wind, a sword qi! Whoosh! The sword qi, carrying the force of a tempest, caught the newly emerged demon catpletely off guard¡ªit was the first time it had seen an attack that flew out like that. As the gale approached, the demon cat had no time to react before the wind de struck, cutting its body in two and causing it to burst apart on the ground. The sword qi, after decapitating the demon cat, continued to move, speeding away and slicing another giant tree in half. The tree fell to the ground with a loud ¡°bang¡± before the energy finally dissipated! After some careful consideration, General Ha had finally managed to release sword qi. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha turned to look at Lu Ran in the tree. Was this the energy release technique? Was this sword qi? It had done it! ¡°Incredible¡­¡± Meanwhile, Lu Ran, still picking fruit in the tree, was dumbfounded, feeling a tingling sensation on his scalp. What exactly was the origin of this dog? He couldn¡¯t believe an Erha could be this powerful! Others might need half a month just to grasp the basics of a talent like this, yet it had mastered it in a day or two? What kind of dog had he found! Lu Ran was astonished by its learning ability. The defeat of the demon cat by General Ha didn¡¯t surprise him much, after all, Master Lin had said that with the power of the Wind Meteor Sword enhancing wind-type energy, even a level 10 creature would be seriously injured if struck. At the same time. The Contract Card exclusive to General Ha. Underwent a slight change. Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Wind-Type Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 4 Skill: Sword Qi (A basic skill formed when wind-type energy is released through a sword-ss supernatural weapon!) ¡­ Currently, the liveliest ce was actually Beastmaster Square. In a short span of time, many beastmasters had ascended the Divine Beast Leaderboard. The Commander Leaderboard¡¯s ten spots were already filled, the Supernatural Leaderboard had nine divine beasts, and the Sovereign Leaderboard had the fewest listed. Many were watching for thest spot on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard. Until¡­ Regional Announcement: The Divine Beast Leaderboard, Supernatural Species Leaderboard has been updated. Leaderboard Divine Beast, Species: Snowfield Dog. Attribute: Wind-Type Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 4 Beastmaster: Passerby A Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from the Snowfield Dog species, extremely intelligent, awakened the Force of the Storm, and in the Novice Secret Realm, Forest of the Demon Cat, released sword qi across a distance, instantly killing a Middle Supernatural species level 8 Demon Cat! Once the Supernatural Leaderboard was updated, Beastmaster Square was shaken, countless neers were baffled, Sword Qi? What the heck? Footnote:
  1. Logger Vick(Ç¿¸ç): This referencees from the famous Chinese animated series ¡°Boonie Bears,¡± where the antagonist character appears as a bald lumberjack.
Chapter 31: General Ha Makes the Leaderboard Chapter 31: General Ha Makes the Leaderboard In Infinite City No.3, at the Beastmaster Square, all ten spots on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard have been imed! Of these, eight pet beasts have been evaluated by the leaderboard as ¡°of formidable species,¡± while two have been recognized for their ¡°astounding aptitude.¡± The former indicates that the pet beasts possess an absolute advantage in physical prowess, whereas thetter signifies immense potential in learning skills. General Ha clearly belongs to thetter category. However, no matter how exceptional the aptitude, most people initially failed to associate ¡°Snowfield Dog¡± with ¡°casting Sword Qi from afar.¡± Isn¡¯t that just abstract? What kind ofbination is this? ¡°Snowfield Dog¡­ is it a Husky, an skan, or a Samoyed?¡± ¡°And it¡¯s Wind-type, at that.¡±¡°What¡¯s wrong with Wind-type? Isn¡¯t that good?¡± someone asked. ¡°It¡¯s not about being good or bad. Snowfield Dogs are wilder and more powerful in cold regions, typically they are Ice-type. If their primary attribute isn¡¯t that, choosing Ice-type as the secondary attribute could possibly unleash hidden species potential, making them stronger! It¡¯s a good thing, the path to advancement is clear.¡± People were abuzz with discussion, and many turned their attention to the ID of the Snowfield Dog¡¯s owner, Passerby A¡­ Well now¡­ That name, it almost feels like mockery towards those who didn¡¯t make the leaderboard. ¡°This¡­¡± Among the crowd, there were actually people who recognized this ID. A nearly thirty-year-old woman in professional attire with a startled expression; she was Shenghua, the maturedy from the neer recruitment department, who had initially tested the attributes of Pig Raiser. She had been watching the ever-changing Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard, which could also be considered the Neer Leaderboard, and was wondering which colleague had lured away these incredibly talented neers. Then¡­ she immediately saw a name she recognized. Passerby A¡­ Wasn¡¯t that the neer previously mentored by Waves Xiaobailong? ¡°Contracting Erha, awakening as Wind-type, Passerby A! He actually made it onto the leaderboard? That seemingly clumsy Erha turned out to be so powerful?¡± Shenghua was in disbelief. She hurriedly tried to contact Xiaobailong¡­ At this moment, Xiaobailong was actually at the Beastmaster Square, no need for Shenghua to reach out, he had seen it too! Holy shit! ¡°Shenghua, why are you¡­ Yes, I saw it, Passerby A made the leaderboard!¡± ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t joined the official team, but it¡¯s almost the same. He¡¯s been spotted by a powerhouse in the official strategy team and is being sent to the beast taming university for further study. After graduation, he might go straight into the strategy team.¡± ¡°Anyway, this guy has caught the eye of those at the top. Don¡¯t go spreading his information carelessly; it could cause him trouble.¡± Xiaobailongmunicated with Shenghua, heartbroken. It was me who¡­ No wonder Lu Ran caught the eye of Dr. Gu. That beastmaster gene in his blood really isn¡¯t for nothing. He¡¯s one of only two to make the divine beast leaderboard with a middle supernatural species! And the reason for the leaderboard? Erha releasing sword qi? Is this some kind of joke¡­ At the beastmaster square, those who knew Lu Ran weren¡¯t just these two. Pig Raiser, in the end, couldn¡¯t resist the allure of the divine beast leaderboard and had been watching for a long time. And with the entry of Passerby A, his expression became nk. What? ¡­ ¡°What¡¯s the matter, why are there fewer and fewer people? Have they all gone to the beastmaster square to see the divine beast leaderboard?¡± At that moment, in the Infinite City arena. The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, originally came to watch and get familiar with beast taming battles. However, she had been waiting for half a day without seeing a single neer duel. The traffic in the arena was all exits, no entries. This made Fang Lan quite frustrated; she thought about maybeing back another day to watch and decided to go to the beastmaster square herself. Just then, she overheard a conversation between two passersby who were about to leave the arena. ¡°My buddy just messaged me saying the tenth name has emerged¡­ This one is the most absurd, the reason for the leaderboard: a snowfield dog casting sword qi to instantly kill a demon cat at a higher level? What the heck, who is this Passerby A, do you have any idea what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Must have used a supernatural weapon, right? It can only be that¡­ But doesn¡¯t relying on external forces reduce the weight of selection?¡± ¡°A dog using a sword to release sword qi? I can¡¯t ept that exnation,¡± hispanion couldn¡¯t ept this reasoning. Fang Lan listened to the passersby¡¯s discussion and stood rooted to the spot. ¡°Passerby A? Snowfield dog?¡± Damn it! Lu Ran, he didn¡¯t let her challenge the secret realm, so he went by himself, huh? And even made it onto the divine beast leaderboard! At the same time, in the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm. Lu Ran had no idea that General Ha¡¯s move had put them on the leaderboard. After all, in his mind, if a pet beast¡¯sbat power was enhanced by a weapon, the weight given to its leaderboard ranking would be reduced. The sword qi released just now had its energy power at least doubled by the Wind Meteor Sword. This was the impressive aspect of an energy-enhancing weapon! If General Ha were to fight without the Wind Meteor Sword, taking down a level 8 demon cat wouldn¡¯t have been so easy. ¡°Argh.¡± A burst of sword qi cleaved the demon cat, and at that moment, General Ha was exhrated. It absolutely loved this new skill of sword qi. In the future¡­ it could even tear down ceilings! No, that¡¯s wrong, it could be used to catch birds for fun. However¡­ A wave of weakness followed, causing General Ha to shiver all over. ¡°Does it consume that much?¡± Lu Ran jumped down from the tree and said. ¡°Woof¡­¡± ¡°One burst of sword qi uses up about a quarter of your stamina?¡± ¡°So that means you can only release four bursts before you¡¯repletely drained?¡± Lu Ran, sensing General Ha¡¯s condition, felt a bit of a headache. That meant this trump card couldn¡¯t be used carelessly. But this also had to do with General Ha¡¯s current low level, only level 4. A level 4¡¯s attributes were too weak, with hardly any stamina, so it was normal that it couldn¡¯t release many powerful skills. By level 40, maybe it could unleash sword qi like a sea! ¡°At this stage, release-type skills are too extravagant. They consume a lot of energy and are easy to miss¡­¡± ¡°When we get back, we should research other types of skills,¡± Lu Ran said. Sword qi¡­ should be reserved for showing off and dealing with flying enemies. In actualbat, unless he came across a fool like the demon cat that got scared stiff by the sword qi, Lu Ran felt it would be difficult to hit opponents. If you exhaust a lot of stamina to release a skill and miss, that would be a big loss. Inparison, if the energy was just wrapped around the sword while chasing down enemies, the energy consumed would be much less. Among the four major types of skills¡ªflow, shaping, release,pression¡ªthe first one probably consumed the least, while thetter three consumed progressively more energy. Hmm¡­ If the second pet beast could learn control skills to assist General Ha with its powerful moves, that would be ideal. ¡°Ow~¡± General Ha drooled, indicating that he would follow Boss Lu¡¯s lead, and his gaze was fixed hungrily on the wood scale fruit that Lu Ran had just picked. ¡­ After replenishing General Ha¡¯s energy and resting for a while, Lu Ran nned to delve deeper with General Ha. The main reason was that the wood scale fruits in the area had been picked clean, and he wanted to collect more. After all, entering the demon cat secret realm cost 200 crystal coins. He wasn¡¯t necessarily looking to break even, but he hoped to at least recover half of that expense! This time, Lu Ran set off with the Wind Cutter Sword firmly in his grasp, with General Ha leading the way, and Lu Ran mimicking General Ha¡¯s movements from behind. ¡°Hoooow~¡± Ahead, a wild level 6 demon cat appeared. With the Wind Meteor Sword in its mouth and its body wrapped in wind-type energy, General Ha transformed into a gusty hound and charged. A sh of the sword, and General Ha brushed past the demon cat, which came into close contact with the Wind Meteor Sword. Swoosh! The cat was sliced in two! ¡°Meow-ow!!!¡± Amidst the demon cat¡¯s screams, it was instantly defeated by General Ha and disappeared in a sh of light. In the subsequent fights, General Ha did not release sword qi, as it was too draining and the wood scale fruits didn¡¯t provide enough recovery. The fruits didn¡¯t instantly replenish energy but restored it slowly over time, and the total amount recovered was not significant. They were not suitable as a main supply for powerful moves. Most importantly, at this stage, it was difficult for Lu Ran to mimic the skill of sword qi. Bang! As General Ha fought, Lu Ran also practiced Super Beast Mimicry, battling the air beside him and synchronizing with General Ha¡¯sbat movements. He had to admit, practicing Super Beast Mimicry inbat was much more efficient than in his room. Every time General Ha defeated a beast, Lu Ran felt a warm current inside his body, as if experience points were flowing into him¡­ Of course, it was just an illusion, but the Super Beast Mimicry skill was subtly enhancing his physical abilities. ¡°Eh? Did it drop a material? The drop rate for materials isn¡¯t high.¡± After defeating the demon cat, Lu Ran and General Ha stopped in surprise and looked at the ground. After the demon cat died, a sphere of light fell and then faded after a few seconds¡­ it was something that looked like a fingernail. Lu Ran cast ¡°Grand Identification,¡± essentially using the Eye of Data to scan it. Name: Demon Cat¡¯s Fingernail Level: Ordinary Introduction: A material that seems useless and actually has little use. Lu Ran: ?, What else can this be used for besides tossing it into the system store? ¡°What a piece of junk.¡± Lu Ran was speechless. Couldn¡¯t it drop something useful? Like¡­ well, it seems there really isn¡¯t anything valuable on a demon cat. Won¡¯t being back to this secret realm, not even a dog would bother. ¡°Whine.¡± General Ha nodded, deeply agreeing. That night, after putting in a lot of effort to defeat demon cats, only to get a worthless fingernail as a drop, it was utterly useless. The grudge was noted! However, since the demon cat was defeated, it could be considered as a mark against the leader of the forest of the demon cat. Chapter 32: Grass Sprite Cat Chapter 32: Grass Sprite Cat Lu Ran now understood why killing monsters to level up was merely a reward mechanism in the novice trial secret realm; if that system remained, he could be a grinding emperor, ying 10,000 demon cats in the forest of the demon cat in a single day. Even if he didn¡¯t mind the tedium, the consciousness of Infinite City responsible for creating projections would probably get annoyed¡ªafter all, there were too many beastmasters to serve. Swoosh! ¡°Meow!¡± Swoosh! ¡°Mrowl¡ª¡± General Ha ughtered the demon cats mercilessly, bing more and more adept, almost one cat per sword strike. This was mainly because the demon cats that appearedter were at most level 7, not very strong. ¡°Take this, Storm sh!¡± During the fight, Lu Ran also tried out the supernatural ability of the Wind Cutter Sword, which drew on his physical strength to activate the power of wind hidden within the de.When the power of wind swirled around the Wind Cutter Sword, his de became nearly as effective as General Ha¡¯s, cutting through iron as if it were mud. With a single horizontal sh from Lu Ran,rge trees were effortlessly severed, the wind des incredibly sharp. However, like General Ha releasing sword qi, being drained by the Wind Cutter Sword in such a way left Lu Ran feeling a little faint. A weapon might be good, but it can¡¯t be overused when you¡¯re still an apprentice greenhorn who hasn¡¯t yet developed the physicality of a fierce beast. It¡¯s better to use it as an ordinary weapon¡­ The power of wind should not be activated recklessly unless absolutely necessary. ¡°Phew¡­ Been inside for over four hours now.¡± Picking some fruits from a fallen tree, Lu Ran nced at the time. In these four hours, he and General Ha had in more monsters than during the entire 24 hours of the novice trial. Thanks to the space backpack, he had gathered quite a collection of materials! Hemostatic mushrooms x21, wood scale fruits x14, antidote herbs x3, demon cat¡¯s fingernails x16, snake galldder x1, rabbit meat x4. Despite the abundance of resources, their total value wasn¡¯t high. Lu Ran had seen at the resource store that the most expensive item was the snake galldder, worth only 5 crystal coins each. All these items together still didn¡¯t amount to half the cost of the entry ticket. How did those beastmasters who entered the secret realm to farm materials make their money back? Was it because he was doing it wrong? Or perhaps, as expected, the forest of the demon cat wasn¡¯t the best grinding dungeon! Now, the only way Lu Ran could think of to earn back the ticket price was probably toplete the challenge mission and defeat a Boss. ¡°Aowoo!!!¡± However, the idea of earning back the ticket money wasn¡¯t too strong for Lu Ran, as this time he was only here to recharge the divine deer pendant, not to farm for money. But General Ha, this invincible pooch, seemed to be a bit carried away, having already umted quite a bit of hatred from the leader of the demon cats. Hmm¡­ Although he hadn¡¯t seen the leader of the demon cats yet, this guy already despised it to the bone. ¡°Aowu~~~¡± General Ha looked at the demon cat¡¯s fingernails on the ground, howled to the sky, and it was time to settle the score with the leader of the demon cats! If one day the leader of the demon cats falls at the hands of General Ha, it might be because the underlings of the demon cat n were too stingy to drop good loot. ¡°Settle what? Continue gathering resources. Recharging and fighting the Boss is a matter forter,¡± Lu Ran said as he used his sword to clear the bushes. This was what the sword was mostly used for at the moment¡ªclearing the path! Even though General Ha was floating high, Lu Ran dared not. Because as far as he knew, even the leaders of the simple-level novice secret realms were very powerful. Firstly, they were definitely level 10. Secondly, they had awakened attributes and could use attribute energy at will. At the very least, they had mastered one skill proficiently. And in most cases, they were apanied by several to a dozen followers, which is why individual beastmasters found it very difficult to solo them. Under such circumstances, even if General Ha had a weapon enhancement, he could only release four sword qi at most, which would be like using his head to fight the Boss. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha sighed. His beastmaster was just too cautious¡­ ¡°Aow!¡± Just as General Ha was about toment, suddenly, his expression changed in surprise. Almost instinctively, he quickly condensed sword qi and flung it in one direction!!! The white sword qi roared out, startling Lu Ran, but soon, he understood what was happening. General Ha had spotted an enemy. And this enemy had excellent hiding abilities, having gotten very close to them without them noticing at all! Were it not for General Ha¡¯s keen perception of the air flow and a good sense of smell, the enemy¡¯s ambush might have gone undetected! Indeed, before General Ha attacked, the enemy had alreadyunched an assault on Lu Ran and him. Perched upon a tree was a demon cat. Although not particrlyrge, its greenish fur and vicious yellow-green eyes fixed a menacing gaze on General Ha and Lu Ran. With a swipe of its paw, it unleashed five streaks of green-glowing ws towards them. This was also a release-type skill. Fortunately, General Ha¡¯s reaction was swift; he immediately released sword qi to collide with the iing attack, sessfully blocking it. Boom! However, the collision of the two release-type skills still caused a significant reaction, whipping up a small gale that nearly knocked Lu Ran off his feet. ¡°Damn, the demon cat leader, why has ite?¡± Lu Ran peered through the smoke and quickly identified the enemy, his heart skipping a beat. Species: Demon Cat Attribute: Grass-Type Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 10 Upon seeing the information about this foe, Lu Ran didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately shouted: ¡°Exit the secret realm!¡± ¡°General Ha, hold it off for 10 seconds!¡± Just from one exchange between General Ha and the opponent, Lu Ran knew this creature was beyond their current capability to handle. Firstly, as a grass-type demon cat leader, it seemed to blend seamlessly with the forest environment. Had it not been for its proactive attack, which generated strong energy fluctuations, General Ha would have remained unaware of its presence. Secondly, although General Ha¡¯s sword qi seemed to match the power of the opponent¡¯s Flying Leaf w, neutralizing it, General Ha could onlyunch such an attack up to four times, while this demon cat leader at level 10 could likely use its skills many more times. And there was another point¡­ Swish, swish, swish¡­ After the demon cat leader¡¯s attack, Lu Ran heard movement from all directions, indicating that at least a dozen more demon cats were closing in! Damn it, they hadn¡¯t even contemted seeking out the demon cat leader, yet it hade to them on its own ord. That made sense, though; having ughtered so many of its underlings¡­ he and General Ha were probably considered extremely hostile invaders now. ¡°Awoo~~~¡± At this moment, General Ha did not dare to be careless; his gaze became stern, and with the Wind Meteor Sword clenched in his mouth, he released another sword qi towards the grass sprite cat leader. Whoosh! A white de of wind flew forth, tearing through the air. But this time, the grass sprite cat leader chose not to confront the attack, but instead leapt at high speed to another tree, evading the strike. The sword qi missed, sting the original tree into a shambles, yet it had no effect on the grass sprite cat leader. The grass sprite cat leader did not continue its assault, seemingly preferring to conserve its energy. However, General Ha¡¯s attacks were relentless. In the next moment, following the trajectory of the grass sprite cat leader, he exerted himself to release a third sword qi, flinging it towards the adversary. The grass sprite cat¡¯s eyes revealed a mocking expression as it leapt again, dodging with extreme agility; the sword qi missed once more. Itsbat prowess was clearly not on the same level as the lower-ranked sprite cats. ¡°Meow awoo!!!¡± Afterpleting this dodge, it let out a sharp cry, and in the blink of an eye, a dozen or so sprite cats had assembled, surrounding Lu Ran and General Ha, causing their hearts to skip a beat. A dozen sprite cats, although none had awakening attributes, were all elite sprite cats ranging from levels 9 to 10. ¡°This is what I was saying¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± This was thest sound Lu Ran made. ¡°Woof~~ (I will definitelye back!)¡± A sh of white light, and as ten seconds passed, at the very moment the grass sprite cat leader ordered the attack and the dozen or so sprite cats pounced in unison, Lu Ran and General Ha were teleported away. Exclusive room. Lu Ran and General Ha plopped down onto the ground. ¡°That was close,¡± Lu Ran said, still frightened. Fortunately, these dozen or so sprite cats had not appeared alongside the grass sprite cat leader, or else he and General Ha would have been in grave danger. But then again, only the grass sprite cat leader had the ability to conceal itself effectively. If they had alle together, General Ha would have undoubtedly detected them earlier. ¡°What now, still want to take them on?¡± Lu Ran nced at General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha sheepishly put down the sword he had been holding in his mouth, showing clear eyes. He indicated that he would listen to Lu Ran¡¯s arrangement; to undergo intensive training first and to settle scorester. For a snowfield dog, revenge can wait even ten years. ¡°That¡¯s a loss, only charged for just over four hours,¡± Lu Ran said with a wince. Reflecting on the ordeal, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but think how difficult it was. Even a novice secret realm of simple-level was this challenging. No wonder Xiaobailong had mentioned that soloing was tough. Under those circumstances, if unable to disengage frombat, Lu Ran could only think of letting General Ha consume a flowfruit andbine it with the divine deer pendant in an attempt for a burst evolution. There seemed to be no better solution. As for soloing the entire realm¡­ It looks like Lu Ran would have to wait until General Ha leveled up and mastered the energy flow technique to try again. The demon cat was incredibly agile, making it hard to hit with sword qi. But mastering the energy flow technique would allow General Ha to release sword qi in rapid session, likely catching the opponent off guard. Alternatively¡­ Mastering the Wind¡¯s Wings to gain air superiority could be another winning strategy. Unfortunately, General Ha had yet to learn either. Lu Ran took out two wood scale fruits, bit into one, and tossed the other to General Ha. It was then that Lu Ran noticed an unusual number of missedmunications. Who could they be from? Lu Ran opened themunication interface on his character card. Pig Raiser: Is this¡­ Is this making the leaderboard? How did you do it? Xiaobailong: Awesome, congrats! Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: ? Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: Where are you? You¡¯re not still in the secret realm, are you? In fact,munication could be used within secret realms, but only between beastmasters who were teamed up and in the same realm. Lu Ran, being in the secret realm, and others in the outside world, could not contact each other. Simrly, if Lu Ran were in Infinite City and others were on Blue Star, they wouldn¡¯t be able to connect either. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was a bit confused by the barrage of messages. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha looked on, puzzled. ¡°We didn¡¯t do that well and even had to rely on weapons, and we still made the divine beast leaderboard? Are you kidding me? How bad are the others?¡± ¡°Whine?!¡± General Ha stood up immediately, the gloom of being toyed with by the demon cat dissipated. What, made the leaderboard? Which ce? ¡°They didn¡¯t say, let me ask.¡± Lu Ran replied to Fang Lan: Am in the exclusive room, just came out of the secret realm. So, did General Ha make the leaderboard? I¡¯m getting a lot of messages. No way, we had a rough time in there, nearly got taken out. Fang Lan replied instantly: I want to hit you! Stop showing off to me! But yes, General Ha did make it onto the leaderboard, ranking tenth. Out of the ten spots, only two are middle supernatural species. And what¡¯s this sword qi thing? Compared to you, those who barely survived a hit from the hard difficulty boss or controlled the boss for ten seconds seem pale inparison. Lu Ran: Only tenth, huh¡­ Originally, Lu Ran didn¡¯t think General Ha could make it onto the leaderboard, but since it had, wasn¡¯t tenth ce just the bottom? Are there already people beating the hard difficulty novice secret realm? It must have been a team, and probably neers from a month ago; otherwise, it¡¯s impossible to progress that fast. Fang Lan: You¡¯re still not satisfied? You guys made it onto the leaderboard at the lowest level. Lu Ran chuckled: Really? Now that I think about it, we couldn¡¯t have ranked much higher. We relied on supernatural weapons to fight above our level, which is essentially external help, so we should lose some points for that. I remember the divine beast leaderboard is based on the shining points of battle records to judge a pet beast¡¯s potential, right? General Ha must have made it because it grasped the energy release technique in just two days, which is the key factor. Fang Lan: So you guys did use a sword-type weapon, huh? People here at Beastmaster Square are saying the same, pfft! They¡¯re calling you unorthodox and shy. Lu Ran: Don¡¯t mind them. Did you forget the beast taming skill super beast mimicry I told you about? I didn¡¯t want to learn from Erha, so I had General Ha learn from me¡­ You forgot, when I was learning swordsmanship at the dojo, master called me a super genius! It¡¯s just unfortunate thatter I got into shooting, and after learning swordsmanship for two and a half years, I didn¡¯t continue. Fang Lan: Not wanting to learn from General Ha¡­ Why do I feel like you¡¯re acting more like it than anyone? Teaching a dog swordsmanship is just too much. Lu Ran: ??? He didn¡¯t want to deal with Fang Lan anymore. Right, where was General Ha? Lu Ran hadn¡¯t noticed any movement from General Ha for a while. He turned his head and saw General Ha looking dejected, lying in the corner, drawing circles with its paw, muttering about being only tenth and at the bottom of the divine beast leaderboard, remembering this grudge¡­ Lu Ran sweated. What, do you want to tear down the divine beast leaderboard one day? Chapter 33: Devilish Special Training Chapter 33: Devilish Special Training The grass sprite cat is an excellent opponent. Choosing it as the target for special training is perfect for General Ha, as personal grudges spur motivation. Before ending themunication with Fang Lan, Lu Ran mentioned that he might spend some time in Infinite City to specially train General Ha and wouldn¡¯t return to Green Sea City. After all, teleporting back and forth costs crystal coins. The underlying message was¡­ to once again ask Fang Lan to deal with the pressure from his godparents. Having conveyed this, Lu Rany down on his bed in his private room, nning to rest for a while. He rubbed his temples and started to think seriously about General Ha¡¯s enhancement training. First, there are five major methods of energy application: ovey, release, flow,pression, shaping¡­ General Ha has already mastered the first two, even achieving a more advanced technique in ovey, external wrapping. Next, practicing energy ovey could just follow the routine daily training. It can bebined with physical and reaction training. Observing General Ha¡¯s recent battles, Lu Ran noticed that when wind-type energy ovey was applied to him, his speed increased dramatically, earning him the nickname ¡°Wind Speed Hound,¡± though ¡°Frenzied Speed Hound¡± might also apply due to the sheer velocity. In this state, General Ha could charge straight with no issue, but even slight terrain obstacles would limit his speed.Therefore, one part of the ovey training would be to improve General Ha¡¯s agility inplex terrains while he¡¯s in a wind-speed state. As for release techniques. General Ha has just grasped sword qi, and Lu Ran has also spotted the drawbacks of this move. One, it¡¯s too draining. There¡¯s no way around this, as release-type skills naturally decay once they leave the body. Without sufficient initial power, the force quickly dissipates. This can only be solved by improving the skill level or growth level. Two, the attack pattern is too rigid, a straight line. Sword qi is like a crescent-shaped white wind de, about a meter in length, surrounded by some turbulent airflows, capable of a bit of AoE damage, but not much. Although it¡¯s not slow, the time required for release and flight makes it rtively easy to dodge. For slower-moving animals like elephants, sword qi could likely hit its mark, but with agile creatures such as cats,nding a hit from a distance is challenging. Against birds of prey, the likelihood of hitting them with sword qi would probably be even less. To address this issue, Lu Ran thought of two methods. One method, akin to advancing energy release techniques, just as there are advanced techniques for energy ovey, there are also higher stages for energy release¡ªthe second stage involves the maniption of energy once it has left the body. This means if General Ha¡¯s energy release reached the next level, he could control the trajectory of the sword qi even after it¡¯s released, allowing it to turn up, down, left, or right, thus increasing its hit rate! Much like a sort of sword-controlling technique! But that¡­ frankly speaking, is a bit difficult. The Basic Beast Taming Handbook only briefly mentions it and doesn¡¯t provide a detailed introduction, clearly not considering it a ¡°basic¡± skill. Another approach Lu Ran considered was for General Ha to learn the energy flow technique. Once General Ha grasped this skill, the process of charging and condensing sword qi would approach instantaneity. Besides, it would allow him to release two or three sword qi in rapid session, almost without any interval. In doing so, the firepower suppression would effectively reduce the enemy¡¯s chances of evasion, though it would consume more energy. ¡°So, the short-term training goal will revolve around ¡®agility training¡¯ and ¡®energy flow technique¡¯.¡± ¡°Once General Ha masters energy flow, we¡¯ll train the precision of his sword qi. Prepare some stones; I¡¯ll throw them and have him attack moving targets.¡± ¡°As for shaping andpression, those are lower priorities for now. We¡¯ll address them once General Ha is familiar with the currentbat methods¡­¡± As Lu Ran mused, he drifted off to sleep, and as for General Ha¡­ he had fallen asleep even earlier, having expended a considerable amount of energy. However, General Ha woke up earlier than Lu Ran. Lu Ran was awakened by the licking. ¡°Arf woo!!!¡± When Lu Ran opened his eyes, he saw General Ha wagging his tail beside him, tongue lolling out, and his bright blue eyes full of life. ¡°Woof!¡± Training! Training! Even his tuft of hair seemed animated. ¡°You sure are eager,¡± Lu Ran said with a headache. Could he not wake up naturally? Damn it. ¡°I have a fast-track method you might want to try,¡± Boss Lu said kindly to General Ha. ¡°It will let you directly experience the state of high-speed energy flow. Entering this state might cause some considerable strain, but we¡¯ve got the charged divine deer pendant¡­ After that, you¡¯ll deeplyprehend this state, and with your learning capability, you might just master it on the spot.¡± ¡°Arf?¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing there was a shortcut. It nodded frantically, willing to give it a try. What¡¯s a little injury to it? Its body memory told it that injury was the least of its worries. After all, it could be healed. Boss Lu is great, knowing that snowfield dogs don¡¯t like to wait ten years for revenge¡ªthey prefer the fast track. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s give it a try then,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. He had read through the introduction of flowfruit and the feedback from buyers in detail. Normally, if consumed, a low-level pet beast treated with ordinary herbs would need to lie down for at least half a month to a month. It could be said that the side effects of this forbidden fruit were quite severe. Hoping thatbined with the divine deer pendant, this self-harming training method would bring them some surprises. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the training secret realm.¡± ¡­ Activate training secret realm? Opening training secret realm: 1 crystal coin/day Yes. After a silent exchange, a white light enveloped Lu Ran and General Ha. When they came to their senses and looked around, they found themselves in a ce with a beautiful environment. ¡°This 1 crystal coin was well spent.¡± Lu Ran felt the breeze, looked up at the rare blue sky, and basked in the warm sunlight, taking a deep breath. Around them, there were green grass, stony ground, and evenkes, the scenery was exceptionally beautiful. Compared to the training ground, he felt this ce was more like a perfect spot for a rxing noon-time nap. Next time, he could bring some props, barbecue here, drink some soda, and enjoy a pleasant afternoon. ¡°Woof!¡± Beside him, General Ha also shook its body and looked around. Arriving in such a spacious environment with nice scenery seemed to lift its spirits. General Ha looked towards Lu Ran. Lu Ran looked back at it and took out the flowfruit. The flowfruit, entirely pink in color, looked like cherry blossom petals turned into fruit, stunningly attractive. However, behind its vibrant appearancey a torrent of ferocious energy. In the wild, this type of fruit is lethal to animals that consume it. While it can temporarily enhance their strength, wild creaturesck proper healing methods. After the burst of power, the severely injured animals would lie helplessly for a long time, inevitably leading to their demise. Only pet beasts under the care of a beastmaster could dare to try using this fruit as a key method for explosive power enhancement. ¡°Here.¡± Lu Ran tossed the flowfruit. ¡°Argh!¡± General Ha caught it in one bite and was about to swallow. ¡°Stop! Chew it slowly,¡± Lu Ran snapped, sounding like a mother scolding her children. It seemed that not only did General Ha not hold grudges overnight, but it had also forgotten the near-choking incident from thest time it hastily ate a wind-type fruit. And now, it was once again too eager to swallow. Even if the fruit was enticing, couldn¡¯t it be eaten one bite at a time? Lu Ran certainly did not want others to know that his divine beast choked to death. ¡°Awu,¡± General Ha looked aggrieved. Still, it followed Lu Ran¡¯smand and chewed the fruit slowly before swallowing. Then¡­ Lu Ran had already prepared the divine deer pendant, ready for what was toe. One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­ General Ha stood still, waiting for the transformation to take ce in its body. About five secondster, the expression on General Ha¡¯s face changed dramatically. Its blue eyes gradually lit up with red glimmers. It might have been an illusion, but even its muscles seemed to have grown in size. ¡°Hm?¡± Seeing the change in General Ha¡¯s eyes, Lu Ran was startled, almost thinking it was about to enter the berserk state of frenzy it had before, where it recognized no one. But fortunately¡­ ¡°Awu¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± With a roar from General Ha, a vast surge of energy burst forth from within. Boom! The force of the sky, transitioning from white to blue, erupted like mes from General Ha¡¯s body, extending over a meter above! Then, the violent energy contracted and wrapped entirely around General Ha¡¯s body. Lu Ran watched in amazement. Because the energy ovey that was now covering General Ha was significantly different from the energy ovey it had mastered before! If before General Ha simply had a faint halo wrapped around its body¡­ Now, General Ha looked like it was cloaked in a coat of energy that was in a constant state of rapid flow! As if in a gxy where energy ceaselessly streamed over General Ha, its fur rose and fell rhythmically, as if buffeted by a perpetual hurricane. How cool! ¡°Errrwooo!!!¡± But at this moment, Lu Ran could tell that General Ha was struggling. It tensed its body, trying to suppress the wild power inside. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Woo!¡± General Ha indicated that it wasn¡¯t in pain¡ªthis power was exhrating! The overload had triggered a frequency of energy operation within its body, leading to a perfect enhancement of offense, defense, and speed. The only issue¡­ where to release it? It was about to lose control. It looked towards Lu Ran¡ªit couldn¡¯t expect Lu Ran to be its sparring partner again, could it? ¡°Uh¡­ Are you trying to kill me?¡± Lu Ran nced around. ¡°This Training Secret Realm, since we¡¯re paying to rent it, should repair itself, right? Go ahead and tear it up.¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up, as if its nature had been unleashed, and it roared to the sky. Momentster. All that could be said was that a cheap Training Secret Realm is just that¡ªcheap. It didn¡¯t take long before the ce was in shambles, resembling a battlefield. And at this moment, General Ha still wasn¡¯t satisfied. Even with no enemy in this state, it was seeing red¡ªno enemies? Then the Training Secret Realm itself was the enemy! A speed that could shatter the stone ground with a sprint, a strength that could rend stones with a swipe of its ws, a continuous output that could flip the grass with a single breath!!! At this time, General Ha hadpletely gone mad. Witnessing this terrifying strength in General Ha, Lu Ran felt that with this state, if he paired it with the Wind Meteor Sword, it could probably sh with that Grass Sprite Cat¡ªalthough, admittedly, it was under the influence of the flowfruit¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± General Ha grew more and more excited, but soon, Lu Ran sensed something wrong. When he first saw General Ha¡¯s red eyes, the thing he feared the most was happening¡ªmidway through its rampage, General Ha seemed to lose its reason, its pupils filled only with the desire to fight and kill. Seeing this, Lu Ran¡¯s heart chilled. Was it the bacsh from the flowfruit that had triggered the switch for General Ha¡¯s Mad Dog State? ¡°General Ha!!!¡± Seeing the situation, to prevent General Ha¡¯s rampage, Lu Ran bellowed loudly, and with telepathy fully unleashed, his call echoed like a resonating loudspeaker, reverberating within General Ha¡¯s heart. ¡°Wuu??¡± As Lu Ran shouted, rity returned to General Ha¡¯s eyes, which showed a hint of confusion. At the same time, the coat of rapidly flowing energy dissipated from its body. What followed was a terrifying pain that enveloped its entire body, including the internal organs and even the marrow of its bones!!! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± rity in General Ha¡¯s eyes was reced by terror, and it howled to the sky in agony. What kind of devilish training was this! A wave of weakness overcame it, causing it to wobble and copse onto the ground, looking pitifully towards Boss Lu¡­ Lu¡­ Ran¡­ ¡°I told you, it has a strong aftereffect¡­¡± Lu Ran immediately used the Divine Deer Pendant he had prepared to heal General Ha, but just then, something unexpected urred. General Ha¡¯s Contract Card, underwent another change. Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Wind-type Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 5 Skill: Sword Qi General Ha leveled up! Could flowfruit also be used as experience candy? Chapter 34: Spiders and Dogs Chapter 34: Spiders and Dogs After the disy of strength by General Ha, who had just been lying on the ground like a dead dog,pletely incapacitated. However, it must be said, the Divine Deer Pendant was indeed trustworthy. Bathed in the golden-green glow, General Ha, who had been too pained to even scream, underwent a rapid and intense change of expression. First clenching his teeth, then rxing, and following that, a blissful intoxication as if floating towards the heavens. A few secondster, General Ha¡¯s paw twitched, followed by his ear, and finally, he sprang to his feet, lively as a dragon, his expression excited. Full revival! General Ha jubntly leapt into a tail dance, wagging his tail back and forth¡ªa truly fine spectacle. In the future, before battle, he would surely need to consume a Flowfruit! Lu Ran, reassured by the Divine Deer Pendant, said, ¡°All you think about is eating, and it costs crystal coins! Can¡¯t you give some usage feedback? So, how do you feel, that sensation just now¡­ did you remember it?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha frowned, closed his eyes, and carefully recalled the experience. Hmm¡­It felt like the sensation of being bathed and then blown dry. In the next instant, a sky-blue energy fluorescence enveloped General Ha. Then, a remarkable scene unfolded: the energy began to tremble, growing more violent, and in a sh, it transformed into a gale. Just like the energy coat from moments ago, it streamed over General Ha¡¯s body! General Ha suddenly opened his azure eyes, energy flow techniqueplete! Lu Ran: ? Meanwhile. General Ha¡¯s contract card, which had undergone changes due to the level up, changed once again! Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Wind Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 5 Skills: Gale (a basic wind-type skill where wind energy flows rapidly over the body, enhancing the speed of attacks, movement, and skill release), Sword Qi ¡°Holy smokes, General Ha! You really are my good boy!¡± Seeing General Ha¡¯s disy and observing the changes in the contract card, Lu Ran was taken aback and then overjoyed. He finally understood why his teachers adored him so much. Because he was a genius, exceedingly smart, and capable of learning anything! Now, Lu Ran understood the feelings of those school teachers; General Ha was just the same, capable of learning anything he wanted it to. The feeling was simply too exhrating. In Lu Ran¡¯s view, a strong learning ability was far morefortable than a pet beast¡¯s innate strength. ¡°Awoo~~¡± General Ha showed an expression of wisdom. Was there anything difficult for it? However, the next moment, General Ha¡¯s wise expression turned into one of sheer terror because Lu Ran hugged its dog head and nted a kiss on it. ¡°Wang wang wang wang!!¡± General Ha struggled free. ¡°Not bad, keep it up!¡± Lu Ran was excited. Very good, Gale, Sword Qi¡ªGeneral Ha now had a total of two basic skills, one stemming from the energy flow technique, the other from the Wind Meteor Sword and energy release technique¡­ When these two basic skills werebined, they should amount to an advanced skill, right? Continuous Sword Qi¡­ Gale Sword Qi, perhaps? Lu Ran stroked his chin and looked at General Ha, saying, ¡°Take a break, we¡¯ll do moving target trainingter to hone the precision of your Sword Qi.¡± ¡°Awoo!¡± General Ha was indifferent, wasn¡¯t this just like catching a frisbee? Essentially the same thing, right? And so, a weekter! A week¡¯s time was undoubtedly fulfilling yet monotonous for Lu Ran and General Ha. But without a doubt, they had undergone a transformation! First off, General Ha¡¯s growth level had reached level 6! The reason General Ha had so quickly reached level 5, Lu Ran figured, must have been thebined effort of the ¡°Wind-type Fruit¡± and the ¡°Flowfruit.¡± The Flowfruit seemed capable of quickly stimting some unactivated potential, converting it into growth attributes, deriving from the daily intake of food resources. In one week¡¯s time, with a week of top-notch foodbined with four Flowfruits, General Ha¡¯s level advancement was impressive, reaching level 6 on the fifth day! Although it hadn¡¯t caught up with the first tier of the fourth-generation beastmasters, it was close. After reaching level 6, its physique became stronger, and it generated more wind energy within its body. Most importantly, its appearance became more handsome, increasingly resembling a wolf, suggesting that General Ha¡¯s bloodline was quite pure. After consuming five Flowfruits, General Ha gained a deeper understanding of the energy flow technique. Unlike other wind pets that employ Gale, General Ha could induce a more ferocious Gale that it could control, and the only cost was a bit of damage! Aside from that, there wasn¡¯t much else. While General Ha had a good aptitude for shaping andpression skills, Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush to teach it these. Instead, he focused on having it perfect its energy flow and release skills. Jack of all trades, master of none. For seven days, General Ha¡¯s routine involved first wreaking havoc in a part of the training secret realm, leaving it in disarray withplex terrain, and then undertaking agility training with Gale sprints through this challengingndscape. Next, Lu Ran would forcefully throw pebbles to create moving targets to train General Ha¡¯s precision with Sword Qi. After a week, General Ha had made significant improvements in its use of Gale and Sword Qi, at least to Lu Ran¡¯s great satisfaction. During that week, Lu Ran also led a reclusive life, or it might be said he hardly went out at all, taking care of eating and drinking in his private room, because he too was engrossed in training. While General Ha worked hard, Lu Ran was not idle either, continually improving his own physical condition by mimicking General Ha. Previously, the limited time didn¡¯t show much effect, but after a week of umtion, Lu Ran¡¯s physical condition had doubled. The stones he threw could easily reach a distance of two to three hundred meters, and their speed in flight was astonishing. With a light jump, he could break the world record for height, and the power of his punch could likely kill a cow! With the Wind Cutter Sword in hand, Lu Ran could enter a very special state where his vital energy could be highly concentrated, his aura dramatically changed, and even General Ha, when holding the sword in its mouth and sparring with Lu Ran, would look extremely solemn, as if Lu Ran had transformed into a fierce beast, making it quite wary. This made Lu Ran feel as though he had entered the beginner stage of his Super Beast Mimicry, and that in the future, in the secret realm, he would be better able to protect himself. However, these were not Lu Ran¡¯s greatest achievements. The greatest gain for Lu Ran was the progress on the development of Super Beast Mimicry 2.0, which he had been contemting. Using telepathy, Lu Ran mimicked Super Beast Mimicry and persistently transferred his newfound insights to General Ha. It seemed General Ha also began to ponder the ability simr to ¡°swordsmanship momentum¡± that Lu Ran had mastered¡ªa manifestation of spirit and mental will. Swordsmanship momentum is when a swordsman, wielding a precious de, exhibits an aura, morale, and energy field through the variations in sword moves. This momentum is a tangible presence, particrlymon in certain upations. For example, a fierce bandit¡¯s mere nce can instill fear in others¡ªthis is an immature disy of momentum. Lu Ran¡¯s master, who taught him swordsmanship, once said that in the past, many grandmasters of swordsmanship could cultivate this momentum. However, in modern times, there are very few who possess it. Lu Ran had asked his master if he had mastered it. The master only smiled, encouraged Lu Ran to work hard, and mentioned that with Lu Ran¡¯s talent, it might be possible for him to master it in the future. Then, in the blink of an eye, Lu Ran went off to vacation in Hawaii with his father and took up shooting, much to the old man¡¯s chagrin. Therefore, Lu Ran wondered if his study of Super Beast Mimicry, which gradually made his aura more akin to that of a fierce beast,bined with his sword moves, had led him to a state of Beast Sword Momentum? Whether it was true or not was no longer important¡ªit was a good thing, as his strength had increased. ¡°That¡¯s enough for today!¡± After an intense sparring session with General Ha, Lu Ran dropped the Wind Cutter Sword and shook out his numb palms. ¡°Ow.¡± General Ha nodded in agreement. The sparring with General Ha was for the purpose of training it in force control since a careless move could injure Lu Ran, which meant General Ha had to be exceptionally careful¡­ focusing at 200%. In other words, at that moment, General Ha was essentially Lu Ran¡¯s punching bag. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we need to buy some food.¡± Lu Ran left the training secret realm with General Ha, nning to make a trip outside. Because¡­ they had run out of food, and he intended to restock. Despite initially purchasing half a month¡¯s worth of food for General Ha, it was nearly gone in just a week. The reason was simple: when General Ha was eating, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t resist trying a bite and found it surprisingly tasty. To better mimic General Ha and develop super beast mimicry, Lu Ran started eating the same food as General Ha. It was more convenient for him, and it served a dual purpose¡ªno need to look for his own food. Could this also be a reason why his super beast mimicry was progressing well? What the pet beast eats, the beastmaster eats! They eat together, sleep together, bathe together, and train together! Apart from actually lying down in an Erha mascot costume to learn from General Ha, Lu Ran had done everything he could. He felt that if he took that step, even General Ha might look at him with a weird gaze. He couldn¡¯t afford to lose that much face. ¡­ Pig Raiser: Passerby A, are you there? Before heading out, Lu Ran nced at hismunication device. These days, his grudge-bearing sister Fang Lan had been handling his external affairs, and they had been in frequent contact. One lived in the arena, and the other toiled in the training secret realm¡ªtwo entirely different styles. Passerby A: What¡¯s up? Lu Ran remembered that thest time he chatted with Pig Raiser was when General Ha made it onto the leaderboard. Pig Raiser: Um¡­ I have my guild assessment the day after tomorrow. Could you be my sparring partner for the fight? I¡¯m willing to pay with crystal coins. Pig Raiser¡¯s idea was simple: Lu Ran was a big shot who had been on the divine beast leaderboard and was close to his level, making him the perfect sparring partner. Why not find an opponent in the arena? Lu Ran suggested. Recently, there haven¡¯t been many people in the neer section of the arena. There¡¯s this Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden who hangs out there, and she¡¯s fierce. I¡¯ve had bad luck, getting matched with her twice, and each time my pigs got poisoned and copsed. Afterwards, I had to buy not only healing potions but also antidotes. The losses were heavy, and many neers, like me, don¡¯t want to go there. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Huh? Is she that strong? Lu Ran was curious. Pig Raiser, panicked: Very strong. She¡¯s the one who pushed you off the divine beast leaderboard. Didn¡¯t you know? She¡¯s now ranked sixth. Even pet beasts ranked higher than her spider can¡¯t withstand her poison. Anyway, fighting her is pointless, especially since poison-type pet beasts won¡¯t be used in the guild assessment. Lu Ran chuckled. He was aware of this; Fang Lan had ousted him from the divine beast leaderboard not long ago. She had evene to brag about it, but at the time, Lu Ran was wholly focused on his training. Moreover, with some time left before the leaderboard was finalized, he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the ranking. However, that poison maiden has climbed to sixth ce already? It seems that I have underestimated that mutant wolf spider. Lu Ran: Heh, so you can¡¯t beat a spider, and now you want to challenge my Erha¡­ If you can¡¯t beat that either, wouldn¡¯t your wild boars be even worse than a spider or dog? Pig Raiser: ??? Why hadn¡¯t he noticed before that Passerby A had such a sharp tongue? So, on top of losing, he¡¯d have to endure being roasted with idioms too, huh? Chapter 35: The Pig Raisers Offering Chapter 35: The Pig Raisers Offering In the end, Lu Ran asked the Pig Raiser to wait for him at the arena. The two of them were fated to meet, and after General Ha¡¯s special training for so long, a whetstone for his skills was indeed needed. An opponent of the rock-type, renowned for their defense, was a challenge he and General Ha had yet to face inbat. Considering that wild boars are also known for their tough skin and dense flesh, this encounter would serve as a prelude to gaining experience against rock-type creatures. This time, Lu Ran didn¡¯t n to have General Ha equipped with the Wind Meteor Sword for the fight¡­ He intended to see if General Ha could break through the enemy¡¯s defense on his own. If he couldn¡¯t, and the damage inflicted wasn¡¯t significant, that would indicate that the next phase of training should focus on energypression techniques. Pig Raiser: Thank you, big shot. See you at the arena! At this moment, Lu Ran left his private room. Instead of heading straight for the arena, he first went to Beastmaster Square to stock up on food resources. The food was the same old variety, and as for Flowfruit, Lu Ran didn¡¯t buy any more.Initially, he had thought of using Flowfruit as a trump card for him and General Ha to conquer the secret realm, but who knew, with just five Flowfruits consumed during routine training, General Ha managed to master that fierce energy flow state on his own¡­ Why bother with more then? In the future, he might consider looking for simr resources with even stronger effects¡­ Just because General Ha likes them. Definitely not because it makes training easier. After purchasing the ingredients, Lu Ran was ready to head to the arena, but on a whim, he ended up at the center of the square, ncing at the Divine Beast Leaderboard. After a week of development, the leaderboard had undergone a major transformation. The ck bear that was once the first on the list had now been pushed down to tenth. And Fang Lan, that fellow, was indeed holding the sixth spot! Leaderboard Divine Beast, Species: Wolf Spider. Attribute: Poison Species Level: Upper Supernatural Growth Level: Level 5 Beastmaster: Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved from an aberrant Daxia Wolf Spider. A formidable species with a powerful awakening of toxic abilities, overwhelming a Level 8 Tuo of the upper supernatural species in the arena by poisoning it within three seconds at Level 3! ¡°Amazing, truly amazing,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but admire upon seeing Fang Lan¡¯s achievements. The value of her aplishments was indeed substantial. Initially, General Ha had indeed ovee a level 4, but it was just a middle supernatural grass sprite cat, and that too with the help of a weapon. As for Fang Lan¡¯s opponent¡­ Tuo, Lu Ran pondered for a moment, this species should be the Pig Dragon, right? Its modern scientific name is the Yangtze Crocodile. Huh, with the increase in the number of beastmasters, all sorts of odd pet beasts have emerged. Lu Ran remembered that he seemed to have seen online images of crocodiles dressed in maid costumes? Quite yful. Not letting them be beastmasters would be such a waste of talent¡­ Lu Ran continued to look and found that currently on the divine beast leaderboard, the lowest species level was the ninth ce, which evolved from a ¡°macaque¡± pet beast, the same as General Ha, at the middle supernatural level. The leaderboard¡¯s assessment of it was also its astonishing aptitude, oveing levels inbat through the mastery of fire-type skills it had learned. ¡°Monkeys, quite clever animals. Could it be that the learning aptitude of pet beasts is rted to their intelligence level before the contract?¡± The intelligence level of canines is quite decent in the animal kingdom, and moreover, General Ha had spent over a year with Lu Ran. During that year, Lu Ran had taught it many things. Perhaps this early stage of learning and polishing also contributed to some of General Ha¡¯s post-evolution learning capabilities. However, what surprised Lu Ran the most at this moment was actually the divine beast in third ce on the leaderboard, even more so than the first ce. The top divine beast was a level 9 eagle, a thunder-type raptor known for its destructive power, and its ability to fly added many highlights to itsbat performance. The second ce was the previously mentioned Manchurian Tiger, which also advanced from level 7 to level 9. But the third ce was just a turtle, and the reason for its leaderboard ranking was that it sustained only minor injuries after withstanding an attack from a lowermander species creature at level 10 while being at level 8. ¡°Fang Lan seemed to have mentioned this turtle to me, in the game world, isn¡¯t this just like a front-line tank, specially designed to absorb damage? Getting on the leaderboard just by taking a beating¡­ seems fair.¡± ¡°Now General Ha, with abination of various weapons and props, should have the strength to deal with a grass sprite cat leader, but I wonder what rank it would achieve after oveing the cat leader?¡± Lu Ran nned to give it a try when he returned. Mainly because this time he directly purchased a month¡¯s worth of food, spending quite a lot of crystal coins¡­ The crystal coins in hand were running low, and it was time to delve into the secret realm to earn some money. Originally, with the several houses and an eight-figure savings left by his parents, plus the continuing dividends from research patents, Lu Ran thought he would never have to worry about money in his lifetime¡­ But then, Infinite City went ahead and overturned the traditional currency system in favor of crystal coins, and he had to start earning all over again. With the thought of needing to make money, Lu Ran made his way to the outside of the arena. The appearance of the Infinite City arena was reminiscent of an ancient Roman Colosseum. From an aerial view, it was oval-shaped, constructed entirely of stone. Lu Ran hadn¡¯t even approached when he already sensed the scent of blood in the air, and the arena¡¯s style of ruined walls made the ce seem particrly fierce and terrifying. ¡°Ha ha ha ha, won today, earned 200 crystal coins, let¡¯s go to the tavern. I haven¡¯t had meat in so long.¡± ¡°Damn it, I lostpletely, I¡¯m never betting again!¡± ¡°In Beast Taming battles, being weak is the original sin.¡± ¡°Today in area two, there was a beastmaster with a fox pet beast, clean and pretty¡­ I¡¯m talking about the fox, of course.¡± As Lu Ran approached, he heard various conversations. The crowd at the arena wasn¡¯trge, but there were still about a hundred people around. ¡°Over here!¡± Pig Raiser spotted him as soon as he arrived and called out from afar. Soon, the two met up. Pig Raiser said cheerfully, ¡°I¡¯ll go open an exclusivebat room; let¡¯s have a good fight.¡± The Infinite City arena is divided into the mainbat area and exclusivebat rooms. The former is only avable for beastmasters who are doing random matches or for somerge-scalepetitive events. In the main area, spectators on the walls can view the entire battle. As for the exclusivebat rooms, it¡¯s like two people opening a private room. They enter the underground dungeon of the arena, where there is a separatebat area. Fang Lan is currently active in the main area, fighting in matches every day. If the battling parties have a wager, the winner can earn crystal coins, which is also a way to make money. However, after a powerful beastmaster shows a certain level of skill, basically no one is foolish enough to bet against them. ¡°Let¡¯s go, but I don¡¯t have much time,¡± Lu Ran said in response. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Pig Raiser despaired, ¡°Actually, I found out that the examiner responsible for my guild assessment has a wind-type pet beast¡­ So, I want to do somest-minute intensive practice today.¡± ¡°Could you¡­ could you spar with me for a while longer? I¡¯ll pay 10 crystal coins per hour, and I¡¯ll cover all the healing and arena fees!¡± Pig Raiser said through gritted teeth. His pet beast¡¯s movements were a bit slowpared to wind-type creatures¡­ He had to quickly adapt to fighting against wind-type pet beasts. Lu Ran felt a headacheing on when suddenly, Pig Raiser seemed to remember something, ¡°Right, I¡¯ll add this too, this is for you.¡± ¡°What is it, postnatal care for a sow? I don¡¯t want that.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that!¡± Pig Raiser¡¯s face turned red. If it¡¯s not that then why is your face red¡­ Lu Ran thought, feeling puzzled. As he spoke, Pig Raiser pulled an item out of his spatial backpack. It was a green leaf. Lu Ran looked it over. Name: Awakening Leaf Level: Advanced Introduction: After consumption, there¡¯s a certain chance to evolve an ordinary creature into a supernatural one. ¡°This is something I got in the secret realm. It¡¯s not very valuable and hard to sell, so I¡¯ll give it to you.¡± Lu Ran: ? What kind of talk is that. Shouldn¡¯t you be saying ¡°it¡¯s very valuable, super rare¡±? By saying that, it makes me and General Ha seem cheap¡­ Never mind¡­ Those of us from the countryside are just honest¡­ Lu Ran resigned himself. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll spar with you for a while longer. Forget the crystal coins, you must be short on them as well. I¡¯ll take the leaf, and if you pass the assessment, just treat me to a big meal.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Pig Raiser¡¯s eyes lit up, what a good person! With that, he handed the Awakening Leaf to Lu Ran, saying, ¡°I¡¯ve inquired about it. The Awakening Leaf is actually what some beastmasters use to screen pet beasts¡¯ aptitudes. In reality, when selecting a second or third pet beast, they first feed the target an Awakening Leaf. If it evolves into a supernatural creature, it indicates good aptitude. If it doesn¡¯t evolve, it shows the aptitude isn¡¯t high, not suitable for a contract.¡± ¡°Furthermore, if the creature¡¯s species level after awakening is high, then contracting it is definitely the right choice. If the species level after awakening is ordinary, then it¡¯s up to the beastmaster¡¯s own expectations to make the next decision.¡± ¡°Doing this ensures that you pick the strongest second pet beast, but it requires a vast amount of awakening leaves¡­ There was a time when many beastmasters would challenge the secret realms that drop awakening leaves.¡± ¡°However,ter on, it seems that higher-level secret realms had more stable alternatives, which led to the awakening leaf falling out of favor in the market, and no one went to farm them anymore. I don¡¯t n on raising a second pet beast for the time being, but if you, big shot, have a need, you could take this and try your luck¡­¡± ¡°Although the chances are small¡­¡± Pig Raiser did his best to introduce the item, but when he thought about the probability, he awkwardly scratched his head in embarrassment. He was strapped for cash and couldn¡¯t offer anything better. Just as he had said, this item had been phased out by the market. ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯m actually quite interested in this,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at the awakening leaf. He hadn¡¯t known about such a resource before. ¡°Which secret realm did you get it from?¡± ¡°A simple-level novice secret realm, Awakening Ind. Some other intern members of the guild asked me to team up with them, and I got this as a clearance reward,¡± Pig Raiser exined. Lu Ran made a mental note of the name of this secret realm; it did ring a bell. Originally, he had put the matter of acquiring a second pet beast on the back burner, waiting until General Ha reached level 10 and cleared the breakthrough secret realm before he could get the second contract card. However, this awakening leaf sparked his interest ¨C it¡¯s a tool for selecting the aptitude of a second pet beast¡­ He felt he could do this in advance, as who wouldn¡¯t want their pet beast to have better natural talent? As the king of the wild animal world in Green Sea City, he knew too many animals ¨C the Bug King, the crow that understood human nature, the stray cat boss with high-level thieving and fishing skills, the old turtle in the river that had lived for a long time¡­ Later on, he could just casually farm some awakening leaves to feed them, and see which one had the highest aptitude to pick as his second pet beast, which seemed like a good n, right? Only¡­ Mass-producing supernatural beings would be akin to forming a private army. Damn, that¡¯s hardcore. Could he end up being arrested by the police? Chapter 36: The Higher the Wind, The Higher the Pig Flies Chapter 36: The Higher the Wind, The Higher the Pig Flies Location: Infinite City arena, an underground exclusivebat room. The Pig Raiser and the Dog Raiser had just been teleported here. The room was spacious, resembling an open-air tennis court, with a huge square of gray terrain serving as the battleground. There was also an ample green area around the edges where beastmasters could stand andmand. ¡°Do we have to fight each other?¡± Lu Ran asked the Pig Raiser after arriving, seemingly eager to try. Watching General Ha fight was one thing, but he had never been interested in beast taming PvP¡­ ¡°Ah?¡± The Pig Raiser was momentarily confused. ¡°There are two schools of beastmasters. The first one uses their own energy to strengthen their pet beasts; the second one uses the power of their pet beasts to strengthen themselves.¡± ¡°The former is purely about letting the pet beast fight, protecting oneself, while thetter involves going into battle as well. Which school do you belong to?¡± ¡°But you probably don¡¯t have a beast taming skill yet, so you haven¡¯t made a choice. What are the Star Cluster guild¡¯s assessment requirements?¡± ¡°Wait, wait! The Star Cluster guild¡¯s assessment seems to be just letting the pet beasts duel¡­ I¡¯d rather not personally get involved,¡± the Pig Raiser stepped back, waving his hands. Lu Ran frowned, saying, ¡°You seem to have good reflexes, though.¡±The Pig Raiser resisted: ¡°The seniors in the guild say, with the first school, if the pet beast encounters an ident, the beastmaster only suffers a certain bacsh, not death. But with the second school, if the beastmaster dies, it¡¯s all over. I heard the casualty rate for beastmasters of the second school is several times higher than the first¡­¡± ¡°Although the beastmaster bes stronger, the survival rate isn¡¯t improved at all. The seniors warn to never choose the second school, saying only fools would¡­¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯re not nning to follow the second school in the future, to fight alongside your pet beast, are you?!¡± The Pig Raiser¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Uh, no.¡± Lu Ran scratched his cheek, his revealed beast taming skill just happened to be from the second school, so he had no choice for the moment. Beastmasters of the second school are stronger but have a higher mortality rate¡­ Interesting. It must be because they overestimate their own strength and court death. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Pig Raiser sighed. ¡°I do admire those ancient warriors who rode their steeds into battle across the sands, but it¡¯s really too dangerous.¡± ¡°Most of use from non-professional backgrounds,cking formal training. Rushing intobat recklessly, idents are likely to happen. I feel that the cavalry from the grasnds might be well suited to this kind of side-by-sidebat with pet beasts.¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s another upation,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Hunters.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, holding the contract card, and summoned General Ha. On the field, a circr summoning circle appeared, bursting with brilliant light. ¡°Awooo~~~¡± A wolf-shaped pet beast descended. ¡°My ancestors were hunters, often working with hunting dogs to hunt species like wild boars that damage crops.¡± Pig Raiser: ?? He also took out a contract card, starting the summoning process for the wild boar. ¡°This pig of mine is not your average pig!¡± Pig Raiser said seriously, wiping the sweat off his nose with his arm as he summoned. Lu Ran had given him considerable pressure, after all, Lu Ran had been on the Divine Beast Leaderboard. However, if he could win, that would be best. Pig Raiser didn¡¯t want to see himself as inferior. ¡°Snort!!!¡± With a burst of light, a two-meter-long wild boar with long tusks and a body covered in earthy brown fur appeared! A pig and a dog stood in front of the beastmaster, eyeing each other up. Foes meeting each other, their eyes burned with animosity. This time, General Ha hadn¡¯t forgotten the grudge from theirst encounter. Seven days before, it had shown a desire to fight this wild boar, which had disdainfully nced back¡­ ¡°Errrwooo¡ª¡± General Ha growled, infuriated. ¡°Snort!¡± The wild boar swung its tail, its gaze heavy, seriously fixing its eyes on General Ha, this time without any contempt. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to use a sword? When you challenge the secret realm, don¡¯t you use sword-type weapons?¡± Pig Raiser asked. Lu Ran: ¡°External forces are unnecessary, fighting normally is fine.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Pig Raiser said. ¡°Now our problem is, after the rock-type energy ovey is applied to it, its defense is very strong, but whenpared to wind-type pet beasts, its speed and attack agility are not advantageous.¡± ¡°So, I want to see in a real fight if there is any effective way to counter opponents with high speed,¡± Pig Raiser said. ¡°That means I just let my Erha use its speed advantage and battle against you all, right?¡± Lu Ran added. ¡°Yep,¡± nodded Pig Raiser. ¡°Okay, General Ha, enter the gale state,¡± Lu Ran snapped his fingers. ¡°Woof!¡± In the next moment, sky-blue energy began to surface on General Ha¡¯s body, and this energy slowly started to flow¡­ Seeing this, Pig Raiser¡¯s expression instantly turned serious. Wind-type basic skill, gale?! In just seven short days, had Passerby A and the others learned a new skill??? At this stage, pet beasts below level 10 actually didn¡¯t possess many skills. Even among the 70 divine beasts on the divine beast leaderboard across the seven infinite cities of Xia Country, more than half had yet to master basic skills. Those that made it onto the leaderboard primarily relied on ordinary energy oveys on their bodies, and then, leveraging their species¡¯s strong attributes, they would overwhelm their opponents. Shaping, release, flow,pression¡ªmastering each branch of advanced techniques was not easy. The experience summarized by veterans was that even with decent talent in the corresponding areas, it would take about half a month to a month of targeted training to get started and master a basic skill. That¡¯s precisely why it was so incredible that General Ha managed to learn sword qi in just two days and quickly climbed the leaderboard. Pig Raiser¡¯s own pet beast hadn¡¯t mastered even a single skill yet; it could only perform a basic rock-type energy ovey¡­ Now, seeing that Lu Ran and his group had mastered gale, he was very surprised¡­ But what surprised him even more was yet toe. ¡°Let¡¯s begin then,¡± Lu Ran said. As he spoke, the energy that had been flowing slowly over General Ha¡¯s body like a stream suddenly surged like a flood, causing its form to blur!! ¡°What?¡± ¡°Snort!¡± Both man and boar were taken aback. ¡°Woof!!¡± Face the gale! With a glint in its eye, General Ha looked vengefully at the wild boar with a solemn expression across from it¡ªsee the power now? In the next instant, it charged forward, stirring up dust where it trod, moving so fast it truly resembled a gale! ¡°How can it be so fast¡­¡± Pig Raiser was puzzled. Without needing his reminder, the wild boar had already covered itself with a dull yellow rock-type energy ovey, staring intently at General Ha. Pig Raiser¡¯s strategy for dealing with wind-type pet beasts was clear: if it came to closebat, rely first on its defensive advantage for a head-on collision. If it couldn¡¯t react in time, then brace for one hit, quickly recover, and counterattack! However, as good as the n was, in the boar¡¯s view, General Ha, whose speed resembled afterimages, had vanished. ¡°To the side!¡± Pig Raiser, with a broader perspective, immediately warned. Even at this speed, General Ha could still change its trajectory. In an instant, it moved from facing the wild boar to its side and struck with full force. ¡°Oof!¡± The wild boar felt troubled. As it realized the situation, a sky-blue afterimage collided with it, causing immense pain on its side. Even the rock-type energy that wrapped around its body became distorted. Despite the rock-type energy protection, the impact made the wild boar let out a scream akin to a pig being ughtered, and before it could react to counterattack, its hefty body was sent flying meters away, airborne! ¡°Ow!!!¡± With a loud thud, the wild boar hit the ground and continued to roll. Pig Raiser stood there, stunned. Meanwhile, General Ha had exited its frenzied gale state, looking triumphant as if it had avenged a great wrong, showing a smug expression. But then, it paused, seeing the wild boar rolling back to its feet, ring fiercely at it. ¡°The defense is indeed good; such an impact only caused minor injuries?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°It seems that with normal means, breaking your defense is quite difficult.¡± Pig Raiser: ??? What kind of joke is this, an Erha sending a wild boar flying meters away, and you call that a normal method? What was that just now¡­ Basic gale isn¡¯t that strong, is it! ¡°Da Huang, this won¡¯t do, you need to move too! It can¡¯t break your defense, so don¡¯t be afraid.¡± Pig Raiser waved his arm, sensing the threat from General Ha, and decided not to sit idly by. He then directed the wild boar to charge straight at General Ha. ¡°Snort!!¡± The wild boar charged fiercely. Although not as fast as General Ha, it was still quick, and its striking process looked even more intimidating. Seeing this, General Ha did not torment its opponent with speed this time. Instead, it opened its mouth. ¡°Roar!!!¡± A gust of white wind gathered in General Ha¡¯s mouth, and with its roar, it blew towards the wild boar, giving it enormous resistance and making it nearly impossible for the wild boar to advance on the field. ¡°This is¡­¡± Pig Raiser was shocked once again. Skill: Roar of the Wind Introduction: A basic skill formed by the release of wind-type energy gathered within the body through the mouth! Well¡­ for now, a move that has almost no lethality, it can only interfere with the enemy¡¯s movement. Having learned sword qi and by analogy, it was not difficult for General Ha toprehend this skill; it was just a breath, even simpler than the release type skills like sword qi. Because of its weak effect, even though General Ha had learned it long ago, Lu Ran didn¡¯t count it as a training achievement. ¡°Snort!!!¡± At this moment, the wild boar cried, struggling to charge, but it couldn¡¯t move. What kind of monster was this Erha that Pig Raiser had previously looked down upon? It felt even harder to fight than the bosses they teamed up against before. ¡°Erghhhhh!!!¡± The wild boar tried to burst forth with greater power. But at this time, General Ha was just starting to exert more force. It elerated the energy flow, and in an instant, the gusts from its mouth became more ferocious and sustained. Apanied by a loud ¡°howl,¡± the wild boar that wanted to charge was once again lifted off its feet and blown over, crashing heavily onto the ground with a squeal. Large beads of sweat rolled down Pig Raiser¡¯s forehead once again. ¡°Woof woof woof.¡± Moreover, at this time, General Ha also looked towards Pig Raiser, as if dissatisfied with his im that it couldn¡¯t break through the wild boar¡¯s defenses. ¡°Awoo~~¡± It opened its mouth, and this time, it wasn¡¯t the Roar of the Wind. Instead, a storm gathered in its mouth, shaping a tangible white Sword of Wind, which it held in its jaws! Energy shaping, skill, Sword of Wind! Even without any external objects, General Ha had shaped a wind sword with extremely strong cutting properties! This scene once again stunned Pig Raiser. What was this, energy shaping? Energy flow, energy release, energy shaping¡­ What¡¯s going on with this Erha?! ¡°Huh.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Pig Raiser who was surprised; even Lu Ran was looking at General Ha with an unexpected expression. Good dog, no one asked you to start learning energy shaping, and you¡¯ve learned it by yourself? That¡¯s right, as the wind-type energy often passed through the Wind Meteor Sword, it might have be very familiar with the sword¡¯s structure. Plus, it had goodprehension and energy control, so it made sense that it learned energy shaping on its own after being prompted by Pig Raiser¡­ Unbelievable! In less than 10 days, it was close to mastering the four advanced techniques! This dog¡­ was too monstrously talented. ¡°General Ha, disperse it, no sword fighting allowed,¡± said Lu Ran, not wanting to harm the opponent. Since it was a sparring session, maintaining a state where it was difficult to break through the opponent¡¯s defense was good enough. ¡°Woof¡­¡± General Ha obediently listened and once again turned its attention to the wild boar, which was getting up with somewhat wobbly legs. ¡°I¡­¡± Pig Raiser fell silent. He realized his mistake; from the beginning, he shouldn¡¯t have held onto the hope of possibly winning. Those that could enter the divine beast leaderboard¡­ were all monsters. Could it be that Lu Ran was pushed down because he hadn¡¯t challenged the secret realm again in these past seven days?! ¡­ That evening. Lu Ran and Pig Raiser parted ways. Pig Raiser gained the experience of being fancily beaten up by a wind-type pet beast, while Lu Ran took the awakening leaf as his sparring fee without any courtesy. Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: You haven¡¯t been back for so long, my parents are worried about you, when will youe back for a meal? After returning to his private room, Lu Ran first replied to Fang Lan¡¯s message as usual. Okay, I¡¯lle back today. Boss Lu thought about it and realized it had indeed been a long time since he had been home. School was about to start, wasn¡¯t it? Maybe it was time to contact Xiaobailong and sort out the school matters along the way. As for challenging the Forest of the Demon Cat again, there was no rush. He would deal with it after returning home. Having made up his mind, Lu Ran reluctantly spent 5 crystal coins to teleport home. Once home, he took a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and was about to call Fang Lan to arrange a meal. However, just at that moment, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of Lu Ran, climbed onto the TV, and stared at him with red eyes. This was a small lizard, sporting a deep brown color on its back and a yellowish-brown belly, resembling a mini giant dragon. It was incredibly majestic, and its most striking feature was the pair of eyes encased in orange-red irises. ¡°What¡¯s up? Didn¡¯t I leave enough food and water for you before I left?¡± Lu Ran looked at it; this red-eyed eagle lizard was the birthday gift Fang Lan had given him. Lu Ran liked to call it the True Red-Eyed ck Dragon. He also liked to call it the Sudden Death King. Through telepathy, sometimes Lu Ran could understand its inner thoughts. There are no grasshoppers I like today, I want to die suddenly! It¡¯s so dark and scary, I want to die suddenly! That dog is so frightening, I want to die suddenly! The poop scooper is so ugly, I want to die suddenly! For some reason, just want to die suddenly! Hmm¡­ At the slightest disagreement, it would ¡®die suddenly¡¯ ¨C of course, most of these were just ying dead, mainly because the little guy was also quite timid. Lu Ran felt it was quite an achievement that he hadn¡¯t actually caused it to die for real. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Seeing the True Red-Eyed ck Dragon suddenly making its presence known, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. He took out the recently acquired awakening leaf and said, ¡°Sudden Death King,e here, I¡¯ve got something good for you to eat. Let¡¯s check out your potential.¡± Chapter 37: Sudden Death King Chapter 37: Sudden Death King Lu Ran looked at the Sudden Death King with kindness. Although his n was to test the awakening leaf on every familiar animal in Green Sea City and select a second pet from there, he couldn¡¯t help but be discouraged by the current scarcity of awakening leaves. The appearance of the Sudden Death King reminded Lu Ran that, apart from General Ha, he still had another pet, didn¡¯t he? He had once discussed with Fang Lan whether lizards could evolve into giant dragons¡­ Now, it seemed like a good time to see if the Sudden Death King had the potential for supernatural evolution. Of course, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t holding out much hope. After all, an animal that could awaken to supernatural powers with just an awakening leaf without relying on a beastmaster¡¯s contract was one in a hundred. This Sudden Death King¡­ didn¡¯t seem to have the qualities of a strong contender no matter how one looked at it. His feelings were correct. After Lu Ran extended his invitation, the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes widened. Then, its body slowly fell over, as if it had breathed itsst¡­That thing looks so unappetizing, I want to eat bugs, not grass, sudden death! Lu Ran: ? Lu Ran looked at the lizard lying on top of the television, showing no signs of life, and took a deep breath. ¡°Get up, or I¡¯ll bury you.¡± Sudden Death King startled: !!! At those words, it immediately scrambled to its feet. Speaking of this Sudden Death King, Lu Ran sighed. He was actually the third owner of this particr pet. Initially, the Sudden Death King was the pet of one of Fang Lan¡¯s close friends. However, red-eyed eagle lizards are extremely fragile creatures, easily affected by their environment. If their habitat changes even slightly or doesn¡¯t meet their living requirements, they can be ufortable and may even drop dead on the spot. Thanks to Fang Lan¡¯s friend¡¯s improper care, the Sudden Death King almost really did die suddenly ¨C and not just ying dead. It was also fortunate that Fang Lan came from a family involved in animal medicine and had a wide range of expertise, so she managed to save the Sudden Death King after her friend sought help. In the end, knowing she couldn¡¯t keep the Sudden Death King alive, Fang Lan¡¯s friend gave the pet to Fang Lan to care for. However, although Fang Lan also had experience raising lizards, those were the kind that were easy to keep alive; this was her first time trying to raise a red-eyed eagle lizard. She found the creature¡¯s tendency to die suddenly quite troublesome and wasn¡¯t sure she could sessfully keep it alive. When Lu Ran saw her distress, he used the excuse of asking for a birthday gift to take the red-eyed eagle lizard off her hands. Although hecked experience in raising red-eyed eagle lizards, he was able to hear the creature¡¯s inner voice and knew its environmental needs, which greatly increased its chances of survival. In fact, that¡¯s what happened. Lu Ran took good care of it and even had a huge artificial habitat custom-made for it. It could be said that if the Sudden Death King hadn¡¯t had such incredible luck in constantly finding more reliable owners, it might not have survived to this day. ¡°Waka.¡± The Sudden Death King feigned death nervously, afraid that Lu Ran might actually bury it. ¡°Feed me.¡± Lu Ran extended his left palm, and the red-eyed eagle lizard hesitated before climbing onto it. Then, Lu Ran brought an awakening leaf to the Sudden Death King¡¯s mouth with his right hand. The awakening leaf was a high-quality supernatural resource. Even if the Sudden Death Kingcked the potential to awaken, its vitality would be greatly enhanced by the leaf, enabling it to better adapt to external environments. That way, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t have to worry about it actually dying suddenly. ¡°Waka¡­¡± The Sudden Death King reluctantly started to nibble on the awakening leaf. Lu Ran shook his head. Unlike General Ha, who was omnivorous and indiscriminate in his eating habits, this little creature was a strict carnivore. Every time Lu Ran brought home bug-fighting insects like crickets or rhinoceros beetles for training, the creature would watch secretly. Once, it even tried to steal a bite but ended up being knocked out by the Bug King rhinoceros beetle, which made it even more timid. Before long, the Sudden Death King had finished eating the entire awakening leaf. After it finished, there seemed to be no change. Lu Ran held it in his hands and observed it for several minutes, but still, there was no change. Seeing this, he made eye contact with the Sudden Death King¡¯s red eyes¡­ and then sighed. ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have that kind of luck.¡± ¡°Go on, go on, don¡¯t stay away from your habitat too long, or you¡¯ll feel unwell.¡± Lu Ran ced it on the ground, signaling for it to crawl back on its own. Meanwhile, Lu Ran took out his phone again, nning to call Fang Lan to arrange a meal together. ¡°Waka¡­¡± However, the Sudden Death King, after being set down, didn¡¯t leave but continued to look up at Lu Ran. With a cry from the Sudden Death King, suddenly, a brown light flickered on its body. ¡°Huh?¡± The change immediately caught Lu Ran¡¯s attention. Lu Ran looked over and was stunned. Could it actually evolve? A one percent chance, and he had actually encountered it! ¡°Nice!¡± Lu Ran put down his phone once again. His mood instantly improved. He felt that all the time spent practicing with Pig Raiser was not in vain. However, as the brown light enveloped the Sudden Death King¡¯s body, under this glow, its size¡­ Hm? It didn¡¯t get bigger? While it¡¯s not a universal rule that ordinary animals grow in size when they evolve to supernatural, most do tend to get a bitrger. The light continued to envelop it, yet there was still no trend of growth. Seeing this, Lu Ran pondered, was its potential not high enough? No, that¡¯s not right! Gradually, Lu Ran realized something was off. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s not getting fiercer and bigger, but it¡¯s actually shrinking!¡± In just a moment, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he saw that in the blink of an eye, the Sudden Death King¡¯s body length had shortened by a segment, bing even more petite. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­¡± However, although the Sudden Death King¡¯s body had shrunk, Lu Ran¡¯s expression became grave again. He sensed a fierce beast¡¯s aura emanating from the light. After undergoing super beast mimicry, Lu Ran had acquired some traits of wild beasts, allowing him to feel the threatening presence of nearby creatures. The shrunk Sudden Death King¡­ was not simple! ¡°General Ha,e out and take a look.¡± Lu Ran took a step back and summoned General Ha with a wave of his hand. General Ha was stunned, with a confused expression on his face, wondering what was happening. As the light faded, a ¡°Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard¡± the size of a finger appeared before them. This guy, why does he look so familiar, General Ha wondered. Could it be, is this the Sudden Death King that had just taken one look and then suddenly died? Why had it be smaller! ¡°Waka!!!¡± The Sudden Death King moved a bit, its red eyes looking towards Lu Ran and the others, which made General Ha frown. ¡°Uh-oh¡ª¡± At this moment, seemingly sensing the threat emanating from the Sudden Death King that rivaled the supernatural Manchurian Chinchi, General Ha focused his gaze and positioned himself in front of Lu Ran, asking what was happening. But who would have thought, just as General Ha bared his teeth in a grimace, the Sudden Death King immediately sumbed to its namesake fate and peacefully passed away¡­ General Ha: ? Lu Ran, stomach aching with frustration: ¡°Damn it, even after bing supernatural, why hasn¡¯t its temperament changed?¡± ¡°General Ha, did you feel that?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nodded, stepping forward and prodding the ¡°deceased¡± mini True Red-Eyed ck Dragon with his paw. Such a strong body strength. General Ha felt that at this moment, the armor of the Sudden Death King was no less hard than the rock-type body of that wild boar, and the touch even had a slight tingling sensation. ¡°Indeed, no wonder I sensed a powerful aura.¡± Lu Ran seemed to have realized that he had encountered another exceptional creature. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was his own luck or Fang Lan¡¯s that was good. If Lu Ran wasn¡¯t wrong in his judgment, the species level of the Sudden Death King after its initial awakening to supernatural power was¡­ upper supernatural! To self-awaken to the level of an upper supernatural without any Beast Taming contract feedback! This level of talent was perhaps even stronger than the tigers and ck bears on the Divine Beast Leaderboard that were evaluated as ¡°species mighty.¡± Keep in mind, before its awakening, it was only a lizard the size of a palm. So to a certain extent, the talent of this Sudden Death King and that of Fang Lan¡¯s Mutant Wolf Spider were even more terrifying. Could it be that all the pets Fang Lan has raised start off as members of an upper supernatural species¡­ Lu Ran stood on the floor, silently observing the Sudden Death King feigning death without a single w. However, with this kind of temperament¡­ Although its species talent was against the heavens, it didn¡¯t seem easy to cultivate. When provoked, couldn¡¯t you make the one provoking you sumb instead of doing so yourself??? And also¡­ why is it so small? It didn¡¯t match his vision of a domineering giant dragon at all. Although its species level might be high now, what could a lizard smaller than the size of a palm do? Chapter 38: Jinling Rainbow Heaven Dojo Chapter 38: Jinling Rainbow Heaven Dojo Under General Ha¡¯s licking, it didn¡¯t take long for the Sudden Death King to fake death again. All because it didn¡¯t want a bath in dog saliva. And General Ha? He just wanted to figure out what that tingling sensation was after touching the Sudden Death King¡­ ¡°Thunder-type?¡± Lu Ran pondered on the side. It wasn¡¯t unusual for signs to show up early if it was close to being a Commander Species. When there¡¯s time¡­ just test it with an Attribute Stone to know for sure. If it¡¯s thunder-type, that¡¯s pretty good, seeing as it¡¯s known for having the strongest destructive power. At this moment, the Sudden Death King felt peculiar. It sensed a tremendous power hidden within itself. But despite the strength, its personality wasn¡¯t something that could simply change; it stared nkly at the human and dog before it, not daring to move.The intelligence of lizards wasn¡¯t low, and after evolution, there was an added sharpness in the eyes of the Sudden Death King. ¡°Let¡¯s set some ground rules,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at it. He knew he couldn¡¯t let it roam freely anymore. The Sudden Death King probably had no idea that itsbat ability now wasparable to that of lions or tigers. It might look small, but if it unleashed its full strength and speed, the effect would be terrifying. Especially given its small size, it could be more threatening than a lion or tiger. If it set its sights on you, you might not even know how you died. Sneaking into rooms for an assassination¡­ would be way too easy. Of course, that¡¯s just an example. Given the Sudden Death King¡¯s nature, apart from being a bit more proactive during hunting, it was otherwise quite peaceful¡­ ¡°From now on, your range of activity is still this house, and you¡¯re not allowed to go out on your own. Your food will be prepared for you, and you must not touch anything else in the house.¡± The previous Sudden Death King running around the house didn¡¯t have much impact since it was very weak. But now, if it started to dismantle the home, it could probably do it quickly, possibly causing idents like a fire. ¡°Wow ka.¡± The Sudden Death King didn¡¯t understand; hadn¡¯t it always been this way? ¡°Remember this, behave and obey, or I¡¯ll make sure you experience sudden death for real,¡± Lu Ran threatened, startling the Sudden Death King so much that its eyes bulged, and it yed dead again. When dealing with animals and pets, it¡¯s important not to anthropomorphize them. Sometimes letting them know who¡¯s boss is more effective than a heart-to-heart. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Lu Ran scratched his head. Well, that would do for now. He then called Fang Lan. The call connected quickly. ¡°You¡¯re out!!!¡± Fang Lan eximed with surprise. ¡°It¡¯s not easy, our cultivation fanatic even knows toe home.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your reputation in Infinite City get so bad that you try to give me a nickname too,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I¡¯m diligent and ambitious!¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°Are godfather and godmother at home tonight?¡± ¡°Yes, they are.¡± ¡°How about we go out for dinner?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll call them. What do you want to eat?¡± ¡°Sichuan or Hunan cuisine?¡± Lu Ran suggested. After eating with General Ha for the past few days, his taste had be a bit nd. ¡°Ok ok,¡± Fang Lan agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll choose the restaurant. See you then.¡± After hanging up the phone, Lu Ran picked up the Sudden Death King and put it in his pocket, saying, ¡°You¡¯reing out with me today to see how well you can adapt to the outside environment. Let me know if you feel ufortable anywhere. If you can adapt well, I¡¯ll gradually increase your range of activities.¡± ¡°Woof, woof, woof!¡± In the living room, General Ha, who was lying on the carpet ying with his toys, looked up. Why, why couldn¡¯t his range of activities be expanded? ¡°You¡¯re too big and might scare the elderly and children. Without me by your side, you¡¯re not allowed to move around alone. Be obedient,¡± Lu Ran said. After being tamed, General Ha was very sensible, but Lu Ran still kept him on a leash every time they went for a walk. Is it a fault to be big? General Ha was stunned, then looked at the Sudden Death King peeking out of the pocket. So small, not cute at all. He would remember this grudge. Sudden Death King: ??? ¡­ That evening, outside a Hunan cuisine restaurant. Lu Ran arrived early. After a while, a yellow taxi pulled up to the curb. Inside, a middle-aged man wearing sses and a woman with a schrly aura were the first to get out of the car. Following them, Fang Lan, who had undergone a transformation, also got out. Just as she had said¡­ her hair was now dyed purple. With a loose side ponytail, a couple of strands of bangs framing her face, and red diamond-shaped earrings that resembled a snake, she looked quite stylish. Additionally, she wore a ck high-cor slim-fit knit sweater with vertical stripes, and a ck A-line skirt with a belt that entuated her figure. Her dark aura was particrly striking, fitting the image of the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden perfectly. ¡°Godfather, godmother, Fang Lan, over here.¡± Lu Ran called out as he spotted them. Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s voice, the three headed over. ¡°Lu Ran, you¡¯ve finally left Infinite City; we¡¯ve all been worried about you,¡± Mother Fang, Su Ya, said with relief upon seeing that Lu Ran was as whole as before, with no missing limbs. ¡°Ha¡­ha¡­ Sorry for making you worry,¡± Lu Ran said sheepishly, scratching his head. ¡°It¡¯s understandable, it¡¯s the age to be yful, we can¡¯t control Fang Lan either,¡± Father Fang, Fang Yuhang, sighed as he first looked towards Fang Lan. After Fang Lan had transformed herself like this, he nearly had a myocardial infarction and almost created a new ount out of shock. But after getting ustomed to it, he thought¡­ his daughter was beautiful regardless. Father Fang then turned to Lu Ran and asked, ¡°Lu Ran, what are your ns for the future? Are you nning to be a Beastmaster?¡± Since the dawn of the Beast Taming era, the upation of Beastmaster has be one of the hottest careers, coveted by countless young people. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Godfather, godmother, let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± ¡°I¡¯m starving, let¡¯s go in and order,¡± Fang Lan chuckled on the side. Ha, today it was Lu Ran¡¯s turn to be nagged. Father Fang and Mother Fang were no simple figures either. Both were graduates of Jinling University with doctoral degrees and had taught there. Father Fang and Lu Ran¡¯s father were close friends. As for now, the couple was running thergest pet hospital in Green Sea City. So, like Lu Ran, Fang Lan, the daughter of the veterinary family, also had a pure Beast Taming background. In the reserved private room, Mother Fangid it out, ¡°Your father and I know we can¡¯t persuade you. If it were in the old industry, with our energy, we could help you somewhat, but this matter is too sudden, and no one knows what the future holds.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already said, you don¡¯t need to worry about us,¡± Fang Lan said, exasperated. She was doing quite well with her own development. ¡°How could we not worry?¡± Father Fang frowned. ¡°We haven¡¯t told you yet, but your mother and I have contacted some connections in Jinling and have started studying pet beast pharmacology. Our hospital might even transition into a pet beast hospital in the future.¡± ¡°We might also take up teaching positions at Beast Taming University, learning and lecturing on themonalities between external pharmacology and pet beast pharmacology.¡± ¡°We just hope that when you and Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts get injured, we can offer more help.¡± ¡°Ah???¡± Fang Lan was taken aback, and Lu Ran, who had been eating melon seeds on the side, was also surprised. ¡°What, you¡¯re going to teach at Beast Taming University???¡± Fang Lan stood up. She wanted to say something but eventually sat down in resignation, saying, ¡°Fine, whatever you want.¡± How could she still not escape her parents, even at Beast Taming University? ¡°Um, thanks, godfather and godmother,¡± Lu Ran said, touching his nose. He could feel their good intentions, but it seemed that he and General Ha might not need doctors. That was not quite right, actually. The Divine Deer pendant could not cure toxins and other abnormal states for now; it could only heal physical injuries! Looking at it that way, a strong medical support was still needed. ¡°Cough cough, Lu Ran, and Fang Lan, but we¡¯re just ordinary people. Even if we study pet beast pharmacology, we might not be able to delve too deeply into it. You could help us inquire if there¡¯s a faster way to be beastmasters¡­¡± Suddenly, Father Fang coughed and said. Fang Lan and Lu Ran were now high-potential neer beastmasters at Infinite City No.3. In the future, they were bound toe into contact with some influential figures, like Dr. Gu, and they might gain ess to more advanced information. Therefore, Father Fang entrusted them with this task. ¡°Your dad, he dreams of bing a beastmaster,¡± Mother Fang said with disdain. ¡°At his age, he¡¯s still like a child.¡± ¡°What do you know,¡± Father Fang retorted with a re. As the two of them were about to start arguing, Lu Ran and Fang Lan felt overwhelmed. Fang Lan quickly interjected, ¡°By the way, my birthday is next month. Have you all prepared your gifts?¡± ¡°Birthday¡­¡± Fang Lan suddenly changed the subject, which didn¡¯t seem to affect Father Fang and Mother Fang, but Lu Ran was suddenly startled. ¡°Hmm?¡± Fang Lan turned towards a visibly surprised Lu Ran and said, ¡°You didn¡¯t forget my birthday, did you?¡± ¡°Your birthday is still a while away, wait a second, it¡¯s already the middle of August now, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± Lu Ran suddenly froze, saying, ¡°Oh no, I think I missed something important.¡± ¡°What?¡± Fang Lan looked at him puzzled. Lu Ran forced a smile: ¡°A few days ago, it was my master¡¯s 60th birthday. I was nning to visit him since it¡¯s been so long, but Ipletely forgot because of all the beastmaster stuff.¡± ¡°My master really helped me out when my parents passed away.¡± Father Fang asked, ¡°Are you talking about the master from Jinling who taught you swordsmanship when you were a child? I remember, it¡¯s called Rainbow Heaven Dojo, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran scratched his head frantically and said, ¡°I have to make a trip to Jinling in a couple of days to make up for it.¡± ¡°You should definitely visit him and exin the situation; your master will be very happy to see you,¡± Mother Fang said. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lu Ran nodded. At that moment, Fang Lan said teasingly, ¡°Do you think if your master knew you taught the swordsmanship he taught you to an Erha, he might expel you from the school¡­¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Uh.¡± Father Fang and Mother Fang also looked at Lu Ran, wondering if he was still nning to visit. ¡­ Rainbow Heaven Dojo has a long history and is quite famous in the region of Jiangnan. The current head, Jiang Dou, started visiting the major swordsmanship schools of Xia Country at the age of fourteen to challenge them. By the age of twenty-six, he imed to have defeated all challengers in the country, then traveled abroad, and returned to his homnd at thirty. It can be said that Rainbow Heaven Dojo is not only a leader in Jiangnan, but now it¡¯s also a leading presence in the swordsmanshipmunity across the entire country. Lu Ran, who had been interested in swordsmanship since he was young, was sent to Rainbow Heaven Dojo by his parents who spent a lot of money to secure a ce for him. As a child, Lu Ran showed great talent and was favored by Master Jiang Dou, who personally taught him. Lu Ran was close to bing the master¡¯sst and most favored disciple. However, Lu Ran, who was quite yful, fell in love with shooting and fatally asked his master a question: ¡°Master, if I were to duel with a gun in hand and you with a sword, who would be more formidable?¡± The question left the master unsettled for a long time¡­ ¡°Beyond seven steps, the gun is faster; within seven steps¡­¡± ¡°The sword is faster?¡± young Lu Ran naively asked. ¡°The gun is still faster and more urate,¡± the master replied. With that answer, Lu Ran turned away from his master and left to learn shooting. Reflecting on this past, Lu Ran felt helpless about his childish ¡°mischief¡± back then¡ªhow could he have been so heartless¡­ Fortunately, the old man wasn¡¯t rigid. Although he regretted that Lu Ran didn¡¯t continue on that path, he also knew that swordsmanship was just an obsolete art, no longer fitting for society. Unexpectedly, after his parents passed away, Master Jiang Dou somehow got the news and came to visit him, even offering to take Lu Ran back to the dojo to look after him. But by then, Lu Ran¡¯s heart was even less set on swordsmanship. ¡°Now, it¡¯s because of beast taming that I¡¯ve picked up swordsmanship again¡­¡± That evening, Lu Ran booked a high-speed train ticket to Jinling, nning to leave the next morning. ¡°Hmm¡­ Now that I¡¯ve developed the ¡®Beast Sword Momentum¡¯, the old man should be delighted! He¡¯ll surely understand that I missed his big birthday¡­ As for teaching swordsmanship to an Erha¡­ well, teaching knows no bounds!¡± Chapter 39: Eagle Hero Chapter 39: Eagle Hero ¡°Back again.¡± Jinling¡¯s high-speed train station bustled with activity. Dressed in a ck hoodie and white shorts, wearing a sun hat, Lu Ran squeezed through the crowd. ¡°Good thing it didn¡¯t cause any chaos!¡± Lu Ran poked the sudden death king in his pocket. On this trip to Jinling, he had brought it along, After its supernatural evolution, the sudden death king had greatly improved its adaptability. Even in environments unsuitable for it, it no longer suffered any difort. At this moment, looking at the familiar ancient capital of Jinling, Lu Ran felt nostalgic. He had lived here for a while as a child and had many memories. After many years, he had finally returned.Following the navigation, Lu Ran left the high-speed train station and got into a taxi he had called in advance, heading straight for the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Located in a secluded area far from the city center, Lu Ran rode for quite a while before arriving at the familiar dojo. Observing the ancient and traditional dojo, which bore few signs of modernization, Lu Ran smiled. He extended his hand, and a gift box appeared out of thin air. Naturally, he hadn¡¯te empty-handed. Inside¡­ were all excellent items. Unable to think of a better gift to bring, Lu Ran had packaged some resources he bought from the secret realm as a present. It wasn¡¯t dog food. He wasn¡¯t disrespectful enough to offer dog food to the elderly; it was fine for his own consumption. These were advanced nutritional products that Lu Ran intended for himself, including vitality tea, so the gesture was genuinely sincere! After all, even he was greatly in need of crystal coins. Besides the gift box, Lu Ran also took out the wind cutter sword and stylishly slung it behind his back. Having done all this, he pushed open the doors of the dojo and entered. The dojo¡¯s main hall was very quiet, with only a young girl in a swordsmanship uniform ying on her phone. Seeing this, Lu Ran sighed. Indeed, phones were more attractive than swordsmanship. ¡°Who are you?¡± The girl looked up as Lu Ran, carrying a sword, pushed open the door. Lu Ran had not informed his master of his visit in advance, nning to surprise him instead. ¡°Here to challenge.¡± Lu Ran spoke up. The swordsmanship girl suddenly stood up: ??? What? Here to challenge? Her expression turned fierce¡­ ¡°I was just¡­¡± Lu Ran was about to say he was just joking, to not get too excited, when the girl decisively pped a button next to her. Instantly, an rm Lu Ran was familiar with sounded throughout the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Lu Ran¡¯s vision darkened for a moment. You sure act fast. This rm was something Lu Ran had heard before. When he was a child learning at the dojo, if someone came to challenge, the person in charge would press it to notify the apprentices who were training inside. As expected, following the girl¡¯s action, the dojo became noisy, even filled with excited shouting. ¡°Who dares to challenge us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been an apprentice for six months, and finally, someone hase to challenge.¡± In a sh, a dozen youngsters of varying ages, all dressed in swordsmanship uniforms, rushed out from the dojo. Each held a wooden sword and looked at Lu Ran standing in the center of the hall with formidable energy. ¡°Which school are you from? State your name,¡± someone in the crowd shouted. ¡°It¡¯s a misunderstanding¡­ actually, I¡¯m here to visit Master Jiang Dou. Here, the gift box, the gift box. Is the old master around?¡± Lu Ran said with a smile, gesturing towards the gift box he carried. Uh¡­ The crowd paused for a moment. However, seeing a group of young, energetic swordsmanship apprentices, Lu Ran felt a bit eager to engage, his expression shifting as he spoke, ¡°However, a little spar wouldn¡¯t hurt. Let¡¯s see how the strength of Rainbow Heaven Dojo stands now.¡± The martial spirit of Rainbow Heaven Dojo was thriving, very different from the modernized swordsmanship dojos. Its students often got injured, leading to numerousints¡­ Only the bold dared to train here. Saying this, Lu Ran walked to a corner of the hall, pulled a wooden sword from a storage barrel, and swung it casually. Then, he looked seriously at the group of dojo apprentices. Boom! With that look, a fierce aura burst forth from Lu Ran, as if he transformed into a beast eyeing its prey. This terrifying presence, almost tangible, struck every apprentice who met his gaze, causing their faces to turn pale, their bodies weakening without understanding why. Several of them, just from making eye contact with Lu Ran, felt their legs give way, almost copsing, as if recalling the time they were chased by stray dogs while wearing split pants. ¡°Does anyone want to have a try?¡± Faced with Lu Ran¡¯s challenge, for a moment, no one could fully articte a response, their faces all showing fear. ¡°Sword momentum¡­ who are you?¡± At that time, a middle-aged man happened to walk out from the inside. Seeing the situation in the hall, his expression changed, especially when he felt the beast-like aura emanating from Lu Ran, he was extremely surprised. However¡­ ¡°Senior Brother He?¡± Lu Ran, holding a wooden sword, suddenly brightened up as he looked towards the middle-aged man who had just appeared, finally recognizing someone! He didn¡¯t know any of these apprentices, but he was very familiar with this middle-aged man who had juste out. An old employee of the dojo. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± At this time, the man known as Senior Brother He, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s grown-up appearance, also guessed and spoke in disbelief. ¡°Is that you, Lu Ran?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s you.¡± Senior Brother He was greatly shocked, while the swordsmanship apprentices around him looked bewildered. What was going on? And¡­ they were all sweating as they looked at Lu Ran. This guy¡­ why did they feel like they were looking at a monster when they made eye contact with him? It was frightening. ¡°I came to see Master Jiang Dou. Is he here?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°He is here. How did you get here? I¡¯ll take you to him!¡± At this moment, Senior Brother He was not calm. He took a deep breath, looked around at the apprentices, and said, ¡°This is Lu Ran. He studied here at Rainbow Heaven Dojo when he was a child. He¡¯s your senior brother. It seems to be a misunderstanding. Alright, you guys go back to training.¡± With that, he led Lu Ran towards the inside of the dojo. ¡°Little Ran, it really is you. What¡¯s going on? That earlier, could it be sword momentum¡­ but how is that possible?¡± As Senior Brother He led Lu Ran inside, he asked in astonishment. As far as he knew, even in the entire Rainbow Heaven Dojo, only Master Jiang Dou had grasped sword momentum. Lu Ran was just a teenager, how could he possibly have grasped such an advanced level of mastery that usually took decades of dedication to swordsmanship to understand. ¡°Pure luck, we¡¯ll talk about itter,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. At that moment, deep within the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, a bald elder with white eyebrows was sitting on the floor meditating. Even the earlier rm had not disturbed him, showcasing the demeanor of a true master. It wasn¡¯t until the sound of knocking echoed that the elder jolted awake, muttering, ¡°Fell asleep again¡­¡± ¡°Who is it? Come in¡­¡± After he spoke, he looked toward the door and saw Senior Brother He leading Lu Ran into the room. ¡°Master Jiang Dou, look who¡¯s here, haha, it¡¯s Lu Ran,¡± Senior Brother He said with a smile, knowing that Master Jiang Dou was very fond of Lu Ran. He was sure that Master Jiang Dou would be delighted to see him, especially since Lu Ran had developed significantly in swordsmanship. ¡°Lu Ran?!¡± The elder was startled and stood up to look at the familiar face of Lu Ran. ¡°Master Jiang Dou,¡± Lu Ran said sheepishly, ¡°I had nned to visit during your 60th birthday a few days ago, but I was dyed by some matters, and I¡¯m very sorry.¡± ¡°But! I¡¯ve brought you a very rare gift, and I bet you¡¯ll never guess what it is!¡± Whoa! The sudden death king in his pocket flipped over¡ªit wasn¡¯t dog food, was it? It saw that these gifts and General Ha¡¯s dog food were all taken out of a card¡­ ¡°Hehe, no worries,¡± Master Jiang Douughed. ¡°Just having your thoughtfulness is enough for me. But how¡­¡± His gaze then shifted to the Wind Cutter Sword on Lu Ran¡¯s back, sensing the unusual aura emanating from the sword. ¡°Have you taken up the sword again?¡± ¡°Master Jiang Dou, you¡¯ll be surprised, but just a moment ago¡­ Lu Ran disyed sword momentum, and such was his presence that none of the apprentices outside could move!¡± Senior Brother He interjected at that moment. ¡°What?¡± Master Jiang Dou¡¯s expression was one of disbelief, and he quickly turned to Lu Ran, ¡°Show me!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran nodded, understanding the elder¡¯s feelings and expectations. He then drew the Wind Cutter Sword, concentrated, and earnestly faced his master. Boom! Once again, the aura of a fierce beast emanated from Lu Ran¡¯s sword momentum, transforming into an invisible gale that pressed forward. At this moment, Jiang Dou¡¯s gaze sharpened, sensing the astonishing shift in Lu Ran¡¯s aura. The once tender youth, upon grasping the sword, seemed to transform into a ferocious wild beast, his aura exceptionally violent. It was as if Jiang Dou saw the ghostly image of a king wolf howling at him, sending out a daunting roar. However, strangely, he didn¡¯t show any other changes like those apprentices, nor did he appear particrly pleased. Instead, he seemed somewhat forlorn as he said, ¡°Kid, you haven¡¯t¡­ be a beastmaster as well, have you?¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Holding the sword, Lu Ran was startled and said, ¡°You guessed it, huh? But what do you mean by ¡®also¡¯? Could it be that you, master, have been chosen too? Wait, you¡¯re not the original big shot or a hidden expert, are you?¡± Suddenly, a light went on in Lu Ran¡¯s mind. If that were the case, it would be perfect¡ªhe would have a powerful backing. He didn¡¯t trust others, but he did trust his old master. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m too old; I wasn¡¯t chosen,¡± Master Jiang Dou said. ¡°However, your Senior Brother Jiang Man was among the first batch to be chosen as a beastmaster. I made this guess because he, too, leveraged the supernatural power of a beastmaster to grasp sword momentum at a young age.¡± ¡°Senior Brother Jiang¡­¡± Lu Ran remembered there was such a person, seemingly Jiang Dou¡¯s adopted son. Jiang Dou, due to injuries umted from early years of fighting, had no children of his own, only an adopted son¡­ ¡°Where is Senior Brother Jiang?¡± Lu Ran asked, feeling that his visit was not in vain. It seemed he might find a strong support¡ªwhile Master Jiang Dou wasn¡¯t the original big shot, his son might be just as good. Upon mentioning his adopted son, Master Jiang Dou sighed, and Senior Brother He also bowed his head. ¡°Your Senior Brother Jiang passed away long ago, killed in a secret realm. I didn¡¯t expect that you too would be a beastmaster. Thinking about it, it makes sense, considering the family youe from¡­¡± Jiang Dou looked toward Lu Ran. ¡°This upation is very dangerous. Although I haven¡¯t experienced it personally, I¡¯ve learned quite a bit from Jiang Man.¡± ¡°Now seeing you, I feel as if you might be following in his footsteps, and thus, even seeing you master sword momentum, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to feel happy.¡± Lu Ran was momentarily lost in thought,pletely taken aback by the revtion. The only adopted son of Master Jiang Dou had died in a secret realm? His emotions becameplex in an instant. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯m getting old. Why bring up such matters? He is he, and you are you,¡± Jiang Dou shook his head and said, ¡°Wait here for a moment.¡± Turning around, it seemed he was going to fetch something. After a while, Master Jiang Dou returned with a journal in hand. He handed it to Lu Ran, saying, ¡°This is the journal that your Senior Brother Jiang Man used to record his experiences after bing a beastmaster. Take a look at it. I don¡¯t know much about the upation of a beastmaster, but perhaps this can help you and serve as a warning.¡± Lu Ran silently took the journal. He opened the first page. ¡°Lucky me, I was chosen to be a beastmaster. I¡¯ve contracted the Sand Eagle 1 I adore and named myself Eagle Hero.¡± Footnote:
  1. Sand Eagle(ɳµñ): The term ¡°É³µñ¡± (literally ¡°sand sculpture¡±) is widely used because it is homophonous with the vulgar ng ¡°ÉµŒÅ¡± (stupid dick). Nowadays, it is mostly used to refer to humorous situations caused by someone¡¯s stupidity, natural silliness, or deliberate foolishness. However, it can also be extended to all kinds of funny behavior.
Chapter 40: The Fallen Genius Chapter 40: The Fallen Genius Sand Eagle? Initially, Lu Ran was feeling sorry for his Senior Brother¡¯s plight. However, when he saw the words ¡°Sand Eagle,¡± his eyebrows raised, and he couldn¡¯t hold back a smile. Does such an animal really exist? If he remembered correctly, his vague impression was that Senior Brother Jiang Man indeed had an eagle. But that was just an ordinary golden eagle! ording to legends, Senior Brother Jiang Man had been fond of the TV series ¡°Eagle Hero¡± since he was young and had always aspired to keep an eagle. However, raising such a fierce bird isn¡¯t easy for ordinary people. Fortunately, Senior Brother Jiang Man was no ordinary person. With a talent in swordsmanshipparable to Lu Ran¡¯s, and having brought honor to his country in internationalpetitions, he managed to obtain a raptor breeding license through some connections.¡°Sand Eagle must be the name Senior Brother Jiang Man gave to his golden eagle,¡± Lu Ran guessed in his mind. He continued to read the scribbled diary, capturing key pieces of information and filtering out the useless ones. In the novice trial secret realm, Sand Eagle and I achieved an S-level rating, which seems quite impressive. The biggest gain was the beast taming skill ¡°Fusion¡±. This skill allows me and Sand Eagle to merge into one entity, turning me into a birdman, haha. After bing a birdman, we were both very strong! My swordsmanship also improved significantly. I was invited to join the official team. Today was also extremely lucky; teaming up with teammates to explore the secret realm, we exploded another beast taming skill. The beast taming skill is called ¡°Trait Borrowing¡±! Its effect is that it allows a beastmaster to temporarily borrow a trait possessed by their contracted pet beast. What exactly is a trait? Oh, it turns out that each pet beast reaches level 10, it can integrate a trait, and ¡°Trait Crystals¡± only have a chance to explode in secret realms of abyssal difficulty with a certain rating. I must carefully choose the first trait for Sand Eagle. Received intelligence that an international beast taming team entered the ¡°Abandoned Testing Ground¡± secret realm and exploded a ¡°Weapon Mastery Trait¡± for auction. It¡¯s said that the ¡°Weapon Mastery Trait¡± allows a pet beast that has integrated this trait to master any weapon, making the weapon seem like part of their body. That¡¯s great! If I let Sand Eagle integrate this trait and then borrow it, my swordsmanship can definitely reach a higher level! Bing one with the sword, that¡¯s a legendary realm. Lu Ran looked at the beast taming diary in shock, then nced up at Master Jiang Dou. ¡°What is it? Did you find any valuable information?¡± asked Master Jiang Dou. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished yet, but my path is indeed very simr to that of Senior Brother Jiang Man,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but say. He had also considered finding a trait that would allow General Ha to better utilize weapons. Weapon Mastery? Such a trait exists? That¡¯s great. He quietly noted down the name of the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm. Then, Lu Ran continued to read carefully. Unfortunately, Infinite City No.3 in Xia Country does not have the ¡°Abandoned Testing Ground¡± secret realm, but fortunately, Infinite City No.5 does, so there¡¯s no need to go to another country¡¯s Infinite City. ¡°Abandoned Testing Ground¡± secret realm, an abyssal difficulty novice secret realm, is very challenging. This realm contains only one monster, a modified minotaur fully armed with a huge axe and dark attribute. Its species level is Middle Commander, its growth level is level 10, and it inherently possesses the ¡°Weapon Mastery Trait.¡± Its strength is formidable, making it virtually impossible to conquer alone. Should I give up? Awakening a second attribute for Sand Eagle, rather than choosing to integrate a trait, might be simpler, but I really want this trait. After much effort and finding a group of reliable teammates, we finally conquered the Demon Bull Commander. Unfortunately, the rating wasn¡¯t high, but thankfully they said they would help me continue to raid the realm until we cooperate more smoothly and definitely meet the standards for exploding the ¡°Weapon Mastery Trait.¡± Great, after two months of effort, we finally exploded a ¡°Trait Crystal.¡± Sand Eagle¡¯s species level is Upper Supernatural. Even after integrating the ¡°Trait Crystal,¡± it remains Upper Supernatural, which shows that a single ¡°Trait Crystal¡± is not enough to elevate its species level. Having passed the breakthrough secret realm, I have be a Level 1 beastmaster and can now learn ¡°Trait Borrowing.¡± So powerful. After mastering two beast taming skills, my strength has significantly increased, and my sword momentum has surpassed Master¡¯s by a lot. However, I still can¡¯t grasp the level of sword intent. Does the realm of sword intent really exist? I understand now, sword intent truly exists! Today, I met an incredibly skilled beastmaster named Gu Qingyi. She¡¯s beautiful and the first time I¡¯ve seen such a formidable female beastmaster. Her pet beast¡¯s energy shaping skills are superb. Others¡¯ shaping skills are merely form without essence, but hers seem to embody a spiritual will. The advanced technique for energy ovey is energy external wrapping, and could the advanced technique for energy shaping be the mood of the form? Form-intent technique? I feel this is the key to understanding sword intent and elevating my sword momentum to sword intent! Lu Ran saw a familiar name¡­ Oh no¡­ I feel that fusing this trait with Sand Eagle was a mistake. Thetest official research findings are out; trait fusion needs to be cautious, and only traits suitable for the pet beast are the best. Only by continually absorbingpatible traits and awakening suitable attributes can a pet beast hope to evolve. Incorrect traitbinations and wrong attribute choices can lead to failed evolutions! The sess rate of evolution is not 100%! Sand Eagle, being an eagle, is fundamentally unsuited for weapon mastery; after all, it¡¯s impossible to truly teach it to wield a sword. All this time, I¡¯ve been using Sand Eagle as a support, helping me be stronger while neglecting its cultivation. Rather than just having a powerful pet beast, I hope to be stronger myself. However, if the pet beast is not strong, ourbined strength will also be affected. No, there must be another way. Abyss level 1 secret realm, Orc Tribe! This secret realm can actually drop the ¡°anthropomorphic trait¡±! After fusing the ¡°anthropomorphic trait¡± with a pet beast, it can evolve towards a humanoid form! If Sand Eagle evolves into a humanoid, it will definitely adapt better to the ¡°weapon mastery trait,¡± and our fusionpatibility will also be higher! Abroad, someone has sessfully evolved a ¡°werewolf¡±. Unfortunately, this time, none of the seven Infinite Cities in Xia Country have the orc tribe secret realm, and the teleportation circles between countries are not activated. If I want to visit the orc tribe secret realm, I have to travel to another country first. I¡¯ve decided, for Sand Eagle¡¯s future, I¡¯ll head to the West in a couple of days! This is where the diary abruptly ends. Lu Ran looked again at Master Jiang Dou. ¡°Did Senior Brother die in a foreign secret realm?¡± Lu Ran asked. Reading this, he felt even more sorry for his Senior Brother. Although, as he mentioned, he took the wrong path, everything could still be remedied if he had obtained the anthropomorphic trait crystal to evolve Sand Eagle into a humanoid. ¡°Your Senior Brother went with two friends. In the end, all of them perished in that orc tribe secret realm¡­¡± Master Jiang Dou couldn¡¯t help but tear up and said, ¡°The officials told me that their identity cards have been canceled, which is a sign of death.¡± ¡°Master¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at the old man, unsure how tofort him. ¡°Ah, Master¡­¡± Senior Brother He had been quietly waiting by the side without speaking. Seeing Master Jiang Dou in tears, his eyes also reddened. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t very familiar with Senior Brother Jiang Man, as he rarely appeared in the dojo. However, Master Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He must have had a deep bond with him. Judging by the style of the diary, Senior Brother Jiang Man was also a humorous and interesting master of swordsmanship. At the same time, he was definitely a genius, having achieved an S rating and even pursued sword intent, a level beyond sword momentum. It¡¯s just a pity that such a talent fell at the level 1 beastmaster stage. ¡°Lu Ran, you keep this diary,¡± sighed Master Jiang Dou. ¡°I know your temperament; I definitely can¡¯t persuade you, but remember, don¡¯t do uncertain things like your Senior Brother Jiang Man did before you¡¯re fully prepared.¡± ¡°Now is the era of national beast taming, and I¡¯m d to see you picking up the sword again. Perhaps this is also a new opportunity for swordsmanship to regain its vitality. But I hope that one day I won¡¯t hear news about you encountering mishaps like we did with Jiang Man.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Master,¡± said Lu Ran. ¡°You just said, your path is indeed very simr to Jiang Man¡¯s¡­ Could it be that you also obtained a fusion beast taming skill, and it¡¯s through this method that you grasped sword momentum? No, his sword momentum and yours are different,¡± the old man pondered. ¡°No, I possess another type of beast taming skill, which I learned by imitating the movements of fierce beasts. When I said we were simr, I meant that I too had thought about finding the ¡®weapon mastery trait¡¯ for my contracted pet beast¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes widened, an unmistakable sign of rm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you heading down a path of no return?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± Lu Ran seriously exined. ¡°Eagles indeed are not suited for learning swordsmanship. Senior Brother Jiang never considered this initially, and especially after the fusion of traits, that eagle had no experience with swordsmanship at all, making itpletely ipatible with that trait.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m different. I started teaching my pet beast swordsmanship before it underwent supernatural evolution, and now it has even begun to grasp the basics of sword momentum, a higher realm of swordsmanship. If it truly understands this, wouldn¡¯t it be even more talented than humans? I feel that we are not the same. My pet beast should be able to handle the ¡®weapon mastery trait.¡¯ I¡¯ve never neglected its training.¡± Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He: ?? ¡°Is your contracted beast a monkey?¡± Jiang Dou asked. ¡°In martial arts TV shows, indeed, there are settings where deep mountain monkeys master martial arts weapons¡­ After all, they¡¯re primates, the most human-like.¡± Why a monkey again¡­ Lu Ran muttered internally. ¡°No, it¡¯s actually an Erha.¡± Jiang Dou: ? You rebellious student!! This kid, still so infuriating. Chapter 41: Worse Than a Dog Chapter 41: Worse Than a Dog ¡°Are you seriously not joking?¡± Old Master Jiang Dou asked again, his nose twisting skeptically. He felt that Lu Ran was deliberately teasing him. Teaching Erha to wield a sword was more absurd than trying to train an eagle. No, both were ridiculous. One was obsessed with TV dramas, insisting on keeping an eagle. The other, well, its thought processes were a bit off¡­ ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. If you don¡¯t believe me, just watch.¡± With that, Lu Ran pulled out his ck card.The card flickered at his fingertips as if ignited by mes, and shortly after, a summoning circle appeared on the ground of the dojo. Within the circle, General Ha emerged, looking dazed. ¡°Woof¡­¡± After appearing, General Ha observed its surroundings curiously, turning its gaze towards the dignified old man and the clueless Senior Brother He beside him. As Lu Ran brought his Wind Cutter Sword to General Ha¡¯s mouth, it understood Boss Lu¡¯s intention. Show some moves, demonstrate some swordy! ¡°Awooo!¡± At this, a glint of intelligence passed through General Ha¡¯s eyes, and it got excited. Lu Ran had taught it many fancy tricks, but General Ha felt that wielding a sword was the coolest. The reason was simple; wielding the sword significantly enhanced its strength, and the pursuit of power is a basic instinct of all life! Click. General Ha gripped the Wind Cutter Sword in its mouth, executing its best move, the Gale Draw Sword Technique! ¡°Woof woof!¡± It sprinted at an incredible speed, its figure vanishing from the onlookers¡¯ view for a moment. By the time the spectators realized what happened, they only saw a sh of the sword¡¯s light, appearing before General Ha itself. It was as if a sharp sword swiftly unsheathed itself, breaking through the darkness at dawn. General Ha paused mid-air, leaping up and shing through the air with a burst of sword light, which flickered momentarily along with the hum of the sword! Thump. General Handed nonchntly, exuding the demeanor of a master, ncing at Old Master Jiang Dou and the wide-eyed Senior Brother He. ¡°Holy moly.¡± Senior Brother He was shocked. This Erha could really wield a sword? That move looked quite skilled! Most importantly, was this what supernatural beings were like? It was so fast¡­ he barely saw it clearly. He felt he might not be able to beat this dog! ¡°All sh and no substance!¡± ¡°Thinking this level is enough to grasp sword momentum?¡± However, Old Master Jiang Dou was evidently more critical. He immediately spotted various shorings. And the immaturity in General Ha¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­ It¡¯s true that it¡¯s not perfect yet, but you should know that it hasn¡¯t integrated its trait yet¡­¡± Lu Ran said with a sheepish smile. General Ha had indeed made rapid progress, firstly because of its astonishing aptitude, and secondly due to Lu Ran¡¯s initial sessful development of reverse super beast mimicry, which had sessfully fed back Lu Ran¡¯s swordsmanship experience to General Ha. ¡°Once it integrates the trait, its potential will definitely be second to none!¡± Lu Ran dered. Master Jiang Dou, however, still couldn¡¯t ept the idea of teaching Erha swordsmanship as having any practical use. But General Ha was the most intolerant of thesements. Holding the sword in its mouth, it looked discontentedly at Master Jiang Dou. Why say it couldn¡¯t grasp the sword momentum! It remembered this grievance! Just wait and see. As it held the sword, a terrifying aura began to emanate from General Ha, sharp as the howling north wind, causing Master Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He to shudder and stare in solemn awe. ¡°Err wu!!!¡± General Ha growled, sword momentum! Master Jiang Dou, Senior Brother He, and Lu Ran were bewildered: ??? ¡°Ha¡­¡± Master Jiang Dou¡¯s expression gradually turned to one of disbelief. The feeling he had faced when confronting Lu Ran¡¯s beast sword momentum reappeared. Looking at General Ha, for a moment, Master Jiang Dou felt as if he was standing in the north wind, facing off against an alpha wolf. The chilling wind was bone-piercing, momentarily causing him to lose focus. ¡°Impossible.¡± Master Jiang Dou muttered unconsciously. At this moment, Lu Ran was again shocked as he looked at General Ha. You¡¯ve grasped a new skill? No, this wasn¡¯t just a skill, but the application of an aura! By continuously using reverse super beast mimicry, allowing General Ha to learn his sword momentum, it had finally borne fruit! ¡°Ha ha ha, Master, look, isn¡¯t this sword momentum? Who dares to say Erha can¡¯t learn swordsmanship now?¡± Lu Ranughed joyously, feeling incredibly proud of General Ha. In ancient times, parents hoped their children would be dragons. Today, one hopes for Erha to be a sword saint, exhrating! In Xia Country, those who mastered sword momentum were probably no more than ten. Now, even a dog had achieved it. Who could say it wasn¡¯t suitable for learning swordsmanship? With this ability, General Ha should be even better at fighting demon cats, as sword momentum¡­ also acts like a minor control skill, perhaps causing the demon cat to be briefly stunned. ¡°Damn!¡± At this moment, Jiang Dou¡¯s entire worldview was shattering. He had been practicing the sword since childhood, proimed by his father to be born for the sword. Even then, it took him over two decades of rigorous practice before he could grasp the sword momentum. Such prowess, even if it were in the martially intense ancient times, would make one a master. And now, what was he witnessing? An Erha¡­ actually disying sword momentum! He couldn¡¯t ept it! This was even more iprehensible than Lu Ran and Jiang Man, who leveraged supernatural powers to easily learn sword momentum. ¡°Bark!¡± General Ha was overwhelmingly dominant, its gazemanding, as if to say, ¡°Old man, times have changed!¡± Senior Brother He didn¡¯t dare to look directly at General Ha, fearing the notion of ¡°being inferior to a dog¡± would sink deep into his mind. ¡°Could it really be so?¡± Jiang Dou seemed to be rethinking his entire worldview. He said, ¡°Is this what it means to be a beastmaster? Is this what supernatural beings are?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s still unscientific, how can a dog grasp sword momentum?¡± ¡°Lu Ran, how did you manage this? What were you thinking teaching a dog swordsmanship?¡± And crucially, it was sessful! It had achieved a realm that countless swordsmen had not. ¡°Uh, well.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°It¡¯s actually quite funny. At the time, I just happened to learn about Yazi from the legends of the nine sons of the dragon, known for holding a sword in its mouth, with the sword handle sticking out¡­¡± ¡°Yazi has a jackal-like image¡­¡± ¡°And, I happen to be skilled with dual swords and had an Erha. I was just fooling around and wanted it to cosy as Yazi, so I gave it a wooden sword.¡± ¡°Who knew, its learning ability was not bad¡­¡± ¡°But before, it was just for fun. The real decision to seriously teach it swordsmanship came when we got involved with the upation of beastmaster and gained supernatural powers.¡± ¡°Yazi?¡± Jiang Dou said, ¡°Indeed, there seems to be such an image, but that¡¯s just a fabrication by people¡­ Anyway, now that super ancient civilizations have appeared, those legends of divine beasts from history might actually be traces left from ancient times.¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s exnation, the old man seemed toe to terms with it. Jiang Dou¡¯s expression kept changing as he wrestled with his thoughts. Finally, gritting his teeth, he turned to General Ha and said, ¡°You, not bad, the old man acknowledges you now.¡± General Ha: ? Jiang Dou, the elder, asked, ¡°Would you like to take me as your master? Do you understand?¡± Senior Brother He and Lu Ran: ??? General Ha disyed a wise expression. Huh, it didn¡¯t understand, but it still liked the defiant look it had shown earlier. ¡°Master, please stop, you can¡¯t teach it,¡± Lu Ran quickly interjected. ¡°You¡¯re getting on in years, and I¡¯m worried it might be too much for you.¡± ¡°Cough, if you have any special skills left, why not teach me? I can then teach it. It¡¯s the same thing.¡± ¡°I read in Senior Brother Jiang¡¯s diary that you, master, had already mastered sword momentum, and even mentioned something about sword intent?¡± asked Lu Ran. Teaching General Ha was not something just anyone could do¡­ It really was uniquely bound to him. ¡°Is that so? What a pity!¡± Jiang Dou saw that General Ha was indeed not very bright and didn¡¯t understand his words, shaking his head in regret. He then responded to Lu Ran¡¯s question. ¡°Of course, your master has long understood sword momentum, but mine is different from yours.¡± ¡°Your and this Erha¡¯s sword momentum is more about enhancing presence, creating a sense of oppression to disrupt the enemy.¡± ¡°Just like in the natural world, where the king of beasts only needs to release its scent to make a bunch of animals flee in terror.¡± ¡°As for my sword momentum, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard of the term ¡®sword momentum like a rainbow.¡¯ Look at the name of our dojo, Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Our swordsmanship here is based on speed, reaching the extreme, like the light of a rainbow. It¡¯s about enhancing the speed of the swordy to dazzle the enemy, overwhelm them, create oppression, and leave them unable to react.¡± ¡°You were young when you trained at the dojo and only learned the basics, so you didn¡¯t get exposed to these aspects. But that¡¯s not a big problem.¡± ¡°Sword momentum is best when it suits the individual. You two should focus on mastering the sword momentum you have now; there¡¯s no need to force anything else.¡± ¡°Just like you asked, pursuing a higher realm of sword momentum, sword intent, is indeed your goal!¡± Elder Jiang Dou looked at Lu Ran with an excited expression. ¡°This legendary realm of sword intent, I have never entered, nor did your Senior Brother Jiang Man manage to enter it in his lifetime.¡± ¡°However, after he became a beastmaster, he shared a lot of insights with me. Sword momentum, as it is called, is the result of cultivating one¡¯s swordsmanship to such a height that it instills the swordsman with powerful self-confidence and superb skills, imbuing the individual with a kind of resolve that can only beprehended from a certain level of inner strength and position.¡± ¡°This kind of skill is actually present in various fields. Many masters who hold high positions and have achieved extraordinary aplishments in their respective domains possess an aura far beyond that of ordinary people.¡± ¡°Sword momentum, then, is about integrating this aura into the sharp sword, clearly imposing it upon the opponent.¡± ¡°If sword momentum is still traceable, then sword intent bes more elusive, akin to legend. Ancient swordsmen believed that those who grasped sword intent could not only inflict physical wounds on their enemies but also strike a powerful blow to their spirits!¡± ¡°It¡¯s about transforming one¡¯s mental will into the embodiment of the sword. Before the sword is even drawn, a mere nce can act like a sharp de, cutting down the enemy¡¯s beliefs¡­ Isn¡¯t it elusive and intangible?¡± ¡°Indeed¡­¡± Lu Ran, listening by the side, felt it was far-fetched. If it were really that powerful, the old man wouldn¡¯t have been so deted when asked whether guns or swords were mightier. Sword momentum might sound impressive, but it¡¯s just that, and a gun could easily take it down. But this sword intent sounds like it defies science. Even guns find it bizarre. ¡°It¡¯s a very fantastical realm, only existing in legends, but things are different now. You also saw in your Senior Brother Jiang Man¡¯s diary that he seemed to have found a method to cultivate sword intent, but unfortunately¡­ he couldn¡¯t continue down that path.¡± ¡°Back then, the upation of beastmaster was still in its exploratory phase. Now, three yearster, some theories should have matured. Perhaps you could achieve it!¡± Jiang Dou, the elder, looked at Lu Ran and General Ha with great hope in his eyes. However, looking at Erha, who was eager to try, and thinking that a dog might achieve the sword intent that countless exceptionally talented swordsmen had failed to reach, he felt a bit worried. What a strange situation this was. Chapter 42: Maxing Out Defense Due to Fear of Death Chapter 42: Maxing Out Defense Due to Fear of Death ¡°Sword intent¡­¡± Lu Ran nodded. Indeed, before the emergence of supernatural events, this state might have been considered a legend. But now, it might not be beyond human reach. Senior Brother Jiang Man¡¯s records suggest that sword intent seems to be connected with more advanced techniques of energy shaping. And he also mentioned a name familiar to Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi. It appears, then, that shaping skills might be key to understanding sword intent! ¡°I understand, Master. I will definitely grasp sword intent.¡± ¡°Good! Lu Ran, why not stay at the dojo then?¡±¡°That way, we can regrly exchange ideas on swordsmanship.¡± Master Jiang Dou insisted, not wanting Lu Ran to leave just yet. ¡°Um¡­ okay.¡± Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, then agreed. After all, Green Sea City was very close to Jinling, both within the bounds of Infinite City No.3. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem, as he could directly ess Infinite City from Jinling. ¡°He Dali!¡± ¡°Master, I¡¯m here,¡± Senior Brother He responded. ¡°Go and prepare arger room for your junior brother Lu Ran, he also has a pet beast.¡± ¡°Right away!¡± Senior Brother He said as he left. As Senior Brother He departed, Lu Ran asked Master Jiang Dou, ¡°By the way, Master, besides Senior Brother Jiang Man, are there others in the dojo who have been chosen to be beastmasters?¡± ¡°No, not anymore,¡± Master Jiang Dou shook his head. ¡°The number of beastmasters has only recently started to increase.¡± ¡°In that case, perhaps in the future we could recruit more beastmasters as disciples. Beastmasters are divided into two schools: one focuses on nurturing pet beasts, the other on strengthening oneself. Senior Brother belongs to thetter. In the future, there will likely be many of this kind of beastmaster, and that will surely revive the use of ded weapons like swords.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± Master Jiang Dou¡¯s eyes lit up. With examples like Jiang Man and Lu Ran, he felt that beastmasters who essed supernatural powers to practice swordsmanship had a tremendous advantage! Sword momentum, for instance, could be quickly understood! Perhaps, those ancient martial arts that had been lost in Xia Country could be revived. ¡°Speaking of which, I wonder what it would be like tobine gun techniques with the power of a pet beast. If you could infuse bullets with attribute energy, that would be so cool.¡± However, Lu Ran soon fell into deep thought. Jiang Dou: ?? Jiang Dou¡¯s eyebrows twitched, suddenly having a bad feeling. Damn, is Lu Ran, this kid, going to abandon swordsmanship and y with guns in the future? Not again?! ¡­ Lu Ran didn¡¯t know what old man Jiang Dou was thinking, but after deciding to stay at Rainbow Heaven Dojo for a while, he wanted to scout the area around first. So, under the pretext of ¡°taking General Ha for a daily walk to find a feng shui treasurend for it to poop,¡± Lu Ran left the dojo with the grudge-holding General Ha. ¡°Is he a beastmaster?¡± ¡°So handsome!¡± When Lu Ran walked out of the dojo, he didn¡¯t put General Ha away, but kept it by his side. Seeing Lu Ran apanied by a majestic husky, some of the dojo apprentices were taken aback. The upation of beastmaster is now the center of attention everywhere. Since Lu Ran arrived at the dojo, he has been the focus of attention, and now that these dojo apprentices realized that Senior Brother Lu Ran also had the identity of a beastmaster, they were even more eager to learn about him. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s so powerful¡­¡± A few female apprentices, recalling Lu Ran¡¯s explosive demeanor when he first arrived, felt their hearts flutter even more. ¡°If I say, go hunting by yourself these days, can you bring something back?¡± Lu Ran asked the Sudden Death King in his pocket. He hadn¡¯t nned to stay in Jinling long, so he hadn¡¯t brought much food for Sudden Death King, especially since a space backpack can¡¯t hold living things, and Sudden Death King prefers fresh food. So if Sudden Death King wants to eat well in theing days, it will have to hunt on its own. As for the supernatural resources of Infinite City¡­ Lu Ran said he really couldn¡¯t afford to feed two pet beasts right now, so he¡¯ll let Sudden Death King eat ordinary food for now. Rainbow Heaven Dojo is located at the foot of the mountains, close to the wilderness, and the insects swarming over the hills should be enough for Sudden Death King to feast on. Hunt on its own! How scary! Sudden death! Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes rolled back, and it fainted in the pocket. ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran eximed, ¡°You¡¯re an upper supernatural species, rx, those insects can¡¯t beat you.¡± Beside him, General Ha gave Sudden Death King a disdainful look, calling it a coward. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± Soon, Lu Ran, along with General Ha and Sudden Death King, headed up the mountain. He took Sudden Death King out of his pocket, ced it on the ground, and looked at it, saying, ¡°Next up is your free hunting time. General Ha, um¡­ keep an eye on it.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nodded. Meanwhile, Lu Ran took out his phone, nning to check if there were any new updates in the beast taming field. Beastmaster-specific transportation channels have been operational for over three days¡­ In the past week, many city pet stores have experienced shortages¡­ Recently, arge number of ck card holders have gone to rural areas attempting to capture wild beasts, experts caution against blindly pursuing high species level animals¡­ Currently, Xia Country has initially established Beast Taming Edifices in 34 cities, these edifices will serve as the administrative centers for the upation of beastmasters in each province¡­ Shocking! An eight-year-old child was chosen to be a beastmaster, and his contracted pet beast turned out to be a dinosaur¡­ ¡°How did a strange marketing gimmick get mixed in here?¡± Lu Ran was exasperated. However, this indeed was the most eye-catching piece of news among the lot¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but click on it. After clicking, Lu Ran wanted to curse even more; as expected, it was a marketing gimmick. It turned out that the child¡¯s father had made a ck card and bought a dinosaur model for the child, letting him cosy as a beastmaster, and then posted it online. A chorus of criticisms followed¡­ Fang Lan: Have you arrived in Jinling yet? Just as Lu Ran finished reporting the post, he received a message from Fang Lan. Lu Ran sighed, replying: Arrived. By the way, I might stay here for a few days and will be backter than nned. Fang Lan: Whatever suits you, I just wanted to let you know that today, the official beast taming forum uploaded a lot of basic beast taming intelligence, it¡¯s quiteprehensive, you might want to check it out when you¡¯re free. Lu Ran: Okay. The beast taming forum is an online tform established after the advent of the beast taming era, presumably managed by the authorities. Lu Ran had visited it a few times before; it was mostly filled with irrelevant posts from ordinary people, questions, and only a few strategy posts which were not much help to him, so he had stopped paying attention. Now, hearing what Fang Lan said, he reopened the forum. Upon reopening the forum, Lu Ran found its content significantly more valuable than before. The essence section had been updated with numerous strategies, including several for novice secret realms with simple difficulty, but mostly, there were guides on how to safely level up for new beastmasters. For instance, some of the content from the basic beast taming handbook Lu Ran had purchased was quickly and clearly avable on the forum. ¡°Huh?¡± As Lu Ran browsed through, he stumbled upon an interesting strategy post. Do you know in which direction you should develop your pet beast? That was the title of the post. The content was well thought out. The author of the post, a third-generation beastmaster with the ID Jianfeng Chazhen from the Observer¡¯s Guild, shared a tip on nurturing pet beasts today. Have you noticed that after contracting a pet beast, although the beast bes stronger in all aspects, most pet beasts will have one attribute¡ªbe it strength, defense, or speed¡ªthat bes particrly prominent, showing a muchrger enhancement? Moreover, this prominent attribute might not necessarily be the species advantage attribute of the pet beast originally. I¡¯ve asked many friends and noticed this phenomenon ismon, so I reviewed some strategies left by first and second-generation big shots andpiled this summary. During the initial evolution and awakening into supernatural beings, pet beasts might enhance certain attributes based on their inner needs. Let me give you an example. Consider a stray dog that often roams the streets and is frequently bullied by its peers. If it harbors a deep-seated wish that it could run faster to escape the bullying, then once contracted, its speed might indeed receive an extra boost, distinguishing it from other canine pet beasts in terms of species advantage! Of course, this isn¡¯t the case with every pet beast as there¡¯s a strong element of randomness. But undoubtedly, this is a fascinating subject. Due to an animal¡¯s longing for a particr attribute, that attribute bes more pronounced after its evolution. The purpose of this post is to advise novice friends that if you¡¯re unsure how to nurture your pet beast, it¡¯s worthwhile to focus more on enhancing its advantageous attributes. In addition to its inherent species advantage, there¡¯s a secondary advantage that stems from its inner needs during the contracting process. Beastmasters should really delve into understanding their pet beasts¡¯ inner desires! Follow me for weekly nurturing tips and never lose your way! ¡°This post¡­ makes sense.¡± Lu Ran felt a lightbulb moment after reading it. Using this method to exin the cases of General Ha and Sudden Death King seems quite usible. For instance, before encountering supernatural power, General Ha was constantly taught various unique skills by Lu Ran, such as swordsmanship, which was quite challenging. Thus, it¡¯s perfectly logical for it to desire improved learning ability to cope with Lu Ran, which indeed became more pronounced after evolution. Then there¡¯s Sudden Death King, a timid creature prone to ying dead¡ªa natural defense mechanism against danger. Of course, the one at Lu Ran¡¯s home dies suddenly more often than other red-eyed eagle lizards¡­ probably just individual variation. If asked which attribute became most prominent after bing a supernatural species, General Ha definitely has an opinion: defense! General Ha tested it, and despite its small size, its defensive power isparable to that of Pig Raiser¡¯s wild boar when it uses rock-type energy ovey. This is quite rming, especially considering that Sudden Death King hasn¡¯t even awakened yet and is probably just level 1. Although its species level is higher, such defensive power is rather extraordinary. After reading the post, Lu Ran felt that Sudden Death King probably fit this scenario. Firstly, its inherent species advantage is defense. Known as the red-eyed eagle lizard or the armored lizard, its scales resemble armor. While it can¡¯tpare to creatures like turtles, its defense is still notable among smaller lizards. In this case, Sudden Death King still wasn¡¯t satisfied with its own defensive capabilities. Driven by its fear of death, it greatly desired stronger defense. Therefore, after consuming an awakening leaf and undergoing supernatural evolution, it gained an unexpectedly significant boost in defense. Its body became a condensed fortress of defense! It could be said that because of its fear of dying, it inherently focused all its talents on defense. Lu Ran looked over at Sudden Death King, which was cautiously hunting insects in the bushes, and scratched his head. So, should he focus on enhancing its defense further to maximize its advantage? Eventually, with General Ha and Sudden Death King together, one as the sword and the other as the shield, he would have both offense and defense covered. However, considering that Sudden Death King is naturally fearful, making it serve as a frontline shield might seem a bit inconsiderate. Chapter 43: Three Squirrels Chapter 43: Three Squirrels ¡°Hey, Sudden Death King.¡± ¡°Do you ever wish you had a body covered in tough, armored scales?¡± At this moment, the Sudden Death King was engaged in a battle of wits with wild grasshoppers. It was surprised because, just as Lu Ran had said, hunting grasshoppers had indeed be much easier. Their speed seemed incredibly slow through its eyes. Their resistance felt insignificant against its body. Its strength could instantly overpower them, crushing them t. In just a few minutes, the Sudden Death King had already eaten three grasshoppers, and the intense fight was nearly putting General Ha to sleep nearby. ¡°Wow ka?¡±Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s voice, the Sudden Death King poked its head out from the bushes. It pondered the meaning of Lu Ran¡¯s words, then let out another ¡°Wow ka.¡± Hard scales, no pain. Soft scales, sudden death! ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran rubbed his head, continuing to ask: ¡°Why just seek stronger defenses? If you had absolute power, causing threats to suddenly die, wouldn¡¯t that work too?¡± Pain, pain leads to sudden death. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Forget it, no use talking to a little dimwit. He roughly understood what Sudden Death King was getting at. Gaining great power, even if it could make the opponent suddenly die, still left oneself vulnerable to injury and pain. But with the strongest defense, even if it couldn¡¯t defeat the opponent, the opponent couldn¡¯t harm it either. Ideally, the enemy¡¯s attacks wouldn¡¯t even cause pain. As long as there was no pain, it was quitefortable. Lu Ran didn¡¯t quite understand this line of thinking, but considering that the other was just a lizard with the intelligence of a toddler and its species-specific preferences, he didn¡¯t expect too much. Compared to that, General Ha next to them was somewhat the opposite. Even risking its own body covered in wounds, it aimed to make the enemy suddenly die, with maximum aggression. You two are quite a match! Both not normal. Can¡¯t you develop a bnced approach? But then again, having maxed-out defense was indeed quitefortable¡­ If he could use super beast mimicry to transform into a giant dragon with maxed-out defense, wouldn¡¯t he also be very tough¡­ to the point where enemies couldn¡¯t break his defense? Then,bining the aggressive and speedy traits learned from other pet beasts, the strongest shield could indeed be the strongest spear. Was he also heading towards adopting this second school of beast taming? ¡°You all continue,¡± said Lu Ran, having nothing better to do, he continued to browse the forum. He strolled and scrolled. ording to Lu Ran¡¯s estimation, since the sudden death king was now a supernatural being, it would need to consume a lot of ordinary insects to feel full. Shrink. Lu Ran suddenly started searching using keywords. He had just noticed that the forum had recently added a search keyword feature. ¡°Ah?¡± When the search results refreshed, Lu Ran was indeed surprised. Help! Why does everyone else¡¯s pet beast growrger after making a contract, while my contracted hedgehog shrank? Zhasini: Online and urgent! There¡¯s only one hour left before I enter the novice trial secret realm. Although the secret realm chosen will match the pet beast, isn¡¯t this too small? Will it work? [Image] ¡°Indeed, just like with the sudden death king, let¡¯s see if there is an expert who knows what¡¯s going on,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself as he quickly read through thements. This post had many replies, and the most liked featuredment was pinned at the top. Hunterman: Fun. I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first? Let¡¯s start with the good news. Your hedgehog pet beast has good potential. Happy to hear that? But you celebrated too soon. Because the bad news is, your potential is pretty weak. When a beastmaster makes a contract with a pet beast, both the pet beast and the beastmaster be stronger. However, this enhancement of strength for both parties doesn¡¯te out of nowhere. Part of ites from the contract card, and the other part is provided by the pet beast to the beastmaster and by the beastmaster to the pet beast. The power shared between them,bined with the power of the contract card, creates a miraculous reaction, enhancing both parties to an epic level. But this is conditional on both being able to provide high-quality power. For instance, if a beastmaster contracts with a dying rat, the feedback they receive immediately after the contract isn¡¯t much. For example, a level 5 beastmaster who contracts with an ordinary animal will be able to enhance the animal¡¯s abilities to a greater extent than an apprentice beastmaster could. In other words, because you cannot provide a significant amount of high-quality power, your pet beast could not absorb enough nutrients during its awakening. How could it possibly increase in size? The reason for the shrinkage is a self-protection mechanism in the pet beast, enabling it to fully enhance itself with the limited power avable. Generally, maintaining the original size would likely result in iplete evolution, leading to defects. Poster, don¡¯t mind my bluntness, but is there something wrong with your health? It might be a good idea to visit a hospital. Moreover, do not worry about your pet beast; it has great potential. Not every creature can shrink to achieve perfect enhancement, which requires certain talents. Beastmasters used to poprly utilize a resource known as awakening leaf to screen the qualifications of pet beasts. Supernatural beings awakened by an awakening leaf, without the feedback from a contract card or a beastmaster, generally do not receive much initial enhancement. Most do not grow in size but remain the same or shrink to achieve a moreplete supernatural enhancement. This is quitemon and can also be used to assess the quality of a pet beast. Once you provide it with enough nutrients for growth, and its growth level increases, its size will gradually return to normal. Do you understand? Instead of worrying about your pet beast, you should be more concerned about your own health, especially at such a young age. Surely it¡¯s not due to overexertion, right? This person really knows how to provoke. ¡°Damn!¡± Lu Ran realized what was happening when he read this. It turned out that the awakening leaf provided too little supernatural power, forcing sudden death king to shrink in order to evolve fully. With already limited supernatural power, if it tried to increase in size, it might end up with missing limbs due to inadequate enhancement. So, the current mini sudden death king is not exactly the essence of concentration¡­ But rather¡­ in a state of malnutrition?! Could the reason be that superficial? Lu Ran was silent. ¡°I really need to improve my knowledge of beast taming.¡± Lu Ran first took a moment of silence for the beastmaster named Zhasini, then looked at sudden death king, who was munching on grasshoppers with relish, feeling a bit guilty. ¡°Sudden death king, please bear with it for a while, make do with what you have. Once General Ha and I earn some money, I¡¯ll make sure you get enough nutrients¡­¡± Bigger and tougher, better suited as a shield! Lu Ran continued browsing the forum. He hadn¡¯t realized before, but there was a lot of nutritious information on this forum. It seemed that in the future, he could allocate some of his training time to browsing posts to broaden his knowledge¡­ As Lu Ran scrolled, half an hour passed, and sudden death king seemed to be really famished, having consumed food several times its own size¡­ But its size didn¡¯t seem to have changed much. Right, its body is so tough, to grow seamlessly and ergepletely, it would definitely need a massive amount of nutrients. Relying on ordinary grasshoppers for that was difficult¡­ Again, there were people approaching. Humans can be so terrifying. Hmm, they even engage in infighting. And theymand terrifying creatures. Hmm? At this moment, Lu Ran was still walking General Ha and sudden death king. However, as they walked, Lu Ran began to pick up on some inner voices. This wasmon, as Lu Ran often heard the inner voices of wild animals after activating telepathy. But such clearmunication was rare, indicating that themunicating creature had a high intelligence. Lu Ran looked around and soon spotted three squirrels on a tree, staring in his direction and holding fruits. Three squirrels! Although the average intelligence of squirrels wasn¡¯t particrly high, it wasn¡¯t low either. Judging by the level of theirmunication, these three were quite exceptional, their intelligence nearing that of the crow in Green Sea City. Usually, Lu Ran heard animal inner voices and seldom responded. But this time, he couldn¡¯t help but stop in his tracks, simply because the topic of the squirrels¡¯ conversation was too absurd. Humans? Engaging in infighting? Commanding terrifying creatures? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lu Ran stared intently at the squirrels, and when the three squirrels noticed that Lu Ran had stopped and was staring hard at them, they all shivered, dropped the fruits they were holding, and seemed ready to pretend nothing had happened and walk away hand in hand¡­ ¡°Sudden death king, here¡¯s a test for you¡ªcatch those three squirrels!¡± ¡°Wow ka?¡± Sudden death king looked at the squirrels, which were evenrger than itself, and fell into thought. However, remembering its recent bravery and its absolute defensive capabilities¡­ it gritted its teeth and charged forward! Catching squirrels wouldn¡¯t cause sudden death, but defying Lu Ran certainly would! The three squirrels ran even faster, their expressions filled with terror. Humans are so frightening! Chapter 44: Necromancy Chapter 44: Necromancy It wasn¡¯t long before the three little squirrels were neatly lined up, shivering. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I¡¯m a good person.¡± ¡°Just answer a few of my questions, and you¡¯ll be free to go.¡± Lu Ran looked kindly at the three little squirrels. ¡°Bark!¡± ¡°Wow ka!¡± General Ha and the Sudden Death King nodded. Although they were unsure why Lu Ran wanted to catch these three, Lu Ran was indeed a ¡°good person.¡± Hopefully, the three little squirrels would take the hint. Having telepathy sure was convenient. Lu Ran clearly transmitted his thoughts.After understanding, the three little squirrels nodded frantically. ¡°What were you talking about just now?¡± Lu Ran asked. The squirrels looked at each other, and the one in the middle began to murmur. Yesterday, two people were fighting in the mountains. ¡°Two people were fighting in the mountains, and they weremanding creatures like beasts?¡± Lu Ran asked. The little squirrels immediately nodded. ¡°Two beastmasters, huh.¡± Lu Ran was slightly taken aback. But why would two beastmasterse to such a ce to fight? ¡°What happened next?¡± Lu Ran asked. One died, was buried. The other walked away. Lu Ran: ?? ¡°Holy shit.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes widened dramatically. He had originally thought that the squirrels¡¯ talk of fratricide was just a metaphor for fighting. Turns out, it was an actual murder? ¡°What kind of creatures were theymanding?¡± Lu Ran continued to ask. The one that died, a cat¡­ The other, unrecognizable, very frightening. ¡°Do you remember where the fight took ce? Take me there.¡± Lu Ran said. The three little squirrels looked at each other again, very reluctant, but too frightened of Lu Ran, they eventually nodded. Momentster, Lu Ran was led to the site of yesterday¡¯s fight. As soon as they arrived, Lu Ran and General Ha could smell the lingering scent of blood. Looking at the hastily buried mound with obvious signs of burial, Lu Ran¡¯s heart raced again. Damn, what¡¯s going on. Although he had strong control over animals, facing murder and death still left him with the mindset of an ordinary high school student. Confronted with this situation, Lu Ran froze on the spot, unsure of how to proceed. A beastmaster had been killed and the body dumped in the wilderness! From the looks of the scene, the beastmaster responsible for the killing didn¡¯t seem to be an official one. Otherwise, the handling of the body wouldn¡¯t have been so careless. Was it a malicious murder? What to do? Call the police? Would that bring trouble upon himself? But if he didn¡¯t call the police, and the murderer was a repeat offender, wouldn¡¯t failing to catch them soon put more people at risk? ¡°Damn squirrels, making me hear about this. I¡¯ll remember this grudge.¡± General Ha and the squirrels: ?? After not much deliberation, Lu Ran took a deep breath and decided to contact the authorities. He couldn¡¯t help it; his upbringingpelled him to not ignore such matters. As a child, he loved learning swordsmanship, inspired by the idea of being a knight who would draw his sword to uphold justice whenever he witnessed an injustice. Even though he had since passed those dreams onto General Ha¡­ at least he had to set an example for it! ¡°I¡¯ll contact Xiaobailong,¡± Lu Ran thought, realizing he had no other option. Xiaobailong should have a way to contact the official beastmasters in Jinling. Soon enough, Xiaobailong answered the call. Upon receiving Lu Ran¡¯s call, Xiaobailong was quite pleased, saying, ¡°Yo, Lu Ran, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°Let me guess, you need help with something school-rted? Isn¡¯t high school starting soon?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯ve found a buried body in the outskirts of the mountains, and General Ha, with its keen sense of smell, determined that the buried were a beastmaster and a supernatural pet beast¡­¡± Xiaobailong: ?? ¡°Holy shit.¡± Xiaobailong also eximed in shock. Thest time Lu Ran contacted him, it was about a runaway tiger, and now, a beastmaster¡¯s body? This kid, always getting into something. What on earth do you do all day! ¡°Where are you? Still in Green Sea City?¡± Xiaobailong asked seriously, his expression grave. A beastmaster mysteriously buried in the wilderness was no small matter! ¡°No, I¡¯m currently in Jinling.¡± ¡°Jinling? That makes things easier!¡± Xiaobailong said, ¡°My former boss has been transferred to the Beast Taming Edifice in Jinling. I¡¯ll give him your contact details.¡± ¡°Security in each province is now managed separately. I¡¯m in Shanghai, so I¡¯m not too familiar with the situation there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran nodded. After ending the call with Lu Ran, Xiaobailong contacted his former boss. The call was quickly answered. ¡°Leader Zhao!¡± ¡°Bai Junjie? What¡¯s up? We just parted ways not long ago, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Do you remember that beastmaster named Lu Ran, ID Passerby A, whose ancestors for eighteen generations have been involved with animals, the neer that Dr. Gu had high hopes for?¡± ¡°Of course, I remember! How could I forget! Now that I¡¯ve been transferred to Jinling, I¡¯m even closer to him. We might have a chance to meet in the future.¡± ¡°He¡¯s currently in Jinling¡­¡± Xiaobailong quickly ryed the situation Lu Ran encountered to his former boss. The line went silent for a moment, then urgently, ¡°Xiaobai, quickly give me his contact information, this is urgent.¡± ¡­ The transfer of information was swift. ¡°Is this Lu Ran? I¡¯m Xiaobailong¡¯s boss, Zhao Chen. Xiaobailong has already told me about your situation. Where are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at¡­¡± Lu Ran quickly provided his location. ¡°Lu Ran, thank you for reporting this. This might be rted to a case we are currently investigating. We are on our way now. Please be careful while you wait.¡± After hanging up, Lu Ran sighed softly and looked again at the burial site. Things were indeedplicated. An official beastmaster was on the case¡­ So, the murderer might already be under official scrutiny?! ¡°You can go now.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran turned to the three little squirrels; they were no longer of any use, so he nned to send them away. ¡°Gugu¡­¡± The three little squirrels cried tears of joy and ran off. Meanwhile, Lu Ran and General Ha continued to wait at the site. Lu Ran didn¡¯t dare to dig up the body, fearing he might disrupt the crime scene. It definitely wasn¡¯t because he was scared. So terrifying, there¡¯s a dead body, I might suddenly die¡­ Speaking of sudden death, the Sudden Death King was quite excited throughout. As for General Ha, that creature¡­ fearless of heaven and earth, was looking up, seemingly lost in thought. The response from the official beastmasters in Jinling was impressively swift. Contrary to Lu Ran¡¯s expectations, only two people arrived at the scene within about fifteen minutes. One was a middle-aged man and the other a young man. Upon arrival, the middle-aged man immediately addressed Lu Ran, ¡°It was I who contacted you earlier. Is this the ce?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Zhao Chen looked towards the burial site with a grave expression. ¡°Xiao Wang, I¡¯ll leave this to you. I¡¯m going to take Lu Ran back to the city.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± the young man replied, making an ¡®OK¡¯ gesture. ¡°Lu Ran, youe with me back to the city. We¡¯ll let the professionals handle this,¡± Zhao Chen said. Lu Ran felt that Xiaobailong¡¯s former boss probably saw him as a student and thought it inappropriate for him to witness the exhumation, hence the decision to take him away. Lu Ran, having no interest in staying, called out to General Ha and the Sudden Death King resting on its back, ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± The Sudden Death King seemed relieved. This ce¡­ had bad feng shui. Soon, they were making their way down the mountain. During the descent, Zhao Chen asked Lu Ran for more details about the incident. Naturally, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t say that he had heard it from the squirrels, so he embellished the story a bit. He exined everything from his arrival in Jinling to the reasons he had gone up the mountain. ¡°You¡¯re really lucky, having evolved such a capable climbing pet using an awakening leaf!¡± Zhao Chen couldn¡¯t help butment as he looked at the Sudden Death King on General Ha. Truly worthy of being someone Dr. Gu had high hopes for, a beastmaster whose ancestors for generations had dealings with animals. At that moment, Zhao Chen received another phone call. ¡°Is it him?¡± Zhao Chen asked. ¡°Yes, Tao Hua, a freshman at Jinling Normal University, recently became a beastmaster. His roommate reportedst night that he went out to the wilderness to level up but didn¡¯t return all night. A beastmaster friend also found that his identity card had been cancelled and he couldn¡¯t be contacted in Infinite City,¡± replied the voice on the other end of the phone. ¡°It looks like he was indeed a victim,¡± Zhao Chen concluded. ¡°Let¡¯s first call people to handle the body and contact the family. I¡¯ll go to headquarters and see if we can find some strong external help to resolve this quickly,¡± Zhao Chen sighed, then hung up the phone. ¡°Uncle Zhao, what is this case about?¡± To foster a closer rtionship with Lu Ran, Zhao Chen had directly asked Lu Ran to call him Uncle Zhao. Although Lu Ran wasn¡¯t interested in the body, he was quite curious about the case. Facing Lu Ran¡¯s inquiry, Zhao Chen gave a bitter smile and said, ¡°You¡¯vee to Jinling at quite a time; things haven¡¯t been very peaceful around here recently.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve only just be a beastmaster, so you might not know about this, but internationally, there¡¯s a mysterious organization called ¡®The Other Shore¡¯. They possess a special skill that allows them to level up by hunting other beastmasters and their pet beasts.¡± ¡°Members of The Other Shore are spread across many countries, making it an international criminal organization.¡± ¡°With the arrival of the fourth wave of beastmasters, they¡¯ve been particrly active recently. I just got transferred to Jinling and have already noticed traces of The Other Shore here.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that person was killed by a member of The Other Shore.¡± ¡°A skill that allows leveling up by killing beastmasters and pet beasts? How is such a skill even possible?¡± Lu Ran was shocked, having never heard of this before. Bing a beastmaster came with such dangers? Even without venturing into dangerous secret realms, one could still be targeted? In secret realms, beastmasters aren¡¯t supposed to kill creatures to level up¡­ And now they can do this to each other? On General Ha, the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes widened and its body trembled, feeling that the world was a dangerous ce. ¡°Wow!¡± General Ha was speechless. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, The Other Shore¡¯s main base is overseas. The small fry that show up domestically are quickly taken out, preventing them from establishing any significant foothold in Xia Country,¡± Zhao Chen said. ¡°However, this group is very good at hiding and indeed hard to deal with. If you encounter them in the future, it¡¯s better to find an opportunity to run immediately, using your identity card to quickly escape to Infinite City.¡± ¡°That neer probably didn¡¯t have the experience to deal with ¡®necromancy¡¯, so he couldn¡¯t escape in time and had his soul devoured.¡± ¡°Necromancy, souls?¡± Lu Ran was confused. Zhao Chen exined, ¡°The members of The Other Shore can hardly be called beastmasters anymore. They possess a unique skill that involves killing their contract pet beasts to transform them into enved spirits. They hunt other beastmasters and their pet beasts to level up themselves by devouring the souls of other supernatural beings.¡± ¡°Therefore, internationally, they are more often referred to as necromancers rather than beastmasters.¡± Chapter 45: The Attributes of the Sudden Death King Chapter 45: The Attributes of the Sudden Death King Necromancer¡­ Lu Ran finally understood. A beastmaster known as a ¡°necromancer¡±mands the souls of animals. So, these are what people in Xia Countrymonly refer to as ¡°ghosts¡±? ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s scalp tingled. Suddenly, the upation of a beastmaster seemed bizarre. ¡°Hahaha, I was shocked too when I first heard about it,¡± Zhao Chenughed. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s still like something out of a legend. I¡¯ve heard a lot but never seen a necromancy pet beast with my own eyes.¡±¡°If we can catch this one in Jinling, I must see it for myself!¡± ¡°Alright, here we are.¡± The two were chatting when they arrived at the foot of the mountain. By that time, Zhao Chen had already taken three or four phone calls. Zhao Chen turned to Lu Ran and asked, ¡°Do you want to go back to your master¡¯s dojo, ore with me to the Beast Taming Edifice?¡± ¡°Why note back to the Beast Taming Edifice with me?¡± ¡°Although Xiao Wang is strong, his investigative skills arecking. Relying on conventional investigative skills and technological means, it¡¯s difficult to quickly locate a necromancer with a necromancy pet beast¡­ We might need to find an external aid.¡± ¡°Without any surprises, the external aid is already on their way to Jinling.¡± ¡°You were the first to discover the scene, soter, you might need to describe the details.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran spoke up. If going there meant keeping a necromancer atrge under check, he was not at ease. What if he became a targetter on¡­ Jinling was so close to the Green Sea, and he would need to stay in Jinling for a while. He must kill him! Capture him! Interrogate¡­ Pry open his mouth! Find out how the necromancy pet beast was handled¡­ Lu Ran scratched his cheek. Could he learn this? If General Ha ever fell, he could switch his upation to a necromancer, allowing General Ha to be reborn in another form! An undead sword dog! Although the upation sounded sinister, Lu Ran himself was kind-hearted and would not do evil! After all, weapons are not inherently good or bad; it all depends on who wields them. Meanwhile, Zhao Chen, who had gone to make another phone call, had not yet realized that Lu Ran, while outwardly scared, was actually intrigued by necromancy. His personality was much like a fusion of the Sudden Death King and General Ha, both fearful and yful. ¡°General Ha,e back to me. Sudden Death King, get into my pocket.¡± Lu Ran looked at his two pet beasts and coughed dryly, still worried about their future demise. Speaking of which, if it became involved in necromancy¡­ could it retain its consciousness from before death? This question suddenly urred to Lu Ran. ¡­ Jinling Beast Taming Edifice. A facility surrounding a tall building. It wasn¡¯t long before Lu Ran arrived here with Zhao Chen. Upon arrival, Zhao Chen arranged for Lu Ran to wait in a reception room. ¡°Lu Ran, I need to connect some clues, so you wait here for a while. If you get bored, feel free to look around.¡± ¡°By the way, not far from entrance C of the building, there¡¯s an attribute stone. Your lizard, after awakening with the awakening leaf, hasn¡¯t had its attributes tested yet, right? You might take this opportunity to check it out!¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded. After speaking, Zhao Chen hurried off, looking very busy. ¡°Xiaobailong¡¯s former boss, I wonder if this is a promotion or a demotion.¡± Lu Ran pondered. He used to be in charge of recruitment but was stationed in Shanghai, and now it seemed he was responsible for more duties but had been transferred to Jinling. The attribute stone mentioned by Zhao Chen interested Lu Ran because he couldn¡¯t bring the Sudden Death King into Infinite City to test its attributes¡­ Lu Ran had been wondering if there were attribute stones outside Infinite City. Turns out, there really were. Speaking of which, can attribute stones be put into a backpack? Surely no one would steal the attribute stone from Infinite City in the middle of the night to sell it¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll take you to test your attributes.¡± Lu Ran stood up. ¡°Wow ka.¡± The Sudden Death King poked its head out. To be honest, following Lu Ran out these past few days had emboldened it quite a bit. It seemed what it reallycked was practice! Unfortunately, the innate nature of the Sudden Death King was hard to change. Attributes? ¡°It¡¯s the hidden potential inside your body, could be fire, could be lightning; we need to test it to specifically bring it out.¡± Fire? Lightning? Coming out of its body? Sudden Death! The Sudden Death King rolled its eyes, terrified. In its view, having mes or electricity appear on its body was extremely frightening, and without a doubt, it was bound to lead to disaster. ¡°You won¡¯t die.¡± Lu Ran twitched the corner of his mouth, toozy to exin further, and simply reassured it with, ¡°You won¡¯t die,¡± then set off to find the attribute stone. At the entrance C of the Beast Taming Edifice, Lu Ran had just stepped out when he spotted the area where the attribute stone was located. The ce was bustling with people, quite lively. Next to the attribute stone, a maturedy in ck silk was instructing neers on how to use the attribute stone. Lu Ran rubbed his eyes and took a closer look, feeling a sense of familiarity. ¡°Shenghua???¡± Lu Ran was slightly stunned, then remembered¡ªhe was thinking of that Shenghua who guided Pig Raiser. He remembered her name was Bixia Shenghua. And there she was! ¡°When the attribute stone turns red and hot, showing burn marks, congrattions, your Golden Retriever is fire-type!¡± At that moment, Shenghua was smiling as she spoke to a young man with a Golden Retriever: ¡°That¡¯s a great trait, fire-type. Fire-type beasts have some of the highest attack power among all attributes. Top nutritionists and Forgemasters also need fire-type pet beasts; it¡¯s a sort of all-purpose attribute.¡± ¡°A fire-type canine¡­ indeed the best choice for a firefighting dog.¡± Fearless of ordinary fires, it can easily navigate through fires to save lives! Even if one doesn¡¯t choose a specialized upation, one can still secure an iron rice bowl. Nowadays, beastmasters are rapidly entering various industries. ¡°Fire-type?!¡± The novice beastmaster with the Golden Retriever was thrilled, quickly thanking Shenghua. Another person went up to test. This individual brought a Red Fox, its origin unclear, but surprisingly, it awakened as earth-type. Not rock-type, but earth-type. This trait was somewhat rare¡ªnot because earth-type is particrly powerful, but because it¡¯s interesting! It¡¯s simr to rock-type, but earth-type pet beasts have a trait that rock-type beastsck¡ªthe ability to burrow underground! Just as water-type pet beasts, even those not fish, can easily swim in deep water. Simrly, earth-type pet beasts can easily burrow into the ground, making them even harder to catch than flying-type beasts. This kind of attribute often appears in animals that dwell underground, like earthworms and moles. ¡°Could this trait be used for tomb raiding?¡± People around were buzzing with discussions. ¡°Is anyone else here to test their awakening?¡± After another personpleted their test, Shenghua continued with her remarks, seemingly able to praise any attribute that the neers awakened, leaving them feeling quite pleased. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try, Shenghua, long time no see.¡± At that moment, Lu Ran stepped forward. Shenghua looked at Lu Ran, momentarily startled, then smiled and said, ¡°Is that you¡­ Lu Ran¡­ are you here to test your attribute?¡± Shenghua maintained a high level of professionalism, refraining from mentioning Lu Ran¡¯s ID in Infinite City, amon understanding among beastmasters. ¡°Right.¡± Lu Ran nodded, but Shenghua was puzzled, thinking that Lu Ran had alreadypleted his test. Then she saw Lu Ran pulling a mini True Red-Eyed ck Dragon from his pocket¡­ Shenghua was surprised: ¡°!!!¡± Seeing the Sudden Death King, she seemed to understand something¡ªthis was Lu Ran¡¯s second pet beast! As for how to choose a second pet beast in advance, there were many methods. Remembering what Xiaobailong had mentioned about Lu Ran being connected to a high-ranking official in an alliance, she felt reassured. ¡°Is that a lizard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so small, can it really fight?¡± ¡°What species is that? It looks so cool.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s dead. It doesn¡¯t move at all when held in his hand¡­¡± The newly tested beastmasters around them continued their discussions, observing the Sudden Death King that Lu Ran had ced on the ground. At this moment, Lu Ran had already thrown the Sudden Death King onto the ground. ¡°Just go over, grab that stone firmly.¡± Sudden Death¡­ The Sudden Death King looked utterly despondent, its eyes filled with despair. Its body emitted sparks and mes, which was quite frightening. However, under Lu Ran¡¯s repeated urging, it nervously crawled towards the attribute stone and raised its paw to swipe at it. Then, it watched intently. At this moment, everyone stopped discussing and quietly observed the changes in the attribute stone. One second¡­ Two seconds¡­ Sizzling sounds. Whatever the Sudden Death King feared, it manifested. Apanied by the sounds, the attribute stone suddenly shed with several streaks of electricity, leaving scorched marks where it touched. ¡°It¡¯s thunder!¡± Shenghua eximed in surprise. Thunder and fire attributes are rtively rare, as most animals fear mes and lightning. To have an affinity with such elemental attributes is quite a challenge. However, there¡¯s no doubt that such an attribute, once awakened, holds enormous suppressive power over other creatures! ¡°Eh? Your pet beast?!¡± Just as Shenghua was about to praise the thunder attribute, she saw the sudden death king roll its eyes and faint dead away in front of the attribute stone. ¡°Is it¡­ dead???¡± ¡°Ah¡ªdead? No way?¡± A young girl nearby covered her mouth in shock. The crowd suddenly became noisy, all staring at the lifeless lizard, bewildered and unsure of what had happened. ¡°Cough, cough.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran, seeing that the sudden death king indeed possessed the thunder attribute, felt relieved. The numbing sensation that General Ha had felt did indeed have merit¡ªwas it static electricity? 100% static constitution, truly befitting of the thunder attribute. ¡°It¡¯s not dead. This lizard is called the ¡®red-eyed eagle lizard,¡¯ a very special species that likes to y dead. It¡¯s rare in our country,¡± Lu Ran exined as he walked forward, tossing the sudden death king back into his pocket. ¡°I see¡­¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s exnation, the bystanders believed him, as if the lizard were actually dead, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t be acting as if nothing was wrong; surely there would have been some bacsh. ¡°Thanks, Shenghua. I¡¯ll head back now; you¡¯re busy,¡± Lu Ran said after testing the attribute, not nning to stay long, worried that Zhao Chen might not find him in the roomter. Knowing the sudden death king¡¯s attribute was enough. Thunder¡­ known for its destructive power¡­ It was surprising that the sudden death king, known for its impressive defense, would awaken such an attribute. Even if it were rock-type or metal, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t have found it strange. ¡°Alright, see you next time,¡± Shenghua said with a smile. After saying goodbye to Shenghua, Lu Ran headed back to his room. During this time, he suddenly thought that the thunder attribute might not be so bad after all. Every attribute has its characteristics, like the freezing of the ice attribute, the burning of the fire attribute, and the conductivity of thunder! Thunder attacks are notably effective at prating an enemy¡¯s defenses, more so than most other attributes. The reason lies in the strong conductivity of thunder energy, which allows it to electrify an entire body upon contact. Given this, could it be possible for the sudden death king to mold thunder into armor, oveying its entire body? If anyone were to touch it¡­ they might be electrocuted on the spot? Defense¡­ is also a form of attack. This is one of the few attributes where harm cane simply from contact, without needing to initiate an attack! Chapter 46: The Cat that Disliked Dogs Chapter 46: The Cat that Disliked Dogs ¡°Against thunder-type enemies, it¡¯s best to use release-type skills; otherwise, it¡¯s the attribute most prone to bacsh.¡± Lu Ran recalled a snippet from the Basic Beast Taming Handbook about attributes, which highlighted theplexity of dealing with thunder types. It¡¯s known that release-type skills consume too much energy and are difficult to hit with, so most supernatural beings prefer closebat. At this time, the thunder type, known for its bacsh characteristic, holds a significant advantage. ¡°If General Ha is positioned as a strong output, then if I ever make a contract with the Sudden Death King, I could train it towards a bacsh style, focusing on defense,¡± Lu Ran mused. Since this little one pursues ultimate defense, might as well go all in on that. While it takes on damage for General Ha, it also doesn¡¯tck output, and if it could paralyze an opponent, that would add an element of control. After mimicking it with super beast mimicry, my resistance to damage would be off the charts, and I wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting hurt anymore. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Hey, human up ahead.¡±At this moment, Lu Ran was walking through the hall corridor, about to return to the reception room, when suddenly, a haughty female voice made him pause. He quickly looked around but saw no one. ¡°Look down.¡± The voice came again, and Lu Ran lowered his gaze. There, looking like a plush toy, was arge white cat with silky fur and distinguished demeanor, its sapphire-like eyes staring at him. Lu Ran: ? ¡°What! The cat spoke!¡± A momentter, after two seconds of silence, Lu Ran stared in shock at the cat. This cat¡­ just spoke, didn¡¯t it?! He was sure it wasn¡¯t telepathy or anything like that! What¡¯s going on! Though aware that supernatural beings would indeed be bizarre, Lu Ran had never before encountered a talking cat, which was quite novel to him. ¡°Is it so strange for a cat to speak?¡± The ragdoll cat frowned slightly and said, ¡°Kid, you¡¯re the one who discovered the necromancer, right?¡± Lu Ran: ?? ¡°Who are you.¡± Lu Ran had beenmunicating through telepathy with various stray cats for over two years, but this was the first time he¡¯d encountered such an odd cat. ¡°Me? I¡¯m an assistant hired by the Jinling authorities to capture the necromancer. It¡¯s such a hassle; I¡¯m supposed to be on vacation, yet here I am working,¡± the ragdoll cat said with a tone of dissatisfaction, clearly reluctant. Lu Ran was even more confused now. Goodness, although Uncle Zhao Chen mentioned that powerful assistance would be hired to capture the necromancer as soon as possible¡­ He didn¡¯t say that the help would be a cat. Could it be the pet beast of some powerful beastmaster? Why is it acting alone without its beastmaster¡­ Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°Yes, I discovered it¡­¡± Lu Ran responded. After Lu Ran spoke, the ragdoll cat, surprisingly, didn¡¯t ask too much about the case. Instead, its little pink nose wrinkled slightly. ¡°You have¡­ a strong scent of dogs on you.¡± ¡°Did you contract with a canine pet beast? Moreover, your beast taming skill seems to be the type that gains its power¡­ such a distasteful smell.¡± ¡°Why not contract with a cute cat?¡± it questioned. Lu Ran dared not contradict, seeing that the other party was likely a big shot. Just a sniff and it could tell he had a scent of dogs on him; its nose was no worse than a dog¡¯s. ¡°Cough, the cats in our family are quite formidable, not just anyone can contract with them. For instance, I saw a ck cat pull out a gun from its pocket and shoot a mouse dead when I was a child. That incident caused quite a stir and even made it on TV. Contracting with them would probably lead to bacsh.¡± Ragdoll cat: ? ¡°You think I haven¡¯t watched ¡®ck Cat Sheriff¡¯?¡± the ragdoll cat red at Lu Ran. ¡°Ah, have you seen it¡­¡± Lu Ran gave an awkward smile, finding this cat quite amusing. That was an old show, anyone who watched it must be of a certain age. ¡°But speaking of which.¡± The ragdoll cat looked mockingly at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Your talent is not bad.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a superpower user, right? You must possess the ability tomunicate telepathically with other species, am I correct?¡± Silence, as still as death. Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed, his gaze fixed on the ragdoll cat. He¡­ had definitely never shown any special abilities in front of this ragdoll cat. How did it know? Two years ago, Lu Ran acquired the ability for telepathy, a secret second only to his divine deer pendant. Although he felt that this power might be exposed someday, he didn¡¯t expect it to happen so soon. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous, it¡¯s just a small superpower. I know a few folks whose superpowers are much stronger than yours,¡± the ragdoll cat said with a smug smile after seeing Lu Ran flustered. Now this guy knows the consequences of teasing me, right? ¡°You mean, besides me, there are others with simr superpowers?¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t deny his ability, but asked seriously instead. ¡°Of course, among the thirteen active beastmasters in Xia Country, there¡¯s a girl who was born with the ability to freely manipte psychokinesis. Even before she became a beastmaster, her power was alreadyparable to a level 10 supernatural being. Much more impressive than yours,¡± the ragdoll cat said with a look that seemed to belittle Lu Ran¡¯s capabilities. Lu Ran was speechless. There really were other superpower users¡­ and it seemed this person was even more incredible. It¡¯s possible they had acquired their superpowers decades ago, and it was even an offensive type! Comparable to a level 10 supernatural being? That means in a novice secret realm¡­ it would be a massacre! Getting an SSS-level rating would be as easy as drinking water! ¡°Is her name Gu Qingyi?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked. Female, first-generation beastmaster¡­ that name quickly came to mind. The ragdoll cat looked at Lu Ran in surprise and said, ¡°You know of Gu Qingyi, but it seems you don¡¯t know her well. I¡¯m talking about someone else, not Gu Qingyi. Although Gu¡¯s research skills are stronger, there¡¯s probably only that old man who could definitely best her inbat domestically.¡± It isn¡¯t her then¡­ This cat knows a lot. Lu Ran wondered whose pet beast this could be. Could it also belong to some first-generation big shot? He looked at the ragdoll cat, and suddenly, it looked very familiar. It was as if he had seen it somewhere before. ¡°Who exactly are you¡­ and how do you know so much?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°I might as well tell you, do you know the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦? That¡¯s my business, specializing in selling all kinds of intelligence!¡± the ragdoll cat yawned and said, ¡°You clearly look like a newbie with no background. If you need any information in the future, you can buy it from my business; it¡¯ll save you a lot of detours.¡± Lu Ran was shocked: !!! He knew he had seen this cat somewhere before. Then it hit him. When Xiaobailong took him to the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦, there was a cat statue there that had a very simr aura to this cat! ¡°Are you the owner of the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦? I heard that the owner was a second-generation beastmaster!¡± Lu Ran asked, ¡°Are you its pet beast?¡± The ragdoll cat said, ¡°Sort of, but you need to understand the hierarchy here.¡± What does that mean¡­ you¡¯re suggesting you¡¯re the boss, and the beastmaster is the subordinate? Lu Ran didn¡¯t inquire further because just then, a ringing sound urred. Only then did he notice the ragdoll cat¡¯s tail¡­ Originally having just one tail, it suddenly manifested a second tail, which was holding a mini cellphone. In the next moment. The cellphone was controlled by mental power and floated to the ragdoll cat¡¯s ear, and the tail disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ve already arrived at the Beast Taming Edifice and have seen the person you mentioned. You guys cane over directly,¡± it said. After finishing the call, it hung up. ¡°Superpower users are rare, though not unheard of. Want toe with me to gain some insights and see a necromancer in person?¡± the ragdoll cat looked up at Lu Ran and said, ¡°The soul of a superpower user like you is rich and tasty, swallowing it would allow them to level up several times; it¡¯s a necromancer¡¯s favorite.¡± ¡°To help you escape smoothly if you¡¯re targeted in the future, I suggest you get familiar with theirbat style in person.¡± ¡°Ah, I, the kitty, am just kind-hearted,¡± the ragdoll cat indulged in self-praise. Lu Ran felt sick to his stomach. So, in the eyes of a necromancer, he was just a nutritious meal? Wait, you sneaky cat, you aren¡¯t nning to use me as bait, are you? He didn¡¯t doubt the truth of the statement, especially since Xiaobailong had mentioned that the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦ is the secondrgest intelligence center in Xia Country. ¡°Okay¡­ please help us¡­¡± Upon hearing this, Lu Ran immediately agreed. This cat was clearly no ordinary creature; with it leading the way, the necromancer should be unable to cause any trouble, and watching the battle from the sidelines would be educational. While they were talking, Zhao Chen arrived in a hurry. Seeing that the ragdoll cat was already in contact with Lu Ran, he quickly said, ¡°Lu Ran, this is Manager Ying, one of the founders of the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦, a very powerful supernatural being, and the external support we¡¯ve brought in!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already met,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Good, I wonder, Manager Ying, how we can find that necromancer,¡± Zhao Chen asked the ragdoll cat. ¡°It¡¯s simple,¡± the ragdoll cat said. ¡°Take me to the crime scene. I can use my Time skill to deduce the situation, and we should be able to locate him quickly.¡± ¡°After we find him, I¡¯ll use my Space skill to lock down the area around him, so he won¡¯t be able to escape!¡± The cat licked its lips. Zhao Chen and Lu Ran, standing nearby, were sweating bullets. Wow, Time and Space skills¡­ No wonder it¡¯s Xia Country¡¯srgest intelligence dealer, truly skilled. Chapter 47: Serious Business Chapter 47: Serious Business ¡°Alright, let¡¯s not waste any more time. I¡¯ll handle this matter. You can tell your people to disperse.¡± Manager Ying spoke up, addressing Zhao Chen, ¡°With too many people around, we might tip off the target and let it escape, which would be troublesome.¡± ¡°Do you need any help?¡± asked Zhao Chen. ¡°No need. It¡¯s just a necromancer,¡± Manager Ying said with an easy expression. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s safer to bring a couple more helpers¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re really annoying,¡± Manager Ying snapped, irritated. ¡°Are you worried that if I handle it alone, you won¡¯t get any credit?¡± ¡°!!!¡± Zhao Chen¡¯s expression stiffened, and he replied awkwardly, ¡°How could that be? Since Manager Ying suggests so, we¡¯ll follow your n.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°As for a helper, this one will do. I¡¯ll have it lead the way and also give it a chance to see a necromancer in action,¡± the cat manager said, looking at Lu Ran.¡°This¡­¡± Zhao Chen was taken aback. You were supposed to pick a helper, not a burden, his expression shifted as he said, ¡°Manager Ying, having Lu Ran lead the way is fine, but let¡¯s not involve him in dangerous activities like contacting a necromancer. Lu Ran is still a neer¡­¡± ¡°At the very least, after we capture the necromancer, Lu Ran could observe then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m here, nothing will go wrong,¡± Manager Ying assured. ¡°A captured necromancer won¡¯t pose any threat worth observing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still a bit¡­¡± Zhao Chen looked troubled. ¡°Lu Ran is a neer highly regarded by Dr. Gu. Maybe I should contact Dr. Gu first for advice¡­¡± He was still uneasy about Lu Ran going alone with just a cat to face such danger. Even though there were legends of Manager Ying¡¯s formidable strength, Lu Ran¡¯s identity was somewhat sensitive, connected to another significant figure. Even if Lu Ran was quite capable, the adversary was, after all, an international criminal group. ¡°Ah? He¡¯s also favored by Gu Qingyi?¡± Manager Ying paused, looking towards Lu Ran, who suddenly coughed. ¡°Cough, cough, Uncle Zhao, it¡¯s fine, I want to go too,¡± Lu Ran said, somewhat embarrassed. Ah, Xiaobailong and the others had already assumed too much. But this cat seemed to know Gu Qingyi. It would get awkward if they actually made contact, considering Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t even know him, Lu Ran¡­ ¡°No wonder you mentioned Gu Qingyi; turns out you¡¯ve had contact with her,¡± Manager Ying mused, nodding at Zhao Chen. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it anymore. I know Gu Qingyi better than you do. I¡¯ll take care of this kid. Considering Gu Qingyi¡¯s connection, I¡¯ll make sure hees back in one piece.¡± ¡°This¡­ Okay then.¡± With those words from Manager Ying, and since Lu Ran had agreed as well, Zhao Chen didn¡¯t have much else to say. In a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. Having connections really made things smoother¡ªnot only did he have Dr. Gu as a supporter, but now he was easily connected with Manager Ying as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± said Manager Ying to Lu Ran. ¡°How are we going¡­?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Have you heard of Space skills, like teleportation?¡± ¡­ In the hills behind Tianhong Town in Jinling. With a sh of light, two figures appeared. Uponnding, Lu Ran silently surveyed his surroundings. ¡°That was fast!¡± Just moments ago, Manager Ying, using a Space skill called teleportation, had covered several leaps in less than a minute, bringing Lu Ran back to the mountain where the sudden death king was catching grasshoppers! Throughout the journey, because the teleportations were to familiar ces, Lu Ran had an experience different from teleporting in Infinite City. It was too convenient. Lu Ran swore to himself. No matter which pet beast it was. In the future, he definitely needed to awaken a Space species! Not for anything else, just because using Space skills for travel was incredibly convenient! With teleportation, who needs high-speed trains or nes? ¡°Is nobody here?¡± Afternding, Lu Ran noticed that there was not a single person around. The mound where bodies had been buried was restored to its original state. Since the identity of the body had been confirmed, it surely had been excavated before, and now it seemed to have been restored for Manager Ying to re-investigate. They really cleared out everyone! ¡°Lu Ran, right?¡± Suddenly, the cat Manager Ying spoke up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t very fond of you initially, but since you¡¯re a beastmaster highly regarded by Gu Qingyi, how about trying something big to test your skills?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Lu Ran. ¡°What kind of big thing?¡± ¡°Necromancers that pop up domestically aren¡¯t usually very strong, mostly on par with an apprentice beastmaster, but their abilities can be particrly troublesome,¡± Manager Ying exined. ¡°I could easily handle him myself, but that would be too boring. Since you¡¯re a superpower user and you know Gu Qingyi, I¡¯ll leave this training opportunity to you.¡± ¡°After I find him, you¡¯ll take him down, and I¡¯ll cover you.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Me, take on the necromancer?¡± Lu Ran was shocked. He could distinctly feel movement in his pocket, likely the sudden death king getting scared. Ever since Manager Ying, the cat, had shown up, the creature had been ying dead for quite a while, probably sensing that Manager Ying was not to be messed with. Afraid of being eaten by the cat? ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s a rare experience.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not that familiar with Dr. Gu; she doesn¡¯t even know me. It¡¯s just that my sister is favored by her. Handling a necromancer¡­ I think I¡¯ll just watch from the sidelines.¡± Lu Ran backed down, not particrly keen on personally dealing with a member of an international criminal organization. What if he got targeted? ¡°Do you think I believe that?¡± Manager Ying mocked. ¡°Are you scared?¡± Scared? As if. At most, I¡¯m just getting ahead in adapting to the sudden death king¡¯s super beast mimicry! ¡°I just don¡¯t want to get too involved with The Other Shore¡­ Besides, I really don¡¯t know Dr. Gu that well.¡± ¡°That organization isn¡¯t one you can avoid just because you want to. Later, when you enter the breakthrough secret realm, you might encounter members of The Other Shore with hidden identities. The system in the breakthrough secret realm is random, making it an ideal hunting ground for them. They won¡¯t care who they¡¯re after, and you¡¯ll be even less prepared. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you know Gu Qingyi, I wouldn¡¯t bother with you.¡± Lu Ran gave a wry smile, feeling a big misunderstanding was afoot. He was telling the truth, why wouldn¡¯t this cat believe him? However, Lu Ran could tell that Manager Ying really wanted him to seize this opportunity for training to prepare for future dangers. ¡°Well, alright¡­ If the opponent isn¡¯t strong, I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That¡¯s right, what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± Manager Ying, looking like a mentor pleased with their pupil¡¯s progress, said, ¡°Besides, if you really take down the necromancer, the official reward won¡¯t be small. Although I don¡¯t care about it, for a neer like you, it could be a substantial amount of crystal coins, enough tost a long time.¡± ¡°The reward will be yours, and internally, we¡¯ll im I handled it, to avoid drawing too much attention to you. Of course, if you can¡¯t handle it, let¡¯s pretend I never said anything. As a superpower user, your strength shouldn¡¯t be too weak, right?¡± ¡°A substantial amount of crystal coins???¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier? Had he known, Lu Ran would have eagerly volunteered to capture such a criminal deserving of punishment! The path of justice is clear and must be pursued! Lu Ran suddenly felt full of righteousness. This change left Manager Ying slightly stunned. What happened? Could it be that this guy is really short on crystal coins? It seemed likely. Manager Ying could sense that the lizard in Lu Ran¡¯s pocket hadn¡¯t awakened its attribute yet¡ªwas it short of money for materials? Oh well, it¡¯s none of its business. It turned its head towards the graveyard. First, it silently mourned for this unfortunate new beastmaster for a few seconds. Then, pale golden-blue ripples began to emanate from its body. The golden-blue ripples expanded rapidly, soon enveloping the entire hill! Countless traces appeared, flitting across its vision like a quick review of images. A momentter, the light faded. ¡°Alright,¡± Manager Ying said calmly. ¡°That necromancer is also a novice, and left quite a few traces behind.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go find him. As long as he¡¯s still in Jinling, it won¡¯t take long to locate him.¡± ¡°Hmm, if he has left Jinling or even gone to Infinite City, it might be more troublesome, but let¡¯s start searching.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°If he¡¯s still in the city, you¡¯ll need to act as bait to lure him into a less popted area. Is that okay? We don¡¯t want to fight in crowded ces, and he certainly wouldn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay out of sight if possible, to avoid alerting him and impairing his performance.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened. So he was still going to be the bait?! ¡°Why do I feel like directly luring him is a bit unreliable?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°If the necromancer isn¡¯t foolish, he surely won¡¯t attack a stranger beastmaster without first investigating their strength¡­¡± The cat slightly raised the corners of its mouth and said, ¡°Devouring souls, for lower-level necromancers, can be addictive, like something that few can control. Typically, those in our country who practice this are minor yers without the resolve. Only the core members and higher-ups of The Other Shore have truly mastered this upation.¡± Which ¡®something¡¯ was that? Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°These minor yers are basically spread widely by The Other Shore, mass-produced and bewitched, just like breeding insects. It doesn¡¯t matter if many die, only those who truly master the upation of necromancer are genuinely absorbed by The Other Shore.¡± ¡°Just take your lizard and walk around the other party. Given their sensitivity to souls, they will be able to sense that you are both desirable and weak. After all, your lizard is indeed weak, but considering it¡¯s still uncontracted and level 1, that¡¯s to be expected. However, the opponent won¡¯t be able to tell whether or not you have a contract, and will definitely assume that the creature is your pet beast.¡± Sudden Death King: I¡¯m going to die suddenly! Lu Ran thought it might work. He patted the pocket where Sudden Death King was, ¡°Don¡¯t die suddenly on me now.¡± Did you hear that? Just stick with me and get stronger! Otherwise, there are still beings out there who can ¡°level up by killing monsters,¡± and you¡¯re even more in danger! Sudden Death King shivered but felt that Lu Ran made sense. The world was indeed dangerous¡­ To avoid being killed, it needed to follow Lu Ran and be stronger. Ideally¡­ even its soul would be so resistant that the enemies couldn¡¯t touch it! Chapter 48: The Cat is Stunned Chapter 48: The Cat is Stunned In an old district of Jinling, the streets bustled with activity. Lu Ran, finding himself extremely bored, wandered aimlessly. Manager Ying had mentioned that the necromancer was operating nearby¡ªjust wait like a hunter for its prey. However, he had been wandering for ten minutes now, having spent fifty yuan on street food, yet the necromancer was nowhere to be seen. At this rate, he¡¯d be too full, especially since he nned to have a grand dinner with his masterter that evening. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± There are so many people, I¡¯m going to explode! At that moment, the sudden death king perched nervously on Lu Ran¡¯s shoulder, eyes darting around as if everyone was a potential threat. Another five minutes passed. Lu Ran had just ordered a grilled durian and began to eat it while it was still fragrant and hot.However, before he could take more than a couple of bites, he suddenly crinkled his nose. He smelled a familiar scent. Ever since his super beast mimicry transformation into General Ha, his sense of smell had improved significantly¡­ This familiar scent, subtle as it was, would be concerning if it also lingered around the corpse-burial mountain. Lu Ran kept his cool, a surge of excitement in his heart. The sudden death king tensed up, ready to y dead at any moment. Not far away, a skinny young man in a ck hoodie seemed to be searching for something. When his gaze fell on Lu Ran eating grilled durian by a small cart, his eyes lit up, and he involuntarily swallowed. Such a rich soul scent!! Devour him! Devour him! Devouring him will surely allow me to level up!!! A seductive inner voice made the skinny youth struggle to maintainposure. But in the bustling market, the young man dared not act rashly. He hesitated, then slowly approached Lu Ran. Reaching Lu Ran, the young man nced at the small lizard on his shoulder and spoke up, ¡°Hey, brother~¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lu Ran turned around, puzzled. ¡°You¡¯re a beastmaster, right? That lizard of yours looks extraordinary!¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°You have a good eye. This ¡®red-eyed eagle lizard¡¯ of mine just had its attribute tested today¡ªit¡¯s thunder!¡± ¡°Thunder? Awesome!¡± Hearing that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had just had its attributes tested, the skinny youth¡¯s expression brightened. An unawakened weakling? What kind of luck have I been having these past few days?! ¡°Are you a beastmaster too?¡± Lu Ran looked at the other person, but the skinny youth instinctively took a step back, ¡°Yeah¡­ Dude, what are you eating? It stinks to death.¡± ¡°Grilled durian, it¡¯s really fragrant,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°People eat that?¡± The skinny youth seemed incredulous, unable to bear the sight of his chosen prey eating such a thing, fearing that devouring his soulter might taste strange. ¡°Haha, I think it¡¯s pretty good,¡± Lu Ran scratched his head, appearing shy like a student. ¡°Stop eating that, are you free? I¡¯ll take you to eat something good, my treat.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran thought the other¡¯s luring method was too naive, but at that moment, he didn¡¯t feel like showing too much caution, so he went along with it, ¡°I just arrived in Jinling today for a trip, haven¡¯t found anything good to eat yet.¡± ¡°What a coincidence, I¡¯m a local from Jinling and just became a beastmaster recently. I don¡¯t have many friends who are beastmasters around here, really need someone to chat with about it. Come on, I insist!¡± The skinny youth became increasingly hospitable, smiling as he spoke. ¡°Alright! You seem pretty nice,¡± Lu Ran chose to follow him. This necromancer would probably lead him to a less crowded ce. And then, while he was not paying attention, attempt a surprise attack. Lu Ran heightened his vignce to 200% and followed the other towards a direction. ¡°I know a private kitchen hidden in an old residential area, only known by the locals. Let¡¯s go there.¡± The skinny youth seemed extremely hospitable, and so far, nothing seemed amiss. Before long, the two arrived at an old residential area, but it looked nothing like a ce where people lived. It seemed more like a long-abandoned unfinished building. ¡°This is the ce you were talking about? There¡¯s really a private kitchen here?¡± Lu Ran expressed his doubts at this point. ¡°Yes, there is.¡± The necromancer still tried to lead Lu Ran further inside. However, at this point, Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to go any further and stopped, looking at him, ¡°I mean, how could there be people living here? Are you ying me?¡± As Lu Ran spoke, the necromancer in front turned and flung his arm, throwing a flying knife directly at Lu Ran. His technique was highly skilled, and with the supernatural strength and speed of a beastmaster, the throw was lethal enough to kill instantly! The skinny youth¡¯s intention was clear: to kill Lu Ran first to prevent him from escaping to Infinite City. He had used this method several times before, always with sess, as no one had ever been able to react in time! ¡°You talk too much! Time to go!¡± As the flying knife hurtled towards him, the skinny youth revealed his true nature, convinced that Lu Ran was as good as finished. However, the next moment brought a surprising ¡°duang~¡± sound. The skinny youth turned around, looking stunned. His thrown knife, akin to a small dart, had been knocked to the ground, and there stood Lu Ran, holding a long sword. It seemed he had used the sword to deflect the flying knife. Lu Ran pointed his sword at the necromancer: ¡°What are you doing?¡± Skinny youth: ??? At that moment, the skinny youth felt like he had seriously messed up. What was going on? His heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling like he might have bitten off more than he could chew. This kid¡­something¡¯s off! Meanwhile, sitting on top of the derelict building, Manager Ying watched the initial sh between the two, nodding in approval. ¡°Lu Ran has got something, but it also has to do with him being on guard beforehand.¡± ¡°Next, let¡¯s see how he handles the necromancer¡¯s pet beast.¡± By now, the skinny youth had realized that Lu Ran was no ordinary foe. This guy was definitely prepared. Otherwise, that move just now would have caught any new beastmaster off guard, not to mention even some higher-level beastmasters would have been hit without any preparation. Who carries a sword with them all the time and reacts that quickly? Uncertain of Lu Ran¡¯s capabilities, he didn¡¯t dare let his hidden necromancer pet beast attack rashly. Instead, he activated the teleport function of his ck card, nning to escape in 10 seconds while ensuring his pet beast protected him with utmost caution. ¡°Who exactly are you!¡± The skinny youth was now somewhat panicked, making sure to inquire before fleeing. Had he exposed himself? ¡°Just a passerby who punishes evil and promotes good!¡± Lu Ran said calmly as he looked at the other, a summoning circle quickly appearing before him. This action further frightened the skinny youth. That lizard¡­ it wasn¡¯t the opponent¡¯s pet beast! At this moment, the skinny youth felt like he was facing a formidable enemy. However, as Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast was released, a very ordinary-looking Erha, which seemed to have undergone no special evolution, appeared, and the skinny youth was stunned again. ¡°Damn, just a level 10 Erha. Who are you trying to fool? You scared the hell out of me.¡± ¡°If I had known, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to teleport.¡± It was truly a rollercoaster of emotions for him. Seeing that Lu Ran had just summoned an Erha after all that buildup, the youth couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud. He¡­ had actually been scared. However, seeing that he had only a few seconds left before teleporting, he was even more annoyed. ¡°Kid, remember this¡­¡± As he was about to be teleported away, the necromancer made a harsh statement. But two secondster, his emotions tumbled again¡­ Because¡­ the teleportation time had clearly arrived, but there seemed to be no movement on his part. Teleportation failed? The necromancer¡¯s heart panicked once more, not understanding what was happening. His emotions switched numerous times in a short period, and his expression lookedpletely yed. ¡°Woof!¡± Especially at this moment, a seemingly dumb Erha looked at him with what seemed like a mocking gaze, which made the necromancer¡¯s heartbreak even more. ¡°Remember what, you hold grudges too?¡± Lu Ran also mocked. ¡°I¡¯ll ughter you all!!!¡± The sessive changes had already made the skinny youth¡¯s mentality somewhat unstable, and he didn¡¯t have time to figure out what was happening. Finally, he let his hidden necromancer pet beastunch an attack. One of the traits of necromancer pet beasts is their strong stealth ability! Being a soul body, it can easily pass through walls and be invisible, and this characteristic makes it extremely troublesome. A necromancer civet cat, now like a ghost, floated out of nowhere next to Lu Ran andunched an attack. Ghostly ws tore through the air. Not only can it be invisible, but it can also float! ¡°Why is cat.¡± Manager Ying from the building¡¯s penthouse was also a bit annoyed. First, it disliked the necromancer¡¯s envement of cats by killing them, and second, it was displeased about having to watch a cat-dog fight, especially since it was siding with the dog. ¡°However, this necromancy cat is no ordinary one. It¡¯s an upper supernatural species, probably at level 8, which is higher than that Erha. Lu Ran might not be able to handle it.¡± ¡°I might have to step in.¡± ¡°Necromancy is still too tricky for a rookie.¡± As soon as these thoughts passed, the necromancy cat¡¯s sneak attack was already upon him. Lu Ran gripped his Wind Cutter Sword, slightly startled. This necromancy cat¡¯s level of concealment and speed seemed even greater than the grass sprite cat he had encountered before. Fortunately, General Ha, standing protectively by Lu Ran¡¯s side, was not the same as before. It coldly nced towards the mid-air. It growled lowly, and instantly, violent energy flowed around its body, surrounded by a gale. Its form vanished from the ground in a leap. Boom! The necromancy cat¡¯s sneak attack failed and was instead sent flying by General Ha, crashing to the ground like a meteor, emitting a cry like that of a wailing baby. ¡°Damn, how can this Erha be so fast?¡± Seeing the sneak attack fail again, the necromancer was frustrated. However, sensing the state of the necromancy cat, he breathed a sigh of relief. The opponent¡¯s attack power wasn¡¯t strong; it was just the speed. He was determined to kill this man and dog. ¡°Come here.¡± He red menacingly at Lu Ran, and at the same time, he spoke to the necromancy cat, which quickly floated up and flew into the necromancer¡¯s body! A second trait of necromancy pet beasts is their ability to possess beastmasters! Simr to ghost possession and fusion, this allows both parties to gain greater strength! ¡°You¡¯re doomed!¡± In an instant, ck mist emanated from the skinny youth¡¯s body, his expression growing even darker and ominous as he threw out a vicious threat. Seeing this, Manager Ying, perched in the penthouse, narrowed its eyes, knowing a critical moment had arrived. The Erha that Lu Ran had raised was not bad, highly skilled in energy flow techniques, but given its species, growth level, and attribute disadvantages, could it still handle a necromancy-possessed human? Just as Manager Ying was eagerly preparing to intervene, its expression suddenly froze. Seeing this, Lu Ran seemed stillposed and once again pulled out something strange¡­ a jackpot, he had nailed it! ¡°This is your final trump card, huh?¡± Lu Ran exhaled. In his left hand was the Wind Cutter Sword, and in his right¡­ the Wind Meteor Sword slowly emerged! As the Necromancer and Manager Ying upstairs looked on bewildered, Lu Ran tossed the Wind Meteor Sword into the air! In the next moment, General Ha leapt up, catching the Wind Meteor Sword in its mouth, its eyes shing with a sharp gleam. The de hummed and vibrated, the surrounding air turbulent. The moment it clutched the sword, General Ha seemed transformed. A terrifying aura instantly oppressed the Necromancer and his allies, making their gazes sharpen and their expressions incredulous. ¡°What is this!¡± They were stunned, feeling the ferocity of Erha, the sword-bearing dog, whose presence was like that of a wolf king, overwhelmingly intimidating, causing them difort and fear! Gale Sword Qi! ¡°Woof! (I have a sword that can y evil spirits.)¡± As it spoke, General Ha swung the Wind Meteor Sword in the air. Under the enhancement of the gale skill, it swiftly sent out three or four waves of sword qi. Combined with the sword momentum locking onto the target, it seemed like a gxy falling, the light twinkling across this abandoned neighborhood. The chaotic and rapid sword qi, fierce as the fangs of a wolf, overwhelmed the Necromancer, who was still baffled. The sword qi instantly engulfed them, and with a ¡°boom,¡± a violent explosion urred on the spot, dust and smoke billowing! As the explosion subsided, General Handed, its gaze sharp, almost as if it wanted to find a pair of sunsses to wear, modestly covering its brilliance. ¡°Manager Ying, although the Necromancer was a bit tricky, it was manageable¡­ please make sure they don¡¯t die, it¡¯s my first time and I didn¡¯t hold back due to nerves,¡± said Lu Ran, his voice also rising. ¡°We must interrogate him; people like him are despicable.¡± Manager Ying: ???? What the heck, a sword-bearing dog! Manager Ying was shocked, and thought, this man and dog duo doesn¡¯t seem like beginners at all! Chapter 49: Who is Lu Ran? Chapter 49: Who is Lu Ran? Manager Ying had thought that Lu Ran and Erha were in for a tough battle. After all, necromancy has too many early advantages: invisibility, walking through walls, possession¡­ Moreover, Erha seemed to be at a lower level than the necromancy cat. But then, the necromancer was taken out in an instant? ¡°Trash!¡± Manager Ying scoffed. Although pulling out an advanced weapon yed a part in turning the tide, having a weapon alone wasn¡¯t enough. That dog¡­ the way it handled sword momentum. And its superb energy flow technique, as well as its control over the weapon, did not seem characteristic of a level 6 pet beast! Even an advanced beastmaster raising a new pet could hardly expect more. Manager Ying quickly descended to the ground, looking towards Lu Ran and Erha.¡°Roar?¡± General Ha was seeing Manager Ying for the first time. Observing the cat scrutinizing him, it put on a regal expression. What are you looking at? Overwhelmed by its unparalleled brilliance? Such a trivial necromancy, easily defeated. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look very smart though!¡± Manager Ying wondered. ¡°Bark bark bark bark bark bark!!!¡± General Ha was shocked. Was this cat insulting him? That¡¯s something Lu Ran often said! It had just been so cool, why should this cat speak ill of it? It remembered this grudge! ¡°Wow ka!!!¡± On Lu Ran¡¯s shoulder, Sudden Death King was amazed. It held utmost respect for General Ha, not just because it could easily dispatch necromancers, but also because it possessed the trait of dealing effortlessly with any formidable opponent! Sudden Death King pondered that this wasn¡¯t just about General Ha being brave, but rather that its thought processes were unusual. It guessed that even if a giant dragon appeared, General Ha would still charge at it, advocating the equality of all beings. ¡°Nonsense, my General Ha has incredible intuition and off-the-charts intelligence.¡± Lu Ran naturally defended his pet beast. ¡°If all rookie beastmasters were like you, there¡¯d be no worries about them being singled out by necromancers.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s mouth twitched, feeling like letting Lu Ran train was a bit of a waste. Was this just handing him des for nothing? And here she had been tiring herself out¡­ Indeed, superpower wielders are all quite formidable. Manager Ying looked towards the necromancer amidst the dust, and couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that it was fortunate the necromancer had let its pet beast ovey itself before the attack. Otherwise, it would surely have been nothing more than a corpse by now. Even with soul power covering its entire body for protection, the necromancer was still severely injured. Deep sword gashes across its chest had burst open the flesh, with blood spurting out, and one arm was hanging by a thread, nearly severed. Lu Ran and Sudden Death King both preferred not to look that way. ¡°That¡¯ll do, it won¡¯t die.¡± ¡°Call that guy, let him clean this up,¡± Manager Ying said to Lu Ran. ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran sighed in relief. Although getting involved in such matters was a bit disheartening, the thought of soon receiving a bonus pleased him. It would be best if he could cover General Ha and Sudden Death King¡¯s meals for the next month in one go, and, while at it, obtain a Thunder awakening fruit. That way, it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of General Ha¡¯s energy spentunching repeated gale sword qi and his own time wasted today! Lu Ran took out his phone and dialed Zhao Chen¡¯s number. At that moment, Zhao Chen was waiting for news at the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice. When he received Lu Ran¡¯s call and confirmed the address, he immediately eximed with joy, ¡°Great! We¡¯ll be there right away!¡± After hanging up, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but nce at the bloody necromancer and said to Manager Ying, ¡°Manager Ying, I think he¡¯s still quite rational. If it wasn¡¯t for the Space skill blocking his teleport, he might have already escaped to Infinite City.¡± ¡°From the moment he encountered me to luring me here, his behavior wasn¡¯t much different from an ordinary person. This guy, he managed his restraint well, didn¡¯t he? Could it be what you said, that he has a talent for bing a necromancer?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much! It¡¯s purely that this guy is too weak.¡± ¡°Necromancy pet beasts feed on souls, but souls areplex and contain many life emotions. The more souls they devour, the greater the contamination they cause to themselves, and over time, they lose control.¡± ¡°Because necromancers have a contract with their necromancy pet beasts, they too are affected to some extent, gradually bing insane.¡± ¡°The reason he seems rtively normal right now is not because he has a strong will, but simply because they haven¡¯t devoured many souls yet.¡± ¡°Of course, ¡®not many¡¯ is rtive. For them, it¡¯s still a significant boost. This guy has been a beastmaster for less time than you, just a few days, yet his pet beast is already level 8, while yours is only level 6. That¡¯s the advantage of being a necromancer.¡± So that¡¯s how it is¡­ ¡°Do necromancy pet beasts need to devour supernatural souls? It seems like he hasn¡¯t shown any intention of attacking ordinary people or animals.¡± ¡°Not necessarily, but ordinary souls are like inferior food. They need a huge quantity to be satisfying. Consuming too diverse a diet can more easily drive necromancy pet beasts and necromancers into madness. That¡¯s why even necromancers hardly ever let their undead devour ordinary souls; it¡¯s like digging their own graves and isn¡¯t conducive to growth.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like you wouldn¡¯t go eating dog food, right?¡± ¡°Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough.¡± Lu Ran felt awkward, General Ha showed a disgruntled expression, and Sudden Death King pondered. ¡°Why are you asking so much?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran with suspicion. It always felt like Lu Ran wasn¡¯t holding back something. This guy, initially acting terrified of the necromancer. Then, he turned around and defeated him in a flip of the hand. Doesn¡¯t seem like a good person. ¡°Ha¡­ ha¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Just trying to understand more about a potential enemy.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Manager Ying was skeptical but continued, ¡°Then let me tell you.¡± ¡°The necromancy attribute is very unique. The only known method of creation so far is through the beast taming skill ¡®Undead Resurrection.¡¯¡± ¡°Undead Resurrection: When one¡¯s contract pet beast dies, it can be transformed into an undead, adding a necromancy attribute but likely losing its original attributes and memories, bing puppet-like. Also, after theplete transformation into undead, the species level has a certain chance of changing, either increasing or decreasing.¡± Lu Ran furrowed his brows. ¡°Currently, there¡¯s no intelligence indicating that any secret realm can yield the beast taming skill ¡®Undead Resurrection.¡¯ This skill is currently exclusive to The Other Shore, and it¡¯s unknown how they¡¯ve acquired it inrge quantities.¡± ¡°Do you know why The Other Shore has survived attacks from various countries and has never been destroyed?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because they have monopolized this beast taming skill, which allows them to frequently absorb new members.¡± ¡°Think about it. If your pet beast dies, would you want it to leave you forever, or would you want it to be reborn in another form? If you want it to be reborn, you would have to join The Other Shore. What would you choose then?¡± ¡°Woof¡± General Ha grimaced, as if it was being cursed to die by Manager Ying. ¡°Even if only one in ten skilled beastmasters chooses to join The Other Shore, they will continuously have a fresh influx of new blood.¡± ¡°I always feel like you could be the one who might be tempted in the future¡­¡± Manager Ying grew more suspicious. Lu Ran: ?? ¡°That¡¯s definitely not the case; I¡¯m quite firm in my convictions,¡± Lu Ran assured. Although, the skill Undead Resurrection was indeed very tempting¡­ But the more he learned, the more trouble Lu Ran sensed. First, finding food was too much of a hassle; he didn¡¯t want to hunt other beastmasters. Second, the potential loss of the pet beast¡¯s memories before death made him wonder, would it still be the same pet beast? ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Getting involved with that kind of thing only drags you deeper and eventually turns you into something neither human nor ghost. You all have great prospects; there¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°Alright, what do you want? You¡¯ve taken care of a necromancer, albeit a novice, but there should still be a decent bounty. I promised you, the rewards are all yours,¡± Manager Ying spoke indifferently. ¡°Crystal coins, crystal coins will be fine! Thank you, Manager Ying.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s smile broadened. With crystal coins, he could buy whatever resources he wanted. As he spoke, there was a stir around them; it seemed that the official beastmasters from Jinling were arriving¡­ ¡­ Night. Having personally encountered a necromancer, Zhao Chen was worried that Lu Ran might be psychologically affected. He had thought about getting psychological counseling for Lu Ran, but since it had been a long time since he left the dojo, Lu Ran just wanted to return there and declined the kind offer. Lu Ran acted as if nothing had happened during the day, and at night, he went out to eat with his master and others. Unbeknownst to him, Manager Ying had already startedmunicating with Gu Qingyi. ¡°Gu Qingyi, finally you picked up the phone.¡± ¡°Manager Ying? Sorry, I was doing some evolution research. What¡¯s up, is there something you need?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky, where did you find such a promising neer? Today I met the Lu Ran you had your eye on. He¡¯s quite talented. He might even make it to the top and be a reliable right-hand man for you.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®ah?¡¯ Do you think I¡¯m underestimating his potential?¡± ¡°No, the Lu Ran you mentioned¡­ who is that?¡± Manager Ying: ¡°Meow meow meow???¡± A momentter. Manager Ying hung up the phone, deep in thought. So, Lu Ran really hadn¡¯t lied to it! He and Gu Qingyi¡­ really aren¡¯t familiar! ¡°Damn! Why did I go through all the trouble to train him and even provide him with resources? What a loss!¡± ¡°No, wait, it¡¯s not really a loss. The guy does have potential. Since Gu Qingyi says he¡¯s not her person, maybe I should¡­ make a preemptive move and recruit him into the maid caf¨¦?¡± ¡°But he¡¯s contracted with a dog, that won¡¯t work.¡± Manager Ying continued to ponder and finally decided to investigate Lu Ran¡¯s background first. ¡°Within six hours, I want all his information, including that of the Erha. I have a feeling there¡¯s something unusual about Erha¡¯s past. Investigate thoroughly the experiences of Erha and Lu Ran before they met.¡± It took out its phone and spoke to the other side. ¡°Why is it that you get to ck off and travel while I have to dig up intelligence? The original really ys favorites.¡± Under the moonlight, a ck cat with eyes like green emeraldsined. Manager Ying ignored theint and continued to think, recalling carefully. It then realized that there might be something wrong with Erha¡¯s body. Could it be what it suspected? Chapter 50: Shackles Released Chapter 50: Shackles Released The next day dawned, the morning light faint and soft. In a bedroom, Lu Rany sprawled across the bed like an octopus. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha had woken up early. It pressed its face against the window, watching the rising sun, and then turned to begin its wake-up duty for Lu Ran. Its eyes sparkled with joy and anticipation. Time to get up! It was time for revenge! Sudden Death King, short on sleep, woke up before Lu Ran, feeling less than pleased. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Lu Ran lingered in bed a bit before stretching and getting up.There was important business to attend to today! After a groggy wash, Lu Ran said to Sudden Death King in the room: ¡°You can do as you please today.¡± ¡°Later, General Ha and I are heading to Infinite City.¡± Because Manager Ying had mentioned yesterday that he shoulde to the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦ in Infinite City No.3 at noon to collect his prize money! Today was not a day to apany his master; getting the money was the priority! ¡°¡­¡± Sudden Death King remained silent, indicating it would stay quietly in the corner of the room and instructed Lu Ran to make sure to return safely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not going to do anything dangerous¡­¡± Lu Ranughed. Now, in Sudden Death King¡¯s mind, for its own safety, it had to make sure that Lu Ran and General Ha were particrly cautious. Being afraid of dying meant ensuring its protectors were doubly secure. ¡­ Infinite City, Passerby A¡¯s exclusive room. Though they had agreed to meet at noon for the money, Lu Ran and General Ha arrived a bit early. This return to Jinling brought Lu Ran a sense of liberation he hadn¡¯t felt before, as if a shackle had been removed from him. The most important gain from this trip wasn¡¯t dealing with a necromancer or the official prize money. Nor was it acquiring his senior brother¡¯s notes and learning which secret realm to strive for next. Rather, it was a cat that had discerned his superpower¡­ Lu Ran had always known that the exposure of his telepathy was inevitable. Although no humans knew of his abilities, too many animals were aware. Inside Green Sea City, at least ten thousand animals knew, including wild animals, other people¡¯s pets, and zoo animals¡­ Before the supernatural evolution, the intelligence of these animals was limited, so even if they knew about Lu Ran¡¯s ability tomunicate with them, it didn¡¯t matter much. However, if one day these animals were to undergo supernatural evolution, their intelligence would increase ordingly. If they still remembered Lu Ran then, the fact that he couldmunicate with them early on would naturally be exposed. Of course, this wouldn¡¯t be a major issue either. Infinite City had appeared three years earlier, and even if people found out, most would likely assume that Lu Ran possessed some special beast taming skill or befriended a beastmaster who gave him amunication tool. Thus, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t particrly worried about this, but it wasn¡¯t something he was happy about either, as it could be somewhat troublesome. The reason for Lu Ran¡¯s current happiness was learning that he wasn¡¯t the only superpower wielder! Moreover, ording to Manager Ying, as a superpower-wielding beastmaster, each possessed exceptional talents. This allowed him to use his identity as a superpower wielder to cover up the existence of the divine deer antler. One aspect was his own talent, already exposed and difficult for others to take away, requiring only caution around necromancers. The other was a tool anyone could use, not yet exposed, which powerful beastmasters could easily snatch away. Clearly, thetter posed a greater risk if exposed. Over the years, numerous nefarious powers and protective umbres had been dismantled, and viins still existed, so caution was always prudent. Moving forward, as long as he presented himself as a superpower wielder in public, not only would he receive more attention, but if he performed exceptionally well in a secret realm solo using the divine deer antler, it would also provide a usible exnation. A regr beastmaster progressing rapidly would arouse curiosity and investigation, but a superpower wielder advancing quickly would seem natural to others, given the precedents set by other superpower wielders. In essence, the identity of a superpower wielder served as a great protective umbre for Lu Ran, enabling him to maintain a genius persona and use the divine deer antler in secret realms without any worries. When the time came, he could simply attribute his achievements to his superpower talents, as others wouldn¡¯t know exactly what he did in the secret realms. The shackles were released¡­ Lu Ran smiled, knowing there was still time. He and General Ha hade early specifically to fully conquer the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm! ¡°General Ha.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha had already been informed about today¡¯s activities yesterday and was eagerly circling the pir tform in anticipation. Its gaze was sharp! It was time to settle everything! ¡°Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time for revenge,¡± Lu Ran said cheerfully. The grass sprite cat was weaker than the necromancy cat, and after seven days of training, General Ha, now capable of overpowering the necromancy cat, would naturally have no trouble with the grass sprite cat! The only thing to be mindful of now was minimizing hits received in order to achieve a higher score. In general, to obtain a high score in challenge missions like this, itrgely depended on thebination of the damage received and the efficiency in defeating the boss. ¡­ Teleportationplete. Current location: Forest of the Demon Cat (Novice Secret Realm) Difficulty: Easy Challenge mission: Defeat the leader of the Forest of the Demon Cat. As the teleportation ended, a familiar voice echoed again. On the damp ground. Lu Ran stood, looking into the depths of the forest. General Ha was right beside him, its nose twitching. This was their third entry into the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm, and as the saying goes, third time¡¯s the charm. This time, they were determined to defeat the leader of the demon cats. Then, they nned to visit the maid caf¨¦ at noon and buy some intelligence on ordinary, hard, and even abyssal secret realms like the ¡°Abandoned Research Institute,¡± aiming to unlock the ¡°weapon mastery¡± trait and embark on a new round of challenges. ¡°This time, I won¡¯t give you any weapons.¡± ¡°The Wind Meteor Sword would reduce the weight entry into the Divine Beast Leaderboard.¡± ¡°We should also avoid using the Divine Deer Pendant if possible, as getting hit can lower the secret realm¡¯s score.¡± ¡°Use the wind-type energy to create the Sword of Wind for ying the enemies.¡± ¡°General Ha, let¡¯s see your limits!¡± ¡°Argh!!¡± General Ha expressed a calm demeanor, indicating no problem. Species: Snowfield Dog Trait: Wind-type Species level: Middle Supernatural Growth level: 6 Skills: Gale, Sword Qi, Roar of the Wind, Sword of Wind ¡°Then let¡¯s head straight for the boss. You still remember the scent of the demon cat leader, right?¡± General Ha nodded, sniffing again. With that, it started moving, with Lu Ran closely following behind. This time, Lu Ran was much moreposed. Despite General Ha being only level 6, the secret realm was filled with level 10 wild beasts. Level was just one standard for judging strength. It¡¯s important to know that even the strongest demon cat leader in here had only one skill. But now, General Ha possessed three types of skills! In addition to its energy system, there was also the application of sword momentum, which could be used as a control technique, simr in effect to a mental pressure. With such significant advantages, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t see how they could lose! ¡­ Infinite City No.3, Beastmaster Square. This ce was one of the busiest areas in any Infinite City, being at themercial center and home to the Divine Beast Leaderboard. Ever since the Divine Beast Leaderboard was established, it has attracted considerable attention. The leaderboard changes very frequently, especially the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard. The number of fourth-generation beastmasters is increasing daily, and to date, no one in any Infinite City has been able to dominate the Supernatural Leaderboard continuously. The top position usually changes hands every few days as stronger neers emerge, truly a sh of a hundred beasts. The Supernatural Leaderboard in Infinite City No.3 has also seen its top spot change hands among the Dark Bear, Rock Tiger, and Thunder Eagle. Among them, the beastmaster of Thunder Eagle, known as ¡°id Pluto,¡± has been revealed to be the younger brother of the guild leader of the elite guild ¡°Star Cluster¡± from Infinite City No.3. He has been preparing to be a beastmaster for the past two years. This year, he finally achieved his goal and, leveraging his umted advantages, has be the longest-reigning leader on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.3. ¡°As for our Infinite City No.3, Pluto should continue to dominate the leaderboard, right? With a high species level and powerful attributes, plus having a formidable older brother, he¡¯s a true second-generation beastmaster. With such huge advantages, it¡¯s hard to see how anyone could surpass him,¡± a beastmaster teammented as they passed the Divine Beast Leaderboard, discussing the standings. ¡°Others still have a chance. Maybe someone¡¯s pet beast reaches level 10 and temporarily surpasses others by integrating powerful traits. After all, the leaderboard judges potential, and integrating traits and awakening new attributes definitely boosts potential. But he¡¯s also at the top tier, currently level 9. Once he levels up to 10, he¡¯s sure to integrate some impressive traits. I don¡¯t believe Star Cluster Guild hasn¡¯t prepared him well.¡± ¡°No way topare, no way topare. I heard that the Star Cluster Guild is actually a real estate conglomerate in the real world. Seems like these capitalists are everywhere, damn it. When will Lu Vige ever get its break!¡± This group of novice beast tamers, three men and one woman, were all dressed as hunters and quite young, with the men being strong and the woman possessing a wild beauty¡­ ¡°¡­the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden has been pushed down to seventh again. She seems to never leave the arena, always soaking there,¡± said the only woman in the team. ¡°It¡¯s tough enough to stay in the top ten. We go into the secret realms so often and still never make it onto the leaderboard¡­ the species level of our hunting dogs is just too low.¡± ¡°Dogs and other fierce beasts just can¡¯tpare.¡± ¡°I remember once a snowfield dog that could emit sword qi briefly made it to tenth, but it was pushed off in less than two days.¡± ¡°I remember that too. They said that person made it onto the leaderboard on the first day thanks to the opening bonus period and the help of a supernatural weapon. It was a sh in the pan, but I think, to make it onto the leaderboard, you definitely need real strength. Sadly, in this increasinglypetitive Divine Beast Leaderboard, it¡¯s hard for a middle supernatural species like a snowfield dog to make aeback, especially since that monkey fell out of the top ten. Now, the top ten are mostly upper supernatural species¡­¡± Over the past seven days, only a few dozen people have made it onto the leaderboard, even if it was just a sh in the pan on the first day like Passerby A, who is still being talked about today. However, most people didn¡¯t pay much mind to that Passerby A who drew plenty of attention by using sword qi, considering it merely a benefit of his weapon¡­ until¡­ Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard, Supernatural Species Leaderboard Updated. Leaderboard Divine Beast, Species: Snowfield Dog. Attribute: Wind Species Level: Middle Supernatural Growth Level: Level 6 Beastmaster: Passerby A Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved mutation of the Snowfield Dog species, exhibiting extreme intelligence, awakened the Force of the Storm, and in the Novice Secret Realm, Forest of the Demon Cat,unched sword qi across spaces, instantly defeating groups of demon cats including a middle supernatural species level 10 demon cat leader! Ranking, moved up to first on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard! The Divine Beast Leaderboard updated once again! As the announcement echoed, Beastmaster Square fell into silence. Countless gazes suddenly turned towards the significantly changed Supernatural Leaderboard, expressions of shock evident. What¡­ what just happened? ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s that Passerby A from the first day!¡± ¡°First ce, are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Level 6¡­ Level 6 took down the demon cat leader in a second?! What the hell!¡± Sword qi again¡­ and this time it was continuous sword qi? A group of onlookers were left bewildered. ¡­ Meanwhile, in the Forest of the Demon Cat, after battling for half the day, Lu Ran and General Ha looked at the ground littered with the demon cat leader¡¯s guards, all in by sword qi, and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Woof!!!¡± General Ha, panting heavily, dropped the Sword of Wind from its mouth, its gaze invigorated and disdainful as it looked at the grass sprite cat. It, General Ha, had promised it would return, and now, the promise was fulfilled! ¡°Ha ha!¡± Not only was General Ha very happy, but Lu Ran was also extremely excited at that moment. It was their first time clearing the trial realm! At this moment, the frequent popping up of rewards made him incredibly thrilled. Congrattions onpleting the trial challenge. Rating: SSS-level! Congrattions, you have earned 200 crystal coins. Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources, demon cat¡¯s heart (grass type). Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources, demon cat¡¯s fingernail (grass type). Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources, demon cat mint. Would you like to return to Infinite City? 1: Return, 2: Do not return yet. Solo, SSS rating! General Ha wasn¡¯t attacked even once, utilizing its speed advantage to the utmost. A stark contrast to the disheveled performance in the novice trial realm. Any enemy encountered was instantly in, and the efficiency ofbat was extremely high! Ultimately, this was reflected in the rating, which was perfect. This SSS rating was entirely based on the experience gained in the previous two attempts. Lu Ran¡¯s heart trembled, but upon seeing the rewards for the SSS rating, he fell into deep thought. The heart of the demon cat leader¡­ a grass-type resource, consuming it enhances the strength of grass-type energy. The fingernail of the demon cat leader¡­ this time it¡¯s not trash, it has be a core material for forging grass-type equipment. Demon cat mint, a nt cultivated by the grass sprite cat leader used to manage its species, highly enticing for the cat species. How does it feel¡­ Three advanced resources, not even as good as what he got from the novice trial secret realm with an S rating? Why is it all junk?! Lu Ran¡¯s face darkened. Damn. It seems that although low-difficulty dungeons are easier, the resources they yield are mediocre. This trip, while not a loss, wasn¡¯t much of a gain either, considering the time spent. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha looked up at Lu Ran. Lu Ran: ¡°All junk.¡± General Ha: !!! It angrily looked at the corpse of the demon cat leader, your minions dropped trash, how could you be so stingy too. ¡°It seems, to obtain rare rewards like beast taming skills and trait crystals, I need to challenge high difficulty secret realms.¡± Lu Ran decided, nning to try this afternoon. Right now, he was confident, knowing that during this challenge in the forest of the demon cat, he hadn¡¯t used either the Wind Meteor Sword or the Divine Deer Pendant. ¡­ In Infinite City No.3, the news of Passerby A topping the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard swept through the city like a hurricane. All the major guilds and official organizations were talking about this name, and even on the external beast taming forums, posts about Passerby A surged by dozens in an instant. Everyone was discussing who this previously fleeting, now suddenly emerging Passerby A could be. Outside, Fang Lan, browsing on her phone, was a bit stunned. Wasn¡¯t Lu Ran supposed to be in Jinling? How did he suddenly be number one on the Divine Beast Leaderboard! ¡°No, I need to go into intensive training in Infinite City!¡± Fang Lan threw away her milk tea, daring not to enjoy life anymore, afraid of falling too far behind Lu Ran. Not just her, Manager Ying, who had already arrived in Infinite City No.3 and had gathered intelligence on General Ha, preparing to have a good talk with Lu Ran, was also a bit stunned. ¡°First on the Divine Beast Leaderboard, he really wasn¡¯t pushing for ranks before, but killing a necromancy cat yesterday wasn¡¯t enough, and today a demon cat leader, what¡¯s Lu Ran¡¯s deal? Does he have a grudge against cats?¡± Chapter 51: The Origins of General Ha Chapter 51: The Origins of General Ha In the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm, Lu Ran and hispanions were yet unaware of the situation in the outside world. However, both Lu Ran and General Ha had anticipated that they must have reimed their positions on the divine beast leaderboard! If they couldn¡¯t ascend to the top ranks of the leaderboard, Lu Ran supported the idea of dismantling it in the future. ¡°Not only are the resources trash, but the crystal coins given are also scanty,¡± Lu Ran sighed as he collected their rewards. Perfectpletion was merely enough to break even¡­ It wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Let¡¯s not return yet.¡± Lu Ran then made his decision. After clearing the secret realm, challengers could choose to stay until they reached the maximum allowed duration. ¡°General Ha, let¡¯s gather more resources,¡± Lu Ran called out to General Ha. Since there was still plenty of time, Lu Ran felt they could still extract more from this secret realm. ¡°Woof~¡± General Ha¡¯s tail wagged eagerly; it wanted to eat wood scale fruits! ¡°Eat, I¡¯ll go pick them for you.¡± Beyond wanting to squeeze more resources, Lu Ran was also preupied with another matter. It was about the tent he had encountered in the novice secret realm.He had once thought there might be hidden missions within the secret realm, but up to now, there had been no follow-up. Now that they were invincible within the Forest of the Demon Cat, it was worth a thorough search to see if there were truly no clues left. ¡­ Several hourster. In their private room, the figures of Lu Ran and General Ha appeared. Lu Ran looked exhausted, and General Ha, initially weary as well, recovered quickly and was soon brimming with energy again. Lu Ran¡¯s stamina wasmendable,rgely because of walking General Ha. Before its evolution to the supernatural, its stamina was extraordinarily robust, making walking it quite a skillful task. ¡°What a pity.¡± After some exploration, Lu Ran felt a bit of regret; he had perhaps expected too much, as an SSS rating was indeed just a perfectpletion. He and General Ha had nearly plowed through the entire secret realm, yet no hidden missions were triggered. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Lu Ran, stubborn and unconvinced, felt that it might be because the map level of the Forest of the Demon Cat was too low. Perhaps, once he entered other secret realms,rger maps might unlock the next steps in their exploration. Secret realms are nested within one another, such as the novice secret realm Lu Ran can currently challenge, which might be included within therger map of a secret realm that only advanced beastmasters can enter. All secret realms are partial projections of another world, naturally ovepping in some ces. ¡°Bark bark bark!!!¡± Compared to Lu Ran, General Ha didn¡¯t care about any hidden missions. After emerging, it looked at Lu Ran expectantly, asking what its current rank was on the divine beast leaderboard¡­ Last time it was tenth, surely it couldn¡¯t still be tenth. ¡°Let me check¡­¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t need to go to the beastmaster square; he simply opened hismunication device. Sure enough, his few friends had bombarded him with private messages again. Waves Xiaobailong: Holy shit! Are you my brother? Xiaobailong was shocked. Lu Ran had just disentangled himself from the affairs in Jinling, and the next thing he knew, he was number one on the divine beast leaderboard. What happened? Lu Ran¡¯s growth speed was terrifying. Pig Raiser: Ah¡­ Fengyu Piaoling: Big shot! I was blind before and didn¡¯t recognize Mount Tai! Need a girlfriend? We just hired a lot of single neers at our shop; I can introduce you to some! This time, even Little Ling from the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ couldn¡¯t resist sending Lu Ran a message. Lu Ran chuckled and said to General Ha, ¡°First ce, taken!¡± General Ha scoffed disdainfully. The divine beast leaderboard, that¡¯s it? It felt there was no challenge at all. ¡°But I feel you won¡¯t stay there long. Once there are pet beasts on the leaderboard that reach level 10, integrate traits, or awaken new attributes, they might surpass you.¡± General Ha: ? ¡°Awo?¡± ¡°Besides, the divine beast leaderboard is just a potential list that judges overall performance in battle. Although it represents strength to some extent, it doesn¡¯t mean that the top ranker is the strongest on the leaderboard, so don¡¯t get cocky,¡± Lu Ran lectured the dog. ¡°Bark!¡± General Ha showed a wise expression. It didn¡¯t care; it was number one now and wouldn¡¯t be undermined. ¡°Yes, yes, maintain it! There¡¯s still more than half a month until the leaderboard is finalized. If we want to be number one at that time, we also need to quickly reach level 10 and integrate traits to secure it.¡± ¡°Not sure if we have enough time¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ and buy some intelligence on secret realms.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a secret realm that can quickly boost your growth level.¡± Infinite City No.3, Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦. Lu Ran found himself back at this familiar venue. Manager Ying had mentioned that it would collect the bonus on Lu Ran¡¯s behalf and then transfer it to him here. However, upon entering, Lu Ran only saw several young cat-eared maidsughing and chatting. Manager Ying was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Ask Little Ling¡­¡± As soon as Lu Ran stepped in, the maids inside the caf¨¦ also noticed him. ¡°Wee~~~¡± Most of the people here didn¡¯t recognize Lu Ran and simply treated him as an ordinary customer, weing him with warmth and enthusiasm. Fortunately, Little Ling was in the caf¨¦, and her eyes widened when she noticed him. ¡°No way, you actually came!¡± She had only meant to show her face in a private message, and here was Lu Ran, actually turning up. Was he really here to pick up a girlfriend? ¡°Little Ling, you know him? You handle this,¡± the other maids said, seeing that Little Ling seemed to know Lu Ran. Dropping her broom, Little Ling hurried over to Lu Ran, her face flushed, whispering, ¡°Incredible! First ce! I never saw thating.¡± ¡°Forget it, I say what I mean. Let me secretly tell you the intelligence on the maids here without boyfriends¡­ no charge!¡± Lu Ran: ?? ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± Seeing Little Ling¡¯s excited demeanor, Lu Ran knew she had misunderstood something. ¡°I¡¯m here to find someone.¡± ¡°What, you already have a target?! Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your Manager Ying, but it has nothing to do with that private chat. I need to see it; is it here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Little Ling was slightly taken aback, looking for Manager Ying? She hadn¡¯t even seen the actual Manager Ying herself! She had only heard the name. ¡°No need to look further, I¡¯m here.¡± Just then, a ragdoll cat appeared seemingly out of nowhere on a bookshelf, blending naturally among the pet beasts of the maid caf¨¦ without attracting any other maid¡¯s attention, looking calmly at Lu Ran. Hearing the haughty voice, Lu Ran immediately shed a smile. Meanwhile, Little Ling, who had been attending to Lu Ran, was flustered and shocked as she watched the speaking ragdoll cat. Damn it! Whispering secrets about other employees during work hours and getting caught by the boss! And she hadn¡¯t even charged for the intelligence! This was dangerous! Manager Ying nced at Little Ling and said, ¡°Go attend to your own duties. Lu Ran,e with me.¡± With that, it vanished, and Lu Ran also disappeared from his spot, teleported to another location. Staring at the spot where Lu Ran had disappeared, Little Ling was dumbfounded. At that moment, inside a VIP room of the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦, Lu Ran found himself suddenly teleported onto a sofa, where he plopped down. ¡°Manager Ying¡­ a heads-up before teleporting next time would be nice. It¡¯s quite startling,¡± Lu Ran said with a wry smile. ¡°Will do next time,¡± huffed Manager Ying. ¡°Alright, your bounty for capturing the necromancer has been processed. It totals 10,000 crystal coins.¡± ¡°That much???¡± Lu Ran was astonished. ¡°Not bad, right? Catching a necromancer in the country, even just an apprentice, pays many times more than entering a secret realm. After all, necromancers are rare, and scarcity increases value¡­¡± Is that really how the phrase is used??? Lu Ran thought to himself, somewhat bemused. As Manager Ying¡¯s lips curled into a smile, it said, ¡°However, taking these crystal coins might not be so straightforward¡­¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°What do you mean¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s face twitched. Was it actually considering withholding the money? Hadn¡¯t it been agreed that all would be given to him? Though Lu Ran had no room to argue if it decided to keep them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not interested in keeping these 10,000 crystal coins. If I said they¡¯re yours, they¡¯re yours,¡± Manager Ying reassured. ¡°However, I have some intelligence that you¡¯ll definitely find interesting¡­¡± ¡°But it won¡¯te cheap.¡± ¡°What intelligence?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°I was actually nning to buy some intelligence while I¡¯m here¡­¡± Manager Ying continued, ¡°No rush. First, about your Erha¡ªyou found it, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lu Ran frowned, this cat¡­ had it been investigating him? One night, even General Ha was picked up, had Manager Ying investigated all this? ¡°Your Erha must have some unique traitspared to other pet dogs, right? For instance, enteringbat makes it prone to a frenzied state, losing its rationality and gaining tremendous strength, making it more formidable than somerge breeds or fighting dogs,parable to an adult wolf king, correct?¡± Lu Ran was at a loss for words; how had this cat gathered so much detailed information? ¡°So, what exactly is the intelligence you want to sell me?¡± Lu Ran asked. Manager Ying smiled and said, ¡°You¡¯ve certainly tried to trace the origins of that Erha yourself, but came up empty-handed, right? Aren¡¯t you curious why, when it enters a frenzied state, it can attain thebat power of an adult wolf king?¡± ¡°Are you saying you know its origins?¡± Lu Ran stood up, his expression turning serious. This had indeed been a question Lu Ran had investigated without sess. Even though General Ha was exceptionally gifted, Lu Ran could only attribute it to special lineage or atavism to exin it, but the specific reasons were beyond his judgment. However, there was no doubt that if he knew where General Ha came from, he would understand much more clearly. ¡°Are you buying it?¡± ¡°Buy.¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth; he naturally had to buy it. Curse these intelligence dealers. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll charge you 1000 crystal coins then. After all, this intelligence wasn¡¯t easy toe by. I¡¯ll deduct it from the 10,000 crystal coins.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran nodded, relieved. He had thought the other party would make an exorbitant demand, but it seemed that it was just maintaining the basic integrity of an intelligence dealer. ¡°Now can you tell me about General Ha¡¯s origins?¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°First of all, its genes are indeed excellent, not bred as a pet dog. It was born in the northern ice fields as a youth, so its wild nature is stronger.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I could have guessed that. Its lineage is indeed very close to that of an Arctic wolf. The intelligence you speak of, it¡¯s not just this, right?¡± ¡°Of course not, this background is just the reason it coulde to Xia Country.¡± ¡°Both your parents are PhDs in biology, so you must have heard the name ¡®Yunhan¡¯.¡± Lu Ran was startled and said, ¡°Dr. Yunhan?¡± He remembered, knowing this person, said to be a genius scientist, even Lu Ran¡¯s parents held him in high esteem. As a child, Lu Ran often heard his parents mention Dr. Yunhan, who notably is a native of Green Sea City. ¡°Indeed, two years ago, Dr. Yunhan became aware of the beastmaster upation and has since dedicated himself to animal research, hoping to create the most powerful pet beasts through biotechnology and gic modification.¡± ¡°He leveraged his connections to collect a batch of animals with promising qualities from around the world. Your Erha is one of them.¡± ¡°Are you saying General Ha is a test subject?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression hardened, shocked to learn that General Ha was a product of gic engineering experiments. ¡°Why would General Ha end up on the streets?¡± Lu Ran asked, puzzled. ¡°Such an important test subject should be well-guarded, shouldn¡¯t it?¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°Who told you it was important? Is it possible that it was considered a failure, and that¡¯s why it wasn¡¯t valued? If you didn¡¯t have superpowers, who could tame a dog that often enters a frenzied state? Clearly, it¡¯s not suitable for forming a contract.¡± ¡°There was a major ident at Dr. Yunhan¡¯s Green Sea Research Institute, which allowed many test subjects to escape. Although most have been recaptured, some slipped through the.¡± Lu Ran fell silent, then asked, ¡°Dr. Yunhan, is he still in Green Sea City?¡± ¡°That¡¯s old news now. He has be a foreign national and joined the technologically advanced Eagle Federation with his research achievements. He¡¯s even started working on a dinosaur revival project. He probably doesn¡¯t have the time or interest to worry about a failed experiment like this. You can keep it without concerns.¡± Lu Ran thought to himself, ¡°To underestimate General Ha, I¡¯ll remember this slight on its behalf. Someday, I¡¯ll take it to overturn those dinosaurs.¡± Chapter 52: Severing the Past Chapter 52: Severing the Past ¡°Migrated to the Eagle Federation?¡± Lu Ran was greatly shocked upon hearing this. He knew his parents had often discussed Dr. Yunhan¡¯s talents. Therefore, Lu Ran believed that Dr. Yunhan must be extremely capable. And such a talent had moved to another country? ¡°It¡¯s amon phenomenon,¡± Manager Ying remarked sarcastically. ¡°The Eagle Federation is far ahead in terms of technology. They started experimenting with gically modified animals to make them supernatural right at the early stages of Infinite City.¡± ¡°In pursuit of higher research achievements and better experimental conditions, Dr. Yunhan¡¯s decision is what most would choose.¡± ¡°Conversely, it¡¯s trulymendable for those who choose to stay and contribute to their homnd under the allure of better opportunities.¡± Lu Ran fell silent, giving it some thought. Indeed, such phenomena weremon and understandable.¡°So, General Ha was a failed experiment from the research conducted in Green Sea City?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Disappointed?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Lu Ran smirked, ¡°In my view, General Ha is the strongest, regardless of how powerful the pet beasts Dr. Yunhan created in the Eagle Federation might be. General Ha could easily outmatch them.¡± ¡°It ranks first on the divine beast leaderboard, not by relying on those modifications. General Ha hasn¡¯t used its frenzied state for a long time.¡± ¡°Wait, what did you just say? He went to the Eagle Federation to research dinosaur resurrection???¡± Lu Ran was suddenly taken aback, ¡°Like in Jurassic Park? Is that really possible?¡± ¡°With the rapidly advancing scientific research in the Eagle Federation¡­ it¡¯s hard to say,¡± Manager Ying replied. ¡°But you seem very confident. I look forward to seeing you outdo him,¡± Manager Ying smiled. ¡°I enjoy watching this. Over the years, the Donghuang Alliance has indeed been suppressed by the Eagle Federation in thepetition for the public secret realms. From Xia Country¡¯s side, no second or third-generation beastmaster has emerged who could change the situation¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not dwell on that now. What I meant to say was something else. I decided to investigate it because I sensed instability in its mindscape when it roared at me that day, which I found peculiar.¡± ¡°Although you¡¯ve tamed it well through telepathy, there¡¯s still a risk present. It might bacsh against the beastmaster in the future. Would you like to know how topletely eliminate this risk?¡± ¡°By then, it might be able to normalize its frenzied state, unleashing greater potential.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Lu Ran was startled, especially concerned about General Ha¡¯s condition. ¡°1000 crystal coins, thank you for your patronage.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Damn, you really are ripping me off! How can you sell intelligence like it¡¯s a bundled deal? ¡°I¡¯ll buy it!¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth. Manager Ying chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to someone. You know her, and she has aplished a lot in pet beast research. She might help your Erha transform.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Gu Qingyi.¡± Lu Ran broke into a sweat. ¡°Come with me, she¡¯s already waiting for you at that sealed-off research institute in Green Sea City. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± After hearing this, Lu Ran was stunned again. So everything was arranged already, just waiting for me to step into the trap. ¡­ Green Sea City. Two figures appeared. Lu Ran felt it was too much hassle, first teleporting from Infinite City to Jinling, then instantly moving to Green Sea City. But for General Ha, the trouble was worth it. Manager Ying led Lu Ran to a research institute in Green Sea City that had been sealed off. Lu Ran had never been to this ce before; after all, it was a critical research area, off-limits to outsiders. As awful citizen, he could send small animals to infiltrate, but getting caught would mean big trouble. But now it seemed that his previous investigation into General Ha¡¯s origins had missed the most crucial location. At that moment, inside the sealed research institute, a young woman in ab coat was perusing the leftover research materials, her expression cool. Only when noises from outside reached her did she put down the research report and look up. Seeing the approaching man and cat, she smiled and said, ¡°Ying, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°And this is¡­¡± ¡°The brother Fang Lan mentioned?¡± She looked at Lu Ran with interest. When Ying mentioned Lu Ran, she was initially puzzled, but once she heard about Lu Ran¡¯s sister, everything clicked into ce. Lu Ran¡­ is the brother Fang Lan mentioned, and he¡¯s also quite talented. Gu Qingyi was speechless. A superpower user, ranked first on the Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.3, and that¡¯s just considered ¡®quite talented¡¯? Gu Qingyi actually liked Fang Lan, her junior. She thought Fang Lan had a lot of personality, but she had not expected Fang Lan¡¯s brother to be even more unique. ¡°Dr. Gu, hello.¡± Lu Ran smiled; this time, he truly met Dr. Gu. ¡°Manager Ying has already told me everything about you. This ce was Yunhan¡¯s former research institute,¡± Gu Qingyi said as she looked around. ¡°It¡¯s such a pity, such a talented researcher joining another country and bing apetitor.¡± ¡°If he were still here, Xia Country¡¯s beast taming research might have been more advanced.¡± Lu Ran remained silent. Thepetition between countries, indeed, never ceased in any era¡­ ¡°Alright!¡± ¡°Lu Ran, why don¡¯t you summon your Erha and let¡¯s have a look?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, it probably doesn¡¯t have many memories from its early years, does it?¡± Gu Qingyi asked Lu Ran. ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran nodded. If General Ha had any recollection, he would have already known about this ce from it. Saying this, Lu Ran took out a ck card and summoned General Ha. The circle appeared, and General Ha stepped out of the ck card, curiously looking around. Where is this? It looked at Manager Ying, then at Gu Qingyi, and paused slightly. ¡°General Ha, does this ce feel familiar to you?¡± Lu Ran asked General Ha, curious to see if it could remember anything. ¡°Woof!¡± At that moment, General Ha looked around, its brow furrowed, and then it sniffed and looked towards a room deeper inside. Seeing this, Lu Ran nodded, and General Ha immediately ran towards it. Naturally, Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying followed. The room General Ha entered looked like aboratory, with walls embedded with metal cages and a central, abandoned experimental table. Due to a long period of neglect, the overall atmosphere was oppressive. ¡°This room was used by Yunhan for animal experiments,¡± Gu Qingyi said. Just as she finished speaking, a sudden change urred. General Ha started growling lowly at the metal cages and the experimental table. ¡°Err-woo¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± It stared intensely at the cages and the experimental table, its pupils threaded with streaks of blood, seemingly recalling something. ¡°General Ha?¡± Lu Ran called out to General Ha. What¡¯s going on here that sent General Ha into a frenzied state? Lu Ran tried calling out, but surprisingly, this time it didn¡¯t immediately awaken General Ha. ¡°General Ha!!¡± Lu Ran shouted again. General Ha¡¯s emotions became even more unstable. It started baring its teeth at the air. But then, its gaze showed a hint of fear. Its senses seemedpletely cut off from the outside world, trapped in its own. Seeing this, Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying exchanged nces. Gu Qingyi said, ¡°As expected, this Erha was also a victim.¡± ¡°No wonder its emotions are so unstable,¡± Manager Ying remarked. ¡°Lu Ran, I didn¡¯t tell you, but Yunhan, in pursuit of efficiency, used rather harsh methods in his animal experiments. Most animals that came out of here are very unstable, deeply resentful and fearful of this ce. It seems it also suffered a lot during its younger days.¡± ¡°Can you calm it down, or do you need my help to wake it?¡± At this moment, although Lu Ran heard Manager Ying¡¯s voice, he did not respond but continued his efforts to awaken General Ha. He was nearly pushing his telepathy to the limit. In that instant, Lu Ran seemed to share General Ha¡¯s memories. In a room lit by sporadic lights, trapped in a dark cage. asionally, when the room was brightly lit, a man in ab coat would take them out one by one and inject them with unknown substances. Some pets taken from their cages never returned. The memories of General Ha¡¯s youth emerged one by one, entirely spent in the dark research institute. Now, facing the familiar environment, General Ha was somewhat losing its sanity. Being held down on the experimental table,pletely overpowered, the searing pain in its body was still vivid in its memory. It was both angry and fearful, the shadows of its youth the hardest to erase. Through telepathy, at this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, truly feeling the depths of General Ha¡¯s heart. ¡°General Ha!¡± Lu Ran felt General Ha¡¯s emotions for the first time¡­ No wonder, General Ha was so agitated this time, no wonder, when he first brought General Ha home, its personality was so vtile. A pet dog confined to a cage all year round already exhibits extreme behaviors, let alone General Ha, which grew up confined in a cage, constantly dealing with injections and biological experiments. It would be strange if it had a stable personality. Lu Ran stepped forward, still without asking Manager Ying to help awaken General Ha. Seeing Lu Ran¡¯s expression, Gu Qingyi was slightly startled, then seemed to understand Lu Ran¡¯s intention, her lips curving slightly upwards, she did not stop him. Amendable beastmaster. The next moment, Lu Ran reached into his backpack and summoned the Wind Cutter Sword, channeling his energy into it and swinging it directly at the experimental table. Boom! The massive experimental table shattered into pieces, copsing with a loud noise. This sound seemed to work better than Lu Ran¡¯s telepathy. As the experimental table copsed, General Ha¡¯s gaze flickered, and then Lu Ran tapped General Ha¡¯s head firmly with the hilt of the sword, saying, ¡°You take care of the cage yourself.¡± With that, he handed the sword to General Ha. At this moment, General Ha¡¯s gaze seemed to regain some sanity, and the fear slowly dissipated, staring nkly at Boss Lu. ¡°Dr. Yunhan is indeed despicable. I don¡¯t care how he treats other animals, but not you. Let¡¯s demolish this ce first and remember our vengeance. If we have the opportunity in the future, we¡¯ll find him for revenge, whether he revives a dinosaur or creates a divine beast, and beat him soundly,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. ¡°You¡¯re my partner now.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, hearing this, nodded heavily and took the sword handed over by Lu Ran, looking around at each cage. With a resolute gaze, General Ha swung the sword, cutting through the walls that included the cages, seemingly determined topletely sever its past. But the next moment, both General Ha and Boss Lu¡¯s expressions changed, both showing a look of cunning. Boom. Because it seemed like the house was going to copse¡­ ¡°Not good, Gu Qingyi, why didn¡¯t you stop him!¡± At that moment, Manager Ying also realized something, looking up at the suddenly copsing roof, her vision going dark. ¡°Manager Ying, use instant teleportation!¡± Next to her, Gu Qingyi smiled, why stop a beastmaster and pet beast during their most charismatic partnership moment? Chapter 53: Debt Repayment Through Self-Sale Chapter 53: Debt Repayment Through Self-Sale Outside the research institute. Everyone looked at the half-copsed building, each with a different expression on their face. Lu Ran and General Ha felt relieved, yet their gaze drifted, seemingly eager to shirk responsibility. Gu Qingyi wore a smile. Manager Ying, on the other hand, had a look of speechlessness. The day had just flown by with constant teleportations, and it was nearly out of energy. A big loss. ¡°Repair costs, 8000 crystal coins,¡± Manager Ying said somberly. ¡°Huh???¡±Next to them, Lu Ran suddenly panicked and said, ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± ¡°It is a joke,¡± Manager Ying nced at Lu Ran and General Ha and said: ¡°But it¡¯s also a reminder, please try not to demolish load-bearing walls next time¡­¡± General Ha listened humbly¡­ Honestly, it had caused simr, smaller-scale troubles before, and Lu Ran had harshly reprimanded it afterwards¡­ Although this time it was Lu Ran who led and permitted it, Boss Lu had also stood up for it! General Ha still understood the situation clearly. ¡°Amazing, I didn¡¯t expect you could wake it up from such a mental disarray,¡± Gu Qingyi said. Erha was known for causing destruction at home, but this time it was the master leading Erha in the demolition, which was indeed an eye-opener. However, the oue was positive. With Lu Ran¡¯s help, General Ha had managed to shake off its past shadows and confront the present. ¡°As long as there¡¯s no need to pay¡­¡± Lu Ran suddenly said, ¡°Oh right, the institute¡¯s materials¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything is backed up, and I¡¯ve already memorized it all,¡± Gu Qingyi approached the rubble and said, ¡°Dr. Yunhan had been doing research in Green Sea City on the mental aspects of pet beasts.¡± ¡°The mental attribute, it¡¯s quite a rare attribute. Although it¡¯s not as rare as the Time or Space attributes, it¡¯s still much rarer than the basic elemental attributes.¡± ¡°This attribute connects to the brain,manding the body¡¯s potential. You might have heard that humans or certain life forms can exhibit supernatural potential under extreme conditions. This is all due to a sudden surge in mental strength, which then unlocks physical potential.¡± ¡°Beyond that, the mental aspect also ys a crucial role in many advanced techniques, such as high-level applications of shaping skills, which require the integration of mental will.¡± ¡°I heard from Manager Ying that you have also mastered a skill rted to momentum, which is a basic application of mental strength,¡± Gu Qingyi continued. ¡°Dr. Yunhan initially wanted to develop the mental brain domains of pet beasts to unlock their potential. The frenzied state of your Erha is a temporary unlocking of mental restrictions to enhance its condition.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s clear that Dr. Yunhan¡¯s research on this subject failed. Developing the mental brain domain is not so simple. At that time, the test subjects were like it, a group of uncontroble, easily frenzied wild beasts, which was one of the reasons for the idents at the research institute.¡± General Ha tilted its head. ¡°Now, the situation is that Dr. Yunhan essentially used drugs and technology to forcefully stimte its brain domain, creating a frenzied skill for it. The essence of the frenzied skill is to stimte the brain domain and unearth physical potential. It¡¯s a decent skill, but unfortunately, it can¡¯t maintain its sanity during this process, so again, this is a failed skill¡­¡± ¡°Moreover, in daily life, any factor that can affect its mental state can be a trigger for the frenzied state, so this situation is extremely dangerous. It is fortunate that it met you early on.¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha and sighed, ¡°So, what¡¯s the solution?¡± ¡°One, through medication and mental hypnosis, make itpletely forget the ¡®frenzied state.¡¯¡± ¡°Two, awaken a second attribute rted to the mental species. Or, through special mental resources, strengthen its brain domain to normalize the frenzied state, fully control it, and unearth its current potential.¡± ¡°This was also part of Dr. Yunhan¡¯s nned research oues, to fully develop the basic potential of pet beasts. However, because the resources to enhance mental strength are so rare, they only brought a slight improvement in potential, making it not cost-effective. Thus, the research ended in failure.¡± ¡°After all, there are many ways to enhance and develop the potential of pet beasts; there¡¯s no need to hang all hopes on this one method.¡± Lu Ran slightly opened his mouth, looked at the tilting head of General Ha, then turned to Manager Ying. He was dreading that Manager Ying¡¯s next words would be ¡°Medication intelligence, 1000 crystal coins, thank you for your patronage. Mental attribute resource intelligence, 1000 crystal coins, thank you for your patronage.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Manager Ying walked away. Although it could find a solution, since Gu Qingyi appreciated Lu Ran, it left the opportunity to do a favor to Gu Qingyi. Lu Ran indeed had great potential, worth nurturing¡­ It¡¯s just a pity that he contracted with a dog, which it did not like. ¡°It¡¯s quite a dilemma, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°If it were up to me, I would choose thetter option,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Topletely forget, wouldn¡¯t that mean all its suffering was in vain?¡± General Ha nodded vigorously. ¡°Rather, it would be more appropriate to strengthen its mental strength and help it integrate this state. At that time, its species foundation would also be stronger.¡± ¡°Although the cost-effectiveness is not high, since you have already chosen it as your partner, every investment is worthwhile.¡± ¡°As for the method of enhancing mental strength, I don¡¯t really rmend choosing mental as the second attribute.¡± ¡°Mental pet beasts are rare, and it cannot control its frenzied state on its own, which shows that itspatibility with the mental attribute is not high. You should know, if the awakened secondary attribute or the integrated new trait does not have highpatibility with the pet beast, it could affect the pet beast¡¯s future evolution.¡± ¡°Therefore, I lean more towards using one-time resources to strengthen its mental strength.¡± ¡°What resources are needed? Which secret realm can produce them? Where can they be bought?¡± Lu Ran agreed with the suggestion. He also felt that awakening the mental attribute for the dog was unreliable. Moreover, using a one-time resource to enhance its mental strength, and awakening the mental attribute, do not conflict. Thetter would still need to wait until General Ha reaches level 10, which is far off. Right now, resolving General Ha¡¯s situation is the urgent matter. ¡°Mental resources are extremely rare, and the novice secret realms you have ess to won¡¯t drop them,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°What you can buy won¡¯t solve its problem either.¡± Lu Ran also cast a deep look, always feeling¡­ that he had been tricked again. This cat and this Dr. Gu, definitely a series of tricks! Next, they wouldn¡¯t be trying to sell their own resources, would they? The ten thousand crystal coins earned from defeating the necromancer, why does it feel like not only will there be nothing left, but he might even have to pay extra? ¡°So, Dr. Gu, do you have these resources¡­¡± Lu Ran finally asked. ¡°Smart!¡± Gu Qingyi smiled faintly. Speaking, she reached out and pulled a white five-petaled flower from the space. Name: Dokarona Flower Level: Rare Introduction: Possesses miraculous powers of healing, strengthening the mind, and unlocking physical potential, blooming on the back of the Dokarona turtle. ¡°This is a resource that only drops from defeating sovereign species creatures like the Dokarona turtle, and it¡¯s currently the most perfectly suited resource for it,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. At this point, Lu Ran clutched his chest. General Ha, meanwhile, stepped forward. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha looked at the pained Lu Ran, puzzled. ¡°How much¡­?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°It¡¯s free for you,¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran took a step back. Honestly, he was a bit scared. Since childhood, his parents had always told him that the most expensive things are those that are free; don¡¯t be greedy, don¡¯t easily owe favors. Indeed, the fair and beautiful Dr. Gu looked every bit the wealthy woman, but if she said it was free, he definitely wouldn¡¯t be at ease. He¡¯d rather owe a huge debt. Conveniently, he, who never worried about necessities, also wanted to experience the hardships of the world, to know what it feels like to repay a debt. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± It seemed she noticed Lu Ran¡¯s worry, Gu Qingyi said with a faint smile, ¡°Not sure about it?¡± ¡°Then think of it as an investment.¡± ¡°In the future, I might also need some help from you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°Yes, although my level is far beyond yours right now, there are some things that I can¡¯t do myself.¡± ¡°Secret realms?!¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°I like talking to smart people.¡± ¡°Secret realm levels are divided into novice secret realms, level 1 secret realms, level 2 secret realms¡­ Each time a beastmaster levels up, they unlock new advanced secret realms.¡± ¡°But simrly, after essing advanced secret realms, one can no longer enter the lower-level secret realms.¡± ¡°And some special resources only drop in specific secret realms.¡± ¡°So even for an advanced beastmaster, obtaining certain materials from a lower-level secret realm is not easy; they can only buy them from others.¡± ¡°However, due to the limited number of beastmasters and the high costs of conquering secret realms, there are still some secret realms that have not been conquered, or rather, they are too challenging and no one is willing to take them on. Moreover, Infinite City regrly updates and introduces new secret realms of various levels, ensuring that beastmasters of all levels have their own value.¡± ¡°You are considered one of the outstanding fourth-generation beastmasters, and in the future, I might ask for your help in acquiring some rare materials. This is why the nation ces such importance on training fourth-generation beastmasters¡ªeven lower-level beastmasters can provide significant help to advanced beastmasters.¡± ¡°If you can ept it, consider this Dokarona flower as my down payment, until you help me obtain materials of equivalent value, and then we¡¯ll be even.¡± Lu Ran looked at the resource and found this arrangement eptable, so he replied, ¡°Alright, but just to be clear, if it¡¯s a secret realm I can¡¯t handle¡­ I won¡¯t go.¡± After all, venturing into secret realms to gather and sell materials was something he nned to doter. It doesn¡¯t matter who he sells the materials to. But now, instead of choosing secret realms at will, it had turned into entering secret realms based on the demands of his wealthy benefactor. This item looked expensive, and it seemed like he was going to be indebted and working hard to pay it off. ¡°So, shall we agree on a pleasant coboration?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°Ow~~~¡± At this moment, General Ha could no longer wait, staring eagerly at the flower in Gu Qingyi¡¯s hand, wondering if it was meant for it to eat. ¡°Go ahead and eat it.¡± Gu Qingyi bent down slightly and handed the white, five-petaled Dokarona flower to General Ha. Lu Ran watched silently. He was relieved to see that General Ha still had some regard for him and wasn¡¯tpletely blinded by the prospect of eating. Seeing the delicious-looking dessert offered by Gu Qingyi, General Ha really wanted to eat it but still nced at Lu Ran to ask for permission. ¡°Go ahead.¡± Lu Ran finally spoke. ¡°Ow!¡± The next moment, General Ha happily swallowed the Dokarona flower. Simultaneously. As soon as it consumed the flower, the effects of the Dokarona flower quickly took hold. ¡°Woof¡ª¡± General Ha immediately felt a cool sensation in its brain, but oddly, its body felt an intense heat. ¡°Bark!¡± It started running in circles on the spot. Its pupils suddenly showed blood vessels, which then disappeared, only to reappear and repeat the cycle. ¡°It¡¯s taking effect now. Without any surprises, it will fully integrate the power from its frenzied state, slightly enhancing its species foundation. It might not jump a level, but its physical condition will be much stronger than it is now.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like transforming from the physical condition of a purebred husky to that of the Arctic Wolf King. Its base attributes will be much stronger among those of the same level,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. ¡°Besides, during this process, its growth level should also improve.¡± ¡°You might want to check its contract card.¡± Lu Ran had been observing General Ha, but at Gu Qingyi¡¯s suggestion, he quickly pulled out the contract card. Upon inspection, Lu Ran was stunned. Species: Snowfield Dog Attribute: Wind Species level: Middle Supernatural Growth level: Level 9 General Ha¡¯s growth level had soared from level 6 to level 9 in a short time! Was this the growth brought about by unlocking its body¡¯s potential? ¡°It reached level 9¡­ General Ha, how do you feel?¡± Lu Ran asked General Ha. By now, General Ha had shifted from its initial confusion to excitement. Its pupils were clear of any bloodshot appearance, returning to a deep blue. ¡°Ow ow ow.¡± Suppressing its ¡°powerful¡± strength, it nodded, looking affectionately at Gu Qingyi and extending its paw, seemingly asking if there was more. General Ha now understood why those pets in the park were so keen on pairing Boss Lu with their owners. Wealthy people are indeed very charming. The treats Gu Qingyi brought out were much more exciting than the food Lu Ran prepared for it! ¡°There¡¯s no more,¡± Gu Qingyi said as she turned around, causing General Ha to stiffen. ¡°Silly dog, too greedy. Do you want me to work forever?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°When you were at level 6, you could rank first in the divine beast leaderboard for your zone. Now at level 9, you should be catching up to the top tier. I¡¯m looking forward to you bing the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster¡­ not just in Infinite City No.3, but across Xia Country and even globally.¡± Gu Qingyi resumed her usual expression and said, ¡°Let me think. By the way, have you decided on the first trait you¡¯re interested in?¡± ¡°We have. It¡¯s the weapon mastery trait dropped in the novice secret realm of the Abandoned Testing Ground during abyssal difficulty,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I was actually nning to buy a guide at the cat-eared maid caf¨¦¡­¡± ¡°Weapon mastery?¡± After Lu Ran finished, both Gu Qingyi and the departing Manager Ying spoke up simultaneously. Gu Qingyi, a bit taken aback, rubbed her temples as if troubled. ¡°Hahaha¡­ that¡¯s hrious,¡±ughed Manager Ying. ¡°You convince him.¡± ¡°When I saw his Erha using a sword, I had a feeling he would take an unconventional breeding path, and it seems I was right. If I¡¯m not mistaken, Eagle Hero, who alsoes from the Rainbow Heaven Dojo like you, merged this trait, right?¡± Manager Ying recalled. ¡°That¡¯s right, Eagle Hero is sort of my senior brother,¡± Lu Ran responded, barely holding back his frustration. Gu Qingyi then said, ¡°Then you should know, as I just mentioned, if the fused trait doesn¡¯t match its own, it could lead to a failure in its future evolution.¡± ¡°You¡¯re determined¡­ to let your Erha try to merge with the weapon mastery trait?¡± ¡°You want to replicate your senior brother¡¯s path andter merge the anthropomorphic trait to evolve it into a humanoid?¡± ¡°Manager Ying, so far, globally, has any beast tamer¡¯s pet beast achieved perfect evolution through ¡®weapon mastery trait¡¯?¡± ¡°No,¡± Manager Ying replied inly. ¡°See, maybe you should reconsider,¡± Gu Qingyi suggested to Lu Ran. Lu Ran pondered deeply. Gu Qingyi continued: ¡°Currently, the most mainstream evolution paths for the snowfield dog include two options. One is to awaken its ice and wind attributes, merge with ¡®king¡¯s trait¡¯ and ¡®ancient spirit trait¡¯, and regress to evolve into ¡®the incarnation of the North Wind, North Wind Wolf King.¡¯¡± ¡°Alternatively, rece the wind attribute with a light attribute, evolving into ¡®Aurora Wolf King.¡¯¡± ¡°The second option is to awaken ice and rock attributes, merge with ¡®gigantism trait¡¯ and ¡®perpetual frost trait¡¯, and evolve into ¡®the moving iceberg, Ice Rock Giant¡¯¡­¡± ¡°These are all certified perfect evolution paths. Of course, the werewolf path is also an option, but it¡¯s not really well-suited for the snowfield dog, especially when you add the weapon mastery trait¡ªit bes even more challenging.¡± ¡°Besides¡­¡± Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran, noticed he was unmoved, and shook her head. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve made up your mind,¡± she said with a headache. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I specialize in evolution research and I know how difficult it is to carve out a new evolution path, especially based on a trait like weapon mastery, which no beastmaster has yet managed to master¡­¡± ¡°If sessful, it would indeed be cause for joy and could make a name in the beast taming field, but if it fails¡­¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes sparkled, and he said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve already figured out a way that could allow General Ha to perfectly master this trait and achieve perfect evolution. How about I share it and get some advice from you, Doctor?¡± Chapter 54: Lifebound Weapon Chapter 54: Lifebound Weapon ¡°Oh? Have you given it thorough thought?¡± Gu Qingyi was quite surprised, especially since Lu Ran had only be a beastmaster a week ago. At this time, she was still worried about her pet beast¡¯s food. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°Okay, first about the ¡®weapon mastery trait.¡¯ A pet beast that absorbs this trait has a natural talent for using weapons; the weapons be as natural to them as their own limbs, right?¡± Gu Qingyi nodded. ¡°Manager Ying mentioned earlier that globally, no beastmaster¡¯s pet beast has ever achieved perfect evolution with the ¡®weapon mastery trait¡¯ at its core.¡± ¡°They all fail because of thepatibility between the pet beast and the trait¡­¡±¡°That¡¯s right, if the trait melds well with the pet beast, it will awaken a species talent, which greatly enhances itsbat strength. However, there has never been a case where a pet beast awakened a species talent after integrating the weapon mastery trait,¡± exined Manager Ying. ¡°That includes your senior brother¡¯s pet beast, who died overseas. After it absorbed the trait, it didn¡¯t awaken any talents.¡± Lu Ran nodded; his senior brother hadmented this in his diary. ¡°I think one key to sessfully melding this trait is the pet beast¡¯s proficiency with the weapon it will use in the future, before integrating the trait.¡± ¡°For example, if a monkey is already skilled in staff techniques before integrating the trait, the chance of it awakening a species talent is much higher than if it knew nothing beforehand.¡± Dr. Gu said, ¡°So what you mean is, your Erha currently shows a lot of talent in swordy, and you are confident you can perfectly integrate it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s one of the key points. My beast taming skill, developed by me, can synchronize my sword training experience with it, giving it double the sword experience. So in this regard, it won¡¯t becking.¡± ¡°It can grasp sword momentum because of this,¡± Lu Ran exined. Nearby, General Ha tactically leaned forward, dismissing the notion¡ªit was clearly because of its own unique talents! ¡°You should know my master, Master Jiang Dou, a grandmaster of swordsmanship in Xia Country who has grasped sword momentum¡ªone of the very few even among humans to reach such a level. Yet, an Erha has achieved this, which speaks volumes.¡± Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying twitched at the corners of their mouths. If your master knew you wereparing him to an Erha, he would beat you up for sure. ¡°This premise already gives General Ha an advantage over other pet beasts integrating the weapon mastery trait, but that¡¯s not even the most crucial point. I¡¯ve thought of another method to increase the sess rate!¡± ¡°Have you ever read a fantasy novel¡­¡± Lu Ran cautiously asked. ¡°What are you getting at?¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°In fantasy novels, the protagonist¡¯s weapon usually undergoes a blood oath to bind it closely to them. Beyond that, there are also so-called ¡®life-bound magical treasures¡¯ that grow in power alongside their owner¡­¡± ¡°The advantage of the weapon mastery trait is that it allows a pet beast to leverage an external force.¡± ¡°Indeed, with the help of a weapon, a pet beast can see a significant increase inbat power. But no matter how familiar it bes with the weapon, it¡¯s still an external force. Relying solely on ¡®experience¡¯ and ¡®feeling¡¯ to connect the weapon with the pet beast might not achieve a perfect fit¡­¡± ¡°So, is there a possibility to find a sword for General Ha that can grow with it, a life-bound weapon that is tightly connected to it? Such a weapon,bined with a solid foundation in swordsmanship, should be able to fully adapt to the ¡®weapon mastery trait,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°How do you n to do that?¡± Gu Qingyi was taken aback. Lu Ran smiled. ¡°When I was exploring the Forest of the Demon Cat secret realm, I came across a demon cat¡¯s fingernail, which seems usable in weapon forging.¡± ¡°So, I was thinking, why not incorporate General Ha¡¯s teeth as part of the materials for forging the weapon? By integrating them into the weapon, we can also increase the connection between it and the weapon!¡± General Ha: ? ? ? ¡°Whimper!¡± General Ha covered its mouth, eyes filled with panic. Boss Lu, be a human! ¡°You¡¯re nning to¡­ forge a weapon from parts of your own pet beast?¡± Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were shocked. People usually defeat monsters to gather materials for crafting equipment, but this was about disassembling your own pet beast for parts. ¡°Are you a devil?¡± Lu Ran gave General Ha a reassuring look. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, General Ha, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°We have the divine deer pendant, remember?¡± ¡°Previously, General Ha had an incident in the secret realm where its teeth were shattered by the bones of a demon cat, but they were restored by the divine deer pendant.¡± ¡°So, since it can be restored, using a bit of its teeth as wind-element materials in the weapon should be reasonable.¡± After Lu Ran finished exining, Gu Qingyi, Manager Ying, and General Ha all fell into deep thought. Using one¡¯s own body parts as a material for forging a closely linked lifebound weapon¡­ This idea was indeed novel. Considering that this dog seemed to have a good grasp of swordsmanship, Gu Qingyi was momentarily lost. She couldn¡¯t determine if evolving ording to Lu Ran¡¯s n could actually seed. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯ve made up your mind, go ahead and give it a try,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°If it really can evolve perfectly, you would have pioneered apletely new evolutionary system.¡± ¡°Think about it, it¡¯s quite interesting. None of the previous three generations of beastmasters considered this¡­¡± ¡°Do you need any help from me?¡± ¡°Not at the moment¡­ Right now, General Ha and I just want to quickly reach level 10 to meet the standards for tackling the ¡®Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm.¡¯ After all¡­ there probably aren¡¯t any weapons mastery traits avable on the market, and even if there were, I likely couldn¡¯t afford them.¡± ¡°True, that trait is quite unpopr in the market and has been neglected for a long time. If you want to acquire that trait, you¡¯ll have to rely on yourselves,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°In that case, let me rmend a couple of secret realms suitable for you two to strengthen yourselves.¡± ¡°As for the intelligence on the ¡®Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm,¡¯ I will find and give it to you.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Ran was happy. Since he already owed a Mental Flower, asking for a few more pieces of intelligence wasn¡¯t a big deal. That way, he could avoid having to buy them at the maid caf¨¦. Manager Ying, spotting that Gu Qingyi was about to provide some intelligence for free¡ªespecially since Lu Ran had initially nned to purchase it from Manager Ying¡¯s caf¨¦¡ªsuddenly felt a bit dizzy. Oh, how wonderful¡­ Really great! After all its efforts to help out and make connections, it ended up at a big loss! ¡°I rmend the novice secret realm of Blizzard Mountain at ordinary difficulty,¡± Gu Qingyi suggested. ¡°And the novice secret realm of Mantis Jungle at hard difficulty.¡± ¡°Blizzard Mountain is quite special. There are no monsters inside. The challenge is to navigate through blizzard zones, testing the pet beast¡¯s cold resistance, defense, and reaction awareness¡­¡± ¡°In terms of cold resistance, it should have no problems. Moreover, in the blizzard, the wind and snow sh like knives, continuously damaging both the pet beast and the beastmaster. This is the difficult part. Additionally, hail often falls within the blizzard. How to sessfully navigate through this perilous environment is the key challenge.¡± ¡°After clearing this secret realm, you can obtain an advanced resource called the ¡®Seed of Cold Wind.¡¯ Consuming the ¡®Seed of Cold Wind¡¯ allows a wind-element pet beast to release even colder breezes.¡± ¡°While it¡¯s not as effective as awakening to the ice elementbined with the wind element, nor is it like the ¡®North Wind Trait,¡¯ it is a very suitable resource for your stage, especially since, as a snowfield dog, understanding the power of cold can further enhance itsbat potential.¡± ¡°This secret realm¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up as he remembered such a ce. So that¡¯s what this secret realm is like? That¡¯s great. As Gu Qingyi said, it does seem very suitable. ¡°As for the Mantis Jungle secret realm, it is primarily inhabited by a species called de Mantis, an upper supernatural species. These creatures are wind-element, can fly, and have both high attack power and speed, making them extremely dangerous.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re determined to train your pet beast in swordsmanship, this secret realm would definitely be suitable for you.¡± ¡°In the Mantis Jungle secret realm, there is an advanced resource called ¡®de Grass,¡¯ which is hoarded by the de Mantises and is their favorite food. This resource can effectively enhance the cutting properties of wind-element powers, increasing the attack strength of wind-element attacks.¡± ¡°Defeating the de Mantis also has a chance to drop an advanced material called ¡®Wing of the Mantis,¡¯ which is simr to a medicinal substance. When crushed and applied, it enhances a pet beast¡¯s sensitivity to wind and air currents,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. ¡°There was once a beastmaster who used this resource to train their butterfly pet beast, allowing it to dodge attacks based on air flow changes even with its eyes closed.¡± ¡°Of course, they can also drop ¡®de of the Mantis,¡¯ which is a material used in forging wind-element weapons.¡± ¡°The materials I mentioned are those that ordinary de Mantises might drop. The boss of this secret realm is a level 10 de Mantis, possessing both metal and wind elements, making it much stronger.¡± ¡°If you defeat it, you would havepletely conquered the secret realm, and the rewards are even more substantial. For example, the advanced resource ¡®Heart of the Bug¡¯ which, when consumed, enhances the sharpness and hardness of a pet beast¡¯s teeth, ws, scales, and other such organs.¡± ¡°Oh, and if you achieve an S-level rating or higher, there¡¯s a very small chance of dropping a beast taming skill called ¡®Wind Enhancement,¡¯ which makes the loot quite worthwhile. This secret realm is worth ¡®settling¡¯ in for a long time.¡± ¡°Indeed, if you can solo both secret realms and achieve an SSS rating, I think you would then be capable of challenging the abyssal difficulty of novice secret realms. However, for abyssal difficulty, I highly rmend teaming up. The first three difficulty levels of the secret realms may be soloable for a skilled beastmaster, but abyssal difficulty is quite challenging¡­¡± ¡°You could call your sister and find some like-minded beastmasters to form a team and take on the challenge.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Qingyi finished, and Lu Ran took a deep breath. Well, it seems he and General Ha have more training to look forward to with the Blizzard Mountain and Mantis Jungle secret realms¡­ they sound far more rewarding than the stingy Forest of the Demon Cat. If they strategize through a few rounds, wouldn¡¯t General Ha really take off? Lu Ran looked towards General Ha, who also showed a sharp gleam in its eyes! Chapter 55: The Colder the Temperature, the Higher the Intelligence Chapter 55: The Colder the Temperature, the Higher the Intelligence That day, Lu Ran returned to Jinling. After rifying General Ha¡¯s background, Lu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. The main reason for investigating General Ha¡¯s origins was to understand the causes of its frenzied state. Now, with the help of Dr. Gu, General Ha no longer loses its rationality arbitrarily. The enhancement ofbat power brought about by the frenzied state has been integrated into its normal state, a transformation that could be described as a rebirth. ¡°Now, it really feels like I¡¯m clinging to Dr. Gu¡¯s coattails¡­¡± ¡°Will Fang Lan say¡­ after all, she knew Dr. Gu first?¡± When Lu Ran returned to the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, the Sudden Death King was still sleeping. It had been asleep when they teleported, and Lu Ran hadn¡¯t woken it; now, it was still slumbering.¡°I should have brought it along, I regret it now.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t know much about Dr. Gu, but since thetter was a renowned figure in the beast taming realm of Xia Country, some basic information was often seen on various forums. Dr. Gu is a very famous evolutionary schr in the field of pet beast evolution, especially known for evolving a sovereign species Loong-type pet beast. This achievement is unique in the modern world. Currently, Gu Qingyi¡¯s Loong pet is the only known true Loong-type in the world. This refers to a purebred Loong-type, the kind that truly embodies the Loong as an attribute. Other beastmasters might have pet beasts that are somewhat close to Loong, termed sub-Dragons. When Gu Qingyi evolved an Eastern Loong, it deeply stimted the Western beast taming world, which hoped to evolve a giant dragon topete with the Donghuang Alliance. But so far, it seems they haven¡¯t seeded. Thus, Dr. Gu also holds the title of Loong Tamer internationally. ¡°Traits rted to ¡®Loongs¡¯ are not few in number.¡± ¡°But infusing a pet beast with rted traits doesn¡¯t guarantee that the pet beast will perfectly match and evolve into a Loong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s very likely that Gu Qingyi could evolve a Loong-type sovereign because she possesses a pet beast that is 100%patible with loong traits¡­¡± ¡°Can this guy¡­ possibly match with dragon traits in the future?¡± Lu Ran nced at the still-sleeping Sudden Death King. Deep down, he indeed hoped to cultivate the Sudden Death King towards bing a giant dragon. The more Lu Ran learned, the more he realized the difficulty of the task. For three years, the entire Western world has been trying, and yet, they have not sessfully evolved a genuine giant dragon. Even more, in their search for creatures with a highpatibility with dragon traits, they have started to study the resurrection of dinosaurs. This clearly shows the Western world¡¯s deep longing for Dragon-type creatures. Next time, Lu Ran nned to have Dr. Gu evaluate the potential of the Sudden Death King. ¡°Being close to the source makes it easier to benefit,¡± Lu Ran thought. ¡°Once I get to know Dr. Gu better, I can consult with her about Dragon-type rted matters. If I can evolve a giant dragon before the Western world does, that would be fantastic¡­¡± Thinking this, Lu Ran smiled. Both Eastern Loong and Western dragon species were in Xia Country, which would surely frustrate foreigners. However, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t overly optimistic. He suspected that Dr. Gu¡¯s sess might involve some unique encounters that couldn¡¯t be replicated. After all, if it were replicable, Xia Country would not only have more than one loong species. Perhaps she possessed an artifact simr to the divine deer pendant! After returning, Lu Ran didn¡¯t stay outside for long and teleported back to Infinite City. Upon entering Infinite City, he eagerly opened the secret realm panel and started searching for Blizzard Mountain. Name: Blizzard Mountain Secret Realm Level: Novice Level Difficulty: Ordinary Level Challenge Crystal Coins: ¡°Should I go in and have a look?¡± Lu Ran pondered for a moment. Since he was free, he finally decided to check it out. From what he had learned from Gu Qingyi, Blizzard Mountain was difficult to conquer, but the death rate was low, so he felt safe to give it a try. If he couldn¡¯t withstand it, he could always leave. Since there were no enemies, only the struggle against nature itself, even if buried by snow, activating the teleport function at the moment of being buried would still offer a high chance of survival. Would you like to spend 500 crystal coins to challenge the Blizzard Mountain secret realm? Yes. Lu Ran thought to himself. At the same time, he summoned General Ha from the ck card. Teleport countdown 10¡­9¡­ ¡­ Ten secondster, Lu Ran and General Ha hadn¡¯t fully limated when a biting cold wind enveloped them. Despite the cold, both Lu Ran and General Ha found it bearable. General Ha, being a snowfield dog, was naturally suited for icy environments. Lu Ran, thanks to his super beast mimicry, had a constitution several times stronger than an ordinary person, which made handling the snow and wind quite manageable. ¡°Wait a second,¡± Lu Ran thought. ¡°General Ha, as a sled dog, returns to the snowy environment, and I¡¯m entering it too. If we navigate this together, could it also enhance thepatibility of my super beast mimicry and give me better resistance to the cold?¡± Lu Ran pondered this briefly but decided to first check the secret realm information. Teleportationplete. Current location: Blizzard Mountain (Novice Secret Realm) Difficulty: Ordinary Challenge mission: Navigate through the blizzard zone. Secret realm introduction: Located in the northernmost part of the Empire, the area was once home to the ice wolf species. To expand its territory, the Empire¡¯s Beast Taming Legion was mobilized to subdue the ferocious beasts of the snowy mountains and secure safe routes to other continents. It is said that after the extinction of the ice wolf species, their resentment and hatred transformed into endless blizzards, blocking the path of all who wish to advance. Prompt 1: The maximum stay in the novice secret realm is 8 hours. During this period, challengers can choose to return at any time, with teleportation taking 10 seconds. Prompt 2: ¡­ ¡°This is interesting¡­¡± After reading the secret realm introduction, Lu Ran looked at General Ha, who was visibly excited. It turned out that Blizzard Mountain was originally General Ha¡¯s turf. In addition to this, terms like the Empire, Beast Taming Legion, and other continents caught Lu Ran¡¯s attention once more. The beast tide in the Forest of the Demon Cat 20 years ago also seemed to have been dealt with by the Empire¡¯s Beast Taming Legion, and the backstory of Blizzard Mountain mentioned the Empire again. The presence of this Beast Taming Empire was indeed quite strong. ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to breaking through to level 10 and entering the breakthrough secret realms,¡± Lu Ran exhaled a breath of warm air. The current secret realms were mostly outdoor environments, but breaking through would offer the chance to encounter projections of humans from another world. Lu Ran was increasingly curious about otherworldly or super-ancient human civilizations. ¡°Woof, woof, woof!¡± At that moment, General Ha looked at Lu Ran with eager eyes, asking when they would start. ¡°Now¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha and was slightly taken aback, feeling a significant change in its eyes. There was a new liveliness in them, not the kind of wisdom but a genuine spark of intelligence. It seemed that the icy environment really did make snowfield dogs smarter! After all, it was said that the brains of snowfield dogs were made of ice, which melted in hot environments, causing their brains to ¡°flood.¡± Now, their true intelligence was on disy! ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°We¡¯ll check out the area first.¡± He looked ahead. The area where he and General Ha were currently was rtively calm, but looking further, he could see nothing but a blur of grey and the constant howling of wind, suggesting a much colder challenge awaited them. ¡­ Soon, Lu Ran and General Ha set off, nning to trek through the blizzard. Although buying some warm clothing might have been better, Lu Ran felt it unnecessary. Saving some crystal coins, he considered it a form of training. Owing Dr. Gu arge sum of money, he needed to be more frugal from now on! ¡°Damn it.¡± They had just entered the blizzard zone, and not many steps in, a strange gust of cold wind shed Lu Ran¡¯s hand, causing a wound. The blood had no time to flow before it was frozen by the blizzard, turning from blue to purple. Seeing this scene on the snowy ground, Lu Ran gained a new understanding of the destructive power of the cold wind. No wonder there were no monsters; if a pack of ice wolves were added, the difficulty might as well be upgraded straight to difficult or even abyss level. ¡°Divine Deer Pendant.¡± Lu Ran quickly took out the divine deer pendant and put it on, allowing the power of the divine deer antler to heal his wound. ¡°Scraping my hand is fine, just not my face!¡± ¡°Woof, woof.¡± Unlike Lu Ran, General Ha was thriving in the snow, looking encouragingly at Lu Ran as if urging him to keep going. Lu Ran: ? Has this dog gotten too cocky? ¡°Do you feel like you¡¯re in great shape right now?¡± Lu Ran asked. General Ha nodded vigorously. ¡°Since your intelligence has returned, it would be reasonable toprehend a few powerful skills while we¡¯re here, right?¡± Lu Ran challenged. Hearing this, General Ha straightened up, looking respectful. That made sense. The next moment, it stopped in its tracks, slightly closing its eyes as if to meditate in the midst of the blizzard¡­ Lu Ran: ? ¡°Damn!¡± Lu Ran was about to snap General Ha out of its trance when suddenly, a chunk of hail wrapped in the blizzard flew straight toward his face. Reacting quickly, Lu Ran drew his Wind Cutter Sword and swung it forward! Bang. The sword¡¯s light shed, splitting the hail in two, sending it to fall on either side of him. ¡°Listen, stop trying toprehend for now. Let¡¯s keep moving¡ªwe need at least four hours to get through this area. You canprehend after we¡¯ve passed,¡± Lu Ran said. In response, General Ha suddenly opened its eyes. In its mouth¡­ was a Sword of Wind it had shaped! Holding its own Sword of Wind, General Ha looked fierce. ¡°Woof!¡± Beside it, Lu Ran was slightly taken aback. What are you trying to do? Then, something even more astonishing happened. The swirling wind around General Ha began to rapidly converge towards the Sword of Wind held in its mouth. Merging into the Sword of Wind. A tremendous energy was beingpressed to the extreme at the mouth of General Ha. Buzzing. The Sword of Wind trembled like a storm. At that moment, Lu Ran realized that General Ha was attempting the technique of energypression! General Ha had tried it a few times before, but since it wasn¡¯t a primary training task and itcked experience, it had never been sessful. But now, Lu Ran felt that General Ha¡¯s energypression process was much more stable than before. ¡°No way.¡± Lu Ran watched quietly. Finally, the tremendous force of wind waspressed into the Sword of Wind, seemingly reaching some kind of limit. The originally white Sword of Wind now turned sky blue, like a Sword of the Sky! ¡°Awooo~~~¡± General Ha, struggling with the Sword of the Sky in its mouth, flung it forward!! Compression, shaping, release¡­ Three techniquesbined into one! Storm sh! Boom! A terrifyingly powerful sword qi was released by General Ha. The sword qi, sky blue in color and seven to eight meters in diameter, formed a huge arc that surpassed any attack General Ha had released before. More importantly, not only was the attack rangerger, but the energy contained within each unit length of the sword qi was also more substantial. The roaring of the sword qi, at that moment, seemed to overpower the howling wind and snow. At this moment, in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, there was only this sword qi. With a thunderous roar, the sword qi cut through the blizzard, splitting the storm as if it was cleaving the very snowstorm in two. A single strike disperses the snowstorm! Lu Ran took a deep breath. Of course, it was just an illusion. The moment the snow was split, the surrounding snow quickly filled back in. Battling against the forces of nature was still a formidable task. Still, Lu Ran was stunned. Good dog, you really grasped it. Such power¡ªit must be considered an advanced skill, right? However¡­ ¡°Whimper¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha turning its head towards him, its tears frozen and its mouth full of blood¡ªblood that had turned into icy fragments. This sight plunged Lu Ran into deep thought. Healing! Healing! General Ha urged. The technique of energypression¡­ the bacsh was too severe. The burst of power had shattered all of General Ha¡¯s teeth, causing a lot of fresh blood to flow. Without a means to heal, such powers shouldn¡¯t be recklessly used¡­ ¡°It seems the intelligence recovery is limited.¡± ¡°Or is it that you¡¯re already eager to shed your teeth to forge the Canine Sword?¡± ¡°Whimper¡­¡± Chapter 56: Three Refreshing Moments Every Day Chapter 56: Three Refreshing Moments Every Day Though General Ha had suffered greatly, Lu Ran did not rush to treat it. Instead, he first let it remove the broken, shaky dogteeth¡­ No need to waste them. ¡°Whimper!¡± General Ha felt like crying without tears. It just wanted to show off its talents in front of Lu Ran, but who knew the bacsh of this move would be so severe. It really wasn¡¯t eager to forge the Dogtooth Sword at all¡ª The pain of losing teeth felt even more intense than being shed by a demon cat! Momentster¡­ Lu Ran harvested ¡°Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs x12.¡± After these teeth were removed from General Ha¡¯s mouth, Lu Ran¡¯s Eye of Data immediately took effect.Name: Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs Grade: Ordinary Introduction: Teeth of a fierce beast of not very high quality, potential uses to be developed. ¡°How does it feel, you¡¯re almost on par with an ordinary demon cat¡­¡± Lu Ran eyed the newly toothed General Ha suspiciously. At this moment, General Ha, baring its teeth and snapping them together, was extremely satisfied. ¡°Woof woof.¡± But it was quite unhappy with Lu Ran¡¯sment¡ªwhat did he mean byparing it to an ordinary demon cat¡­ ¡°Use that Storm sh more often.¡± At this time, Lu Ran also discovered a new skill updated on General Ha¡¯s contract card. Storm sh! A technique that continuouslypresses wind energy within the sword. It can deliver direct shes, or release enhanced sword qi through external techniques. At this time, both the sh and the sword qi¡¯s attack power would be extremely terrifying. After all, this move was akin topressing the power of several, even a dozen sword qi into one. However, correspondingly, not only does it consume a lot of energy, but the recoil is also significant. General Ha, from just one Storm sh, had drained two-thirds of its energy, unable to perform a second one. Destined to be like the early stages of sword qi, it¡¯s a move that could decide the oue in one blow. As for the recoil, it¡¯s fair to say that General Ha has mastered the skill, but it¡¯s still very unpolished. If it were merely using energypression,pressing the energy within its teeth for a Storm Fang, the injury wouldn¡¯t have been so severe. Within the first 10 levels, most apprentice beastmasters don¡¯t even dare let their pet beasts attempt energypression. But here was General Ha,bining energy shaping, energypression, and energy release ¡ª a convergence of various energy techniques. It would have been surprising if there hadn¡¯t been an ident. That it managed to execute such skills was a miracle in itself, perhaps the cold environment truly awakened its talents. With such multi-tasking intelligence, Lu Ran would indeed believe it belonged to amander species. Unfortunately, in its eagerness to show off, it ended up severely injured. If it were any other person¡¯s dog, it would have been rendered useless by now. Even beastmasters skilled in healing couldn¡¯t rece a pet beast¡¯s teeth that quickly. From this perspective, the Divine Deer Pendant was truly formidable. Currently, the maximum capability of the Divine Deer Pendant they had discovered was limb regeneration, tested on a grasshopper that Sudden Death King had bitten. This means that even if General Ha¡¯s entire leg were chopped off by a pet beast like a de Mantis, as long as the pendant had enough energy, it should be able to restore it. Truly an epic resource. This also implies that the Divine Deer Pendant might not be without its detoxification effects. One day, if General Ha¡¯s leg identally gets bitten by a venomous snake, they could just chop off the leg to prevent the spread of the toxin and rece it with a new one¡­ ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± At this moment, after listening to Boss Lu suggest using Storm sh more often and then falling into contemtion, General Ha knew Boss Lu must be up to no good again. ¡°Whimper¡­¡± It felt somewhat overwhelmed now, having used up too much energy on a single Storm sh,pounded by the morning¡¯s challenge in the Forest of the Demon Cat. Now, staring at the endless snowyndscape, General Ha felt drained of energy¡­ Maybe it¡¯s time to retreat? ¡°Tired or not, we have to clear this.¡± ¡°After all, this is a 500 crystal coin challenge fee!¡± ¡°Do you know how much dog food you can buy with those 500 crystal coins???¡± Lu Ran looked around the deste snowyndscape, knowing that the only hope to break even was to obtain the clearance reward. There seemed to be no resources to gather in this ce. Saying this, he took out two Wood Scale Fruits and tossed them to General Ha, signaling it to eat them to replenish its energy. ¡°For the first half of the journey, we¡¯ll go together. For the second half¡­ if I can¡¯t keep up, you¡¯ll have to carry me. Today, you and I, father and son, must clear this secret realm no matter what!¡± General Ha: ??? In Infinite City No.3, beneath the Divine Beast Leaderboard, the atmosphere was still bustling, especially this morning after Passerby A had topped the leaderboard, sparking long discussions. Among the crowd were familiar faces like Fang Lan, Pig Raiser, and Xiaobailong, all of whom hade to witness the event for themselves. Seeing Lu Ran¡¯s name, they all felt a sense of unreality. However, suddenly, someone shouted, ¡°It¡¯s changed! The top spot has been updated!¡± ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Pluto¡¯!¡± Instantly, all eyes turned to the Divine Beast Leaderboard, only to be shocked to see that Lu Ran, who had just been at the top for less than half a day, was now pushed to second ce. Regional announcement: Update to the Divine Beast Leaderboard and Supernatural Species Leaderboard. Leaderboard Divine Beast: Species: Eagle. Attribute: Thunder. Species Level: Upper Supernatural. Growth Level: Level 10. Beastmaster: Pluto. Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved from a golden eagle, awakened the power of thunder, integrating the trait ¡®Golden Lightning¡¯. In the Giant Beast Forest of the Novice Secret Realm on hard difficulty, it used electric shocks to severely injure an upper supernatural species level 10 Minotaur. Ranking, risen to the top of the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard! Seeing this update, the neers in the Beastmaster Square gasped in surprise. They had been specting that once someone reached level 10 and integrated a new trait or awakened a new attribute, they could possibly push Passerby A down. But they hadn¡¯t expected it to happen so soon. In almost no time at all, Pluto, who had been pushed to second by Passerby A, not only had his pet beast reach level 10 but also integrated the ¡®Golden Lightning¡¯ trait that caused a mutation in its thunder energy, wreaking havoc in the hard difficulty of the secret realm. ¡°Damn rich kid,¡± someone in the crowd grumbled. The ¡®Golden Lightning¡¯ trait integrated by Pluto¡¯s pet beast was definitely not something he had obtained on his own, but rather something prepared by his family. Reaching level 10 without having to tackle an abyssal difficulty secret realm to integrate a trait was a point of envy for many. ¡°This Passerby A really had bad luck, couldn¡¯t even stay at the top for a day,¡± someone sympathized with Lu Ran. But before their sympathy couldst long, the Divine Beast Leaderboard updated once again, leaving everyone stunned. Regional Announcement: Updates to the Divine Beast Leaderboard and the Supernatural Species Leaderboard. Leaderboard Divine Beast: Species: Snowfield Dog. Attribute: Wind. Species Level: Middle Supernatural. Growth Level: Level 9. Beastmaster: Passerby A. Reason for Leaderboard: After evolving from a Snowfield Dog and awakening the Force of the Storm, it managed to disperse a blizzard with a single strike in the Blizzard Mountain area of the Novice Secret Realm on ordinary difficulty. Ranking: Advanced to the top of the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard! ¡°¡­¡± People: ¡°???¡± Fang Lan, Pig Raiser, Xiaobailong, Shenghua: ¡°???¡± Following this update. The previously intense discussions among the crowd came to a sudden halt. Despite the dramatic chase on the leaderboard that had just unfolded, no one spoke for a long time. All the beastmasters around were staring at the Divine Beast Leaderboard in disbelief¡­ After a prolonged silence, someone finally eximed, ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°I mean¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Passerby A¡¯s pet beast just Level 6 this morning? How did it jump three levels in half a day? Is that even possible without cheating?¡± ¡°It must have used some rare resources to boost its strength. Damn, where would a newbie get such rare resources? ¡°Seriously, I¡¯m currently challenging the Blizzard Mountain Secret Realm myself. Did I see that right? A dog slicing through a blizzard with a single strike? Can a dog even do that?¡± People were utterly baffled! It felt like the Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.3 was more illogical and harder toprehend than those in other Infinite Cities. Meanwhile. In the Giant Beast Forest Secret Realm, two teenagers looked at the charred giant beast lying on the ground, then smiled at each other. ¡°Thanks, bro. Without you, soloing this giant beast would have been a bit tough.¡± ¡°Not at all, I just cleared some minor mobs. It was your Golden Lightning that did the heavy lifting, taking down this Minotaur in an instant. Let¡¯s head back; you¡¯ve probably reimed the top spot on the Divine Beast Leaderboard.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Dressed in ck and looking dashing, Pluto nodded with a smile. This morning, after learning that a mere Passerby A had overtaken him and seized the top spot, he quickly strengthened his pet beast, all to reim the top position. Not just for himself, but also for the prestige of the Star Cluster Guild¡­ In a moment, Pluto was teleported back to his private room. Barely having stepped out, he eagerly pulled out his identity card, eager to see if anyone from the guild had contacted him to report the good news. ¡°Damn, awesome, back to number one!¡± Seeing that indeed there were messages from guild members, Pluto smiled. But the next moment, his expression froze. What the heck, first ce taken again¡­ Another message came through. ¡°What on earth?!¡± Disbelieving, Pluto immediately pushed the door open and headed straight for the beastmaster square. It wasn¡¯t long before he arrived at the beastmaster square and saw the record of the snowfield dog at the top of the leaderboard. His expression turned nk. A dog¡­ cleaving through a blizzard with a single strike? He wondered if he was still dreaming! ¡°Impossible, absolutely impossible!¡± ¡­ Blizzard Secret Realm. Lu Ran and General Ha certainly didn¡¯t expect that just mastering a skill and cleaving a blizzard would cause such a big stir outside. They were still struggling to navigate through the secret realm! The Blizzard Secret Realm was indeed grueling, the kind where every minute and second felt torturous. As they proceeded, every exposed part of Lu Ran¡¯s body was either scratched by the cold wind or cracked by the freezing cold. His clothes were already covered with a thickyer of snow and ice. If it weren¡¯t for his divine deer pendant, he would have been persuaded to turn back long ago. Probably others attempting this secret realm would need cold-resistant clothing and resources¡ªotherwise, it was no ce for humans. Over on General Ha¡¯s side, what started as full of energy gradually turned into exhaustion, mainly because ice hail flew in from every direction. To protect both itself and Lu Ran, it had to stay focused at all times. Even so, General Ha kept getting hit by several hailstones, face swollen and bruised,pletely losing the initial joy and growing extremely resentful towards the icy environment, adding yet another grudge to its list. Hourster. Lu Ran and hispanion finally made it through the most intense part of the blizzard. At the same time, the system voice rang out. ¡°Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge. Rating: A! Congrattions, you have earned 350 crystal coins. Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources, Seed of Cold Wind. Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources, ice crystal ore. ¡°Not bad, although this secret realm is time-consuming, it¡¯s not very dangerous. We¡¯ll farm it three times every day from now on! Let¡¯s aim for an SSS rating soon,¡± Lu Ran said, clutching the divine deer pendant and sitting on General Ha¡¯s back. ¡°Woof woof woof woof!!¡± Chapter 57: Sibling Rivalry for Favor Chapter 57: Sibling Rivalry for Favor General Ha has its own temper too. It was quite displeased with Lu Ran¡¯s im of ¡°three secret realm visits a day.¡± It wasn¡¯t because Lu Ran was tired and riding on it. General Ha was willing to carry Lu Ran through the blizzards, showcasing its strength! However, General Ha couldn¡¯t ept that while it was carrying Lu Ran, Lu Ran also carried two swords, adding to the weight! ording to Lu Ran, ¡°You¡¯re training with weights, and I am too. This is synchronized behavior, a great victory for super beast mimicry!¡± General Ha felt its intelligence was insulted¡­ But the key point was, Lu Ran said that his super beast mimicry had indeed improved. This revtion slightly short-circuited General Ha¡¯s brain¡­¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t overthink, I suspect you must be hungry by now.¡± Back in their private room. Away from the icy surroundings, General Ha¡¯s gaze quickly returned to being intelligent and clear, pushing the recent events to the back of its mind. Responding to Lu Ran¡¯s words, its stomach began to rumble. ¡°Bark!¡± General Ha weakly called out, making a valid point. Eating was indeed more important. It was both hungry and tired now. This caused it to underperform while navigating through the blizzard. It could be said that had it not been for General Ha cutting through the blizzard at the start, wasting too much energy, Lu Ran¡¯s team might have scored higher. After all, the rating in this secret realm depended on the efficiency of traversing the blizzard. ¡°Go ahead and eat.¡± Facing the hungry dog, Lu Ran smiled as he pulled out the food. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was eager, sticking out its tongue, drooling. Apart from General Ha¡¯s usual food, Lu Ran also took out the Seed of Cold Wind that had just burst forth. This seed looked like a blue peanut, cold to the touch. Lu Ran tossed it to General Ha, indicating it should eat it. Name: Seed of Cold Wind Level: Advanced Introduction: A special seed born in icy environments, it only grows when the cold reaches its extreme. After scanning with the Eye of Data, Lu Ran found no specific details about the use of the Seed of Cold Wind, and it seemed to be a half-finished product. But since Dr. Gu mentioned that this item could enhance General Ha¡¯s wind powers to be colder, Lu Ran treated it as having a hidden effect. This goes to show that the Eye of Data isn¡¯t all-powerful, or perhaps, the level of his primary Eye of Data was simply too low. ¡°Arf arf arf.¡± General Ha devoured its food voraciously, while Lu Ran also took out a Wood Scale Fruit to eat, and simultaneously opened themunication interface, as it seemed he had received quite a few messages¡­ Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: Wow, how did you reach level 9? Why did you go to challenge the Blizzard Mountain secret realm? What¡¯s going on, what were you doing in Jinling? Weren¡¯t you supposed to meet your master? How can he help General Ha level up? Where are you where are you where are you¡­ ¡°Well, they seem to know everything.¡± Lu Ran was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood what had happened¡ªit must be due to General Ha¡¯s performance in the Blizzard Mountain secret realm, which had been detected by the divine beast leaderboard. It appears that not only battles with living beings are recorded, but even resisting nature and developing skills in a secret realm are considered notable performances. ¡°Crunch.¡± Lu Ran bit into the fruit and said, ¡°Now the whole Infinite City knows that General Ha went from level 6 to level 9 in one morning. But it¡¯s not a big deal, these resources were given by Dr. Gu, which further confirms that I¡¯m associated with her.¡± ¡°Having such a strong supporter, I should be able to level up peacefully without disturbances from various strange forces.¡± Lu Ran then replied to Fang Lan: Just came out of the secret realm. Hey, I actually met Dr. Gu in person! We had a chat, and seeing my exceptional talent, she gave me a rare resource to invest in. After General Ha ate it, it directly leveled up three levels¡­ Fang Lan replied instantly. Her reply was a series of question marks. Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: ????? ¡°Pfft.¡± Lu Ranughed out loud, imagining Fang Lan¡¯s baffled expression at that moment. She had been proud of her connection to Dr. Gu, but now Dr. Gu had first given Lu Ran a gift, which would unsettle anyone. This was, in a way¡­ Well, next time he met Dr. Gu, he would ask her to also look out for Fang Lan, and himself. After they finished with the abandoned research institute, they might also temporarily avoid entering the breakthrough secret realm, and help Fang Lan level up. Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: Are you serious? Are you for real? You met Dr. Gu in person?! Passerby A: Oh, I almost forgot, she also gave me her ID number and asked me to add her as a friend. You should have her as a friend, right? Just ask her yourself. Saying this, Lu Ran sent a friend request to Gu Qingyi. Her nickname in Infinite City was ¡°Gu Qingyi.¡± She was a warrior who used her real name as her ID in Infinite City. At this moment, Dr. Gu also seemed to be in Infinite City and epted the friend request very quickly. Right after they became friends, Dr. Gu sent a message saying: It seems you had a fruitful experience at Blizzard Mountain. Passerby A: Yes, it¡¯s a great ce, thank you. Gu Qingyi: Good to hear you gained something. Also, I took some time to understand more about the sword momentum you mentioned. And, I looked into the higher skill of sword momentum, sword intent. It feels simr to the advanced techniques of energy shaping. Would you like to learn more about it? Lu Ran was momentarily surprised and immediately replied affirmatively. Gu Qingyi: Do you know the ssifications of energy shaping? Let me give you an introduction. Energy shaping techniques are divided into three levels. The first level is Form. At this level, energy is simply shaped into another form; it could be a sword, or it could be armor. Even, energy can be shaped into a mountain or a meteorite to smash against an enemy. It¡¯s not hard to understand, right? At this level, the shape into which the energy is molded doesn¡¯t really matter much. The key point is the second level, Essence. At this level, when a pet beast shapes its energy, the creations are nearly real and can embody a certain charm. For example, a monkey shaping a dragon¡¯s head on its fists to create ¡°Dragon Fist.¡± Doesn¡¯t that sound fanciful? But if this monkey truly understands the species of dragons deeply, and it itself might have merged with some dragon traits, Then, it is possible for it to grasp the power and spiritual realms of dragons. At this time, the Dragon Fist it unleashes will truly contain the power of a dragon, and we often refer to this type of energy shaping as Essence Shaping. Simply put, it makes the shaped item more charismatic, imbued with a certain spiritual will, thereby increasing its power. I felt that since you had a talent for understanding skills, it was worth putting effort in that direction. Aren¡¯t you challenging the blizzard? Why not try integrating the power of the blizzard into your sword momentum, achieving something like Blizzard Sword Momentum or Blizzard Sword Intent? Compared to your current intimidating sword momentum, the forces of nature surely possess a more formidable deterrent power, right? She really¡­ I¡¯m moved to tears. Lu Ran, upon reading the tutorial sent by Dr. Gu, was at a loss for words. No wonder Fang Lan adored Dr. Gu so much. Who wouldn¡¯t like someone like her? Realizing that she had not only delved into sword momentum and sword intent but also strategized for him left him in awe. Indeed, the fierce beast sword momentum didn¡¯t seem very sophisticated. inly speaking, the fierce beast sword momentum merely relies on overpowering others through species dominance. General Ha, at best, is currently akin to a wolf king. It can intimidate cats, dogs, and the like with its presence. However, when facing fiercer predators or dinosaurs, the chances of intimidating them with mere presence are slim. Compared to that, elements like lightning, fire, and blizzard, which embody the mighty forces of nature, if transformed into sword momentum, would undoubtedly be more intimidating. But understanding such forces is certainly not easy. Nheless, Dr. Gu¡¯s reminder gave Lu Ran a fresh perspective. Next time General Ha is in the Blizzard Mountain secret realm, it could try to harness the power of the blizzard. Facing the blizzard three times a day, cutting through the blizzard three times, attempting to grasp its essence. Along the way, it could also collect some teeth. Passerby A: That makes sense! We¡¯ll give it a try. Thanks to Dr. Gu. But you just mentioned the second level of energy shaping; what is the third level? Seizing the opportunity, Lu Ran continued to inquire for more information. Dr. Gu: Oh, the third level? Actually, I haven¡¯t mastered it myself; I¡¯ve only seen it used by a beastmaster from another world during a breakthrough in a secret realm. The third level is Life Shaping. If the second level allows the shaped form to possess a spiritual will, Then the third level can even endow the shaped form with life-like behaviors. I suspect that the creature projections in those secret realms are created by the founders of Infinite City through Life Shaping. This level is far from your reach, so don¡¯t delve into it. For now, just focus on reaching the second stage. Even among second-generation beastmasters, many have not mastered the second level of energy shaping. If you can master it, you will undoubtedly have a significant advantage among fourth-generation beastmasters. Sorry, I have to go, someone is looking for me. Thank you, Dr. Gu. Lu Ran silently noted down what Gu Qingyi had said about form shaping, intent shaping, and life shaping¡­ Currently, General Ha is still at the first stage. Initially, it seemed perfect that General Ha had grasped the four major methods of energy use so early, but it turns out it was just a start. There are two more levels after energy shaping; what about other skills? Could they also have multiple levels? Meanwhile, Gu Qingyi received amunication from Fang Lan. Fang Lan: Senior Gu! I heard from Lu Ran that you¡¯ve met him in person? Gu Qingyi: Yes, your brother is very talented. I was just chatting with him. You should learn from him, or else it will be difficult for both of you to team up in the future. Fang Lan¡¯s expression froze, feeling like she wanted to cry. They really had met! But her parents wouldn¡¯t let her enter the secret realm at all, staying in the arena was already the limit. Right, I told you he is talented! But this guy likes to court danger. Senior Gu, if possible, please take good care of him, otherwise, it would be a waste if he perished in the secret realm. Once he grows up, he will definitely be very strong. Despite being reluctant, Fang Lan still tearfully spoke up for Lu Ran. Sure. Dr. Guughed. Speaking of which, Senior¡­ sob, is there any way I can catch up to him in strength without entering the secret realm? I don¡¯t want to be left too far behind. Gu Qingyi smiled, noting thepetitive spirit among the young. She said: It¡¯s easy. You should know that your pet beast is poison-type, and poison-type has the strongest ability to fight beyond its level among all attributes. I mentioned Beast Taming University before; it should offer a course in toxicology. Mastering this course could potentially allow a level 10 pet beast to develop a venom capable of killing creatures dozens of levels higher. Otherwise, how about I mail you some textbooks in advance for you to preview and study? I remember your high school exam scores ranked ninth in the province, right? That shouldn¡¯t be a problem then. And that¡¯s while also working part-time as a cute pet blogger¡­ Academic excellence + toxicology + experience in raising poison-type pet beasts + a background in animal medicine¡­ Gu Qingyi looked at Fang Lan¡¯s ID and fell into deep thought, wondering just how far these siblings would go. Chapter 58: A Rich Fool Chapter 58: A Rich Fool That day, Lu Ran did not continue to challenge the secret realms. Although each venture into the secret realms yielded significant rewards, both his and General Ha¡¯s energy were limited. However, tomorrow, Lu Ran nned to strike while the iron was hot and explore the Mantis Jungle secret realm. For the foreseeable future, he decided to alternate challenges between Blizzard Mountain and Mantis Jungle. He would challenge at least one of these secret realms every day. Until the resources obtained were enough to enhance General Ha beyond further improvement. First, through the Blizzard Mountain secret realm, General Ha would transform the ordinary Force of Cold Wind into a more formidable force. Then, as Dr. Gu had suggested, he would try to transform the fierce beast¡¯s sword momentum into the Blizzard Sword Momentum. Next, he would use the de Grass from the Mantis Jungle to continuously strengthen the cutting properties of General Ha¡¯s wind energy.Using the Wing of the Mantis, he would enhance General Ha¡¯s sensitivity to the Force of Cold Wind. With the metal Heart of the Bug, he aimed to enhance General Ha¡¯s sharp teeth, hoping to bring them to a high quality so that the swords crafted would be even more powerful. Once General Ha had fully utilized these resources, and its corresponding attributes could no longer be enhanced by these lower-level resources, Lu Ran estimated that challenging an abyssal difficulty secret realm with the Wind Meteor Sword wouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Eat up, eat a lot. You might not be able to tomorrow,¡± Lu Ran said to General Ha. General Ha: ??? ¡°Woof!¡± It, General Ha, was not easily frightened! ¡­ ¡°Treat yourself to a good meal.¡± After having its fill, General Ha went to sleep and rest in the ck card. Today, Lu Ran didn¡¯t eat its food. Although he felt like he owed a huge debt, no matter what, with 8000 crystal coins now in his ount, he was truly a wealthy man. Moreover, with the uing settlement of the divine beast leaderboard, anotherrge sum of crystal coins would pour in. Lu Ran felt that while he could save on some details, he could not skimp on improving his own strength. He decided to visit a restaurant in Infinite City to try some dishes made from unique ingredients found in the secret realms. These dishes, which generally provided a good enhancement to a beastmaster¡¯s attributes, were worth the expense. And, Lu Ran nned to make a trip to the House of Forging to inquire whether the Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs could be used as material for forging weapons. House of Forging. Before long, Lu Ran arrived at the location. Seeing the door open during business hours, Lu Ran breathed a sigh of relief and entered directly. At that moment, Master Lin had no customers and was engrossed in a risqu¨¦ manga titled Love of the Beast-Eared Maid. Sensing someone enter, he smoothly stuffed the manga underneath the counter and looked up at the visitor. ¡°Damn.¡± However, upon seeing who it was, he immediately stood up, mming his hand on the desk and staring wide-eyed at Lu Ran. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± If there was anything Master Lin regretted recently, it was not adding that quirky beastmaster who hade to have a sword forged for his dog as a friend. Had Lu Ran disappeared afterwards, not adding him wouldn¡¯t have mattered. But as Lu Ranter took a strong position at the top of the divine beast leaderboard, Master Lin immediately realized that the young man who hade to his shop to have a weapon forged was undeniably a monstrous neer. With only seven supernatural divine beast leaderboards in Xia Country, and Lu Ran being first in Infinite City No.3, it at least indicated that his potential was among the top ten of all fourth-generation beastmasters in the country. Such a super neer was definitely worth befriending early on. ¡°Master Lin, long time no see,¡± Lu Ran grinned. ¡°You¡­ actually made it to the top of the divine beast leaderboard, and you really managed thatbat style,¡± Master Lin said. ¡°When I forged that weapon for you, I never imagined this.¡± ¡°Ha-ha, just luck, just luck,¡± Lu Ranughed. ¡°Master Lin, my visit today is mainly to consult about weapon forging.¡± ¡°What, you think the Wind Meteor Sword is too low-level, and you want to level it up?¡± Master Lin asked. ¡°At the beginner stage, an advanced weapon is quite sufficient. A higher-level weapon, unless it¡¯s a top-tier among top-tier, usually has some power requirements that make it difficult to handle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about changing weapons, but it¡¯s simr. I¡¯m asking in advance,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I want to know if it¡¯s possible to incorporate this material into the forging of a sword.¡± Saying this, Lu Ran took out the Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs. He ced them on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t need it to enhance the sword¡¯s level or power; as long as it can be perfectly integrated without affecting the other functions and quality of the sword,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°This¡­¡± Master Lin picked up one of the Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs that Lu Ran had set down and observed it carefully. ¡°Is this your pet beast¡¯s tooth?¡± ¡°You want to incorporate this into a weapon to increase itspatibility and connection with the weapon?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°Uncle, you really know your stuff.¡± Master Linughed heartily: ¡°Across the whole of Xia Country, my forging skills are ranked in the top 10. How could I not know these little tricks of you neers?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problem,¡± he continued. ¡°When you¡¯re ready to forge a new weapon, juste to me. I guarantee you won¡¯t find any faults.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a pity, the cultivation level of your pet beast¡¯s fangs isn¡¯t high. Otherwise, integrating them could potentially strengthen the sword¡­ But then again, it uses a sword, so why cultivate its teeth? No matter how strong the teeth and ws are, they can¡¯tpare to a weapon formed bybining various rare materials.¡± Hearing this, Lu Ran said, ¡°So, you mean that if I could provide higher-grade fangs, these could also be used as the main material for forging weapons?¡± Master Lin nodded, ¡°Of course. A good Forgemaster always crafts the most suitable weapon for the user based on the materials provided. I¡¯m not like those rookies who only know how to mass-produce standardized weapons.¡± ¡°Great! I¡¯ll prepare the materials ande visit when it¡¯s time,¡± Lu Ran dered. The Heart of the Bug from the Mantis Secret Realm might enhance General Ha¡¯s tooth grade, which was already part of the n. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t rush off. Did you ask mest time where to learn forging?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I rmend you go to the Beast Taming University? If you¡¯re really interested, you cane. Originally, the officials invited me to teach at the Beast Taming University, but I was toozy to go. However, they offered too muchter on, so I might also go there as a professor.¡± ¡°When youe, I can teach you forging personally.¡± ¡°Since your pet beast is ustomed to using weapons, nothing beats a weapon forged by its own beastmaster,¡± Master Lin chuckled. ¡°When the timees, I¡¯ll give you special treatment. Besides the basic lessons¡­ I¡¯ll teach you some tricks you can¡¯t learn at school.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Of course!¡± Talents are privileged wherever they go. Seeing Lu Ran¡¯s potential, Master Lin, a standout in the upation of Forgemasters, began to take a liking to him. He felt proud as a Forgemaster whose weapons were wielded so effectively by his clients. ¡°I¡¯ll consider applying to the forging department then,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but if you do decide to study forging, make sure your second pet beast is of the fire attribute.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran felt a bit embarrassed. The sudden death king was already of the thunder attribute; what to do. It wasn¡¯t possible to awaken a fire attribute in General Ha or the sudden death king¡­ Just as Lu Ran was about to delve deeper into the topic of fire attribute pet beasts, Suddenly, footsteps were heard from outside. A gloomy-faced young man in ck walked into the House of Forging. ¡°Uncle Lin, Passerby A, the one at the top of the divine beast leaderboard, did he forge weapons here?¡± ¡°I heard it from people in the guild¡­ do you have his information?¡± The entrance of the young man in ck interrupted the conversation between Master Lin and Lu Ran. Lu Ran ¡°hmmed¡± and looked at the young man, who was about the same age as himself. Was this guy looking for him? ¡°Hmm?¡± The entrance of the young man in ck made Master Lin pause. Why had this kide here, he wondered¡­ ¡°Do you have a guest?¡± The young man in ck saw Lu Ran and said, ¡°Then Uncle Lin, you go ahead.¡± ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± Lu Ran asked him. This question made the young man in ck stiffen, incredulously looking at Lu Ran, and said, ¡°You are Passerby A?¡± ¡°I am. And who might you be?¡± Lu Ran asked, though he already had a guess seeing the guild badge on the other¡¯s chest¡­ the Star Cluster Guild, perhaps? ¡°Damn, I finally found you!¡± Pluto, who had been holding back, finally let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m Pluto, the second on the divine beast leaderboard.¡± Lu Ran was speechless, instantly knowing the other¡¯s intentions. ¡°Ha ha ha ha.¡± At this point, Master Linughed and said, ¡°I have coborations with the major guilds, often supplying them with equipment and props for dungeon strategies. When I saw you topping the leaderboard, I boasted that the weapon you used was also forged by me, and it turns out someone really dide looking.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, kid, not happy about losing the top spot?¡± Master Lin looked at Pluto. Pluto replied, ¡°A bit, yes, but I¡¯ll be back on top soon. However, the divine beast leaderboard ranking doesn¡¯t really mean much. I still want to challenge you in the arena and see who is better.¡± He turned to Lu Ran and said, ¡°Interested? I won¡¯t bully you. Let¡¯s wait until your pet beast reaches level 10 and has integrated its trait, then we can fight.¡± It was likeying down a challenge in advance. Pluto was very serious, mainly because after being pushed to second ce, he had been ridiculed by the seniors in his guild for a long time. Although he knew it was all in jest, it still bothered him. He couldn¡¯t understand how a dog could potentially have more potential than his Thunder Eagle. ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to fight you? I¡¯m not interested,¡± Lu Ran said tly. ¡°What?¡± Pluto was stunned. ¡°How could you not want to fight?¡± ¡°I n to challenge two or three secret realms every day. I¡¯m already tired enough. I don¡¯t have the energy,¡± Lu Ran said, brushing him off. Two or three secret realms a day? Both Master Lin and Pluto were slightly taken aback. Do you have too much energy? A light shed in Pluto¡¯s eyes, understanding why Lu Ran was so formidable. It seemed he too needed to challenge three secret realms a day¡­ ¡°I won¡¯t let you fight for nothing! There will be a wager. If you can beat me, you can name your terms.¡± ¡°If you lose, I don¡¯t need anything from you,¡± Pluto said. ¡°The materials you explode from the secret realms might not be as rare as what I can offer.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran was also taken aback, staring at the young man who was about his age. Is this kid silly? The foolish son of a wealthyndlord? Why is he so eager to give away resources? ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°If I win, and I ask for a thunder awakening fruit, can you provide it?¡± Pluto chuckled and said, ¡°No problem.¡± Lu Ran inwardly cursed, realizing he was dealing with a rich fool. But wait, was he missing out on something? Why didn¡¯t he hesitate at all¡­ ¡°Competing in the arena isn¡¯t out of the question!¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s expression quickly changed, and he smiled, ¡°When I have time, I¡¯ll contact you. Should we add each other as friends first?¡± Great, a sudden death king¡¯s attribute awakening fruit for free? No wonder Fang Lan spends all his time happily in the arena. Isn¡¯t this faster than making money in secret realms? Thanks to the bounty of the star cluster! May the stars protect you! If only the top rankers from the other six cities in Infinite City were all rich fools too, he¡¯d top all six leaderboards in one go¡­ harvesting a wave of resources. But that would probably make him public enemy number one, Lu Ran thought, shaking his head. Chapter 59: The Bizarre Secret Realm Chapter 59: The Bizarre Secret Realm Lu Ran epted the challenge from the other party. However, he didn¡¯t n on battling immediately. After all, with an attribute awakening fruit at stake, caution was paramount. Although General Ha ranked higher on the divine beast leaderboard than his opponent, the opponent was already level 10 and had integrated a trait. Most importantly, the opponent had the advantage of flight. Additionally, Lu Ran didn¡¯t know what beast taming skills or beast taming equipment Pluto had mastered. Battling now carried the risk of losing. At the very least, he would wait until General Ha reached level 10 and had thoroughly exploited the two major secret realms to further enhance their strength. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡±Pluto left his ID number and didn¡¯t linger. Lu Ran calmly watched him leave, already nning on oveing him. ¡°Master Lin, I¡¯ll be leaving too,¡± Lu Ran said to Master Lin. ¡°Hmm,¡± Master Lin nodded. ¡°A pet beast that has integrated a trait is vastly stronger than one that hasn¡¯t.¡± ¡°After integrating a trait and awakening its species talent, the gap in strength bes even more pronounced.¡± Before leaving, Master Lin reminded Lu Ran. He indicated that there was no issue with Lu Ran epting the challenge, but he advised against trying to fight above his level. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded, not overly worried. General Ha being ranked first on the divine beast leaderboard indicated that its skillprehension far surpassed other pet beasts. This skill advantage currently seemed significant, not inferior to the enhancements brought by traits. It¡¯s important to note that, as a genius, Fang Lan had only managed to master energy flow over the past week. Meanwhile, General Ha not only knew several techniques but could evenbine them together. For now, it was best to continue expanding their advantage. ¡­ After leaving the Forge House, Lu Ran found a nearby hotpot restaurant and enjoyed plenty of fresh meat from the secret realm, leaving satisfied. After resting for the night, Lu Ran and General Ha were recharged and ready to challenge a new secret realm. This lifestyle reminded Lu Ran of the early days of exploring new games online¡ªeffort was essential. The rewards just within reach kept him eagerly motivated. Now, Lu Ran even dreamed of weapon mastery traits and General Ha¡¯s perfect evolution¡­ those strange dreams were all reced by visions of General Ha. ¡°Oooh!¡± In the private room, General Ha raised its head, inquiring about the day¡¯s schedule. ¡°Like we discussed yesterday, we¡¯ll start by clearing the Mantis Jungle secret realm and recharge the Divine Deer Antler in the process. If we still have energy afterward, we¡¯ll make another run through Blizzard Mountain.¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes gleamed with wisdom. ¡°!!!¡± It was indeed a hopeful day. If it were a more lethargic creature, like a panda pampered in a zoo, it might have already startedining by now. But General Ha, just awakened and brimming with energy, was thest to dread such exhausting tasks. ¡°Awooo~~~¡± With a long howl, General Ha signaled to Lu Ran to hurry up. de Mantis¡­ It nned to meet its opponent with sword in hand, to test the opponent¡¯s abilities. ¡°I¡¯ll pay then,¡± said Lu Ran with a slight smile. General Ha was reliable! It is known that due to the dangers within secret realms, many pet beasts develop a fear of realms andbat after their first experience. Unless the beastmastermands them through their contract, they would refuse to challenge a secret realm again. Lu Ran had seen this often on beast taming forums. With General Ha, things were more straightforward¡ªit just needed to be fed, and it would do anything asked of it. Having been raised for over a year and perfectly tamed through telepathy, Lu Ran and General Ha had skipped the stage of mutual adjustment, which was an advantage in itself. Name: Mantis Jungle Secret Realm Level: Novice Difficulty: Hard Challenge Crystal Coins: 700 Since the value of resources within the secret realm had increased significantly, including a small chance for a priceless Wind-enhancing beast taming skill, the challenge crystal coins had risen again. However, the increase wasn¡¯t significant, as the dangers inside the realm had also multiplied, making the resources harder to obtain. For instance, even if one reached an S rating in Wind-enhancing skills, the drop rate was only 1%¡ªwithout extreme luck, don¡¯t even think about it. But if one did manage to obtain it, that beastmaster could consider themselves incredibly fortunate during their novice phase. Would you like to spend 700 crystal coins to challenge the Mantis Jungle secret realm? Yes. Lu Ran confirmed in his mind, and immediately afterward, he and General Ha, sword in mouth, were teleported away. This time, both Lu Ran and General Ha held their weapons tightly, not daring to be careless since they were now facing hard difficulty¡­ Each de Mantis here had awakened its attribute and attacked by shing with theirrge des¡ªa moment¡¯s inattention could mean death. Teleportationplete. Current location: Mantis Jungle (Novice Secret Realm) Difficulty: Hard Challenge mission: Defeat the leader of the Mantis Jungle. Secret realm introduction: The primary habitat of the de Mantis species, containing a wealth of advanced resources, which attracts countless beastmasters seeking adventure. However, due to the formidablebat capabilities of the de Mantis species, this ce has also be a site of defeat for many novice beastmasters. Prompt 1: The maximum stay in the novice secret realm is 8 hours. During this time, challengers can choose whether to return, with teleportation taking 10 seconds. Prompt 2: ¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, Lu Ran read the introduction to the Mantis Jungle secret realm and paused slightly. This time, there was no mention of any convoluted background involving the Beast Taming Empire. It seemed like a very normal secret realm¡­ Just as Lu Ran remarked on how normal the secret realm seemed, he and General Ha found themselves staring nkly ahead. Two 1.5 to 1.6-meter-tall green de Mantises, standing upright like humans, embraced each other. It seemed¡­ they had just finished mating? What stunned Lu Ran and General Ha was that the male de Mantis, presumably, no longer had a head¡ªit had been chopped off and was being nibbled at by the female Mantis at its mouth. ¡°Damn.¡± Just as they entered, Lu Ran felt a chill run down his spine upon witnessing the cannibalistic nature of the mantises. He was aware of this habit among mantis species, but these two were as tall as humans, which made the sight particrly unsettling. ¡°Sssh!!!¡± At that moment, the female de Mantis also noticed Lu Ran and General Ha nearby. It stepped back cautiously, its eyes wary. The body of the male de Mantis fell to the ground with a thud, and its head was tossed aside like a basketball. For the female de Mantis, other matters were now secondary; dealing with these unknown neers was the immediate priority. It swung its scythe and took abat stance, wings unfurled. Name: de Mantis Attribute: Wind Species Level: Upper Supernatural Level: Level 9 As expected of hard difficulty in the secret realm¡­ The first random encounter upon entering was with a creature that could probably crush that grass sprite cat. ¡°Sha!!¡± Before Lu Ran could reflect too much, the de Mantis already swirled with the force of wind, turning into a low-flying projection streaking towards them. The des of itsrge scythes gleamed, seemingly eager to split Lu Ran and General Ha in two. ¡°Woof!¡± Seeing this, General Ha was actually quite excited. Although the de Mantis used parts of its own body as ¡°weapons,¡± seeing finally a creature using a simr type of weapon was somewhatforting to it. Holding the wind meteor sword in its mouth, its gaze suddenly sharpened, unleashing its mental momentum through the sword! Boom! The fierce beast¡¯s sword momentum erupted, a powerful aura emanating from General Ha. Just as General Ha was ready to leap forward, using ¡°Gale Draw sh¡± to sh with the opponent, something unexpected happened. Feeling General Ha¡¯s sword momentum, the female de Mantis abruptly stopped mid-air, its green eyes filled with surprise and hesitation, no longer initiating an attack, seemingly intimidated by General Ha¡¯s dominant aura. However, the situation was quite different from previous creatures that had been intimidated by General Ha. ¡°Sha sha sha, sha!!¡± It chirped and grumbled, leaving General Ha, who was about to strike, also stunned and confused. Not just it, even Lu Ran was puzzled, wondering what was going on. He tried using telepathy, but it was futile as usual; telepathy did not work on these secret realm projections, and he couldn¡¯t understand what the other was saying. However, drawing from his rich experience, Lu Ran could also guess that the opponent seemed not to want to fight anymore? ¡°Damn.¡± If it was just about not wanting to fight anymore, being intimidated by General Ha¡¯s sword momentum, Lu Ran could understand. But the next moment, as the female de Mantis looked at General Ha¡¯s gleaming weapon with eyes of ¡°admiration for the strong,¡± it swung its scythes and jumped into a ¡°courtship dance,¡± Lu Ran was dumbfounded. General Ha was dumbfounded too. ¡°Damn, I knew there was something off about this secret realm.¡± ¡°Cannibalism among the same species is one thing, but why would you court a dog?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just see General Ha carrying a sword and mistake it for one of your own kind!¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t quite understand the thought processes of supernatural beings like the de Mantis. ¡°Woof woof woof woof!!!¡± As Lu Ran spoke, General Ha¡¯s eyes widened even more, clearly frightened. Without a second thought, it shook its head and unleashed a gale of sword qi. Under the disbelieving gaze of the female de Mantis, her body was split in two by the wind de. ¡°Sha¡­¡± Confusion marked its final moments¡­ With the demise of the de Mantis, General Ha breathed a sigh of relief, a wave of fear washing over it. ¡°Woof¡­¡± It had seen it, the female de Mantis had just eaten the male Mantis she had mated with. Such a malicious creature had actually considered targeting it? This vengeance¡­ Well, General Ha looked at the fallen body of the de Mantis but didn¡¯t hold a grudge for long. ¡°Not bad, General Ha.¡± Lu Ran shook his head and said: ¡°When faced with the temptation of beauty, you must maintain your inner focus. Women will only slow down your sword-drawing speed.¡± ¡°This time your decision was resolute, but it was also because the species were different, she wasn¡¯t to your taste.¡± ¡°Next time you encounter a beauty, you must also draw your sword swiftly.¡± ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± General Ha nodded repeatedly, but it felt slightly unsatisfied as it didn¡¯t hold a grudge this time. So, it turned its attention to the fallen body of the de Mantis. When the body dissipated and no materials dropped from it, General Ha¡¯s eyes narrowed. Mantis leader¡­ ¡°Forget about keeping a grudge.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Beforeing here, I researched and found that de Mantises are solitary creatures. Except during mating, they mostly act alone, each individual mastering different skills.¡± ¡°In short, it has nothing to do with any Mantis leader and isn¡¯t under anyone¡¯s control.¡± You won¡¯t let me keep a grudge, Boss Lu, but I¡¯ll remember this one! Chapter 60: A Wave of Wealth Chapter 60: A Wave of Wealth ¡°It seems this isn¡¯t a secret realm where you¡¯re guaranteed to get materials,¡± Lu Ran sighed upon seeing that the de Mantis hadn¡¯t dropped either the de of the Mantis or the Wing of the Mantis. Naturally, without these, the advanced resource known as de Grass was nowhere to be found. True, if it were rich itself, owning de Grass, it wouldn¡¯t need to resort to eating male mantises. ¡°This story teaches us to choose a partner who is both wealthy and strong,¡± Lu Ran lectured General Ha. Otherwise, one might not even realize when they¡¯re beingpletely devoured. ¡°Whoo?¡± General Ha showed a puzzled look. To choose or not to choose, didn¡¯t you just say it would affect my sword-drawing speed? ¡°Things should be viewed from both sides; a rich partner would only enhance your sword,¡± Lu Ran coughed dryly and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, next we¡¯ll look for those de Mantises that have their own territories and guard the de Grass.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be careless, even though it¡¯s only level 9, this one is probably among the weakest and doesn¡¯t even have any skills.¡± ¡°Bark!¡± Following this, Lu Ran put on his divine deer pendant and continued deeper into the jungle with General Ha, walking on the left while General Ha took the right. They progressed in sync. The Mantis Jungle secret realm, being popted with creatures that are ¡®solitary¡¯, only requires engaging them one-on-one, which is in a sense simpler than dealing with group-dwelling species. However, this realm has a hidden mechanic: the strongest boss, whose movements are unpredictable and doesn¡¯t have a fixed location, only appears after a certain number of ordinary de Mantises have been killed. Thus, challengers still face an ordeal of attrition, being worn down by sessive battles.For beast taming teams hoping to quickly be wealthy through the materials obtained from clearing the realm, this segment is undoubtedly a troublesome challenge. Lu Ran was indifferent; his goal was to harvest as many resources as possible. His wallet wasn¡¯t yet at the stage where he could afford to overlook ordinary materials. However, during this process, Lu Ran needed to find a way to keep General Ha in good condition throughout. Otherwise, when they faced the boss without enough stamina to use skills, it would be quite troublesome. ¡°Those foolish kids on Pluto who neverck crystal coins have it so good¡­ I wonder if I could also convert my cash into crystal coins? Keeping so much cash seems pointless¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered about the inheritance left by his parents. He figured that having savings of five million would allow him to live quitefortably. Anything more would just be spent on luxury goods, which he didn¡¯t need. If he were to die in a secret realm, the banks would just profit off him. As Lu Ran was lost in thought, General Ha suddenly crinkled its nose and its eyes lit up. ¡°Awooo!¡± It quickly called Lu Ran over. There was a scent, something strange, something valuable! ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯smand, General Ha immediately ran ahead to lead the way. Soon, they found a nt of de Grass nearby. It was green, resembling the shape of a de. Name: de Grass Level: Advanced Introduction: Immature de Grass, when consumed, enhances the cutting properties of energy. The effect doubles when mature. Discovering the de Grass brought joy to both Lu Ran and General Ha, but things were never that simple. Soon, with a rustling sound, a de Mantis appeared from the leaves on a nearby tree. ¡°Shaa!!!¡± It looked unfriendly. This male de Mantis was level 10, withrge, incredibly sharp scythes¡ªbigger than those of any previous ones they had encountered. Its body bore battle scars, a testament to its extensivebat experience, making it look particrly formidable. After its appearance, it did not immediately attack but waved its scythes, warning Lu Ran and the others to leave. It, too, wanted to wait for the de Grass to mature and did not wish for anyplications at this critical moment. ¡°General Ha, prepare to fight.¡± Naturally, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t just walk away. Wild resources belong to the capable! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha stepped forward, closing in on the opponent, determined to im the de Grass. Seeing this, the de Mantis on the tree swiftly swung its scythe, sending a de of wind towards General Ha, who was approaching. Simultaneously, General Ha, with a sword in its mouth, retaliated with a burst of sword qi. A white sword arc flew towards the white wind de, the skills disturbing the air around them, squeezing out a howling sound from the wind. In an instant. The sword qi exploded the wind de and swept up a gust of wind that scattered the leaves all around. Although General Ha was one level lower, its sword qi, enhanced by its weapon, easily suppressed its opponent. The de Mantis on the tree staggered. It intended to fly higher, readjust its stance, andunch a counterattack. But at that moment, General Ha unleashed the sword momentum of a fierce beast, a powerful presence that intimidated and halted the de Mantis in its tracks, its eyes filled with shock. By the time it reacted, another wave of sword qi flew towards it, and even with its utmost reaction, it still had an arm severed by the sword qi, causing green blood to stter! ¡°Sha!¡± It showed an expression of pain. ¡°Good thing I have sword momentum as a control skill, otherwise soloing would be much more difficult,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself, seeing this. By now, the de Mantis was severely injured, and the bnce of victory naturally tippedpletely in their favor. ¡°Awoo~~~¡± With a gleam in its eyes, General Ha took advantage of the opponent¡¯s painful cries, leaping up with the enhancement of gale, its figure shing past like a phantom, cutting the opponent in two. As the body of the de Mantis fell, Lu Ran and his team had thoroughly dealt with this foe. ¡°Well done,¡± Lu Ran praised General Ha for its fluid and efficient dispatch of the enemy. ¡°Woof~¡± General Ha showed a calm expression, but its eyes kept ncing at the fallen de Mantis. The next moment, with a sh of white light, the de Mantis transformed into a de. General Ha chuckled naively. ¡°Bark!¡± A loot drop atst! This time, the de Mantis finally dropped materials, a de of the Mantis, which could be used as a material for forging wind-type weapons. General Ha was satisfied. ¡°Nice!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes also brightened, what a profit! ¡°I¡¯ll go pick up the materials; you go eat that,¡± Lu Ran pointed towards the de Grass. ¡°Too bad it¡¯s immature, but even if it were mature, we wouldn¡¯t be able to get it.¡± In fact, Lu Ran now had two options: one was to harvest the immature de Grass and, once outside, find a specialty nt store that could ripen these immature resources. Typically, this is a secondary upation for beastmasters who have cultivated grass-type pet beasts. However, Lu Ran still decided to let General Ha try eating a de Grass first. He wanted to observe the effects of the de Grass, as it would undoubtedly be needed in the future, and trying one wouldn¡¯t hurt. Of course, the main reason was that Lu Ran saw General Ha¡¯s eager look and couldn¡¯t bear to make it wait too long. ¡°Woof!¡± Upon hearing this, General Ha, drooling, rushed to eat the de Grass. Then, it shook its head and wagged its tail. Other than enjoying the taste, it didn¡¯t feel much of a change¡­ If there had to be ament, it would be that the grass was incredibly sharp¡­ It felt like it had cut the inside of its mouth. General Ha grimaced in pain. ¡°This shows that one de Grass is too few, simr to the Seed of Cold Wind,¡± said Lu Ran as he used a pendant to heal General Ha¡¯s wound. ¡°A quantitative change leads to a qualitative change. We need to gather more. Right now, your sword qi can¡¯t even smoothly cut through a stone; the cutting quality is not perfect, and there¡¯s significant room for improvement.¡± General Ha¡¯s sword qi was actually quite powerful, but in terms of details, it indeed needed refinement. For example, when attacking a stone, although the stone would split in two, both surfaces would have many cracks, and the cut surfaces would not be particrly smooth, being uneven. This was a manifestation of unstable energy and energy leaking. If General Ha could manage to cut through stone and steel smoothly, without any unevenness or cracks, making them as reflective as a mirror, that would indicate that its mastery over sword qi had reached perfection. In essence, enhancing the cutting power would naturally enhance the attack power of the sword qi. Then, not only could it perfectly cut through tangible materials like stone and steel, but it could also perfectly slice through an opponent¡¯s energy attacks. Like the recent sh between General Ha and the de Mantis, where General Ha¡¯s sword qi was indeed more powerful and overwhelmed the opponent, the result of the sh was the opponent¡¯s wind de being dispersed and General Ha¡¯s sword qi also deforming, turning into a violent gust. If General Ha¡¯s wind-type energy had stronger cutting properties, the oue would have been different. The sword qi would have instantly split the wind de in two, continuing onwards to split the enemy in half as well. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nodded, its eyes gleaming with wisdom, indicating that it understood everything! ¡°Hopefully¡­¡± Lu Ran muttered. Then, Lu Ran and General Ha continued their fervent monster hunting. They battled several de Mantises guarding the de Grass, each one proving to be a tough opponent with unique skills. Some could unleash wind des, others could summon gales¡­ and some even mastered energy shaping, transforming their scythe-like arms intorge swords, increasing their attack range. This spectacle left General Ha stunned, feeling that it too could reshape its Wind Meteor Sword into a giant sword, or even a massive de measuring 50 meters. However shy their moves were, they were undoubtedly defeated by General Ha, and with each victory, General Ha gained at least one immature de Grass. The materials dropped by the mantises were naturally collected by Lu Ran, useful ones were kept for General Ha, and others were sold for recovery funds. Throughout this process, Lu Ran didn¡¯t forget to keep feeding General Ha to maintain its stamina. As for injuries? The mantises hadn¡¯t managed to hurt General Ha significantly. It was the de Grass that kept wounding it, which might be considered a disgrace for the de Mantises. After defeating about ten de Mantises, Lu Ran and General Ha sensed a different aura approaching them. Seeing this, a slight smile crossed Lu Ran¡¯s lips, and General Ha¡¯s gaze grew sharp. The boss had finally arrived! ¡°General Ha, prepare to power up. We won¡¯t be testing this leader slowly; let¡¯s give it our all right from the start. It¡¯s best if we win, but if we can¡¯t, we¡¯ll retreat and start again,¡± Lu Ran said, opting for a direct confrontation rather than a prolonged battle, which could hurt General Ha and affect their score. ¡°Roar!¡± As the formidable presence approached, the air around them began to churn violently. General Ha, with its sword in mouth, started to power up, with nearly all its energy flowing into the Wind Meteor Sword,pressing intensely. Finally, a figure utterly different from the previous de Mantises appeared. It was covered in golden-green and emitted a sharper aura, with surrounding winds that seemed capable of slicing through steel. Name: de Mantis Attributes: Wind-type, Metal Species Level: Upper Supernatural Level: 10 Clearly, this was a formidable wild creature that had awakened a secondary attribute. Lu Ran knew without thinking that under normal circumstances, General Ha would not fare well in battle against it. Currently, the only hope for General Ha to defeat the opponent rested on weapon enhancement and a reckless fighting style that could disregard self-harm. Energy Compression! Thus, the moment the de Mantis leader appeared, General Ha unleashed a massive burst of energy,pressing it into a ¡°Storm sh,¡± andbined with its sword momentum, swung towards the de Mantis leader! In that instant, General Ha¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and the sword it held in its mouth shattered its teethpletely. If it were any other pet beast, the treatment costs would be astronomical. If General Ha were wild, it would be even worse, making eating difficult. But General Ha was not afraid! Boss Lu was its strong support! Storm sh! ¡°Shah!¡± The de Mantis leader was also stunned at this moment, sensing a powerful creature invading its backyard. It rushed over immediately to check, but did not expect the invader to be so fierce, attacking without any warning. Feeling the powerful force of the Storm sh, its expression changed, wanting to fly away to dodge, but the chaotic air currents around and the intimidation from the enemy made it hard to control its body. It could only widen its eyes, its body¡¯s energy surging wildly, extending its scythe to strike at the Storm sh. The next moment, gold and blue lights intertwined, flickering. Boom. Smoke rose. Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge. Rating: SS-level! Congrattions on winning 630 crystal coins. Congrattions on obtaining advanced resources, Heart of the Bug (Metal, Wind-type). Congrattions on obtaining advanced resources, de of the Mantis (Metal, Wind-type). Congrattions on obtaining advanced resources, Wing of the Mantis (Metal, Wind-type)¡­ ¡°Wow, that feels great.¡± At this moment, the system prompt sounded. Although Lu Ran saw General Ha with blood all over its mouth, which looked quite dreadful, this battle was a huge win. They had gained a heap of advanced resources for just a 700 crystal coin entry fee. These advanced resources were enough to elevate General Ha¡¯s strength to a new level. It seems that the Storm sh was indeed powerful. Despite the de Mantis leader having dual attributes, it was helpless against the attack. ¡°Once we get back, you¡¯re getting an extra meal!¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Woof!¡± Despite the pain, General Ha already had images of soy-braised Heart of the Bug, chili stir-fried Heart of the Bug, and explosively roasted Heart of the Bug floating in its mind, making the Sudden Death King enviously drool. Sudden Death King: I¡¯m going to die of jealousy!!! Chapter 61: Blizzard Sword Momentum Chapter 61: Blizzard Sword Momentum Not long after, Lu Ran and General Ha teleported back from the Mantis Jungle secret realm. This time, Lu Ran was surprised to find he hadn¡¯t received a pile of messages, indicating that the divine beast leaderboard had not been updated. Indeed, General Ha¡¯s performance this time was no different from thest time it split the blizzard. Even if the power of the Storm sh had increased, it was due to the Wind Meteor Sword, not because General Ha had undergone a transformation. After emerging, Lu Ran checked his backpack. Crystal Coin Bnce: 12345 Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (Epic), Wind Meteor Sword (Advanced), Wind Cutter Sword (Advanced) Resources: de Grass x2 (Advanced), de of the Mantis x6 (Advanced), Wing of the Mantis x7 (Advanced), Heart of the Bug x1 (Advanced), Wood Scale Fruit x16 (Ordinary), Antidote Herb x8 (Ordinary), Dog Food x60 Days (Advanced)¡­ Most of these items had just been obtained from the Mantis Jungle.As for materials exploded from the Forest of the Demon Cat and Blizzard Mountain, Lu Ran had sold them all. Items like Grass Sprite Cat¡¯s Heart, Grass Sprite Cat¡¯s w, Demon Cat Mint, and Ice Crystal Ore, which were easy to sell, were directly sold to the official store. The value of an advanced resource could range from a hundred to several thousand crystal coins. For instance, Lu Ran¡¯s meteorite mine was among the higher valued materials, worth several thousand, whereas the items exploded from the Grass Sprite Cat were considered trash, only worth a few hundred crystal coins when bundled together. Ordinary items like the Demon Cat¡¯s Fingernail, which no one bought, were tearfully tossed by Lu Ran into the material recycling station of Infinite City and sold for a low price. Every little bit counts, contributing to a few free teleports at least; otherwise, they were of no use to him. Now, having gathered another batch of resources, apart from the de Grass, Wing of the Mantis, and Heart of the Bug, which General Ha could use, Lu Ran felt the rest could also be sold. Take the de of the Mantis, for example. Although it was a material for weapons, Lu Ran didn¡¯t value it as highly as meteorite ore. If he was to upgrade his weapons in the future, he would definitely use rare materials instead of these. Perhaps in time, the quality of the de of the Mantis would even be surpassed by General Ha¡¯s teeth. ¡°Should I crush this and apply it to my body?¡± Lu Ran pulled the Wing of the Mantis from his backpack and General Ha also looked over, both staring at each other. This was a topical resource, which was somewhat messy to use. Lu Ran figured General Ha would end up sticky, but fortunately, he had already taught the dog to bathe and dry itself. ¡°Woof!¡± However, General Ha wasn¡¯t concerned about that, asking when it could eat the Heart of the Bug. ¡°No rush, no rush.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit, and then we can try challenging Blizzard Mountain againter¡­¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha made a face, indicating its impatience. Unknown food, eh¡­ That day, Lu Ran once again led General Ha to challenge Blizzard Mountain. This time, Lu Ran didn¡¯t have General Ha start by shing through the blizzard, so their efficiency in moving through the area instantly improved. They scored an SS rating. They earned 450 crystal coins and 3 Seed of Cold Wind. The seeds burst out three times, but there was no ice crystal ore, which was a pity for Lu Ran since it was quite marketable. Although not as versatile as meteorite mine, which was usable in all attribute weapons, ice crystal ore was still a core material for ice attribute equipment. But having three Seed of Cold Wind wasn¡¯t bad, as General Ha could use them. After the challenge, Lu Ran allowed General Ha to sh through the blizzard once more, and of course, he also tried it himself with the Wind Cutter Sword. The result, after several hours of effort, neither he nor the dog had mastered the Blizzard Sword Momentum, but they did end up collecting a bunch more Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs¡­ Following the ordeal, General Ha and Lu Ran tearfully returned, intent on having a hefty meal back home¡­ Energypression skills were indeed very difficult to master. ¡­ ¡°Wow ka?¡± Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Lu Ran and General Ha had returned after a long absence. Back at the dojo, Lu Ran was still deep in thought. Meanwhile, the dog was busy tinkering with a bunch of Seed of Cold Wind and Wing of the Mantis. At this time, Sudden Death King also woke up, but seeing Lu Ran and General Ha busy with their own tasks, it felt utterly isted and unable to blend in. Nobody¡¯s paying attention to me. I¡¯m going to have a meltdown! Sudden Death King felt dejected. ¡°Where exactly am Icking?¡± Lu Ran had been wielding his sword in the blizzard for over 12 hours now. Seeing General Ha¡¯s demeanor, Lu Ran didn¡¯t expect it to master the Blizzard Sword Momentum before him. As General Ha shed through the blizzard, Lu Ran also engaged in super beast mimicry, hoping to grasp that profound state himself. However,prehending a sword momentum that embodies the power of nature was still too challenging. ¡°The key lies in integration! In achieving unity between heaven and man!¡± ¡°Heaven and earth were born with me, and all things are one with me.¡± Lu Ran kept summarizing. Initially, he had understood the Fierce Beast Sword Momentum before General Ha because his swordsmanship experience was richer. Another crucial factor was his use of super beast mimicry to emte General Ha¡¯s aura. Unintentionally, he infused General Ha¡¯s aura into his sword techniques, thereby creating the Fierce Beast Sword Momentum. It could be said that the Fierce Beast Sword Momentum was a fusion of the fierce beast¡¯s trait, himself, and the sword. At that moment, he, the momentum, and the sword were one. Simrly, to grasp the Blizzard Sword Momentum, he would surely need to merge the blizzard¡¯s traits into his body, imagining himself as the storm. Then, he would integrate it into his sword techniques, disying the coldness of the blizzard. Lu Ran guessed that this would be difficult for General Ha. Because it felt no cold in the blizzard, rather, it was excited, which made it hard for General Ha to perceive the terror of the storm. On the contrary, after two attempts, Lu Ran himself had numerous cuts from the blizzard, his brain nearly frozen solid, and the biting cold almost made him give up. If not for General Ha carrying him to the finish line, relying solely on himself, Lu Ran would never have made it through. Not achieving an SS rating, Lu Ran figured he was the one holding them back. ¡°Try to recreate that feeling of the brain being frozen, the cold wind cutting like knives¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s still abstract, but thankfully, super beast mimicry has recorded that experience.¡± Lu Ran tried, in the imaginative space afforded by super beast mimicry, to visualize a snowstorm. In the midst of the storm, he and General Ha moved together, feeling again that fierce cold current. This time, he even ced himself in the perspective of the blizzard, facing General Ha¡¯s Storm sh. As the north wind howled, regardless of the strong sword qi, it couldn¡¯t stop the vast force of nature; soon, the energy was frozen, and the sword qi swallowed by the blizzard. The grandeur of nature is not something small entities can contend with. ¡°Dear disciple, I heard you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Lu Ran, are you there??¡± ¡°Is anyone there, I¡¯ming in.¡± Outside the door, Elder Jiang Dou held a sword, his expression puzzled. Huh? Hadn¡¯t a disciple said that Lu Ran¡¯s dog had run out with a backpack? Lu Ran had been back for two days, busy with his own affairs, and hadn¡¯t consulted him on swordsmanship, which made the elder quite anxious. He wouldn¡¯t be nning to y with guns again, would he? Now that he finally waited for Lu Ran to return from Infinite City, he decided to take the initiative. ¡°Why is it so cold?¡± ¡°Is the air conditioning on when no one¡¯s here?¡± At this moment, outside the room, Jiang Dou could feel a chill, very cold. He paused, worried about the situation inside, and chose to push the door open. However, the moment he entered, he widened his eyes, only to see Lu Ran, whom he had been calling for a long time without response, actually sitting on the carpet with his eyes closed. And on hispy a sword, which he held in his hand. What surprised Jiang Dou the most was that the chill he felt was not from the air conditioning; the air conditioner in the room wasn¡¯t on at all. It was the sword in Lu Ran¡¯s hand that was emitting bursts of cold air. ¡°A supernatural weapon?¡± Elder Jiang Dou quickly thought that this was an ice-based supernatural weapon, but then, he realized something was off. No, no, this chill wasn¡¯t caused by traditional cold air. Instead, it felt like the internal coldness caused by physical weakness, nervous tension, sympathetic nerve debilitation, and insufficient vital energy! Elder Jiang Dou shivered, nearly staggered by what he saw. What the heck, had Lu Ran turned into a zombie? Or was he absorbing people¡¯s vital energy? At this moment, as the noise outside grew louder, Lu Ran instinctively opened his eyes. As Lu Ran and Jiang Dou made eye contact, for a moment, Jiang Dou seemed to see a deep icy-blue world reflected in Lu Ran¡¯s pupils, as if he were being sucked into the other¡¯s gaze, stepping into a blizzard. In that instant, Master Jiang Dou felt an even more bone-chilling cold, as if a frigid wind were slicing through him, making his body shiver with intense pain and his thoughts momentarily freeze. He could sense an even more terrifying blizzard about to sweep over him, so he quickly steadied his mind and regained rity, staring incredulously at Lu Ran. ¡°Eh? Master, how did you get in here?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled at Master Jiang Dou¡¯s sudden appearance. However, seeing the shocked expression on Master Jiang Dou¡¯s face, Lu Ran suddenly realized something. ¡°Master, are you all right? You look so pale¡­¡± ¡°Damn,d, have you grasped a new sword momentum??¡± Master Jiang Dou suddenly eximed loudly. That must have been an ice and snow sword momentum, right??? He had experienced something simr from an old rival in a snowy country, but clearly, Lu Ran¡¯s was far more terrifying! ¡°I have indeed been trying to understand a new sword momentum, but¡­ it¡¯s not quite mature yet,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°How long have you been trying?¡± Master Jiang Dou asked eagerly. ¡°All things considered¡­ half a day?¡± Lu Ran counted the time including two blizzards in the secret realm. ¡°Damn.¡± Hearing that it was only half a day, Master Jiang Dou couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°Do you even realize what you¡¯re saying, kid?¡± Half a day¡­ How do you expect others topete! Although it had been evident since childhood that Lu Ran had a once-in-a-decade talent for swordsmanship, with the enhancement of his supernatural abilities, this was bing terrifyingly powerful. He had still underestimated thed. ¡°Just now, from outside, through the doors and windows, I felt a chill¡­¡± ¡°Ah ha?¡± Lu Ran was startled and looked at the Wind Cutter Sword in his hand, saying, ¡°It might be that I identally activated its Force of Wind, but¡­ a chill?¡± ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that you¡¯re having health issues, Master? After all, you¡¯re not getting any younger, and you didn¡¯t take good care of yourself when you were younger¡­¡± Normally, the Force of Wind would at most create a cool breeze, hardly a chill. ¡°Get lost, just look around the room!¡± Lu Ran quickly scanned the room and didn¡¯t see the Sudden Death King at first. But after a thorough search, he found it had burrowed into the bed covers, shivering. It¡¯s so cold, I¡¯m going to die suddenly! ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran fell silent. Could it be¡­ that I unintentionally released the Blizzard Sword Momentum while gaining insight just now? ¡°It seems that the method is correct, it¡¯s about achieving harmony between man and nature!¡± At this moment, Lu Ran looked somewhat excited. Good, after being shown up by the dog for so long, it seems I¡¯ve taken a step ahead in terms of sword momentum. Now I can teach it again. ¡°Hey, hey, hey.¡± At this time, Jiang Dou stared at the monstrous Lu Ran, somewhat bewildered. What have you been up to these past two days? ¡°Master, join me in another trial of the Blizzard Sword Momentum! Help me refine it.¡± Lu Ran quickly spoke up, almost forgetting that such a master of swordsmanship was present. He hoped that with his master¡¯s guidance, his Blizzard Sword Momentum could be perfected more quickly. ¡°I really am¡­¡± Jiang Dou fell into thought, always feeling a bit unable to keep up with the younger generation, worried that it wouldn¡¯t be long before he was further challenged by Lu Ran. At his age¡­ is it toote to be a beastmaster? ¡­ That evening, General Ha returned and stared at Lu Ran, stunned. By then, it had already eaten three Seeds of Cold Wind and had applied all the Wing of the Mantis externally. Because of this, upon returning, it could distinctly feel the chill emanating from Lu Ran! Seeing that Lu Ran had be like an air conditioner just by sitting and holding a sword after it had been out for a while, it was greatly shocked. Such afortable feeling, Boss Lu is so cool¡­ Saying this, it wanted to get closer. But before that. ¡°Woof woof!¡± It asked the Sudden Death King, lying next to the heating pad, what was going on. ¡°Wow ka. (This is¡­ the Sudden Death Sword Momentum!)¡± the Sudden Death King exined. But General Ha was even more confused. ¡°It¡¯s the Blizzard Sword Momentum!¡± At this moment, Lu Ran also opened his eyes. ¡°Doggy, want to learn? I¡¯ll teach you.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression was profound. Blizzard Sword Momentum¡­ very strong! Certainly stronger than any fierce beast sword momentum! Most importantly¡­ these two sword momentums seem not to conflict, perhaps they can be integrated for use! ¡°Scram!!! Don¡¯t stick close, respect the Blizzard Sword Momentum! If you want to cool off, go turn on the air conditioner yourself!¡± Chapter 62: Fellow Villagers of Lu Village Chapter 62: Fellow Vigers of Lu Vige Lu Ran never expected this. After painstakingly mastering the Blizzard Sword Momentum, he wanted to show off in front of the dog. But the creature simply didn¡¯t get it, treating it like some sort of air conditioning sword technique! ¡°Indeed, the moment I tried to have a normal conversation and interaction with Erha, I lost!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s heart was full of holes, regretting his realization came toote. Why did he even think of trying to impress an Erha? Although he felt exhausted, Lu Ran still had to scurry in the middle of the night to prepare the Heart of the Bug for General Ha. This creature wanted it cooked, so Lu Ran cooked it. Whatforted Lu Ran was that the dog didn¡¯t eat alone.It even shared the stir-fried and roasted Heart of the Bug with him and the Sudden Death King. Lu Ran, of course, didn¡¯t eat it, but let the Sudden Death King (the lizard) have a taste, which was deeply moved. Ignored for a whole day, General Ha still remembered it. ¡°Woof,¡± General Ha instructed. Having eaten this Heart of the Bug, from now on, they would descend into the secret realm together¡ªno escaping. The Sudden Death King held onto the Heart of the Bug, its expression choked up. A meal of broken promises, perhaps¡­ Nighttime. As Lu Rany in bed, he started scrolling through his phone as usual. He then realized that he had missed an important piece of news today. Fortunately, there was a recorded broadcast, which he promptly watched. ¡°Currently, the number of registered beastmasters in our country has surpassed 150,000¡­¡± ¡°Among them, 18 to 25-year-olds are the main group in the beastmaster upation¡­¡± ¡°Therefore, our country has decided to prepare for the establishment of a Beast Taming University to systematically guide young beastmasters¡­¡± ¡°Once again, we urge all novice beastmasters not to blindly enter secret realms¡­¡± ¡°ording to official data, in the past month alone, there have been over 1,000 beastmasters who passed the novice trial and died in subsequent challenges in the secret realms, including those who had achieved an S-level rating in the novice secret realm¡­¡± Watching this news, Lu Ran had one feeling¡ªthat the authorities were quite helpless. Seeing so many novice beastmasters die made them feel quite urgent. Beast taming is undoubtedly a strategic resource now, as losing one means losing one for good. Rather than letting these novice beastmasters grow wildly on their own, the officials prefer to gather them together for quality education to tap into their potential. This approach not only aims to increase the survival rate of those suited to venture into secret realms but also helps those unsuitable for such challenges to find a more appropriate secondary upation early on. Since the dawn of the beast taming era, officials have consistently advised neers not to recklessly challenge secret realms. However, there are always some who do not heed this advice, like Lu Ran. Lu Ran possesses an epic item and has support from influential figures, which allows him to grow steadily. Unfortunately, others are not so lucky, and a single oversight can lead to death without a burial ce. Now, the official stance is clearly not in a hurry to make fourth-generation beastmasters capable of standing on their own too quickly. Instead, they hope for them to grow safely and smoothly. ¡°The beast taming university will enroll beastmasters aged 16 to 25 and will conduct a national recruitment after a period of time¡­¡± ¡°By then, whether already working, a high school student, or a college student, anyone can choose to attend the beast taming university.¡± Lu Ran looked at the official announcement and opened thement section, only to find it filled withints¡­ Most of theints were from those over the age of 25. Lu Ran shrugged his shoulders. The official reasoning was that educational resources were limited, prioritizing the youth first, with ns to gradually open up more slots. However, Lu Ran suspected that the real reason was the higher potential seen in younger beastmasters, which led to the allocation of resources being skewed. But what shocked Lu Ran the most wasn¡¯t this. He was surprised to find that, indeed, there were elderly people chosen to be beastmasters. Although they were very rare cases, after browsing through thements, Lu Ran found evidence shared by others showing people over 60 bing beastmasters, indicating that the selection of beastmasters does not discriminate by age, although the probability is small. There are even rumors on the beast taming forum that the strongest beastmaster in Xia Country is currently an elderly person¡­ Of course, without official confirmation, most fourth-generation neers do not believe such ims. However, the debate over who is the strongest beast tamer in Xia Country has always been a hot topic. People initially hoped to glean some insights from the Sovereign Species Divine Beast Leaderboard. However, even after being up for over a week, not a single first-generation beastmaster has made it onto the leaderboard; it¡¯s dominated by second, third, and fourth-generation beastmasters. Besides the first-generation beastmasters being a topic of interest, the next most discussed are the neers among the fourth-generation beastmasters. The question of who is the strongest among the new fourth-generation beastmasters is also a hot topic online. Out of the seventy names on the Divine Beast Leaderboard, seven keeping up in discussions, including Passerby A. However, since the reason for Passerby A¡¯s inclusion on the leaderboard is too abstract and the contract is with a snowfield dog, Passerby A is not among the popr candidates for ¡°strongest fourth-generation.¡± ¡°Boring, oh so boring, back to the secret realm tomorrow.¡± After spending half the day browsing, Lu Ran yawned and turned off the light when he found himself back on his own updates. Before the recruitment for the beast taming university starts, he figures he will be stuck loving and battling the secret realms. However, rather than continuously exploring the secret realms, he is actually more eager to quickly learn a secondary upation like forging¡­ Then, he wouldn¡¯t have to go through the hassle of finding someone else to handle the materials he finds. ¡­ A weekter. Since Lu Ran grasped the basics of Blizzard Sword Momentum, he has been entering the Blizzard Mountain secret realm more frequently. He hopes to fully mature his Blizzard Sword Momentum with the help of the environment there. General Ha, naturally, follows Lu Ran into the realms daily and learns Blizzard Sword Momentum alongside him. Over the week, Lu Ran and General Ha maintained a challenging frequency of once a day in the Mantis Jungle secret realm and twice in the Blizzard Mountain secret realm. During this period, General Ha used all the useful resources they gathered. The useless ones were sold to recuperate some expenses. After all these efforts, General Ha has undergone aplete transformation. Firstly, its growth level finally reached level 10 on the seventh day. Moreover, thanks to the Heart of the Bug obtained over the week, its teeth have significantly upgraded. Name: Wind Dog¡¯s Fangs Level: Advanced Introduction: The sharp and hard fangs of a wind series canine beast, which have excellent wind energy conduction properties! This change greatly pleased Lu Ran. Now, General Ha¡¯s teeth were far from being useless. The upgraded level of its teeth also allowed General Ha to better handle Storm sh. Using a general power Storm sh, General Ha no longer ended up with a bloody mouth. Of course, if pushed to its limit, the results could still be quite grim. Nheless, General Ha¡¯s proficiency with Storm sh had certainly improved day by day. However, with frequent changes to its teeth, the Heart of the Bug¡¯s ability to strengthen General Ha had be almost negligible. To further enhance its abilities, it would likely require even rarer resources. Additionally, by applying arge number of Wing of the Mantis externally, General Ha became much more sensitive to changes in air currents. Now, like some animals that can predict the weather, it could clearly sense an approaching rainstorm. This was particrly evident in the Blizzard Mountain secret realm, where it could detect sudden cold fronts earlier, thus enabling it and Lu Ran to avoid hailstorms. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the biggest gain. The greatest achievement over the week was that, by consuming arge number of Seed of Cold Wind, the force of wind within General Ha now carried a bone-chilling coldness. This advantage made it very quick to learn Blizzard Sword Momentum. Paired with Lu Ran¡¯s reverse super beast mimicry, General Ha had mastered the basics of Blizzard Sword Momentum two days earlier. Just entering the basics, its cold sword momentum, due to its attribute, was already more potent than Lu Ran¡¯s. It was powerful enough to leave the Mantis leader suspended in mid-air,pletely stupefied for three seconds, freezing its thoughts and preventing any reaction. After a week of rigorous training, both the Blizzard Mountain and Mantis Jungle secret realms had undoubtedly been raised to SSS-level by Lu Ran and General Ha. Unfortunately, even at SSS-level, Lu Ran had not managed to extract a wind attribute beast taming skill. This skill book, worth thousands of crystal coins, was indeed not easy toe by. Moreover, the materials from these secret realms were no longer of much use to General Ha, and Lu Ran was unsure whether to continue challenging them. After all, General Ha had reached level 10 and was now capable of integrating traits. Perhaps it was time to tackle secret realms of abyssal difficulty? Lu Ran felt it was about time; other aspects simplycked challenge. After a week, there was still no change in the Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.3. General Ha, cutting through the blizzard, continued to hold the first ce. Even though the 10 names listed were all level 10, and many had integrated traits or awakened a second attribute, none surpassed General Ha. Abyssal difficulty secret realms seemed to be the only challenge left for Lu Ran¡­ Waiting for the trait crystal fusion to break through! ¡°To celebrate reaching level 10, I¡¯m taking you out to eat,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile to General Ha, after teleporting back from the secret realm to their exclusive room. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked skeptical, suspecting that it was actually Lu Ran who was craving food. ¡°You dare doubt me? Then you can go back to the ck card and sleep, I¡¯ll go eat by myself,¡± Lu Ran pouted, having been caught out. General Ha: ??? With that, Lu Ran, carrying a bunch of materials ready to be joyfully sold, prepared to treat himself to a good meal. However, as he reached Beastmaster Square, Lu Ran suddenly paused. He looked across at four people walking by, frowning slightly. They were dressed in identical hunter outfits. Hunter attire was not umon in Infinite City, but what was rare was their uniform orange, furry outfits. This kind of outfit¡­ this kind of outfit¡­ If Lu Ran remembered correctly, he had seen it many times before! As a child, he often saw his grandfather wearing this, although his grandfather had passed away early, when Lu Ran was still in elementary school. However, many of the photos left by his grandfather also showed him in this attire! This was the uniform of the hunters from his hometown, Lu Vige! ¡°Are they from Lu Vige?¡± Lu Ran guessed, quite surprised to encounter people from his hometown in Infinite City. After a moment of thought, he quickly followed them, nning to ask about things rted to Lu Vige. As a vige of hunters, they should be doing quite well in the era of beast taming, right? The group also entered a restaurant. Just as the four of them settled down, a voice came from nearby. ¡°Excuse me, are you hunters from Lu Vige?¡± The three men and one woman looked up to see a young man, younger than themselves, dressed in a ck coat and carrying a sword, looking at them inquiringly. The group was wary, but the tanned, voluptuously built female hunter in beast skin, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s handsome face, responded, ¡°Who are you?¡± Chapter 63: The Temptation of Returning to the Village Chapter 63: The Temptation of Returning to the Vige Lu Ran observed the four individuals closely. All in their early twenties, they had healthy wheat-colored skin and were muscr regardless of gender or body size¡ªeven the assertive female hunter who spoke first seemed tough, as if she could knock out five unworthy men with a single punch. In response to the female hunter¡¯s inquiry, Lu Ran offered what he considered a warm smile. ¡°Your outfits look familiar to me.¡± ¡°My grandfather wore simr clothes; he was also a hunter in Lu Vige in his early years.¡± ¡°Later, though, our family moved to the city and seldom returned.¡± As Lu Ran finished speaking, all four individuals were visibly taken aback. The most muscr among them, a young man, asked in surprise, ¡°Fellow viger? What¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s name?¡± ¡°My granddad is Lu Hai,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°That name¡­ sounds vaguely familiar,¡± the female hunter murmured thoughtfully. ¡°There are many named Lu Hai in Lu Vige, but if you¡¯re talking about someone who moved away¡­ Vige Chief Lu Hai?!¡± Suddenly, a lean hunter eximed in astonishment.With that, memories clicked into ce for the group. The vige chiefs of Lu Vige were elected based on their hunting skills, the vige was known for its fierce customs, and yearly hunting events weremonce. Thus, each vige chief was well-known; children grew up listening to their stories, and their influence far exceeded that of chiefs in other viges. The name of Vige Chief Lu Hai, not too distant in their memory, was familiar: indeed, there had been such a chief in Lu Vige, who moved to the city as his children progressed well in life. The elders often mentioned that Lu Hai¡¯s children had regrly donated money for the vige, even funding the construction of a school and a health clinic. ¡°That¡¯s the one you¡¯re talking about; he indeed served as vige chief. My grandfather fell ill in hister years, and the medical facilities in the vige were inadequate, so we had to move him to a major city for treatment. Eventually, our family settled there,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°You¡¯re the grandson of Vige Chief Lu Hai?!¡± The initially cautious group, upon hearing Lu Ran¡¯s introduction and finding it matched their memories, suddenly looked astonished. Their gaze towards Lu Ran softened significantly, as there¡¯s a saying, ¡°Fellow vigers meeting each other, tears well up in their eyes.¡± Infinite City No.3 spans seven provinces, so it¡¯s quite a stroke of fate to meet someone from the same vige, especially when Lu Ran¡¯s elders are well-known in the vige! ¡°Really a fellow viger!¡± ¡°Hahaha, have a seat,e on, don¡¯t be shy. Let¡¯s eat and talk, we¡¯re treating,¡± the most robust youth said generously. ¡°Really? Then I won¡¯t hold back!¡± Lu Ran was pleasantly surprised to hear he could join them for a meal. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d meet the grandson of Vige Chief Lu Hai here in Infinite City¡­¡± the female hunter remarked thoughtfully. ¡°Let me introduce everyone,¡± she began, pointing to the most muscr youth. ¡°This is Lu Yi. We¡¯ve formed a beast taming team, and he¡¯s our leader.¡± Lu Yi smiled and nodded; judging by his build, he was indeed the strongest. ¡°This is Lu Dingding,¡± she continued with augh, introducing the lean man. ¡°Not ¡®exposed Dingding,¡¯ but Lu Dingding 1 .¡± ¡°Lu Bing, shut up!¡± the lean young man showed a displeased expression, clearly annoyed at people using his nickname ¨C he was far past the age for split pants. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran could only twitch the corners of his mouth, trying hard not tough. Such a name¡­ his parents were truly creative! ¡°My name is Lu Bing, and this is Lu Wu; we all call him Little Wu,¡± Lu Bing said, pointing to the shortest among them, a young man just over 1.6 meters tall. ¡°And you, what should we call you?¡± she finally asked Lu Ran. ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Lu Ran. I didn¡¯t expect¡­ Lu Vige to have produced so many beastmasters,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s not just us,¡± Little Wu chimed in cheerfully. ¡°Many of the vige¡¯s youth have be beastmasters, dozens of them, and all have passed the novice trial. We¡¯re just one team.¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Lu Ran almost spit out his drink. ¡°What, dozens??¡± Even if a county town had so many beastmasters, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t be so surprised, but Lu Vige was indeed just a small vige with not many people. It seems the hunting heritage really added a lot to the vige, giving everyone the potential to be beastmasters! ¡°Haha, there are quite a few of us. Actually, from the first, second, and third batches, our vige also had people be beastmasters,¡± Lu Yi said regretfully. ¡°But although there are many of us, we¡¯ve also been quite unlucky.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°The first generation was all about exploration and making mistakes, so the big brother chosen from our vige had an ident not long after. He was the son of the current vige chief and was very strong in hunting. In the second generation, we had two more beastmasters chosen, but unfortunately, they both¡­¡± ¡°In the third generation, it was the same. Everyone entered with great enthusiasm, but it was as if our vige was cursed; none of the beastmasters lived long,¡± Lu Yi couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s also because our people love to stubbornly challenge the secret realms and prefer to team up with their own species for hunting¡­¡± Lu Dingding touched his nose, noting the downside of their fierce local customs, which often led to reckless behaviors. Moreover, since the third-generation beastmasters from Lu Vige always teamed up together, usually when one person was in trouble, the whole team was wiped out. ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was totally taken aback, blurting out, ¡°Does this mean that now in Lu Vige, we only have the fourth-generation beastmasters left?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lu Yi nodded and said, ¡°But although those big brothers and sisters are gone, each one of them prepared many resources for the vige while they were alive.¡± ¡°So, when the fourth beast tide came, the selected beastmasters in the vige received a lot of initial resources. This time, Lu Vige will definitely rise,¡± Lu Yi looked forward with anticipation. ¡°At that time, the whole vige will prosper together.¡± ¡°Do you all have any ns, like joining an official organization or a guild?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°No,¡± Lu Bing said, crossing his legs, ¡°The vige has decided to establish its own guild. Given our traditional customs, it¡¯s hard for the young people who stay in the vige for a long time to integrate into the outside world, so it¡¯s better for us to band together.¡± ¡°Honestly, hunting in the secret realms makes much more money than hunting outside.¡± ¡°Although we¡¯re slower than other major guilds, Lu Vige has always made its own way. Who is worse than whom?¡± ¡°Little brother Lu Ran, do you want to join us? Since you¡¯re the grandson of Vige Chief Lu Hai, you should be able to join. We¡¯ll find someone to help you level up,¡± Lu Bing smiled. ¡°Uh¡­ that might not work. My elders want me to go to the beast taming university first¡­¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Beast taming university, huh?¡± Lu Yi said. ¡°That¡¯s a good path too. Our vige has many hunters, and few have the talent for academics. It¡¯s rare for us to have a college student every decade or so. No worries, though. Since you¡¯re from the same vige, we can still keep in touch and help each other out when needed.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Lu Ran nodded and said, ¡°Speaking of which, Lu Yi, could you tell me more about Lu Vige? I barely remember visiting a few times, and I¡¯ve almost forgotten everything. I must visit when I have the time and pay tribute to our ancestors.¡± ¡°This¡­ I¡¯ll let Lu Bing handle the introduction.¡± ¡°Beast taming university?¡± Lu Yi said, ¡°That¡¯s also a good path. Our vige has many hunters and few with a talent for academics; it¡¯s rare for us to produce a college student every decade or so. No worries, though. Since we¡¯re from the same vige, we can still exchange ideas frequently, and you can alwayse to us if you face any difficulties.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Lu Ran nodded and said, ¡°Speaking of which, Lu Yi, could you tell me more about Lu Vige? I remember I¡¯ve only been back a few times and have almost forgotten everything about it. I¡¯ll definitely have to visit when I get the chance and pay respects to our ancestors.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ll leave that to Lu Bing to exin,¡± Lu Yi said with an embarrassed smile, feeling he might not do the best job at introducing the vige. Rolling her eyes, Lu Bing said, ¡°You guys have forgotten all about our ancestors!¡± She looked warmly at Lu Ran and began, ¡°The history of Lu Vige goes back a long way, perhaps even four or five thousand years.¡± ¡°That¡¯s incredibly long!¡± Lu Ran eximed in surprise. ¡°Cough, that¡¯s the legend, anyway. But whether it¡¯s really that long, who can say for sure? The vige has moved several times, and its history has been interrupted over and over¡­¡± Lu Bing cleared her throat and continued: ¡°Back then, wasn¡¯t totem culture popr? Our vige actually has its own totem as well, a divine deer. The elders in the vige say it¡¯s thanks to the protection of the divine deer that our lineage has continued to this day.¡± ¡°Even now, there¡¯s a temple in the vige where we worship the divine deer.¡± ¡°However, this culture has kind of faded over thest hundred years. Aside from some of the elders, the younger people rarely go to worship the divine deer anymore, and if they do, it¡¯s usually because they¡¯re dragged there,¡± Lu Bing exined. ¡°We¡¯re called Lu Vige because of this deer, ¡®Lu¡¯ being a homophone for ¡®deer¡¯ in ournguage.¡± Unbeknownst to Lu Bing, as she spoke, Lu Ran¡¯s heart was stirring wildly, his legs trembling involuntarily. Damn. He just knew that there was some indistinct connection between the divine deer antler and Lu Vige. Totem culture, huh? Generally, the totems worshiped by ancient tribes were supposed to be mythical, fictional creatures. But why did Lu Ran feel like the totem worshiped by Lu Vige was real¡­ Could the official version also be true? That in ancient times on Blue Star, supernatural forces truly existed! And now, it was the era of the resurgence of spiritual energy! ¡°Why does our vige choose the divine deer as its totem?¡± Lu Ran suppressed his astonishment and asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Lu Bing shrugged, ¡°Perhaps some of the elderly in the vige know some of the history, but I doubt it; after all, it¡¯s been so long.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impressive that the faith in the divine deer hassted until today.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded. It seemed he really had to visit Lu Vige. If he didn¡¯t understand the matter of the divine deer, he wouldn¡¯t feel at ease. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we order something now?¡± At this moment, Little Wu, patting his stomach, spoke up. The restaurant operated on a self-service ordering system. They had been sitting and chatting for quite a while, yet they hadn¡¯t ordered anything. ¡°If you¡¯re interested in the vige history, you should visit when you have time,¡± Lu Bing said. ¡°We can introduce you to some respected elders; maybe they know something.¡± She nced at Little Wu, who was clearly hungry, then added, ¡°Let¡¯s order first. Lu Ran, you go ahead and see what you¡¯d like. Don¡¯t worry about saving crystal coins.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Lu Ran nodded with a slight smile, but just then, the restaurant suddenly became noisy. People were shouting about public secret realms, wild bosses, and rushing to im monsters, using gaming terminology that filled the restaurant with a restless energy, as if spring had arrived. Footnote:
  1. Lu Dingding(·¶¡¶¡): In Chinese, Lu Dingding(·¶¡¶¡) and expose penis(¶¶¡¶¡) are homophones, making it an embarrassing name.
Chapter 64: Public Boss Encounter Chapter 64: Public Boss Encounter ¡°In the novice level public secret realm at the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range, a lowermander species has spawned. Let¡¯s hurry!¡± ¡°The guild members are calling me, I¡¯m not eating anymore.¡± At this moment, the restaurant was abuzz, and Lu Ran and hispanions frowned. In an instant, Lu Bing¡¯s expression changed as he said, ¡°Lu Yi sent a message saying that a lowermander species of the Dragon Blood type, the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion, has appeared in the public secret realm at the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range. He¡¯s asking us toe take a look.¡± ¡°A Dragon Tail Scorpion?¡± Little Wu looked around at themotion and said, ¡°Really? A Dragon Blood creature?¡± ¡°Holy crap, then what are we still eating for? Let¡¯s go, we might miss our chance if we¡¯rete¡­¡± Lu Dingding eximed in surprise. Lu Yi shook his head and said, ¡°It feels like the chances are slim now. It must be those big guilds who have monopolized it again, and we can¡¯tpete with them¡­¡± Unlike ordinary or breakthrough secret realms, the entrance to a public secret realm is located at the Teleportation za, not in a private room. Moreover, there are no entry limits to a public secret realm. As long as one meets the secret realm level requirements, even a hundred or a thousand people can enter, unlike ordinary secret realms where at most only four can team up.In public secret realms, the projections of monsters are randomly spawned, often bringing forth some rare creatures whose dropped resources are also more precious, and their drop rates are significantly higher than those of ordinary secret realms. These rare supernatural being projections appearing in public secret realms are affectionately referred to by beastmasters as ¡°wild bosses.¡± Although wild bosses are powerful, since the public secret realm does not limit the number of participants, no matter how strong they are, they can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, unless they are exceptionally formidable. Thus, when any rare creature appears in a public secret realm, for beastmasters, it¡¯s like a moving treasure trove. If one can¡¯t handle it alone, they call in a bunch of friends and family to take it down together. The Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion, a rock-type creature with Dragon Blood traits and part of the lowermander species, is not a true Dragon-type. But even a slight connection to dragons makes it extremely valuable, no wonder everyone is so excited. ¡°Let¡¯s go have a look then. I heard the situation is still pretty tense, otherwise why would Lu Yi and the others call us over?¡± Lu Bing said. At that moment, the Lu Vige group of four pondered for a moment, then abruptly left without finishing their meal. They also told Lu Ran, ¡°We¡¯re going to check it out. Why don¡¯t you order the food? Just order anything, and we¡¯ll pay when we get back!¡± With that, they left, despite their recentints of hunger. ¡°Damn!¡± Lu Ran stood there dumbfounded, watching as his group deserted him, cursing inwardly about the unreliability of his fellow vigers. A wild boss had lured them away. It would have been better to invite me along to watch the excitement than to leave me here alone! Was it because they were worried about having to look after me??? Feeling resigned, Lu Ran thought for a moment, decided not to order food, and followed the crowd out the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go see, although it feels like it¡¯s already toote.¡± ¡­ Teleportation za, public secret realm, Thousand Rocks Mountain Range. This is a public map restricted to apprentice beastmasters. Since the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range doesn¡¯t have any special leveling spots or fixed resources, it isn¡¯t upied by any officials or major guilds. It only asionally spawns rare species. At the Teleportation za, people continuously spent crystal coins to teleport into the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range. Although many knew they had little chance of securing the final blow on the public boss, the excitement drew them. Many were willing to spend 100 crystal coins just for the thrill of the event. The Lu Vige group had already sprinted inside, seemingly with actual ns of battling for the creature. Following behind, Lu Ran also arrived at the Teleportation za, driven by a simr curiosity. After all, the news had spread, and for all he knew, the boss might have already been defeated a hundred times. Lu Ran was willing to join the crowd mainly because the entry fee for the public secret realm was very low, and although it was difficult to find unimed treasures there, it wasn¡¯t due to ack of resources. In fact, this realm often had more resources than ordinary secret realms. However, with more beastmasters entering, resources per person dwindled, akin to bandits passing through and taking everything. He might as well have challenged an ordinary secret realm. Upon entering the secret realm, Lu Ran followed the crowd and quickly arrived at the scene. Surprisingly, there weren¡¯t hordes of people frantically fighting over the boss as he had expected. And indeed, the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion was still alive and well. ¡°Is it not over yet?¡± Lu Ran, with sharp eyes, spotted the recently arrived Lu Vige team and squeezed over, asking, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± He looked towards the open space and saw at the center a dark red scorpion that was six to seven meters long. The dragon tail scorpion was significantlyrger than any creature Lu Ran had encountered in previous secret realms. Name: Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion Attribute: Rock Species Level: Lower Commander Level Growth Level: Level 11 At that moment, the dragon tail scorpion was confronting a team of people, and the surrounding beastmasters seemed hesitant to engage due to this team¡¯s presence. ¡°Why are you here too? Well, it¡¯s good to watch the excitement,¡± Lu Bing said. ¡°It¡¯s the Star Cluster Guild. It seems they were the first to discover this scorpion. Because of them, others are hesitant to step in, but it looks like they can¡¯t handle it alone.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll all have a chance once they give up.¡± At this time, the five people confronting the scorpion wore clothing marked with a six-pointed star, signifying their identity. Lu Ran looked on silently, not because of the symbol, but because one of the fighters was none other than Pluto. He was currentlymanding a Thunder Eagle in the sky, continuously striking the scorpion with electric shocks. However, the scorpion seemed immune to the lightning, as the Golden Lightning couldn¡¯t breach its defense. ¡°Argh!!!¡± the dragon tail scorpion rasped, breaking free from the electric light with a fierce re. ¡°Damn it!¡± Pluto from the Star Cluster Guild cursed loudly. What¡¯s wrong with this scorpion? The other four, less powerful than Pluto, had pet beasts that could only inflict limited damage on the scorpion. Moreover, due to the fear of the scorpion¡¯s power, they dared not get too close. And the scorpion, wary of the hundreds of spectators around, had not dared to make any rash moves, mostly defending passively, fearing that an offensive move might provoke a collective attack from the crowd. Both parties were at a stalemate. ¡°Pluto, can you handle it or not? Just give up and let everyone join in. We¡¯ll wear it down. Who gets thest hit is all up to luck,¡± shouted a beastmaster from another guild amidst the crowd. Pluto ignored the other party¡¯sments. ¡°This scorpion is really formidable!¡± Meanwhile, Lu Yi remarked, ¡°Pluto¡¯s Thunder Eagle ranks second on the divine beast leaderboard, and itsbat power might be the best among the neers, yet it still can¡¯t break through the defense.¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s not a Dragon-type, that Dragon Tail Scorpion still has some Dragon Blood. Creatures from the Dragon species have very strong physical defenses and energy resistance,¡± Lu Bing exined. ¡°Fortunately, this Dragon Tail Scorpion seems a bit fearful and hasn¡¯t counterattacked; otherwise, just looking at its tail dripping with venom, it seems like it could give the Star Cluster Guild quite a trouble.¡± Everyone acknowledged the difficulty posed by the Dragon Tail Scorpion¡ªa level 11 lowermander species creature. For the neers entering the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range, it is definitely a formidable boss. It would probably take a group of several dozen people to slowly wear it down. However, such a scenario was thest thing Pluto wanted to see. After all, he was the first to discover it¡ªwhy should he just hand it over! Now, everyone was wary of the Star Cluster Guild¡¯s reputation and didn¡¯t challenge Pluto, but as time passed, Pluto also felt embarrassed; he couldn¡¯t defeat it, yet he was reluctant to let others take over, which would make him look foolish. Just as Pluto was feeling frustrated, he suddenly received a message. Passerby A: Brother, you seem to be in trouble? Can¡¯t defeat this scorpion? If it had been someone else, Pluto would have ignored it, but this person was Passerby A, who ranked above him on the divine beast leaderboard, so he couldn¡¯t just brush it off. He quickly scanned the surroundings and indeed spotted Lu Ran also watching the scene. Without showing his annoyance, Pluto replied: Our guild¡¯s beastmasters will be here soon. We¡¯ll wear it down, no need for you to worry. If the apprentice beastmasters in a guild can¡¯t take down this Dragon Tail Scorpion¡­ well, we¡¯ll see about that. Passerby A: Brother, you can¡¯t handle it, huh? Can¡¯t even solo a lowermander, and you still want topete with me? Pluto was infuriated by these sarcastic remarks. There was not only a level difference but also a species difference. Pluto: What do you mean by that? You think you can defeat it? Passerby A: I could give it a try. Don¡¯t we have a wager? If I win against you, you owe me a Thunder Awakening Fruit. How about we change the terms a bit? If I can solo this Dragon Tail Scorpion, wouldn¡¯t that prove I am better than you? Afterward, you¡¯ll give me the Thunder Awakening Fruit as promised, and I¡¯ll take whatever the Dragon Tail Scorpion drops. Just don¡¯t give me any trouble once it¡¯s done. Pluto: Damn. He had never seen someone so shamelessly bold before! Pluto couldn¡¯t help butugh in frustration. Lu Ran, with just a middle supernatural snowfield dog, thought he could solo a lowermander species creature with Dragon Blood? Pluto gritted his teeth: Fine, go ahead. I really want to see if you can beat it. If Lu Ran suddenlyes out and fails, at least Pluto would have saved face. At that moment, when Pluto actually agreed, Lu Ran was momentarily stunned. Did his casual inquiry really work? The next moment, he broke into an audacious grin. Alright, looks like there¡¯s something to gain here. Since Pluto, the person directly involved, had agreed, Lu Ran felt no pressure about stealing the kill. If it were another guild fighting the boss, he really wouldn¡¯t dare to interfere, but with Pluto¡­ it¡¯s a different story. This Dragon Tail Scorpion¡­ its defense is indeed impressive, but Lu Ran felt that it was more about Pluto¡¯s attacks being too weak. That Golden Lightning seemed barely a fraction as powerful as a storm sh. That makes sense, after all, one is just an ordinary skill, while the other costs General Ha all its teeth¡­ no rookie would dare to y like that. ¡°Better disguise myself.¡± Seeing so many people around, Lu Ran felt it might be troublesome to just go out there. He didn¡¯t want to be famous in Infinite City, afraid of being harassed on the streetster. He pondered for a moment, then pulled a ck windproof mask from his backpack and put it on his face, covering what he could. ¡°Uh, Lu Ran, what are you doing?¡± At this moment, Lu Bing noticed Lu Ran putting on the mask, and asked in confusion. Chapter 65: He is Passerby A Chapter 65: He is Passerby A ¡°There¡¯s nothing to it, I just had a private chat with Pluto, and it agreed to let me give it a try,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°The battle¡­ will raise quite a dust, so wear a mask.¡± The boss of the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm is a middlemander and even has a weapon, undoubtedly stronger, but this Dragon Tail Scorpion seems like a good preliminary test. ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Bing¡¯s eyes shed. What is Lu Ran babbling about¡­ Lu Bing understood every word Lu Ran had said just now. However, when put together, they somehow gave her a strange feeling. At this moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t exin anything and just walked straight out of the crowd under the bewildered gaze of the Lu Vige team. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Lu Bing called out, but didn¡¯t manage to stop Lu Ran.The star cluster guild has decent strength and a good reputation, and since Pluto said he was the first to find the boss, everyone was willing to give him a chance. Let¡¯s wait and see. However, as Lu Ran entered the battle area, the beastmasters observing were slightly taken aback. Who is he? Everyone looked over and realized that they didn¡¯t recognize Lu Ran. ¡°Is he a mercenary from the star cluster guild?¡± someone suggested. ¡°It couldn¡¯t possibly be someone here to steal the boss, it must be a mercenary.¡± After all, which neer would be foolish enough topete with the star cluster guild for a boss, a meremander species boss at that. If he really had that kind of strength, he could just as well challenge an abyss level secret realm. ¡°You,e here,¡± Pluto said to him gruffly at that moment. ¡°Heh, watch closely,¡± Lu Ran replied with unfazed calm. Following the brief exchange between Pluto and Lu Ran, everyone settled down. So he wasn¡¯t here to steal the boss, and the two knew each other! But it didn¡¯t seem quite like he was a mercenary. If he were a mercenary, wouldn¡¯t there be more than just one person? Especially since Pluto¡¯s Thunder Eagle was only doing limited damage to the Dragon Tail Scorpion. To defeat this Dragon Tail Scorpion, which was out of their league, it would normally take a dozen people taking turns attacking. ¡°What¡¯s going on, he really does know Pluto,¡± the Lu Vige team murmured among themselves, feeling more and more confused as the situation unfolded. So Lu Ran really had a private chat with Pluto earlier? Was he really asked by Pluto to step in? ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but why do I feel that this little brother Lu Ran is not someone simple¡­¡± ¡°Did we underestimate him just now? Could he possibly be some big shot¡­¡± Lu Bing¡¯s words left everyone stunned. They all started considering the possibility, their expressions changing continuously. Could it be that the grandson of Vige Chief Lu Hai is really some big shot? If that¡¯s true, then it¡¯s really something. No, it must be! Otherwise, why would Pluto call out to him! At this moment, Lu Ran had already taken out his ck card and started the pet beast summoning process. The ck card emitted a glow, and a huge circr summoning circle appeared in front of Lu Ran, apanied by a fierce wind. Following the burst of light, there came a thunderous wolf howl. ¡°Owoooo¡± With this howl, everyone saw an Erha appear on the summoning circle amidst the light. Even though this Erha was sturdy and looked stern, it was undeniably still an Erha. This scene left many people in shock for a moment. That¡¯s not it! After all this time calling for backup, Pluto summoned a beastmaster who just brought out an Erha? ¡°Wait!¡± Among the crowd, there were some who understood, and suddenly, someone seemed to realize something. Their minds raced. ¡°Husky, snowfield dog, someone whom Pluto would address with ¡®youe,¡¯ could it be¡ª¡± Someone guessed something, appearing incredulous as they figured out Lu Ran¡¯s identity. Could it be him? As General Ha finished its howl, the air around it erupted violently. An icy blue whirlwind swirled around it, and it held a sword made entirely of wind in its mouth, looking indifferently at the Dragon Tail Scorpion. Dog carrying sword! Those around who saw this iconic image of the dog carrying sword, well-known yet never before seen in Infinite City No.3, instantly widened their eyes. At this moment, they could finally confirm Lu Ran¡¯s identity. A name shed through everyone¡¯s minds. ¡°He¡¯s Passerby A!¡± someone immediately shouted. This name undoubtedly held great power. Number one on the divine beast leaderboard of Infinite City No.3, the one who even overshadowed Pluto, that Passerby A! ¡°Turns out it¡¯s him.¡± ¡°Is it really Passerby A?¡± ¡°Is this his first public appearance?¡± ¡°Is it the real deal?¡± ¡°Why is he here, and why is he helping Star Cluster?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s probably not just support. Look at Pluto¡¯s expression¡ªthere must be some major scoop.¡± People were buzzing with spection. Meanwhile, the four from Lu Vige, upon seeing the dog carrying sword, were also shocked. Damn, is he really a big shot? And not just any big shot, but one beyond imagination. It should have been obvious¡ªit¡¯s Passerby A! ¡°Lu Ran¡­ Passerby A, oh my god,¡± Lu Dingding eximed in shock. ¡°An unforeseen path¡­¡± Little Wu said nkly. Don¡¯t joke with us. Just moments ago, they were talking about leveling up Lu Ran. If Lu Ran is Passerby A, wouldn¡¯t that be absurd? Who in Infinite City No.3 doesn¡¯t know that Passerby A is a mysteriously powerful figure? ¡°We were so wrong,¡± Lu Yi said speechlessly. Lu Bing also stood by, silent. Who could have imagined that a random fellow viger they met would be such a formidable figure? At any rate, people were finally understanding the situation. A boss that even Pluto couldn¡¯t handle, Passerby A seemed ready to give it a try! Can he do it? Beastmasters from various factions held their breath. At this moment, General Ha¡¯s formidable aura was also emanating. The lowermander species, the Dragon Tail Scorpion, instantly turned towards General Ha as if facing a formidable enemy, sensing this creature was more threatening than others. ¡°Yaaa!!!¡± It roared in intimidation. But General Ha disregarded it with contempt. The stream of wind that enveloped its entire body began to rapidly converge towards the Sword of Wind held in its mouth. Before long, a tremendous amount of energy was beingpressed at General Ha¡¯s mouth. Humming vibrated through the air. In an instant, the Sword of Wind trembled like a storm and rapidly transformed into an ice-blue color, bing a Blizzard Sword! The moment the sword formed, although General Ha wasn¡¯t of the ice species, the aura it emitted instantly froze the ground around it with ayer of frost. A cold wind blew over. ¡°Yaaa!!!¡± In that moment, the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion sensed an ever-increasing dangerous aura and finallyunched an attack. Its tail whipped around, sending huge dark purple rock spikes flying directly towards General Ha. ¡°Dodge and then Storm sh,¡± Lu Ranmanded. Their calm demeanor made the bystanders uncertain about the situation. But in the next moment, the spectators all widened their eyes. Whoosh¡ª General Ha leaped into the air, dodging the rock spikes that then hit the ground, turning it gray. Meanwhile, in mid-air, General Ha burst forth with an even more terrifying aura. Sharp as a sword. In just an instant, the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion felt as if it had been dragged into a blizzard, unbearably cold; its body stiffened, swaying in terror, and it struggled to create a semi-circr rock wall in an attempt to protect itself. ¡°The Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion is scared!¡± someone eximed in disbelief. What was it afraid of? People were about to find out. In the sky, swish¡ª With a shake of its head, General Ha unleashed a dazzling ice-blue sword qi about ten meters long. The appearance of this sword qi made the beastmasters present feel the temperature drop several degrees, bringing an intense chill. What was even more terrifying was the power of this sword qi¡­ Forming in an instant, it fell like a meteor, directly targeting the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion. The astonishing sword light almost instantly devoured the rock wall created by the scorpion, grinding it into a cloud of stone debris. Under the horrified heart of the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion, the terrifying sword qi descended upon it! A loud boom changed Pluto¡¯s expression. At this moment, the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion felt as if countless ice and wind des were shing it mercilessly. In just a few seconds, its hard body couldn¡¯t withstand the power of the sword qi, beginning to crack and split, and within those cracks,yers of frost formed. Boom, boom, boom. The sword qi continued to crush. By the time people reacted, the husky had alreadynded, tightly closing its mouth, with the Sword of Wind also having dissipated. After this single move, it turned and left. In its ce, a ten-meter-long fissure appeared on the ground, and as for the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion, it was nowhere to be seen, seemingly chopped into the depths of the earth! This scene left the spectators in prolonged silence. Nearby, Pluto and its Thunder Eagle were so shocked that they seemed to have something stuck in their throats, rendering them speechless. ¡°Are you kidding me?! It¡¯s over just like that?!¡± Pluto internally screamed. From start to finish, it was incredibly fast. Lu Ran and his pet beast had only used one move, and the boss was instantly gone! It left people unable to react. How could this be? How is it possible? For those witnessing the dog carrying a sword for the first time, it started to make them question their own lives. What just happened with that move?! Some experienced beastmasters, who had a good eye, recognized the technique used in that move, which only added to their shock. If they were not mistaken, that move was a perfectbination of the four advanced skills: energy flow, energy shaping, energypression, and energy release. How could a neer possibly master such skills? Meanwhile, Lu Ran, indifferent to what others thought, listened to the system¡¯s announcements. ¡°Congrattions on defeating the Red Rock Dragon Tail Scorpion.¡± ¡°Congrattions on acquiring a rare resource, a wed Dragon Blood Crystal.¡± ¡°Congrattions on acquiring advanced resources, Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Lu Ran said without showing any joy. He turned to the stunned Pluto and reminded, ¡°Pluto, don¡¯t forget about our bet.¡± With that, he pulled out a ck card, collected General Ha¡ªwho was trying hard not to bleed from the mouth or lose teeth¡ªand nned to rush back for its treatment. Now, General Ha had two types of Storm sh. One was the ordinary Storm sh, which involvedpressing the sword qi five times¡ªa level its high-quality teeth could withstand. The move General Ha had just released was the Extreme Storm sh, whichpressed the sword qi ten times, resulting in a significant qualitative change. None of its high-quality teeth were spared from damage. This was the result of a week¡¯s practice by General Ha, coupled with continuous healing from the divine deer pendant, pushing energypression to its limit. Though it was a harsh ordeal, the spoils were excellent. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± With those words, Lu Ran turned and left, leaving behind only a mysterious and unfathomable figure. It was only after Lu Ran hadpletely teleported out of the secret realm that the onlookers finally came to their senses. ¡°Holy crap!!!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the vast crevice cleaved by the sword qi. ¡°That¡¯s Passerby A himself, no mistake! ¡°Passerby A is awesome!¡± ¡°Damn, he¡¯s really strong. What does he look like again? I¡¯d like to cozy up to him if we meet in Infinite City No.3.¡± ¡°No, no idea, he seemed to be wearing a mask. Damn it!¡± At this moment, the folks from Lu Vige were also slightly agape, exchanging looks, fullying to terms with the reality. ¡°Lu Ran really is Passerby A¡­¡± ¡°Besides the top spot on the divine beast leaderboard, who else could cause such destruction?¡­ Truly worthy of being the vige chief¡¯s grandson¡­¡± They were somewhat shocked inside. Just moments ago, they were still saying that Pluto might be the strongest neer in Infinite City No.3. Now, having seen Lu Ran in action, they realized that Pluto and the Thunder Eagle were nothing inparison. Pluto and the Thunder Eagle had exerted tremendous effort and only managed to paralyze the Dragon Tail Scorpion slightly. But when Lu Ran made his move, it was just as he had said¡ªthings were bound to get messy¡­ ¡°Captain, what¡¯s the situation?¡± At this moment, the members of Pluto¡¯s beast taming squad stared nkly at him, asking what was going on. After all, from the earlier conversation, it was Pluto who had asked Lu Ran to make a move. This couldn¡¯t be considered Passerby A stealing the boss, right? ¡°Damn! What¡¯s the situation! Let¡¯s go, we¡¯re heading back!¡± At this moment, Pluto was still far from calm. He angrily threw the recovery potion he was holding to the ground, furious. Thinking about the bet with Lu Ran made his stomach churn. That sword strike had terrified him, instantly dispelling any thoughts ofpeting with Lu Ran. He even began to doubt whether Lu Ran was really a neer. Now that the boss had been taken by Lu Ran, he would also have to give up an awakening fruitter. What a disaster! Who in the world is this guy¡­ Chapter 66: The Second Version Update Chapter 66: The Second Version Update At this moment. Although Lu Ran really wanted to first reim the bet from Pluto. And he also wanted to add some friends from his hometown. However, considering General Ha¡¯s recoil damage, Lu Ran had no choice but to leave in a seemingly carefree manner after defeating the boss. It couldn¡¯t be helped. He couldn¡¯t let his own pet beast suffer for too long. Lu Ran quickly returned to his private room and hurriedly took out the Divine Deer pendant to summon General Ha for treatment. ¡°Whimper, whimper.¡± A momentter, under a golden-green glow, General Ha was restored to its original state, even regrowing a new set of teeth. ¡°Woof!¡± It covered its mouth, asking how its performance had been just now.¡°Not bad,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°As I expected, the Extreme Storm sh can kill an enemy of a higher species level without even using a weapon. Lu Ran had already made some assessments of General Ha¡¯s skill damages. ¡°ording to the strategy provided by Dr. Gu, the boss in the abandoned research institute has high defense, high attack, and low speed, and is equipped with a rare weapon. It¡¯s a war machine bred by the Beast Taming Empire, a super experimental subject, much tougher than the Dragon Tail Scorpion. Although we easily dealt with the Dragon Tail Scorpion, it only proves that we are just qualified to challenge the Demon Bull Commander.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nced sideways, here ites again¡­ it slumped down, really tired, hoping that the bull would be easier to fight, and not cause it to lose too many teeth, otherwise, it would definitely eat steaks for a month as revenge. Lu Ran chuckled and began to check the materials that had just dropped. Name: wed Dragon Blood Crystal Level: Rare Introduction: A Dragon Blood Crystal with diluted power. Consuming it can greatly enhance vitality, with better effects the closer the species is to Dragon. ¡°This is amazing¡­ the first time a rare material has dropped! I wonder what the specific effects are! Are wild bosses this generous?¡± Lu Ran was delighted. This counts as a Dragon-type material, right? For Lu Ran, who wanted to cultivate a Dragon-type pet beast, this item was extremely valuable. He continued to look at the next material. Name: Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle Level: Advanced Introduction: Contains a special toxin that petrifies flesh and energy. ¡°This thing¡­¡± The Dragon Blood Crystal felt perfect to Lu Ran, enhancing vitality in a way that seemed beneficial for any pet beast. However, the Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle seemed to be directly linked to poison-type, which made Lu Ran ponder for a moment before his eyes lit up. Fang Lan¡¯s birthday wasing up soon. Lu Ran originally nned to tackle a dungeon, hoping to obtain a poison-type beast taming skill as a birthday gift for Fang Lan. But the drop rate of wind-type beast taming skills in the Mantis Jungle secret realm had been disheartening. After a week of grinding for an SSS rating, not a single skill card had dropped, and Lu Ran felt that his luck might not be enough to get the right birthday gift for Fang Lan. Now, this Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle seemed toe at the perfect time. It would make an excellent birthday gift, especially since she was currently researching poison-type. ¡°This wild boss was a good pick!¡± Lu Ran felt pleased with himself for following the lead. After collecting the resources, he looked over at General Ha, who still seemed dazed from the Extreme Storm sh. Seeing this, Lu Ran quickly stored it back into the ck card to let it rest. He then swiftly opened hismunication device and sent a private message to Pluto: ¡°Let me know when the thunder-type awakening fruit is ready, and I¡¯lle to pick it up.¡± Not long after sending the message, Pluto replied: ¡°A bet is a bet,e to the star cluster guild¡¯s base, and I¡¯ll hand it to you.¡± Lu Ran was surprised by Pluto¡¯s response. Online, super-rich heirs were often described as arrogant and domineering, but Pluto seemed reasonable and even endearingly straightforward. His willingness to honor the bet made Lu Ran more inclined to gamble with him in the future. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll make a trip to the star cluster guild¡¯s base.¡± Lu Ran knew where the star cluster guild¡¯s base was located. After getting ready, he set off. The guild¡¯s base looked like a pentagon-shaped building, quite luxurious and clearly well-funded. Upon arrival, Lu Ran immediately messaged Pluto toe out. A momentter, a displeased Pluto emerged from the guild building and approached Lu Ran, saying, ¡°Here¡¯s your fruit.¡± He then pulled out a blue durian-like thunder-type awakening fruit and tossed it to Lu Ran. ¡°Damn,¡± Lu Ran caught it awkwardly, getting pricked in the process, though his high defense mitigated the pain. ¡°With that throw, you seem a bit resentful,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at Pluto with a smile. ¡°Think what you will,¡± Pluto took a deep breath and said, ¡°My older brother is in the guild, and he wants to meet you.¡± ¡°Star?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression flickered. Star, the guild leader of the star cluster guild, a regr on the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard, and a standout among second-generation beastmasters. ¡°Sure.¡± Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t know why the other party wanted to see him, it didn¡¯t seem right to just walk away after besting his younger brother. Lu Ran was curious to see what this was about. After all, he had Dr. Gu¡¯s backing, so it was unlikely that Star was looking for trouble. ¡°Then follow me.¡± Pluto pursed his lips, still puzzled by Lu Ran¡¯s formidable strength. It was also unclear which major power Lu Ran was affiliated with. Lu Ran smiled and followed closely behind. Soon after, Pluto led Lu Ran into the inner sanctum of the star cluster guild, directly to the guild leader¡¯s private room. ¡°Brother, I¡¯ve brought Passerby A,¡± Pluto announced as he opened the door to a young man sitting behind a desk. This young man was dressed in a purplebat suit and sported a spiky hairstyle, exuding an aura of authority despite his youth. ¡°Hmm.¡± At this moment, Star looked up, put down the documents in his hand, and turned his attention to Lu Ran. ¡°Passerby A, I know all about the bet you made with my brother. You¡¯re quite impressive, much better than him. Have you ever thought about joining the star cluster guild?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve looked into you. You haven¡¯t joined any organizations and are currently a free agent, right?¡± Star stood up and extended an invitation. Lu Ran was taken aback. So this was what the meeting was about. Lu Ran replied apologetically, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve already been spoken for, so I probably can¡¯t join the star cluster guild. Who?¡± Star frowned. He had only found out that Lu Ran hadn¡¯t joined any forces, but he hadn¡¯t been able to determine who was backing Lu Ran. ¡°Ah, is that something I can say?¡± Lu Ran pondered, ¡°Anyway, she has arranged everything for me, so I definitely can¡¯t join the star cluster guild. Guild leader Star, you might want to let this go.¡± ¡°As for who it is, I can¡¯t say.¡± Star took a deep breath, but just then, he received a message. Gu Qingyi: The real estate agent, heard that Passerby A snatched the wild map boss discovered by your guild. Just admit it, this is my person. Star: !!! Star was originally angry that Lu Ran was being mysterious and elusive, and as apetent beastmaster, he refused to acknowledge anyone easily. However, the arrival of this message changed his expression to one of dismay, realizing that recruiting Passerby A was an impossible task now. It turned out to be Gu Qingyi¡¯s person¡­ That woman could bankrupt their group with just one word, a formidable figure indeed. ¡°Alright then.¡± Star said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I won¡¯t insist.¡± ¡°I know who you are talking about now, favored by Dr. Gu¡­ But given your performance, it¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. He hadn¡¯t said anything, yet this expressionless man had guessed that Gu Qingyi was his backer. Beside him, Pluto¡¯s expression stiffened upon hearing who was backing Lu Ran. Dr. Gu Qingyi, known as the Dragon Tamer, one of the twelve branches of the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance, and a top ten powerhouse in Xia Country?! Lu Ran was her person?! Pluto¡¯s expression changed continuously, as if he finally understood why he had lost so miserably. ¡°Forget it.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t know how the other party had found out, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore. He said, ¡°Guild Leader Star, is there anything else? If not, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Nothing else.¡± Star sighed, the foundation of the Star Cluster Guild, and those original dozen or so members, still couldn¡¯tpare. ¡°Pluto, walk Passerby A out, and you two could stand tomunicate more in the future.¡± he instructed. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Pluto reluctantly agreed, while Lu Ran was cheerful. However, just as the two were about to leave together, suddenly, something unexpected happened. Every beastmaster in all the Infinite Cities around the world, at that moment, simultaneously heard a voice. The appearance of this voice changed the expressions of Lu Ran, Pluto, and Star, all showing surprised looks. The system detected that the number of beastmasters who passed the novice trial has reached one million. Nowmencing the second update¡­ Global Evolution now activated. Effective immediately, within the range of Blue Star, natural energy will massively revive. All uncontracted animals and nts globally can now freely evolve and level up without the constraints of Infinite City. Next update milestone: When the number of beastmasters reaches ten million. After the system announcement, silence lingered in the guild leader¡¯s room of the Star Cluster Guild. ¡°Spiritual energy revival, global evolution?¡± Pluto regained his senses after a few seconds, incredulous. ¡°It seems so¡­¡± Lu Ran also furrowed his brows. ¡°Does this mean that wild fierce beasts, and even the cockroaches in the kitchen, if not contracted by a beastmaster, can also evolve into supernatural beings?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression shifted. He immediately thought of that strange dream he had. Wait, with global evolution, if the wild fierce beasts all be supernatural beings, could they pose a threat to human cities? Humans were once the overlords of Blue Star, but now, if wild animals gain the ability to evolve and level up infinitely, they might soon be impervious to firearms. By then, even if human civilization isn¡¯t destroyed, it would surely plunge into chaos. ¡°I thought the second update would still add new facilities to Infinite City, but I didn¡¯t expect Infinite City to actually be able to control the changes on Blue Star¡­¡± Pluto said, bewildered. ¡°Brother, what do you think? Is this update good or bad?¡± Star, the guild leader, was still deep in thought, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The existing social structures will definitely be impacted with the resurgence of spiritual energy on Blue Star, especially in remote areas far from major cities, which could be very dangerous.¡± ¡°However, on the other hand, it will be easier for beastmasters to find exceptional pet beasts in the future, as all global animals can now evolve autonomously. Beastmasters won¡¯t have to actively select them anymore¡­ ¡°Wait¡­ ¡°The evolution has already started.¡± ¡°I just got contacted that a space rift suddenly opened outside the atmosphere, dropping a nine-colored meteorite towards the ocean. A vast amount of natural energy is beginning to surge from various parts of the world. Satellite monitoring has detected that animals and nts are already starting to mutate wildly¡­¡± Chapter 67: The Resurgence of Spiritual Energy Chapter 67: The Resurgence of Spiritual Energy As the guild leader finished speaking, both Lu Ran and Pluto fell into silence. It seemed that this update was too absurd. They looked at each other, unsure of what to think. Such a globally disruptive event was beyond theirprehension, especially as apprentice beastmasters. Their strength was not yet sufficient to fully grasp the implications, and their first concern was their immediate surroundings. ¡°I should get going,¡± Lu Ran finally said. He had nned to leave before, but the update had dyed him. Now, he was even more eager to leave. He wanted to return to Blue Star to see what the world had be. He wondered if the monsters from his dreams were now attacking cities.He hoped not¡­ In Lu Ran¡¯s dreams, some monsters were as tall as dozens of meters, with immense strength, capable of destroyingrge buildings with a single breath, simr to divine beasts. Even now, General Ha did not possess such power. At best, it could demolish a small house, nowhere near the catastrophic beasts that overshadowed the sun in his dreams. Although Infinite City had initiated global evolution, it seemed unreasonable for the animals and nts to evolve so rapidly. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go too,¡± said the guild leader, also eager to return to Blue Star. He then spoke to Pluto. The three left the Star Cluster Guild together. As Lu Ran headed to his private room, he pondered continuously. The beastmasters of Infinite City were also in deep discussion, with people teleporting away every moment. Originally, the hottest topic in Infinite City No.3 would have been Passerby A, who instantly defeated a lower leader, disying immense strength and conquering a wild boss. But now, with the announcement from Infinite City, no one mentioned that anymore. A rookie¡¯s performance was trivialpared to the global upheaval. ¡°The official exnation is that Infinite City is a facility left by a super-ancient civilization to train beastmasters. ¡°Now, this facility is not only training humans but is also elerating the evolution of uncontracted wild beasts in the wild.¡± ¡°This could potentially impact human society.¡± ¡°Does this mean that Infinite City is not entirely on the side of humanity?¡± ¡°But if we must find a rationale, it¡¯s not impossible. Born in adversity and dying infort, only when external pressures are sufficiently high will countries pay more attention to the upation of beastmasters.¡± ¡°Furthermore, the evolution of global flora and fauna can provide beastmasters with higher quality pet beasts and richer resources. ¡°Or perhaps, the resurgence of spiritual energy was inevitable, and Infinite City merely elerated this process, aligning itself with the broader trends of the world.¡± Lu Ran thought a lot on his way and soon reached his private room. Without hesitation, he teleported back to Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Just as he arrived at Rainbow Heaven Dojo, Lu Ran heard chaotic noises inside. Thump, thump, thump! ¡°Is Junior Brother Lu Ran in his room??¡± Senior Brother He Dali knocked and called out. ¡°I¡¯m here! What¡¯s up?¡± Lu Ran responded. ¡°There was a minor earthquake nearby just now; just checking to see how things are on your end. If you¡¯re okay, I¡¯ll be on my way,¡± Senior Brother He said. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Lu Ran replied, then he took out his cellphone. At that moment, his phone began to continuously pop up with news alerts. ¡°Mysterious Nine-Colored Meteorite Falls from the Sky, Crashes into the Pacific Ocean¡ªWhat¡¯s Its Connection to Infinite City?¡± ¡°Tests reveal a surge of natural energy around the world, with the deepest oceans and the Amazon rainforest showing the highest concentrations, far from human poptions. Cities containparatively less natural energy.¡± ¡°Giant Heavenly Tree Spotted on Mount Changbai, Possibly Sheltering Prehistoric Beasts¡ªTourists Capture Footage of a Nearly Ten Meter Long Giant Tiger!¡± ¡°Pet Blogger¡¯s Live Stream Turns Tragic as Pet Mutates and Kills on Camera During Supernatural Evolution!¡± Simr news kept popping up, and in a short time, hundreds of such stories broke. Update! The impact of global evolution was proving to be far more significant than the arrival of the ck card and the dawn of the age of beast taming. Among these, one piece of news made Lu Ran¡¯s heart skip a beat; he quickly clicked on it, relieved to find it was a male blogger. Lu Ran quickly called Fang Lan. The phone was picked up instantly. ¡°Fang Lan, what¡¯s your situation? I just came from Infinite City, and Infinite City has initiated its second¡­¡± Fang Lan: ¡°I¡­ I know all this already! I¡¯m really busy right now. Several of my pets have suddenly awakened supernatural powers. What should I do?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°Damn, are you okay? I just saw on the news that some people were bitten to death by their own pets.¡± Fang Lan: ¡°What could happen to me? Together, they can¡¯t even beat Xian. It¡¯s just a bit shocking at the moment¡­ You understand, right?¡± It seemed Fang Lan was still outside, in her own room. Fang Lan: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re all quite friendly with me. I can control them. How are things on your end?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°Nothing much on my side. I¡¯m still in Jinling. We have the Beast Taming Edifice stationed here, so even if there¡¯s a bit of chaos, it should be under control soon.¡± Fang Lan: ¡°Okay, stay safe. I need to hang up now. I¡¯ve got to sort out these little troublemakers!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s voice sounded excited over the phone. Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened. He couldn¡¯t help but feel she was rather pleased with this global evolution? After hanging up, Lu Ran pondered. Well then, with all these animals evolving and the demand for awakening leaves and even more superior resources likely dropping, what now? Thinking this, Lu Ran quickly looked for Sudden Death King. The creature was still sleeping. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran observed Sudden Death King and noticed something different. It seemed that Sudden Death King had grown significantlyrger, now about the size of a small arm. It appeared that the resurgence of spiritual energy had even nourished Sudden Death King in its sleep. ¡°Sudden Death King, wake up!¡± Lu Ran called out to it. It slowly and groggily opened its eyes. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± ¡°Stop sleeping, get ready. We¡¯re heading back to Green Sea City soon.¡± Lu Ran was still concerned about the situation in Green Sea City. Jinling, being a metropolis with strong armed forces, had a lower security risk, but Green Sea City was a different story. ¡°Here, eat this first.¡± Lu Ran took out a thunder attribute awakening fruit, recently obtained from Pluto, and tossed it to Sudden Death King. ¡°Wow ka?¡± Eyeing the blue fruit, Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes lit up, sensing an enticing aroma. As amitted carnivore, there weren¡¯t many fruits that could pique its interest. ¡°Wow ka!¡± Sudden Death King first thanked Lu Ran for the food, and then, like a whirlwind, it spun around the thunder awakening fruit with great speed. In the blink of an eye, half of the fruit had vanished. It sped up for another round, and the fruit disappearedpletely. Feeling full, it sprawled on the floor like a couch potato,pletely at ease. But the next moment, Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes widened. Crackle and pop. Blue and white electricity suddenly burst from its body. The intense awakening currents startled Sudden Death King, making it think it might actually explode. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± Lu Ran said while observing it and pulling out his phone. In the glow of the blue and white electric light, Sudden Death King looked spectacr, like a mini giant dragon bathed in thunder, though it would have looked even better without the panicked expression. Meanwhile, Lu Ran had connected a call with Xiaobailong¡¯s boss, Zhao Chen. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± Zhao Chen sounded tired, obviously busy, but he chose to answer after recognizing the caller. ¡°Uncle Zhao, I just got back from Infinite City. What¡¯s the situation in other ces?¡± ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t need to worry. Although wild animals are mutating and evolving everywhere, the degree of evolution varies. The wild animals near cities are not evolving as dramatically as those in remote mountains and forests. Thetter won¡¯t pose a threat to cities in the short term, and local authorities are immediately controlling the situation with the former.¡± ¡°How is Green Sea City doing right now?¡± ¡°Green Sea City¡­ is pretty much the same as other cities.¡± ¡°There have been reports to the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice of four creatures with significant mutations and evolution. They might be due to their innate talents or some unusual encounters, but in any case, their strength far surpasses other evolved species.¡± ¡°The natural energy surges are unpredictable, affecting not only animals but also nts. Some nts have evolved into resources, including some rare ones. Creatures that consume these resources, or are exposed to more natural energy, initially undergo significant evolutions. Inparison to pet beasts, some may even surpass level 10!¡± ¡°The ones I mentioned are suspected to have evolved beyond level 10.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry, the armed forces in Green Sea City are actively monitoring those four ferocious beasts to prevent them from going berserk. Even with their massive evolution, they probably still can¡¯t match firearms.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ some of the ferocious beasts located in busy areas¡­ are more difficult to deal with.¡± ¡°What kinds of ferocious beasts are they?¡± Lu Ran asked. Zhao Chen responded, ¡°Let me see¡­ There¡¯s a stray cat that has evolved to the size of a tiger and has even organized a group of other supernatural stray cats, numbering over a dozen. They have taken over a seafood market, which is tricky to handle since there are still vendors inside, and the area is surrounded by heavy pedestrian traffic.¡± ¡°In Qingwu Lake, there¡¯s a sighting of a giant turtle, exceptionallyrge, but it only surfaced briefly before retreating back into theke.¡± ¡°Over the city, a vast swarm of crows has been seen, with a lead crow that appears to have awakened to the dark attribute, its sizeparable to an eagle.¡± ¡°And in the maple park of Green Sea, someone spotted a giant cricket about the size of a person. It devoured the greenery along a road clean and even attacked other beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts before flying into the mountains.¡± ¡°These four are currently suspected to be the creatures in Green Sea City with the most significant evolution¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wait!!¡± Lu Ran, after hearing Zhao Chen out, had a strange expression on his face. Darn it, he felt like he recognized these four ferocious creatures. ¡°Uncle Zhao, Brother Chen, can you contact Green Sea officials? Please do so as soon as possible. Ask them to try to avoid conflicts with these creatures but also to prevent them from harming people. I¡¯m heading back to Green Sea right now. I want to try and resolve this situation with these four mutated beasts properly.¡± ¡°Green Sea doesn¡¯t have first, second, or third-generation beastmasters, right? Relying on firearms is too prone to causing idental injuries, especially in the city.¡± ¡°You???¡± Lu Ran, with a wry smile, said, ¡°Uncle Zhao, do you doubt me?¡± If it were any other city, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t dare make such a im, but this is Green Sea! ¡°Not at all!¡± Zhao Chen sweated. Chapter 68: King of Green Sea Chapter 68: King of Green Sea Zhao Chen had no doubts about Lu Ran¡¯s capabilities, especially now that Lu Ran was ranked first on the divine beast leaderboard. Among the fourth-generation beastmasters, he was undoubtedly a powerhouse. Currently, Green Sea City only had fourth-generation beastmasters, no third-generation ones. With Lu Ran present, he was definitely the strongest. If Lu Ran couldn¡¯t handle these ferocious beasts, then the beastmasters of Green Sea City certainly couldn¡¯t either. While firearms could suppress these creatures, as Lu Ran had mentioned, they were too likely to cause idental injuries. Perhaps deploying beast taming technology could provide a more secure solution! ¡°Let me give it a try.¡± ¡°Rather than resorting to violence, I believe there should be a more peaceful solution,¡± Lu Ran said. Zhao Chen was silent for a moment, then responded, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get in touch with Green Sea City.¡± ¡°Do you need me to arrange a private jet to get you there quickly?¡±¡°Would that be possible? If so, thank you,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°By the way, could we have an experienced beastmaster from the Rainbow Heaven Dojoe over to take a look?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jinling is a major city, everything will be well arranged,¡± Zhao Chen assured. Lu Ran nodded, then turned his attention back to the Sudden Death King¡­ This creature was gradually getting used to the lightning, no longer as frightened, but rather astonished. ¡°Wow ka!¡± The Sudden Death King was surprised as it looked at theyer of electric energy oveying its body,pletely unexpected. It touched the flowers in the flowerpot, and the flowers were instantly scorched upon contact. Seeing this, the Sudden Death King was thrilled; it was truly powerful! With thisyer of electric protection, wouldn¡¯t anyone who touched it suffer a sudden death? ¡°Hehe,¡± Lu Ran smiled as he watched the Sudden Death King. ¡°How does it feel to have such power?¡± ¡°Wow ka!¡± The Sudden Death King nodded enthusiastically. ¡°When you have time, you might try shaping the electric energy covering your body into an electric scale armor, making it thicker, and perhaps adding more spikes to the armor. It¡¯s up to you. ¡°This way, your defense will be even stronger.¡± ¡°Go ahead and try; it¡¯s not difficult. Even General Ha can do it easily, so you should be able to, right?¡± Lu Ran posed the soul-searching question. Sudden Death King fell into deep thought. ¡°By the way, have you noticed? There¡¯s something in the air that can enhance your energy. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but species everywhere are evolving.¡± ¡°I just got news that in Green Sea City, crickets have evolved to be as tall as me. Hunting for food will be harder for you from now on. If you return to nature, you¡¯re likely to end up dead, eaten by predators¡­ So, if you don¡¯t want to die, follow my arrangements and strive to be stronger,¡± Lu Ran routinely intimidated the Sudden Death King. Sudden Death King widened its eyes, ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re kidding, right?¡± Green Sea City. Among the four major ferocious beasts reported by the public, the giant turtle was the most docile, still submerged like a sea monster at the bottom of Qingwu Lake. However, even though it remained quiet, the boating and other activities on Qingwu Lake were immediately halted to prevent idents involving tourists. Additionally, while a flock of crows flying over the city caused a moment of panic among the residents, they did not linger in the urban airspace for long and soon flew into the mountains. The giant crickets and the gang of stray cats were the only two species that had significant conflicts with humans. The giant cricket first appeared in Maple Park in Green Sea City. A beastmaster discovered it chewing on trees and assembled a group to battle it. The result was that the giant cricket knocked down all the pet beasts of the beastmasters and left for the forest. Fortunately, there were no casualties. What is now causing the most headache for the officials of Green Sea City is the gang of stray cats that has taken over the seafood market. Green Sea City has many stray pets; in fact, no matter the city, there are always numerous strays due to many pet owners abandoning their pets. Green Sea City had previously conducted a capture operation targeting stray dogs, as stray dogs pose a greater threat and are easier to capture. However, because stray cats are less dangerous and harder to catch, they have generally been ignored. The officials of Green Sea City had never anticipated that one day, arge number of stray cats would cause such significant trouble for the city. Approximately a dozen evolved stray cats, leading several dozens more unevolved ones, surged into the seafood market. Currently, although armed forces havepletely surrounded the seafood market, they have refrained fromunching a full assault due to concerns about the supernatural beings inside and the safety of the vendors. In Green Sea City, where experience in beast taming iscking, it¡¯s difficult to assess the strength of these supernatural stray cats. If they are not controlled immediately, there¡¯s a risk they could escape or harm people, which would onlypound the problem. In the wilderness, it would be feasible to simply overpower them with force, but in a bustling city center, resolving issues with supernatural beings involves many more considerations. ¡°Officer Luo!¡± At this moment, among the police surrounding the seafood market, an officer apanied by a canine beast received a report. ¡°Officer Luo, the higher-ups still instruct us to prioritize the protection of the public and not to initiate an attack without certainty.¡± ¡°Nonsense!¡± Officer Luo frowned. He was eager to find a solution for the stray cats. Waiting for them to leave after they¡¯ve had their fill isn¡¯t a viable option. If it happens once, it can happen again. These stray cats were manageable before their evolution, but now that they¡¯ve evolved, they pose a significant threat if left in the city. Now that they¡¯ve brazenly taken over the seafood market, what will they do next? Although the stray cats themselves may not have such awareness¡­ ¡°Thetest directive states that a beastmaster will be sent to assist us. We are to continue waiting!¡± Finally, the police officers surrounding the seafood market received some rtively good news. Nowadays, beastmasters have integrated into various upations, and the Xia Country Beast Taming Union no longer maintains a separate enforcement agency. Instead, the upation of beastmaster has been incorporated into the special police and military forces. Therefore, many of the officers present are fourth-generation beastmasters. They understand that in situations like this, the arrival of a powerful beastmaster could potentially stabilize the situation better than firearms. After all, the capabilities of pet beasts are incredibly diverse; some can even unleashrge-scale hypnotic effects, easily managingplex situations, just like the current one¡­ Thunder rumbled in the distance. After the directive from the provincial capital was issued, Green Sea did not have to wait long. Soon, a modified helicopter flew nearby. Seeing this helicopter, the police officers surrounding the seafood market felt a moment of relief, but then immediately tensed up again, not daring to be careless. When the helicopternded, a young man in ck emerged from inside. ¡°Uh.¡± Seeing the young man, a group of armed special police officers were startled. Could this be the external support sent from the Beast Taming Edifice in Jinling? Even though a beastmaster¡¯s strength is not determined by age, Lu Ran looked incredibly youthful. Some officers were puzzled, but others were slightly shocked and incredulous as they looked at Lu Ran. For example, Officer Luo, the team leader, saw Lu Ran¡¯s appearance and was momentarily stunned, instantly recognizing him as the formidable individual who had once dealt with an escaped Manchurian Tiger with a husky, suspected to be a hidden beast taming expert in Green Sea! ¡°Officer Luo?¡± At this moment, Lu Ran also noticed Officer Luo. After disembarking from the helicopter, he quickly approached and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation now? ¡°Lu Ran¡­ you, you are the external support sent from the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice?!¡± Officer Luo first confirmed. ¡°Yes, I requested toe here myself,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°So now, can you update me on the situation?¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Officer Luo did not dare to dy and immediately said, ¡°Currently, a group of stray cats that have undergone supernatural evolution seem to be upying the seafood market for food. For now, they have not harmed anyone and are just eating voraciously, apparently very hungry.¡± ¡°Inside the market, some vendors haven¡¯t managed to evacuate in time and are hiding in their shops, even though they¡¯ve locked their doors and windows. But there¡¯s still a significant risk, no one knows what these stray cats will do after they¡¯ve eaten.¡± Lu Ran fell into thought. ¡°Among them, the stray cat gang has a leader, a short-haired white cat, which has undergone the most significant mutation. Its size is nowparable to a Manchurian Tiger, and it might even have awakened an attribute. I assess its level to be over 10.¡± ¡°Does it have any distinguishing features?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed slightly. ¡°It seems, it seems to have only one ear.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression turned cold; indeed, it was that one. This creature, truly does not learn its lesson. Lu Ran was familiar with this cat, a particrly lively member among the stray cats of Green Sea City. It often came to the seafood market to engage in theft and fish-snatching antics. Through telepathy, Lu Ran hadmunicated with this cat and knew it was born from two stray cats. Theck of food among stray cats is a verymon issue; their foraging is simply a survival instinct. But Lu Ran knew that continuing this way would eventually lead to trouble¡ªthey could be killed by the vendors. The white cat¡¯s ear was a result of being beaten during one of its thefts. Lu Ran felt sorry for them and had tried to find alternative solutions for them. For example, he found areas with plenty of rats for them to inhabit. He asionally brought them some snacks. Over time, this gang of stray cats, led by the one-eared white cat, gradually came to recognize Lu Ran. However, what Lu Ran had not expected was that just after a global evolutionary event, they had gained strength and immediately began disrupting order again, giving him a headache. ¡°Lu Ran, how do we solve this? Do you have any ideas?¡± Officer Luo couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°I¡¯ll try to see what I can do. Let¡¯s avoid using force if possible,¡± Lu Ran responded. Then, under the stunned gaze of Officer Luo and the others, he stepped forward a few paces, not summoning any pet beast, but instead shouted directly into the seafood market: ¡°Stinky cats, get out here.¡± His shout startled all the officers around him. But what was even more unbelievable was the reaction inside the seafood market! A scout secretly monitoring the inside of the market was shocked to see that as Lu Ran shouted, most of the stray cats inside, including the one-eared white cat that was the size of a Manchurian Tiger, visibly fluffed up their fur in rm. ¡°Meow-ow!!!¡± The white cat leader had the biggest reaction, looking outside in shock and suspicion after hearing the voice. It seemed¡­ it had heard Boss Lu¡¯s voice? The white cat leader had a lot of respect for Boss Lu. Lu Ran was one of the few humans who understood their situation and was willing to help them. Of course, the most important reason was that the dog Boss Lu kept was too fierce. They dared not disobey, or they wouldn¡¯t have anyfortable days at all. The white cat leader looked around at the disheveled stalls, feeling panicked. After an incredible transformation that left them extremely hungry and almost irrational, the first thought was toe here to fill their stomachs¡­ Additionally, their newfound strength gave them courage, as the humans who usually intimidated them were now afraid of them. However, thinking about the set of agreements made with Lu Ran, the white cat leader felt guilty. Even though it had be much stronger, remembering the terrifying aspects of Lu Ran still made it feel somewhat timid. After all, it had witnessed how, in Green Sea City, all kinds of wild animals obediently submitted before Lu Ran, who was an anomaly among humans. After much deliberation, the white cat leader, along with a fewpanions, cautiously walked out of the seafood market. Looking up, it saw Lu Ran indeed! ¡°Meow-ow!!!¡± The white cat leader let out a sharp cry, seemingly to embolden itself. But Lu Ran was not one to be swayed by such disys. He sternly said, ¡°You have five minutes to leave the seafood market.¡± Hemanded the stray cats as if he were instructing his pet beast, watching them seriously. Hearing this, the group of stray cats looked at each other, showing signs of retreat. ¡°Meow¡­¡± The white cat leader gritted its teeth, pondered for a moment, and eventually bowed its head in submission. Its fierce voice turned into a whimper. Ultimately, it didn¡¯t have the courage to defy Lu Ran. In the next instant, the stray cats from the seafood market came out in unison, lined up neatly like kittens that had done something wrong, bowing their heads before Lu Ran. Dozens of stray cats, like paying homage to a boss, meowed pitifully at Lu Ran. ¡°Meow¡­ They began to exin. The scene left the bystanders astonished. ¡°Let¡¯s talkter,¡± Lu Ran said, relieved that the cats were sensible. Otherwise, things could have turned bloody¡­ Resolving the issue throughmunication was obviously the best oue. While Lu Ran felt relieved, the numerous police officers on scene were shocked, their mouths agape, their brains momentarily short-circuiting. What the heck? What just happened? This high school student said a few words, and these cats immediately backed down? Were these the same supernatural stray cats that had just been throwing their weight around in the seafood market? ¡°Don¡¯t rush off, or you won¡¯t like the consequences,¡± Lu Ran warned, then turned to Officer Luo. ¡°Officer Luo, are there any other difficult situations in Green Sea City?¡± ¡°This, this¡­¡± Officer Luo was still stunned, unable to grasp what kind of ¡°beast taming skill¡± Lu Ran possessed, which made dozens of stray cats, including several supernatural ones, submit. He was specially trained and had seen many situations, but this was unprecedented. Even if Lu Ran had demonstrated overwhelming strength and dealt with the group of stray cats, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising, but to resolve this with mere conversation¡­ Could it really be that simple? ¡°Before they evolved, I often fed them, so I guess we¡¯re quite familiar. They also remember past kindness,¡± Lu Ran exined. However, this exnation failed to convince Officer Luo. Nonsense, feeding cats can make a group of them bow down and acknowledge you as their boss? There are plenty of people who feed stray cats! This group of organized cats, behaving like a gang, surely that¡¯s not normal! After his initial shock, Officer Luo quickly responded, ¡°Yes, there seems to be a giant turtle in Qingwu Lake, as big as a sea monster. That area is an important tourist spot in Green Sea City, any disturbance there could be very damaging¡­ ¡°The other two have moved into the mountains, currently not causing much impact.¡± ¡°A giant turtle in Qingwu Lake¡­¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°Leave it to me. If nothing goes wrong, I should be able to handle it.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Officer Luo eximed in surprise. ¡°Yes, I often feed that turtle too. It¡¯s quite intelligent and shouldn¡¯t harm people, but it¡¯s still better to go and talk.¡± Officer Luo: ?? What kind of household are you from? ¡°Meow¡ª¡± Nearby, the one-eared white cat disyed a mocking expression. Boss Lu is undeniably the King of Green Sea City¡¯s animal world. His generals span across sea,nd, and air. Even if a pig fell from the sky in Green Sea City, it would belong to the Lu family. If it weren¡¯t for this fact, it wouldn¡¯t have submitted. The white cat knew very well that in Green Sea City, it¡¯s best not to challenge Boss Lu, or else there would be consequences. ¡°Meow,¡± the tiger-likerge white cat bowed its front paws as if trying to make amends, allowing Lu Ran tomand them freely. ¡°Get lost,¡± Lu Ran nced at it, not wanting any nonsensical titles added to him. He really didn¡¯t intend to be called the King of Green Sea City. Talking nonsense could easilynd him in trouble! Chapter 69: In Too Deep Now Chapter 69: In Too Deep Now Qingwu Lake, located north of Green Sea City, is thergest urban park in the city and also a national A-level scenic spot. However, for the locals of Green Sea City, they prefer parks like Red Maple over Qingwu Lake. Qingwu Lake tends to attract arge number of tourists, making it too crowded for the locals who prefer not topete for space. Currently, due to reports of a sea monster lurking in Qingwu Lake, many of theke¡¯s activities have been suspended, and officials are actively evacuating the public¡­ Thud, thud, thud. As the crowd had mostly cleared, two armored trucks drove in from other parts of the city and stopped near Qingwu Lake. Off the trucks, Lu Ran was the first to disembark¡­ followed by a cat, two cats, three cats¡­ and then dozens more stray cats. The elite members of thergest group of stray cats in Green Sea City had all gathered here. ¡°Holy smokes, a cat tamer?¡± The local beastmasters responsible for maintaining order were taken aback!Among them were cats asrge as tigers and leopards, making the young man walking ahead look quite formidable! ¡°Are these the supernatural stray cats that took over the seafood market? They¡¯ve actually been tamed!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the leading beastmaster? Impressive.¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s external support from the provincial capital. Looks young, could it be from the third generation?¡± Officer Luo also got off the truck, following close behind Lu Ran, and said, ¡°Do we¡­ do we still need to shout?¡± He looked back at the group of cats, took a deep breath, and since he didn¡¯t know how to amodate these stray cats and it seemed only Lu Ran could manage them, they had no choice but to keep them together for now. And it has to be said, a group of supernatural stray cats following along does add to their presence. If they encounter other supernatural beings, this is definitely a strong force, especially the big white cat the size of a tiger. Earlier on the truck, Lu Ran had also had a deep conversation with the stray cats. This group of stray cats totaled 52, among which 18 hadpleted their initial mutation and evolution. The one-eared white cat, which had undergone the most significant evolution, seemed to have absorbed the most natural energy during the surge of spiritual energy, potentially reaching a growth level between level 10 and level 20. Furthermore, it even awakened an earth attribute due to the natural energy it absorbed. Indeed, it was a true earth cat. Knowing the attribute of the one-eared cat, Lu Ran was relieved. Fortunately, the police had not directly shed with them; otherwise, this earth cat could simply dig a hole and escape. If it sought revengeter, it would be even more difficult to handle. It¡¯s not the mice that dig holes that you worry about; it¡¯s when cats start digging too. Their sense of vengeance is formidable. Unlike General Ha, who does not hold grudges overnight, cats remember grudges for a long time. The other 17 stray cats were not as gifted, or perhaps not as lucky. Maybe their bodies couldn¡¯t absorb much natural energy, or perhaps the geographical location during their first natural energy surge was not ideal. In any case, their evolution varied, and overall, none likely exceeded level 10. Only six of them had awakened attributes. Sudden Death King also had bad luck, potentially missing its chance while sleeping inside during the most likely time for miraculous encounters. Its growth level was simr to the others, and without being contracted, it remained wild for now. ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯ll try calling out first.¡± Lu Ran looked towards the lush Qingwu Lake, unsure if he could actually call out the turtle given the depth of the water. If shouting did not work, he could let a pet beast try, like throwing Sudden Death King into the water from his pocket. However, considering that Sudden Death King might actually drown, it would be more suitable to send General Ha, who was adept at swimming and diving, both skills taught by Lu Ran. A more aggressive approach would be to have General Ha cleave through theke¡­ Lu Ran walked to thekeside and gently squatted down, cing his hands on the surface of the water and slightly closing them: ¡°Old timer, are you there? ¡°Come out and chat?¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself for a while. Nearby personnel watched Lu Ran and theke surface with utmost seriousness. Could this really work? It¡¯s like he¡¯s actually meeting an old friend! About half a minuteter, someone¡¯s eyes widened as the surface of Qingwu Lake indeed began to ripple with waves, creating sizable disturbances. Soon after, a giant shadow emerged within the emerald waters. Judging by its length, it seemed to reach five or six meters, simr in size to a great white shark. No wonder tourists were frightened, thinking they had encountered a water monster. Ssh! The shadow continued to rise, followed by a burst of water spraying into the air. Nearby beastmasters simultaneously took a step back, shocked by the giant turtle emerging from theke. It was truly five to six meters long, and its color had also undergone a transformation; its head and limbs had turned a deep blue, exuding an imposing aura. ¡°Definitely above level 10,¡± Officer Luo thought to himself. Large animals aren¡¯t necessarily strong. But those significantlyrger than others of their species are definitely powerful. This turtle, along with that white cat, were clearly typical examples. Both were at least upper supernatural species. ¡°So it really was you,¡± Lu Ran said, somewhat exasperated as he saw the giant turtle. He knew that if any animal in Qingwu Lake could evolve, it would definitely be this old turtle. There was no helping it; in his view, it was among the top five in intelligence among the wildlife in Green Sea City, a rather clever creature. The white cat was the same, notcking in intelligence. Although it seemed unscientific to judge supernatural talent based on intelligence, the fact was, they were indeed the luckiest and had the highest degree of evolution. The old turtle cautiously looked around and then at Lu Ran. The initial mutation had made the old turtle very nervous. It figured that its appearance would cause panic and then a hunt, so it had remained hidden at the bottom of theke. Only when Lu Ran called out did it dare to show itself. In this city of Green Sea, it only trusted Lu Ran among all humans. ¡°What have you experienced?¡± Lu Ran asked. A strange energy surged from the bottom of theke, oveying my body. By the time I realized, I had transformed into this state, the old turtle said. ¡°The world has changed, spiritual energy has revived, and all creatures have begun to evolve¡­ Anyway, seeing that you¡¯ve evolved the fastest reassures me. For now, just stay quietly at the bottom of theke,¡± Lu Ran said. I don¡¯t understand, don¡¯t care, and as long as I¡¯m not disturbed, I just want to live out my life in peace, it said. ¡°That¡¯s tough,¡± Lu Ran said. This old turtle was the longest-living animal in Qingwu Lake, simply drifting through life day by day, almost reaching the end of its lifespan. But then, a wave of supernatural evolution reverted it to its prime. It seems it won¡¯t be dying anytime soon. ¡°Could you help out? If there are other mutated beings in theke, try to keep them under control. Don¡¯t let them attack humans, or you might end up getting involved too,¡± Lu Ran requested. The giant turtle remained silent, clearly annoyed. It hadn¡¯t expected that at its age, it would have to act as a peacekeeper for Qingwu Lake. It didn¡¯t want to get involved with other mutated creatures and then be hunted by humans; it just wanted to drift through life. ¡°Officer Luo, this turtle likely won¡¯t harm anyone. Let¡¯s just let it stay here for now,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°There are many wild animals in Qingwu Lake, all of which could potentially undergo evolution. It¡¯s unrealistic topletely eliminate them. I¡¯vemunicated with it, and it will help manage the local ecosystem to prevent chaos. ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡± Officer Luo really wanted to curse. He felt overwhelmed. So, with just a few words, you¡¯ve tamed a mutated giant turtle and got it to willingly be the peacekeeper of Qingwu Lake? It feels like Green Sea City is your own backyard, where every animal listens to you. And none of these animals have formed a contract with Lu Ran. ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­¡± managed Officer Luo verbally. His authority wasn¡¯t high, and for now, whatever Lu Ran said went. As for how to manage these supernatural beings within the city, the higher-ups probably hadn¡¯te to a decision yet since everything happened so suddenly. Just like the group of stray cats, the officials in Green Sea City weren¡¯t sure how to handle the giant turtle either. As Lu Ran mentioned, letting it stay in Qingwu Lake seemed like the best option. Regardless, this tourist spot wouldn¡¯t be reopening anytime soon, whether the turtle was harmful or not. Having resolved another issue, Officer Luo breathed a sigh of relief. But before he could enjoy the moment too long, hismunication device started ringing. ¡°Captain Luo, this is the back mountain reconnaissance team. Our drone just captured an image!¡± ¡°A flock of crows flew into Emerald Mountain, and a giant cricket did as well! It seems they¡¯ve encountered each other!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not just them. A giant redrge-toothed snake has also appeared.¡± ¡°A crow, a snake, a cricket, all seem to be in a standoff around a glowing nt. Based on our assessment, this nt must have formed from being bathed in natural energy. These three highly evolved supernatural beings are likelypeting for it! ¡°They might start fighting! Awaiting instructions!¡± The voice from officer Luo¡¯smunication equipment was clear, and Lu Ran heard every word. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lu Ran said without hesitation. Emerald Mountain. A nt resembling a dandelion was furiously absorbing the natural energy around it. Unlike a normal dandelion, its fluffy white parts now gathered two colors, white and green, emitting a soft glow. ¡°Ga! Mine! All mine!¡± ¡°Shh¡ª¡ª¡± Around this mutated dandelion, just as officer Luo had been briefed, three highly evolved animals were in a standoff. In a tree, a crow leader with its wings spread wide stood imposingly, its body emitting a dark glow. Behind it, arge group of crows perched on the branches, mostly ordinary, but together they looked formidable, darkening tree after tree. In contrast, the other two animals were on their own. One was a giant cricket, appearing as if d in metal armor, and the other was a giant mutated redrge-toothed snake. One seemingly had awakened to metal powers, the other to fire powers, as the area around them was scorched. At this moment, facing the increasingly tempting resource, none of the fierce beasts dared to make a move, fearing a joint attack from the others. Rustle, rustle, rustle. However, just then, a sound arose. Realizing another intruder had entered, all three animals showed ferocity in their eyes. But quickly, two of the beasts showed surprise. Because leading the group of armed intruders was a young man with ck hair. Upon seeing him, the leader of the ck crows paused, then suddenly brightened up, shouting loudly, ¡°My King!! My King!! I¡¯ve found a treasure for you, let¡¯s kill them!!¡± Lu Ran had just arrived and nearly stumbled. The beastmasters from the police force following Lu Ran were gaping at the crow, which had apparently evolved the ability to speak humannguage fluently. But what surprised them most was where the ck crow¡¯s gaze was directed. It seemed to be looking at Lu Ran¡­ Was it calling Lu Ran just now? ¡°My King??¡± Officer Luo was taken aback. Something was definitely unusual with Lu Ran! Supernatural stray cats obey him, the giant turtle listens to him, and now a supernatural ck crow is calling him ¡°My King.¡± Meanwhile, Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened. He had been quite pleased on arriving at Emerald Mountain, sensing the rich natural energy here. He had thought that even without venturing into the forest secret realm, he might still be able to charge the divine deer pendant in the real world. But this crow¡¯s shout had just made his situation utterlyplicated! Your ability to speak has evolved quite rapidly, hasn¡¯t it? Why must I be made the King of Green Sea? Damn it, of these three ¡°ferocious beasts,¡± he indeed knew two of them. ¡°Ga, my King, say something,¡± the crow leader pleaded urgently for external support. Such a treasure, even if offered to the King, should not benefit that cricket or snake with a mere ny-ten split! Chapter 70: Unifying the Animal Realm of the Green Sea Chapter 70: Unifying the Animal Realm of the Green Sea ¡°Who imed you were the king? Don¡¯t call me that randomly,¡± Lu Ran twitched the corner of his mouth. ¡°Ga?¡± the crow was puzzled. Wasn¡¯t that what you had asked to be called before? Why deny it now? I¡¯ll keep calling you that! At this moment, it wasn¡¯t just the crow leader who recognized Lu Ran. A cricket, its body covered with a metallic energy ovey like it was d in armor, also silently watched Lu Ran. It immediately recognized him as the person who had kidnapped it before. Despite its young age, it was the undisputed ruler of the cricket realm behind Maple Park! Regrettably, its prowess was noticed by this man who then captured it and took it home. The cricket thought its end was near.However, Lu Ran treated it well, feeding it and teaching variousbat skills. In a short time, itsbat power increased again, making it utterly invincible in the cricket realm. It even easily became the champion of the Fighting Bug Tournament. However, crickets by nature are solitary and prefer not to associate with other species. Most crickets are like this¡ªsolitary and preferring to live independently. Except during mating, they never allow themselves to live with other crickets, let alone a different species. Therefore, once they encounter each other, they start fighting, and the fighting bug tournaments capitalize on this trait. In the cricket realm,petition is fierce, and fighting ismonce. At this moment, this Bug King cricket only had fragmented memories of Lu Ran, as its intelligence was not very high initially. But it could tell that Lu Ran had treated it well and knew that its currentbat skills were thanks to his training. Otherwise, with its previous strength, bing the king of the cricket realm would have been difficult. Most importantly, after teaching it all thesebat skills, the man eventually gave it its freedom back. The Bug King cricket recalled fighting side by side with Lu Ran and started chirping loudly. It asked if Lu Ran was also there to snatch this dandelion or if he was there to find it¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite smart,¡± Lu Ran seemingly mocked. The Bug King cricket waited for Lu Ran¡¯s response, but Lu Ran¡¯sment seemed like a taunt. ¡°Hush,¡± the cricket king was annoyed. ¡°If you want this, I can give it to you as a token of my gratitude for your training. But if you¡¯re here to find me, I must decline. I now have seven wives to look after.¡± Lu Ran: ?? So, this is why you always wanted to return to nature? At that moment, seeing Lu Ran and the cricketmunicating, everyone fell silent, very silent. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t understand the cricket¡¯snguage, nor could they gauge the depth of the exchange between Lu Ran and the cricket. Meanwhile. Lu Ran nced at the resource that had attracted the ¡°three ferocious beasts.¡± Name: Life Dandelion Level: Rare Introduction: Consuming it can enhance an organism¡¯s self-healing abilities. It was a rare resource! Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up, finding it incredible. To think, he had spent over half a month grinding in secret realms, exhausting himself, and only managed to get a rare resource from a public secret realm boss. Apart from that, there was only the rare resource that Dr. Gu had given him. Rare resources truly lived up to their name; they were very hard toe by. But Lu Ran had never imagined that he could find a rare resource just casually on the mountains of Green Sea City. Is this what the early stages of the revival of spiritual energy look like? Treasures are everywhere! No wonder these three animals were attracted to it. If any of them could consume this dandelion, their ability to survive in the wild would definitely see a terrifying boost. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no need to fight over it. You three can¡¯t easily share it, so how about giving the dandelion to me?¡± Lu Ran was sensible, taking the crow¡¯s and cricket¡¯s advice. Red Large-Toothed Snake: ?? Police: ?? ¡°Hiss!!!¡± The redrge-toothed snake¡¯s eyes widened, but in the next second, the crow leader took flight, its gaze sharp as it stared at the snake. The cricket also turned around, its steel jaws open, seemingly ready to engage the snake in a fight. If it wasn¡¯t easy for them to get the resource, letting Lu Ran have it was an oue both could ept. At this moment, the crow noticed something and started talking to the cricket. ¡°Ga! So you¡¯re also a general under the king!¡± The redrge-toothed snake was baffled: The police were baffled too! Damn, what¡¯s going on? Lu Ran was just strolling around, and of the three ferocious beasts originally fighting over a rare resource, two suddenly turned to support Lu Ran, even fighting over the treasure for him? What the heck. This world is too crazy. At that moment, Lu Ran also recalled the words of the one-eared white cat: in Green Sea, even if a pig fell from the sky, it would have to take the surname Lu! Lu Ran looked innocent, as if he was being mistaken for some kind of tyrant. Wasn¡¯t this about resolving conflicts? Unfortunately, Lu Ran didn¡¯t recognize the redrge-toothed snake; otherwise, he could have even more amicably taken the resource. The evolution of the redrge-toothed snake was not minor. It seemed that the authorities of Green Sea hadn¡¯t discovered it since it had always been in the wild. After thinking it over, Lu Ran decided to talk to the redrge-toothed snake rather than resorting to force. ¡°Give me some face; I¡¯m taking this.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Hiss¡ª¡± The redrge-toothed snake looked doubtful, its tongue flicking out, recognizing that both the crow and the cricket regarded this man as their leader. What was happening? It nced at the dandelion, very eager to eat it, but the current situation clearly spelled danger. After a moment of deep thought, the redrge-toothed snake hardened its gaze and slithered away. Now, only Lu Ran, the crow leader, and the cricket, the bug king, remained. ¡°That¡¯s a sensible snake,¡± Lu Ran remarked, quite pleased. It seemed like a creature he couldmunicate with, which would make things easier in the future. However, at that moment, Lu Ran suddenly noticed that the surrounding police were looking at him as if they had seen a ghost. Lu Ran quickly exined, ¡°Coincidentally, I¡¯ve also fed this crow.¡± ¡°And that cricket, I¡¯ve taken it to a fighting bug tournament before, so we¡¯re pretty familiar.¡± Officer Luo was speechless: as he watched the two fierce beasts being easily tamed, could he even dare to speak? He dared not. He was afraid of offending Lu Ran, the King of Green Sea, who might make things difficult for him. Didn¡¯t the snake-like beast have to give face to Lu Ran? Whatever Lu Ran said, went. ¡°Ah bah ah bah ah bah¡­¡± The other beastmasters also turned their heads, pretending they hadn¡¯t seen anything. They saw nothing, heard nothing. ¡°But letting that redrge-toothed snake go just like that?¡± Officer Luo frowned, concerned. ¡°It¡¯s a previously undiscovered beast; with its size, it could be quite dangerous.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°We can¡¯t just aim to eliminate every fierce beast just because they are dangerous. This is only the first wave of evolution, and there will definitely be many more supernatural beings emerging and growing. Humanity can¡¯t possibly destroy every one of these creatures. I think we should try tomunicate and establish cooperation with them.¡± ¡°For instance, the giant turtle in Qingwu Lake. If it bes the leader there, it can keep the other supernatural beings in check since it¡¯s at the forefront of evolution.¡± ¡°Although this idea might not be widely epted now, I always feel that humans will eventually have to coexist with supernatural beings, just like beastmasters do with their pet beasts.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not saying we shouldpletely ignore that redrge-toothed snake for now. I¡¯m just not very familiar with it. You continue to monitor it, and when I have time, I¡¯ll personally go and have a thorough talk with it.¡± In the animal world, Lu Ran preferred to solve problems throughmunication rather than conflict. In the secret realm, the situation was different as the beings were only projections and couldn¡¯tmunicate, but in reality, it was essential to make good use of telepathy. ¡°Ga, right, let it know who is the real king here!¡± the crow said. Lu Ran replied, ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Should I go then?¡± asked the crow. ¡°Wait.¡± Lu Ran looked at the crow. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve gathered quite a few followers. Do me a favor, send them to fly around Green Sea City to find other beings that have evolved significantly like the redrge-toothed snake.¡± ¡°After you find them,pile the information and report back to me. Don¡¯t worry, there will be a reward.¡± The crow leader was momentarily stunned, then nodded its head. It understood Lu Ran¡¯s true intentions, saying he wasn¡¯t aiming to be the King of Green Sea, but in reality, everything he did was exactly what someone who wanted to be the King of Green Sea would do! In contrast, the cricket, the bug king, was rather aloof. Seeing that Lu Ran was about to take the dandelion and that the redrge-toothed snake had also left, it quietly turned and left without saying a word. Seeing this, Lu Ran didn¡¯t try to stop it; after all, they were bound to meet again in Green Sea City. ¡°You also help me out, try to lead the insect world of Green Sea City. Keep them from causing chaos. With your strength, you should be able to¡­¡± ¡°Shh¡ª¡± The cricket hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded its head. After all, it was the bug king. With that, it flew away. As a swarm of ck crows filled the skies above the forest, Officer Luo remarked, ¡°Lu Ran, it seems you are nning to¡­¡± It sounded like something unbelievable! Officer Luo couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run down his spine. Lu Ran said, ¡°Just as I mentioned earlier, I n to first locate all the animals in Green Sea City that have undergone significant evolution, visit each one, and suggest that they stay away from human habitats while helping to maintain the order in the wilderness of Green Sea City.¡± After all, Lu Ran was now residing in Green Sea City and he did not want the area to be chaotic due to the resurgence of spiritual energy. While he might feel powerless andck the energy to manage other cities, he was determined to organize Green Sea City first. Officer Luo, still hesitant to speak, realized the implication: Lu Ran was aiming to unite the various factions¡­ essentially taking control of the wildlife in Green Sea! And yet he imed he didn¡¯t want to be the King of Green Sea! The thought of Lu Ran sessfully uniting all the supernatural beings in the city, with them all looking up to him as their leader, made Officer Luo shiver. Was this external support sent by the provincial capital really just a simple beastmaster? Honestly, with what Lu Ran was doing, Officer Luo was somewhat unsure how to report the specifics of this mission¡­ Currently, Green Sea City was probably one of the cities where order had been restored the fastest. Though the city had many supernatural beings with significant evolution, it was fortunate that a human who couldmunicate with them and was quite familiar with them had appeared in Green Sea. With Lu Ran¡¯s assistance, the leading supernatural beings were immediately deemed temporarily non-dangerous. They even voluntarily helped maintain the public order in Green Sea. This allowed the officials to save a lot of manpower, avoiding the need for tense stand-offs with them. They could instead focus on better maintaining urban order. Ultimately, Officer Luo reported the situation in Green Sea City truthfully. It¡¯s important to note that other cities were still primarily focused on eliminating or clearing out the powerful mutant beasts surrounding them. Lu Ran¡¯s approach of subduing the mutant beasts around the city, aiming for peaceful coexistence, and leading them without a contract was something Officer Luo had not heard of being attempted in any other city. Such a situation was impossible not to report. Lu Ran, aware of how his approach differed from other cities, waited for more intelligence on supernatural beings from Green Sea City officials and a flock of crows while trying to reach Dr. Gu for her opinion. Leaning against a tree and watching the busy police in the distance, Lu Ran waited for the phone to connect, uncertain if Dr. Gu had the time to talk. Fortunately, after only a few seconds, he managed to get through to Gu Qingyi. ¡°Dr. Gu, this is Lu Ran!¡± ¡°I know, what¡¯s up? Is it about the global evolution?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll keep it short, Dr. Gu. As you know, I have a special superpower that allows me tomunicate telepathically with other species. I¡¯m familiar with most of the wild animals in Green Sea City. Currently, I see that other cities are maintaining stability by eliminating these creatures, but here in Green Sea, I want to try maintaining order throughmunication and dialogue. ¡°I can speak with several of the most highly evolved supernatural beings here, and we have a good rtionship.¡± Gu Qingyi paused before responding, ¡°Theoretically, your approach is more sustainable. In other beast taming civilizations we¡¯ve encountered, many supernatural beings have already integrated into human societies. The division isn¡¯t so absolute, or rather, it¡¯s impossible to make it absolute without disrupting the entire ecosystem. Even some wild overlords and sovereigns have their own unique understandings with human civilization and generally don¡¯t cause major conflicts.¡± ¡°But right now, on Blue Star, everything is still at an early stage. There are too few people like you who canmunicate with animals, and there are also too few advanced mental pet beasts formunication. With thesemunication barriers, cities have to adopt a more forceful approach to ensure stability.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that your idea is wrong, nor is the current official approach incorrect.¡± Lu Ran pondered, ¡°So for my part¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Dr. Gu said. ¡°Your idea would likely be supported by any advanced beastmaster. After all, it has been proven in other worlds. I¡¯ll inform the Beast Taming Edifice in Jinling to grant you certain authorities and designate Green Sea City as a key experimental area. Go ahead and implement your n. As long as you can maintain city stability and achieve results, it will be considered a merit. I¡¯ll apply for a reward for you when the timees.¡± ¡°Do you feel confident? After all, this is no easy task. Of course, if you seed, you¡¯ll be the representative, the King of Green Sea. The benefits are tremendous¡ªyou¡¯ll be able to manage the city¡¯s biological resources by yourself and quickly close the gap with previous generations of beastmasters. But it will also be¡­ very tiring and stressful.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected Dr. Gu to agree so readily. Did this mean¡­ she supported his n to unite the animal kingdom in Green Sea City? Lu Ran was conflicted; he just wanted to ensure Green Sea City was stable and harmonious. After all, he knew many of the animals and didn¡¯t want humans or the animals to get hurt. But it would be very tiring¡­ Well, a little fatigue was worth it for the privileges. Hmm¡­ As a new beastmaster, managing a city¡¯s wild supernatural beings seemed reasonable. Lu Ran pped his forehead, feeling like he was getting in over his head. However, after Lu Ran and Dr. Gu expressed their positions, he felt relieved. With the support of a big shot like her, he felt much more secure. But before Lu Ran could rx for long, his phone rang again. It was Fang Lan! ¡°Wow, Lu Ran, are you back in Green Sea? Haha, I¡¯m so awesome now. I¡¯ve tamed supernatural centipedes, poisonous snakes, scorpions, and toads. I just need a gecko toplete my collection of the ¡®Five Poisons.¡¯ Do you want toe with me to capture supernatural beings outside? I want to catch a gecko!¡± Lu Ran was speechless. You really are excited! ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m busy uniting the animal kingdom in Green Sea City. Don¡¯t run around with your poisonous creatures and increase my workload, okay? I¡¯ll let you know if I find a supernatural gecko¡­ By the way, are you interested in a level 10 redrge-toothed snake? I stumbled upon one earlier. Negotiating with a redrge-toothed snake might be easier if it had a boss to report to. Fang Lan: ¡°Ah?¡± Chapter 71: The Canine Lizard Chapter 71: The Canine Lizard ¡°What do you mean ¡®Huh?¡¯¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°What is all this about unifying Green Sea City¡¯s animal kingdom? Are you running a fever?¡± ¡°Dr. Gu wants to use Green Sea City as an ¡®experimental zone¡¯. As of now, I am in charge,¡± replied Lu Ran. ¡°Wait! What exactly does ¡®experimental zone¡¯ mean?¡± Fang Lan was puzzled. ¡°Hmm. Let me think about how to exin this to you. Isn¡¯t it true that with the revival of spiritual energy, many animals are starting to evolve?¡± Lu Ran began. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Currently, other cities mainly focus on expelling, eliminating, or capturing the mutated animals within and around their borders. However, it¡¯s bing clear that this approach won¡¯t work as the number of mutated creatures keeps increasing.¡± ¡°But Green Sea City ns to go a step further. We¡¯re intending to expel and eliminate those creatures that cannot bemunicated with, while attempting to tame the powerful ferocious beasts that can be. The idea is to have these tamed supernatural beings try to manage the beast world. Basically, ferocious beasts managing other ferocious beasts. Does that make sense?¡± Lu Ran asked. Fang Lan was bewildered.¡°How can you tame them? One by one with contracts?¡± she asked. Lu Ran exined, ¡°Fourth-generation beastmasters probably cannot contract with them, and third-generation beastmasters are too few in number. Moreover, new evolved beings keep emerging all the time. So, instead of using contracts, we¡¯re aiming formunication.¡± ¡°How ismunication even possible? There are so many different species. Even if you find a beastmaster who can contract with them,munication might not go smoothly!¡± Fang Lan protested. After all, as Lu Ran mentioned, fourth-generation beastmasters are barely stronger than ordinary people and certainly not as reliable as the military or police. They¡¯d be lucky if these mutated ferocious beasts didn¡¯t devour them on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m in charge,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Fang Lan, think back carefully. Didn¡¯t I tell you two years ago that I seemed to understand the inner voices of animals? Who was it that thought I was just traumatized and suggested I see a doctor? Let me tell you, it was actually a natural phenomenon, likely a precursor to the revival of spiritual energy. There are quite a few individuals with superpowers in the world now. If it weren¡¯t for this ability, Dr. Gu wouldn¡¯t have entrusted me with such an important task. Over the past two years, I¡¯ve asionally chatted with some wild animals. I¡¯m pretty familiar with most of the wildlife in Green Sea City. Even though they¡¯ve evolved with the revival of spiritual energy, my rtionship with them hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°As of now, I have sessfully persuaded four advanced mutated creatures that are over level 10. Just so you know, the redrge-toothed snake you mentioned isn¡¯t among them. If you don¡¯t want to handle it, I¡¯ll go andmunicate with it myself,¡± Lu Ran dered. Fang Lan: ??? Fang Lan¡¯s mind momentarily went nk. She vaguely remembered that Lu Ran had mentioned something like this before, but she always thought it was just his teenage fantasy. A serious high school student wouldn¡¯t believe in such unscientific things. And now Lu Ran was saying it was true? The mutated beasts of Green Sea City were actually his friends? ¡°How is this any different from bing the boss of Green Sea City¡¯s wild animal world?¡± ¡°That¡¯s one way to look at it. Didn¡¯t I mention unifying the Green Sea animal kingdom?¡± Lu Ranughed. He was beginning to realize the benefits of this status. If he could lead all the supernatural wild animals, he would indeed neverck resources. For example, if bees evolved into supernatural beings, the honey they produced would also be supernatural resources, right? Then, if the queen bee delivered a few boxes of honey each month as tribute, wouldn¡¯t that be a path to wealth? And that¡¯s just a single species. If there were more species, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t imagine how much profit could be involved. No wonder Dr. Gu said that managing a city¡¯s wild animal kingdom could quickly close the gap with previous generations of beastmasters! Even the beastmasters of previous generations never had such lucrative projects. After Lu Ran finished speaking, Fang Lan stood there in a daze. Really¡­ the King of Green Sea¡¯s animal kingdom? Are you kidding me? Weren¡¯t you in Jinling just two hours ago? And now, in the blink of an eye, you have be the King of Green Sea? This ability is too incredible! At this moment, even as the world was changing, Fang Lan found it hard not to believe Lu Ran. After all, telepathy seemed minorpared to the revival of spiritual energy. Was this the reason Lu Ran could reliably outdo her and get an S rating? Was General Ha so well-trained because of Lu Ran¡¯s ability? Suddenly, everything made sense to Fang Lan. She had been at a disadvantage right from the start! No wonder Lu Ran and General Ha seemed like such monsters! Fang Lan turned around and looked at the table where centipedes, snakes, scorpions, and toads were neatly lined up in front of the daxia wolf spider. The sight made her lose her appetite. She numbly said, ¡°I don¡¯t want the redrge-toothed snake anymore¡­ I already have enough pets at home. Plus, it¡¯s not very poisonous and isn¡¯t exactly pleasant to look at. I don¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°Wait¡­ actually!¡± Fang Lan suddenly realized something. ¡°Can you talk to Dr. Gu and let me be your assistant in the experimental zone? I could really help out!¡± ¡°Do you understand poison types? Mishandling supernatural beings with poison abilities can be very troublesome!¡± ¡°I can manage the poisonous animals in Green Sea City for you! The toxins they release can be very useful when processed properly, but it requires a specialist! I can do it, please~¡± On the other end of the line, Fang Lan¡¯s pleading tone was almost palpable through the phone. Lu Ran shivered and almost dropped the device. Wow. Who would¡¯ve thought you could be such an eager helper. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll arrange it! Detoxifying poison-type beings¡­ definitely requires expertise,¡± Lu Ran agreed. ¡°Yay!!!!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s excited voice came through the phone, and her happiness was contagious. In just one week, she had already self-studied most of the poison-type course material that Gu Qingyi had given her. She had even visited Infinite City No.3 less frequently during this period. She never expected the knowledge she had crammed so quickly to be useful so soon. Like a perfect team, the elder sister and younger brother duo immediately organized the management of Green Sea City¡¯s poisonous beings. ¡­ Dr. Gu¡¯s actions were swift. After ending the call with Lu Ran, she immediately issued orders to the Beast Taming Edifice in Jinling. ¡°What? Grants certain supernatural governance rights to a fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City? Establish an experimental zone?¡± The senior management at the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice found this directive baffling. What would a fourth-generation beastmaster know about that? ¡°Wait, that fourth-generation beastmaster¡­ is Passerby A?!¡± Upon learning that the fourth-generation beastmaster¡¯s Infinite City ID was Passerby A, the executives fell silent. Considering Passerby A¡¯s top-ranking potential on the Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.3, his rise was already unstoppable. There must be deeper intentions behind Dr. Gu¡¯s actions¡­ Even so, the senior management at the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice were extremely surprised, including the Star Cluster Guild Leader, Xing Chen, who was also present at the time. He was deeply shocked by the directive. ¡°This is clearly positioning Passerby A to be the beast taming king of Green Sea City, a city with a poption of millions and abundant natural resources. No matter how capable Passerby A is, this seems over the top. What unique qualities does he have?¡± Xing Chen remained silent, understanding that Passerby A¡¯s rise was already unstoppable. Even among the senior management, Zhao Chen didn¡¯t expect Dr. Gu to have such high regard for Lu Ran. Lu Ran had only returned a short while ago¡­ It¡¯s worth noting that Lu Ran was just a 17-year-old high school student. Such a significant responsibility might only have been seen during ancient times of chaos, but considering the current situation, how different was it from then? As the directives were ryed down the chain, Officer Luo and his team in Green Sea City had only just finished their report when they received the notification that Lu Ran was now theirmanding officer. They were utterly bewildered. Damn, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t just doing well in the beast-taming world; he was excelling in all aspects. For a moment, Officer Luo and his team clearly realized that the orderliness of Green Sea City¡¯s beast taming scene was now entirely up to this young man. ¡°Commander Lu¡­ we¡¯ve just received a notification from the Beast Taming Edifice, stating that you will be in charge of Green Sea City¡¯s spiritual energy revival efforts!¡± Lu Ran ended his call with Fang Lan and looked at the approaching Officer Luo. He didn¡¯t expect Dr. Gu to move so quickly. He couldn¡¯t believe such a significant task hadnded on his shoulders. But considering the extraordinary times, and knowing that Green Sea City hardly had any third-generation beastmasters to call upon, he understood that they had no other choice. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. Capable young beastmasters could quickly gain status and position in this era, much like Dr. Gu and her peers. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s work together and make the most of this opportunity!¡± ¡°Awaiting your instructions!¡± Luo Shang suddenly felt that letting Lu Ran handle this matter might actually be a good idea. Many cities were currently engaged in intense conflicts with advanced mutated beings, and the battles were brutal. In contrast, with Lu Ran¡¯s assistance, Green Sea City remained much more peaceful. Such calm was typically only found in major cities where advanced beastmasters concentrated. ¡°I¡¯ve already deployed a flock of crows to search for advanced mutated beings throughout the city. You all need to support this search. For these mutated beings, as long as they haven¡¯t harmed anyone, prioritize surveince. Do not alert them. Notify me immediately with any findings.¡± ¡°Green Sea City¡¯s wildlife is mainly concentrated around Emerald Mountain. While it is a key area to search, it isn¡¯t the most important.¡± ¡°The primary focus is the urban area, where the poption density is highest. Even a single mutated mouse can cause significant harm. Increase patrols to protect civilians. If any mutated being shows signs of aggression, eliminate it immediately.¡± ¡°In addition, rural areas should not be overlooked. There are likely numerous poultry farms there, which could be hotspots for mutations.¡± ¡°Soon, I¡¯ll speak to the one-eared white cat and have it rally all the controble supernatural stray cats in the city for your deployment.¡± ¡°Also, the number of fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City should be significant now. However, most are probably not officially affiliated and consist mainly of students¡­¡± ¡°Identify more experienced beastmasters and organize them into small teams. Encourage them to volunteer to handle simpler incidents around the city. Even if they are neers, their contracted pet beasts are likely stronger than most mutated beings¡­ And remember, offerpensation, not just requests for freebor.¡± Lu Ran continued to borate. Green Sea City, while not asrge as major metropolises, still had a poption of millions. It was impossible for Lu Ran and General Ha to cover the entire city by themselves. The only rational approach was to manage particrly troublesome beings, like those few mutated beings above level 10. The rest would require cooperation from various factions within Green Sea City. Havingid out the n, Lu Ran parted ways with Luo Shang and the team to begin his solo operations, waiting for further developments. At this point, Lu Ran summoned General Ha and retrieved the Sudden Death King from his backpack. Nowadays, the Sudden Death King, now the size of an adult¡¯s arm, was too big to fit in a pocket, forcing Lu Ran to carry it in a backpack. Judging by the current pace of its growth, it wouldn¡¯t be long before even the backpack would be too small. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha emerged, feeling refreshed by the crisp air, instinctively lifting its rear and stretchingzily. ¡°Ha~¡± Although General Ha was still a bit sleepy, after stretching, it turned to look at Lu Ran, asking what was next. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± As for the Sudden Death King, after following Lu Ran and listening to his ns all the way, its admiration for Lu Ran had only grown. It was now even more determined to follow Lu Ran to avoid a premature demise. ¡°Not sure if we¡¯ll have to fight soon¡­ but either way, let¡¯s power up first,¡± Lu Ran said. He then took out the Life Dandelion he had just obtained and handed it to General Ha. ¡°Woof?!¡± General Ha was delighted, realizing it was time to eat something! ¡°Eat up,¡± said Lu Ran. As for the Dragon Blood Crystal, he was saving it forter use by the Sudden Death King. He hadn¡¯t given it to the lizard yet because it was a battle reward owed to General Ha. Awakening the Sudden Death King¡¯s thunder abilities was already a significant investment, reflecting the months they had spent together. If the Sudden Death King didn¡¯t perform well in the future, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t waste resources on it for no reason. He understood the red-eyed eagle lizard¡¯s timid nature was part of its species¡¯ characteristics, so he wouldn¡¯t underestimate the Sudden Death King because of it. Despite its timidity, it should still have unique strengths, and Lu Ran was looking forward to seeing what it could contribute. Once the Sudden Death King could contribute significantly to their team, it would naturally be entitled to share more of its partners¡¯ battle spoils. This was the rule Lu Ran set for his future pet beast team¡ªhe wouldn¡¯t contract with useless creatures or provide resources without good reason. These two rare resources, the Life Dandelion and the Dragon Blood Crystal, were beneficial to any pet beast. The Life Dandelion could enhance a pet beast¡¯s regenerative abilities, while the Dragon Blood Crystal could boost its vitality. The effects were quite simr. However, thetter was more effective for species closer to dragons, such as lizards and ordinary snakes. This had been proven. Even when the range was broadened to include deer, camels, rabbits, ms, fish, eagles, tigers, cows, etc., there wasn¡¯t much corrtion with dogs. So, instead of letting General Ha absorb the wed Dragon Blood Crystal, it would theoretically be more effective for a dragon-like pet. Lu Ran had no intention of having General Ha evolve into a Loong-type creature. Although he often remarked that General Ha¡¯s personality resembled Yazi, one of the nine sons of the dragon in Chinese mythology, he understood that fusing it with dragon traits was even less practical than having it master weapons. Moreover, out of the many divine beasts in mythology, Yazi wasn¡¯t particrly outstanding. Even if Lu Ran were to model General Ha after a divine beast, he wouldn¡¯t choose Yazi. He had General Ha practice swordsmanship primarily because of the Super Beast Mimicry skill, which allowed both him and General Ha to improve rapidly together. Lu Ran had high expectations for General Ha. In his view, surpassing even mythical creatures was just a matter of time. Therefore, he decided to save the wed Dragon Blood Crystal for the Sudden Death King, which he intended to evolve into a giant dragon in the future. Meanwhile, he gave the less restrictive rare resource, the Life Dandelion, to General Ha to enhance its regenerative abilities. Even though Lu Ran had the Divine Deer Pendant, which provided him with healing capabilities, General Ha¡¯s self-damagingbat style made an enhanced regeneration trait beneficial. Anything that could lessen General Ha¡¯s pain was worth it. Additionally, General Ha was a herbivore, and the Sudden Death King was a carnivore, so the resources perfectly catered to their preferences. ¡°Aroo~!!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement as it began to delicately lick the Life Dandelion, savoring it like cotton candy. It licked slowly, taking its time to enjoy the taste. The treat looked so small; if it ate it all at once, it wouldn¡¯t be able to taste it properly. ¡°Wow ka!!¡± The Sudden Death King looked on eagerly, feeling the allure of the Life Dandelion as well. ¡°As for you¡­ When you master Thunder Armor, I¡¯ll take you out for a battle. If you perform well, I¡¯ll find you some good stuff to eat, too,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Wow ka!!¡± The Sudden Death King nodded earnestly. Thunder Armor!! It had to master it if it wanted to avoid a premature death! And so, the team moved forward with clear goals and high hopes. ¡°It¡¯s good to be confident, but we¡¯ll need to work on your catchphrases,¡± Lu Ran said, hoping to reshape the Sudden Death King¡¯s personality, given its young age. ¡°Before you talk about getting suddenly killed, add some dramatic ir. It¡¯ll sound more intimidating, got it?¡± ¡°For example, you could say, ¡®Oh dear, such a frightening attack! If it hits me, I might suffer a sudden death, right?¡¯¡± The Sudden Death King was stunned. Something felt off. ¡°See, that sounds much more intimidating!¡± Lu Ran was trying to teach it a taunting skill to draw aggro. That way, if he ever contracted the Sudden Death King, mimicking it wouldn¡¯t make him seem too cowardly. ¡°General Ha, keep eating. After you¡¯re done, help the Sudden Death King with the key points of energy shaping.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha paused, turning its head slightly. Teaching such aplex skill to a lizard seemed a bit¡­ It looked skeptically at the Sudden Death King, doubting its intelligence. ¡°!¡± Though the Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t understand General Ha¡¯s barking, it could sense the mocking look in General Ha¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wow ka!! (So you look down on me, huh?)¡± The Sudden Death King was very eager to enhance its defensive abilities. Lu Ran, ying the role of trantor and enjoying the show, said, ¡°The Sudden Death King says it can¡¯t believe you underestimate it and that it¡¯s holding a grudge.¡± General Ha was taken aback and shot a sharp look at the Sudden Death King. If you can¡¯t master Thunder Armor, prepare for a taste of my sword qi! Sudden Death King: ??? Chapter 72: The Kings Seven Beast Generals Chapter 72: The Kings Seven Beast Generals Not too long ago, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry to train the Sudden Death King. After all, he had to clear the Breakthrough Secret Realm to get his second Contract Card. As for now, General Ha is already at level 10, and he could enter the Breakthrough Secret Realm at any moment. The days until getting the second Contract Card didn¡¯t seem too far off. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the main reason. The main reason was this recent resurgence of spiritual energy. Through the news, Lu Ran saw that many animals benefited from this resurgence, some even potentially reaching level 20 or higher. These animals all had one thing inmon¡ªthey weren¡¯t bound by human contracts. Evidently, Contract Cards imposed certain bottlenecks on Beastmasters and their Pet Beasts, allowing them to advance only by passing the trials of Infinite City. Animals that weren¡¯t contracted, on the other hand, had no such restrictions.Therefore, Lu Ran hoped the Sudden Death King could quickly stand on its own and take full advantage of this spiritual energy resurgence to gain significant strength. Ideally, by the time he cleared the Breakthrough Secret Realm, the Sudden Death King would already be at level 20. That way, it would be much easier for him and General Ha to challenge the secret realm with a level 20 Sudden Death King by their side. For now, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t nning to enter the Breakthrough Secret Realm just yet. After all, General Ha hadn¡¯t fused any traits and hadn¡¯t reached peak power. Plus, there was the challenging Abyss Secret Realm ahead, so there was still plenty of time for the Sudden Death King. Moreover, before being contracted, the Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t even enter Infinite City. Lu Ran had been worrying about where to ce him, but now there was a solution. Free-range training! He would leave the Sudden Death King to Dark Crow, Old Turtle, and One-eared. These ferocious beasts, now at over a dozen levels and the first to benefit from the spiritual energy resurgence, could train the Sudden Death King well. Together with the Sudden Death King, they could unite the Green Sea and expand their territory. After such training, Lu Ran believed the Sudden Death King would undoubtedly be transformed. In the following days, Lu Ran¡¯s waiting paid off, and he received various updates. Every so often, the Green Sea authorities would report to Lu Ran. Thetest reports mentioned that they had not discovered any other significantly evolved creatures! ¡°Not even one more?¡± Lu Ran sighed as he ate a wood scale fruit, watching the interaction between General Ha and the Sudden Death King. At this moment, the Sudden Death King was covered in lightning, while General Ha kept prodding him with his dog paws¡­ Each poke sent a jolt of electricity through him. It stung a bit, but General Ha was enjoying himself, while the Sudden Death King¡¯s face was twisted in pain, feeling like he might just die on the spot. ¡°Stop poking me¡­¡± In General Ha¡¯s view, the quickest way to train the Sudden Death King to develop Thunder Armor was to let him take hits. Whether this was wisdom disguised as foolishness or foolishness disguised as wisdom, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t be sure. Considering General Ha was a genius at learning skills, Lu Ran handed over the teaching duties to him. Meanwhile, he scrolled through the news on his phone, waiting for updates. In just a short time, even from the news, Lu Ran knew that the world hadpletely changed. The deep sea and areas like the Amazon rainforest had already be human no-go zones¡­ ¡°This just makes going to the Amazon Rainforest even more difficult,¡± Lu Ran sighed again. His parents had gone missing there, and he had hoped to visit one day. But it now seemed that neither he nor General Ha was strong enough. Over there, ferocious beasts above level 20 were everywhere, and considering the richness of natural resources, it wasn¡¯t impossible for level-30 creatures to exist. ¡°Gaah!!¡± As Lu Ran was lost in thought, a few crows suddenly flew down from the sky,nding on a nearby tree. Among them was Lu Ran¡¯s most familiar and intelligent crow. ¡°Great King!! We¡¯ve found one, we¡¯ve found one!!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran looked at him and asked, ¡°Is it like you?¡± ¡°Yes, we can feel its strength. It seems to be a sparrow that has evolved with ice abilities.¡± ¡°There are treasures there too! Treasures!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s body shook with excitement. Finally, after all this waiting, there was good news. What he wanted to hear was not that there were no advanced mutant creatures, but rather that they had found one! After all, the more advanced mutant creatures there were, the easier it would be to manage the wild areas around Green Sea City once they were all subdued. These crows were quite efficient, even faster than the Green Sea authorities. Lu Ran felt that these thousands of crows could be his second pair of eyes in Green Sea City. Crows are inherently intelligent, can fly, and have the ability to mimic sounds, making them perfect scouts. ¡°Where is it?¡± Lu Ran asked. The crow leader quickly reported everything they had seen to Lu Ran. They had discovered it on an unknown small hill in the countryside of Green Sea City. That small hill, after the resurgence of spiritual energy, was covered in frost and was almost turning into a snow-capped mountain. On the small hill, there was an entirely ice-blue tree, with the mutated ice sparrow perched right on it. ¡°Good job,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Take me there.¡± ¡°Gaa! We can take a shortcut through Emerald Mountain!¡± The crow leader pointed out. ¡°General Ha, we¡¯ll take a shortcut through Emerald Mountain. You¡¯ll carry me. By the way, when will you learn Wind Wing? We could fly there much faster next time.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha pondered, feeling a growing list of tasks. After all, he was just a dog! Seeing that General Ha had something to do, the Sudden Death King rxed, hugging his scratched-up scales, and let out a sigh of relief. ¡­¡­ With General Ha rushing through the gale, it took about ten minutes to cross a mountain, and they finally arrived at the location described by the crow leader. Because this ce was still some distance from the nearby towns, it hadn¡¯t been discovered by humans yet. If it weren¡¯t for the crows, it might have taken much longer to scout this area. However, just as Lu Ran arrived, he couldn¡¯t hold hisposure. Underneath a very distinct ice- and snow-covered tree, two ferocious creatures were in a heated standoff. A massive ice sparrow stood on the tree, making a fierce posture. Below, a redrge-toothed snake, swirling with fire energy, was eyeing the tree greedily. Lu Ran was stunned. Damn, is this a treasure-hunting snake? Wasn¡¯t this the very same redrge-toothed snake that fled earlier, making a fool out of him? Just after slipping away from the Life Dandelion, it had crossed a mountain and found another rare resource¡­ What unparalleled treasure-finding skills. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s phone rang. Luo Shang reported, ¡°Latest news, the drone tracking the redrge-toothed snake has captured another exceptionally mutated supernatural being¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s a sparrow, right?¡± Lu Ran interrupted. ¡°Uh?¡± Luo Shang was taken aback. ¡°I¡¯ll hang up for now. I¡¯ve found it too. We¡¯ll contact each otherter.¡± Lu Ranughed. He had initially nned to settle things here before having a good chat with the redrge-toothed snake. Now, he didn¡¯t need to look for it anymore. Right then, the arrival of Lu Ran, General Ha, and the crow leader interrupted the standoff between the two high-level mutated creatures. Sensing the arrival of powerful enemies, both creatures were rmed. However, it was the redrge-toothed snake that felt the most frustrated; its eyes went nk, unable toprehend why it was encountering this group again. ¡°Alright, you two, there¡¯s no need to keep fighting. It¡¯s just over a tea tree, right? Can you give me a break?¡± Lu Ran directed his gaze towards the blue giant tree. [Name]: Ice Heart Tea nt [Level]: Advanced [Introduction]: The tea leaves have a refreshing and spirit-clearing effect, relieving mental fatigue. Seeing this, Lu Ran nodded. Although it was an advanced resource, its quantity was immense! Just now, this area¡­ must have experienced an outburst of ice energy. It not only mutated the tea tree but also evolved that sparrow. In the early stages of the resurgence of spiritual energy, opportunities were indeed everywhere! ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The redrge-toothed snake questioned Lu Ran¡¯s intentions. No way, it thought, I¡¯ve already backed down once, and now you want me to do it again? The ice sparrow also seemed wary of these intruders. Facing the alert eyes of the two ferocious beasts, Lu Ran smiled slightly: ¡°Let¡¯s forget about this tea tree for the moment. I¡¯m more interested in you two. How about joining me in achieving something big?¡± ¡°With your current intelligence, you should be aware that the world has undergone significant changes.¡± ¡°Just in Green Sea City, things have transformed tremendously. Treasures like this will only be more abundant in the future. Do you n to fight over each one? Although you¡¯ve mutated considerably, you will eventually encounter creatures stronger than you. It¡¯s inevitable that you¡¯d end up as prey.¡± ¡°Surrender and join me. Be my generals! Together, we can rule the animal kingdom of Green Sea City. Treasures like these will be in endless supply!¡± Lu Ran spread his arms wide, extending the invitation. However, both the redrge-toothed snake and the ice sparrow turned to look at Lu Ran as if he were an idiot. Although their intelligence had greatly improved, their species had no concept of allegiance or grand ns. To them, Lu Ran was simply trying to steal their treasure! Seeing their reactions, Lu Ran felt a twitch in his mouth. So uncooperative. ¡°Really¡ª¡± Lu Ran sighed and spoke calmly. Since they were unwilling, it was time to show them some force! He nced at General Ha, who immediately got the hint, his eyes turning sharp as he approached the redrge-toothed snake and the ice sparrow. Both creatures were taken aback. ¡°Woof!¡± In the next moment, General Ha, with the Sword of Wind in his mouth, charged forward. The two ferocious beasts widened their eyes. Suddenly, a whirlwind swept across the small hill, apanied by the frantic cries of the redrge-toothed snake and the ice sparrow. Chaos ensued¡­ ¡­¡­ Later that evening. Lu Ran had crossed mountains and rivers,pleting his preliminary work. He had friendly conversations with each of Green Sea City¡¯s advanced mutated creatures. At Qingwu Lake. Lu Ran had gathered them all here to start dividing territories. ¡°From now on, you will cooperate with me to maintain the stability of Green Sea City¡¯s animal kingdom. It¡¯s a win-win situation.¡± Looking at the several creatures in front of him, Lu Ran said, ¡°No need to look so glum.¡± ¡°Let me give you all code names first.¡± Turning to the old turtle at Qingwu Lake, he said, ¡°From now on, your code name is ck Turtle. You¡¯ll be responsible for security in the Qingwu Lake area. This ce has the most water-dwelling creatures in Green Sea City. We can¡¯t cross paths with the ocean for now.¡± The old turtle nced at the other mutated ferocious beasts around, sighing. It really didn¡¯t want to get involved in Lu Ran¡¯s ns. ¡°Cricket, your code name is Bug King. Aim to unify the insect world of Green Sea City and first suppress the ant and bee colonies. This is very important.¡± Late at night, the Bug King was quite annoyed at being summoned again by Lu Ran, but it nodded nheless. ¡°Crow, your code name is Dark Crow. From now on, you are the overlord of Green Sea City¡¯s skies. Under the cover of night, have your subordinates monitor the city¡¯s activities for me.¡± ¡°Wise King!¡± The crow was quite pleased with the code name Lu Ran gave it. ¡°And you, snake, your code name is Fire Snake. You¡¯ll be the guardian around Emerald Mountain. Don¡¯t let any mutated creatures enter the city and, for heaven¡¯s sake, don¡¯t cause any wildfires. Otherwise, I¡¯ll roast you.¡± The fire snake hissed in acknowledgment, clearly understanding the seriousness of the warning. Lu Ran looked around, satisfied that his newly recruited generals were starting to fall in line. The animal kingdom of Green Sea City was beginning to take shape. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± The redrge-toothed snake nodded furiously. Its body was covered in wounds, feeling like it had boarded a pirate ship. From now on, it vowed never to seek out treasures again. It was clear that it had been given a good beating by General Ha. ¡°That sparrow, your code name will be Ice Bird. Until we can figure out a way to transnt that tea nt, your job is to protect it,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Also, I noticed a lot of wild boars in your area. If they try to invade the viges, it¡¯s your responsibility to deal with them.¡± That tea nt, although only an advanced species, seemed like a great business opportunity to Lu Ran. Refreshing the mind? Relieving fatigue? Such supplements have arge market. Even for personal use, it¡¯s quite good. ¡°Chirp¡­¡± The Ice Bird didn¡¯t feel great about it, but after being disciplined, it patiently listened to Lu Ran¡¯s entire n. Joining forces to rule Green Sea City indeed felt safer than going it alone. ¡°One-Eared, your code name is One-Eared. You¡¯ll lead the stray cat group to maintain the city¡¯s order,¡± Lu Ran said to the expectant-looking stray cat. But as soon as he finished speaking, One-Eared¡¯s expression froze. ¡°Meow!!!¡± It didn¡¯t want the code name One-Eared. Why was its code name so unconventional? ¡°And you, stop cking off!¡± Lu Ran said to the Sudden Death King, who waszily lounging on the sidelines. Sudden Death King: ?? The Sudden Death King was taken aback. It had hoped to be overlooked. ¡°In theing period, you¡¯ll also join us. Initially, you¡¯ll stay by my side, andter, you¡¯ll act independently to help maintain the order of Green Sea City. Your code name will be Thunder Dragon,¡± Lu Ran announced. Seeing Sudden Death King¡¯s confused expression and hearing its reluctantly acknowledging hiss, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but smile. With everyone¡¯s code names and roles assigned, he felt a newfound sense of order and excitement for the future. The animal kingdom in Green Sea City was now taking shape, and Lu Ran was ready to see what possibilitiesy ahead with his loyal generals by his side. The Sudden Death King looked bitter when it gazed at the several gigantic mutated beasts around it. Any one of them could squish it like a bug. To work with them¡­ ck Turtle, Bug King, Dark Crow, Fire Snake, Ice Bird, One-Eared, Thunder Dragon. Lu Ran was satisfied as he looked at these seven creatures. Six of them were over level 10, which meant that their ability to suppress other mutated beasts was top-notch. ¡°Once the situation in Green Sea City ispletely stabilized, I will reward you all ording to your contributions and find suitable resources to strengthen you, don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°No, actually, tomorrow. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go find some resources suitable for you and bring them back.¡± Lu Ran knew he couldn¡¯t just make empty promises. Tomorrow, he nned to venture into Infinite City to buy some resources. This would not only earn their loyalty but also incentivize them for their hard work. ¡°Great King, Great King, I have a good suggestion,¡± Dark Crow spoke up. ¡°One, two, three, four, five, six, seven¡­ Let¡¯s call ourselves The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals! For now, we rule Green Sea City, but eventually, we¡¯ll conquer other cities too! Hahaha, we need a powerful name.¡± Lu Ran was already used to this creature¡¯s antics and responded calmly, ¡°Say that again and I¡¯ll have General Ha cut off your tongue.¡± Dark Crow was startled and immediately covered its mouth. Got it. Stay low-key, keep developing, and then secretly amaze everyone! Chapter 73: The Gradually Stabilizing Green Sea City Chapter 73: The Gradually Stabilizing Green Sea City Since Dr. Gu entrusted Lu Ran with a significant responsibility, he was very concerned about the situation in Green Sea City and felt that he absolutely couldn¡¯t mess things up. To further consolidate his influence in the local wildlifemunity, Lu Ran entered Infinite City early the next morning. He spent a whopping 1,200 crystal coins to purchase several days¡¯ worth of advanced food in gold, water, fire, earth, ice, and dark attributes. He then returned to Green Sea City and distributed the food to the Bug King, ck Turtle, Fire Snake, One-Eared, Ice Bird, and Dark Crow. Though these creatures had all evolved to around level 10 or higher, they were still in a nascent state, having just awakened. In terms of knowledge andbat prowess, theygged behind pet beasts like General Ha, who had been carefully nurtured by a beastmaster. These advanced foods hit the spot¡ªthey were precisely what these creatures needed but could never find in Green Sea City. Initially, a few of the animals were disgruntled, but upon witnessing the tangible benefits of following King Lu, they became fiercely loyal. Fire Snake was the most notable example; its attitude changed dramatically before and after receiving the advanced food. Without question, Green Sea City¡¯s first batch of advanced mutated creatures had been efficiently won over by Lu Ran. While other cities were still struggling with how to expel or eliminate advanced mutated ferocious beasts, Green Sea City had already managed to have a group of advanced mutated beasts self-proim as ¡°The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals.¡± They didn¡¯t even need contracts¡ªthey just began working for Lu Ran, helping to maintain city order. Whether this was truly effective was secondary; at least, it was a promising start.Over the next week, Lu Ran didn¡¯t engage in any other activities. He personally led General Ha and the Sudden Death King to continue recruiting more minions. Although he had already won over the advanced mutated beasts above level 10, this didn¡¯t mean that those below level 10 were without value. With the cooperation of The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals, Lu Ran spent today talking to an evolutionarily advanced wild boar, tomorrow conversing with an evolved mouse species, and the day after that negotiating with an evolved queen bee¡­ After a week, Lu Ran had overseen and guided the majority of the wildlife species in Green Sea City. The process went very smoothly, especially since a good portion were already his ¡°old friends.¡± Like rolling a snowball, the size of Lu Ran¡¯s team grewrger andrger. If one week ago, the title of King of Green Sea felt somewhat hollow, it was nowpletely justified. With General Ha, The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals, and the allegiance of Green Sea City¡¯s top hundred wild species, Lu Ran¡¯s status as the King of Green Sea was now solid and unwavering. Knock, knock, knock. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Lu Ran said as he got up that day, seeing Fang Lan had alreadye to find him early in the morning. After opening the door, Lu Ran saw Fang Lan looking at him with a somewhat resentful expression. ¡°A whole week! That¡¯s too long!¡± ¡°There was no other way¡­¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°To win them over one by one, I only slept four hours a day, relying entirely on Ice Honey Tea to keep going¡­¡± ¡°But now it¡¯s all set. I¡¯ll take you around and introduce you to the Five Poison Species. From now on, they¡¯ll be your responsibility.¡± ¡°Ice Honey Tea, that stuff is delicious! Do you have any more?¡± Fang Lan asked, licking her lips with a hint of desire. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get you some from the fridge.¡± Ice Honey Tea is a fruit tea drink that Lu Ran made using Ice Heart Tea Leaves from the small mountain and honey brewed by the bee species from supernatural nts. The Ice Heart Tea Leaves help alleviate mental fatigue, while the supernatural honey, limited by the variety of Green Sea City¡¯s supernatural nt resources, mainly helps restore physical strength. But whenbined, the two make an excellent drink for restoring both mental and physical energy. At this moment, Lu Ran was already reaping the benefits of being King of Green Sea. These tea leaves and honey came for free, although every time he picked the tea leaves, Ice Bird would cry, and the Queen Bee was reluctant to offer the honey. But Lu Ran understood that deep down, they wanted him to have these resources! This was far better than the Wood Scale Fruit¡ªeven General Ha wouldn¡¯t touch those anymore! Now when General Ha gets tired, he just takes a sip of Ice Honey Tea to restore his energy and stamina. In short, Ice Honey Tea was the first tangible benefit Lu Ran enjoyed after bing King of Green Sea. After making a batch, he even sent some to Fang Lan¡¯s ce via local express delivery and kept some to reward those who had been tirelessly working for the stability of the city without much rest. Judging by Fang Lan¡¯s current reaction, it seemed she had taken quite a liking to the Ice Honey Tea¡­ ¡°Glug glug~¡± After drinking some Ice Honey Tea at Lu Ran¡¯s ce, Fang Lan flicked her purple ponytail, feeling refreshed. She wiped the droplets from her lips and said cheerfully, ¡°This stuff is amazing. If you sold it in Infinite City, you¡¯d make a fortune.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t many leaves on the Ice Heart Tea nt. I¡¯ve already enlisted a few grass-type mutated beasts to help Ice Bird take care of the tea nt. We¡¯ll talk about it once the yield goes up,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Hmm,¡± Fang Lan murmured, feeling that Lu Ran was living the life just like the local emperor of Green Sea City! ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll call General Ha and Sudden Death King, and take you over there,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°You two,e out.¡± At his call, a door in the inner room was immediately pushed open. General Ha came scampering out, wagging his tail. Seeing Fang Lan, he barked warmly. ¡°Woof!¡± These days, General Ha had grown to the size of a tiger and looked quite majestic. Fang Lan smiled slightly at him; who would¡¯ve thought that the little puppy Lu Ran picked up would now firmly hold the top spot in potential among pet beasts? ¡°Wow ka.¡± But what surprised Fang Lan even more was the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard she had given to Lu Ran. Although Lu Ran had mentioned that the lizard had undergone a supernatural evolution, seeing the Sudden Death King now, over half a meter long, still caught her off guard. Especially given the current state of the Sudden Death King! Its robust body looked as if it were made of rock, with colors interweaving ck and brown, and white electric currents flickering between the scales. On the outside of its body, its neck, skull, long tail, sharp ws, and teeth, along with its four powerful legs, were all encased in a thickyer of spiked Thunder Armor, as if it were bathed in lightning and using electricity to shield itself! Coupled with its fierce, orange-red eyes, it looked even more impressive. No wonder it was considered the most handsome in the lizard world. ¡°Is this the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard?? Energy Shaping??¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile as he looked at it. ¡°So, how do you think I did with the birthday gift you gave me?¡± ¡°Wow ka!¡± Sudden Death King had also noticed his second master and was eagerly looking for approval. This Thunder Armor wasn¡¯t just for show; it was earned through near-death experiences! Sudden Death King had no idea how many times General Ha had tormented him. At one point, he thought he was done for. ¡°Why is it still using Energy Shaping inside the house?¡± Fang Lan wondered. ¡°Um, maybe¡­for a sense of security?¡± Lu Ran spected. After all, General Ha tended to ambush him from time to time. Initially, Lu Ran thought he might be too harsh on Sudden Death King. But within a few days, Sudden Death King managed toprehend Thunder Shaping, covering itself in armor. Lu Ran was left speechless. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know whether to praise Sudden Death King¡¯sprehension ability, General Ha¡¯s effective methods, or his own wisdom in assigning General Ha the task of training him. For a timid creature like Sudden Death King, random ambushes were clearly effective in pushing him to his limits. To protect himself, Sudden Death King had no choice but to quickly master his Thunder Armor. As of now, General Ha no longer ambushed him because after mastering the spiked Thunder Armor, General Ha¡¯s ws and teeth alone couldn¡¯t hurt Sudden Death King. Instead, Sudden Death King¡¯s spiked Thunder Armor could even paralyze General Ha with its electric shocks. Despite this, Sudden Death King never let his guard down, fearing that any day General Ha might use Sword Qi to ambush him. So, he constantly maintained his Thunder Armor state. Fortunately, this state consumed minimal energy; as long as he wasn¡¯t over-exerted, it merely tested his willpower and focus. Of course, over the past week, General Ha and Sudden Death King had been well-fed. Dominating Green Sea with Lu Ran, they encountered both obedient and disobedient supernatural beings. For example, a few days ago, they came across a swarm of mutated mosquitoes that refused to submit. Without hesitation, Lu Ran rallied his forces and wiped them out, feeding them to Sudden Death King. Feasting on supernatural beings,bined with the resurgence of spiritual energy, had finally improved his malnourished state. ¡°Alright¡­ alright,¡± Fang Lan reluctantly epted the exnation, though she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Sudden Death King looked a bit pitiful. Lu Ran chuckled and recalled General Ha back into the ck card. Seeing this, Sudden Death King immediately deactivated his Thunder Armor and breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Today is your birthday. The poison pets of Green Sea City will be my birthday gift to you. Later, they can all celebrate with you,¡± Lu Ran said. Fang Lan was stunned for a moment and then said, ¡°I thought you had forgotten my birthday.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Why else do you think I called you over today?¡± ¡°Oh, and I have something else for you.¡± As he spoke, Lu Ran handed her the Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle that had been dropped earlier. ¡°Another birthday gift.¡± ¡°Poison resource, Dragon Scorpion Tail Needle, which contains petrification poison. You should find it useful.¡± ¡°Where did you get this! That public BOSS? Great, you kept it a secret till now!¡± Fang Lan eximed with joy. ¡°You¡¯re thoughtful; it¡¯s worth all the time I spent preparing your gift.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°What did you prepare for me?¡± Fang Lan huffed, ¡°Didn¡¯t you mention before that you wanted to challenge the ¡®Demon Bull Commander¡¯ in the ¡®Abandoned Testing Ground Secret Realm¡¯? Once the matters in Green Sea City are settled, you¡¯re definitely going there, right?¡± ¡°I did some research. That BOSS has high defense and strong life force, making it tough to defeat. Also, I bet you¡¯re nning to solo it, Mr. Lone Wolf.¡± With that, she pulled out a bottle of white potion and said, ¡°I bought some materials and concocted a poison specifically aimed at dark-type creatures. After you injure the Demon Bull Commander, find a way to inject this poison into its wound to hasten its demise.¡± ¡°You could buy a crossbow or something from the Forge House. Just don¡¯t apply the poison to General Ha¡¯s sword. Although the poison is meant for dark types, I¡¯m worried that with General Ha¡¯s intelligence, he might identally poison himself. Even if the effectiveness is reduced, it¡¯s still very dangerous!¡± ¡°In any case, don¡¯t be too reckless. If you can¡¯t handle it alone, I¡¯ll go with you and assist. Don¡¯t underestimate our poison species¡¯ ability to fight across levels.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback by how helpful Fang Lan was. He couldn¡¯t suppress a smile. ¡°As expected of the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden. I was really worried about this. Originally, my n was if General Ha couldn¡¯t handle it, I¡¯d upgrade his weapon. But with this poisonbined with the weapon upgrade, I think we¡¯ve got a sure win.¡± Fang Lan rolled her eyes at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Hopefully. By the way, I remember there isn¡¯t an Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm in Infinite City No.3, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. To challenge that secret realm, I¡¯ll need to go to a nearby Infinite City¡­ and the divine beast leaderboard is about to close soon, making things easy for that Pluto guy,¡± Lu Ran said. Each pet beast can only appear on one divine beast leaderboard. If he went to another Infinite City to challenge the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm, General Ha would have to appear on that city¡¯s divine beast leaderboard. Naturally, he and General Ha would disappear from Infinite City No.3¡¯s leaderboard¡­ Pluto, that lucky fool, would probably be over the moon, potentially securing the top spot. But whoever was at the top of the leaderboard in the other Infinite City might not be so happy. Then again, what did that have to do with him! Chapter 74: The Crickets Revenge Chapter 74: The Crickets Revenge Lu Ran wasn¡¯t the only one benefiting from the wild resources of Green Sea City. Fang Lan was perhaps the greatest beneficiary aside from him. For first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation beastmasters, those specializing in poison needed a substantial amount of resources for practice. A deep understanding of various toxic nts and animals was essential to bing a true master of poison techniques. Presently, the whole domain of poison in Green Sea City was open to Fang Lan. Combined with the poison courses postal-mailed by Gu Qingyi and her own academic excellence, Lu Ran could already foresee the birth of an exceptionally formidable beastmaster. Even without hands-on experience, she had already concocted a poison against the Demon Bull Commander. After practical learning, Lu Ran felt Fang Lan would be one of the most ruthless among fourth-generation beastmasters. The divine beast leaderboard could hardly represent her true strength. After all, when facing opponents in the arena, she had to hold back to avoid lethal oues. Moreover, the true essence of poisony in intelligence gathering, targeted poisons, assassinations, and so on¡­ ¡­Lu Ran and Fang Lan walked shoulder to shoulder in Maple Park. He intended to take her to meet the venomous centipede at the back mountain. As they chatted and walked, they attracted many curious nces. The reason was simple: Fang Lan was a well-known figure in Green Sea City! The Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Cult from Infinite City No. 3 was known by everyone. Her striking purple hair was her best identifier. Unlike Lu Ran, who kept a low profile, Fang Lan frequently mixed in the arena and was even more famous. Plus, she was a beauty, and the stark contrast with her specialization in poison added to her fame. An additional factor was that in the past seven days, Fang Lan had been actively resolving issues caused by various mutated beasts around Green Sea City, making her even more widely recognized. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Fang Lan, the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Cult?!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the guy beside her? Her boyfriend?! Damn, someone actually managed to tame such a legendary figure.¡± At the moment, Maple Park was bustling with people, many of whom were students from Green Sea University. These student beastmasters often teamed up to capture mutated beasts. After all, helping to maintain public order while earning academic credits was the perfect way to satisfy their sense of justice and alleviate academic concerns¡ªtruly a win-win situation. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Lu Ran, the previous Bug King of the Maple Park Fighting Bug Tournament?!¡± Of course, there were still those who recognized Lu Ran. He actually had some poprity, not because of his Passerby A identity, but due to his title as the strongest Bug Fighter. As for the fact that Fang Lan and Lu Ran were siblings, even fewer people were aware of that. ¡°It really is Lu Ran! Has he be a beastmaster too? It makes sense, though! But I thought he would contract with a bug, given his impressive bug fighting skills. So, it¡¯s a lizard instead?!¡± One of the seasoned bug fighters noticed the Sudden Death King following Lu Ran and eximed in surprise. For the past week, Lu Ran had mostly been active in sparsely popted areas. So even though he had subdued numerous wild animals, only Officer Luo Shang and his official beastmaster team knew about his King of Green Sea status. Civilian beastmasters, like the ones in Maple Park, were still out of the loop. ¡°Seems like we are both quite famous, and you¡¯ve done a great job keeping your identity under wraps,¡± Fang Lan whispered to Lu Ran with a chuckle. ¡°Isn¡¯t that justmon practice? Can you honestly say that having your identity exposed so quickly hasn¡¯t caused you any trouble?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention it. I get pestered by at least a dozen ssmates every day asking me for help. It¡¯s incredibly annoying. And the worst part? Even in Infinite City, I can¡¯t have a meal without being approached by strangers.¡± Fang Lan sighed deeply, feeling utterly exasperated. Unlike Lu Ran, who could steal a wild Boss in broad daylight without anyone remembering what he looked like, blending into the crowd like a true Passerby A. Now Fang Lan regretted her decision to dye her hair that eye-catching purple. ¡°Haha,¡± Lu Ran chuckled and said, ¡°My ssmates never bother me¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ran, is that you?!¡± ¡°Finally found you!¡± Before Lu Ran could finish his sentence, a boy in shorts came running after them, shouting. Both Lu Ran and Fang Lan turned around at the sound of his voice. ¡°Hey, I sent you so many messages in private chat, and you didn¡¯t reply at all. Turns out you were on a date¡­ Whoa, the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden!¡± The boy in shorts, now closer, was visibly shocked upon seeing Lu Ran and Fang Lan together. ¡°Yang Xishuai?¡± Lu Ran recognized him and looked equally perplexed. This was his high school ssmate¡­ About half a month ago, Yang Xishuai also became a beastmaster. He¡¯d even boasted about it in their ss group chat. Lu Ran was also aware of anotheryer to Yang Xishuai¡¯s identity¡ªthat he was the grandson of the old man who lost to Lu Ran in the previous fighting bug tournament. Hearing Yang Xishuai¡¯s words, Lu Ran remembered all those times when this guy kept pestering him, asking if he had be a beastmaster and wanting to have a rematch to honor his grandfather¡­ Unsurprisingly, Lu Ran hadpletely ignored him. Who would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d get nabbed in real life today? Just moments ago, he had been telling Fang Lan how he never got harassed by ssmates, and now this¡ªssic example of jinxing himself! ¡°You¡­ you two know each other?¡± Yang Xishuai looked incredulously at Lu Ran and Fang Lan walking side by side. Fang Lan was a well-known figure in Green Sea City, someone who had even been featured in the newspapers several times! She was hailed as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City. A true beauty of Green Sea City. Although, a poisonous flower at that. And Lu Ran knew such a goddess? ¡°Fang Lan is our senior. We¡¯re from the same school. Is it that strange for us to know each other?¡± Lu Ran responded, ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Yang Xishuai quickly nced at the Sudden Death King trailing behind Lu Ran. The Sudden Death King also sensed something ominous and eyeballed him in return. ¡°Beastmaster duel, what else!¡± Yang Xishuai eximed, ¡°Your lizard is well-raised; it¡¯s quite big. What species is it? So cool.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t have a strong will. You didn¡¯t contract a bug species. Look at me, I not only contracted an insect but also leveraged it to pass the novice trial!¡± ¡°A middle supernatural species, Cricket Warrior. Impressive, right?¡± Yang Xishuai boasted but felt somewhat insecure internally, because he knew he had cheated his way through the trial. After the beast taming era began, the Xia Country government started selling a resource called ¡°stinkweed.¡± When this weed was crushed and smeared on the body, it caused most supernatural beings to feel nauseous and repelled, thereby significantly reducing the chances of being attacked by supernatural beings within a secret realm. Needless to say, with the advent of stinkweed, the odds of novice beastmasters surviving the 24-hour novice trial through cunning means drastically increased. Yang Xishuai was one of the first beneficiaries of purchasing stinkweed. Thanks to acquiring this resource and his years of experience with bugs, he firmly chose insects as his pet beast. In the end, his luck was pretty good. Most crickets are of the lower supernatural species level, but after contracting with him, his cricket not only reached the middle supernatural species level, but they also encountered a secret realm where the stinkweed¡¯s special effects could be perfectly utilized. It was smooth sailing for him. ¡°Anyway, do you want to have a beastmaster duel? My Cricket Warrior versus your lizard!¡± Yang Xishuai said, ¡°Based on species level, you still have the advantage. What do you say?¡± ¡°What nonsense is this? Why did you really contract a cricket?¡± Lu Ran was exasperated and was about to refuse, but Fang Lan smiled and said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯d like to see the Sudden Death King¡¯s current strength.¡± Meanwhile, she looked at Lu Ran smugly, thinking, ¡®Didn¡¯t you say your ssmates never bothered you? This one¡¯s even more enthusiastic than mine!¡¯ ¡°Well¡­ fine,¡± Lu Ran conceded reluctantly. Since it hade to this, he might as well deal with Yang Xishuai once and for all to stop him from pestering him every day. How did it escte from fighting the senior to now dealing with the junior? This didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°I¡¯ll fight you, but just this once.¡± ¡°Haha, great!¡± Yang Xishuai was excited, rubbing his hands together in preparation. Sudden Death King: ??? The Sudden Death King was on the verge of tears. Its second master sure knew how to find trouble. It could tell that Lu Ran had no intention of epting the challenge! Even though it had heard the opponent¡¯s pet beast was a cricket¡ªpreviously just food for it¡ªit still felt uneasy. After all, the bug king was also a cricket, and it was incredibly terrifying. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Ran shrugged and said, ¡°Let¡¯s find an open space.¡± In the beginning, beastmaster duels were not allowed within the city. But as spiritual energy revived, it became crucial for the public to cooperate with official forces to eliminate mutated beasts. Battles in the city were inevitable, and such regtions naturally fell by the wayside. As long as people weren¡¯t deliberately disturbing the peace or destroying public property, the authorities generally turned a blind eye to most private duels. It also became more eptable for beastmasters to walk theirrge pet beasts around outside. Soon, Lu Ran and Yang Xishuai arrived at a grassy field, preparing for their beastmaster duel. Themotion quickly attracted passersby. Seeing a beast tamer duel about to begin, a curious crowd quickly gathered. ¡°Hey, someone¡¯s having a beastmaster duel! Let¡¯s check it out!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guy walking with the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden?¡± ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that old Yang¡¯s grandson?¡± The surrounding crowd grewrger. Both Yang Xishuai and Lu Ran ignored the bystanders. At this moment, the Sudden Death King had already crawled into the grass, sighing repeatedly. Meanwhile, Yang Xishuai confidently pulled out his ck card to summon his pet beast. ¡°Come out, my warrior.¡± With his words, a summoning circle appeared on the grass. Apanied by a radiant light, a massive golden cricket, about half a meter long, flew out from the circle! Its armor was incredibly lustrous, with long antennae, thin yet shiny wings, plus six stout legs and two sharp mandibles. This cricket looked like a seasoned warrior, well-bred to amendable level. ¡°Screech¡ª¡ª¡± The cricket¡¯s battle cry was filled with fighting spirit as it raised its wings, showing its determination to fight. Its aggressive nature was quite apparent. The Cricket Warrior eyed the Sudden Death King with aposed demeanor,pletely unbothered by the fact that insects were typically just food for lizards. After all, it had taken down at least ten predators over these past days if not a hundred! ¡°Honestly, old Yang¡¯s grandson really raises some top-tier crickets. No wonder they¡¯re from a family renowned for battling bugs.¡± ¡°If they had another fighting bug tournament that allowed supernatural insects, he¡¯d definitely take first ce.¡± ¡°No, no, no, the other day I saw a cricket as big as a person. That was absurd¡­¡± People started debating again. ¡°Wow ka. (Gold species¡­)¡± Meanwhile, seeing the Cricket Warrior, the Sudden Death King swallowed nervously, even more worried now. After all, the bug king was also a metal species. What to do, what to do? Although the Cricket Warrior was much smallerpared to the bug king. But what if small packages really did mean more concentrated power? Especially seeing the confidence exuding from both Yang Xishuai and the Cricket Warrior, the Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t help but feel apprehensive. ¡°Wow ka wow ka wow ka.¡± ¡°Wow ka wow ka.¡± The Sudden Death King kept making noises, voicing its concerns. [Wow ka ka, what terrifying mandibles, if they bite me, I¡¯ll definitely die instantly.] Looking pitifully, the Sudden Death King sought Lu Ran¡¯s help. ¡°What is it saying?¡± On the other side, Yang Xishuai, curious about Lu Ran¡¯s chatty pet beast, asked. Only a beastmaster could understand such things, unless the Sudden Death King someday mastered abilities like telepathy to directlymunicate with others. ¡°Are you sure you want to know? ¡®What terrifying mandibles, if they bite me, I¡¯ll definitely die instantly¡­¡¯,¡± Lu Ran mimicked the Sudden Death King¡¯s tone quite urately. ¡°Damn.¡± Even though the statement was one of weakness, Yang Xishuai felt that Lu Ran and his lizard were mocking them in a cynical way, subtly ridiculing them. ¡°Heh, don¡¯t get too cocky just yet. You¡¯ll see its power soon enough!¡± ¡°Attack!¡± Waving his hand dramatically, Yang Xishuaimanded, and the golden Cricket Warrior leapt forward like an airborne general, charging straight at the Sudden Death King. Seeing this, Lu Ran decided not to give any specificmands, nning to let the Sudden Death King handle it on its own. The Sudden Death King was startled. It wanted to activate its Thunder Armor to protect itself, but due to the size of the field and Yang Xishuai not following any etiquette by attacking without warning, the Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t get its armor up in time and was hit. ¡°ck!¡± The Cricket Warrior, with its metal energy ovey, struck with its antennae that were as sharp as metal spears, hitting the Sudden Death King directly. Just as the Sudden Death King was about to scream in pain, there was a ¡°Screeeeech!¡± sound. The metal antennae of the golden Cricket Warrior, as if striking something incredibly hard, made the Cricket Warrior recoil in pain. ¡°Shhhh¡ª-,¡± the recoil force pushed the golden Cricket Warrior back, making its head buzz and feel dizzy, leaving the Sudden Death King dumbfounded. Even Yang Xishuai¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°No way, no damage at all?¡± Onlookers also started talking among themselves, ¡°That lizard¡¯s defensive capabilities are really strong.¡± ¡°The opponent¡¯s metal energy ovey attacked with such force that cutting through stone would have been easy. Yet, it couldn¡¯t even scratch the lizard¡¯s original skin.¡± ¡°As expected, the friend of the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden is also a formidable beastmaster.¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± The various voices around him were echoing in Yang Xishuai¡¯s ears, making it hard for him to ept. He continued tomand, ¡°Bite him!¡± By this time, the Sudden Death King finally reacted. Small sparks of electricity began to course over its body. Unfortunately, it was just a basic energy ovey and not the fully formed Thunder Armor, as the Cricket Warriorunched another ferocious attack, further terrifying the Sudden Death King. In an instant, the Cricket Warrior made contact with the Sudden Death King, which was now covered with thunder energy. The Cricket Warrior shivered, ck smoke rising from its body, and copsed twitching on the ground. The Sudden Death King, looking at the Cricket Warrior lying beside it, was once again left dumbfounded. Huh? What just happened? The opponent¡¯s attack speed was so fast. It hadn¡¯t even fully formed the Thunder Armor, and had only just applied the thunder energy ovey to its body, yet the Cricket Warrior¡­ how did it fall down so quickly? The Sudden Death King stared at the Cricket Warrior, deep in thought, unsure whether it should continue forming its Thunder Armor. ¡°Wow ka. (I haven¡¯t even fully activated my defensive skill, and you¡¯ve already copsed.)¡± The Sudden Death King was utterly shocked. It had braced itself for a fierce fight with the Cricket Warrior, but it turned out the opponent couldn¡¯t even break through its basic defense! ¡°Looks like it¡¯s over.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°It¡¯s just a mild paralysis. No big deal. Just take it to rest for a bit, I¡¯m heading out now.¡± The fight ended swiftly and decisively. Fang Lan, standing by, couldn¡¯t help but remark, ¡°Its defense is really strong.¡± ¡°In terms of defense, it indeed has a talent. When it first awakened, its scale defense was alreadyparable to wild boars several levels higher with rock energy oveys. And now¡­¡± Lu Ran smiled and continued walking with Fang Lan, the Sudden Death King hesitating briefly before quickly following along. The Sudden Death King had leveled up multiple times by now, having benefitted from General Ha¡¯s resources and consumed a lot of Heart of the Bug to increase the hardness of its scales. Its scale defense was already beyond formidable. If it activated its Thunder Armor, Lu Ran estimated that even if it just stood there, without counter-attacking, it could still counter-defeat a bunch of wild level 10 creatures. Of course, Lu Ran was also aware of the Sudden Death King¡¯s weakness; its reaction time was still a bit slow, and it couldn¡¯t activate its Thunder Armor instantly. This was a drawback of not mastering the energy flow technique, and it was also rted to the fact that the Sudden Death King hadn¡¯t practiced repeatedly switching its Thunder Armor on and off. It seemed more training with General Ha was necessary, specifically the kind where the Sudden Death King wasn¡¯t given any advance warning. At this moment, the Sudden Death King was also self-reflecting. Perhaps it should just keep its Thunder Armor on at all times¡­ In dangerous situations, there might not be enough time to put it on! From now on, maybe it should even sleep with a thickyer of armor! Lu Ran and Fang Lan walked away. However, Yang Xishuai was left standing there, stunned. His Cricket Warrior¡­ couldn¡¯t even break through the opponent¡¯s defense and got knocked out from the rebound shock! How could this happen!!! Feeling the stares and whispers from the surrounding onlookers, Yang Xishuai felt a wave of darkness before his eyes. How could Lu Ran be so strong?!! Chapter 75: General Has New Weapon Chapter 75: General Has New Weapon After sorting out the situation with Yang Xishuai, Lu Ran began to lead Fang Lan into some serious work. It took almost a whole morning and part of an afternoon for Lu Ran to familiarize Fang Lan with the poison ecosystem of Green Sea City. Fang Lan was exhrated throughout. By the time dusk approached and the day¡¯s work was finally done, a dark crow perched on a tree in the forest, looking toward Lu Ran, Fang Lan, and the Sudden Death King. ¡°Sire, I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Ah, so this is the talking crow you mentioned!¡± Fang Lan eximed in surprise upon seeing it. Generally, crows don¡¯t speak; they can only mimic human speech like parrots. The one in Green Sea City, seemingly due to some peculiar evolution, had developed the ability to speak, much to Lu Ran¡¯s resignation. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Dark Crow, I might be leaving Green Sea for a few days. During this time, listen to her and continue to maintain order in Green Sea.¡±Lu Ran was about to challenge the abyss secret realm to gather a new trait for General Ha. Before his departure, he gave some instructions. ¡°Caw caw!¡± Lu Ran sighed and added, ¡°Also, take care of this guy for me. Make sure you train him well!¡± With that, Lu Ran nudged the Sudden Death King toward the dark crow. He intended to let the Sudden Death King undergo some natural training, hoping it would emerge stronger. ¡°Thunder Dragon¡­¡± The dark crow squinted upon seeing the Sudden Death King, thinking that the Thunder Dragon, who had always followed the king, was finally stepping up. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± The Sudden Death King remained silent, knowing that this day woulde sooner orter. It hoped to survive and see Lu Ran and General Ha again¡­ ¡°Go with peace of mind. If anything happens here, I¡¯ll notify you online,¡± Fang Lan assured. Lu Ran intended to challenge the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm, which required traveling to Infinite City No. 5. The back-and-forth was indeed quite troublesome. ¡°Alright, I hope I can get the trait soon,¡± Lu Ran said, scratching his head. ¡­ With Green Sea City gradually stabilizing, and everything arranged properly, Lu Ran felt confident enough to return to Infinite City. He had more than a week¡¯s worth of progress to catch up on in his quest in the secret realms. Currently, there were not many pet beasts with fused traits or awakened second attributes on the divine beast leaderboard in various regions. Among these two enhancement methods, awakening new attributes was actually moremon. This was because attribute resources were rtively easy to obtain and provided stable improvements. Although the former method, fusing traits, could significantly boost a beast¡¯sbat prowess and aid its evolution, obtaining trait crystals was exceedingly difficult. Moreover, these crystals needed to match well with the pet beast, which wasn¡¯t something every beastmaster could manage. Therefore, most beastmasters preferred a steady path rather than taking a gamble. Before heading to Infinite City No. 5 to challenge the Abandoned Testing Ground, Lu Ran first visited the Forge House in Infinite City No. 3, seeking out Master Lin. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you, kid,¡± Master Lin said, putting down his little yellow book and extinguishing his cigarette. ¡°Long time no see. Ever since you took that public Boss from the Star Cluster guild, you¡¯ve been off the radar.¡± ¡°Well, Blue Star¡¯s spiritual energy has been revivingtely,¡± Lu Ran said, taking a seat. ¡°Haha, true enough. Now that Blue Star is brimming with resources, challenging the secret realms in Infinite City isn¡¯t the only way to level up!¡± Master Lin nodded, ¡°So, this past week must have been fruitful for you?¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly, ¡°Indeed, it has been quite fruitful. However, to advance further, I still need to tackle abyssal difficulty secret realms¡­ and breakthrough secret realms.¡± Master Lin¡¯s eyes narrowed, ¡°So, you¡¯re finally going?¡± ¡°Yes. I came over to see if you could forge a more powerful weapon for me before I challenge the Abyss Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Surely¡­¡± ¡°No need for ¡®surely.¡¯ Rest assured, I¡¯ll make a rare-level sword for you! It¡¯ll be powerful!¡± ¡°Problem is, I don¡¯t have money,¡± Lu Ran said, with an innocent expression. Master Lin: ??? ¡°If you have no money, why even bring it up!!!¡± Master Lin eximed in exasperation. Lu Ran said, ¡°I want to upgrade the Wind Meteor Sword by incorporating some materials to make it a rare-level weapon, but I don¡¯t have the suitable rare materials. Do you have any, Master Lin?¡± ¡°I can write you an IOU. I promise to repay you once Ie back from the Abyss Secret Realm; I¡¯ll definitely bring back a heap of rare materials¡­¡± Creatures of themander species often had a chance of dropping rare materials. Therefore, conquering abyssal difficulty dungeons was highly rewarding. ¡°Geez.¡± Faced with Lu Ran¡¯s request, Master Lin was left speechless, but in the end, he just shook his head with a smile and said, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do it your way.¡± People with potential and talent often get special privileges anywhere. For a forging master like Master Lin, a few rare materials weren¡¯t hard toe by. ¡°Any specific requirements?¡± he asked. ¡°The weapon¡¯s attack power has to be strong. It would be best if it had ice attributes, and also, incorporate this into it!¡± Lu Ran took a bag of high-quality General Ha¡¯s teeth from his space backpack and opened it. ¡°They are my pet beast¡¯s teeth.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± Master Lin was stunned. Lu Ran had mentioned using teeth in the weapon before, but seeing him take out over a hundred of Erha¡¯s teeth left him dumbfounded. ¡°What did you do to your Erha?!¡± he asked in shock, standing up. ¡°While enhancing its tooth level, it inevitably went through a tooth recement phase¡­ I just happened to be more frugal than other beastmasters, knowing the value of saving them,¡± Lu Ran said without blinking. Although it was outrageous to have over a hundred teeth, it wasn¡¯t impossible. Not only could the Divine Deer Pendant achieve this, but inviting high-level healing beastmasters or using other healing resources could also make it happen. Lu Ran naturally took them out. Master Lin was stunned for a moment¡­ then nodded. ¡°Alright, seeing as there are over a hundred teeth, I¡¯ll use all my lifelong skills to forge an awesome sword for it.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Lin.¡± ¡°By the way, let me leave this with you as coteral.¡± Lu Ran took out the Dragon Blood Crystal he had previously obtained. ¡°I don¡¯t know its exact value, but it¡¯s a rare resource nheless.¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t make it back from the secret realm, this will cover your loss. If I return safely, I¡¯ll redeem it.¡± Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t think he¡¯d meet his end, he felt he needed to show his appreciation for Master Lin¡¯s help. ¡°Alright,¡± Master Lin said, not wasting any time. He took the bag of teeth and continued, ¡°Give me three hours. You can wander around nearby in the meantime. Oh, and give me the Wind Meteor Sword.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Lu Ran handed over the Wind Meteor Sword and chose to stay put instead of wandering around. Once Master Lin left, he revisited the information and strategies rted to the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm. The Abandoned Testing Ground, rated at abyssal difficulty, is a novice secret realm with a BOSS that is a middlemander species. This BOSS is a level 10 dark-type Demon Bull Commander. The Abandoned Testing Ground was one of the many experiment sites of the Beast Taming Empire, primarily focusing on biological weapons. The Demon Bull Commander is one such experimental product. It has fused traits rted to weapon mastery and wields a rare-level battle axe that enhances its dark powers, making its attacks exceedingly powerful. The Demon Bull Commander is a ferocious beast with high attack power, moderate defense, and low speed. This Demon Bull Commander possesses three essential energy maniption skills: energy flow, energy release, and energy shaping. It has corresponding abilities for each of these techniques. Not only can it use dark energy to form magic energy armor, but it can also release long-range shockwaves. Overall, its abilities are incredibly versatile. The most terrifying aspect is that when the Demon Bull Commander hits itsst bit of health, it enters a berserk energy flow state, simr to consuming a Flowfruit, to achieve a short burst of extreme power. Its energy flow technique surpasses the other two techniques by far. Normally, pet beasts of supernatural species would need to team up in groups to stand a chance against it. Back then, when Lu Ran¡¯s senior brother challenged the Demon Bull Commander, it took a team of four carefully synchronized beastmasters to finally bring it down. Moreover, the other three were all highly potential rookies of their initial generation. Now, Lu Ran nned to challenge it solo, which undoubtedly added a significant level of difficulty. Fortunately, the opponent was just a single Demon Bull Commander, and General Ha might not bepletely hopeless. There was hope in the fact that Lu Ran had an extra energypression techniquepared to his opponent, and he also carried the Divine Deer Pendant. As long as he could break through the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s defense and use the poison that Fang Lan had gifted him, Lu Ran believed he stood a chance to wear it down slowly. Lu Ran continuously imagined scenarios in his mind, envisioning every move General Ha could use against the Demon Bull Commander. Merely defeating the Demon Bull Commander wouldn¡¯t suffice; to have a chance for a trait crystal to drop, he needed at least an S rating. Though the drop rate for trait crystals was slightly higher than that for beast taming skills, it wasn¡¯t significantly better¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how many times he¡¯d have to fight to obtain a crystal¡­ Approximately three hourster, Master Lin finally stepped out of the Forge House. In his hand was the Wind Meteor Sword. Apart from some blue patterns added to the silver base, there didn¡¯t seem to be much change. ¡°Haha, summon your Erha and try the new weapon!¡± Master Lin¡¯s tone was noticeably excited. ¡°Alright!¡± Lu Ran immediately summoned General Ha, while also casting his gaze upon the sword that had gained some additional patterns from its original design. [Name]: Ice Sky Greatsword [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: Possesses excellent wind and ice energy conduction and enhancement effects, containing mysterious inner power. Lu Ran looked at the rather modest-looking sword, puzzled by the introduction and especially curious as to why it was called a greatsword. ¡°Don¡¯t be in such a hurry to doubt. Let him try it out, and you¡¯ll see,¡± said Master Lin confidently. With that, he tossed the Ice Sky Greatsword to General Ha. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha caught the Ice Sky Greatsword and immediately felt that it was a better fit than before. The sword was now icy cold, like holding a popsicle ¡ª quite pleasant. ¡°General Ha, try to infuse energy into the sword. Remember to infuse, not cover or wrap,¡± Lu Ran instructed, passing on Master Lin¡¯s directions right away. Upon hearing this, General Ha¡¯s eyes gleamed with intelligence, and he followed the instructions promptly. In an instant, General Ha was taken aback. As he infused energy into the Ice Sky Greatsword, the sword suddenly glowed with a brilliant white light, and a mysterious force surged within it. In the blink of an eye, as the light unfolded, the shape of the Ice Sky Greatsword began to transform. It morphed from an ordinarily-proportioned oriental sword into a greatsword ¡ª a colossal, two-handed sword! In terms of size, this greatsword seemed to almost match General Ha¡¯s body size. Thebination of the two was incredibly imposing. The white de emitted an icy blue glow. Despite its gigantic size, General Ha was amazed to find that he felt no weight at all while holding it, nor did he feel any inconvenience! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was amazed; he could sense a subtle connection with the Ice Sky Greatsword. ¡°How¡¯s that? The Ice Sky Greatsword! It has two forms: the first is its normal form, which is how it looked initially,¡± Master Lin exined. ¡°The second form is the Greatsword Form, which can be activated by the one whose teeth were used to forge it. In the Greatsword Form, the sword¡¯s power multiplies, exhibiting extreme bursts of power and destructiveness, allowing one to take on ten enemies at once! Of course, using this form demands high physical stamina, as the de continuously absorbs the user¡¯s energy to maintain the form.¡± ¡°Want a powerful weapon? There¡¯s always a price to pay.¡± ¡°So, do you like it?!¡± Master Lin asked, looking at General Ha holding the greatsword, feeling a sense of validation seeing another species appreciate his work. ¡°Woof woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s mouth curled into a smile. He liked the Greatsword Form more than the normal form; it looked much cooler! The main thing was that one of the primary materials for the sword was his own teeth, making him feel a special connection to it. ¡°I think it¡¯s fantastic too,¡± Lu Ran nodded slightly, smiling with satisfaction. No wonder Master Lin had such a great reputation; teaming up with him for forging was definitely the right move! The upation of Forgemaster is truly fascinating. Lu Ran found himself increasingly eager to learn forging and eventually craft a sword for General Ha himself. ¡°Oh, one more thing. The Greatsword Form has a minor drawback ¡ª if you want to call it that. Its increased destructiveness may cause its durability to drop faster, so it requires regr maintenance. But no worries, just rece it with new teeth periodically for repairs. You guys seem to lose teeth quite frequently, right? Shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°True, using teeth for repairs is quite convenient,¡± Lu Ran nodded, not considering it a downside. General Ha: ??? ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± Chapter 76: The Boiling Infinite City No.5 Chapter 76: The Boiling Infinite City No.5 General Ha was furious. Initially, it quite admired this Forgemaster, but it didn¡¯t expect him to be such a person! Lu Ran felt helpless. As long as they could fix the teeth, it was already a blessing¡ªat least they didn¡¯t need bones. He looked up and asked, ¡°By the way, Master Lin, how many crystal coins will it cost in total?¡± Master Lin pondered, ¡°Let me see. Based on the Wind Meteor Sword, I have integrated rare resources like Giant Spirit Ore, advanced resources like Cold Iron, Light Stone, Heavy Stone, numerous ordinary mineral resources for auxiliary forging, and of course, the forging fee¡­¡± ¡°The total pricees to about 50,000 crystal coins, I¡¯ll waive the small change for you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although Lu Ran had mentally prepared himself, learning that upgrading General Ha¡¯s new weapon would cost 50,000 crystal coins still made him feel the pinch intensely. He showed a slightly pained expression, finally empathizing with those adults struggling to pay off their mortgages. ¡°Young man, your willpower iscking!¡± Master Lin shook his head. ¡°Let me give you a detailed introduction of the Ice Sky Greatsword!¡± ¡°The Ice Sky Greatsword can switch freely between two forms. In addition to basic energy conduction and amplification effects, ites with three skills: Heavy as Light, Light as Heavy, and Tooth Storm!¡± ¡°Switching freely between two forms allows it to be more adaptable when facing different opponents. After all, the Greatsword Form consumes a lot of stamina, but in return, its attack power is top-notch among rare weapons.¡±¡°Letting it surpass a Species level or Growth level is a breeze.¡± ¡°Considering that your pet beast is constantly growing, I¡¯ve also included Light and Heavy Stones. The sword¡¯s weight can be adjusted ording to its growth. In other words, this is a sword that can change its weight!¡± ¡°And Tooth Storm relies on those hundreds of teeth. It¡¯s a sword skill contained within the sword itself. If your pet beast is entirely out of energy and in a perilous situation, it can sacrifice those internal teeth to unleash an extremely powerful burst of sword qi, instantly sending out hundreds of sword qi strikes. It¡¯s ast-ditch skill.¡± ¡°Of course, after using it, the sword will be virtually half-ruined and would require new teeth to repair.¡± ¡°In short, what you see now is just the tip of the iceberg of its functionalities. Rare weapons are not that simple! So, do you feel it¡¯s worth the price now?¡± After listening, Lu Ran could only sympathetically look at General Ha, feeling that it would just make it wear out its teeth even more. General Ha: ¡­ Not long after, Lu Ran left the House of Forging, burdened with debt, and arrived at the Teleportation za in Infinite City No.3. In addition to forging the sword, Lu Ran also purchased an advanced crossbow for poisoning enemies and a set of dark-resistant clothing to withstand the magical energy aura of the Abandoned Testing Ground, spending a total of 1,288 crystal coins. ¡°This trip¡­ who knows when I¡¯ll be back.¡± Standing near the massive teleportation gate, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t predict. If things didn¡¯t go smoothly, he might have to stay there for ten days or even half a month. ¡°Still, I must go.¡± d in the Night Cloak, Lu Ran stepped into the teleportation zone¡­ [Would you like to spend 100 crystal coins to teleport to Xia Country, Infinite City No.5?] ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran confirmed, and the next moment, his figure vanished from the crowded Teleportation za. Momentster, with a sh of light, he arrived in his exclusive room. Lu Ran opened the door. This time, the outside world was not the familiar housing estate but another teleportation za. As he stepped out of the teleportation gate¡¯s light screen from his exclusive room, he found himself in a new location. ¡°So this is Infinite City No.5.¡± Lu Ran took a quick nce outside before returning to the teleportation gate and re-entering his exclusive room. Though it was called Beastmaster Teleportation, it felt more like the entire space of his exclusive room had teleported with him. The frustrating part was that Lu Ran couldn¡¯t log off directly at that moment; he would have to teleport back to Infinite City No.3 to return to the real-world teleportation point, incurring another 100 crystal coins. This unnecessary expense kept many beastmasters from visiting other Infinite Cities and instead focused their efforts on challenging the secret realms within their home city. In his exclusive room, Lu Ran approached the pir tform of the secret realm and looked at the screen before him. The secret realm list had been updated. Although most of the secret realms were simr to those in Infinite City No.3, there were some unique ones that were exclusive to this city. For instance, the Abandoned Testing Ground was a signature secret realm of this Infinite City. [Name: Abandoned Testing Ground] [Secret Realm Level: Novice Level] [Difficulty: Abyss] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 1000] Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, abandoning his n to explore Infinite City No.5 and deciding to challenge this secret realm right away! After all, he had been waiting for a week! During this week, he had been preparing for the challenge, not just idling around. ¡°General Ha,¡± Lu Ran called out, and tossed the Ice Sky Greatsword to him. ¡°Awooo!¡± General Ha caught it with a serious expression. He knew that a tough battley ahead! ¡­¡­¡­ At this moment, the beastmasters of Infinite City No.5 were unaware that a Passerby A from Infinite City No.3 had teleported here and was about to challenge their unique Abyss secret realm. [Teleportation Complete.] [Current Location: Abandoned Testing Ground (Novice Secret Realm)] [Difficulty: Abyss] [Challenge Mission: Defeat the Demon Bull Commander.] [Secret Realm Introduction: To prepare for war, the Beast Taming Empire began secret research on biological weapons, hoping to create a batch of war beasts proficient in weapon use. However, war broke out prematurely, causing the empire¡¯s finances to tighten, leading to the project¡¯s abrupt halt. Numerous testing grounds were abandoned. Some of these grounds still contain sealed experimental subjects from the project¡­] [Prompt ¢Ù: The maximum stay in a novice secret realm is 8 hours. During this period, challengers can choose to return at any time. Teleportation requires 10 seconds.] [Prompt ¢Ú: ¡­] Lu Ran and General Ha stood on the smoke-spewing ground, gazing at the copsed Abandoned Testing Ground ahead, momentarily stunned. The state of this secret realm looked extremely dire. Had this ce been affected by the so-called war? Otherwise, even if abandoned, it wouldn¡¯t be this chaotic. ¡°Good thing I prepared in advance.¡± Lu Ran thought. Following Dr. Gu¡¯s strategy, he had equipped himself with the Night Cloak. Due to prolonged dark creature experiments here, the area was saturated with a significant amount of magical energy aura, severely disrupting mental willpower. While supernatural beings might not be greatly affected, it was better for humans to take some protective measures. Swish! Lu Ran¡¯s Night Cloak fluttered. Beside him, General Ha, gripping the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth, scanned the surroundings, asking Lu Ran where the enemy was. ¡°Just wait¡­¡± Lu Ran said, looking at the copsed Abandoned Testing Ground. ording to the strategy guide, 30 seconds after a challenger enters the ground, the Demon Bull Commander would break its seal¡­ The uncontroble experimental Demon Bull Commander would then attack all nearby life indiscriminately! ¡°Roooar!!!!¡± Sure enough, 30 secondster, with a deafening roar and a thunderous ¡°bang,¡± the copsing structure of the abandoned test ground exploded, rocks flying everywhere. A massive figure, towering five to six meters, slowly emerged from the rubble. The so-called Demon Bull Commander was simr to a Minotaur¡ªa human-shaped creature with a bull¡¯s head, possessing bulging muscles. The one Lu Ran and General Ha faced was farrger than a typical Minotaur, its size rivaling that of a colossal beast. It wielded a shadowy battle axe, sweeping aside the debris as it climbed atop the ruins. Under the dim, overcast sky, its red eyes glowed with a cold, cruel light. ¡°Awooo!!!¡± As soon as they made eye contact, General Ha unleashed a sh of sword qi, a ¡°friendly¡± greeting. But the Demon Bull Commander didn¡¯t even bother dodging the airborne sword qi, letting it hit its body without concern. Bang! With a puff of smoke, the sword qi left only a faint white mark on the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s chest, not even breaking its defense. ¡°As expected, just like the strategy guide said, it has no awareness of dodging attacks. Even if it feels threatened, it only retaliates with skills!¡± Lu Ran had General Ha test the waters, confirming once again that the strategy was reliable. ¡°No more talking, Tenfold Storm sh!¡± With Lu Ran¡¯smand, General Ha let out a howl, and in the next instant, its weapon transformed into the Greatsword Form. An intense aura erupted from General Ha. Blizzard Sword Momentum! However, the Blizzard Sword Momentum¡ªinvincible against even the Dragon Tail Scorpion¡ªseemed to have no effect against the Demon Bull Commander this time¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Demon Bull Commander swung its massive head, raising its axe high, and with a heavy smash, it aimed directly at Lu Ran and General Ha¡­ Boom!!! In an instant, a massive dark shockwave surged towards Lu Ran and General Ha like an overwhelming tide. But in another moment, a dazzling icy blue sh, like a de cutting through waves, split the dark shockwave in two. It was at this point that the Demon Bull Commander instinctively sensed a hint of danger! ¡°Woof!!! (Can you withstand the power of these hundred teeth?!)¡± The Tenfold Storm sh, enhanced by the new Ice Sky Greatsword, sliced through the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s dark shockwave andnded directly on it. At the same time, blood trickled from General Ha¡¯s mouth, his teeth on the verge of breaking, his face fierce with determination. As he said, how could anyone withstand the power of these hundred teeth! Behind him, Lu Ran held the Divine Deer Pendant, instantly healing General Ha¡¯s injuries. Although the bacsh was healed, this Extreme Storm sh had drained most of General Ha¡¯s strength; he could no longer release a second sh. The consumption of the Tenfold Compressed Storm sh didn¡¯t mean releasing ten shes; rather, it greatly exhausted General Ha. ¡°Awooo!!!¡± After the attack, General Ha bared his teeth at the rising smoke upfront. Lu Ran, eyes serious, waited but heard no prompt sound. He knew that this strike, strong enough to obliterate the Dragon Tail Scorpion, had failed to deliver a fatal blow to the Demon Bull Commander. Well, it made sense. The Dragon Tail Scorpion was just a wild creature, but the Demon Bull Commander was a product of the highly developed Beast Taming Empire¡ªa war machine experiment, embodying the crystallized wisdom of countless beastmasters. It was no easy foe. ¡°Roooar!!!!¡± As expected, in the next moment, Lu Ran and General Ha heard an enraged roar. The smoke was swept away by the strong wind, and in an instant, a colossal Minotaur wrapped in magic energy armor, forged from dark energy, came charging through the ruins! ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha, sword in mouth, looked stunned. Thud! Thud! Thud! Each step of the Demon Bull Commander shook the ground! ¡°General Ha, can you handle this?¡± Lu Ran turned and started running, saying, ¡°Maybe consider mastering the Twentyfold Storm sh?¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± Seeing the bull charging, General Ha also turned and ran, flipping Lu Ran onto his back. Twentyfold¡­ forget the teeth, his whole dog head might not survive! In any case, both Lu Ran and General Ha were now gritting their teeth in pain. Though they had anticipated that this time they might not be able to defeat the opponent instantly, experiencing it firsthand was nerve-wracking. ¡°Roar!!¡± The colossal Minotaur, with its magic energy armor shattered in numerous ces and ck blood seeping from its wounds, had one of its ck horns sliced in half. Yet, it remained in an extremely excited state, brandishing its huge axe, charging at Lu Ran and General Ha. Fortunately, Lu Ran had nned for this scenario. As he twisted his body atop General Ha, a crossbow appeared in his hand. ¡°General Ha!¡± In a split second, Lu Ran shot a poison-tipped arrow, and at the same time, General Ha turned around, mustering his remaining strength to unleash a Roar of the Wind. ¡°Awooooo!!!¡± The gale elerated the poisonous arrow. The Demon Bull Commander, oblivious to defense, focused solely on attacking, paid no attention to what appeared to be a harmless arrow. Against General Ha¡¯s Roar of the Wind, it continued its charge, undeterred. Swish. The arrow embedded itself in the gaps of the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s magic energy armor and wounds. It felt nothing and continued its charge. Seeing their seemingly useless attack, Lu Ran and General Ha had no intention of facing the Demon Bull Commander head-on. They kept running, utilizing their speed advantage. Kiting strategy! Bullfighting! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Seeing the enemies who had wounded it quickly escaping, the Demon Bull Commander stopped its pursuit and continued to angrily swing its huge axe, sending another dark shockwave surging towards Lu Ran and General Ha. The dark shockwave swept across the ground, leaving huge cracks as if scorched by ck mes. As the shockwave rapidly approached, General Ha unfolded a pair of Wind Wings on his back, swiftly lifting Lu Ran into the sky. Boom! Above the huge crater, Lu Ran pulled out the crossbow again, aiming directly at the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s eye and fired! ¡°Caught you off guard, didn¡¯t I? Luckily, I had the foresight to make General Ha learn Wind Wing!¡± Whoosh! Another arrow struck, directly hitting the eye. Lu Ran¡¯s hunter lineage was evident, each shot a bullseye. Seeing a flying dog only intensified the Demon Bull Commander¡¯s rage. The energy flow throughout its body elerated, and in an instant, the shattered magic energy armor began to show signs of repair. The arrows embedded in its chest and eye were also ejected by the violent energy surge. Realizing the Demon Bull Commander had entered a berserk state, Lu Ran didn¡¯t dare to shoot again. Instead, he patted General Ha and said, ¡°Run!¡± ¡°Stall for time!¡± Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if the poison Fang Lan gave would be effective. But seeing General Ha¡¯s Tenfold Storm shbined with the rare weapon Ice Sky Greatsword only severely injuring but not killing the Demon Bull Commander, he understood why so few could solo clear the abyssal difficulty of this secret realm. This level of difficulty¡­ achieving a clear even with a four-person team would be quite impressive. What followed was a test of endurance between the Demon Bull Commander and General Ha. However, Lu Ran and General Ha had the aerial advantage and the advantage of supplies. While General Ha flew, Lu Ran fed him Ice Honey Tea to restore his stamina. Below, the Demon Bull Commander continuously vented its fury, its powerful strikes hammering the sky and earth. Each time, Lu Ran and General Ha felt like they were teetering on the edge of disaster. Fortunately, thanks to their training in the Blizzard Secret Realm, General Ha skillfully dodged each attack. Without that, even though the Divine Deer Pendant could heal injuries, they¡¯d be in serious trouble. And so, Lu Ran and General Ha evaded the Demon Bull Commander for about ten minutes. General Ha was exhausted, while the Demon Bull Commander still seemed full of energy, making Lu Ran¡¯s scalp tingle with anxiety. Just as Lu Ran was contemting whether to bail on this secret realm challenge, a heavenly voice suddenly resonated, sending a shiver through his entire body. [Congrattions, you havepleted the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: S-level!] [Congrattions, you have earned 800 crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resource, shadow ore.] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resource, upgrade card.] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resource, trait crystal (weapon mastery).] ¡°¡­¡­¡± Caught off guard by the announcements, Lu Ran was momentarily stunned. He kept patting General Ha¡¯s head and yanking his fur, causing General Ha to be frightened. ¡°Woof woof¡­¡± General Ha didn¡¯t understand why Lu Ran was suddenly so ted. Wasn¡¯t it just a failed attempt? That Demon Bull Commander made Boss Lu lose his mind, this grudge¡­ However, in the blink of an eye, General Ha seemed to understand what was happening. He looked down, showing an insightful expression! The once violently raging Demon Bull Commander had suddenly bepletely still, as if it had lost all vitality in an instant. The glowing eyes dimmed¡­ ¡°Moo¡­¡± Surprisingly, its final mournful sound was something Lu Ran and General Ha felt they couldprehend. ¡°Moo¡­ (Despicable invaders, the arrows are poisoned¡­)¡± Its eyes filled with unwillingness, the massive body copsed heavily to the ground. Both its body and weapon shattered into fragments and scattered away with the wind. ¡°What do you mean despicable? This is called tactics!!¡± Lu Ran burst intoughter upon seeing this. He patted General Ha even harder, feeling an immense urge to hug Fang Lan tightly right there. She truly was his lucky charm. Without her poison, he and General Ha might have found it extremely difficult to oust the Demon Bull Commander. After all, General Ha was one major species level below their opponent. Even though General Ha had a rare weapon, so did the Demon Bull Commander. Clearing the realm wasn¡¯t what made Lu Ran so ecstatic; it was the trait crystal with an S-level rating that was rumored to have only a 5% drop rate. He had gotten it on his first attempt. What was this, European Emperor luck? Back when he was grinding the Mantis Jungle secret realm for a beast taming skill with an SSS rating, the drop rate was roughly the same, and he didn¡¯t even glimpse a shadow of it after a week. He had thought he was very unlucky, but now he knew what it meant to turn things around. Was it because of the bad luckst time that he had good luck this time? ¡°I didn¡¯t expect an S-level rating.¡± ¡°General Ha, you¡¯re about to undergo your first-stage evolution soon. How about that, excited?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t suppress his joy. General Ha¡¯s expression instantly shifted to one of canine astonishment upon hearing this. Getting rare loot? What luck! Boss Lu¡­ had really made it this time! ¡­¡­ That day, Infinite City No. 5 was in an uproar. At the Beastmaster Square. Beastmasters gathered there were showing shocked expressions upon seeing the updated leaderboard. [Regional Announcement: The divine beast leaderboard and supernatural species leaderboard have been updated.] [Leaderboard Divine Beast: Golden Thunder Eagle] [Attribute: Thunder] [Species Level: Upper Supernatural] [Growth Level: 10] [Beastmaster: Pluto] [Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from Golden Eagle, awakened Thunder Force, fused with the trait ¡®Golden Lightning¡¯. Severely injured the lowermander species ¡¤ level 10 ¡¤ Dead Crocodile in abyssal difficulty novice secret realm ¡¤ Lake of Death by electric shock.] [Ranking: Elevated to the top of the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!] ¡°Holy crap, who is this Pluto? Where did he suddenlye from?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°I know him. He¡¯s the second-ranked guy from Infinite City No. 3. Damn, just when the leaderboard was about to settle, he couldn¡¯t secure the top spot in his own city, so he came to our city to push for rankings.¡± ¡°Why did he choose Infinite City No. 5 specifically?!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? Infinite City No. 5 has a generally weaker overall strength¡­¡± The beastmasters of Infinite City No. 5 were furious, extremely displeased with Pluto¡¯s cross-server ranking push. Especially the local talents who originally upied the divine beast and supernatural species leaderboards; the fourth-generation beastmasters felt as if they had been genuinely humiliated by Pluto. ¡°Don¡¯t me me,¡± Pluto said, appearing among the crowd. He honestly didn¡¯t care for the title of being first; really, he didn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t short on crystal coins. Coming to Infinite City No. 5 was purely to follow his elder brother¡¯s request. Their guild had ns to expand business into Qiong Province, and he came here just to gain some fame in advance¡­ Still, although Pluto imed not to care about rankings, he couldn¡¯t help but smile upon seeing himself rise to the top again. This confirmed it wasn¡¯t that he was weak back in Infinite City No. 3¡¯s leaderboard; it was just that Passerby A was too strong. Besides Passerby A, who else? As Infinite City No. 5 simmered with excitement, where Pluto rediscovered his confidence¡­ [Regional Announcement: The divine beast leaderboard and supernatural species leaderboard have been updated.] [Leaderboard Divine Beast: Snowfield Dog] [Attribute: Wind] [Species Level: Middle Supernatural] [Growth Level: 10] [Beastmaster: Passerby A] [Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from the Snowfield Dog species, awakened Storm Force with incredibleprehension. In abyssal difficulty novice secret realm ¡¤ Abandoned Testing Ground, inflicted severe damage to middlemander species ¡¤ level 10 ¡¤ Demon Bull Commander by sh.] [Ranking: Elevated to the top of the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!] At this moment, Just like before, The bustling Infinite City No. 5 fell into instant silence. The previously triumphant Pluto froze, as if time had stopped. ¡°???¡± Chapter 77: Tremendous Gains Chapter 77: Tremendous Gains Abandoned Testing Ground Secret Realm. General Ha and Lu Ran slowly descended to the ground. As soon as theynded, Lu Ran began to inspect their gains from this expedition. [Name]: Shadow Ore [Level]: Advanced [Introduction]: Possesses excellent dark energy conductivity and amplification effects, suitable for crafting weapons and equipment. Lu Ran shook his head after a quick nce. Though shadow ore might be more valuable than ice crystal ore from the Blizzard Mountain Secret Realm, it still didn¡¯tpare to meteorite mine; it was not enough to make Lu Ran wealthy. Next, Lu Ran took out a card. It looked simr to the contract card and identity card, in full gold with various beast patterns of diverse species.[Name]: Upgrade Card [Introduction]: Can be used to upgrade a contract card. ¡°An upgrade card actually dropped; our luck is really good this time.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly as he nced at General Ha, who was baring his teeth at the Demon Bull Commander nearby. When Lu Ran first obtained the ck card, there was a prompt like this: Prompt ¢Ü: [The capture sess rate of a contract card depends on the user¡¯s mental strength and the card¡¯s quality. Beware of capturing creatures beyond one¡¯s control, as it may result in card damage or a pet beast bacsh.] Contract cardse in different qualities! The contract cards that rookie beastmasters receive are of the lowest quality. To obtain higher-quality contract cards, you can¡¯t rely solely on Infinite City¡¯s distribution; you need to upgrade them using resources. Abyssal difficulty secret realms have two featured drops: upgrade cards and trait crystals. Compared to trait crystals, upgrade cards drop slightly more frequently, but not by a significant margin. Lu Ran could only describe this drop rate as outrageous. If Lu Ran remembered correctly, the information he saw indicated that the first upgrade of a contract card only required one upgrade card. After upgrading, a contract card¡¯s capabilities were not limited to capturing stronger creatures. The space within the contract card would also gain a special effect. For instance, after the first upgrade, when a pet beast rests within the contract card, its stamina recovery rate would increase. This function might seem useless at first, but if you have multiple pet beasts, it bes very handy. You could alternate your pet beasts in and out of battle; one beast could rest while another fights, thus saving substantial stamina recovery resources. The exact number of times a contract card can be upgraded remains unknown to Lu Ran. He only knows that the first upgrade requires one upgrade card, the second requires ten, the third a hundred¡­ and the fourth a thousand¡­ ording to an informer on the beast taming forum, the number of upgrade cards needed after this point is massive, so no one knows the upper limit. The specific effects brought by each upgrade naturally differ as well. It¡¯s said that at an extremely high level, the contract card can even have a ¡°time pause¡± effect, allowing a critically injured pet beast to enter and temporarily stop its life from fading away. At this moment, having secured an upgrade card, Lu Ran wasted no time. He took out his contract card and pressed the two cards together. In an instant, a sh of light appeared, and the two cards fused together. The original ck-edged contract card now had a thin silver border, indicating that the upgrade wasplete. ¡°Next.¡± Having used the upgrade card, Lu Ran then turned his attention to the resource that made his heart race ¨C the trait crystal. [Name]: Trait Crystal (Weapon Mastery) [Introduction]: Upon fusion, it allows the pet beast to master any weapon as if it were an extension of its own body. ¡°This is it!¡± Lu Ranughed. His unlucky senior brother had farmed for this item for two months, but Lu Ran got it on his first try ¨C an incredible stroke of luck. He had mentally prepared himself to waste ten days to half a month of time for this, but here it was, in no time at all! Feeling ted, Lu Ran decided not to fuse the trait crystal with General Ha right then and there. General Ha wasn¡¯t in the best condition at the moment; better to wait until he was fully rested. However, after examining the three reward resources, Lu Ran fell into contemtion. He had used the upgrade card for himself and nned to keep the trait crystal, so he certainly wasn¡¯t going to sell it. The shadow ore probably wasn¡¯t worth much. Thus, looking at it this way, the 50,000 crystal coins he owed for forging the Ice Sky Greatsword weren¡¯t going to be resolved with this secret realm trip alone. It seemed¡­ the Dragon Blood Crystal from the Sudden Death King wouldn¡¯t be redeemed any time soon¡­ ¡°No worries. Once General Ha fuses with the new trait, soloing the abyss secret realm will be a breeze.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t take long before I can repay not only the crystal coins I owe for the Ice Sky Greatsword but also what I owe Dr. Gu.¡± ¡°Looking at it this way, the future does seem promising!¡± Lu Ranforted himself. He then turned his gaze toward the abandoned testing ground and said to General Ha, ¡°General Ha, although this ce has already been dismantled, could you break it apart again? See if you can help me dig out anything valuable¡­¡± ¡°Woof?¡± When it came to breaking things, General Ha¡¯s fatigue vanished, his eyes lit up. However, he nced at the already ruined testing ground and fell into deep thought. It felt like this task would require some skill. ¡­ Meanwhile, the news of Lu Ran reaching the top of Infinite City No.5 continued to spread. Currently, both within Infinite City and in the outside world, the hot topic was still the revival of spiritual energy. For instance, in an African country, troops were dispatched to encircle and annihte a mutated Lion King. Or take a well-known beastmaster who went to livestream from a forbidden zone and vanished without a trace after encountering ferocious beasts. Within Xia Country, the beastmasters were focused on simr news. Changes in neer leaderboards like the supernatural leaderboard usually didn¡¯t garner much attention anymore. However, today, for some unknown reason, news of changes in the divine beast leaderboard managed to sneak into the top ten trending topics on Xia Country¡¯s inte¡ªa rare achievement, even if it was just at the tenth spot. News Headline: ¡°A Day of Shame for Infinite City No.5.¡± Beastmasters crossing servers to climb leaderboards wasn¡¯t unprecedented, but never had two people done so simultaneously, taking the first and second spots in one go. Determined to Raise a Beast-Eared Girl: [I¡¯m not surprised that Pluto¡¯s pet beast from the Star Cluster Guild showed such results after fusing traits. But what¡¯s going on with Passerby A? A Snowfield Dog of middle supernatural species severely injuring a middlemander species with a sh?] Tales of Ordinary Beastmaster: [A lot of people don¡¯t know much about Infinite City No.3. As a local, let me exin. Passerby A¡¯s pet beast is a Snowfield Dog adept at wielding swords. A week ago, it managed to one-shot a lowermander species in a public secret realm. So, this performance is just basic for the big shots; we ordinary folks can¡¯tprehend. But it¡¯s a bit strange for two people to go over at the same time. Do you think Pluto wanted to switch leaderboards, and Passerby A just happened to have business there? Hmm, better stop guessing or I¡¯ll get assassinated. (stiflesugh)] Cause of Chaos: [I¡¯m a beastmaster from Infinite City No.5. I¡¯m really upset about this. I hope ¡®Sister White Tiger¡¯ can knock both of them off the leaderboard.] Sister White Tiger, whose ID is Bai Ling, is a fourth-generation beastmaster from the Four Saints Guild. Her contract pet is an Albino Bengal Tiger, and she was the previous top ranker of Infinite City No.5. But this time, not only was she pushed to second ce by a Thunder Eagle, but soon after, she was overtaken by a dog. This isn¡¯t just a case of ¡°when the tiger falls from grace, the dogs take over¡±¡­ Many beastmasters in Infinite City No.5 hope that Sister White Tiger can restore her beast king¡¯s dignity and take down these two outsiders. Bai Ling herself was also in a room, clenching her fists as she watched the news. She couldn¡¯t fathom what she or her guild did to provoke these two powerhouses from Infinite City No.3. Various factions and many neers were watching the spectacle. The news quickly reached Lu Ran¡¯s acquaintances. Fang Lan, who was gathering poison herbs in Green Sea City, paused when she saw that Lu Ran had hit the trending topics just half a day after he left. ¡°Severely injured the boss¡ªso did he finish it off?¡± ¡°If he did, I wonder if he got the trait crystal¡­¡± ¡°Hey, this news is useless! No valuable information! Never mind, I¡¯ll wait for Lu Ran to tell me himself.¡± She continued her task of collecting poison herbs. ¡°Has it started?¡± Gu Qingyi, who was in Shanghai, also received the news. Seeing the trending topic, she immediately understood that Lu Ran had begun his challenge of the abyssal difficulty secret realm. After some thought, she logged into Infinite City and sent Lu Ran a message. Gu Qingyi: [Let me know when you¡¯re ready to fuse the trait crystal. I want to watch.] After sending the message, she prepared to log off. To her surprise, Lu Ran replied almost instantly. Passerby A: [I already got the crystal. I¡¯m nning to fuse it today. Do you want toe over, Dr. Gu?] Gu Qingyi: [?] [Youpleted the secret realm? How many attempts did it take? What was your score?] Passerby A: [I passed it on the first try. Although my score was only S, just enough for the minimal trait crystal drop rate, I guess I was really lucky¡­ I also got an upgrade card.] Gu Qingyi was momentarily stunned in her private room. Even she couldn¡¯t help but mutter to herself, ¡°What kind of luck is this?¡± She had spent half a month grinding the abyss secret realm just for one trait crystal! And Lu Ran managed to get one on his first try with just an S rating?! Theparison made her feel quite miserable. Gu Qingyi: [Where are you now?] Passerby A: [I¡¯m nning to head back to Infinite City No.3 soon.] Gu Qingyi: [When you¡¯re ready to fuse the trait, contact me. I¡¯ll take you to a public secret realm for the fusion. That way, you can immediately test your new strength against suitable opponents.] Passerby A: [Sure.] ¡­ Besides Gu Qingyi, Lu Ran had received other private messages. One message, in particr, left him feeling puzzled. Pluto: [?] ¡°What are you even asking?¡± Lu Ran was confused. But wanting to maintain a friendly rtionship with Pluto, he replied with a [smile]. Without any further dys, he teleported back to Infinite City No.3. Upon arrival, he prepared a day¡¯s worth of food and arge cup of Ice Honey Tea for General Ha. Lu Ran¡¯s eager smile made General Ha a bit wary. ¡°General Ha, recover quickly. Once you¡¯re up to it, I¡¯ll take you to fuse the trait! This so-called ¡®minor evolution¡¯ could be a game-changer, your first and most crucial step to surpassing even the divine beasts!!¡± Pet beasts undergo a major evolution at level 30, but every 10 levels, they can also fuse traits and awaken attributes, events often referred to as ¡°minor evolutions.¡± These minor evolutions carry a chance to upgrade the species level as well. Evolution¡ª General Ha looked calmly at Lu Ran and patted him with a dog paw, signaling him to rx. I¡¯m not going to let you down! In its entire life, General Ha had never known failure. ¡°Showing off now, are we?¡± Lu Ran joked, taking the Ice Honey Tea for himself and sipping it. ¡°You may not be nervous, but I am. Let me take a sip of this vintage ¡¯82 Ice Honey Tea to calm my nerves¡­¡± Chapter 78: First Evolution Chapter 78: First Evolution Two hourster, General Ha, feeling restored after a short nap inside his contract card, was now full of energy. At this moment, Lu Ran had headed to the Teleportation za to meet Dr. Gu. Gu Qingyi: [I¡¯m at the third stone pir.] The Teleportation za had severalrge stone pirs. Lu Ran arrived at the specified location but still couldn¡¯t find Gu Qingyi. It wasn¡¯t until a hand was ced on Lu Ran¡¯s shoulder that he turned around abruptly. ¡°Dr. Gu?¡± Lu Ran looked at the quietly approaching figure beside him. First, a faint fragrance wafted over, followed by the sight of Gu Qingyi¡¯s delicate face beneath her golden-brown hair. ¡°Have you been here all along? I couldn¡¯t find you just now,¡± Lu Ran said, puzzled. He had been looking very carefully. ¡°I wear an essory that reduces my presence. As long as I don¡¯t engage in conversation or be the focal point, my presence can drop to the minimum,¡± Gu Qingyi exined with a smile. Lu Ran was about to ask about the essory, maybe even get one himself, but considering his increasing debt, he decided to hold off. He¡¯d buy one when he had more money in the future.¡°Are you ready? Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking toward one of the many teleportation gates. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to ¡®Tranquil Ind.¡¯ It¡¯s a public secret realm with no level restrictions. The creatures inside are generally between level 20 and level 40.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Soon enough, after a brief teleportation, the two arrived inside the Tranquil Ind secret realm. Once there, Gu Qingyi took the lead, saying, ¡°This secret realm is simr to the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range. Because there aren¡¯t many rare resources here, not many peoplee, but eventually, it will likely be crowded.¡± ¡°After all, since there are no level restrictions, many advanced beastmasters will bring lower-level beastmasters here to hone theirbat skills. The creatures in Tranquil Ind are typically verybative but desperately poor,¡± Gu Qingyiughed. Lu Ran¡¯s lips twitched. Even the creatures were poor enough to be disdained by beastmasters. The teleportation point where they arrived seemed to be on the edge of the ind. Venturing inward revealed dense forests, while outward was an endless expanse of sea. On the beach, Gu Qingyi pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s fuse the trait right here.¡± Without hesitation, Lu Ran took out the ck card and summoned General Ha. From the circle, General Ha walked out with an imposing demeanor. ¡°You¡¯ve been raising him well,¡± Gu Qingyi admired, nodding as she observed the over two-meter-long, elegantly built Erha, with its powerful limbs that exuded strength. Its thick ck and white fur and deep icy blue eyes made it look exceptionally handsome. Lu Ran certainly had an eye for pet beasts. He first picked one of the most handsome dogs in the canine world, Erha, and then a red-eyed eagle lizard, the most striking in the lizard species. He was evidently a lover of good looks. With a snap of Lu Ran¡¯s fingers, General Ha dropped his imposing facade and stuck out his tongue, showing a cheerful expression as he greeted Gu Qingyi warmly. ¡°Woof woof,¡± he barked. Gu Qingyi smiled back, then turned to Lu Ran and said, ¡°The ¡®lifebound weapon¡¯ you mentioned that fuses with his teeth, it should be ready, right?¡± It was Lu Ran¡¯s peculiar nurturing approach,bined with the fact that it had been a long time since anyone used the weapon mastery trait for pet beast training, that had drawn the attention of Dr. Gu, an evolution schr. She wanted to witness the evolution¡¯s results firsthand. ¡°It¡¯s ready,¡± Lu Ran reached out, and the next moment, the Ice Sky Greatsword materialized in his hand. He gently tossed it, and General Ha immediately caught it. The Ice Sky Greatsword reverted to its true form¡ªa colossal sword radiating a fierce icy wind! A giant dog paired with a giant sword. The icy blue sword light made General Ha look even more majestic. ¡°This¡­¡± Gu Qingyi couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Who forged this weapon for you?¡± ¡°House of Forging, Master Lin.¡± ¡°Oh, him,¡± Gu Qingyi nodded in acknowledgment. ¡°The attack power of this sword should ce it among the top tier of rare weapons, but it seems to have some side effects. It¡¯s draining his physical strength to maintain this form, right?¡± she observed. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran confirmed, ¡°So, Dr. Gu, I¡¯ll start the fusion now to avoid wasting too much of his stamina.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Qingyi nodded, watching General Ha with keen interest. Lu Ran took out a palm-sized trait crystal. The usage method for a trait crystal doesn¡¯t involve feeding it to the pet beast; you simply ce it close to the pet beast¡¯s body. If the conditions for fusion are met, the pet beast can absorb it on its own. Lu Ran stepped forward and brought the trait crystal near General Ha, who appeared calm on the surface but was just as nervous as Lu Ran. ¡°Don¡¯t resist the crystal¡¯s fusion,¡± Gu Qingyi advised from the side. As the crystal neared General Ha, the weapon mastery crystal began to emit a pale blue radiance. Under the glow, it magically fused into General Ha¡¯s back, merging with his body. General Ha, still holding the sword, looked back and felt no immediate change¡­ But momentster, his expression suddenly turned fierce! ¡°Woof!!¡± A strong aura started to emanate from him, and the wind force within him involuntarily dispersed. Seeing this, Gu Qingyi stepped forward to pull Lu Ran back, maintaining some distance between him and General Ha, while she continued to observe him intently. [Can this Erha sessfully fuse with the weapon mastery trait?] [Will it awaken a species talent?!] Gu Qingyi was filled with anticipation. When a pet beast fuses with a trait, it always gains some enhancement, regardless ofpatibility. However, the ideal scenario is when the pet beast, after fusing with the trait,bines its own strength with the trait¡¯s power to awaken a species talent! This species talent, which can also be considered a species skill, is extremely powerful and can significantly enhance a pet beast¡¯sbat capabilities! In other words, a trait fusion that doesn¡¯t awaken a species talent is not a perfect fusion and will affect the pet beast¡¯s evolution at level 30. Species talent¡­ this is an advantage that newly awakened attributes don¡¯t have. Gu Qingyi had investigated and found that Lu Ran¡¯s senior brother, the Eagle Hero, didn¡¯t have his pet beast awaken a species talent after fusing with the weapon mastery trait. Some foreign pet beasts that had fused with this trait also failed to awaken a talent. So, after all this time, another young beastmaster and his pet beast had chosen this trait. Will they seed? Under Gu Qingyi¡¯s expectant gaze, a sudden fusion of white and blue light enveloped General Ha¡¯s enormous form, as well as the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth. The radiance wrapped around them, making General Ha and the sword appear as one. Boom!! With a deep growl from General Ha, chaotic air currents erupted from his body, lifting the surrounding sand into a whirlwind, as if encasing him in a violent sandstorm. The wild energy was earth-shaking. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Lu Ran asked anxiously. ¡°So far, it looks promising. Its species potential is being unearthed and enhanced!¡± Gu Qingyi replied. This was amon scene during an evolution when the species level increased. The attributes¡¯ energy within the pet beast would invariably agitate to some degree. Yet the following changes were startling, even for an evolution schr like Dr. Gu, who widened her eyes in amazement. In addition to the wind force, a burst of frost force suddenly bloomed from within General Ha, instantly freezing every grain of sand into snowkes, which were swept into the mini tornado. ¡°How is this possible?¡± Gu Qingyi muttered in disbelief. ¡°Even if its wind force had been enhanced by the Seed of Cold Wind, this level of power¡­ it¡¯s equivalent to awakening the frost force¡­ unless¡­¡± Before she could finish her thought, an even more shocking scene unfolded. Apanied by a skyward howl, the chaotic winds carried the sound of swords ringing. The storm encasing General Ha began to shape itself, transforming into numerous ice swords hovering in the air, spiraling around him. As Lu Ran saw these ice swords forming, he felt a sense of being drawn back to Blizzard Mountain. Yet, instead of a mountain, a colossal sword peak towering into the clouds stood before him. ¡°It¡¯s artistic shaping! He has upgraded his sword momentum to sword intent! Only through artistic shaping can a pet beast¡¯s attacks carry other attribute powers!¡± Gu Qingyi¡¯s excited voice rang out. This Erha, at just level 10, had grasped such a high-difficulty technique as artistic shaping! What incredible insight! Was it due to the weapon mastery trait? ¡°Is it Blizzard Sword Intent?!¡± Lu Ran eximed, breaking free from the illusion. He stared in awe at the fantastical scene before him. Was this what his master had described as sword intent? This dog actuallyprehended it at this moment! The benefits from this evolution are likely beyond imagination. Could it be¡­ a sess? Boom! Just then. Cold winds swept through, the radiance dissipated, and countless ice swords fell to the ground, freezing the sand. General Ha looked as if he stood in a cemetery of ice swords, holding the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth, his eyes sharper and more focused than ever, signifying thepletion of his evolution. Since this was just a minor evolution due to trait fusion, General Ha¡¯s appearance had not drastically changed. The only noticeable difference was the three white streaks on his forehead, resembling burning mes, now more subdued and resembling sword scars, giving his face an even more imposing look. ¡°Awooo!!!!¡± General Ha turned to look at Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi, feeling extraordinarily good. He couldn¡¯t help but smile; he feltpletely integrated with the Ice Sky Greatsword! A terrifying power lurked within him. If he were to encounter that Demon Bull again, a simple sword qi would be enough to injure it! See? In General Ha¡¯s dictionary, there is no word for failure! Gu Qingyi¡¯s eyes sparkled as she gazed at General Ha. Her eye of data, a higher-level capability than Lu Ran¡¯s, allowed her to see other people¡¯s pet beasts¡¯ levels. [Species]: Sword-Holding Dog [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 10 However, upon seeing this, Gu Qingyi frowned. The earlier spectacle was far beyond what an upper supernatural level could showcase. She nced at Lu Ran, who was currently overjoyed. ¡°Did it seed? Did it awaken a species talent?!¡± Gu Qingyi quickly asked. ¡°Ah, yes, it did,¡± Lu Ran responded excitedly. He took out his contract card, which disyed the following information: [Species]: Sword-Holding Dog [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Middle Commander) [Growth Level]: Level 10 [Species Talent]: King of Swords (When this pet beast uses sword-type weapons, depending on the sword¡¯s quality, its attack power, defense power, speed, vitality, mental strength, resistance, and energy are all enhanced¡­ gaining a temporary new species level!) Seeing this, Gu Qingyi¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment. The King of Swords talent was extraordinary, grantingprehensive enhancements based on the sword¡¯s quality and potentially raising General Ha¡¯sbat capabilities to a whole new level during battle! ¡°What an incredible talent¡­¡± Gu Qingyi breathed, still in awe. With the King of Swords talent, General Ha had indeed received a tremendous boon from this fusion. As Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi celebrated this sess, they both knew that this was just the beginning of General Ha¡¯s journey towards even greater strength and potential. ¡°A species talent, King of Swords!¡± Lu Ran eximed joyfully. ¡°Its species talent allows it to significantly raise its species level while holding a sword. Right now, even though it¡¯s just an upper supernatural species, with the Ice Sky Greatsword, its attributes areparable to a middlemander species!¡± ¡°This talent is incredibly strong!¡± ¡°The Ice Sky Greatsword is merely of rare quality. If it were given an exquisite-level, epic, or legendary sword, wouldn¡¯t its attributes rival those of a sovereign species pup¡­ or even an overlord species pup?!¡± As Lu Ran spoke, he couldn¡¯t help but rush over and embrace General Ha. He knew General Ha wouldn¡¯t let him down. Having been anxious for countless days, Lu Ran finally felt a sense of relief. The first step was considered a sess. At the same time, Gu Qingyi was taken aback upon hearing Lu Ran mention the King of Swords species talent. Her expression turned incredulous. No way, how could there be such an overpowered species skill¡­ one that could temporarily boost its species level through a weapon? As a first-generation beastmaster, she understood just how remarkable this species talent was¡­ Watching Erha, who looked bewildered as Lu Ran showered him with kisses, Gu Qingyi fell into deep thought. Chapter 79: The World is Vast Chapter 79: The World is Vast At this moment, Lu Ran gently patted General Ha on the head. ¡°You¡¯re no doubt my dog, so outstanding.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha shook its head happily. Just then, Gu Qingyi walked over and said, ¡°Congrattions, you guys actually made it.¡± She smiled. As a schr researching pet beast evolution, she was undoubtedly delighted to witness the birth of an entirely new evolution chain. ¡°Moreover, the species talent it awakened is absolutely among the top tier in my impression.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine such a species talent appearing in a pet beast with its first fused trait.¡± ¡°And it doesn¡¯t even seem verypatible with that trait.¡± ¡°Considering this, weapon experience, weapon mastery, and lifebound weapon¡­ it seems that apletely new evolution path could indeed be developed.¡±Gu Qingyi crossed her arms and smirked. If before, her encouragement for Lu Ran to strive towards bing the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster was just that¡ªencouragement, now she genuinely saw that Lu Ran and General Ha had the qualifications to achieve it. ¡°Haha, thanks a lot.¡± At that moment, Lu Ran and General Ha were yfully wrestling, overjoyed. ¡°Even though you¡¯re 17 and still a minor, you should pay some attention to your image. Don¡¯t act like a child,¡± Gu Qingyi said as she nced at Lu Ran. ¡°I know you¡¯re really happy, but the key now is to test its new strength, isn¡¯t it?¡± Boys¡­ so childish, Gu Qingyi thought, shaking her head internally. ¡°Oh right,¡± Lu Ran responded. He looked at General Ha and asked, ¡°Did you justprehend sword intent?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked eagerly at Lu Ran. It had indeedprehended some new things. After fusing the weapon mastery trait, it felt a deep connection with the Ice Sky Greatsword¡ª ¡°dog and sword as one.¡± Its understanding of the sword had surpassed its previous realm, reaching new heights. Vaguely, the Blizzard Sword Momentum it had mastered before underwent a new transformation. General Ha gripped the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, deep in thought, and looked toward the sea. Just then, a dark shadow appeared on the sea¡¯s surface! Seeing this, Gu Qingyi looked over and said, ¡°That one. It seems to have been attracted by themotion earlier.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s show it what we¡¯ve got.¡± [Name]: Blue Shark [Attribute]: Water [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 22 Although it hadn¡¯t surfaced, both Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran had already noticed this ocean predator. ¡°General Ha!¡± Buzz buzz buzz! The Ice Sky Greatsword vibrated intensely, emitting a chilling aura. With a swift movement from General Ha, a sword qi imbued with Blizzard Sword Intent shot swiftly towards the sea¡¯s surface! Shush!! The sea was split in two, and countless waves transformed into ice crystals, exploding upon impact. What astonished Lu Ran the most was the ¡°crack crack¡± sound as the severed sea froze under the might of the Frost Force. Ice and water clearly divided! Inside¡­ appeared a shark sculpture! An ice sculpture of a shark! The frozen small shark looked dazed, with a deep gash on its fin. Until the surrounding seawater rushed in, swallowing up the icy fissure! A simple stroke of sword qi hadn¡¯t killed the young shark, but the power it exhibited made Lu Ran¡¯s eyes gleam with excitement! Indeed¡­ Frost Force! ¡°I told you before, the second stage of energy shaping, Artistic Shaping, can endow pet beasts with incredible skill power.¡± ¡°The Blizzard Sword Intent itprehended is based on Artistic Shaping. Now, it has fully integrated the essence of a blizzard into its spirit.¡± ¡°Thus, the sword skills it exhibits are as cold and violent as a blizzard!¡± ¡°Now, considering it as dual-attribute isn¡¯t a stretch,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Not bad at all, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen an Erha with such incredibleprehension.¡± ¡°Elemental sword intent!¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°I thought I could master it before General Ha, but it seems the weapon mastery trait boosted its swordsmanship talent and experience far beyond mine.¡± But that¡¯s okay¡­ Your sword intent is impressive. But when I use super beast mimicry, It won¡¯t be long before it¡¯s mine too! ¡°You two are starting to show the qualities of ¡®experts¡¯ now,¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. ¡°The key to distinguishing between novice beastmasters and seasoned ones lies in energy maniption techniques.¡± ¡°Since General Ha has mastered Artistic Shaping, you should also try to develop other advanced energy maniption techniques. Don¡¯t waste thatprehension talent.¡± ¡°Although you both have perfectly mastered the basics of the four energy maniption techniques, that¡¯s just the beginning. In the end, those are things everyone knows. The key is in the advanced techniques.¡± ¡°Remember the icy swords that surrounded it earlier?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran recalled, looking at the ground nearby. The ice swords were almost melted, but the sight of dozens of swords swirling around General Ha was unforgettable. ¡°That had a hint of the legendary ¡®sword control by qi,¡¯¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve seen those fantasy dramas. If its energy release technique can advance to the next level, something like that is achievable.¡± ¡°The foundation of energy release is to emit energy outside the body.¡± ¡°And further, the emitted energy can be manipted freely by the pet beast.¡± ¡°By then, wouldn¡¯t a gale spinning around the swords resemble the ¡®sword control by qi¡¯ from legends?¡± Lu Ran was exuberant, ¡°Dr. Gu, you really know your stuff! I had thought about this before.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha also looked at Gu Qingyi, raising its paw. It acknowledged her understanding. ¡°Keep at it!¡± Gu Qingyi chuckled. ¡°I hope to see you take first ce in the Freshman Tournament 45 days from now.¡± ¡°Freshman Tournament¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°Fang Lan didn¡¯t tell you? After entering the beast taming university, there will be an assessment for freshmen. Based on their performance, they¡¯ll be ced in either elite sses or regr sses and assigned to different campuses for varying levels of training.¡± ¡°I think she mentioned it, but I¡¯m nning to apply for the forging department. Isn¡¯t the tournament for thebat department?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gu Qingyi paused. However, considering General Ha¡¯s species talent andbat style, indeed¡­ the forging department seemed to suit Lu Ran quite well. After all, General Ha¡¯s sword can¡¯t always be forged by others. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The assessment likely doesn¡¯t restrict by major, so you can participate as a freshman from the forge department,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Is this assessment really that important?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Qingyi replied. ¡°The beast taming university is a cradle for producing fourth-generation beastmasters, and the officials ce a lot of importance on these neers.¡± ¡°For this Freshman Tournament, the alliance has invested heavily in the rewards!¡± ¡°Because of these rewards, many second-generation beastmasters who originally didn¡¯t n to apply to the university are nowing to earn some recognition. If nothing else, they can im the rewards and then apply for graduation.¡± When Lu Ran heard about the rewards, his previously lukewarm interest peeked. ¡°The first-ce reward is rumored to be a mysterious pet beast egg of a sovereign species.¡± ¡°The guild leader acquired it as a reward from a breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°A sovereign species pet beast egg? Does that mean it¡¯s a sovereign species right from birth?!¡± ¡°Yes, inherently sovereign. Without any trait fusion or new attribute awakening, it¡¯s a sovereign species from the moment it hatches. This pet beast egges from another world, boasting innate advantages that far surpass any newly evolved beings on Blue Star,¡± Gu Qingyi exined, ncing at General Ha. ¡°The pet beasts we beastmasters on Blue Star contract with mostly start as ¡®ordinary animals,¡¯ requiring evolution after evolution to increase their species level. But in the Infinite City, which connects to various beast taming civilizations, some pet beasts are born at the pinnacle of Blue Star¡¯s evolutionary spectrum. After all, their parents are already powerful supernatural beings.¡± ¡°One could say that a sovereign species cub, even if just born at level 1 or 2, can overwhelm supernatural beings of level 10 or higher inbat power.¡± ¡°In general, it¡¯s rare for secret realms to reward ¡®real life.¡¯ Therefore, a mysterious pet beast egg of a sovereign species is extremely valuable. After further cultivation by a beastmaster and the continuous fusion of new traits, it might even have the potential to evolve into an overlord species. The guild leader offering it as the top reward shows great hope for the fourth-generation beastmasters.¡± ¡°I heard from the guild leader that what hatches from this egg might be apletely new lifeform, not necessarily an animal,¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. Lu Ran blinked. What could it be? ¡°Even the second and third ces have substantial rewards. Winning these is the best chance for a fourth-generation beastmaster to quickly rise to prominence. So, are you interested now?¡± ¡°I think you might be short on money in the future¡­¡± After all, you have a dog that needs a sword to level up. ¡°Alright! With General Ha¡¯s current strength, winning first ce shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± Lu Ran looked hopeful. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nodded confidently. Of course! When ites to fighting, it¡¯s never been afraid of anyone! Just havingpleted its evolution, General Ha felt very proud. Trying to emte it, Lu Ran felt equally confident. ¡°Be serious.¡± ¡°If you think like that, you might face a setback,¡± Gu Qingyi cautioned. ¡°Don¡¯t let the divine beast leaderboard limit your vision.¡± ¡°The world is vast.¡± ¡°In the novice stage, you probably haven¡¯t seen many people using beast taming skills, have you?¡± ¡°Many talented beastmasters have actually mastered beast taming skills that consume their own stamina to enhance their pet beast¡¯s power.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that in the novice stage, the beastmaster¡¯s physical fitness is limited, and they can¡¯t fully utilize these beast taming skills. But 45 days from now, a significant number of novice beastmasters will have be level 1 beastmasters through breakthrough secret realms.¡± ¡°By then, there will be a lot of beastmasters with overpowered beast taming skills.¡± ¡°Especially those with backgrounds. As soon as they level up, they¡¯ll be given appropriate trait crystals and beast taming skills¡ªtheir paths are already paved.¡± ¡°Besides, since your General Ha, for the first time, fused a trait and elevated its hidden species to a middlemander level, don¡¯t you think there might be other beastmasters whose pet beasts¡¯ species levels also reached themander level after their first trait fusion?¡± ¡°Once they enter themander level, their names might not appear on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard. These stronger opponents are your realpetition.¡± ¡°The most important thing is that the Freshman Tournament probably won¡¯t allow beastmasters to rely too much on external forces, so whether you can use your rare weapon is another matter,¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. ¡°If you can only use an ordinary wooden sword then, will it still be as powerful?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, almost forgetting that detail. If weapons and equipment weren¡¯t restricted, second-generation beastmasters would certainly show off their various tricks. But if weapon and equipment levels were restricted, General Ha would be significantly weakened. Moreover, Gu Qingyi¡¯s words reminded Lu Ran that excellent fourth-generation beastmasters might not all be on the divine beast leaderboard; if their pet beasts had already reached themander species level, they wouldn¡¯t show up on the supernatural leaderboard. They are the most hidden group. Only someone like Pluto, who is neither here nor there, would care so much about being first on the supernatural leaderboard. ¡°And there¡¯s more,¡± Gu Qingyi added thoughtfully. ¡°Among these people, there might also be superpower users like you¡­¡± ¡°Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, not only have nts and animals been evolving, but humans have too.¡± ¡°After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the probability of superpower users appearing in various countries has significantly increased.¡± ¡°Currently, I know of a fourth-generation beastmaster who has awakened telekic superpowers¡­ he could be very tough to deal with,¡± Gu Qingyi said, shaking her head. ¡°I got it¡­¡± Drenched with cold reality, Lu Ran shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to strengthen myself and General Ha during this time.¡± ¡°You have at most half a month to prepare.¡± ¡°Within these 45 days, you need to enter the breakthrough secret realm and reach level 1 beastmaster status as well.¡± ¡°Otherwise, it¡¯ll be incredibly hard topete with level 1 beastmasters if you¡¯re still an apprentice.¡± ¡°And the duration of the breakthrough secret realm is 30 days.¡± ¡°That means, once you enter, whether or not youplete the breakthrough mission, you won¡¯t be able to return until the 30 days are up.¡± ¡°So, making the most of the breakthrough secret realm to rapidly strengthen yourself in another beast taming world is also crucial.¡± ¡°I understand that,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°However, my suggestion is not to rush into the breakthrough secret realm. First, spend a dozen days using your advantage at the apprentice stage to quickly umte resources in abyssal difficulty secret realms.¡± ¡°Then, time your entry into the breakthrough secret realm just before the 30-day deadline. When youe out, it will be time for beast taming university to start.¡± ¡°Also, during this time, you need to consider whether to contract a second pet beast. Will you specialize in training just one pet beast, or do you n to diversify your team? Undoubtedly, there will be beastmasters contracting two pet beasts by then. With just one pet beast, you might face one-on-two situations.¡± Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran and General Ha seriously, pointing her finger as she gave advice. Suddenly, Lu Ran felt like she was his high school teacher. ¡°Ahem¡­ ahem¡­¡± Dr. Gu can be pretty strict. Next to him, General Ha showed a wise expression. It didn¡¯t matter; after all, it didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Boss Lu, just listen to her.¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­ Infinite City No.3. [Pluto¡¯s ranking rose to first ce on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!] The guild¡¯s n to establish a reputation in Infinite City No.5 suffered a setback. Pluto couldn¡¯tplete the task his older brother gave him and returned defeated to Infinite City No.3. ¡°Forget it; bad luck for us. That Passerby A is probably in Infinite City No.5 specifically strategizing the ¡®Abandoned Testing Ground¡¯ secret realm. With him there, you won¡¯t get the top spot. He wants to farm ¡®trait crystals,¡¯ so he¡¯ll likely stay there for a while.¡± ¡°In that case, you shoulde back. Currently, no one knows how valuable the rewards on the divine beast leaderboard are. Since the top spot in Infinite City No.3 is vacant,e back and im that position,¡± Star suggested. Under Star¡¯s advice, Pluto returned to Infinite City No.3 and reimed the top spot. Beastmaster Square. Beastmasters were gossiping. ¡°Damn, Pluto is back!¡± ¡°Hahaha, the online spection was right. He tried for the leaderboard in Infinite City No.5 but unfortunately ran into Passerby A over there.¡± ¡°Do you think¡­ Passerby A might suddenlye back too?¡± someone guessed. In the crowd, Pluto, with his face hidden under a hat, sneered quietly. As if that would happen. Passerby A probably went there for the weapon mastery trait and ns to farm traits, which could take a while. He won¡¯t be back anytime soon! [Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard and Supernatural Species Leaderboard Updated.] [Leaderboard Divine Beast: Species¡ªSword-Holding Dog.] [Attribute: Wind.] [Species Level: Upper Supernatural.] [Growth Level: Level 10.] [Beastmaster: Passerby A.] [Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved from the Snowfield Dog species, awakened storm force, fused with the trait ¡®weapon mastery,¡¯ showing extraordinaryprehension. In the Public Secret Realm¡ªTranquil Ind, it split the sea with a single sword, severely injuring a Level 22 Blue Shark from the Upper Supernatural Species while still at Level 10.] [Ranks first on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard!] Just as Pluto was sneering and analyzing, he heard the announcement. He froze for a moment, and the next second, his brain felt like it was hit by a storm, buzzing incessantly. His expression turned nk and bewildered. Chapter 80: Three Traits Chapter 80: Three Traits As the outside world buzzed with excitement over Pluto and Lu Ran¡¯s appearance on the leaderboard, Lu Ran was still attentively listening to Gu Qingyi¡¯s careful guidance. ¡°Phew.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s all I have to say.¡± ¡°Any other questions?¡± ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯ll end up spending unnecessary money on some intelligence dealer.¡± Lu Ran had reason to suspect she was referring to a certain cat store manager. ¡°Yes, actually there is one.¡± Lu Ran asked curiously, ¡°Dr. Gu, I heard you¡¯re the only beastmaster in the world who has sessfully bred a Loong-type pet beast. Is that true?¡± Gu Qingyi pondered, ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°However, my case is somewhat unique and difficult for others to replicate.¡±¡°Currently, I¡¯m also researching how to stably evolve pet beasts into Loong-types.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°Actually, regarding the second pet beast we just talked about, I already have an idea. It¡¯s the lizard that has been following me.¡± ¡°That lizard, I actually n to evolve it in the direction of a Loong-type.¡± ¡°My beast taming skill, super beast mimicry, allows a beastmaster to acquire the powers of their contracted pet beasts. I didn¡¯t have a choice for my first pet beast and ended up contracting with an Erha, so for my second pet beast, I want one from a strong species to maximize the advantages of my beast taming skill.¡± ¡°The Loong-type is the species with the highest overall attributes, so you also want to breed a Loong-type?¡± Gu Qingyi inquired. During their conversation, General Ha was taken aback. What does he mean by ¡°didn¡¯t have a choice for the first pet beast and ended up contracting an Erha¡±? Is the Loong-type so great??? Damn that sudden death king. I won¡¯t forget this grudge! ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran nodded, ¡°So I wanted to ask you, Dr. Gu, for some knowledge about Loong-types.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Gu Qingyi rubbed her temples in difort, and said: ¡°Why do you always choose the difficult path?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s tough¡­¡± Lu Ran smiled wryly, considering there¡¯s only one Loong-type pet beast in the world right now. Countries are researching how to stably produce Loong-types. Trying to evolve the sudden death king into a Loong¡ªthis is indeed a supremely difficult choice, likely as challenging as having General Ha master weapon mastery traits. A pure Loong-type¡­ even the weakest ones belong to the sovereign species. ¡°Right now, my only advice to you is this: For the first and second traits, do not fuse any traits rted to dragons.¡± Gu Qingyi thought for a moment and then said, ¡°For the first and second traits, choose normally based on the characteristics of your pet beast. During this period, frequently use resources dropped from sub-Loong creatures to enhance itspatibility with Loong-type traits. When you reach the third trait, then choose a dragon-rted trait. This way, the probability of perfectly fusing and awakening the species talent is maximized.¡± ¡°However, even though the probability of awakening the species talent is the highest, it doesn¡¯t mean that after one stage of evolution, the pet beast will immediately gain Loong-type attributes and be a purebred Loong.¡± ¡°Perhaps, for the fourth trait, fifth trait, and sixth trait, you may also need to perfectly fuse dragon-rted traits. Only after the second stage of evolution might a Loong-type be added. But that¡¯s a long way off; the highest level the first-generation beastmaster¡¯s pet beasts have reached is still not level 60, and no one has undergone a second stage of evolution, so no judgments can be made yet.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°So before the pet beast has an absolutepatibility with dragon traits, I absolutely shouldn¡¯t fuse any dragon traits, right?¡± ¡°Exactly. Otherwise, an imperfect fusion will affect the subsequent species evolution,¡± Gu Qingyi replied. ¡°Now, tell me about your lizard. What¡¯s its situation? I can rmend some transitional traits for you.¡± ¡°My lizard is a red-eyed eagle lizard, and its personality is timid and afraid of death. Because of this desire, it has an exceptionally strong talent in defense after its supernatural awakening. Also, it awakened to the thunder attribute.¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± Gu Qingyi said, somewhat surprised. ¡°Pet beasts that gain a corresponding talent after a supernatural awakening due to their mind¡¯s desires are top-notch. If you nurture it well, it¡¯ll have great potential in the future. Thunder is also quite good. Let me think¡­¡± ¡°Suitable traits¡­¡± ¡°Based on its talents and attributes, I rmend three transitional traits. You can choose one or two from them.¡± ¡°Which three?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°First, the Overlord Body trait. A pet beast with this trait will possess damage reduction abilities. Any attack thatnds on it will have its damage reduced by half.¡± ¡°It already has strong defense. Coupled with the Overlord Body, even if it evolves into a Loong-type in the future, there won¡¯t be any conflict. Instead, it will be like adding wings to a tiger.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes brightened. That was indeed a solid trait. ¡°Second, the Hyper Healing trait. A pet beast with this trait can quickly heal from even the most severe injuries. Combined with its strong defense, this would be quite effective and suitable for mastering energypression techniques.¡± ¡°It would be powerful for both offense and defense.¡± ¡°Third, the Red Lightning trait. This trait allows the pet beast¡¯s normal lightning energy to transform into red lightning. The effect of red lightning is simr to thunder tempering, allowing the wielder to continuously enhance their body through lightning strikes, thereby bolstering their defensive advantage. With proficiency, it can even help other beings temper their bodies with lightning, and its power is stronger than ordinary lightning.¡± ¡°These three traits each have their own pros and cons. However, the Overlord Body and Hyper Healing traits can only be found in high-level abyss secret realms. If you want to acquire them early on, you¡¯ll have to purchase them. The Red Lightning trait, on the other hand, you can farm yourself.¡± ¡°Simrly, instead of fusing traits, you could choose to awaken a second attribute. If well-matched, it might not be worse than fusing traits.¡± As Gu Qingyi exined, Lu Ran¡¯s mind was racing. Firstly, he eliminated the Hyper Healing trait. After all, he had the divine deer pendant. Epic-level items were few even in the entire country. Exquisite, epic, and legend¡­ Exquisite meant that it was very precious and rare even across the current world. Epic meant that throughout world history, it was an extremely rare treasure. Therefore, the divine deer pendant would suffice for a long time. It would be better to fuse other abilities first. Secondly, he also dismissed awakening new attributes. Unless it was something powerful like space or time attributes, he preferred his pet beast to specialize in one attribute and then continuously enhance itself around that attribute. For other attributes, he could capture a new pet beast with the corresponding attribute. Lu Ran was torn between the Overlord Body and Red Lightning traits. However, considering that he could farm the Red Lightning trait himself and it could potentially be used to help his sudden death king and general ha to strengthen their bodies, Lu Ran decided, ¡°I¡¯ll go farm the Red Lightning trait next!¡± ¡°This trait is simr to the ¡®Golden Lightning¡¯ fused by Pluto¡¯s pet beast in the star cluster guild, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Gu Qingyi confirmed. ¡°Golden Lightning is not only powerful but has the unique effect of allowing pet beasts to quickly grow by feeding on lightning. It helps rapidly increase a pet beast¡¯s growth level and is a trait that allows newer generation beastmasters to quickly catch up with the previous generation. It¡¯s definitely a good choice.¡± ¡°Overall, the difficulty of perfectly fusing traits like these is not high. As long as the pet beast¡¯s attributes arepatible, it should be manageable. The fusion difficulty is much lowerpared to traits like weapon mastery,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. ¡°Got it¡­ Dr. Gu, is there any resource you need me to farm for you?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°I still owe you¡­¡± ¡°Not at the moment!¡± Gu Qingyi said with a slight smile. ¡°Consider the debt on hold for now. I¡¯m not in a rush.¡± I¡¯m the one in a rush! Lu Ran thought to himself. Never mind, for now, he would focus on repaying old Lin first over the next ten days. ¡­ Teleportation za. Wearing a mask and equipped with a presence-reducing item, Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi left Tranquil Ind together. Since she had other matters to attend to, Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t stay long. She left, satisfied after seeing that general ha had perfectly fused the weapon mastery trait. ¡°Being able to achieve this means you are also a pioneer,¡± Gu Qingyi said before leaving. ¡°If in the future you encounter beastmasters who also teach their pet beasts to use weapons, you should try guiding them.¡± ¡°If they can also perfectly integrate the weapon mastery trait, this evolutionary chain might make you famous, turning you into a founding figure of a new school of beast taming. Your name could be prominently featured in textbooks for decades toe!¡± As Gu Qingyi departed, she left those words behind. Walking down the street, Lu Ran kept mulling over the idea. Establishing a pet beast evolutionary school was akin to founding a martial arts sect in wuxia novels, but on arger scale, it could indeed be monumental. On the other hand, if this approach could be widely promoted, old master jiang dou would probably be overjoyed. After all, his long-cherished wish was to witness the resurgence of the swordsmanship era. ¡°If any apprentice at the rainbow heaven dojo bes a beastmaster and indeed has ideas simr to Eagle Hero senior brother and myself, I could offer some guidance to avoid them taking the wrong path.¡± Although Lu Ran felt that people with the same mindset as the Eagle Hero senior brother and himself were probably rare, he couldn¡¯t deny that he and general ha were now superstars in infinite city. Given the fame effect, who knows if someone might think this method of training is cool and try to imitate them. Please don¡¯t copy us! He and general ha had lucked out in every possible way, making it difficult to replicate their sess. Lu Ran felt that as a ¡°semi-public figure¡± now, he should find an opportunity to make a post on the beast taming forum, detailing the challenges of their evolution path. This is to prevent others from being misled. Even though getting other people¡¯s pet beasts to practice swordsmanship wasn¡¯t his intention, if such actions led to beastmasters getting stuck in secret realms, he would feel guilty. ¡°Lu¡­ Lu¡­ Lu¡­¡± As Lu Ran walked back, he suddenly heard someone stammering from a distance. By all rights, not many people should recognize him. Especially since he was wearing a mask, the chances of being recognized were slim. But it so happened that the group in front of him had seen his masked face before. ¡°Is it you guys, fellow vigers?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at the group stammering ¡°Lu Lu Lu¡±. He walked over and said, ¡°Last time something came up suddenly and I had to leave in a hurry, totally forgot to add you as friends.¡± Lu Yi, Lu Bing, Lu Dingding, and Little Wu all smiled wryly. ¡°We¡¯ve been searching for you high and low. When the divine beast leaderboard updated, we immediately came to Teleportation za to find you. We finally did,¡± Lu Bing said, patting her chest. ¡°Who could have imagined, you¡¯re the infamous Passerby A!¡± Lu Dingding said, barely containing his excitement, covering his mouth and speaking in a hushed tone, ¡°So awesome, so powerful!¡± Lu Yi still wore a wry smile, ¡°I asked my old man about it, and he said that vige chief Lu Hai was incredibly brave in his youth. It turns out, a tiger grandpa has nome grandsons.¡± Lu Ran: ? Is that proverb even used correctly, and besides, the creature I¡¯ve contracted is a dog! Little Wu said, ¡°Big shot fellow viger! Last time you mentioned being interested in our vige¡¯s history. When we got back, we asked around, and guess what? We made a major discovery from the elders!¡± Chapter 81: Is the Divine Deer Still Alive? Chapter 81: Is the Divine Deer Still Alive? ¡°A great discovery?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s body trembled as he looked at Little Wu, asking, ¡°What discovery?¡± ¡°The divine deer that our vige worships¡­ might still be alive!¡± Just as Lu Ran was about to ask for more details, Lu Dingding interrupted, ¡°Don¡¯t believe his nonsense¡­ I think it¡¯s just the old folks being superstitious.¡± ¡°Are you not from LuJia Vige?¡± Little Wu looked at him displeased. ¡°Now that spiritual energy has recovered, what¡¯s the harm in believing a little? It¡¯s not like it costs any money.¡± Saying this, he turned to Lu Ran and continued, ¡°The vige actually preserves this legend.¡± ¡°The legend says that in ancient times, ghosts and monsters roamed rampantly. Many human tribes, seeking survival, would take refuge with powerful beings that were almost like deities, relying on them to live.¡± ¡°Even though some of these deities demanded the sacrifice of infants and flesh, many human tribes epted it, as the ghosts and monsters outside were even fiercer.¡±¡°Of course, there were also some benevolent deities who were willing to protect humans unconditionally. Our ancestors encountered such a deity, which is the divine deer.¡± ¡°In fact, under the protection and guidance of the divine deer, we even took up arms and hunted ghosts together. This is the origin of LuJia Vige¡¯s hunting tradition¡­¡± ¡°Until¡­ a great upheaval urred, introducing a ghost so powerful that not even the divine deer could rival it. The entire tribe had to migrate, and even during the migration, they suffered great losses.¡± ¡°The divine deer stayed behind to cover their retreat and disappearedpletely after that.¡± ¡°Later, it¡¯s said that some vigers returned to search, but found no trace of the powerful ghost or the divine deer.¡± Hmm¡­ a very typical myth. Lu Ran pondered and asked, ¡°Then how do you conclude that the divine deer is still alive?¡± Little Wu replied, ¡°Because some elders in the vige say that the divine deer often appears in their dreams.¡± ¡°Some dreamed that the divine deer suppressed the ghosts alone, waiting for rescue.¡± ¡°Some dreamed that the divine deer was severely injured in that battle and was forced to reincarnate.¡± ¡°Others dreamed that the divine deer didn¡¯t die, but felt exhausted andpletely retired from the world.¡± ¡°Dreams like these? I can daydream for a bit during the day and have seven or eight of them at night,¡± Lu Dingding said again, adding, ¡°I could even chat with the White Bone Spirit or the Spider Spirit in my dreams. It¡¯s not impossible.¡± Lu Bing kicked him, but Lu Yi seemed to think there was some truth in what Lu Dingding said. You dream about what you think about. Given that LuJia Vige already has the legend of the divine deer, it makes sense for people to have simr dreams. It definitely can¡¯t be taken as evidence. ¡°Dreams, huh?¡± Lu Ran fell into deep thought. Unlike the others in LuJia Vige, he was 100% certain that a creature like the divine deer existed. Otherwise, where did the divine deer antlere from? As for the idea of transmitting dreams, Lu Ran was half convinced. Dreams are indeed unreliable, but he himself had experienced prophetic dreams before, so he couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss the idea. So, could his awakening of superpowers and ability to have prophetic dreams be rted to his background in LuJia Vige, being influenced by the power of the divine deer? ¡°Are there any records on which type of dreams are the mostmon?¡± Lu Ran asked. Little Wu shook his head. ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ran, do you believe in the divine deer?¡± Lu Bing asked curiously. She felt that Lu Ran seemed to take the legend of the divine deer more seriously than the young people in LuJia Vige. The younger generation in LuJia Vige had long since stopped believing in such legends. ¡°If it were in the past, I wouldn¡¯t believe either, but now you¡¯ve seen the changes on the Blue Star. Who dares to say there weren¡¯t supernatural beings in ancient times?¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°But let¡¯s drop it. It¡¯s too old, no point talking about it now.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran had a new idea. Pet beasts have various abilities and traits. In the future, he would definitely contract a reconnaissance-type pet beast and merge it with a search-rted trait. He could use it to trace the divine deer, just like a dog tracks scents, using the divine deer antler as a clue to see if it could find any other traces of the divine deer on the Blue Star. At this moment, Lu Ran thought of Manager Ying. It seemed to have Time-based skills, which could be used to search for people. Hmm¡­ I should also get a Time-based pet beast in the future. It might be really handy. ¡°Why are you all here? I remember that LuJia Vige is near the mountains¡­¡± Lu Ran suddenly thought about whether the rural LuJia Vige might face any dangers with the revival of spiritual energy. ¡°Have the nearby mutated beasts caused any harm to LuJia Vige?¡± he asked anxiously. But as soon as he asked, he realized he might be overthinking it. After all, the number of beastmasters in LuJia Vige wasparable to that in somerge cities¡­ ¡°Oh, that.¡± Lu Bing smiled. ¡°Actually, therge fierce beasts around LuJia Vige have long been gone. There are only some wild boars left. LuJia Vige has already shifted towards the livestock industry.¡± ¡°We have to thank this revival of spiritual energy, too. Many families in the vige have a habit of raising hunting dogs. Because of this revival, many hunters who aren¡¯t beastmasters now also have supernatural beings as partners. Though there were some idents during this transition, the benefits outweigh the downsides overall.¡± ¡°Now, LuJia Vige is well-armed from top to bottom. Those wild boars can¡¯t do anything to us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran wore a strange expression. As expected from a vige of hunters. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s add each other as friends. I¡¯ll also give you my real contact information. If you ever need my help, don¡¯t hesitate to reach out,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Sure!¡± Afterward, they found a ce to finish the lunch they had missed earlier. Until they parted ways, Lu Ran watched the group from LuJia Vige as they left, his expression gradually softening. That meal¡­ he finally managed to get it. If possible, he could help out LuJia Vige in the future. A vige with a totemic tribe background like this wasn¡¯t going to have a simple path ahead. Since they shared the same roots, LuJia Vige wouldn¡¯t stand idly by if he faced difficulties in the future. Most importantly, he held the divine deer¡¯s heirloom. Even though his mother called it a family treasure, Lu Ran always felt that holding such a treasure and not doing something for LuJia Vige might go against the original intention of the divine deer leaving the antler behind. Perhaps the divine deer left the antler in the hope that the person possessing it would help protect LuJia Vige? ¡°Sigh, if I had the energy, I would go back to the vige, run for vige chief, and lead everyone to prosperity. We¡¯d be the number one vige in the era of beast taming.¡± Lu Ran shelved that thought for now. The most pressing concern was to prepare for the uing breakthrough secret realm. All other ideas could wait until he gained more strength. At this moment, Lu Ran nced at hismunications and noticed two new messages. One was from Pluto and the other from Master Lin. Lu Ran remained silent for a moment. While chatting and having lunch with the folks from LuJia Vige, he had already learned about the brief, tumultuous love-hate rtionship that had unfolded between him and Pluto in just half a day¡­ He didn¡¯t really know what to say about this unfortunate guy. Pluto¡¯s message read: [Are you¡­ing back to Infinite City No. 5?] Pluto¡¯s tone was almost palpable through the message, as if he was grinding his teeth in frustration. Lu Ran replied: [Probably not.] He chuckled. For the trait crystals and beast taming skills he needed next, Infinite City No. 3 had everything he could hope for. Even though he didn¡¯t achieve an SSS rating in the abandoned research institute secret realm, he¡¯d already gotten all the valuable loot from there. It felt unnecessary to continue, especially since, apart from the boss drops, the area was so barren that it offered no additional resources to gather. Now, his only goal was to make money! After replying to Pluto, Lu Ran checked the message from Master Lin. Master Lin had heard about the divine beast leaderboard incident and also knew that Lu Ran seemed to have sessfully obtained and fused a trait crystal on his first try. Curious, he¡¯d immediately sent an inquiry. Lu Ran replied: [Everything went smoothly, thanks to you, Master Lin! Now that General Ha¡¯s strength has greatly increased, we¡¯re off to work off our debt! If there are any rare minerals you urgently need from the novice secret realm, you canmission me. By the way, Master Lin, can you forge exquisite-level weapons?] Master Lin responded quickly: [You¡¯ve got some insane luck, getting it right on the first try¡­ As for exquisite-level weapons, unfortunately, my limit is forging rare weapons. Currently, there¡¯s only one person in the country capable of forging exquisite-level equipment. And most of what this person forges are gear and tools for beastmasters¡­] It¡¯s rare for a forgemaster to have experience forging weapons for pet beasts. At most, they forge armor for them. You¡¯re lucky to have met me. Even among the forgemasters of equal fame to mine, they mostly specialize in forging equipment for beastmasters or pet beast armor. Forging a sword for a dog, for example, is not their forte. If you want to further upgrade your weapon, you have two options: either approach that first-generation big shot and ask him to explore this field or be an exquisite-level forgemaster yourself. So kid, you might as welle and learn forging from me. You can¡¯t always rely on others.] It seems Master Lin¡¯s skills truly stand out, considering he was rmended by those cat-eared maid intelligence dealers. Lu Ran previously hadn¡¯t realized that most forgemastersck experience in forging weapons for pet beasts, making it evident that Master Lin indeed had quite a broad range of expertise. Lu Ran felt a headacheing on. General Ha¡¯s species talent appeared powerful, but finding a suitable, strong weapon seemed challenging. Does even the top forging master in Xia Countryck the relevant experience? Unless he bes a forgemaster himself, does he have no other way to acquire a formidable weapon than seeking solutions in other beast taming civilizations within breakthrough secret realms? ¡­ Green Sea City. After Lu Ran left, the ¡°sudden death king¡± was forced to fight alongside the other six of The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals. As they say, confidence is built from repeated battles. In his first few fights, sudden death king treaded cautiously, fearing for his life and feeling constantly on the brink of death. But as the battles went on, he discovered¡­ None of his opponents could even scratch him! After facing dozens of enemies, it became clear that none of them could break through his defense! With each victory, his confidence grew, and even a coward started to feel invincible. Lu Ran¡¯s strategy of fortifying him first, then letting him fight on his own, proved remarkably effective, quickly reshaping the sudden death king¡¯s personality. The dark crow and Ice Bird, who were out on duty together, looked at the sudden death king with renewed respect. Throughout the journey, they had be utterly convinced of his strength. Not far away, in the wild mountains. Sudden Death King was confronting a horde of mutant rats that had snuck over from the neighboring city. His tail was grounded, allowing him to stand upright, making himself appear taller. His body was encased in a tangible blue Thunder Spike Armor, looking like a valiant warrior. Sudden Death King gazed at the rat horde with a nk expression. Just a bunch of rats¡­ ¡°Wow ka¡­,¡± thought Sudden Death King, but old habits die hard. His body unconsciously reacted, raising both ws in a gesture of surrender. ¡°How frightening¡­ Could you please show some mercy and avoid entering the territory of Green Sea City? Our waters shouldn¡¯t mix,¡± the dark crow on a tree tranted Sudden Death King¡¯s bodynguage. However, facing a seemingly cowardly Sudden Death King, this group of mutant rats felt threatened but wouldn¡¯t retreat so easily. ¡°Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!¡± At the mutant rat king¡¯smand, a mass of blood-colored giant rats charged at Sudden Death King. Previously, such arge-scale attack would have terrified Sudden Death King to death. But the confidence built from dozens of victorious battles made him understand that with an imprable defense, he was invincible. To this day, other than that dog, Sudden Death King hadn¡¯t encountered a creature capable of breaching his defense! ¡°Wow ka¡­ So troublesome, seems like we still have to fight?¡± the dark crow continued to fill in the thoughts behind Sudden Death King¡¯s expression. The mutant rat horde was about to swarm over Sudden Death King! But in the next moment, the scene of him being gnawed to bones didn¡¯t happen. Instead, the advancing rats recoiled instantly, like in a chain reaction. Each rat that collided with Sudden Death King turned ck and twitched before copsing in shes of light. As for Sudden Death King¡­ inside the Thunder Spike Armor, he remained unharmed. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± Sudden Death King showed a look of relief, his tail grabbing a rat¡­ spiking the voltage, then flinging it away unconscious. ¡°It¡¯s a pity, such a torrent of attacks. If my armor couldn¡¯t withstand them, I¡¯d definitely be finished. But s¡­ Have you ever been struck by lightning?¡± the dark crow continued his narrative. By now, the rat horde had fled in panic,pletely terrified. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s the Thunder Dragon General!¡± Although she could also handle these rats, she¡¯d never dare to let theme so close and attack her like that. Move over for the impressive Thunder Dragon General! Nearby, the Ice Bird guarding the tea nt swallowed nervously. Terrifying, just like that Erha. Is this the strength of King Lu¡¯s generals? Chapter 82: King of Swords Chapter 82: King of Swords Infinite City No.3, Passerby A Lu Hai¡¯s private room. Lu Ran chatted with Master Lin while heading back to his room. During the conversation, Master Lin mentioned that debts weren¡¯t urgent, sharing the same sentiment as Dr. Gu. Lu Ran understood. The other party probably didn¡¯t care about the 50,000 crystal coins, but the Dragon Blood Crystal was still held as coteral! Lu Ran: ¡°Debts must be repaid. Owe and return; it¡¯s never difficult to borrow again.¡± Half a year ago, Lu Ran lent three coins to his ssmate for ice cream, and the guy still hadn¡¯t returned them. Lu Ran found this utterly detestable. Not sending a swarm of mosquitoes to ¡°assassinate¡± him was already a sign of Lu Ran¡¯s kindness. Master Lin responded: ¡°Alright, good habit. Keep it up.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran thought it wouldn¡¯t take long.Given General Ha¡¯s current strength, the novice secret realms should be a breeze¡­ Of course, realms that required specific attributes for the pet beasts weren¡¯t included. For instance, realms requiring pet beasts to swim¡­ Although General Ha could do some dog paddling, it wasn¡¯t enough for bringing Lu Ran along effortlessly. In short, choosing the right secret realms, and casually obtaining a few beast taming skills or trait crystals, and he¡¯d strike it rich. Closing the chat with Master Lin, Lu Ran nced at his name. Honestly, he had wanted toment on it for a long time. He thought naming himself Passerby A was strange enough, but Master Lin¡¯s ID in Infinite City was just ¡®Master Lin.¡¯ Truly a unique individual. After saying ¡®Master Lin¡¯ enough times, Lu Ran almost went crazy, unsure if he was calling the other person¡¯s name or honoring him as ¡°Master Lin.¡± Whatever¡­ the guy was indeed a Forging Master. In the private room, Lu Ran stared nkly at the wall, pondering for a moment. He didn¡¯t choose to return to reality. Time was tight. For the next half month, unless something urgent came up, Lu Ran nned to stay in the abyssal difficulty realms. Working to pay off debts! With this thought, he immediately walked to the pir tform and began browsing through the realm information. [Name]: me and Thunder Ruins [Level]: Novice Level [Difficulty]: Abyssal [Challenge Crystal Coins]: 1000 ¡°The clearance reward includes ¡®Red Lightning¡¯ trait!¡± After locking onto a realm, Lu Ran directly teleported in. Lu Ran didn¡¯t go through any detailed strategies. The snippets of information he picked up during his chat with Dr. Gu were enough. After all, General Ha¡¯s strength was extraordinary now. The me and Thunder Ruins secret realm was a forest wastnd ignited by thunderous natural disasters. Most of the wildlife and resources had been destroyed by the raging mes. However, some creatures had mutated and awakened fire and thunder attributes due to the cmity. These creatures wouldn¡¯tst long in the me and Thunder Ruins, as the ecosystem had been utterly wrecked, leaving little to no food. In the ordinary world, a beastmaster entering the me and Thunder Ruins would struggle to encounter any creatures. But in this secret realm, Infinite City had captured a moment in time when these mutated creatures were still present in the forest, making itmon for challengers to encounter them. [Challenge Mission: Defeat the leader of the me and Thunder Ruins.] ¡°Woof!¡± Upon entering, Lu Ran immediately summoned General Ha. It was the third time they¡¯d entered a secret realm that day, earning a look of surprise from General Ha. Boss Lu sure is diligent. General Ha didn¡¯t mind. Having just evolved, it was eager to unleash its power. ¡°Woof woof!¡± General Ha stood upright, tail wagging, scanning for enemies. ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t be hasty. Let me first test the King of Swords talent,¡± Lu Ran said to General Ha, ncing around at the charred, dying trees and the ground crackling with red electric currents. Previously on Tranquil Ind, Dr. Gu had only conducted a cursory examination of General Ha¡¯s abilities without deep research. As General Ha¡¯s beastmaster, Lu Ran knew he had to understand how the King of Swords talent worked in different scenarios. Saying this, he drew the Ice Sky Greatsword and tossed it to General Ha. Biting down on the sword, General Ha instantly felt all its attributes surge, and an immense power filled its body. At this moment, General Ha hadn¡¯t yet unlocked the Ice Sky Greatsword. Lu Ran checked the contract card. [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Middle Commander) Even in its unsealed Greatsword Form, it¡¯s already at the Middle Commander level? ¡°Woof!¡± Without Lu Ran asking, General Hamunicated its feelings. Biting the Ice Sky Greatsword in its normal form didn¡¯t enhance its species attributes as much as biting the greatsword form! The canine felt a massive difference in power. ¡°Although both are Middle Commander, there¡¯s still a difference!¡± Lu Ran nodded, confirming that the quality of the sword and its form indeed affected the species attributes. ¡°Put down the Ice Sky Greatsword. Try this one instead.¡± With that, Lu Ran pulled out his Wind Cutter Sword and tossed it to General Ha. General Ha sighed but obeyed, dropping the Ice Sky Greatsword and biting down on the Wind Cutter Sword. Lu Ran checked again. [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Lower Commander) This time, Lu Ran noticed that even with a high-quality Wind Cutter Sword, General Ha¡¯s species level was boosted to the Commander level. This talent really is powerful. After all, a high-quality Wind Cutter Sword only costs a few hundred crystal coins. Imagine a pet beast jumping an entire species level with just a few hundred crystal coins¡¯ worth of a weapon. Isn¡¯t that impressive? ¡°Let¡¯s try this one next.¡± Lu Ran picked up the Ice Sky Greatsword and found a partially burned tree. With a few quick swipes, he crafted a very crude wooden sword. General Ha looked at the wooden sword, deep in thought. ¡°Woof woof woof!!¡± ¡°Just try it,¡± Lu Ran insisted. Hearing this, General Ha reluctantly picked up the wooden sword. [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Lower Commander) ¡°Damn, even a rotten wooden sword that¡¯s not a supernatural weapon can boost the species level?¡± Lu Ran was astonished. ¡°It appears that, based on the Upper Supernatural species baseline, as long as General Ha bites any sword, regardless of the type, it can boost the species by at least one level.¡± ¡°Seems like I won¡¯t have to worry too much about weapon restrictions in the Freshman Tournament at Beast Taming University.¡± Lower Commander species should suffice. Lu Ran smiled. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha continued to ry its feelings. The boost from biting the Wind Cutter Sword was noticeably greater than from this shabby wooden sword. Both being Lower Commander, there¡¯s still a gap. ¡°I get it. One is the lower limit for Lower Commander species, while the other is closer to the upper limit.¡± ¡°By the way, can the Sword of Wind that you create using your own energy also boost your species level?¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha, curiosity piqued. Hearing this, General Ha eagerly dropped the wooden sword and began to gather energy to form the Sword of Wind. Soon, a white Wind Sword made of wind energy was held in General Ha¡¯s mouth. [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Lower Commander) Lu Ran¡¯s smile widened. Look at that, it works just the same! This way, there¡¯s no fear of weapon restrictions. There¡¯s always more solutions than obstacles! Even if the tournament bans ordinary weapons and equipment, General Ha can still activate the King of Swords talent on its own. ¡°General Ha, enhance the quality of the Wind Sword,¡± Lu Ran instructed. Although he didn¡¯t rify, General Ha understood his intention. Compress the wind force¡­ Maybe even imbue the Wind Sword with sword intent! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was quite smart! ¡°Awoooo!!!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes sharpened, and wind energy rapidly surged around it. Using the basic skill Gale to elerate thepression of the Wind Sword with an energy flow technique. Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Whirlwinds swirled around. Arge amount of energy swiftly flowed into the Wind Sword, doubling, tripling¡­ Thanks to the elevated species level, General Ha¡¯s teeth were much stronger than before. Even with the violent wind force resonating around its mouth, it remained unfazed. Eightfold, ninefold, tenfold¡­ Finally, General Hapressed the energy to its current limit. It held a Storm Sword in its mouth, equivalent to thepression of ten Wind Swordsbined! The sky-blue Storm Sword buzzed loudly, constantly tearing at the air, as if it could effortlessly slice through the toughest metal at any moment. [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Lower Commander) At this moment, General Ha felt that the enhancement from the tenfold Wind Sword had increased further, surpassing the boost from the ordinary Wind Sword and the Wind Cutter Sword¡­ But unfortunately, the enhanced attributes still didn¡¯t cause a qualitative change in its species level to reach Middle Commander. ¡°Woof woof!¡± General Ha made an initial assessment: the boost from the tenfold Wind Sword was greater than the Wind Cutter Sword, greater than the ordinary Wind Sword, and greater than the broken Wooden Sword. ¡°Blizzard Sword Intent,¡± Lu Ranmanded. Now, Blizzard Sword Intent had be one of General Ha¡¯s skills. [Skill]: Gale, Sword Qi, Roar of the Wind, Wind Sword, Wind Wing, Storm sh, Blizzard Sword Intent (The will of the sword infused with blizzard power, which can be channeled into sword-type weapons and techniques to enhance their power. It can also be converted into an aura to destroy the opponent¡¯s mental will!) This was equivalent to an advanced energy shaping technique and was now General Ha¡¯s strongest ace in the hole. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes shed with a cold gleam as it infused Blizzard Sword Intent into the Storm Sword. The sky-blue Storm Sword quickly emitted an extreme chill, with swirling snow around it! With the sword intent enhancement, it became the Blizzard Sword! [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Middle Commander) ¡°Now we¡¯re solid!!!¡± Observing the change, Lu Ran was taken aback. The sword forged through thebination of tenfold Wind Sword and Blizzard Sword Intent directly elevated General Ha¡¯s species level to Middle Commander,parable to the Ice Sky Greatsword! ¡°Well done!¡± Don¡¯t underestimate the level difference; the distinction between Middle Supernatural and Upper Supernatural is quite evident. Most pet beasts at the Middle Supernatural level, before evolving, are typically dogs or cats, whereas at the Upper Supernatural level, they are tigers, lions, and elephants. They¡¯re not in the same league. The gap between Lower Commander and Middle Commander is simr, if not significantlyrger. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked at Lu Ran, feeling that the Ice Sky Greatsword was still superior. ¡°So it seems the Ice Sky Greatsword and Blizzard Sword both boost your species level to Middle Commander,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°Any other sword, no matter how trashy, still guarantees a boost to the Lower Commander species level¡­¡± Lu Ran had a clear understanding now. While the quality of the Ice Sky Greatsword was good, it probably wasn¡¯t the pinnacle among rare weapons. An exquisite rare sword might elevate General Ha¡¯s species level to Upper Commander. If they got their hands on an ¡°Exquisite World Sword,¡± temporarily reaching the ¡°Lower Sovereign Species¡± level wouldn¡¯t be out of the question for General Ha. After a series of experiments, Lu Ran felt more confident. While shaped swords could indeed activate the King of Swords talent, forged swords were still preferable. After all, shaped swords consumed energy to create and required divided attention for control. The boost they provided to General Ha was limited to the species enhancement brought by the King of Swords talent. But forged swords are different. Not only can they activate the King of Swords talent, but forged swords alsoe with inherent energy enhancement effects and various unique abilities, effectively providing a double boost. The former is all about convenience and saving money, whereas thetter is about power and spending money. Lu Ran increasingly felt that General Ha had a promising future. ying with this species talent was quite an investment. ¡°Awoooo¡ªAwoooo¡ª¡± As Lu Ran and General Ha continued experimenting, theypletely forgot they were here to challenge a secret realm. Until some prey delivered itself to them. Beside a charred tree, a dark red figure appeared. Lu Ran was still chatting with General Ha and ignored the neer. [Name]: Lynx [Attribute]: Fire [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 10 The figure howled twice, seeing no reaction from Lu Ran and General Ha. It opened its mouth from a distance and spewed a scorching pir of fire towards them! A basic fire-type release skill, me Breath! The zing mes were about to engulf General Ha, but General Ha stood still, not even intending to retaliate. As a master, it could already judge which skills were threatening and which were not. For ordinary skills like this, General Ha, who currently possessed Middle Commander attributes and qualities, considered even flinching a disrespect to its species level. Boom!!! The me breathnded on General Ha, whose entire body was enveloped in flowing wind. The me pir split in two, following the contours of General Ha¡¯s form. Clearly, the me breath couldn¡¯t even break General Ha¡¯s Gale Wind Coat, and instead, the coat bounced the mes away. Moreover, even if this skill could break through the Gale Wind Coat, at most it would singe General Ha¡¯s fur. Burning its body now would be extremely difficult. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha bathed in the mes, its eyes reflecting a red hue. It turned proudly to look at the terrified feline. Boom! General Ha stomped the ground, sprinting along with the opponent¡¯s me breath. In an instant, it perfectly split the pir of fire in mid-air. As the mes dissipated, the level 10 lynx¡¯s body at the end of the mes had been cleaved in two! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, with the sword in its mouth, elegantly sheathed it from afar. Using Sword Qi against an opponent of this level would be a waste of energy. Simply dashing over with the sword in its mouth was enough to split the enemy in half. The result was the same, but the energy consumption was less than one-fifth of that required to release Sword Qi. The choice was obvious. Only when facing enemies that posed a significant threat to itself would General Ha use long-range skills to ensure its own safety. After defeating the lynx, arge Fire Fur pelt dropped to the ground. Lu Ran stepped forward and picked it up, saying, ¡°Material for making fire-resistant clothing¡­not worth much.¡± ¡°By the way, while earning money from these kills is important, you should also take the opportunity to train yourself.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± ¡°For instance, practicing advanced energy release techniques, like controlling energy away from your body.¡± ¡°Remember how we talked about practicing the Gale Sword Control Technique?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Hearing this, General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up, and it eagerly retrieved the wooden sword. Wrapping its tail around it, General Ha tossed the sword into the air, then blew a gust of wind from its mouth, attempting to control the sword with the wind¡­ Two secondster. The sword twirled in the air, performing a sword flourish, then crashed into a tree. It was a pathetic attempt with no technical finesse. The Gale Sword Control Technique¡­ still had a long way to go. Chapter 83: The Law of Luck Conservation Chapter 83: The Law of Luck Conservation Deep within the me and Thunder Ruins. ¡°Roar!!!¡± A colossal berserk bear, cloaked in red lightning, was relentlesslyunching attacks forward. Boom! Colliding with it was Erha, gripping arge sword. Erha nted its four paws firmly on the ground, resolutely biting onto the sword and using it to block the berserk bear¡¯s ferocious thunderous paw. Every sh between the sword and the bear¡¯s paw made the berserk bear feel as if its paw was about to be sliced open and frozen. ¡°Roar!!¡± the berserk bear roared again in frustration, baffled by the strength of this dog. ¡°That¡¯s enough, General Ha, stop practicing,¡± Lu Ranmanded. With a sh of determination in its eyes, General Ha unleashed its full power, executing a tenfold Storm sh¡ªSwish!! Under the berserk bear¡¯s incredulous gaze, which was now grasping Red Lightning, its body was instantly split in two, with ayer of frost forming on the cut. Lu Ran observed and pondered slightly. A dog wielding a sword¡­ It¡¯s hard to say. If it doesn¡¯t evolve into a humanoid form, its closebat skills remain crude and singr. There wasn¡¯t much Lu Ran could do; after all, swords weren¡¯t meant for dogs. Therefore, to elevate General Ha¡¯s swordsmanship, Aside from the mental realm of sword intent, it seems mastering the Gale Sword Control Technique quickly is necessary. An advanced technique of energy release control¡­ With it, using wind to control the sword, General Ha will be able to perform various high-difficulty sword techniques¡­ ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, having defeated its opponent, turned back with a cheeky grin. This time, despite using the tenfold Storm sh, its teeth¡­ surprisingly didn¡¯t fall out. The dog was extremely satisfied with its current physical strength; it could now perfectly handle tenfold energypression! Of course, this wasn¡¯t only due to its physical strength but also its repeated usage experiences. Constant injuries and practice had made it adept at controlling energy swiftly, which was a significant advantage over other pet beasts. After all, most pet beasts would need a long time to recover after getting injured, making it hard to quickly grow new teeth. ¡°So, the energypression technique must be upgraded to an advanced level, developing twentyfold, thirtyfold, or even a hundredfoldpression¡­ Otherwise, how could new teeth be used to forge weapons!¡± Lu Ran muttered. He also sighed. Because the rewards for this secret realm challenge were too disappointing. [Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: SSS-level!] [Congrattions, you have received 1000 crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have received advanced resources: Thunderstruck Wood.] [Congrattions, you have received advanced resources: Mutant Bear Paw.] [Congrattions, you have received special resources: Upgrade Card.] No Red Lightning trait crystal, no thunder enhancement beast taming skills, and no rare materials! The two advanced materials obtained were valuable, but iparable to 50,000 crystal coins. The only noteworthy reward was an upgrade card, but of course¡­ Lu Ran would use it himself and definitely wouldn¡¯t sell it. Once he gathers nine more of these, he could upgrade General Ha¡¯s contract card again¡­ ¡°Damn, I have a bad feeling¡­ Luck is conserved. We got the trait crystalst time, who knows how many times we¡¯ll need to try next time!¡± In the ruins forest, Lu Ran suddenly scratched his head. Beside him, General Ha sighed helplessly, seeing that once again, Lu Ran¡¯s luck had turned for the worse¡­ ¡­ After each secret realm challenge, Lu Ran and General Ha would return to their designated room to rest. This time, struck by terrible luck, Lu Ran found himself deep in existential contemtion. He felt his efficiency in solo secret realm runs was too low. It wasn¡¯t about the speed of defeating monsters, but rather the efficiency of earning money! ¡°Maybe I should find three teammates to team up with?¡± Lu Ran mused. The advantage of a four-person team was that the clearance reward would be multiplied by four. If four teammates of simr skill level teamed up, each would get their own reward. But if a big shot were to lead three rookies through the secret realm, wouldn¡¯t it be fair for the three rookies to submit any rare materials they obtained, keeping only their basic crystal coins? Lu Ran¡¯s mind raced with such thoughts. Of course, the three teammates couldn¡¯t be too burdensome and should also be protected. ¡°If I carry three people, each challenge would yield the equivalent of four rewards.¡± ¡°Efficiency multiplied by four¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mind continued whirling with ideas. Moreover, after defeating the boss, four people collecting the other resources in the secret realm would be far more efficient than one person slowly gathering them. ¡°Now, even without using the divine deer pendant, relying solely on General Ha and the Ice Sky Greatsword, I can consistently clear abyssal difficulty novice secret realms. Bringing along three people shouldn¡¯t be a problem, and this way, whether it¡¯s trait crystals or beast taming skills, the probabilities of obtaining them would be much higher¡­¡± Lu Ran thought about it and felt more convinced as he went on. As for teammates, the first person Lu Ran thought of was Fang Lan. Though she would likely be deeply engrossed with her work as the Green Sea Poison Queentely¡­ She surely wouldn¡¯t refuse if he invited her to tackle a secret realm together. Folks from LuJia Vige were also an option. After all, their levels were pretty simr. This approach, Lu Ran realized, had another benefit¡ªit would also help the beastmasters he brought along to grow more quickly. After all, if they handed over rare materials, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t be stingy and give them nothing in return. Later, he could help them acquire fitting beast taming skills and suitable trait crystals, thereby boosting their strength. Take Fang Lan, for instance; she currently hadn¡¯t learned any beast taming skills and wasn¡¯t prepared with a daxia wolf spider¡¯s trait crystal. Without a big shot leading the way, it would take her a long time to obtain these on her own. But with Lu Ran¡¯s help, the efficiency would be much higher. Most of the big guilds operated this way too¡ªveterans carrying neers to rapidly build a solid foundation. Lu Ran figured he could adopt this strategy as well. After all, he could wreak havoc in the novice secret realms at this stage. If he could form an elite team, they could alsopete in the Freshman Tournament at beast taming university. Imagine bagging several spots in the top 100, top 64, or even top 32¡ªwouldn¡¯t the rewards be substantial? Thinking carefully, it was indeed better than going solo. ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to be forming a team so soon,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, recalling how he initially nned to only assemble a dedicated secret realm team once he had sufficient strength. The original goal was to seek help in conquering the abyss secret realms alone. Who would have thought, that in a sh, the purpose would shift to optimizing for more efficient farming with four people¡­ Lu Ran shook his head with a smile¡ªns really couldn¡¯t keep up with changes. With this thought, Lu Ran logged off, intending to check in with Fang Lan first. Green Sea City, Starlight Vi Community. Lu Ran and General Ha appeared in the living room. Just stepping out, Lu Ran adeptly picked up his fully charged phone. ¡°So many missed calls?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, noticing he had several missed calls. Taking a closer look, they were all from Jinling¡­ The caller, Zhao Chen! Xiaobailong¡¯s former boss¡­ Wonder what¡¯s up. Lu Ran redialed the number. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± Soon enough, Zhao Chen¡¯s excited voice came through. ¡°Uncle Zhao, what¡¯s going on? I was in Infinite City.¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Yeah, I know, I saw stuff about you online. Congrats.¡± ¡°I called you for something else.¡± ¡°Did you get the news?¡± ¡°What news?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Besides the dozens of provincial capital cities, due to the revival of spiritual energy, we urgently need to consolidate the strength of beastmasters. The Alliance is initiating the establishment of Beast Taming Edifices in second-tier cities, to form associations and unify the civilian beastmasters.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that great?¡± Lu Ran said. Currently, aside from the big cities, the beast taming power in second-tier cities like Green Sea City is too scattered¡­ With official management, things indeed would get a lot better. ¡°Do you know how the Beast Taming Association is structured? For example, the Jinling Beast Taming Edifice has a chairman and ten directors serving as co-administrators. I¡¯m one of the directors in the Jinling Association, and the guild leader of the Star Cluster Guild, Xingchen, is another director.¡± ¡°I heard that Dr. Gu applied for special permission to let you manage supernatural affairs in Green Sea City, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran confirmed. ¡°This experimental zone arrangement is actually significant. Dr. Gu made the decision alone, and not everyone at the higher levels of the Alliance may be satisfied.¡± ¡°Therefore, it¡¯s highly likely that Green Sea City will also establish a Beast Taming Association. The Alliance will probably send a former-generation beastmaster as the chairman to supervise and check on you, to prevent you from making mistakes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just highly likely; it¡¯s almost certain. Theoretically, you should be appointed as the chairman of the Green Sea Association. However, in the end, some people are just notfortable with a 17-year-old managing a major city.¡± Lu Ran frowned. He knew that getting involved with the authorities would inevitably lead to a lot ofplications. So, being the King of Green Sea wasn¡¯t going to be as easy as he thought, especially with a superior overseeing him. How could he reignfortably under such conditions? However, Lu Ran sighed. He could understand. After all, he didck management experience. Having an experienced beastmaster who had seen other beast taming civilizationse to assist could indeed benefit the entire city. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t unreasonable. All he could do for now was take it one step at a time. Who knows, the person appointed might turn out to be great. ¡°Any idea who it is?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°To be honest, I do have some inside information. But promise me, you won¡¯t report to Dr. Gu to give this person a hard time, suppress, or ostracize them, okay?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°How could I? If it¡¯s someone we canmunicate with reasonably, Green Sea would wee them.¡± ¡°But if they want to meddle in everything, then they can manage it all themselves.¡± In that case, he would just return to LuJia Vige and run for vige chief. The future looked bright regardless. Lu Ran just hoped that the new person wouldn¡¯t treat him like a subordinate to be ordered around. At heart, he still wanted some freedom. ¡°Well¡­ that person¡­ is actually me. I don¡¯t know what the higher-ups were thinking, but they assigned me as the chairman for Green Sea!¡± Zhao Chenined. ¡°Lu Ran, you know me. Rest assured, I won¡¯t be bossing you around. Do whatever you want, as long as you don¡¯t stir up major news. I¡¯ll just be a mascot¡ªa toolman.¡± Zhao Chen felt exasperated, being transferred from Shanghai to Jinling, and now from Jinling to Green Sea. Although he felt optimistic about it, the constant relocations were quite taxing. Lu Ran: ??? No wonder there was all this lead-up. So it¡¯s you! Chapter 84: Initial Team Confirmation Chapter 84: Initial Team Confirmation Lu Ran was speechless. Just say what you want to say. Why make it soplicated? Are you the sudden death king? Lu Ran felt that Xiaobailong, this leader, was truly an old hand. Given how far the conversation had gone, what else could Lu Ran say? He could only reply, ¡°Uncle Zhao, what are you saying?¡± ¡°If you had said it earlier, I wouldn¡¯t have doubted you!¡± ¡°In a couple of months, I¡¯ll be heading back to school. Green Sea City really needs experienced people like you¡­ veterans with extensive work experience to guide us.¡± Xiaobailong, this old leader, was also a first-generation beastmaster.However, he was one of those first-generation beastmasters whose pet beast had been severely injured in a secret realm, causing him to lose heart and withdraw from frontlinebat early. After retiring, he had been recruiting neers for the government, amassing a widework of contacts. Unfortunately, his limited abilities meant that although he held an important leadership role in the neer recruitment department of the beastmaster administration bureau, his chances of getting promoted were slim. ¡°Haha, I already know. You have a special superpower that allows you tomunicate with animals. Frankly, I don¡¯t get the supernatural beings myself, so I won¡¯t meddle in areas I¡¯m not an expert in.¡± ¡°Once I get there, I¡¯ll help manage andmunicate with civilian beastmasters, attract investments, bring in talent, develop Green Sea City¡¯s economy, and expand our beast taming forces.¡± Zhao Chen was clear about his role. His old friend transferred him to Green Sea City to be the chairman of the Beast Taming Association not to target Dr. Gu or Lu Ran but because he valued the potential for development in this beast taming special zone. Getting transferred here was a chance to build his resume. If Green Sea City truly thrived, his path to promotion would be much smoother. Thus, Zhao Chen knew exactly what to do and what not to do after being transferred to Lu Ran¡¯s domain. Maintaining a good rtionship with Lu Ran was crucial since Lu Ran had much more potential than he did. Though Zhao Chen was the chairman, in reality, Lu Ran was the most crucial person in Green Sea City. The better Lu Ran¡¯s prospects, the better chances Zhao Chen had. ¡°Sure, Green Sea City depends on you, Uncle Zhao.¡± Lu Ran said. Having lived here for so long, he naturally hoped Green Sea City would develop well. ¡°Of course, of course, Lu Ran, when do you have time? Once I get to Green Sea City, let¡¯s sit down and talk. You mentioned you¡¯ll be going back to school in two months, so you¡¯re familiar with the Freshman Tournament at the beast taming university, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I have some critical intelligence. If a city¡¯s students perform well in the Freshman Tournament, it¡¯s a significant indicator of the city¡¯s beast taming potential. With you and the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, in Green Sea City, we can definitely make a name for ourselves.¡± ¡°But having more talented beastmasters is always better. So, once I arrive, I want to gather young beastmasters interested in applying to the beast taming university and train them during this period.¡± ¡°If they can also achieve good results in the Freshman Tournament, Green Sea City¡¯s development and prospects will undoubtedly improve¡­¡± ¡°Is there anything specific you need my help with?¡± Lu Ran knew his fortunes were tied to Green Sea City. The more prosperous the city became, the more resources he would have. ¡°In fact, there is!¡± Zhao Chen replied. ¡°Green Sea University, along with various high schools in Green Sea City, have a batch of young beastmasters. However, training them effectively is not easy. Since you canmunicate with wild mutated beasts, is it possible for you to find a few strong mutated beasts to act as ¡®sparring partners¡¯ for them? This way, we can ensure safety while achieving effective training.¡± ¡°Interesting idea,¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°But they¡¯ll needpensation for their work. We can deduct it from the city¡¯s finances!¡± Helping is one thing, but spending his own money was out of the question! ¡°Great, let¡¯s discuss the details when the timees!¡± After hanging up with Zhao Chen, Lu Ran thought about the idea of using powerful supernatural beings from the wild as sparring partners for the rookie beastmasters in Green Sea City. It was a pretty good idea. In the future, he could even develop a simr business, perhaps start a ¡®Beast Sparring¡¯pany to earn crystal coins. After all, not everyone dared to venture into secret realms for training. With the number of beastmasters increasing, this service would surely be in high demand. Lu Ranpletely understood Zhao Chen¡¯s point. This was akin to high schools striving for higher college admission rates. If Green Sea City could produce a few top-tier beastmasters who dominate the freshman top ten in the beast taming university, who would dare say that Green Sea City was inferior to a provincial capital? At that point, the national government would undoubtedly prioritize investment in Green Sea City. Both Lu Ran, as the King of Green Sea, and Zhao Chen, as the chairman of the Beast Taming Association, would benefit from this. In summary, for Green Sea City to develop, it couldn¡¯t rely solely on wild supernatural beings. The growth prospects of fourth-generation beastmasters were also critical. At this moment, General Ha was already napping on the carpet. Lu Ran took out his phone and called Fang Lan. It didn¡¯t take long. Fang Lan arrived at Lu Ran¡¯s house, sporting two dark circles under her eyes. Seeing her, Lu Ran was startled. ¡°Did a scorpion sting you?¡± ¡°You wish! I was up all night studying toxicology¡­ and then collecting poison during the day. I haven¡¯t had a chance to rest yet.¡± Fang Lan rxed as soon as she got inside andy down on the sofa, closing her eyes. ¡°Tea¡­ tea¡­¡± ¡°Here, a cup to wake you up.¡± Lu Ran helplessly handed her a cup of Ice Honey Tea. Fang Lan struggled to sit up, took a sip, and seemed much more energized. She sighed and said, ¡°Well, you¡¯re something else. I saw the news on my phone. First, you made it to the Infinite City No.5 rankings, then you fused a trait crystal and re-entered the rankings of Infinite City No.3¡­ You even unearthed a trait crystal in one go. Your luck is incredible!¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as luck. It¡¯s just countless bad lucks that paved the way behind the scenes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fang Lan was speechless, feeling an itch to punch him. ¡°And luck is indeed conserved. After returning to Infinite City No.3, General Ha and I challenged another secret realm, and the harvest was mediocre.¡± ¡°Right now, thanks to the angel investments from Dr. Gu and a forging master, I am conservatively in debt by over 100,000 crystal coins¡­¡± ¡°If this continues, I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to pay it off¡­ I called you today to solve this problem.¡± ¡°How can I help? You¡¯d be better off praying to Buddha; there¡¯s nothing I can do to help with luck.¡± Fang Lan blinked. Luck¡­ she didn¡¯t have much of it to share with Lu Ran. ¡°Team up! It¡¯s the same for me whether I¡¯m clearing a secret realm solo or with four people. This way, there¡¯ll be four sets of clearance rewards, and selling those will bring in much more money.¡± ¡°Oh, right!¡± Fang Lan finally caught on. ¡°So, do you want to challenge a secret realm? I can take you. Right now, I¡¯m powerful enough to dominate novice abyss level secret realms. Actually, your godfather and godmother needn¡¯t worry about safety anymore. You can keep any resources you need and give me the rest. How does that sound?¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually thanks to your venom. Without it, General Ha and I would take forever to deal with the Demon Bull Commander.¡± ¡°Is that so? Sure!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s eyes lit up, and she instantly felt invigorated. The fatigue disappeared as she excitedly stretched out her legs, her face flushing with excitement. ¡°When can we challenge a secret realm together?¡± ¡°You alone won¡¯t be enough. We¡¯ll need at least two more teammates willing to pool their resources¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered for a moment. ¡°Do you have anyone in mind you can trust?¡± ¡°If not, I could bring in some folks from Lujia Vige; there are plenty of beastmasters there.¡± ¡°By the way, in a couple of days, Green Sea City might establish a Beast Taming Association. The newly appointed chairman has contacted me and seems keen on nurturing local fourth-generation beastmasters. We could choose two of the best to train with us.¡± ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t really have any suitable candidates on my end. The beastmasters I know from school aren¡¯t thatpetent. I have a good friend who used to keep pets, but she hasn¡¯t be a beastmaster yet¡­¡± ¡°In the arena, I¡¯ve met a few decent beastmasters, but either they¡¯re already part of the official team or they¡¯ve joined a guild, which doesn¡¯t seem ideal either.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better pick the teammates yourself,¡± Fang Lan suggested after thinking for a bit. Lu Ran considered it. It seemed like the best option was people from Lujia Vige. He didn¡¯t know many fourth-generation beastmasters. Xiaobailong, Shenghua, Little Ling¡ªeach of them wasn¡¯tbat-focused and had their own jobs. Pluto certainly didn¡¯tck money and wouldn¡¯t be interested in joining his team; his guild¡¯s team could likely clear an abyss secret realm on their own. By the way, Pig Raiser¡­ speaking of which, after he took the assessment for the Star Cluster guild, he seemed to have vanished. Given his performance on the divine beast leaderboard, he hasn¡¯t even reached out since. Did he get stuck in some secret realm? Lu Ran wondered. ¡°Hey Fang Lan, have youe across a beastmaster with the ID ¡®Pig Raiser¡¯ in the arena recently?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Pig Raiser¡­ Why does that sound so familiar?¡± Fang Lan said as she sipped her Ice Honey Tea. ¡°Hmm, I think I did fight someone with that ID before. I beat them pretty badly¡­ Oh, right! I remember now. That name has popped up a few times recently, hitting the tenth spot on the divine beast leaderboard. Although, it doesn¡¯t stay there long before getting bumped off again.¡± ¡°The divine beast leaderboard?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t believe his ears. Pig Raiser, that guy¡ªwhile better than most city beastmasters¡ªshould still be far from making it to the divine beast leaderboard, right? ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure. It¡¯s an easy name to remember, and his pet beast was a wild boar.¡± After hearing Fang Lan, Lu Ran was still skeptical. He wondered what had happened to Pig Raiser. After thinking it over, he called Xiaobailong. ¡°Passerby A, the big shot!¡± Receiving Lu Ran¡¯s call, Xiaobailong was both surprised and ttered. Given Lu Ran¡¯s current status, he should be mingling with more influential people. Why was he reaching out? ¡°Hey, Xiaobailong, old pal.¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually calling to ask about Bixia Shenghua, your colleague known as Shenghua. Do you remember that newbie she was mentoring, ¡®Pig Raiser¡¯? I heard he made it onto the divine beast leaderboard?¡± ¡°Oh, that.¡± Xiaobailong said, ¡°You want to know what¡¯s up with that newbie?¡± ¡°Yeah, I do have him on my friends list, but I haven¡¯t bothered to log in and ask him directly. I figured Shenghua, who was specifically mentoring him, might know more.¡± ¡°You¡¯vee to the right person! Yeah, Pig Raiser did make it onto the divine beast leaderboard recently!¡± Xiaobailong said. ¡°When I saw it, I reached out to Shenghua to ask about it.¡± ¡°And guess what?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°After Pig Raiser registered, our department did some digging. Turns out he was born in a rural area. Initially, his family was doing quite well¡ªthey were the major pig farmers in their vige, raising a lot of pigs,¡± Xiaobailong exined. ¡°Then tragedy struck. An outbreak of swine fever wiped out almost all their pigs.¡± ¡°His family went bankrupt, owing the vigers millions. Under immense pressure, his parents were on the brink of giving up on life. At that desperate moment, Pig Raiser somehow got hold of a ck card and contracted the only pig that wasn¡¯t affected by the swine fever. Luckily, this pig underwent a mutation and reverted to its ancestral form, bing a wild boar with decentbat capabilities.¡± ¡°After entering Infinite City, Pig Raiser learned from Shenghua that the beast taming upation was quite lucrative. Desperate to make money quickly to help his family and repay the vigers, he decided against joining the official team and instead went for the Star Cluster guild because they offered hefty joining bonuses.¡± ¡°I know he went for the Star Cluster guild assessment. What happened next?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°After that? With the rise of fourth-generation beastmasters, major guilds were no longer short on neers. Unless someone had exceptional potential, the entry benefits and perks were shed. ording to Shenghua, after Pig Raiser heard that the entry benefits were cut, he decided not to stay at Star Cluster and went back to Shenghua.¡± Lu Ran shook his head, impressed by how shrewd Star Cluster and Pluto were. What a pity Pig Raiser was so eager for the assessment initially. ¡°Right now, Pig Raiser learned from Shenghua about the substantial prizes in the Freshman Tournament at the beast taming university. So, he¡¯s been training intensely in secret realms, and his strength has improved rapidly.¡± ¡°But even with that, he was still far from making it to the divine beast leaderboard. Shenghua found out that after the resurgence of spiritual energy, Pig Raiser discovered a rare resource near his vige. His wild boar identally ate the resource, and it became significantly stronger as a result.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Lu Ran remarked, ¡°No wonder he managed to climb the leaderboard. That rare resource must have done wonders.¡± ¡°Exactly. That wild boar got a significant boost. It¡¯s all about luck and timing,¡± Xiaobailong said, wrapping up the story. ¡°After discovering the truth, that kid was filled with regret. You see, if he had sold that rare resource, it wouldn¡¯t just cover a few million in debt¡ªit could¡¯ve been worth tens of millions. So, he became even more driven and started fiercely challenging secret realms with his wild boar. After burning the midnight oil like that, he asionally manages to make it onto the divine beast leaderboard for a few hours,¡± Xiaobailong exined. ¡°Everyone has their own fate,¡± Xiaobailong said with a tone full of emotion and sighs. ¡°To think a family on the brink of copse could change their destiny because of one talented beastmaster.¡± ¡°So, this guy isn¡¯t a member of any guild, hasn¡¯t joined the official team, and now he ns to apply for the beast taming university?¡± Lu Ran asked with a peculiar expression. ¡°Seems like it. With his current strength, paying off the family debt shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Now he¡¯s probably looking to further his own development,¡± Xiaobailong replied. ¡°Alright, got it. Thanks a lot,¡± Lu Ran responded. ¡°No problem,¡± Xiaobailongughed. ¡°See you at the beast taming university.¡± Lu Ran hung up the phone. Fang Lan had been quietly listening the whole time and then said, ¡°Do you know Pig Raiser well?¡± ¡°It was him who gave me the awakening leaf that awakened the sudden death king. You could say he¡¯s one of the angel investors for the sudden death king,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Seems like this guy is pretty lucky, finding a rare resource in the wild. Definitely the fortunate type. Once I get back to Infinite City, I¡¯ll contact him and see if he¡¯s willing to join my team.¡± Although Pig Raiser was also in need of money, Lu Ran thought he might be more in need of opportunities to grow stronger¡ªsomething hard to achieve alone. ¡°That leaves us with one more person to find,¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°I¡¯ll ask around,¡± Lu Ran replied, taking out his phone and dialing a number from memory. Fortunately, the person was also outside, not in Infinite City. Soon enough, a hearty female voice came through the call, ¡°Who is it?¡± Hearing the female voice, Fang Lan perked up her ears. ¡°Lu Bing, it¡¯s me, Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Lu Ran?!¡± The surprise in Lu Bing¡¯s voice was palpable. ¡°Lu Ran, what¡¯s up?¡± After all, it had only been a short while since theyst parted ways. ¡°Haha, actually, I do have one thing. I owe a substantial sum of crystal coins to some senior members and I¡¯m in urgent need of money. Though I can solo the abyss secret realm to earn crystal coins, the drop rate for rare materials is too low when I¡¯m alone. So, I thought about teaming up for these challenges, but I don¡¯t know many fourth-generation beastmasters. I was hoping to borrow one or two from LuJia Vige,¡± Lu Bing exined. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the team and help clear the abyss secret realm. In return, I¡¯ll have the right to distribute the clearance materials. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t waste anyone¡¯s time or energy. I¡¯llpensate the team members from the drops. Do you think you could ask around if anyone in LuJia Vige is willing?¡± ¡°Hey, listen up!¡± Lu Bing¡¯s puzzled voice came through, ¡°Are you doing charity work?¡± ¡°Getting a big shot to lead a team through the abyss secret realm is something people would pay for. You¡¯re offering to pay them? Please, let me join in on this!¡± Lu Bing was quite taken aback. Did Lu Ran understand? For most beastmasters, facing secret realms on normal difficulty was already the limit. The abyss secret realm? They can¡¯t even beat the regr monsters in there! Having a big shot lead them and gain experience from the abyss secret realm was a rare opportunity. After all, even major guilds require a team effort to challenge the abyss secret realm, not to mention newbies who can drag everyone down. ¡°If you put it that way, there will definitely be a lot of people vying for this,¡± Lu Bing said. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need too many people,¡± Lu Ran rified. ¡°Just those who can ept the terms. So, when I¡¯m ready to challenge the secret realm, I¡¯ll get in touch?¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Lu Bing agreed readily. Lu Ran looked towards Fang Lan, and with a nod, their list of candidates was set. Passerby A, the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden¡­plus two alternates who could be switched in from Pig Raiser and people from LuJia Vige. In no time, Lu Ran¡¯s team for the secret realm had tentatively formed. ¡°Should I go let Little Wu and the others know?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our vige¡¯s beastmasters won¡¯t drag you down!¡± Lu Bing assured quickly, afraid that Lu Ran would leave them out. Lu Ran chuckled, feeling absolutely confident. It was well known, after all, that the mostmon breed of hunting dogs in LuJia Vige were mastiffs. And there¡¯s an old saying: one mastiff can fight three tigers, three mastiffs can sink a battleship, five mastiffs can wage war on God, and ten mastiffs can create a new epoch. These dogs were far more formidable than any city pet dog. LuJia Vige had always been tough. With Lu Ran leading the challenges in the secret realms, the vige¡¯s overall power would undoubtedly increase even faster! Chapter 85: The Notorious Reputation of the Five Poisons Saintess Chapter 85: The Notorious Reputation of the Five Poisons Saintess ¡°When are we going?¡± Having confirmed the lineup for the secret realm team, Fang Lan inquired. ¡°Don¡¯t you need some rest?¡± Lu Ran asked, ncing at her. Taking Fang Lan, who hadn¡¯t slept all night, into the secret realm made him worried she¡¯d copse from excitement. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a nap in one of the rooms? We can go when you wake up,¡± Lu Ran suggested. ¡°That sounds good.¡± Fang Lan had initially thought of pushing through without rest, but she was indeed feeling a bit sleepy¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll head over then!¡± She stood up and randomly picked a room. Meanwhile, Lu Ran shrugged and started scrolling through his phone¡­ The convenience of advanced technology meant he could keep up with global events without stepping outside.Lu Ran browsed the day¡¯s news. ¡°What?¡± Opening the trending searches, he was immediately struck by shock. It turned out that a special mutated beast had appeared in a small South American country¡ªa colossal python several hundred meters long with a massive girth! It had directly caused the paralysis of several cities! ording to the International Beastmaster Alliance certification, this python seemed to be at level 44. Having a level of over 40 in the early stages of spiritual energy resurgence undoubtedly meant it had consumed an ¡°exquisite-level resource.¡± After all, the nearby Amazon rainforest was unimaginably rich in resources, so it¡¯s not impossible for an exquisite-level resource to suddenly appear. Although this python hadn¡¯t been cultivated by a beastmaster, an ¡°exquisite-level resource¡± to them was akin to some kind of trait, bestowing it with extraordinary abilities. Ergement might be one of its abilities¡ªthe python¡¯s unprecedented size directly inflicted catastrophic damage on human cities. [Supernatural beings evolving in the wild also have a chance of awakening ¡®traits,¡¯ but their traits don¡¯t originate from trait crystals. Instead, theye from ¡®special resources¡¯ with effects simr to trait crystals.] [Trait crystals are just Infinite City¡¯s standardized representation of ¡®special resources.¡¯ Therefore, some mutated beasts in the wild on Blue Star could evolve to be just as challenging as secret realm bosses, possessing multiple attributes and traits.] [Some highly intelligent and powerful mutated beasts might eventually establish their own nations and stand on equal footing with human countries¡­] In thement section, an advanced beastmaster shared their insights, gaining considerable approval. However, there was something to be thankful for: in the major countries, there had yet to be reports of simrly powerful mutated beasts taking over cities. The countries that were heavily struck by powerful mutated beast attacks were generally smaller nations. [Our country¡¯s vast territory surely has plenty of formidable mutated beasts. The reason we¡¯ve been less affected must be because first, second, and third-generation beastmasters have nipped the dangers in the bud.] [Indeed, although we face some minor cmities now and then, we haven¡¯t seen the kind of mass panic affecting multiple cities like in other countries. That¡¯s already a win, given how unpredictable the resurgence of spiritual energy can be.] Lu Ran kept scrolling through thements. Most people were expressing their relief at living in a strong country. To some extent, Xia Country¡¯s current level of technological and beast taming prowess was indeed world-ss. Even if such a mutated beast appeared, they¡¯d probably manage to control the situation swiftly, preventing a prolonged rampage. ¡°A level 44 mutated beast¡­ That¡¯s terrifying. If it showed up in the Green Sea, General Ha and I would face sudden death,¡± Lu Ran mused, shaking his head as he looked at satellite images of the ravaged city. He kept browsing and found simr news dominating the headlines. In addition, there were hot topics about Xia Country deciding to establish Beast Taming Associations in every city, news about beast taming universities, and reports that the first batch of fourth-generation beastmasters had already entered breakthrough secret realms. There were also trending news about certain first, second, and third-generation big shots dealing with various mutated beasts. Among the trending topics, Lu Ran even saw his own name in the top 20. Although his poprity was gradually declining, it was still quite impressive for a neer to be so widely discussed. The trending topic was linked to the Infinite City No.5 incident. Pluto and Passerby A had returned to Infinite City No.3 to vie for the top spot again, causing quite a stir. However, the primary focus of the discussions revolved around the sword-holding dog, a species that had merged with the trait of weapon mastery. Manyments were questioning, ¡°Can a dog really wield a sword?¡± Seeing Passerby A¡¯s high ranking prompted many beastmasters who had contracted with canine species to be intrigued. Some people even recorded videos of their own dogs holding swords¡ªand even their cats¡ªposting them in thements section asking for advice. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t it look impressive?¡± ¡°Ah, this,¡± Lu Ran muttered, pping his forehead. Indeed, bad trends start this way. What are you all learning for? Do you want to perish in a secret realm? Lu Ran couldn¡¯t take it any longer. He thought aboutmenting to warn everyone against such actions¡­ but as his fingers hovered over his phone screen, he hesitated. If people actually listened to advice, there wouldn¡¯t be so many novice beastmasters dying in secret realms. These situations are clear-cut: those with sense won¡¯t try it, or if they do, they¡¯ll seed. And those without sense won¡¯t be deterred by warnings. Why waste his breath? ¡°Let go of the urge to help everyone; respect their fate.¡± Besides, he didn¡¯t have to step in personally. Lu Ran had already seen several first-generation beastmasters in thements advising novices not to follow trends. They exined that no pet beast in the world currently can perfectly merge with the weapon mastery trait. Passerby A¡¯s situation is shrouded in mystery. Seeing thesements, Lu Ran felt it was adequate¡­ ¡­ While Fang Lan was napping, Lu Ran¡¯s phone scrolling also lulled him into sleep on the sofa. It was General Ha who eventually woke him up with a lick. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha stood in front of the sofa, his blue eyes fixed on Lu Ran. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lu Ran asked groggily, hugging a pillow. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha indicated that Fang Lan had asked him to wake Lu Ran up. It was time to head to Infinite City. ¡°Where is she?¡± Lu Ran asked as he slowly got up. ¡°Woof woof.¡± General Ha nced toward the bathroom, suggesting she was probably touching up her makeup. Lu Ran: ? ¡°Why does a dog like you even know what touching up makeup means?¡± Lu Ran questioned soulfully. General Ha pointed at the television. Lu Ran¡¯s heart skipped a beat. This dog was getting smarter. No, still not too smart¡­ He thought about it¡­ Fang Lan didn¡¯t even have a habit of putting on makeup. At most, she wore colored contact lenses, or got her nails done to match her purple hair, and even bare-faced, she was quite striking. This dog just learned a new term and is misusing it! ¡°I¡¯m going to make a call. You stand in the corner and reflect. You judged well, but no more random judgment next time.¡± Lu Ran dialed Lu Bing¡¯s number again. ¡°Lu Ran, little bro?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me. We¡¯re entering the Abyss Secret Realm for the first time soon. We need one or two more people. I¡¯ll contact you from Infinite City with the exact number.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Lu Bing responded excitedly. ¡°If you need just one person, I¡¯m in!¡± ¡°If you need two, I¡¯ll bring the captain. He¡¯s the best among us.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly and hung up. He nned to check if Pig Raiser was online once he got to Infinite City to discuss the situation with him. Lu Ran had a feeling Pig Raiser was quite lucky. Well, not just him¡ªit was his pig that had the luck. During a swine flu outbreak when hundreds of pigs died, his pig survived. After contracting it, the pig even had an ancestral mutation, greatly increasing its power. With the resurgence of spiritual energy, the pig then encountered a rare resource to consume, enabling Pig Raiser to climb up the Divine Beast Leaderboard. Whatever allowed the pig to qualify for that leaderboard wasn¡¯t just any rare resource¡­ Rare resources vary greatly in type, acquisition difficulty, and price. Cheaper ones can be purchased for a few thousand crystal coins, while more expensive ones can go for tens or even hundreds of thousands or more. The Mental Flower that Dr. Gu gave Lu Ran and General Ha belonged to the expensive and highly scarce category, tough to acquire. Meanwhile, the Giant Spirit Ore that Master Lin used to forge the Ice Sky Greatsword for General Ha cost over 30,000 crystal coins. The Life Dandelion that Lu Ran found in Green Sea City and fed to General Ha was of much lower value inparison. ¡°You¡¯re awake¡­ Wait, why is General Ha standing in the corner?¡± Fang Lan emerged from the bathroom, seeing General Ha gloomily staring at the wall, puzzled. What¡¯s wrong with this dog? ¡°Woof woof woof.¡± General Ha barked, not keeping silent. It med everything on the TV shows. This grudge, it would remember! ¡°Just teasing and interacting with him a bit,¡± Lu Ran said with augh. ¡°Are you ready to go to Infinite City?¡± ¡­ Infinite City. After returning once more, Lu Ran attempted to get in touch with Pig Raiser to see if he was online. Three minutester, just as Lu Ran thought Pig Raiser might be unavable and was about to ask Lu Bing to find two people, Pig Raiser responded. Pig Raiser: [Big shot, I¡¯m here!] Seeing Pig Raiser¡¯s reply, Lu Ran immediately initiated a voice call: ¡°I heard from Shenghua about your situation. So are you solo right now?¡± Pig Raiser: ¡°Yes¡­ I ultimately didn¡¯t join the Star Cluster guild. Even though theyter invited me again, there¡¯s a saying, you know, a good pig doesn¡¯t eat the same grass twice!¡± Lu Ran fell silent. ¡°How strong are you now? I heard you even made it onto the Divine Beast Leaderboard.¡± Pig Raiser: ¡°Hehe, I can solo normal difficulty novice secret realms without any issues and get an A-level rating or above. But as for hard difficulty, I can¡¯t handle it at all¡­¡± Lu Ran thought that wasn¡¯t too bad, so he exined his situation and asked if Pig Raiser wanted to join his small team as a support member. Just as Lu Ran finished, there was a brief silence from Pig Raiser¡¯s end, likely shocked by the good fortune, before excitedly saying, ¡°I¡¯m in!¡± ¡°Alright, we¡¯re going to enter a secret realm for the first time soon. Let¡¯s see how it goes. Wait in the dedicated room for now.¡± ¡°Got it, got it.¡± Pig Raiser sounded delighted. Lu Ran, being able to solo the Abyss Secret Realm and rank first on the Divine Beast Leaderboard, leading a team was far more reliable than any elite raid squad from the big guilds. Knowing Lu Ran truly paid off. Indeed, when the wind is in your favor, even pigs can soar! Meanwhile, in his dedicated room, Lu Ran sent a message to Lu Bing, updating her that they only needed one more person this time. He then opened the secret realm portal. Faced with the options of [Solo Challenge Mode] and [Multiyer Challenge Mode], he chose Multiyer Challenge Mode. He created a [Team] and started sending invitations to [Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden], [Pig Raiser], and [Road Ahead Icy] from his friends list. ¡­ [Teleportationplete.] [Current location: me and Thunder Ruins Secret Realm (Novice Secret Realm)] ¡°¡­¡­¡± The system announcement echoed as four figures materialized: Fang Lan, Pig Raiser, and Lu Bing had all epted Lu Ran¡¯s team invitation, and were thus teleported together into the secret realm. Once inside, the three of them¡ªaside from Lu Ran¡ªlooked at each other in stunned silence. Particrly Pig Raiser and Lu Bing; they were both taken aback when they noticed a purple-haired woman standing next to Lu Ran¡ªFang Lan. Their expressions shifted instantly to one of shock and fear. They both stepped back in unison, as if they had seen a major viin. Pig Raiser was the first to stammer out, ¡°Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden!!¡± Lu Ran could understand Pig Raiser¡¯s panic. After all, Fang Lan had once poisoned both him and his pig. But why was Lu Bing so rmed? At this point, Fang Lan finally noticed Pig Raiser and Lu Bing as well. She said, ¡°I thought the voices sounded familiar earlier¡­ Road Ahead Icy¡­ We¡¯ve fought in the arena before.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched in response. So, how many people in Infinite City No. 3 have you poisoned, Fang Lan? You¡¯ve scarred these folks to the point of having psychological trauma. Chapter 86: Someone Always Gets Lucky Chapter 86: Someone Always Gets Lucky ¡°Let me introduce you, the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden. Judging by your reactions, you both seem to know her.¡± Lu Ran smiled. The Pig Raiser and Lu Bing felt a shiver down their spines. They could never have guessed that their team included the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden. Anyone who had fought Fang Lan would inevitably have a lingering fear. It¡¯s like being bitten by a poisonous scorpion or snake; the trauma stays with you. Even now, despite bing stronger, the Pig Raiser still felt a bit intimidated. Lu Bing was even more frightened. As a hunter who loved to get into the fray herself, she had not only had her pet beast poisoned by Fang Lan but had also been taken down by her¡­ As a talented female hunter from LuJia Vige, it was her first time encountering such a terrifying city girl. City life is tough! Nowhere is easy to navigate.¡°Nice to see you again,¡± Fang Lan greeted them with a smile. At this moment, she had already changed into a new outfit for the secret realm challenge. It was a purple outfit resembling Miao ethnic clothing, custom-made in Infinite City, with excellent defense and poison resistance. Her every move now exuded the aura of a Miao woman, perfectly in sync with her ID. ¡°Hello¡­¡± The Pig Raiser and Lu Bing nodded with bitter smiles. They had thought Lu Ran was the only big shot in the team, never expecting there to be two! ¡°This is the Pig Raiser, contracted with a wild boar, rock type.¡± ¡°And this is Road Ahead Icy, contracted with a wolf dog, if I remember correctly, it¡¯s ice type, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Wearing a hunter¡¯s outfit, Lu Bing replied, ¡°It¡¯s my first time teaming up with you all, please take care of me.¡± ¡°Same here, just let me know if you have any instructions,¡± said the Pig Raiser. ¡°No need to be nervous,¡± Lu Ran said: ¡°Let¡¯s get to know each other while we proceed. Let¡¯s summon our pet beasts first.¡± With that, he took the lead in summoning General Ha. The other three also summoned their respective pet beasts. Lu Ran activated the Eye of Data to take a look. General Ha was level 10, the wolf spider level 9, the wild boar level 10, and the wolf dog level 9. The team¡¯s levels were fairly close, with no one significantlygging behind. At this moment, the four pet beasts each followed their beastmasters, observing one another. The wild boar and wolf dog both shuddered at the sight of the Daxia wolf spider; the wild boar actually shuddered twice when it also saw General Ha¡­ ¡°Snort.¡± The wild boar looked bitter. Taking charge, Lu Ran began to instruct, ¡°Teaming up for the challenge will cause the fierce beasts in the secret realm to appear more concentrated and frequent, slightly increasing the difficulty. Shall I handle everything, or would you like to try your hand at some challenges?¡± Lu Ran primarily directed this question at Fang Lan. After all, it had been a long time since she had entered a secret realm, and she might be very enthusiastic. During this initial team-up phase, he didn¡¯t aim for maximum efficiency but rather for everyone to get acquainted. ¡°Then¡­ how about I give it a try first? If I can¡¯t handle it, you can step in,¡± Fang Lan said eagerly. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of gathering resources and other tedious tasks,¡± the Pig Raiser offered. It wasn¡¯t every day he joined a big shot¡¯s team, so he wanted to contribute somehow. ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± Lu Bing chimed in, ready to follow the captain¡¯s instructions entirely. Just as Lu Ran had mentioned, the increased number of participants caused beasts to appear quickly. All four beastmasters sensed an approaching presence. General Ha, the wild boar Dahuang, and the wolf dog all twitched their noses slightly. As for the wolf spider Xian, it felt the danger approaching through extremely subtle vibrations in the ground. ¡°Growl!!¡± Soon, three me lynxes with red fur appeared simultaneously, each one reaching level 10 and having awakened fire-type abilities. They stared menacingly at the group. ¡°Growl¡ª¡± The three me lynxes, cloaked in flowing mes, with paws aze, leaped toward them. Having recently survived a natural disaster and seen most of their pack wiped out, their nerves seemed especially on edge. Lu Ran instructed, ¡°Each of you take one, and dispatch them quickly.¡± Hearing this, Fang Lan¡¯s Daxia wolf spider was the first to act. It spat out several webs, quickly entangling the dried-up trees on the opposite side, using the webs to effortlessly jump away from its original position. While airborne, it continued to spit webs intermittently, this time shaping them into arrows made of purple silk. One after another, poison-arrow webs shot out, each one aimed at a specific me lynx like lethal projectiles. The targeted me lynx sensed the danger and immediately turned, spewing out a torrent of fire from its mouth. The searing mes swept across and effortlessly incinerated all the poison-arrow webs into a sea of fire. However, the Daxia wolf spider had been continuously adjusting its position via its webs. From a vantage point the me lynx couldn¡¯t observe, it fired a single, most deadly strand of web. The swiftly propelled web shot out like a bullet, instantly piercing the most vulnerable part of the me lynx¡ªits eye! Bang! The eyeball exploded. Though it was just silk, the impact was astonishingly powerful. In an instant, the agile me lynx started to howl in pain. The mes that cloaked its body turned purple and began to retract uncontrobly, burning patches of its fur into rot and oozing purplish blood. Lying in a pool of venomous blood, the lynx convulsed and wailed in agony. The Daxia wolf spider¡¯s poison was a simple energy poison capable of infecting other creatures¡¯ energy. If the opponent¡¯s energy strength wasn¡¯t sufficient, the poison would invade. The more energy the infected creature used, the faster the poison spread, making it extremely difficult to expel. If the creature refrained from using its energy, it would be as helpless as amb awaiting ughter. ¡°Damn,¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t say a word. ncing at the wolf spider¡¯sbat moves, both the Pig Raiser and Lu Bing felt their scalps tingle. The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden was just as terrifying as they remembered. Compared to Fang Lan¡¯s poison-based, contact-kill battle style, the Pig Raiser¡¯s and Lu Bing¡¯sbat methods were much more conventional. ¡°Roar!!¡± The wild boar Dahuang, having consumed rare resources, had significantly enhanced its strength, defense, and speed. Seeing an enemy rush toward it, it had already locked onto a me lynx. Its entire body covered in rock armor, it charged with its rock tusks toward the lynx. In terms of speed, it even outpaced the me lynx. When the me lynx¡¯s fiery ws struck the wild boar, they only shattered a piece of its rock armor without harming the boar itself. Caught off guard, the me lynx was struck by a tremendous force, sending it crashing into a tree. ¡°Growl¡ª¡± The me lynx wailed in agony, two holes gushing blood. Its defense was clearly no match for the wild boar. To rify, the Pig Raiser¡¯s wild boar was only of a middle supernatural species and yet could suppress a high supernatural-level me lynx of the same level. No wonder it had made its way to the bottom rungs of the divine beast leaderboard a few times. Unlike theposed battles of Fang Lan and the Pig Raiser, Lu Bing was having a bit of a hard time, unable to quickly determine the winner. Her ice-type wolf dog was already extremely fierce, but it struggled against the me lynx due to the attribute disadvantage. The wolf dog had to rely solely onbat skills to keep the enemy at bay, cautiously avoiding the lynx¡¯s attacks. Just as Fang Lan and the Pig Raiser considered whether to help Lu Bing, suddenly¡­ ¡°Swish!¡± A blue-glowing arrow shot out from afar. Distracted by the wolf dog, the me lynx barely registered the iing arrow before it struck its head, leaving a gaping hole. Lu Bing stood nearby, smiling with a bow in her hand, panting slightly. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter; I fight alongside my pet beast.¡± Though that shot had drained quite a bit of her energy, it effectively solved the problem. ¡°Impressive¡­¡± Fang Lan smiled. She remembered Lu Bing vividly as she was one of the first beastmasters who dared to directly attack her in the arena. ¡°Women are so scary,¡± the Pig Raiser thought to himself. ¡°Not bad, everyone.¡± Despite the different methods of dealing with the me lynxes, Lu Ran felt reassured after seeing that all three of his teammates could at least protect themselves. However, team challenges in the abyss secret realm were far from easy. Just as Fang Lan, the Pig Raiser, and Lu Bing began to rx, sounds of multiple creatures running towards them echoed from all directions. ¡°Awooooo~~~¡± ¡°Howl~~~¡± The distinct howling of wolves made the Pig Raiser and Lu Bing¡¯s faces change. ¡°It¡¯s a wolf pack,¡± they said. These were not huskies or wolf dogs with mere wolf bloodlines but actual wild wolves. In the blink of an eye, under their cautious gazes, eight or nine strong forest wolves with bristling, dry yellow fur and green eyes quickly surrounded the group from every direction, growling lowly. [Name]: Forest Wolf [Attribute]: Thunder [Species Level]: Upper supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 10 Crackle, crackle. Static electricity asionally sparked off their fur, and with every step, the electric charge flickered, as they gradually closed in on the four beastmasters. Just then, Fang Lan began to feel a bit nervous, saying, ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s meant to be cleared easily.¡± Dealing with the three me lynxes earlier hadn¡¯t been much of an issue for her, but now, seeing the wolf pack, she wasn¡¯t sure if Xian¡¯srge-scale release-type skill, Poison Fog, would work. If even Fang Lan found it difficult, the Pig Raiser and Lu Bing were, understandably, even more anxious. ¡°What did you expect? If the abyss secret realm were so easy, the strategy team wouldn¡¯t have lost so many people.¡± ¡°You all take a break. I¡¯ll handle these wolves.¡± With that, Lu Ran extended his hand and tossed out the Ice Sky Greatsword. The ever-watchful General Ha finally sprang into action, leaping into the air and catching the weapon in his mouth. ¡°Woof!¡± The moment he grabbed the sword, the wolf pack seemed to sense the threat andunched a coordinated attack. However, in the sword king form, General Ha wasn¡¯t concerned with a mere wolf pack; with a disdainful expression, he unleashed nine swift gale sword qi attacks. So fast were the gale sword qi strikes that within mere seconds, they sliced through the wolves¡¯ heads with a ¡°swish, swish, swish.¡± The nine headless forest wolves continued their assault motion while their severed heads were already airborne, eyes filled with bewilderment. ¡°Thud.¡± General Handed gracefully, exuding an air of calmness amidst the astonished gazes of the wolf spider, rock boar, and wolf dog. Seeing this, the Pig Raiser and Lu Bing gulped audibly. ¡°Strong!¡± The Pig Raiser trembled, realizing he was worlds apart from Passerby A. ¡°After a few more trips to the abyss secret realm, you all can achieve this too,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°If we have good enough luck, once my requirements are met, we can explore secret realms tailored to your ¡®beast taming skill¡¯ and ¡®trait crystal¡¯ needs. If we manage to find the right drops, they¡¯re yours.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Bing couldn¡¯t believe her ears. This wasn¡¯t just generosity; it was practically paternal! Lu Ran was so kind that she found herself thinking he should be the chief of LuJia Vige and lead everyone to prosperity. The Pig Raiser, equally incredulous, felt a wave of emotion. Why, he wondered, is Passerby A being so good to me? ¡°You all bing stronger will greatly increase our efficiency. From here on out, we can¡¯t always rely on General Ha to handle groups of beasts. Its stamina is limited and needs to be reserved for dealing with the leaders. The leaders ofmander species are the real challenges; even General Ha needs to go all out to take them down,¡± Lu Ran advised. The Pig Raiser and Lu Bing became serious. Indeed, the leader bosses were the most terrifying!!! None of them dared to becent and continued to follow Lu Ran carefully. After clearing a few more waves of wild beasts¡­ The secret realm leader finally appeared! A giant bear wrapped in red lightning smashed through obstacles,ing into their view. Immediately¡­ General Ha executed a tenfold storm sh. The berserk bear¡¯s body was split in half, copsing to the ground. This thing was far weaker than the Demon Bull. Fang Lan, the Pig Raiser, and Lu Bing: ??? This is what Lu Ran meant by difficult to deal with? They hadn¡¯t even had time to react, and the boss was already down! However, Lu Ran didn¡¯t care what they thought. He just kept urging, ¡°Check what was dropped!¡± The reason he had General Ha try to one-shot the bear was to secure a SSS-level rating. At this point, Lu Ran was numb to it¡ªhe himself only got a pile of trash, though at least there was an upgrade card as a safety, making it not aplete loss. [Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: SSS-level!] [Congrattions, you have obtained 1000 crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources: Mutated Bear Bone.] [Congrattions, you have obtained advanced resources: Mutated Bear Gall.] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resources: Upgrade Card.] So, who exactly was lucky this time around? At this point, the others reported their spoils, as discussed initially. Aside from the crystal coins, all other resources were to be handed over to Lu Ran for allocation. Lu Bing quickly said, ¡°Advanced resources: Mutated Bear Paw, Thunder-struck Wood, and an Upgrade Card.¡± Great, the Lu family members seem to be of average luck. Fang Lan smiled and reported, ¡°I got lucky this time: Thunder-type beast taming skill, Mutated Bear Paw, and Mutated Bear Bone!¡± She felt truly fortunate. A beast taming skill¡ªshe had heard that it was incredibly rare to get one! Lu Ran¡¯s expression brightened considerably, even showing a hint of excitement. A beast taming skill, even the most basic attribute enhancement, carried significant value¡ªworth at least 10,000 crystal coins. Just that one item was a major windfall. It wasn¡¯t until the Pig Raiser spoke up that Lu Ran was truly stunned. ¡°Red Lightning trait crystal¡­ Thunder-struck Wood¡­ Mutated Bear Gall! I got a trait crystal!¡± the Pig Raiser eximed, his excitement and enthusiasm evident. No one expected the Pig Raiser to have such incredible luck. ¡°Amazing!¡± At this moment, what else could Lu Ran say? Now he knew who the lucky one was. Damn it, it was clear that challenging the secret realm with four people was the right approach. Even if he alone didn¡¯t get anything good, not everyone in the team would be so unlucky! The Sudden Death King was going to benefit hugely from this! ¡°Was it really that easy to get an SSS rating?¡± Fang Lan, Lu Bing, and the Pig Raiser all looked thrilled. No one had expected such bountiful rewards from a single abyss secret realm run. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done for now. I¡¯m treating you all to a celebration banquet!¡± Lu Ran felt particrly generous at this moment, sensing that clearing his debts was within reach. Perhaps, before entering the breakthrough secret realm, he could even amass a substantial fortune to fully strengthen himself and General Ha! Advanced dog food¡­ Maybe it was time to level up to rare dog food? He wondered how it would taste¡­ Chapter 87: Divine Beast Leaderboard Settlement Chapter 87: Divine Beast Leaderboard Settlement Infinite City, a luxurious restaurant. Lu Ran, Fang Lan, Pig Raiser, and Lu Bing are having a celebration banquet. At this moment, all the resources from the recent endeavor have been transferred to Lu Ran. He could certainly afford the meal. ¡°The me and Thunder Ruins are no longer necessary to farm,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°The only thing I needed was the ¡®Red Lightning Trait¡¯.¡± ¡°Are you nning to contract a thunder species for your second pet beast?¡± Lu Bing asked curiously. After all, if he wasn¡¯t contracting a thunder species, there was no need to farm the Red Lightning trait. As for awakening Erha¡¯s thunder trait¡­ that¡¯s pretty unrealistic. Simultaneously awakening the thunder trait and merging traits requires at least level 30. Moreover, Lu Bing didn¡¯t believe General Ha¡¯s next choice would be as straightforward as merging the first trait with weapon mastery.¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly. Fang Lan had mentioned that the Sudden Death King had been performing well, gaining a lot of confidence through continuous battles. ¡°What secret realm are we challenging next?¡± Pig Raiser asked eagerly. He felt the future was full of hope! After all, Lu Ran had promised that once his own needs were met and his debts were repaid, he would help them farm skill cards and trait crystals. Among the four of them, only Lu Ran possessed beast taming skills and pet beasts fused with trait crystals; the other three only had basic stats and nothing else. If they could have the same setup as Lu Ran, their strength would be even greater. ¡°General Ha has already fused his level 10 trait crystal, and the Sudden Death King will fuse the Red Lightning trait at level 10. I remember you already have a beast taming skill. Once you break through to level 1 as a beastmaster, you can learn another skill¡­¡± Fang Lan analyzed. ¡°So, next, we either prepare a second trait crystal for General Ha and the Sudden Death King, or we prepare a second beast taming skill for you, right?¡± she continued. ¡°That¡¯s right, but I haven¡¯t actually decided what I want yet,¡± Lu Ran said, picking up a piece of braised pork and putting it in his mouth, still contemting. If they could prepare all these during the novice secret realm stage, it would be ideal. However, the powerful crystals and skills avable in the novice secret realm are limited. Many powerful traits and rare beast taming skills are found in higher-level secret realms. For example, novice-level secret realms typically only yield ¡°attribute enhancement¡± beast taming skills. These skills consume the beastmaster¡¯s stamina to enhance a pet beast¡¯s specific attribute energy. Although beast taming skills are fundamentally neutral in terms of strength¡ªthey depend entirely on how the beastmaster develops them¡ªsuch skills are undoubtedly at the bottom of the skill chain and are quite cheap on the market. In contrast, beast taming skills that drop from advanced secret realms are either extremely expensive or simply unavable for purchase. After all, obtaining them requires facing powerful bosses of sovereign or even overlord species. Lu Ran is not particrly fond of attribute enhancements. To be honest, he prefers super beast mimicry or the fusion talent of his senior brother, the Eagle Hero¡ªskills that are shy and have unique effects. However, novice secret realms rarely drop such skill cards. They might appear, with a very low probability, in public secret realms, but this is an extraordinary stroke of luck. Lu Ran¡¯s senior brother, the Eagle Hero, obtained the ¡°trait borrowing beast taming skill¡± by teaming up with friends to explore a public secret realm. Starting with two special beast taming skills, he could indeed be considered a chosen one. So, Lu Ran wants to wait a while. Instead of settling for wind enhancement or thunder enhancement, there might be better options in level 1 secret realms. ¡°What are your ns for the future? I¡¯d like to hear your thoughts first. Once I¡¯m done with my affairs, I can take you all to challenge the next secret realm,¡± Lu Ran asked. While munching on food, Fang Lan mumbled, ¡°I n to major in poison enhancement. That way, my first beast taming skill can be poison enhancement and it¡¯ll be useful for a long time.¡± ¡°Then, after Xian reaches level 10, I want a ¡®Toxin Healer trait¡¯.¡± ¡°Toxin Healer trait? What¡¯s that?¡± Lu Bing looked up, intrigued by the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden who, despite initial assumptions, turned out to be quite amiable. As a teammate, she wasn¡¯t so scary after all. Fang Lan exined with a bright smile, ¡°It¡¯s a trait that can convert one¡¯s own venom into something with ¡®healing¡¯ and ¡®detoxifying¡¯ properties. You can think of it as a trait that fights poison with poison.¡± ¡°I often work with poison, and the most dangerous aspect is that we might identally poison ourselves. With the ¡®Toxin Healer trait,¡¯ the chances of harming ourselves would be significantly reduced,¡± Fang Lan exined. ¡°Indeed,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Is the ¡®Toxin Healer trait¡¯ obtainable in the novice secret realm?¡± Fang Lan, now overseeing a city filled with toxins, definitely needed a more efficient way to detoxify. ¡°Yes! It drops in the abyssal difficulty secret realm ¡®Misty Wends.¡¯ I¡¯ve done my research,¡± Fang Lan said hopefully, looking at Lu Ran. Without his help, it might take her one or two more months to get it on her own. ¡°That secret realm¡­ just hearing about it makes me think it could be difficult for General Ha to clear. Isn¡¯t it the type of ce filled with poison gas, swampy terrain, and numerous poisonous creatures?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyebrow twitched. He wasn¡¯t sure if General Ha could handle such a secret realm. This wasn¡¯t just a matter ofbat power. Each area of expertise has its own focus. General Ha is best suited for battling fierce beasts and is not adept at dealing withplex environments. Entering a highly toxic area with his level of intelligence would be a risky venture. Poison is a tricky thing, and even high species levels can easily falter, just like the Demon Bull Commander! ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll prepare all the anti-poison gear and antidotes. I¡¯ve already collected a lot of guides on this secret realm,¡± Fang Lan reassured Lu Ran, signaling him to feel at ease. It was clear she had nned to venture into the Misty Wends for a long time and had been preparing meticulously. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran agreed. With Fang Lan¡¯s reassurances, he felt more confident about entering the secret realm. When it came to Lu Bing and Pig Raiser, their needs were much simpler. Given the limited options for skill cards in novice secret realms, Lu Bing nned to choose an ¡°ice enhancement skill¡± toplement her wolf dog¡¯s attributes, while Pig Raiser¡¯s choice would be a ¡°rock enhancement skill.¡± These skills are obtainable in novice secret realms. ¡°Speaking of trait crystals, I¡¯ve been thinking¡­ I believe the ¡®perpetual frost trait¡¯ is quite good,¡± Lu Bing said. ¡°The ¡®perpetual frost trait¡¯ can make my pet beast¡¯s ice constructions more durable and less vulnerable to fire. Once my pet beast releases ice, it will almost permanently exist, retaining its energy longer. It¡¯s somewhat simr to ¡®Red Lightning¡¯ that converts ice energy into a special type of ice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the ¡®rock devouring trait¡¯,¡± Pig Raiser chimed in. ¡°With this trait, my pet¡¯s diet wouldn¡¯t be limited to meat and vegetables; it could also eat rocks. By consuming rocks, it could steadily enhance various attributes. It would be very convenient!¡± ¡°Besides, if Ie across any rock resources in the future, instead of selling them, I could use them as food. The best part is, our country has countless rocky mountains. Although the quality might not be the best, the sheer quantity is there. I feel it¡¯s possible for my pet beast to grow by consuming the mountains!¡± ¡°Right, now that spiritual energy is reviving, it¡¯s possible that well-known mountains will emerge. Even if stones transform into supernatural resources, it¡¯s unlikely that supernatural mutated beasts would care about them. At that point, we could just collect rocks in the mountains as food¡­¡± Pig Raiser appeared to be a resourceful nner. His words made Lu Bing chuckle, ¡°Eating rocks, sure. It seems that many secret realms are filled with unwanted rocks. If eating them can satisfy hunger and restore energy, it would save a lot of money.¡± Fang Lan sighed, ¡°I remember there¡¯s also a ¡®poison devouring trait¡¯, which can enhance one¡¯s poison attributes by consuming toxic substances. Too bad it doesn¡¯t drop in novice secret realms.¡± Seeing that everyone had their own ideas, Lu Ran fell into contemtion. ¡°Why? Are you still undecided?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°I remember your first beast taming skill was one that enhanced your own physicality, right?¡± Fang Lan suggested. ¡°For the second one, you might want to consider something that enhances your pet beast.¡± ¡°Currently, the official rmendations for beast taming skills suggest a bnced approach. This is the umted experience of the first three generations of beastmasters.¡± ¡°Skills that enhance pet beasts consume a lot of the beastmaster¡¯s stamina. The beastmaster is already a weak point, and expending too much energy makes exploring and battling even more difficult.¡± Enhancing a beastmaster¡¯s strength through skills has its advantages, but it can also lead to overconfidence and unnecessary risks. Even if the goal is solely to improve survival, avoiding directbat, there¡¯s still a downside. If the beastmaster bes too reliant on self-enhancement, their pet beast might fail to dominate wild creatures during battles, forcing the beastmaster to intervene. On bnce, the best approach is to evenly split between two types of beast taming skills: those that enhance the beastmaster and those that enhance the pet beast. The former provides the beastmaster with some physical resilience and self-defense capabilities. Thetter enhances the pet beast¡¯sbat strength, ensuring the beastmaster doesn¡¯t be too vulnerable. ¡°That makes sense¡­ but if I have to choose, I¡¯d still prefer a beast taming skill that grants me a unique ability,¡± Lu Ran pondered aloud. For example, a beast taming skill that allows borrowing strength from his pet beast or one that grants him fire abilities. If he¡¯s going to major in Forgemaster as his secondary upation, fire abilities are indispensable. Either he must be able to wield fire himself, or his pet beast must possess fire abilities. However, relying solely on his pet beast isn¡¯t enough; he needs a way to utilize its fire for forging purposes. This would enable him to progress far in the Forgemaster profession, potentially crafting exquisite or even epic level weapons for General Ha. With this perspective, senior brother Eagle Hero¡¯s ¡°fusion¡± or ¡°trait borrowing¡± would be ideal skills to acquire. Unfortunately, they are currently unattainable. Lu Ran sighed, resolving to wait until after tackling the breakthrough secret realm. As for the second trait for General Ha and Sudden Death King, he didn¡¯t have any particrly good ideas within the scope of novice secret realms, and he didn¡¯t want to settle for less. ¡°Never mind, let¡¯s focus on farming crystal coins for now,¡± Lu Ran decided. Everyone nodded in agreement and continued to indulge in their meal. Regardless of how things turned out, life was increasingly hopeful. Three dayster¡­ Having discovered an efficient money-making method, Lu Ran significantly increased his crystal coins earnings. After abandoning the novice secret realm ¡°me and Thunder Ruins,¡± Lu Ran immediately chose to challenge the abyssal difficulty secret realm ¡°Lava Lake.¡± The reason for this choice wasn¡¯t to meet anyone¡¯s needs¡ªit¡¯s just that this particr secret realm was rumored to be the most valuable in terms of resources among novice secret realms. This realm is filled with fire species creatures, primarily dropping ¡®fire resources,¡¯ ¡®fire enhancement skills,¡¯ and ¡®magma trait crystals.¡¯ It¡¯s important to note that fire materials are extremely expensive, even more so than thunder, light, or dark materials, due to their necessity in some secondary upations. Fire enhancement skills are valuable for simr reasons. As for magma trait crystals, they can imbue fire with magma properties, which are renowned for their destructive power and aren¡¯t cheap. This is the power of volcanoes! In just three days of challenging this secret realm, Lu Ran acquired numerous advanced materials, some of which were rare resources. However, to his frustration, only two fire enhancement skills dropped, and he didn¡¯t get a single magma trait crystal. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because your luck is terrible,¡± Lu Ran jokingly used Lu Yi, who had joined their team, bringing his thunder species mastiff. Fang Lan was busy preparing for her own challenge in the ¡°Misty Wends secret realm,¡± so Lu Ran temporarily brought over the captain from LuJia Vige¡¯s team, Lu Yi. Lu Yi was ecstatic toe along, having envied Lu Bing¡¯s experiences for a long time. He was quite capable, his mastiff especially formidable inbat, particrly with its thunder abilities, ranking him in the top three beastmasters in LuJia Vige. Yet, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that having three people with thest name Lu in a team might be affecting their luck. Lu Bing and Pig Raiser also looked skeptically at Lu Yi. When Fang Lan was with them, their luck was fantastic. During one trip to the me and Thunder Ruins, they had gotten skill cards, trait crystals, and upgrade cards¡­ Even a fire enhancement skill had dropped when Fang Lan was around. ¡°Don¡¯t kick me out yet, give me another chance¡­ Can I at least go wash my face first?¡± Lu Yi, on the verge of tears, pleaded. He didn¡¯t feel particrly unlucky himself. After another round of the secret realm, the group exited. The joke just now was in good fun; they knew it was unrealistic to expect rare materials every time. Given their current haul, things were actually going pretty well. Upon returning to his private room, Lu Ran felt quite pleased. He now had three beast taming skill cards in hand. Including the sale of numerous materials he exchanged for crystal coins, his total assets undoubtedly surpassed 50,000 crystal coins. In fact, he could have reached this amount earlier, but he had to spend quite a bit on rare dog food for General Ha and entrust Fang Lan with procuring rewards for the seven general beasts in Green Sea City. Due to these expenses, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t immediately paid off his debts as soon as he hit the 50,000 mark, fearing he might run short of funds. ¡°Speaking of which, isn¡¯t it time for the divine beast leaderboard to settle? If there¡¯s a considerable reward in crystal coins, I can probably pay off my debts,¡± Lu Ran mused. Realizing the divine beast leaderboard was about to conclude, he noted that it had already been a month since thest settlement. Time sure flies. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard a voice in his head. [Divine Beast Leaderboard, Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard is now being settled¡­] Chapter 88: Finally Rich Chapter 88: Finally Rich ¡°Finally, it¡¯s time to settle up.¡± In his private room, Lu Ran stretchedzily. He had been waiting for this moment for what felt like an eternity. Currently, the number one spot on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3 was undisputedly his. As for the second ce, it was Pluto. Previously, after asking Lu Ran whether he would visit Infinite City No. 5 again and receiving a positive response, Pluto breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to Infinite City No. 5. However, shortly after Pluto ascended to the top spot in Infinite City No. 5, Sister White Tiger made her move and knocked him down a notch. Pluto became second again. After many attempts without sess, it was quite a frustrating experience.Eventually, he returned to his base, establishing a harmonious connection between the two cities. ¡­ Among the top ten, aside from the mysterious Passerby A, the identities of the other nine were no longer a secret. Pluto hailed from Star Cluster, one of the four major guilds in Infinite City No. 3. The tenth, Fang Lan, was a frencer from Green Sea City with a background in veterinary medicine and a well-known cute pet blogger. She was the only beastmaster on the leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3 who had not fused traits with her pet beast. Of course, she owed much of her sess to managing the poison territory in Green Sea City, utilizing abundant wild poison resources to continuously enhance her pet beasts. Among the remaining top ten, three were from the four major guilds. The four major guilds in Infinite City No. 3: Star Cluster, Dragon Pce, Circus, and Mountains and Rivers. Judging by the leaderboard, each of these guilds held one spot in the top ten. As for the other guilds,cking the strength of these four, they naturally failed to attract top talents or nurture fourth-generation beastmasters capable of making the list. The remaining individuals, unsurprisingly, had joined the official ranks, bing reserve members of the official strategy team. These talents emerged from the grassroots level and had careers intimately connected to animals before bing beastmasters. The primary mission of the official strategy team was to unravel newly emerging and unexplored secret realms, in addition to tackling the highest-level secret realms and exploring the limits of Infinite City. These secret realms were extremely dangerous due to the unknown information. Thus, the official strategy team experienced a high sacrifice rate and required constant replenishment of fresh blood. Currently, among the 70 individuals on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard from the seven Infinite Cities of Xia Country, at least half are reserve members of the official strategy team. The official authorities have long established a training system for these genius fourth-generation beastmasters, allowing them to team up and hone their skills within secret realms. If Lu Ran and Fang Lan hadn¡¯t encountered Gu Qingyi, they likely would have joined the strategy team upon the official invitation due to their abilities. However, meeting a top-tier big shot like Gu Qingyi gave them far more options in life. ¡­ Infinite City No. 3, Beastmaster Square. The system was announcing the results of the various leaderboards. Countless people looked enviously at the top yer of the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard, Passerby A. ¡°We¡¯re all fourth-generation rookies, so why are you so exceptional?¡± ¡°Of course, it ended up being Passerby A as number one. No surprises or suspense there.¡± ¡°Yeah, a dog wielding a sword is pretty spectacr across all seven Infinite Cities.¡± ¡°But this Passerby A is just too mysterious. He¡¯s never even been to the arena, right?¡± ¡°And it seems he hasn¡¯t joined any guilds or the strategy team¡­ A lone big shot? That¡¯s terrifying.¡± ¡°I wonder if he¡¯ll apply to Beast Taming University. I heard there¡¯s a tournament among the new students! Curious if he¡¯ll get a chance to face off against top yers from the other Infinite Cities.¡± Fourth-generation beastmasters loved to discuss such matters. Meanwhile¡­ [Congrattions, you have retained the number one spot on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard.] [Now issuing reward: 100,000 crystal coins.] Lu Ran was momentarily stunned. Hearing how many crystal coins the top spot on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard awarded, he felt a jolt through his body. ¡°Are you serious???¡± He quickly checked his backpack, and sure enough, his bnce had increased from 29,878 to 129,878. How could it be this much?! Lu Ran was astonished. He had initially thought that getting twenty or thirty thousand would be quite good. He had even prepared himself mentally for a reward of just ten thousand crystal coins. After all, the Divine Beast Leaderboard resets every month, so giving too much wouldn¡¯t be sustainable. But seeing a sudden reward of 100,000 crystal coins, Lu Ran was absolutely thrilled. If he could maintain first ce for a year, wouldn¡¯t he be looking at an annual ie of a million crystal coins? Earlier this morning, Lu Ran had been arduously collecting materials in a secret realm. But now, he immediately knew what it felt like to have money. Thirteen thousand crystal coins! Lu Ran¡¯s eyes gleamed. He quickly sent a message to Pluto: [How much crystal coins do you have?] After a moment of silence, the reply came: [Eighty thousand.] So, even the second ce on the leaderboard gets eighty thousand¡­ Great, once he contracts with the Sudden Death King and nurtures it to the second spot, that would be an ie of eighteen thousand crystal coins a month! Luckily for Pluto, he didn¡¯t know Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts; otherwise, he would certainly have cursed. Why did he bother responding to Lu Ran? This guy is so conniving. [Ask your brother too.] Lu Ran remembered that the divine beast leaderboards were divided into four categories. A reward of one hundred thousand or even a million crystal coins is a huge sum for rookie beastmasters, enabling rapid growth and advancement. However, for advanced beastmasters, it might not be as significant. He spected that the rewards for the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard and the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard should be different from the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard, likely offering higher amounts! [He¡¯s not online.] [Alright.] After their brief exchange, Lu Ran shrugged. Seeing so many crystal coins solidified his decision to quickly contract with the Sudden Death King. When the timees, having two pet beasts on the leaderboard means more prize money. Moreover, the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard can help assess the potential ranking of different pet beasts within a team¡­ This leaderboard is fantastic. Initially, Lu Ran had some resistance towards it, but now, it¡¯s irresistible. Lu Ran took a closer look at his backpack. Crystal Coins Bnce: 129,878 Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (epic), Ice Sky Greatsword (rare-level), Wind Cutter Sword (advanced), Crossbow (advanced), Night Cloak (advanced) Resources: Dog Food x66 (advanced), Dog Food x10 (rare-level), Ice Honey Tea x15 bottles, Thunder Enhancement Skill Card, Fire Enhancement Skill Card x2, Upgrade Card x11, Trait Crystal (Red Lightning), me Fruit x14, Fire Star Grass x21, Fire Scales x3, Heart of Lava x2. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s equipment and items hadn¡¯t been updated much; they were still the same. The crossbow and night cloak were items he had purchased before challenging the Abandoned Testing Ground. Regarding resources, Lu Ran had been selling his secret realm acquisitions almost immediately after retrieving them. Although he had umted a reasonable amount of crystal coins during this time, General Ha¡¯s rare dog food was so expensive that Lu Ran could only afford half a month¡¯s supply, causing his crystal coins bnce to dwindle again. Although paying off debts is important, General Ha¡¯s food supply is equally crucial. As a second-generation beastmaster advised, pet beasts need to continue receiving nutrients even during level bottlenecks at levels 10, 20, and 30. The absorbed nutrition isn¡¯t wasted but instead hides within the body as potential, enabling a rapid level-up once the breakthrough urs. Hence, it¡¯s best not to neglect their nutritional needs just because the pet beast is currently at a bottleneck. Lu Ran, eager to expedite General Ha¡¯s leveling, had started investing heavily in an upgraded diet in the past few days. He switched General Ha to rare-level beast meat and poultry,plemented with advanced dog food. On this foundation, Lu Ran also managed to save enough for the Ice Sky Greatsword, indicating significant effort. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve got some money, I can sell the skill card and the resources I just acquired. Today¡¯s crystal coins will easily surpass the 150,000 mark.¡± ¡°After clearing Master Lin¡¯s debt, I¡¯ll still have over 100,000 crystal coins left.¡± ¡°Before entering the breakthrough secret realm, I can use this amount to significantly strengthen myself.¡± Just as Lu Ran was about to head out to sell his beast taming skills, he noticed that the number of upgrade cards had reached ten. He stopped in his tracks and took out General Ha¡¯s contract card. Previously, he had used upgrade cards obtained from the Abandoned Testing Ground to upgrade the iron-level contract card to a silver-level contract card. Now, with another ten upgrade cards in hand, he could upgrade the silver-level contract card to a gold-level contract card. [Would you like to use 10 upgrade cards to upgrade the contract card?] As Lu Ran held the ten upgrade cards against General Ha¡¯s contract card, the Infinite City system prompt appeared. [Confirm.] Lu Ran selected. Soon, A glow appeared, and the eleven cards began to merge. Shortly thereafter, the silver-edged contract card transformed into a gold-edged, ck-faced contract card. [Upgrade sessful. Contract card space expanded. New special function added: Slow Healing.] ¡°As expected, it¡¯s a healing ability¡­¡± ¡°Better than nothing, I suppose.¡± Lu Ran remained unperturbed about the new function added to the contract card after the upgrade. The previous upgrade had added a stamina recovery function to the contract card, but the recovery speed wasparable to eating a few ordinary resources like wood scale fruits. It wasn¡¯t useless, but its utility was quite limited. This time, the slow healing function sounds like a healing ability and is quite rare, but its actual effect is simr to the advanced healing potions sold in Infinite City. It couldn¡¯t heal severe injuries, and minor injuries didn¡¯t need urgent healing. In short, for someone like Lu Ran who possesses the Divine Deer Pendant, the new ability was pretty redundant. However, contract cards need to be upgraded gradually. The next special function, ¡°Growth eleration,¡± would be much more useful, though it required collecting 100 upgrade cards, which would take time. Moreover, once he acquired the Sudden Death King¡¯s contract card, he would have to upgrade that card too. If he relied solely on his gains, it would take a very long time. ¡°It¡¯s still alright, at least in situations like the public secret realm, if there¡¯s no time to treat General Ha¡¯s injuries, this function can alleviate its pain a bit while it¡¯s in the card¡­¡± ¡°And after upgrading the card, General Ha should be grateful to me.¡± Next, Lu Ran went out and skillfully made his way to a store. He sold three skill cards and all the materials he had acquired from Lava Lake. Altogether, he earned about 56,000 crystal coins. Lu Ran¡¯s crystal coin bnce: 185,878. Nearing the 200,000 mark. With this amount of crystal coins, paying off Master Lin¡¯s debt shouldn¡¯t be a problem. He just wasn¡¯t sure if he could clear his debt to Dr. Gu. Lu Ran felt it might be a tough task since the Mental Flower, Dokarona, dropped from a level 50+ sovereign species BOSS. Such resources were usually only essible to the original big shots, and their value was undoubtedly high. House of Forging. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Master Lin said calmly, as if he already knew Lu Ran woulde today. ¡°The divine beast leaderboard was settled today, so I knew you¡¯de to pay your debt. Here are your resources.¡± With that, Master Lin ced the Dragon Blood Crystal on the counter. He then added with a chuckle, ¡°Kid, want to upgrade the Ice Sky Greatsword? Last time, you didn¡¯t have the money, so I only added one rare ore. This sword isn¡¯t top-tier among rare weapons¡­¡± ¡°No need,¡± Lu Ran said, his tone dismissive as he walked up and pped the counter with his palm, signaling his payment. ¡°I finally saved some money, so forget it; the Ice Sky Greatsword is good enough for now.¡± Even though he felt that upgrading it and forging a top-tier rare sword might elevate General Ha¡¯s species level to an uppermander species and remove the weapon¡¯s shorings, Top-tier rare equipment would easily cost over a hundred thousand crystal coins, probably nearing a million, and Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to go into debt again. ¡°Haha, alright then. It¡¯s good to save some crystal coins. You¡¯ll need them for various purposes after your breakthrough,¡± Master Linughed heartily. ¡°See youter~¡± Lu Ran said, waving as he picked up the Dragon Blood Crystal. He also sent a message to Lu Bing and others, informing them that he wouldn¡¯t be exploring secret realms this afternoon. It¡¯s been a while since he had been back to reality. He wanted to check on Green Sea City¡¯s situation and, incidentally, use the Red Lightning and Dragon Blood Crystal to strengthen the Sudden Death King. He wondered if, after the enhancement, it would be stronger than General Ha or how much weaker it would still be. Lu Ran had heard from Fang Lan thattely, the Thunder Dragon General had been quite arrogant in Green Sea City. Strutting around with its one-eared stance, maintaining the calm of a ck turtle, showing the fire snake¡¯s hunger for resources, and spouting dark crow-like sleazy talk, it had picked up a lot of weird habits¡­ Chapter 89: The Sudden Death King Stands Up Chapter 89: The Sudden Death King Stands Up Green Sea City. Aftering out, Lu Ran found a few messages. Zhao Chen had already arrived in Green Sea City and mentioned that if Lu Ran had time, they could meet up. Seeing the message, Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush to contact the newly appointed chairman of the Green Sea Association. Instead, he walked to the window and whistled. In the next moment, a small dark crownded on the windowsill outside. ¡°Where is the Thunder Dragon General?¡± Lu Ran asked the dark crow, which served as his eyes all over Green Sea City. By now, the crow army had woven a vast intelligencework covering Green Sea for Lu Ran. ¡°Ah!¡± The small dark crow indicated that the Thunder Dragon General was currently near Jiuquan Town. Jiuquan Town is a small town at the border of the neighboring city.For the seven general beasts of Green Sea, not much trouble usually arises within the city. It¡¯s these ¡°border areas¡± that tend to be the most troublesome, often experiencing invasions from ¡°external forces.¡± Unfortunately, without a direct order from King Lu, they couldn¡¯t invade other territories. For now, the seven general beasts had to focus on defending their turf. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran scratched his chin thoughtfully and said, ¡°Send the message¡­ Oh, no, please notify it to wait for me at the foot of Emerald Mountain.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The ck crow immediately flew away upon receiving the order. Seeing this, Lu Ran also began to pack up, preparing to head out. ¡­¡­ Returning to reality was a rare relief for Lu Ran, lifting his spirits considerably. Reflecting on the past few days, he felt a twinge of fatigue. Although the frequency of entering the abyss secret realm twice a day was not too high, it was still taxing. Besides challenging the secret realm, General Ha also needed rest, and Lu Ran had to train with it, practicing the Blizzard Sword Intent. His schedule was jam-packed. What left Lu Ran speechless was that whether it was the fierce beast¡¯s sword momentum or the Blizzard Sword Momentum, heprehended them quite quickly, always a step ahead of General Ha each time. However, when it came to the mystical realm of sword intent, he couldn¡¯t make any breakthrough, puzzling him about what he might be doing wrong. Lu Ran had a hunch that mastering the Blizzard Sword Intent, along with his current physical condition, would significantly enhance hisbat abilities. At the very least, it would allow him to personally confront normal supernatural beings. Therefore, mastering this skill was essential for his survival. Before long, Lu Ran arrived at the foot of Emerald Mountain by taxi. Due to the presence of supernatural beasts all over Emerald Mountain, it had been closed to tourists, much like Qingwu Lake. Tourist spots across the country were in a simr state. Even if they weren¡¯t closed, at this stage, it¡¯s unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to go sightseeing in the beautifulndscapes of the mothend. After all, people cherish their lives, and reckless actions often lead to danger. Undoubtedly, the tourism industry in the nation had been severely hit. However, conversely, the once-declining hunting industry had begun to experience a gradual resurgence. ¡°Roar!!!¡± As Lu Ran entered Emerald Mountain, he spotted the Sudden Death King from a distance. When the Sudden Death King opened its mouth to roar, it startled Lu Ran. A few days apart, and even its voice had changed. It must be going through voice mutation. Not only had its voice changed, but as Lu Ran rubbed his eyes, he noticed that the Sudden Death King seemed to be standing upright now! Standing over a meter tall, it bnced on two legs, its back adorned with rows of protruding ck-brown scaled armor. Its yellow-brown belly contrasted with itsrge, orange-red eyes that gleamed with excitement upon seeing Lu Ran. It looked like a miniature Godzi. ¡°Wow ka!¡± On seeing Lu Ran, the Sudden Death King¡¯s voice returned to its normal timbre. It seemed genuinely happy that Lu Ran had finallye to see it. ¡°Why are you standing up?¡± Lu Ran asked as he approached, bewildered. [I¡¯ve seen this stance on TV. It looked really cool, so I decided to try it out,] the Sudden Death King said, raising its hand. Lu Ran: ??? What on earth were you and General Ha watching on TV? General Ha learns makeup, and you learn surrender stances?! Why pick up such random stuff¡­ Lu Ran was too exasperated to even make a snarky remark and felt a bit fatigued mentally. The Sudden Death King truly had a ¡°transformation.¡± It was almost like it had be a different species. [Also, standing like this allows for better defense!] As it spoke, the Sudden Death King¡¯s body crackled with electricity. In addition to the Thunder Spike Armor covering it, it shaped a massive electric shield with one of its front ws and held it in front of itself. Shield and armor, a doubleyer defense! Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Fine, I underestimated your obsession with defense. Lu Ran thought, am I going to have to start forging a full set of armor and a shield for you after I finish forging swords for General Ha? ¡°Not bad, your energy shaping skills are getting more proficient, even better than General Ha¡¯s back then.¡± Lu Ran sighed but eventually gave praise. Compared to before, the Sudden Death King had shown significant improvement in energy shaping. General Ha could learn any energy skill quickly due to its versatility. However, the Sudden Death King¡¯s talents seemed heavily focused on energy shaping. Lu Ran wondered if it would eventually gain some form of ¡°shield intention.¡± ¡°Wow ka!¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s approval, the Sudden Death King grinned from ear to ear. Then, it quickly turned around, ran back, and brought arge bag to Lu Ran. [Trophies! Trophies!] It opened the bag, revealing a heap of advanced resources it had collected. ¡°Well, well, you even know how to gather treasures and turn them in. Raising you wasn¡¯t in vain.¡± Lu Ran smiled at the Sudden Death King, noticing a significant change in its demeanor. It seemed much more confident, likely realizing that its strength gave it an overwhelming advantage over the wild creatures. Lu Ran, quite pleased, said, ¡°I have a special resource. Do you want it?¡± The Sudden Death King looked at Lu Ran with eager eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a special resource that can greatly enhance your vitality and defense.¡± The Sudden Death King looked solemn, its eyes gleaming with excitement. Dreaming of having the world¡¯s strongest defense, how could it not want this? ¡°It¡¯s called the ¡®Red Lightning¡¯ trait. Once absorbed, it will turn the white electric current on your body into red.¡± ¡°The special effect of Red Lightning is such that every time you get struck by lightning or electrocuted, it has a unique body-forging effect that rapidly increases your physical constitution.¡± Initially, the Sudden Death King was delighted, but as Lu Ran continued speaking, its expression became stiff. Struck by lightning? Electrocuted to enhance physical constitution? Wouldn¡¯t that¡­ lead to sudden death? ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of? You¡¯re naturally a thunder type with strong lightning resistance. Haven¡¯t you ever encountered thunder-type opponents? Did their lightning ever hurt you?¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Wow ka¡­¡± The Sudden Death King paused, recalling. It seemed¡­ their lightning really hadn¡¯t caused it much harm. ¡°Wow ka!¡± The Sudden Death King pounded its chest, eager not to be underestimated by Lu Ran. It dered that it was just joking earlier and that it was no longer its old self. For the dream of having the world¡¯s strongest defense, it would even be willing to undergo special training at the cost of getting hurt! ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Once you fuse with it, I¡¯ll apply to the city for a powerful power station specifically for your lightning body-forging training,¡± Lu Ran said. As the King of Green Sea, having a small privilege to train his pet beast wasn¡¯t too much to ask, right? Sudden Death King: ??? A power station?? The Sudden Death King froze again. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to use the lightning from thunder-type pet beasts for body-forging? How did it suddenly involve a power station? ¡°Let¡¯s see if you¡¯ve reached level 10 yet¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s primary Eye of Data couldn¡¯t check the Sudden Death King¡¯s attributes, but he felt it was likely. After all, without a beast taming contract, a pet beast¡¯s level upgraded quickly in the backdrop of spiritual energy resurgence. Over this period, he hadn¡¯t skimped on feeding the Sudden Death King advanced food. ¡°In recognition of your determination, take this and try to fuse with the Red Lightning trait afterward.¡± With that, Lu Ran produced a Dragon Blood Crystal. Seeing this, the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes lit up, and it immediately smelled a tempting fragrance. Lu Ran tossed it, and the Sudden Death King stepped forward, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed it whole. Gulp. It swallowed it directly. In the next moment. The Sudden Death King felt its blood start to boil and burn, its expression bing ferocious. Thump! Thump! Thump! Even Lu Ran seemed to hear the Sudden Death King¡¯s heartbeat. Under Lu Ran¡¯s astonished gaze, the Sudden Death King¡¯s body further grew, rapidly expanding. After consuming the Dragon Blood Crystal with its ¡°enhance vitality¡± effect, the Sudden Death King¡¯s height reached about 1.7 meters, almost catching up to Lu Ran. ¡°ROAR!!!¡± After a few minutes of digestion, the Sudden Death King felt its physique strengthen further. Unable to contain its excitement, it roared while clenching its ws, looking at Lu Ran with wide eyes, understanding the rarity of the resource just consumed. It, the Thunder Dragon General Sudden Death King, swore from this moment forth to be the most unyielding shield in King Lu¡¯s hand! Getting the necessary resources, even if it involves getting beaten up, is a fair trade. ¡°Next, we have this.¡± Lu Ran figured the Sudden Death King should definitely be above level 10 by now. He produced the Red Lightning trait crystal and tossed it to the Sudden Death King. He hoped this would provide a significant boost. However, no matter how hard the Sudden Death King tried, it couldn¡¯t absorb the Red Lightning trait crystal. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. Just then, a series of eerieughs came from a nearby tree. ¡°Hehehe, you didn¡¯t know? Trait crystals can only be absorbed by contract pet beasts.¡± ¡°Even if they have the right level, they cannot absorb trait crystals without a contract.¡± ¡°It seems the mighty King of Green Sea isn¡¯t very well-versed in beast taming knowledge.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Lu Ran looked around sharply. The voice didn¡¯t sound human. Scanning quickly, he spotted a bizarre-looking young man perched on a tree. The man was dressed in a burgundy suit, with pale skin, and excessively long hair and fingernails. The most unsettling aspect was the pair of bat-like wings pping at his sides! From his sharp teeth and peculiar attire, Lu Ran¡¯s mind immediately supplied the word, vampire! ¡°Roar!¡± In an instant, Lu Ran¡¯s mind buzzed with rm. He had a bad feeling. Beside him, the Sudden Death King also sensed an extremely deadly threat, ring at the uninvited guest, feeling an indescribable pressure from him. ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I am Monroe from The Other Shore, a level 51 Vampire Count. I¡¯m here to¡­¡± ¡°¡­take your life!¡± Chapter 90: Crisis of Death Chapter 90: Crisis of Death Level 51 Vampire Count. The Other Shore. Upon hearing this information, Lu Ran felt an immediate chill run down his spine. He wasn¡¯t sure what a Vampire Count was¡ªperhaps it was an evolution path for some type of bat species. But Lu Ran knew the name ¡°The Other Shore¡± well. The birthce of necromancers. An SSS-level international criminal organization wanted by the Beast Taming Alliance. In that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s heart rate seemed to skyrocket. He couldn¡¯tprehend why a monster from The Other Shore woulde to Green Sea and target him. Sure, he had dealt with a necromancer in Jinling, but hadn¡¯t Manager Ying said that was just a low-tier member that wasn¡¯t even important?Moreover, hadn¡¯t Manager Ying already erased his traces, internally iming that it was the one who took care of the necromancer? So why was he still being targeted by The Other Shore? ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to escape to Infinite City. I¡¯ve already sealed off the surrounding space¡­¡± A voice sounded, and Lu Ran felt a blur in front of his eyes as the figure appeared right in front of him. Before he could react, a sharp pain erupted from his abdomen, and the next instant, he was sent flying. ¡°Ugh¡ª¡± Lu Ran crashed into a tree. His night cloak was torn, and his abdomen had a gaping wound. Blood gushed from his mouth as he coughed. The excruciating pain brought a panicked, fearful expression to Lu Ran¡¯s face. For the first time, he felt a deadly threat. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Lu Ran groaned painfully. ¡°Roar!!¡± At this moment, the Sudden Death King, which had been in a daze for a long time, finally reacted. It charged toward the Vampire Count with its electrified shield, eyes full of rage. It seemed this was its first time attacking something other than small insects. And it was attacking a creature dozens of levels higher. The Vampire Count didn¡¯t even nce at the Sudden Death King. Standing there elegantly, it casually reached out its hand. The shield was instantly pierced, and like Lu Ran, the Sudden Death King¡¯s tough scales were as vulnerable as paper, revealing a bloody hole, blood oozing out continuously. The previously ferocious expression of the Sudden Death King turned to one of panic and terror as it looked down at its abdomen. ¡°Awooo!!!!¡± The next moment, another brilliant sh sliced through the air, targeting the Vampire Count. In this moment of crisis, General Ha, sensing Lu Ran¡¯s dire situation from within the contract card, burst out on his own without waiting for Lu Ran to summon him. He materialized the Storm Sword, his gaze fierce as he swung at the Vampire Count. ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± he barked angrily. But with a mere ¡°hum,¡± General Ha seemed to be frozen mid-air. The Storm Sword, imbued with the Blizzard Sword Intent and ten times more powerful, was effortlessly blocked by a single raised finger from the Vampire Count. ¡°Get lost. You are not my target,¡± the Count said with a smile. With a flick of his finger, General Ha¡¯s Storm Sword exploded, sending a gale force wind that hurled General Ha several meters away, mming him into arge boulder. Having dealt with both the Sudden Death King and General Ha, the Count continued to stride towards Lu Ran, who was slumped against a tree, clutching his wound. Each step felt like a death knell to Lu Ran. At this point, Lu Ran knew that using his identity card to teleport was unrealistic. The opponent¡¯s attack, defense, and speed were all unimaginably powerful. Just as the Count had said, he was definitely a level 50 or above monster-ss entity. ¡°Cough.¡± Lu Ran spat out another mouthful of blood, still clueless as to why he was being targeted. Could it be that his high profile had made him a thorn in the side of some foreign forces? He had even theorized about countries assassinating each other¡¯s geniuses. With a paleplexion, Lu Ran stared intensely at the so-called Vampire Count. Simultaneously, he telepathicallymunicated to General Ha and the Sudden Death King, both of whom were still conscious nearby: ¡°Run, escape quickly.¡± It seemed the Count¡¯s primary target was him, which might give General Ha and the Sudden Death King a chance to flee. Lu Ran intended to buy time himself. ¡°Wait, wait a minute,¡± Lu Ran said weakly. ¡°I want to know why you¡¯re here to kill me. I don¡¯t understand how I¡¯ve offended The Other Shore.¡± ¡°Perhaps we can negotiate.¡± ¡°Oh, that?¡± The Vampire Count seemed quite willing to chat with Lu Ran, smiling as he replied, ¡°You haven¡¯t offended The Other Shore. But unfortunately, as a superpower user, you¡¯ve made it onto a must-kill list. You¡¯re an unavoidable target that must be eliminated.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just following orders. If you want to me something, me your own talent.¡± ¡ª If you need further trantion or assistance, just let me know! Lu Ran suddenly raised his head. So it was his high profile that exposed him, specifically his identity as a superpower user. Damn it. Right now, Lu Ran desperately wanted to pound the ground, but his extremely weakened body made it impossible to move. If he had known this would be the oue, he would have preferred not to be the King of Green Sea and stayed low-key. ¡°Wait.¡± ¡°I can pay you more than whatever they¡¯re giving you.¡± At this point, Lu Ran was willing to try anything that might save his life. ¡°Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t about money¡­¡± The Vampire Count smiled. ¡°If I fail my mission, I¡¯ll lose my head as well.¡± ¡°I promise never to appear in the outside world or Infinite City again.¡± ¡°I will disappearpletely.¡± ¡°Even so, what negotiating power does a rookie beastmaster like you have?¡± The Vampire Count remained unmoved. ¡°The rare blood of a superpower user, even if it¡¯s a bit low-level, should still be quite a feast¡­¡± ¡°I know where to find epic items!¡± Lu Ran shouted, unwilling to give up. ¡°Thanks for the offer, but no.¡± The Vampire Count remained indifferent, leaning in to bite Lu Ran¡¯s neck. At that moment, General Ha¡¯s furious bark resounded again. He had retrieved his Sword of Wind and was charging madly at the Vampire Count. It seemed he had recovered from the earlier impact. Beside him, the Sudden Death King, with a gaping hole in its abdomen, had already contemted a hundred ways to die. It felt its body growing colder by the second. Though it wanted to escape as Lu Ran had suggested, seeing General Ha struggle to stand up and rush back to save Lu Ran made the Sudden Death King¡¯s expression firm. With itsst bit of strength, it moved toward the Vampire Count to assist General Ha, regardless of whether it would make a difference. ¡°Idiots,¡± Lu Ran muttered as he saw the Vampire Count pause and turn to face the approaching General Ha and Sudden Death King. ¡°You two Level 10 weaklings¡ªhow could you possibly defeat this vampire? Why don¡¯t you run? Go find help and avenge me! Why sacrifice yourselves?¡± Just as Lu Ran had anticipated, the charging General Ha and Sudden Death King were utterly powerless against the Vampire Count. In an instant, they were both captured¡ªGeneral Ha by the neck, lifted into the air and struggling desperately, while the Sudden Death King¡¯s head was grabbed and its entire body mmed into the ground, creating a small crater. The Vampire Count held them both effortlessly in a bizarre posture of suppression. At this desperate moment, Lu Ran had no idea what to do. He pleaded, ¡°Let us go. I will give you an epic item.¡± The Vampire Count slowly released his grip, dusting off his hands, and his red eyes focused on Lu Ran. ¡°You¡¯ve chosen two loyal pet beasts.¡± ¡°Even the one without a contract is willing to sacrifice its life for you.¡± ¡°Rest assured¡­ I haven¡¯t dealt them fatal blows. You should be grateful.¡± ¡°What do you really want?¡± Lu Ran was utterly baffled. The Count clearly had the power to kill them instantly but seemed to be holding back each time. Lu Ran now pinned hisst hope on the possibility that offering the Divine Deer¡¯s Pendant might save his life, even though the odds were slim. He had no other options left. ¡°An epic item, the broken horn of the Divine Deer?¡± ¡°But once I kill you, I have ways to unseal your identity card and extract its resources,¡± the Vampire Count said, licking his lips. Lu Ran¡¯s heart trembled at these words. He hadn¡¯t even taken out the Divine Deer¡¯s Pendant, yet the Count seemed to know everything. To what extent had he been exposed? At that moment, Lu Ran felt a pang ofplete despair. His face turned pale, likely from excessive blood loss. ¡°Roar!!!¡± ¡°Ugh!!!¡± General Ha and the Sudden Death King, still pinned to the ground by the mysterious force, retained some consciousness. They struggled madly, but to no avail. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha bared his teeth, staring daggers at the Vampire Count, as if trying to etch his appearance into his memory. If you need further adjustments or more trantion, feel free to let me know! Beside him, Lu Ran was panting, nearly giving up on resistance. He now only hoped that Dr. Gu would quickly discover his situation and avenge him, ensuring this vampire did not leave Xia Country unscathed. ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Yet, as Lu Ran awaited death, the vampire Count did not strike again. Instead, he suddenly covered his forehead and burst intoughter, saying, ¡°Interesting, so interesting.¡± He looked at Lu Ran, General Ha, and the Sudden Death King, disying a crazed smile. This scene further infuriated Lu Ran, General Ha, and the Sudden Death King. Damn it, if you¡¯re going to kill us, just do it already. Why all this drama? Lu Ran wasn¡¯t afraid of death. Ever since he became an orphan, he had even contemted suicide. If Fang Lan hadn¡¯t appeared in time, he might have already reunited with his parents. It was just unfortunate for General Ha and the Sudden Death King. They had a chance to escape. ¡°¡­Sorry, Young Master, for scaring you. My master instructed me to give you a bit of a fright during our first meeting to sharpen your vignce. That¡¯s why I had to act.¡± Afterughing, the vampire Count¡¯s expression shifted from madness to calm. Under the bewildered gazes of Lu Ran, General Ha, and the Sudden Death King, he snapped his fingers, healing their injuries. Young Master?! The voice seemed to carry some form of telepathy, which even General Ha and the Sudden Death King could understand. This revtion left them stunned, looking at Lu Ran in shock. What was going on? The vampire Count spoke: ¡°Let me reintroduce myself. My name is Monroe, a level 51 vampire Count, the butler of Lu Qiancheng and Lu Yunxiu. What just happened was merely a little joke; please forgive me.¡± Monroe looked at the bewildered Lu Ran with a teasing smile. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t lying about everything. I indeede from The Other Shore, and you, Young Master, are indeed on an assassination list due to your identity as a superpower user. You must be extremely cautious from now on.¡± Lu Ran: ?????? ¡°What the hell are you talking about?!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mind was in turmoil, thinking he might have lost his sanity. But when he looked down, the bloody hole in his stomach had indeed vanished¡­ At this moment, Monroe smiled and took out a phone, ying a pre-recorded video. ¡°Son, if you¡¯re watching this video, your father and I have already passed away¡­ Listen carefully, what we¡¯re about to tell you is of utmost importance¡­ It concerns your safety and whether you can be the master of The Other Shore¡­¡± Chapter 91: The Truth from Five Years Ago Chapter 91: The Truth from Five Years Ago ¡°It¡¯s mom, Lu Yunxiu!¡± In an instant, Lu Ran recognized the voice in the video; it was indeed his mother. Staring at the familiar face in the footage, Lu Ran found it hard to believe. What was going on? Hadn¡¯t his parents died in a beast attack in the Amazon rainforest five years ago? Although he had always wanted to visit the Amazon rainforest, over the years, Lu Ran hade to ept the reality of their fate. Yet, the scene before him now left him in disarray. ¡°I know you have many questions, but listen carefully. This is very important for you!¡± In the video, his mom still had her fiery temper. ¡°You¡¯ve seen the changes in the world, haven¡¯t you?¡±¡°First of all, let me rify a few things. Although the Infinite City appeared three years ago, supernatural beings have existed on the Blue Star for a very long time.¡± ¡°They might be native to the Blue Star, or they could be visitors from another realm.¡± ¡°Our vige¡¯s totem, the divine deer, is likely one of them.¡± ¡°However, due to certain environmental factors, they no longer fit in today¡¯s Blue Star, causing them to vanish entirely.¡± ¡°But even before the appearance of the Infinite City, there were forces that firmly believed in these legends.¡± ¡°Five years ago, your father and I were invited to the Amazon rainforest to investigate a mysterious rare beast.¡± ¡°The invitation actually came from a precursor to the current force known as The Other Shore. They had recruited many zoologists and biologists like your father and me from all over the world.¡± ¡°But the real purpose wasn¡¯t to investigate any rare beast; it was only to control a group of scientists to help them study supernatural beings.¡± ¡°The Other Shore faked the attack on our investigation team, sessfully making us ¡®disappear from the world.¡¯¡± At this point, Lu Ran¡¯s expression turned grim. So this was the truth from five years ago? ¡°Many initially thought they would be imprisoned for life. However, three years ago, therge-scale arrival of the Infinite City¡¯s ck card turned everything around.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the energy of The Other Shore organization was stronger than we had imagined. Internal turmoil was quickly suppressed. Worried that you might be implicated, your father and I didn¡¯t resist strongly.¡± ¡°After that incident, we became important researchers for The Other Shore. Along with our status as beastmasters, it didn¡¯t take long for us to rise to the core ranks of the organization.¡± ¡°At this point, we were too deeply entangled with The Other Shore, an international crime organization, to easily return to your side.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m about to tell you now is the most important part.¡± ¡°The Other Shore has a long history. This organization has been in search of an item called ¡®The Stone of the Other Shore,¡¯ a legendary artifact.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that whoever possesses The Stone of the Other Shore gains the power to control death, bing the true master of the Other Shore, and holds the power to overthrow the world.¡± ¡°Once we reached the high ranks, we learned quite a lot about this artifact. It undoubtedly must not fall into the hands of an ambitious individual.¡± ¡°So, your father and I decided to find a way to get The Stone of the Other Shore ourselves.¡± ¡°However, even after all this time, The Other Shore hasn¡¯t been able to locate it. Whether it actually exists is still uncertain.¡± ¡°The organization is now fragmented into factions, with some having given up the search for the stone.¡± ¡°During our research and investigations, your father and I discovered crucial clues suggesting that The Stone of the Other Shore may indeed exist and is extremely important. Perhaps finding it could unravel the mystery of the Infinite City¡¯s appearance.¡± ¡°We decided to continue the search to prevent others from seizing it first.¡± ¡°However, the process is extremely dangerous; a single misstep could cost us our lives. But if we seed, we would be closer to the day we could reunite. If something were to happen to us, the results of our investigation into The Stone of the Other Shore would be sent to you through special channels.¡± ¡°Though we don¡¯t want to involve you, from the moment we entered The Other Shore, you were already bound to this fate. After our death, we won¡¯t be able to protect you in secret. Sooner orter, The Other Shore will target you.¡± ¡°Most likely, they will also try to recruit you into The Other Shore, aiming for you to inherit our positions. But unless your life is at stake, do not join The Other Shore lightly, no matter how persuasive they are!¡± ¡°The Other Shore is filled with factions and not a monolithic entity. Even as core members, your father and I faced constant constraints.¡± ¡°Now you have two choices: First, take the intelligence I¡¯m about to give you to trustworthy officials in Xia Country and seek their protection, asking them to help locate The Stone of the Other Shore.¡± ¡°Second, still with this intelligence, find reliable, powerful officials in Xia Country for protection and support in acquiring The Stone of the Other Shore.¡± ¡°Listen to me now. There are two conditions to finding and controlling The Stone of the Other Shore: First, you must have a powerful necromancy pet beast.¡± ¡°Second, acquire a part of the legendary creature, the death dragon¡¯s body.¡± ¡°The second condition is the hardest and may require finding a way in a breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Another important point: necromancy is not inherently evil; many people just don¡¯t know the right way to cultivate it.¡± ¡°This is a very crucial attribute, and it¡¯s an essential part of the world¡¯s bnce. When the timees, I¡¯ll have Red Count send you a wealth of death revival beast taming skills. I hope you pass them to Xia Country¡¯s officials so they can put more emphasis on cultivating necromancy.¡± ¡°Red Count is a being your father and I developed. Though his character is quite nasty, if you¡¯re ever forced to join The Other Shore, you can rely on his power.¡± ¡°While we hoped you could live a safe life, it seems the world is bing increasingly chaotic, making that impossible. Only by bing powerful yourself can you better survive¡ªand we understand your nature.¡± ¡°After watching this video, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll choose to contract with a necromancy pet beast and actively seek The Stone of the Other Shore, won¡¯t you¡­¡± ¡°No matter what choice you make, we believe in you because you¡¯re our son.¡± Lu Ran watched the entire video, his emotions barely contained. Ignoring The Stone of the Other Shore and the beast taming skills, he looked directly at the vampire in front of him and asked, ¡°Where are my parents?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, just as you suspected, your parents¡¯ identity cards were deactivated during a breakthrough secret realm. This suggests they likely perished there,¡± Red Count said sorrowfully. ¡°Although I am not their contracted pet beast, I was nurtured by them. I deeply regret what happened to them.¡± ¡°If they hadn¡¯t died, they wouldn¡¯t have involved you with The Other Shore so early.¡± ¡°But the crucial matter now, Young Master, is whether you choose to follow their legacy, find The Stone of the Other Shore, and be the master of The Other Shore, or hand over the intelligence and items I have to the officials of Xia Country and seek their protection?¡± ¡°Damn it,¡± Lu Ran muttered, clenching his fists. The hope that his parents were not dead had filled him with joy, only to be dashed by the reality. The Other Shore¡­ The very organization responsible for his parents¡¯ disappearance five years ago. ¡°No matter what, you must make a choice. I¡¯ll leave the items here.¡± Red Count ced hundreds of ck cards and the phone on the ground. Stroking his chin, he added, ¡°I wish I could stay longer, but this avatar of mine won¡¯tst much longer. If I¡¯m discovered in Xia Country, it will expedite The Other Shore¡¯s focus on you¡­ Anyway, I hope the next time we meet, you are stronger than I am.¡± ¡°And at that time¡­¡± With that, he transformed into countless bats and disappeared. Lu Ran stood frozen, staring at the spot where Red Count vanished. He then looked at the pile of ck cards left behind. For a moment, he felt lost. ¡°Bark! Bark! Bark!¡± General Ha finally caught his breath and barked furiously in the direction Red Count had left. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Nearby, Sudden Death King gritted his teeth, feeling as if he¡¯d been beaten for no reason at all. Both pet beasts then turned their attention to the silent Lu Ran. After a while, Lu Ran stood up and picked up one of the ck cards. Soon, the information on the card appeared before his eyes. [Name]: Death Revival [Description]: A special beast taming skill that can transform a deceased pet beast into a necromancy creature. ¡°They knew everything about my situation these past years, even after I became a beastmaster for a while!¡± Lu Ran fumed. ¡°If they knew, why didn¡¯t they contact me? Why leave such cryptic messages only after their death?¡± ¡°The Stone of the Other Shore, the death dragon¡ªwhat are they? Why were Mom and Dad so obsessed with them?¡± Recalling his mother¡¯s message, Lu Ran¡¯s head throbbed with pain. After much consideration, Lu Ran realized he couldn¡¯t handle this monumental information alone. Taking out his phone, he pondered for a moment before calling Gu Qingyi. Dr. Gu was the only high-ranking official in Xia Country he had ess to and whom he felt he could trust. ¡°Hello? Lu Ran?¡± Gu Qingyi answered quickly. ¡°Dr. Gu, I just encountered a member of The Other Shore¡­¡± ¡°Where are you? Are you in any danger?¡± Gu Qingyi interrupted, raising her voice. The Other Shore¡­ How had Lu Ran gotten entangled with that organization again? ¡°It¡¯splicated. Can youe to Green Sea City? I have something important to discuss,¡± Lu Ran said bitterly. ¡­ Gu Qingyi arrived in Green Sea City in record time. At the foot of Emerald Mountain, she saw the chaotic environment and knew a battle had taken ce here. Her worry for Lu Ran grew. But fortunately, Lu Ran and his pets seemed unharmed. ¡°What happened here?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°Dr. Gu, look at these first. I¡¯ll exin everything¡­¡± Lu Ran handed her the phone and the hundreds of death revival beast taming skill cards that the vampire Count had given him. Gu Qingyi opened the video¡­ ¡°Dr. Lu Yunxiu¡­¡± Her face filled with shock as she watched Lu Ran¡¯s mother¡¯s message. From her investigations, she had thought Lu Ran¡¯s parents were dead. ¡°This¡­¡± Gu Qingyi continued watching to the end. By the time she finished, she was utterly astounded. ¡°I actually know about your parents¡¯ disappearance case. At the time, many zoologists were attacked in that area, but I didn¡¯t expect it was a ruse orchestrated by The Other Shore.¡± ¡°That organization has been around for so long already¡­¡± Even Gu Qingyi, a first-generation beastmaster, was astonished by The Other Shore¡¯s long-standing history. ¡°Dr. Gu, did supernatural beings really exist on the blue star before the infinite city appeared?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true. Actually, Manager Ying is an extraordinary being who had been in slumber long before two years ago when she was contracted and started evolving,¡± answered Gu Qingyi. ¡°She merely used a girl¡¯s contract card to form a pact with one of her avatars. Her primary reason was to enter the infinite city. In that sense, she¡¯s more of a guide than a pet beast.¡± ¡°However, even Manager Ying isn¡¯t entirely sure whether she is originally from the blue star or if she stumbled here from somewhere else.¡± Lu Ran was slightly taken aback, not expecting Manager Ying to have this background. No wonder she always said she was different from other pet beasts. ¡°My condolences.¡± Now knowing through the video that Lu Ran¡¯s parents were truly deceased, Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t focus on their high-ranking status within The Other Shore. Instead, she ced her hand on Lu Ran¡¯s shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and said, ¡°What do you think of your mother¡¯s message?¡± After a moment of silence, Lu Ran replied, ¡°I want one skill card; you can handle the rest, Dr. Gu.¡± ¡°Additionally, I want to ess the official intelligence about the death dragon.¡± ¡°Although I have no interest in bing the master of The Other Shore, this is something my parents left unfinished.¡± ¡°The death dragon is suspected to be one of the creator divine loongs among the highest beings in the beast taming world. Its level is extremely high, and even entering a breakthrough secret realm wouldn¡¯t easily grant sufficient information about it,¡± Gu Qingyi said, feeling troubled. ¡°The Other Shore¡­¡± ¡°This organization has a group actively searching for something, another group focused on hunting others to gain strength, and yet another faction trying to obtain immortality through studying supernatural beings¡­ In essence, it¡¯s a troublesome organization.¡± ¡°Although that organization isn¡¯t very active in Xia Country, it seems we can¡¯t afford to underestimate it. Legendary items have never appeared openly in the world before.¡± ¡°This matter needs to be kept confidential. I¡¯ll onlymunicate it with the guild leader,¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking at Lu Ran. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll arrange for a personal bodyguard for you to prevent such incidents from happening again.¡± ¡°That vampire¡ªwas he really your parents¡¯ butler? From your description, his actions seemed excessively brutal¡­¡± She nced at General Ha and Sudden Death King beside them. ¡°Regardless of whether he was or not, once General Ha and Sudden Death King evolve, I¡¯ll tear his wings off,¡± Lu Ran said through gritted teeth. That bastard¡­ But the vampire had also highlighted a crucial point: Lu Ran¡¯s identity as a superpower user was exposed, and he indeed needed a bodyguard. ¡°What do you think of Manager Ying? She seems pretty free these days. Don¡¯t worry; she¡¯s trustworthy,¡± Gu Qingyi quickly suggested a suitable bodyguard for Lu Ran. Chapter 92: The Sleeping Ancient Creature Chapter 92: The Sleeping Ancient Creature Manager Ying? ¡°Of course, I trust Manager Ying¡¯s strength, but will she really be willing to protect me¡­¡± Lu Ran felt doubtful about the suggestion¡­ Wasn¡¯t she always very busy managing an intelligence shop? Wouldn¡¯t she be very upied? ¡°If it were a normal situation, you¡¯d probably owe a huge debt just to get her protection¡­¡± Gu Qingyi chuckled. No way¡­ owe debts again? Lu Ran¡¯s face turned bitter. ¡°But your situation is different.¡± Gu Qingyi picked up the phone brought by the vampire Count and said, ¡°As an intelligence dealer, what do you think interests her the most?¡± ¡°Information,¡± Lu Ran replied.¡°Exactly. The Stone of the Other Shore is such significant information that she¡¯d be thrilled to explore it with you. Moreover, as Dr. Gu mentioned, acquiring the Stone of the Other Shore might unravel the secrets of Infinite City. This secret is something nations have been trying to uncover for three years, and that includes Manager Ying. She¡¯s immensely curious about Infinite City, which is why she entered into a contract with someone just to get a peek.¡± ¡°And now, there¡¯s an additional investigation route she wouldn¡¯t want to miss,¡± Gu Qingyi said cunningly. ¡°You might even get her help for free.¡± Lu Ran was shocked, ¡°!!!¡± Dr. Gu is quite devious. How did I not see this before? ¡°Then, Manager Ying it is?¡± Lu Ran said. Having a powerful being skilled in Space as a bodyguard was a rare privilege. But Manager Ying didn¡¯t seem too fond of dogs, Lu Ran thought as he nced over at General Ha, who was looking confused. Is it my fault? ¡°Let¡¯s go to your house. I¡¯ll contact Manager Ying now,¡± Gu Qingyi said as she collected a pile of death revival beast taming skill cards, keeping one aside and handing it to Lu Ran. ¡­ At Lu Ran¡¯s Home. Before Manager Ying arrived, Gu Qingyi continued to chat with Lu Ran. She suggested, ¡°Although necromancy is still a taboo attribute in many countries, if you want to learn this skill, now is indeed the best time. After all, necromancers now have an additional way to level up.¡± ¡°Do you mean mutated beasts in the wild?¡± Lu Ran asked as he took a homemade beverage out of the fridge for Dr. Gu. Before the revival of spiritual energy, necromancers had to hunt beastmasters to elerate their leveling up. But now, after the spiritual energy revival, the number of supernatural beings far exceeds that of beastmasters, and extraordinary souls are abundant in the wild. Under these circumstances, there¡¯s no need to hunt beastmasters anymore. For necromancers, isn¡¯t this the best era? ¡°True, but the biggest issue with necromancy is that consuming souls affects the minds of both the pet beast and the beastmaster, eventually turning them neither human nor ghost. So, if you want to practice necromancy, it¡¯s best to wait until your beast taming level is higher. Additionally, the choice of pet beast is crucial; it¡¯s best to choose a pet beast with strong willpower.¡± ¡°Countries have considered deeply researching necromancy, but haven¡¯t found a good starting point. Now, though¡­¡± Gu Qingyi held up a ck card, saying, ¡°Your parents sent you hundreds of skill cards that can mass-produce necromancers. You should hand them over to the Xia Country authorities. After some time, Xia Country should be able to establish its own necromancer army.¡± ¡°For now, don¡¯t overthink things. Focus on your growth. Your parents¡¯ matters, the matters of The Other Shore, and the death dragon¡ªI will personally investigate these. Your current focus should be on the uing breakthrough secret realm and the Freshman Tournament in over a month!¡± Gu Qingyi encouraged. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Gu¡­¡± Lu Ran smiled wryly. He was fortunate to know Dr. Gu; otherwise, the impact of these matters would have been as devastating as when he learned of his parents¡¯ death a few years ago. ¡°No need to thank me. Alright, she¡¯s here.¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking towards the balcony. Space ripples flickered, and a beautiful leopard cat covered in golden spots appeared in the room. Seeing her, Lu Ran was noticeably stunned. Gu Qingyi exined, ¡°Manager Ying has many forms, all of them cats; perhaps this incarnation was closest to Green Sea City.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ Summoning me all of a sudden, what is this important intelligence?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi sitting on the sofa and asked in confusion. ¡°Ying, you¡¯re here!¡± Gu Qingyi greeted with a smile upon seeing the cat. ¡°Lu Ran has gotten entangled in a major event that involves a legendary item and the secret of Infinite City¡¯s descent. I thought you might find it interesting, so I invited you. Would you like to investigate with him?¡± Lu Ran was stunned; he hadn¡¯t expected Dr. Gu¡¯s skill with words to be so impressive. She managed to imply that Ying should act as his bodyguard without directly stating it. ¡°Him?¡± Manager Ying was visibly surprised. She couldn¡¯tprehend how a neer like Lu Ran could be involved in such an SSS-level intelligence about a legendary item and the secrets of Infinite City. ¡°Lu Ran, share your recent experiences with Ying,¡± Gu Qingyi suggested. Lu Ran nodded and nced at the phone on the table that recorded his mother, Lu Yunxiu¡¯s, message. ¡­ A momentter. ¡°I knew The Other Shore was searching for a legendary item!!! But I didn¡¯t expect your parents to have uncovered a key clue to finding it!¡± ¡°The death dragon is one of the four creator divine loongs in the beast taming world. It¡¯s among the top-tier entities, even within the legendary species.¡± ¡°The Stone of the Other Shore rted to it? If it¡¯s a legendary-level secret, it might indeed help us further uncover Infinite City¡¯s mysteries!¡± As Gu Qingyi had predicted, Manager Ying was very surprised after watching the entire video. It was crucial to understand that currently on Blue Star, no beastmaster had ever cultivated an overlord species, let alone a legendary species. The highest level of resources controlled by beastmasters was only epic level. Now, being involved with legendary beings and items was indeed incredibly significant intelligence. However, Manager Ying wasn¡¯t easily fooled. After her initial shock, she furrowed her brow and suspiciously nced at Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran. ¡°Wait a minute, this kid¡¯s background is so sensitive, and his parents are high-ranking members of The Other Shore. Even though they are also victims, Qingyi, you¡¯re not trying to make me his bodyguard, are you? Considering his identity, trouble is bound to follow him¡­¡± Gu Qingyi blinked innocently and said, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Come to think of it, Lu Ran does seem to need some protection. Manager Ying, while you¡¯re investigating with him, could you also keep him safe as well?¡± Gu Qingyi pondered, looking adorably contemtive. Manager Ying rolled her eyes. After some deliberation, she said, ¡°I suppose it¡¯s doable, given how interesting this intelligence is.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯ll open a branch of my cat-eared maid caf¨¦ in Green Sea City and settle down here.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Qingyi smiled, knowing that Manager Ying was willing to do her a favor. She made a mental note of this gesture. ¡°By the way¡­¡± Manager Ying now turned to Lu Ran. ¡°I can be your bodyguard, but only as a bodyguard. We will share any intelligence about The Stone of the Other Shore, but don¡¯t expect to get other information from me for free.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Lu Ran sped his hands together in gratitude. ¡°I¡¯m already very thankful to have your protection, Manager Ying.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that kind of person!¡± ¡°Are you nning to contract a necromancy pet beast in the future? Otherwise, how do you n to find The Stone of the Other Shore?¡± Manager Ying queried. ¡°Honestly, you need to choose wisely. You can¡¯t just contract any mutated beast and then convert it to necromancy, right? Its potential would be too low.¡± ¡°Since your mother¡¯s message mentioned having a powerful necromancy pet beast, you must select an impressive one.¡± ¡°I have a better rmendation. Do you want to hear it? Since it¡¯s rted to our cooperation, I won¡¯t charge you for it.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Both Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi looked at her curiously. Manager Ying exined, ¡°As you know, the video mentioned that in ancient times, Blue Star had a group of supernatural beings. They were immensely powerful, with some even serving as totems for human tribes. However, as they became less adapted to Blue Star¡¯s environment, they gradually vanished.¡± ¡°Most of these beings went into slumber, and I was among them.¡± ¡°But unlike the others, I was fortunate. I was rtively weaker back then, so my need for supernatural energy wasn¡¯t as great. Coupled with the fact that my true form is a ¡®nine-tailed cat¡¯ with nine lives, I managed to awaken in modern times.¡± ¡°But those beings are different. Their lives withered and decayed over the long ages. Many of them should be long dead by now.¡± ¡°Even with the resurgence of spiritual energy, reviving their withered forms would be nearly impossible unless they encounter some extraordinary circumstance,¡± Manager Ying continued. ¡°We might be able to find those ancient creatures that have barely survived, slumbering somewhere, still clinging to a thread of life¡­ By offering to convert them into a necromancy form and extending their lives, we could entice them to be your pet beast!¡± Manager Ying suggested. ¡°The ones who have survived until now are all formidable beings. If you can contract their souls, you wouldn¡¯t need to fear anything from The Other Shore. You¡¯d quickly gain the strength to rival the first-generation beastmasters.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran was ecstatic. He immediately thought of the divine deer. If a pendant of the divine deer was that powerful, contracting a totemic creature of simr strength, even in its soul form, would be immensely formidable. ¡°Manager Ying, why haven¡¯t you mentioned this before?¡± Dr. Gu was also slightly taken aback. This piece of intelligence was indeed explosive¡ªa quest to find and contract the remnants of ancient beings¡­ ¡°Because even I don¡¯t know where they¡¯re all slumbering,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°This is just a hypothesis, aimed at helping him quickly obtain a powerful necromancy pet beast.¡± ¡°Securing recognition from a legendary item is surely no simple task¡­ A strong pet beast is a must.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯ll send out avatars to slowly search. If we¡¯re lucky, we might find one. If not, we may have to settle for training amon necromancy beast.¡± ¡°Moreover, to contract such beings, your own strength can¡¯t be weak, or they¡¯ll be difficult to subdue,¡± Manager Ying turned to Lu Ran and observed, ¡°Apprentice¡­ level 1¡­ Your level is too low. Do you have confidence in bing a level 3 beastmaster within six months?¡± ¡°Six months? I¡¯ll be a legendary level beastmaster by then,¡± Lu Ran joked. Talking with Manager Ying and Dr. Gu had indeed lifted his spirits. From the side of the sofa, General Ha and Sudden Death King pped in unison. ¡°As expected of our beastmaster! Such lofty ambitions.¡± Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi: ??? Are you okay? Chapter 93: The Training King Chapter 93: The Training King Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying had figured it out: Lu Ran had a big heart. After going through such an ordeal, he could still crack jokes. Let¡¯s not even mention that the highest-level beastmasters now are only at level five. Whether legendary beastmasters even exist is still up in the air. But even if they do exist, what kind of beastmaster could be called legendary? Someone who has contracted a bunch of legendary species? ¡°Don¡¯t be so cheeky!¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Focus on preparing for the novice-stage breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Breakthrough secret realm difficulty is very random. When it¡¯s hard, it¡¯s harder than abyss level, and when it¡¯s easy, you could clear it with your eyes closed¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to predict what the breakthrough tasks will be like.¡± ¡°When you have free time, you can review the history of the Beast Taming Empire. The vast majority of low-level breakthrough secret realms are set in a world with the Beast Taming Empire.¡±¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Manager Ying chimed in. ¡°Earlier we mentioned that the legends of the four creator divine loongs alsoe from this world. But even for this world¡¯s beastmasters, these things are just legends. So, finding a part of the death dragon¡¯s body, as your mother mentioned in her message, won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Ran blinked. Alright then¡­ The Beast Taming Empire¡­ Lu Ran had seen this name many times in the background introductions of different secret realms. It seemed to be an ancient feudal nation centered around beast taming civilization. Since the breakthrough secret realms are projections of human civilizations, it¡¯s inevitable that there will be ¡°NPCs¡± whose levels far exceed those of the entrants. This might be the difficulty Dr. Gu and others were referring to. If he could align with them, he might quicklyplete the breakthrough task. But if he became enemies with them, he could end up dead faster than anyone. These ¡°NPCs¡± are not limited to human projections; there could also be projections of supernatural beings. Thinking of this, Lu Ran fell into contemtion, feeling a bit troubled. If it was a secret realm that restricted a certain level, it would mean both the beastmasters entering and the beings within the secret realm were at a specific level. He felt that he and General Ha might have an advantage there. But if it was a rtivelyplete world projection, then it would alle down to luck. ¡°Don¡¯t be too stressed about it,¡± Gu Qingyi reassured the pensive Lu Ran. ¡°In most cases, it¡¯s fairly easy. Only in rare instances will you encounter bizarre problems.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Lu Ran nodded. One step at a time, regardless of what happens, he had to face it eventually. ¡­ That very day, Gu Qingyi left Green Sea City. After finding a bodyguard for Lu Ran, she felt more at ease. Armed with videos and a bunch of skill cards, Gu Qingyi nned to meet the current strongest beastmaster in Xia Country. This individual was also the guild leader of the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance. Moreover, this figure was the only one who had managed to be a beastmaster at an older age and elevate to a top-tier level. Since Lu Ran was willing to entrust such vital resources to the authorities, she had to fight for some benefits on his behalf. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that a genius I randomly stumbled upon would have such aplex background,¡± Gu Qingyi sighed as she left Green Sea City. But thankfully, Lu Ran was now one of her own, and the higher-ups wouldn¡¯t easily take him away. Whether it was Lu Ran¡¯s exploration of armed evolution, his pursuit of Loong-type evolution, or now his binding with necromancy, he was filled with potential and surprises. Among fourth-generation beastmasters, Gu Qingyi felt Lu Ran was the one she had the highest hopes for. ¡°They¡¯ve all left.¡± After seeing Dr. Gu off, Manager Ying also departed. She mentioned she would stay in Green Sea City and look for an opportunity to open a store. She told Lu Ran not to look for her unless necessary; she would constantly monitor his safety. ¡°Seriously, I thought you¡¯d provide personal protection¡­¡± Lu Ran mumbled. Why couldn¡¯t she just stay at my ce¡­ Why open a store? It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t af¡ªactually, I can¡¯t afford to take care of her. After they both left, Lu Rany on the sofa alone, letting out a small sigh. But soon, he was brimming with energy again. He looked at General Ha and Sudden Death King and said, ¡°You two, well done.¡± Finally rxed, Lu Ran recalled the bravery General Ha and Sudden Death King had shown earlier when Red Count had pretended to be an assassin. He wasn¡¯t surprised that General Ha would risk everything for him. But for the ever-cowardly Sudden Death King to not flee and instead fight alongside General Ha, Lu Ran was genuinely moved. Although Lu Ran was quite displeased that they didn¡¯t follow hismands, at this moment, he felt happier than when he got that necromancy skill card he had wanted for so long. As a basic joy for any beastmaster, having a pet beast genuinely care about you is priceless. ¡°Sudden Death King, I didn¡¯t misjudge you.¡± ¡°In light of your brave efforts this time, when you do eventually ¡®suddenly die,¡¯ I promise I¡¯ll use this skill card to resurrect you¡­¡± Sudden Death King: ??? ¡°Roar!!!¡± Sudden Death King took a step back and shook its head frantically. No way! It was determined not to suddenly die! Don¡¯t think like that! Mom wants us to find the death dragon, not for me to be a death dragon myself! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was only concerned with one thing¡ªwhen they could take down that vampire. Holding a grudge¡­ Even if it was a friendly, having dared to mock them like that, General Ha absolutely wanted to cut the vampire down. ¡°Level 51, considered a top-tier level. Even at such a level, one can¡¯t shake off The Other Shore. This organization is more powerful than I imagined,¡± Lu Ran mused. Previously, although he worked hard to improve his strength, he didn¡¯t feel any real urgency. But now, upon careful consideration, it seemed that the world under the backdrop of spiritual energy revival was full of dangers everywhere. Rapidly improving his strength became imperative. ¡°Let¡¯s make some arrangements for Sudden Death King, and then, General Ha, we¡¯ll head back to Infinite City, continue grinding the abyss secret realm, and earn enough for our expenses.¡± ¡°You work on mastering ¡®energy release control,¡¯ and I¡¯ll work on mastering ¡®Blizzard Sword Intent.¡¯¡± ¡°Hopefully, we can achieve this before entering the breakthrough secret realm¡­¡± ¡°Aftering out of the breakthrough secret realm, we should be able to obtain the next contract card. By then, we¡¯ll contract Sudden Death King and fuse it with the Red Lightning trait.¡± ¡°Sudden Death King, your mission is to elevate your growth level to level 20 within the next 40 days!¡± ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll merge you with two traits, and together with General Ha, we¡¯ll dominate the Freshman Tournament at beast taming university and snag the most precious rewards.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set a small goal first to be the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster.¡± Lu Ran figured that if he could win the Freshman Tournament, he should be considered the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Xia Country. As for the world stage¡­ he¡¯d likely be among the top-tier fourth-generation beastmasters as well. However, Lu Ran didn¡¯t dare to im that he¡¯d definitely win, and he needed to devote his time to training General Ha and Sudden Death King. He took out his phone, not giving himself much idle time, and dialed another number. He needed to ask that new chairman for some resources. ¡­ ¡°Achoo!!!¡± Inside andmark skyscraper in Green Sea City. In an office, Zhao Chen, the chairman of the Green Sea Beast Taming Association, was reviewing a list of young beastmasters in the city. Perhaps because someone was thinking about him, he sneezed. Just momentster, there was a knock at the door. ¡°Come in!¡± Zhao Chen looked up to see that the King of Green Sea, Lu Ran, whom he had been eager to meet, finally had some time to drop by. Zhao Chen couldn¡¯t help but smile and said, ¡°Lu Ran, it¡¯s great to see you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been busy challenging the secret realm.¡± Lu Ranughed, choosing not to mention the recent events to this newly appointed chairman. It was beyond Zhao Chen¡¯s capacity to handle, and Dr. Gu would take care of it. ¡°Uncle Zhao, I¡¯ve arranged everything you mentioned earlier.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Zhao Chen was overjoyed. The King of Green Sea didn¡¯t disappoint. Lu Ran¡¯s efficiency was impressive! Zhao Chen had seen firsthand Lu Ran¡¯s capabilities. While other cities were still struggling with wild supernatural beings, Lu Ran could easily summon several advanced wild bosses to serve as sparring partners for beastmasters in Green Sea City. Truly living up to the title, King of Green Sea! ¡°No doubt about it. I¡¯ll select seven powerful mutated beasts to take turns sparring with the fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City.¡± ¡°Their attributes vary, and all are above level 10, definitely meeting your requirements.¡± ¡°That¡¯s excellent!¡± Zhao Chen eximed. ¡°With this, the beastmasters of Green Sea City will surely make a remarkable impression at beast taming university.¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°I hope so too. However, six of these pet beasts still have to manage the outer regions of Green Sea City, so their time might be limited. But there¡¯s one thunder attribute lizard that¡¯s particrly free. Make good use of it.¡± ¡°Find it plenty of opponents. If one person can¡¯t defeat it, have several team up against it.¡± ¡°In any case, don¡¯t be shy.¡± ¡°Uh, alright!¡± Zhao Chen saw no problem with that. Beastmasters usually team up to conquer powerful bosses. They can see it as a way to build their team dynamics. ¡°However, about the food for these mutated beasts¡­¡± Lu Ran chuckled as he looked at Chairman Zhao Chen, ¡°Especially for that hardworking thunder attribute lizard. Just make sure to provide for it properly.¡± ¡°One meal of rare-level feed per day, that¡¯s not too much, right?¡± Although Lu Ran had decided to spend the next few days grinding the secret realm to earn food for General Ha and Sudden Death King, he still felt it would be challenging to provide at the highest level for both pet beasts. After all, Sudden Death King required Loong-type resources, which were exorbitantly expensive! Given this, he couldn¡¯t let Sudden Death King be idle. It should be a sparring king, serving as a training partner for beastmasters in Green Sea City. That way, the government would take care of its meals. He would handle the rare Loong-type food while Green Sea City provided the basic rare-level feed. Double efforts on both fronts. ¡°Uh, this¡­¡± Zhao Chen was bewildered. What kind of lizard needs rare-level feed? Even he couldn¡¯t afford that! But soon, this old fox understood what was going on¡­ Was Lu Ran preparing for his next pet beast contract? ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all!¡± Green Sea City, being an experimental zone, had Zhao Chene with substantial resources allocated for its beast taming development. These resources were meant for talent cultivation, so using them for Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast was perfectly alright. ¡°By the way, would you like to look at the list of people willing to apply to beast taming university from Green Sea City?¡± Suddenly, Zhao Chen picked up a document and asked Lu Ran. ¡°I n to gather them this afternoon for a motivational meeting.¡± ¡°As the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City right now, would you like to say a few words to encourage them? Be their representative.¡± ¡°Having a role model could surely speed up their progress.¡± ¡°Me? No, thanks.¡± Lu Ran quickly declined, ¡°I¡¯m socially anxious.¡± ¡°You should ask Fang Lan. She¡¯d be perfect for this role¡­¡± Lu Ran suggested. ¡°What time exactly? I¡¯ll gather The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals and train them this afternoon.¡± ¡°The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals?!¡± Zhao Chen was stunned, looking at Lu Ran. What a name, what kind of organization is this? ¡°Slip of the tongue¡­ That crow has led me astray¡­¡± Chapter 94: Beyond the Jianghu, Yet Still Known Chapter 94: Beyond the Jianghu, Yet Still Known ¡°A crow?¡± Zhao Chen recalled that among the powerful mutated beasts in Green Sea City, there was indeed a crow. Officer Luo Shang had reported this to him. ¡°Yes, a mutated crow that has awakened thenguage talent.¡± ¡°Not only can itmunicate normally with humans, but it can also understand and somewhat converse in other species¡¯nguages.¡± ¡°Quite abnormal, I¡¯d say.¡± ¡°When I¡¯m not around, if you have issuesmunicating with mutated beasts, just find it. However, be aware that it often spouts nonsensical words as well, so take what it says with a grain of salt,¡± exined Lu Ran. They say that whatever iscking internally will be enhanced when evolving. Lu Ran pondered how this crow ended up awakening anguage talent, which seemed weirder than having enhanced attack, defense, or speed. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. How many people in Green Sea City are willing to apply for the beast taming university?¡± Lu Ran changed the topic, not wanting to delve deeply into the King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals. ¡°Hmm¡­ Currently, Green Sea City has a total of 149 beastmasters, all of whom are fourth-generation beastmasters.¡±¡°Out of those, 77 meet the requirements and are willing to apply for the beast taming university. Oh, this number doesn¡¯t include you and Fang Lan.¡± ¡°Including you two, that makes 79!¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite a few people,¡± Lu Ran remarked in surprise. ¡°Anyone particrly impressive among them?¡± ¡°Yes, the top three on the list are quite outstanding.¡± Saying this, Zhao Chen handed the list to Lu Ran, who took it and began to read carefully. Lu Yng, age 22, male, senior at Green Sea University. His family owns a Border Collie. He has awakened mental talents and possesses the only mental-type pet beast in Green Sea City, showing great potential for development. Lu Teng, age 24, male, employee at Green Sea Wildlife Park. After awakening a ck card, and with official approval, he attempted to contract a lion cub he had raised by hand. The contract was sessful, and his pet beast has awakened fire talents, showing great potential for development. Miao Zhuang, age 20, male, a cowherd from Xindong Vige in Green Sea City. He contracted his family¡¯s cow, which mutated back to an ancestral form and awakened dark talents, showing great potential for development. ¡°The pet beasts of these three individuals are all upper supernatural species, and their attributes are quite rare. Lu Yng¡¯s pet beast is very intelligent and can now perform mental power release and mental power shaping. Lu Teng was originally preparing to join the official strategy team in Jinling as a reserve member. However, upon someone else¡¯s suggestion, he decided to develop a lifestyle-rted upation considering his initial attribute being fire. He frequently challenges secret realms, and hisbat power is quite good.¡± ¡°Miao Zhuang has only recently be a beastmaster and is still full of uncertainties. But with some cultivation, he¡¯s sure to be a formidable force. Thebat strength of the bovine species is not weak either.¡± ¡°Besides these three, there are a few others with considerable talents. Take a look¡­¡± Lu Ran scanned the list and noticed a few familiar names like Yang Xishuai and several long-time ¡°rivals.¡± Bug fighting was popr in Green Sea City among both young and old, so it was quite rare to see that 14 out of the 77 had initial pet beasts that were bugs. After all, who would choose seemingly weak bugs as their initial pet beasts to challenge the dangerous trial secret realms unless they truly loved bugs and firmly believed in their bond with them? ¡°There are quite a few talented individuals,¡± Lu Ran remarked after skimming the list, mildly surprised. ¡°Right? I hadn¡¯t realized that Green Sea City had so many promising young beastmasters either,¡± Zhao Chenughed. If it were only those three, it wouldn¡¯t be much. But adding you and Fang Lan, who are both potential contenders for the divine beast leaderboard, Green Sea City really is a treasure trove of talents and hidden dragons! Afterward, Lu Ran and Zhao Chen discussed a bit more and agreed to bring the seven general beasts to Green Sea Stadium at 3 PM for a public disy. ¡­ In the afternoon. At the Beast Taming Edifice in Green Sea City, arge conference room was filled with 77 young beastmasters. Each of them disyed expressions of excitement and anticipation as they engaged in conversations with one another. Given that the total number of beastmasters in Green Sea City was just over a hundred, many of them knew one another. Among them were also a small group of ¡°celebrity figures.¡± Recently, some civilian beastmasters had helped chase away dangerous creatures within the city, allowing a portion of them to gain a reputation! ¡°Hey, do you guys know what kind of person our chairman is? Is he a second-generation or a third-generation beastmaster?¡± a chubby kid chewing gum asked curiously. The more impressive the parachuted-in chairman, the better the association¡¯s future prospects. ¡°Our Green Sea City should be in the second batch of cities to establish a Beast Taming Association, right? Looks like Green Sea City¡¯s beast taming talent is pretty good!¡± a freckled-faced young guy with ssesmented. ¡°Of course! The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, is right here in Green Sea. She¡¯s ranked tenth on the divine beast leaderboard and is famous across several neighboring provinces. How could the higher-ups not take this seriously?¡± ¡°Apart from Fang Lan, the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City should be Teng-Ge,¡± someone remarked, directing attention to a young man in an orange T-shirt. Lu Teng was the one who had contracted a me lion and worked as an animal caretaker. As people praised him, he couldn¡¯t help but smile broadly, though he modestly replied, ¡°No, my lion is too gentle, not fierce at all, and itsbat power isn¡¯t that great.¡± Despite his humility, everyone knew better. Arge fierce beast, even if gentle, has inherent powerful attributes! Many were now regretting not working as caretakers for fierce beasts in a zoo. ¡°By the way, why hasn¡¯t the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden shown up¡­¡± someone wondered aloud, noticing Fang Lan¡¯s absence. At this moment, the door opened, and Zhao Chen, the chairman of the association, walked to the podium, looking at the young beastmasters of Green Sea City. ¡°Hello!¡± ¡°My name is Zhao Chen, and I¡¯m the chairman of the Green Sea Beast Taming Association.¡± As he finished speaking, the fourth-generation beastmasters quieted down and directed their attention to this middle-aged man. Zhao Chen smiled slightly and said, ¡°From now on, if you have any difficulties, you cane to me.¡± ¡°Today is our first meeting, so let¡¯s get to know each other.¡± ¡°Besides getting to know each other, you might have noticed that those invited are all young beastmasters who intend to apply to the beast taming university.¡± ¡°Out of the 79 young beastmasters in the city who intend to apply, 77 have managed toe today. Two others couldn¡¯t make it due to othermitments.¡± Everyone knew that one of the two absent individuals was the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan. As for the other, it remained a mystery. Yang Xishuai, seated among the crowd, looked around in search of Lu Ran¡¯s presence. His expression was puzzled. Had Lu Ran ¡°missed¡± this meeting? Or perhaps he didn¡¯t n to apply to the beast taming university? That seemed unlikely. Where else would he go if not to the university? Yang Xishuai deduced that the other absentee was likely Lu Ran, who was seen with Fang Lan earlier. It made sense for both to be absent together if they were acquainted. ¡°You probably know that the beast taming university also trainsbat-type talent. To select outstanding individuals, shortly after school starts, the university will hold a Freshman Tournament,¡± Zhao Chen continued. ¡°In my view, this tournament is far more important than the entrance exam. If you can achieve a good ranking, it will significantly benefit your personal development and the entire Green Sea City.¡± ¡°However, since the university recruits nationwide, thepetition will be fierce. For most of you here, achieving a good result will be very challenging.¡± Who¡¯s being underestimated here? The beastmasters thought to themselves. Maybe we won¡¯t even make it past the preliminaries! Today¡¯s young generation mightck many things, but self-awareness of their abilities isn¡¯t one of them. ¡°But if you don¡¯t give it a try, how will you know your limits? Therefore, Green Sea City has decided tounch a training program for new beastmasters. This is my first policy since taking office. Those among you who intend to participate in the Freshman Tournament can stay afterward, and I¡¯ll exin the detailed n.¡± Zhao Chen¡¯s announcement caught the neers off guard. Green Sea City nned to invest resources in nurturing them? Most of the beastmasters present had never entered a secret realm and had rtively low trial scores. They were in dire need of resources. With enough resources¡­what if someone unexpectedly performed outstandingly and secured a good rank? Zhao Chen¡¯s words reignited a spark of hope in many. ¡°Is there anyone here not nning to participate in the Freshman Tournament?¡± Unexpectedly, no one spoke up. It seemed that no one wanted to miss out on this opportunity. Zhao Chen had anticipated this and said, ¡°Alright then. I won¡¯t waste any more words. Let¡¯s talk about my uing policies. The association will hire professional nutritionists to develop pet beast training ns and mealbinations for you. Practicalbat training is equally important, and you¡¯ll likely need to spar with each other to gain experience.¡± ¡°In addition, I will arrange for a few supernatural beings over level 10 with strong capabilities to serve as advanced training partners. Anyone who performs exceptionally well during training will receive additional resource allocations!¡± ¡°These resources may even include trait crystals!¡± ¡°Next, follow me to the nearby Green Sea Stadium. The nutritionist I brought is already there, ready to assist you. You¡¯ll need to release your pet beasts and engage in some simple sparring with the supernatural beings I mentioned. She will record the data and afterward provide some advice.¡± After Zhao Chen finished speaking, there was a moment of silence among the crowd. Holy crap, did he say trait crystals were among the resources? ¡°Chairman, you¡¯re brilliant!¡± someone eximed joyfully. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Teng-Ge will definitely achieve outstanding results and not let the association down!¡± Lu Teng: ? Who the heck shouted that? He looked around. As Zhao Chen concluded, the beastmasters below were buzzing with excitement. It appeared that Green Sea City was making a substantial investment this time! Including trait crystals? Nothing could be more enticing to them. ¡°Haha, alright, let¡¯s go. Whether you can earn these resources will depend on your performance,¡± Zhao Chen said with a smile. Trait crystals¡­ while the rarest ones might be out of reach, even the ordinary ones would be quite beneficial for novices. The beastmasters chattered excitedly as they followed Zhao Chen to the stadium, discussing the advanced training with the supernatural beings. ¡°Our chairman must be a really impressive person!¡± ¡°He even managed to arrange for supernatural beings as training partners.¡± ¡°Probably borrowed pet beasts from some of his beastmaster friends. Seasoned beastmasters also cultivate ¡®new pets¡¯ that would be perfect for us to train against.¡± The group of beastmasters grew more convinced of Zhao Chen¡¯s immense influence and capabilities! Soon, everyone arrived at the Green Sea Stadium. The scene before them left them in awe. At the center of the stadium stood a woman in a ck silk uniform, presumably the nutritionist that Chairman Zhao Chen mentioned. While her attire was indeed eye-catching, what truly captivated the young beastmasters were the seven supernatural beings surrounding her! There was a giant turtle resembling a ck fortress; A massive golden cricket hovering in mid-air; A colossal red serpent, extending several meters in length with a thick, robust body; A one-eared, ferocious beast known as the ¡®White Tiger¡¯; An ice sparrow standing on an ice-covered ground, resembling a crystalline phoenix; A bipedal lizard, covered in ck scales with imposing red eyes, akin to a monster straight out of a movie¡ªGodzi; And a mysterious ck crow perched on the giant turtle¡¯s shell. Each appeared immensely powerful and highly formidable. As the beastmasters took in the sight of these supernatural beings, some started feeling a sense of familiarity. A few recalled something and spoke up. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that golden cricket the same one that appeared in Maple Park?¡± ¡°And isn¡¯t that the white tiger that helped the police with an investigation?¡± ¡°That crow looks just like the one that was seen in the skies over Green Sea City!¡± The beastmasters suddenly realized that these supernatural beings weren¡¯t borrowed pet beasts from Zhao Chen¡¯s friends. They were, in fact, local entities of Green Sea City¡ª even some of the strongest mutated beasts from the early days of spiritual energy resurgence! But no one was more shocked than Yang Xishuai. Pointing at the sudden death king, he eximed, ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast? How is it here too?!¡± Though it had been on all fours back then and was standing on two legs now, Yang Xishuai could never forget this lizard. It was undoubtedly the same species. His words drew the attention of the nearby beastmasters. Hurriedly, Yang Xishuai exined, ¡°This lizard seems to be the pet beast of a ssmate of mine. We¡¯ve battled before.¡± Seeing the beastmasters so energized, with some even recognizing Lu Ran¡¯s potential pet beast, Zhao Chen smiled and said, ¡°Yes, these powerful mutated beasts are indeed local to Green Sea City.¡± ¡°That red-eyed eagle lizard, indeed, belongs to another fourth-generation beastmaster. He couldn¡¯t attend today due to some special circumstances, but he left his pet beast to serve as your sparring partner.¡± ¡°Hm, he and the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, are considered the two strongest beastmasters in Green Sea City. I hope that one day you all can be as exceptional as they are, or perhaps even surpass them.¡± After Zhao Chen finished speaking, Yang Xishuai and the other beastmasters were once again taken aback. They hadn¡¯t expected Zhao Chen to reveal that the top two fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City were not present. They knew of Fang Lan¡­ But the other one, the ssmate Yang Xishuai referred to as Lu Ran¡­ Who was he? Most of the people present had never heard of him. Was this lizard really his pet beast? To leave one¡¯s pet beast behind for them to spar with, even in one¡¯s absence¡­ Just who was this person? ¡°Caw!!! Are these the ones?!¡± At that moment, the dark crow began squawking with its sharp beak again. ¡°They don¡¯t look like they can fight at all! And they think they can surpass King Lu? No way, absolutely no way!¡± Zhao Chen: ¡­ Damn it, even though Lu Ran had mentioned this crow liked to spout nonsense, I didn¡¯t expect it to start so quickly. I¡¯m just trying to be polite here! What¡¯s the rush? And what¡¯s with calling him King Lu? ¡°Well, it¡¯s gettingte. Each match should be kept under three minutes, so take turns selecting your opponents. Ms. Hua will record your battles and provide training feedback within two days,¡± Zhao Chen instructed. As his words fell, many eyes fixated on the lizard that Zhao Chen mentioned belonged to Lu Ran. If they had to challenge one anyway, those confident in their skills, like Lu Teng, wanted to see what kind of person this Lu Ran truly was¡­ To just leave his pet beast like this. Feeling the intense gazes directed at it, the sudden death king looked utterly confused, not understanding what was going on¡­ Chapter 95: Failed to Pierce the Enemys Armor… Chapter 95: Failed to Pierce the Enemys Armor¡­ ¡°Is there no one?¡± After Zhao Chen¡¯s words, no one spoke for a long time. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head. Young people these days¡­ Even though they have ideas, they tend to neither take the initiative nor refuse. In such cases, it seems listing names is necessary! ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll just call names randomly!¡± Zhao Chen, the old fox, smiled slightly, nning to start with the experts among these people. It seemed everyone¡¯s attention was on Lu Ran¡¯s lizard. Although Zhao Chen didn¡¯t know the strength of that lizard, how could the potential of a prospective pet beast picked by Lu Ran, who ranked first on the divine beast leaderboard, be low?Let these guys understand the gap between themselves and a true master. ¡°First, Lu Teng.¡± Zhao Chen looked at the second name on the list. During the meeting earlier, this name was the loudest. Suchments as ¡°My Teng-Ge will definitely achieve good results and live up to the association¡¯s training!¡± and ¡°My Teng-Ge has champion potential!¡± The early bird gets shot! If the fierce beast handler Lu Teng knew, he would definitely shout injustice, as those words were all spouted by his sycophants and had nothing to do with him. ¡°Oh, oh, here.¡± Lu Teng, hearing his name called, was forced to step out. ¡°Pick an opponent, and don¡¯t worry about the fight. My pet beast has a ¡®healing trait¡¯ fusion, so treating your little skirmishes won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Zhao Chen said, even though he had retired early, he still had the upper hand due to his interpersonal rtionships, acquiring a pile of rare traits. For the post-retirement transition to logistics, most of these traits were healing types. As he spoke, he first took out a contract card, held it between his fingers, and summoned a white goat. This was a pet beast given to him by an old friend, with strong talents, awakened to the upper supernatural species level using an awakening leaf. ¡°Baa~~~¡± The white goat appeared, looking drowsy. ¡°Healing type!¡± Hearing Lu Teng say this, the eyes of the group of fourth-generation beastmasters brightened. Chairman Zhao Chen was indeed extraordinary; the healing trait was quite rare! ¡°Then I¡¯ll choose it¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Lu Teng stepped out from the crowd and looked at the sudden death king. Even though the Sudden Death King among this group of sparring partners looked quite intimidating and wasn¡¯t easy to deal with, Lu Teng, as a graduate in animal science, just happened to be well-acquainted with the Red-eyed Eagle Lizard species. Despite their formidable appearance, they have lowbat desire and timid personalities¡­ Moreover, Lu Teng wanted to see how impressive Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast really was, even though Lu Ran wasn¡¯t present. Although he didn¡¯t say it aloud, Lu Teng felt a bit proud that he had transitioned from a fierce beast handler to a super genius in the field of beast taming. Contracting a lion¡­ that¡¯s not something just anyone can achieve! He would eventually be the most outstanding one! ¡°Ah! Choosing it? Haha! Courting death!¡± At this moment, the Dark Crow spoke up in surprise. ¡°From the beginning, I noticed¡ªhow can that crow talk?¡± Many of the fourth-generation beastmasters were dumbfounded. ¡°Many birds from the starling, raven, and parrot families can learn to speak. It¡¯s normal for them to talk after a supernatural evolution.¡± After all, beastmasters frequently deal with animals, and some of them had a decent knowledge base. While everyone was discussing, the Dark Crow looked at the Sudden Death King and transmitted, ¡°Wow ka baka.¡± It meant that the opponent had chosen you as an adversary, Thunder Dragon General, show them who¡¯s boss! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Sudden Death King had a calm expression but was troubled internally. Sigh, another fight¡­ However, since it was a task left by Lu Ran, which was rted to his future food supply, the Sudden Death King could only walk out step by step, casting a disdainful nce at the opponent, implying that he wasn¡¯t to be trifled with, and hoping the next person wouldn¡¯t choose him. ¡°This crow is extraordinary.¡± Zhao Chen¡¯s gaze flicked towards the Dark Crow. No wonder Lu Ran said that even in his absence, the crow couldmunicate with the mutated beasts; Lu Ran had trained it exceptionally well. Even in a big city, many Beast Taming Associations would undoubtedly fight over it, as what theycked the most right now were interpreters! Green Sea City directly had two! In no time, Lu Teng and the Sudden Death King were standing in the center of the stadium, facing each other. The beastmasters watching were filled with anticipation. Not far away, Ms. Hua, whom Zhao Chen had mentioned, was also preparing to record the battle. She smiled, thinking to herself, ¡°Is this the lizard that ¡®Passerby A¡¯ brought back then? The one that awakened the thunder species? It¡¯s grown so much already.¡± This person was Bixia Shenghua, also known as Shenghua, a colleague of Xiaobailong and the one who discovered the Pig Raiser. When Zhao Chen was transferred from Jinling to Green Sea City to take up a position, the massive Beast Taming Association would certainly not be manned by him alone. Naturally, he brought along some of his core team, with Shenghua being one of them, an old subordinate who followed Zhao Chen from Shanghai to Jinling, and now to Green Sea City. Upon learning about the transfer, Bixia Shenghua had no objections, being one of the few who knew about Passerby A¡¯s true identity as Lu Ran. She was well aware of the benefits of this positional shift. ¡°These youngsters probably still don¡¯t know that this is just one of Lu Ran¡¯s unattached pet beasts. His true trump card is that Sword-holding Dog¡­ If they knew that the other fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City was Passerby A, I wonder what their reactions would be,¡± Shenghua thought mischievously. At this moment, Lu Teng also took out his contract card, holding it between his fingers in a stylish pose. He swiped the card in front of him and said, ¡°Pet beast, summon!¡± Such poses and catchphrases before summoning were quite popr among beastmasters, originating from some short video bloggers who created and taught these styles to ride the beastmaster trend. Surprisingly, it quickly became a nationwide sensation¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± With his summoning, a male lion standing 1.5 meters tall and nearly 4 meters in length appeared, spewing threads of fire from its mouth, causing a shockwave on the scene. A single roar from it intimidated most of the fourth-generation beastmasters present. Rightly known as one of the ¡°Kings of Beasts,¡± along with tigers, this top-tier fierce beast boasted a terrifying physique and an incredible sense of power that no other creature could match. ¡°Roar!!¡± This lion was likely an African lion, with its fur tinged in red due to its fire awakening. Once it appeared, it locked eyes with the Sudden Death King, hot breaths flowing from its mouth. The audience of beastmasters watched with bated breath, the anticipation reaching its peak. ¡°Begin!¡± Zhao Chenmanded. In the next moment¡­ ¡°methrower!¡± To gauge the Sudden Death King¡¯s strength and show off a little, Lu Teng cleverly chose to have the me Lion use a release-type skill instead of a close-quarters attack. Whoosh! Upon receiving themand, the me Lion¡¯s fur stood on end as it opened its massive mouth. Fire began to gather in its maw, and with an explosive heat wave, a colossal fireball was hurled at the Sudden Death King! The fire illuminated the surroundings. ¡°Awesome! So that¡¯s a ¡®skill¡¯!¡± Many of the fourth-generation beastmasters couldn¡¯t help but express envy as they saw Lu Teng and his lion skillfully use a release-type skill. It was much cooler than mere w and teethbat. Boom! Boom! Boom! The mes engulfed the area, and people expected the lizard to either counterattack or dodge. However, it just stood there as if paralyzed by fear, not moving an inch. The inferno swallowed the Sudden Death King, leaving many confused and bewildered. But in the next moment, Lu Teng and the crowd¡¯s expressions changed. When the fire dissipated, the Red-eyed Eagle Lizard stood there, unscathed and with the same indifferent look! It didn¡¯t even¡­ break through its defense? ¡°Damn! I knew it!¡± Yang Xishuai eximed from the crowd. He remembered being unable to breach the lizard¡¯s defenses during their battle. What kind of defense was this? How was it trained? He could ept that his cricket couldn¡¯t harm it, but even the me Lion¡¯s methrower didn¡¯t work? Currently, the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense wasn¡¯t just tough to crack. It had an inherent defensive talent, and ever since its thunder awakening, it followed General Ha, enhancing its scales and ws by consuming the Heart of the Bug. Further treated with the rare resource Dragon Blood Crystal, its development was far beyond what the neers in Green Sea City couldprehend. ¡°Keep going!¡± Lu Teng, not willing to ept defeat, ordered. The me Lionunched another me attack at the Sudden Death King. When the mes died down, the Sudden Death King still stood there unfazed, without even a burn mark. Lu Teng, the me Lion: ??? ¡°What a terrifying attack¡­¡± At that moment, a sarcastic remark surfaced from somewhere, causing Lu Teng¡¯s veins to bulge in anger. He looked around and saw that it was that crow again. ¡°I¡¯m just the trantor, don¡¯t mind me¡­¡± said the Dark Crow. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King¡¯s thoughts were indeed along those lines, but its ¡°What a terrifying attack¡­¡± remark was more of a taunt. It seemed to be questioning why anyone would choose it as an opponent¡ªwhy not pick the Ice Bird or the Fire Snake instead? To discourage these challengers, it hadn¡¯t even activated its Thunder Spike Armor yet. The Sudden Death King was now a battle-hardened veteran. From the temperature and shape of the mes earlier, it had already assessed that the me Lion¡¯s fire was not as powerful as the Fire Snake General¡¯s. Knowing it couldn¡¯t be harmed, it simply relied on its scales to withstand the attack. However, to really showcase its strength and make sure these challengers understood not to pick it as an opponent, the Sudden Death King decided to demonstrate what true despair looked like after unting its defensive prowess. Suddenly, its entire body surged with electricity. Blue and white currents flowed through its ck scales. In an instant, it was armored with a thick, intimidatingyer of Thunder Armor, studded with protruding spikes and fully covering its body. This wasn¡¯t merely energy ovey¡ªit was energy shaping! ¡°What the hell! Thunder attribute?¡± Lu Teng was freaked out, unable toprehend what he was witnessing. ¡°It¡¯s actually thunder attribute!¡± Everyone had originally assumed the Sudden Death King possessed a rock-type attribute due to its robust defense. But now, seeing it d in Thunder Armor, they realized it actually belonged to the thunder attribute, known for its devastating power! ¡°It¡¯s over. Lu Teng¡¯s me Lion can¡¯t even breach its physical defense, and now it¡¯s wearing Thunder Armor. How¡¯s he supposed to fight that? Especially since thunder attribute is famous for its offensive power, meaning that lizard hasn¡¯t even started attacking yet!¡± In this moment, people started to believe Zhao Chen when he spoke of Lu Ran¡¯s formidable strength. ¡°Yng, what do you think?¡± Among the fourth-generation beastmasters, a female college student asked Lu Yng, who wore sses and was more low-keypared to Lu Teng. ¡°I don¡¯t have much of an opinion, but the Border Collie in my contract card seems to suggest it doesn¡¯t want to fight that thing¡­¡± Lu Yng adjusted his sses. ¡°It¡¯s smarter than me. I¡¯ll trust it and pick a different opponent when the timees.¡± At this point, Lu Teng found himself in a predicament. But it was even more frustrating when, just as he anticipated the lizard to go berserk and attack, it¡­ didn¡¯t move! What does this mean? Is it waiting for them to take the initiative to attack? Even if the red-eyed eagle lizard wasn¡¯t overtly aggressive, this level of passivity was baffling! However, Lu Teng didn¡¯t grasp the Sudden Death King¡¯s battle philosophy¡ªactively attacking would only reveal its weaknesses. Fullymitting to defending against the enemy¡¯s strikes ensured its invincibility status! ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King maintained its defensive stance. ¡°Damn it, me w!¡± Feeling the countless eyes on him, Lu Teng couldn¡¯t hold out any longer. Hemanded the me Lion to attack. This time, the me Lion ignited mes on its limbs, and its ws became enveloped in a red glow. It then lunged at the Sudden Death King, intending to use thebined power of fire and its sharp ws to inflict damage. ¡°Roar!!!¡± In an instant, the me Lion closed in and shed at the Sudden Death King¡¯s body¡­ more urately, at its Thunder Spike Armor. The intery of electricity and fire caused an explosive reaction. The me Lion¡¯s w was hit by searing pain, followed by a terrifying current coursing through its body. Crackling. In the next moment, sparks shed across the me Lion, and it copsed, twitching with a bewildered expression, smoke trailing from its mouth and its fur singed. Meanwhile, the Sudden Death King remained as calm as ever, standing still without having made a single move. ¡°What a pity, just a bit off¡­¡± The Dark Crow cackled with a mocking tone. ¡°Alright, next one. Lu Teng, right? Next time you face a thunder attribute opponent, avoid rash close-quarters attacks,¡± Zhao Chen advised. As expected, though Lu Teng was gifted, he still fell shortpared to a beastmaster like Lu Ran. The level of pet beast training was simply leagues apart. ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Teng felt aggrieved but had no words. What could he do if the opponent didn¡¯t even move? The me Lion¡¯s stamina wasn¡¯t enough to support multiple releases of mes. ¡°That defense is indeed strong,¡± Zhao Chen remarked as he looked at the Sudden Death King with an astonished expression. With that said, Zhao Chen wanted to save time and continued, ¡°Alright, next up, Lu Yng. Your opponent will still be Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast. Feel free to attack it.¡± Everyone was stunned: !!! What the heck, how are they supposed to fight this thing, which is practically an invincible boss? They all stared at the Sudden Death King in a daze. ¡°Chairman is wise!¡± At this moment, the Dark Crow chimed in jovially, exining to One-eared and the Sudden Death King what Zhao Chen meant. Hearing this, the Sudden Death King, which had expected to be done, had a huge question mark hovering over its head¡­ Why, why is it still me? Little did it know, Lu Ran had specially asked Zhao Chen to give it this ¡°special treatment.¡± When energy collides with energy, different attributes produce different reactions¡ªlike explosions from the intery of fire and electricity. These explosions can destabilize the shaping of the Thunder Armor. Facing attacks of dozens of different attributes every day for over a month now, the Sudden Death King would, to some extent, stabilize and reinforce its Thunder Spike Armor, gaining valuable defensive experience against various attributes. To train his pet beast, Lu Ran had put in a considerable amount of thought and effort¡­ Chapter 96: Lu Rans Fully Strengthened Squad Chapter 96: Lu Rans Fully Strengthened Squad While the Sudden Death King was ¡°battling¡± the crowd, No one noticed that there were two people watching from the roof of the stadium. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the training camp? I heard the chairman brought quite a few resources from Jinling.¡± Lu Ran was sitting high up, resting his face in his hands, looking drowsy as he watched the Sudden Death King fight. Standing behind him, Fang Lan shook her head. ¡°I feel this kind of training is very inefficient. Compared to uniform training, I prefer self-study or one-on-one instruction from a renowned teacher.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. When the timees, I want to enter the breakthrough secret realm too, and aim to be a level 1 beastmaster by the time the Freshman Tournament starts,¡± Fang Lan resolved. Even though in such a nationalpetition, ranking within the top 1000 was already an de for the most talented prodigies. To rank in the top 1000, it wasn¡¯t necessarily required to be a level 1 beastmaster.However, Fang Lan decided to aim for a higher ranking, like the top 100, or even the top 50. At that level, the difference between an apprentice and a level 1 beastmaster would be apparent. ¡°I just wonder if we can be assigned to the same secret realm¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. He wasn¡¯t worried about Fang Lan¡¯s safety. In the breakthrough secret realms, the higher the beastmaster¡¯s level, the higher the risk. The breakthrough secret realms for beginners, ording to records, weren¡¯t that daunting. ¡°Please no!¡± Fang Lan eximed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in the same secret realm as you. I¡¯ll wait for you to enter first, then I¡¯ll go in.¡± The breakthrough secret realms assign multiple people randomly to the same secret realm toplete tasks. However, even though they¡¯re multiple people, they aren¡¯t exactly teammates, but ratherpetitors! If, for instance, 10 novice beastmasters enter a breakthrough secret realm, the slots avable for promotion to level 1 beastmaster are limited. There might be one spot, or two, or three. When the timees, it will depend on how well those who enteredplete their tasks for them to be selected. Generally speaking, in such scenarios, the tasks taken by different beastmasters are typically from opposing factions. Thus, it¡¯s not just PVE, but also has a PVP aspect! So, it made sense for Fang Lan to say she didn¡¯t want to be matched with Lu Ran in the same secret realm. With limited breakthrough slots, running into Lu Ran would be extremely unlucky. She definitely didn¡¯t want to face Lu Ran; having ventured into secret realms with him many times, she had a clear understanding of General Ha¡¯s strength. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m getting more and more excited. It¡¯s a pity there are so many beastmasters in the country now.¡± ¡°I heard from veteran beastmasters on the forum that back when there were fewer beastmasters, they couldn¡¯t even find enough people to match in a breakthrough secret realm. When they did, it was mostly foreign beastmasters, and that was thrilling.¡± Lu Ran stretchedzily. ¡°You¡¯re confident because you have the strength¡­ but overconfidence can lead to mistakes.¡± Fang Lan shook her head. ¡°Let¡¯s not watch anymore. Come on, let¡¯s go to my ce.¡± Then she said, ¡°I¡¯ve prepared everything for the ¡®Misty Wends¡¯ secret realm. Let me take you through the strategy. Can we challenge it tomorrow?¡± ¡°Sure, you think we¡¯re all set? Me and General Ha certainly don¡¯t want to get poisoned in the secret realm.¡± Lu Ran looked at Fang Lan. ¡°Hmph, with me around, it¡¯ll be hard for you to get poisoned.¡± Fang Lan had been looking forward to the poison enhancement skill and Toxin Healer trait for a long time. With these two abilities, she wouldn¡¯t worry about not making it through any breakthrough secret realm. ¡­ While the Sudden Death King was about to start a grueling 40-day training session, Lu Ran and his team embarked on another journey into a secret realm. That day, Lu Ran¡¯s fully prepared squad began their challenge of the Misty Wends secret realm. Their target: the Toxin Healer trait crystal and the poison enhancement skill. Team configuration: Passerby A, Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Pig Raiser, and Road Ahead Icy. Due to the wend environment being quite humid, Lu Bing, who had a contract with an ice wolf dog, was obviously more suitable as a teammate. In contrast, Lu Yi, with his thunder mastiff contract, had a high chance of bing a liability. Lu Ran had no choice but to kick him out of the team to avoid increasing the difficulty of the challenge. It was definitely not because he thought Lu Yi looked unlucky. Thanks to Fang Lan¡¯s thorough preparation, their journey in the Misty Wends secret realm went smoothly, and they passed on their first try with an SS rating. Perhaps because it had been a long time since a trait crystal had appeared in the Lava Lake secret realm, this time they only took three attempts in the Misty Wends secret realm to acquire both the poison enhancement skill and the Toxin Healer trait crystal. ¡°Thank you, everyone!!!¡± ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you. Dinner¡¯s on me tonight.¡± Fang Lan was exceptionally excited after getting the skill card and trait crystal. ¡°Congrattions, congrattions!¡± Lu Bing congratted Fang Lan with an envious look. She felt that Lu Ran was really good to Fang Lan, taking them to the Misty Wends secret realm three times in one day. What was their rtionship, exactly? At this moment, Lu Bing and Pig Raiser still didn¡¯t know that Fang Lan¡¯s parents were also Lu Ran¡¯s foster parents. ¡°Now you¡¯re unstoppable!¡± Pig Raiser thought that Fang Lan would be even more terrifying next. The daxia wolf spider¡¯s poison was already fearsome, and with the beastmaster¡¯s poison enhancement skill, it would be even more formidable. Most importantly, the Toxin Healer trait! ording to Fang Lan, after merging with the Toxin Healer trait, her daxia wolf spider would gain healing abilities. Then, it could learn the energypression skill! In other words, poison energypression! Oncepressed, the skill¡¯s toxicity would be even more terrifying. And because the daxia wolf spider had the Toxin Healer trait, it could somewhat self-heal and detoxify from bacsh, making it even more invincible. Of course, Lu Bing and Pig Raiser felt that Fang Lan¡¯s most terrifying aspect wasn¡¯t her pet beast, the daxia wolf spider, but Fang Lan herself. Fang Lan also had a crossbow that she could coat with various types of poison, often disying overwhelming power in the secret realm, even being able to specifically target and poison different prey. Lu Ran¡¯s use of a crossbow to hunt the Demon Bull Commander was also inspired by Fang Lan. With the Toxin Healer trait, Fang Lan could now boldly research different poisons. ¡°Thanks for your hard work today.¡± Having resolved Fang Lan¡¯s resource needs, Lu Ran was in a good mood and said with a smile, ¡°Everyone, take a rest for now. You go and merge with the trait. I¡¯m heading to the za to buy some resources. Let¡¯s meet up tonight.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Fang Lan nodded. ¡°See you tonight.¡± Lu Bing and Pig Raiser agreed. Soon, the four-member team that hadpleted their tasks for the day dispersed. Fang Lan went to merge with the trait, while Lu Ran nned to check out loong-type resources for the Sudden Death King. It was unfortunate that the Red Lightning trait couldn¡¯t be merged before forming a contract. ording to Dr. Gu, the Sudden Death King¡¯s diet should be primarily loong-type resources. Previously, due to ack of funds, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t dared to look, as loong-type resources were prohibitively expensive. Over the next ten days, his crystal coins would increase, so it was time to take a look. The Sudden Death King¡¯s performance in protecting him had made Lu Ran more willing to invest heavily in it. Beastmaster Square. Lu Ran made his way to the resource shop where he had previously bought dog food. Walking up to the self-service counter, Lu Ran pondered for a moment. Loong-type resources didn¡¯te in ordinary levels; the lowest quality was at the advanced level. Lu Ran searched for advanced ones and found himself wincing. [Name]: Dragon Fish Meat [Level]: Advanced [Introduction]: The meat of a dragon fish with the potential to evolve into a flood dragon. Consuming it can increase vitality. [Price]: 1000 crystal coins ¡°Are you kidding me? This is daylight robbery!¡± Lu Ran let out a string ofints, much like Pig Raiser had done before, expressing his frustration. To put it in perspective, General Ha¡¯s rare dog food contained a day¡¯s worth of beast meat, poultry, vegetables, and fruits, totaling just over 2000 crystal coins. And here, one fish costs a whopping 1000 crystal coins. Apparently, avoiding this earlier had been a wise choice. Lu Ran turned to look at the rare resources. [Name]: Dragon Blood Snake Gall [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: The gall of a snake-like creature containing a trace of dragon blood. Consuming it can significantly enhance energy intensity, improve physical constitution, and provide excellent poison resistance. [Price]: 12000 crystal coins ¡°Great, the cheapest loong-type rare resource is over 10,000 crystal coins.¡± Lu Ran sighed as he nced at his bnce, which was nearly 140,000. This dragon blood snake gall seemed pretty good. For Sudden Death King to achieve absolute defense, it needed more than physical strength and energy intensity; poison resistance was also crucial. After all, poison was one of the trickiest attributes to defend against. Buying two or three of these could indeed supplement Sudden Death King¡¯s poison resistance. Lastly, considering Sudden Death King¡¯s attributes, Lu Ran continued to search and found another resource. [Name]: Dragon Turtle Meat [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: The meat of a turtle-like creature containing a trace of dragon blood. Consuming it can significantly increase vitality, energy intensity, and scale strength. [Price]: 15000 crystal coins ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with these two.¡± In the end, Lu Ran decided on the dragon blood snake gall and dragon turtle meat, nning to use these two resources primarily for strengthening Sudden Death King. Of course, given the exorbitant price of loong-type resources, he couldn¡¯t feed them to Sudden Death King as regr food. Its daily diet would still need to consist mainly of advanced-level food, and Lu Ran intended to rely on the Green Sea Association for that. He nned to ask Zhao Chen to prepare some advanced loong-type meat for Sudden Death King every day. After 40 days, this would amount to an estimated value of about 100,000 crystal coins, effectively serving aspensation for the time Sudden Death King spent training. Although it sounded like a lot, Zhao Chen would likely be more than happy to invest in Lu Ran. As for rare resources, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t pressure the Green Sea Association too much on that front. Otherwise, Sudden Death King alone could deplete the resources intended to develop the beastmaster freshman talent of an entire city. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t monopolize it all. Instead, Lu Ran decided to personally purchase 3 dragon blood snake galls and 3 dragon turtle meats for Sudden Death King. He nned to use one every so often to enhance its capabilities, which would cost around 80,000 crystal coins. Paired with advanced food, he was confident that Sudden Death King would reach level 20! However, he also needed Zhao Chen to monitor its growth carefully to avoid surpassing level 20; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to form a contract with it. A level 1 beastmaster could only contract with creatures ranging from level 1 to level 20. He was banking on Sudden Death King to excel in the Freshman Tournament. With the remaining crystal coins and what he would earn over the next 10 days, Lu Ran needed to focus on General Ha and himself. After all, their primary objective was still the breakthrough secret realm. For General Ha, Lu Ran nned to prioritize preparing rare dog food. The dog food he prepared for General Ha was a low-end version, as it needed to be consumed daily, and he couldn¡¯t afford anything too expensive. This dog food mainly aimed to boost wind energy intensity and physical strength, essentially making it food that would quickly elevate growth levels, with the goal of making General Ha level up faster. Currently, there were 9 portions of rare dog food left. Lu Ran replenished it by adding 21 more portions and bought the dragon blood snake gall and dragon turtle meat. With that, his crystal coin stash hit rock bottom once again. ¡°In the next 10 days, I¡¯ll use the crystal coins I earn to continue stocking up on General Ha¡¯s food. We need to stay in the breakthrough secret realm for 30 days, so we can¡¯t afford to run out of food. One portion per day, so we need to prepare enough for at least 60 days to avoid any unexpected situations.¡± Regarding specialized resources for General Ha¡¯s enhancement, Lu Ran hade up with a solution. This resource was beneficial not just for General Ha but also for himself, emphasizing human-pet synchronization. [Name]: Lucid Fruit [Level]: Rare-level [Introduction]: Consuming it allows the user to have a clear mind for a period of time, increasing learning ability andprehension. [Price]: 10,000 crystal coins This resource was primarily used to help some pet beasts learn skills. Its effectiveness was actually not that great, making its cost performance quite low. When Lu Ran browsed the forum, he saw feedback from numerous previous-generation beastmasters who gave it to their pet beasts with little to no results. It was often wasted¡­ After all, abilities like learning andprehension are quite elusive and intangible. For pet beasts with low intelligence, even boosting their learning andprehension abilities didn¡¯t result in significant improvement. However, beastmasters with primate pet beasts saw decent results with this resource. In summary, the higher theprehension, learning ability, and intelligence of the pet beast, the better the results when using this fruit. Moreover, it also had miraculous effects for beastmasters learning or developing beast taming skills, or studying various knowledge. General Ha already had strong learning capabilities, so Lu Ran nned to focus on targeted enhancement in this area. Unlike Sudden Death King, General Ha followed more of a technical path¡­ Of course, it also had elements of brute strength. Pairing the divine deer pendant with General Ha to train energypression was Lu Ran¡¯s ultimate strategy. Additionally, Lu Ran intended to temporarily immerse himself in various beast taming knowledge. Considering he still hadn¡¯t fully grasped Blizzard Sword Intent, he felt that, like General Ha, he could use some external assistance as well. Therefore, the lucid fruit was the best choice. ¡­¡­ After finishing his shopping, Lu Ran prepared to head back. However, just as he was passing Beastmaster Square, his identity card¡¯smunication feature prompted a notification. Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: [Lu Ran! It sessfully fused, and its species talent has awakened! It¡¯s a perfect fusion!! The new species name is Toxin Healer Spider. Because its traits are mainly supportive, it¡¯s still ssified as an upper supernatural species, with only a small improvement. However, its constitution and toxicity have significantly enhanced. Using the words of a big shot on the forum, it has gone from an ordinary upper supernatural species to a quasimander species. But that¡¯s not the main point. Listen to me, its species talent is very strong andpletely allows it to exceed species boundaries in battle! The species talent is also called ¡®Toxin Heal.¡¯ The effect is that each time it gets poisoned and then recovers, it permanently increases its own toxicity. Although it¡¯s difficult to poison it, with the entire Green Sea City¡¯s toxins as our resource pool, I feel I can always concoct a poison strong enough to affect it. Pairing this with its species talent, I believe its toxicity can be ramped up to terrifying levels quickly!] Lu Ran read the message and was slightly stunned. He immediately replied: [Take it easy, don¡¯t poison it to death. We don¡¯t need it bing the first poison pet beast killed by its own beastmaster.] Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: [Come on! I know what I¡¯m doing; I¡¯ll test the toxicity thoroughly beforehand.] Lu Ran didn¡¯t understand much about this, so he refrained from asking more. Judging by Fang Lan¡¯s excitement, she was very pleased with this talent. As for the poisoning, if something went wrong, they could always have Dr. Gu send over a death revival skill card to turn it into an Undead Toxin Spider. Toxin Heal talent, huh¡­ It reminds me of the Red Lightning¡¯s regr effect. The Red Lightning trait enhances body strength when hit by electricity. Just wonder what kind of species talent Sudden Death King might awaken after merging with Red Lightning¡­ ¡­¡­ In the next few days. Lu Ran continued to lead his team into the secret realm as usual. After Fang Lan received full enhancement, it took her only three days to climb to the fifth spot on the Infinite City No.3 divine beast leaderboard, shocking many people. Lu Ran and the others witnessed firsthand how the Daxia Wolf Spider¡¯s toxicity gradually increased. Unfortunately, it hadn¡¯t yet learned the energypression technique. Otherwise, paired with the Toxin Heal trait, its strength could certainly be elevated to a higher level. Besides Fang Lan, Lu Ran also helped Pig Raiser unlock the rock enhancement skill and rock devouring trait. Pig Raiser¡¯s pet beast, Dahuang, also awakened its species talent, Big Eater. This talent increased its appetite, causing Pig Raiser toment repeatedly. Heaven bear witness, he wanted his pet beast to fuse with rock devouring to save on food costs. Awakening a Big Eater talent¡ªwhat did that mean??? He felt betrayed by his pet beast. However, to be fair, paired with the Big Eater talent, if enough quality rocks were provided as resources for the Rock Boar to consume, its strength could also progress rapidly. Ultimately, aside from spending money, another path was to frequently enter secret realms with mountains and rocks, to feed from the natural resources there. Additionally, Lu Ran gradually helped Lu Bing obtain the ice enhancement skill and perpetual frost trait. He also helped Lu Yi unlock the thunder enhancement skill and the Golden Lightning trait, just like Pluto¡¯s. Lu Bing¡¯s pet beast awakened the species talent, Non-Melting Ice, giving its ice formidable resistance against fire. Lu Yi¡¯s mastiff awakened the species talent, Paralysis Immunity, making it immune to thunder-based paralysis effects. Inparison, Lu Ran increasingly felt the strength of General Ha¡¯s King of Swords talent. No wonder Dr. Gu was so astonished at the time; she said it was one of the top-tier talents. Over the past ten days, Lu Ran could say that he single-handedly strengthened Pig Raiser and the two from LuJia Vige to a certain level. However, due to their weaker foundations, they hadn¡¯t yet achieved a breakthrough like Fang Lan, who fused a trait and sessfully made it onto the divine beast leaderboard. But even without making the leaderboard, theirbat power in Infinite City No.3 should be in the top 100. In return, having received so many benefits from Lu Ran, any other resources they found over these days were turned over to him. They even felt indebted to Lu Ran, considering that although the number of resources was vast, they still didn¡¯tpare in value to trait crystals. But Lu Ran didn¡¯t mind. Solo farming might not haveted him this much. Now, not only had he cultivated a batch of top fighters, but he also hadn¡¯t significantly depleted his stock of crystal coins. He wasn¡¯t greedy about it. Pig Raiser, along with Lu Bing and Lu Yi, didn¡¯t n to enter the breakthrough secret realm too early. Currently, Lu Bing and Lu Yi are considered the two strongest fourth-generation beastmasters from LuJia Vige. They¡¯re nning to leverage their current dominance over the novice secret realm to emte Lu Ran¡¯s strength. They aim to bring up the other beastmasters from their vige by challenging the secret realms for a few months. As they put it, they want to grow and strengthen the LuJia Vige guild. By doing so, they hope the entire vige¡¯s collective power can support Lu Ran more effectively. After all, without Lu Ran, they wouldn¡¯t have grown so strong so quickly. As for Pig Raiser, he ns to spend a few more months feasting in the novice secret realm. After getting to know Lu Bing and Lu Yi, he also decided to team up with the beastmasters from LuJia Vige. With this arrangement, the only ones about to challenge the breakthrough secret realm were Lu Ran and Fang Lan. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re entering the breakthrough secret realm tomorrow morning?¡± Fang Lan contacted Lu Rante at night to confirm his ns. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°I just got some insider information. Quite a few formidable novice beastmasters are also entering the breakthrough secret realm around these days. This means your chances of matching up against tough opponents have significantly increased!¡± Apparently, not just Lu Ran and Fang Lan were nning to enter the breakthrough secret realm around the same time as the start of beast taming university; many others seemed to be doing the same! ¡°Not worried,¡± Lu Ran said confidently. In the living room, Lu Ran watched General Ha wobble while standing atop the Ice Sky Greatsword, practicing his aerial sword flight. ¡°Anyone who encounters me is out of luck. Damn it, General Ha, steady yourself! Don¡¯t crash into the TV!!!¡± Chapter 97: The Choice Before the Breakthrough Chapter 97: The Choice Before the Breakthrough Lu Ran hung up the phone and fixed his gaze on General Ha. If it dared to crash into the TV, one of them¡ªhim or General Ha¡ªwould have to be out of this house for good today! ¡°Woof~¡± General Ha came to an abrupt stop, wary of getting too rambunctious indoors. It stuck out its tongue at Boss Lu, signaling for him to rx. It still had some sense of measure, after all. ¡°I hope you do¡­¡± Lu Ran muttered, lips pursed. After ten days, General Ha finally managed to achieve basic control over energy release. Now, making sword qi turn a corner or raising the roar of the wind upwards was rtively easy for it.This significantly increased its skill uracy. However, wrapping wind energy around objects and then controlling those objects to fly was still quite challenging and could end in disaster if not handled properly! In other words, the sword control technique that Lu Ran had been yearning for was still pretty rudimentary¡ªfar from being viable in actualbat. From his research, wind attribute energy maniption was actually among the easiest to control for flight. After all, wind inherently carried the flight attribute; if you tried to make earth or rock-based attributes control objects to fly, the difficulty increased substantially. Only mental attribute¡¯s telekinesis was easier than that of the wind attribute. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry though. At least they were seeing the shadow of the sword control technique. With more practice, General Ha would master it eventually. Naturally, they had spent a lot of lucid fruits on General Ha over these ten days. Its growth wasn¡¯t limited to just energy release control techniques. Its energypression skill had also finally made a breakthrough. This achievement owed much to their daily trips to the training secret realm. shing at multiple BOSSes with storm sh ten times in a day honed General Ha¡¯s energypression skill to an impressive degree. Moreover, General Ha wasn¡¯t afraid of self-damage during its relentless attempts after returning to the training secret realm. These efforts led to a qualitative change in its energypression skill, making it capable ofpressing energy up to twenty times. Currently, General Ha couldpress energy up to eleven times. While that may seem like a minor improvement, the additional energypressed into its original skill provided an incredible boost¡ªnot just a mere ten percent increase in power. General Ha had almost gotten used to ten times energypression. However, now with the eleven times storm sh, the strength of itsmander species teeth was nowhere near enough to handle it. Every time it used it, its teeth felt like they had been hit by a bomb¡ªutterly miserable. No wonder energypression is considered to be the most dangerous energy technique to practice. Currently, among the four advanced energy techniques, General Ha was only still at the first stage of energy flow. Typically, energy flow is about making the energy enveloping the body move at high speed, thereby creating stronger offense, defense, and agility. Advanced energy flow, however, is not limited to external use. It involves a holistic approach by circting energy within the body, which has effects simr to nurturing the body, enhancing not just attack and defense but overall agility as well. When mastered, this technique not only avoids wasting much energy but also bes a method for energy recovery. It speeds up the natural recovery rate of the pet beast¡¯s energy, almost as if the inner strength regenerates rapidly by itself, like in the legendary ¡°Nine Yang Divine Skill.¡± Lu Ran regretted that General Ha couldn¡¯t grasp all four advanced energy techniques¡¯ second stages before entering the breakthrough secret realm. However, having mastered three of them at merely level 10 was already an impressive foundation that few pet beasts could match. ¡°The most important thing is¡­ I have also sessfully mastered the Blizzard Sword Intent through the super beast mimicry technique!¡± Boss Lu wore a satisfied smile on the sofa, feeling his hard efforts over the past days had paid off. He now realized more than ever that super beast mimicry was indeed a great skill. His decision to learn it had absolutely been the right one. However, there was still some gap between his Blizzard Sword Intent and General Ha¡¯s. General Ha¡¯s Blizzard Sword Intent could directly imbue attacks with a freezing effect, even capable of freezing over the sea. In contrast, due tocking inherent attribute energy, Lu Ran had to wield an ordinary sword, which didn¡¯t boast such dramatic effects. At best, he could make his enemies feel as if their spirits were plunged into an icy abyss. At his fanciest, he might use the Blizzard Sword Intent to slice fruit and keep it naturally refrigerated¡ªwhat augh. Now, not only was it the ¡°air-conditioning sword intent¡± that General Ha joked about, but it also became the ¡°refrigerator sword intent.¡± This made Lu Ran even more eager to learn a beast taming skill that could harness his pet beast¡¯s attribute energy. Whether it was to enhance super beast mimicry or for the future of fire forging¡­ That evening, Lu Ran received quite a few phone calls. It seemed everyone knew he was about to enter the breakthrough secret realm and called to offer their well-wishes. A call from the busy Dr. Gu was one of them. Lu Ran assumed she would simply inquire about his ns for the breakthrough secret realm but to his surprise, she brought some big news. ¡°Lu Ran!¡± On the other end of the line, Gu Qingyi¡¯s cheerful voice came through. ¡°I finally managed to track down the guild leader after searching for several days,¡± she exined. ¡°I told him about your situation.¡± ¡°He¡¯s assigned me the task of researching necromancy. Given that, I¡¯ve decided to personally contract and train a necromancy-type pet beast.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran asked in astonishment, ¡°So, does that mean those death revival skill cards are now your responsibility?¡± Gu Qingyi confirmed, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct. But since necromancy is mainly viewed as an evil attribute and isn¡¯t epted by the public, our research into necromancy, along with the cultivation of necromancy pet beasts and the training of necromancers, will have to be done in secret.¡± ¡°Actually, I share your mother¡¯s perspective¡ªthe attribute itself has no inherent good or evil.¡± ¡°Three years ago when I became a beastmaster, I witnessed countless beastmasters form deep bonds with their pet beasts during battles. They fell into despair when their pet beasts died and eventually chose to abandon the upation of beastmaster altogether.¡± ¡°If necromancy can be poprized and perfected without side effects such as memory gaps, it might truly revolutionize the field of beast taming.¡± ¡°Exactly, that¡¯s what I think too!¡± Lu Ran nodded. The mostpelling aspect of necromancy for him was this very potential. If possible, no one wishes to face death. But idents happen, and they¡¯re unavoidable. In such cases, necromancy offers a lifeline¡ªa second chance for many beastmasters. Many people were enticed by The Other Shore and agreed to join them for this very reason. ¡°While researching necromancy, I n to establish a domestic version of ¡®The Other Shore,¡¯ using death revival skill cards. Through contract cards, we¡¯ll be able to turn pet beasts that have died within 24 hours into necromancy beasts. The initial candidates will be beastmasters who have lost their pet beasts unexpectedly in a secret realm yet show promising talent and character,¡± Gu Qingyi borated. ¡°If I find such beastmasters, I¡¯ll contact them immediately.¡± ¡°Would you like to join us?¡± ¡°As the provider of the undead resurrection skill, whether or not necromancy bes widespread in the future, you¡¯ll have made significant contributions. I can make you my deputy,¡± she offered with a smile. ¡°I also discussed rewards for you with the guild leader, and he left it up to my discretion.¡± ¡°I thought about it, and what you seem tock most right now are crystal coins.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Lu Ran admitted with a wry smile. The crystal coins he had earned over the past few days were nearly depleted after purchasing rare-quality dog food and some lucid fruits. He was now on the brink of entering the breakthrough secret realm, having spent almost everything he could. He was hoping the breakthrough secret realm would be a lucrative endeavor. Like novice secret realms, the breakthrough secret realms of each level offered more substantial rewardspared to ordinary secret realms, and Lu Ran was quite excited about it. ¡°But even with crystal coins, some resources are hard toe by. So here¡¯s the deal: forget about paying me back the little you owe me, and I¡¯ll give you three additional resources,¡± Gu Qingyi proposed. ¡°Whatever trait crystals or beast taming skills that currently drop from abyssal difficulty secret realms, you can choose three.¡± ¡°No matter which secret realm level they drop from, I¡¯ll make sure you get them before you exit the breakthrough secret realm, so you can have full power as a level 1 beastmaster.¡± ¡°This way, your performance in the Freshman Tournament should also improve.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s face lit up with joy. He had been agonizing over choosing the second traits for General Ha and the sudden death king, as well as his own second skill! For General Ha and the sudden death king, it was because rare traits couldn¡¯t be obtained directly from novice secret realms, and buying them was too expensive and none were avable. As for himself, although he had the death revival skill card, Lu Ran had nned to wait until he encountered the quasi-necromancy pet beast that Manager Ying mentioned before learning it. For his second skill, he wanted to focus on auxiliary forging skills first. These things would take too long to gather on his own, so if Dr. Gu could help, it would be fantastic. ¡°Of course it¡¯s true,¡± Gu Qingyi confirmed. ¡°So, do you have any traits in mind?¡± Lu Ran responded quickly, ¡°Well then, I won¡¯t hold back¡­ I want that Overlord Body trait you mentioned earlier, the one that can reduce damage.¡± This was intended for the sudden death king. The Red Lightning trait enhanced the body as it grew, while the Overlord Body trait would further magnify the advantages of a strong physique. With thebination of these traits, Lu Ran felt even General Ha would struggle significantly to break through the sudden death king¡¯s defenses. ¡°No problem,¡± Gu Qingyi agreed. ¡°This trait is for the red-eyed eagle lizard, right? What about the second trait for Erha? Have you thought about it?¡± she asked. ¡°I have,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I want the Nature Control trait.¡± On the other end, Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t need to think twice. ¡°Sure, no problem¡­ but why this particr trait?¡± Nature Control was one of the top-tier traits avable. Its effect allowed a pet beast to harness natural energy corresponding to its own attribute, in addition to the energy generated within its own body. ¡°General Ha¡¯s species talent is the king of swords, and it can enhance the species by using swords condensed from its own energy.¡± ¡°But condensing a high-quality sword of wind with its own energy is too exhausting.¡± ¡°If it could draw upon the wind force in nature to condense a high-quality sword of wind, it would be much less taxing.¡± ¡°Besides¡­ my biggest headache right now is General Ha¡¯sck of stamina. It¡¯s quite perceptive and has learned numerous advanced skills, but using such skills even two or three times at its level leaves it drained.¡± ¡°If it had the Nature Control trait, it could partially use natural force for its skills. Then, it could unleash big moves without worrying about running out of energy!¡± Lu Ran had thought it through. Combining the healing from the divine deer pendant with the sustained power from Nature Control would allow for infinite energypression techniques¡ªessentially unlimited big moves. Who could withstand that? This would give him the edge to tackle the abyss secret realm at level 1! This was definitely the trait. ¡°I see¡­¡± Gu Qingyi found it reasonable. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make sure to get it for you.¡± ¡°And anything else?¡± she inquired. ¡°In that case¡­ could I get a fusion skill book?¡± Lu Ran asked tentatively. Chapter 98: The Tricky Breakthrough Secret Realm Chapter 98: The Tricky Breakthrough Secret Realm Lu Ran pondered for a long time and still felt that the Fusion Skill suited him best. When the timees, he could contract a fire pet beast. Not only could he use its me abilities through fusion, but the Fusion Skill could also aid in training his super beast mimicry. I mean, if Ipletely merge with my pet beast, bing one entity, my mimicry should be pretty convincing, right? The proficiency in super beast mimicry just has to soar. ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll have everything ready for you before youe out of the breakthrough secret realm,¡± Gu Qingyi understood that Lu Ran intended to follow the ¡°enhance the beastmaster himself¡± path. Both super beast mimicry and the Fusion Skill are steps to make the beastmaster himself stronger. This fits well with Lu Ran¡¯s growth journey. She had read his resume; Lu Ran had been restless since he was young, learning both swordsmanship and marksmanship, making many other kids envious. Now that he¡¯s entering the realm of supernatural beings, he probably won¡¯t just settle formanding pet beasts in battle while merely watching from the sidelines. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lu Ran smiled. He epted Dr. Gu¡¯s gift this time with peace of mind, considering how many Death Revival Skill Books he had turned in.¡°ording to the schedule, you¡¯re entering the breakthrough secret realm tomorrow, right? Be careful,¡± Gu Qingyi advised. ¡°Afterpleting the basic breakthrough task, if you have any time left within the 30 days, feel free to explore Star-Moon Continent on your own.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Star-Moon Continent, a world of beast taming, was home to the Beast Taming Empire, a ce Lu Ran was very familiar with. The worlds that beastmasters initially enter are often set in a specific historical stage of Star-Moon Continent, where they carry out tasks. After a few days of history lessons, Lu Ran had gained some understanding of the development history of Star-Moon Continent and the Beast Taming Empire. In ancient times, Star-Moon Continent was a wildnd where humans and many supernatural beings lived together. Out of reverence for the stars and moons in the sky, the beings here named thend beneath their feet Star-Moon Continent. The turning point for humans on Star-Moon Continent came when the chief of a human tribe developed the art of beast taming. Before this, humans were often prey for supernatural beasts and could only hunt weaker creatures to survive, living in a very primitive state. However, with the development of beast taming abilities, this human tribe rapidly grew in strength, gaining powerful supernatural beings as huntingpanions. Thanks to this ability, the Beast Taming Tribe quickly rose to prominence. The tribe¡¯s chief spent 60 years consolidating human tribes, starting from a small hill and eventually sweeping across the entire continent to establish a glorious human empire. Tomemorate his developed ability, the empire was named the Beast Taming Empire. Following the advice of his followers, the tribe¡¯s chief named himself the Beast Taming King. He was the undisputed Beast Taming King and human emperor of that continent and era. After the death of the first emperor, many new emperors seeded him. The empire endured for over 3000 years before finally falling. During this period, the human beast taming system was fully developed. The history between Star-Moon Continent and the Beast Taming Empire was rich and eventful. ording to some former beastmasters, the most powerful beastmasters in the Beast Taming Empire could have pet beasts reaching level 80, with beastmaster levels equivalent to level 8. Comparatively, the beast taming civilization of the Beast Taming Empire is still an unparalleled giantpared to Blue Star¡¯s. Blue Star civilization has never stopped exploring Star-Moon Continent, learning many useful skills from it. ¡°I wonder which historical stage I¡¯ll enter and what breakthrough task I¡¯ll receive¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered after hanging up the phone with Gu Qingyi. Or could there be a chance of entering another beast taming civilization? Lu Ran had heard of advanced beastmasters who entered a highly developed technological civilization, entirely popted by mechanical pet beasts. This world had even begun exploring outer space with mechanical pet beasts. Unfortunately, those beastmasters didn¡¯t manage to bring back the method for creating mechanical pet beasts. Otherwise, Blue Star¡¯s beast taming system would undoubtedly be even more enriched. Lu Ran slept with anticipation, conserving his energy for the next day. ¡­ Early the next morning, Lu Ran, now well-rested, began his final pre-departure checks. He reviewed General Ha¡¯s data, verified the resources in his backpack, and ensured nothing was missing. He exhaled deeply, patted his chest, and sent a ¡°I¡¯m off¡± message to everyone he knew before logging into Infinite City. With General Ha at his feet, Lu Ran arrived at the pir tform for secret realms. He looked at the breakthrough secret realm, which had been on the homepage since General Ha reached level 10. [Name: Breakthrough Secret Realm] [Secret Realm Level: Novice] [Difficulty: Unknown] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 0] [Introduction: You will enter an unknown world and undergo breakthrough trials.] Lu Ran nced at General Ha. ¡°You should return to the card first. The breakthrough secret realm is different; otherwise, Infinite City will forcibly retrieve you during teleportation.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha nodded. After returning General Ha to the contract card, Lu Ran touched the screen for the breakthrough secret realm. [Enter the breakthrough secret realm?] Yes. Without hesitation, Lu Ran initiated the teleportation. [Matching you with a suitable breakthrough secret realm¡­] [Secret realm matching in progress¡­] [Please wait¡­] [Estimated wait time: 3 minutes¡­] After about 2 minutes, Lu Ran heard the notification again. [Match sessful.] [Secret Realm Type: Multiyer] [Teleportation countdown: 10¡­ 9¡­] Ten secondster, a sh of white light filled Lu Ran¡¯s room, and his figure gradually disappeared. Boom! Darkness, coldness, and a ringing in Lu Ran¡¯s head. This teleportation was particrly dizzying, but he managed to open his eyes with difficulty. Before him was a massive, unidentified tree bearing some unknown red fruits. Looking around, he found himself in a courtyard styled after ancient architecture. The luxurious, antique courtyard seemed unfamiliar. Nearby were five people around his age: three males and two females. By the time Lu Ran opened his eyes, the others were still unconscious. He took a closer look and realized he didn¡¯t know any of the five people around him. But that wasn¡¯t the most crucial part‡±the key point was that they were all in the same ce! Typically, those matched for a breakthrough secret realm are teleported to different locations since they arepetitors. What was going on this time? Soon, a young man in a green expedition outfit opened his eyes and saw Lu Ran observing him with interest. ¡°Where is this? What¡¯s happening?¡± he blurted out, clearly confused by the surroundings. Lu Ran remained silent, continuing to wait for Infinite City¡¯s prompt. As the young man spoke, the other four began to wake up. One of them, dressed in casual clothing, looked like a college student. Upon waking, he cautiously scanned his surroundings and was equally surprised to find himself among beastmasters from Infinite City. A woman, appearing to be in herte twenties and dressed like a sessful professional, wore an exquisite, custom-made ck dress, exuding the aura of a socialite. While these two were harder to identify, thest two were easier to judge. One man was wearing a doctor¡¯s white coat, suggesting he was probably a veterinarian. However, no serious person would wear a white coat into a secret realm unless it was a specially customized piece of supernatural equipment¡­ Thest girl was quite striking. She was dressed in armor, with white pieces covering her chest, forearms, shins, and shoulders, leaving her smooth abdomen and thighs exposed. She looked very unique, like a Valkyrie straight out of an anime, an outfit sure to catch any otaku¡¯s eye. Beneath her short ck hair, her lively eyes scanned the group. Unlike the others who seemed cautious, her eyes were full of confidence. She and Lu Ran were the only ones who appearedposed. Before the six could exchange words, a familiar voice echoed. [Teleportationplete.] [Current location: Star-Moon Continent Beast Taming Empire Tian Province Ning Chuan (novice breakthrough secret realm)] [Era introduction: Shortly after the death of the first Beast Taming King of the Beast Taming Empire, various species coveted the empire¡¯s territory. However, they feared the contingencies left by the First Emperor, preventing them from making any reckless moves. Without top-levelbat power, the Beast Taming Empire faced both internal and external threats. Coupled with a bloody rise to power that seemed to anger the gods, leading to continuous natural disasters, the empire refrained from wagingrge-scale wars. Hence, the second generation emperor, Yan Sizhen, focused heavily on agricultural development, gradually stabilizing the empire. While advancing agriculture, Yan Sizhen also promoted mining. Thanks to the development of both agriculture and mining, he founded the ¡®Culinary System¡¯ and the ¡®Forging System,¡¯ earning the titles of ¡®Culinary Patriarch¡¯ and ¡®Forging Patriarch¡¯ of the Beast Taming Empire. Special cuisines could bring incredible power boosts to beastmasters and their pet beasts, and equipment made from specially-forged minerals could arm them to be even more formidable. Under Yan Sizhen¡¯s rule, despite continuous natural and man-made disasters, the Beast Taming Empire grew even stronger instead of declining. Currently, in the Beast Taming Era year 265, Yan Sizhen has been deceased for many years. Tomemorate his achievements, the Beast Taming Empire established the ¡®Gourmet Hunter Association.¡¯ With the motto, ¡®All professions are inferior, only chefs are superior,¡¯ many beastmasters have mastered culinary skills. They can dramatically enhance the nutritional value of hunted ingredients through exquisite cooking techniques. The empire controls the mines and the forging system, while culinary manship flourishes among the popce. Gourmet hunting has be the preferred upation for beastmasters.] [Breakthrough task: Pass the superior chef assessment of the Gourmet Hunter Association.] [Prompt ¢Ù: In the Beast Taming Empire, chefs and cuisine levels are divided into Ordinary, Advanced, Special-Grade, and Exquisite. Ordinary Cuisine: Ingredients are processed to improve taste without losing nutritional value. Advanced Cuisine: Ingredients are processed and paired to enhance both taste and nutritional value. Special-Grade Cuisine: Ingredients are processed and paired to significantly enhance both taste and nutritional value. To create special-grade cuisine, either high-quality ingredients or exceptional culinary skills are required. Exquisite Cuisine: A dreamlike dish that currently only a few chefs can cook. Exquisite-level dishes possess the ¡®Soul of the Food,¡¯ bringing unimaginable benefits to the consumer.] [Prompt ¢Ú: This secret realm is a historical projection. Lifeforms within it cannot be taken out or contracted.] [Prompt ¢Û: The secret realm will close in 30 days. Rewards upon return will vary based on the challenger¡¯s taskpletion.] [Prompt ¢Ü: Challengers are temporarily granted legal local identities, proficiency in the current world¡¯s humannguage, and their clothing and pet beast species will not arouse suspicion.] [Prompt ¢Ý: As a novice benefit, challengers temporarily obtain the Eye of Data, which can scout resources and biological information within the secret realm.] [Prompt ¢Þ: ¡­] A series of prompts left Lu Ran and the others with bewildered expressions. Did they hear it right?? The breakthrough task was to be a superior chef??? What a joke. The confidence that Lu Ran and the sexy Armored Lady had in their abilities vanished instantly, reced by stunned expressions. ¡°Damn it! All my preparations for nothing!¡± the Armored Lady eximed in frustration, ¡°Why the hell did we end up in a breakthrough secret realm made for lifestyle beastmasters!!¡± ¡°Holy crap.¡± The man in the white coat was equally shocked. ¡°Does this mean we don¡¯t have topete against each other in this breakthrough secret realm? As long as weplete the task, everyone can ascend? Wait, what if the slots for superior chefs are limited¡­?¡± ¡°Miss, are you the top-ranked on the Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.5¡­¡± The socialite woman softly addressed the Armored Lady, feeling she looked familiar. Could she be Sister White Tiger from Infinite City No.5? ¡°Seriously, I thought this would be a tough task like hunting a boss, but now it¡¯s about cooking. I only know how to make Julienne Potatoes and egg fried rice.¡± The young man in the expedition outfit was exasperated. ¡°Wait, does grilling meat count? But I always burn it. It probably doesn¡¯t even qualify as Ordinary Cuisine¡­¡± As everyone expressed their confusion, Lu Ran felt equally speechless. Great, was he following in Master Lin¡¯s footsteps? He recalled that Master Lin initially was abat beastmaster but ended up in a breakthrough secret realm that required forging equipment. And now, he was in a breakthrough secret realm that required bing a chef. What a scam. He had nned to exceed the breakthrough task and earn extra rewards. Now what? He, the King of Green Sea, the top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard, a genius personally approved by the First Generation big shot, wouldn¡¯t fail in a novice breakthrough secret realm¡­ would he? Chapter 99: A Beastmaster Who Cant Cook Isnt a Good Forgemaster Chapter 99: A Beastmaster Who Cant Cook Isnt a Good Forgemaster The six of them sighed softly. What rotten luck. Still, no matter what the task is, it must bepleted with effort. After all, currently, those entering the breakthrough secret realm¡ªif not 100%, then at least over 90%¡ªare doing so for the uing beast taming tournament. Missing this breakthrough opportunity would put them far behind other beastmasters of the same generation. At this moment, a beastmaster dressed in casual clothes, whose expression kept changing, finally spoke: ¡°I feel that thepetition for this breakthrough task isn¡¯t very intense. Why don¡¯t we all cooperate? Maybe everyone canplete the task together.¡± ¡°Let me introduce myself first. My name is ¡®Deer As Horse,¡¯ a reserve member of the official strategy team. If I¡¯m not mistaken, very few beastmasters have matched to the early period of the Beast Taming Empire, Beast Taming Era 265. Although it¡¯s not particrly early, it still has great exploration value.¡± ¡°If we can team up, even if we don¡¯tplete the breakthrough task, we can still gain a lot of other benefits in the breakthrough secret realm. This era contains many rare resources that have already disappeared inter times. If we can bring some back to the blue star, it would be a decent harvest.¡± Everyone looked at Deer As Horse. He made a lot of sense, but his ID didn¡¯t inspire much confidence.¡°Deer As Horse is right. Let me introduce myself as well. My name is ¡®She Pi,¡¯ a member of the medicine pavilion guild.¡± The man in the white coat caught everyone¡¯s attention. A member of the medicine pavilion guild, no less. ¡°Does that mean you can make medicinal cuisine?¡± Bai Ling asked, looking at him. ¡°I know a bit, but it¡¯s just at a home-cooking level,¡± She Pi replied. ¡°And the taste is generally not great.¡± ¡°By the way, are you really Bai Ling, the big shot?¡± He was particrly curious about the identity of the Armored Lady. Everyone looked at Bai Ling. Being at the top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard made her a significant figure. But that was forbat. This time, the test was about cooking¡­ No wonder she cursed. ¡°Hmm.¡± Bai Ling had already prepared herself to be recognized. After all, she was too famous in Infinite City No. 5. She sighed and said, ¡°Four Saints Guild, Bai Ling. I¡¯m not very good at cooking. I¡¯ll just ept my fate this time and see how it goes. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I¡¯ll just explore the world.¡± ¡°Same here¡­ I usually go to restaurants or order takeout,¡± the socialite said helplessly. ¡°My ID is Ibers, and I currently work for the official team as well.¡± ¡°Is Ibers Pet Shop rted to you?¡± Deer As Horse thought the name sounded familiar. ¡°That chain of pet shops is mine,¡± Ibers confirmed, proving herself to be a wealthy and privileged woman. Owning a well-known chain of pet shops and actively aligning herself with the official team during the Beast Taming Era, she was certainly reaping the benefits of the times. Lu Ran listened quietly on the side. Indeed, those who could enter the breakthrough secret realm at this stage were no ordinary people. ¡°My name is ¡®Wilderness Explorer,¡¯ from the Mountains and Rivers Guild,¡± said the young man in adventure gear. He usually just ate instant noodles and ready-to-eat meals, rarely cooking. This time, he had really stepped into a trap. Everyone had finished introducing themselves, except for Lu Ran, who seemed the youngest among them, looking like a high school student. ¡°My ID is ¡®Sudden Death King,¡¯ a student¡­¡± Lu Ran said, not intending to reveal his true identity. Although the secret realm¡¯spetition didn¡¯t seem intense, Dr. Gu had repeatedly reminded him that his identity was sensitive. He needed to get into the habit of using a fake name wherever he went. Thanks to Lu Ran¡¯s usually low profile, none of them recognized him as the top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3. Just as they were about to continue their conversation, footsteps suddenly echoed from a room within the courtyard. As the door opened, a graceful woman wearing an inner white floral dress and a maroon outer coat walked out. Her figure was alluring, and she carried an air of elegance. ¡°Is everyone here?¡± she asked in a distinctive local ent, her voice gentle and melodious. ¡°I am the shopkeeper of Frost Moon Pavilion. My surname is Long, so you can call me Shopkeeper Long.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve all spent a lot of money toe to Frost Moon Pavilion for training, I will teach you well.¡± ¡°But let me be clear, passing the superior chef assessment of the Gourmet Hunter Association is not easy. Even in Frost Moon Pavilion, we have very few superior chefs. Whether you can seed in the end, I make no guarantees.¡± Frost Moon Pavilion?! Although their expressions remained calm, the group was inwardly overjoyed. Great! Lu Ran and the others realized that Infinite City wasn¡¯t being entirely heartless. Bing a superior chef wasn¡¯t without some guidance. They were given the starting identity of a chef apprentice. Following the usual process, all they needed to do was learn at this restaurant-like Frost Moon Pavilion, and they might just pass the assessment. ¡°Shopkeeper Long, what exactly is tested in the superior chef assessment?¡± Wilderness Explorer asked, quickly getting into character. Wasn¡¯t this clearly a newbie guide NPC? Shopkeeper Long was taken aback, looking at him as if he were an idiot. ¡°You came to learn the craft without even knowing what¡¯s tested in the superior chef assessment? Are you here to mess with me?¡± The others didn¡¯t dare speak. Truth be told, although they had done their homework and learned a lot about the history of the Beast Taming Empire, they knew very little about the Gourmet Hunter Association. If Lu Ran wasn¡¯t mistaken, this organization existed for a brief period and then disappeared. It was a unique product of this era. ¡°Fine, considering the money¡­ First, you need to understand one concept: many chefs possess superior culinary skills, but not every chef can be a superior chef certified by the Gourmet Hunter Association. Why isn¡¯t it called the Chef Association but the Gourmet Hunter Association?¡± ¡°Our Beast Taming Empire was built on hunting¡ªhunting beasts, hunting for resources, then preparing the hunted ingredients into meals to fill our bellies. This was our ancestors¡¯ way of life.¡± ¡°At the beginning, our handling of ingredients was very crude. It wasn¡¯t until Emperor Yan Sizhen pioneered the culinary path that people started paying attention to cooking techniques and ingredient pairing.¡± ¡°Therefore, the superior chef assessment by the Gourmet Hunter Associationbines hunting and culinary skills. It is divided into three stages. The first step is the preliminary round, where the assessor must demonstrate certain culinary techniques, such as knife skills or fire skills. Any culinary technique will do, as long as it earns the approval of the examiner, you can pass the preliminary round.¡± ¡°The second step, as I mentioned earlier, involves the ¡®hunter¡¯ aspect. A superior chef must have the strength to hunt for ingredients in the wild. The Hunter Association will take you to a designated test site.¡± ¡°You need to observe which ingredients are suitable for making dishes and which are not. Moreover, you must have the ability to obtain them on your own.¡± ¡°The third stage, which is the most critical, requires you to use the ingredients you hunted to prepare a dish within a specified time. This dish can be for people or for pet beasts.¡± ¡°As long as the cuisine meets the quality requirements and gains the examiner¡¯s approval, you will pass the superior chef assessment.¡± ¡°With the certification from the Gourmet Hunter Association, you can open a thriving restaurant in any city of the empire¡­¡± Shopkeeper Long smiled at the six of them and said, ¡°That being said, I don¡¯t know much about you yet. Tell me about your special skills so I can assign you to a suitable master to train your culinary skills.¡± ¡°There are only half a month left until the assessment, so your time¡­ is quite limited.¡± As Shopkeeper Long finished speaking, Lu Ran and the others exchanged nces. So that¡¯s how it is. Everyone present was smart and quickly understood the key to passing! The critical point lies in the second stage! In the assessment, you hunt for ingredients yourself and then cook them. The key to bing a superior chef is to produce special-grade cuisine. And to make special-grade cuisine, you need either exceptional culinary skills or rare quality ingredients, at the very least. As for culinary skills, most novice beastmasters probably won¡¯t have much luck. Unless someone is fortunate enough to have outstanding culinary skills and happens to enter this secret realm, but the chances are slim. However, acquiring rare quality ingredients clearly depends onbat strength. In other words, as long as you have enough strength, it is possible to obtain rare quality ingredients. At that time, as the saying goes, if your culinary skills arecking, let the ingredients make up for it. Top-notch ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods¡­ If you happen to strike it lucky, you might just create a special-grade cuisine! Passing the superior chef assessment would then be a piece of cake. Upon this analysis, everyone¡¯s eyes lit up, feeling hopeful again. They were right¡ªthis novice breakthrough secret realm wasn¡¯t meant to be too daunting. Clearly, there are two paths: one relies on culinary skills, the other on strength. Of course, one of these aspects shouldn¡¯t be too weak, but as long as one is particrly outstanding, you should be able to pass the task. ¡°Let¡¯s hear from you,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, looking suspiciously at the Wilderness Explorer. The Wilderness Explorer looked embarrassed and said, ¡°My culinary skills aren¡¯t great, but I have rich wilderness exploration experience, and my strength is passable¡­¡± ¡°Just as I thought,¡± Shopkeeper Long sighed, immediately sentencing the Wilderness Explorer to death. ¡°I¡¯ll find you a master who teaches basic culinary skills.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± The Wilderness Explorer was on the verge of tears, feeling despised. Fine, whatever, whether I pass or not, at least this breakthrough task doesn¡¯t seem dangerous. At worst, I¡¯ll just spend a month learning to cook. In the future, I¡¯ll be a beastmaster who can cook! This month won¡¯t be a waste. ¡°And you?¡± Shopkeeper Long asked each person, turning to the pet shop owner. ¡°¡­I have some experience in nutritional matching for pet beast food,¡± Ibers said. As the owner of a chain of pet shops, she didn¡¯t know much about cooking for herself, but she did understand how to bnce nutrition for pets. ¡°Hmm, better than that guy,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, then turned to the next person. ¡°I have some exposure to medicinal cuisine¡­¡± She Pi from the Medicine Pavilion Guild said. His family ran a medicine pavilion and had a snake farm, so they asionally cooked dishes using snake meat. However, he felt this wasn¡¯t a significant advantage¡­ ¡°I have decent strength¡­¡± When it got to Deer As Horse and Bai Ling, both felt awkward and could only mention their strength, unsure if it would be enough to hunt good ingredients in the second round. For now, they decided to start with basic culinary skills. Otherwise, even if they managed to hunt rare quality ingredients, they could end up wasting them by making dark cuisine¡­ ruining the good ingredients. Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Long sighed deeply, feeling like she had encountered the most challenging group of apprentices ever. ¡°If your pet beast is of the fire species, excellent control over heat would also be an advantage. Do any of your pet beasts have the fire attribute?¡± she added. However, to her dismay, none of these beastmasters had a fire pet beast¡­ With little hope, Shopkeeper Long looked at the youngest, Lu Ran. While others were introducing themselves, Lu Ran had been pondering. After some deep thought, Lu Ran decided to actively embrace this breakthrough secret realm, hoping to exceed expectations and earn better rewards. Since that was the case, it was like ying a game where every step had to be perfect. First, he needed to showcase his talents and find the best, most skilled chef to teach him. He was all in! A beastmaster who can¡¯t cook isn¡¯t a good forgemaster. What¡¯s wrong with learning an additional culinary skill! He raised his head and confidently said, ¡°I have decent strength too¡­¡± Everyone: ¡­ ¡°And, I have exceptional knife skills. I have mastered a special culinary skill called the ¡®Ice and Snow Knife Technique.¡¯ With one swing of the knife, I can significantly minimize the impact of heat on ingredients, preserving their quality as if they were refrigerated¡­¡± Chapter 100: Exquisite Dishes Chapter 100: Exquisite Dishes At this moment, Lu Ran deliberately referred to the Blizzard Sword Intent as a special culinary skill, the ¡®Ice and Snow Knife Technique,¡¯ and confidently spoke up. Fortunately, he hadprehended the Blizzard Sword Intent before entering, otherwise, he would have had nothing impressive to boast about. He appeared so talented that it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable for a hidden big shot toe out and teach him¡­ ¡°Ice and Snow Knife Technique?¡± Shopkeeper Long was taken aback. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Sister White Tiger and the others also looked bewilderedly at the seemingly unremarkable Lu Ran. A special culinary skill? Didn¡¯t you say you were a student? Even if you attended a culinary school, you wouldn¡¯t be learning such a thing! One had to admit, Lu Ran¡¯s rhetoric sessfully piqued Shopkeeper Long¡¯s curiosity. She looked at Lu Ran and said: ¡°Do you mean that your pet beast is ice-type, and you have the ability to harness its power to perform ice-type techniques?¡± This was indeed an advantage. Although not umon among chefs, having an ice-type pet beast with a special beast taming skill was at least better than the other five who had no skills at all.Upon hearing this, the other five slowly understood. So that¡¯s what it was¡­ An ice-type pet beast plus a special beast taming skill? That¡¯s not so impressive. However, Lu Ran then said: ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then do you have a special cooking utensil that contains ice-type power? Unfortunately, in the superior assessment, assessors are not allowed to use special cooking utensils.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it either,¡± Lu Ran continued. ¡°Without relying on external forces, I purely honed myself day after day to be an excellent chef, training my spirit to a certain level.¡± ¡°I¡­ can aplish all of this with my own strength!¡± After Lu Ran finished speaking, Shopkeeper Long was once again stunned. Bai Ling and the others were also very confused. No pet beast, no supernatural equipment¡­ what are you trying to pull off? ¡°Interesting fellow,¡± Shopkeeper Long remarked after a moment, smiling as she spoke. ¡°Intriguing, I¡¯d like to see what your ¡®Ice and Snow Knife Technique¡¯ is all about.¡± ¡°Come, follow me to the spare kitchen.¡± ¡°Show me this so-called ¡®Ice and Snow Knife Technique¡¯ of yours!¡± Lu Ran naturally had no objections. Shopkeeper Long swayed her hips as she turned and walked away. Without a word, he followed her, as if triggered by some hidden task. Nearby, Bai Ling and the others remained bewildered but had no choice but to follow. ¡°Xiao Wang, what the heck is the Ice and Snow Knife Technique?¡± Deer As Horse asked, puzzled, on the way. ¡°Uh¡­ I can¡¯t exin it well. You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± Lu Ran replied. He certainly couldn¡¯t exin that it was sword intent. Sigh, using Master Jiang Dou¡¯s cherished sword intent for cooking made Lu Ran feel guilty¡­ Soon, Lu Ran and the others were led to a kitchen. It was very quiet with hardly anyone around. The kitchen counter was filled with various Cooking Utensils, both Western and Eastern styles from the blue star, making it very well-equipped. Shopkeeper Long went to a corner, lifted a gray cloth, and took out a piece of meat of an unknown species. From its texture, it resembled beef. She ced the beast meat on the cutting board and nodded, signaling Lu Ran to choose his knife and start the demonstration. At this moment, everyone was observing the meat, feeling that it was no different from ordinary beef, quite unremarkable. Meanwhile, Lu Ran stepped forward, carefully selecting among the numerous knives¡­ Before long, Lu Ran found a knife that felt most suitable in his hand. Instead of a cleaver, he chose a knife that looked more like a paring knife. After twirling it in his hand once, Lu Ran finally looked at the beast meat. The next moment, he took a deep breath, stepped forward, patted the beast meat, and then tossed it into the air. Immediately, he held the knife in his right hand and, at an almost imperceptible speed, shed wildly in the air. During the process, the knife shed brilliantly, dazzling everyone present. They could all feel a chill spreading through their bodies, making the entire kitchen feel a few degrees colder. Seeing this, Deer As Horse and the others shivered all over. But most importantly, as Lu Ran inserted the knife into the cutting board, the falling beast meat had already been neatly and smoothly sliced into eight pieces. This guy really has impable knife skills! No, no serious chef would dare to y like this. Who would cut meat while tossing it in the air? This technique didn¡¯t seem like it was honed through ordinary knife practice. Of course, what amazed them the most was the current state of the meat. Every cut surface of the meat was now covered with a lightyer of frost. The juice from the beast meat didn¡¯t leak at all; it was entirely locked within the meat. Even now, a faint white mist emanated from the pieces, clearly indicating a change from their previous state. ¡°What is this?¡± the wilderness explorer eximed, astonished. He indeed hadn¡¯t seen Lu Ran borrow the power of a pet beast, nor did he use anything other than ordinary Cooking Utensils. How did the meat transform like this? What kind of peculiar ability was this? The others also widened their eyes, not sensing any ice energy during the process. But this meat¡­ ¡°This¡­¡± Shopkeeper Long¡¯s expression changed as she quickly approached and touched the beast meat. Cold seeped into her hand, and unlike the freezing effect caused by temperature or ice energy, in that instant she touched the beast meat, Shopkeeper Long felt as if she was witnessing an illusion, as though she were in the midst of a blizzard¡­ She shook her head abruptly, then looked at Lu Ran in disbelief. ¡°How about that?¡± Lu Ran asked, apprehensive. ¡°Culinary Intent¡­ Who exactly are you?¡± Shopkeeper Long squinted and said, ¡°With such talent, do you really need toe to our Frost Moon Pavilion to study?¡± ¡°A genius capable of making peerless dishes imbued with the true essence and Soul of the Food should have countless famous chefs vying to take them as an apprentice.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s heart pounded wildly. Damn, the Blizzard Sword Intent can really be used for cooking?! As Shopkeeper Long finished speaking, Lu Ran felt thrilled, but the other five fell into deep thought, looking at Lu Ran incredulously. Damn, peerless dish, Culinary Intent, what the heck! Is this guy a disciple of some big shot who¡¯s skilled in Culinary arts and leads a lifestyle? They had thought everyone entered this secret realm with zero basics, yet here was someone who possessed ¡°Culinary Intent¡±! Culinary Intent¡­ It sounded like something high and mighty. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Culinary Intent is. This Culinary Skill was something I identally honed and mastered,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve basically understood your situations. Next, go to your respective rooms ording to the room numbers I gave you and wait.¡± ¡°I will notify each of you when it¡¯s time to find a suitable master to learn from.¡± ¡°As for you, follow me!¡± Shopkeeper Long said, looking at Lu Ran and immediately beginning to treat him differently. Soon, the other five challengers were dismissed with mixed feelings, while Lu Ran, under Shopkeeper Long¡¯s guidance, was led to his own room. Shopkeeper Long tossed the room key to Lu Ran, stared at him intently, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name? Do you have a master?¡± ¡°My name is Sudden Death King, but you can just call me Xiao Wang, Shopkeeper. I don¡¯t have a master. I came to Frost Moon Pavilion to find a skilled mentor to lead me into the world of chefs,¡± Lu Ran replied earnestly. ¡°Do you know how strong your talent is?¡± she asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know before¡­ but now, I think I have an idea,¡± Lu Ran said. He had never imagined that sword intent could be rted to Culinary Intent. At this moment, Shopkeeper Long pondered for a while, biting her finger, and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a neer like you. The technique of infusing mental will into Cooking Utensils is very rare.¡± ¡°Especially since it¡¯s the chef mastering this technique without borrowing the power of a pet beast.¡± ¡°Just now, I wasn¡¯t mistaken. There was a residue of your ice-like Culinary Intent on the ingredients.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s still not very refined. However, even so, it¡¯s extremely rare. Once you master it and find suitable ingredients, you might be able to cook an ¡®exquisite-level dish¡¯!¡± It¡¯s important to know that typically, pet beasts thatprehend shaping artistic conception only integrate it into their energy moves. Lu Ran and General Ha, learning the technique of merging weapons with artistic conception, had essentially stepped out of the usual path. And this path happens to be very close to top-level chef techniques! ¡°Exquisite-level dish?!¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but exim, feeling ecstatic. If that¡¯s the case, it would be amazing. Cooking a special-grade cuisine is considered a breakthrough in the Assessment. If he could cook an exquisite cuisine, he would exceed the task by 1000%. ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited too soon,¡± Shopkeeper Long nced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°This process could take a year, five years, or even ten years. It all depends on your talent¡­ Exquisite-level dishes are not so easily made.¡± ¡°However, passing the Superior Chef Assessment should be no problem. Although your ice and snow culinary intent restricts your cuisine style, once you enter the hunting grounds, you only need to catch a fish, make some sashimi, and with simple seasoning, your culinary skills alone will absolutely conquer the examiners¡¯ taste buds, making them feel as though they¡¯re in a dream, floating in bliss.¡± ¡°Sashimi is a simple dish to prepare, but it requires extremely precise knife skills and temperature control.¡± ¡°Sashimi¡­¡± Lu Ran nodded. He hadn¡¯t expected to be a technician in the end. It would be his culinary skills that would conquer the examiners. An unexpected path. ¡°Of course, I believe your future achievements shouldn¡¯t be limited to just the Superior Chef Assessment,¡± Shopkeeper Long said. ¡°For the next 15 days, I¡¯ll personally train you and help you hone your Culinary Intent.¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t be a culinary god like Yan Sizhen the Emperor, your achievements won¡¯t be low!¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lu Ran nodded. The shopkeeper herself stepping in¡­ He looked at the beautiful woman in front of him, wondering if she also cooked. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m curious about what you¡¯ve been through. Cultivating Culinary Intent isn¡¯t easy,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, looking at the young Lu Ran. ¡°Is it really that hard¡­¡± Lu Ran asked, a question that might earn him a beating. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Shopkeeper Long¡¯s mouth twitched; it seemed geniuses weren¡¯t always so endearing. ¡°Of course! Only chefs with Culinary Intent can create dishes with a soul, touching the essence of food!¡± she said, pping the table. ¡°Why is Yan Sizhen the Emperor considered the progenitor of culinary manship? Because he was the first to master Culinary Intent!¡± ¡°Decades ago, the empire was in a mini ice age. Yan Sizhen the Emperor cooked a dish called ¡®me Dragon Roaming Nine Heavens,¡¯ and the aroma spread across the continent. Those who smelled it felt like they were in midsummer. The fragrance instantly helped countless beasts awaken their fire abilities, slowly ending the mini ice age.¡± ¡°Of course, such a dish likely surpasses the exquisite-level. Looking at the grand sweep of history, it would leave an indelible mark. In short, to achieve such effects, high-quality ingredients and powerful Culinary Intent are indispensable.¡± ¡°Each exquisite-level dish can grant the consumer incredible power¡­ aiding beastmasters in breakthroughs or helping pet beasts evolve,¡± Shopkeeper Long said. ¡°But it¡¯s pointless to discuss this with you now.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯ll prepare a batch of special ingredients for you and provide you with a dedicated room. You need to continue honing your Culinary Intent, striving to achieve the perfect blend of your intent and the ingredients as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Having Culinary Intent alone isn¡¯t enough. You also need to integrate it with the characteristics of the ingredients, allowing their vors and your intent toplement each other. Otherwise, an overly dominant Culinary Intent will overshadow the natural taste of the ingredients, ruining the dish.¡± ¡°Additionally, your Culinary Intent only remained on that piece of beast meat for less than ten seconds, which is insufficient. By the time someone starts enjoying the dish, the golden moment of vor will have dissipated, and the quality of the dish will revert to an average level.¡± ¡°When a chef infuses their intent into a dish, it must retain that intent long enough. Your duration is too short. To be precise, the time your Culinary Intent remains on the ingredients is too short!¡± Lu Ran nodded repeatedly, listening intently to the guidance. He had no choice; his background was in sword intent, previously used forbat, naturallycking in such nuances. It wasn¡¯t until now that Lu Ran felt a sense of relief. At least this breakthrough task seemed secure. All he needed to do was strive for exquisite cuisine as much as possible. However, just as there are only a few exquisite-level Forgemasters in Xia Country, there likely aren¡¯t many exquisite-level chefs either¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s expression turned peculiar. If he managed to create an exquisite-level dish in this secret realm, could he really be a professor in the culinary department at a beast taming university upon his return? Being a professor, ording to what Master Lin had said, seemed quite lucrative. Considering the treatment that could attract a Forgemaster like Master Lin, Lu Ran was curious. Chapter 101: Its Reasonable for a Dog to Have Culinary Intent, Right? Chapter 101: Its Reasonable for a Dog to Have Culinary Intent, Right? ¡°Alright, you stay here for a bit.¡± ¡°There are some books over there. You can read them to pass the time. I¡¯ll arrange masters for the other five people first, and then I¡¯lle back to arrange you,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, pointing to a nearby shelf before swaying his hips as he left. Lu Ran watched as Shopkeeper Long walked away, then plopped down on the bed with a slight sigh. ¡°Not bad luck¡­¡± was all he could say. He had thought that the Assessment in the breakthrough secret realm for culinary skills would be difficult. But to his surprise, he identally passed by relying on his sword intent,ing off as a genius. Indeed, opportunities always favor those who are ¡°prepared.¡± On second thought, learning some Culinary skills wasn¡¯t a bad idea. In Infinite City, beastmasters didn¡¯t call this upation ¡°Chef¡± but ¡°Nutritionist,¡± as the term covered a broader range. A Nutritionist was not only an expert in food preparation but also in nutrition detection, enhancement, and evaluation. They scientifically matched and cooked food to help pet beasts or beastmasters grow more efficiently. Chefs naturally fell under this broad upation. General Ha¡¯s advanced dog food and rare dog food each contained different types of ingredients. Lu Ran didn¡¯t just buy them randomly; he bought them based on a Nutritionist¡¯s rmendations for wind species pet beasts.However, even with this, General Ha¡¯s diet wasn¡¯t perfect. Although the nutritional bnce was there, the food was all raw and usually eaten directly without any special processing. If it could undergo superior Culinary preparation that fused all the ingredients¡¯ nutrients into one, the nutritional value could undergo a qualitative change. This level of expertise could only be handled by a professional Nutritionist or Chef. Generally speaking, most beastmasters wouldn¡¯t go to such lengths, mainly because their culinary skills weren¡¯t up to par. Using supernatural ingredients for cooking required more precise control over quantities and heat. A small mistake could waste the ingredients, resulting in dark cuisine. But Lu Ran felt that after learning Culinary skills in this secret realm, he could attempt to process food for General Ha and even the Sudden Death King. If he could double the nutritional value, it would save a lot of money. Lu Ran¡¯s team often dined at a restaurant where professional Chefs handled secret realm ingredients. And he had to admit, the taste was genuinely superb. ¡°Why not read a book for a while?¡± Shopkeeper Long went off to make arrangements, leaving Lu Ran unhurried. It was still early, so he pulled a book from the shelf,y on the bed, and began to read leisurely. ¡°Compendium of Basic Ingredients¡± (Containing information on 912mon supernatural ingredients.) ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran temporarily put this book back and picked up another one. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to read that just yet. ¡°Rankings of Peerless Dishes¡± Hmm? This one looked interesting. ¡°I¡¯m so basic,¡± Lu Ran thought with a self-deprecating smile as he opened this book. For a novice, something grander was more appealing. Rank First: me Dragon Roaming Nine Heavens Creator: Yan Sizhen Introduction: Yan Sizhen, the second generation emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, created this peerless dish using the meat of nine fire species overlord creaturesbined with twelve exquisite-level ingredients. By infusing it with his own Culinary Intent, this dish was cooked to perfection. When the dish waspleted, its brilliance illuminated the sky, and its fragrance transformed into a divine loong of me that roamed the continent. This phenomenon caused countless creatures to awaken their me powers. Lu Ran had heard about this dish from the proprietress before. He felt that this dish was overly exaggerated and couldn¡¯t possibly be just exquisite-level. Perhaps due to the limitations of that era, if judged byter generations, this dish¡¯s level might even reach epic level. In the grand timeline of history, it would undoubtedly be a top-tier dish. Rank Second: Six Wonders of the Dragon Creator: Yan Sizhen Introduction: Yan Sizhen, the second generation emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, cooked six Loong-type dishes using ¡°Dragon Culinary Intent.¡± These dishes were used to reward the army. After the pet beasts of the Beast Taming Legion consumed them, half of them transformed into loongs on the spot, establishing the renowned Loong-type legion of the Beast Taming Empire! Lu Ran: ??? ¡°What is this!¡± Lu Ran was bewildered upon reading this. Although Shopkeeper Long had previously mentioned that some exquisite cuisine had effects simr to trait crystals and could assist in pet beast evolution, seeing the recorded effects of Yan Sizhen¡¯s Six Wonders of the Dragon still made Lu Ran¡¯s mind buzz. His heart was filled with just two words: ¡°Incredible.¡± The nations of Blue Star had invested immense effort and relied on trait crystals but still couldn¡¯t decipher the Loong-type evolution path. Yet, this Emperor Yan Sizhen achieved it with just one dish? And he did it on arge scale! No wonder at this stage of the Beast Taming Empire, everything was inferior except for Chefs, all thanks to Yan Sizhen being so remarkable. As expected, those who can advance the development of a world are never simple. ¡°If only I could grasp an artistic conception rted to ¡®loong¡¯.¡± ¡°Maybe I could make two Dragon Food dishes for the Sudden Death King to eat. With the fusion of loong-type traits, it might sessfully transform into a loong, bing Blue Star¡¯s second pure Loong-type!¡± Just reading about two Exquisite Dishes made Lu Ran suddenly feel like the Blizzard Sword Intent wasn¡¯t that appealing anymore. If only the Blizzard Sword Intent could be reced with Divine Loong Sword Intent. Swinging a sword to transform sword qi into a loong was secondary; the main thing was being able to masquerade as dragon culinary intent to cook¡­ ¡°Dr. Gu mentioned before that to evolve into a Loong-type, you should frequently use loong-type resources. It¡¯s probably a simr principle. Therefore, Exquisite Cuisine imbued with the true essence of loong-type food could indeed assist in Loong-type evolution!¡± Lu Ran felt that this trip to the secret realm wasn¡¯t in vain and that learning Culinary skills had be promising. Maybe this could be the key to helping the Sudden Death King transform into a loong. Loong-type Exquisite Cuisine! But where to find Loong-type sword intent¡­ Lu Ran summoned General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked up at Lu Ran after being summoned. Looking at Lu Ran¡¯s expression, it knew Boss Lu must have encountered some difficulty. ¡°General Ha¡­¡± ¡°Do you remember thebat video we watched on the Beast Taming Forum? A monkey shaped its fists into dragon heads and unleashed a dragon Punch imbued with the power of the dragon!¡± That was a widely circtedbat video of a previous generation beastmaster who mastered the artistic conception of dragon shaping. It was hailed as a textbook example of shaping artistic conception. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha widened its eyes at Lu Ran and nodded silently. Yes, it remembered that. ¡°Can you learn to imbue our sword intent with the power of the dragon?¡± General Ha fell into contemtion, its gaze drifting and bing increasingly wise as it began to evade reality¡­ It felt like Lu Ran was making things difficult for it! Compared to the abstract Dragon Sword Intent, it seemed that the opposing me Sword Intent to the Blizzard Sword Intent might be simpler. ¡°Forget it!¡± ¡°I was just joking. How could a dog be smarter than a primate pet beast? Just because that monkey could learn it doesn¡¯t mean you can¡­¡± Lu Ran said, pouting. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha indicated that reverse psychology wouldn¡¯t work. Seeing this, Lu Ran sighed inwardly. General Ha was getting smarter and harder to fool. In the past, it would have eagerly gone to study Dragon Sword Intent. However, Lu Ran was seriously considering it. If General Ha or he himself could learn Dragon Sword Intent, then ording to the proprietress, there would be a chance to cook Loong-type Exquisite Cuisine. So, was there any way to learn it? Lu Ran pondered deeply and decided to ask the proprietresster. On Blue Star, he felt there wasn¡¯t much opportunity, but on the Star-Moon Continent, there might be a chance. After all, culinary manship flourished here. Since Emperor Yan Sizhen mastered Dragon Culinary Intent, many chefs must have wanted to learn it, so there must be plenty of rted information. Rank Three¡­ Lu Ran continued reading and found that of the ny-six Exquisite Dishes recorded in the book, half were cooked by Yan Sizhen¡­ The remaining Exquisite Dishes, although not as impressive as those cooked by Yan Sizhen, still had top-notch effects. In Lu Ran¡¯s opinion, some were no less effective than trait crystals. Knock, knock, knock! Lu Ran was engrossed when the door was knocked. The charming proprietress returned and said to Lu Ran, ¡°Come with me. I¡¯ll take you somewhere.¡± ¡°Hmm? Is this dog your pet beast?¡± Shopkeeper Long asked, looking at General Ha, who was lying on the side with a cloudy gaze. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran said, putting down the book and standing up. ¡°It¡¯s really not an ice-type pet beast¡­¡± Shopkeeper Long muttered to himself. Little did he know, General Ha was still being swayed by Lu Ran and was already deep in thought about how to learn Dragon Sword Intent¡­ As Lu Ran put it, Dr. Yunhan had initially gone abroad to study Loong-type species. If General Ha could research the Loong-type first, it would surely crush the opponent¡¯s mental will. General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up. To avenge Dr. Yunhan, it decided to personally assist Lu Ran in researching Loong-type species, and thus began to ponder Dragon Sword Intent¡­ ¡°General Ha, think about itter. Follow me first.¡± Next, under Shopkeeper Long¡¯s guidance, Lu Ran followed her to a new kitchen. This kitchen was rtively small. Upon arrival, Shopkeeper Long said, ¡°Next, you only need to practice one dish.¡± ¡°A very simple, can¡¯t-be-simpler dish!¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°A fruit tter!¡± Shopkeeper Long said calmly. ¡°Moving forward, I will deliver arge quantity of fruit to you every day. Your training will involve using the Ice and Snow Knife Technique to infuse your Culinary Intent into each cut piece of fruit. Keep practicing this.¡± ¡°When your Culinary Intent can remain in the fruit tter for more than three minutes without dissipating, this training will be consideredplete.¡± After listening, Lu Ran thought this training task wasn¡¯t too difficult. Shopkeeper Long had previously mentioned that his grasp of the Blizzard Sword Intent was not yet proficient. The reason was likely that he had only recently mastered this technique shortly before entering the breakthrough secret realm. Now, the other party was essentially providing a tform for him to slowly practice Blizzard Sword Intent¡­ If he had ample time, Lu Ran would naturally prefer to take his time and practice slowly. However, he knew he could only stay in the breakthrough secret realm for one month, so he wanted to speed up the progress. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste time. ¡°Alright, can I have my pet beast assist me in practice?¡± Lu Ran asked. Practicing alone was too slow. Why not have General Ha join in? ¡°Woof!?¡± General Ha, who had been following behind Lu Ran and Shopkeeper Long and deep in thought, looked up slightly. What¡¯s going on? Interrupting my study of Dragon Sword Intent! ¡°It? How do you n to have it assist you¡­¡± Shopkeeper Long asked, puzzled. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at a fruit on the table, then at General Ha. In the next moment, General Ha immediately understood. The surrounding air currents began to flow rapidly, and a piece of fruit was lifted into the air by the wind. Lu Ran, quick as lightning, grabbed a knife and sliced the floating fruit into four pieces. ¡°Have it act as my extra hands, helping to pass ingredients. This way, it can also practice its energy release control technique,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Oh, suit yourself.¡± Seeing that General Ha could actually manipte the airflow to lift the fruit, Shopkeeper Long nodded. It seemed that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t exaggerating about his own strength. This pet beast¡¯s ability to control wind energy to such an extent was indeed impressive¡­ ¡°Also, my Ice and Snow Culinary Intent is something my dog can do as well. How about letting it cut the fruit with me? We have a deep bond and usually improve together¡­ Where does this fruit end up anyway¡­ It should be fine, right?¡± Lu Ran asked quietly, knowing that super beast mimicry skills are more efficiently practiced together with the pet. Shopkeeper Long: ? ¡°What did you say? Say that again,¡± Shopkeeper Long asked, doubting her ears. To convince her, Lu Ran silently pulled a Cleaver from the kitchen counter and ced it in General Ha¡¯s mouth. In the next moment¡­ General Ha nced at Shopkeeper Long. It seemed to be saying, ¡°Hmph, woman, how ignorant.¡± With that, it released its wind force again, lifting a piece of fruit, and leaped up. Swish! The fruit was split in two. Caught by the wind, itnded in Shopkeeper Long¡¯s hand, each cut surface exuding a faint chill. Feeling this familiar coldness, Shopkeeper Long shivered, her eyes filled with astonishment. Just as Jiang Dou¡¯s Old Gentleman had been shocked to see General Ha¡¯s mastery of sword momentum, Shopkeeper Long was equally stunned to see a dog grasping Culinary Intent. ¡°This is impossible,¡± she muttered in disbelief. Lu Ran shrugged. General Ha had learned Culinary Intent¡ªor rather, Sword Intent¡ªthrough the trait of weapon mastery. And the weapon mastery trait, this special ability, was, to be precise, a secret weapon researched by the empire a thousand years into the future. Compared to the current historical stage, it was indeed somewhat ahead of its time¡­ a form of dimensional suppression. ¡°Why¡­¡± Suddenly, Shopkeeper Long couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°Why do I feel like its control over Ice and Snow Culinary Intent is better than yours?¡± Lu Ran: ? Chapter 102: The Dragon Chef Chapter 102: The Dragon Chef Although it was quite surprising, Shopkeeper Long eventually had to ept reality. A dog, holding a cleaver in its mouth, was slicing fruits and vegetables with great skill. The most remarkable part was that it didn¡¯t rely on any supernatural energy. Using an ordinary kitchen knife, it disyed Culinary Skill and Culinary Intent just like Lu Ran had before. At this moment, Shopkeeper Long felt a bit dizzy. She still found it hard to imagine a chef training a dog to master Culinary Skill and Culinary Intent. ¡°You two are really something special,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, rubbing her temples as she looked at the man and his dog. ¡°So, can we practice together?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°An excellent chef must have the assistance of a pet beast. Of course, you can practice together¡­ Moving forward, I will have someone deliver arger quantity of fruits every day for your practice.¡± ¡°Remember to take ting seriously. The food used for practice will be served asplimentary dishes to the customers. It must be presentable, not a mess.¡±Shopkeeper Long wore a peculiar expression, unsure if what she was doing was appropriate. If the customers at Frost Moon Pavilion knew that theplimentary fruit tters were prepared by a dog, would they still ept them? Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not unusual for pet beasts to assist chefs. Over 90% of the time, fire-type pet beasts are used to control the heat. However, it¡¯s not unheard of for pet beasts to help with slicing and handlingplex ingredients! Yes, let¡¯s go with that. A dog mastering culinary arts can be reasonable. We can¡¯t waste food; wastefulness is shameful. Shopkeeper Long convinced herself, then proceeded to discuss the daily delivery times of ingredients, the designated training times, and the restaurant¡¯s peak dining hours with Lu Ran, asking him to n ordingly. ¡°It¡¯s still early today. You two can continue practicing,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, preparing to leave. Until Lu Ranpleted this stage of special training, there was no point in her constantly supervising them. However, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t going to let the proprietress leave so easily; he had more questions to ask. ¡°Shopkeeper Long, wait a moment!¡± Lu Ran called out. ¡°I have one more question.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Shopkeeper Long turned to look at Lu Ran. ¡°I was just flipping through a book in the room and read that Emperor Yan Sizhen once used dragon culinary intent to prepare a dish exclusive to Loong-type species. If I want to learn dragon culinary intent in the future, is there a suitable way to do so?¡± ¡°Heh, you sure have big ambitions,¡± Shopkeeper Long rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Is one culinary intent not enough for you?¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly. ¡°Generally speaking, advanced Culinary Skill and Culinary Intent are inherited. For example,ing to Frost Moon Pavilion, you can only learn the skills within the normal range. To learn the true signature skills, you need to formally apprentice under a master.¡± ¡°Due to the special nature of dragon culinary intent, many chefs on the continent are indeed pursuing it. I do know of a sacred ce for training where one canprehend dragon culinary intent,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, touching her chin and ncing at Lu Ran. ¡°Although Emperor Yan Sizhen has passed away, not all of his pet beasts have died. One of his fire-type Dragon Pets still exists, slumbering somewhere like a Guardian Sacred Beast.¡± ¡°That ce is filled with Dragon Might. Apart from the Dragon Pet, there are no other living creatures. Many chefs who pursue the pinnacle of culinary arts go there to feel the mental pressure from the ¡®Overlord Dragon n¡¯ to help themprehend dragon culinary intent.¡± ¡°Over the years, some have seeded, and many have failed. Those who seed are honored in the culinary world with the title of ¡®Dragon Chef.¡¯¡± Lu Ran was astonished. ¡°I see, thank you, Shopkeeper Long.¡± ¡°Practice well. Master your ice and snow culinary intent first, and don¡¯t get ahead of yourself. That ce is not for just anyone; only the best chefs can go there for further training. If you want to go, you at least need to pass the superior chef assessment. Moreover, dragon culinary intent is not suitable for a novice like you. If you want to go far in the culinary manship, learning a ¡®me-type culinary intent¡¯ might be better,¡± Shopkeeper Long waved her hand and left for real this time. Lu Ran then pondered over what she had just said. Currently, in the Beast Taming Empire, chefs have been able toprehend dragon culinary intent by cooking under the pressure of Dragon Might?! If there¡¯s a chance after passing the superior chef assessment, it might be worth visiting that ce. This might be a training environment that is hard to replicate on Blue Star. After all, on Blue Star, there are no purebred dragons from overlord species, and even sovereign species purebred dragons are rare, with only Dr. Gu having one. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t possibly ask Dr. Gu¡¯s pet beast to train with him. As a high-ranking member of the Beast Taming Alliance, she was incredibly busy every day, and no one knew how long it would take toprehend dragon culinary intent. In the secret realms, although Loong-type beings could be found, they were usually in advanced secret realms, and they wouldn¡¯t obediently release Dragon Might to cooperate. Overall, the me Dragon of National Protection from the Beast Taming Empire seemed to be the best option. Quickly, Lu Ran began to outline how to use this breakthrough secret realm to achieve the most perfect benefits.
  1. Daily Cooking Practice: Train himself and General Ha¡¯s abilities, such as Blizzard Sword Intent and energy control techniques during daily cooking.
  1. Superior Chef Promotion: Perfectly advance to a superior chef through the culinary skills honed during training,pleting the breakthrough task.
  1. Deep Exploration: If conditions allow, use any remaining time to deeply explore the world and learn from the local ¡°Dragon Chefs,¡± engaging in rigorous training for dragon culinary intent. Even if he doesn¡¯t fully master it, any progress would be beneficial.
¡°General Ha, let¡¯s make the most of our time,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at General Ha who held a cleaver in its mouth. Although Blizzard Sword Intent gave him a small advantage in this breakthrough secret realm, things weren¡¯t entirely smooth for him. For every bit of luck, there was also misfortune. For example, before entering here, he exchanged arge amount of crystal coins for dog food, not knowing that meals were provided at Frost Moon Pavilion. Of course, even though meals were provided, they were just ordinary meals. General Ha still needed rare dog food of rare quality. If Lu Ran had known about the situation in the secret realm earlier, he would have spent half of his savings to buy more lucid fruits to prepare for training dragon sword intent¡­ ¡­ In the blink of an eye, three days had passed since Lu Ran arrived in the breakthrough secret realm. During these three days, Lu Ran and General Ha had been in the kitchen making the simplest fruit tters. The man and the dog had sliced an untold number of fruits, and Lu Ran felt like he was evolving from a beastmaster into a fruit ninja. ¡°Master Wang, I¡¯m here to pick up the new fruit tters.¡± After finishing several tters simultaneously, Lu Ran and General Ha were both panting heavily, their minds weighed down by the unexpected mental exertion of using sword intent to slice fruit. At that moment, a waiter pushed the door open, smiling at Lu Ran and General Ha. ¡°Over there, take them,¡± Lu Ran pointed to the few fruit tters on the table. ¡°Got it,¡± the waiter said as he carried away the tters, which were emitting a cool mist. Although these small tters of fruit weren¡¯t highly valuable, they were given asplimentary gifts to diners on this scorching summer day, earning Frost Moon Pavilion quite a reputation. It was the lunch rush, and the waiter moved swiftly, quickly taking the tters and delivering them to the guests. ¡°Dear guests, the food will take a little longer. Here¡¯s a frozen fruit tter to cool you down,¡± the waiter said as he entered a private room, presenting the tter to a well-dressed young couple. ¡°How thoughtful,¡± the young woman in luxurious attire smiled slightly at the sight of the frosty fruit tter. The restaurant seemed quite creative. On the tter, three types of fruit were arranged to form the shape of a small dog. Dogs, being loyal creatures domesticated from wolves, were the best huntingpanions in the early days of the Beast Taming Empire and carried many positive connotations. ¡°Thank you,¡± the man tossed a few coins to the waiter as a tip. The waiter beamed with joy, repeatedly expressing his gratitude before leaving the room. After he left, the two people in the private room began to converse. ¡°Miss Yu, Frost Moon Pavilion is the best restaurant in Tian Province. You¡¯ve had a long journey, so make sure to eat plenty of the dishester¡­ For now, have some fruit to whet your appetite.¡± ¡°You too,¡± she said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll have some too,¡± the young man in luxurious clothingughed as he picked up a piece of honeydew melon and put it in his mouth. Mmm! As soon as the fruit entered his mouth, he felt a refreshing coolness surge through his oral cavity. The sweet, icy juice burst in his mouth, causing him to widen his eyes and grip his chopsticks tightly. With that bite, it felt as though he had tasted something extraordinary, his pores contracting in response. ¡°Ah~¡± The man couldn¡¯t help but exim, his eyes zing over. For a moment, it felt as if he were in a snowyndscape, riding an ice wolf across a snowfield. The summer heat that had been stifling moments ago dissipated in an instant. ¡°Refreshing!¡± he eximed. However, the man quickly regained hisposure, only to find the girl across from him staring at him with a strange expression. Blushing and embarrassed, the man stammered, ¡°No, no, it¡¯s not that. This fruit tter is a bit unusual. Try it¡­¡± The girl looked at him skeptically, wondering if the family introduction had set her up with someone who had a serious issue. This was Ning Chuan¡¯s well-known second-generation beastmaster, surely he wouldn¡¯t have such an intense reaction to a piece of honeydew melon, right? Miss Yu hesitantly picked up a slice of tangerine and ced it in her mouth¡­ The next moment¡­ ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Her entire body trembled as the tangy, sweet juice burst in her mouth. She instantly felt transported to an icy tundra, a cold wind lifting her up into the sky, enveloping her in a flurry of snowkes. The icy touch seemed to peel her clothes away, merging her with the snow, rescuing her from the sweltering summer heat. The girl in luxurious clothing squeezed her legs together, exhaling cool breaths, feeling her whole body refreshed. This sensation¡­ ¡°So delicious,¡± she couldn¡¯t help but say, her eyes drifting. In the next instant, she too snapped out of it, and the two of them exchanged awkward nces before simultaneously looking at the little dog-shaped fruit tter on the table, lost in thought. ¡°This fruit tter, what¡¯s going on¡­¡± The young man in luxurious attire picked up another piece and put it in his mouth. Unfortunately, the sensation from earlier was gone, leaving him somewhat disappointed. ¡°It felt like a snowstorm was raging inside me¡­¡± ¡°This Frost Moon Pavilion is indeed impressive. Even a fruit tter can reach such a level,¡± Miss Yu said, unable to resist taking another piece of fruit. Unfortunately, the previous sensation did not return, leaving her equally disappointed. ¡°This must be the work of a skilled chef. If an ice-type pet beast were to eat this, the effect might be extraordinary,¡± the young man reasoned confidently. ¡°Waiter,e here for a moment!¡± This situation wasn¡¯t unique to their private room. The batch of fruit tters brought over by the waiter seemed to possess an extraordinary charm unlike any seen before. The bustling restaurant was now filled with exmations of surprise. ¡°Damn, what¡¯s up with today¡¯s fruit tter? It¡¯s incredible!¡± ¡°One bite, and I felt like I was in winter. I had to pee after drinking some wine, but now it¡¯s frozen solid.¡± ¡°Waiter, do you have any more of these tters? Bring another one, and we¡¯ll pay for it this time!¡± Frost Moon Pavilion erupted into a cacophony as diners who had tasted the fruit tters mored for more, eager to experience that delightful sensation again. Those who hadn¡¯t had a chance to try it saw the intense reactions of others and also demanded the waiter bring a tter quickly. ¡°Oh my,¡± said Shopkeeper Long as he descended from the upper floor. Seeing the lively scene, he remarked with surprise, ¡°In just three days, they¡¯ve managed to significantly extend the retention time of Culinary Intent. Truly talented.¡± ¡°But at this rate, we¡¯re losing money,¡± he mused. Previously, from kitchen to table, guests only experienced the coolness of the fruit. Now, with Lu Ran and General Ha infusing Blizzard Sword Intent into the food, guests were savoring one or two bites of exquisite vor. Shopkeeper Long realized they could no longer afford to give the fruit away for free. Hmm¡­ it¡¯s time to start charging. ¡°Shopkeeper, there¡¯s a guest in one of the private rooms who wants to see you. They said¡­ they¡¯re from the City Lord¡¯s Mansion,¡± a waiter hurriedly informed Shopkeeper Long. Nodding, the shopkeeper said, ¡°Lead the way.¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, Lu Ran was still busy slicing fruit, exhausted like a dog. After three days of practice, they had indeed extended the duration of Blizzard Sword Intent in the external environment. Though it had only been three days, for Lu Ran and General Ha, it was equivalent to six days of practice, thanks to their super beast mimicry, which allowed them to share experiences. ¡°Culinary Intent retention, this must be a type of energy release technique!¡± Lu Ran had gradually figured out the principles over the past few days. The stages of energy release techniques are: the first stage is ordinary release, the second stage is release control, and the third stage is eternal release. It is said that the highest realm of energy release is when the released energy techniques can remain in the external environment indefinitely without dissipating. Some beastmasters who have entered the breakthrough secret realm have revealed that on the Star-Moon Continent, a beastmaster once created an artificial sun using this method. This miniature sun eternally illuminates a dark abyss, suppressing the darkness even though the beastmaster and their pet beast have been gone for decades. Currently, Lu Ran felt that by allowing Blizzard Sword Intent to remain on the ingredients, he was training towards the realm of eternal release. Lu Ran never imagined that something as simple as cooking could contain so many intricacies and could bebined with training his strength. ¡°Not bad.¡± ¡°The others who came with you have just mastered basic Culinary Skills, while you already have customers moring for your dishes.¡± As Lu Ran was immersed in his training, Shopkeeper Long¡¯s voice came from the doorway. ¡°Shopkeeper Long?¡± ¡°Well done. Your Culinary Intent can now stay on the ingredients for a certain period. Though still short, it¡¯s amendable progress,¡± Shopkeeper Long said. ¡°There were even customers who experienced dishes with Culinary Intent just now. The ce is buzzing because of it.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. He and General Ha had secretly tasted the Blizzard Sword Intent-infused fruit, and it was indeed refreshing in this summer heat. Finally, others could experience it too! ¡°How¡¯s the feedback?¡± ¡°Very positive, of course. It seems we can¡¯t offer it for free anymore. Starting tomorrow, we¡¯ll begin charging, and you¡¯ll share the profit with Frost Moon Pavilion!¡± Shopkeeper Longughed. ¡°Also, you must have some incredible luck. The son of Ning Chuan City¡¯s Lord happened to be dining here today, and he also tasted the fruit tter. In two days, there¡¯s a celebration banquet for the City Lord¡¯s breakthrough to be a Level 5 beastmaster. He wants to invite you to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion to cook.¡± ¡°I told him you only know how to slice fruit, but he insisted. It¡¯s a great opportunity, so I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°He wants me to go just to make fruit tters?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Shopkeeper Long replied. ¡°It¡¯s your chance to shine. The City Lord of Ning Chuan City values talent, whether in beast taming or culinary manship. The City Lord¡¯s Mansion will also be hosting the talented youth from all over Ning Chuan. It can¡¯t hurt for you to go and take a look.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lu Ran sighed. If the City Lord¡¯s son personally invited him, refusing would likely cause more trouble. ¡­ After the lunch rush, Lu Ran took a short break in his room. He nned to continue practicing in the afternoon to avoid any mishaps at the banquet. ording to Shopkeeper Long, the City Lord of Ning Chuan City was very generous and appreciative of talent. If Lu Ran performed well, he would surely receive a substantial reward. Hearing this, Lu Ran felt it was worth going. He needed the currency of this world. If rewarded, he could exchange it for money and see if there were any resources avable to enhanceprehension and learning abilities in this world. Then, he could purchase some to help him understand the Dragon Sword Intent. Knock, knock, knock! Someone was at the door again. Lu Ran asked, ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s us!¡± a familiar voice called out. Lu Ran was momentarily stunned and then went to open the door. It was the five people who had entered the breakthrough secret realm with him: Deer As Horse, She Pi, Bai Ling, Ibers, and the Wilderness Explorer. ¡°What¡¯s up, guys?¡± Lu Ran asked, inviting them in. Deer As Horse, teary-eyed, said, ¡°How did you do it? Those fruit tters earlier today, they were your work, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re still learning basic Culinary Skills, and you¡¯ve already made ¡®viral dishes.¡¯¡± ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t exactly teach you,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°I utilized what Shopkeeper Long referred to as ¡®Culinary Intent.¡¯ This Culinary Intent is actually the second stage of energy shaping, specifically shaping artistic conception.¡± ¡°You probably guessed that already.¡± ¡°Sigh,¡± She Pi, Ibers, and the Wilderness Explorer all sighed. They had indeed guessed it. Most likely, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had mastered shaping artistic conception, and then Lu Ran, with some Special Beast Taming Skill, learned it as well. ¡°Sudden Death King, you¡¯re amazing. Your pet beast has mastered shaping artistic conception. You shouldn¡¯t be so unknown; you should be on the divine beast leaderboard,¡± Ibers said, puzzled. The name ¡°Sudden Death King¡± wasn¡¯t familiar to her. The Wilderness Explorer added, ¡°Could it be that ssmate Wang¡¯s pet beast is¡­ amander species?¡± At this moment, Bai Ling couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and said, ¡°Are you all idiots?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that ¡®Sudden Death King¡¯ is a fake name. It was understandable not to figure it out before, but now¡­ it¡¯s quite clear.¡± ¡°I checked. Culinary Intent is a state of holding a Cooking Utensil that is more advanced than ordinary energy shaping. Among the First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation nutritionists I know, very few have mastered this technique.¡± ¡°Not to mention the Fourth Generation.¡± ¡°Moreover, the knife skills he disyed earlier aren¡¯t for cutting vegetables but seem more like skills for clearing obstacles and chopping wild beasts. So, his identity should be quite obvious.¡± ¡°In the infinite cities, there are very few pet beasts with remarkableprehension that can master shaping artistic conception, especially those that can infuse artistic conception into knives and swords. There¡¯s only one.¡± ¡°Also, today¡¯s fruit tters had dog patterns¡­ So, you¡¯re not the ¡®Sudden Death King.¡¯ You¡¯re Passerby A from Infinite City No.3, right?¡± Bai Ling¡¯s deduction left everyone stunned. She stared intently at Lu Ran, trying to discern any changes in his expression. Lu Ran, after a brief moment of surprise, merely smiled and started pping, saying, ¡°Impressive, Sister White Tiger, very sharp.¡± ¡°Humph,¡± Bai Ling pouted. She was mainly annoyed with Passerby A because he had previously gone to Infinite City No.5 and taken her Rank 1 spot. Her analysis left the others bewildered, looking at Lu Ran in disbelief¡­ Passerby A? ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I have social anxiety; otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t choose to keep a low profile,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°So, you didn¡¯te here just to expose my true identity, did you?¡± The Wilderness Explorer eximed, ¡°You really are¡­ Passerby A! Damn, I¡¯m from Infinite City No.3, and I didn¡¯t even recognize you.¡± ¡°Actually, we got some news,¡± She Pi began. ¡°The City Lord of Ning Chuan City has broken through to Level 5 and is hosting a banquet to celebrate. He¡¯s inviting all the young talented beastmasters in Ning Chuan. I heard there will be a prize-fighting segment where the City Lord¡¯s Mansion will present some treasures for the young beastmasters topete for. We think this could be considered a ¡®side quest¡¯ outside of the ¡®superior chef assessment,¡¯ a chance to acquire some resources.¡± ¡°We n to find an opportunity to go and see if we canpete for some resources with our skills. We came to ask if you¡¯re interested,¡± She Pi continued, though he seemed a bit resigned. Damn it, with Bai Ling and Passerby A, two Rank 1s from the divine beast leaderboard, there¡¯s no way topete. Even if there are any rare resources, these two will definitely snag them. ¡°Well¡­ actually, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion has already invited me to cook on that day, so I¡¯ll definitely be there,¡± Lu Ran said. Bai Ling and the others were dumbfounded: ???? Wait, are we even ying the same breakthrough secret realm?! It feels like you¡¯re ying a hacked version. Chapter 103: Wealthy and Generous Chapter 103: Wealthy and Generous While the group was still searching for a way to enter the City Lord¡¯s Mansion¡­ Lu Ran had already been invited in by the mansion itself¡­ Bai Ling and the others were immediately thrown off bnce. A cheating yer, huh! Fortunately, the opposing attribute in this secret realm wasn¡¯t too strong. Otherwise, they really wouldn¡¯t know how topete with Lu Ran. The group exchanged subtle nces at Bai Ling, as if to say, ¡°Sister White Tiger, there must have been a reason why Passerby A was above you back then. This guy is indeed a freak.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Bai Ling was still unconvinced. Now, she had suppressed Pluto, who had run off to Infinite City No.5, but her enhanced strength had yet to be tested against Passerby A. Bai Ling had always wanted to understand the full extent of Passerby A¡¯s abilities. She wondered if she could witness it this time in the breakthrough secret realm¡­ ¡°Well, there¡¯s no choice¡­ The five of us will have to figure it out ourselves,¡± Deer As Horse said with a bitter expression, not wanting to miss this opportunity. Sometimes, the side quests that challengers discover in the breakthrough secret realm can yield richer rewards than the breakthrough task itself!This is the allure of the breakthrough secret realm. Some official strategy team members even intentionally stay at a certain level, deliberately failing breakthrough tasks just to keep exploring the secret realm world. Of course¡­ doing soes with increasing risks. After all, walking by the river often enough, you¡¯re bound to get your feet wet. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ask Shopkeeper Long?¡± Lu Ran suggested. ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s ask Shopkeeper Long,¡± Bai Ling called out, having now be the de facto spiritual leader of the four. After all, before Lu Ran¡¯s identity was revealed, she was the strongest among the five. ¡°Good luck.¡± Soon, Lu Ran saw the group off¡­ Once they were gone, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued to lie down and rest. Sleep, sleep. Practice again in the afternoon. As long as you don¡¯t die from practice, just practice to death. ¡­ That afternoon. One man and one dog continued their battle in the kitchen. One fruit after another floated in mid-air, awaiting the blessing of the Cooking Utensil. In this small process, energy release: control objects with wind, and energy release: sword intent residue, were both being practiced. At this moment, what Lu Ran didn¡¯t know was that the fruit tter he had sliced up at noon had already be the stuff of legends throughout Ning Chuan City. The major beast taming families in Ning Chuan City had all heard that a divine chef who mastered a special Culinary Intent had arrived at the Frost Moon Pavilion. This chef would asionally gift customers with a fruit tter as aplimentary treat. ¡°What kind of marketing strategy is this?¡± many factions spected. City Lord¡¯s Mansion. A handsome young man was popping grapes into his mouth, mumbling, ¡°Dad, I found out that the chef who slices the fruit tter isn¡¯t one of Frost Moon Pavilion¡¯s old masters. He¡¯s actually very young and just recently started learning there!¡± ¡°The fruit he slices is genuinely delicious. He must possess some ice and snow type Culinary Intent. Just one bite made me feel like I was in heaven. When can we get a chef with Culinary Intent at our home?¡± ¡°I specifically asked Shopkeeper Long to have this young chef prepare refreshing fruit for the grand banquet two days from now. You love talent, don¡¯t you? See if there¡¯s a chance to invite him to be a chef at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s difficult!¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at a painting on the wall, and said, ¡°Someone with Culinary Intent doesn¡¯t necessarily cook exquisite cuisine, but without it, one certainly can¡¯t cook peerless dishes.¡± ¡°Such a person, let alone our City Lord¡¯s Mansion, wouldn¡¯t stay long even in Cann Province.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we just throw money at him?¡± the young man from the City Lord¡¯s Mansion asked. ¡°We¡¯ll see when the timees,¡± the City Lord of Ning Chuan replied. It¡¯s a pity Lu Ran didn¡¯t know about this conversation. Otherwise, he¡¯d definitely be willing to ¡°sell himself,¡± and for a high price! Moreover, he¡¯d be grateful that the challengers in the breakthrough secret realm were so intelligent and amodating! As long as the resources were in ce, Lu Ran, who had wandered all his life¡­ would willingly serve as a chef. After all, once 30 days passed, it would all vanish like smoke, and he wouldn¡¯t really have to stay. The City Lord of Ning Chuan turned to his son, ¡°Stop eating for now. When I host the breakthrough banquet, many young talents will gather. As my son, you¡¯ll have to show your skills. Whether I can keep my face depends on you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the handsome young man said. ¡°Among the younger generation of Cann Province, don¡¯t you know my strength?¡± ¡°When I make a move, I¡¯ll definitely dominate the crowd!¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan had broken through to Level 5, bing one of the rare Level 5 beastmasters in Cann Province. This was big news, and countless invitations were sent out, with various factions sending representatives to offer their congrattions. As the most famous restaurant in Cann Province, Frost Moon Pavilion was packed with guests these past few days, and Lu Ran¡¯s workload increased significantly. Soon, the day of the City Lord¡¯s grand banquet arrived. Frost Moon Pavilion was closed for the day, and Shopkeeper Long, along with a group of assistant chefs, headed to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. The City Lord¡¯s Mansion had invited many guests this time, and relying solely on its chefs wouldn¡¯t be sufficient. Therefore, the City Lord of Ning Chuan had also hired several top chefs from Frost Moon Pavilion at a high price to help out. ¡°Listen up, I¡¯m talking to you apprentices,¡± Shopkeeper Long said, ring at Deer As Horse and the others on the way. ¡°I brought you here as you requested, but until you finish your tasks, don¡¯t wander around the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. If anythinges up, contact me immediately. Got it?¡± Their tasks were essentially cleaning, serving tea, and pouring water. Bai Ling and the others looked resentful. It was frustrating to sneak into the City Lord¡¯s Mansion under such a guise, but Shopkeeper Long had promised that once they finished their tasks, they could participate in the various activities at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. This reassurance made Bai Ling and the others feel more at ease. As long as they didn¡¯t miss the side quest of the City Lord¡¯s grand banquet, it was fine¡­ Compared to them, Lu Ran was much more rxed. The City Lord¡¯s Mansion had prepared a kitchen for each of the top chefs from Frost Moon Pavilion, and Lu Ran was even given his own. It was well-stocked with various fruits, most of which were high-quality spiritual fruits. Although the workload was heavy, these were all valuable items. Lu Ran and General Ha could nibble on some leftovers while working, which made the situation quite pleasant. Among the chefs who hade, Shopkeeper Long was most worried about Lu Ran, so he personally stayed with Bai Ling and the others outside Lu Ran¡¯s kitchen to keep watch¡­ Initially, Bai Ling and the others didn¡¯t understand why. But when they peeked and saw a dog, Erha, holding a cleaver and slicing fruits alongside Lu Ran, they were struck speechless. Oh, that¡¯s why¡­ It indeed wasn¡¯t suitable for the people in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion to see this. As expected of you, Passerby A! You always manage to pull off something unexpected! Who knew a pet beast could be used this way? ¡°Why are you standing there? Hurry up and serve the sliced fruit! The best time to enjoy it is less than five minutes! Remind the guests to eat it immediately!¡± Shopkeeper Long shouted. Bai Ling and the others quickly became Lu Ran¡¯s assistants. With resigned expressions, they carried the fruit tters swiftly to the banquet hall. Among them, Bai Ling felt the most exasperated, hoping that these people would keep their mouths shut. Otherwise, if news spread that Bai Ling from the Four Saints Guild ended up as Passerby A¡¯s helper in the breakthrough secret realm, it would definitely trend on social media again. At the moment, the banquet hall was bustling with activity. Dozens of tables surrounded a massive arena, and several hundred elegantly dressed guests of all ages were chatting andughing. In the Beast Taming Empire, banquets were all about fighting and eating¡ªthat was the national style. ¡°The fruit tters are only being served now?¡± Some guests at a few tables saw Deer As Horse and the others bringing in the fruit tters and shook their heads. They felt the City Lord¡¯s Mansion was underprepared; such items should have been on the tables in advance. However, as some guests felt thirsty and casually took a piece of fruit to eat, the atmosphere in one corner of the banquet quickly turned peculiar. ¡°Don¡¯t grab it!¡± ¡°Leave me a piece!¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve had three pieces already. Haven¡¯t you eaten fruit before?¡± The fruit tters at the few tables were instantly emptied, and even a scuffle broke out, drawing the attention of nearby tables, who all wanted to know what was happening. ¡°The City Lord of Ning Chuan is truly generous, inviting a chef with culinary intent to slice the fruit. Ice and snow culinary intent is quite rare. In this scorching summer, it instantly feels much cooler!¡± An experienced elder stood up and praised. Ice and snow culinary intent! Upon hearing this, the scene became even more lively. ¡°What? A chef with ice and snow culinary intent is slicing the fruit tters?¡± ¡°We have to try it!¡± ¡°Ice and snow culinary intent, fruit tters¡­ Could it be that the chef from Frost Moon Pavilion was invited? Frost Moon Pavilion recently had a chef who used ice and snow culinary intent to slice fruit!¡± The guests, who were previously discussing the City Lord¡¯s breakthrough to Level 5, were nowpletely captivated by the delicious fruit. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient. Every table will receive a pre-dinner fruit tter. However, we have only one chef, and the fruit is best when sliced fresh, so your patience is appreciated,¡± the butler of the City Lord¡¯s Mansion exined from the stage. ¡°In the meantime, while we wait for the delicious fruit, are there any young talents willing to showcase their beast taming skills? Many young beastmaster geniuses from Cann Province are here tonight. As we all know, the City Lord values talent and has prepared generous rewards for those willing to disy their skills.¡± ¡°Such a celebratory asion wouldn¡¯t beplete without an exciting beast taming battle to liven things up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± As soon as the butler finished speaking, several young beastmasters eagerly volunteered. This kind of banquet was meant to be enjoyed with both good food and thrilling beast taming battles. Soon, two beastmasters were fighting in the arena, while Bai Ling and the others, still carrying fruit tters, nced over. ¡°Level 12, upper supernatural species, me Tail Fox.¡± ¡°Level 13, upper supernatural species, Hundred Flower Butterfly¡­¡± ¡°Their levels are so high.¡± At this point, seeing that even the random beastmasters stepping onto the stage had pet beasts of such high levels, Deer As Horse and the others felt a bit stressed. Unlike the beastmasters on Blue Star, those on the Star-Moon Continent weren¡¯t limited by Infinite City¡¯s level restrictions. However, this didn¡¯t mean that beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent leveled up quickly. On the contrary, beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent faced even more restrictions when leveling up. For instance, when they contracted pet beasts, they didn¡¯t have the ck card and had to rely entirely on themselves to develop their beast taming space. Developing and upgrading the beast taming space required the beastmaster to spend a lot of time meditating and training. If a beastmaster¡¯s level didn¡¯t keep up, it would also drag down and limit the growth of their pet beasts. Most importantly, at each level¡ªapprentice, level 1, level 2, and so on¡ªbeastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent had to find their own way to break through the bottlenecks. Unlike the beastmasters from Infinite City, who could naturally break through bypleting the breakthrough secret realm. So,pared to the beastmasters here, the challengers entering from Blue Star did have some advantages. At least in terms of growth speed, with the help of Infinite City, they could level up much faster. In terms of resources, there¡¯s no need to borate. Thanks to the unique nature of the breakthrough secret realm, Infinite City can be described as having ¡°infinite resources.¡± One could farm a secret realm endlessly without issues. However, on the Star-Moon Continent, even ordinary resources are not infinitely obtainable. ¡°The chances don¡¯t look good.¡± Seeing that even these two minor characters had such strength, Deer As Horse and the others felt it was going to be tough. Among the five, only Bai Ling remained confident. She believed that within the same species, she could fight enemies several levels higher without any problem. This confidence came from being at the top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard. With everyone¡¯s hard work, Lu Ran soonpleted the first batch of fruit tters. However, when he stepped out of the kitchen and saw the empty tes, he instantly realized that after the main course, he would likely be asked to prepare another round of fruit tters for each table. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Lu Ran asked as he approached Bai Ling and the others. ¡°It¡¯s incredible! Every guest is raving about the fruit tters, saying it¡¯s like the fruit was drugged. Your Culinary Intent is amazing!¡± The wilderness explorer said excitedly, ¡°Passerby A, I¡¯ve thought of a line for you. When people ask why your food is so delicious, just say, ¡®It¡¯s the Culinary Intent. I added Culinary Intent!¡¯¡± ¡°I was asking about the situation in the arena.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. Who cares about the fruit tters! ¡°Oh, right¡­ So far, no exceptionally monstrous beastmasters have taken the stage. Everyone¡¯s level is around 10 to 20, with upper supernatural species.¡± Lu Ran looked towards the arena. At that moment, a beastmastermanding a wind-type giant eagle was battling anothermanding a rock-type giant bear. Levels 16 and 17, with each beastmaster having mastered 2 or 3 high-level energy techniques. Fortunately, there were no fusion traits involved, but it would still be a challenge for an ordinary breakthrough secret realm challenger. Soon, the rock-type giant bear was defeated. Seeing this, the City Lord of Ning Chuan, seated in the main chair, smiled and said, ¡°A splendid battle. Thank you both. But I wonder, why haven¡¯t any of the most famous geniuses from Cann Province taken the stage yet?¡± ¡°Is it because the prize I offered is too small?¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s make it more interesting. For the next match, whoever can win three consecutive battles will get to choose one rare resource from the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Win four consecutive battles and choose two items. Win five consecutive battles, and you get to choose three!¡± As he spoke, the butler beside him lifted a red cloth from a table, revealing a dazzling array of treasures. The table was covered with dozens of rare resources, each one shining brightly. ¡°Wow, the City Lord is generous.¡± Upon seeing this, countless young beastmasters¡¯ eyes turned red with excitement. Not just them, even Deer As Horse and the others who hade from outside were visibly shaken. ¡°Holy cow! So many rare resources,¡± eximed She Pi. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re all quite valuable. Each one could sell for at least ten thousand crystal coins back home.¡± ¡°So this is what it¡¯s like to be a Level 5 beastmaster. I love it.¡± ¡°Yeah, uh!¡± The pet shop owner was about to chime in, but when she turned around, she was startled to see Bai Ling and Passerby A, their eyes gleaming green with excitement. ¡°This guy is really wealthy,¡± Bai Ling said, staring intently at a piece of tiger bone. Meanwhile, Lu Ran was fixated on three fruits, identified by his eye of data as lucid fruits. ¡°And very generous,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but say. This is perfect! He wasn¡¯t greedy; as long as he could get those three lucid fruits, he¡¯d be satisfied. They were exactly what he needed to enhance his learning ability andprehension. It was a pity he hadn¡¯t prepared for this beforehand. If he was heading to Dragon Valley to train his dragon culinary intent, these fruits would be invaluable. ¡°Does anyone dare¡­¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan began, smiling. Just as he was about to have his son take the stage to build some reputation, a voice rang out from below. ¡°I will!¡± Lu Ran stepped forward. Bai Ling and the others were taken aback. ¡°Whoa, the big shot is so bold, ready to act right away?¡± Deer As Horse and She Pi were stunned by Lu Ran¡¯s decisiveness. Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. Is this social anxiety? Social anxiety but the first to step forward? Not far away, Shopkeeper Long, who had been watching the events unfold, was also surprised, looking at Lu Ran with a speechless expression. ¡°Huh? Which family are you from?¡± The City Lord asked curiously, finding Lu Ran unfamiliar. ¡°I¡¯m the sudden death king, a chef at Frost Moon Pavilion. The fruit tters you all enjoyed earlier were sliced by me,¡± Lu Ran said shyly. Everyone: ? So young, but¡­ Go back and keep slicing fruit! There isn¡¯t enough to go around. Why are you stepping up now? This schedule is way too packed! Chapter 104: The Knife-Wielding Dog Chapter 104: The Knife-Wielding Dog A Chef requests to battle! The crowd didn¡¯t find this unusual at all. After all, in the Beast Taming Empire, a powerful Chef was inevitably also a powerful beastmaster. The upation of a gourmet hunter could be described as abination of Chef and beastmaster. ¡°Frost Moon Pavilion¡­¡± Countless eyes fell on Lu Ran. No matter how you looked at it, Lu Ran still seemed too young, hardly like a Chef who had mastered Culinary Intent. ¡°Alright!¡± However, after a brief moment of surprise, the City Lord of Ning Chuan City broke into a broad smile. He had already been thinking of recruiting Lu Ran, nning to meet him after the banquet. Now that Lu Ran had stepped forward to join the arena activities himself, this was a better opportunity to get to know him. Under numerous gazes, Lu Ran walked up to the arena.Bai Ling and the others were quite speechless. At this moment, She Pi cleverly suggested, ¡°Why don¡¯t the five of us take turns challenging him and intentionally lose? That way, we can directly take the three resources¡­¡± ¡°Are you trying to exploit a bug? Do you think others are fools?¡± Bai Ling said honestly, ¡°Besides, except for me, do the four of you even need to intentionally lose?¡± Ibers, the explorer, and Deer As Horse: ¡­ That¡¯s true, but could you be a bit less blunt? The atmosphere among the group was very good,pletely devoid of the violent atmosphere typical of other breakthrough secret realms. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± At this time, Shopkeeper Long also walked over. Deer As Horse and the others could only innocently say, ¡°He¡¯s been blinded by the resources¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± At this moment, a blond young man leapt onto the arena. He smiled slightly and said, ¡°You are so young and have already mastered Culinary Intent. Truly impressive.¡± ¡°I, Xiachi Qing of the Xiachi Family, would like to have a beast taming duel with you. However, I have a small request, and I wonder if you could agree to it.¡± ¡°If I win, could you please cut three more fruit tters for our table afterward?¡± As soon as he finished speaking, many people cursed him for being ¡°insidious.¡± How could he propose such a shameless bet? The Xiachi Family, can¡¯t you have a bit more dignity! ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded helplessly. ¡°Haha,¡± Xiachi Qingughed as he began to summon his pet beast, with two summoning circles appearing in front of him. Lu Ran, without hesitation, summoned his pet beast. With the light shing from three summoning circles, their respective battle beasts appeared in the arena! ¡°Roar!!!¡± ¡°Roar!!!¡± Xiachi Qing summoned two enormous feline pet beasts. Their fur was like sharp stones, and their long tails resembled rock whips. As they stepped out of the summoning circles, they looked imposing and majestic. On Lu Ran¡¯s side, of course, it was still General Ha. As a cold wind blew, General Ha stuck out its tongue and grinned at the two fierce beasts. General Ha¡¯s expression seemed to say, ¡°Finally, no more cutting fruit. Fighting is so much better.¡± [Name]: Earth Rock Beast [Attributes]: Earth, Rock [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 15 Seeing Xiachi Qing summon two pet beasts, Bai Ling and the others were visibly stunned. Up until now, the beastmasters had only summoned one pet beast each. Although a Level 1 beastmaster could contract with two pet beasts, Lu Ran was still an apprentice¡­ This put him at a disadvantage! ¡°The previous challengers came from small families and didn¡¯t have the resources or energy to raise two pet beasts. Xiachi Qing, however,es from the renowned tiger-rearing Xiachi Family in Cann Province. He has a solid foundation, unlike the others,¡± Bai Ling exined. ¡°If he only has one pet beast, he¡¯ll be at a significant disadvantage,¡± Shopkeeper Long remarked, referring to Lu Ran. ¡°He probably only has one¡­¡± She Pi and the others agreed. ¡°He hasn¡¯t even passed through the breakthrough secret realm yet, so where would he get a second contract?¡± Bai Ling pondered this and realized how difficult it was to acquire those rare resources. This side quest wasn¡¯t designed for ordinary people. Without amander species pet beast, a challenger wouldn¡¯t dare topete! One-on-one might be fine, but how could he handle a two-on-one? ¡°Do you only have one pet beast?¡± Xiachi Qing asked curiously, seeing that Lu Ran had only summoned a wolf-like pet beast. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha calmly looked at the two fierce beasts, indicating that it alone was enough. ¡°Uh¡­¡± The crowd heard the bark and realized it wasn¡¯t a wolf but a dog. Although the dog looked like a wolf, on closer inspection, it indeed had a more intelligent and less ferocious expression, more like a domesticated canine beast. ¡°Yes, I only have one pet beast. It¡¯s fine; let¡¯s have a fair fight,¡± Lu Ran responded. Xiachi Qing didn¡¯t hold back. Contracting multiple pet beasts was a beastmaster¡¯s choice. Opting for quantity had its advantages, as did focusing all resources on nurturing one. Beastmasters from prominent families wouldn¡¯t underestimate an opponent just because they had fewer pet beasts. A single pet beast could still be exceptionally well-developed. ¡°Earth Wave! Flying Rock!¡± The battle quicklymenced. Xiachi Qing simultaneouslymanded his two pet beasts to attack. One Earth Rock Beast emitted a yellowish glow all over its body. The solid ground beneath its massive feet sent out intense shockwaves, making the arena shake as if an earthquake had struck. The other Earth Rock Beast roared upward, its massive jaws gathering sharp flying rocks that itunched like stone projectiles at General Ha. In an instant, the ground and mid-air were filled with obstacles, leaving General Ha with no room to maneuver. Compared to the previous beastmasters, Xiachi Qing¡¯s two pet beasts demonstrated superior energy control. However, this level of attack didn¡¯t faze Lu Ran and General Ha. With a light tap on the ground, General Ha leaped into the air, ignoring the tremors. It then opened its mouth,pressing energy, and unleashed the Roar of the Wind! Boom!!! The hurricane generated by tenfold energypression was far more than just a gust that could break branches. The iing rocks halted mid-air and then reversed direction under the force of the tangible hurricane. The two Earth Rock Beasts, sensing the fierce storm, quickly stabilized themselves, using their earth attributes to anchor themselves to the ground. ¡°This is bad,¡± Xiachi Qing muttered, realizing that this canine beast was exceptionally well-nurtured. It even mastered the energypression technique, a divine skill that transcended species and level. Despite its high load, this technique could often be decisive in battle. ¡°Earth Attribute, reinforce!¡± Facing this situation, Xiachi Qing immediately began chanting. His eyes glowed yellow as he stretched out his hand, fingers shooting out yellow links connecting to the two Earth Rock Beasts. In an instant, the beasts¡¯ breath surged, releasing even greater power. Reinforcement and the hurricane arrived simultaneously, but even with the enhancement, the two Earth Rock Beasts were still unable to move under the force of the wind. They could only struggle to maintain their bnce, allowing the previouslyunched flying rocks to hit them. Moving even a step could result in being blown out of the arena. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!! Hit by their own attacks, the Earth Rock Beasts cried out in pain. Before they could react, wind des shaped like teeth, mixed within the hurricane, struck them as well. General Ha deftly shaped the tooth storm within the released hurricane, effortlessly controlling the energy. ¡°Owoooo!!!¡± Despite the beastmaster¡¯s reinforcement, the two Earth Rock Beasts couldn¡¯t withstand the pain and pressure, getting blown over and crashing heavily to the ground! Instantly, Xiachi Qing stood in stunned silence. In this kind of beast taming performance at a banquet, the rule was to stop before causing serious harm. Given the current situation, it was clear that Xiachi Family¡¯s second-generation beastmaster had lost. If General Ha had intended to continue the attack, the fallen Earth Rock Beasts would have struggled to protect their beastmaster. ¡°Impressive.¡± The banquet hall erupted in excitement. Everyone felt that Lu Ran¡¯s wind-attribute canine beast was exceptionally well-trained. The four major energy techniques¡ªflow,pression, shaping, and release¡ªwere all expertly executed, perfectlybined topletely suppress the two Earth Rock Beasts! ¡°I lost,¡± Xiachi Qing admitted, feeling deeply ashamed. He now understood the gap between himself and this chef. His opponent was not only a culinary master but also a terrifyingly powerful beastmaster! The fruit tter¡­ was out of reach. ¡°Thank you for the match,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. Even against an opponent of a supernatural species several levels higher, General Ha didn¡¯t need to resort to using a sword in battle. After all, for the past half month, General Ha¡¯s training grounds had been the ¡°Abyss Secret Realm.¡± This level of enemy was merely an elite monster. ¡°Impressive.¡± ¡°So strong.¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan City, along with She Pi and others, couldn¡¯t help but express their admiration. Finally witnessing Lu Ran¡¯s true strength, Bai Ling couldn¡¯t help but frown. It was a bit beyond her expectations. ording to the divine beast leaderboard, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast was a sword-holding dog, which had already fused with the weapon mastery trait. If it was this powerful without using a weapon, how strong would it be with one? She suddenly felt a bit uncertain about her own abilities. ¡°Interesting, let me give it a try.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s prowess as a chef had attracted considerable attention. Many young talents, initially reluctant to step forward, were now eager to challenge him. A young man in cloth armorughed heartily, saying, ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a fruit tter for me if I win.¡± ¡°As long as you can win, there will be,¡± Lu Ran replied, somewhat speechless. He hadn¡¯t expected so many people to challenge him for a fruit tter rather than rare resources. The appearance of this young man in cloth armor sparked another wave of heated discussion. ¡°He¡¯s the son of General Sen from the Beast Taming Legion stationed in Cann Province.¡± This young man seemed quite prominent. Even the son of the City Lord of Ning Chuan City, standing beside the City Lord himself, showed a slight change in expression. After all, the opponent was also the offspring of a Level 5 beastmaster! His reputation in Cann Province was well-known. ¡°Come on!!¡± Sen Qisheng, standing below the arena, summoned his pet beast¡ªa robust ck horse engulfed in white mes. He mounted the horse and drew a long spear from his spatial equipment. ¡°Neigh!!!¡± The me horse leaped onto the stage as the general¡¯s son waved his spear, looking towards Lu Ran and General Ha. [Name]: Fiery Gallop Steed [Attribute]: me [Species Level]: Lower Commander [Growth Level]: Level 17 Seeing the attributes of this pet beast, She Pi and the others were once again taken aback. What the heck, each challenger was more formidable than thest. A Level 17mander species had appeared. ¡°Can he still handle this? General Sen¡¯s horse taming technique is quite impressive. Sen Qisheng, as his heir, naturally isn¡¯t far behind. Plus, his spear is master-forged, enhancing strength. Among the younger generation at this banquet, there shouldn¡¯t be more than five who can surpass him,¡± Shopkeeper Long remarked, noticing that Bai Ling and the others seemed to know Lu Ran quite well. He smiled as he asked. ¡°He will win,¡± Bai Ling dered decisively. Although the opponent was strong, she hadn¡¯t forgotten that Lu Ran and General Ha, this formidable duo, had taken down the middlemander species boss, the Demon Bull Commander, even before reaching level 10 and without any fusion traits. No matter how impressive Sen Qisheng was, he was just a genius from a small province in the Beast Taming Empire¡¯s hundreds of provinces. Lu Ran, on the other hand, was likely one of the top fourth-generation beastmasters on Blue Star. They were not on the same level! As Sen Qisheng took the stage, the audience, who had initially marveled at Lu Ran¡¯s strength, now turned their admiration towards Sen Qisheng¡¯s well-rounded setup. It was no wonder he was a top-level second-generation beastmaster from Cann Province. ¡°You¡¯re a chef, so you must be good with knives too, right? Why don¡¯t you fight yourself?!¡± Sen Qisheng shouted. ¡°If you¡¯re a real man, you should be a cavalryman and fight with real weapons!¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Seeing his opponent use weapon equipment, Lu Ran pondered for a moment and then pulled out¡­ a cleaver! Everyone: ? Seriously? You¡¯re going to listen to him? And even if it¡¯s a weapon, why a cleaver? ¡°Then we¡¯ll use weapons too.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not good at fighting, so forget it. Let it handle it,¡± Lu Ran said, tossing the cleaver. General Ha caught it in its mouth, struck a pose, and looked back at Sen Qisheng, who was mounted on his fiery gallop steed, deep in thought. ¡°What the heck?¡± Sen Qisheng blurted out, veins popping in his forehead. Not only him, but the entire audience was also stunned at that moment. Giving a dog a cleaver? A cleaver-wielding dog? ¡°Are you kidding me!¡± Sen Qisheng felt mocked and grew angry. With a shake of his legs, mes erupted from the fiery gallop steed, engulfing Sen Qisheng¡¯s spear. Man and horse, wrapped in mes, charged forward like a war god emerging from fire. ¡°Can he really do it?!¡± Seeing this, even the natives of the Star-Moon Continent, including She Pi and others who knew Lu Ran¡¯s true skills, were taken aback. Use a sword, not a cleaver! What is this nonsense! However, Lu Ran and General Ha were not particr about such details. Using energy shaping, even with a freshly carved ¡°wooden sword¡± or a tree branch, they could activate the king of swords talent. Naturally, thisrge cleaver could also be used. Whether sword or knife, as long as one has the heart of a swordsman, anything can be a sword. Facing the fierce opponent who seemed to underestimate them, General Ha surrounded itself with a gale, leaping into the air. Its breath surged, its fur moving in the wind. The Blizzard Sword Intent fully infused into the cleaver. In an instant, General Ha seemed to transform into a different creature! The blinding ¡°sword light¡± made Sen Qisheng¡¯s heart skip a beat, sensing a bad omen. At the same time, everyone watching General Ha felt a chill. It was as if a powerful will had dragged them into a blizzard. This feeling¡­ was very simr to when they were eating the fruit tter! ¡°Hah!¡± With no turning back, Sen Qisheng used his family¡¯s horse taming technique, a beast taming skill,bined with the fiery gallop steed¡¯s power, to strike down. Bang!!!! The audience held their breath as they saw the collision of gales and mes. Sen Qisheng¡¯s spear shed with the cleaver in General Ha¡¯s mouth. Fire snakes danced wildly in the air, and the booming sound echoed all around. In the instant of the sh, before anyone could discern who was stronger, Sen Qisheng and the fiery gallop steed felt a sudden chill. Sen Qisheng instantly realized that the opponent was not just a dog, but a mighty beast. His hand holding the spear trembled uncontrobly. Despite being enveloped in mes, he felt frozen stiff. The energypressed tenfold into the cleaver continuously exploded, providing an unending stream of force. Sen Qisheng couldn¡¯t fathom the immense power of the opponent. With a ¡°boom,¡± he lost all strength, and his spear was sent flying,nding on the ground. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, using the recoil to retreat slightly,nded gracefully on the ground, looking at the opponent calmly. Have you ever heard of the Knife-Wielding Dog? ¡°This is impossible.¡± Weaponless, Sen Qisheng shouted in disbelief. He couldn¡¯tprehend how, even with the power of his steed, his weapon was knocked away by a dog holding a cleaver! He knew that theirbined attack could have easily lifted an elephant! ¡°Thank you for letting me win,¡± Lu Ran said, implying that the match was over and that General Ha could have continued attacking without any resistance from the opponent. At this moment, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone stared in shock at the Knife-Wielding Dog. A cavalryman¡¯s weapon was sent flying by a dog holding a cleaver¡­ This would surely be the top headline in Cann Province tomorrow. ¡°That move just now!!!¡± Even in defeat, Sen Qisheng wanted to understand what had happened. ¡°It was Culinary Intent. My pet beast has mastered Culinary Intent as well,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Although your spear technique is powerful, your spear intent isn¡¯t firm enough. It¡¯s only natural that your weapon was deflected.¡± As Lu Ran finished exining, the crowd was stunned, and Sen Qisheng was in disbelief. A dog mastering Culinary Intent? Did that mean the dog holding the cleaver was treating its opponent like ingredients to be prepared? ¡°What the hell¡­ this is ridiculous,¡± Sen Qisheng muttered, his vision darkening. He couldn¡¯t ept that a dog could use a kitchen knife and master Culinary Intent¡­ This was the most humiliating defeat he had ever suffered! ¡°This dog might really have mastered Culinary Intent!¡± someone eximed. ¡°When I saw it attack just now, the feeling was very simr to when I was eating the fruit tter!¡± ¡°Incredible¡­ Wait, hold on, you don¡¯t think the fruit tter we ate earlier was prepared by it, do you?¡± Chapter 105: Just a Passing Guest Chapter 105: Just a Passing Guest The moment those words were spoken, the entire room erupted in astonishment. Many people wore strange expressions. From a rational standpoint, if a pet beast has mastered Culinary Intent, how could a Chef not use it while cooking? But if that were true, then at least half of the fruit tter they just ate was cut by this dog! ¡°That¡¯s hrious,¡± She Pi and hispanions tried to stifle theirughter in the corner as the truth came to light. They were professionally trained, and usually wouldn¡¯tugh unless they couldn¡¯t hold it in! Actually, this wasn¡¯t a big deal. It¡¯s quitemon for pet beasts to assist Chefs in cooking and handlingplex ingredients. When ites to cooking with fire, no stove can control the heat as precisely as a fire pet beast. Some special ingredients require extremely high temperatures that a regr stove can¡¯t achieve.There are also some fierce beasts with tough scales; ughtering them with pure human strength is very difficult, so the help of pet beasts is necessary for dissection. So, this is quitemon. The only slightly different aspect is that usually, pet beasts assist the Chef, while the Chef still primarily handles the cooking. But a fruit tter¡­ for a dog that has mastered Culinary Intent and can skillfully wield a knife, it seems like the presence of a human Chef doesn¡¯t matter much. Many guests felt a bit uneasy, thinking about having just eaten a dish entirely prepared by a dog. ¡°Just one more round! Then I can choose a resource. Three more rounds, and I can choose three!¡± At this moment, Lu Ran pretended not to hear the discussion, his eyes fixed only on the lucid fruit¡­ Who cares who cut the fruit, as long as it¡¯s edible! With so many people, relying on him alone as the Chef would be exhausting. ¡°Wait, as far as I know, using Culinary Intent to cook is very exhausting, both mentally and physically. This means that Master Wang and the sudden death king were not in their best condition when they took the stage¡­¡± ¡°Even so, to perform at such a high level is truly impressive.¡± Upon hearing this, the son of the city lord of Ning Chuan City couldn¡¯t help but praise Lu Ran. His words immediately sparked another round of heated discussion. Indeed, using Culinary Intent for dozens of fruit tters is like fighting dozens of battles. To still have the energy topete after that is remarkable¡­ Many people looked at Lu Ran and general ha with newfound admiration, feeling their prowess was truly extraordinary. ¡°Master Wang, the sudden death king¡­¡± Bai Ling and the others finally couldn¡¯t hold back theirughter. What kind of names was Lu Raning up with? Infinite City was truly impressive. Over these past few days, they had noticed that although Infinite City referred to this ce as a historical projection, every life here seemed as real as any living person, each with their own thoughts. How could Infinite City make them feel like their names blended in seamlessly? Did it change the world¡¯s rules? Although, to be fair, the culture of the Beast Taming Empire was indeed diverse¡­ The Star-Moon Continent was vast, no smaller than Blue Star, with a rich tapestry of cultures and races. There were yellow-skinned, white-skinned, and dark-skinned people among its citizens. Thinking of it this way, strange names weren¡¯t entirely out of the question¡­ ¡°Hahaha, Master Wang is indeed impressive.¡± At this moment, the City Lord of Ning Chuan City stood up and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost time to eat. I think, Master Wang, you should stop fighting.¡± Lu Ran and general ha: ?? ¡°Your strength is evident to all. If you keep fighting, you¡¯ll waste too much energy. How will you prepare the fruit tter for our guests afterward?¡± Heughed and said, ¡°Feel free to choose any three items from the table. I¡¯m sure no one here would object.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Many guests nodded in agreement. Lu Ran¡¯s strength had already been disyed, and he could likely win continuously. Continuing to fight would just waste energy and affect the meal preparationter. Bai Ling, She Pi, and the others: ? ¡°Damn it,¡± they muttered. ¡°Lu Ran is definitely a cheating yer, ying a hacked version. The rules set at the beginning can just be broken like that.¡± These breakthrough secret realm people are just like real people, not rigid at all! Too cunning! ¡°Well¡­ alright.¡± Faced with this situation, what could Lu Ran say? ¡°Then I won¡¯t be polite.¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan City smiled, ¡°No need to be polite.¡± Down below, seeing the envious expressions of She Pi and the others, Shopkeeper Long couldn¡¯t help butugh, ¡°A Chef with potential is respected everywhere. Those who can cook exquisite cuisine can even be honored guests in the imperial city, easily bing imperial chefs.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bai Ling and the others felt deted. They understood the logic, but it was still so difficult. The second stage of energy shaping, shaping artistic conception, is already difficult enough. Moreover, it requires flexibility in approach, being able to infuse artistic conception into the utensils¡­ And this is just one of the requirements for cooking exquisite cuisine or a peerless dish. A strong Culinary Intent, superb Culinary Skills, and exquisite-level ingredients‡±all these elements must be integrated to possibly create such dishes. This process is delicate; one mistake can waste those precious ingredients, which is why exquisite-level Chefs are so rare. For the people of the Star-Moon Continent, mastering Culinary Intent might be slightly simpler. After all, beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent can cultivate themselves, which makes it easier for them to reach the mystical state of Culinary Intent. But for beastmasters from Blue Star, who cannot cultivate themselves, mastering such a power likely depends on forming a connection with their pet beast through Special Beast Taming Skills¡­ The difference in cultivation systems exins why, on the Star-Moon Continent, it¡¯s typically the beastmaster who masters Culinary Intent, rather than the pet beast. This is why general ha mastering Culinary Intent seemed so unusual to these people. Lu Ran didn¡¯t hesitate. He went up and took three lucid fruits, expressing his gratitude to the City Lord of Ning Chuan City. ¡°If my culinary skills improve, I will surelye back to thank you, City Lord.¡± ¡°Haha, good.¡± The City Lord of Ning Chuan City noticed that Lu Ran had taken resources that temporarily enhanceprehension and learning abilities, recognizing Lu Ran as someone eager to learn. Such a culinary genius would find it hard not to achieve great things in the future. ¡­ After two rounds, Lu Ran returned to the kitchen and exchanged a nce with general ha. ¡°Whine¡­¡± general ha¡¯s expression was bitter. So, it¡¯s time to cut fruit again? For general ha, this process was torturous. The reason wasn¡¯t that the training was too harsh, but because it was hard to resist taking bites of the fruit while cutting it. Out of professional integrity, Lu Ran and general ha naturally couldn¡¯t eat the prime parts and had to satisfy their cravings with peels and scraps¡­ tasting them to sample the vors. But the more they tasted, the more they craved, easily getting addicted. Therefore, the process of cooking also became a test of willpower. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work!¡± Lu Ran was already satisfied. With the resources in hand, what more could he ask for? As the banquet continued, the main courses began to be served, and the guests temporarily forgot about the fruit tter. At the Frost Moon Pavilion, besides Lu Ran, there was another chef who had mastered Culinary Intent, Shopkeeper Long¡¯s father. Today, he was also in action, overshadowing Lu Ran for a moment. However, their Culinary Intents were different, and naturally, their culinary vors were also distinct. Meanwhile, the banquetpetitions were still ongoing. She Pi and the others couldn¡¯t resist and went up one by one to join the fun. But without exception, they were all soundly defeated. Only Bai Ling, using the ¡°heavy water trait¡± and recklessly employing the ¡°energy recovery¡± beast taming skill, managed to let her Albino Bengal Tiger win three consecutive matches, barely securing a rare resource from Blue Star. Bai Ling¡¯s White Tiger is a water-type pet beast. The heavy water trait allows the water it condenses to have an extremely high weight; even a single drop could potentially weigh several tons in the future, making it a formidable weapon inbat. Additionally, Bai Ling¡¯s beast taming skill, energy recovery, is versatile, allowing her to restore her pet beast¡¯s stamina with her own power. This means her White Tiger can endure more battles and training. This was also why Plutoter couldn¡¯tpete with her on the divine beast leaderboard. Pluto¡¯s chosen traits leaned more towards growth, which in the short term couldn¡¯t match the advantages brought by the heavy water trait. ¡°Impressive,¡± Shopkeeper Long couldn¡¯t help but be amazed after watching Bai Ling and the others finish a round of battles. The strength of Lu Ran and Bai Ling was a pleasant surprise. At this moment, Shopkeeper Long seemed to have made up his mind about something¡­ In the kitchen. As Lu Ran sliced the melons, Shopkeeper Long¡¯s voice of praise came through, ¡°Your Culinary Intent can now be retained in the ingredients for five minutes. Not bad.¡± ¡°Shopkeeper Long?¡± Lu Ran looked over at her and grinned, ¡°So, when we go back, I can start the second stage of training, right?¡± Previously, Shopkeeper Long had mentioned that once his sword intent could be maintained externally for three minutes, he could move on to the next stage of training. However, due to the rapid progress made by Lu Ran and general ha, and to better prepare for this banquet, Lu Ran¡¯s next stage of training was postponed for two days. ¡°Hmm.¡± Shopkeeper Long smiled slightly and said, ¡°To be a great chef, both Culinary Intent and Culinary Skill are indispensable. You have a natural talent for Culinary Intent, but it¡¯s clear that you are not very proficient in Culinary Skill.¡± ¡°Your knife technique seems magical, but it¡¯s actually entirely supported by Culinary Intent. The technique itself is more suited forbat.¡± ¡°When you go back today, I¡¯ll teach you my father¡¯s ¡®fine edge de technique.¡¯¡± ¡°Fine edge de technique?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s a Culinary Skill that, through brain domain training, allows you to control your strength with extreme precision. It¡¯s highly useful for handling ingredients. Of course, if you want to use it in actualbat, that¡¯s possible too.¡± ¡°Thank you, Shopkeeper Long!¡± Lu Ran was delighted, knowing that this was a technique exclusive to the beastmasters of the Star-Moon Continent, one that humans could learn. He wondered if it could be reverse-engineered through super beast mimicry to teach his pet beast¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s not much more the Frost Moon Pavilion can teach you.¡± Shopkeeper Long shook her head. Lu Ran was the youngest chef she had ever seen who had mastered Culinary Intent. Such a genius wouldn¡¯t stay in Cann Province for long and would eventually head to a bigger stage like the imperial city. Moreover, Lu Ran¡¯s time at the Frost Moon Pavilion was only until the superior assessment. So, teaching him her father¡¯s signature fine edge de technique before parting was also Shopkeeper Long¡¯s investment in Lu Ran. When Lu Ran bes a prominent figure in the future, the Frost Moon Pavilion would also gain fame. ¡°No, I¡¯m already very grateful,¡± Lu Ran said politely. At the same time, he felt a bit strange. After a few days, he was starting to blur the line between reality and illusion. Everything felt too real. Thinking about the ce he was in, possibly lost in the annals of history, Lu Ran felt a sense of mncholy. Ah, whether this world is real or an illusion, he is just a passerby¡­ He couldn¡¯t understand those people on the forum who, in just 30 days, were willing to get married or marry into families in the breakthrough secret realm for resources. He definitely wouldn¡¯t stoop so low¡­ Chapter 106: The Assessment Approaches Chapter 106: The Assessment Approaches Sometimes, when trying toplete a task in the breakthrough secret realm, effort alone isn¡¯t enough; leveraging opportunities is also crucial. Take, for example, the breakthrough secret realm that Lu Ran and hispanions entered. Even if Infinite City hadn¡¯t initially assigned them the roles of restaurant apprentices, they would still have had to find a ce to learn culinary skills. This principle applies to other tasks as well. The breakthrough secret realm is like a real world, where every being has its own thoughts. Some attractive beastmasters might quickly umte resources by selling their charm and attaching themselves to powerful figures. It¡¯s all about having a high degree of freedom. But then again, isn¡¯t Lu Ran also ¡°selling¡± his talent and potential to attract investments from the people in the secret realm? ¡°Alright, keep chopping,¡± Shopkeeper Long said. His keen eye told him that his investment over the past half month wouldn¡¯t be in vain. But in half a month, this world would disappear anyway, so it wouldn¡¯t really matter¡­ ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran continued to focus on chopping fruits. Time passed by bit by bit. The lively banquet was about to end. The guests enjoyed the delicious food, watched the battles, and had refreshing fruits both before and after the meal. They had a very satisfying day.As the grand banquet celebrating the City Lord of Ning Chuan City¡¯s breakthrough ended, the group from Frost Moon Pavilion began their journey back. After this little episode, only a week remained before the superior chef assessment held by the Gourmet Hunter Association. Lu Ran and hispanions had very little time left to improve their culinary skills. To pass the assessment and earn better rewards, they pushed themselves even harder. That night, Lu Ran received aic book from Shopkeeper Long. It was a training manual for the fine edge de technique. The so-called fine edge de technique is not a set of moves but rather a training method that uses specific postures to develop the brain, train muscles, and enhance the brain¡¯s control over force. Lu Ran looked at the strange movements in theic book and fell into deep thought. Why did it look so much like the morning exercises done by middle school students¡­ ¡­ ¡°Huff~¡± ¡°Huff huff~~¡± In the following days, to help Lu Ran train in the fine edge de technique and to familiarize him with more ingredients, the Frost Moon Pavilion started sending more than just cheap fruits and vegetables. Various advanced meats, including some rare types and even whole fierce beasts that had recently died, began to be delivered to Lu Ran for practicing his de technique. Shopkeeper Long initially thought this process would waste a lot of ingredients. However, perhaps because his ancestors were hunters and often dealt with ughtering, Lu Ran showed exceptional talent in this area. He didn¡¯t waste much and quickly got the hang of it. In these past few days, Lu Ran and General Ha added practicing the fine edge de technique to their training routine. Every morning, they would start with a few sets of morning exercises. Amidst the dull training, there were a few interesting moments. For instance, one day, the son of the City Lord personally visited. He had somehow learned that Lu Ran would only be training at the Frost Moon Pavilion for half a month before leaving to participate in the superior chef assessment. He wanted to invite Lu Ran to join the City Lord¡¯s Mansion of Ning Chuan City after the assessment. Now that the City Lord of Ning Chuan City had broken through to Level 5, with his pet beast reaching over level 50, he was considered quite powerful. Having a superior chef who mastered Culinary Intent in the house wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Faced with such an enthusiastic invitation, Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to offend him. He tactfully responded without epting or rejecting the offer. ¡°The City Lord of Ning Chuan City is generous and kind. However, after passing the superior chef assessment, I wish to visit Dragon Valley, the sacrednd of chefs, to experience the Dragon Might of the Guardian Holy Dragon and see if I have the talent to be a Dragon Chef.¡± ¡°This is also why I chose to enhance my perception with the lucid fruit¡­ If I can return sessfully, I will consider your invitation.¡± ¡°Ah, I see, I see!¡± The son of the City Lord understood. The next day, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion sent three more lucid fruits, hoping to aid Lu Ran. ¡°¡­,¡± Lu Ran silently epted them. Indeed, there are good people everywhere. However, he could only caution that investing in him carried risks and required caution. Unless Infinite City encountered some glitch and the system malfunctioned, he would be teleported away when the time came. The City Lord¡¯s Mansion¡¯s investment would be a lost cause. ¡­ The banquet ended, and seven dayster. To head to the Gourmet Hunter Association in Cann Province, Lu Ran and hispanions were about to set off. Shopkeeper Long personally came out to see them off. She couldn¡¯t predict what the future held for the six of them. ¡°Go on, go on~,¡± the graceful Shopkeeper Long said with a smile. ¡°I hope to hear the good news that all six of you have passed the assessment~¡± ¡°Shopkeeper Long, thank you for taking care of us these past two weeks,¡± Lu Ran said before leaving. ¡°Just doing business. You paid the tuition, so Frost Moon Pavilion naturally had to fulfill its responsibility.¡± Among the six, aside from Lu Ran, the other five were feeling uneasy, not entirely confident in their chances. They each said their farewells to Shopkeeper Long, knowing they might not return. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The six of them, riding rented Qianliju horses, exchanged nces and began their journey toward Cann City, the provincial center. On the road, without others around, they started chatting again. She Pi said, ¡°I say, the assessment will be over in two days. We¡¯ll have more than ten days of free exploration time afterward. Any ns?¡± ¡°Regardless of whether we pass the assessment, we need to make good use of those ten days.¡± Ibers said, ¡°I won¡¯t do anything too dangerous. Why is this donkey so ufortable to ride?¡± ¡°Nice rhyme, but it¡¯s not a donkey; it¡¯s a horse,¡± the wilderness explorer joked. ¡°The first time riding a horse always feels a bit ufortable. Just endure it. You can¡¯t ride your own cat, can you?¡± ¡°Ah~,¡± Ibers sighed, ¡°Driving a treasure horse is way morefortable.¡± ¡°By the way, I have a get-rich-quick idea. Every major city has antique markets, you know? It¡¯s like treasure hunting in a pile of junk. Usually, you¡¯d end up with a loss, but we challengers have the newbie benefit, the eye of data. We might just find some real treasures!¡± the wilderness explorer said. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about that too,¡± Deer As Horse said, intrigued. This was a strategy often rmended by veteran beast taming forum members to neers. ¡°Passerby A, what are your ns?¡± Bai Ling asked Lu Ran, curious about his arrangements. At this moment, galloping on their fast horses, Lu Ran was still watching the scenery along the main road. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I heard that each province¡¯s Gourmet Hunter Association has a quota to rmend the best assessors of the period to several sanctuaries for honing culinary skills. I¡¯ll definitely aim for that spot.¡± Dragon Valley¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s a chance! The others: ? ¡°Damn, you¡¯re already assuming you¡¯ll be the top candidate,¡± Deer As Horse said, feeling a bit frustrated. They were still worried about just passing the assessment. Having Culinary Intent sure is convenient, huh? ¡°Alright then¡­¡± Bai Ling, expecting such a response, was at a loss for words. She added, ¡°Whether I pass or not, I¡¯ll find another ce to learn cooking.¡± Since this breakthrough secret realm was meant for challengers to improve their culinary skills, Bai Ling thought Lu Ran¡¯s choice was correct. Mastering good culinary skills wouldn¡¯t be a loss and would make it easier to nurture her pet beast in the future. Moreover, the low danger level was appealing. For an apprentice beastmaster, even though the breakthrough secret realm had high development potential, there were very few ces they could actually explore. ¡­ That day, they arrived in Cann City and checked into an inn. As for registering for the assessment, Frost Moon Pavilion had already taken care of it with rmendation letters several days ago. All they needed to do was go to the assessment venue for the first round of preliminaries the next morning. At that time, the assessors¡¯ fates would be determined through culinary skillpetitions. With time to spare, Lu Ran didn¡¯t stay at the inn all evening after arriving in Cann City. Instead, he went out to find a ce to spend some of the money he had earned recently and bought another lucid fruit. Now, he had collected seven fruits. As for the remaining money, Lu Ran nned to use it for travel expenses and didn¡¯t spend any more. ¡°I wonder how Fang Lan is doing¡­¡± At this moment, Fang Lan must have been in the breakthrough secret realm for some time now, and Lu Ran began to worry about her. Could she also have encountered a bizarre secret realm like his? If Fang Lan also encountered a chef¡¯s secret realm, Lu Ran was really worried about the safety of her diners¡­ ¡­ In the breakthrough secret realm where Fang Lan was. Like Lu Ran, she was also in the Star-Moon Continent, in the Beast Taming Empire. However, it was apletely different time period from Lu Ran¡¯s. At this time, since the first emperor, the God of Hunting, and the second generation emperor, the Culinary Patriarch and Soldier Patriarch, had not reappeared, the empire¡¯s control over various regions had gradually weakened. Various civilian beast taming forces emerged one after another, and sects and gangs were everywhere. At this moment, Fang Lan was in one of these gangs, having to keep an eye on the small map provided by Infinite City every day. [Breakthrough Task: Kill other challengers. The top three in kills will get a breakthrough opportunity. 19/20.] [Prompt ¢Ù: Death in this task does not result in true death; challengers will return to normal after 30 days.] [Prompt ¢Ú: Temporarily obtain the coordinates of all challengers.] [Prompt ¢Û: ¡­] ¡°What the heck, what the heck,¡± Fang Lan muttered, feeling a headache. Although, possibly due to the newbie protection mechanism, challengers wouldn¡¯t truly die from killing each other in this breakthrough secret realm, throwing a newbie like her into such a brutal environment right away¡ªwas this for real? She wondered about Lu Ran¡¯s situation¡­ Could it be just as harsh? Currently, Fang Lan was one of 19 people who had entered this breakthrough secret realm. One person had already been eliminated. Themon strategy among these challengers was to quickly join a force. This was partly for protection and partly to use the resources of these forces to enhance their own strength. Each challenger was trying to quickly elevate their status within their chosen force¡­ This way, they might not even have to act personally to eliminate otherpetitors. Reluctantly, after careful consideration, Fang Lan chose to join the Gu God Sect, a beast taming gang specializing in poison. And it turned out that her modern knowledge of toxicology, summarized from various eras, made her fit in seamlessly. The Sect Leader, the Poison Granny, valued her highly¡­ She even assigned her a personal bodyguard. ¡°Saintess, recently there have been more and more gangs in the Qingyu region inquiring about you. Our Gu God Sect has never been well-regarded in Qingyu. The news of you bing the new Saintess might have leaked. I fear that the enemies of the Gu God Sect might harm you. It¡¯s best not to go out these days,¡± reported a veiled woman. ¡°I¡­¡± Fang Lan knew that those who wanted to harm her were likely not locals but other challengers. She pouted and said, ¡°No, I want to go out¡­ Just bring more people and more Gu insects tomorrow. I want to see who dares to target me and see if I can lure out a few unlucky ones!¡± Gu God Sect Footnote:
  1. Gu God Sect(¹ÆÉñ½Ì): In Chinese folklore, the concept of ¡°Gu¡± involves the creation and use of venomous creatures, known as Gu God Sect, believed to have supernatural powers. The Gu God Sect is a fictional or folkloric representation of a group that practices these dark arts, often depicted in literature and stories as malevolent and mysterious.
  2. Gu insects(¹Æ³æ): The term ¡°Gu insects¡± refers to a mythical or folkloric creature in Chinese culture, often associated with ck magic or witchcraft. In traditional stories, a Gu insects is created by sealing several venomous creatures in a container and letting them fight; the survivor is considered to be imbued with potent and malevolent powers. This creature is then used to inflict harm, control others, or bring misfortune.
Chapter 107: Lu Ran Shows Off Chapter 107: Lu Ran Shows Off On Fang Lan¡¯s side, the breakthrough secret realm had turned into a battle royale with 20 people fighting to the death. On Lu Ran¡¯s side, six people were learning to cook, each staring nkly at piles of ingredients every day. Neither could guess the other¡¯s situation, so they focused onpleting their own tasks. Passerby A and the other five had their exclusive breakthrough secret realm. The next day, outside the Gourmet Hunter Association in Cann City, it was bustling with activity. Many people, young and old, carrying cooking utensils, walked into the venue. Passersby pointed andmented, as it was time for the semi-annual superior chef assessment, though unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t watch the entire event. After half a day¡¯s journey, Lu Ran and the others were slightly fatigued, but after a night¡¯s rest, the six challengers from Blue Star had recovered their spirits. Unlike other assessors who carriedrge bags, the six traveled light. On the Star-Moon Continent, spatial equipment is quite rare and typically only possessed by powerful beastmasters or second-generation beastmasters.But for beastmasters from Blue Star, spatial equipment is practically a standard. The backpack space of an identity card can hold many items. ¡°There¡¯s quite a bit of attention,¡± Deer As Horse remarked, looking at the onlookers around them. ¡°There are a lot of family members too,¡± She Pi noted, seeing many people cheering on the assessors, which reminded him of his college entrance exams¡­ Various voices reached their ears. ¡°Grandpa, you¡¯re almost 60. If you don¡¯t pass this year, just let it go! Our little restaurant isn¡¯t struggling.¡± ¡°Yuer, once I pass the superior chef assessment and be a qualified gourmet hunter, I¡¯lle to your house to propose!¡± ¡°Oh no, I forgot my ancestral cleaver!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran and the others didn¡¯t linger outside for long and quickly entered the venue. Although it was lively outside, there weren¡¯t many assessors inside the venue. With the time approaching, there were just over a hundred people inside. ¡°It seems like a lot of people know their limits,¡± the explorer said. The superior chef assessment process is well-defined and has been held for a long time. Generally, those whoe to participate have some confidence. If they¡¯re too far behind,ing here would just be asking for trouble. The atmosphere at the scene was slightly tense, but the Gourmet Hunter Association did not keep the assessors waiting long. Three examiners soon emerged. One was a white-haired elder, another a super-sized man, and the third a spirited woman. They all wore matching ck chef uniforms with the Gourmet Hunter Association¡¯s examiner insignia embroidered below the shoulder. Led by the white-haired elder, the trio walked to the most prominent tform in the examination hall, overlooking the entire venue. Seeing these three, the assessors started to whisper among themselves, mostly specting about the identities of these formidable individuals. The Gourmet Hunter Association¡¯s assessments are not conducted by local chefs for local people. Instead, examiners are brought in from associations in other provinces to ensure fairness through mutual oversight. Although everyone knew that these three must be formidable gourmet hunters who had mastered Culinary Intent, the Beast Taming Empire is vast, making it difficult to immediately determine their exact identities. The white-haired elder looked down and spoke, ¡°We three are the examiners for your superior assessment. You don¡¯t need to know our identities; just refer to us as examiners. As for the assessment rules and procedures¡­ I trust you are already very familiar with them.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s quickly get to the point.¡± ¡°Next, we will begin the preliminary round. Those prepared to demonstrate their knife skills, please raise your hand.¡± Knife skills, fire skills, and spoon skills are all fundamental aspects of culinary arts. In the preliminary round, over 90% of the assessors would choose either knife skills or fire skills. As soon as the elder finished speaking, shush, shush, shush¡ªabout half of the people at the scene raised their hands. All six of Lu Ran¡¯s group raised their hands as well. They had no fire pet beasts, putting them at a natural disadvantage in terms of fire skills, so they could only rely on knife skills for the assessment. This round also tested financial resources, as the choice of Cooking Utensil was unrestricted. A good kitchen knife greatly enhances the handling of ingredients. Bai Ling and the others had sold some of their own resources to buy high-quality kitchen knives, hoping to pass the preliminary round with them. ¡°Sixty-two people?¡± the elder counted and then said, ¡°Next, you sixty-two wille forward to butcher cattle in sequence, from front to back, left to right. The Association will provide sixty-two ¡®Rock Cattle¡¯ for you to demonstrate your knife skills.¡± ¡°Alright, you can prepare now. The assessment will begin in three minutes!¡± With that, he and the other two examiners started observing the assessors below the stage. Upon hearing that the Association would provide the ingredients, there was indeed a lot of lively discussion below. Butchering an entire ingredient¡­ although it¡¯s considered a basic skill for a gourmet hunter, it¡¯s still a rtively challenging part of the assessment. ¡°Butchering cattle, huh,¡± the wilderness explorer eximed upon hearing the test topic. ¡°We¡¯ve only practiced once. We¡¯re doomed, doomed.¡± Bai Ling said, ¡°At least we¡¯ve practiced once. Be content with that¡­¡± ¡°Boohoo, why isn¡¯t it julienne potatoes?¡± the Socialite wiped away tears. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± I was hoping they¡¯d test fruit cutting instead. As for this test topic, Lu Ran had no particr opinion. Shopkeeper Long had drilled him on it. Lu Ran¡¯s practice over the past few days was likely much more than the other five, so he felt rtively at ease at the moment. The Rock Cattle, a middle supernatural species of rock cattle beast, has skin as tough as stone but tender, delicious meat, making it highly popr across all social strata. Butchering them is a task that requires strength, but if one can¡¯t do it well, they certainly don¡¯t deserve to be called a superior chef. Soon, a burly man carried an entire Rock Cattle onto the tform and ced it in front of the three examiners. The female examiner briskly announced, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin. The process is:e up, state your name, and butcher the entire cattle. Time limit: five minutes.¡± Five minutes? Upon hearing the time limit, many people¡¯s hearts sank. The time given was too short. However, the first person the female examiner¡¯s gazended on took a deep breath, grabbed their Cooking Utensil, and stepped up. ¡°My name is Kane,¡± the gray-haired young man introduced himself as he stepped up. The portly examiner squinted and said, ¡°You may begin.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kane quickly drew the advanced kitchen knife from his waist and began butchering the cattle. ¡°Chaotic Wind Knife Technique!¡± he shouted. This knife, simr to Lu Ran¡¯s wind cutter sword, could transform its de into something akin to a wind de when infused with stamina. With such a Cooking Utensil, he smoothly dissected the Rock Cattle. Cutting off the head, sectioning the legs, skinning, and gutting¡­ the kitchen knife in his hand worked swiftly and sharply. Within the extreme five-minute limit, he dismembered the entire cattle. Afterward, he wiped his sweat and forced a smile, looking at the three examiners. ¡°The knife technique is indeed chaotic,¡± the white haired elder remarked, observing the bloodstained, messy ground and the strained, sweaty assessor. ¡°So many fibers were damaged. The technique wasn¡¯t fast, urate, or ruthless enough,¡±mented the portly examiner. ¡°Not elegant enough. Next,¡± the female examiner said nonchntly, ncing at a spot of blood on his clothes. The three of them quickly dismissed this assessor, leaving him with a stiff expression. He stepped down, looking utterly defeated. These three examiners¡­ they¡¯re incredibly strict, not easy to deal with! As the first assessor finished, many below felt a tightening in their chests. ¡°Damn,¡± She Pi from the Infinite City challengers muttered nervously, ¡°I thought he did pretty well. I¡¯m not even as good as him.¡± Lu Ran shot him a sympathetic nce. He noticed that the expressions of the other challengers weren¡¯t great either¡­ Hmm¡­ this breakthrough secret realm is really tough on them. ¡°Feels like we should just resign to our fate,¡± Deer As Horse sighed, feeling that their group might struggle to even get past the first round, let alone reach the second. Next, another Rock Cattle was brought in, and another person stepped up. This time, the contestant brought a pet beast along and did not carry any Cooking Utensil. His pet beast was a monkey with interwoven ck and green fur. After introducing himself, the monkey used grass energy to shape its hands into de-like forms and swiftly started processing the ingredient for its beastmaster. This assessor was much faster than the previous one. Without even lifting a hand, the entire Rock Cattle was dismembered. Though the result looked simr to the previous attempt, it waspleted two minutes faster. ¡°The speed is eptable, but in the rush, the bones were cut through. Rock Cattle bones have nutritional value, and this causes nutrient loss,¡± the white haired elder frowned. ¡°Moreover, grass energy has an absorption trait. During the cutting process, a significant portion of the beef¡¯s nutrients would be lost,¡± the Fat Examiner added. It¡¯s better not to use grass-type pet beasts for assisting in meat processing! ¡°Not elegant enough, but considering the pet beast¡¯s training, it passes barely,¡± the Female Examiner concluded. The assessor, who had been disheartened by the first two critiques, bowed repeatedly in gratitude as she spoke. ¡°Thank you for the guidance. Thank you, examiners.¡± ¡°Woo! Woo!¡± He also made his monkey pet beast bow in thanks. Subsequently, more assessors took the stage, with most wielding advanced Cooking Utensils to dismember the entire cattle themselves. Unlike the fire skills assessment, few relied on their pet beasts for help in this knife skills round. Most who chose knife skills did not have contracts with fire-type pet beasts; their pet beasts were mainly partners for hunting and gathering resources. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s my turn?¡± After seeing a dozen people go before him, Lu Ran realized it was almost his turn. He calmly stroked his chin and walked out. Bai Ling and the others showed no reaction as Lu Ran stepped forward. They felt confident that Lu Ran would pass. Rather than worrying about him, they should worry about themselves first. As the previous assessor stepped down, Lu Ran walked up slowly. Meanwhile, two burly men quickly cleaned the stage and brought in a new Rock Cattle. ¡°Name, Sudden Death King.¡± After stepping up, Lu Ran introduced himself, instantly sparking murmurs among the crowd. ¡°He¡¯s the Sudden Death King? From Frost Moon Pavilion?¡± ¡°He must be. I heard he¡¯s quite young!¡± ¡°I thought he was already a superior chef. Didn¡¯t know he hadn¡¯t taken the assessment yet!¡± ¡°Who? The chef who cut fruit at the Ning Chuan City Lord¡¯s banquet? Wow¡­ he¡¯s here too?¡± The murmuring caught the attention of the three examiners, who looked at Lu Ran with growing interest. It seemed he was a well-known culinary genius from Cann Province. After a long stretch of unremarkable candidates, finally, someone interesting had stepped up. ¡°Take out your Cooking Utensil and begin,¡± the Female Examiner said, keeping track of time and curious to see how skilled this Sudden Death King was. But the next moment¡­ She saw Lu Ran¡¯s hand sh as he took out his Cooking Utensil. Buzz. With a swing, Lu Ran¡¯s wind cutter sword touched the air, emitting a faint hum, its tip pointed at the ground. The three examiners: ? Bai Ling and the other candidates: ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± The Fat Examiner was stunned. ¡°That¡¯s a sword, isn¡¯t it? It¡¯s definitely a sword!¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t summon a pet beast for assistance, nor did he take out a kitchen knife. Instead, he drew a sword, leaving the three examiners slightly bewildered. They had seen all kinds of kitchen knives, but a sword was a first¡­ ¡°A sword???¡± The Female Examiner¡¯sposure wavered for the first time. ¡°Is it not allowed? As long as it can dissect, any Cooking Utensil should be fine, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. Honestly, while a kitchen knife could alsoplement his sword intent, Lu Ran felt morefortable using the wind cutter sword. He had always practiced the fine edge de technique with it. ¡°Do as you please!¡± The Female Examiner replied indifferently. The next moment, Lu Ran looked at the Rock Cattle lying on the ground. He closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them. In that instant, the three examiners¡¯ expressions changed drastically. Boom! They felt Lu Ran¡¯s breath transform from that of a youth into that of a fierce beast. Then, from the sword in his hand, an extremely cold aura began to emanate. It wasn¡¯t an ordinary chill. They could tell this sword was a sword of wind, but its cold aura seemed to pierce their very spirits. Could it be¡­ ¡°Whoosh!¡± Lu Ran, relying on his memory, executed shes at the Rock Cattle¡ªone, two, three¡­ His speed was astonishing, so fast that his shing movements became nearly invisible. Only a few afterimages could be seen. ¡°What incredible skill and strength!¡± the Fat Examiner eximed in surprise. Among this batch of Assessors, Lu Ran possessed the most formidable physical prowess. His bodily strength and the swiftness of his actions were extraordinary, not like those of an ordinary human. Lu Ran¡¯s super beast mimicry training was finally proving its worth. In less than ten seconds, Lu Ran stopped his movements and lightly flicked his sword, which remained spotless. At that moment, the Rock Cattle seemed unchanged from the outside. But in the next instant, the other Assessors were collectively stunned. Thin cuts suddenly appeared across the cattle¡¯s surface, each shimmering with a faint white light. Buzz!!! Apanied by the white light, the entire cattle was instantly dismembered. The smooth cuts sparkled with a crystalline glow, contrasting beautifully with the red meat fibers, making the dissected cattle look like a work of art. ¡°What kind of Culinary Skill is this!¡± Some Assessors couldn¡¯t help but look ahead in shock. Even the three examiners showed serious expressions. ¡°He dismembered the entire cattle so quickly,¡± the Fat Examiner remarked in amazement. ¡°This guy isn¡¯t particrly familiar with dissecting a whole cattle, but his control over his strength is incredibly precise. His shes can move freely within the cattle,¡± the white haired elder thought, surprised. Was this a special Culinary Skill inheritance? ¡°The most impressive part is that not a single drop of blood or juice was spilled. They were all sealed within the meat¡­ This is not due to the Cooking Utensil, but rather¡­¡± ¡°Ice Culinary Intent!¡± the Female Examiner looked at Lu Ran, quite astonished. She hadn¡¯t expected to encounter an Assessor with Culinary Intent. This wasn¡¯t just an exam anymore; it was a disy of skill. Without ice and snow type Culinary Intent, achieving such a feat would be impossible unless using rare ice-type Cooking Utensils. The three examiners all looked at Lu Ran seriously. Who was this kid? His technique was extraordinary, locking in almost all the nutrients of the meat. Unlike the low-grade ingredients on the Blue Star that required bloodletting to improve vor, supernatural life forms were treasures in every aspect. Lu Ran had been thoroughly tutored by the proprietress and naturally knew what to do. In fact, no one in this professional examination room was a half-baked Chef; everyone was trying to preserve the supernatural nutrients. ¡°You¡¯ve passed. The dissection was perfect,¡± the white haired examiner said to Lu Ran earnestly. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran replied with a slight smile. He then gave a thumbs-up to Bai Ling and the others, meaning, ¡°You guys do your best too. See you in the second round!¡± Bai Ling and the others were stunned. ¡°Get lost!¡± It was clear that although this was a very peaceful breakthrough secret realm, the challengers in the same batch as Lu Ran were still quite affected by the pressure. ¡­ After Lu Ran finished, it was Bai Ling and the others¡¯ turn. Actually, Lu Ran could have left at this point, just needing to wait for the practical assessment tomorrow. However, as a fellow Infinite City challenger, Lu Ran wanted to see how the other five would perform. She Pi had bought a high-quality metal kitchen knife. While it was sharp, due to excessive nervousness andck of experience, he ended up chipping the cattle¡¯s bones. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but cover his eyes. What a blunder. Deer As Horse also had a high-quality wind kitchen knife. However, perhaps due to being too weak, his hands trembled when injecting strength, and he identally punctured the cattle¡¯s internal organs. Wilderness Explorer, seeing his two good friends fail, became even more flustered. Trying to be overly cautious, he dissected slowly and ended up exceeding the time limit. Compared to the three male beastmasters, Ibers¡¯ technique was much more delicate, and she had a good mindset facing the bloody dissection. However, her practice time was still too short. Although she finished within the allotted time, it wasn¡¯t enough to satisfy the three examiners. In this preliminary round, four out of the six Assessors were eliminated, which was extremely brutal. ¡°These five were all rmended by Frost Moon Pavilion?¡± The Female Examiner looked at the list, astonished. What was going on with Frost Moon Pavilion? How could there be such a disparity among the rmended Assessors? The weak were indeed weak, and the strong were truly strong¡­ ¡°Bai Ling,¡± the examiner called out. Another Assessor rmended by Frost Moon Pavilion stepped forward. At this moment, Bai Ling felt immense pressure. Just as She Pi and the others thought she might not make it¡­ This woman unexpectedly pulled out a rare, top-quality kitchen knife with both wind and ice attributes. Using the high quality of the kitchen knife, she managed to perfectly dissect the cattle and even mimicked a low-grade Blizzard Culinary Intent effect. She Pi and the others: ??? ¡°Damn, she¡¯s rich!¡± The explorer was stunned. Damn, this Sister White Tiger really went all out, getting a rare Cooking Utensil. This knife must be worth tens of thousands of crystal coins. ¡°Passed.¡± When the three examiners announced her sess, Bai Ling¡¯s legs almost gave out, and she nearly copsed. ¡°Good thing I was well-prepared,¡± she thought, relieved. As the heiress of the Four Saints Guild, Bai Ling might not be as wealthy as Pluto, but she wasn¡¯t far behind. Switching to a top-quality Cooking Utensil? No big deal. ¡°This girl is mimicking me,¡± Lu Ran thought as soon as he saw her kitchen knife. He knew Bai Ling was imitating his Blizzard Sword Intent¡­ But he had to admit, she was smart and knew how to prioritize. Clearly, breaking through to level 1 was more important right now. ¡°Hmph.¡± From the high tform, Bai Ling saw Lu Ran staring at her and pouted. The Four Saints Guild started as an underworld group, dealing in poaching and smuggling rare animals. They sessfully transitioned into a legitimate corporation before thews caught up, and two years ago, they capitalized on the Infinite City boom. As the daughter of a former crime boss, Bai Ling had a sharp and resourceful upbringing. ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± ¡°Why is it so hard?¡± ¡°Damn Infinite City!¡± When Bai Ling returned, she saw She Pi, Deer As Horse, and the othersmenting. She thrust her knife into the stove and said, ¡°Enough! If you didn¡¯t pass, you didn¡¯t pass. There¡¯s always next time.¡± There was still the second round. She wasn¡¯tpletely rxed yet and didn¡¯t want to be affected by their pessimism. This secret realm didn¡¯t have significant losses or dangers. If they failed, they failed! Men are so dramatic! ¡°Don¡¯t be so pessimistic,¡± Lu Ran alsoforted them. ¡°Think about it. Even if you pass the first round, the second round will be tough. To make special-grade cuisine, you need either exceptional culinary skills or rare ingredients. Your cooking skills might not be enough, and rare ingredients mostlye frommander-level species, which are even harder to get!¡± ¡°This is the only part of the assessment that¡¯s truly dangerous. Instead of risking your life and paying a heavy price to be eliminated, it¡¯s probably better to be eliminated now.¡± ¡°Plus, you¡¯ll have an extra day to spend as you wish. Thinking about it that way, doesn¡¯t it make you feel a bit better?¡± She Pi, Deer As Horse, Ibers, and the explorer: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± We appreciate your advice, but your social anxiety seems more like social terror! After hearing this, their feelings were even moreplicated. The massive assessment venue had over two hundred stoves. The distance between each stove wasn¡¯t exactly close. When Lu Ran and the others entered, they found that most of the Chefs had moved to the back. ¡°Ridiculous, this isn¡¯t a college lecture. Why are they all crowding at the back?¡± Bai Ling chose a nearby spot. ¡°Well, being a bit further back gives them more preparation time, but it¡¯s pretty meaningless¡ªjust a psychologicalfort,¡± the pet shop owner said. They all casually picked spots in the front row. It¡¯s all about getting it over with quickly. By now, the early-arriving Assessors had already chosen their spots and ced their Cooking Utensils on the stoves, waiting. Around these Assessors, most had already released their pet beasts, and most of them were fire-type. During the entire assessment, pet beasts could assist the Chefs, and the Chefs could use their own Cooking Utensils. The ingredients, however, were uniformly provided by the tournament organizers. Chapter 108: This Dog is Defying the Heavens Chapter 108: This Dog is Defying the Heavens ¡°Looks like only the two of us can advance to the next round,¡± Bai Ling said, looking at Lu Ran. She had anticipated this situation. Infinite City was certainly not going to let all six of them pass smoothly. A breakthrough rate of one-sixth or one-third was already considered decent. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Do you still want to watch?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to leave first.¡± Lu Ran wasn¡¯t very interested in the uing fire skills assessment. Back at Frost Moon Pavilion, he had already seen many chefs showcase their talents. ¡°Forget it.¡± She Pi and the others also shook their heads. Since there was still time, they decided to stroll around the antique street. Who knows, maybe they could use the eye of data to find some epic equipment or even legendary equipment¡­ At that time, they could rise from humble Fourth Generation to stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Generation big shots. How wonderful would that be? The knife skills assessment would continue for a while longer, but since they had all finished their evaluations, they were toozy to wait and started packing up to leave. Not many of the assessors, whether they passed or not, stayed behind. As Lu Ran and the others were leaving, the Fat Examiner and the Female Examiner watched Lu Ran¡¯s departing figure¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s see what kind of cuisine he can make tomorrow!¡±¡­ The second assessment would take ce outdoors. In this segment, assessors without strength would find it hard to move an inch. To pass the assessment, they could only find some ordinary ingredients in rtively safe areas and then use their superb culinary skills to cook special-grade cuisine. Those who were strong, however, had another option. They could venture deeper into the wild to find some rare ingredients. Even if their culinary skills were a bitcking, the quality of the ingredients alone could help them create special-grade cuisine. For Deer As Horse and the others, this breakthrough task was aplete failure, so they naturally didn¡¯t care about the next day¡¯s assessment. The four of them began nning their next steps, thinking about how to make the most of their trip. ¡°She Pi, Deer As Horse, I heard there¡¯s a ce called ¡®Drunken Flower Pavilion¡¯ in the city. The performances there are quite good. Now that we¡¯re free, should we go explore some ancient culture?¡± Back at the inn, an explorer came to invite them. As a born explorer, it would be a pity not to investigate such a notorious ce. ¡°What about them¡­¡± She Pi was tempted. ¡°White Tiger and the innkeeper are both women; they wouldn¡¯t like that kind of ce. Passerby A is obviously underage and a future pir of our country, so let¡¯s not invite him. Let him focus on preparing for tomorrow¡¯s assessment. We¡¯ll just go by ourselves.¡± ¡°Sounds great,¡± Deer As Horse agreed. Exploring some ancient culture did seem quite necessary. With that, the three of them linked arms and left, leaving Lu Ran alone in the inn room to review the assessment map. The next day. The seventy-two assessors who passed the preliminary round gathered early at the designated location, the entrance to a forest outside Cann City. This area had been transformed by the Hunter Association, featuring over a hundred open-air stoves, turning it into a special venue. This time, every assessor¡¯s pet beast had already been released. Without the assistance of their pet beasts, entering the wild forest would certainly be a suicidal act. ¡°To those of you who have made it here, congrattions, you¡¯re already halfway through the assessment,¡± the Female Examiner said with a grin. ¡°Although it¡¯s an old topic, please do not attempt to cheat in this segment.¡± ¡°Do not try to pass off ingredients brought from elsewhere as those you hunted yourself. If I catch you, your restaurant or family will suffer the consequences. The repercussions are severe.¡± ¡°Cheating in the Hunter Association¡¯s assessment will alsond you in the fire prison, where you can experience the pleasure of being roasted like a whole pig!¡± she added bluntly. In the early years of the assessments, there had indeed been cheaters. However, once the examiners caught them, they first dismantled the cheater¡¯s restaurant, then ruined the assessor¡¯s culinary skills, breaking their hands and feet, rendering them useless. After many unfortunate souls tried and suffered the consequences, no one dared to cheat anymore. Trying to cheat under the Hunter Association¡¯s watchful eyes was likely more challenging than passing the superior chef assessment itself¡­ ¡°Alright, for this assessment, you have a time limit of 12 hours. Within the allotted time, you must hunt the ingredients you need and use them to make a dish that satisfies the taste buds of us three examiners.¡± ¡°Now, the timer starts!¡± With a rustle, as soon as the Female Examiner finished speaking, the 72 assessors all left their stoves and rushed towards the forest. Bai Ling, apanied by White Tiger, nced at Lu Ran before quickly turning and entering the forest. With such a fierce pet beast as her partner, her chances of hunting rare ingredients were quite high. Lu Ran had originally intended to enter the forest immediately, but just as he was about to leave, a voice echoed in his mind. ¡°Please wait.¡± The voice sounded like it belonged to the Fat Examiner, so Lu Ran, along with General Ha, didn¡¯t venture in right away. Instead, he waited until most of the people had left and then slowly turned back to look at the three superior examiners who were watching him with great interest. ¡°Is there something you need?¡± Lu Ran asked. The White-Haired Examiner chuckled, ¡°It¡¯s just that I noticed your pet beast¡¯s level isn¡¯t very high. In this forest, there are certain dangers.¡± ¡°For your safety, I¡¯d like to remind you not to venture too deep. With your culinary skills, you can pass the assessment easily by choosing any ingredient.¡± Damn. Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected these examiners to be so considerate, going out of their way to warn him about safety. ¡°Got it, thanks,¡± Lu Ran nodded. He then headed into the forest, with General Ha sticking its tongue out at the three examiners as they went. The three examiners exchanged nces. ¡°This Sudden Death King has impressive culinary skills, but I didn¡¯t expect his pet beast to be at such a low level, likely around level 10. Even the outskirts of this forest often have creatures with hunting levels of 10 to 20.¡± ¡°Frost Moon Pavilion surely provided him with a map of the assessment area, so there¡¯s no need to worry,¡± the Female Examiner said. ¡°That¡¯s not entirely true. Geniuses usually strive for perfection and have their own pride. If something happens to other participants, so be it, but it would be a great loss if a rare talent who has mastered Culinary Intent has an ident during the assessment,¡± the White-Haired Elderughed. Then, to the surprise of the other two, he summoned a giant m. Arge m appeared on the table, and within its pristine pearl, the images of Lu Ran and General Ha entering the forest were reflected. ¡°Grandmaster Gao, what is this?¡± the Fat Examiner eximed. ¡°It¡¯s a domain m. As long as it has been to a ce before, it can monitor everything within its range and reflect it onto this pearl.¡± ¡°Before taking up the role of examiner in Cann Province, I made a point to explore this forest around Cann.¡± ¡°Sure enough, it¡¯s that divine beast that can spy on widows bathing!¡± he eximed, only to be kicked several meters away by the Female Examiner. ¡°Looks like this time, the supervision will be a lot easier. Grandmaster Gao, where did you find the domain m?¡± the Female Examiner asked enviously. ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± the elder smiled, then turned his attention seriously to the pearl, which now resembled a television screen. ¡­ ¡°Woof!¡± After entering the forest with General Ha, Lu Ran pondered for a moment. ¡°This way!¡± Following the map in his memory, Lu Ran nned to find ake and, as advised by Shopkeeper Long, catch a fish. To perfectly showcase his Culinary Intent and maximize the potential of the ingredients, Lu Ran, who only had knife skills and no foundation in fire skills, thought sashimi would be the safest bet. However, fishing was also a skill. If possible, Lu Ran hoped to hunt for rare quality fish meat. The breakthrough task only required him to create special-grade cuisine and pass the superior assessment, but the task was scored. Naturally, the better he performed, the higher his score would be. Lu Ran¡¯s guess was right; he aimed for perfection. Although he didn¡¯t expect to find exquisite-level ingredients in this ce, he hoped to at least get some rare ingredients. Dragon Fish Lake! This was already considered a rtively deep area of Cann Forest. It was said that theke contained Dragon Fish on the verge of evolving into flood dragons. Even the most ordinary Dragon Fish Meat had an advanced quality, and if it was from a more evolved Dragon Fish, the meat quality would surely reach rare levels. However, the journey was destined to be anything but peaceful. ¡°This guy, why doesn¡¯t he listen to advice?¡± Through the Pearl Television, the three examiners saw Lu Ran heading straight into the depths of the forest, ignoring the ordinary ingredients around him. They frowned. At this rate, this young genius who had mastered Culinary Intent was bound to encounter danger¡­ Just as the three had feared, Lu Ran stumbled upon a Tusked Boar¡¯s habitat. Four Tusked Boars, gnawing on brambles, shed their red, fierce eyes at the intruder. ¡°These four Tusked Boars have a hunting level of around level 15,¡± the white-haired elder remarked. Facing four of them at once! This was bad! But the next moment, they saw Lu Ran ignore them and continue moving forward. As he walked, a sword appeared in his hand. Instead of using the sword himself, he tossed the icy blue de into the air. In an instant, the canine beast that had been following Lu Ran all along, General Ha, grabbed the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth andnded lightly. Then, like a gale, it charged towards the four Tusked Boars rushing at them! Boom!!! A whirlwind swept through, and sword qi raged. Countless leaves danced in the wind as the four wild boars were lifted into the air by the violent gusts. The three examiners then witnessed a scene that would stay with them for life. The skin of the four wild boars disyed the same marks that had appeared on the Rock Cattle yesterday. Soon after, their bodies were dismembered mid-air, turning into countless pieces of exquisite beast meat that rained down. ¡°What! What!¡± The Fat Examiner¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at General Ha, who had just elegantly sheathed the sword. Before the falling beast meat could hit the ground, Lu Ran calmly collected it into his spatial backpack as he walked by. ¡°Wow¡­¡± The three examiners, who had spent the previous day conducting assessments, hadn¡¯t had time to learn about Lu Ran¡¯s feats. Seeing General Ha dismember four wild boars in an instant left their minds buzzing. They couldn¡¯t help but feel that this dog¡¯s dismembering technique was even more violent and quicker than the impressive skills Lu Ran had shown the day before. What was going on? How could this be? They were stunned. And why could a dog at around level 10 instantly dispatch four Tusked Boars with a hunting level of around level 15? ¡°Is that canine beast amander species?¡± the Female Examiner asked. ¡°No, it should only be a supernatural species,¡± the white-haired elder replied. ¡°But that sword must be extraordinary, reaching rare quality. I¡¯ve never seen forging techniques like that before; I wonder which master crafted it.¡± The three examiners fell silent, continuing to watch. They now understood why Lu Ran had the confidence to venture deep into the forest. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like he intends to use the Tusked Boar meat for cooking¡­¡± Lu Ran and General Ha moved quickly. If they encountered any fierce beast that didn¡¯t know its ce, General Ha would immediately dismember it on the spot, and then Lu Ran would collect it as an ingredient. Before long, Lu Ran and General Ha arrived at Dragon Fish Lake. At this moment, the three examiners finally understood Lu Ran¡¯s intentions. ¡°Pig meat doesn¡¯t reallyplement Ice and Snow Culinary Intent. He wants to make sashimi,¡± the Fat Examiner said, drooling a bit as he spoke. His anticipation grew, and his mouth watered at the thought of how delicious sashimi could be when enhanced by ice and snow culinary intent. ¡°But that canine beast is a wind-type pet beast, right? It shouldn¡¯t be good in water. Dragon Fish are fierce like sharks and live at the bottom of theke. Hunting them is quite difficult,¡± the Female Examiner remarked with doubt. How does he n to catch fish? Fishing with a rod? Could this Sudden Death King also be skilled in fishing techniques? It¡¯s a required skill for a gourmet hunter¡­ However, she fell silent again as she saw what happened next. Because it wasn¡¯t fishing¡­ It was spearing fish! ¡°Sword Control Technique!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯smand, General Ha showcased the wind sword control technique it had honed over a month. The Ice Sky Greatsword left General Ha¡¯s mouth, soaring upward like a shooting star, then plunged into theke under the control of the gale. Momentster, water sshed, and the flying sword emerged, carrying arge block of ice. Inside the ice, a half-meter-long Dragon Fish was frozen. At this point, the Dragon Fish¡¯s eyes gleamed with a strange light, a mix of confusion and bewilderment. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± General Ha barked discontentedly from the side. Using its newly learned energy release control skill to spear fish felt absurd and unbing of its majestic demeanor. Using sword intent for cooking and sword control technique for spearing fish‡±such a cool skill for such a mundane task. General Ha understood why the Old Gentleman Jiang Dou harbored a grudge against Lu Ran. Chapter 109: Perfect Breakthrough Chapter 109: Perfect Breakthrough [Name]: Dragon Fish [Attribute]: Water [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 11 [Introduction]: A ferocious fish with a very faint trace of Dragon¡¯s Bloodline. The Dragon Fish is arge, sleek, streamlined creature with sharp teeth at the front of its jaw and serrated teeth at the back. Due to its trace amount of Dragon¡¯s Bloodline, itsbat power is formidable, and even out of water, it can thrash about with tremendous force. The massive red Dragon Fish was speared by Lu Ran and General Ha. Lu Ran nced at it and shook his head. ¡°Too weak, the fish meat is high quality at best. Next one, next one.¡± Crunch.General Ha controlled the Ice Sky Greatsword, shattering the ice. Before the Dragon Fish could react, General Ha swung the ice sword and chopped it up swiftly. Lu Ran packed up the fish meat and then directed General Ha to continue spearing fish¡­ The sky-blue wind energy circled the Ice Sky Greatsword as General Ha controlled the energy, wielding the sword. Fortunately, theke wasn¡¯t deep; otherwise, General Ha would have a hard time spearing fish. The current limit of its energy release control distance was only 50 meters. Beyond that, it would struggle. Ssh! ¡°Woof!¡± In a moment, General Ha speared another Dragon Fish. Unfortunately, it was only level 9, and its meat was likely inferior to the previous one. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What are they trying to achieve?¡± The three examiners were quite silent at this point. Dragon Fish meat is already considered one of the top resources among high quality ingredients. Lu Ran still wasn¡¯t satisfied after getting the Dragon Fish? It¡¯s just a superior assessment; there¡¯s no need to pursue such extremes¡­ However, the three examiners were increasingly amazed by General Ha¡¯s abilities. They couldn¡¯t fathom how Lu Ran managed to train it. The Dragon Fish dwell so deep, yet this dog could control energy release and spear fish so urately without visual cues. How was it even possible? Did the sword grow eyes? What they didn¡¯t know was that General Ha had integrated the weapon mastery trait. At this moment, the Ice Sky Greatsword it wielded functioned almost like a part of its body, akin to its nose, eyes, and limbs. Its body partially entering the water didn¡¯t mean itcked perception; it truly seemed as if the sword had eyes. The king of swords was merely a species talent brought by a trait. Right now, this was the basic ability of the weapon mastery trait. Currently, General Ha was essentially using its nose, eyes, and stretching out its paws to fish in theke. Of course, the pet beast weapon mastery ability was developed over two thousand yearster by a group of beast taming experts in the Beast Taming Empire. Beastmasters of this era couldn¡¯t possibly understand it. Next¡­ Lu Ran and General Ha began the long task of spearing fish. With plenty of time, they chose to take it slow. Dragon Fish Lake was veryrge, and Lu Ran believed they would eventuallye across a higher quality one. ¡­ While Lu Ran was working hard, some assessors had already collected some ordinary and advanced ingredients nearby and started cooking. Special-grade cuisine doesn¡¯t require particrly high-quality ingredients; excellent culinary skillsbined with ordinary ingredients can achieve the desired quality. Unlike Exquisite Dishes, which require both Culinary Intent and exquisite ingredients, the requirements for special-grade cuisine are not as stringent. As more assessors returned, and it was confirmed that Lu Ran had some self-protection capabilities, the three examiners no longer focused on him and instead observed the assessors on-site. Some assessors gathered a pile of colorful poisonous mushrooms and caught a mountain chicken. Muttering to themselves, ¡°Even though these are poisonous mushrooms, as long as I use fire skills to remove the toxins, their vor can be elevated¡­ This Phoenix Mushroom King Soup will definitely pass the assessment.¡± Another assessor directly hunted a Tusked Boar and found a beehive, nning to use their superb fire skills to make Honey-zed Roast Pork¡­ Moreover, one assessor caught a bunch of strange bugs, intending to prepare a bug feast for the examiners. One must admit, being an examiner is a technical job. As time passed, an assessor confidentlypleted their dish and presented it to the three examiners. ¡°Examiners, please try my dish, Spicy Stir-fried Kidney!¡± The three examiners looked at the te. The delicate kidney paired with tri-colored peppers resembled a piece of art, with rising steam enhancing its color and aroma. They then looked at the assessor apanied by a me Sparrow. The female examiner spoke: ¡°Your knife skills are impressive, and the cooking seems just right¡­¡± The fat examiner took a bite, feeling the heat, spiciness, and numbness in his mouth. However, he frowned the next second and looked at the assessor, saying, ¡°The kidney¡¯s fishy smell¡­ still lingers.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, I intentionally kept some of the original vor of the pork kidney. I believe that retaining a bit of the fishiness is part of the kidney¡¯s charm.¡± ¡°Was it intentional or an oversight?¡± the fat examiner asked. ¡°It was intentional,¡± the assessor replied confidently. In their region, diners liked that taste. One by one, the assessors¡¯ dishes were evaluated by the three examiners. Most assessors received approval from the examiners, but a small portion seemed to be cooking for their own enjoyment rather than to impress. In the blink of an eye, four hours passed. Most assessors hadpleted their hunting, with only a few still searching for suitable ingredients. ¡°Hey¡ªlook over there¡ª¡± Suddenly, an assessor shouted, pointing in a direction. From the forest, the figures of a person and a dog slowly emerged. The dog, with its tail wrapped around a long sword, had the sword¡¯s tip embedded in a massive ice sculpture. It dragged the sculpture step by step, and inside the ice was a half-meter-long ck fish, unconscious. Seeing the familiar figures and the ingredients they were hauling, many assessors were astonished. ¡°It¡¯s the sudden death king¡­ Could the ingredient they¡¯re bringing back be a Mutated Dragon Fish?!¡± [Name]: Mutated Dragon Fish [Attribute]: Water [Species Level]: Lower Commander [Growth Level]: Level 15 ¡°Mutated Dragon Fish?! He actually found one!!¡± At this moment, not only the assessors but also the three examiners stood up abruptly, looking at the ingredient Lu Ran brought back! The Mutated Dragon Fish is a step above the ordinary Dragon Fish. Beyond this, it can evolve into a Jiao Dragon. Compared to ordinary Dragon Fish, the meat of the Mutated Dragon Fish is undoubtedly more delicious, making it a top-tier rare ingredient. There really are Mutated Dragon Fish in Dragon Fish Lake¡­ No, that¡¯s not the main point. The main point is that the level of this Dragon Fish¡¯s strength is clearly very formidable. How on earth did Lu Ran and his team manage to hunt it? It seems we have underestimated their abilities! ¡°Pant¡­ pant¡­¡± At this moment, General Ha was exhausted, lying like a dead dog. But Lu Ran, on the other hand, was quite pleased, having experienced the joy of fishing. The Mutated Dragon Fish was a delightful surprise even for him. It felt like a blessing from the heavens. ¡°It¡¯s really a Mutated Dragon Fish!!¡± ¡°Wait, is the sudden death king nning to use the Mutated Dragon Fish as an ingredient?!¡± ¡°Such wastefulness, such wastefulness!!¡± Many assessors were anxious. The Mutated Dragon Fish could evolve into a Jiao Dragon. Although a Jiao Dragon is not a True Dragon, it carries a significant amount of Dragon¡¯s Bloodline, making it a solid uppermander species. If nurtured properly, it could even evolve into a sovereign species. Such supernatural beings are highly sought after for contracts, destined to be raised as Main Pets. But seeing Lu Ran¡¯s intention, it seemed he was nning to¡­ cook it? How could he be so wasteful! Even the chefs began to question this behavior. This is just a superior chef assessment. With Lu Ran¡¯s culinary skills, he could easily pass without needing to use a Mutated Dragon Fish as an ingredient! However, Lu Ran¡¯s subsequent actions proved that this was indeed his n. If he could bring the fish out of the secret realm alive, Lu Ran definitely wouldn¡¯t do this. But since living creatures can¡¯t be brought out of the secret realm, Lu Ran had no choice but to cook it into a dish to take it out¡­ Most importantly, the higher thepletion level of the dish, the better his breakthrough score would be, so Lu Ran didn¡¯t feel any regret. Upon returning, Lu Ran, ignoring the heartache of others, directly ced the Dragon Fish on the cutting board. At this point, the three examiners wanted to say something but stopped themselves, ultimately letting Lu Ran proceed. Unlike other assessors, they would still get to taste the Mutated Dragon Fish meatter. With this in mind, they decided to let Lu Ran do as he pleased. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Lu Ran first sped his hands together in a sincere prayer, thanking nature for its bounty. He felt fortunate to have encountered an advanced Dragon Fish. Otherwise, he would have had to use an ordinary Dragon Fish for sashimi, which would have been far less effective. He hoped the rewards forpleting the breakthrough task would make these four hours of effort worthwhile! Ssh! Despite many eyes watching him, Lu Ran didn¡¯t feel nervous. He first took arge bucket of clean water provided for the assessors beside the stove and threw it into the air. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, resigned to continue working, grabbed the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth and flicked its head, sending several wind de sword qi into the air. Under the influence of the Blizzard Sword Intent and the Ice Sky Greatsword¡¯s attributes, the water instantly transformed into a massive ice block. The fierce wind continued to shave the ice, quickly forming an ice crystal te made entirely of extreme ice, suspended mid-air by an invisible wind! Wearing chef gloves, Lu Ran took the ice crystal te and waited for General Ha¡¯s next move. Although Lu Ran was reluctant to admit it, General Ha¡¯s mastery of the Blizzard Sword Intent was more refined at this stage. To ensure the highest quality of the dish, Lu Ran opted to let General Ha handle the sashimi cutting. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha bared its teeth. Having crafted the ice crystal te, it leapt up and flicked several fine sword qi again. Swish! Swish! Swish! As the wind des made contact with the massive Dragon Fish, thin slices of sashimi, as delicate as cicada wings, flew out andnded on the ice crystal te. Soon, nine pieces of sashimi encircled the te. When the two elements fully connected, an astonishing phenomenon urred. White cold air surged from the ice crystal te, transforming into a miniature blizzard that spread its chill around and perfectly enveloped the fish slices! ¡°Done. Special-grade cuisine: Roar of the Ice and Snow Giant Dragon!¡± The process of creating the dish was not particrly difficult. Lu Ran and General Ha quickly finished. Lu Ran, smiling, named the dish and immediately looked towards the three examiners. Unbeknownst to him, both the assessors and the examiners were in a state of shock. The entire dish had been prepared by General Ha. Even the te had been crafted by it on the spot. In the entire superior chef assessment field, this cooking process was nothing short of spectacr. Lu Ran didn¡¯t bother with the onlookers; he directly presented the sashimi to the examiners and took out three Earth Mother fruits he had picked along the way. The Earth Mother fruit, resembling a ck lemon, produces juice simr to soy sauce but more delicious, with a strong natural vor, making it ideal for pairing with sashimi. Lu Ran squeezed the juice from the Earth Mother fruit into three small bowls and handed them to the examiners, saying, ¡°Please, have a taste!¡± At this point, the three examiners felt the icy wind emanating from the ice crystal te and collectively swallowed. Without a word, they quickly picked up their chopsticks, grabbed a slice of fish, dipped it into the sauce, and put it into their mouths¡­ The first sensation was cold! Whether it was an illusion or not, at that moment, they seemed to hear the howling of the northern wind. A gust of cold wind swept through their mouths, the icy touch rushing to their brains, instantly heightening their taste buds to the extreme! Next, with their taste buds at peak sensitivity, the deliciousness of the Dragon Fish Meat perfectly spread to every corner of their mouths. The second sensation was freshness! Throughout the process, the three examiners felt as if they had transformed into a giant dragon soaring through a blizzard! Then, the taste underwent a remarkable change. It felt like they had transcended time, gradually stepping into a vibrant spring, ascending straight to heaven. Thebination of culinary intent, ingredients, and dipping sauce brought them a third, entirely new sensation! It was a mental delight, a springtime for the taste buds. ¡°Delicious!!!¡± The female examiner couldn¡¯t help but moan. The nutritional value of Dragon Fish Meat is naturally beyond question. The Blizzard Culinary Intent had elevated its vor to the extreme while perfectly preserving its nutritional value. As the fish slices went down, the three examiners felt the fatigue from the past few days¡¯ travel vanish instantly. Swish! Swish!! Lost in the experience, the three examiners, like madmen, quickly fought over the remaining slices, not letting anyone else have any. Soon, the slices General Ha had cut, thinner than a ramen chef¡¯s sliced beef, werepletely devoured. ¡°Gone? All gone?¡± After the slices were finished, the three examiners still seemed unsatisfied. This had never happened before; with other assessors¡¯ dishes, each examiner would take just one bite and make their judgment. But with Lu Ran¡¯s dish, they seemed to want more. At this moment, Bai Ling from the Four Saints Guild returned in a disheveled state. She rode on a White Tiger, holding a giant egg, which seemed to be a rare ingredient. ¡°I stole a Dead Crocodile¡¯s egg, this should secure it,¡± Bai Ling said excitedly. She nned to use this rare quality ingredient to make a simple boiled egg dish to win the examiners¡¯ approval. However, as soon as she returned, she witnessed a scene that left her speechless. The Fat Examiner said to Lu Ran, ¡°Cut a few more slices, won¡¯t you? That little bit wasn¡¯t even enough to fill the gap between my teeth. I feel like ants are crawling all over me; I¡¯m so ufortable I can hardly breathe. Please, just a few more slices!¡± The white-haired elder and the Female Examiner, though more reserved, also looked seriously at Lu Ran, as if using him of being too stingy! Such arge fish, and only nine slices?! Were they beggars? Bai Ling, holding her egg: ??? What was happening! What did Lu Ran feed the examiners? They were acting like they were under some spell! It must be said, thebination of the Mutated Dragon Fish and the Blizzard Sword Intent had created an extreme dish, cing it among the top tier of peerless dishes. Even the three veteran superior chefs werepletely captivated! ¡°Alright, alright, as much as you want¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha, signaling to cut a few more slices. He still needed the examiners to rmend him to the cultivation holynd, so he couldn¡¯t afford to be stingy! At that moment, the vast superior chef assessment venue seemed to turn into Lu Ran¡¯s main stage. Even the three examiners were defeated by this dish, ¡°Roar of the Ice and Snow Giant Dragon.¡± ¡°Delicious!¡± ¡°It¡¯s simply out of this world, almost a peerless dish.¡± ¡°Pass! A perfect score, without a doubt!¡± The examiners did not hold back their praise. Meanwhile, Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed. Because he heard a familiar voice directly in his ear. [Congrattions onpleting the breakthrough task.] [Rating: SSS-level!] [Congrattions, you have received 100,000 crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have received a contract card (bound).] [Congrattions, you have received 10 upgrade cards.] [Congrattions, you have received an exquisite-level cooking utensil: Spirit Transformation Pot (can elerate the maturation of immature nt-based ingredients with a very small chance of improving their quality; can restore the freshness of meat-based ingredients with a very small chance of improving their quality; maximum ingredient quality improvement is rare-level).] [Congrattions, you have received the Special Beast Taming Skill: me Sprite (a special beast taming skill that allows a beastmaster to nurture a me Sprite within their body, granting mastery over the power of mes, and can temporarily bestow the me Sprite to any contracted pet beast, allowing it to control the power of mes).] [Congrattions, you have received the Eye of Data (intermediate).] [You have met the promotion criteria for ¡®Level 1 Beastmaster,¡¯ would you like to promote now?] Lu Ran: ¡°!!!¡± Oh my. After the system¡¯s announcements, Lu Ran stood there in shock. ¡°No,¡± Lu Ran quickly thought. Finally, a breakthrough! And a perfect SSS-level breakthrough at that! The rewards for a 3S rating in the novice breakthrough secret realm¡­ were incredible. Crystal coins were one thing. But a novice breakthrough secret realm actually rewarded an exquisite-level item! Of course, what surprised Lu Ran the most wasn¡¯t the cooking utensil. It was the beast taming skill¡­ Historical records indicate that in Beast Taming Era 139, the second generation emperor Yan Sizhen, to better delve into culinary manship and forging manship, developed the beast taming skill, me Sprite. This was Yan Sizhen¡¯s signature beast taming skill! Chapter 110: Level 1 Beastmaster Chapter 110: Level 1 Beastmaster Spirit Transformation Pot! me Sprite! Lu Ran¡¯s heart brimmed with joy when he saw these two rewards. The Spirit Transformation Pot was absolutely perfect for a beastmaster in Infinite City. Within the secret realm, the vast majority of nt-based resources were actually immature. The mature ones had all been consumed by supernatural beings. Only the immature ones had powerful ferocious beasts guarding them. Therefore, most of the resources avable in Infinite City were not of the highest quality. Some grass species pet beasts might have the trait to elerate maturation, but such pet beasts were rare and costly. Sometimes, unless there was a special need, it was more cost-effective to use these resources as food rather than invest in their maturation. But now, with the Spirit Transformation Pot, Lu Ran could specifically buy rare resources of poor quality. After cing them in the Spirit Transformation Pot for a while, they would be upgraded from the lowest quality to perfect quality. This meant spending fewer crystal coins withoutpromising on the quality of ingredients. Over time, this could save Lu Ran a significant amount of money. When the Spirit Transformation Pot was idle, he could even use it to resell ingredients for profit. With this, Lu Ran could ensure that any culinary dish he prepared for his pet beasts would be made with the highest quality ingredients. It was the perfect cooking utensil for a chef, and a well-suited reward from the chef¡¯s secret realm¡­ Lu Ran found it unexpectedly fitting.Then there was the beast taming skill, me Sprite, which Lu Ran felt was even more appealing than a fusion skill. With this skill, even if a beastmaster didn¡¯t rely entirely on their pet beasts, they would still have considerablebat power, culinary ability, and forging capability. The limitations were not as rigid anymore. Having or not having a fire species pet beast was no longer relevant. Through the me Sprite skill, a beastmaster could temporarily grant fire attributes to any of their contracted pet beasts. If Lu Ran learned this skill and applied me Sprite to General Ha, General Ha would temporarily possess both wind and fire attributes. At that point, not only could General Ha unleash Blizzard Sword Qi, but also me Sword Qi with ease, making his skill set even more versatile. He could also apply it to the Sudden Death King. Originally a Thunder Dragon, it would be a Thunder me Dragon upon gaining the me Sprite¡­ Lu Ran imagined that me Sprite could also act as a detonator. When an enemy approached the Thunder Armor-d Sudden Death King, Lu Ran could directly buff the Sudden Death King. Under the overload of intertwined thunder and fire, the Sudden Death King could explode like a nuclear bomb. After the explosion, the Sudden Death King, thanks to its strong defense, would be unharmed, while the enemy would be blown to pieces¡ªa dirty trick, indeed. No matter what type of pet beast he had,bining it with me Sprite could create new and exciting skillbinations. Lu Ran thought it through and decided that since this beast taming skill was specifically developed by Yan Sizhen for culinary and forging purposes, he should learn it first! Currently, no other beastmaster on Blue Star seemed to have the me Sprite skill. Lu Ran believed it probably had other unknown applications and potential, given that it was specially developed by the Culinary Patriarch and the Soldier Patriarch. Its upper limits might be quite high. As for what those limits were, Lu Ran would have to go back and do some thorough research. He only knew that me Sprite was one of Yan Sizhen¡¯s beast taming skills. He wasn¡¯t familiar with how deeply it had been developed or to what extent. Regarding fusion, he could do that anytime in the future; there was no rush. Although eager to learn me Sprite, Lu Ran decided not to break through his current bottleneck immediately. He was still at the assessment site, and while his own breakthrough wasn¡¯t a big deal, General Ha had been suppressing its level for a long time. A breakthrough for General Ha could result in several level-ups at once, which would draw too much attention. It was better to wait until the assessment was over. ¡°Three examiners, the other assessors are still waiting for their evaluations. Should we wrap this up?¡± Lu Ran said, seeing the three examiners still eating. He wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about the Mutated Dragon Fish¡­ ¡°Oh, right.¡± The Fat Examiner wiped his mouth and took a deep breath. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue with the assessment. Next,¡± the Female Examiner added. ¡°Sudden Death King, right? After the assessment, remember to stay behind,¡± the white-haired elder said to Lu Ran. Every year, the best performer in the Superior Gourmet Hunter assessment would be rmended to a sacred ce for culinary training. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, Lu Ran was undoubtedly this year¡¯s best candidate. The white-haired elder intended to reserve this spot for Lu Ran. ¡°Yes!¡± Lu Ran knew what the elder was referring to, and his mood brightened considerably. At this moment, General Ha finally didn¡¯t have to slice fish anymore. Its gaze started to wander, and its dog nose kept sniffing the food made by other assessors, making it drool uncontrobly. Damn, I really want to eat¡­ ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha prompted Lu Ran, who then looked in a certain direction and saw Bai Ling had returned. She was carefully working with White Tiger to make boiled eggs! Boiled eggs might seem simple, but in reality, they are simple. However, that¡¯s for the usual methods. Bai Ling seemed to have hunted some rare ingredients and wanted to perfectly utilize their unique characteristics. Each stage required strict control over the water temperature. Although Bai Ling didn¡¯t have a fire-type pet beast, she had a water-type pet beast! At this moment, the pot of water in front of her was entirely condensed by Sister White Tiger using energy release. The stove fire was heating the water, and Sister White Tiger¡¯s paw was painfully immersed in the boiling water, nning to monitor the temperature throughout the process. It was clear that Bai Ling and Sister White Tiger were giving their all to pass the assessment. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± Bai Ling announced, covered in sweat, after a long while. Now that Lu Ran had passed the assessment, the sess of others in this breakthrough secret realm depended on the examiners¡¯ evaluation of this boiled egg. Bai Ling quickly served the examiners. ¡°It¡¯s a boiled Dead Crocodile Egg.¡± This was the second time today that the three examiners had seen a dish made from rare quality ingredients, and they were pleasantly surprised. The Fat Examiner swiftly cracked open the boiled egg. Each examiner took their utensils, cut a portion including both yolk and white, and put it in their mouths. Their expressions were equally enraptured. ¡°Not bad. Although the culinary technique is a bit rough, it has preserved the deliciousness of the Dead Crocodile Egg as much as possible. Given your pursuit of ingredient quality, you are already a qualified gourmet hunter!¡± ¡°Pass.¡± ¡°Pass.¡± The three examiners announced Bai Ling¡¯s results, who was anxiously waiting. Sister White Tiger clenched her fist and nearly jumped in excitement. ¡°Yes!!!¡± She shouted with joy, and at the same time, the sound of the breakthrough task beingpleted echoed in her ears. She seemed quite satisfied with the reward, and with a joyful expression, she looked at Lu Ran. At this moment, besides her contracted pet beast, only another challenger from Infinite City like Passerby A could truly understand her feelings. ¡°Congrattions,¡± Lu Ran smiled from afar, offering his congrattions. Perhaps due to her excellent mood, Bai Ling found Lu Ran much more agreeable to look at. Time passed quickly, and soon, the entire superior assessment wasplete. Out of the 72 assessors, 26 passed. Among them, 24 had elevated ordinary ingredients to the level of special-grade cuisine through their strong culinary skills. One passed by preserving the deliciousness of rare ingredients with ordinary culinary skills. Thest one, Lu Ran, stood out with both his exceptional culinary skills and perfect use of ingredients, making him the undisputed top performer of this session. Next, the many sessful assessors were led away by the Fat Examiner to the Association for registration. As the top performer of this session, Lu Ran was asked to stay behind. The elder and the Female Examiner looked at Lu Ran with great importance. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Cann Province to produce such a young chef like you,¡± the elder said. ¡°My name is Gao Tian, a level 4 Gourmet Hunter and a superior chef. I think¡­ we will soon be colleagues.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Jin Yan, a level 3 Gourmet Hunter and a superior chef. You¡¯re quite impressive,¡± the Female Examiner said, admiring the young Lu Ran. ¡°You should know why we asked you to stay, right?¡± ¡°Each assessment has a rmendation slot to send a candidate to a special training location for further study. Do you have any thoughts on this?¡± ¡°We can apply for it on your behalf.¡± Faced with the other assessors, the three examiners didn¡¯t reveal their names, but now, speaking to Lu Ran, they treated him almost as an equal. Clearly, they believed Lu Ran had the potential to quickly be a renowned chef. ¡°Thank you, Examiner Gao, Examiner Jin,¡± Lu Ran said, patting the restless General Ha on its head. ¡°I wonder if I have the opportunity to train at Dragon Valley.¡± ¡°You want toprehend the dragon culinary intent and be a Dragon Chef?!¡± Examiner Gao was taken aback by Lu Ran¡¯s words. He had expected Lu Ran to choose to further study the culinary intent of ice or find a suitable ce to refine the culinary intent of fire to enrich his repertoire. However, Lu Ran¡¯s decision to choose the supreme dragon culinary intent right away was indeed a bold move! ¡°Are you serious?¡± Examiner Jin Yan frowned. ¡°Hasn¡¯t your master told you that dragon culinary intent is one of the hardest toprehend?¡± ¡°Choosing this could very well squander this opportunity¡­¡± Everyone dreams of learning from Emperor Yan Sizhen, who cultivated dragons through his cuisine, but s, not everyone¡¯s culinary skills are up to par. ¡°I still want to choose this,¡± Lu Ran said with utmost seriousness. The other options, like me culinary intent or vegetation culinary intent, he could find corresponding training locations for in the trial secret realms of Infinite City on Blue Star. But the training environment for dragon culinary intent was not so easy toe by. ¡°Alright then¡­¡± Examiner Gao realized that convincing Lu Ran otherwise was futile. From his choice of ingredients, they already knew Lu Ran¡¯s personality¡ªhe pursued the ultimate. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be an issue. Since your mind is made up, we will report your request. By the day after tomorrow at thetest, someone wille to Cann City to take you to Dragon Valley.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Lu Ran was delighted¡ªsess! Next, he just had to wait near Dragon Valley until the time ended, then he could return to Infinite City. As for how much he could gain during this period¡­ that was up to fate. ¡­ Later that day. Lu Ran returned to the inn. Upon returning, the first thing he did was unlock the restriction. [You have met the advancement criteria for ¡®Level 1 Beastmaster.¡¯ Would you like to advance now?] ¡°Yes.¡± In an instant, Lu Ran felt a warm current surge within him. His already robust physique and mental strength became even more powerful. He felt that describing himself as superhuman would not be an exaggeration. Lu Ran quickly used the eye of data to check his attributes. [Species]: Human [Beast Taming Level]: Level 1 [Beast Taming Skill]: Super Beast Mimicry [Special Abilities]: Telepathy, Blizzard Sword Intent During the novice secret realm stage, whether it¡¯s the novice trial secret realm, ordinary novice secret realm, or novice breakthrough secret realm, Infinite City provides challengers with the eye of data to increase their survival chances. However, once one moves past the novice stage, this novice benefit is no longer avable. The eye of data is incredibly useful, and there are only two ways for a beastmaster to obtain it additionally: through the initial novice trial secret realm or by achieving a high score in each level¡¯s breakthrough secret realm, which may reward them with an eye of data. At this point, Lu Ran¡¯s eye of data had leveled up from primary to intermediate. Combining it with the temporary novice benefit, he could see much more detailed information about himself. Skills like telepathy and Blizzard Sword Intent, which were previously hidden, were now visible. Of course, Lu Ran could see this information because he was examining his own data. He hadn¡¯t heard of anyone being able to use the eye of data to view other beastmasters¡¯ information, only the basic details of other people¡¯s pet beasts. Lu Ran quickly pulled out General Ha¡¯s contract card. With his breakthrough, General Ha¡¯s level had also significantly increased! [Name]: Sword-Holding Dog [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 15 [Fusion Trait]: Weapon Mastery [Species Talent]: King of Swords [Skills]: Gale, Sword Qi, Roar of the Wind, Sword of Wind, Wind Wing, Storm sh, Blizzard Sword Intent, Sword Control. General Ha¡¯s growth level, after breaking through the bottleneck, had directly increased by 5 levels. Seeing this, Lu Ran knew it was the result of the rare dog food, the trials in the abyss secret realm, and the culinary training over the past few days. ¡°I wonder if General Ha can reach level 20 in half a month,¡± Lu Ran pondered. If by then he had two level 20 pet beasts under contract, his strength would undoubtedly exert a formidable suppressive force over other fourth-generation beastmasters. After all, his configuration was now extremelyprehensive. General Ha¡¯s second trait and Sudden Death King¡¯s second trait were surely already prepared by Dr. Gu. Next, Lu Ran took out the me Sprite skill card and chose [Learn]. The me Dragon slumbering in Dragon Valley is of the fire attribute, and its Dragon Might also contains fire attributes. Lu Ran thought that by learning fire abilities, he might betterprehend the me dragon culinary intent. As Lu Ran activated the beast taming skill card, a red, ethereal stickman slowly formed within his body. Chapter 111: Dragon Valley Chapter 111: Dragon Valley ¡°Why is it so ugly?¡± Lu Ran was surprised when he saw the me Sprite forming within him‡±it took on the appearance of a stickman. Even if this me Sprite wasn¡¯t supposed to look like a mythical beast like the Vermilion Bird, it should at least resemble its host. What kind of abstract form is a stickman? But, whatever¡­ Feeling the supernatural power brought by the stickman me Sprite, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but raise his hand. In the next moment, mes suddenly enveloped his palm. Although the fire was right on his hand, Lu Ran didn¡¯t feel much heat. Due to the me Sprite, his fire resistance had significantly increased, making him more attuned to mes. It was hard for the fire he released to harm him. ¡°Now, I can both cool down and heat up,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself. Maybe he was the ¡°icy cold guy¡± and the ¡°super warm guy¡± that others talked about. To better test the me Sprite, Lu Ran took out the wind cutter sword, intending to apply the mes to it. However, he found out he didn¡¯t know how to use the energy external wrapping technique.He was like a newly born fire pet beast, needing to learn techniques such as energy release and energy external wrapping from scratch. Developing beast taming skills would also take time¡­ Seeing this, Lu Ran had no choice but to summon General Ha. Not to learn super beast mimicry from it now, but to experiment with another approach. ¡°Woof!¡± In the room, a white light shed, and General Ha was summoned. After itstest breakthrough, it hadn¡¯t changed much in size, but its fur had be more flowing and elongated, and it had grown more sensitive to wind force. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha looked at Lu Ran with bright eyes. In the next moment, Lu Ran aimed his palm at it, and the stickman me Sprite flew out of his body and directly into General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was startled. As the stickman entered its body, its eyes began to cloud over. As the saying goes, the lower the temperature, the higher the intelligence; conversely, the higher the temperature, the lower the intelligence. In General Ha¡¯s cloudy eyes, a trace of fire shed, and mes began to emanate from its long fur. Under Lu Ran¡¯smand, it opened its mouth! ¡°Whoosh!¡± mes covered its teeth! me Teeth! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha grinned, sticking out its tongue, clearly intrigued by its new ability. ¡°Not bad. This way, you can handle all the cooking from now on,¡± Lu Ran said with delight. Because when the me Sprite was applied to General Ha, the mes it released consumed its own energy, not the beastmaster¡¯s. This beast taming skill was designed to enhance the pet beast with zero energy consumption from the beastmaster, unlike Fusion Skills which required both the beastmaster and pet beast to continuously expend energy to maintain the form. ¡°Woof??¡± General Ha¡¯s expression froze upon hearing that this ability was intended for it to cook meals. Take it back! Take it back! Ignoring General Ha¡¯s thoughts, Lu Ran handed it the Ice Sky Greatsword¡­ After some experimentation, Lu Ran discovered that Blizzard Sword Intent and the me Sprite were notpatible at all. At best, they could be used alternately to create a ¡°fever sword intent.¡± However, the me Sprite did synergize well with General Ha¡¯s wind abilities. Even without trying it at the inn, Lu Ran knew that ¡°fire gains strength from the wind,¡± a principle many beastmasters on Blue Star adhered to when choosing secondary attributes. Combinations like fire + wind, thunder + water, and earth + rock were highlypatible. Some people, trying to be clever, would choosebinations like fire + water or ice + fire, but these usually didn¡¯t end well. ¡°Indeed, the me Sprite is probably in its most basic form right now. Yan Sizhen must have developed it countless times from this foundation,¡± Lu Ran thought. He had bought two biographies of Emperor Yan Sizhen from a street bookstore on his way back. As he continued to read, he noticed some clues. Some biographies mentioned that Emperor Yan Sizhen could control mes of different colors, each with seemingly different effects. This made Lu Ran think of how thunder pet beasts could mutate their thunder energy by absorbing traits from Golden Lightning or Red Lightning. Could beastmasters who controlled me Sprites also use a simr method to mutate the me Sprite, turning its ordinary me energy into special mes? This seemed like a potential path for developing the me Sprite. ¡°Thud! Thud!¡± In the room, Lu Ran was peacefully reading while General Ha curiously yed with the me Sprite. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It turned out to be She Pi and others who hade to congratte Lu Ran and Bai Ling for passing the Assessment. Lu Ran epted their congrattions, but it was clear that their paths would soon divergepletely. Even if they had the chance to meet again, it would likely be in Infinite City. Two dayster, Lu Ran received a notification from the Cang Lan Association. A Dragon Sculpture, a pet beast over level 30 that contained Dragon¡¯s Bloodline, had arrived in Cann City. This pet beast was specifically raised by the tribe that protected Dragon Valley. Now that Lu Ran had passed the review and was about to head to Dragon Valley for a period of intensive training, the Dragon Sculpture would escort him the entire way. In other words, Lu Ran would ride it there. During these two days, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t idle. After passing the Assessment, people visited him daily. Knowing that a culinary manship prodigy had emerged in Cann Province, local bigwigs naturally came to make connections, bringing gifts as a token of goodwill. Lu Ran understood their intentions. If this were the real world, he would feel ufortable epting everything. His decent family background had instilled in him a habit of not liking to owe favors. But in this projection world, he had no qualms about epting. Over these two days, he received so many gifts that his hands were sore. ¡°Diao-Ge, let¡¯s go.¡± Outside Cann City, Lu Ran spoke atop a magnificent red-feathered Dragon Sculpture. It was time to depart for Dragon Valley. With a piercing cry, the Dragon Sculpture stirred up a whirlwind and soared into the sky. Fortunately, Lu Ran had experience riding General Ha in its wind-wing form. Otherwise, adapting to flying on a pet beast wouldn¡¯t have been easy. ¡°Goodbye, Cann Province,¡± Lu Ran said, yawning as hey on the Dragon Sculpture¡¯s back, watching the blue sky and white clouds. As his first breakthrough secret realm, he would remember this ce. ¡­ Star-Moon Continent, Beast Taming Empire, me Dragon Sacred Domain. Tomemorate the great achievements of Emperor Yan Sizhen and to house his survivingbat pets, a region of the empire was specially designated as the territory of these Guardian Sacred Beasts. The me Dragon Sacred Domain was the territory of Yan Sizhen¡¯s iconicbat pet, the me Dragon King. This me Dragon King resided and slumbered for years in a valley within the domain, a ce also known as Dragon Valley. The Shengtuo n was once a tribe dedicated to caring for Yan Sizhen¡¯s Pet Beast Legion. Even today, they continue in their old roles, serving the me Dragon King. Although the me Dragon King has not appeared for a long time, they remain steadfast in the me Dragon Sacred Domain. Nowadays, the me Dragon Sacred Domain is considered one of the more prominent domains, boasting a strength far surpassing that of smaller provinces like Cann Province. On this particr day, numerous Dragon Sculptures were returning to the me Dragon Sacred Domain from all directions. The superior hunter Assessments from hundreds of provinces had concluded, and Lu Ran was not the only one who chose toe to Dragon Valley for further training. As the Dragon Sculpturended, Lu Ran was brought to the foot of a mountain. At this moment, a man dressed in traditional ethnic attire emerged. He whistled to call back the Dragon Sculpture and then looked at Lu Ran. ¡°You¡¯re from Cann Province, right? For the next month, you¡¯ll be training your culinary skills on the outskirts of Dragon Valley. After a month, I¡¯ll arrange for your departure. Whether you return to Cann Province or go to the imperial city, you can choose anywhere within the empire.¡± ¡°Walk forward from here, and you¡¯ll reach the outermost area of Dragon Valley. As you get closer to Dragon Valley, the Dragon Might will intensify. There are no ferocious beasts here, so safety won¡¯t be an issue. Behind you lies a town where you can purchase anything you might need.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran replied. The man finished speaking and left with the Dragon Sculpture, leaving Lu Ran bewildered. So cold¡­ Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. The most important thing is, one month, one month! I can¡¯t stay here for even half a month; I need to hurry. Lu Ran¡¯s space Equipment was well-stocked with necessities, so he didn¡¯t need to visit the town for supplies. After a moment¡¯s thought, he summoned General Ha, pointed ahead, and nned to approach Dragon Valley right away to personally experience the Dragon Might. ¡°General Ha, once we get there, don¡¯t get scared and wet yourself.¡± Lu Ran warned General Ha. It¡¯smon for domestic dogs to be terrified by tigers, let alone the breath of a dragon, a mythical creature. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha cast a disdainful nce at Lu Ran, as if to say, ¡°Who are you looking down on?¡± It was more worried that Lu Ran might wet himself from fright! As a pet beast, General Ha couldn¡¯t afford to lose face like that. Both refused to believe they could be scared by mere Dragon Might, pushing each other forward inpetition. Due to the immense power of the me Dragon King, an upper overlord species with a growth level over 80, its overwhelming Dragon Might could be felt even far from Dragon Valley. Walking along the mountain path, Lu Ran and General Ha had just reached the outermost edge of Dragon Valley, still dozens of kilometers from the center. Even here, the scorching breath made it difficult for them to proceed. ¡°Whew¡ª¡± Lu Ran was drenched in sweat, his heart racing. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha¡¯s expression was also serious. It tried to continue forward but, being a fierce beast, could feel the terrifying breath even more acutely than Lu Ran. Its limbs felt as if they were bound, bing exceptionally heavy and hard to move. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here for now,¡± Lu Ran suggested, seeing that they had already encountered Dragon Might. He took out a tent, nning to spend the first day adapting to the environment. This dragon breath felt remarkably simr to the sword momentum of fierce beasts. Perhaps, on the basis of fierce beast sword momentum, he could transform this ¡°fierce beast¡± into a ¡°dragon.¡± ¡°For the first couple of days, let¡¯s focus on adapting to the Dragon Might,¡± Lu Ran told General Ha. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha nodded vigorously, its expression serious, losing the initialposure as its whole body trembled, looking distantly ahead. If the pressure from the vampire was a 10, then the breath of the me Dragon King was a 100,000. General Ha couldn¡¯t fathom how such a powerful being could exist. Its eyes were filled with determination. Holding the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, it advanced step by step, aiming to adapt to and even counter the Dragon Might. ¡°Buzz!¡± Blizzard Sword Intent burst from General Ha, creating a red and blue pressure airflow with the intense me Dragon Might, making the surrounding air hum. It had made up its mind. Facing such a formidable creature, it would master a technique known as ¡°Dragon yer.¡± Lu Ran, meanwhile, was fully activating the me Sprite to gain fire resistance, enduring the me Dragon Might. He didn¡¯t forget to add, ¡°First, let¡¯s master the dragon culinary intent. Once we raise the Sudden Death King into a dragon, you¡¯ll have plenty of chances to practice Dragon yer.¡± Chapter 112: The Flame Dragon King Chapter 112: The me Dragon King A few dayster! Lu Ran and General Ha had made considerable progress. During this time, not only were they resisting the me Dragon Might, but they were also attempting to ¡°integrate¡± it. They aimed to transform the power of the me Dragon Might into Sword Intent. me Dragon Sword Intent! Or perhaps, me Dragon Culinary Intent! Lu Ran had already consumed several lucid fruits, but unfortunately, each time he failed to grasp that special feeling. Using fierce beast sword momentum as a foundation and upgrading it to me Dragon seemed feasible, but it was incredibly difficult. After all, Lu Ran didn¡¯t have a Dragon Pet, and this me Dragon Might was an external force he couldn¡¯t directly leverage. Just like when he resisted the blizzard, immersing himself in the me Dragon Might to learn from it didn¡¯t seem to work this time either.The reason he seeded inprehending the Blizzard Sword Momentum was that General Ha was originally a snowfield creature. Lu Ran used super beast mimicry to take on its traits, which made him more attuned to the blizzard environment, allowing him to seed. Currently, the me Dragon Might had a significant difference in naturepared to the Blizzard Sword Momentum. However, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t entirely disconnected from the essence of the me Dragon. With the me Sprite in his body, Lu Ran was essentially a fire attribute creature, making him somewhatpatible with the me Dragon Might. After numerous attempts, Lu Ran decided to abandon other methods of learning the me Dragon Sword Intent and focused entirely on this new beast taming skill, me Sprite. Lu Ran could only say that this beast taming skill came at the right time. Otherwise, his decision toe to Dragon Valley for training might have yielded zero results. Over several days, Lu Ran and General Ha took turns practicing. When Lu Ran was exhausted, he would apply the me Sprite to General Ha, letting him learn. When General Ha was tired, Lu Ran would retract the me Sprite and practice himself. ¡°How can I get the me Sprite to absorb the me Dragon¡¯s breath?¡± While training, Lu Ran thought about Yan Sizhen¡¯s suggestions regarding the development of the me Sprite skill. He tried to have the me Sprite absorb the me Dragon¡¯s breath and even used two lucid fruits to deepen his understanding of the me Sprite skill, but it still didn¡¯t work¡­ ¡­ ¡°What caliber of creature dares to try and absorb my breath?¡± At this moment, Lu Ran was unaware that his attempt to have the me Sprite absorb the me Dragon¡¯s breath had been detected by a massive creature within the valley. Deep in the valley, it slowly opened its eyes and stretched its dark wings. Its strong body was covered with red scales, the colors of fiery red and dark intertwining, resembling the embodiment of purgatory. Its domineering dragon eyes nced outward, and its deep red whiskers fluttered in the wind. It was none other than Yan Sizhen¡¯s mainbat pet, the me Dragon King. ¡°Who is it?¡± The me Dragon King, awakened by a gradually approaching powerful breath, soon discovered a small life form with the me Sprite skill trying to absorb its breath. Its breath was naturally beyond the ability of such a me Sprite to absorb, and it sneered at the weak human wielding the me Sprite. ¡°Not one of the princes from the Imperial City.¡± ¡°A bastard child? How many illegitimate children does Yan Sizhen have out there, and how many romantic debts has he left behind?¡± ¡°Or perhaps, this person is a descendant of one of Yan Sizhen¡¯s generals.¡± On the Star-Moon Continent, beast taming skills, when cultivated to a certain extent, could be passed down to the next generation through inheritance. Yan Sizhen had several offspring, all of whom had the chance to inherit the me Sprite. Besides that, Yan Sizhen had also tried to teach the me Sprite to deserving subordinates. On Blue Star, no one had yet mastered this skill, but in this era, Yan Sizhen clearly would not let this skill die with him. Unfortunately, despite Yan Sizhen¡¯s desire to pass on the skill, neither his descendants nor his generals had lived up to his expectations in learning the me Sprite. The me Dragon King took another look at Lu Ran, who was trying to use the me Sprite to absorb the me Dragon¡¯s breath. It seemed clever, as he had grasped the essence of the me Sprite to some extent. Nearby, the dog was holding a sword in its mouth, using sword intent to counter the Dragon Might. The me Dragon King found this duo curious but didn¡¯t pay them much more attention. It continued to search for the breath that had awakened it, but soon, it suddenly realized that the breath that had awakened it was emanating from this very human and dog! Although very faint, the breath was indeeding from them. As an upper overlord species, the me Dragon King was highly sensitive to the breath of powerful beings, particrly this breath, which it had sensed up close before! ¡°Divine Deer, they carry the breath of the Divine Deer.¡± Quickly, the me Dragon King made its judgment, its gaze sharpening. The other party had definitely had close contact with the Divine Deer! ¡°Roar!!!¡± It let out a roar, causing the ground and sky around Dragon Valley to shake. Many cultivators nearby were startled, looking towards the interior of Dragon Valley in shock, unsure of what had happened. At this moment, the most bewildered were Lu Ran and General Ha, who were in the midst of their training. They felt a sudden blur before a powerful force whisked them away to an unknown ce. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Lu Ran eximed. ¡°Woof!¡± When Lu Ran and General Ha regained their senses, they found themselves staring into a pair of enormous, crimson eyes,rger thannterns, scrutinizing them. ¡°Holy crap.¡± Lu Ran took a step back, swallowing hard at the sight of the Western Giant Dragon that owned those massive eyes. The scorching breath it exhaled made him feel like he was about to pass out, and he wondered if he had gone mad practicing the me Dragon Sword Intent. Was this¡­ the me Dragon King, rumored to have been asleep for decades? How did it appear before him? No, rather, how did he end up in front of it! General Ha was equally dumbfounded. It was hot, unbearably hot, making it too lethargic to think, but it still stood protectively in front of Lu Ran, cautiously eyeing the me Dragon King. ¡°You‡±¡± At this moment, the me Dragon King spoke, its words shaking Lu Ran to his core. ¡°You, have you seen the Divine Deer?¡± It knew about the Divine Deer! At that moment, Lu Ran remembered the Vampire Count, fearing he might be pummeled by this giant dragon next. However, there was a difference. The Vampire Count knew about the Divine Deer Pendant, likely from Lu Ran¡¯s parents. After encountering the supernatural, Lu Ran¡¯s parents must have learned more secrets about LuJia Vige. Ultimately, they chose to leave the Divine Deer Pendant to Lu Ran, rather than taking it in secret. But this me Dragon King had probably detected the breath of the Divine Deer Pendant and suspected they had encountered the Divine Deer itself! Lu Ran never expected that the Divine Deer Pendant, which had always been in his identity card, could be detected by the me Dragon King. It was also possible that he and General Ha had used the Divine Deer Pendant too frequently, thus bing imbued with its breath. Lu Ran¡¯s mind raced as he sweated profusely but managed to respond, ¡°Guardian Sacred Beast me Dragon King?? You¡­ know the Divine Deer?!¡± ¡°Hmph‡±¡± The me Dragon King red, saying, ¡°I once saw it from afar and sensed its power up close. Its breath is unforgettable. As a legendary living creature, the Divine Deer¡¯s breath is hard to replicate. You haven¡¯t answered yet, why do you carry its divine breath?¡± Lu Ran was surprised at how easily he got the me Dragon King talking. Realizing that the me Dragon King wasn¡¯t hostile to the Divine Deer and that the Divine Deer seemed even stronger than the me Dragon King, Lu Ran¡¯s courage grew. ¡°I¡­ am kind of an emissary of the Divine Deer.¡± me Dragon King: ? General Ha: ? Lu Ran was puzzled. Wasn¡¯t the Divine Deer a totem beast from ancient Blue Star? How did it be a legendary living creature in the mouth of the me Dragon King of the Star-Moon Continent? What was the rtionship between the Star-Moon Continent and Blue Star? Could the Star-Moon Continent be some ultra-ancient version of Blue Star? ¡°What?!¡± The me Dragon King, seemingly not the brightest, genuinely showed a shocked expression. It couldn¡¯t believe that the me Sprite wielder it had dismissed was actually an emissary of the Divine Deer. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t quite understand it myself. I don¡¯t know much about the Divine Deer. It seems my ancestors had some connection with it, so I have received its protection,¡± Lu Ran added. ¡°No wonder.¡± The me Dragon King didn¡¯t doubt him. Apart from such a situation, it couldn¡¯t think of any other reason for Lu Ran to have encountered the Divine Deer. ¡°You¡­¡± The me Dragon King wanted to ask more but then felt drowsy. Forget it; Lu Ran already said he didn¡¯t know much about the Divine Deer, so he probably wouldn¡¯t get anything useful. After ensuring there was no danger, it said, ¡°Alright, there¡¯s nothing more. I¡¯ll send you away now¡­¡± ¡°Wait, wait a moment!¡± Although Lu Ran wanted to leave this dreadful ce quickly, seeing that the me Dragon King seemed approachable, he seized the opportunity to ask, ¡°me Dragon King, can you tell me more about the Divine Deer?¡± ¡°Even though I¡¯ve been under the Divine Deer¡¯s protection and have even received dreams from it, I know very little about it. I want to understand what kind of existence it truly is.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The me Dragon King looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know much either. I¡¯ve only heard Yan Sizhen mention that the Divine Deer is one of the three major followers of the Life Dragon, one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons of the Star-Moon Continent. It is a living creature of the legendary species.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve received dreams from it?¡± it asked in surprise. ¡°Yes, the Divine Deer once sent me a dream, instructing me to search for information about the Death Dragon, which is also one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons,¡± Lu Ran said, stitching everything together in hopes of extracting more information from the me Dragon King. Unfortunately, despite being as powerful as it was, the me Dragon King knew very little about the Divine Deer or the Death Dragon. It was taken aback by Lu Ran¡¯s words, then furrowed its brow, shook its head, and said, ¡°The follower of the Life Dragon, searching for information about the Death Dragon. I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help you. There are very few records of legendary creatures in the entire Beast Taming Empire. Since it¡¯s a task given to you by the Divine Deer, you¡¯ll have to work hard on your own.¡± However, it looked at Lu Ran with unexpected interest. It hadn¡¯t anticipated that this guy, who inherited the me Sprite, would be entrusted with such an important task by the Divine Deer. Humans chosen by legendary creatures typically achieve remarkable feats. As far as it knew, the First Emperor of the Beast Taming Empire had gained the recognition of a legendary creature, which enabled him to grow strong enough to conquer the continent. Otherwise, it would not have been easy for humans to rise. The legendary creatures that remain unseen on the Star-Moon Continent, living for countless years, are the true rulers of thisnd. In fact, they could be considered a part of this world. ¡°I¡¯ll send you away now.¡± Given that its beastmaster had already passed away and it had retired, the me Dragon King, after decades of battles, was not eager to get involved in matters concerning legendary creatures. Confirming that Lu Ran was indeed connected to the Divine Deer, it yawned and prepared to see him off. ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Ran wanted to say something, hoping to use the Divine Deer as leverage to converse more with the me Dragon King. However, in the next moment, he and General Ha were unceremoniously sent out. Outside, Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. This dragon, how could it have such social anxiety? Would it kill to chat a bit longer? But suddenly, Lu Ran noticed something different from before¡­ He quickly looked at the sky and around him, suddenly realizing that the previously overwhelming Dragon Might seemed a bit gentler towards him. ¡°I can absorb it!¡± Lu Ran was astonished to find that his stickman-like me Sprite inside him could finally absorb the dragon¡¯s breath. ¡°Whoosh, whoosh!¡± The stickman greedily absorbed the breath, and Lu Ran finally established a special connection with the Dragon Might. Seeing this, Lu Ran grinned. It seemed the me Dragon King had granted him some privileges. Despite iming not to care, upon hearing about the Divine Deer Emissary, or perhaps because of his identity as the me Sprite inheritor, it had chosen to give him special treatment! Good dragon! Such a tsundere! Since that was the case, Lu Ran decided not to be polite. He drew out the Wind Cutter Sword and fully activated the me Sprite. Time was running short; he needed to quickly master the power of the me dragon! At this moment, General Ha sensed the gentle Dragon Might gathering around Lu Ran and showed a bewildered expression. Boss Lu, was this also part of your n? ¡­ A few dayster, under the secret observation of the awakened me Dragon King, Lu Ran made rapid progress. Wielding the Wind Cutter Sword, with hurricanes and mes swirling around the de, a single swing sent out a projection of a giant dragon! ¡°Not bad talent, I¡¯m d I gave him special treatment,¡± the me Dragon King nodded in satisfaction. However, on this day, it suddenly noticed that Lu Ran, who had already mastered the me Dragon Sword Intent, had abruptly disappeared before its eyes. ¡°What is going on?!¡± This incredible scene made the me Dragon King widen its eyes. Quickly, it sensed a higher-dimensional terrifying force interfering with its existence. The surrounding world shattered like an illusion. The me Dragon King¡¯s expression turned dazed as it watched Lu Ran¡¯s departing figure, finally realizing something. ¡°So that¡¯s it. I had already died long ago. My existence was resurrected through a historical projection by a great will, solely to train this guy. Unbelievable power, unimaginable methods¡­ What has the future be¡­¡± With its confused voice, this breakthrough secret realmpletely vanished. The six challengers of Infinite City, once the time was up, all returned! Chapter 113: Return Chapter 113: Return Infinite City No. 3, Passerby A¡¯s exclusive room. After being teleported back, Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts were still lingering in the breakthrough secret realm. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked at Lu Ran in surprise. Why did it seem like Lu Ran was reluctant to leave the breakthrough secret realm? ¡°Not really.¡± Lu Ran shook his head, waving the battered Wind Cutter Sword in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s just that the me Dragon King was clearly giving us special treatment. Returning this early feels a bit premature.¡± ¡°If I could have stayed for another half month, my me Dragon Sword Intent would have been more refined.¡± Lu Ran felt a pang of regret. In those final two days, he had finallyprehended the me Dragon Sword Intent. By continuously using the me Sprite skill to absorb the breath of the fire dragon, Lu Ran had learned a new swordsmanship will, simr to how he had onceprehended the Blizzard Sword Intent. Lu Ran believed that achieving this result was thanks to both Yan Sizhen the Emperor¡¯s signature beast taming skill and the me Dragon King¡¯s cooperation. He was now certain that the me Sprite was indeed a growth-oriented beast taming skill. Much like how super beast mimicry could simte different contract pet beasts to gain various feedback, the me Sprite could also absorb different fire elements from the outside world to grow.However, the initial state of the stickman me Sprite was too weak to absorb high-level energy, which was why Lu Ran couldn¡¯t sessfully absorb the fire dragon¡¯s breath at first. Fortunately, in the end, the me Dragon King recognized Lu Ran¡¯s potential and, out of respect for the divine deer, decided to give him special treatment. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha stuck out his tongue. Initially, it had beenpeting with Lu Ran to see who could master the me Dragon Sword Intent first. Lu Ran had totally cheated by involving the divine deer to get the me Dragon King to go easy on him. ¡°Just tell me, did you learn it or not?¡± Isn¡¯t this more honorable than marrying into a wealthy family? ¡°This breakthrough secret realm, the increase in strength is secondary.¡± ¡°With the Dragon Culinary Intent mastered and the Spirit Transformation Pot, I should be among the top in culinary manship on Blue Star, right?¡± Lu Ran pondered. Moreover, unlike the beast taming chefs on Blue Star, Lu Ran had mastered the Dragon Culinary Intent, which was extremely rare even on the Star-Moon Continent. In other words, his current title, if in the Beast Taming Empire, would be the highly esteemed ¡°Dragon Chef.¡± Why Are Dragon Chefs So Esteemed? Because the dishes they cook with dragon culinary intent have the real potential to nurture Loong-type species. If before, Lu Ran had no confidence in evolving the Sudden Death King into a purebred giant dragon, now he felt much more assured. ¡°Let¡¯s see if there are any messages.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran wanted to return to Blue Star as soon as possible and contract the Sudden Death King. But before heading back, he checked hismunication records. One message was from Fang Lan, sent a month ago. She had left Lu Ran a message about the time she would enter the breakthrough secret realm. In about three hours, she would be returning as well. Lu Ran wondered how Fang Lan¡¯s experience in the breakthrough secret realm had been. Additionally, there was a message from Dr. Gu sent not long ago. Gu Qingyi: ¡°I¡¯ve prepared the ¡®Nature Control Trait Crystal,¡¯ ¡®Overlord Body Trait Crystal,¡¯ and ¡®Fusion Beast Taming Skill¡¯ you requested. You can pick them up from Manager Ying when you get back. It has opened a caf¨¦ in Green Sea City. I¡¯ll be busy with some matters soon, and you might not be able to reach me. If you need anything, just ask Manager Ying for help.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran replied, feeling quite pleased. Everything was ready; all that was left was to seize the opportunity! ¡°This sword can be thrown away.¡± As Lu Ran prepared to log off, he nced at the Wind Cutter Sword in his hand. The Wind Cutter Sword was merely an advanced weapon, and its energy conduction was subpar. After a few days of use, its durability had hit zero. General Ha already had a rare weapon, so Lu Ran felt it was time for him to upgrade his weapon as well. Currently, he wasn¡¯tcking in crystal coins. The breakthrough secret realm had rewarded him with 100,000, and after a month of absence, the divine beast leaderboard had settled again, adding another 100,000 crystal coins to his ount. Even though he had nearly spent all his crystal coins before entering the breakthrough secret realm, he still had a hefty bnce of over 200,000 crystal coins. ¡­ Blue Star, Green Sea A spatial ripple flickered, and Lu Ran¡¯s figure appeared in his home. After returning, Lu Ran felt rxed and content. He always felt morefortable on Blue Star, while the Star-Moon Continent always carried a sense of unfamiliarity. ¡°Beep¡ª¡± Taking out his phone, Lu Ran walked to the balcony and dialed Zhao Chen¡¯s number. Soon, the chairman of the Green Sea Association answered with delight. ¡°Lu Ran? You¡¯ve returned from the breakthrough secret realm? How did it go? Did you advance?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°I¡¯m now a level 1 beastmaster. Uncle Zhao, how is the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard I left in your care?¡± Zhao Chen chuckled on the other end of the call. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s thriving. The pet beast you chose has exceptional talent.¡± ¡°To this day, no fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City has been able to break through its physical defense. Its pure physical defense is imprable! And that¡¯s not to mention its energy-shaped armor. Factoring that in, its defense is even more formidable.¡± ¡°Its proficiency in energy shaping has also improved rapidly during this time. Typically, if a Thunder Armor is frequently subjected to attacks of different attributes, it bes unstable and generates uncontroble energy reactions. But its Thunder Armor, after constant refinement, is unusually stable. Ordinary attacks can¡¯t even create a ripple on the armor. Do you know the most ridiculous part?¡± ¡°Due to the challengers¡¯ weak attacks, it even fell asleep during battle out of boredom. The impressive thing is, its energy armor didn¡¯t dissipate while it slept. It seems wearing the armor for defense has be an instinct, requiring no conscious effort to control the energy¡­¡± ¡°Can you imagine it? A bunch of people attacking a sleeping pet beast, and they can¡¯t even wake it up¡­¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless. What strange talent had the Sudden Death King awakened now? Unconscious energy control? Even General Ha couldn¡¯t manage that. However, Lu Ran¡¯s immediate reaction wasn¡¯t to marvel at how ridiculous the Sudden Death King had be but to question the strength of the fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City! The Sudden Death King just had a bit of good talent, a high level, advanced, rare dragon food for continuous development, and it hadn¡¯t even fused with any traits yet. How could it seem like an invincible boss? If the Sudden Death King were to fuse with the Red Lightning and Overlord Body traits, wouldn¡¯t these people find it even harder to deal with it? The so-called geniuses of Green Sea City might not even be as strong as She Pi, the explorer, and Deer As Horse. Could they really represent Green Sea City and achieve good results in beast taming tournaments? Also, was the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense really that strong? Lu Ran was curious and nned to have General Ha test it outter¡­ General Ha had been honing its Dragon Might for quite some time, significantly strengthening its sword intent. Once the Sudden Death King merges with its traits, it might be interesting to test sword sharpness against shield thickness. ¡°Where is it now?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°It should still be at the Green Sea Arena,¡± Zhao Chen replied. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll go find it. It¡¯s about time I contract it.¡± Before long, Lu Ran hung up the phone and headed out. ¡­ Green Sea Stadium After a month, the beastmasters trained by the Green Sea City Beast Taming Association had be numb to their rigorous training regimen. What kind of odd sparring partners had the association found for them? If there were a ranking for the most unpopr sparring partners in Green Sea City, the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow would definitely top the list. One was impossible to break through, making battles frustrating, while the other, despite its considerable strength, loved to trash talk. It even provided voiceovers for the Sudden Death King! Inparison, the other five beasts, although strong, were much friendlier. At this moment, in the Green Sea Stadium, the other Six Generals beasts were not present, as they were needed to maintain border security. Only the Sudden Death King was dozing off in a corner of the stadium. Initially, it was quite resentful of its sparring job. However, it soon realized that its opponents were so weak that they couldn¡¯t break through its defense even while it slept. This allowed it tofortably settle in the stadium, even developing a skill called Sleeping Armor, making its defense imprable. Over time, the beastmasters of Green Sea City stopped bothering to challenge it, instead using the Sudden Death King as a tool to test the destructive power of their skills rather than an actual opponent. There was a rumor circting: whoever could develop a skill that could break through its energy armor would undoubtedly shine in the Freshman Tournament, bing unstoppable. ¡°Lu Yng, how¡¯s the progress with itspressed mental bullet?¡± In the vast Green Sea Stadium, many fourth-generation beastmasters were paired off, sparring with each other. Lu Teng, who had contracted a me Lion, turned to Lu Yng, the only one with a mental-type pet beast in Green Sea City, and asked. By now, many knew that Lu Yng¡¯s Border Collie had impressive learning capabilities. With the resources of the Green Sea Association, it had already mastered three major techniques: energy release, energy shaping, and energy flow. It was even working on mastering a fourth technique: energypression. Everyone spected that perhaps only by mastering energypression could they hope to break through that lizard¡¯s defense. ¡°No luck,¡± Lu Yng shook his head. ¡°Compressing two mental bullets into one is too difficult. Each time, the mental bullet explodes unpredictably. Practicing requires extreme caution, let alone deploying it in actualbat.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Director Zhao healing my pet beast, it would still be lying down.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± The Border Collie nced unhappily at its beastmaster, thinking that even a dog wouldn¡¯t practice energypression¡ªit¡¯s too dangerous! ¡°Frustrating,¡± Lu Teng said, scratching his head. ¡°How can we break through that guy¡¯s defense? If only we could fuse with a trait. I really want to obtain a trait.¡± ¡°Roar!!!¡± The me Lion agreed but then looked in a particr direction. As the two Green Sea prodigies were daily troubled by the Sudden Death King, suddenly, a figure walked towards the sleeping lizard. ¡°Is someone challenging the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard again?¡± Lu Teng followed his pet beast¡¯s gaze and said, ¡°It¡¯s been a month, why are people still trying?¡± ¡°Who is that? I¡¯ve never seen them before. A neer?¡± Lu Yng asked, puzzled. In the past month, the number of beastmasters had been steadily increasing, so the Green Sea Association was continuously absorbing new talents, adding a few more trainees to the training camp periodically. Seeing an unfamiliar face approaching the Sudden Death King, they guessed it might be a neer who had just joined the training and wanted to test the infamous beast. But then, their expressions froze. Because as soon as this person got close to the Sudden Death King¡ªwho never woke up from attacks and only woke up for food¡ªthe dragon-like beast suddenly opened its eyes. ¡°Roar!!¡± It even let out a delighted roar upon waking. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re already at level 19.¡± The person was none other than Lu Ran. Lu Ran¡¯s intermediate Eye of Data could now detect the level, attributes, and species information of supernatural beings of the same level. He could view data on pet beasts from level 1 to level 20 through his Eye of Data, even if he hadn¡¯t contracted them himself. As for beings above his level, that would require an advanced Eye of Data, which Lu Ran didn¡¯t possess yet. He had only experienced cross-level data viewing in the novice secret realm. Currently, the strongest being Lu Ran had seen was the me Dragon King. An upper overlord species, fire and Loong-type, at level 86¡ªa strategic-level monster that could easily destroy a nation on Blue Star. However, Lu Ran smiled at the Sudden Death King, believing it would eventually be a Thunder Dragon King of simr stature. ¡°Roar!!¡± ¡°Yes, I know you¡¯ve been working hard, very hard at eating.¡± ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home. I brought you a feast from the breakthrough secret realm. After eating, you might reach level 20¡­¡± Lu Ran had saved a Mutated Dragon Fish, perfect for the Sudden Death King¡¯s final push to level up. At level 20, it could fuse with two traits! It would undergo an epic transformation! ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King was eager. With that, Lu Ran turned and walked out of the stadium, and the Sudden Death King followed him on two legs like a little monster, attracting quite a bit of attention. ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± The beastmasters present were stunned to see the Sudden Death King following a stranger. ¡°Could it be the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard¡¯s beastmaster? That Lu Ran?¡± Someone spoke up, instantly jogging everyone¡¯s memories. This Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard did have an owner¡ªa beastmaster. However, its beastmaster had been missing for 30 days, and people had nearly forgotten. But now, seeing the Sudden Death King being called away, many were dumbfounded. So, it really did have a beastmaster? The one Director Zhao Chen mentioned, one of Green Sea City¡¯s strongest Fourth Generation, on par with the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden¡ªLu Ran! What kind of monster could tame a lizard with such astonishing defense? [The Sudden Death King¡¯s beastmaster has appeared!] [That man has finally shown up!] [Now that I see the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard really has a beastmaster, I feel reassured. Both he and Fang Lan should easily make it into the Freshman Top 100, right?] Someone quickly snapped a photo of Lu Ran and the Sudden Death King from behind and posted it in the Green Sea training camp¡¯s group chat, sparking intense discussion. Zhao Chen: [smile] Shenghua: [smile] The responses from the group owner and admin made the excited crowd a bit uneasy¡­ ¡­ ¡°Almost two months now, and so many changes.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran was walking down the street, waiting at a crosswalk, with the Sudden Death King waiting beside him. In just a month, pedestrians had grown ustomed to seeing such little monsters walking down the street, making Lu Ran marvel at how quickly times were changing. Soon, led by a crow in the sky, Lu Ran and the Sudden Death King arrived outside a newly opened maid caf¨¦. ¡°Anyone here?¡± Lu Ran pushed the door open, and a cute cat-eared maid immediately came out to greet him. ¡°Hello~ oh my, it¡¯s Passerby A!¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s face darkened as he recognized the cat-eared maid. Wasn¡¯t this Little Ling from Infinite City No.3? ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°I-I-I¡¯m studying in a nearby city and Manager Ying asked me to work at this new caf¨¦,¡± said Fengyu Piaoling. She never expected to run into Passerby A in Green Sea City. She had initially been puzzled when Manager Ying decided to open a physical store in Green Sea, but seeing Lu Ran made her realize the city was special, especially since not only Lu Ran but the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden was also in Green Sea! Moreover, the city¡¯s policies were quite different from other cities. She felt like she was getting a promotion, right? ¡°Alright, is your manager here? I need to talk to it.¡± Lu Ran figured Manager Ying had called her to work here because they knew each other and it would be convenient. ¡°Yo, you¡¯re here.¡± Inside, arge white cat was ying a handheld game. As Lu Ran entered, it yawned and said to the cat-eared maid, ¡°Go brew him some tea. And by the way, using foulnguage will dock you half a month¡¯s sry.¡± Fengyu Piaoling: ??? Wuwuwu, she had just gotten excited seeing Passerby A! Fengyu Piaoling wiped her tears and went to brew tea for Lu Ran. Meanwhile, Lu Ran looked over at Manager Ying and noticed that besides Manager Ying, there were quite a few other cats around, sleeping in various spots. They all seemed to be stray cats from Green Sea City¡ªmany of them looked familiar. ¡°Um, Manager Ying, I¡¯m here to pick up the trait crystal that Dr. Gu left with you,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Wow ka!¡± The Sudden Death King, who had followed him in, also lit up with excitement. ¡°Here.¡± With that, Manager Ying ced two crystals and a card on the table. Still engrossed in its game, it asked casually, ¡°How was your first breakthrough secret realm? Did you encounter any danger? What¡¯s your score?¡± ¡°Not bad, no real danger. Oh, by the way, Manager Ying, do you like fish? I honed my cooking skills in the breakthrough secret realm!¡± Lu Ran, seeing Manager Ying uncharacteristically generous in offering tea, couldn¡¯t help but want to show off his secret realm-acquired skills¡ªhis unparalleled culinary prowess! He wondered if his Ice and Snow Sashimi could impress an advanced being¡¯s pte! ¡°Hmm?¡± Manager Ying looked up, puzzled. What? You practiced cooking in the breakthrough secret realm? It suddenly realized that Lu Ran must have entered some peculiar breakthrough secret realm. ¡°What was your breakthrough task?¡± ¡°To be a superior chef.¡± Manager Ying: ¡°¡­?¡± Sudden Death King: ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± Chapter 114: Contracting the Sudden Death King Chapter 114: Contracting the Sudden Death King ¡°Meow! You¡¯ve actually entered a breakthrough secret realm for secondary professions!¡± Manager Ying realized. Infinite City, what are you doing? Sending such a powerfulbination into a secondary profession secret realm? Isn¡¯t that a waste of their time and potential? Logically, Lu Ran should be quite frustrated to enter such an irrelevant secret realm. But why did he look so happy? ¡°So, you¡­ did well?¡± ¡°Yeah, after the tempering in the secret realm, there shouldn¡¯t be many beast taming chefs better than me in Xia Country.¡± Manager Ying: ??? It suspected Lu Ran was joking, but had no proof. ¡°Ah, we can talkter. Manager Ying, could you teleport us to the depths of Emerald Mountain?¡± Lu Ran eagerly picked up the trait crystal from the table. ¡°I n to fuse this crystal with the Sudden Death King right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this for a month.¡±¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to contract it now.¡± Manager Ying pondered for a moment. Although it didn¡¯t want to indulge Lu Ran¡¯s frequent requests for teleportation, Lu Ran had just promised to treat it to some fish¡­ Would refusing him now make it seem petty? After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Manager Ying pursed its lips but still performed the teleportation, bringing Lu Ran and the Sudden Death King to the depths of Emerald Mountain. ¡°This is thest time.¡± Meanwhile, Little Ling, who had just brewed some tea, stared at the empty seats. Holding the tea, she also fell into contemtion¡­ Where did everyone go? Where¡¯s the lizard, the cat manager? ¡­ In the depths of Emerald Mountain, Lu Ran took out the contract card issued by the breakthrough secret realm. By now, this contract card had already been upgraded twice using 11 upgrade cards. Its quality had reached the same level as General Ha¡¯s contract card. Before fusing the trait crystal with the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran needed to contract it first. He looked at the eager expression of the Sudden Death King. ¡°Roar!!¡± Next to him, Manager Ying yawned, probably having stayed up several nights ying video games. Lu Ran threw the contract card towards the Sudden Death King. As the contract card approached, it was instantly absorbed by the glowing card. Although the Sudden Death King was already at level 19, contracting it was very straightforward for Lu Ran due to the high quality of the contract card and the Sudden Death King¡¯sck of resistance. Soon, the contract card stabilized and was summoned back to Lu Ran¡¯s hand. The moment the contract waspleted, Lu Ran felt a surge in his physical strength. Additionally, the mental connection with the Sudden Death King was established, meaning their fates were now intertwined. [Species]: Skink [Attribute]: Thunder [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 20 [Skills]: Thunder Armor (thunder energy shaping), Thunder Shield (thunder energy shaping) Compared to General Ha, the information on the Sudden Death King¡¯s contract card was much simpler. It only had two skills, both of which involved self-armoring through thunder energy shaping. The skill levels were roughly equivalent to General Ha¡¯s Wind Wing and Sword of Wind, not particrly advanced. This was because the Sudden Death King¡¯s talenty in its physical attributes rather than its learning abilities. Currently, most high-species pet beasts on the divine beast leaderboard were in a simr state. High intelligence pet beasts were rtively rare. ¡°Level 20!¡± Lu Ran was in a great mood. Even before he had the chance to feed the Mutated Dragon Fish, the Sudden Death King had alreadypleted its growth transformation due to the contract feedback, saving him a lot of trouble. Hmm¡­ the fish treat for the cat could wait; fusion traits came first! ¡°It¡¯s not easy. This guy¡¯s food expenses this month might even surpass General Ha¡¯s,¡± Lu Ran thought. No matter how generous he was, he couldn¡¯t outspend a specially funded experimental zone of the alliance. Zhao Chen must have made significant investments in the Sudden Death King. General Ha was currently at level 16, four levels shy of reaching level 20. Of course, this could also be due to different growth rates among species. ¡°Roar!!¡± With the contractplete, Lu Ran summoned the Sudden Death King back out, along with General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha emerged, squinting and smiling. It was delighted to see the Sudden Death King again. ¡°Wow ka!¡± The Sudden Death King greeted General Ha. ¡°Stop exchanging pleasantries, you two. Let¡¯s fuse the trait first, then you can spar afterward.¡± Hearing about the sparring session, General Ha became excited, while the Sudden Death King felt a moment of dread. Despite its recent confidence, it knew it couldn¡¯t match General Ha. After all, General Ha was a relentless and fierce dog, one who wouldn¡¯t even blink while using a tenfold energypression technique. Lu Ran took out the Red Lightning trait crystal. This trait, which couldn¡¯t be fused before, was now ready to be used. Without moving from his spot, Lu Ran threw the trait crystal towards the Sudden Death King. Just like the contract card, when the trait crystal made contact with the Sudden Death King¡¯s body, it was immediately surrounded by a red halo and then quickly absorbed, as if sinking into water. [A lizard with astonishing defensive talent, fused with the Red Lightning trait to enhance its physique.] Manager Ying nced over. At that moment, for some unknown reason, Lu Ran, General Ha, and Manager Ying could all hear the thunderous heartbeat of the Sudden Death King. Boom! Boom! Boom! As soon as the trait fused into its body, the Sudden Death King¡¯s heart rate elerated. The sound of its heartbeat was deafening, startling even the Sudden Death King itself, causing it to instinctively clutch its chest. Perhaps due to the intense aftereffect of the heartbeat, the Sudden Death King¡¯s body began to twitch. With each tremor, red electrical arcs started to emerge around its body. ¡°Roar!!¡± Unable to contain itself, the Sudden Death King let out a roar. With the strongest tremor yet, a massive burst of thunderous light erupted from its body like a volcanic explosion. The red lightning, towering several meters high, transformed the entire forest into a scene of otherworldly splendor. At that moment, the Sudden Death King could distinctly feel its thunder energy and physique undergoing a significant enhancement. It was both surprised and delighted. In its mind, it envisioned General Ha swinging his sword. The intense attribute boost gave it the thought, ¡°That sword swing might not be out of reach.¡± It was determined to achieve the strongest defense, one that could ignore all attacks! Under the intense thought, the astonishing thunder energy erupting from the Sudden Death King¡¯s body began to shape itself externally. Simr to the extraordinary phenomenon that appeared when General Ha fused with his trait, a remarkable energy phenomenon emerged around the Sudden Death King. Manager Ying slightly turned her head, while Lu Ran and General Ha watched intently. Suddenly, the thunder light extending six or seven meters from the Sudden Death King¡¯s body gradually shaped into a burly phantom! This phantom clearly resembled the monstrous form of the Sudden Death King. It astonishingly created a nested model of itself¡ªa robust energy armor encased the phantom, making it look like a thunder god of war! Doubleyer protection! ¡°Impressive,¡± even Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but be speechless. The red thunder beast phantom enveloped the real Sudden Death King, with its red eyes and ck scales. As the Sudden Death King moved, the phantom synchronized perfectly with its movements. Though it only mastered one type of skill, it managed to use it creatively. Finally, the fusion trait wasplete, and Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but check its details! [Species]: Armor Lizard [Attribute]: Thunder [Species Level]: Lower Commander [Growth Level]: Level 20 [Fusion Trait]: Red Lightning [Species Talent]: Absolute Defense (Beings with this talent have a self-aware energy that can more acutely sense external dangers and actively defend against them. When struck by a fatal blow far beyond their capacity to withstand, the heart¡¯s energy will stimte the entire body, unleashing the organism¡¯s full potential for a one-time life-saving defense.) [Skills]: Thunder Armor, Thunder Shield ¡°Absolute Defense?¡± When Lu Ran saw the Sudden Death King¡¯s awakened species talent, he was speechless¡ªpartly amused, partly unsurprised. Despite being inherently thunder-type with thunder attribute traits, it had awakened a defensive talent! Unbelievable! As far as Lu Ran knew, when thunder-type pet beasts fuse with thunder traits, their species talent usually enhances skill destructiveness or speed. The Sudden Death King awakening a self-defense and life-saving species talent was beyond his expectations. Now, it would be hard for the Sudden Death King to die suddenly. Even when facing a high-level creature¡¯s attack, General Ha might fall, but the Sudden Death King could lock in a drop of blood and survive a few more seconds. ¡°Roar!!!¡± At this moment, seeing the burly phantom surrounding the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Alright, alright, disperse the energy armor quickly. Creating such a big armor is a waste of energy!¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King obediently dispersed the armor, reverting to its lizard form, standing about as tall as Lu Ran, and scratched its head to indicate it was fine. Despite the initial fusion of the trait, the Sudden Death King¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t change much. It just had a lightning-shaped mark in its pupils. Next, Lu Ran took out the Overlord Body trait crystal, nning to further enhance the Sudden Death King. The effect of the Red Lightning trait crystal is to enhance thunder energy; when attacked by thunder, its physique strengthens. On the other hand, the Overlord Body trait crystal¡¯s effect is more straightforward and brutal‡±it directly reduces enemy attacks, providing unparalleled defense. With Overlord Body and Absolute Defense from the start, the Sudden Death King¡¯s future battles would surely be tactically sound. Lu Ran threw out the Overlord Body trait crystal. Having experienced the previous fusion, the Sudden Death King was moreposed this time. Compared to the phenomena during the Red Lightning fusion, the effects on the Sudden Death King this time were more practical. Under the dark red light, its body became even stronger, its physiquerger, and the hardness of each scale was further enhanced. In an instant, the Sudden Death King, now standing nearly three meters tall, was brimming with power. Its scales turned into multiyered armor, truly resembling a monster. ¡°Roar!!!¡± It spewed red arcs of electricity from its mouth. Each ck scale reflected a sovereign¡¯s luster. Its tail struck the ground, causing the earth to rumble. With just one more wing, it would be indistinguishable from a giant dragon. Moreover, through this minor evolution, the nutrients it had been umting from dragon food seemed to have been activated, evolving it into a sub-dragon! [Species]: Scaled Dragon Lizard [Attribute]: Thunder [Species Level]: Middle Commander [Growth Level]: Level 20 [Fusion Traits]: Red Lightning, Overlord Body [Species Talents]: Absolute Defense, Heart of the Overlord (A true overlord does not mind the provocations of the weak but will not retreat without cause. Beings with the Heart of the Overlord can umte received damage to a certain extent and counterattack with multiplied force. The more damage they take, the stronger their next attack will be!) Chapter 115: Sword vs. Shield Chapter 115: Sword vs. Shield ¡°Heart of the Overlord?¡± Lu Ran was quite surprised by the sudden death king¡¯s two talent awakenings. At this moment, he wanted to point fingers at the sudden death king¡­ You little guy¡­ Species talents are unique abilities generated bybining trait crystals with individual characteristics, so identical species talents are rare. Thus, the sudden death king must have some hidden ambition and fantasized about bing powerful and countering enemies, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have awakened the Heart of the Overlord. Of course, counterattacking still relies on defense first, so the sudden death king hasn¡¯t forgotten its roots. The thickness of its scales is what gives it peace of mind¡­ True to its name, the Scaled Dragon Lizard.¡°Furrowing your brows one moment, smiling the next, then looking surprised‡±so, what¡¯s the result?¡± Manager Ying and General Ha had been watching the entire time. After seeing themotion around the sudden death king subside, Manager Ying asked. General Ha also cast a questioning nce. It seems strong, doesn¡¯t it? That imposing phantom, along with its current size, indeed felt very intimidating. No longer just a small lizard that would cry out at a sudden death. ¡°These two traits seem quitepatible with it; did it awaken some impressive species talents?¡± Manager Ying pressed on. ¡°Yes!¡± Lu Ran nodded, smiling. ¡°Absolute Defense and Heart of the Overlord are both very suitable talents for it. Sudden death king, how do you feel?¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± The huge sudden death king nodded heavily, red eyes shing with lightning. So strong! Its defense had multiplied countless times. With these two talents, it felt incredibly secure. ¡°What do they do?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°Sudden death king, turn around and close your eyes.¡± Lu Ran nned to conduct a little experiment. Hearing this, the sudden death king turned around and did as Lu Ran said. Then, Lu Ran picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at the back of the sudden death king¡¯s head! Boom! Lu Ran¡¯s strength was immense, and the stone whizzed through the air at high speed. But just as it was about to hit the sudden death king, an invisible electric field seemed to erupt around it. Red arcs of electricity crackled all over its body, and with a ¡°bang,¡± the stone was shattered into dust! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was stunned, feeling that it looked so cool! From start to finish, the sudden death king had its back to the attack and its eyes closed. It didn¡¯t release any energy traces, and the red lightning seemed to appear out of nowhere. ¡°Ah?¡± Manager Ying showed an expression of realization. ¡°Absolute Defense is like giving it a telepathic sense to detect danger, allowing energy to automatically defend itself,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°In addition, if it encounters a lethal threat, its telepathic energy will stimte its body to perform an absolute defense, simr to a game¡¯s ¡®life-saving¡¯ mechanism. The telepathic energy will stimte its vital signs, making it less likely to die easily.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good talent!¡± Manager Ying eximed. ¡°Although it¡¯s not the top-level talent like the king of swords, it¡¯s very suitable for it.¡± Automatic defense, in Manager Ying¡¯s view, wasn¡¯t considered an impressive talent since powerful supernatural beings, after developing a mental domain, are quite sensitive to danger. However, the life-saving function was quite beneficial for pet beasts with beastmasters. If a wild supernatural being had this talent, it might be mediocre. Even if it managed to survive a deadly encounter using this talent, it wouldn¡¯tst long in its condition. But for a pet beast with an owner,bined with this talent, it could be recalled into a high-quality contract card for timely treatment, greatly enhancing its survival ability. ¡°You¡¯re already a qualified tank!¡± Manager Ying praised the sudden death king. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha also smiled slightly. Hearing it wasn¡¯t as good as the king of swords, it felt quite pleased. This cat was worth being friends with! ¡°And the second talent effect?¡± Manager Ying asked. ¡°Take hits and unleash a big move.¡± Knowing Manager Ying was also a gamer, Lu Ran summarized it in the simplest terms: ¡°It can convert the attacks it receives into ¡®aura¡¯ for storage. When the umted damage reaches a certain threshold, it can use this stored energy to amplify its next attack.¡± This talent is easier to understand. It¡¯s like someone ps you in real life, and you umte rage to make your counterattack even stronger. ¡°This talent is also¡­¡± Manager Ying initially thought it was quite standard. But then, it furrowed its brow, as if something had just urred to it. First, the sudden death king primarily focuses on defense. With the integration of Red Lightning and future body forging with lightning, its defense will be increasingly strong. Combined with the damage reduction from the Overlord Body, at the same level, unless an enemy specializes in energypression or has a unique trait that can deal true damage ignoring defense, it will be very hard to break through its defense. This means the sudden death king can endure a substantial amount of damage. Even a level 30mander species creature might not be able to instantly kill the sudden death king, thanks to its Overlord Body and life-saving Heart of the Overlord. Following this, if the sudden death king, having survived a lethal attack with its life-saving talent, counterattacks with the Heart of the Overlord, its instant attack power could be terrifying. These two talents, taken individually, might not be top-level. However, whenbined, they seem to undergo a qualitative transformation! Facing some extremely powerful enemies, Manager Ying instantly envisioned a brilliant scenario. This is simply the best talentbo for a desperate counterattack! In fact, if the enemy is too weak, they won¡¯t even be able to force the sudden death king to unleash its full potential. ¡°This is good. Combining these two talents makes for a top-level talent,¡± Manager Ying, having figured it out, couldn¡¯t help but look at the sudden death king with a newfound appreciation. This lizard is on the right path. However, perfectlybining these two talents won¡¯t be easy. After all, even if it survives a lethal hit, its condition will be extremely poor at the time. In such a state, whether the sudden death king will have the will and strength to counterattack remains a question. But if it ovees this drawback, its future is undoubtedly promising. ¡°Roar!!¡± The sudden death king¡¯s tail kept hitting the ground in excitement. But before it could celebrate for long, Lu Ran said, ¡°Come on, have a friendly spar with General Ha.¡± ¡°Let me see your current strength.¡± The sudden death king froze: ¡°!!!¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha also wanted to see how the once little lizard had fared after merging two traits. Under Lu Ran¡¯s strong insistence, the sudden death king could onlyply. However,pared to the beginning, it felt much more at ease now. Both the Red Lightning and Overlord Body had given it immense confidence. It was now a Dragon Lizard! A Sub-dragon Species! There was no need to be overly afraid of General Ha anymore. But for safety¡¯s sake, the sudden death king quicklyyered some armor. Lightning erupted around it, red thunder forming a thick thunder armor close to its body. Additionally, it condensed arge Thunder Shield in front of its arms, positioning it protectively. This set of Shield Armor had aplex structure and was something the sudden death king had developed specifically to counter wind attribute skills. After a month of training, the sudden death king had not endured its beatings in vain. It had learned to shape different energy armors based on its opponent¡¯s attributes. Aside from a few rare attributes it hadn¡¯t encountered, it now had extensive experience dealing withmon attributes like wind, fire, water, and rock. The red Thunder Armor wrapped around the ck sudden death king, which stared at General Ha with a domineering gaze, signaling for the attack tomence. ¡°Here, take a sword,¡± Lu Ran said. To level the ying field regarding level and traits, Lu Ran also retrieved the Ice Sky Greatsword and tossed it to General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha leaped up, caught the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, and looked at the sudden death king. Only defending wouldn¡¯t make one strong! Swish! With a sharp gaze, it first swung out a basic sword qi!! Fallen leaves around were swept up; the white sword qi arrived in an instant, striking directly onto the Thunder Shield. In just a moment, the Thunder Shield sizzled and split in two, and the sudden death king was shocked, feeling that General Ha¡¯s sword qi was far more powerful than the wind des of those wind attribute pet beasts it had faced before! An ordinary sword qi had instantly sliced through the Thunder Shield, cut through the Thunder Armor, andnded on the sudden death king. ¡°The king of swords excels in offense,¡± Lu Ran remarked. Fortunately, when the sword qi finally struck the sudden death king, it only left a faint white mark on its scales, nearly scaring the sudden death king to death. After the sword qi passed through the Thunder Shield and Thunder Armor, it finally struck the sudden death king, which had both the Overlord Body and strong defense. By then, the sword qi had lost most of its attacking power. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Seeing this, the sudden death king¡¯s tense heart finally rxed a bit. It quickly repaired its armor and shield, grinning at General Ha. I can do this. I really can. The Overlord Body was too strong; the energy armor and shield were secondary. The sword qi just now felt like a mere scrape against its body. The sudden death king felt that it could easily withstand even ten times the sword qi! General Ha, times have changed! ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king¡¯s aura grew even stronger. ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha, knowing the sudden death king¡¯sbat style and that it wouldn¡¯t attack actively, began to prepare a second assault. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! General Ha¡¯s fur fluttered, the wind energy around it elerated, and a massive wind force converged on the Ice Sky Greatsword. Under intensepression, a powerful storm sh ten times stronger than before was unleashed in an instant! The storm sh, longer than the sudden death king, had an aura thatpletely overshadowed the previous sword qi. Seeing this, the sudden death king swallowed hard. At that moment, the sudden death king was extremely tense. The storm sh, like a destructive force, once again shattered the Thunder Shield and Thunder Armor, striking directly onto its body. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Withstanding the storm sh, the sudden death king¡¯s arms wrapped around the massive sword qi, its body involuntarily stepping back a few paces. Amidst the dissipating lightning arcs and wild winds, the wide-eyed sudden death king finally stopped, panting heavily. By this time, the storm sh had faded. Compared to the previous white scratch, the sudden death king¡¯s scales now bore a few tiny dents, but it still felt no pain! It had defended again! Seeing that it had sessfully withstood General Ha¡¯s ultimate move, the tenfold storm sh, the sudden death king¡¯s excitement reached new heights. ¡°Wow ka!!!¡± It looked at General Ha with pride. General Ha, show me your limits!! The sudden death king waved its arms andughed wildly. Manager Ying and Lu Ran: ¡­ This lizard, has it gone mad with joy? Little did they know, the sudden death king was genuinely happy. Ever since it came to this home, it had always lived in General Ha¡¯s shadow. Now that General Ha couldn¡¯t even break through its defense, was there anything more worth celebrating? At this moment, General Ha was slightly stunned, not expecting the sudden death king to be so tough. Thatst strike could have easily taken down anymander species boss in the novice secret realm, but it had only managed to dent the sudden death king¡¯s scales? Such minor dents didn¡¯t even count as light injuries! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha saw the sudden death king starting to swell with pride, even daring to taunt it. Silently, it nursed a grudge. Too arrogant. Did the sudden death king really believe it had seen General Ha¡¯s limits? General Ha thought it was time to bring the sudden death king¡¯s arrogance down a notch. Its gaze sharpened as it channeled energy into the Ice Sky Greatsword. Buzz!! In an instant, the Ice Sky Greatsword transformed into its greatsword form, with its de expanding as energy surged through it, making it even more formidable! ¡°Roar?¡± Theughing sudden death king paused, startled. Then, it saw an unfamiliar energy radiating from the Ice Sky Greatsword, continually bursting forth and causing the surrounding temperature to plummet. The chilling wind made the sudden death king shiver, its eyes narrowing. What¡¯s going on? Its heart tightened. With the Blizzard Sword Intent enhancing General Ha¡¯s tenfold storm sh, it became even more dazzling, causing small-scale weather changes. At this moment, the sudden death king¡¯s heartbeat elerated wildly, with an internal rm warning it of imminent danger. Rationality told it that enduring this strike, even if it survived, would be extremely painful. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king took a step back, signaling for General Ha to hold on. But the atmosphere had already built up to this point; how could General Ha possibly stop? Just as the sudden death king expected General Ha to unleash a Blizzard Sword Qi, something unexpected happened! General Ha merely opened its mouth, and the Ice Sky Greatsword floated up, adjusting its direction, swirling with a fierce blizzard, its tip pointing directly at the sudden death king! Sudden death king: ??? Sword control! Boom! With the sudden death king¡¯s panicked expression, the Ice Sky Greatsword turned into a streak of icy light, arriving in an instant. Propelled and surrounded by the force of tenfold storm, the Ice Sky Greatsword was endowed with unparalleled pration and destructive power. In an instant, the Shield Armor shattered once again. The Ice Sky Greatsword¡¯s tip pressed against the sudden death king¡¯s scales, pushing it far away. Throughout the process, the sound of ¡°crack, crack, crack¡± echoed as multiple scales continuously broke. The excruciating pain jolted the sudden death king awake. It wanted to immediately use the ¡°Heart of the Overlord¡± to convert the massive damage it absorbed into a powerful counterattack. However, the fierce Blizzard Sword Intent had already covered its entire body in frost, making it extremely difficult to channel energy. After a moment of disorientation, the sudden death king realized it had been pushed dozens of meters away, crashing into several trees and lying in the ruins. Even if it could counterattack, without suitable attack methods, it couldn¡¯t find a target in this situation. Above, the Ice Sky Greatsword, which had just pierced through the sudden death king and pushed it away, now hung overhead like the Sword of Damocles. The de was surrounded by an astonishing blizzard, poised to strike down at any moment. Seeing this, the sudden death king¡¯s eyes widened in fear. It immediately raised both arms in a gesture of surrender. The sudden death king, which had just started to feel a bit arrogant, was instantly brought back to reality. ¡°General Ha, spare me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this¡­¡± The rapid turn of events left Manager Ying, who had been watching with great interest, stunned. Manager Ying had high expectations for the sudden death king¡¯s performance. After all, in its view, the sudden death king¡¯s two traits were a perfectbination. But now, seeing General Ha, who had only fused with one trait and was at a lower level, effortlessly crush the sudden death king, it was left speechless. ¡°Shaping artistic conception, energy release control, tenfold energypression¡ªthis dog is too outrageous! Its level of energy control has reached such a degree? Many third-generation beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts can¡¯t reach this level!¡± Manager Ying muttered in surprise. What kind of ridiculousbo technique is this! The sudden death king didn¡¯t even have a chance to catch its breath! ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ranughed, saying, ¡°General Ha was holding back. Its energypression has also reached the second stage and canpress skills even further. However, the burden would be quiterge, but it should be able to instantly bring the sudden death king to the brink of death!¡± Moreover, just now, the Ice Sky Greatsword could have continued to pierce through, delivering a fatal blow to the sudden death king. However, General Ha halted at the critical moment, merely shattering a scale and drawing some blood before controlling the Ice Sky Greatsword to fly back into the sky, sparing the sudden death king. With its hardest scale shattered, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for the greatsword to prate the sudden death king¡¯s body next. At this point, the sudden death king was almost in tears. What kind of devilish act was this? It felt like it had underestimated General Ha¡¯s rate of improvement¡­ ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha calmly used the wind to retrieve the Ice Sky Greatsword, nting it beside itself, and looked at the sudden death king with a smug expression. With the addition of the Blizzard Sword Intent, General Ha¡¯sbat intelligence was undoubtedly high. It knew not to give the sudden death king a chance to counterattack, directly using sword control to push it far away. This way, the clumsy sudden death king was left helpless. ¡°It seems that General Ha still has the upper hand for now¡­ sudden death king, yourbat techniques are too weak,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. If the sudden death king could also master energy flow, energypression, and energy release proficiently, it might fight more flexibly. Currently, it only knew how to defend, and facing abat genius like General Ha, it was only being toyed with. ¡°So, Manager Ying, both General Ha and the sudden death king have quite good capabilities, right?¡± Lu Ran, watching their performance, felt as proud as a parent whose child had just won an award. ¡°Although not as good as General Ha, the sudden death king should have no problem making it onto the divine beast leaderboard.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Manager Ying nced at Lu Ran as if he were a fool and said, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about? Your Erha can stay on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard due to the special nature of its king of swords talent, but your Dragon Lizard should be amander species by now, right? What leaderboard can it get on? Themander leaderboard? Do you think it can make it?¡± ¡°You want topete with third-generation beastmasters for the leaderboard?¡± Lu Ran: ?! Damn, Lu Ran was startled. He hadpletely forgotten about this. Crap, his daily intelligence was bing more like General Ha¡¯s. Indeed, the sudden death king was now amander species. What leaderboard could it get on¡­? And in a few days, after General Ha fuses with the nature control trait, it would likely be amander species too. Wouldn¡¯t that mean both would fall off the leaderboard? Missing out on 200,000 crystal coins in a month, Lu Ran suddenly felt as if his heart was bleeding. Competing with third-generation beastmasters for the leaderboard? That would be way too difficult! Chapter 116: Dragon Cuisine Chapter 116: Dragon Cuisine If the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard is dominated by fourth-generation beastmasters, then the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard is contested by third and even second-generation beastmasters. Currently, the pet beasts of first-generation beastmasters active on the front lines are generally at level 50. The pet beasts of second-generation beastmasters are in their forties, while those of third-generation beastmasters are at level 30. Therefore, any third-generation beastmaster worth their salt has pet beasts that have already undergone three trait fusions andpleted an initial evolution. After this first evolution, pet beasts with decent potential are all aiming for the sovereign species. Even those whose evolutions weren¡¯t particrly smooth usually belong to middle or uppermander species. As a result, the pet beasts upying the ten spots on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard are typically the cream of the ¡°uppermander species,¡± virtually ¡°quasi-sovereign species.¡± Their species potential has reached the pinnacle ofmander species, almost touching sovereign species. Competing against them is undoubtedly more challenging since they started cultivating their pet beasts a year or two earlier, achieving a higher level of cultivation. However, if you can make it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, the crystal coins you earn will certainly be more plentiful. Lu Ran doesn¡¯t believe that the top spots on themander and sovereign leaderboards only reward 100,000 crystal coins. ¡°Forget it,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°On the Supernatural Leaderboard, those beastmasters below me might make a lot, but I¡¯ll never lose out.¡± ¡°With General Ha and Sudden Death King advancing tomander species, our chances of winning the Freshman Tournament are much higher. The tournament rewards surely can¡¯t be less than the Divine Beast Leaderboard¡¯s final rewards.¡±¡°Moreover, the Commander Species Leaderboard¡­ isn¡¯t necessarily out of reach.¡± ¡°General Ha, now wielding the Ice Sky Greatsword, isparable to a middlemander species. After integrating the Nature Control trait, it will surely reach uppermander species. As an uppermander, its skill development is so perfect that it still has a shot at the leaderboard.¡± ¡°If we have topete with third-generation beastmasters, then so be it. To hell with them!¡± Lu Ran said fiercely. For the sake of crystal coins, he wouldn¡¯t spare these ¡°seniors¡¯ ¡± feelings. ¡°To hell with them! Stop saying ¡®meow¡¯ all the time. I suggest saying ¡®to hell with them¡¯ instead!¡± Manager Ying snapped. As a cat, she couldn¡¯t decide whether to praise Lu Ran for his tact or criticize him for hisck of it. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Lu Ran put on an innocent expression. ¡°Hmph, do whatever you like. Currently, no fourth-generation beastmaster in the world has managed to knock a third-generation beastmaster off themander leaderboard. I¡¯ll be looking forward to you being the first,¡± Manager Ying said, watching with interest. If they seeded, the first third-generation beastmaster to be dethroned could very well be written into history. Manager Ying gave a sly smile. ¡°Manager Ying, let¡¯s head back!¡± Lu Ran nned to start training General Ha next. He hoped to raise General Ha to level 20 before the Freshman Tournament ended. Currently, it was at level 16, just 4 levels short. With over 200,000 crystal coins at his disposal, Lu Ran believed there was a slim chance he could make it happen. ¡°Head back? Did you forget something?¡± Manager Ying frowned. ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°Are you really that dense from super beast mimicry? What about the fish, the fish!¡± Manager Ying wasn¡¯t expecting Lu Ran to cook something extraordinarily delicious, but there were indeed very few skilled supernatural chefs on Blue Star. She wanted to see if Lu Ran, who had undergone the trials of the chef¡¯s secret realm and believed his culinary skills were now world-ss, was actually as good as he imed. ¡°Oh, my bad.¡± Lu Ran pped his forehead andughed. He quickly took out a small, exquisite pot in front of Manager Ying, its material resembling the luxurious green jade of an emperor. It was the Spirit Transformation Pot! The Spirit Transformation Pot had no spout, only a handle. Though it appeared small, opening the lid revealed an entirely different world inside‡±a space cooking utensil that could even fit an entire cow. However, the Spirit Transformation Pot had one limitation: it could only hold one ingredient at a time, presumably to prevent vors from mixing. As Lu Ran produced the Spirit Transformation Pot, Manager Ying¡¯s eyes widened. A treasure! She instinctively thought. It must be of exquisite-level! Currently, exquisite-level items are the highest grade of equipment and tools that powerful beastmasters can possess. As for epic equipment, it¡¯s something that can make major nations fight red in the face. In any country, it would be considered a national treasure, far too extravagant for personal use. Manager Ying was stunned. Where did Lu Ran get his hands on such a thing? Taking out the Spirit Transformation Pot wasn¡¯t the end. Lu Ran then retrieved half of a giant frozen Mutated Dragon Fish from his spatial equipment. Although the freezing effect and the extra-dimensional space would preserve the fish to some extent, it was still a dead fish and had been stored for half a month. Lu Ran threw it into the Spirit Transformation Pot first. ¡°This pot¡­¡± ¡°This is the Spirit Transformation Pot, an exquisite-level Cooking Utensil. It can enhance the quality of ingredients. I got it as a reward in the novice breakthrough secret realm¡­¡± Lu Ran said casually. ¡°Wait, can you not speak so nonchntly! You got an exquisite-level item from the novice breakthrough secret realm?!¡± Manager Ying¡¯s focus had shifted from the fish to Lu Ran¡¯s reward! What exactly did Lu Ran do in the breakthrough secret realm to earn an exquisite-level Cooking Utensil? Manager Ying was beginning to suspect that Lu Ran, this pretty boy, might have married into the imperial family of the Beast Taming Empire, bing the princess¡¯s consort. ¡°I got an SSS-level rating, so it makes sense that I¡¯d be rewarded with an exquisite-level item, right¡­¡± Lu Ran exined. Manager Ying: ? Manager Ying was very clever, her mind racing. As one of the top intelligence dealers in Xia Country, her knowledge and vision were top-tier. She quickly pieced things together and asked tentatively: ¡°Did you by any chance use sword intent as Culinary Intent?¡± She hit the nail on the head. Currently, on Blue Star, even with the help of pet beasts, few beast taming chefs had mastered Culinary Intent. The techniques of shaping artistic conception and infusing it into utensils were still quite different. There weren¡¯t many third-generation beastmasters to begin with, and those with high talent were busy enhancing their strength, leaving few to delve into culinary manship. Lu Ran and General Ha, due to the special nature of sword intent, had artistic conception attached to their utensils from the start, giving them a natural advantage in this path. Understanding this, Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but show an expression that said, ¡°You guys hit the jackpot.¡± ¡°Pretty much,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. By this time, the Spirit Transformation Pot had already absorbed and converted the external natural energy, enhancing the Mutated Dragon Fish! When Lu Ran took out the Mutated Dragon Fish again, its freshness was almost the same as if it had just been caught, if not even better. ¡°Let me show you a couple of tricks. Do you prefer your fish raw or cooked?¡± Lu Ran had discarded his Wind Cutter Sword, but he still had an ordinary kitchen knife in his backpack from the breakthrough secret realm, which could be used as a disposable Cooking Utensil. ¡°Cooked,¡± Manager Ying replied. ¡°OK, then I¡¯ll make you some me de Grilled Fish.¡± Lu Ran took out the kitchen knife and, with a sharp swing, cut off arge piece of fish meat. He then demonstrated his fine edge de technique, slicing the fish into numerous small fillets, whichnded neatly on the de of the kitchen knife. As Manager Ying wondered how Lu Ran was going to grill the fish, she saw mes rising from his hand. Within the mes, a dragon-shaped phantom roared, perfectly merging with the knife, causing Manager Ying¡¯s expression to change slightly. The mes wrapped around the knife de, quickly heating the fish fillets. In just a moment, fish oil sizzled, releasing a delicious aroma. Amid the swirling white mist, the mes and mist seemed to transform into a giant dragon leaping out. ¡°What kind of me is this?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s extensive knowledge hit a blind spot. What kind of ability did Lu Ran possess? It could sense an astonishing artistic conception within the mes¡ªwas that¡­ the artistic conception of the dragon? Moreover, it was a very high-level artistic conception of the dragon! ¡°All set. The environment is a bit crude, so forgive the hospitality. Would you like to try it first?¡± After a simple grilling, Lu Ran took out some basic seasonings from his backpack and sprinkled them over the grilled fish fillets on the me de. Instantly, the aroma grew even stronger. ¡°I¡­¡± Manager Ying swallowed, enticed by the tantalizing aroma of the fish fillets. Not just it, but General Ha and Sudden Death King beside it were also drooling. Manager Ying quickly used its mental power to control a piece and put it into its mouth¡­ ¡°Mmm¡± Given Lu Ran¡¯s seemingly simple culinary skills, Manager Ying initially had doubts about the taste of the food. After all, with its status, it had tasted other foods imbued with chef¡¯s will. However, this time, Lu Ran¡¯s me de Grilled Fish was entirely different from those dishes! It was a vor it had never encountered before! The artistic conception of the dragon was already rare, and depending on the type of conception, integrating it into Cooking Utensils had varying levels of difficulty. Not to mention, this was the me Dragon Culinary Intent. The me Dragon Culinary Intentbined with the me Sprite beast taming skill, specifically created for cooking, plus the dragon blood ingredient, Dragon Fish Meat, made this me de Grilled Fish an extraordinary dish in both taste and nutritional value, surpassing even the sashimi. It was truly top-tier. This was, without a doubt, Dragon Cuisine! After taking a bite, Manager Ying¡¯s gem-like eyes widened. It felt the grilled fish fillet melt in its mouth, the tender meat turning into juice, flowing from its mouth throughout its body. Hot¡­ warm¡­ fragrant¡­ delicious! Although it was a cat, its face turned red in an instant, steam emanated from its body, and sweat began to form, dampening its fur. Its lips moved subconsciously, feeling its blood boil, magma flowing inside, and its eyes grew hazy. So hot, so warm, so fragrant! How could it taste this good? At that moment, Manager Ying felt it wasn¡¯t just eating a piece of fish. The exquisite taste was so heavenly it felt like it was floating to paradise. Even though the nutritional value of the me de Grilled Fish wasn¡¯t what Manager Ying needed the most, the dish¡¯s vor alone was enough to conquer the taste buds of many creatures. ¡°Give me another piece!¡± It snapped back to reality, only to see a Dragon Lizard grabbing a piece of Dragon Fish Meat with its ws and putting it into its mouth. A dog also grabbed a piece and was munching away. Manager Ying: ??? You greedy jerks, don¡¯t steal my food!!! ¡­ After Lu Ran, Manager Ying, and the others had their fill. ¡°What¡¯s up with your me and that artistic conception of the dragon?¡± Manager Ying asked, still puzzled. Initially, it thought Lu Ran was nning to use the Blizzard Sword Intent to slice the fish, which is why it specifically asked for cooked fish. But Lu Ran¡¯s newly disyed skill had taught it a valuable lesson. This guy really had some extraordinary talents! ¡°Another reward from the breakthrough task was a beast taming skill called me Sprite.¡± ¡°This skill was specifically developed by Yan Sizhen, the second-generation emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, to serve both culinary manship and forging.¡± ¡°I took this skill and went to the culinary cultivation holynd, Dragon Valley, in the Beast Taming Empire for deep meditation. There, I learned the me Dragon Culinary Intent by experiencing the Dragon Might of the Guardian Sacred Beast. It¡¯s that simple.¡± Lu Ran remained calm throughout, but Manager Ying¡¯s mind was far from tranquil. Having been an intelligence dealer for so long, the information Lu Ran provided felt strangely unreal. Did he really go through a breakthrough secret realm, or did he go on a shopping spree? Could they truly be geniuses? Manager Ying nced at General Ha and the dog-like Lu Ran. ¡°So, you chose me Sprite as your second beast taming skill instead of fusion?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°With me Sprite and the me Dragon Culinary Intent, cooking Dragon Cuisine will be much easier. Feeding Sudden Death King for a while and having it fuse with dragon traits at level 30 might even allow it to evolve into a purebred giant dragon!¡± ¡°The Beast Taming Empire¡¯s emperor, Yan Sizhen, used this method to evolve purebred dragon species.¡± ¡°Perhaps I could be the second beastmaster to breed pure Loong-type species after Dr. Gu!¡± This was also one of the reasons Lu Ran chose me Sprite. ¡°You¡­¡± Manager Ying opened its mouth slightly, wanting to say something but stopped short. It nced at General Ha and Sudden Death King, who had already passed out from the delicious heat, and decided against it. It was afraid of being provoked by Lu Ran again. Yan Sizhen, Dragon Valley¡­ Those historical details were scarce. It would need to investigate thoroughly upon returning. ¡°Well¡­¡± Manager Ying fell silent. Just as Lu Ran was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang. The caller was Fang Lan. Lu Ran was taken aback and looked at Manager Ying. ¡°Manager Ying, can you teleport me back to the city? My sister, the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, has juste out of the breakthrough secret realm. I need to check on her.¡± ¡°Go ahead!¡± Manager Ying waved its paw and instantly teleported Lu Ran and hispanions away. It then took out its own phone and looked at Gu Qingyi¡¯s name in the contact list. Qingyi, oh Qingyi, when will you return!! Lu Ran¡¯s breakthrough in the secret realm yielded such explosive intelligence that Manager Ying could hardly wait to share it with Gu Qingyi. If you don¡¯t return soon, your title of Loong Tamer might be in jeopardy! Unlike Gu Qingyi¡¯s unique and irreplicable method of dragon evolution, Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Cuisine,bined with exquisite-level dragon ingredients, Yan Sizhen¡¯s me Sprite, and the special me Dragon Culinary Intent, might actually lead to a stable evolution of Loong-type species! The main reason is that the me dragon artistic conception Lu Ran mastered is of an exceptionally high level. Manager Ying felt an immensely pure Dragon Might within it! Globally, there are a few pet beasts that have mastered the artistic conception of the dragon, but Manager Ying felt that those artistic conceptions couldn¡¯tpare to Lu Ran¡¯s me dragon artistic conception. It judged that Lu Ran must haveprehended this conception from an upper overlord species, a True Dragon. Dragon Cuisine prepared with such Culinary Intent had never been seen on Blue Star before. ¡°Wait, could that me Sprite also be applied to pet beasts?¡± Manager Ying suddenly thought. Beast taming skills must interact with pet beasts to be considered beast taming skills. If only Lu Ran could use it, it wouldn¡¯t be a beast taming skill. In other words, General Ha and Sudden Death King¡¯s performance earlier wasn¡¯t even close to their full potential? ¡°I was nning to remind this guy not to get too arrogant. Among the Fourth Generation, there are others just as monstrous as him, some even proficient in double battles and double pet coordination. But now, it seems, if they encounter Passerby A, the oue is still uncertain¡­¡± ¡°Although the teampatibility between that dog and the Dragon Lizard is generally low, the former¡¯s individual strength is extraordinary, and thetter¡­¡± Manager Ying¡¯s expression hesitated. If that me Dragon me Sprite could be applied to the sub-dragon Sudden Death King, it felt that Sudden Death King¡¯s strength would qualitatively improve, no less than Erha. The me Dragon Armor fusion¡­ Lu Ran and his team likely hadn¡¯t tried that yet either. Chapter 117: Beast Taming University Chapter 117: Beast Taming University Maple Park. Lu Ran was directly teleported here by Manager Ying. After recalling Sudden Death King and General Ha, he called Fang Lan. On the other end, Fang Lan spoke up: ¡°I saw your message. Everything went smoothly on my end too!¡± After returning, Lu Ran had left a message for Fang Lan. He told her that everything went smoothly and to contact him in real life if needed. ¡°d to hear that,¡± Lu Ran scratched his head. ¡°Should Ie find you?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Fang Lan thought for a moment. ¡°Come over quickly, I¡¯ll call my parents too. We¡¯ve been gone for a month, they must be really worried. It¡¯s been a while since we went out to eat together.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°But let¡¯s not eat out, I¡¯ll cook.¡±¡°Huh?¡± Fang Lan was taken aback. ¡°As far as I remember, you usually eat takeout or dine out. The most you¡¯ve ever cooked is dog food¡­¡± ¡°Can you even cook?¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°My breakthrough task in the secret realm required me to pass the superior chef assessment from the Gourmet Hunter Association of the Beast Taming Empire. To seed, I had to hone my cooking skills¡­ Just wait and see.¡± Fang Lan was surprised. ¡°A chef? Did you enter a secondary profession secret realm?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± For a moment, Fang Lan didn¡¯t know whether to say Lu Ran was unlucky or lucky. Secondary profession secret realms are generally easier and safer, but Lu Ran is abat type! Lu Ran said, ¡°I had no choice, but at least I broke through. What was your breakthrough task?¡± ¡°To make challengers kill each other. The more you kill, the higher your score,¡± Fang Lan said softly. Their tasks werepletely different. Lu Ran: ¡°???¡± ¡°Of course, no one dies. The eliminated challengers are sealed in Infinite City, probably taken for treatment. Once the secret realm closes, they¡¯ll be teleported out together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief, you scared me,¡± Lu Ran patted his chest. Fang Lan¡¯s breakthrough task was too intense. ¡°So, did you get a good score?¡± ¡°Not bad, S-level,¡± Fang Lan said calmly, waiting for Lu Ran¡¯s surprise. An S-level score in a breakthrough secret realm is harder to achieve than an S-level score in a novice trial secret realm. She had finally made it. ¡°That¡¯s indeed not bad.¡± However, the next second, Fang Lan received only a casual ¡°not bad¡± from Lu Ran. ¡°What¡¯s your score?¡± Fang Lan was annoyed; couldn¡¯t he just give apliment? ¡°Not bad, SSS,¡± Lu Ran replied calmly. Fang Lan: ¡°???¡± ¡°SSS?!¡± Fang Lan was stunned. ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t you enter a secondary profession secret realm? How did you get SSS?!¡± If Lu Ran had entered abat breakthrough secret realm, she could understand an SSS score. But that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡°No choice, I might actually be a true all-around genius¡­¡± Lu Ran said, troubled. ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon. We can talk more then.¡± ¡°I‡±¡± On the other end, Fang Lan felt a pang in her stomach. How infuriating! Soon, Lu Ran arrived at Fang Lan¡¯s ce. At that moment, the Toxin Healer Spider, Xian, was sleeping in a basket. Lu Ran nced at it and found that it had already reached level 15. It seemed that Fang Lan had gained quite a bit from her breakthrough secret realm as well. ¡°Sit!!¡± After Lu Ran arrived, Fang Lan quickly pushed him onto the sofa. The two began to share their experiences in the breakthrough secret realms. Upon learning that sword intent and Culinary Intent hadmonalities, she and Manager Ying both found Lu Ran¡¯s luck exasperating! ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Fang Lan was starting to suspect that Infinite City was giving Lu Ran special treatment. After all, the fact that Infinite City had autonomous consciousness had already spread like wildfire. Of course, no one from any country had yet managed tomunicate with Infinite City¡¯s consciousness. ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky here too! Finding a poison-focused faction isn¡¯t easy.¡± ¡°You actually became a Holy Maiden¡­¡± Lu Ran was also speechless upon hearing Fang Lan¡¯s experience. In the breakthrough secret realm, Fang Lan had leveraged her knowledge gap to first join a poison faction, the Gu God Sect, and then solved an incurable poison within the sect. As a result, showcasing her poison talent, she was directly groomed as their heir, perfectly ying to her strengths. Indeed, names aren¡¯t given in vain. While she didn¡¯t be the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, bing the Gu God Sect Holy Maiden was pretty much the same. ¡°It was alright, but it¡¯s a pity that the Sect Leader Granny is only a level 4 beastmaster, not as strong as the second-generation beastmasters on Blue Star,¡± Fang Lan sighed. ¡°But the Sect Leader was very kind, providing me with various resources. I almost didn¡¯t want toe back.¡± ¡°By the way, the breakthrough secret realm felt so real. How do you think Infinite City manages to do it?¡± ¡°Who knows.¡± Lu Ran noticed that Fang Lan had the same feeling, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel. Could such a feat be aplished by a level 100 legend species creature? Lu Ran was skeptical. Casually creating a world projection and even restoring the me Dragon King, an upper overlord species at level 86‡±these capabilities were simply terrifying. Moreover, this breakthrough secret realm was just one of the many secret realms Infinite City maintained and created during that period. What kind of unbelievable power would it take to achieve this? Lu Ran wondered if, after finding The Stone of the Other Shore rted to the death dragon as his mother had hinted, he could uncover some secrets about Infinite City as she had spected¡­ ¡°All in all, from this perspective, I had it easier than you!¡± Fang Lan said with a bright smile. ¡°At least I wasn¡¯t in constant pain while cutting fruit.¡± In the Gu God Sect, she was treated as the next Sect Leader, with a steady stream of resources. If the Gu God Sect were stronger, even stronger than the Star Cluster Guild, Fang Lan would probably challenge Lu Ran to a duel right now. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Lu Ran rolled his eyes, deciding to let Fang Lan have her moment of pride. Otherwise, if he mentioned that major families across the province were eagerly sending resources to invest in him, and that an overlord giant dragon at level 86 was giving him special treatment, Fang Lan might just feel like giving up. Comparing oneself to others can indeed be disheartening. ¡°Ah~ In any case, the breakthrough secret realm was really interesting,¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°It¡¯s a pity the entry requirements are so strict. The next time we can enter is when our pet beasts reach level 20¡­¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, thinking it was a coincidence. His sudden death king was already level 20, but he definitely wouldn¡¯t be entering another breakthrough secret realm anytime soon. Besides the potential wait time to match with others, entering consecutive breakthrough secret realms would be too exhausting. He nned to first cultivate General Ha and the sudden death king to their current stage¡¯s peak. Next, General Ha¡¯s improvement focus would be on leveling up and waiting for the fusion trait. As for the Sudden Death King, its improvement direction involved learning more skills. Relying solely on Thunder Armor and Thunder Shield was not enough. When facing opponents with richbat experience, it couldn¡¯t even counterattack, just like when it fought General Ha and was toyed with the entire time. It definitely needed some ranged attack skills. ¡°Call your godfather and godmother over. I¡¯ll cookter. No need to prepare ingredients; I still have some in my backpack,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°OK, I¡¯ll make the call,¡± Fang Lan responded. Since cooking with Culinary Intent was effortless, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry to prepare in advance. Hey idly on the sofa and turned on the TV, enjoying a rare moment of rxation. At that moment, the TV was broadcasting news about the Beast Taming University. ¡°After a week of enrollment, the number of beastmasters applying to Beast Taming University has exceeded 100,000.¡± ¡°Among them, thebat department has the highest number of applicants, ounting for 60%¡­¡± Beast Taming University offers various departments, includingbat, cultivating, medical, history, forging, and research. Each department is further divided into different specializations. For example, the cultivating department is divided into nutrition, culinary, cultivation, and breeding. Each student must first choose a major department and then select a specific specialization within it. Lu Ran and Fang Lan, who were busy challenging the breakthrough secret realm during this period, had early on asked Zhao Chen to contact Xiaobailong and help them pre-register. Fang Lan chose the toxicology specialization under the medical department. Lu Ran, on the other hand, chose the weapon forging specialization under the forging department. Of course, these were just preliminary choices. If a student proved exceptionally talented and quickly mastered their chosen field, they could easily take elective courses in other specializations. The school naturally wouldn¡¯t restrict students from pursuing diverse development. For instance, after finishing his forging studies, Lu Ran might still take electives in the cultivating department. Don¡¯t be fooled by how delicious Lu Ran¡¯s dishes are now; it¡¯s all thanks to the advantage of Culinary Intent. Typically, he would handle extremely simple ingredients, add a bit of seasoning, and then infuse Culinary Intent‡±that was the entirety of Lu Ran¡¯s cooking process. But truly remarkable chefs, like Yan Sizhen, could use a dozen different ingredients inbination, perfectly bringing out their nutritional value and vor. This expertise falls under nutrition studies, an area Lu Ran clearly had not ventured into. The same principle applies to forging. To create high-quality weapons, one can¡¯t rely solely on the special nature of mes. The reactions between different supernatural minerals, the methods of smelting them, and theirpatibility with various species‡±all need to be learned from scratch. Lu Ran had realized that to cultivate General Ha and the Sudden Death King effectively, he would likely have to go through a more grueling learning process than his senior year of high school. He had been lucky to skip from sophomore year directly to university, but now it seemed he had to catch up on everything he had missed. However, as he had anticipated, thebat department remained the most popr despite these shy specializations. Lu Ran guessed that the daily routine in thebat department would mostly involve intense training. Whether it was improving the physical fitness of beastmasters and their pet beasts or using various methods to help pet beasts develop skills, daily training would be essential. Of course, enrolling in thebat department didn¡¯t mean you could skip other subjects. Basic courses like the history of the Beast Taming Empire and foundational nutrition studies were likely mandatory for everyone, although the depth and focus of study would vary. ¡°They¡¯re on their way,¡± Fang Lan said,ing out of the room after making the call. She nced at the TV and asked, ¡°By the way, the Freshman Tournament starts in two days, right?¡± ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s just the preliminaries,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go to Jinling for a preliminary round.¡± The school had anticipated arge number of participants for the tournament, so they nned to use the preliminaries to screen out many of the less capable contestants. During the preliminaries, the school would set up exam centers in various provinces. Using an interview and assessment format, they would filter out those eligible for the mainpetition. Lu Ran had heard that the general procedure involved having a third-generation beastmaster, who would soon be employed at Beast Taming University, act as the examiner at each exam center. Their pet beasts would test the strength of the contestants¡¯ pet beasts. Third-generation beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts were all over level 30, and they had more than one. Testing the strength of fourth-generation beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts would naturally be no challenge for them, even if they had to assess dozens or hundreds of contestants in a row. Therefore, the preliminary rounds would progress very quickly. The examiners would give each candidate aprehensive score. Based on these estimated scores, a group of candidates would be selected to advance directly to the mainpetition. In the mainpetition, the number of participants would be significantly reduced. Those who advanced would be eligible to receive the resource packages prepared by the school. These participants, considered the ¡°elite neers¡± by the school, would receive special training based on their final rankings in the mainpetition. To this, Lu Ran found it quite troublesome. Couldn¡¯t they just directly send the divine beast leaderboard contestants to the mainpetition? Why bother going to Jinling for a preliminary assessment¡­ Sigh¡­ Before long, Father Fang and Mother Fang hurried over, having put their work aside. Once they arrived, they almost wanted to strip Fang Lan down to check if she had any injuries. Initially, they had agreed with Dr. Gu¡¯s suggestion to let Fang Lan focus on her studies at Beast Taming University, building a solid foundation before exploring secret realms. However, due to Fang Lan¡¯s exceptional performance in the arena and Lu Ran¡¯s even more extraordinary achievements¡ªclearing the abyss secret realm as easily as drinking water¡ªthey eventually felt reassured to let Lu Ran lead Fang Lan in challenging the secret realms. ¡°We¡¯re just d you two are safe,¡± Father Fang and Mother Fang sighed in relief. They knew that Lu Ran and Fang Lan were now star figures among fourth-generation beastmasters, but as parents, they couldn¡¯t help but worry about their children. Their support didn¡¯t diminish their concern. After all, news reports often featured stories about prodigies encountering major setbacks, constantly reminding neers to stay cautious. ¡°See! I told you it was fine!¡± Fang Lan tidied her hair and clothes, feeling helpless. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for Lu Ran helping you improve your abilities, you would have been in trouble long ago!¡± After learning about Lu Ran and Fang Lan¡¯s experiences in the breakthrough secret realm, Fang Lan¡¯s mother Su Ya was puzzled. She said, ¡°In the dramas I usually watch, the heroine just cooks, arranges flowers, and does embroidery, serving as a beautiful ornament while the hero goes out to fight and enhance his strength¡­¡± ¡°But in our case, Xiao Ran went to the cooking secret realm, while Lan entered such a harsh secret realm¡­¡± ¡°Something seems off here.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Father Fang Yuhang was puzzled too. He pondered and said, ¡°Maybe the trend now is to go against the norm. But since Xiao Ran¡¯s culinary skills have improved in the breakthrough secret realm, we definitely need to taste his cooking.¡± ¡°But speaking of which, bing a beastmaster is really difficult. You both are already level 1, and I still haven¡¯t received my ck card.¡± Father Fang was still troubled, as he had not yet be a beastmaster, making him feel like a fake veterinarian. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Dad. The research department at Beast Taming University now offers cultivation studies.¡± ¡°With so many talented people joining, there¡¯s a chance that someone might figure out how to open a beast taming space without needing a ck card!¡± Fang Lanforted him. Beastmasters from the Star-Moon Continent could open beast taming spaces on their own without a ck card and cultivate their beast taming system. Challengers who entered the Star-Moon Continent had brought back cultivation methods, but due to some individual differences, humans from the blue star could not cultivate in the same way as those from the Star-Moon Continent. Nevertheless, from the perspective of various national governments, the cultivation system of the Star-Moon Continent was something that had to be continuously researched. Relying solely on ck cards made some people feel insecure. Even though supernatural power originally came from Infinite City, some still hoped to break free from this dependency, even if it meant a slower leveling-up process. Previously, a group of elite researchers was responsible for studying this. Now, with the increasing number of beastmasters, Beast Taming University had also established rted majors, aiming to gather more talents to specifically research various beast taming skills and methods for opening beast taming spaces. ¡°Let¡¯s hope so!¡± Father Fang shook his head, not holding out much hope. ¡°Xiao Ran is the best. It doesn¡¯t matter anymore whether I be a beastmaster or not,¡± Father Fang said, satisfied as he looked at Lu Ran. After bing the King of Green Sea, Lu Ran had selected two familiar supernatural creatures from Green Sea and given them to Father Fang and Mother Fang as bodyguards. He gave Father Fang an electric mouse. And for Mother Fang, he gave an earth-type big cat, a subordinate of one-eared. So, although they didn¡¯t appear to be beastmasters, they also had their own pet beasts. ¡°Alright, alright, he¡¯s the best,¡± Fang Lan conceded, feeling that telepathy was truly cheating. Why couldn¡¯t she awaken a superpower? ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll go make dinner now,¡± Lu Ran said as he stood up. During his superior assessment, he had hunted a lot of ingredients, including a pile of Dragon Fish. He and General Ha had spent several hours fishing. Today¡­ he would prepare an entire fish feast for Fang Lan and her family! Sashimi and grilled fish were on the menu! ¡°General Ha,e out and help with the sashimi and fruit tter!¡± Lu Ran called out, much to the shock of Fang Lan, Father Fang, and Mother Fang. ¡°Wait, wait a minute!¡± Fang Lan couldn¡¯t help but climb off the sofa. ¡°Why is General Ha helping, and what do you mean by it making sashimi?¡± ¡°I told you, sword intent equals culinary intent. So, it¡¯s not strange that General Ha, who knows sword intent, can cook. It prepared the dishes for the superior assessment. Don¡¯t worry, the examiners from the Gourmet Association all praised it. You won¡¯t get a stomach ache!¡± Lu Ran reassured them about General Ha¡¯s cooking skills. Wind-type cooking was certainly more reliable than poison-type beastmaster cooking; it was pure natural energy. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Fang Lan and the others were dumbfounded, and their anticipation for the uing feast plummeted. It wasn¡¯t about the quality of the cooking; it was the oddity of eating food prepared by an Erha! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha emerged, sighed, and headed straight into the kitchen without looking back. In this world, it was hard enough being a dog that cooked, and now it was being despised¡­ It would remember this grudge! It decided to enhance the Blizzard Culinary Intent! Half an hourter. General Ha peeked out from behind the kitchen door, watching Fang Lan, Father Fang, and Mother Fang devour the food alongside a bunch of eager pet beasts. It smirked disdainfully. It preferred the contemptuous looks from earlier! Look at them now, eating so heartily! ¡°This is amazing! So delicious!¡± ¡°Xiao Ran, it seems like you and General Ha could be professors in the culinary department!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the n, but let¡¯s talk about it after I officially enroll,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile as he walked out of the kitchen. Attending school while earning a sry sounded great to him. As for the cultivating department¡­ he would enroll as a teacher or professor and continue his studies! Chapter 118: Intensive Special Training Chapter 118: Intensive Special Training The preliminary rounds for the Beast Taming University¡¯s Freshman Tournament will begin in two days. Regarding the preliminaries, Lu Ran has no worries. After all, he doesn¡¯t need to defeat the examiner; he just needs his strength to be recognized. With the power of Sudden Death King and General Ha, getting through this stage shouldn¡¯t be a problem. The main event is what Lu Ran needs to focus on. Currently, the rewards for the Beast Taming University¡¯s Freshman Tournament have been announced. Besides arge quantity of crystal coins, the resources offered have even caught the eyes of many second-generation and third-generation beastmasters. First ce will receive one million crystal coins and a pet beast egg from the breakthrough secret realm. The species, attribute, and gender of this sovereign species are all unknown! Second ce will receive one million crystal coins and the exquisite-level resource, the ethereal flower.The ethereal flower is a resource that can grant a pet beast a second attribute, helping it awaken to the Space attribute, which is extremely rare. Simr to a trait crystal, which can help a pet beast awaken a second, third, or fourth attribute, such special resources only drop in secret realms of abyssal difficulty. Most of these are rare quality special resources, and those that can help awaken powerful attributes like Space are generally exquisite-level resources. Since awakening a new attribute doesn¡¯t bring any new species talent, only an additional attribute energy, most beastmasters still prefer fusion traits. However, ifpared to rare attributes like Space or Time, beastmasters would undoubtedly choose these attributes without hesitation, making this reward highly enticing. Third ce will receive six hundred thousand crystal coins, an uppermander species young pet beast, and two chances to select a trait crystal or a beast taming skill within a specified range. Fourth ce is simr but offers only one chance to select a trait crystal or a beast taming skill. From fifth to sixteenth ce, each participant will have one chance to select a resource. All these participants will receive amander species young pet beast, but the species level of the young pet beast will decrease with the ranking, with the lower ranks receiving lowermander species young pet beasts. The amount of crystal coins also decreases progressively. This selection process is quite sophisticated. At that time, the school will invite strong members from the official strategy team to retrieve the desired traits or beast taming skills for the freshmen. It¡¯s simr to how Lu Ran asked Gu Qingyi to obtain the Overlord Body trait and the nature control trait. The rewards are very personalized and custom-made. As for themander species young pet beasts, they don¡¯te from secret realms like the first-ce reward. With the resurgence of spiritual energy, the world has seen the evolution of many supernatural beings. Just as there can be vast differences in talent between humans, the differences between supernatural beings can be even more pronounced. Some of these beings have be ¡°rare species.¡± Even without consuming any resources, simply by being bathed in natural energy and spiritual energy, their species level has reached that ofmander species. These rare beings are extremely scarce, and many countries are attempting to capture and tame them. In this regard, Xia Country has undoubtedly put in a lot of effort and has likely captured numerousmander species supernatural beings. Once these are tamed by professional beast tamers, such exceptionally talented pet beasts will undoubtedly be contracted to promising beastmasters. Outstanding students at Beast Taming University will have the opportunity to secure these contracts. These naturallymander species pet beasts are highly coveted by not only Fourth Generation but also second-generation and third-generation beastmasters. After all, a naturallymander species pet beast, with one stage of evolution, would find it hard not to reach the sovereign species level. Such generous rewards are the reason Gu Qingyi urged Lu Ran not to miss this opportunity. ¡°The ethereal flower for second ce is also very tempting.¡± After dining with Fang Lan and her family, Lu Ran left them to have some family time. Although he wasn¡¯t considered an outsider anymore, Lu Ran still wanted to return home and focus on his intensive training. Like most beastmasters, he didn¡¯t have a strong desire to awaken a second attribute for his pet beasts. He found the myriad of unique traits more interesting, especially now that he had the me Sprite, which could directly grant any contracted pet beast fire attribute powers, reducing his need for a second attribute. However, if the second attribute were something like Time or Space, that would be a different story. For example, awakening the Space attribute for General Ha would be far more valuable than wind attribute sword qi, as Dimensional sh is much more powerful. But unfortunately, he could only obtain one of the first or second-ce rewards, and he wanted that first-ce egg as well. After all, Dr. Gu had mentioned that it wasn¡¯t an animal species. This made it quite intriguing¡ªcould it be a nt life, an elemental life, or some other bizarre life form? For now, Lu Ran could onlyfort himself with this thought. Getting first ce would be ideal, but if an unknown formidable opponent appeared and he couldn¡¯t get first ce, then the second-ce reward would still be eptable. After all, currently, there are only a few dozen beastmasters worldwide who have Space attribute pet beasts. Before long, Lu Ran arrived home. After a brief rest, he teleported into the Infinite City. Upon entering Infinite City, he headed straight to the pir tform in front of the secret realms and opened the new secret realm panel. This time, all the previous novice secret realms had disappeared, reced by level 1 breakthrough secret realms and dozens of level 1 ordinary secret realms. Names like Corpse Beast Cavern and Dragon Roar Cliff suggested abyssal difficulty and sounded quite daunting. However, the bosses inside weren¡¯t too bad¡ªthey were just uppermander species at level 20. So, Lu Ran thought that with some further training for Sudden Death King and General Ha, and with the help of the divine deer pendant, soloing them was still hopeful. If the bosses were sovereign species, there would be no chance. But sovereign species bosses wouldn¡¯t appear in level 1 secret realms. Right now, Lu Ran¡¯s purpose in entering Infinite City wasn¡¯t to clear secret realms. In the short term, grinding secret realms wouldn¡¯t bring much improvement. He wasn¡¯tcking in trait crystals, crystal coins, or resources. Instead, he opened another special secret realm. [Would you like to open the training secret realm?] [Training secret realm activated: 10 crystal coins/day.] ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran chose the level 1 training secret realm. The cost of the training secret realm was still quite affordable. The novice training secret realm cost 1 crystal coin per day, and the level 1 training secret realm was only 10 crystal coins per day. For Lu Ran, this was a trivial expense. However, the training secret realm didn¡¯t offer any resources. It was simply a natural environment. If there was any benefit, it was probably the high natural energy content and the ability to self-repair. This ce was evidently designed by Infinite City specifically for beastmasters to conduct intensive training for their pet beasts. Now, the simplest way to quickly improve Lu Ran¡¯s strength was through basic training. ¡°Roar!!!¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± Upon entering the level 1 training secret realm, Lu Ran noticed it was muchrger than the novice level, with denser spiritual energy. Besides that, there weren¡¯t many other significant differences. He took out two contract cards and summoned Sudden Death King and General Ha. The expressions of the two pet beasts were quite different. General Ha was already very familiar with everything in Infinite City, while Sudden Death King, still in its curious phase, looked around inquisitively. ¡°Sudden Death King, from now on, you¡¯ll be training here.¡± ¡°Rather than sending you to a power nt to get electrocuted, let¡¯s start by learning some new skills.¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± Sudden Death King nodded, agreeing. Learning more defensive skills would be good¡­ Its orange-red eyes looked at Lu Ran with anticipation, nning to study that sturdy energy shadow! That shadow was much thicker than Thunder Armor and should be able to withstand a sword qi strike. ¡°Not defensive skills! Attack skills!¡± Lu Ran corrected. ¡°You can focus mainly on training your defensive skills, but you also need to quickly master the basics of energy maniption, release, flow, andpression.¡± ¡°Otherwise, if someone uses long-range techniques to control or knock you back, you won¡¯t be able to retaliate even if you¡¯re getting hit.¡± Lu Ran subtly hinted at its previous battles with General Ha. Sudden Death King: QAQ ¡°Next, I want you to learn the basic Thunder release skill: Discharge, the basic Thunder flow skill: Thunder sh, and energypression techniques!¡± Discharge was simr to spitting fire, spraying water, or General Ha¡¯s Roar of the Wind. It involved releasing the pet beast¡¯s thunder energy¡ªa simple technique that Sudden Death King had yet to master. Thunder sh was akin to Gale, causing the thunder energy covering its body to flow rapidly. This rapid flow made the thunder energy flicker on its body, hence the skill¡¯s name, Thunder sh. Mastering this would allow Sudden Death King to shape, repair Thunder Armor, and Thunder Shield more quickly. Additionally, if it had learned this skill earlier, it wouldn¡¯t have been paralyzed for so long when Blizzard Sword Intent froze its body. As for the energypression technique, Lu Ran obviously didn¡¯t expect Sudden Death King to enhance its attack power with this move. It didn¡¯t match Sudden Death King¡¯s personality and would affect its training efficiency. Lu Ran¡¯s idea was for Sudden Death King to learn energypression andbine it with Thunder Armor,pressing ten times the thunder energy into the armor. This would surely greatly enhance its defense. Well¡­ if Sudden Death King lost control and the armor exploded, the destructive power would also be significantly increased. But that would be Sudden Death King¡¯s problem. Lu Ran was indeed teaching it a technique to enhance its defense. By mastering these basic advanced techniques, Sudden Death King¡¯s strength could reach a new level. Unless it encountered a freak like General Ha, who had upgraded all its energy techniques to the second stage, its power at level 20 would be overwhelmingly strong. While it couldn¡¯t guarantee victory against every opponent, it would at least be invincible. Of course, the current issue was that Sudden Death King¡¯sprehension was entirely focused on defensive skills like Thunder Armor and Thunder Shield shaping. Expecting it to be as proficient in various energy techniques as General Ha was unrealistic. And using lucid fruits would be too extravagant. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m a genius.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but marvel at his own talent. Thanks to his earlier effort in developing Super Beast Mimicry to version 2.0 through telepathy. Super Beast Mimicry 2.0 not only allowed Lu Ran to learn his pet beasts¡¯bat techniques but also enabled him to impart his knowledge back to them. This feedback, in the form of mental and spiritual memory, would help the pet beasts understand better. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you seriously once, watch closely.¡± Lu Ran summoned me Sprite, and in the next instant, his entire body was enveloped in mes. The mes flowed continuously, forming a fiery cloak that turned his hair and pupils a bright red. During his time in Dragon Valley, Lu Ran had consumed many lucid fruits. Although they didn¡¯t greatly help himprehend the me Dragon Artistic Conception, they significantly enhanced his development of me Sprite. Back then, Lu Ran, like Sudden Death King, didn¡¯t know many energy techniques. But through Super Beast Mimicry and the lucid fruits, Lu Ran could now effortlessly achieve ¡°energy flow, release, shaping, andpression¡± through me Sprite, just like General Ha had learned. Although their attributes differed, the techniques were simr. Now, Lu Ran nned to use reverse Super Beast Mimicry to transfer the skills he had learned from General Ha to Sudden Death King. It was like spoon-feeding the skills to it. If Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t grasp all these techniques within a month, Lu Ran would have nothing more to say. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The vast amount of technique knowledge being infused left Sudden Death King momentarily stunned, its brain caught in a storm of learning. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha stood by, snorting lightly and disying a profound expression. This house would fall apart without it! It might look like Lu Ran was teaching Sudden Death King, but in reality, it was General Ha doing the teaching! The wise General Ha had unraveled the entire teaching chain. However, as mes enveloped Lu Ran¡¯s body, General Ha¡¯s wise gaze gradually grew hazy, and it stopped thinking altogether. ¡°Let¡¯s leave Sudden Death King to study on its own here. Later, I¡¯ll replenish its resources¡­ From now on, I have to take care of two pet beasts.¡± Lu Ran stood still, observing Sudden Death King¡¯s transformation. Additionally, he realized his Super Beast Mimicry shouldn¡¯t just be linked with General Ha. It was time to sync with Sudden Death King as well. His synchronization with General Ha involved learning swordsmanship and sharing meals. So, what about with Sudden Death King? Lu Ran felt that the best decision he had made was correcting Sudden Death King¡¯s temperament. It no longer cowered before certain opponents. Under the guidance of himself and Dark Crow, it had even learned to talk trash and taunt its enemies. This was quite satisfying. It allowed Lu Ran to synchronize with it verbally, effortlessly creating mental attacks that could drive opponents out of their minds. Besides that¡­ it was all aboutyering the armor! As Lu Ran contemted, the me on his body began to spread out and take shape. With great effort, Lu Ran molded the me into the form of a Loong-headed armor, enveloping himself. ¡°If it canyer armor, so can I.¡± ¡°The Red Lightning trait can enhance its physique by taking electrical hits. Moreover, Red Lightning can also help other beings with body forging through electric shocks. So, once Sudden Death King improves its energy control, I can undergo lightning body forging too. This way, our synchronization will be even greater.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be long before my defense sees a qualitative improvement through Super Beast Mimicry with Sudden Death King.¡± Lu Ran felt that he was progressing further down the path of bing a humanoid ferocious beast, learning energy maniption techniques from General Ha and gaining physical defense from Sudden Death King. So, should he contract another pet beast known for its speed to be more versatile? Lu Ran pondered. Although General Ha¡¯s speed wasn¡¯t slow, it was limited by its species and wasn¡¯t the fastest. While its attributes were advantageous, they were only rtively so. There were faster attributes, such as light. Additionally, to handle water environments in the future, he would need to contract a water pet beast. Through Super Beast Mimicry, he could then move freely in water. Thinking this way, Lu Ran realized that his contract cards were far from sufficient! Chapter 119: A Formidable Foe Emerges Chapter 119: A Formidable Foe Emerges Infinite City No. 3, Beastmaster Square. After leaving the Sudden Death King in the training secret realm, Lu Ran headed out. Before he left, he took onest look at his cleaned-up backpack. Crystal coin bnce: 208,000 Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (Epic), Spirit Transformation Pot (Exquisite), Ice Sky Greatsword (Rare) Resources: Combination Dog Food x27 (Rare), Frozen Dragon Fish x39 (High Quality), Trait Crystal (Nature Control), Beast Taming Skill Card (Fusion, Death Revival) It was quite a simplified inventory. The crystal coins were freshly earned from the breakthrough secret realm and the divine beast leaderboard, a timely windfall. Only the Divine Deer Pendant and Ice Sky Greatsword were left as his weapons and gear. The Wind Cutter Sword and crossbow had broken during his energy maniption practice.As for other resources, although Lu Ran had collected a lot from the breakthrough secret realm, he followed the principle of ¡°Earn from the empire, spend on the empire, don¡¯t bring a penny home.¡± He had exchanged everything there for Lucid Fruits to develop his me Sprite and learn the me Dragon Culinary Intent. Without such resources, he wouldn¡¯t have progressed so quickly. So, now Lu Ran¡¯s belongings were rather minimal: his heirloom, General Ha¡¯s equipment, food for General Ha and the Sudden Death King, and the newly acquired trait crystal and beast taming skills. With the Freshman Tournament approaching, Lu Ran, holding a bnce of 208,000 crystal coins, was nning his next moves. The tournament rules had just been announced. Students were permitted to use only ¡°high quality¡± weapons and armor, and both the beastmaster and pet beast could carry only one item each. As expected, the organizers had restricted the use of weapons and equipment, so General Ha¡¯s Ice Sky Greatsword was out. Lu Ran would need to buy some new swords temporarily. Additionally, he needed to purchase resources to help General Ha level up and upgrade its food. Currently, General Ha¡¯s rare dog food wasn¡¯t bad. Previously, it was considered average among rare quality food, with wind-type beast meat, poultry, and fruits being rtively cheap. But now, with the Spirit Transformation Pot and the Blizzard Culinary Intent to process the food, the quality of the dog food had significantly improved. This was the benefit of knowing how to cook! As for the Sudden Death King, it had already reached level 20. Lu Ran nned to continue feeding it Dragon Fish for now and didn¡¯t intend to invest further in it. The Dragon Fish, improved by the Spirit Transformation Pot and processed with me Dragon Culinary Intent, had a qualityparable to rare loong-type resources and would suffice for the time being. Finally, Lu Ran bought 20 Sky Tree Fruits at a price of 7,000 crystal coins each, spending a total of 140,000 crystal coins. Sky Tree Fruits were a resource exclusive to Sky Ind, where they were scarce and guarded by sovereign species wind-type ferocious beasts, making them difficult to obtain. The main effect of these fruits was to increase and enhance the energy of wind-type pet beasts and improve their control over wind elements. Although the effect was straightforward, the significant boost made them an excellent resource for leveling up wind-type pet beasts. The rtively low price was due to the fact that the avable Sky Tree Fruits were immature. Mature fruits would be consumed by the guardian beasts almost immediately, and immature fruits were less effective. Typically, beastmasters would need to use powerful grass-type pet beasts to mature the fruits, which was an additional expense. However, Lu Ran didn¡¯t need to find any grass-type pet beasts for this purpose. He could mature the fruits himself using the Spirit Transformation Pot, saving him that extra cost. Lu Ran¡¯s intention was clear: he nned to use the fruits to help General Ha level up to 20 and fuse with the Nature Control trait. Once General Ha reached that level, it would be able to control wind elements to some extent. Combined with the wind element mastery boost from the Sky Tree Fruits, General Ha should quickly adapt to its new trait and gain significantbat power. ¡°Next, I need to buy weapons,¡± Lu Ran thought as he made his way through Beastmaster Square with a clear goal in mind. Just then, a voice caught his attention, making him stop in his tracks. [Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard, Commander Species Leaderboard Updated.] [New Leaderboard Divine Beast: Hellhound.] [Attributes: Dark, Fire] [Species Level: Upper Commander] [Growth Level: 20] [Beastmaster: Dog King] [Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from naturally uppermander species Hellhound, initially dual-attribute, fused traits ¡®Underworld me¡¯ and ¡®Eyes of Fear,¡¯ severely wounded a level 20 uppermander species Corpse Ape Commander in abyssal difficulty level 1 secret realm Corpse Beast Cavern.] [Ranked 10th on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard!] As soon as the announcement was made, all the beastmasters in Beastmaster Square turned their attention. Exmations of surprise and shock could be heard everywhere. ¡°What the heck is going on?¡± ¡°A level 1 secret realm?¡± The Commander Species Leaderboard update wasn¡¯t usually a big deal. However, if a pet beast made the list due to outstanding performance in a level 1 secret realm, that was significant! Only level 1 beastmasters could enter level 1 secret realms. Could a level 1 beastmaster have made it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard? Even Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but stop and stare at the leaderboard on the stone tablet. ¡°Manager Ying, it looks like you won¡¯t have to wait for me to dethrone the third-generation beastmasters. A fourth-generation beastmaster has already made it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard.¡± Lu Ran was equally surprised. Who was this person, and how could they be so powerful? The Divine Beast Leaderboard ranked based onprehensive potential, so low-level, high-potential new pets from fourth-generationmander species had a chance to make it. But it was just a chance. The nine divine beasts above Dog King¡¯s Hellhound were mostly level 30 or higher, each having fused three traits. For Dog King¡¯s pet to rival these with just two fused traits was almost unbelievable. Lu Ran looked at the introduction of the Hellhound. It had evolved and mutated from a naturally uppermander species Hellhound. What kind of species was this? An experimental breed? Or a mutant born from the resurgence of spiritual energy? No matter the origin, this Dog King was incredibly strong and had quickly be the talk of Beastmaster Square. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard of this person before? Is he a fourth-generation beastmaster too? It seems many fourth-generation beastmasters have already broken through to level 1.¡± ¡°Could he be a third-generation beastmaster? There are still some non-first-echelon third-generation beastmasters who haven¡¯t moved past level 1.¡± ¡°How could it possibly be a Third Generation? Most of those Third Generation beastmasters are focused on lifestyle beast taming andck significantbat abilities. They have no hope of making the leaderboard based onbat performance.¡± ¡°I heard from a big shot that the 70 people on the Supernatural Leaderboard don¡¯t represent the highest level of fourth-generation beastmasters. The truly strong fourth-generation beastmasters might contract their first pet beast as amander species, which wouldn¡¯t even appear on the supernatural leaderboard. So, could this Dog King be one of those?¡± ¡°I saw a simr discussion on the forum. Damn, I thought Passerby A¡¯s sword-holding dog was already impressive, and now there¡¯s a Hellhound. Is it a fantasy species? Its species level is a whole grade higher than Passerby A¡¯s sword-holding dog!¡± People wereparing Dog King to Passerby A, who was currently ranked first on the Supernatural Leaderboard. Although the Hellhound was ranked tenth on the Commander Leaderboard, it was clear to everyone which one was more impressive. Lu Ran didn¡¯t care about suchparisons. Once General Ha fused two traits, he believed it could achieve what the Hellhound had. Lu Ran was more reflective, realizing Dr. Gu was right. He couldn¡¯t afford to becent; there were indeed many formidable figures hidden among the fourth-generation beastmasters. Especially since many second-generation beastmasters had broken through to level 1. Their backing forces surely had 20-level high-quality new pets and suitable trait crystals prepared for them, just like Lu Ran had prepared Sudden Death King and its corresponding resources in advance. ¡°Tch, how could hepare to Passerby A?¡± Lu Ran keenly heard a mutter at this moment. Turning his head, he saw a familiar figure not far ahead, also looking at the leaderboard. He initially thought it might be one of his fans, but¡­ ¡°Huh? Pluto?¡± Lu Ran walked up, surprised, and called out, patting his shoulder, ¡°Do you know him? And it seems you have a high opinion of me¡­¡± ¡°Holy crap!¡± The young man was startled by Lu Ran¡¯s sudden appearance behind him and quickly turned around, looking bewildered. ¡°Wow, what are you doing here?¡± Pluto¡¯s face turned red, worried that Passerby A might have heard his earlier muttering. He had just said it casually. ¡°Heh.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°I asked you a question.¡± ¡°Yes, I know him. He¡¯s from the Circus,¡± Pluto said. ¡°The Circus¡­ one of the Four Major Guilds in Infinite City No. 3?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Pluto pursed his lips. ¡°The Captain of the Circus is his older brother.¡± ¡°So, his background is simr to yours?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°How is he doing so well while you¡¯re¡­¡± Pluto: ??? ¡°It¡¯s purely because he¡¯s got better luck!¡± Pluto retorted. ¡°My second pet beast is almost ready for battle, and it¡¯s not necessarily worse than his.¡± ¡°Besides, with the new trait and my new beast taming skill, my Thunder Eagle will undergo a qualitative change in strength!¡± Lu Ran looked at the Supernatural Leaderboard and noticed that Pluto¡¯s name was no longer in the second position. It seemed his Thunder Eagle had evolved into amander species. Pluto¡¯s pet beast¡¯s first trait, Golden Lightning, was known for its rapid level-up characteristic. Since General Ha reached level 15 shortly after its breakthrough, it¡¯s likely that Pluto¡¯s well-resourced Thunder Eagle had quickly reached level 20 and fused with the new trait. ¡°So, you¡¯re at level 1 too,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Looks like you entered the breakthrough secret realm before I did.¡± ¡°Naturally.¡± Pluto adjusted his cor and said calmly, ¡°I assume you¡¯ll be participating in the beast taming university tournament as well. The Supernatural Leaderboard is just a small game; I won¡¯t y with you there. Let¡¯s meet at the tournament.¡± With that, he turned and left, leaving Lu Ran to shrug. This Dog King made him a bit wary, given its traits like Underworld me and Eyes of Fear, which sounded like soul and mental attacks. But Pluto¡­ Currently, you¡¯re just a thunder yer! The one thing Lu Ran feared least was the thunder element. Sudden Death King¡¯s thunder resistance and defense were well-established, and with its Red Lightning trait, it could perform body forging using lightning. Pluto was shaping up to be the perfect new-generation sparring partner! Lu Ran nced at the leaderboard again. Over the past month, the Supernatural Leaderboard had seen significant changes in positions 2 through 9, with almost all unfamiliar names. Even Fang Lan had been pushed down. As for the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, it was filled with unfamiliar names, with the top spot held by a female beastmaster. [Species]: Light-Dark Butterfly [Attributes]: Light, Dark [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Growth Level]: Level 33 [Beastmaster]: Little Magician This pet beast had already undergone an evolutionary stage, originally having the light attribute andter awakening the dark attribute. Given the powerfulbination of light and dark attributes, it would typically evolve into a sovereign species after one stage of evolution. Most perfect first-stage evolutions can elevate a pet beast to a sovereign species. However, since it remained an uppermander species, it likely indicates a failed evolution. Cultivating a pet beast with opposing attributes is no easy feat. Still, it¡¯s evident that the beastmaster, Little Magician, has invested considerable effort into the Light-Dark Butterfly. Although the evolution failed, preventing it frompeting with sovereign species, the Light-Dark Butterfly¡¯s foundation remains strong. It currently holds the top spot on themander leaderboard. With the monthly resource umtion, it might defy the odds during its second-stage evolution. Awakening new attributes and fusing traits as an evolution path is a unique feature of Infinite City No. 3. Beastmasters can only explore and stumble along the way¡ªpitfalls are inevitable. Lu Ran nced at the Sovereign Leaderboard again and was surprised to find that a First Generation big shot had finally challenged a secret realm. Three spots on Infinite City No. 3¡¯s Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard were upied by a single First Generation name! One person imed three positions! ¡°Dr. Gu¡­¡± This person was none other than Gu Qingyi. The pet beast at the top of Infinite City No. 3¡¯s Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard was also hers. [Species]: Vast Sea Azure Loong [Attribute]: Loong [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 58 [Beastmaster]: Gu Qingyi Loong-type¡­ Dr. Gu¡¯s Vast Sea Azure Loong had only one attribute¡ªLoong. However, this didn¡¯t mean her Vast Sea Azure Loong controlled only one attribute¡¯s power. The strength of the Loong-type lies in itsposite attributes. Previous attributes merge into a special Loong energy. Besides their formidable physique, Loong-type beings can wield the powers of hurricanes, mes, thunder, vast seas, and more. Each Loong-type creature masters at least two or more powers. Eastern Loongs typically excel in the powers of vast seas, hurricanes, and thunder, while Western dragons usually master hurricanes, mes, and frost¡­ ¡°Can¡¯t keep looking, can¡¯t keep looking,¡± Lu Ran shook his head, feeling it would take a long time to catch up to the First Generation. However, whether it¡¯s Rank 1 on themander leaderboard or the sovereign leaderboard, they would all be overtaken sooner orter. Even Dr. Gu wouldn¡¯t be exempt, Lu Ran thought, his ambitions vast. Leaving beastmaster square, Lu Ran headed to the House of Forging. ¡°Oh, oh, oh? A rare guest!¡± Master Lin, who was reading a novel, eximed in surprise upon seeing Passerby A. ¡°Just came out of the breakthrough secret realm?¡± ¡°Yes, Master Lin, long time no see. I need your help to forge two swords, limited to high quality.¡± ¡°One needs to have both conduction and amplification effects, with a core of wind and ice attributes.¡± ¡°The other should be simr, but with a core of wind and fire attributes.¡± ¡°Actually, make it four swords, two of each type, as backups,¡± Lu Ran said. As for the Sudden Death King, there was no need to prepare equipment for it. High-quality equipment wouldn¡¯t significantly enhance it. Its inherent defense was far superior, and equipment would only hinder its performance since it had no special Talent or specialized training. ¡°You¡¯re trying toplete the Sorrow of Frost and Joy of Fire sets!¡± Master Linughed, guessing that Lu Ran was preparing for the Freshman Tournament. Chapter 120: The Replacement of the Seven General Beasts Chapter 120: The Recement of the Seven General Beasts ¡°What a mess.¡± Lu Ran sighed, feeling overwhelmed. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s nothing really. It¡¯s just that four swords are quite a lot. Why don¡¯t youe back tomorrow to pick them up? I¡¯ll polish them nicely for you,¡± Master Lin chuckled. ¡°But it¡¯s one thing to ask for an ice sword, and now you want a fire sword too! Is that for your own use? Did you manage to acquire a fire pet beast and also master the skill to control mes?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied with a subtle smile. ¡°It would blow your mind; it¡¯s the signature skill of the founding figure of the forging department!¡± ¡°Goodd, that¡¯s fast! By the way, what¡¯s your budget this time?¡± ¡°Four swords, within twenty thousand crystal coins.¡± There¡¯s no need for top-tier quality since they¡¯re just transition weapons for the tournament. Too low-quality would not suit his status either, like the wind cutter sword that broke after just two uses, which was way too fragile. Something average would be fine. Plus, after the tournament, the swords wouldn¡¯t go to waste; they could still be used as kitchen knives. One ice and one fire, perfectly matching the two culinary intents he currently mastered.¡°Got it.¡± After discussing with Master Lin, so as not to dy Lu Ran¡¯s preparations for the tournament, Master Lin immediately set out to gather materials for forging. Meanwhile, after managing his crystal coins adequately, Lu Ran returned to the training secret realm, nning to undergo intensive training in various energy techniques with the Sudden Death King. Before starting the special training, Lu Ran took out the divine deer pendant and the Spirit Transformation Pot. The level 1 training secret realm already had a forest environment. Lu Ran hung the divine deer pendant on a tree branch to charge it. As for the Spirit Transformation Pot, he ced a Sky Tree fruit inside and set it aside to ripen. The power of the Spirit Transformation Pot does note out of thin air; its principle is simr to that of the divine deer pendant, both utilizing external natural energy to enhance the quality of ingredients. For rare resources like the Sky Tree fruit, the ripening process takes quite a while, so Lu Ran had to put it in early to ensure it would be ready by the time General Ha needed to eat. As for advanced resources like the Dragon Fish, the speed is much quicker. It only needs to be freshened up before eating, with no need for early preparation. In the evening. In the training secret realm, Lu Ran grilled a Dragon Fish for the Sudden Death King and fed General Ha a Sky Tree fruit. The former was grilled using me Dragon Culinary Intent, and thetter was sliced with Blizzard Culinary Intent. Both ate with great relish. However, after half a day of training, there were no significant gains. As expected, the Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t instantly grasp skills like General Ha. But Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry; he believed in taking things slow and steady. That night, instead of returning to Green Sea City, Lu Ran decided to stay in the training secret realm with his two pet beasts. After a half day of training, Lu Ran was quite exhausted and quickly fell asleep. However, his dreams that night were far from peaceful. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Why am I in Maple Park?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mind felt heavy. He couldn¡¯t remember what he had been doing before this. He opened his eyes and, seeing the familiar surroundings, instinctively walked towards his home. But before he could take a few steps, a massive spatial rift suddenly appeared in the sky above the city. A gigantic blue-violet head slowly emerged from the rift, letting out a thunderous roar!!! ¡°ROAR!!!¡± The roar shattered every window and car ss in Green Sea City and stunned many weaker beings. Countless passersby covered their ears, writhing on the ground in agony, while the stronger beings looked up at the gigantic silhouette in the sky with terror. Soon, the body of the creature emerged fully. It was a colossal dragon-like being, its robust bodyposed of ice and stone. Its snow-covered wings unfurled over Green Sea City, plunging the entire city into a sudden winter. [Species]: Frost Sky Giant Dragon [Attribute]: Dragon [Species Level]: Upper Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 76 From a distance in Maple Park, Lu Ran caught a glimpse of it and felt a shockwave of fear. At that moment, the Frost Sky Giant Dragon also nced at Lu Ran. It opened its massive mouth, and in an instant, a terrifying breath of ice, capable of freezing an entire city, engulfed Lu Ran. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± With a scream, Lu Ran jolted awake from his nightmare. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Hiss!¡± Beside him, General Ha and the Sudden Death King gathered around, looking worriedly at the panting, trembling Lu Ran. Another nightmare? General Ha and the Sudden Death King cautiously inquired. This was an old issue for Lu Ran. Ever since he gained telepathy, he frequently had nightmares of monsters invading cities. But after bing a beastmaster, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t experienced such dreams again. And now, it had reappeared. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran said, shivering and clutching his chest. ¡°Another strange dream. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had one. I don¡¯t know if this is a coincidence or simr to the previous ones.¡± This dream was a bit clearer than thest. In the dream, he had an advanced Eye of Data, allowing him to see the details of the monsters. Unlike before, when he was clueless and got crushed by the monster. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lu Ran felt a surge of frustration. Anyone would feel miserable being tormented by strange dreams for so long. Couldn¡¯t he just have the kind of dreams young people are supposed to have? However, recalling the strange dream, Lu Ran was able to determine that if it were real, then it likely wasn¡¯t an attack by a powerful native creature of Blue Star after the spiritual energy resurgence. It seemed more like creatures from another world invading Blue Star. After this strange dream, Lu Ran found it hard to sleep for the rest of the night. He looked at General Ha and the Sudden Death King and said, ¡°Get up, let¡¯s continue training.¡± General Ha and the Sudden Death King: ??? ¡­ The next day, Lu Ran and his team continued their training. By the morning, the Sudden Death King finally made some progress. It learned how to discharge electricity. It could now stably release thunder energy to the outside, forming a powerful attack. ¡°Sudden Death King, 100,000 volts¡­ no, discharge.¡± Lu Ran almost called out the wrong skill name. Under hismand, the three-meter-tall Dragon Lizard, the Sudden Death King, opened its mouth, red lightning glowing within. The next moment, a thick bolt of lightning burst forth from its mouth, forming an irregrly shaped beam that cut through the air, striking a giant tree opposite them! Boom!! The giant tree exploded. Leaving behind a charred, ckened area. ¡°Not bad, but it¡¯s not sustainable. You need to master the energy flow soon.¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± The Sudden Death King disyed a troubled expression, spitting out a few sparks. It wasn¡¯t fond of this skill. Just releasing that bolt of lightning felt like a massive drain on its energy. That amount of energy, if shaped into a shield, couldst it for half a day. Release-type skills¡­ are still big energy consumers. However, after Lu Ran¡¯s previous teachings, the Sudden Death King understood that while it didn¡¯t need to specialize in this basic skill, it couldn¡¯t afford to ignore it entirely. ¡°Keep practicing, but don¡¯t overdo it today,¡± Lu Ran said, pulling out his phone and checking the time. ¡°I¡¯m going to Master Lin¡¯s ce to pick up some weapons. Then I¡¯ll pack up and get ready to head to Jinling. I have an assessment tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sudden Death King, you¡¯ll be fighting the examiner¡¯s pet beast tomorrow.¡± Sudden Death King: ¡°Roar?¡± It froze. It was going to fight again? General Ha: ¡°Woof!¡± Over to the side, General Ha was multitasking, swaying as it controlled two branches with the wind. It shot a resentful look at Lu Ran. General Ha looked dejected. Why wasn¡¯t it fighting? The Sudden Death King didn¡¯t want to fight, but it did! Beating up the examiner¡¯s Level 30 pet beast sounded exciting¡­ General Ha gazed at the clueless Sudden Death King with regret, signaling that the task was now in its hands. Sudden Death King was speechless: ¡­ ¡­ In Infinite City. After picking up two Blizzard Swords and two Wind me Swords from Master Lin, Lu Ran returned to Green Sea. Upon returning, he called Fang Lan. ¡°Hey, I need a bit more time. How about we leave in two hours?¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°Have you booked the train tickets?¡± ¡°No need for tickets. I¡¯ll get a big shot to teleport us there. Take your time packing,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Huh? Oh, okay,¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°By the way, Lu Bing and Pig Raiser are already in Jinling. We could meet up in person.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Lu Ran said. Pig Raiser had always nned to apply to Beast Taming University for the tournament prize money. Initially, none of the LuJia Vige folks intended to apply to university. However, after the tournament¡¯s rewards were announced, Lu Bing and the others changed their minds. As a result, four of the more capable fourth-generation beastmasters from LuJia Vige were pushed to participate in the tournament and pursue further education at the university. These four were Lu Bing, Lu Yi, Lu Dingding, and Lu Xiao Wu. The others stayed in the vige, continuing to hunt in Infinite City to earn money. About a month ago, Lu Ran took Lu Bing and Lu Yi into a secret realm, training them to be skilled fourth-generation beastmasters. They, in turn, boosted the strength of their former teammates, Lu Dingding and Lu Xiao Wu. These individuals then began training other n members, bing the outstanding youths of LuJia Vige. They inherited the most from previous generations of beastmasters, further enhancing their strength. Today, they are the undisputed strongest echelon of LuJia Vige. ¡°I wonder how strong they are now.¡± As he waited for Fang Lan, Lu Ran decided to check on his seven general beasts¡­ Or rather, the six general beasts now. After all, the Sudden Death King had been promoted to the king¡¯s personal guard¡­ ¡°King¡¯s six general beasts. Doesn¡¯t quite roll off the tongue. Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a suitable candidate to fill the vacancy.¡± Soon, Lu Ranmunicated through his crow minions, quickly summoning the Dark Crow to his window. ¡°King!!!¡± the Dark Crow eximed as itnded outside, startled and excited. ¡°Long time no see!!!¡± [Species]: ck Crow [Attribute]: Dark [Species Level]: Upper Supernatural [Growth Level]: Level 17 With his advanced Eye of Data, Lu Ran could now clearly see the levels and details of the Dark Crow and others. The level isn¡¯t very high. The Dark Crow was probably the strongest among the seven general beasts, aside from the Sudden Death King. The other five didn¡¯t have much of a strength gap between them. Lu Ran estimated they were all around Level 15. This won¡¯t do; they¡¯re too weak. At this level, how could they protect Green Sea City? Is there a way to better nurture the seven general beasts? Lu Ran pondered. Being confined to a small ce like Green Sea City really limits the growth of supernatural beings. In ces like the deep sea and the Amazon rainforest, the first echelon of ferocious beasts had already reached levels above 40,parable to the main pet beasts of second-generation beastmasters. Their growth and evolution speed are unimaginable. These areas are truly cradles of resources. Currently, countries are starting to worry that these ferocious beasts are growing too fast, potentially causing humans to lose their position as the overlords of Blue Star. While he pondered, Lu Ran asked aloud, ¡°Is there a suitable beast to rece the Sudden Death King¡¯s position among the seven general beasts?¡± ¡°Thunder Dragon General¡­ met a sudden death?!¡± The Dark Crow was taken aback. ¡°No, I contracted it,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Now, besides you six, which is the strongest supernatural being in Green Sea City?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Queen Bee!¡± the Dark Crow replied. ¡°Its strength isparable to ours.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s the Queen Bee. That makes sense,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Supernatural honey was one of his favorite resources, so he had granted the Green Sea bee n a special privilege: they had priority ess to the supernatural nts in Green Sea City for honey collection. This privilege had significantly bolstered the bee n. Lu Ran recalled that the most talented Queen Bee in Green Sea City was a Grass-type supernatural being. Although its initial evolution was not as rapid as some others, it was still among the top at Level 10 and was considered an upper supernatural species. Now, after nearly two months of development, it seemed to have caught up with its peers. ¡°Then pass down the order: the Queen Bee is to be the new member of the King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals, with the codename ¡®Queen Bee.¡¯¡± ¡°And¡­ let the Queen Bee know that I¡¯d like some honey,¡± Lu Ran added, feeling this was starting to resemble a power transaction. But that wasn¡¯t his intention. He genuinely aimed to nurture the King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals. He was merely in the process of selecting the best candidates. ¡°Caw.¡± ¡­ After the Dark Crow left, Lu Ran decided to nurture some non-mainstream pet beasts as well. If his strange dream became a reality, Lu Ran felt that relying solely on General Ha and the others wouldn¡¯t be entirely safe. ¡°Legion.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s form a Pet Beast Legion!¡± Lu Ran quickly made up his mind. In the early stages of the spiritual energy revival, countries faced a tricky situation: many mutated beasts lived in colonies. They moved in groups of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands. Sometimes, beastmasters would rather face a powerful individual beast than a massive beast tide. In North America, there was an incident where a swarm of supernatural seagulls rioted. Over a thousand Wind-type and Water-type seagullsunched their skills simultaneously, creating a terrifying storm and tsunami that submerged a human-inhabited ind the size of a Level 2 city. Investigations revealed that the average level of these seagulls was no more than Level 10. However, this group of seagulls, even though they were no more than level 10, managed to produce a qualitative change through their collective release of power. Even higher-level creatures would find it challenging to achieve what they did. Though some experts suggested that the seagulls might have simply predicted the weather and acted in ordance with the forces of nature, it¡¯s undeniable that an organized and cooperative supernatural beings legion can, to some extent, engage in cross-levelbat. Lu Ran felt that he should now use the advantage of telepathy to form such a supernatural beings legion. After all, the conditions were already in ce. As the King of Green Sea, relying solely on the Dark Crow and others to maintain order and act as spies was a waste. ¡°The Dark Crow has high intelligence and has be the leader of thousands of crows, continuously recruiting more from outside¡­ Why not use the crow flock as a pilot group?¡± ¡°Compared to other animals, crows have better intelligence and are easier to train.¡± ¡°Moreover, many crows are Wind-type, making it easier tobine Wind-type skills into a legion skill.¡± ¡°First, train a crow legion that can use legion skills. If it works, then expand to create other legions.¡± At that point, these supernatural beings legions could not only help protect the city but, once they reached a certain scale, could also venture beyond human territories to expand domains and gather resources. The Dark Crow had this ambition from the start¡­ Chapter 121: Spider Queen and Medusa Chapter 121: Spider Queen and Medusa Lu Ran still had high hopes for the dark crow. Although its mouth was a bit foul, its other merits were enough to overshadow its ws. Previously, Lu Ran had considered whether to make a contract with the dark crow. After all, the dark attribute was quite rare. However, as he learned more about the rare species with inherentmander traits and the Freshman Tournament prizes being pet beast eggs of sovereign species, the dark crow¡¯s advantages seemed less significant. But now, Lu Ran thought that if he could establish a Beast Taming Legion in the future, the dark crow would still be worth contracting. A single dark crow might not have an advantagepared to those superior pet beasts with better species talents, but what if it was a highly intelligent dark crow that couldmand an entire crow legion? Lu Ran wondered if there was a trait crystal like ¡°the more subordinates, the stronger the leader¡± or ¡°the more of the same species, the stronger the leader,¡± but he figured it was worth a try. In nature, there are so many social creatures that he couldn¡¯t believe there wasn¡¯t a simr talent. Most likely, the current secret realm level explored by the beastmasters on Blue Star wasn¡¯t high enough, so such crystals hadn¡¯t been found yet.After all, the strategy team had only managed to conquer Level 5 secret realms on hard difficulty; they hadn¡¯t even fully conquered Level 5 secret realms on abyssal difficulty. Above that, there were Level 6, Level 7, Level 8, and Level 9 secret realms¡­ all unknown. When such crystals do appear, having already established a pet beast army might give him a significant advantage. Even if they don¡¯t exist, it wouldn¡¯t matter. With some highlypatible fusion skills and legion skills, his Beast Taming Legion would still be formidable. On the Star-Moon Continent, the empire¡¯s Beast Taming Legions used a simr strategy, and it had proven effective. ¡°Although I can¡¯t fuse traits for the dark crow before contracting it, I can still use resources to awaken its secondary attributes.¡± ¡°Why not find a resource to awaken the ¡®mental attribute¡¯ for the dark crow? This could turn it into a dark attribute creature proficient in illusions,munication, and maniption.¡± ¡°The mental attribute would undoubtedlyplement its species talent, making it easier for it tomand a vast crow legion.¡± Before the revival of spiritual energy, Lu Ran had frequent contact with the dark crow and knew that it, like the bug king, had its own ideas. The bug king wanted to build a harem, reproduce, and yearn for freedompletely unambitious. The dark crow, on the other hand, wanted to recruit underlings and achieve great feats, showing a bit more promise. Lu Ran wondered where it got this ambition from. He spected it might be his own doing, cultivating this ambition in it unknowingly. After all, when he first interacted with it, Lu Ran was still in his teenage years, often ying ¡°king and general¡± games with it¡­ At that time, the dark crow was just a little crow, in its formative stage¡­ It¡¯s possible Lu Ran led it astray. Hmm¡­ Well, for now, he¡¯ll just y along with the dark crow a bit more. If it truly leads to something remarkable, the dark crow will be happy, and Lu Ran will benefit greatly as well. ¡­ ¡°Why do we have to use teleportation again?¡± Outside the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ in Green Sea City. Manager Ying was agitated. Before Lu Ran even entered, he noticed Manager Ying sunbathing on the roof. Then, he called it down, asking for its help to teleport himself and Fang Lan to Jinling. ¡°Using transportation is a bit dangerous. You know a killer organization is targeting me,¡± Lu Ran said seriously. ¡°nes and high-speed trains are prime spots for assassinations¡­¡± ¡°They might even bomb the vehicles!¡± ¡°Targeting you? You should be more worried about being targeted by The Other Shore.¡± Manager Ying had done some investigating. The information provided by the vampire was urate; Lu Ran was indeed on a must-kill list in the underground world abroad. Because of his identity as a superhuman. But the problem was, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t the only one on that kill list. Nearly a hundred superhumans worldwide were on it, spanning various countries. The likelihood of carrying out these assassinations was minimal. So far, no assassin had been known to take such orders, as superhumans were the treasured gems of their respective countries. Assassinating them would be akin to dering war on major nations. However, the person who issued this kill list was indeed mysterious. Even the dark overlords of the underground world didn¡¯t know his true identity. Nor did they know how he obtained information about the superhumans from various countries. Knowing that even Xia Country can¡¯t possibly know the exact number of superhumans in other countries, and vice versa, makes this mysterious person¡¯s knowledge all the more baffling. As soon as a superhuman reveals their powers, they make it onto his must-kill list. This leads to the suspicion that his intelligencework is not merely vast but that he possesses some kind of supernatural ability like ¡°divination,¡± which enables him to obtain information about superhumans. Compared to the idea that every country has been infiltrated, relying on a supernatural ability seems more reasonable. However, abilities like ¡°divination¡± are quite eerie. What¡¯s even more perplexing is why, if he has such an ability, he harbors such animosity towards superhumans and insists on exterminating them. ording to Manager Ying¡¯s investigation, the underworld is rife with theories. Some say things like, ¡°Superhumans aren¡¯t Blue Star humans; they¡¯re undercover aliens and can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Others im, ¡°All giftse with hidden costs, and the rise of superhumans will ultimately lead to Blue Star¡¯s destruction.¡± And then there are the oundish ones, like, ¡°That person is jealous of others having supernatural abilities while he doesn¡¯t, so he wants to kill them all.¡± In short, superhumans are shrouded in a lot of sinister rumors. But without concrete evidence, no country would take these rumors seriously. The strategic significance of superhumans is immense. Countries are more likely to protect and nurture them rather than suppress them. Even if some factions were initially wary of superhumans, seeing the tremendous advantages they bring to other countries would make them realize that embracing superhumans is the right choice. ¡°So, to avoid being targeted by The Other Shore, Manager Ying, please teleport me!¡± Lu Ran said earnestly. In Green Sea, with Manager Ying guarding it, Lu Ran felt safe. But when handling matters outside, without Manager Ying apanying him, he felt insecure. His parents were high-ranking members of The Other Shore. Although they are now deceased, if the other leaders of The Other Shore find out that the two Dr. Lus had a talented superhuman son, they might very well try to recruit Lu Ran into their ranks. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Manager Ying finally relented. If Lu Ran was going to Jinling, it would naturally follow. However, it absolutely refused to teleport instantly and insisted on taking conventional transportation together. It had figured out that Lu Ran just wanted to save time and reach Jinling quickly. Initially, Manager Ying would never agree to this, but it cleared its throat and made a condition: ¡°This will be thest time, and you have to agree to one request.¡± ¡°When you¡¯re in Green Sea, I¡¯ll provide the ingredients, and youe over to cook for me regrly.¡± ¡°No problem, right?¡± ¡°And use that dragon culinary intent!¡± Lu Ran was speechless. He hadn¡¯t expected Manager Ying to be such a foodie. If Manager Ying knew what Lu Ran was thinking, it would surely scoff, thinking he underestimated it. With its power, how could it be tempted by mere food? Delicious as it might be, it had the self-control to resist. The real reason was that me Dragon Culinary Intent was exceedingly rare. Manager Ying wanted to see if it could study Loong-type powers through Dragon Cuisine. Maybe, just maybe, it could eventually create a dragon-cat clone. ¡­ ¡°This is the owner of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ I mentioned earlier, Manager Ying.¡± ¡°It has now opened a branch in Green Sea¡­¡± Before departing, Lu Ran met up with Fang Lan. He introduced her to Manager Ying. ¡°Manager Ying!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s eyes sparkled upon seeing it. What an adorable big cat. She usually didn¡¯t care much for cats or dogs, finding poison pets cuter, but Manager Ying¡¯s aura was exceptional. It was a truly magnificent cat. ¡°Mm-hmm.¡± Manager Ying responded coolly, ¡°If you¡¯re ready, let¡¯s depart.¡± Next, Lu Ran and Fang Lan experienced a dizzying, space-warping journey to Jinling. During this process, Lu Ran learned what Fang Lan had been up to. She was nurturing her second pet. After her breakthrough, she contracted a purple poison snake that had also awakened to the poison attribute. This snake had mutated with the revival of spiritual energy and belonged to an upper supernatural species with exceptional Talent. Fang Lan named it Little Purple. These past few days, she had been busy enhancing Little Purple¡¯s toxin. Additionally, Fang Lan brought out numerous resources from the breakthrough secret realm. After selling the unused resources, she purchased a trait crystal called ¡°Toxin Healer¡± and fused it with her poison snake. Although fusing the same trait with a pet beast eliminates diversity, Toxin Healer is incredibly significant for poison-type pet beasts. Itys a solid foundation, and Fang Lan wisely chose to focus on building this foundation. Only by doing so can her poison pet¡¯s toxicity steadily increase in the future. As for the second trait, neither the poison snake nor the poison spider had reached level 20, so Fang Lan wasn¡¯t in a hurry to choose. ¡°By the way, do you stillck a second beast taming skill?¡± Lu Ran asked on the way to Jinling. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°I have a beast taming skill that I¡¯m not using at the moment¡ªFusion Skill. Would you be interested? I initially nned to keep it for my level 1 use, but since I have other options now, it¡¯s just sitting there. You might as well use it.¡± ¡°Maybe learning it could even improve your tournament ranking.¡± ¡°Fusion Skill? That sounds great!¡± Fang Lan was pleasantly surprised. ¡°Would that make me like the Spider Queen or Medusa?¡± ¡°This skill suits you well. If I get a good reward in the tournament, I¡¯ll give it to you as payment for the Fusion Skill.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind.¡± Lu Ran dismissed it casually. He didn¡¯t need Fusion Skill at the moment. For his third beast taming skill, Lu Ran nned to choose Death Revival. When he eventually wanted to learn Fusion Skill, he would be capable of farming it from the secret realm himself. There¡¯s a level 3 secret realm at abyssal difficulty that can drop Fusion Skill cards. So, the skill card in his backpack was just lying there. Giving it to Fang Lan made more sense. ¡°You two¡­¡± Manager Ying finally spoke up, looking displeased after teleporting Lu Ran and Fang Lan to Jinling. It had exerted considerable effort to teleport them, and they were just chatting away? ¡°Oh, Manager Ying, thank you for your hard work!¡± Lu Ran realized he had neglected Manager Ying and immediately expressed his gratitude. ¡°You two, staying here should be fine, right?¡± Manager Ying huffed, not bothering to argue with Lu Ran. It pointed to a massive building in front of them. This was¡­ Lu Ran looked at the ce in front of him¡­ Oh, Manager Ying had brought them to the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Since the spiritual energy revival, it had been a long time since he had visited his master. He had originally nned to exchange swordsmanship insights with Master Jiang Dou¡­ But in the blink of an eye, even Erha had learned sword intent. What else was there to discuss? ¡°Alright then,¡± Lu Ran nodded. This saved him a lodging fee¡ªhere it is. Additionally, it was a great opportunity for General Ha to perform ¡°Blizzard Sword Intent¡± and ¡°Sword Control Technique¡± for Master Jiang Dou. It was a pity that General Ha¡¯s attributes didn¡¯t match, so it couldn¡¯t learn me Dragon Sword Intent. Otherwise, Master Jiang Dou¡¯s expression would be even more priceless¡­ ¡°Where is this?¡± Fang Lan, unfamiliar with Rainbow Heaven Dojo, asked. The next moment, the dojo doors opened, and Fang Lan saw a young boy in apprentice attire step out. Beside him was a tabby cat. The most bizarre part was that this cat was holding a small wooden sword in its mouth. Lu Ran, Fang Lan, and Manager Ying: ??? Chapter 122: The Clash of Schools Chapter 122: The sh of Schools Sword-holding cat! Lu Ran and hispanions were momentarily stunned. At this time, a swordsmanship apprentice who hade out for some fresh air also saw Lu Ran and his group. Upon noticing Lu Ran, the apprentice rubbed his eyes carefully and eximed in surprise, ¡°Senior Brother Lu Ran???¡± ¡°Meow? (The culprit?)¡± The sword-holding cat also looked up at Lu Ran. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lu Ran asked instinctively. ¡°My name is Ning Fan. I¡¯m an apprentice at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. We¡¯ve met before,¡± Junior Brother Ning said excitedly, like he was meeting an idol. ¡°Oh, oh.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t quite remember, but he did recall that when he was staying at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, apprentices would often greet him. After all, Lu Ran was the only beastmaster at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo at that time.With the era of beast taming just beginning, a group of swordsmanship youths were particrly interested in the upation of beastmaster. They almost gave up swordsmanship to follow Lu Ran and learn beast taming. Fortunately, Lu Ran was elusive, or he would have been swarmed by these junior brothers and sisters. ¡°Senior Brother! Finally, I¡¯ve found you! I didn¡¯t expect you to be the one on the Divine Beast Leaderboard!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Did Master Jiang Dou reveal his identity? Lu Ran was supposed to be an anonymous informant, and only Master Jiang Dou and Senior Brother He Dali should have known within the dojo. ¡°What¡¯s with this cat¡­¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush to answer and instead asked back. ¡°It¡¯s like this: recently, three of us apprentices, including myself, became beastmasters. In Infinite City, we learned about your feats: the husky, the sword-holding battles¡­ Later, we asked Master, and he confirmed it.¡± I see. Although Lu Ran¡¯s appearance didn¡¯t spread in Infinite City, General Ha¡¯s species was well-known he was a husky. When Lu Ran was living at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, General Ha would often roam around the dojo with a sword in its mouth. As Passerby A¡¯s fame grew, it wasn¡¯t impossible for the dojo apprentices to suspect that Lu Ran was Passerby A. After all, the Rainbow Heaven Dojo was a renowned swordsmanship training center in the country. A dog proficient in swordsmanship being from such a dojo made more sense than it appearing randomly among the public. ¡°Later, the three of us thought your sword-holding dog was so cool, so we started imitating it¡­¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± How did it end up with three of them! Manager Ying and Fang Lan looked at Lu Ran. Sure enough, the problemy with Lu Ran. This dojo¡­ why are all the teenagers here so unusual? Indeed, ¡°normal¡± teenagers are still diligently studying, ying games, or dating. Why would theye to the Rainbow Heaven Dojo to practice swordsmanship? ¡°Butter, Master found out and stopped us. He told us about Senior Brother Eagle Hero¡¯s experiences,¡± Ning Fan sighed. ¡°But the sword-holding cat is indeed cool. I didn¡¯t expect it to fight with a sword, just wanted to train it a bit and make it a cool daily trick.¡± ¡°You made the right choice,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s indeed not suitable forbat. My situation is quite special and not a good reference.¡± ¡°Come on, take me to see Master. I¡¯ll exin everything to you guys,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Okay!¡± Soon, this boy named Ning Fan led Lu Ran and Fang Lan into the dojo. As for Manager Ying, after escorting Lu Ran to the destination, it yawned, turned around, and left, not nning to follow them into the dojo. Inside the dojo. ¡°Master is currently training Senior Brother Jin and Senior Sister Fan. I just finished my training, so I came out for some fresh air¡­¡± Ning Fan exined. At the training ground. Lu Ran saw a young man and woman, about his age, sparring with Master Jiang Dou in a two-on-one match, practicing swordsmanship. From a physical standpoint, the two young beastmasters undoubtedly had the advantage. However, judging by the battle oue, they were being fiercely suppressed by the much older Master Jiang Dou. ¡°You two, can you manage or not!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you countless times, your strikes must be decisive and swift. You must envision the sword light as a rainbow. Why are you still so sluggish?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wait for the opponent to make a move before thinking of a response. Set your own rhythm and seize the initiative.¡± ck. The wooden swords in their hands were swiftly disarmed by Master Jiang Dou. ¡°Your master is quite strict,¡± Fang Lan couldn¡¯t help but say as she watched from the stands. Master Jiang Dou, his hair disheveled, was sternly pointing out the ws in the two swordsmanship apprentices¡¯ techniques. ¡°In other aspects, he¡¯s quite lenient, but he¡¯s extremely serious about swordsmanship,¡± Ning Fan exined. ¡°Master, look who¡¯s here,¡± Junior Brother Ning said. Master Jiang Dou looked up to the high tform and saw Lu Ran, showing a hint of surprise. ¡°Lu Ran??¡± he eximed with delight, then turned to the two apprentices beside him. ¡°Alright, the Senior Brother Lu Ran you¡¯ve been thinking about is here.¡± ¡°Later, let him exin to you thebination of beast taming and the sword.¡± ¡°You should learn well from your Senior Brother Lu Ran. Despite being around the same age, he¡¯s already pursuing sword intent¡­¡± ¡°Master, we¡¯ve already learned sword intent,¡± Lu Ran said as he walked down, hearing Master Jiang Dou¡¯s words. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve already learned¡­ What, you¡¯ve already learned it??¡± Master Jiang Dou¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Wait, what do you mean by ¡®you¡¯?¡± The old gentleman suddenly had a bad feeling. No way, no way, could it be that even Erha has¡­ ¡°Senior Brother Lu Ran!¡± At this moment, Senior Brother Jin and Senior Sister Fan, whom Junior Brother Ning had mentioned, were also looking at Lu Ran with faces full of admiration. Could Senior Brother Lu Ran really be Passerby A himself?? Number one on the divine beast leaderboard, with a pet beast that fought with a sword‡±so cool. ¡°And who is this?¡± Although interested in sword intent, Master Jiang Dou first inquired about Fang Lan, thinking, did Lu Ran have a girlfriend now? Why did he bring a youngdy along? ¡°This is my sister, Fang Lan. She¡¯s also a beastmaster. We¡¯re here in Jinling for the beast taming tournament preliminaries and n to stay at the dojo for a couple of days.¡± ¡°Master Jiang Dou, sorry for the intrusion,¡± Fang Lan politely greeted. ¡°Oh, no problem, wee. Treat this ce like your own home,¡± Master Jiang Dou said, immediately understanding Fang Lan¡¯s identity. She was the daughter of Lu Ran¡¯s parents¡¯ friends. He remembered the fiercepetition he had with Fang¡¯s father and mother over Lu Ran¡¯s guardianship, leaving a deep impression on Fang Lan¡¯s parents. ¡°By the way, Lu Ran, did you just say you have alreadyprehended sword intent??¡± Jiang Dou, the Old Gentleman, still couldn¡¯t believe it. The three admiring disciples beside him were also shocked. They had been training at the dojo for so long and hadn¡¯t even grasped sword momentum. Yet this legendary Senior Brother Lu Ran had alreadyprehended the sword intent that even Eagle Hero hadn¡¯t achieved? ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Hahahaha,¡± Old Gentleman Jiang Douughed heartily upon hearing this. ¡°Good, good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great news. Now I¡¯m relieved!!!¡± ¡°Lu Ran, if you encounter a girl named ¡®Summer¡¯ in the Freshman Tournament at Beast Taming University, give her a good beating for me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. He didn¡¯t understand howprehending sword intent was rted to someone named Summer. Who was she? ¡°She¡¯s a disciple of one of my rivals. We both train in cold weapons‡±I¡¯m into swordsmanship, and they¡¯re into ¡®spears.¡¯ It¡¯s polearms, not the kind you see in Hawaiian luaus.¡± ¡°My old rival¡¯s disciple has also be a beastmaster and supposedlyprehended ¡®spear intent.¡¯ That old geezer called me to brag about it for ages. I can¡¯t stand it.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve said you¡¯veprehended sword intent, I feel much better. If you meet his disciple, make sure to defeat her soundly.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Did you say that ¡®Summer¡¯ has reallyprehended spear intent? The kind involving shaping artistic conception?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what her master says. Oh, and she supposedly has a fusion Talent! She¡¯s following a path simr to your Senior Brother Eagle Hero¡¯s, focusing on her ownbat abilities.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but think. Wow, the Freshman Tournament is bringing out so many experts. Another formidable opponent added to the list. Lu Ran understood the difficulty ofprehending sword intent. If it weren¡¯t for General Ha perfectly fusing the weapon mastery trait, they wouldn¡¯t have had any hope of understanding sword intent by now. However, it wasn¡¯t impossible for that girl named Summer to haveprehended spear intent. Lu Ran¡¯s sword training was somewhat sporadic, whereas if she had been practicing spear techniques with a master since childhood, her experience with spearsmanship would undoubtedly surpass Lu Ran¡¯s experience with swordsmanship. These cold weapon practitioners are rare. Unlike Lu Ran, who picked it up out of interest, most apprentices at Rainbow Heaven Dojo n to earn their ranks and make a living by winning various swordsmanship tournaments. For instance, Senior Brother Eagle Hero once achieved a notable ranking in an international swordsmanshippetition. Moreover, that girl Summer has a fusion Talent, allowing her to share power with her pet beast during the fusion stage. If the pet beast masters energy shaping,bined with the beastmaster¡¯s own spearsmanship Talent,prehending spear intent isn¡¯t out of the question. Even so, it¡¯s incredibly impressive. After all, a fourth-generation beastmaster has only about three months of growth. If she can grasp shaping artistic conception at this stage, her learning ability and insight must be top-tier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, if I encounter her, I¡¯ll defeat her,¡± Lu Ran reassured Master Jiang Dou. Though the opponent was formidable, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t intimidated. ¡°If I encounter her, I¡¯ll defeat her too, Master Jiang Dou, don¡¯t worry!¡± Fang Lan chimed in with a cheerful smile. ¡°Really? Can you beat her?¡± Lu Ran asked, skeptical. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡± Fang Lan retorted, annoyed. Although shaping artistic conception is indeed powerful, her experience in poison manship wasn¡¯tcking. Especially once she also mastered fusion, many previously unusable tactics would be viable. Previously, she couldn¡¯t use them because she wasn¡¯t immune to her own poisons and could easily harm herself. But now¡­ fusion Skills could perfectlypensate for this w. At that point, she couldpress energy into a poison gas bomb, making it explode across the entire arena to form a poison hurricane, orpress energy into a poison liquid bomb and release it into the sky, creating a poison rain over the entire arena¡­ her opponents would be in tears! Her opponent wielded a spear, not a ¡°machine gun.¡± She had this covered! ¡°Hahaha, good,¡± Old Gentleman Jiang Douughed, seemingly relieved of the frustration he had with his old rival. ¡°So, Senior Brother Lu Ran, are you representing the ¡®swordsmanship school¡¯ in the tournament this time?¡± Junior Sister Fan asked curiously. ¡°Everyone on the beast taming forum is discussing which beast taming school will perform the best¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not quite urate. The swordsmanship school refers to beastmasters who fight using sword weapons, leveraging their pet beast¡¯s power,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°But Senior Brother Lu Ran¡­ it seems his pet beast fights while holding a sword in its mouth. This school hasn¡¯t been seen before.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s a new school, the Pet Beast Sword Holding School!¡± Junior Brother Ning eximed excitedly. Currently, the field of beast taming is flourishing with various schools. Some focus purely on having the pet beast fight, while others leverage the pet beast¡¯s power to enhance the beastmaster¡¯s ownbat abilities. Each school can be further subdivided into different branches. For example, those who rely on their pet beast¡¯s power to fight themselves can be categorized into the Physical Skill School, the Cold Weapon School, and even the rare Mental Power School. These schools arise based on the different beast taming skills of beastmasters. Which school is the strongest has always been a topic of debate within the beast tamingmunity. Now, supporters of each major school are eagerly awaiting this tournament hosted by the beast taming university to validate their viewpoints. After all, this is Xia Country¡¯s firstrge-scale beast taming tournament, and there will be numerous battles to provide evidence. The three junior brothers and sisters chatted excitedly. They were still too inexperienced to make a significant impact in this tournament, but Senior Brother Lu Ran was definitely a hot contender. The issue, however, was that Lu Ran¡¯s Pet Beast Sword Holding School didn¡¯t seem to belong to any existing school¡­ So, could a new emerging school end up defeating the established ones, sparking a new trend? They were curious, especially since they themselves were influenced by new trends in beast taming. Chapter 123: Sudden Death King: Thor!!! Chapter 123: Sudden Death King: Thor!!! It was clear that Lu Ran held significant weight in the eyes of the swordsmanship apprentices at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Faced with their ttery, Lu Ran was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated. Beside him, Fang Lan also smiled, feeling that the dojo¡¯s atmosphere might be skewed because of this unique senior brother, Lu Ran¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Master Jiang Dou also sighed. ¡°I mean¡­ whether it¡¯s a dog holding a sword in its mouth or a cat doing it¡­¡± Lu Ran looked seriously at the handsome Junior Brother Ning, the ponytailed Junior Brother Jin, and the round-faced Junior Sister Fan and exined, ¡°You can interact and have fun with your pet beasts in daily life, but don¡¯t really invest time and effort into it. It¡¯s a misguided path.¡± Following this, at Master Jiang Dou¡¯s request, Lu Ran helped the Rainbow Heaven Three Swordsmen n their future paths, further discouraging them from unrealistic notions like dogs or cats holding swords. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to save up and buy a Fusion Skill and be a beast swordsman? To achieve pet beasts holding swords, you need the beastmaster¡¯s swordsmanship talent, a 2.0 version of super beast mimicry, and the pet beast¡¯s extraordinaryprehension, all at once. Without any of these, even General Ha would find it hard to grasp sword momentum.If it weren¡¯t for the coincidence of meeting all these conditions, Lu Ran would have undoubtedly pursued the fusion path. Even now, he hasn¡¯tpletely abandoned the fusion path; it remains a backup cultivation direction for the future. ¡°Awooo¡± Facing the teachings of Senior Brother Lu Ran, the three junior disciples chose to listen, though whether they would rebelter was anyone¡¯s guess. ¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As evening approached, Lu Ran and Fang Lan left the dojo and hailed a taxi to go out for dinner. They had arranged to meet Pig Raiser and others, who had arrived in Jinling earlier, at a Huaiyang restaurant. It was their first offline meeting with online friends. ¡°Why did your master look so unwell?¡± After tidying up their room, Fang Lan had gone to the training ground to find Lu Ran. At that time, Lu Ran was sparring with Master Jiang Dou, with an Erha nearby. Master Jiang Dou¡¯s expression was worse than that of the dog. ¡°Hahaha, it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s just that the Old Gentleman feels invigorated again,¡± Jiang Dou had been stimted; seeing that even General Ha had grasped sword intent, he was determined toprehend it as well. Lu Ran could only offer his encouragement. There wasn¡¯t much hope for the Old Gentleman to obtain a contract card, so Lu Ran thought about finding a suitable pet beast for him in Green Sea City in the future. Even if he couldn¡¯t form a contract, living alongside a pet beast with special abilities might help the Old Gentleman take that step. Pet beast abilities are incredibly varied, and there are countless ways to train them. For example, necromancy pet beasts can possess humans, granting them supernatural power without needing a contract. Perhaps other pet beasts have simr abilities! ¡°Heh, you definitely upset the Old Gentleman,¡± Fang Lan guessed that Lu Ran had made General Ha demonstrate sword intent in front of the swordsmanship master¡­ A real heart-wrencher! ¡­ Before long, the two arrived at the restaurant. In the private room. Lu Ran and Fang Lan were thest to arrive. Dining together in Infinite City and meeting offline didn¡¯t make much difference since everyone was already familiar with each other. Before long, the seven of them started chatting as usual. ¡°What¡¯s your assessment number?¡± Pig Raiser asked. This number determined the order of tomorrow¡¯s assessment. Students who registered for the Freshman Tournament could check it on the Beast Taming University official app. ¡°Hmm¡­ 0001,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m 0002,¡± Fang Lan also smiled. Front row privileges! Everyone was surprised. ¡°What?? So early?¡± Lu Dingding was astonished. ¡°Because we pulled some strings and registered early, it might be rted to that. Are your numbers far back?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Not really, we also registered early,¡± Lu Bing replied. ¡°We asked Pig Raiser to help us with the registration because he knows someone on the inside.¡± ¡°Oh, I contacted Shenghua to pull some strings for the registration,¡± Pig Raiser said. Lu Ran was speechless: ¡°¡­¡± It seemed like all their connections led back to Xiaobailong. Shenghua must have used Xiaobailong¡¯s connections since Xiaobailong works at Beast Taming University. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s all do our best!¡± Lu Bing said. ¡°Beast Taming University hasn¡¯t specified how many people will make it to the main tournament, so we need to give it our all in tomorrow¡¯s assessment. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be quite embarrassing if we don¡¯t even pass the preliminaries.¡± ¡°It does feel risky,¡± Lu Yi couldn¡¯t help but say. ¡°With a hundred thousand examinees, the number of people who can enter the main tournament surely won¡¯t be high. After all, the rewards only go to the top 100. Maybe only a few hundred will make it to the main tournament.¡± ¡°That would be too harsh,¡± Lu Dingding remarked. ¡°So tomorrow, will it be a massive showdown where the examiners thoroughly thrash the examinees???¡± ¡°How many people will be eliminated¡­ Out of a few hundred, maybe only one can pass the preliminary assessment¡­¡± ¡°The nation¡¯s resources are limited. There can¡¯t be that many Fourth Generation beastmasters to heavily invest in. A hundred seems about right.¡± ¡°But there should be other rewards for those who rank lower, like academic credits after admission, or some crystal coins or even cash. It can¡¯t be that there are no rewards at all,¡± Lu Bing spected. Pig Raiser and the others were evidently worried about the Freshman Tournament, especially since their pet beasts were only level 10 and hadn¡¯t entered a breakthrough secret realm yet. They couldn¡¯t be as calm as Lu Ran and Fang Lan. ¡°By the way, I heard an inside scoop,¡± Pig Raiser said. ¡°If this information is true, then the number of people passing the preliminaries might not be small.¡± ¡°Apparently, the Freshman Tournament¡¯s main event will be divided into two stages. In this preliminary assessment, the beastmasters who perform the best will be seeded yers, skipping the first stage of the tournament and going directly to the second stage.¡± ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± Fang Lan asked, surprised. ¡°How well do you have to perform?¡± ¡°Hopefully it¡¯s true,¡± Lu Ran looked at Pig Raiser with a questioning gaze. If he could skip some of the battles, Lu Ran would be all for it. With that time, he could do so many other things. Even exploring a secret realm a few more times seemed more valuable than standing on stage battling. ¡°I saw it on a forum, but the post disappeared shortly after.¡± ¡°Anyway, we just need to show our full potential¡­¡± Fang Lan said. She pondered for a moment¡­ The examiners should be resistant to poison, right? Soon, their conversation shifted from the Freshman Tournament to the breakthrough secret realm. When they learned how brutal Fang Lan¡¯s breakthrough task was, everyone¡¯s hearts tightened. However, when they heard that Lu Ran¡¯s breakthrough task involved a chef¡¯s assessment, they were even more bewildered. It seemed that no matter whose breakthrough task it was, passing wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Mine isn¡¯t difficult. If you encounter this breakthrough task, as long as you have the ability to huntmander species creatures, grasp some basic fire skills, and know how to control the heat when cooking, you can basically pass by relying on the quality of the ingredients,¡± Lu Ranughed. That¡¯s how a certain Sister White Tiger passed. Everyone was speechless: ¡­ Damn, this isn¡¯t difficult? Although they could defeatmander species creatures by teaming up, doing it solo¡­ definitely a death sentence! ¡°The food¡¯s here, let¡¯s eat!¡± At this moment, the waiter began serving the dishes. Seeing this, Fang Lan quickly changed the topic. She wanted to go back soon to practice Fusion Skill and with the early start tomorrow, there wasn¡¯t much time for entertainment tonight. ¡­ At night, after returning to the dojo and parting ways with Fang Lan, Lu Ran recalled their dinner conversation. Was there really a thing about seeded yers? He couldn¡¯t resist calling Manager Ying. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Manager Ying, I heard that in the preliminaries, some seeded yers will be selected who can skip part of the battles and advance directly to higher ranks. Is that true?¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°Oh, that. Let me think¡­ how much should I charge you for this information¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Given your reaction, it must be true, right? You wouldn¡¯t charge for false intelligence. Thanks, goodnight!¡± With that, Lu Ran hung up the phone. Manager Ying was stunned: ??? You scoundrel! You¡¯re not willing to pay even a bit!!! Lu Ran clearly didn¡¯t want to waste too much time on battles with random opponents. Although the battles themselves wouldn¡¯t take much time, he¡¯d still have to go to the arena in advance. With all the back-and-forth, wasting a few days was inevitable. If he could be a seeded yer and skip some battles, Lu Ran definitely wanted that. ¡°They don¡¯t directly advance the divine beast leaderboard beastmasters but the students who perform well in the preliminaries.¡± ¡°What a hassle¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute, could there be any corruption involved? Someone trying to push their own people up through this process¡­¡± Lu Ran shook his head. That shouldn¡¯t be possible. How could he have such negative thoughts? Even if some city officials wanted to, trying to deceive the Alliance for resources, the problem is that the examiners this time are all temporarily assigned from other ces. Moreover, without real strength, wouldn¡¯t they be exposed during the actual fight? In the preliminaries¡­ battling the examiners¡­ performing well, Lu Ran pondered. What does ¡°performing well¡± exactly mean? Should he let General Ha go? If it goes all out, it might be able to suppress the examiner for a moment, which should count as performing well. However, it was already decided that Sudden Death King would be the one to go on stage. Tomorrow¡¯s preliminary assessment is a 1v1 format, so only one of General Ha or Sudden Death King can participate. If Sudden Death King goes, it¡¯ll only take hits since it¡¯s not very aggressive unless severely injured. But the examiner wouldn¡¯t go all out on Sudden Death King. It should pass the assessment normally, but whether it could secure a spot as a seeded yer, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure. ¡°I¡¯ve got it.¡± Suddenly, Lu Ran had a sh of inspiration. ¡­ The next morning, before dawn, Lu Ran took General Ha and Sudden Death King into the training secret realm. They were both quite puzzled. What was Lu Ran up to so early in the morning? ¡°Sudden Death King, today I¡¯m going to teach you a new tactic!!!¡± ¡°You can use it during the assessmentter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m naming it: Thor! It¡¯s a highly destructive move.¡± Sudden Death King was bewildered: ? It looked down at itself. Destructive power? What a joke. It hadn¡¯t even mastered discharging electricity yet. Where would Thore from? ¡°Your Heart of the Overlord talent allows you to absorb damage, umte ¡®Domineering Energy,¡¯ and enhance your next attack.¡± ¡°Before the assessment tomorrow, we¡¯ll sneak into the training secret realm in Infinite City through the restroom at the examination site. General Ha will beat you half to death so you can absorb enough damage. Then, we¡¯ll use the Divine Deer Pendant to heal your injuries. This way, you can enter the assessment unscathed, with a lot of ¡®Domineering Energy¡¯ umted. When the timees, unleash the damage you absorbed from General Ha onto the examiner¡¯s pet beast. Do you get what I mean?¡± ¡°Woof woof woof woof!!¡± Upon hearing this, General Ha was shocked. I might not be a human, but you are really heartless, silently mourning for Sudden Death King. Sudden Death King was also stunned, its face full of shock. Wow, how could there be such a devilish beastmaster? Absolute Defense, Heart of the Overlord, and the Divine Deer Pendant¡ªwas this how they were supposed to be used?? Charging a big move in advance?? With this strategy, the examiner¡¯s pet beast probably wouldn¡¯t even know how it died. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s test it out first to see the power¡­¡± ¡°We need to get proficient with this tactic. It will be very useful in the future. It feels like it¡¯s no less powerful than a dozen Storm shes.¡± This tactic could be used in future tournaments and secret realms where preparation in advance is possible. Lu Ran held the Divine Deer Pendant, and General Ha picked up the Ice Sky Greatsword that Lu Ran had prepared. Both expressed their willingness to help Sudden Death King practice the new tactic. Sudden Death King: ¡°Roar!!!¡± [This is it. I¡¯m really going to die this time. Thank you all, Orz¡­] Chapter 124: Examiner: Is This Really Fourth Generation? Chapter 124: Examiner: Is This Really Fourth Generation? A little after six in the morning. Lu Ran and his team gathered outside the newly constructed ¡°Jinling Beast Taming Arena.¡± ¡°I was so nervous I couldn¡¯t sleep all night.¡± ¡°Same here.¡± The members from LuJia Vige sighed in resignation. Next to them, Lu Ran and Fang Lan were silent. In reality, they had been busy all night as well. One of them had been researching ¡°Thor Tactics¡± for half the night, and the other had been studying ¡°Fusion Skill.¡± Fortunately, they were beastmasters, full of energy, and had ess to resources that could keep them alert. So, theck of rest wasn¡¯t an issue.¡°Let¡¯s go in,¡± Lu Ran said with a yawn. The Jinling Beast Taming Arena had a seating capacity of fifty thousand, but the number of examinees in Jinling was less than a tenth of that, so the interior seemed quite empty once they entered. After all, the only people in the stands were the examinees. This preliminary assessment was not open to the public; only relevant staff and examinees were present inside. ¡°These people are really full of energy.¡± Actually, the current number of people in the arena was already quite exceptional because the assessment was divided into time slots. Examinees withter sequence numbers coulde at noon, in the afternoon, or even on the second or third day. The beast taming university¡¯s app had already provided estimated assessment times. But from the looks of it, many assessors wanted to gather intelligence early and had arrived bright and early. At this moment, in Lu Ran¡¯s team, Lu Ran was walking in the front, with Fang Lan and Lu Bing slightly behind him on either side, and the remaining four members further back. They looked like they were about to enter a secret realm. After all, during their secret realm excursions, the strongest, Lu Ran, would clear the way, while the others followed to collect materials¡­ ¡°Entering examinees, please take your seats promptly and avoid wandering around the arena or corridors.¡± ¡°Examinees with earlier sequence numbers, please sit in the front rows.¡± ¡°The assessment will officially start at seven o¡¯clock. When your sequence number is called, please proceed to the battleground to summon your pet beast. The next examinee should also promptly head to the waiting area¡­¡± The announcements from the Jinling Arena¡¯s PA system kept repeating the relevant instructions. Lu Ran nced at his watch it was 6:40. He then said, ¡°I¡¯ll head to the waiting area first. Only 20 minutes left.¡± ¡°You guys find a ce to sit,¡± he added. ¡°Got it,¡± the Pig Raiser and the others nodded. ¡°Good luck, Boss Lu!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Fang Lan said, as she was next after Lu Ran. ¡°Okay, then wait for me over there. I need to use the restroom first¡­¡± Fang Lan rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait outside the restroom.¡± At the waiting area leading to the central battleground, a guide in a uniform was already waiting. Seeing Lu Ran and Fang Lan approach, he asked, ¡°You¡¯re Examinee No.1 and No.2, right?¡± ¡°The assessment will start shortly. Please wait a moment. You¡¯ll need to scan your faces to pass through the gate.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran and Fang Lan replied simply. Soon after, the examiners took their positions. Three people began to take their seats on the tform with the best view in the arena. Dressed in formal attire, they varied in age and were third-generation beastmasters temporarily assigned from the Stone City Association within the Infinite City region. To ensure fairness, there weren¡¯t many local second or third-generation beastmasters from Jinling present. Then, a young man in a blue windbreaker also walked onto the field. These fourprised the examiner panel for this assessment. The young man in the windbreaker, also a third-generation beastmaster, was responsible for thebat assessment. The other three would sit on the tform to observe and evaluate the examinees¡¯ skills. If thebat examiner needed a break, other third-generation beastmasters from Stone City, who were on standby, would take over. There were many substitute examiners in addition to the main four. ¡°Examinee No. 0001, please enter the field for assessment within two minutes.¡± ¡°Examinee No. 0001¡­¡± After a short while, the arena¡¯s PA system began announcing the progress of the assessment. ¡°Good luck!¡± In the waiting area, Fang Lan waved her fist in encouragement. Though Lu Ran¡¯s skills were impressive, his opponent was a third-generation beastmaster. Fang Lan was worried Lu Ran might be nervous, as it wasmon for fourth-generation beastmasters to lose to third-generation ones. ¡°Thanks,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. As Lu Ran walked out, thebat examiner, the three scoring examiners, and the examinees in the stands all turned their attention to him. ¡°Lu Ran???¡± In the stands, a beastmaster from Green Sea City suddenly eximed, causing a chain reaction. Many Green Sea beastmasters stood up to look at the field. They had arrived as a group since they were from the same city. Only Lu Ran and Fang Lan were absent, having quickly teleported over with the help of a cat¡­ Seeing Lu Ran appear first, they were all very surprised. ¡°He¡¯s the first to be assessed,¡± Yang Xishuai said in astonishment. ¡°Darn it, my lifelong rival¡± ¡°The first one is our ¡®strongest beastmaster¡¯ from Green Sea City,¡± Lu Teng muttered. Among the fourth-generation beastmasters from Green Sea City, there was always a debate about whether Lu Ran or Fang Lan was the strongest. Some believed that the Sudden Death King, a lizard, was powerful and possibly amander species, stronger than the Five Poison Holy Maiden. Others argued that since the Five Poison Holy Maiden had been on the divine beast leaderboard, it was unlikely that the Sudden Death King, even if it were amander species, could surpass it. Therefore, the Five Poison Holy Maiden must be stronger. Regardless, both were undoubtedly the strongest fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City. The beastmasters from Green Sea City were particrly attentive, eager to see how Lu Ran would perform. Besides them, not many people recognized Lu Ran. Infinite City No.3 spanned several provinces. Even familiar explorers who knew Lu Ran were not at the Jinling examination point. The only possible exception, Pluto, didn¡¯t seem to care about the assessment and hadn¡¯t arrived early. Soon, Lu Ran, dressed in a ck casual outfit with red lightning patterns, walked to the center of the field. ¡°Summon your pet beast ording to the assessment rules and give it your all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it. Just do your best to showcase your talents,¡± said the young man in the windbreaker, wearing an amplifier that projected his voice throughout the arena. ¡°The following examinees should listen up. I¡¯ll only say this once:e up and give it your all. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t give you a chance to show off.¡± ¡°Come at me with the mindset of defeating me in battle!!!¡± ¡°Remember my name, third-generation beastmaster, Wu Le.¡± To save time, he couldn¡¯t spar leisurely with every assessor, giving instructional battles. The most efficient approach was for the assessors to show their full strength immediately. Wu Le would hold back slightly, merely suppressing the assessors enough to effectively screen for talent. As he spoke, he summoned his pet beast. In the field, the summoning circle glowed and burst with light, revealing a Rhino. This Rhino was nearly six meters long, over two meters tall at the shoulder, with pir-like limbs, a massive head, and armor-like thick skin. It had twin horns on its snout resembling short swords, making it look extremely formidable! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± As soon as the Rhino was summoned, it let out a heavy bellow, causing the ground to tremble slightly. ¡°A Rhino?!¡± The assessors couldn¡¯t help but groan inwardly. Third-generation beastmasters had the luxury of choosing powerful fierce beasts for their second or third pets. In contrast, fourth-generation beastmasters typically started with moremon pets like cats or dogs. The thought of battling a Rhino, such a formidable creature, made them feel at a disadvantage. This kind of creature had strong defense, powerful attacks, and decent speed, with almost no weaknesses. They could already imagine how Examinee No. 0001 would be thoroughly outmatched. [Name]: Giant Rock Raging Rhino [Attribute]: Rock [Species Level]: Middle Commander [Growth Level]: Level 29 In the examination hall, Lu Ran, one of the few with an intermediate eye of data, knew the Rhino¡¯s stats. Seeing the data, Lu Ran was surprised. Why didn¡¯t this examiner summon a pet beast above level 30? Top-tier third-generation beastmasters typically had pet beasts around level 30 or higher, so this probably wasn¡¯t the examiner¡¯s main pet. It made sense though. With so many assessors to handle, the examiner would likely cycle through all their pet beasts eventually. Starting with this one wasn¡¯t a bad strategy. For fourth-generation beastmasters, even a level 29 Giant Rock Raging Rhino posed a significant challenge. Levels 1 to 20 were easy to level up and considered a rapid growth phase. However, post-level 20, progress slowed considerably, and even a single level difference became significant. At that moment, Lu Ran also summoned his pet beast. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Red lightning shed, and the Sudden Death King, resembling a ck dragon, made a dramatic entrance! Standing over three meters tall, the lizard-like Sudden Death King, with its monstrous bipedal stance, left the assessors stunned. The domineering energy exuded by the Sudden Death King was in no way inferior to that of the Giant Rock Raging Rhino. With its ck scales, red eyes, and earth-shattering roar, it was clearly no weakling. ¡°A second pet?¡± Lu Bing and the others were surprised. So cool¡­ way cooler than General Ha. ¡°Who is this guy? This pet beast¡¯s base species should be the Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard, right? Such a small lizard has been nurtured to this massive size.¡± As Lu Ran summoned his pet beast, the three examiners on the podium showed unexpected expressions. This lizard didn¡¯t look weak at all. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have more detailed information about the assessor. Generally speaking, if a fourth-generation beastmaster was powerful, their pet beast species alone could reveal their identity. However, Lu Ran was too low-key. Unless he summoned General Ha, these examiners wouldn¡¯t know who he was. These pre-selection examiners didn¡¯t seem to have much authority andcked intermediate eye of data. They could only rely on their experience to judge that the Sudden Death King was not weak, with a strong species and high level. But they didn¡¯t think too much about it. How strong could a fourth-generation beastmaster possibly be? All the examiners, including Wu Le, shared this sentiment. Meanwhile, the audience was buzzing with excitement. Beastmasters from Green Sea City were introducing Lu Ran to those from other cities. ¡°He¡¯s a beastmaster from Green Sea City.¡± ¡°This Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard is amazing, its defense is incredibly strong.¡± ¡°Normal attacks can¡¯t break through its defense at all.¡± ¡°Huh? A pet beast specializing in defense? No way a lizard can have stronger defense than a Rhino, plus the examiner¡¯s pet beast is higher level. It¡¯s just a sitting duck,¡± beastmasters from other citiesughed. As the conversation continued, the Sudden Death King, who had endured a lot of beatings in the morning, started to unleash its energy as the tournament began. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Even a y figure has some fire; an overlord cannot be humiliated!!! With this near-death umted strike, can you withstand it?! Huh?! Just as Examiner Wu Le was calmly preparing to toy with this fourth-generation junior¡­ A terrifying energy erupted from the field! Suddenly, red lightning surged from the Sudden Death King¡¯s body, extending upwards over ten meters. Amidst the terrifying thunder energy explosion, an evenrger energy apparition of the Sudden Death King took shape, d in armor and wielding a shield! The massive beast apparition shocked everyone present. Even Wu Le and the other examiners were stunned, their mouths agape. What the hell is this? Is this really a beast taming skill from a fourth-generation beastmaster¡¯s pet? If the examiners were shocked, the examinees in the audience were even more dumbfounded. Not to mention them, even those who knew Lu Ran, like Fang Lan, were taken aback. What¡¯s going on with this lizard?! ¡°Examiner Wu, we¡¯re about to attack. Aren¡¯t you going to defend?¡± The energy that had exploded was all umted from the Sudden Death King taking hits for so long! If Examiner Wu had summoned a pet beast above level 30, Lu Ran would have had the Sudden Death King unleash its full power without hesitation. However, considering that Examiner Wu had summoned a secondary pet in the 20s level range, Lu Ran was worried that the Sudden Death King¡¯s attack might be too powerful and could potentially electrocute the opponent¡¯s pet beast. Hence, he gave a heads-up. ¡°No way, it¡¯s just a trick,¡± Examiner Wu scoffed. He didn¡¯t believe a fourth-generation beastmaster could be this strong. ¡°Reinforced Rock Charge!¡± [Go for it!] He encouraged his pet beast. Against a fourth-generation beastmaster, he hadn¡¯t even considered using gigantification, berserk traits, or beast taming skills. What a joke, he was a third-generation beastmaster. Moreover, he had already discerned the trait of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast. Red lightning indicated a body forging trait, meaning the pet beast was likely physically strong, and the external energy apparition was probably just for show. The Giant Rock Raging Rhino¡¯s entire body was now covered in rapidly flowing rock energy, as if enveloped in ayer of rock armor. It charged forward, its twin sword-like horns shaped frompressed energy aiming straight at the gigantic apparition of the Sudden Death King! Three major energy techniquesbined, showing that he was taking this seriously. Seeing this, Lu Ran hesitated no longer. The beast apparition lowered its head and mmed the Thunder Shield directly onto the charging Giant Rock Raging Rhino! Boom!!! The massive shield came crashing down. At that very moment, feeling the immense pressure approaching, the expression on the Giant Rock Raging Rhino changed. Desperately, it ignored its beastmaster¡¯smands, its body suddenly erging as it attempted to use gigantification to resist. It couldn¡¯t care less about maintaining the dignity of a senior beast. It had only partially gigantified, but the sense of crisis remained¡­ it roared, calling for its beastmaster and skills! But it was toote. A shockingly powerful red lightning exploded on the field, with thunderous snakes of energy spreading wildly in all directions. The deafening noise caused the three examiners to stand up collectively, and many examinees were so shocked they covered their ears. When it was all over¡­ All that remained was a Rhino, its mouth muttering curses, lying on the groundpletely charred and spewing ck smoke. At that moment, every beastmaster in the arena stared at the Sudden Death King beneath the beast apparition, and further back at Lu Ran, in deep silence. ¡°Holy crap!¡± After the silence came astonishment. Beastmasters from other cities looked at the beastmasters from Green Sea City with explosive gazes. This¡­ this is what you call amazing defense?! Incredible defense meant knocking out a third-generation beastmaster¡¯s pet beast with a single Thunder Shield p, right!!! This is absurd, who the heck is this guy? Examiner Wu Le, wasn¡¯t he here to assess students? Howe he was out ofmission in less than half a minute!! Green Sea City crowd: ??? At that moment, Examiner Wu Le himself stood dumbfounded in the field like a shark that had lost its dreams¡­ he wanted to say, wait! Something seems off here¡­ Chapter 125: Is This How the Test Is Done? Chapter 125: Is This How the Test Is Done? On the field, Wu Le struggled to keep his expression neutral. After a long pause, he finally said, ¡°Not bad, the examinees from Jinling have some skills.¡± ¡°It seems I¡¯ve underestimated you all. To think you could so easily defeat my ¡®newly contracted¡¯ ¡®pet beast.¡¯¡± ¡°What I just demonstrated was a good example for everyone. This examinee cooperated well, going all out from the start. Naturally, I held back a bit, either not using any beast taming skills or letting my pet beast refrain from using its special Talent¡­ giving you some room to perform.¡± ¡°In short, just follow the pace set by Examinee 0001 from now on.¡± ¡°Very well, you passed¡­¡± The crowd¡¯s expressions were peculiar. Is that how it is? ¡°Wu Le, that kid is talking nonsense again,¡± the three examiners on the tform thought, astonished. No matter how new your pet beast is, it¡¯s still a level 30 middlemander species with two fused traits!It might be newpared to an ace or a Main Pet, butpared to these fourth-generation pet beasts, it¡¯s definitely a veteran. And were you really holding back? Holding back is simply to avoid identally one-shotting a fourth-generation beastmaster¡¯s pet beast, preventing them from performing and viting the examiner¡¯s guidelines. But the problem now is that this fourth-generation beastmaster is unusual. Their pet beast¡¯s attack wasparable to a strike from amander species above level 30. Even if you weren¡¯t holding back and went all out, you would likely still be heavily injured. And remember, the opponent¡¯s fourth-generation pet beast didn¡¯t even use any beast taming skills. So who exactly is this neer? What¡¯s up with their pet beast? Besides the Red Lightning trait, what other special traits has it fused? To unleash such a powerful strike without seemingly paying any price? (Sudden Death King: ?) The three examiners looked at the tablets in front of them, unsure how toment. For the score, it¡¯s naturally full marks. As for thements, Wu Le¡¯s rhino charged, and Wu Le¡¯s rhino was instantly killed? Whatever, just write down what happened. There¡¯s a video anyway, and the school staff will review the footageter. ¡°Strange.¡± Elsewhere, a few Third Generation examiners from Stone City watched Wu Le¡¯s predicament in disbelief. ¡°Are the neers from Jinling really this terrifying?¡± ¡°Unless it¡¯s a young pet beast from a sovereign species, thatst strike just doesn¡¯t make sense.¡± At this moment, medical personnel carried away the Giant Rock Raging Rhino. Wu Le, keeping his expression unchanged, quickly said, ¡°Next.¡± Lu Ran, in a good mood, recalled his Sudden Death King. If it was willing to take a preemptive hit, Sudden Death King could indeed perform exceptionally well. General Ha¡¯s ¡°A Powerful Strike¡± and Sudden Death King¡¯s ¡°Near-Death Counterattack¡± had allowed him to fully understand the potential of his heirloom, the Divine Deer Pendant. ¡°Good luck.¡± As Lu Ran stepped down, he passed by Fang Lan, who was next to go up, and encouraged her. ¡°¡­¡± Fang Lan wanted to ask if Sudden Death King had taken any special drugs beforehand. But it didn¡¯t matter. She quickly stepped onto the stage. At this point, Wu Le had already summoned his next pet beast, eager to move past the earlier assessment mishap. The newly summoned pet beast was a middlemander species, level 31¡­ a Rock Dog. Lu Ran nced at it and deduced that it was likely Wu Le¡¯s Initial Pet. He reasoned this because it was umon for someone to choose a canine beast as their second or Third Pet, given that there are usually better options avable by then. Moreover, since it had reached level 30, it must have undergone some evolution. However, being only a middlemander species indicated that its foundation was not very strong, suggesting that Wu Le had taken many detours in its training. Such situations weremon for Initial Pets. Therefore, this canine beast was probably Wu Le¡¯s Initial Pet, while the Rhino was his Third Pet. This scenario was frequent. Currently, most beastmasters¡¯ aces were not their Initial Pets but new pets they trained after gaining more experience. ¡°Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden?!¡± Just as Wu Le was preparing to perform well and restore his image, he suddenly heard a loud exmation from the audience, giving him a bad premonition. [Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden? Who? Is she a well-known fourth-generation from Infinite City No. 3 or Jinling?] Wu Le watched as the purple-haired Fang Lan stepped onto the field, summoning a gigantic Poison Spider. He further deduced that she specialized in poison-based beast taming. Wu Le felt uneasy. They didn¡¯t have much experience dealing with poison types, and his canine beast had its sense of smell significantly enhanced, primarily used for reconnaissance. Its heightened sense of smell was a pure disadvantage against poison types. Their strategy for dealing with poison types mostly relied on anti-poison equipment. However, during the assessment, it seemed that examiners were prohibited from wearing weapons or equipment. Damn it! The battle quicklymenced. Encouraged by the previous round¡¯s examiner, Fang Lan went all out from the start, using both a Fusion Skill and poison enhancement simultaneously! Carrying a high-quality venom orb that enhanced poison control, the Toxin Healer Spider fused with Fang Lan in an instant through a light chain connection. In a split second, eight blue-purple spider legs sprouted from Fang Lan¡¯s back, drastically altering her demeanor. ¡°Examiner, be careful.¡± Her voice, echoing slightly, carried a warning. As she spoke, a poison gas bomb rapidly formed behind her. Energy flow, energy release, energypression, energy shaping! Having honed her skills to perfection through the rigorous training as the Saintess of the Gu God Sect, she had mastered all four basic techniques. Now, with the poison gas bombpressed to several times its usual density, she unleashed it in an instant! Wu Le sensed trouble. His pet beast easily destroyed thepressed poison gas bomb, but it was futile. The explosion released a massive poison gas storm, engulfing the entire arena. ¡°Holy crap!¡± The poison gas exploded, causing an uproar among the audience. A bunch of examinees nearly bolted in fear. They watched in terror as the Spider Queen, Fang Lan, stood on the field. Saintess, you¡¯re even more terrifying than in the arena stages! Fortunately, the poison gas remained within the arena¡¯s confines. Wu Le, more panicked than the examinees, was at a loss. ¡°Alright, alright, is this how we¡¯re all going to do the assessment?¡± ¡°You all want to murder the examiners!¡± Wu Le thought, cursing inwardly. If it weren¡¯t for the arena¡¯s restrictions, he would have immediately moved out of the poison gas range. But the arena confined him tightly, leaving him no choice but to watch the poison gas approach helplessly. Fortunately, this level of poison gas couldn¡¯t prate his canine beast¡¯s defenses. The canine beast sealed its mouth, nose, and eyes with rapidly flowing energy to forcibly resist the poison gas while creating a rock prison to shield the beastmaster behind it, preventing the poison gas from harming him. However, this also meant that the examiner and the pet beast were effectively separated. At that moment, Fang Lan took out a poison crossbow made from a special poison-type mineral. Whoosh! Her poison crossbow didn¡¯t target the examiner or the pet beast; it was simply shot into the ground. As the arrowhead exploded on impact, the released poison energy seemed to react chemically with the poison gas, instantly turning the floating purple gas into a sinister purple-red mist. The essence of poison types lies in the mixture of toxins and external maniption to increase poison strength! The poison gas, which initially couldn¡¯t break through the rock prison, suddenly corroded cracks in the rock walls. This rmed the canine beast, which was momentarily uncertain whether to defeat the opponent or protect the beastmaster. It felt as though even if it defeated the opponent, it wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the spread of the poison gas. For a moment, the beastmaster didn¡¯t give appropriatemands, causing the canine beast¡¯s mind to go into overdrive. Simultaneously, the red-purple poison gas began to corrode its energy barrier. Although the corrosion was slow, it would be increasingly dangerous over time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, quickly defeat her!¡± Wu Le, frustrated within the airtight rock prison, pounded on the walls and issued themand. However, the next moment, the canine beast outside suddenly realized that Fang Lan had vanished! The poison gas continued to erode, but with its sense of smell and vision impaired by the gas, the canine beast found it difficult to locate the hidden Fang Lan in the vast arena. At this moment, Fang Lan was wrapped in white spider silk. The silk absorbed the poison gas, forming a camouge that hid her well in the dense poison mist. ¡°Awooo!!!¡± The canine beast grew desperate and began attacking indiscriminately. However, it didn¡¯t dare to go all out for fear of injuring Fang Lan,pletely forgetting the lesson from the previous match. The irond rule from above was clear: examinees must not be seriously injured. Wu Le and his colleagues naturally dared not disobey. For a Third Generation examiner assessing a Fourth Generation neer, such assessment rules made perfect sense. But Wu Le felt on the verge of tears. What kind of bizarre opponents was he encountering? Without treating the other party as a ¡°mortal enemy,¡± he couldn¡¯t find a way to break the stalemate! ¡°Can you do it or not? What the heck are you doing?!¡± Seeing this, Wu Le also panicked and decided to end the fight. He called out, and the canine beast crashed through the rock prison, instantly taking its beastmaster out of the poison gas range. ¡°You¡¯ve passed the assessment! Step down! Also, can you clear this poison gas?!¡± Wu Le, who had fled far outside the arena, red at Fang Lan, who now stood revealed and stunningly beautiful next to her pet beast, silently thinking to himself that the most venomous thing is a woman¡¯s heart! ¡°Yay!!¡± Upon hearing the examiner¡¯s voice, Fang Lan also let out a cheerful shout and said, ¡°No problem!!!¡± As she spoke, the eight spider legs on her back began to disy an unexpected ability, acting like a vacuum cleaner to absorb all the poison gas into herself! Soon, the poison gas in the arena dissipated, and the Spider Queen Fang Lan stood smiling in the now-clear arena, while Wu Le, who had fled outside, looked quite disheveled. This battle was conducted inplete silence, with the audience¡¯s fear and apprehension far exceeding that of the previous match, fearing that the poison gas might continue to spread and reach the spectators. ¡°Damn¡­¡± The people of Green Sea City and some Fourth Generation who were familiar with the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden shivered all over. They felt that Fang Lan, showcasing her Fusion Skill, was a thousand times more terrifying than the skill-less Fang Lan of the arena stages. If they were her opponent, they wouldn¡¯t even know how they died. Even as spectators, they felt their lives were in danger. Soon, Fang Lan stepped down and high-fived Lu Ran. Fang Lan said regretfully, ¡°His pet beast is too high-level. My mixed poison gas couldn¡¯t break its defenses, unlike how you defeated yours¡­¡± ¡°I wonder if I can be a seeded yer¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve done enough,¡± Lu Ran said, unable to suppress a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Didn¡¯t you see how you drove the examiner mad? The rules indeed restrict the examiners a lot. Poor examiner. However, the most pitiful person at the moment wasn¡¯t the examiner. It was the next examinee. As the third examinee took the stage, Wu Le, with a nk expression, retracted his canine beast and summoned another pet beast! His ace¡ªan elite Yak King of the sovereign species! It turned out that this Third Generation was a hidden master, keeping his true strength concealed until now! ¡°Come on!!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how you examinees n to show off now! Come on, let¡¯s harm each other!!¡± The powerful sovereign aura emitted by the Yak King made it difficult for the next examinee¡¯s pet beast to even withstand the pressure¡­ ¡°It¡¯s over. Wu Le has gone mad.¡± Although the other examiners sympathized with Wu Le¡¯s plight, seeing him summon a level 36 sovereign species ace for the assessment showed that he was truly frightened out of his wits! After this¡­ Should they also start by sending out their aces? They needed to adopt tougher strategies to avoid being embarrassed by these Fourth Generation examinees showing off! Chapter 126: Too Harsh Chapter 126: Too Harsh Wu Le was evidently in a bit of a mood. The third examinee who followed just wandered around the field for half a minute before being eliminated. ¡°Ah, this.¡± Lu Ran and Fang Lan returned to the stands and found the Pig Raiser. Their expressions were quite dismal. They never expected that Lu Ran and Fang Lan, after breaking through to level 1, would be so formidable. One¡¯s second pet was as strong as a monster, and the other¡¯s mastery of the Fusion Skill was so vicious that they almost took out the examiner and the entire audience. The main problem was that this examiner seemed to have been driven mad by the two of them. His whole demeanor had changed, and it felt like the following examinees were going to have a tough time. The misdeeds of predecessors bring disasters upon those who follow¡­ ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±The Pig Raiser said, ¡°Won¡¯t we be targeted by Examiner Wu as well¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡± Lu Ran nced at the fourth examinee, who was also eliminated within seconds, and said, ¡°Examiner Wu is still very reliable. Although his suppression seems much stronger than in the previous two rounds, he still leaves space for the examinees to showcase their abilities.¡± ¡°Thest two were just too weak.¡± ¡°Moreover, passing the preliminary assessment involves three stages: battling the examiner, the examiner¡¯s scoring, and¡­¡± ¡°The official review of the battle video by the beast taming university. If the assessment is not up to standard, Examiner Wu himself will be punished. So, just go and battle with peace of mind!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words did little tofort the Pig Raiser and the others¡­ They only felt that Examiner Wu was now very fierce¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ Unbeknownst to Lu Ran, the beast taming forum was already in an uproar. At many examination sites across the country, third-generation beastmasters were methodically assessing the Fourth Generation¡¯s abilities. Although the assessment process did not allow for video recording or photography, it didn¡¯t stop examinees from sharing their experiences online. Just shortly after the assessments began, many examinees were already venting their frustration on the new section of the beast taming forum,ining that the third-generation beastmasters were too strong, making the whole process very frustrating. But amidst all theseints, a few posts stood out. [In Jinling, OMG, the first examinee knocked out the examiner¡¯s pet beast in one hit, and the second examinee forced the examiner out of the field¡­] [Help needed: Red Lightning trait, base species is red-eyed eagle lizard. Does anyone know which beastmaster has this setup?] [Breaking News! The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden has learned a Fusion Skill, transforming into the Spider Queen. Her poison gas is now even more brutal, capable of covering the entire arena. Even advanced pet beasts¡¯ energy constructs and flowstones can¡¯t fully block it! If you face her in a tournament, just surrender!] As soon as these posts from Jinling appeared, the forum exploded. Netizens were amazed. Examiner Wu Le¡¯s name quickly became known among the many forum lurkers in a rather unusual way. He might even get the title of ¡°Unluckiest Examiner¡± after all this. The user ¡°Start with Panda¡± from Rong City replied: [Maybe this Examiner Wu Le is just too weak. Damn, why doesn¡¯t hee to our side to be an examiner? I really want to face him.] The user ¡°me Lion King¡± from Jinling replied: [Weak my foot. Theter examinees are already crying. Can you call a third-generation beastmaster with a sovereign species pet beast weak? It¡¯s just that those two are freaks!] After posting, Lu Teng from Green Sea City started looking for Lu Ran and Fang Lan. The user ¡°Taekwondo Kangaroo¡± from Stone City said: [Wu Le¡­ seriously? Wu Le is a member of the ¡®Stone Age,¡¯ one of the Four Major Guilds of Infinite City, specializing in rock species. He¡¯s quite famous. How could he lose to the fourth generation¡­ unless he drank some fake wine today.] A beastmaster from Stone Age came out to refute the ims, saying they didn¡¯t know Wu Le. Whether it was true or not remained uncertain. The news continued to spread to othermunities¡­ [What the heck? An examiner getting repeatedly beaten by dozens of examinees during the assessment?] [What?! An examiner got beaten to death by freshmen during the assessment?] ¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s team members were all assessed in the morning, and soon, it was the Pig Raiser¡¯s turn. Just as Lu Ran had said, although Examiner Wu Le seemed crazed, he still retained some sanity. While he might harshly beat down examinees, any Fourth Generation with sufficient strength could still pass his assessment. Whether they could pass the other three scoring examiners was another matter entirely. This passing standard was quickly spected online.
  1. The beastmaster must have mastered a beast taming skill.
  1. The pet beast must have a fusion trait or have awakened a second attribute.
  1. The pet beast must be proficient in two of the four major energy maniption techniques, which can form abo technique.
  1. The pet beast must be of an upper supernatural species.
  1. The beastmaster must be at level 1, and the pet beast must be above level 10.
When an examinee meets two of these five conditions, their strength is generally not weak. As long as they can apply these in actualbat, they can pass the assessment even if their performance is somewhatcking. These conditions were naturally met by Lu Ran¡¯s team, who frequently challenged the abyss secret realm, so they passed the assessment without any doubt. However, most examinees didn¡¯t meet even one of these conditions. As a result, they were given a harsh lesson,ing to terms with their own strengths and broadening their horizons by observing other examinees. ¡°Though it was painful, we finally passed.¡± The Pig Raiser cried with joy, ¡°Mom and Dad! I¡¯m finally making something of myself!¡± ¡°That Yak King was so strong, it scared me to death.¡± Lu Bing was still in the shadows, recalling how many examinees that sovereign species Yak had beaten down that morning¡­ She hoped that Wu Le wouldn¡¯t be theirbat ss instructor in college; she didn¡¯t want to face him again. ¡°I¡¯m so hungry, how about we go eat something?¡± Lu Xiao Wu, whopleted the assessmentst, looked pale, his stomach growling. ¡°You guys go ahead.¡± Lu Ran was about to join them when he suddenly received a message. Manager Ying: [Come find me at the Beast Taming Edifice in Jinling after you¡¯re done.] Lu Ran spected that Manager Ying wouldn¡¯t be contacting him just to congratte him on passing the assessment perfectly. Could it be that they had caught an assassin who was after him? Or perhaps, its avatar had finally found the slumbering ancient creature and was nning to take him to see it? ¡°I have some business to attend to,¡± Lu Ran quickly exined the situation to Fang Lan and the others. ¡°No problem, you go ahead,¡± said the Pig Raiser and the others. ¡°Go on, go on. By the way, are you going back to Green Seater, or heading straight to Sky City?¡± Fang Lan asked. Sky City. This is a massive city in the sky of Xia Country, created by several First Generation big shots using supernatural powers. It appears to be designed as an academy city specifically for nurturing beastmaster talent. Several campuses of Beast Taming University are located here. The Freshman Tournament, following the preliminaries, will also be held here. Both Lu Ran and Fang Lan felt they could be seeded yers, so they would have plenty of time to arrange their schedules before the main tournament began. ¡°I¡¯m heading back to Green Sea,¡± Lu Ran said, waving his hand, and then quickly left, eager to meet Manager Ying. ¡­ In the park outside the Beast Taming Edifice. Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying, who appeared instantly, and said, ¡°Manager Ying, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Nothing much, I just got some ingredients and thought you could fulfill your promise to cook a meal for me,¡± Manager Ying said. Lu Ran: ? Lu Ran: ? Damn, I skipped out on a gathering just for this¡ªto cook a meal! Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°Fine, no problem, I¡¯ll do it! By the way, I have some Dragon Fish here, should we grill it together?¡± ¡°Advanced Dragon Fish? Even dogs wouldn¡¯t eat that!¡± Manager Ying snorted, ¡°You better give it your all. I went through a lot of trouble and spent a lot of money to get these exquisite-level ingredients. If you mess it up and it turns out bad, such a waste¡­¡± It extended its little furry paw, revealing pink paw pads, and with a ¡°shing¡± sound, sharp ws extended. ¡°Exquisite-level ingredients?!¡± Lu Ran was shocked, ignoring the threat. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s premium meat from a Dragon King Bird, a sub-dragon species of a lower overlord species,¡± Manager Ying exined. ¡°Back then, the official strategy team teamed up with several First Generations, and it took thebined effort of over a dozen sovereign species pet beasts to barely take it down.¡± ¡°Do you understand the value of this meat now?¡± ¡°Cook it carefully. The meat is already sliced into pieces. I managed to get 10 slices this time. After cooking, I¡¯ll give you half a slice, which you can feed to your Dragon Lizard. So if you mess up, it¡¯s a loss for both of us, got it?¡± ¡°Really?? Boss, you¡¯re so generous!!¡± Lu Ran eximed with joy, ¡°Just ordinary grilled bird meat slices, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll put my heart and soul into this¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Wait, are you in a hurry to eat? If not, give me a few days!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never grilled exquisite-level ingredients before. I¡¯m worried I might mess it up. Give me a few days to practice my dragon culinary intent, and I¡¯ll cook it once I¡¯m confident.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Manager Ying agreed, although it was eager to eat, it knew giving Lu Ran some time was the prudent choice. The Dragon Cat¡¯s culinary debut must not fail! This exquisite cuisine of the dragon was its initial attempt. Next, Lu Ran returned to Green Sea. Originally, he had nned to challenge a level 1 secret realm during this time. But now, forget the challenge. He needed to practice cooking with his me Dragon culinary intent every day, aiming to create a dish of ¡°Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon.¡± After all, Manager Ying had promised to give him half a slice. Even half a slice of this caliber of ingredients was exponentially more valuable than rare ingredients. Lu Ran could only say that the sudden death king was in for a treat. If it could eat that half slice, the boost in its strength would be immense, and its path of Loong-type evolution would certainly be smoother. It¡¯s important to note that those powerful creatures over level 40 appearing in human-restricted zones achieved their strength by consuming exquisite-level resources suitable for them, quickly mutating to levels capable of countering various military measures. The benefits of suitable exquisite cuisine are undoubtedly unimaginable. Soon after, Lu Ran confirmed his training n for this period. For General Ha, he decided to give it the divine deer pendant to further practice energypression and release control. Combined with a bunch of Sky Tree fruit he had just bought, this would help it steadily increase its level. Once it reached level 20, its strength would undergo a qualitative change. As for the sudden death king, it would consume the dishes Lu Ran grilled using his me Dragon culinary intent daily, practicing the shaping artistic conception of the dragon. Temporarily, it would set aside the basic skills like energy flow and energypression, focusing on advanced techniques with shaping artistic conception as the core training goal. This approach would maximize the benefits brought by the food. General Ha mastering the artistic conception of the dragon seemed unlikely. Despite practicing for a long time, it hadn¡¯t even achieved the basics. This proved that even with goodprehension, one must follow the right path. Lu Ran had to pin his hopes on teaching the artistic conception of the dragon to the sudden death king, a sub-dragon species. This was also rted to their evolution paths. General Ha was evidently more suited toprehending artistic conceptions like the Blizzard Conception, which contained nature force. On the other hand, the sudden death king¡¯s evolution path was biological evolution. It relied on its thin dragon blood to understand the powerful artistic conception of pure-blooded Loong-type dragons. This was its path. Of course, Lu Ran also prepared another special training for the sudden death king. The Red Lightning trait had been fused for so long, yet its abilities hadn¡¯t been fully developed. It was time to explore that further. ¡°Hey, Uncle Zhao.¡± ¡°Lu Ran!! Amazing!! I got the news from the assessment side,¡± Zhao Chenughed heartily. He never expected that a third-generation beastmaster could be outdone by a fourth generation. With Lu Ran and Fang Lan, Green Sea City¡¯s importance would surely rival that of provincial capital cities now. ¡°Ah¡­ haha,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°Do you remember the power nt I mentionedst time? I might need to use it soon.¡± ¡°The power nt? No problem,¡± Zhao Chen said. To help the sudden death king with body forging, Lu Ran specifically requested a power nt and asked Zhao Chen to help modify it. This would significantly boost the efficiency of the training. Compared to entering a thunder secret realm and enduring electric shocks from thunder-type creatures, this method was much faster. Chapter 127: Thunder Dragon Armor Fusion Chapter 127: Thunder Dragon Armor Fusion In the outskirts of the Green Sea. Inside an abandoned Power nt. asional shes of electricity pierced the darkness. ¡°Roar¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± Apanied by the agonizing howls of a beast. To the unknowing observer, it might seem like some cruel biological experiment was taking ce. ¡°Suffer to endure, to be the superior lizard.¡± Regarding the situation of the sudden death king, Lu Ran could only think¡­ having a stable training ground was something to be grateful for. If it were a more ruthless beastmaster, they¡¯d probably drag you to a lightning-prone area and make you hold a lightning rod to get struck!In such a case, life or death would truly be left to fate. Inside the Power nt. The sudden death king stood on a specially designed electric tform, with several wires attached to its body, resembling a mutated beast under experimental control¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± Its entire body tensed up, bloodshot eyes glistening, ws tightly clenched¡­ It hurt, but it was also exhrating. Because enduring these electric shocks seemed to indeed enhance its defense. Although the improvement was minimal, the cumtive effect felt potentially significant over time. Under thebined numbness of body and mind, the sudden death king grew increasingly agitated, feeling the electric shocks were not strong enough. It stepped on a switch to increase the power¡­ If it was going to pursue defense, it might as well go all out! Higher power, activate! It wanted to make sure that sword could no longer prate its defenses; That no attack could ever harm its heart again¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡­ Next, Lu Ran began arranging the training regimen for general ha. They hadn¡¯t done much today, and soon it was night. At night. Lu Ran followed his usual routine of catching up on the day¡¯s top news. Understanding the world in 60 seconds. The headline of the day, undoubtedly, was the preliminary assessment of the Freshman Tournament at Xia Country¡¯s beast taming university. Lu Ran even saw many people discussing him and Fang Lan at the Jinling exam site. Beating up an examiner¡­ was certainly a hot topic. Many were curious about the identity of Lu Ran, the examinee with the number 0001. However, the discussions about Lu Ran didn¡¯tst long before the topic shifted again. Because Wu Le wasn¡¯t the only unlucky examiner. Many Examiners Had Mishaps in the Assessment. A wave of monstrous new beastmasters surged across various locations. These individuals had never appeared on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, likely because each possessed a pet beast of the uppermander species, disying inconceivable strength. Clearly, these were the more formidable second-generation beastmasters. In the Imperial Capital exam site, there were reports of a superhuman with mental power who, alongside a mental-type pet beast, effortlessly sted the examiner¡¯s secondary pet away. In the Shanghai exam site, the infamous Dog King, who topped the Infinite City No.3 Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, made an appearance. Its Hellhound was immensely powerful, and its dual eyes could drag the examiner¡¯s pet into a destructive illusion. Meanwhile, in the Deep City exam site, a beastmaster reported a gun-wielding girl who mastered shaping artistic conception. Her gunfire was as aggressive as falling meteors, injuring the examiner¡¯s pet beast with a single shot, startling the examiner into taking her seriously. These formidable individuals were beyond anyone¡¯s expectations. Previously, everyone believed that being first on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard was the pinnacle of the fourth generation. Only now did people realize that the truly powerful fourth-generation beastmasters had long been barred from the supernatural divine beast leaderboard and werepeting against third-generation beastmasters on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. This group of individuals was either top-level second-generation beastmasters or possessed extraordinary talents, both personally and in their pet beasts. And this was just the first day of the preliminary assessment. Netizens were silent, feeling that even the current top-ranked on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard might struggle to break into the top ten of this Freshman Tournament at beast taming university. ¡°A sovereign pet beast egg and an ethereal flower are not easy to obtain,¡± Lu Ran shrugged, feeling unfazed after reading the news. There was still time. Before encountering these individuals, he believed he could achieve another qualitative leap in his strength, so there was no need to worry. ¡­ The Next Day. From 7 AM to 8 AM, Lu Ran, general ha, and the sudden death king practiced energy flow for half an hour to warm up, followed by breakfast for another half hour. From 8 AM to 12 PM, the sudden death king endured four hours of electric shocks at the Power nt. General ha practiced storm sh and sword control, while Lu Ran roasted various ingredients using the me Sprite¡¯s Culinary Intent, simultaneously training the me Sprite and refining the me Dragon¡¯s Culinary Intent. From 12 PM to 2 PM, they had lunch and rested. General ha prepared its lunch using Blizzard Sword Intent. From 2 PM to 6 PM, they repeated the morning¡¯s training. From 6 PM to 8 PM, they had dinner and rested. General ha continued to cook its own meals¡­ After 8 PM, the sudden death king, through a day of training and eating, attempted toprehend the artistic conception of the dragon from Dragon Cuisine, shaping the Thunder Dragon armor. Lu Ran and General Ha Concluded Their Day¡¯s Training and Rested. They rested until the sudden death king was exhausted, and then all three slept soundly until the next morning. The training regimen arranged by Lu Ran seemed quite inhumane and indeed was somewhat intense. For an ordinary pet beast, such a regime would have long been grounds for rebellion. At this stage, even though beastmasters and pet beasts couldmunicate simply, expecting a beastmaster tomand a pet beast to engage in high-intensity special training was highly unrealistic. Overly intense training not only fails to strengthen the pet beast effectively but can also easily lead to rebellion from the pet beast. This is a critical reason why most novice beastmasters struggle to quickly nurture their pet beasts. Some beastmasters with money and resources could use food as an incentive to lure their pet beasts into training. Others with deeper emotional bonds with their pet beasts might patientlymunicate, trying to get their pet beasts to voluntarily be stronger. But for ordinary novice beastmasters, getting their pet beasts to obey is a near-impossible task. Moreover, many beastmasters themselvesck self-discipline. Lu Ran was rtively fortunate. Early on, he established a good rtionship through telepathy with both general ha and the sudden death king. Thus, he faced almost no obstacles in this initial, most challenging step ofmunication for novice beastmasters. All the issues that could arise had already been addressed during the initial bonding stage. Moreover, the training he now arranged was aligned with the pet beasts¡¯ inner desires. To enhance its defense, the sudden death king endured the pain and hardship. After all, enduring electric shocks was better than being fatally wounded by an enemy in the future. Learning the artistic conception of the dragon was also aimed at strengthening the sudden death king¡¯s energy armor. Currently, its physical defense far surpassed the strength of its energy armor. Compared to its tough scales, the energy-shaped armor was as fragile as paper. However, once itprehends the special artistic conception and achieves shaping artistic conception, the various attributes of the energy armor will improve. This is something the sudden death king eagerly anticipates. As for General Ha. Despite the grueling process of training in energypression, the presence of the divine deer pendant ensured that significant problems didn¡¯t arise. Its thought process was actually quite straightforward: [Full of energy, can¡¯t control itself, wants to destroy something, how about a fight?] ¡ú [Wins the fight, feels happy.] [Didn¡¯t win, holds a grudge.] ¡ú [Forgets the grudge.] Or, with Lu Ran¡¯s reminder: [Didn¡¯t forget the grudge.] ¡ú [Trains harder.] ¡ú [Wins the fight, feels happy.] This battle-crazed but somewhat simple-minded behavior was hard for Lu Ran to pinpoint its origin. Perhaps General Ha¡¯s parents were highlybative, or maybe Dr. Yunhan¡¯s experiments on these animals asbat pets instilled this aggressive nature. It could also be that Lu Ran himself had shaped this behavior. After all, when General Ha first came to his home, it was extremely ferocious and disobedient. Lu Ran could only subdue it through repeated fights. Given its vengeful nature, it tussled with Lu Ran daily. Maybe, through constant fighting, it developed a habit of seeingbat as a norm. Yet, it was the demon cat that helped General Ha develop a good habit of bing stronger through training. With ess to infinite city, General Ha¡¯s battle instincts were finally unleashed. However, after its first secret realm challenge and a defeat at the hands of the demon cat, General Ha realized its basicbat strength wascking. Thanks to special training with the divine deer pendant, it managed to defeat the demon cat eventually! Training, though boring, greatly contributed to its ability to conquer various opponents. Thus, several days passed. The preliminary assessment ended, and Lu Ran was informed by the school that he had been selected as a seeded yer, securing a spot in the top hundred. But what concerned Lu Ran the most wasn¡¯t that. After days of practice, he finally felt confident enough to roast the Dragon King Bird. ¡°Are you sure you can do it?¡± ¡°Do you want to practice your culinary skills for a few more days?¡± As the roasting time approached, Manager Ying also grew nervous. ¡°I¡¯m ready. I think I¡¯m ready. After roasting meat for several days, my brain feels like it¡¯s on fire.¡± If it weren¡¯t for the Blizzard Culinary Intent to cool things down¡­ Lu Ran felt he wouldn¡¯t have survived these past days! Saying this, Lu Ran summoned the me Sprite Fire!! The me Sprite skill excels in two main areas. First, its growth direction is highly versatile. Second, it has culinary and forging perception. The me Sprite¡¯s fire can sense the optimal temperatures for cooking and forging materials like food ingredients and minerals at various stages. This provides great convenience for beastmasters. Yan Sizhen, the emperor of culinary manship and the originator of forging, truly lived up to his reputation. This skill is indeed born for cooking and forging. In recent days, Lu Ran mainly focused on training to control the rapid changes in me temperature. He also attempted to separate the me dragon artistic conception into its me and dragon traits. Lu Ran realized that it was difficult for the sudden death king to learn the me dragon artistic conception. Therefore, he decided to start with the ordinary artistic conception of the dragon! ¡°Well, let¡¯s try a piece first.¡± Manager Ying spoke, taking out a palm-sized piece of Dragon King Bird meat, which was orange-red in color. The freshness of this meat was excellent, likely preserved using a special method, rivaling even the Spirit Transformation Pot. Under Manager Ying¡¯s control, the meat floated in mid-air while Lu Ran extended his palm to start the fire. Working together, the human and the cat began roasting this exquisite piece of meat. During the process, the meat retained its juices, which flowed continuously over its surface without dripping, making it extremely tempting. The aroma released was equally enticing, slowly rising into the air. Though the scent seemed faint, its reach was surprisingly powerful and invasive. ¡°Meow!¡± Manager Ying was amazed. To avoid disturbing Lu Ran¡¯s roasting, it had specifically created a barrier. However, the aroma of the Dragon King Bird meat, infused with the me Dragon Culinary Intent, broke through the barrier and formed a dragon-shaped phenomenon in the sky. Considering there weren¡¯t any formidable figures in Green Sea City, Manager Ying didn¡¯t mind. Its gem-like eyes turned to the sweat-drenched Lu Ran. Roasting such exquisite ingredients put immense pressure on Lu Ran, as the me Sprite¡¯s temperature had to change eleven times within a single minute to properly roast the bird meat in its various states. This process nearly burned out Lu Ran¡¯s brain, keeping his mind tense. Little did he and Manager Ying know that this simple act of roasting meat almost provoked the supernatural forces of Green Sea City intounching an attack! On Emerald Mountain. A fire snake suddenly poked its head out, looking into the distance. Smelling the incredible aroma, it fell into a trance, feeling itself evolving from a fire snake into a me divine loong, dominating the skies. Something strange was happening, and there was a treasure nearby!! It flicked its tongue, drooling incessantly. In the Distant Suburbs. On an ice tea nt, an ice sparrow bird, looking like an ice crystal phoenix, seemed to melt in excitement as it gazed into the distance. The blood in its body boiled, as if it had caught the scent of an evolutionary opportunity. At this moment, all level 10 and above living creatures in Green Sea City sensed the unbelievable aroma flowing through the air. They all rushed in the same direction!! ¡°The Dark Crow Legion, heed mymand! There¡¯s a treasure! Assemble quickly!!¡± The dark crows flew at high speed through the sky. ¡°Inform the other six generals.¡± ¡°This kind of treasure must be presented to the big king!!¡± However, when these creatures arrived nearby, they found themselvespletely isted by a massive barrier, unable to get close to the center. ¡°I hate this!!!¡± The dark crow pressed against the barrier, pping its wings furiously. ¡°If you have the ability to create a treasure, have the ability to open the door!¡± Inside the Barrier. ¡°It¡¯s done!!¡± Inside the barrier, a piece of golden meat, glistening as if imbued with the essence of the stars, floated in mid-air under Manager Ying¡¯s control. Its appearance was so exquisite, seemingly containing all the beauty in the world. As Manager Ying and Lu Ran inhaled the aroma, it felt as if they were witnessing the evolution of a creature. They imagined a giant dragon wing bird, evolving step by step from a humble supernatural species into the overlord of the skies. They werepletely immersed in the deliciousness of the food. ¡°Slurp.¡± Manager Ying drooled from the corner of its mouth. ¡°Half a piece! Just half a piece!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes turned entirely to the meat. Seeing Lu Ran¡¯s eager expression, Manager Ying snorted disdainfully and said, ¡°You can have this whole piece. Taste it with your divine tongue and see if there¡¯s anythingcking. As for the other nine pieces, roast them with even more care!¡± ¡°Really?¡± As soon as Lu Ran began to speak, he realized he was being too inquisitive. He quickly pped himself to stop asking questions. He then took out his chef¡¯s knife and divided the meat into three parts, summoning General Ha and the sudden death king. He gave one-fourth of the meat to General Ha, half to the sudden death king, and kept a quarter for himself. The man and his two pets eagerly savored the exquisite-level ingredients¡­ The moment the Dragon King bird meat entered their mouths¡­ A wonderful burst of juice exploded in their mouths. Lu Ran felt as if he had returned to his mother¡¯s womb, reborn anew. He couldn¡¯t find words to describe the ultimate vor. If he had to, he might say it was worth dying for. Eating something like this made him feel that even if he died the next second, he would have no regrets. ¡°Howl!!!¡± General Ha was so delighted that the entire dog rolled on the ground in ecstasy, its soul almost drifting out. Of course, giving such an excellent thing to Lu Ran and General Ha was somewhat wasteful, as they could only enjoy the taste and not fully absorb the nutritional value. The true beneficiary was the sudden death king. After eating, the entire Dragon Lizard stood still, feeling its back heating up as if some new body parts were about to grow! In the sky, the sudden death king felt as if it had merged with the sky, growing wings and starting to soar through the heavens. Unfortunately, the wings didn¡¯t grow in the end. However, the half piece of meat it consumed activated all the nutrients umted from the dragon cuisine it had eaten in recent days, causing its body to vibrate as if it were expanding! ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king¡¯s body trembled violently, feeling a force more terrifying than a volcano erupting within it. It was immensely scared, feeling like it was about to explode. What it didn¡¯t realize was that it had finally achieved something it had been unable to do before. After eating the Dragon King bird meat, the sudden death king manifested an energy apparition, extending upwards more than ten meters and enveloping it. No, this was different from before. Previously, it was just an apparition, clearly formed of energy that allowed one to see the true form of the sudden death king inside. This time, the energy apparition was slowly bing substantial. Moreover, it didn¡¯t entirely resemble the sudden death king anymore. Instead, it looked like a lifelike ck Dragon, surrounded by red lightning scales. This energy shaping not only replicated the appearance of a giant dragon but also featured the iconic massive dragon wings,bining both biological and equipment shaping!!! At this moment¡­ New words appeared on the sudden death king¡¯s contract card: [Skill]: Thunder Shield, Discharge, Thunder Dragon Armor (Artistic Conception of the Dragon Shaping Skill, which can temporarily give energy constructs the power of a giant dragon.) Chapter 128: Sudden Death King: Targeting Me! Chapter 128: Sudden Death King: Targeting Me! ¡°Roar!!!¡± At this moment, the Sudden Death King, using an energy shell, temporarily transformed into a Thunder Dragon. Its ck wings spread wide, dragon ws clenched at its sides, and it raised its head slightly to roar towards the sky!!! A bolt of red lightning pierced through the clouds. Inside the Thunder Dragon shell, the Sudden Death King felt as if it were sitting in a cockpit, piloting a massive biological mecha. It could clearly see the outside world, and every movement of its true body was synchronized with the Thunder Dragon shell. Powerful! Dominant! Feeling the might of the Thunder Dragon shell, the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes shone with disbelief. Is this¡­ the artistic conception of the dragon? The power of artistic conception allows something shaped by energy to be as real as the genuine article, indistinguishable from reality. Just like General Ha, who doesn¡¯t inherently possess Frost Force, but through Blizzard Sword Intent, can imbue sword qi with frost attributes.At this moment, the Sudden Death King had finally achieved something simr. Previously, the monster shadows it created, even an apprentice beastmaster could easily tell they were purely made of energy. But now, with the fusion of the artistic conception of the dragon, it was as if a real Thunder Dragon had been created. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King couldn¡¯t help but roar. Inside the Thunder Dragon shell, it couldn¡¯t resist touching the solidified shell with its rich experience of taking hits, it came to a shocking conclusion. The strength of the Thunder Dragon shell now was probably not inferior to its true body. Its defense had directly achieved a qualitative change of 1+1=2! From now on, if an enemy wanted to injure it, they would first have to break through the tough Thunder Dragon shell, and then prate its original scales. Only then could they cause it harm! Defense greatly enhanced. However, the Sudden Death King soon realized that maintaining such a massive Thunder Dragon armor consumed energy at an extremely fast rate¡­ If not for the recent burst of energy from the conversion of arge amount of nutrients, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to maintain the form for more than ten seconds under normal circumstances before copsing. Now, the Sudden Death King felt its stamina depleting at a ridiculous rate. ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King quickly restrained the exploding energy, and the giant dragon form, which was over ten meters tall, rapidly shrank to a dragon form of three to four meters high. Yet, it still retained the energy-shaped ck giant wings. As it spread its wings, under the burst of red lightning, it slowly began to fly. ¡°Wow ka.¡± The Sudden Death King was overjoyed, its red pupils looking toward Lu Ran, Manager Ying, and even General Ha. Anticipating their astonishment¡­ However, despite causing such amotion, the Sudden Death King felt that Lu Ran and the others were not focusing on it at all. ¡°What the heck is this!¡± Beside him, Lu Ran eximed in surprise. It turned out that General Ha, who had been rolling around in ecstasy from the delicious food, seemed to have had an epiphany as well. Manager Ying had generously given an extra piece of roast meat, and Lu Ran, not wanting to hog it all, had shared some with General Ha. Lu Ran¡¯s intention was to taste it, the Sudden Death King sought to gain strength, but General Ha was simply joining in the fun because Lu Ran couldn¡¯t bear to see it watch them eat alone. The Sudden Death King gaining strength and finally understanding the artistic conception of the dragon was indeed a cause for celebration, but Lu Ran found it expected. After all, it was evolving towards a Loong-type species, had been eating Dragon Chef¡¯s Dragon Cuisine for a long time, and had received the artistic conception of the dragon through Lu Ran¡¯s 2.0 reverse ultra beast transmission. Now, having eaten the Barbecue made from the overlord Dragon King Bird, if it still hadn¡¯t grasped the artistic conception of the dragon, Lu Ran would have wanted to zap this idiot to death. But General Ha¡¯s gain was something Lu Ran hadn¡¯t anticipated at all. General Ha stood on the ground, howling softly, and suddenly, an energy sword with an appearance that seemed to be wrapped in a tornado-like effect was formed by General Ha. This Tomado Sword emitted a very special power fluctuation, and feeling this fluctuation, the Sudden Death King was secretly shocked, feeling as if its scales were tingling. Manager Ying was even more surprised: ¡°A new artistic conception?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but check General Ha¡¯s contract card. [Skill]: Dragon yer Sword Intent (A special power gained after facing powerful Dragon n creatures without fear and having a certain understanding of Loong-type power, provides a certain damage bonus against Loong-type creatures!) ¡°Damn, you really learned Dragon yer!¡± Lu Ran was astonished. Heaven bears witness, he thought General Ha was joking when it mentioned it. ¡°What the heck??¡± Manager Ying was equally baffled, Dragon yer? Lu Ran¡¯s meaning was that this dog hadprehended a skill called Dragon yer? The name sounded like¡­ a skill that countered Loong-type creatures. What on earth, you just ate a quarter piece of Dragon King Bird roast, and you grasped the power of Dragon yer? Manager Ying couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s gaze was sharp. I have a sword that can y dragons! Buzz! The violent wind force wasn¡¯t directed at anyone, yet it directly caused the Sudden Death King, d in giant dragon armor, to involuntarily step back a few steps. The Sudden Death King was dumbfounded: ??? ¡°Roar!¡± The Sudden Death King looked at General Ha in bewilderment. Is this for real? It finally understood that General Ha had always been targeting it! It¡¯s understandable for an sub-dragon like me toprehend the artistic conception of the dragon. But how did a sword-holding dog grasp the Dragon yer Sword Intent?! ¡°I see.¡± Lu Ran suddenly realized: ¡°Attempts to teach General Ha me Dragon Sword Intent and the artistic conception of the dragon didn¡¯t seed, but after so many days of training, tasting Dragon Cuisine, and now this Dragon King Bird roast, it wasn¡¯t without gains¡­¡± ¡°When breaking through the secret realm, it had been using its will to resist the Dragon Might of the Overlord Dragon n. Now, with a certain understanding of the Loong-type artistic conception, although it couldn¡¯t master the artistic conception of the dragon, it learned a method to counter Loong-type creatures!¡± ¡°Making its efforts worthwhile.¡± ¡°Well done, General Ha!¡± Lu Ran cheered. Although this sword intent was only useful against specific attributes, from now on, General Ha could be considered a Loong-type killer! A Dragon yer Swordsman! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha boasted. It began to run around joyfully. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Only the Sudden Death King, silently distressed on the side, thought that as long as General Ha was around, even if it transformed into a dragon, it seemed it would still be the Sudden Death Dragon¡­ Using Thor Tactics in the future, it seemed it would hurt even more. Ah, when would it have the defense to ignore General Ha¡¯s shes! ¡°Meow¡± Finally, Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but cast a ridiculous look, wondering if this was the legendary ¡°martial idiot¡± who was wise yet foolish? Honestly, it was very annoyed. What if it ate nine pieces of roast meatter and gained nothing? Wouldn¡¯t that mean it was inferior to a dog? Not being able toprehend the artistic conception of the dragon and gaining less than an sub-dragon, it could ept because of the other party¡¯s species advantage. But Manager Ying couldn¡¯t ept being inferior to a dog. It set a minimum goal for itself: even if it couldn¡¯tprehend the Loong-type artistic conception, it at least had to grasp the Dragon yer Sword Intent. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s been a bunch of crows outside making a racket since earlier. Go get rid of them,¡± Manager Ying said, not focusing too much on General Ha. Instead, it turned to Lu Ran. Those crows must be Lu Ran¡¯s underlings, right? ¡°The aroma of the fully cooked Dragon King Bird meat couldn¡¯t be contained by my barrier. It seems to have attracted quite a few troublesome creatures. Half of the powerful beings in Green Sea City have probably caught the scent. You should handle it first.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran was curious. He wondered if the roast meat from earlier had reached the minimum quality of exquisite cuisine, making it so aromatic that even Manager Ying¡¯s barrier couldn¡¯t hold it back. The aroma spread across half of Green Sea City¡­ That was impressive. Although it wasn¡¯t as powerful as Yan Sizhen¡¯s me Dragon Roaming Nine Heavens, which filled the entire Star-Moon Continent with its aroma, Lu Ran already felt this roast was very strong. Not only did it help the Sudden Death Kingprehend the artistic conception of the dragon, but it also enabled General Ha to grasp the Dragon yer Sword Intent. Lu Ran himself nned to refine his me Dragon Culinary Intentter, hoping to make some progress. ¡°Sudden Death King, you go and drive away the dark crows.¡± ¡°Roar!¡± The Sudden Death King, d in its giant dragon armor, nodded and attempted to fly out of the barrier with its Thunder Dragon Wing. After that, Lu Ran began to rest, preparing to resume roasting meat for Manager Ying once he was refreshed. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. With the experience fromst time, Lu Ran felt that he would be even more adept at roasting the next piece. Two dayster¡­ Lu Ran boarded a ne from Green Sea City, heading to the academic city Sky City. At this time, the preliminary assessment had already concluded. A total of over 900 new students had passed the preliminaries. Among these 900+ new students, excluding some seeded yers, additional qualifiers were chosen from variouspetitions. Including several dozen seeded yers, there would be a total of 128 participants in the final ranking battles at the main campus of Beast Taming University. These 128 participants included various beastmasters from Infinite City who were on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard, those close to the divine beast leaderboard, and even those who had transcended the supernatural divine beast leaderboard. Both Lu Ran and Fang Lan were directly admitted as seeded yers, while Pig Raiser and a few others were not as fortunate. In the main tournament, besides Pig Raiser and Lu Yi winning one match each, the others were eliminated in the first round. It was evident that apart from Lu Ran and Fang Lan, who had experienced the breakthrough secret realm, thebat level of the others was roughly within the top thousand among the fourth-generation beastmasters in Xia Country. Though they weren¡¯t weak, there was still a gappared to top-level experts. After being eliminated early, apart from waiting to watch Lu Ran and Fang Lan¡¯s matches, the group returned to Infinite City to farm resources in the novice secret realm. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen: The ne hasnded at Gao Tian Airport. The outside temperature is¡­¡± After several transfers, the ne finally reached its destination and began its descent. Once it was time to disembark, Lu Ran removed Erha¡¯s blindfold and followed a group of passengers off the ne. Leaving the airport, Lu Ran headed straight to the dormitory. In fact, many freshmen had already moved into the school dormitories half a month earlier. Arge number of new students did not sign up for the Freshman Tournament. For them, arriving early to experience the new life at Beast Taming University and to make new friends was more exciting. Lu Ran was in the forging department. The forging department was not in the main campus. The main campus had only one department, which was thebat department, the most popted one. When he arrived at the forging college, he found that there were already quite a few students. There were even dog couples appearing in the streets and alleys. The official start of the school year was one week after the Freshman Tournament ended. During these days, students in Sky City were free to move around, so it was the most leisurely time for this group. ¡°Building No. 3, Unit 1, Room 202¡­¡± Checking the information on the Beast Taming University app, Lu Ran finally found his dormitory. Each dormitory here was a single room, equipped with a bedroom, a bathroom, and a study room. As for food, it was uniformly provided in the school cafeteria. Arriving downstairs, Lu Ran scanned his face to enter and sighed slightly when he saw his room. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s quite small.¡± ¡°Small¡­ not veryfortable.¡± After getting used to living in arge vi at home, Lu Ran found it difficult to adjust to such a small space. After all, during his free time, he liked to release Sudden Death King and General Ha to chat with them. However, the school dormitory clearly did not support students releasing their pet beasts inside for interaction. At this moment, Lu Ran took out his phone and dialed a number. Soon, the other side picked up. ¡°Hello?? Passerby A??¡± ¡°Master Lin, I¡¯ve arrived at the forging college.¡± ¡°I wanted to ask, are all student dormitories like this? Is there any independent amodation? Preferably vi-type dormitories with a yard and training ground.¡± Master Lin: ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°That would be quite a project.¡± ¡°But if you find the dorm too small, how about this: you cane stay at my ce. What you described is usually reserved for professors. I don¡¯t have many sses, and I¡¯m mostly in Infinite City, so my dorm is empty most of the time. You can stay there, and it would be convenient for me to give you special tutoring and private lessons.¡± Lu Ran: ¡­ ¡°Is that so? The professors have nice amodations? That sounds good.¡± ¡°Who is in charge of this area? Give me a contact. Before my tournament starts, I¡¯ll apply to be a Culinary professor.¡± Lu Ran originally nned to discuss this after the tournament. After all, it would be inappropriate for a school professor topete in the Freshman Tournament and beat up freshmen¡­ Chapter 129: From Student to Colleague Chapter 129: From Student to Colleague ¡°What the heck?¡± ¡°A professor in the Culinary Department?¡± Lu Ran finished speaking, and Master Lin paused for a moment. For a while, his brain couldn¡¯t process it. What was this about? ¡°You can cook?¡± he asked after a long pause. Knowing how to cook isn¡¯t difficult; every household has someone who can cook. But the Culinary Department at the beast taming university is not the same as ordinary cooking. Since the ingredients are all supernatural beings, the requirements for knife skills and fire skills are extremely stringent.¡°Ah, I forgot to mention, the secret realm I entered this time was a chef-type secret realm.¡± ¡°In there¡­ I gained some insights, just like you did back in the day, Master Lin¡­¡± ¡°The fire element power was also acquired there. Anyway, cooking and forging go hand in hand. I thought, once I get into the university, I would study forging while also taking advanced courses in the cultivating department.¡± Master Lin: ??? ¡°Damn.¡± Master Lin felt speechless. Wanting to be a student and a professor at the same time, why don¡¯t you just ascend to the heavens? Although, being a professor doese with good benefits¡­ ¡°Being a professor in the Culinary Department isn¡¯t just about knowing how to cook.¡± ¡°Are you sure you can handle it?¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°Just the fact that I master the ¡®Dragon Culinary Intent¡¯ should be enough, right?¡± The strength of culinary intent is the highest standard for judging the level of a beast-taming chef! And research on Dragon Culinary Intent is currently an unprecedented topic on the blue star! After Lu Ran finished speaking, Master Lin fell silent. Culinary intent is a derivative technique that surpasses the second stage of energy shaping, the shaping artistic conception. The user needs not only to master shaping artistic conception but also to have an unimaginable talent for controlling tools. Moreover, it requires at least five to ten years of deep experience in controlling these tools. Only by perfectlybining both can one form the culinary intent technique that enhances cooking. Furthermore, culinary intent has certain restrictions on the types of artistic conceptions; not all artistic conceptions are suitable for culinary intent. Even on the blue star, very few beastmasters have mastered culinary intent. Could Lu Ran have done it? He didn¡¯t understand, but he quickly realized something. Lu Ran¡¯s Erha was evaluated on the divine beast leaderboard as having extraordinaryprehension. It seemed not impossible for it to grasp the second stage of energy shaping, shaping artistic conception. Moreover, the Erha had fused with the weapon mastery trait, which might be the key! ¡°You¡¯ve really mastered Culinary Intent?¡± ¡°Absolutely,¡± Lu Ran confirmed. Master Lin fell into deep thought again. ¡°In that case, being a professor researching Culinary Intent shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not suitable for teaching beginners.¡± ¡°Culinary Intent is too advanced. New students are all starting from scratch; it¡¯s not appropriate for them,¡± Master Lin said. ¡°No problem, I¡¯m good with the basics too,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Knife skills and fire skills, I¡¯ve got them covered,¡± he added. ¡°And even if they can¡¯t learn Culinary Intent right away, they can get an early exposure. Who knows, it mighte in handyter.¡± Thanks to super beast mimicry and weapon mastery,bined with the breakthrough secret realm and the family-inherited supernatural Culinary Skill ¨C the fine edge de technique he learned from the proprietress, Lu Ran¡¯s knife skills had reached an exceptionally high level. He was firmly in the first echelon on the blue star, capable of handling various ingredients with ease. The three major elements of culinary skills are knife skills, fire skills, and spoon skills. In terms of knife skills, Lu Ran could easily teach beginners. As for fire skills, his me Sprite could sense the optimal cooking temperatures for different stages of the ingredients¡ªa vast theoretical system that textbooks couldn¡¯t fully cover. He could pick any special ingredient, sense it, and create a page of teaching material. Apart from recipe forms that require extensive practical experience, very few could surpass Lu Ran in knife and fire skills. So even without Culinary Intent, his top-level knife skills and fire skills theory alone would make him more than qualified to be a professor in the Culinary Department. It was as if he was born for this role. Lu Ran¡¯s n was to leverage his knife and fire skills to hold a position in the Culinary Department, allowing him to delve deeper into the advanced recipes of Dragon Cuisine. When ites to recipes and forms, unless they are self-developed, they are the least technically demanding since you¡¯re just following someone else¡¯s instructions. But Lu Ran¡¯s predicament was that there were no Dragon Chefs on the blue star to teach the Dragon Cuisine he intended to study. He had to rely on his own intensive research. His only hope now was that the resources in the cultivating department would beprehensive enough. ¡°Since you say so¡­¡± Master Lin¡¯s mouth twitched as he spoke. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you the contact information for the dean of the cultivating department. I¡¯ll also make an introduction for you.¡± ¡°Great, thanks,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. ¡°Damn¡­¡± Master Lin muttered to himself. Lu Ran was a promising student in the forging department. Would he soon be a colleague instead? ¡­ Master Lin hung up the call with Lu Ran and immediately dialed the dean of the cultivating college. The dean of the cultivating department was a first-generation beastmaster. Among the first-generation beastmasters, only 13 were still actively fighting on the front lines. The rest had transitioned into lifestyle upations or, like Zhao Chen, had nearly retired to management roles. Chu Yan was one of the early first-generation big shots who had moved behind the scenes to focus on cultivation. While the first-generation beastmasters were on the front lines, he continuously studied various cultivating theories, providing them with advice, handling ingredients, and clearly dividing tasks withbat beastmasters. Of course, even though he wasn¡¯t on the front lines, that didn¡¯t mean Chu Yan was weak. Compared to the 13 who had reached Level 5, he was weaker, but he was still a high-level beastmaster. ¡°Master Lin?¡± In an office at the cultivating college, a young man in his thirties with short red hair and wearing a white suit answered the call with surprise. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Master Lin was a rising star in the forging field among third-generation beastmasters, with skills approaching those of top first-generation forgemasters. He remembered his old friend, the dean of the forging department, had worked hard to convince Master Lin to teach. Why was he calling now? ¡°Ha ha, Dean Chu, I have someone who wants to apply for a professor position in the cultivating department. I¡¯m rmending them to you.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Chu Yan¡¯s interest was piqued. Every department and major was currently short on teaching staff. There were too many students and too few teachers. ¡°Who is it?¡± He recalled that he had invited almost everyone he could think of. Had he missed someone? ¡°It¡¯s a fourth-generation beastmaster.¡± Chu Yan: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Is it some famous chef who became a beastmaster?¡± Chu Yan asked. Instructors don¡¯t necessarily have to be chosen from First Generation, second generation, or third-generation beastmasters. In the past, and even now, people who aren¡¯t beastmasters but have high achievements in their respective fields can be invited to teach. After all, students need to start with the basics. For instance, for new students in the Culinary Department, mastering basic knife skills, spoon skills, and fire skills is more than enough. Ordinary chefs can handle these introductory courses just fine; there¡¯s no need to bring in high-level experts from the beast taming field. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not exactly the case here. You must have heard of this person. His name is Passerby A, and he ranks first on the divine beast leaderboard in Infinite City No.3. I know him well. His first breakthrough secret realm was the Culinary Secret Realm, where heprehended Culinary Intent and achieved a perfect clear. I believe he would have no problem teaching the new students in the Culinary Department,¡± Master Lin exined. ¡°Who?¡± Chu Yan blurted out, unable to hold back. ¡°Passerby A.¡± ¡°It¡¯s him??¡± ¡°d you recognize him, Dean Chu.¡± Chu Yan fell silent. How could he not recognize him? Just a few days ago, a cat hade to buy some bird meat from him. Chu Yan had kindly offered to process it, but the cat had scoffed at him¡­ asking, ¡°Do you know Dragon Culinary Intent?¡± Chu Yan was taken aback. Bing a Dragon Chef isn¡¯t easy¡ªthere¡¯s not a single chef in the world who has mastered Dragon Culinary Intent. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he couldn¡¯t take on Manager Ying, he would have taught that cat a lesson. Later, after ¡°spending a fortune to buy intelligence,¡± Chu Yan learned from Manager Ying that a fourth-generation beastmaster, endorsed by Dr. Gu, had entered the culinary field via swordsmanship and hadprehended Dragon Culinary Intent. Manager Ying had been buying ingredients to have him cook. Chu Yan had long wanted to connect with Passerby A, but he had been too busy with school matters. Now, hearing that Lu Ran wanted to join the cultivating department as a professor, he didn¡¯t hesitate. Without even considering an assessment, he said, ¡°Old Lin, no problem. I¡¯ll handle his credentials as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Master Lin was taken aback. What do you mean, you¡¯ll handle his credentials quickly¡­ You haven¡¯t even assessed him yet! ¡­ While Master Lin was in contact with Dean Chu, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t idle either. He picked up his phone to check the tournament schedule. It seemed that the match schedule for the Freshman Tournament would be released soon. The official start was tomorrow, and the participants had half a day to gather information about their opponents and prepare ordingly. ¡°Roar!!¡± ¡°Bark!!¡± Sudden Death King and General Ha were also summoned by Lu Ran, waiting together. At present, Sudden Death King hadprehended the artistic conception of the dragon, making it very powerful even without using Thor Tactics. As for General Ha, it had now reached level 19, with significant enhancements in all attributes, just one step away from the level 20 fusion trait. Lu Ran felt that General Ha would likely reach level 20 before the semifinals or finals. ¡°Group A, first match?¡± After a while, the match schedule was released, and Lu Ran discovered that he was in the first match tomorrow. His opponent¡¯s name was Zhou Mo. Who is that? At this stage, everyone was using their real names. Lu Ran knew that his pseudonym would likely be revealed eventually, but it didn¡¯t matter. It was bound to happen sooner orter. Lu Ran vs. Zhou Mo! Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but open the small chat group that Fang Lan and the others had just created a few days ago, asking, ¡°Who is Zhou Mo?¡± However, before anyone in the group chat could reply, someone started spamming Lu Ran with private messages. Yang Xishuai: [Holy crap, Lu Ran!!! What¡¯s going on? How did you end up facing the Dog King in the first match?] [His Hellhound excels not only in mes but also in mental attacks. Can your lizard defend against that?] Soon, the group chat for Lu Ran¡¯s secret realm team exploded with messages. Road Ahead Icy: [Damn, what luck! Facing a favorite to win in the first match?] Zhou Mo, known in Infinite City No.3 as the Dog King, was the second-inmand of the Circus guild. He was the first fourth-generation beastmaster to reach the top of the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. Although three more fourth-generation beastmasters had since reached the leaderboard, Zhou Mo, as the first, was the most famous and was widely considered a favorite to win on various forums. Safe Journey: [Lu Ran¡­ should be fine, right?] This was Lu Yi. Pig Raiser: [Even if you lose, it¡¯s no big deal. There¡¯s still the loser¡¯s bracket, and you can climb up the rankings by winningter matches.] Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden: [What are you talking about, Pig Raiser? Losing isn¡¯t an option. Who¡¯s the Dog King anyway? It¡¯s not certain yet!] Lu Ran: ¡­ Lu Ran shrugged, surprised at his ¡°luck¡± in facing someone from the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard in his first match. He remembered that this person had also given the examiner a bit of a hard time during the preliminary assessment. Mental attacks¡­ Lu Ran shook his head; General Ha and Sudden Death King weren¡¯t afraid at all! General Ha had endured Dragon Might for so long that its mental resistance was top-notch. As for Sudden Death King, its Thunder Dragon armor inherited almost all the advantages of the Dragon n. Its physical, energy, mental, and soul resistances were extremely high, providing nearly perfect defense. It wouldn¡¯t fear the opponent either. Although this Dog King had made it to the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, it seemed that his advantages wouldn¡¯t be perfectly effective against Lu Ran. After discussing with General Ha and Sudden Death King, both pet beasts were stunned. Just as General Ha was about to see who dared to im the title of king, Sudden Death King blocked it with its paw. ¡°Roar!! (Whatever, I¡¯ll handle this.)¡± Recently, Sudden Death King, who usually didn¡¯t like to fight, seemed to have been influenced by Manager Ying. It started to dislike canine pet beasts, probably because of the Dragon yer Sword intent¡­ ¡°Roar!¡± Sudden Death King stepped forward, eyes filled with disdain. If General Ha couldn¡¯t win, could it not beat the so-called Dog King? It wanted to use the other dog as a stepping stone to prove the strength of its Thunder Dragon armor. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s no need topete. Both of you can participate now. This isn¡¯t like the preliminary assessment, where the number of participants is limited,¡± Lu Ran said. General Ha and Sudden Death King: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Of course, if you want to go solo, Sudden Death King, that¡¯s fine too. The opponent has only revealed one pet beast so far. It¡¯s unclear if they have another one hidden¡­¡± ¡°In that case, General Ha can be our secret card, staying hidden and protecting me until the right moment for a decisive strike.¡± ¡°Sudden Death King, you can go ahead and probe. With your current species talent, you¡¯re nearly invincible in this Freshman Tournament, where lethal moves are not allowed¡­¡± Lu Ran expressed his satisfaction with the tournament rules. The Freshman Tournament naturally has multiple protective mechanisms, focusing on victory or defeat rather than life or death. The referees are also responsible for protecting both sides during the match. Under such conditions, with Sudden Death King¡¯s current defense and its species talent for explosive power when injured¡­ it seemed that General Ha might not be necessary. Sudden Death King could probably solo many opponents on its own. General Ha could remain as the ultimate secret weapon, not needing to reveal itself too early, catching opponents off guard. After all, surely many participants have hidden cards up their sleeves. At this stage, it¡¯s all about who can keep their cards hidden the longest. Revealing intelligence too early is definitely disadvantageous. For instance, knowing that the Hellhound excels in mental attacks, Lu Ran and his team could purchase some mental defense equipment for the tournament, which would somewhat counteract the opponent. ¡°Roar???¡± Sudden Death King was stunned. Can both of us participate? Damn it, why had it taken the job then? This so-called probing¡­ wouldn¡¯t it mean going in to get hit first, using those hits to gather skill intelligence? ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha grinned and ced its paw on Sudden Death King¡¯s back. Go ahead, this will just show how strong your defense is! Although General Ha enjoys fighting, it doesn¡¯t like getting hurt in battles. It fully supports Sudden Death King going in to take the hits first, then it can make a dazzling entranceter. Chapter 130: No Way, Absolutely No Way Chapter 130: No Way, Absolutely No Way Meanwhile¡­ In a high-end vi in Sky City, a young man dressed in ck, known as the Dog King of Infinite City No. 3, had just seen the information about his first-round opponent. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± Instinctively, he wanted to know who this opponent was. If the battle list had shown the Infinite City ID, he would have immediately recognized Lu Ran as the Rank 1 on their Infinite City¡¯s Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard. However, the connection between Lu Ran and Passerby A seemed tenuous, limited to just a shared character in their names. Without concrete evidence, Dog King Zhou Mo did not dwell on it too much. ¡°Do you know who this Lu Ran is?¡± he asked the ¡°Circus Guild Leader ID ¡®Circus Captain¡¯,¡± who was lounging on the sofa, looking at aptop. ¡°I investigated for you.¡± ¡°This Lu Ran participated in the preliminary assessment in Jinling. His primary pet beast is a ¡®Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard,¡¯ which has an enormous energy reserve,rge enough to manifest as an energy apparition,¡± the Circus Captain exined.¡°One of its traits is ¡®Red Lightning.¡¯ The other, while uncertain, appears to double its thunder energy storage, likely an ¡®electrical storage trait.¡¯¡± ¡°Additionally, since his Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard has never appeared on the Divine Beast Leaderboard, it suggests that its initial species might already be at the lowermander level. After fusing twice, it would be at least a middlemander. Based on its performance in the preliminary assessment, it¡¯s very likely an uppermander.¡± ¡°He must already be a level 1 beastmaster with his pet beast at level 20. Otherwise, even Wu Le¡¯s secondary pet, no matter how careless, wouldn¡¯t have been suppressed. Also, the opponent probably has mastery over powerful burst skills, excelling in skill attack power. He¡¯s a tough opponent, so be cautious. Furthermore, there¡¯s no information about his second pet beast, and we don¡¯t even know if it exists,¡± the Circus Captain analyzed. Zhou Mo nodded. Fortunately, based on the trait choices, Lu Ran didn¡¯t seem like an exceptionally difficult opponent. However, his fundamentals must be solid. ¡®Red Lightning¡¯ enhances both physicality and thunder intensity, while the ¡®electrical storage trait¡¯ boosts energy capacity. Of course, he did not believe he would lose. At this moment, if Lu Ran were here, he would definitely apud. Well done, a very thorough analysis. However, he would suggest not analyzing next time, as more than half of it was incorrect. ¡­ As soon as the battle list was released, all the contestants who had arrived in Sky City began actively investigating their opponents¡¯ information. Compared to Lu Ran, Fang Lan was luckier. Her opponent was not a seeded yer like Zhou Mo, who had appeared multiple times in the previous qualifying matches. The information on the beastmaster and pet beast was already quite clear, allowing her to specifically prepare venom and integrate it into portable weapons. With the preliminary assessment and qualifying matches concluded, the most intense and thrilling ranking battles were finally about to begin. First-generation, second-generation, and third-generation beastmasters were arriving in Sky City to watch the battles. Whether from the official strategy team, the management of the Alliance, or top yers from various private guilds, they all gathered here. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Unlike the preliminary assessment and qualifying matches, the final ranking battles of the Freshman Tournament were broadcast nationwide. Various media outlets were already set up in the arena, and prominent figures from all walks of life were seated in the guest and audience sections. This tournament was not only a way for the school to select a group of promising fourth-generation beastmasters but also a promotional event. By showcasing the battles of these outstanding fourth-generation beastmasters, the school hoped to inspire more beast taming talent among the public. Additionally, the Freshman Tournament of Beast Taming University was sure to attract the attention of international beast taming forces. Xia Country aimed to showcase its rich talent pool to the world, enhancing its international influence and attracting more beast taming talent from abroad. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!!¡± ¡°Wee to the final of Beast Taming University¡¯s Freshman Beast Taming Tournament.¡± ¡°I am Xu Pingze, a second-generation beastmaster. I will be your host and referee for this final ranking battle!!¡± The enormous Sky Arena was filled with people from all over, including teachers from Beast Taming University, participants who had been eliminated, and freshmen who did notpete, all gathered to watch the event. In the sky, a man dressed in ck and white stood atop a giant eagle-like pet beast, holding a microphone, passionately introducing himself to the live audience. ¡°This Freshman Tournament features three university leaders who are present at the scene today. They will serve as special guests and join me in exining the uing battles.¡± ¡°They are: Dean Qin Ming of the Combat Department at Beast Taming University¡¯s Combat College, a second-generation beastmaster, and the team leader of the official strategy team¡¯s First Team, who has led teams through abyssal difficulty secret realms multiple times!¡± ¡°Dean Chu Yan of the Cultivating Department at the Cultivating College, a first-generation beastmaster and renowned cultivating master, who has assisted numerous first-generation beastmasters through the toughest pioneering periods!¡± ¡°Dean Kong Xi of the History Department at the History College, a first-generation beastmaster, who haspiled historical records for the Beast Taming Empire during breakthrough secret realms. She is highly knowledgeable about the development history of the Beast Taming Empire and is known as the living history book of beast taming!¡± ¡°Next, they will providementary on the battles of the outstanding fourth-generation beastmasters from their respective professional perspectives!¡± As Xu Pingze finished speaking, many eyes in the audience turned to the podium. There, three young men and women, aged between 25 and 30, were already seated with smiles on their faces. ¡°They¡¯re all big shots¡­¡± The sight of these three drew sighs of admiration from the second and third-generation beastmasters in the audience. Among them, Qin Ming, the team leader of the official strategy team¡¯s First Team, is hailed as the strongest second-generation beastmaster in Xia Country, and is the fourteenth person closest to the top-tier first-generation beastmasters. Chu Yan, an expert in nutrition, culinary, cultivation, and breeding¡­ While not the top in any single field, he is known as a versatile cultivating master with expertise in various fields, ranking in the top three in each area within Xia Country. As for Kong Xi, the only female dean among the three, she is even more remarkable. Though she has little interest inbat, she is deeply passionate about studying the history of the Beast Taming Empire. She has entered breakthrough secret realms multiple times, holding the record for the most entries in Xia Country at 21 times. She is well-versed in various beast taming schools and systems across different historical stages. The three deans did not give long speeches; they simply greeted the audience. Xu Pingze then proceeded to announce the official start of the Freshman Tournament. ¡°Next, we have the first match of the day, featuring Zhou Mo from the Combat Department against Lu Ran from the Forging Department!¡± As Xu Pingze finished speaking, two young men dressed in ck emerged from the buildings on either side of the arena and walked towards the stage. Their entrance immediately sparked intense discussion among the audience. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought the first match would feature Zhou Mo, the Dog King? He¡¯s been really high-profile this week, almost bing the figurehead of the fourth-generation beastmasters.¡± Ever since Zhou Mo appeared on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, he had been active online. The Circus guild of Infinite City No.3, where he belonged, seemed poised to overshadow the other three major guilds. His recent high-profile activities had made him well-known among the public. Compared to Zhou Mo, Lu Ran on the other side was also no stranger. The first freshman rumored to have easily defeated an examiner was Lu Ran. In everyone¡¯s impression, Lu Ran was also a formidable fourth-generation beastmaster who had previously kept a low profile, much like Zhou Mo. ¡°Haha, Zhou Mo probably doesn¡¯t even realize his opponent is Passerby A,¡± Pluto, another freshman contestant, said with a smirk. But even if Zhou Mo knew, it wouldn¡¯t matter much. After all, the pet beasts on the Divine Beast Leaderboard were no longer seen as particrly strong. They were considered part of the second echelon. No matter how powerful the Sword-Holding Dog was, it was just an upper supernatural species. How could itpare to the uppermander species like the Hellhound? How could it match the Sudden Death King, which had crushed an examiner¡¯s pet beast with a single blow? More attention was drawn to the fact that Lu Ran had instantly defeated the examiner¡¯s pet beast than to his identity as Passerby A. ¡°This guy¡¯s second pet is also so strong. I wonder if he can beat the Dog King¡­¡± Bai Ling, a fellow seeded yer, watched Lu Ran on the stage with intense focus. Those who knew Lu Ran were nervous for him, as the Dog King was indeed formidable. Of course, aside from the fourth-generation beastmasters, several from the previous generations were also familiar with Lu Ran. For instance, some beastmasters from Jinling knew that he was the famous King of Green Sea, a super fourth-generation beastmaster granted special privileges by Dr. Gu. ¡°Finally, we meet.¡± On the podium, Chu Yan smiled. After ending his call with Master Lin yesterday, he had already contacted Lu Ran, and they had agreed to discuss employment after the tournament. He couldn¡¯t help but chuckle now. Though he didn¡¯t know how the match between Lu Ran and the Dog King would turn out, the idea of a freshman from the Forging Department, who was also a Culinary Department professor, facing off against a freshman from the Combat Department, seemed quite amusing¡­ Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Zhou Mo and Lu Ran stood opposing each other, engaging in a brief conversation. ¡°Forging Department?¡± Zhou Mo¡¯s first words surprised many, including himself. It was evident that he found Lu Ran¡¯s choice of the Forging Department quite unexpected. Not only Zhou Mo but many spectators were also puzzled. Considering Lu Ran¡¯s outstanding performance in the preliminary assessment, everyone thought he was abat genius. Studying forging? Even cultivating would seem to offer more benefits for pet beast training. In this situation, shouldn¡¯t he focus all his efforts onbat? ¡°Yes, Forging,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile, offering no further exnation. Xu Pingze, the referee, looked at the two young men in ck on the stage. With a wave of his hand, he announced, ¡°Both parties, prepare yourselves.¡± In the next moment, he dered the start of the battle! On the field, Lu Ran appeared calm andposed, while Zhou Mo remained serene. Without further words, they began to summon their pet beasts. ¡°Hellhound!!¡± ¡°Sudden Death King!!¡± Boom! Both summoned a single pet beast. The atmosphere around both creatures was formidable. On Sudden Death King¡¯s side, its red eyes stared at its opponent with a powerful presence, as if lightning flowed in its gaze, locking eyes with the Hellhound¡¯s Eyes of Fear. The immature aura of a Loong emanated from it, showing no fear as it faced the Hellhound¡¯s terrifying gaze. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King bellowed. ¡°Awwooo!!!!¡± The Hellhound, with its four limbs ignited in ck mes, let out a horrifying cry. Its body was pitch-ck, sporting two red heads with sharp teeth, presenting a fearsome appearance that made many fourth-generation beastmasters in the audience gulp. ¡°Both pet beasts are excellently trained!!¡± Even the aura sh alone made many veteran beastmasters sigh with admiration. The quality of these fourth-generation prodigies was far superior to that of their contemporaries. ¡°Zhou Mo¡¯s Hellhound has the Eyes of Fear trait, which can instinctively induce fear in its opponents, causing them to lose their will to fight or even hallucinate¡­¡± ¡°But Lu Ran¡¯s Red-eyed Eagle Lizard is countering the Hellhound¡¯s Eyes of Fear purely with its aura, showing no fear at all. Clearly, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast has evolved towards a Dragon Lizard, its aura now containing a faint Dragon Might. This is the key to its fearlessness! It is a Sub-dragon Species pet beast!¡± On the podium, Chu Yan¡¯s exnation enlightened the audience. No wonder this lizard seemed so fierce¡ªit had already evolved into a Sub-dragon Species. While pure Loong-type species are rare, Sub-dragon Species are still within reach for beast tamers. ¡°Do you think a mere Sub-dragon bloodline can resist its Eyes of Fear?¡± Zhou Mo smirked on the field. Up in the stands, the Captain of the Circus guild remained expressionless. The Hellhound¡¯s Eyes of Fear was just its basic application. It was essential to understand that after the Hellhound fused with this trait, it awakened a terrifying species talent: Hell¡¯s Eye! Hell¡¯s Eye could amplify the effect of Eyes of Fear severalfold, creating an almost tangible hellish illusion to attack the opponent¡¯s spirit. ¡°Hell¡¯s Eye!!¡± Zhou Mo calmly issued themand. ¡°Strength and abundant energy alone can¡¯t defend against this!¡± ¡°Awwooo!!!¡± At themand, all four of the Hellhound¡¯s eyes turned from pitch ck to a skeletal blood-red pattern. Simultaneously, the scene shifted dramatically, and many spectators¡¯ faces changed. In an instant, the arena blurred, the ground turned dark red, and the sky seemed to copse, with countless dark red streams of energy floating mid-air. It was as if a Hell Domain had formed, causing many hearts to tighten. ¡°This is a tangible illusion effect. This Hellhound¡¯s talent is quite impressive; it might even create its own ¡®Domain Skill¡¯ in the future.¡± Qin Ming offered a slightmentary from the podium. Hearing his words, many second-generation and third-generation beastmasters were astonished. A Domain Skill is the ultimate move a pet beast can create by merging all its power. Currently, only 14 people in Xia Country, including Qin Ming, are capable of this. Does Zhou Mo possess such potential as well??? Does this mean Lu Ran is in danger? ¡°Zhou Mo used this very move to drive the examiner¡¯s pet beast insane!¡± ¡°When this scene appeared, the examiner¡¯s secondary pet wentpletely insane, as if it had fallen into some great horror.¡± ¡°This technique is incredibly eerie.¡± Such an unconventional tangible mental attack would be troublesome even for some third-generation beastmasters, let alone fourth-generation ones. Lu Teng, Yang Xishuai, and others from Green Sea City were all worried for Lu Ran. Does that lizard have any means to defend against mental attacks? Strong scales don¡¯t necessarily mean strong mental defense! Fang Lan, Pig Raiser, and others watched the field intently. They felt there shouldn¡¯t be a serious problem, considering Lu Ran hadn¡¯t even summoned General Ha yet¡­ At the next moment. ¡°Boom!¡± A colossal explosion erupted as Lu Ran¡¯s side began their counterattack, the sound like the sky copsing and thunder crashing down! At the center of the Hellish Phantasm, the red lightning in the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes became increasingly apparent. Immersed in the illusion, it felt almost nothing, finding it less intimidating than General Ha¡¯s Dragon yer Sword Intent. Such an attack would never cause its sudden death! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± In the Hellish Illusion, a shocking dragon roar echoed, causing the illusion to tremble violently as if it were about to shatter. Enormous red lightning surged upward from the Sudden Death King¡¯s body, erupting and enveloping itpletely. The intertwining red and ck, domineering and impressive, caused both the Hellhound and Zhou Mo to hesitate momentarily, baffled by how their opponent could roar so dominantly under such intense mental pressure! A strong sense of intimidation flowed from the Sudden Death King! ¡°What is this¡­¡± Suddenly, many seasoned beastmasters¡¯ expressions changed, sensing something akin to genuine Dragon Might emanating from the Sudden Death King. What was going on? ¡°Such strong willpower, could this be¡­¡± Dean Kong Xi¡¯s face showed a look of astonishment. Zzzzzzzzzz. The eruption of lightning was just the beginning. Red lightning continually surged from its body, flowing between its scales. Soon, nearly tangible ck and red wings unfurled from the sides of the Sudden Death King. In the blink of an eye, the Sudden Death King seemed to evolve into another species, resembling a young Thunder Dragon, grasping lightning with its ws,pleting its transformation! ¡°Roar!!¡± In its dragon form, the Sudden Death King turned back to face its opponent, stunning the entire audience. ¡°The Artistic Conception of the Dragon!!!¡± At this moment, the three Deans, the referee, and the beastmasters in the audience all wore expressions of extreme astonishment. It was actually the Artistic Conception Technique of the Dragon! The Artistic Conception of the Dragon is one of the rarest and most powerful artistic conceptions. Even among Sub-dragon Species pet beasts in Xia Country, very few have mastered it. The talent of this Dragon Lizard was extraordinary! No, Chu Yan considered Lu Ran¡¯s identity as a Dragon Chef. Perhaps the prodigy wasn¡¯t this Dragon Lizard, but Lu Ran himself. Chu Yan¡¯s gaze deepened, grateful that Lu Ran hade to teach at the cultivating college. With the Thunder Dragon armorplete, the Sudden Death King remained unfazed by the Hellish Phantasm, entirely unaffected. Instead, the Dragon Might it exuded caused Zhou Mo and the Hellhound to turn pale. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, an Artistic Conception Technique?!¡± Seeing that Hell¡¯s Eye had no effect on this Dragon Lizard, Zhou Mo was in disbelief, giving his nextmand in a panic. Boom!!! Dark red Underworld mes transformed into fireballs, hurling toward the Sudden Death King. It intended to dodge, but there were too many attacks, leaving it no choice but to take them head-on! Boom boom boom boom!! Countless fireballs struck the Sudden Death King. Then, the scene that gave Zhou Mo a headache unfolded. The Thunder Dragon shell on the Sudden Death King remainedpletely unscathed, still intact after the explosions. Its defense was astonishingly strong, akin to the flesh of a real dragon. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King roared, baring its teeth. Although it had wings, it walked step by step toward its enemy. Zhou Mo and the Hellhound felt an increasing sense of pressure. ¡°Keep attacking!!¡± Zhou Momanded. As the Sudden Death King approached, the Hellhound continuously spat Underworld me Fireballs, but no matter how many hit the Sudden Death King, they couldn¡¯t cause any damage. Many were astonished by the power of the Sudden Death King¡¯s shaping artistic conception form. As the Sudden Death King drew ever closer, Zhou Mo gritted his teeth and made a sweeping gesture. Red waves radiated from his body, resonating with the Hellhound. Zhou Mo had intended to keep his trump card hidden until the end, but now he had no choice but to use it early. Energy Coordination Beast Taming Skill! This skill could drastically enhance a pet beast¡¯s energy control! With the activation of his beast taming skill, a ck and a red energy ball began to form in front of the Hellhound¡¯s mouth,pressing and merging into a dark red energy sphere resembling a Taiji symbol. One time, two times, three times¡­ ten times¡­ A tenfold energypression, a dual-element energy shot, exuded a terrifying power entirely different from previous attacks!! Boom!!!! The energy ball was released by the Hellhound, smashing into the highly defensive Thunder Dragon-like Sudden Death King. With a resounding ¡°boom,¡± before the explosion, people saw the Thunder Dragon shell of the Sudden Death King finally crack! ¡°It worked!!¡± Zhou Mo eximed with delight. The audience was also shocked by Zhou Mo¡¯s sudden burst of power. The tenfold energypression skill was a fearsome technique, revealing the Hellhound¡¯s mastery of such a method. Many freshmen wore solemn expressions, recognizing Zhou Mo as a significant threat. Darkness, me, lightning¡­ terrifying energies intertwined, unleashing unparalleled shockwaves. The Hellhound in front of the Sudden Death King was blown away by the shockwave, flipping several times in the air beforending. However, just as Zhou Mo and the Hellhound thought they had finally dealt with their opponent, a scene that filled them with fear and despair unfolded. They saw¡­ the Thunder Dragon shell of the Sudden Death King had been shattered, but the Sudden Death King itself stood unscathed in the center of the shockwave, with only minor cracks on its scales, looking utterly unperturbed. At that moment, the entire arena fell silent. The Sudden Death King continued to approach the Hellhound, which was still sluggish from releasing its ultimate move. As it moved, the Thunder Dragon armor reformed and reshaped on its body, and a massive Thunder Shield appeared in its hand!!! In Zhou Mo¡¯s incredulous gaze, the Sudden Death King infused the shield with Domineering Energy converted from the damage it had endured and mmed it down onto the Hellhound!! Bang!!!! ¡°Howl¡ª¡± The Hellhound, with a look of horror, was directly smashed away by the rampaging red lightning,nding harshly on a distant part of the arena. Even now, it couldn¡¯t understand why its attacks had no effect on this opponent. There wasn¡¯t any intelligence indicating that this creature had such high defense! What, was the intelligence false?! ¡°Impossible!¡± Zhou Mo eximed in confusion, almost cking out. Before today¡¯s match, he had considered many scenarios, but he never imagined that his beloved pet beast wouldn¡¯t even be able to break through the opponent¡¯s defense. There was no way, absolutely no way. What was with the opponent¡¯s defense anyway?! Not only he, but even his second-generation guild leader brother also wore a bewildered expression as he gazed at the arena. Moreover, the other participants in the ranking tournament, including Pluto and Bai Ling, were now simrly stunned. Although they knew Lu Ran was no simple opponent, seeing him crush Zhou Mo, the favorite to win, so overwhelmingly was still unbelievable. A monster? Did the favorite just get taken down like that?? ¡°This¡­ this¡­ this is simply unbelievable!!!¡± At this moment, Xu Pingze, the referee, finally spoke in shock: ¡°Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast¡¯s defense is just too terrifying!!¡± ¡°Not only did it ignore multiple attacks from the Hellhound, but in the end, even the energypression skill had no effect on it, allowing it to counterattack effortlessly!!¡± ¡°What is the limit of its defense??¡± Following the referee¡¯s words, the guests on the podium chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s indeed a bit scary¡­ Is this really a fourth-generation beastmaster?¡± Dean Kong Xi couldn¡¯t help but speak up: ¡°Whether it¡¯s on the Blue Star or in the Beast Taming Empire, this Dragon Lizard is the most defensively strongmander species pet beast I¡¯ve ever seen in the 10-20 level stage.¡± ¡°The first match is a major upset.¡± Qin Ming said instinctively. Zhou Mo was undoubtedly very strong and definitely a favorite to win, but he was so easily taken down. This Lu Ran is really powerful! ¡°Don¡¯t you have a second pet beast??¡± At this moment, Lu Ran was still puzzled as to why Zhou Mo was just standing there. As a level 1 beastmaster, did he only have one pet beast contracted?? ¡°I¡­ Do you have a second pet beast?!¡± Zhou Mo almost wanted to curse. Raising a Hellhound had already consumed much of his energy. He hadn¡¯t prepared a second pet beast carelessly, intending to choose a high-quality one from the freshman rewards with a mindset of preferring none over a bad choice. But he never expected to be beaten so badly in the first match. At this moment, he doubted his own strength among these freshmen. How could he be made so miserable by a freshman from the forging department? The Hellhound had already been knocked out by the shield, and without a doubt, the oue was decided. ¡°Hahaha.¡± On the high stands of the boiling audience, the Captain of the Circus grasped the railing tightly. Just then, augh came from behind him. ¡°It seems that Lu Ran is going to be the nightmare of other freshmen. Captain of the Circus, your younger brother is having a hard time.¡± The Star Guild Leader appeared at some point, smiling. ¡°Star.¡± The Captain of the Circus looked at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re from Jinling. Do you know this Lu Ran?¡± The Star Guild Leader grinned, looking at his old rival and said, ¡°He¡¯s just Passerby A from Infinite City No. 3. His initial pet beast is that sword-holding dog. Against Zhou Mo, he didn¡¯t even send out his initial pet beast, nor did he use any beast taming skills. You guys lost thoroughly¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s Passerby A?!¡± The Captain of the Circus was shocked. ¡°Why else do you think he applied to the forging department? It¡¯s definitely to forge better weapons for his initial pet beast. Despite having such a strong second pet, he hasn¡¯t given up on his initial pet beast. Perhaps, in his eyes, the initial pet beast has even more potential than the second one¡­ But at this rate, can anyone force out his first pet beast?¡± Hearing this, the Captain of the Circus felt troubled, looking at his younger brother on the field, not knowing how tofort him afterward¡­ What kind of monster is this opponent, and why does the Star Guild Leader seem a bit schadenfreude? He remembered that the Star Guild Leader¡¯s younger brother, Pluto, had also been repeatedly suppressed by Passerby A! Whether it was on the leaderboard or in the public secret realm! The Captain of the Circus looked at the Star Guild Leader, realizing that he came over to find some bnce? Chapter 131: The Tyrannosaurus Rex Team! Chapter 131: The Tyrannosaurus Rex Team! After Lu Ran¡¯s match, he returned to the Preparation Area through the contestant passage. Compared to when he went on stage, the Preparation Area now had noticeably more young men and women. When Lu Ran appeared, the eyes of the new participants all turned towards him. To be fair, Zhou Mo vs. Lu Ran was a highly anticipated match. Both had impressive records in the preliminary assessment, but considering Zhou Mo had made it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, most people thought Zhou Mo had a better chance of winning. But no one expected that the Dog King Zhou Mo would be so decisively defeated by Lu Ran. ¡°Is Fang Lan not here?¡± Lu Ran looked around the Preparation Area but didn¡¯t see Fang Lan. He shook his head and was about to leave when he suddenly noticed a red figure. The aura emanating from this person was different from most of the new participants, making Lu Ran feel like he was witnessing a peerless swordsman! Lu Ran looked up and saw a girl in red standing against the wall in the corner. She seemed to be meditating, but as Lu Ran walked past, she opened her eyes.¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Fire Plundering school, Summer?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Who are you?¡± She looked at Lu Ran, knowing that he was the impressive guy who had won the recent match, but someone like Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t casually mention the term ¡°Fire Plundering school.¡± ¡°Rainbow Heaven Dojo,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you from Old Gentleman Jiang Dou. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing you on the tournament field.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lose before then.¡± With that, Lu Ran walked past her. The swordsmanship of the Rainbow Heaven school and the spear techniques of the Fire Plundering school are both part of the traditional weapon schools in Xia Country. Since Old Gentleman Jiang Dou wanted to see Lu Ran defeat her, Lu Ran felt it would be a bit of a regret if he didn¡¯t get to face her in a match. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After Lu Ran left, Summer furrowed her brows. Rainbow Heaven school? Isn¡¯t that a swordsmanship school? This Lu Ran is from the Rainbow Heaven Dojo? How could it be¡­ She had watched the match just now. That Dragon Lizard indeed had incredible defense, but she didn¡¯t see any connection between Lu Ran¡¯s style and the Rainbow Heaven school. Unlike her, who, after merging with her pet beast, fought with a spear and could awaken ¡°spear intent.¡± She believed that with her spear intentbined with her weapon, she could inflict fatal damage on that Dragon Lizard. So, even though Lu Ran¡¯s performance in thest match was extraordinary, she hadn¡¯t paid much attention. In her eyes, Dog King Zhou Mo was just that¡ªrelying on the strength of his pet beast¡¯s species. When faced with someone with real skills, he would immediately be exposed. Lu Ran had the artistic conception of the dragon, and she had spear intent. Such a battle would be evenly matched. But now, hearing Lu Ran say he was from a swordsmanship school, she felt a bit confused, not understanding what Lu Ran meant. Could it be that Lu Ran also mastered a Fusion Skill, and after merging with the Dragon Lizard, he would fight with a sword? She began to mentally simte Lu Ran fighting with the Sudden Death King using a sword¡­ The next match featured two newbat department students. If nothing unexpected happened, the winner of this match would be Lu Ran¡¯s next opponent. These two were not seeded yers; they had fought in the qualification matches multiple times. One of them was from Infinite City No.2, contracted to a level 20 rock-type brown bear, which had fused with two traits, making it quite powerful. The other was from Infinite City No.5, currently only showcasing a rock-type giant snake with one trait, seemingly not yet at level 20. The two beastmasters had different backgrounds: one was a former forest ranger, and the other a hereditary snake tamer. In this rock-type showdown, many believed the rock-type brown bear had a higher chance of winning. But no one expected this seemingly low-stakes match between two non-favorites to win the tournament to turn into a ¡°spectacr¡± battle. The snake tamer, Gong Kaixin, surprisingly had a second pet beast, an earth-type giant turtle, at a level simr to his snake pet. If it had just been that, the oue would still be uncertain, as the turtle and snake were not high-level. But the highlight of the battle was when Gong Kaixin showcased an extremely powerful beast taming skill: Fusion. ¡°Is this even possible?¡± In another Preparation Area, Pluto was stunned to see Gong Kaixin fuse the turtle and snake into a giant monster resembling the Xia Country divine beast Xuanwu, effortlessly crushing the brown bear. ¡°This Gong Kaixin, where did hee from!¡± Bai Ling, the former Rank 1 of Infinite City No.5, was not pleased to see that there was another hidden talent in their ranks, and one who was also emting the Four Sacred Beasts. ¡°A fusion beast taming skill? This seems to be the first time it has appeared.¡± The entire venue was in an uproar. Outside. ¡°A fusion skill¡­ This beast taming skill currently has no stable acquisition channel and can only be randomly obtained from rewards in novice trial secret realms or breakthrough secret realms.¡± ¡°Fusing a turtle and snake, following the Xuanwu route¡ªthis new student named Gong Kaixin has bold ideas. Is he attempting to replicate the ancient Xia Country divine beast Xuanwu?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really surprising. In the first match, we had Lu Ran showcasing the extremely rare artistic conception of the dragon, and in the second match, we now have this extremely powerful fusion beast taming skill. I wonder what other surprises await us.¡± The three Deans were now very interested in the uing Freshman Tournament. No wonder the guild leader put up rewards that even veteran beastmasters would covet. This immediately brought out so many monstrously talented neers. If these individuals getpetitive¡­ the beast taming field in Xia Country is bound to develop rapidly. On the field, the giant turtle and snake monster raised its head and roared, with one turtle head and one snake head. Its imposing manner was no less than that of the Hellhound earlier. So what if it¡¯s a hellish creature? Xuanwu is a divine beast! It also disyed formidable defense and strength,parable to the Sudden Death King, effortlessly defeating the brown bear. So what if it¡¯s a giant dragon? It¡¯s just a big lizard. The second match was equally shocking! It even made many spectators feel that Lu Ran, who was in a great position and considered a new favorite to win, might now be in danger. It¡¯s not that the turtle and snake are stronger than the Sudden Death King, but the key is that the giant turtle is earth-type, which counters thunder-type! Lu Ran can¡¯t possibly be a master who ovees counter attributes, can he? ¡°Wow, Xuanwu divine beast. What kind of heaven-defying beast taming skill does this Gong Kaixin have?¡± In the audience, Pig Raiser and his group were incredibly envious. Their rock enhancement and thunder enhancement skills seemed pale inparison to this fusion skill. ¡°This fusion beast feels as strong as, if not stronger than, that Hellhound. It probably didn¡¯t make it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard because the fusion of two beasts doesn¡¯t count as a single entity,¡± Lu Yi remarked. The various Preparation Areas were abuzz with discussions about this sudden dark horse. Even Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but pay extra attention, as the other party¡¯s beast taming skill indeed looked very appealing. Pet beast fusion¡­ It wasn¡¯t a fusion between a pet beast and a beastmaster, but a fusion between two different pet beasts, achieving an evolution where 1+1 is greater than 2. He wanted it¡­ However, General Ha and the Sudden Death King definitely weren¡¯t suitable for fusion. ¡°So he¡¯s the next opponent, huh?¡± Seeing that the pseudo-xuanwu monster wasn¡¯t necessarily weaker than the Hellhound and might even have stronger overall capabilities, Lu Ran wondered how many others were still hiding their full strength. But it didn¡¯t matter; he had hidden cards up his sleeve as well. The tournament continued. As it moved into the final ranking battles, just as Lu Ran had thought, the original favorite to win, Zhou Mo, turned out to be not so impressive. He was merely a second-generation beastmaster from an Infinite City guild, known mainly for seizing opportunities and being overly shy. Next, a number of freshmen with powerful hidden cards, like Gong Kaixin, began to emerge. Of course, the most eye-catching wasn¡¯t Lu Ran or these hidden talents. It was the superhuman from the Imperial Capital, who had been rumored from the start. This was a female beastmaster who liked to wear a white furry cloak. And the reason she suddenly drew attention, aside from her novel identity as a superhuman, was due to her background being suddenly exposed today. She had a younger sister. This younger sister was currently the second strongest beastmaster in Xia Country, the strongest female beastmaster, and also a superhuman. She was also¡­ currently the strongest superhuman in Xia Country. A family with two superhumans! ording to Manager Ying, even Gu Qingyi¡¯s strength was somewhat inferior to her younger sister¡¯s. Before the resurgence of spiritual energy, the younger sister had already awakened her superpowers, forcefully bing the second beastmaster in Xia Country. After the resurgence, the older sister also awakened her superpowers, disying immense abilities. Compared to the older sister¡¯s status, Zhou Mo¡¯s background as a second-generation beastmaster was instantly overshadowed. Although this superpowered Older Sister had not shown her full strength, and had merely used simple mental power to instantly defeat all opponents, no one doubted that she was the most formidable force in this Freshman Tournament. With a younger sister who was the second strongest beastmaster in Xia Country, how could she be weak? Thus, the day¡¯s tournament concluded under the watchful eyes of various factions, and Fang Lan also effortlessly advanced. However, at this moment, instead of international news, the biggest news in Xia Country should have been the Freshman Tournament or predictions for tomorrow¡¯s matches. Yet, no one expected that a piece of news from across the ocean, from the Eagle Federation, would sweep the globe and even top Xia Country¡¯s trending searches!! It forcefully stole the spotlight from Xia Country¡¯s Freshman Tournament! [A Century-Defining Invention! The Resurrection of a Prehistoric Giant Extinct for 65 Million Years!] [News Conference from the Eagle Federation! ording to the Federation Research Institute, the Eagle Federation sessfullypleted the resurrection of dinosaurs using biotechnology a month ago.] [Unparalleled Talent: Research shows that the base species of dinosaurs is at leastmander level, with the dinosaur overlord Tyrannosaurus Rex being an uppermander species!] [A sub-dragon creature, with a bloodline closest to Loong-type, has been born.] [An elite team of eight fourth-generation beastmasters, secretly formed by the Eagle Federation, has collectively ascended the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City with their Tyrannosaurus Rex pet beasts.] [The Eagle Federation is indisputably the world¡¯s greatest nation!] [A reporter from the Eagle Federation releases first-hand video interviews with members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, including theirments on the first day¡¯s matches of Xia Country¡¯s Freshman Tournament.] What irked the beast tamingmunity in Xia Country the most was this interview video. In the video, a light-skinned, brown-haired young man smiled and said, ¡°They all seem pretty average.¡± ¡°Especially considering that a lizard mastering the artistic conception of the dragon is causing such a fuss¡ªunbelievable.¡± ¡°For our Tyrannosaurus Rex team, the conception of the dragon is just standard.¡± ¡°But perhaps suchparisons are not fair, as our pet beasts are the result of thebined wisdom of countless scientists, supported by a professional breeding team of dozens. It¡¯s hardly a fairparison.¡± ¡°But if I may say, if our Tyrannosaurus Rex team were to participate in Xia Country¡¯s Freshman Tournament, we would certainly dominate the top 10 rankings.¡± ¡°Damn, arrogant, too arrogant.¡± Countless beastmasters in Xia Country, upon seeing this interview video, wished they could smash this guy¡¯s head in. However, at this moment, the inte was abuzz with excitement, all shocked that the Eagle Federation had resurrected dinosaurs and even given Tyrannosaurus Rex as pet beasts to fourth-generation beastmasters. Compared to the ancient overlord Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Manchurian Tiger and the Pr Bear suddenly seemedughable. So even if this fourth-generation beastmaster from the Eagle Federation was being arrogant, beastmasters from other countries could only see it as stating a fact. How could the red-eyed eagle lizardpare to the Tyrannosaurus Rex? But as the fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country who were being mocked, how could they just endure it? They took to the inte, engaging in me wars with fourth-generation beastmasters from abroad. At this moment, one of the main characters of this event, Lu Ran, was silently browsing the news. ¡°Dinosaurs have been resurrected¡­ Did they really seed? And so quickly.¡± ¡°The Tyrannosaurus Rex team, with eight members, all have Dragon Pet beasts that possess the artistic conception of the dragon? What a joke.¡± However, considering the overall strength of the Eagle Federation and the massive resources they might have invested in this project, Lu Ran suddenly thought it wasn¡¯t impossible. ¡°Lu Ran!!¡± While Lu Ran was browsing the news in his dormitory, Manager Ying had somehow appeared without him noticing. ¡°You saw the news, right?¡± ¡°That Dr. Yunhan who defected to the Eagle Federation is one of the creators behind this Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± ¡°Look, someone in that video even challenged your sudden death king. Can you tolerate that?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying, wondering why this cat was here stirring up trouble. Manager Ying smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m just worried you¡¯ll get an internal injury from holding in your anger, so I¡¯m here to give you some free intelligence.¡± ¡°ording to my intelligencework, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team will set up an arena in a Public Infinite City starting tomorrow, inviting fourth-generation beastmasters from all over the world to challenge them.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve even put out the enticing condition that joining the Eagle Federation gives you a chance to get a dinosaur pet beast.¡± ¡°That arena is set up to attract foreign talent and showcase their strength, while also taking the opportunity to put down Xia Country¡¯s fourth-generation beastmasters, proving their own superiority. This is just how major nationspete.¡± ¡°I bet once the news spreads, some of our fourth-generation beastmasters, especially thosepeting in the Freshman Tournament these days, won¡¯t be able to resist going to that Public Infinite City to challenge them.¡± ¡°So, don¡¯t you have any thoughts on this? The higher-ups are very supportive of taking on this Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± ¡°ording to another piece of insider intelligence I have, the higher-ups have made an open call: anyone who can beat these eight will be rewarded handsomely with resourcesparable to the second prize ethereal flower, even if a sovereign pet beast egg isn¡¯t avable!¡± ¡°In other words, if you win the Freshman Tournament and then go beat these eight, you could get both a sovereign pet beast egg and the ethereal flower, which are exquisite resources.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I¡¯m also annoyed by them. Isn¡¯t your dog Erha capable of the ¡®Dragon yer Sword Intent¡¯? Even if those Tyrannosaurus Rex have a high base species and possess the artistic conception of the dragon, there¡¯s still hope for you.¡± Lu Ran nodded and said, ¡°General Ha should reach level 20 in the next couple of days. How long will their arena be set up? Once General Ha has fused his new trait, I¡¯ll go and meet this Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± Actually, even if Manager Ying hadn¡¯t mentioned it, Lu Ran would definitely have gone to check it out upon hearing the news. After all, he still held a grudge against Dr. Yunhan. If he could thoroughly defeat the Tyrannosaurus Rex team supported by Dr. Yunhan, General Ha would have avenged his major grievance. ¡°By the way, where has Dr. Gu gone? She hasn¡¯t shown up for days.¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked. The Eagle Federation¡¯s research achievement was indeed shocking, and Dr. Gu would probably be very concerned about it too. ¡°Qingyi?¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°She seems to have gone to the deep sea to train. There are too many unknown threats in the deep sea, so she went to investigate whether there are any creatures in the surrounding sea areas of Xia Country that might pose a threat. She¡¯s expected to be back in about half a month. By the timing, it should be soon. Once she¡¯s back, we¡¯ll have a feast. She has the most Loong-type resources!¡± Chapter 132: Lu Ran Declares War Chapter 132: Lu Ran Deres War Exploring the deep sea¡­ Lu Ran bowed down: ¡°Big shot, big shot¡­¡± With his astonishing physique, he actually has some ability to function underwater now. But the duration is very short. Thinking about how Gu Qingyi could explore the deep sea for half a month in one go, even using a water pet beast for super beast mimicry wouldn¡¯t be enough! At the very least, he would need a skill simr to fusion to merge with a water pet beast. Right now, Lu Ran only hopes that the sovereign pet beast egg hatches something highly functional, not just powerful in battle. But it¡¯s still too early to talk about this. After hearing about the identity of that superhuman in the imperial capital, Lu Ran was stunned. Having the second most powerful younger sister in Xia Country means endless resources and high talent¡­ tough to deal with. Of course, he has been cheating his way through, using the national treasure-level divine deer pendant for training. Lu Ran believes he still has a chance.¡­ After Manager Ying left, Lu Ran casually opened a few group chats and saw everyone discussing the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. There were even people online calling out Lu Ran, asking for his thoughts. After all, he is the only fourth-generation beastmaster in Xia Country specifically named by the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. This Tyrannosaurus Rex team clearly wants to step on Lu Ran to rise up, proving that the fourth generation of Xia Country is nothing special. Lu Ran originally didn¡¯t want to respond to thesements. But, thinking that he shouldn¡¯t let morale drop, he decided to dere war on the Tyrannosaurus Rex team tomorrow. Next, Lu Ran started replying to private messages from acquaintances one by one. For instance, Fang Lan also asked for his thoughts. Lu Ran ryed Manager Ying¡¯s words to her. ¡°In a couple of days, I¡¯ll go meet them.¡± ¡°Support!¡± Fang Lan was overjoyed, loving Lu Ran¡¯s domineering energy. Unexpectedly, there was another person who called Lu Ran. ¡°Dean Chu Yan?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Lu Ran,¡± Chu Yan said with a smile from the other end, ¡°or should I say, Professor Lu Ran.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taken care of your matters. Once the school officially starts, you can establish your own course.¡± Although Lu Ran is not yet 18 years old and very young, it doesn¡¯t matter. Most of the faculty at the beast taming university are young people in their twenties. However, most of them are first-generation, second-generation, or third-generation beastmasters. Fourth-generation beastmasters like Lu Ran are really rare. For someone to teach as a fourth-generation beastmaster, they must have had a special skill before bing a beastmaster. For instance, some second-generation beastmasters had family members who became beastmasters early on. While waiting to be beastmasters themselves, they used those two or three years to learn a lot about secondary professions through their family¡¯s connections. These beastmasters have a significant advantagepared to fourth-generation beastmasters who start from scratch. ¡°Thank you, Dean Chu Yan,¡± Lu Ran smiled. What he cared about most was not the professor title, but the sry behind it. When he found out about his sry, Lu Ran was ecstatic. It was much more than the rewards from the divine beast leaderboard. The funding for researching Dragon Cuisine would not becking. ¡°It¡¯s the least I could do. You are, after all, the first known Dragon Chef!¡± ¡°By the way, did you see the news today?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± ¡°The resurrection of the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡­ truly impressive. It¡¯s possible that the Eagle Federation might find a stable evolution path for Loong-type species in the future.¡± ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter. Give me some time, and I can evolve my Dragon Lizard into a giant dragon and also find a stable evolution path for Loong-type species.¡± ¡°Haha, good!¡± Dean Chu Yan also believed that Lu Ran, as a Dragon Chef, had much more potential than the foreign dinosaur research team. After all, there was the precedent of Emperor Yan Sizhen! As far as he knew, the Eagle Federation had consumed a massive amount of resources and thebined wisdom of countless scientists and breeders to get the Tyrannosaurus Rex team¡¯s tyrannosaurs to master the artistic conception of the dragon. But Lu Ran had achieved it alone. Clearly, Lu Ran was more impressive. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. The second round of the Freshman Tournament was about to begin. Without a doubt, Lu Ran was still in the first match today. His opponent was Gong Kaixin, thebat department freshman who had the fusion of a turtle and snake. Gong Kaixin was d in scale armor, likely specially made Supernatural Equipment to enhance his defense. As for Lu Ran, he didn¡¯t bring any defensive equipment. After contracting with the sudden death king, his defense was already very strong. He was like a martial arts master from a wuxia novel who specialized in body refinement! Steel muscles and iron bones! Attacks that could seriously injure him couldn¡¯t be defended against by high-quality equipment. For attacks that high-quality equipment could mitigate or defend against, he could easily withstand them with his body alone. So, the only equipment spot Lu Ran used was for the Wind me Sword. If there¡¯s any danger approaching him in the arena, he could just sh it with his sword‡±attack is the best defense! ¡°Lu Ran looks in good shape!¡± ¡°Seems like the news didn¡¯t affect him.¡± ¡°Not necessarily. Bing the center of online discussions overnight must be quite stressful.¡± Before the second day¡¯s tournament began, as Lu Ran and Gong Kaixin stood on the field, the audience below was buzzing with discussion. Even Gong Kaixin couldn¡¯t help but nce at Lu Ran a few times. He wanted to know how Lu Ran felt at that moment. However, what Gong Kaixin didn¡¯t expect was that just before the match, Lu Ran looked towards the live broadcast camera and said: ¡°Wait a minute, before the match starts, I want to address something.¡± ¡°Yesterday, a lot of people online asked me what I thought about the Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± ¡°I can only say that even among the artistic conceptions of dragons, there are differences.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe their mass-resurrected Tyrannosaurus Rexes canpare to my meticulously nurtured pet beast.¡± ¡°I also heard that the Tyrannosaurus Rex team ns to set up an arena at Public Infinite City to show off their dinosaur pet beasts to the world¡­ If I have time in a few days, I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± Wow! As Lu Ran finished speaking, the media on-site went wild. Therge venue instantly buzzed with excitement and exmations. ¡°Holy crap! Lu Ran actually responded to the Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± ¡°Awesome, I can¡¯t wait to see Lu Ran crush the Tyrannosaurus Rex team.¡± ¡°Screw those Federation people. The first purebred Loong-type is in Xia Country. What are a bunch of dinosaurs showing off for?¡± In an instant, the crowd¡¯s enthusiasm surged, all cheering for Lu Ran. Many seeded yers were unexpectedly looking at Lu Ran. This was getting interesting. Even the three deans on the podium were momentarily stunned before smiling. ¡°Well said,¡± Dean Qin Ming remarked. ¡°The strength of a pet beast isn¡¯t determined solely by its innate species; it¡¯s the beastmaster¡¯s nurturing that truly matters.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s response was a minor interlude, and soon, the second day¡¯s tournament officially began. Facing Lu Ran, Gong Kaixin didn¡¯t dare to be careless. He also disliked the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, but he wouldn¡¯t publicly dere his intention to challenge them like Lu Ran did. Winning would be fine, but losing would be a huge embarrassment. He couldn¡¯t understand how someone as young as Lu Ran wasn¡¯t afraid of bing an internationalughingstock if things went wrong. That was terrifying. But for Lu Ran, it was all about mindset. Whether it was the initial provocation from the other side or the rtionship between General Ha and Dr. Yunhan, one of the researchers behind the dinosaur resurrection, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t take this lightly. Dering war on a national live broadcast might have seemed a bit brash. But what¡¯s youth without some bravado? If he lost, he could just work hard for a while ande back stronger. Lu Ran¡¯s deration of war undoubtedly earned him a batch of supporters in front of the live camera. Even the seeded yers preparing on-site had newfound respect for Lu Ran. Summer, Pluto, Bai Ling, Dog King, and others were slightly stunned. Even the superpowered older sister in a white cloak in some corner nced sideways. But for now, the main focus was the match between Gong Kaixin and Lu Ran! Boom!! As the tournament started, Gong Kaixin, not daring to be careless, immediately summoned both his pet beasts. A level 16 rock-type giant snake and a level 17 earth-type giant turtle! Fusion! A colossal turtle and snake, over ten meters long, appeared directly in the arena! ¡°Roar!!¡± The turtle and snake let out a massive roar, eyeing the pet beast Lu Ran had summoned. This time, Lu Ran sent out the sudden death king again. ¡°Roar!!¡± The sudden death king looked at the opponent with a disdainful gaze. This opponent was different from yesterday¡¯s. An earth-type pet beast could significantly resist thunder-type skills. Coupled with the opponent¡¯s formidable defense, the sudden death king would indeed have a tough time winning. However, given the different circumstances today, Lu Ran didn¡¯t n on slowly wearing down his opponent, which could lower his morale. He nned to reveal a bit of his trump card early to show the world what a true dragon was. Today, he intended to resolve the battle more dominantly. ¡°Xuanwu, Earth Power!¡± As the battle began, Gong Kaixin yed it safe,manding his pet beast nicknamed Xuanwu to simultaneously use its earth and rock energy flow techniques. This made it seem as though it had transformed into a giant mountain standing firmly on the ground, significantly boosting its defense! ¡°Now, that thunder-type Dragon Lizard is going to have a hard time.¡± Many spectators shared this view, and even the three judges agreed. Not only them, but even Lu Ran himself could tell that not even the Sudden Death King¡¯s ultimate move, Thunder Shield, could seriously injure the opponent. Attribute restraint ys a considerable role in battles. Moreover, this turtle and snake were not weak to begin with. However, it¡¯s unfortunate that the Sudden Death King isn¡¯t limited to just thunder! Just as people were curious about how Lu Ran, who had just dered war on the Tyrannosaurus Rex team so dominantly, would handle the current formidable dark horse, they saw a change. Lu Ran¡¯s surroundings began to blur and heat up, with red mes slowly flickering and swirling around him. ¡°What is this??¡± ¡°Beast taming skill? Is Lu Ran finally going to use his beast taming skill??¡± Seeing the transformation in Lu Ran, the audience was astonished. Until now, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t showcased his beast taming skills in the tournament, but it seemed he was about to reveal them today. However, why did it look like a me-type beast taming skill?? What did this mean¡­ At the same time, no one noticed the determined look in the Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes, as it began to unleash its power!!! ¡°Roar!!!¡± As Lu Ran manifested his beast taming power, the Sudden Death King started to form Thunder Dragon Armor!! At this moment, the audience watched as Lu Ran slowly raised his palm, and a small Fire Dragon flew out from his hand, heading toward the Sudden Death King. This extraordinarily unique beast taming skill left the spectators both at the venue and watching on TV wide-eyed. ¡°What is this?¡± Gong Kaixin was confused. But the next moment, everyone was shocked, as the Fire Dragon me Sprite reached the Sudden Death King and then directly fused with it! Boom! An explosive force erupted from the Sudden Death King. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Thunder me surged from the Sudden Death King, reaching a height of over ten meters. In the terrifying burst of energy, its figure flickered in and out of visibility. As red lightning intertwined with red mes, currents and mes flowed together through the scales of the Sudden Death King. In an instant, yesterday¡¯s Thunder Dragon Armor reemerged in the form of the Thunder me Dragon. Boom! Boom! Boom! Amidst the explosive sounds, the Thunder me energy began to take shape. The Thunder me Dragon, towering over ten meters, briefly erupted before condensing its power into a five or six-meter giant dragon, hovering in mid-air. ¡°Roar!!!¡± An even more terrifying Dragon Might emanated, making it seem as though an overlord of Loong-type species had descended. The oppressive Dragon Might distorted the surrounding air. Manypetitors¡¯ expressions changed. On the field, Gong Kaixin couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. At that moment, he felt an overwhelming power radiating from the Sudden Death King! ¡°Finish them.¡± With Lu Ran¡¯smand, the Sudden Death King spread its Thunder me Dragon Wings, engulfed in mes and lightning, and dived toward the turtle and snake. ¡°Roar!!!¡± No one knew why the Sudden Death King¡¯s gaze held such resolve. ¡°Not good!!¡± Realizing the danger, Gong Kaixin hurriedlymanded the turtle and snake to bolster their defenses. But before the Sudden Death King could fully close in, it¡­ exploded!!! Unable to perfectly coordinate the Thunder me energy, the Sudden Death King didn¡¯tst long before it detonated with a thunderous boom. Even as it self-destructed, the terrifying wave of Thunder me energy swept over the turtle and snake like a hurricane, engulfing them instantly!! Boom!! Thunder mes erupted across the field, and in the ensuing shockwave, the massive figure of the turtle and snake was blown away, its body scorched ck as it was hurled far off. Crash!! Itnded heavily on the ground, its body bearing the explosive damage from the entwined mes and lightning. Swoosh. Seeing this, Gong Kaixin¡¯s face turned pale, his body weakened, and he could only watch helplessly as the turtle and snake were instantly defeated, their form split apart. ¡°Roar!!!¡± However, despite such a terrifying explosion, when the smoke cleared, the Sudden Death King stood in the arena with only slight cracks on its scales. It had relied on its own defense to withstand the previous ¡°failed rampage¡± form! Goodness, the Sudden Death King felt a lingering fear. Although it had experimented with this tactic before, using it again still made it a bit nervous. Fortunately, its opponent was defeated; otherwise, it would have had to release the explosive damage it endured as a finishing move. ¡°What the heck is this!!¡± At that moment, the seeded yers who had been eagerly waiting to watch this ¡°battle of dragons¡± were shocked. They couldn¡¯t understand why the Thunder Dragon Lizard suddenly transformed into a Thunder me Dragon, disying such terrifying destructive power. ¡°Damn, my brother was right. This Dragon Lizard indeed has a terrifying destructive method! But¡­ its defense is strong too!¡± Zhou Mo, known as the Dog King, looked grim. The entire venue fell silent. Not only the Fourth Generation, but even the judges were at a loss, not recognizing this beast taming skill. They looked to the three deans for help. At this moment, the three deans were also baffled. Even Dean Qin Ming, known for his strength, had never seen such a beast taming skill¡­ It seemed to imbue a thunder-type pet beast with fire-type power. This fire-type power appeared to contain another artistic conception of the dragon, merging with the Sudden Death King¡¯s Dragon Power to create explosive, terrifying destructive force! In an instant, it wasparable to a sovereign species. No one expected Lu Ran to so easily dispatch a powerful dark horse in his second battle. As the scene fell into silence, suddenly, Dean Kong of the History College¡¯s eyes widened, and she eximed, ¡°Could it be¡­ a me Sprite??¡± Her voice drew many eyes toward her. ¡°Dean Kong, what kind of beast taming skill is me Sprite? I¡¯ve never heard of it before,¡± the judge inquired. ¡°me Sprite is a Special Beast Taming Skill developed by Yan Sizhen, the second emperor of the Beast Taming Empire. It not only allows a beastmaster to harness the power of mes but also enables the beastmaster to imbue their pet beast with this power!¡± ¡°It¡¯s an extremely unique and very powerful top-level beast taming skill that was lost in theter stages of the Beast Taming Empire.¡± ¡°me Sprite??¡± Many beastmasters were astonished. Although they hadn¡¯t heard of me Sprite, knowing it was a special skill developed by Yan Sizhen, the second emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, made it clear this skill was extraordinarily formidable. Otherwise, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t have so easily defeated Gong Kaixin, who had mastered fusion. ¡°Damn!¡± Of course, the most dumbfounded at this moment were Bai Ling, the explorer, the pet shop owner, She Pi, and the other friends who had broken through the secret realm with Lu Ran. Learning that Lu Ran had obtained the signature beast taming skill of a previous emperor during their breakthrough, they were certain this guy was definitely cheating! When the little Fire Dragon appeared earlier, they suddenly recalled Lu Ran¡¯s experience in Dragon Valley. What on earth did this guy do in Dragon Valley? Could he have actually be a Dragon Chef? Looking at the Dragon Lizard before them, they felt numb and started to believe it was possible! ¡°I lost.¡± At this moment, even Gong Kaixin couldn¡¯t help but twitch his mouth, finally understanding why Lu Ran dared to make such a high-profile challenge. Not only were Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts incredibly powerful, but he also mastered such a strong beast taming skill. The Thunder me Dragon just now truly made him feel like he was witnessing a purebred giant dragon. No wonder Lu Ran dared to challenge the Tyrannosaurus Rex team¡ªjust this Thunder me Dragon, which could instantly defeat the Xuanwu, was enough. So what if it was the Tyrannosaurus Rex? Chapter 133: General Ha’s Second Trait Chapter 133: General Ha¡¯s Second Trait Across the ocean. Eight young men and women, dressed in gray special ops uniforms, were preparing to embark on a journey to Public Infinite City. Their faces radiated confidence, exuding an aura far beyond their years. This group was none other than the ace beast taming team, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team, from the fourth-generation beastmasters of the Eagle Federation. ¡°Rex, how many countries¡¯ ¡®fourth-gens¡¯ do you think wille to challenge us?¡± ¡°Not sure, but some from Xia Country will probablye, especially after Ian¡¯s provocative remarks during the interview.¡± ¡°Haha. Can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s just funny how our artistic conception of the dragon caused such a stir over there.¡± Ian said. ¡°That ¡®Gu Qingyi¡¯ was lucky, probably gained the first Loong-type through a special breakthrough secret realm. But it looks like the next ones, the many Loong-types, will be born among us.¡± As they gathered before departure, discussing the uing challenges, a researcher with short blond hair, dressed in a whiteb coat, entered the room.The conversation abruptly stopped. ¡°Dr. Carson?¡± Rex, the team leader, said. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± The researcher looked at them and said, ¡°Someone from Xia Country responded to yesterday¡¯s interview. Not officially, but personally¡ªa fourth-generation beastmaster.¡± ¡°They mighte to challenge us.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the one whose pet beast is a red-eyed eagle lizard. The one named Lu Ran, whose pet beast hasprehended the artistic conception of the dragon.¡± ¡°Him?¡± Ian from the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team said. ¡°Let hime!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Dr. Carson? Are you here to warn us about him? No need. Any one of us could probably thrash him easily.¡± A red-eyed eagle lizard, before evolution, is just a small lizard. But a Tyrannosaurus Rex, now that¡¯s the undisputed King of Lizards, an ancient overlord! The dragon genes within it are iparable to any modern animal. Even among the Sub-dragon Species of the Star-Moon Continent, it¡¯s an exceptionally powerful species. ¡°No!¡± Dr. Carson said. ¡°The only one among you who can 100% defeat him is Rex.¡± ¡°Just recently, in the Freshman Tournament at Xia Country¡¯s beast taming university, this Lu Ran showcased his beast taming skill.¡± ¡°Words aren¡¯t enough. Let me show you the first-hand intelligence we received.¡± With that, he pulled out aptop and disyed the live broadcast video where the Thunder me Dragon annihted the turtle and snake. The team had previously analyzed Gong Kaixin¡¯s turtle and snake, noting its solid attack and defense. But seeing it get crushed by the sudden transformation of the Thunder me Dragon left the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team in shock. ¡°ording to our intelligence analysts, the beast taming skill he mastered is called me Sprite. It dates back to the second generation emperor of the Beast Taming Empire and was his signature skill‡±extremely powerful!¡± ¡°This skill has a certain growth potential. Lu Ran¡¯s me Sprite has evidently been developed to contain a special power of the me dragon!¡± ¡°When this power of the me dragon is fused into that thunder-type Dragon Lizard, it forms a unique Thunder me Dragon power. Although this explosive power seems uncontroble even for them, the Dragon Lizard¡¯s defense is astonishing. It uses ¡®hard resistance¡¯ to turn this unstable form into a powerful ultimate move.¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr to energypression; it has destructive power but alsoes with a cost to itself.¡± ¡°Although the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s defense isn¡¯t weak, to be on the safe side, you should make onest preparation before setting off.¡± ¡°The research institute has prepared special resources to enhance resistance to thunder and fire elements¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s overly cautious,¡± a few of themughed. They felt that being overly prepared wasn¡¯t necessary. After all, it was just a power that the opponent hadn¡¯t perfectly mastered. They just needed to be careful. But since Dr. Carson insisted, they didn¡¯t mind. Why not take free resources? They spared a moment of silence for Lu Ran¡­ Why be so high-profile? Exposing his intelligence so early, isn¡¯t he just asking to be targeted? ¡°Let¡¯s move quickly,¡± said Rex, the team¡¯s steady leader. His Tyrannosaurus Rex, after undergoing two trait fusions, was the strongest among them. It had evolved into a low-tier sovereign species, the only true king, and was the strongest bulwark of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team. No matter who the opponent was, they couldn¡¯t break through his line of defense. Lu Ran¡¯s Thunder me Dragon would be no exception. ¡­ Xia Country. After finishing his match with Gong Kaixin, Lu Ran quickly left the arena, watching only the match of his next opponent. However, these two were even weaker than Gong Kaixin. So now, his focus was entirely on General Ha and the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team. General Ha had been at level 19 for some time. After Lu Ran told General Ha about the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team yesterday, General Ha began training even harder and eating even more. When Sudden Death King had free time, General Ha would chase it to practice Dragon yer Sword intent. When Sudden Death King wasn¡¯t avable, General Ha would empty its mind, gradually gaining wisdom, and meditate on the trees and stones in the training secret realm, hypnotizing itself into believing they were dragons, and then shing them. By the time Lu Ran arrived, General Ha had alreadybined the Dragon yer artistic conception with various energy techniques to develop a killer move! Sky Piercing Rising Dragon sh! This move fused high-speed energy flow and energypression, a technique for closebat with dragons, with General Ha holding the sword in its mouth. When executed, General Ha would be like abat tornado, swirling with wind and moving at lightning speed, holding the Dragon yer Sword in its mouth, and any Dragon n member it passed would be sent flying. It was the first time General Ha used tenfold energypression to increase speed. Fortunately, its current energy control and body strength were sufficient to handle tenfold energypression. Otherwise, executing this move would result in more than just losing teeth¡ªit would lead toplete shattering of its bones! Clearly, not ¡°understanding¡± this move too early was General Ha¡¯s way of avoiding its bones ending up like its teeth¡ªuseless. ¡°Take a break,¡± Lu Ran said, seeing how hard General Ha was working. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Alright, continue then. I¡¯ll check on the public secret realm. The Tyrannosaurus Rex Team is probably starting.¡± With that, Lu Ran returned, connected to the inte, and saw that someone had already recorded and uploaded videos of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team¡¯s defense results. This defense event was a 1v1 format, with the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team only using their Tyrannosaurus Rex pet beasts for the matches. As soon as the arena was set up, beastmasters from the Eagle Federation¡¯s affiliated countries came to challenge the legendary Tyrannosaurus Rex. These challengers might not have sought victory but were eager to witness the power of the Tyrannosaurus Rex firsthand. They hoped to showcase their talents and receive an invitation from the Eagle Federation, thus joining this grand project. In the videos, the terrifying King of Lizards, nearly 20 meters long, disyed overwhelming strength. Whether the opponent was a Siberian Tiger, Pr Bear, Elephant, or Lion King, none could withstand a single blow! It was a clear message to the world¡ªno modern fierce beast could match up to the Tyrannosaurus Rex. ¡°Indeed, very strong,¡± Lu Ran murmured thoughtfully as he continued to watch the battle videos. The Tyrannosaurus Rex Team rotated its defenders. When one member got tired, they would rest, and another would take their ce. However, each member possessed terrifying strength. In Lu Ran¡¯s opinion, they were much stronger than Zhou Mo or Gong Kaixin, possibly by a significant margin. Although Ian, the interviewee, spoke arrogantly, these individuals certainly had the strength to contend for the top 10 in the Freshman Tournament. Based on the current performance of the beastmasters in the tournament, thebined pressure from the Tyrannosaurus Rex species and the artistic conception of the dragon was nearly overwhelming. In terms of attributes, these Tyrannosaurus Rexes had a variety¡ªfire, thunder, earth, and rock. As for traits, they had fused ancient bloodline traits and dragon progeny traits. All were at level 20, fully activating their dragon potential. While Lu Ran was watching, Manager Ying showed up again. ¡°What are you here for this time?¡± ¡°Shall I leave then?¡± ¡°No, no, stay.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Manager Ying snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve brought you a resource.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Manager Ying tossed out a resource, which turned out to be a fruit in elemental form. Lu Ran took a look and was immediately stunned. [Name]: Wind King¡¯s Fruit [Level]: Exquisite ¡°Not buying it,¡± Lu Ran said decisively. ¡°Pfft,¡± Manager Ying retorted. ¡°Who said I was selling it to you?¡± ¡°This is a gift from the principal of the Beast Taming University the same First Generation who promised an exquisite resource to anyone who could thrash the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team. Upon learning of your challenge, he prepaid a portion of your ¡®sry¡¯ from the Culinary Department professors.¡± ¡°Your General Ha is about to fuse with the Nature Control trait. To acquire a decent species talent, your pet beast must possess strong energy control to perfectly integrate with the Nature Control trait.¡± ¡°General Ha should be capable, but when ites to energy control, the more, the better. This Wind King¡¯s Fruit will allow it to reach the pinnacle of wind control,parable to a wind sovereign.¡± ¡°Additionally, it should instantly bring it to level 20. Besides that, it will significantly help in raising its species level during evolution, unlocking more potential.¡± ¡°Prepaid sry, huh? That¡¯s eptable,¡± Lu Ran remarked, not finding the Wind King¡¯s Fruit particrly precious. Being the first Dragon Chef, suchpensation seemed reasonable. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m off then!¡± Lu Ran took the Wind King¡¯s Fruit and immediately returned to Infinite City, heading to the training secret realm where General Ha was hard at work. With the Wind King¡¯s Fruit and the Nature Control trait crystal in hand, Lu Ran was ready for the next phase of General Ha¡¯s evolution. First, he used the Wind King¡¯s Fruit to enhance General Ha to level 20, granting it control over wind energyparable to a wind sovereign. Then, he began the trait fusion process. The Nature Control trait! One of the top-level traits, it significantly boosts species level. Its effect allows a pet beast to control not only the energy generated within its own body but also the corresponding natural energy from the environment to a certain extent. ¡°Awwoooo¡± During this trait fusion, perhaps due to the trait¡¯s unique nature, General Ha¡¯s staged evolution unleashed a massive weather phenomenon. As the fusion light flickered, chaotic gales erupted from General Ha¡¯s body, and its ck and white fur began to grow longer, flowing gracefully in the wind. Of course, the most affected at this moment was the sky. Lu Ran shielded his eyes from the fierce wind with one arm, looking up to see the clouds in the training secret realm being blown apart, as if split by a mighty sword. Against the backdrop of the clouds, the sky seemed divided, leaving a deep sword mark. Boom!!! But what left Lu Ran truly speechless was the sight of the wind elemental force, almost solidified, seemingly surrounding the not-so-bright General Ha on the ground like a new sovereign! Countless gales converged, heralding the birth of a new king. During this process, the wind elemental force beneath the sky beganpressing to the extreme onefold, twofold¡­ tenfold¡­ twentyfold. The Sky Sword of twentyfoldpression, initially an awe-inspiring image stretching tens of meters long, gradually shrank to a normal size. Simultaneously, General Ha¡¯s form began to change. Beyond the lengthening fur, its tail grew longer than an average husky¡¯s, bing exceptionally sleek and dense, as if the entire body had fused with the wind, exuding an impressive aura. Buzz!!! In midair, the Sky Sword condensed from natural wind instantly descended, caught by General Ha¡¯s tail. General Ha¡¯s domineering gaze made Lu Ran pause. He tossed out the Ice Sky Greatsword, and in the next instant, General Ha also held a giant greatsword in its mouth. With swords in both its mouth and tail, it formed the perfect Dual Sword School stance. A powerful, unmatched breath emanated from General Ha, like a cyclone! ¡°Awooooo!!!!¡± [Name]: Gale Sword Dog [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Commander (Low Sovereign) [Growth Level]: Level 20 [Species Talent]: King of Swords Gale Swordsmanship (Capable of freely controlling sword-type weapons formed by natural wind. When this pet beast uses sword techniques imbued with wind force, the power, level, and effect of the sword techniques are significantly enhanced!) ¡°Wow, Dual Sword School,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but exim. Gale Swordsmanship? He now only wanted to know what this wind force epassed, like whether a spatial storm counted as containing wind force! Chapter 134: Identity Fully Exposed Chapter 134: Identity Fully Exposed The surprise brought by the Gale Swordsmanship to Lu Ran wasn¡¯t as great as the one brought by the King of Swords back then. After all, on the surface, this talent seemed to be just another enhancement buff to General Ha¡¯s wind sword skills. Of course, Lu Ran was still just specting at the moment. The true power of Gale Swordsmanship could only be seen through actualbat. Compared to the newly awakened species talent, it was General Ha¡¯s species level that surprised Lu Ran the most. Upper Commander! It directly jumped from upper supernatural to an uppermander species, a significant leap in species level! With the King of Swords¡¯ boost, it could even rival a low-level sovereign species! This evolution stunned Lu Ran.But Lu Ran also understood that this wasn¡¯t solely due to the ¡°Nature Control¡± trait. Although the Nature Control trait is one of the top-level traits and greatly enhances the species level of the pet beast after evolution, it alone couldn¡¯t ount for such arge leap for General Ha. The key reason was the exquisite-level resource: Wind King¡¯s Fruit! The primary effect of the Wind King¡¯s Fruit is to enhance a pet beast¡¯s wind control and affinity, rather than boosting its energy. Its effect on improving the pet beast¡¯s growth level is minimal, meaning that even if General Ha used this resource, it wouldn¡¯t suddenly jump to level 30 or level 40 like some creatures do after consuming a suitable exquisite-level resource. However, it could enable a low-level wind pet beast to have wind control talentsparable to a wind sovereign! In other words, it enhances the attribute potential of the pet beast. After using the Wind King¡¯s Fruit, General Ha¡¯s species potential increased significantly. Coupled with the stage evolution brought by the Nature Control trait, its species level reached the uppermander species. Lu Ran understood it this way: General Ha¡¯s base species wasn¡¯t initially high, far inferior to Zhou Mo¡¯s Two-Headed Dog, which was a naturalmander species, but it excelled inprehension. Now, the Wind King¡¯s Fruitpensated for its base species deficiency, making its innate species level no longer inferior to those of naturalmander species. ¡°Now, it and the Sudden Death King can easily make it to the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard!¡± With General Ha¡¯s evolutionplete, Lu Ran¡¯s confidence soared. Whether facing the Tyrannosaurus Rex team orpeting on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, he felt ready. ¡°Woof woof.¡± At that moment, General Ha also seemed quite interested in its new powers. Having evolved into the Gale Sword Dog, General Ha could now manipte the Sword of Wind with incredible agility, thanks to the Gale Swordsmanship. It effortlessly twirled the Sword of Wind with its tail, and after throwing it, General Ha could make it change trajectories in the air with extreme ease. This level of dexterity far surpassed that of a human wielding a sword by hand. Previously, General Ha¡¯s sword control technique was straightforward andcked variation. Now, it seamlesslybined power, speed, and technique. Additionally, with the enhancements from the Wind King¡¯s Fruit and the Nature Control trait, General Ha¡¯s energypression skill had reached 20xpression. The amount of energy it could mobilize was greatly increased! While Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t im that General Ha was the strongestmander species of the moment¡ªsince there were still more formidable time and spacemander species¡ªhe believed it wasn¡¯t unreasonable to aim for the top of a lesspetitive Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. ¡°General Ha, get familiar with your new form. We¡¯ll teleport to the Public Infinite City in a bit!¡± Lu Ran grinned. Currently, unlike when the Infinite Cities first appeared, the teleportation functions of these cities in various countries were active. However, since each country considered its Infinite City as part of its territory, they generally didn¡¯t allow people from other nations to teleport into their Infinite Cities without special circumstances. Teleporting to explore unique secret realms was fine but required prior application. As for the Infinite City where the Eagle Federation¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex team was located, it was at the intersection of multiple countries, a public Infinite City with no specific affiliation, so teleporting there was no issue. Lu Ran nned to set off today! ¡°Awoof!!¡± Meanwhile, at Infinite City No. 3 in Xia Country, at Beastmaster Square, a beastmaster made a surprising discovery¡­ The names of Passerby A and the sword-holding dog, who had held the top spot in Infinite City No. 3 for a long time, had suddenly disappeared! Of course,pared to current hot topics like the Freshman Tournament and the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, this small incident didn¡¯t cause much of a stir¡­ ¡­ Public Infinite City No. 4. In the beast taming arena, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team had been holding the arena for several hours. Since they started, they had remained undefeated. In every battle, the Tyrannosaurus Rex effortlessly crushed the challengers. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyone who can beat them??¡± ¡°It¡¯s too difficult; the Tyrannosaurus Rex is too strong.¡± At that moment, the massive arena was packed with tens of thousands of beastmasters. They came from various countries, with different skin colors and different purposes for being there. Among them were fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country. Even some participants of the Freshman Tournament, after finishing their matches, had quicklye to watch. These freshmen were also quite upset. Being mocked by the Federation people, who imed that the Freshman Tournament was of low quality and that they could easily make it into the top ten, was infuriating. But after seeing the sheer strength of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team firsthand, they had to admit that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was indeed incredibly powerful. Some who initially nned to challenge them hesitated. ¡°Is there anyone else who wants to challenge???¡± ¡°Roar!!!¡± On the main arena stage, a young man in a gray special forces uniform shouted alongside a colossal beast. This beast was over ten meters long, with thick limbs, a powerful tail, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It looked incredibly formidable. Its breath carried a stench, kicking up swirling sandstorms, and its savage gaze made many fourth-generation beastmasters lose their will to fight just by looking at it. Previous battles had shown that even without using skills, the Tyrannosaurus Rex could easily defeat ordinarymander species with just its physical strength. What¡¯s the point of fighting? ¡°Wait, is there someone new?¡± Just as the young man was issuing his challenge, someone was teleported onto the arena. This person, d in a hunting outfit with disheveled hair and a stern expression, had a massive white bear-like creature standing beside him. A Pr Bear! As the young man was teleported to the arena, tens of thousands of spectators immediately recognized him and gasped in astonishment. ¡°It¡¯s Xipu from Infinite City No. 2 of the Snowfield Federation!!¡± ¡°Snowfield Federation?¡± ¡°They¡¯re arch-enemies with the Eagle Federation.¡± ¡°What¡¯s Xipu¡¯s background?¡± Hearing the new challenger¡¯s nationality, both the Tyrannosaurus Rex team members on the arena and those watching couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Finally, a big fish had taken the bait. Defeating the previous small fry who came to showcase their strength in hopes of joining the Eagle Federation didn¡¯t truly reflect their abilities. It would be much more interesting to face a stronger opponent. ¡°Xipu is one of the top fourth-generation beastmasters from the Snowfield Federation!¡± ¡°His Pr Bear is an innatemander species. After two trait fusions, it nearly rivals a sovereign species. It¡¯s currently ranked ninth on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No. 2 in the Snowfield Federation!¡± With some insider information revealed, the challenger¡¯s identity was rified. Ninth on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard? If it were tenth, it might just be a fluke or luck, but ninth indicated genuine strength! Many people began to feel a surge of anticipation. Xipu was definitely not here to join the Eagle Federation. He must havee with the intention of defeating the Tyrannosaurus Rex team! This battle had everyone excited, as the challenger was a formidable figure from the snowy realms. However¡­ In less than a minute¡­ With an earth-shaking roar, the colossal Pr Bear was viciously mauled by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which bit its neck and flung it several meters away, rendering it unable to fight. Boom!! The violent sandstorm even blew the grim-faced Xipu off his feet, mming him heavily into the arena wall. It was a miserable sight. At that moment, the arena fell silent. The fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country, who had hoped to see this Snowfield Federation warrior defeat the Tyrannosaurus Rex, all froze in shock. They hadn¡¯t anticipated such an oue. ¡°How could this happen!¡± A group of fourth-generation beastmasters from the Snowfield Federation, who had high hopes for Xipu, also wore expressions of disbelief. ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± The beastmasters from the Eagle Federation breathed a sigh of relief and burst intoughter. ¡°We thought he was impressive, but he turned out to be so weak.¡± ¡°Oh my God, were they here just to amuse us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a Pr Bear. We¡¯ve said modern species can¡¯tpete with the Tyrannosaurus Rex!¡± ¡°To beat the Tyrannosaurus Rex, you¡¯d need at least a mythical creature!¡± The Eagle Federation beastmastersughed, filled with a strong sense of national pride. Even those who weren¡¯t members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team began to fantasize about the future: once this technology matured, every Eagle Federation beastmaster could have their own dinosaur! With their economy, military, and technology already far ahead, the Eagle Federation now also enjoyed an absolute advantage in the field of beast taming. This feeling was simply exhrating. ¡°Boring¡± After defeating a genius fourth-generation beastmaster from the Snowfield Federation, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team member chuckled, recalled the Tyrannosaurus Rex, and turned to rest. Soon after, another member of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team stepped out with their dinosaur. The strength levels of these Tyrannosaurus Rex team members were simr, with unified pet beast traits and beastmaster skills. This made foreign fourth-generation beastmasters who wanted to defeat them feel both eager and apprehensive, afraid of losing and bing stepping stones. ¡°Damn it.¡± In the audience, some fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country muttered, ¡°These guys sure know how to pick the timing.¡± ¡°Right now, all our top talents are preparing for the Freshman Tournament. Who has time to challenge them?¡± ¡°I bet the girl with superpowers could thrash them.¡± ¡°I have high hopes for the one with spear intent.¡± ¡°Lu Ran did respond. With Lu Ran¡¯s strength, he could definitely do it, but the Freshman Tournament schedule is too tight. A match with the Tyrannosaurus Rex team would likely affect his uingpetitions.¡± ¡°I heard that Lu Ran¡¯s next opponent said that if Lu Ran challenges the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, win or lose, he would voluntarily forfeit their match.¡± ¡°This guy¡¯s considerate, giving Lu Ran some extra time. But it¡¯s probably because he knows he can¡¯t beat Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Just wondering if Lu Ran will show up today¡­¡± The fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country discussed animatedly. At this moment, the beastmaster who stepped onto the arena to defend was none other than Ian, the one who had been interviewed earlier. With a smile on his face, he spread his hands and said, ¡°Alright, who wants to fight me?¡± ¡°If you perform well, you might get an invitation from the Eagle Federation and receive a dinosaur pet beast.¡± ¡°Of course, if you foolishly think you can defeat the Tyrannosaurus Rex, you¡¯re wee to try.¡± ¡°But the oue might be quite miserable.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, the arena lit up with teleportation beams again. A new challenger appeared. Ian looked at the challenger, and the next moment, he frowned. Not only him, but most of the audience also frowned. This person was wearing a ck mask and a ck baseball cap, wrapping themselves up tightly, making it hard to discern their appearance or nationality. However, the pet beast by their side was recognizable to the crowd. It was a majestic snowfield dog husky, its luxurious fur blending seamlessly with the wind, looking both imposing and elegant! Also known as the Siberian sled dog. But the most baffling thing for beastmasters from various countries was that this Erha was holding an ice-blue greatsword in its mouth!! While the greatsword added to its stylish and domineering appearance, the sight of a dog holding a sword left many people dumbfounded. Even the members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team were momentarily stunned. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Ian blurted out instinctively. Simultaneously, many beastmasters from Xia Country rubbed their eyes vigorously, staring in disbelief at the tightly wrapped figure on the arena. Seeing this familiar species and the familiar setup, they slowly spoke, ¡°Could it be¡­¡± ¡°A dog holding a sword!!¡± ¡°Is it Passerby A?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely him, it¡¯s Passerby A!!¡± The fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country nodded in agreement. Besides Passerby A, who else would y like this? Seeing the excited beastmasters from Xia Country, many beastmasters from other nations grew curious. However, upon learning that ¡°Passerby A¡± was merely the top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard in an infinite city, many spectators lost interest. ¡°Hah¡­ we thought it was someone impressive, but it turns out it¡¯s just the Top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard in the supernatural category?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you see that the guy from the Snowfield Federation, who could rank ninth on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, got crushed by the Tyrannosaurus Rex team?¡± After their initial excitement, the fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country calmed down. This low-key ¡°Passerby A,¡± even after arriving here, remained quite ¡°low-key,¡± wrapped up tightly. Although Passerby A was a well-known figure among the fourth-generation beastmasters in Xia Country, after experiencing the Freshman Tournament and witnessing the prowess of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, these fourth-generation beastmasters now understood the new limits of their generation¡­ Passerby A¡­ Seeing the stark size difference between the sword-holding dog and the Tyrannosaurus Rex, many people couldn¡¯t understand why Passerby A would show up at this moment. ¡°Whatever.¡± Ian, not caring about who his opponent was, thought that perhaps this Xia Country beastmaster also wanted to join the Eagle Federation. After all, the Eagle Federation had attracted quite a few talents from Xia Country! ¡°I¡¯ll give you the first move; otherwise, you won¡¯t have a chance,¡± Ian said nonchntly. ¡°Really? I advise you¡­ to take this seriously,¡± Lu Ran responded helplessly. ¡°Hmm??¡± Ian was puzzled. ¡°Otherwise¡­ you¡¯ll definitely regret it.¡± With that, Lu Ran gave amand. General Ha tilted its head slightly and looked at the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex with a disdainful gaze! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Feeling the disdainful look from an Erha, both Ian and the Tyrannosaurus Rex were instantly enraged. ¡°Roar!!!¡± mes ignited in the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s eyes, and it exhaled hot air from its mouth. Taking a step forward, Ian instinctivelyughed, unable to understand how such a clown could exist. But in the next moment¡ª ¡°Sky Cleaving Rising Dragon sh.¡± As Lu Ran pronounced the skill name in Xia Country¡¯snguage, with a ¡°buzz,¡± the spectators saw a storm-like flow andpressed, extremelypressed energy surge around the Erha, causing a tornado-like ripple around it!!! Boom! The spot where General Ha stepped erupted in a cloud of dust, the floor cracked, and its figure, moving at a terrifying speed, charged towards the Tyrannosaurus Rex with the sword in its mouth!!! Leaving only an afterimage. ¡°Parlor tricks¡± Although Ian¡¯s heart trembled, he still didn¡¯t take it seriously. The Tyrannosaurus Rex raised its head and exhaled, instantly counterattacking. A phantom of a me Wyvern, fused with the artistic conception of the dragon, surged towards the charging Erha! In previous battles, the me Wyvern, imbued with the artistic conception of the dragon, had been invincible, instantly annihting opponents of any species. But this time, people only saw the Erha, moving so fast it seemed to transform into a horizontal tornado, collide fiercely with the me Wyvern. The wyvern was immediately split in two, then disintegrated with a boom! It was utterly defeated! Crackle, crackle¡­ In the void, strong sword intent burst forth. The Dragon Might that the Tyrannosaurus Rex had condensed, creating an artistic conception of the dragon, now seemed asughable as a child challenging a fierce beast. A piercing wave of energy emanated, and the previously ferocious Tyrannosaurus Rex instantly deted like a punctured balloon, its eyes suddenly showing a hint of terror. Because at the moment the me Wyvern was cleaved, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was struck by a vision. It seemed to see countless sword lights descending from the sky, causing an unprecedented dinosaur extinction. ¡°Roar!!!¡± No one knew why the previously domineering Tyrannosaurus Rex suddenly let out a roar of terror. But the next moment, an incredibly shocking scene nearly made thousands of spectators rise to their feet! They saw that after the Sky Cleaving Rising Dragon sh obliterated the me Wyvern, it instantly arrived in front of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Moving at an absurd speed, it made contact with the dinosaur. In that moment, time seemed to stand still¡­ Then, with a ¡°boom,¡± a massive sh mark exploded on the heavily defended body of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Splurt! The sh mark split open. A shower of blood, carried by the fierce wind, filled the sky. Under the unparalleled sh, the gigantic body of the Tyrannosaurus Rex was nearly cut in two. With a dreadful scream, it copsed! And as the dust settled, General Ha, who had caused all this, stood calmly behind the Tyrannosaurus Rex, sword in mouth, waiting silently for its opponent to fall, without even looking back. This eerie, terrifying scene rendered the entire venue deathly silent. Ian, the leader of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, was utterly stunned. His mind went nk, unable to process the reality before him. Even though he hadn¡¯t heeded Lu Ran¡¯s advice to take the fight seriously and use beast taming skills, the fact that his Tyrannosaurus Rex was instantly defeated felt like a surreal dream. Perhaps due to the lingering power of the Dragon yer Sword¡¯s sword intent, Ian dropped to the ground, supporting himself with his hands, his face a mask of shock. Until his teammates¡¯ panicked shouts broke the silence. ¡°Ian, what are you doing!!!¡± Ian¡¯s teammates were also yelling in terror. Although Ian hadn¡¯t used beast taming skills, the sheer strength of the Tyrannosaurus Rex alone should have been enough to crush any opponent. Their beast taming skills, due to limited development, didn¡¯t significantly enhance the already powerful Tyrannosaurus Rex. They were mainly used to help contract and tame the Tyrannosaurus Rex. So now, seeing Ian defeated in an instant, their shouts were not just questioning why Ian had underestimated his opponent but also demanding to know what was going on with this beastmaster before them! ¡°Damn it!!!¡± ¡°What the hell is happening!!¡± In the audience, after a brief silence, many foreign friends heard curses in Xia Country¡¯s characteristic style, alling from the mouths of Xia Country beastmasters. These Xia Country beastmasters had originally been puzzled as to why Passerby A had appeared here. But seeing Passerby A¡¯s sword-holding dog nearly split the Tyrannosaurus Rex in half with a single sh, instantly defeating it, they were even more confused. At this moment, they finally understood why Passerby A hade here, but now they were baffled by how Passerby A could be so powerful! ¡°Who the hell¡­¡± ¡°Who the hell are you!!!!¡± At this moment, Ian, looking like a madman, stared at the tightly wrapped figure opposite him, his eyes bloodshot. Was this person really a fourth-generation beastmaster? Could it be that a second-generation or third-generation beastmaster from Xia Country hade to cause trouble deliberately? No, that couldn¡¯t be right. They had clearly restricted the challenge levels to 1-20! High-level beastmasters couldn¡¯t possibly teleport to the arena. ¡°Me??¡± At this moment, facing Ian¡¯s earnest inquiry, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but remove his mask and hat, revealing a face that Ian was familiar with. ¡°Sorry about that, I¡¯m kind of a known figure and I had to dress up a bit to avoid being bothered on the way here.¡± ¡°My name is Lu Ran, a freshman in the forging department at Xia Country¡¯s beast taming university, with the Infinite City ID Passerby A.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who said this morning that I¡¯d being to challenge you. I wonder if you got the message¡­ By the way, do you have anyone stronger in your team?¡± Lu Ran picked his ear with a finger, finding the surrounding noise quite bothersome. Also, he hoped this wasn¡¯t all they had to offer, as General Ha¡¯s new abilities were only half-revealed. Unbeknownst to Lu Ran, the moment he revealed his identity, it caused an immediate and massive uproar in Public Infinite City! The entire Tyrannosaurus Rex team, including their leader Rex, who had contracted a sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex, stood up in disbelief. Lu Ran¡¯s ace¡­ wasn¡¯t supposed to be that Dragon Lizard??? So what was up with this sword-holding dog! This was the point of shock for the foreign beastmasters. But for the beastmasters from Xia Country, the greater shock was that Lu Ran was actually Passerby A, or rather, Passerby A was Lu Ran! This earth-shattering news quickly spread back to Xia Country at an rming speed! Xia Country. It didn¡¯t take long for the inte to explode. First-hand reports from Public Infinite City, specifically from the Tyrannosaurus Rex team¡¯s arena, surged to the top of the trending topics with overwhelming poprity. [Breaking News!!! Lu Ran Appears in Public Infinite City to Challenge the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team!] [Lu Ran¡¯s Pet Beast Instantly Defeats the Ancient Overlord Tyrannosaurus Rex, But It¡¯s Not the Thunder me Dragon Lizard! It¡¯s a Sword-Holding Erha!] [me Sprite Sessor Lu Ran! His Infinite City ID Exposed as None Other Than the Top of the Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3¡ªPasserby A!!] These explosive news pieces swept through the beastmastermunity in Xia Country like wildfire. After all, most people had assumed that Lu Ran would challenge the Tyrannosaurus Rex team with his terrifyingly powerful Thunder me Dragon Lizard. But no one expected that Lu Ran would challenge under another, well-known identity. Passerby A, the sword-holding dog! Moreover, it wasn¡¯t long before people noticed that Passerby A and the sword-holding dog had disappeared from the divine beast leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3, which further confirmed the authenticity of Lu Ran¡¯s current achievements¡­ What a joke! The power of that Thunder me Dragon Lizard was already terrifying enough, but now it turned out that Lu Ran was actually Passerby A? And his sword-holding dog was strong enough to instantly defeat a Tyrannosaurus Rex? Doesn¡¯t that mean both his pet beasts are monster-level? Such revtions left the seeded yers in Sky City utterly speechless. In the preparation room, Xia Ri, the heir to the Fire Plundering school, was extremely shocked, finally understanding why Lu Ran had said he was from the Rainbow Heaven Dojo. Zhou Mo, Gong Kaixin, and others were dumbfounded, never imagining that Lu Ran, who had easily dominated them, had been fighting with just one pet all along¡­ and that his other pet was even more terrifyingly powerful. Pluto couldn¡¯tprehend how the sword-holding dog, which was previously just a supernatural species, could now instantly kill an uppermander Tyrannosaurus Rex in the blink of an eye. ¡°Amazing!!!¡± Only those who knew Lu Ran, like Fang Lan and Pig Raiser, couldn¡¯t help but repeat with excitement when faced with the news. Of course, the Fourth Generation in Green Sea City might be the most shocked of all¡­ Lu Ran¡­ Passerby A¡­ Yang Xishuai and others were in shock, finally understanding why the red-eyed eagle lizard had been left unattended for so long. It was because it was his second pet¡­ Green Sea City¡­ Not only did they have the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, but they also harbored such a hidden powerhouse?! At this point, although Lu Ran¡¯s challenge wasn¡¯t over, media from the Snowfield Federation, who had long been displeased with the Eagle Federation, finally found an opportunity to bite back. This had be a global hot topic. Snowfield Federation Journalist: ¡°I am willing to call Lu Ran, aka Passerby A, the strongest Fourth Generation in Xia Country! The Tyrannosaurus Rex team is simply no match!¡± Chapter 135: Continued Exposure Chapter 135: Continued Exposure The renowned beastmaster of the Eagle Federation, Ah Se, once said, ¡°At lower levels, no creature on Blue Star can defeat a Tyrannosaurus Rex. They are invincible. This is my view on dinosaur pet beasts.¡± This perspective is widely epted by many researchers in the Federation Research Institute¡¯s Dinosaur Life Research Team. After all, if dinosaur pet beasts weren¡¯t formidable, how could they prove their talent? However, just as the researchers in the Dinosaur Life Research Team were eagerly awaiting news of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team¡¯s ughter spree from Infinite City, intelligence that Ian¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex had been instantly defeated by Lu Ran¡¯s sword-holding dog was the first to return to the Federation. ¡°My God, how is this possible!¡± In the Dinosaur Life Research Institute, a group of researchers was in disbelief. ¡°Director Yun, what kind of creature is a sword-holding dog?!¡± Many researchers looked at Dr. Yunhan from Xia Country, who is now one of the deputy directors of the Dinosaur Life Research Institute. At this moment, Dr. Yunhan was also full of disbelief. He prided himself on being very knowledgeable about the beast taming environment in Xia Country. A sword-holding dog¡­ what new species could that be? No matter what it holds, how could a dog like Erha defeat a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which the Eagle Federation had revived with immense national effort? ¡°Calm down! It was merely Ian being careless and getting defeated. Ian and his team are only part of the ¡®second echelon.¡¯ We still have our hidden ace, Rex, and his low-level sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex, which is our most perfect research oue.¡± ¡°Rex¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex can also instantly kill the other team members¡¯ Tyrannosaurus Rex. It¡¯s not like the entire Tyrannosaurus Rex team was defeated. There¡¯s no need to panic,¡± said an elderly researcher stepping forward.¡°Dr. Hayden¡­¡± Hearing his words, many researchers were reassured. Dr. Hayden looked at everyone and said, ¡°You all stay here. Dr. Yunhan, continue to lead the team in research. I¡¯ll go to Infinite City to check out the situation.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring back the good news of Rex crushing this Lu Ran for you!¡± With that, he teleported to Infinite City, intending to see the battle scene for himself. Meanwhile. In the arena of Public Infinite City, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team faced Lu Ran¡¯s provocation on stage but had yet to respond! ¡°Oh wow!¡± ¡°The Tyrannosaurus Rex team won¡¯t chicken out, right?¡± With Lu Ran¡¯s appearance, some beastmasters who were displeased with the Eagle Federation finally found their chance to fight back. Now, when they looked at Lu Ran and General Ha, it was as if they were looking at ¡°gods.¡± At this point, nationality no longer mattered. Lu Ran¡¯s dog was incredibly powerful. The Tyrannosaurus Rex that had been dominant for so long was now easily defeated? ¡°They¡¯re definitely chickening out!¡± ¡°Judging by the earlier situation, all the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the team are at about the same level!¡± ¡°If this one was instantly defeated, the others probably won¡¯t stand a chance either.¡± Many onlookers were watching the drama. This experience of ¡°knowing the opponent is very strong and being instantly defeated¡± was something they had just felt. Now, it was the Tyrannosaurus Rex team¡¯s turn to experience it. Passerby A Our god!! On the stage, Ian quickly recalled his Tyrannosaurus Rex and was helped down by a female teammate. He was clearly shaken, while Lu Ran continued his taunting to the extreme. ¡°Is there no one left? I¡¯m fine with a series of one-on-one battles. Let me see Tyrannosaurus Rex with different attributes.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s too much, we can change the rules. All of you cane at me together if you want.¡± This made General Ha start to wonder if Boss Lu had already been practicing super beast mimicry: dark crow. Could the third beast be that crow? ¡°Damn, that¡¯s arrogant.¡± The beastmasters from Xia Country had initially thought Passerby A was a very low-key person. But with his identity exposed, they realized he wasn¡¯t low-key at all. Now he was practically rubbing their faces in it. However, this was also because the other side had first dragged Lu Ran into the center of public opinion, making him very unhappy. Just as everyone thought the Tyrannosaurus Rex team would definitely back down, a young man who had never fought before suddenly stepped forward. His appearance immediately attracted a lot of attention. ¡°I am the captain of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, Rex.¡± ¡°Your pet beast is quite interesting.¡± Lu Ran and General Ha frowned as they looked at him. Rex pointed to his eyes and said, ¡°I possess the intermediate Eye of Data.¡± ¡°I can see that your pet beast has the wind attribute, a growth level of only level 20, and a species level of uppermander.¡± ¡°For an uppermander to perform this well against a ¡®quasi-sovereign¡¯ species like a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it ismendable.¡± ¡°But, you¡¯ve gotten too arrogant.¡± ¡°Ian¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex hadn¡¯t fully awakened its power. Do you really think that defeating him means you can ignore a true ancient overlord?¡± The Tyrannosaurus Rex resurrected through technology still had some ws. To activate nearly perfect sub-dragon bloodlines, it was necessary to fuse ¡°Ancient Blood Traits¡± and have the beastmaster train a ¡°Potential Unleashing¡± beast taming skill. ording to the Federation Research Institute, through this cultivation method, the second trait could fuse with a loong-type trait, and the third trait could also fuse with a loong-type trait, giving a more than 50% chance of evolving into a Loong-type upon awakening. While Ian and the others¡¯ Tyrannosaurus Rex had their potential and talent activated, their awakenings were not particrly perfect. Only Rex had rtively perfectly activated the true power of his Tyrannosaurus Rex, making it a sovereign species by the second trait fusion! ¡°What does this guy mean!¡± At this moment, many people were stunned seeing Rex step forward. And the next moment, his words sent a shock through everyone. ¡°If I told you that a truly fused twice-trait Tyrannosaurus Rex could reach the level of a lower sovereign species, how would you respond?¡± ¡°Come on, since you¡¯re so interested, I¡¯ll show you what a real Tyrannosaurus Rex looks like.¡± As he spoke, he began to summon his pet beast, under the incredulous gazes of many. Boom!!! Boom!!! With his summoning, it was as if an invisible wave of energy radiated from the summoning circle on the field. In the arena, the air began to hum and vibrate, with nearly tangible Dragon Might forming transparent tides. This scene astonished everyone. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The terrifying Dragon Might, apanying the appearance of an evenrger Tyrannosaurus Rex, instantly swept the arena like a storm. ¡°Howl!!!¡± On the other side, General Ha erupted with Sword Intent, standing firm in front, helping Lu Ran withstand the overwhelming pressure with a sharp gaze. ¡°Tangible Dragon Might, a sovereign species!¡± Finally realizing the uniqueness of this Tyrannosaurus Rex, many spectators widened their eyes. No one expected that Rex, the self-proimed captain of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, would summon a sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex! Could a fourth-generation beastmaster contract with a sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex?! ¡°What¡¯s going on! Why is this one a sovereign species!¡± ¡°I remember, aren¡¯t all eight of them ranked on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, when Rex got ranked, his pet beast had only just fused with ¡®one trait¡¯.¡± ¡°Someone quickly check if he¡¯s still on that leaderboard!¡± ¡°Fraud, this is intelligence fraud. How could a sovereign species be defeated?¡± A level 1 sovereign species creature could easily thrash a level 20 supernatural species. Moreover, this was a level 20 perfect sub-dragon. No one anticipated such a reversal in the arena. Facing the overpowering Lu Ran, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team unexpectedly countered with a sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex. At this moment, the fourth-generation beastmasters from Xia Country looked somewhat grim. Lu Ran¡¯s Erha, ording to Rex, had already reached the uppermander species level, very strong¡­ Facing a Tyrannosaurus Rex of the same uppermander level, it wouldn¡¯t be at much of a disadvantage in terms of species, and could even crush the opponent with the advantage of skills and attributes. However, the gap between a sovereign and amander was far too vast. Who could have expected that the Federation¡¯s group had held back this much? The Tyrannosaurus Rex team clearly wanted to show the world that, at the same level, the Tyrannosaurus Rex was the strongest creature on Blue Star. Yet¡­ ¡°Is this all there is?¡± Just as everyone expected Lu Ran to show a change in expression, he remained calm. ¡°Sovereign species, huh? We¡¯ve already cut down 56 of its kind.¡± ¡°What are you saying!!!¡± Rex had been waiting for Lu Ran¡¯s shock, but instead, his own face flushed red with anger, feeling that Lu Ran was excessively arrogant. Not only Rex, but the audience was also stunned. They had never imagined that Lu Ran would remain unfazed in the face of a sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex. Could Lu Ran really believe¡­ that even against a sovereign sub-dragon species, they could still win?!! Many spectators were inwardly shaken. ¡°Crush them!!!¡± At this moment, Rex knew that, whether for the face of the Eagle Federation or his own pride, he had to make this guy crawl away from here today!! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Unlike Ian, Rex went all out from the start, even using his beast taming skills. As the battle began, his rock-type Tyrannosaurus Rex roared toward the sky, releasing an extremelypressed yellow energy orb. ¡°Dragon Star Cluster!¡± Boom. The yellow orb transformed into a gigantic flying dragon, soaring high into the sky. It then exploded, shattering into countless fragments. What followed was a truly spectacr scene. Each fragment reshaped itself into dragon-headed meteorites. These meteorites, ignited by friction with the air, zed with mes as they hurtled toward the arena at high speed, covering the entire battleground in their attack range!! ¡°Holy crap.¡± Seeing such a massive ultimate move, the Fourth Generation couldn¡¯t help but exim. This move perfectlybined energypression, release, and shaping artistic conception. Moreover, the power level of this sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex was leagues beyond that of the previousmander-level Tyrannosaurus Rex. It aimed to destroy the entire arena, leaving the sword-holding dog with nowhere to hide. However, in the face of this massive ultimate move, Lu Ran remained calm. Erha slightly raised its head, and a violent wind force seemed to gather from all directions. In an instant, the giant sword it was holding in its mouth flew out!!! Whoosh!!! The Ice Sky Greatsword soared upward. In that moment, the wind wrapped around the sword seemed to alter the refraction of light, making the sword¡¯s shape appear almost ethereal. Yet, no matter how ephemeral the sword appeared, the will of the sword it emitted was sharp and unmistakable, causing the air to tremble and creating countless ripples. Without slowing down, the sword cut through the sky at a sharp angle, and in an instant, it pierced through one of the dragon-shaped meteorites. The meteorite shattered like stic hit by a bullet, instantly exploding. Afterward, the flight of the Ice Sky Greatsword did not cease. It flew straight in one direction at an almost untraceable speed, cutting through the air. Each collision point resulted in another Dragon Star Cluster exploding. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!! Amidst countless explosions, the flying sword weaved through the sky in a dazzling disy, showcasing various incredible angles and flight paths. In just a few seconds, General Ha had seemingly ignited a beautiful firework disy in mid-air with the flying sword. The greatsword pierced through all the descending Dragon Star Clusters, lighting up the sky with ming orbs. This stunning scene left everyone utterly speechless. So¡­ this was how it was resolved? ¡°This kind of attack¡­ are you kidding me!¡± Unlike the others, Rex and the Tyrannosaurus Rex were equally shocked. However, they had perfectly taken advantage of General Ha¡¯s distraction while controlling the sword. At some point, the Tyrannosaurus Rex had charged forward, aiming its ferocious bite at the now swordless General Ha? It was obvious that Lu Ran¡¯s strange pet beast¡¯s main powery in its sword. Now that General Ha was distracted with sword control, it was at its most vulnerable! But in the next moment, facing the razor-sharp teeth, Erha made an unimaginable move. Its tail swept out, and somehow, a longsword, entirely condensed andpressed from wind force, had coiled around its tail. The tail and the head of the Tyrannosaurus Rex shed directly!! ¡°Roar!!¡± A hurricane erupted. In an instant, teeth flew everywhere, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s head was knocked askew. It let out a cry of pain!! Rex¡¯s expression changed once again. ¡°What is with this dog!¡± Its tail-swinging sword strike was even more terrifying than the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s bite??? Wait a minute, is this dog really just an uppermander? ¡°Is that all?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mocking voice rang out again. The sound of something slicing through the air reverberated as the Ice Sky Greatsword rapidly descended from the sky!! Despite the intense pain, sensing the lethal danger, the Tyrannosaurus Rex widened its eyes and roared furiously,pressing its entire rock armor. Yet, in the next instant, the Ice Sky Greatsword, defying all logic, effortlessly pierced through the rock armor as if slicing through tofu, brutally impaling the massive body of the Tyrannosaurus Rex to the ground!! Boom!!! The massive Tyrannosaurus Rex fell, letting out a heartrending roar. Its body rolled and struggled on the ground, trying to rise even while bathed in blood. A sovereign species indeed, it stood resilient even in the face of the Dragon yer Sword Dog¡¯s sword intent. However, General Ha¡¯s assault was far from over. The Ice Sky Greatsword soared back into its mouth. With both mouth and tail wielding swords, the Dual Sword school form was disyed. At that moment, sensing the overwhelming aura radiating from General Ha, which was no less imposing than that of a sovereign species, Rex¡¯s pupils contracted. He finally realized something was wrong. This dog¡­ It¡¯s a sovereign species!!! Moreover, it was the kind that could crush sub-dragons of the same level!! The opponent had hidden its true strength even deeper! ¡°Stand up!! Defend yourself!¡± he shouted, trying to rouse the Tyrannosaurus Rex, his mind in chaos. But to Rex¡¯s dismay, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, heavily injured and facing the terrifying will of General Ha, had lost its fighting spirit. ¡°Roar‡±¡± Even the sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex couldn¡¯t help but show a look of panic. This was the oppressive presence of the Dragon yer Sword Dog. At this moment, General Ha had transformed into a tornado once again, arriving in an instant. As the gale passed, violent air currents shook the surroundings, and several shes appeared on the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s body. Its enormous frame was even lifted into the air by the wind, the sight of the several-ton behemoth being thrown skyward was beyond imagination. General Ha¡¯s offensive didn¡¯t stop. After a brief pause on the ground, it propelled itself upward with all four limbs, executing a series of extraordinarily elegant shes in mid-air. One strike, two strikes, three strikes¡­ a total of twenty-one consecutive shes! This powerful, smooth, and dazzling gale swordsmanship left the Fourth Generation in the audience stunned in their seats. The battle was simply too overwhelming. All of this happened within just a few seconds. The sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex, which had stunned many and was Rex¡¯s pride, was utterly powerless. Like its kin before it, it was crushed mercilessly!! It seemed to truly validate Lu Ran¡¯s words, ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± In the audience, an elderly researcher who had arrivedte was now staring wide-eyed at the battle unfolding on the field, a look of disbelief on his face. Dr. Hayden from the Dinosaur Life Research Team had originallye to watch Rex¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex crush the Xia Country¡¯s Fourth Generation prodigy. But upon arriving, he saw that it was their team¡¯s pride and joy being utterly thrashed, causing him to breathe heavily. ¡°How¡­ how could this happen?¡± Of course, the most devastated at this moment was Rex himself. The sharp Dragon yer Sword intent seemed to travel through the contract, slicing through his mental will as well. At this moment, facing Lu Ran and his team¡¯s fierce offensive, Rex felt as if his throat was being squeezed, making it hard to breathe. He finally understood Ian¡¯s feelings; he almost fainted from fear, as if he were witnessing the terrifying scene of the dinosaur mass extinction. A monster¡­ Rex no longer dared to feel invincible because of the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡¯s strength. To him now, this Erha was the true king of monsters. With a thunderous crash, as the Tyrannosaurus Rex fell to the ground, General Handed and cast its gaze over the remaining members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. They¡­ though not having fought, were nearly scared out of their wits. After ying the sovereign, Lu Ran unequivocally dered to the world theplete defeat of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team! ¡°How boring, let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing Rex and the entire Tyrannosaurus Rex team in a state of shock, Lu Ran felt that there was no point in continuing the fight given the situation. It was better to go back and prepare for tomorrow¡¯s Freshman Tournament¡­ No, to im the ethereal flower. With that, he turned to leave, paying no mind to the feelings of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. At that moment, Rex, facing Lu Ran¡¯s back, showed no reaction at all, evidently too frightened to respond. It was then that a loud shout suddenly erupted from the audience, silencing the bustling, noisy venue!! ¡°Rex!!! What are you doing!! Snap out of it!!!¡± Dr. Hayden shouted from the high tform. He couldn¡¯t ept that Rex, who had consumed countless resources, was disying such a state at this crucial moment. ¡°Who is that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Dr. Hayden from the Eagle Federation, one of the leaders of the Dinosaur Resurrection Project!!¡± Many beastmasters were shocked upon seeing him, not expecting Dr. Hayden to be present. He was a first-generation beastmaster of the Federation, a rare figure who became a beastmaster in his old age. Due to his age, he didn¡¯t be abat beastmaster. However, in the field of pet beast research, he had made remarkable strides, leading his team to resurrect the dinosaur species, which cemented his status as one of the most renowned pet beast researchers of the present time. ¡°Lu Ran, stop right there!¡± At this moment, despite knowing that as a first-generation researcher, it was somewhat beneath him to engage with a fourth-generation neer, Dr. Hayden couldn¡¯t ept Lu Ran leaving so nonchntly after decimating the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. ¡°What is it? Do you have a stronger dinosaur?¡± Lu Ran looked up at the researcher who had called him. ¡°You brat!¡± Dr. Hayden fumed. ¡°Don¡¯t get too cocky. These dinosaurs haven¡¯t yet reached their full potential! Once they¡¯ve transformed into Loong-type, you¡¯ll be the one getting crushed!!¡± ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha disdainfully nced at the old man. ¡°How long will that take?¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°I can wait. Just hope that by then¡­ I haven¡¯t already raised a giant dragon.¡± ¡°As for why¡­ you¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± With that, Lu Ran continued walking away, teleporting out and leaving Dr. Hayden fuming. Raising a giant dragon? What a joke! Meanwhile, at Xia Country¡¯s Beast Taming University¡­ The campus website publicly released information about a new professor. Name: Lu Ran Gender: Male Age: 17 Introduction: Specially appointed professor of the Culinary Department at Beast Taming University, fourth-generation beastmaster, currently the first person on Blue Star to master ¡°dragon culinary intent¡± and recognized as a Dragon Chef with the ability to raise dragons. Following the news of Lu Ran¡¯s sword sh defeating the sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex, countries around the world were once again shaken. No one had anticipated that the Eagle Federation had hidden such a powerful sovereign asset. But even more unexpected was that, despite this formidable trump card, Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog crushed it effortlessly. Such monstrous strength instantly gained global acknowledgment of Lu Ran as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Xia Country. However, what shocked countries even more was Lu Ran¡¯s response to Dr. Hayden¡¯s Loong-type challenge from the Eagle Federation, and the revtion from Xia Country¡¯s official sources about another aspect of Lu Ran¡¯s identity. Blue Star¡¯s first Dragon Chef! A world-ss cultivator capable of raising dragons through culinary arts! In that moment, countries around the world felt that a duel of dragons between the Eagle Federation and Xia Country was inevitable! ¡°A professor in the cultivating department?!!¡± ¡°This is just insane!!!¡± Meanwhile, the seeded yers preparing in Sky City felt a series of shocks. Hearing about Lu Ran¡¯s subsequent sword sh defeating the sovereign had already left them deeply shaken, cursing the abnormality of it all. Now, learning that Lu Ran was not only a student but also a professor in the cultivating department left them even more disheartened, feeling utterly overwhelmed. Great, great, a university professoring down topete with a bunch of freshmen for resources! How could there be such a person? Chapter 136: Dr. Gu: Huh? Chapter 136: Dr. Gu: Huh? Outside of Shanghai, on the vast, endless expanse of water. Under the sunlight, the sea surface sparkled. With a ssh, a blue-green Eastern divine loong soared from the deep sea into the sky. Atop its head stood a woman in a ck wetsuit, her eyes dazedly looking at the sun. ¡°More than half a month already.¡± The vast sea azure dragon soared through the clouds as Gu Qingyi murmured to herself. Some time ago, she had ventured deep into the ocean from Shanghai, riding the vast sea azure dragon. Her goals were twofold: to train her pet beast¡¯s strength and to investigate deep sea threats. This trip had taken her more than half a month. After emerging, Gu Qingyi¡¯s first thought was about Lu Ran. Had he sessfully passed the breakthrough secret realm? How had he performed in the Freshman Tournament?Leaving the trait crystal and beast taming skill with Manager Ying before she left, she still felt a bit uneasy. Gu Qingyi took out her phone, just about to call Manager Ying to ask for an update, when a series of news notifications popped up, leaving her slightly stunned. Headlines like ¡°Tyrannosaurus Rex resurrected!¡± ¡°Passerby A¡¯s sword sh defeats sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex¡± ¡°First Dragon Chef on blue star born¡± ¡°Culinary Department professor joins forging department and crushesbat genius¡± and other chaotic news made her almost think her brain was waterlogged. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What have I missed?¡± ¡­ At the same time, Lu Ran had already returned to Sky City. When he emerged from infinite city, Manager Ying was waiting for him in the living room. ¡°Hey, not bad.¡± Though Manager Ying had thought that Erha, with its sword intent of the Dragon yer Sword, wouldn¡¯t be at a disadvantage against the Tyrannosaurus Rex, seeing Lu Ran win so easily made it realize it had underestimated these two. ¡°It¡¯s just attribute restraint,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°By the way, about the exquisite resources¡­¡± ¡°I want an ethereal flower, is that okay?¡± ¡°Knew you¡¯d be fixated on that.¡± Manager Ying showed a knowing expression: ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll ry your request to Shi Zhen.¡± ¡°Shi Zhen, he¡¯s the president of beast taming university, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°His infinite city ID is Earth-shattering. Like Gu Qingyi, he¡¯s one of the first-generation beastmasters, one of the 13 Level 5 beastmasters in Xia Country.¡± ¡°However¡­ it¡¯s likely he¡¯ll have to step down from the frontline soon,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°What happened?¡± Lu Ran asked curiously. ¡°He got hit with a curse in the breakthrough secret realm, making him unfit forbat. So the guild leader suggested he step down for some rest, and that¡¯s why he was given the leisurely position of university president.¡± ¡°If the curse can be lifted, he might return to the frontline. If not, he might have to retire altogether.¡± Lu Ran nodded, realizing how unforgiving the path of beast taming could be. This meant that the 13 active frontline fighters might soon be reduced to 12. ¡°What kind of curse is it?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s serious but not life-threatening¡­¡± ¡°He offended a witch in the breakthrough secret realm, causing him to asionally transform into a woman. During the gender transition, his power significantly decreases¡­ But at least his life isn¡¯t in danger.¡± ¡°Damn!¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t hold back. How could that not be serious? ¡°Uh-oh,¡± Manager Ying covered its mouth. Oops, it had just spilled some high-level intelligence. If Shi Zhen found out, he would definitely kill it. ¡°I gave you this intel for free, so don¡¯t spread it around. And when you meet President Shi Zhen, stay calm and don¡¯t sell me out!!¡± ¡°Okay, he¡¯s not one to show his face often. I¡¯ll bring you the ethereal flower when it¡¯s ready.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran still couldn¡¯t quickly ept it. No wonder it¡¯s always the vice president appearing in the news about beast taming university. So that¡¯s why¡­ What a bizarre curse. Although he didn¡¯t know this big shot Shi Zhen, Lu Ran felt deep sympathy for him. First, he thanked him for the advance payment of his teaching sry, and then for the ethereal flower¡­ If he ever found a way to lift the curse, he would definitely help him! This curse was too inhumane. Even turning someone into an old man or a child would be better than a gender change. How could he face his rtives and friends? If he was married with kids, it would be even crueler. ¡°Do you have any intelligence on the witch Shi Zhen offended? Just in case I ever enter the same breakthrough secret realm, I can avoid her,¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Information like this isn¡¯t free,¡± Manager Ying extended its cat paw, rubbing it together to signify payment. ¡°Forget it.¡± Lu Ran sighed, feeling a bit exasperated. ¡°I¡¯ll just avoid any women in any secret realms I enter.¡± ¡°???¡± ¡°What kind of logic is that?¡± Manager Ying was puzzled. Lu Ran whistled, not because he was unwilling to spend the money, but because he thought it was unlikely he¡¯d be unlucky enough to encounter such a curse. ¡°Wait, is Dr. Gu back?¡± Just then, Lu Ran¡¯s phone rang. Lu Ran picked it up and saw that the caller was none other than Gu Qingyi, who had been out of touch for a long time. ¡°Is she finally back?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Ask her what intelligence she gathered from the deep sea.¡± ¡°You just want free intel, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°With our rtionship, it¡¯s called intelligence sharing,¡± Manager Ying corrected. ¡°Then I think our rtionship could also level up to intelligence sharing¡­¡± Lu Ran quickly answered the call under Manager Ying¡¯s murderous gaze. ¡°Ah¡­¡± On the other end, Gu Qingyi took a deep breath. ¡°Lu Ran, I just went through the news from the past few weeks.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really made a name for yourself.¡± Originally, with the Eagle Federation¡¯s resurrection of dinosaurs, Gu Qingyi, as a Loong-type researcher in Xia Country, would have been under immense pressure. But when the news came out that Lu Ran had easily defeated the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, that pressure vanished. Instead, the Federation¡¯s dinosaur life research institute found itself under tremendous pressure from Xia Country¡¯s Dragon Chef, Lu Ran. This reversal left Gu Qingyi a bit bewildered. After all, Lu Ran was just a Fourth Generation rookie. What exactly had this guy done in the breakthrough secret realm to receive Yan Sizhen¡¯s inheritance? ¡°You¡¯re too kind, Dr. Gu,¡± Lu Ran said with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m heading to Sky City right now.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll talk when we meet.¡± After her return, Gu Qingyi should have reported to the Alliance headquarters first, but she only wanted to go to Sky City immediately. ¡°By the way,¡± Manager Ying spoke up, ¡°You want the ethereal flower to awaken your pet beast¡¯s Space attribute, right?¡± ¡°I suggest you ask for her adviceter to ensure the best order for fusion and awakening.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Lu Ran nodded. The third trait for Sudden Death King would definitely be a Loong-type trait. As for General Ha, even if Lu Ran wanted it to awaken the Space attribute, he wouldn¡¯t do it at level 30. It would be more appropriate at level 40 or level 50, but not at level 30. That¡¯s because at level 30, pet beasts face a crucial turning point: their first stage of evolution. This evolution differs from the previous two trait fusions in that it has the greatest impact on species, form, attributes, gender, abilities, and talents! It will integrate all the pet beast¡¯s previous potential and talents, prompting a transformation. During this process, the pet beast¡¯s form will change significantly‡±it could even be a different species, like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Even if the previous three fusions were all traits, new attributes could emerge during this evolution, and some pet beasts might even change gender. The species talent awakened at the level 30 stage is also called an evolution talent and is generally stronger. This evolution is also the key stage for a significant increase in the pet beast¡¯s species level. Most beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts achieve the sovereign species level during this level 30 evolution stage. If this opportunity is missed, it bes much harderter on. If Lu Ran wanted General Ha¡¯s first evolution to be perfect, the new power fused at level 30 had to be chosen with great care. It had to be highlypatible with the traits of weapon mastery, nature control, as well as General Ha¡¯s species, attributes, and talents. If he fused the Space attribute at level 30, it would be like opening a new track for General Ha. Although the Space attribute is strong, its power might not integrate perfectly into the uing evolution. At level 30, General Ha needed a trait that could assist in a perfect evolution, rather than adding a powerful new attribute. The Space attribute could be pursued at level 40, 50, or 60, during the second stage of evolution, as a new power domain to fuse. This would allow for a higher margin of error. So, after obtaining the ethereal flower, Lu Ran thought it over. He would either give it to General Ha at level 40 or see if it would be suitable for his third or fourth pet. Before long, Gu Qingyi arrived at Lu Ran¡¯s dormitory. After more than half a month apart, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but feel that Dr. Gu¡¯s skin looked much more tender. Was it from soaking in seawater? That shouldn¡¯t be the case¡­ Constant soaking should have caused her skin to prune, not rejuvenate. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Gu Qingyi noticed Lu Ran ncing at her arm and questioned him. ¡°Oh, nothing. Dr. Gu, you¡¯re finally back.¡± Lu Ranughed awkwardly and said, ¡°How did it go?¡± ¡°The results were significant, but not as impressive as yours,¡± Gu Qingyi replied, giving Lu Ran a deep look. An emperor¡¯s inheritance in the first breakthrough secret realm was a rare achievement on the entire Blue Star. ¡°Qingyi, how are things in the deep sea?¡± Manager Ying was very concerned about this issue. ¡°The situation is not very optimistic. The deep sea environment is now extremely harsh, with spatial maic fields inplete disarray. The teleport function of identity cards doesn¡¯t work properly anymore. Additionally, there are many level 40 and level 50 ferocious beasts in the deep sea, far exceeding the number of powerfulnd-based beasts.¡± ¡°Fortunately, their focus is solely onpeting for deep-sea resources, so they shouldn¡¯t be too interested in thend for now. However, if this continues, I¡¯m worried that soon the deep sea will give rise to level 60 or even level 70 creatures, far surpassing the strength ofnd-based beings.¡± ¡°When that happens, even if they have no interest in thend, their sheer power could pose a great threat. A single battle could affect the external environment, causing tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters.¡± ¡°Furthermore, as evolution progresses, some marine creatures may evolve the ability to survive onnd. It¡¯s not impossible for them toe ashore.¡± The intensepetition in the deep sea could drive them to evolvend-survival abilities to find new territories, which aligns with evolutionary principles. Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran, ¡°No matter what, we must prepare for the worst. With the intensifying global evolution, the ocean is likely to be the most threatening area for humanity.¡± ¡°Green Sea City, as a coastal city, faces significant potential threats. As its overseer, you need to pay more attention to the ocean¡¯s movements.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression became serious. Was Dr. Gu suggesting that he should strike first, conquer the coastal waters, and be the King of the Coastal Waters? Chapter 137: Go for It, Big Sister with the Gun Chapter 137: Go for It, Big Sister with the Gun Currently, although the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team made an unexpected appearance, the Freshman Tournament at the Beast Taming University was proceeding smoothly. The moment the news of Lu Ran¡¯s victory over the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team spread, his next opponent decisively forfeited. Lu Ran, hailed by many fourth-generation beastmasters as ¡°the most promising¡± beastmaster. Thus, Boss Lu advanced without a fight. Now, Lu Ran could onlyugh, because his next opponent in the uing match was none other than Fang Lan. Fang Lan was having a terrible headache. To be honest, even if Lu Ran wasn¡¯t that strong, Fang Lan would still feel troubled, because her greatest fear was the wind attribute. She had been quite lucky in her previous matches, where her opponents, despite being equipped with advanced wind and poison resistance equipment, couldn¡¯t restrict her much. But with Lu Ran, his wind skills,pressed multiple times over, were too much for her poison attribute to handle.¡°I¡¯ll just forfeit. I¡¯ll prepare for the loser¡¯s bracket instead of wasting time here.¡± Knowing she couldn¡¯t possibly win against Lu Ran, Fang Lan chose not to struggle pointlessly and decided to give up. She was no longer the beastmaster she was at the beginning, determined topete with Lu Ran. ¡°Pfft.¡± Just like that, Lu Ran advanced again without a fight, moving one step closer to the sovereign pet beast egg. Now, he was in the top 8. Three more battles and he could im the grand prize. The remaining seven opponents were all formidable. For example, there was Xia Ri from the Fire Plundering school, the only other freshman besides Lu Ran known to have mastered the shaping artistic conception skill. Then there was Du Yuan from the official strategy team, whose initial pet beast had awakened the Space attribute, essentially granting him the second-ce reward by default, with a pet beast of extraordinary talent. From Xia Country¡¯srgest guild, ¡°Living Fossil,¡± there was Youxiong Anlin, who contracted with the national treasure, Panda, a pet beast possessing both the top-level Light and Dark attributes, simr to the Rank 1 Light-Dark Butterfly on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City No.3. And then there was the superpower big sister, whose personal strength rivaled that of mental attribute pet beasts, with equally astonishing talent. These were all formidable opponents; for instance, Pluto, someone Lu Ran was familiar with, was defeated by Xia Ri, while Sister White Tiger was brutally beaten by the national treasure beast. ¡°Not bad luck, finally going up against her.¡± As the tournament progressed, Lu Ran¡¯s next opponent was finally determined. It was Xia Ri, the gun-wielding sessor of the Fire Plundering school. ¡­ At This Moment, the Domestic Audience Is Getting Impatient Ever since Lu Ran crushed the Tyrannosaurus Rex Team, his momentum has surged, establishing him as the strongest among the Fourth Generation in Xia Country. This perception isn¡¯t limited to just Xia Country¡¯s public, it¡¯s a global consensus. It¡¯s foreseeable that Lu Ran¡¯s uing matches in the Freshman Tournament will attract significant attention. Unfortunately, the audience, after a long wait, only saw two of his opponents consecutively forfeit. Thankfully, when it came to Xia Ri, there were no premature forfeits, and the anticipation for this match was at its peak. ¡°Dean Chu, you¡¯ve kept a deep secret! I didn¡¯t expect Lu Ran to be a Culinary Professor in your cultivating department.¡± Before the match began, while Lu Ran hadn¡¯t yet appeared, Dean Kong of the History Department couldn¡¯t help but speak, whether out of genuine surprise or as part of the script. ¡°Haha, not just you, I was surprised too. Professor Lu Ran approached me after the Freshman Tournament had already started. When I found out he had mastered the dragon culinary intent, I was equally shocked.¡± In other words, Lu Ran became a professor after enrolling in the Freshman Tournament, not a cultivating department professor dominating the freshmen. So don¡¯t get it twisted. Dean Chu Yan smiled. Next to him, Dean Kong sighed, wondering how the forging department and cultivating department had such good fortune. Probably, Dean Qin of thebat department was also envious. Such a powerful neer, yet he wasn¡¯t from thebat department¡­ However, Dean Kong understood. Lu Ran had inherited the me Sprite, known to be specially developed by Yan Sizhen, the originator of forging and culinary manship, for forging and cooking. Lu Ran¡¯s choice was understandable. Ah, when will some powerful figures emerge in our History Department? Archaeological studies of the Star-Moon Continent¡¯s history are quite fascinating! If they could uncover traces of legendary creatures, even a fraction of their benefits would be a groundbreaking advancement for the beast taming field on the blue star. ¡°Next, we will proceed with the Freshman Tournament¡¯s quarterfinal round, featuring the forging department¡¯s freshman, Lu Ran, against thebat department¡¯s freshman, Xia Ri!¡± As the judge of the Freshman Tournament, Xu Pingze felt an urge to add Lu Ran¡¯s other title, such as professor in the cultivating department, but unfortunately, that wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. Following the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, Lu Ran, dressed in a ckbat coat, and Xia Ri, the Fire Plundering school¡¯s heir, dressed in red, walked out from opposite sides of the arena. Xia Ri held a red-tasseled spear, and out of respect for the opponent¡¯s school, Lu Ran also revealed his weapon in advance, with a sword hanging at his waist. As soon as the two appeared, their confrontational aura made the audience realize that this battle was going to be very interesting. In thetter half of the Freshman Tournament, the three deans spoke more frequently. Dean Qin Ming deliberately asked Dean Kong, ¡°Dean Kong, could you introduce thebat styles of the two contestants?¡± ¡°Of course, Xia Ri¡¯sbat style, as we¡¯ve seen before, involves fusing with her pet beast and fighting with a spear. This is a standard style where the beastmaster personally participates in the battle.¡± ¡°This style can be roughly divided into three types: one that focuses on ranged skills, one on physicalbat, and one on cold weaponbat.¡± ¡°Most beastmastersck experience in hand-to-handbat or weapon use, so even if they choose this style, they typically follow the ¡®mage school,¡¯ focusing mainly on release-type skills.¡± ¡°Styles like Xia Ri¡¯s are rtively rare because mastering a weapon proficiently is difficult within one or two years. It requires prior experience and talent in the respective field before bing a beastmaster.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°As for Lu Ran¡¯s style¡­ it¡¯s even rarer.¡± ¡°Having pet beasts use weapons inbat is actually a newbat style developed by the Beast Taming Empire in 2023 to prepare for war, aiming to further arm pet beasts on top of their armor.¡± ¡°That year, the Beast Taming Empire, to enhance the strength of the Beast Taming Legion, pioneered many new styles, some sessful and some not.¡± ¡°And this school of thought cannot be deemed a sess, but neither can it bebeled a failure. It isn¡¯t considered a sess because, in the short term, it didn¡¯t demonstrate sufficient war potential, and the evolutionary limits of these biological weapons were not high.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t considered a failure because the n was temporarily halted due to the early onset of war, so no one saw its final form.¡± ¡°After the war ended, the Beast Taming Empire was left in ruins, severely weakened, andcked the resources to perfect this research. Moreover, with the loss of initial research materials, the project was never restarted.¡± ¡°Through the ¡®Abyssal Difficulty: Novice Secret Realm: Abandoned Testing Ground,¡¯ we can learn a bit of this history. Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast, the Gale Sword Dog, has its primary trait as the ¡®Weapon Mastery Trait¡¯ acquired from the Abandoned Testing Ground.¡± ¡°However, unlike Lu Ran, I don¡¯t rmend everyone to follow this path. ording to current records, no beastmaster¡¯s pet beast has perfectly fused with the Weapon Mastery Trait. This evolution path is immature, much like how the Beast Taming Empire never fullypleted its research on this path.¡± After Dean Kong finished speaking, many people turned to look at Lu Ran. Lu Ran and his pet beast might be considered the first to perfectly master the Weapon Mastery Trait, right? People couldn¡¯t believe that Lu Ran¡¯s Erha hadn¡¯t perfectly fused with this trait. It was proficient in sword control and utilized a dual sword style with both mouth and tail. If this wasn¡¯t perfect fusion, then what was? Lu Ran seemed to be continuing down an evolution path that even the Beast Taming Empire hadn¡¯t fully explored. At the same time¡­ ¡°Come on!¡± Xia Ri, holding her spear, faced Lu Ran. If previously Xia Ri had confidence in facing Lu Ran, now, after witnessing Lu Ran¡¯s overwhelming defeat of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, she had no such confidence left. Nevertheless, forfeiting was not her style. She still chose to step onto the stage and face Lu Ran. In response to her summons, a cockatiel, resembling a fiery phoenix, appeared! Xia Ri¡¯s pet beast was a cockatiel, a pet she had raised with her spearsmanship master. Highly intelligent and expressive, it was identally contracted by Xia Ri after she obtained a ck card. This cockatiel disyed extraordinary talent andprehension, making it a perfect partner for Xia Ri. ¡°General Ha.¡± As for Lu Ran, he still chose not to summon both of his pet beasts, instead opting to summon General Ha. After General Ha appeared, Lu Ran threw the sword from his waist to it. General Ha leaped up, caught the Frost Sword in its mouth, and looked at its new opponent. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Facing this Dragon yer dog, Summer didn¡¯t hesitate. She immediately fused with her pet beast. In an instant, ming wings unfolded from her sides, and her short hair turned a fiery orange-red! She wielded her spear, and the Fire Plundering Spear Intent erupted. The spear¡¯s tip seemed to hold a miniature sun, radiating intense heat that made the entire arena blur. It was as if another sun had appeared on the arena, echoing the zing sun in the sky. ¡°There it is, the Fire Plundering Spear Intent, the spearsmanship that can plunder the power of the sun¡¯s mes!¡± Seeing the heroic Summer showcase her ultimate skill right away, many of her supporters still hoped she could put some pressure on Lu Ran. ¡°Summer, go for it!!!¡± ¡°Summer, you can do it!!¡± Because everyone knew Lu Ran would win, the cheers in the venue were overwhelmingly in support of Summer¡­ just giving her encouragement. The main reason was that Lu Ran¡¯s third-round opponent and Fang Lan were disappointing and didn¡¯t face Lu Ran, making the audience look forward to Summer¡¯s performance. Summer¡­ was still the only contestant with the courage to face Lu Ran. ¡°You know sword intent too, right?¡± At this moment, Summer, holding her spear, asked Lu Ran. She felt that Lu Ran was like her and should also know sword intent! Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have said those words to her back then. ¡°Indeed, I do.¡± As Lu Ran finished speaking, the entire venue suddenly fell silent, waiting for their conversation. ¡°Hehe, as expected. When you fought the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, you still didn¡¯t use your full strength. You didn¡¯t even use any beast taming skills then.¡± ¡°Alright, quickly empower it with your beast taming skill containing me dragon artistic conception.¡± ¡°At least¡­ let me witness the me Dragon Sword Intent!¡± Summer twirled her spear, indicating she wanted to see General Ha in an even stronger state. Since Lu Ran¡¯s me Sprite skill can give Sudden Death King a new me dragon artistic conception, it can certainly grant Erha a simr artistic conception. Moreover, with Erha¡¯s weapon mastery trait, it most likely can alsobine into a sword intent! A dog that knows sword intent! Hearing the two¡¯s conversation, the audience erupted in excitement. ¡°Whoa, no way, can Erha also use the me dragon artistic conception?¡± ¡°Lu Ran just confirmed it! I thought the me Sprite¡¯s me dragon artistic conception could only be applied to dragon species or used by Lu Ran himself.¡± ¡°If that Erha can also master the artistic conception of the dragon, then that¡¯s terrifying. The Tyrannosaurus Rex team would be devastated.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± However, at this moment, General Ha, holding the Frost Sword in its mouth, showedplete disdain for the me dragon artistic conception. It had already demonstrated its sword intent! Dragon yer Sword Intent! Except for its opponent, the external world couldn¡¯t easily perceive the Dragon yer Sword Intent. With the Dragon yer Sword Intent, General Ha didn¡¯t care for any artistic conception of the dragon. This wasn¡¯t because it couldn¡¯t use it or learn it. ¡°No need.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t suit the artistic conception of the dragon.¡± Lu Ran refused Summer¡¯s suggestion. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s different from your situation.¡± Summer herself didn¡¯t master spear intent, and her fire cockatiel didn¡¯t master spear intent either; it only mastered the shaping artistic conception of the sun. Only when she fused with her pet beast did her spearsmanship experiencebine with her pet beast¡¯s shaping artistic conception ability, forming spear intent. Evidently, Summer thought General Ha was in the same situation, not knowing that Lu Ran had the real and reverse super dog mimicry. ¡°Even without the beastmaster¡¯s ability, even without borrowing the pet beast¡¯s power, my Gale Sword Dog and I can master swordsmanship intent on our own!¡± Lu Ran had a bit of admiration for Summer; after all, she was the only beastmaster he had met who mastered a weapon artistic conception, making her a kindred spirit. Unfortunately, her spear intent wasn¡¯t perfect. ¡°What?¡± As Lu Ran finished speaking, the venue erupted again, and Summer¡¯s expression changed. In the next instant. A powerful Blizzard Sword Intent burst forth. General Ha, with the Frost Sword in its mouth, exuded apletely different aura. Its ck and white fur fluttered in the icy wind, and an extremely cold blizzard spread out around it!! Although the Blizzard Sword Intent might seem small and of lower quality than the artistic conception of the sun, the strengthparison depends on the development of each artistic conception. General Ha¡¯s development of the Blizzard Sword Intent, enhanced by its Gale Swordsmanship Talent, revealed a new effect for the first time! The Blizzard Sword Intent is a sword technique that contains wind force! Boom! In an instant, the heat on the field was rapidly dispelled. With the sound of freezing, ¡°crack, crack, crack,¡± the entire field was covered in ayer of frost. Summer¡¯s feet were already encased in ice and snow! In the next moment, even her clothes were covered in white frost, and the temperature of the entire field plummeted! Summer was astonished. She couldn¡¯t believe that this Erha, without the beastmaster¡¯s power, could master sword intent on its own¡­ And, most importantly, it was so powerful. In an instant, the scorching sun seemed to be frozen. A blizzard appeared to engulf Summer, and¡ª A blue sword qi shed before her eyes! Bang. The spear in her hand was directly knocked away. In a contest of artistic conceptions, the momentum is crucial. General Ha¡¯s sword intent easily crushed the momentum of Summer¡¯s spear intent! ¡°This¡­¡± At this moment, seeing General Ha disy a new power that it hadn¡¯t shown even in the battle against the Tyrannosaurus Rex team or any previous matches with Lu Ran, everyone was dumbfounded. It felt so unbelievable. How strong are Lu Ran and his team? It felt like their strength was unfathomable! Is the gap between geniuses really this vast? ¡°Hahaha, Old Xia, what do you think!!¡± Meanwhile, at the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, Old Gentleman Jiang Dou was on the phone with Summer¡¯s master, Master Xia. He watched the live broadcast and was thrilled. No wonder his grand-disciple performed so well¡ªgood job, Erha!! ¡°Old Jiang, don¡¯t get too cocky.¡± Master Xia gritted his teeth, not understanding how Jiang Dou got so lucky to have such a disciple. However, the two bickering old men were stunned in the next moment. In the tournament, Lu Ran, facing Summer who had lost in the sh of sword intent and spear intent, directly issued an invitation: ¡°Your spear intent still has ws. Why note and learn cooking with me? Culinary Intent, spear intent, sword intent¡ªthey are all fundamentally the same. This process can help perfect your spear intent.¡± Lu Ran¡­ was actually trying to recruit her on the spot! Master Jiang, Master Xia: ??? Combat Department Dean Qin Ming: ??? Damn, you brat, you haven¡¯t even started teaching and you¡¯re already trying to poach good students into another department! Chapter 138: A Dramatic Turn of Events Chapter 138: A Dramatic Turn of Events ¡°Culinary Intent, Sword Intent, and Spear Intent are actually interconnected!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stop me; I¡¯m switching majors. I chose the History Department on a whim, and now that I think about it, studying history has no future. Might as well learn to cook. If I can¡¯t be a beastmaster, I can always go back home and open a restaurant.¡± ¡°If you meet a beastmaster from the Culinary Department, marry them. They have so much potential.¡± ¡°If Lu Ran switches majors, what will he do? Use a spear to grill skewers? No need to start a fire, just stick the supernatural beings on a spear, and they¡¯ll cook themselves.¡± ¡°¡­¡± No one expected that Lu Ran would use the Freshman Tournament as an advertisement. This move caught everyone off guard and left them bent overughing. Meanwhile, Summer was still reeling from the impact of General Ha¡¯s Blizzard Sword Intent, her chest heaving, and had yet to respond to Lu Ran. ¡°Ahem.¡± On stage, Dean Qin Ming couldn¡¯t help but cough. Lu Ran, huh? I¡¯ll remember you¡­ poaching students right in front of me, you¡¯ve got some nerve.At this point, although the match hadn¡¯t concluded, Summer, after being in shock for a while, finally recognized the gap in their abilities and said, ¡°I concede.¡± Saying this, she picked up her spear and walked off the arena, ignoring Lu Ran¡¯s invitation. ¡°Hey¡± Lu Ran saw this and had no clue what Summer was thinking. He genuinely believed that developing a secondary profession would be beneficial for her. In fact, as long as one has talent, it doesn¡¯t take much extra effort. Being a jack-of-all-trades is a problem for ordinary people, but for geniuses, the more they learn, the more proficient they be, and the stronger they get. For other freshmen in the Culinary Department, Lu Ran could only teach basic knife skills and fire skills, but for a fire talent who has grasped near-spear intent, Lu Ran felt that the me Sprite within him, imbued with the me dragon artistic conception, might be summoned for her to study. She definitely had the talent. After all, she had only been exposed to beast taming for two months and had already grasped spear intent. Such aptitude was top-notch even on the Star-Moon Continent. If she really became a Dragon Chef, that would be incredible. Lu Ran could then bring her to Green Sea City to help feed his dragon legion. As a teacher, assigning a bit of practical work wouldn¡¯t be too much, right? Preparation Room. A tall young man looked at the scene in the arena, stroked his chin, and said, ¡°Hey, do you think my Panda can learn Culinary skills? A bamboo stick could count as both a weapon and a Cooking Utensil, right? Maybe I could use it as a rolling pin and be a top-level pastry chef.¡± ¡°This Lu Ran is really strong.¡± Youxiong Anlin was considering whether he should switch to studying Culinary, while Du Yuan, a freshman genius from the Space Department, was scratching his head nearby, feeling that he couldn¡¯t even defeat one of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts, let alone Lu Ran himself. Although the Space species was powerful, in the early stages, its techniques were limited. Low-level pet beasts couldn¡¯t develop very powerful skills, and even if they could, they didn¡¯t have much stamina to use them. The real power came in the mid tote stages. ¡°He is indeed strong. If you think you can¡¯t win, just forfeit.¡± Youxiong Anlin looked at the genius. ¡°Forfeit then. Who¡¯s afraid?¡± Du Yuan sneered. ¡°I can face the gap and directly forfeit. Can you?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± No one expected that two of the favorites to win would arrange their own defeat right in the preparation room. It was indeed Lu Ran¡¯s series of strength disys that made the other freshmen feel powerless. They were afraid that if they went on stage, they would also be Lu Ran¡¯s ythings. After all, Lu Ran still had one beast taming skill that hadn¡¯t been revealed yet. Who knew how powerful it could be? ¡°Where¡¯s Lin Yin?¡± The two estimated that the only one who might still want to fight Lu Ran was the superhuman Lin Yin. After all, this big shot had never shown her full strength, and all her battles had been easy victories. They started looking for Lin Yin in the preparation room, but soon their expressions changed. Near the window, a tall, fair-skinned girl with short ck hair and a delicate face was holding her head as if in great pain. This person was the superhuman Lin Yin. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± As seeded yers Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan noticed Lin Yin¡¯s odd behavior, they immediately called out. The other contestants in the preparation room also turned to look at Lin Yin upon hearing themotion. Soon, the room became noisy, and the school¡¯s medical staff quickly arrived on the scene. ¡­ The sudden and bizarre copse of seeded yer Lin Yin in the preparation room rmed the entire school. Besides her role as a contestant in the Freshman Tournament, she had another identity that no one could afford to offend. After Lu Ran¡¯s match ended, he noticed themotion and soon heard the news about the superhuman Lin Yin¡¯s sudden copse. He couldn¡¯t help but feel puzzled. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Just as Lu Ran was wondering about the situation, Manager Ying suddenly appeared beside him, inquiring about his condition. ¡°I¡¯m fine. But did something happen to Lin Yin?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, she suddenly copsed. I was worried it might be a special attack targeting superhumans, so I came to check on you,¡± Manager Ying said, relieved to see Lu Ran unharmed. ¡°You don¡¯t know what happened to her either?¡± ¡°How would I know? You superhumans are all strange. Don¡¯t you often have strange dreams too?¡± Lu Ran had shared his frequent dreams of monster invasions with Manager Ying and Dr. Gu. They couldn¡¯t provide any special exnation for this. After all, superhumans had too many secrets. Abroad, there were even reports of superhumans who dreamt of turning into animals or nts, with dreams even more bizarre. ¡°Oh.¡± Lu Ran could only shrug helplessly. ¡°Wait, her match ising up soon. If she doesn¡¯t recover in time, won¡¯t she have to forfeit?¡± Lu Ran suddenly thought of a serious problem. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Manager Ying replied. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t really concern you. With your strength, winning first ce shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Whether shepetes or not, it makes no difference.¡± ¡°You¡¯re even more confident than I am,¡± Lu Ran said, puzzled. ¡°Hehe, I have much more intelligence on her than you do. Want to buy it? I can include information about her younger sister as well.¡± ¡°No need.¡± Since he wasn¡¯t familiar with Lin Yin, Lu Ran didn¡¯t dwell on the matter any further. After his match, he returned to his dormitory. As for Fang Lan¡¯s match, Lu Ran chose to watch the live stream on his phone. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care, but lyingfortably in the dormitory was simply more appealing. However. Just as Lu Ran wasfortably waiting for the next round of the tournament¡­ A series of phone calls from the tournament organizers made Lu Ran¡¯s expression gradually turn strange. ¡°Lu Ran¡­ Professor Lu, your next opponent, ¡®Du Yuan,¡¯ has chosen to forfeit. You won¡¯t need toe for the match.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Even the genius from the Space species was afraid of him. Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected that at all! And then¡­ ¡°Professor Lu, your next opponent, ¡®Youxiong Anlin,¡¯ has chosen to forfeit as well. You won¡¯t need toe for that match either.¡± ¡°What??¡± Lu Ran, who had been lounging in his dormitory for nearly a day, began to sink into deep thought. ¡°Lu Ran¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Damn it, give me my money back!!!¡± As the Freshman Tournament progressed, it wasn¡¯t just Lu Ran who was dumbfounded¡ªso were the vast number of spectators. ording to the official announcement from the beast taming university, seeded yer Lin Yin had to withdraw from the tournament due to illness, disappointing many who had hoped to see her in action. This alone was hard enough to ept. But then, in the matches that were supposed to feature the highly anticipated Lu Ran, one contestant after another forfeited, driving the audience to the brink of frustration. The first to forfeit against Lu Ran, a beastmaster named Yuan Ye, who was previously hailed as the ¡°most promising¡± and ¡°most dignified,¡± faced a collective boycott. He was used of setting a bad precedent and was metaphorically pinned to the pir of shame for his forfeit. ¡°Give us our money back!!¡± ¡°Oh, watching the livestream is free? Never mind then.¡± On the various forums, many beastmasters expressed their dissatisfaction with Lu Ran being handed the victory without having to fight in theter stages of the Freshman Tournament. Before the tournament began, no one had anticipated such an oue. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s because Passerby A is too strong. Even though he¡¯s a fourth-generation beastmaster, he¡¯s like a monster,¡± one usermented. ¡°There¡¯s no helping it. He easily crushed the most elite fourth-generation beastmasters from the Eagle Federation. It¡¯s normal for other freshmen to avoid fighting him,¡± another replied. ¡°In that case, Summer is still brave. Although he lost badly, at least he dared to fight. What¡¯s up with Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan? They didn¡¯t even dare topete!¡± someone else added. ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Didn¡¯t you see Lu Ran¡¯s matches? Against Summer, Lu Ran just disarmed him and let it go. But when he fought Zhou Mo and Gong Kaixin, he nearly crippled their pet beasts, and their subsequent performances in the tournament were significantly worse¡­¡± another user exined. ¡°¡­So Lu Ran is that kind of person. I misjudged him,¡± came a disappointed remark. At this moment, all eyes were on Lu Ran, who had easily clinched the Freshman Tournament championship in such an absurd manner. However, no one questioned the value of his victory; they were merely frustrated that they hadn¡¯t seen enough exciting matches. Lu Ran is now universally recognized as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Xia Country. No one thinks he doesn¡¯t deserve the title of Rookie King. It¡¯s understandable that the freshmen didn¡¯t want to be thrashed by Lu Ran and chose to forfeit. This also signifies their awareness that they¡¯re no match for him, further highlighting Lu Ran¡¯s formidable strength to the entire world. It won¡¯t be long before Lu Ran catches up with the third-generation and even the second-generation beastmasters. However, while the Freshman Tournament might be an absolute hot topic for ordinary people, second-generation, and third-generation beastmasters in Xia Country, the initial-generation beastmasters had their attention entirely elsewhere. Headquarters of the Beast Taming Alliance in Xia Country. Inside a conference room. Thirteen figures had gathered. An elder, leading the meeting, looked at a petite girl seated at one of the chairs and spoke, ¡°Lin Nian, tell us about your sister¡¯s situation.¡± ¡°Understood, Guild Leader.¡± The petite girl stood up and scanned the many Level 5 beastmasters present before continuing: ¡°After Lin Yin fainted in Sky City, I came to check on her immediately.¡± ¡°I used my mental awareness to invade her mental domain, following the mental waves into her dream. To my astonishment¡­¡± ¡°She, like many superhumans, was having some strange, recurring dreams.¡± ¡°After Lin Yin¡¯s awakening, she initially didn¡¯t have these strange dreams. I thought her situation was unique, but it turned out she was just a bit dyed.¡± ¡°What was she dreaming about?¡± asked Shi Zhen, the still-male principal of the beast taming university. Although Lin Yin would likely apply for graduation and leave with her rewards after the Freshman Tournament, he was very concerned since the issue had arisen during the tournament phase. ¡°She dreamt of a fox iming to be the reincarnation of a legendary creature, currently sleeping in an alternate dimension. It said that cing an epic-level mental resource at a designated spot would rescue it, and in return, it promised to grant her wealth, honor, and powerful abilities.¡± All the First Generation members: ¡­ Damn it, this sounds just like me, Qin Shi Huang. Send money! ¡°Could this fox be one of the many ancient creatures Manager Ying is searching for?¡± Gu Qingyi, one of the First Generation members, pondered. Even if it was true, the cost of awakening it seemed too high, and besides, the creature didn¡¯t appear to be near death¡­ It wasn¡¯t suitable to be turned into a necromancy pet beast at all. Chapter 139: Sovereign-Level Pet Beast Egg Chapter 139: Sovereign-Level Pet Beast Egg ¡°Award ceremony¡­¡± ¡°What about the awards?¡± In Sky City, Lu Ran scanned the news but found no usations of rigging thepetition. Satisfied, he left. At this point, Lu Ran didn¡¯t care how he had won first ce. Since his opponents had all forfeited, he was the champion by default. He wasn¡¯t too keen on fighting anyway. However, with the Freshman Tournament over and the three Deans having finished their speeches, nobody had mentioned the prizes, which made Lu Ran quite displeased. Lu Ran had to urge his personal bodyguard, as it was the only one who had contact with the Dean. ¡°Stop pressing.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t miss out on your reward.¡±¡°However, due to certain issues, the award ceremony originally to be conducted by Shi Zhen has been canceled.¡± Manager Ying walked over and, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s impatient look, exined. ¡°Turned into a woman just like that? Without any prior warning?¡± Lu Ran eximed in surprise. ¡°No!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because of Lin Yin.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s mouth twitched. Just finished telling you about the curse, and you remember it so well! At this moment, its expression was mysterious, clearly having obtained some inside intelligence. ¡°I get it. What happened to Lin Yin after she passed out?¡± Lu Ran asked. Everyone had withdrawn from thepetition, so the situation must be quite serious. Could it be that her superhuman abilities were too strong, causing physical issues? Indeed, mental power superhuman abilities are dangerous! My telepathy ability is much more peaceful. At most, I just have a nightmare, which I can get used to over time. ¡°Considering you¡¯re also a superhuman and might face a simr situation in the future, I¡¯ll just tell you directly,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°She seems to have been chosen by a powerful mental species and connected to a dream.¡± Saying this, Manager Ying recounted the beast taming version of ¡°I, Qin Shi Huang, send money!¡± to Lu Ran. ¡°Dream scam?!¡± Lu Ran, who often received scam calls and texts, instinctively thought that this must be a dream scam in the era of spiritual energy revival after hearing Lin Yin¡¯s experience! ¡°Who knows,¡± Manager Ying rolled its eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know any ¡®legendary fox¡¯ or ¡®reincarnated legendary creature¡¯¡­ It¡¯s bold enough to make such a im. If it had said it was an overlord-level life form, it would have been more believable.¡± ¡°A legendary creature¡­ How could it have such a lowly ambition!¡± ¡°Also, asking for an epic-level mental resource is a bit much. Forget about Xia Country, even globally, finding one would be quite an achievement.¡± ¡°So, basically, whether it¡¯s a scam or not, Xia Country doesn¡¯t have the money for it. Is that what you mean?¡± Lu Ran interpreted. Indeed, the best way to prevent scams is to be broke. Now, they just needed to ensure Lin Yin herself wasn¡¯t swindled. ¡°Uh, that¡¯s roughly the situation. But the First Generation members are taking a ¡®better safe than sorry¡¯ approach. They¡¯re actually discussing ways to get an epic-level mental resource.¡± ¡°Huh???¡± ¡°Of course, they don¡¯t really intend to awaken the creature unless they can confirm its identity and determine it¡¯s an ally.¡± ¡°So, this matter is left for Lin Nian to worry about,¡± Manager Ying shook its head. ¡°By the way, Manager Ying, do we have any leads on the ancient creature we¡¯re searching for?¡± Lu Ran asked. Other superhumans, whether dealing with good or bad beasts, had ancient creaturese to them. But for their team¡­ there had been no movement. ¡°It doesn¡¯t happen that quickly¡­ We¡¯re still searching,¡± Manager Ying muttered. ¡°Even if we find one now, you don¡¯t have a contract slot avable. Besides, there¡¯s a sovereign species egg waiting for you to contract.¡± ¡°That egg¡ªseveral First Generation members were eager to get it from the guild leader, but the old man didn¡¯t give it to them. It¡¯s your lucky break.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth curved into a grin. He hoped whatever hatched from the egg would be powerful! ¡°So, since the award ceremony is canceled, where do I go to im my prize?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave a message for Qingyi. She can bring it to youter. She¡¯s currently with the guild leader and Shi Zhen.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran felt reassured. At this moment, besides Lu Ran, there was another person eagerly anticipating their prize. Fang Lan! In this Freshman Tournament, she performed exceptionally well, ranking 15th among the freshmen. Many beastmasters from Infinite City No. 3 were astonished at how the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden had be so formidable. Lu Ran could only marvel at the resource advantages of having an entire city as a backup poison reservoir and being a Holy Maiden of a cult. It seemed these resources truly made a significant difference. Fang Lan now clearly had the potential to be the strongest poison-type beastmaster of the fourth generation. Her rewards included a lowermander species pet beast cub, a choice of a trait crystal or beast taming skill, and 100,000 crystal coins. Faced with these rewards, Fang Lan immediately messaged Lu Ran, asking: [What kind of crystal or skill do you want? And the pet beast?] Before the tournament, Lu Ran had given her a fusion beast taming skill. Fang Lan had promised that if she achieved good results, the rewards would be used to buy skill cards for Lu Ran. Lu Ran had forgotten about this, but after a moment of surprise, he simply replied: [Keep them for yourself. I don¡¯t have any particr needs¡­ You getting stronger is more important than anything else. High-level Abyss Secret Realms will have overlord species bosses. I definitely can¡¯t clear them on my own and will rely on your poison skills for support.] Lu Ran wasn¡¯t being modest. Post-tournament, the Abyss Secret Realms that the First Generations challenged were guarded by overlord species bosses, making them extremely difficult to clear. The First Generations had even more resources than Lu Ran. For example, Dr. Gu already had an exceptional Loong-type pet beast. But even they couldn¡¯t ovee the gap of overlord species without undergoing a second evolution. It was evident how challenging high-level Abyss Secret Realms were. Lu Ran¡¯s current strength wasrgely due to investments from big shots. For instance, Dr. Gu had given him ¡°Overlord Body Trait Crystal¡± and ¡°Nature Control Trait Crystal,¡± which only had a chance to drop from defeating overlord species bosses. These top-tier crystals required a First Generation-led team to obtain. Enjoying the benefits of top-tier crystals in advance was a rare privilege for fourth-generation beastmasters. However, as time passed¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s advantage of this head start would diminish. Eventually, others would also gain ess to powerful trait crystals. At that time, without a significant advantage, Lu Ran would likely need more external help to conquer high-level secret realms. It was simr to General Ha¡¯s first challenge at the Abandoned Testing Ground; despite having the divine deer pendant, it was still very difficult. In the end, they only seeded thanks to the venom provided by Fang Lan. Currently, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in dire need of the rewards Fang Lan had. After all, he was the world¡¯s only Dragon Chef. While he mayck top-level resources, he had many ways to acquire regr resources. So, it would be better to let Fang Lan develop quickly. Having a poison expert as an acquaintance was incredibly beneficial. ¡°Really?¡± Fang Lan called and said, ¡°Then I won¡¯t be polite.¡± ¡°Watch me be a professor in the toxicology department within a year and concoct a poison that can take down an overlord.¡± ¡°Nonsense,¡± Lu Ran scoffed. He didn¡¯t take her bragging seriously. They were old friends and didn¡¯t need to be coy about such things. Soon, Lu Ran¡¯s attention was drawn to Manager Ying¡¯s message, informing him that Dr. Gu would personally deliver the resources. ¡°Here you go.¡± Called over by Manager Ying, Dr. Gu was holding a gigantic pet beast egg. She must have received the message and made time toe over immediately. Even Gu Qingyi hadn¡¯t expected that the grand prize she casually mentioned would actually end up in Lu Ran¡¯s hands. ¡°Hold on tight¡­¡± Lu Ran received the pet beast egg. ¡°Thank you, Dr. Gu. I appreciate you delivering it personally¡­¡± ¡°No problem, using teleportation makes it quick.¡± ¡°¡­¡± So, they all have space-type utility pets, huh! ¡°This is for you as well. Shi Zhen said, ¡®Great job, aim to research Loong-types before the Eagle Federation.¡¯¡± With that, Gu Qingyi also took out the ethereal flower. Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. It seemed he would soon have a space-type utility pet as well. The first skill he nned to develop¡­ Lu Ran had already decided: it would be teleportation. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°By the way, about this pet beast egg¡­¡± ¡°It will hatch in about two months. The sovereign species cub, even in its primitive form, has very strong vitality. It will actively absorb external energy, so you don¡¯t need to take special care of it. Just remember not to ce it in a special space, and¡­¡± ¡°Just be careful not to identally cook it as an ingredient.¡± ¡°As if,¡± Lu Ran said, exasperated. He wasn¡¯t extravagant enough to use a sovereign species egg for cooking¡­ ¡°Two months, huh? Then I¡¯ll enter a level 1 breakthrough secret realm in a month. When Ie out, my contract slots will increase by one, and it¡¯ll be just about hatching time,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°How does that sound?¡± ¡°That could work,¡± Dr. Gu said thoughtfully. ¡°In the meantime, you can focus on researching Dragon Cuisine here. I¡¯ll coordinate with the university to ensure you have enough Dragon Blood ingredients.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lu Ran agreed. Indeed, he had no immediate ns for General Ha. Besides energy flow, the other three major energy techniques had all reached the second stage. Not just for level 20, but even among third-generation beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts, its foundation was very solid. Significant progress in the short term seemed unlikely. However, Sudden Death King had a lot of room for improvement. It didn¡¯t know energy flow, it didn¡¯t know energypression, and it had only just learned energy release, specifically discharging energy. In terms of energy shaping, it showed some promise with the artistic conception of the dragon. Sudden Death King¡¯s species talent was not inferior to General Ha¡¯s, but it struggled topete due to its rough energy management. Next up, various top-level Dragon Cuisine dishesbined with reverse super beast mimicry should help Sudden Death King shore up this weakness. This would enable it to rival General Ha as the strongest shield and the strongest sword, achieving a bnced state. If it couldn¡¯t even match an Erha, how could Sudden Death King truly transform into a dragon at level 30? By then, Lu Ran estimated that when he challenged the level 1 breakthrough secret realm, no matter the situation, it shouldn¡¯t pose much difficulty or pressure. He just hoped there wouldn¡¯t be any bizarre breakthrough tasks this time. ¡­ Dr. Gu came and went in a hurry. After spending so much time in the deep sea, she had a lot of things to handle upon her return and couldn¡¯t revolve entirely around Lu Ran. After handing the sovereign pet beast egg to Manager Ying for safekeeping, Lu Ran entered the Public Infinite City. Before the Loong-type ingredients were ready at the beast taming university, Lu Ran nned to first sweep through the level 1 secret realms. There were still some valuable resources to be found in level 1 secret realms. For instance, the ¡°Mental Gem,¡± which could awaken mental attributes, could be obtained in the notoriously difficult level 1 secret realm, ¡°Sinking Land.¡± Unlike trait crystals, these awakening attribute resources had no fusion restrictions. Lu Ran intended to farm one and send it to Green Sea City for his Dark Crow to awaken its second attribute. If he was lucky and obtained several simr resources, he could also arrange second attributes for The King¡¯s Seven Beast Generals. Compared to PVP, Lu Ran definitely preferred PVE, as the resource acquisition speed was fast enough. ¡°The main goal is still the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard.¡± ¡°Back in the public secret realm, General Ha, with its speciesparable to a low-tier sovereign, only ranked second on the Public Infinite City Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. This might be because thepetition on the leaderboard at the multi-national boundary of Public Infinite City was too fierce, or perhaps General Ha didn¡¯t fully exert its abilities against the Tyrannosaurus Rex¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how it ranks in the domestic infinite city this time, along with Sudden Death King¡­ We¡¯ll just randomly pick two unlucky ones to push down the list¡­¡± Starting today, Lu Ran wouldpete with third-generation beastmasters for a spot on the leaderboard. Compared to the Fourth Generation¡¯s supernatural leaderboard, the third-generationmander leaderboard felt like a stagnant pool,cking vitality. It needed some fresh energy to help them take things seriously. Chapter 140: The Legendary Secret Realm! Chapter 140: The Legendary Secret Realm! Sky City is located at the center of Xia Country, within the boundaries of Infinite City No.7. The Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard that Lu Ran wanted to challenge was actually in an awkward position. This is because, whether it¡¯s the First Generation, Second Generation, or Third Generation beastmasters, their main pet beasts are generally above level 30, having undergone a period of evolution. In other words, the main pet beasts of the more powerful beastmasters from the first three generations have a species level of sovereign or higher. Therefore, there are generally only two types of divine beasts on themander leaderboard:
  1. Newly cultivated pet beasts under level 30 by beastmasters from the first three generations.
  1. Main pet beasts of beastmasters from the first three generations that failed to evolve properly and thus have a species level below sovereign.
This is the general environment across all Infinite Cities. Although the rise of fourth-generation beastmasters has led to some regions¡¯ Commander Divine Beast Leaderboards featuring beastmasters like Zhou Mo, Youxiong Anlin, Du Yuan, and Lin Yin, they are still in the minority.Lu Ran believed that it would be easier to get on the domestic Infinite City leaderboardspared to the Public Infinite City leaderboards at the borders of various countries, which is actually correct. However, Lu Ran overlooked one crucial detail. If he wanted to find a leaderboard with lesspetition, he shouldn¡¯t directly challenge the secret realm in Infinite City No.7 where Sky City is located. Whether he returned to Infinite City No.3 or went to Infinite City No.5, both would be better options than here. This is because currently, Infinite City No.7 is undoubtedly the mostpetitive leaderboard among the seven cities in Xia Country. After all, once Beast Taming University was established here, it gathered fourth-generation beastmasters from all over the country, as well as the elites from the first three generations. So now¡­ the leaderboard of Infinite City No.7 might even surpass that of the Public Infinite City in terms of prestige. Lu Ran just hadn¡¯t looked. Otherwise, he would have seen that the Rank 1 on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard in Infinite City No.7 is none other than Qin Ming, the Dean of the Combat Department, and the publicly acknowledged strongest second-generation beastmaster¡¯s new pet! [Species]: Void Whale [Attribute]: Water, Space [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Growth Level]: Level 29 [Introduction]: Mutated evolution from an orca¡­ It was clearly a pet beast evolved from the top-level marine creature, the orca. Moreover, the other nine spots on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard of Infinite City No.7 are also upied by new pet beasts of the leaders and professors from Beast Taming University. These elites from various regions, with nothing better to do, have effortlessly turned the leaderboard of Infinite City No.7 upside down, without needing any input from Lu Ran¡­ Passerby A¡¯s Exclusive Room. Lu Ran, who had just opened the pir tform for the secret realm, quickly locked onto a secret realm. But at that moment! Lu Ran suddenly noticed that an additional page had appeared in the list of secret realms. ¡°Has the secret realm updated?¡± The number of secret realms in an infinite city isn¡¯t constant. Every once in a while, new secret realms are added. Therefore, exploring new secret realms is a pleasure for various factions. The official strategy team includes members of all levels, not just high-level beastmasters, because even low-level secret realms asionally introduce new maps. A new secret realm inevitably brings new resources and new cultivation strategies. While exploring it can be dangerous, the rewards are substantial. Lu Ran showed a look of interest and waved his hand lightly, wanting to see if the new secret realms included any with abyssal difficulty¡­ Starting with a new abyss secret realm also seemed like a good idea¡­ However, after flipping the page, Lu Ran¡¯s brows immediately furrowed! [Name]: Dragon King¡¯s Nest [Level]: Level 1 [Difficulty]: Legend [Secret Realm Introduction]: The Diamond Dragon, a mutated form of the Stone Dragon, is the ace pet beast of the legendary Loong Tamer ¡°Yi Du¡± from the Star-Moon Continent. Dragon King¡¯s Nest, the birthce of the Diamond Dragon. Here, you will face the growing Diamond Dragon in its untamed state and experience its power¡­ (Diamond Dragon, Loong-type, upper sovereign species, level 20.) [Challenge Crystal Coins]: 0 ¡°What the heck!¡± Lu Ran was stunned. Then, he rubbed his eyes. He was sure he hadn¡¯t seen it wrong. What¡¯s going on! He had thought that the infinite city would, at most, update a few ordinary secret realms. But when he saw ¡°Legend Difficulty¡± and ¡°Challenge Crystal Coins 0,¡± Lu Ran was baffled. ¡°Let¡¯s go check it out.¡± Originally nning to challenge an abyss secret realm, Lu Ran immediately exited the infinite city and returned to the ¡°Professor Dormitory.¡± Without saying a word, he took out his phone and opened the forum. Sure enough, the forum was flooded with newly posted discussion threads.
  1. [Ha! What¡¯s this legendary difficulty secret realm ¡®Dragon King¡¯s Nest¡¯? Did your secret realm tform update with this secret realm too?]
  1. [Whoa, I¡¯m a level 2 beastmaster, and my level 2 secret realm just updated with a legendary secret realm ¡®Death Cemetery.¡¯ ording to the secret realm introduction, the boss seems to be a juvenile version of the overlord species, the Asura Centipede, which once devastated a province of the Beast Taming Empire.]
  1. [Huh? You all got new ones? Why didn¡¯t the novice-level secret realms get any legendary secret realms?!]
  1. [By the way, the challenge crystal coins are set to 0. Is the infinite city doing charity now?]
Beastmasters from all generations were drawn to the sudden update of legendary secret realms in the infinite city. Although the legendary secret realms had been updated for only a few minutes, well-known influencers were already specting and issuing warnings. [Legendary difficulty seems to be a level above abyssal difficulty. In abyss secret realms, you typically encounter overlord species bosses starting at level 5 secret realms. But with legendary difficulty, it looks like you can face overlord species bosses starting from level 2 secret realms. Additionally, the challenge crystal coins being set to 0 is not necessarily a good thing. Everyone should be cautious. The infinite city is not doing charity; it simply believes that no one can clear these secret realms, so it doesn¡¯t matter if they don¡¯t charge an entrance fee. When someone is not interested in your money, they are definitely interested in your life! Just from the introductions, it¡¯s clear these secret realms are not easily surmountable. They must be extremely dangerous inside. If you can¡¯t clear abyssal difficulty secret realms, don¡¯t even think about attempting the legendary ones!] Many beastmasters agreed with this influencer¡¯s reasoning and decided not to take advantage of the free entrance. Lu Ran read the posts for a while and discovered that from novice to level 5 secret realms, there were new legendary difficulty maps for each level, except for novice-level secret realms. Moreover, only one legendary secret realm appeared per level, making them quite rare. Level 1 Legendary Secret Realm: Dragon King¡¯s Nest. The boss is a pure Loong-type, a mutated Diamond Dragon, which is destined to be the ace of a legendary figure in the future. Level 2 Legendary Secret Realm: Death Cemetery. The boss is an overlord species, the Asura Centipede, a ferocious beast that, once fully grown, can devastate an entire province of an empire¡­ Level 3, Level 4¡­ also feature overlord species bosses. This update was quite explosive. Not just domestically, but internationally as well. Just a second ago, there were discussions about dinosaur resurrection, but the next moment, all attention shifted to the legendary secret realms, with people questioning the purpose of the infinite city. A boss that is an overlord species??? It¡¯s not just a challenge for low-level beastmasters. Even the strongest echelon, the First Generation, would struggle to strategize against an overlord species boss. And this is assuming their pet beasts have reached the upper sovereign species level. Low-level beastmasters, with their iplete team configurations and insufficient pet beast development, would have an almost negligible chance of clearing such a secret realm, even if they teamed up. They¡¯d likely be wiped out by a single skill from the boss! Legend: This is a title given to a beastmaster on the Star-Moon Continent after reaching level 7. Using this term for secret realm difficulty¡­ does it imply that only those with legendary potential have a chance to clear a legendary secret realm? ¡°Will there be a legendary difficulty secret realm in the future, with a boss that¡¯s a legendary species creature?¡± Lu Ran was just musing over how things were getting interesting when an unknown number took over his phone screen. ¡°Who is this?¡± Lu Ran initially didn¡¯t want to answer, but noticing the IP was local, he figured it might be someone from the school and decided to pick up. Sure enough, a familiar voice came through immediately. ¡°It¡¯s me, Pluto.¡± ¡°Why is it you? How did you get my number?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°Your contact information isn¡¯t a secret at the Jinling Association. My brother is a member of the Jinling Association¡¯s board. But let¡¯s not talk about that, Passerby A! Did you see it? The level 1 legendary secret realm, Dragon King¡¯s Nest!¡± ¡°Next, tackling the legendary secret realms will be the top priority for beastmasters of all levels, various guilds, and the official strategy teams. How about we team up? We can find two more people and challenge the legendary secret realm together.¡± ¡°Exploring new secret realms, especially those of a new level, offers unimaginable benefits.¡± ¡°No,¡± Lu Ran replied decisively. So, this guy came to ask for a team-up. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You¡¯re too weak.¡± Pluto: ??? Pluto felt a stab in his heart. Although he dide to seek help from Passerby A, Lu Ran¡¯s bluntness was too much. ¡°I¡¯m not that weak¡­ Didn¡¯t you watch the tournament? I made it to the top 32. Think about it!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. If I need you, I¡¯ll let you know,¡± Lu Ranughed. Dragon King¡¯s Nest! Lu Ran was curious. What special traits or beast taming skills would a pure Dragon n boss drop? In truth, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t particrly eager to challenge the Dragon King¡¯s Nest secret realm. As the forum influencers had noted, the legendary secret realms were likely to be extremely difficult and dangerous. Yet, not challenging it left Lu Ran curious about what rare resources the Diamond Dragon might drop. This was particrly enticing for Lu Ran, who was researching Dragon Cuisine. Getting others to challenge it and waiting to reap the rewards didn¡¯t seem realistic either. Could a team capable of clearing a legendary secret realm really be found among level 1 beastmasters? Lu Ran doubted it. Unless the team included General Ha, the dragon yer, making it so that he would have to participate himself. After all, once he reached level 2, he wouldn¡¯t be able to challenge this secret realm anymore, meaning he wouldpletely miss out. ¡°No, whether it¡¯s the Divine Beast Leaderboard, global evolution, or this update of legendary difficulty secret realms, they should all be considered ¡®era dividends 1 .¡¯¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t seize these era dividends, I¡¯ll be left behind by those who do.¡± ¡°If the federation obtains some extremely rare loong-type resources from the Dragon King¡¯s Nest and I miss out, I might fall behind.¡± After careful consideration, Lu Ran decided to bring the divine deer pendant and take a tentative look inside the Dragon King¡¯s Nest. ¡°General Ha, Sudden Death King!¡± Lu Ran stepped out of the house and went to the training ground in the backyard, summoning General Ha and Sudden Death King. Both pet beasts were puzzled. Lu Ran had previously mentioned challenging the Abyss Secret Realm. Why were they in the yard now? ¡°The situation has changed.¡± Lu Ran exined the matter of the Dragon King¡¯s Nest to the two pet beasts. ¡°We¡¯re going to challenge this secret realmter. It¡¯s a brand new secret realm with unknown resources and rewards. But since the boss is an upper sovereign species purebred giant dragon, the drops shouldn¡¯t be bad. Sudden Death King, you¡¯re in for some luck.¡± Sudden Death King didn¡¯t seem happy; instead, it had a bad premonition. Sure enough, the next moment, the clever General Ha anticipated Boss Lu¡¯s thoughts and patted Sudden Death King on the back with its paw. ¡°Woof¡± ¡°The boss is likely very strong. Before we go in, let¡¯s prepare for ¡®Thor Tactics¡¯!¡± In other words, Sudden Death King needed to get ready to take hits and umte Domineering Energy! This secret realm was definitely not on the same level as the Abyss Secret Realm. They had to be fully prepared. Sudden Death King was stunned and felt particrly pained inside. The first secret realm they were to challenge was a loong-type secret realm. It should have been a joyous asion to collect loong-type resources, but why¡­ ¡­ Before long, Lu Ran and his team re-entered Infinite City and, with tense anticipation, entered the legendary secret realm: Dragon King¡¯s Nest. The moment they stepped in, Lu Ran felt something was wrong. The Dragon King¡¯s Nest turned out to be a diamond cavern, but the activity space was too small. ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Roar¡­¡± General Ha and Sudden Death King followed closely beside Lu Ran, cautiously observing their surroundings. However, when General Ha saw the sparkling diamonds growing in the cavern, its eyes lit up with a wise expression. Could these diamonds be chipped off and sold for money? ¡°ng.¡± General Ha bit the Ice Sky Greatsword and tried to slice off a piece of diamond, but the cavern diamonds were unexpectedly tough. Even General Ha couldn¡¯t cut them and ended up with sore teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t mess around!!!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s heart ached. This dumb dog didn¡¯t realize these werepanion diamonds, connected to the lifeblood of the entire cavern. If the diamonds were damaged, the whole cavern would copse!! He had always told it to study more about secret realms, but it never listened. They might get crushed to death by the copsing cavern before even seeing the boss. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, realizing it might damage the cavern, immediately stepped back. Beside it, Sudden Death King, entering the secret realm for the first time, cast a mocking nce¡­ General Ha didn¡¯t seem very smart¡­ Although Sudden Death King didn¡¯t understand much either, it knew better than to move recklessly! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± At this moment, as Lu Ran and his team entered the secret realm, a powerful Dragon Might apanied by an astonishing roar echoed from within the cavern! Rumble. The cavern began to shake. In the next moment, a towering creature,bining features of a theropod and a western dragon, without wings and with scales shining like diamonds, stepped out. Its deep blue eyes red angrily at the intruders. Behind it floated nine circr blue diamonds, extraordinarily beautiful, emanating intense mountain-like vibrations, giving a sense of immense weight. Just by looking from a distance, Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed, feeling as though a mountain was pressing down on him. Each of these diamonds, not only incredibly hard but also extremely heavy, contained a special artistic conception! ¡°We¡¯re retreating.¡± As the terrifying Dragon Might swept over them, Lu Ran realized the disparity in strength. He immediately activated the teleport function and chose to exit, fearing that lingering any longer would result in them being wiped out. However, during the 10-second teleportation, Lu Ran and his team had to endure the wrath of the Diamond Dragon. In these 10 seconds, the best choice was actually to run. There were several branching paths around, likely meant for challengers to escape. But despite recognizing the difference in power, Lu Ran still wanted to test just how vast this gap was between them and the Diamond Dragon. After all, they couldn¡¯t leave empty-handed. ¡°Sudden Death King, hold the line! General Ha, attack!¡± With a mighty roar from the Diamond Dragon, the nine circr diamonds behind it shot forward like cannonballs!! Rumble!!! The vibrations echoed through the cavern. Seeing this, the Domineering Energy-charged Sudden Death King immediately shaped its Thunder Dragon armor, transforming into a giant dragon itself, standing firm against the diamond barrage. In this state, it could even withstand several times the sword qi from General Ha¡¯s Dragon yer Sword. However, the moment the nine circr diamonds struck Sudden Death King, its Thunder Dragon armor rapidly shattered. Although the force weakened slightly, it still smashed through Sudden Death King¡¯s scales, creating bloody holes and sending it flying with a painful roar. ¡°Roar!!¡± Sudden Death King had taken the hit for Lu Ran and General Ha. Meanwhile, General Ha wasn¡¯t idle either. mping the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, itpressed the powerful ice and snow Dragon yer Sword qi¡ªstill not fully mastered¡ªover twenty times its usual strength. It then transformed into a blue hurricane, hurtling towards the Diamond Dragon to impede its next attack. Despite the extraordinary force of General Ha¡¯s strike¡ªso intense that its own mouth was bleeding¡ªthe attack merely caused a tiny crack in the Diamond Dragon¡¯s scales, leaving only a slight trace of Dragon Blood. The impact was almost negligible! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha and Sudden Death King were both wide-eyed in disbelief. At this moment, Lu Ran, equally shaken, used the power of the divine deer pendant to quickly heal their injuries. In the next second, amidst the Diamond Dragon¡¯s furious roar, Lu Ran and his team were teleported out. ¡°Who could possibly pass this?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but curse the moment they left. His first n upon returning was to have Manager Ying freely share this intelligence with all major factions. This dragon was not to be challenged lightly. The federation¡¯s resurrection of that sovereign species Tyrannosaurus Rex couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the Diamond Dragon. Meanwhile, during Lu Ran¡¯s challenge of the legendary secret realm, the leadership of Beast Taming University was holding a meeting about the legendary secret realms. Principal Shi Zhen said, ¡°Qin Ming, you need to reinforce to the newbat department students not to challenge the legendary secret realms. The other department heads should do the same; make sure the warnings are clear.¡± ¡°These freshmen might not understand what an upper sovereign and purebred loong-type represent.¡± Only these First Generation students knew just how formidable Gu Qingyi¡¯s upper sovereign purebred divine loong truly was. Under the same species, they still couldn¡¯t cope. Moreover, these freshmen at most only hadmander-level pet beasts. And who was Yi Du? As Dean Kong just exined, he was an extremely powerful level 8 beastmaster from a certain era on the Star-Moon Continent. That Diamond Dragon, which could be his ace in the future, undoubtedly had top-level talent and potential. ¡°Alright,¡± Qin Ming, the dean of thebat department, nodded. However, he doubted any freshman would think they were qualified to challenge a sovereign species dragon. He pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked at Chu Yan, the dean of the cultivating department. They exchanged nces, both feeling a bad premonition. If any freshman dared to have that kind of confidence, then¡­ ¡°Latest intelligence.¡± At this moment, a young man who looked like a secretary knocked and entered, saying, ¡°We have new information about the legendary secret realm. As expected, a fourth-generation beastmaster has recklessly challenged a level 1 legendary secret realm.¡± Upon hearing this, many department heads felt a headacheing on. Hadn¡¯t they already issued a notice not to challenge it casually? ¡°Who was it?¡± Qin Ming asked angrily, hoping it wasn¡¯t one of theirbat department freshmen. He added, ¡°Did that person survive?¡± The secretary replied, ¡°It was¡­ Passerby A, Professor Lu Ran.¡± ¡°He seems to have made it back alive, although he didn¡¯t pass the legendary secret realm.¡± ¡°Where is this intelligence from?¡± Qin Ming asked, suspecting it was indeed Lu Ran. ¡°This guy, he gets a little sess and it goes to his head.¡± Having crushed a low-level sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex, Lu Ran surely wanted to try the Dragon King¡¯s Nest. But the oue was probably quite tragic. ¡°It¡¯s from Infinite City No. 7, the divine beast leaderboard,¡± the secretary said with a peculiar expression. ¡°Dean Qin, Professor Lu¡¯s Gale Sword Dog and Scaled Dragon Lizard both made it onto the divine beast leaderboard of Infinite City No. 7. The Scaled Dragon Lizard ranked tenth for withstanding a direct hit from the Diamond Dragon, while the Gale Sword Dog pushed your void whale down to second ce, ranking first for causing some damage to the Diamond Dragon. This incident has sparked a heated discussion in the beastmaster square of Infinite City No. 7.¡± All the school leaders looked at Qin Ming¡­ Dean Qin: ??? How is this rted to him? That Lu Ran just can¡¯t stay out of trouble! His orca had less potential than that Erha? Dean Qin¡¯s face darkened, suddenly not caring much about the legendary secret realm, but rather how the fourth-generation freshmen wouldpare him to Lu Ran tomorrow¡­ Footnote:
  1. Era Dividends(ʱ´úºìÀû): ¡°Era Dividends¡± refers to the significant economic, social, or other benefits that a country, region, or group experiences as a result of major transformations or developments in technology, economy, society, or politics during a specific historical period.
Chapter 141: Dark Crow: I Am Invincible Chapter 141: Dark Crow: I Am Invincible Infinite City No.7, beastmaster square. First on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard: Gale Sword Dog. Reason for ranking: Evolved and mutated from the snowfield dog species, with exceptionalprehension, and fused with the traits of ¡°weapon mastery¡± and ¡°nature control.¡± It managed to inflict some damage on the Diamond Dragon using special sword qi in the level 1 secret realm, Dragon King¡¯s Nest, sessfully breaking its defense. Tenth on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard: Scaled Dragon Lizard. Reason for ranking: Evolved and mutated from a small lizard, fused with the traits of ¡°Red Lightning¡± and ¡°Overlord Body.¡± It survived a direct hit from the Diamond Dragon in the level 1 secret realm, Dragon King¡¯s Nest. ¡°Damn.¡± At this moment, beastmaster square in Infinite City No.7 was bustling with activity. Many new students from the beast taming university were eating and shopping here. With the recent update to the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, the beastmasters were all in shock. The appearance of a legendary secret realm quickly became known to everyone. Just moments ago, people were discussing whether anyone would challenge the legendary secret realm. As it turned out, someone did.It was none other than Lu Ran, hailed as the strongest Fourth Generation in Xia Country. However,bining the challenge of a legendary secret realm with making it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard should have been a highly domineering feat. But when people saw the reasons for Lu Ran¡¯s two pet beasts making the list, they couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit pitiful¡­ One pet beast made the list simply for surviving a hit from the Diamond Dragon. The other made the list just for sessfully breaking the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defense. These were the most humble reasons for making the list they had ever seen. If even Lu Ran¡¯s challenge ended up like this, wouldn¡¯t anyone else challenging it be facing certain death? ¡°Just how difficult is the legendary secret realm? Lu Ran¡¯s two pet beasts are so powerful, and that sword-holding dog could even easily defeat Qin Ming¡¯s new pet, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. Yet, the most impressive thing it did was just break the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defense???¡± ¡°Is that the key point? Isn¡¯t the key point that the sword-holding dog pushed Dean Qin¡¯s new pet to second ce? That cracks me up. I wonder how big Dean Qin¡¯s psychological shadow is right now.¡± ¡°Seriously though, if I were Dean Qin, I¡¯d be a bit embarrassed¡­¡± After all, Dean Qin isn¡¯t an ordinary second generation. Ordinary second-generation and third-generation beastmasters might not feel as much pressure being surpassed, but Dean Qin is different. He has too many des: strongest below the First Generation in Xia Country, strongest second-generation, dean of thebat department at the beast taming university, and the fourteenth Phantasmal in Xia Country! Being surpassed by a Fourth Generation like this might leave him a bit dissatisfied, right? ¡°Guys, stop it. Let me defend Dean Qin for a moment. He¡¯s not primarily a water-type beastmaster. This space-type orca might just be a utility pet or mount he raised to handle ocean environments! Plus, even though Passerby A big shot is a Fourth Generation, the nature control trait that his pet beast fused with is a top-level trait that only has a small chance of dropping from a Level 5 abyss secret realm. So, in terms of resources for raising pet beasts, there¡¯s no qualitative gap between them¡­¡± This person had a point. The potential of beastmasters improves with each generation. After all, some well-connected Fourth Generations can directly obtain high-level trait crystals from secret realms through their organizations or factions, giving them a wider range of choices. When they raise pet beasts, it¡¯s simr to how the first three generations raised new pets. They can all obtain advanced resources beyond the current level of their pet beasts. Why did the First Generations often go astray? Because they had too few resources to choose from. In ten years, this snowball effect will be even more terrifying. By then, the Nth generation of beastmasters might directly obtain beast taming skills and trait crystals that only drop from Level 8 or Level 9 secret realms from the previous generations. Theirbat power at the same stage will only be stronger than the current Fourth Generation. Manybat department freshmen were exining on behalf of Dean Qin, also fearing that the dean might feel awkward. Of course, the hottest topic in Infinite City No.7, in all Infinite Cities, and even outside, remained: If Lu Ran finds it difficult to pass, who is this legendary secret realm prepared for? Meanwhile, Lu Ran, once again at the center of national discussion, was in his private room, questioning life with his two pet beasts. Damn, this Diamond Dragon is way too strong. Lu Ran held his head, still tingling from the Dragon Might and roar he had just experienced. You have to understand, at that time, the sudden death king was in its peak state, with full Domineering Energy, fully activated Thunder Dragon armor, and top-level attack and defense. Even so, the Thunder Dragon armor was shattered in an instant. Its scales were also smashed to pieces, causing it to be severely injured. Although it managed to survive thanks to Absolute Defense and Heart of the Overlord, even able to stand up and unleash another burst of power, it was obvious that the oue wouldn¡¯t change much. As for general ha, the situation was even more absurd. After absorbing the Wind King¡¯s Fruit and the nature control trait, its mastery over wind was astonishing. Combined with its powerful physique,parable to a sovereign species, it could withstand 20 times energypression without serious injury. But to test the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defense, general ha not only used energypression beyond its limits, experiencing the pain of breaking teeth again, but also painstakinglybined Blizzard Sword Intent and Dragon yer Sword Intent to increase the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defensive difficulty. Yet, even with all that, it only managed to shatter a few scales and draw a bit of blood? Even the sudden death king wouldugh at such a minor wound. Although it was just a brief sh, Lu Ran was certain they gave it their all. The only thing they didn¡¯t use was the me Sprite, but general ha was not suited for the me Sprite, and using it wouldn¡¯t boost itsbat effectiveness. While the sudden death king could use the Thunder me Dragon system after fusing with the me Sprite, this only enhanced its attack power. Even then, its attack power wouldn¡¯t surpass that of general ha. In summary, the me Sprite would just be a nice addition, not a game-changer. This Diamond Dragon is a formidable enemy, leaving Lu Ran with little hope of victory. ¡°Dragon yer Sword Intent seems to have no effect on a true dragon.¡± Lu Ran looked at general ha. Artistic conceptions are also divided into levels. At this stage, general ha¡¯s Dragon yer Sword Intent only seems effective against sub-dragons. It can¡¯t cut through a true Loong-type dragon at all. Thinking about it, it makes sense. No matter how extraordinary general ha¡¯sprehension is, it only consumed a small piece of Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon. If that alone could defeat a true Loong-type dragon, it would be unrealistic. To y a True Dragon, it needs to use this sword intent on different dragons to improve the skill level. ¡°Woof!¡± General ha covered its mouth, lowered its head, and indicated that it would remember this grudge. Originally, general ha thought that with Dragon yer Sword Intent, it could handle the Diamond Dragon with ease, but this time, it learned another lesson. The Dragon yer Sword Dog had sessfully evolved into a sword dog that could only inflict minor damage. ¡°Compared to the defense of a true dragon, your Thunder Dragon armor feels like it¡¯s made of paper, sudden death king. Is this the difference between the genuine article and a knockoff?¡± ¡°Roar¡­¡± Although its injuries had been healed by the divine deer pendant, the sudden death king still felt a lingering pain. Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, it was stunned for a moment and then, like general ha, lowered its head¡­ It would remember this grudge as well. How envious it was of the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defense¡­ ¡°I originally wanted to conquer the legend secret realm, but now it seems¡­¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°I wonder if bringing three teammates would work¡­¡± Lu Ran quickly thought of teaming up. For instance, if general ha could barely break through the Diamond Dragon¡¯s defense, could they perhaps exploit the opportunity to apply poison while Fang Lan provided support? But the problem is, the Loong-type species have the highest poison resistance, second only to poison species themselves¡­ Ordinary poison would hardly be effective. Moreover, there was too little information about this boss. Apart from its strong attack and defense, they didn¡¯t know if it had self-healing or self-purification abilities. Strategizing without full knowledge of the enemy¡¯s capabilities was a major mistake. ¡°There¡¯s another way: getting general ha an exquisite-level sword might temporarily raise its species level to middle or even upper sovereign. That might give us a chance.¡± Forget it, it¡¯s better not to overthink it. First, honestly grind the abyss secret realm to improve the sudden death king¡¯s strength. After all, the sudden death king is still too fragile. If the sudden death king had stronger defense and could withstand a few more rounds of attacks, then,bined with the divine deer pendant¡¯s infinite healing and general ha¡¯s relentless offense, they might be able to wear the opponent down. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to expect general ha to both tank and attack. Although it could block attacks through its own offensive moves, doing so would undoubtedly weaken the destructive power of its skills, making it even less effective against the Diamond Dragon. Lu Ran decided to train the sudden death king further before trying again. Right now, in the sword-and-shieldbination of him and general ha, the shield clearly had a gap. When Lu Ran left the infinite city, a cat paw almost pped him in the face. ¡°You little rascal, you sure have guts. You dared to solo the newly appeared secret realm. I can¡¯t take my eyes off you for a moment,¡± Manager Ying said as it pressed its paw against Lu Ran¡¯s face. ¡°How was it? Almost died in there, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Poof.¡± Lu Ran stepped back and looked at Manager Ying, saying, ¡°You¡¯re just in time. Quickly spread the word and warn the other Fourth Generation not to solo the legend secret realm. It¡¯s not meant for humans.¡± ¡°Only you would do such a thing.¡± ¡°¡­Even teaming up wouldn¡¯t work. I feel like even if four of me teamed up, it would be hard to clear this secret realm,¡± Lu Ran asserted. ¡°Got it.¡± Manager Ying curled its lips. ¡°It¡¯s normal that you couldn¡¯t defeat it. The data on this Diamond Dragon has already been uncovered. The beastmaster who will contract it in the future, Yi Du, was the most top-level legend beastmaster on the Star-Moon Continent at that time. This Diamond Dragon had the potential to reach legend level and significantly contributed to Yi Du¡¯s achievements. Although the one you challenged is just a juvenile, its talent and potential are evident; it won¡¯t be weak.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Come on¡­ You should be the first beastmaster to enter the Dragon King¡¯s Nest, fight, ande out alive. Ahem, I¡¯ve shared so much intelligence with you before; now it¡¯s your turn to contribute.¡± ¡°Regardless of the value, tell me everything you know about the Diamond Dragon.¡± Lu Ran was silent: ¡°¡­¡± He knew Manager Ying came over for intelligence. Next, Lu Ran described the Diamond Dragon¡¯s attack patterns to Manager Ying. There wasn¡¯t anything particrly special, just its astonishing defense and attack, along with its mastery of a special artistic conception simr to a mountainous one. Of course, this was just what Lu Ran experienced. Whether the Diamond Dragon had other hidden abilities, he couldn¡¯t know for sure. ¡°It¡¯s likely in the second stage of energy shaping, the second phase of energypression, and the second stage of energy release,bined with its upper sovereign species level. No wonder you couldn¡¯t beat it,¡± Manager Ying said, clicking its tongue after listening. ¡°To defeat it, there are only two ways: one is to have a species level equivalent to it, and the other is to have an energy technique level far superior to it. But obviously, for a level 1 beastmaster, neither is realistic.¡± Lu Ran shrugged at these words. Yeah, he thought so too. What he found most frustrating was the zero challenge fee. Such a high difficulty with such a low challenge threshold‡±wasn¡¯t that just enticing people to get themselves killed? ¡­ In the following days, realizing the gap in his abilities, Lu Ran stopped challenging legend secret realms and instead focused on hard and abyssal difficulty level 1 secret realms. In these secret realms, the bosses didn¡¯t even belong to sovereign species, making things considerably easier for Lu Ran. Over three days, he managed to collect seven rare resources that could awaken secondary attributes, including a Mental Gem, as well as resources for awakening rock, wind, water, fire, earth, and thunder attributes. The primary benefit from these challenges wasn¡¯t the resources themselves but the training he received. Of course, the one getting the most training wasn¡¯t general ha; with its currentbat power, these lower difficulty secret realms offered no significant challenge. The ones benefiting were the sudden death king and Lu Ran himself. After three days of intense battles and specialized training, the sudden death king finally mastered Energy Flow: Thunder sh and Energy Compression: Enhanced Thunder Dragon Armor. With the mastery of energypression and energy flow, the sudden death king¡¯s defense significantly improved. Meanwhile, Lu Ran became increasingly proficient in the four major energy techniques. As his energy control improved, tasks like culinary and forging became easier as well. ¡°It¡¯s time to return to Green Sea.¡± After several days of challenging secret realms, Lu Ran looked at the seven awakening resources in his backpack and decided to go back and distribute them among the seven general beasts of Green Sea. By this time, the seven general beasts should be around level 20. Besides the Mental attribute resource meant for the dark crow, he needed to carefully consider which of the remaining six resources would best suit each of the other general beasts. That same day, Lu Ran took a flight back to Green Sea. It must be said that after some time, Green Sea was now filled with the dark crow¡¯s spies. Even before Lu Ran reached home, the dark crow had already received reports from its underlings that Lu Ran had returned. ¡°Big king!!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so strong, big king!!¡± ¡°Strongest Fourth Generation¡± At the entrance of Lu Ran¡¯s home, the dark crow had already perched on the door, weing Lu Ran while muttering things it must have picked up from somewhere. ¡°Keep it down. If someone hears you, they¡¯ll think I taught you to say that,¡± Lu Ran said, smiling wryly. After all, no one would normally expect a crow to praise itself like that. Most people would assume it was Lu Ran instructing it to say those things, which would be quite embarrassing. ¡°Caw.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve distributed resources to you all,¡± Lu Ran said. During the period when he was challenging breakthrough secret realms, he had asked the Association to help distribute resources to the seven general beasts. As the King of Green Sea, he felt a bit negligent. A great big king isn¡¯t one who neglects to reward their generals. While he couldn¡¯t speak for the other general beasts, the dark crow and the queen bee were definitely deserving and diligent. The dark crow patrolled Green Sea, acting as Lu Ran¡¯s representative to resolve any issues that arose, while the queen bee consistently provided honey. Both were exemry. ¡°Here,¡± Lu Ran said, tossing a marble-like Mental Gem to the dark crow, who had indeed reached level 20. ¡°Big king, you¡¯re wise!!!¡± Although unsure of what Lu Ran had thrown, the dark crow instinctively caught it with its beak, showing a delighted expression. ¡°Just swallow it. It¡¯ll dissolve in your body and help you awaken the mental attribute, granting you the ability to control mental power.¡± ¡°Caw!!¡± The dark crow swallowed it in one gulp and then fell into contemtion. Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush into the house but quietly observed it. One second, two seconds, three seconds¡­ Suddenly, the dark crow¡¯s body shuddered, and red mental waves began to slowly radiate from its surface. [Species Level]: Lower Commander Seeing this, Lu Ran yawned¡­ This guy really had talent! ¡°Alright, you go ahead and explore it on your own. I¡¯m exhausted and need to catch up on some sleep.¡± ¡°Also, let the other six know to meet at Emerald Mountain tomorrow morning. I¡¯ve brought gifts for everyone.¡± With a wave, Lu Ran entered his house. Meanwhile, the dark crow was still savoring the abilities granted by the Mental Gem. A few more minutes passed. Its eyes widened as it felt a fusion of its dark power and mental power, seemingly creating an extraordinary force. ¡°Big king‡±¡± It was about to report to Lu Ran but thought better of it and decided to experiment first. The dark crow spread its wings and flew around until it spotted a stray cat that had just caught a mouse and was about to enjoy its meal. ¡°Eat slowly, don¡¯t choke,¡± the dark crow said. A faint dark red wave appeared around its beak, forming special characters that blended into the air. In the next moment, the stray cat, which was eating the mouse, suddenly choked, clutching its throat desperately. After a long struggle, it finally recovered, terrified, and ran away without finishing its meal. The dark crow was stunned. It then perched on a tree and spotted a young man walking while ying on his phone. The dark crow said, ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going, don¡¯t bump into anything!¡± Immediately, the young man eximed ¡°Ouch!¡± as he collided with a tree, rubbing his face in pain. ¡°Who¡¯s talking?! Which jinxing crow?!¡± he yelled, looking around but seeing no one, his expression like he¡¯d seen a ghost. He ran off with his phone. ¡°Damn,¡± the dark crow thought, still in shock. It realized that itsnguage system had undergone some bizarre changes after awakening its mental attribute. Its words seemed to have gained mental awareness and magical power! ¡°Word curse¡±? ¡°Big king!! Big king!! Wake up, I have good news!!¡± the dark crow shouted excitedly as it flew towards Lu Ran. It felt invincible, believing it could help Lu Ran achieve greatness with just its words! But as soon as it finished speaking, it covered its mouth, worried that its careless words might cause something bad to happen while Lu Ran was sleeping¡­ Chapter 142: Lu Ran: My Goodness Chapter 142: Lu Ran: My Goodness Inside the vi, Lu Ran was mentally exhausted after three days of challenging the secret realm. Returning home, he was ready to take a long nap, but unexpectedly, the dark crow he had just shooed away was now banging against the window again. ¡°Big King, open the door.¡± The dark crow was incessantly pping its wings against the ss, calling out. Lu Ran: ? ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± Lu Ran was speechless. He got out of bed and opened the window. What else does this crow want now? Why didn¡¯t you just say everything at once earlier? You¡¯re not doing a great job as a subordinate. If it were any other Big King, you would have been dragged out and executed already.As Lu Ran opened the window, the dark crow excitedly flew in and perched on the railing, saying, ¡°Big King, I think I¡¯ve awakened an incredible ability.¡± ¡°Mental, right? I already told you.¡± ¡°Study it well. If you develop mental abilities to their fullest, there are many possibilities, like illusions.¡± Just as the trait of fire energy is burning and the trait of ice energy is freezing, the trait of mental energy is that it can cause illusions in enemies upon attack. ¡°No!¡± The dark crow found it too troublesome to exin, so it decided to show Lu Ran instead. ¡°Why don¡¯t you call out Thunder Dragon General, and I¡¯ll demonstrate on it?¡± Considering General Ha¡¯s vengeful nature, the dark crow thought it wouldn¡¯t end well for itself if it experimented on him. However, the thick-skinned Thunder Dragon General wouldn¡¯t mind interacting with its ¡°teacher.¡± ¡°You¡¯re making it sound pretty mysterious.¡± Hearing this, Lu Ran said, ¡°It¡¯s in the living room next door watching TV with General Ha. Come on in.¡± With that, Lu Ran opened the bedroom door and led the dark crow to the living room. At this moment, General Ha and Sudden Death King were lying on the sofa, watching Tom and Jerry,ughing heartily. How could there be such a stupid cat? ¡°Woof woof woof.¡± ¡°Caw caw caw.¡± It wasn¡¯t until Lu Ran and the dark crow arrived, and Lu Ran turned down the volume, that the two pet beasts shifted their attention. ¡°Sudden Death King,e over here. The dark crow wants to test a new ability on you.¡± Sudden Death King: ??? ¡°Roar???¡± Sudden Death King was confused, pouting and frowning, leaning back tactically, and looking at the dark crow with disdain. Good things nevere its way; only bad things find it. Sudden Death King wanted to write ¡°Big Victim¡± on its belly. ¡°Do we need to go to the yard?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°No need! The new ability isn¡¯t that strong,¡± the dark crow replied. As it spoke, it fixed its red crow eyes seriously on the standing Sudden Death King. ¡°Standing is tiring; don¡¯t wear yourself out¡­¡± The dark crow took a deep breath and began. In the next moment. It shaped special dark red characters in its mouth, which merged into the void. Suddenly, Sudden Death King¡¯s expression changed as it felt a surge of gravity and pressure, forcing it to lie down again. Buzz. A feeling of losing control gradually spread through its body. ¡°Roar!!!¡± However, how could the dark crow¡¯s powerpare to Sudden Death King¡¯s? With a shudder of its scales and a forceful struggle, it finally broke free from the strange sensation and red at the dark crow. What was that! Sudden Death King was startled. ¡°What was that?¡± Nearby, Lu Ran and General Ha also widened their eyes in shock. Lu Ran rubbed his eyes, sure he hadn¡¯t seen wrong. The dark crow¡¯s ¡°speech¡± just now seemed to transform from energy into ¡°special characters¡± and merge into the void. Next, they saw that as soon as the dark crow finished speaking, Sudden Death King did almost stumble, nearly copsing as if pressed down by an invisible force. Yet, in reality, after the dark crow spoke, no one had physically interacted with Sudden Death King. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the dark crow said, scratching its head with its wing. ¡°Is this the power you gained after awakening your mental abilities?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, I feel that after awakening my mental abilities, my ¡®vocal cords¡¯ can fuse dark energy and mental strength.¡± ¡°This new fused power gives me the impression that my ¡®vocal organs¡¯ can be used as an attack method just like my ws and beak.¡± ¡°So I tried it, and it actually works!¡± After the dark crow finished, Lu Ran pondered. It was evident that this was a power simr to ¡°speaking into existence.¡± Of course, Lu Ran nced at Sudden Death King and, through mindmunication, discovered that this ability wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as it seemed. Sudden Death King indicated that it felt like its mind had been eroded and influenced, leading to a loss of control over its body. It wasn¡¯t truly a rule-based ability. The core of the power stilly in affecting the mental state of living beings. ¡°You¡¯re defying the natural order here,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but look at the dark crow. Even so, this ability was quite formidable. Lu Ran roughly understood the dark crow¡¯s situation. It seemed that an organ in its body had ¡°mutated¡± during its evolution, giving rise to a species talent. This urrence wasn¡¯t rare. For example, Zhou Mo¡¯s Two-Headed Dog‡±Lu Ran had casually asked about it in the preparation room afterward. Zhou Mo mentioned that the Two-Headed Dog was the offspring of two supernatural dog breeds. It had undergone species mutation at birth, resulting in two heads, unlike its parents. Even before the supernatural resurgence, bizarre mutated creatures weren¡¯t umon. So, Lu Ran concluded that the dark crow¡¯s ¡°vocal organs¡± had indeed mutated during its evolution. This also exined why, immediately after its supernatural awakening, it showcased such a strongnguage talent. Not only could it fluently speak humannguage, but it could also quickly learn thenguages of other species. This was pure talent! Previously, due to its weak power and only possessing dark energy, the dark crow couldn¡¯t fully utilize its ¡°mutation advantage.¡± Until today, with the awakening of its mental abilities, the dark crow¡¯s ¡°vocal cords¡± revealed a unique ability:bining dark energy with mental strength to form word-like or spell-like power. Lu Ran felt that this ability was quite powerful. Its strength didn¡¯t lie in its ability to influence enemies through speech. Rather, ity in the fact that during the ¡°attack process,¡± neither Lu Ran, General Ha, nor Sudden Death King noticed anything! The attacknded on Sudden Death King without any warning. This undetectable nature was the most terrifying aspect, making it more eerie than most mental attack methods! It was like a ¡°curse,¡± striking from a thousand miles away without a trace. The level of eeriness wasparable to time and space abilities. ¡°Let¡¯s try again, this time on me. I want to experience it firsthand.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran took out a piece of beast meat from his spatial backpack and conjured a me with one hand, roasting the meat out of thin air. The dark crow froze for a moment and then whispered, ¡°Be careful¡­ don¡¯t burn it.¡± As soon as it spoke, Lu Ran¡¯s mind wandered, his concentration faltered, and he lost control of the me Sprite for a moment. The fire intensified, and the roasting meat was instantly charred! The next moment, Lu Ran quickly regained his focus and controlled the me Sprite to prevent a fire. ¡°Can you say something positive?¡± Lu Ran was simultaneously amazed by this ability and suddenly had an idea. Since the spell could negatively affect the mental state of living beings, could it be used positively? ¡°Let¡¯s try again. This time, I will attempt to shape a highlyplex figure out of me. Given my current control over me, it¡¯s impossible for me to seed¡­ But let¡¯s see if you can say something like ¡®I believe you can seed¡¯ to influence my mental state and enhance my energy control, achieving a perfect shape,¡± Lu Ran instructed. ¡°Huh?¡± The dark crow was stunned. Could it work like that? Once Lu Ran finished speaking, he began summoning mes, trying to morph them in his palm. He aimed to shape a female warrior riding a treasure horse and wielding a spear. Soon, Lu Ran was sweating profusely, clearly unable toplete such a high-difficulty task. Not even General Ha or Sudden Death King could pull this off. Shaping frequently used items like swords or armor tailored to one¡¯s body was the norm. Of course, difficulty didn¡¯t mean impossibility. For example, the secret realms created by Infinite City were so lifelike that they showcased the pinnacle of energy shaping. ¡°Big King, I believe you can seed!!¡± The dark crow encouraged, incantations slipping into the void from its mouth. In the next instant, Lu Ran indeed felt his mental state being influenced, but it didn¡¯t cause the slightest ripple. Then¡­ ¡°Bang.¡± The shaping still failed. The mes in Lu Ran¡¯s hands twisted uncontrobly, unable to form a detailed shape. ¡°Damn,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit frustrated. ¡°It¡¯s really a jinx. When it says something won¡¯t work, it doesn¡¯t; when it says something will, it fails.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s normal. Destruction is always easier than creation.¡± ¡°Squawk¡ª¡ª¡± The dark crow looked innocent, as if to say it wasn¡¯t its fault. Though it didn¡¯t seed, Lu Ran believed this was simply because the dark crow wasn¡¯t yet proficient with this ability. If the dark crow became more skilled with this technique, it might be able to use the spell positively. For example, through the power ofnguage, it could influence the mental state of living beings, boost morale, or reduce the perception of pain. With this in mind, Lu Ran thought this ability might also make the dark crow suitable to be a Captain in a legion. The dark crow army n suddenly seemed to have made significant progress. ¡°By the way, are there any simr spell abilities out there?¡± Lu Ran took out his phone and searched the forum. After searching for a while, he found nothing. Lu Ran initially thought that even if there were no species in nature with an ¡°enchantment¡± ability, Infinite City should have traits rted to ¡°curses.¡± But he discovered there was nothing! Just like there were no legion type traits. This ability, which is verymon in movies, hadn¡¯t been included in Infinite City¡¯s luxury trait package. Of course, Lu Ran believed that on the Star-Moon Continent, there must be beings that control curse powers. Otherwise, how did Principal Shi Zhen get cursed by a witch? Upon careful consideration, everything seemed to make sense. Since the development time of beast taming power on Blue Star was limited, aplete curse system hadn¡¯t yet emerged. This meant that after Principal Shi Zhen was cursed, there was no good way to remove it, forcing him to consider retirement. Perhaps in secret realms of level 6, level 7, and level 8, traits rted to curse powers might appear. But for now, with nothing avable, Principal Shi Zhen could only research on his own. However, what Lu Ran didn¡¯t expect was that his own crow had awakened this ability. In the future, would its spells evolve from only affecting the mind to also impacting the physical body? With a single word, could it change someone¡¯s gender? After some contemtion, Lu Ran looked at the dark crow with appreciation. This ability was impressive. Such a great ability would be wasted if the dark crow were left to fend for itself. He needed to find a way to maximize its resources and treatment and give it some rigorous training. ¡°You¡¯re truly my general.¡± On the same day. In the principal¡¯s office at Beast Taming University. With a sudden ¡°Achoo,¡± Shi Zhen, the first-generation beastmaster and the principal of Beast Taming University, suddenly experienced rapid hair growth, a burgeoning chest, a curvier buttocks, and smoother skin. The originally handsome Shi Zhen, now transformed into the opposite sex, held hisrge chest with a furious expression. ¡°Again, that damned witch, that damned curse.¡± Chapter 143: I Have a Dream Chapter 143: I Have a Dream Now that the Dark Crow has awakened a special power, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t possibly go back to sleep. To do so would be disrespecting the upation of a beastmaster. He quickly changed out of his pajamas, put on his clothes, and decisively headed to the back mountain of Maple Park to further study the crow¡¯s spellcasting abilities. After numerous experiments, Lu Ran became more convinced that the essence of the spellcasting ability was to purposefully disrupt the enemy¡¯s mind, thereby affecting their actions. Any destructive or disruptive curse was fairly easy to achieve. However, attempting something like a reversal curse to grant benefits to the cursed was utterly impossible. Lu Ran spected that this was not only rted to the Dark Crow¡¯s proficiency with the ability but also to the traits of the dark attribute. After all, the characteristics of dark energy are ¡°erosion¡± and ¡°debilitation.¡± Dark attribute energy has an erosive effect on most other types of energy, making it hard to defend against. If someone is attacked by a dark attribute skill and gets injured, their attack, defense, and speed will all significantly decrease.Realizing this, Lu Ran wondered if awakening additional attributes in the Dark Crow could potentially create ¡°blessing-type¡± spell effects. The first attribute that came to his mind was the opposing attribute of dark, light. Although the primary characteristic of light energy is its speed, light attribute pet beasts also have a highpatibility with ¡°beneficial traits.¡± Trait fusion requirespatibility¡ªnot just with the species, but also with the individual and the attribute. Some beneficial traits don¡¯t harmonize well with every type of attribute. Generally speaking, light, water, and grass attributes are more suited for beneficial and healing traits. So, Lu Ran thought, if the Dark Crow were to awaken a light attribute in the future, could its beak be blessed and excel in granting blessings? However, this seemed a bit risky since not every pet beast can handle having opposing attributes. On the divine beast leaderboard, there have been many examples of failure. Some pet beasts, which should have evolved into sovereigns, failed to evolve because they attempted to integrate opposing attributes, leaving them stuck on themander leaderboard. Although the light attribute seemed risky, Lu Ran quickly thought of another attribute more powerful than both light and dark. Time! What kind of sparks would fly if curse abilities werebined with the time attribute? Of course, this was just a thought. The resources required to help a pet beast awaken the time attribute would have to be exquisite-level or higher, and would be ten or even a hundred times more precious than the ethereal flower. The ethereal flower itself was already quite precious. Like ¡°curse-type traits¡± and ¡°legion-type traits,¡± the ethereal flower could not be found in secret realms of all levels. Currently, there were only two ways to obtain it: one, from a breakthrough secret realm; and two, as a rare drop from defeating a powerful space attribute boss in a public secret realm. Therefore, for the beast taming university to give Lu Ran an ethereal flower was a significant investment. This was also because Lu Ran had proven himself by defeating the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, earning significant international prestige for Xia Country. Such prestige was worth more than an ethereal flower. ¡°Let¡¯s continue.¡± Lu Ran resumed his experiments with the Dark Crow, setting aside thoughts of blessing-type curses for now. After all, they hadn¡¯t even fully understood the curse-type effects yet, so it wouldn¡¯t be useful to think too far ahead. After more experiments, Lu Ran made a new discovery. The Dark Crow¡¯s curses were only effective within a range of twenty meters. ¡°What? Why is your range so short?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The Dark Crow was shocked. Indeed, its range was quite short. ¡°With a curse range of only 20 meters, what can you do?¡± Lu Ran was frustrated. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to curse someone from across a city, but at least a hundred meters would be reasonable, right?¡± Otherwise, even in an arena battle, it would be practically useless if the curse could only be used at close range. The sudden death king¡¯s discharge range was longer than yours. General Ha¡¯s sword qi could even reach beyond a hundred meters! ¡°What is the maximum range of your release-type skill?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°It seems to be less than 50 meters, but the power significantly decreases after halfway,¡± the Dark Crow admitted, embarrassed. Currently, it had mastered three of the four major energy techniques: flow, shaping, and release. Without any specialized training, its learning talent was already quite impressive. In terms ofprehension, even the sudden death king couldn¡¯tpare to the Dark Crow. Perhaps it was because the Dark Crow had mastered too many different things that its energy release technique was only average. ¡°That means the curse range is probably simr to the effective range of your release-type skills,¡± Lu Ran pondered. This won¡¯t do. It needs training. Ideally, one day it could curse an enemy from across a city, even a country. Only then could the curse¡¯s deterrent power be maximized! In that case, let¡¯s first train the Dark Crow¡¯s energy release technique. The focus would be on range! And during the release, there should be minimal energy loss. ¡°Dark Crow, I¡¯ve had two dreams since I was young.¡± ¡°The first was to be a peerless swordsman.¡± ¡°The second was to be an extraordinary marksman, a king of snipers.¡± ¡°Now, my first dream has been inherited by General Ha. You¡¯ve seen the sword in its mouth, right? The reason it¡¯s so strong is that it has inherited my dream, and we are united in mind and spirit.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Now, are you interested in inheriting my second dream and bing a remarkable marksman?¡± ¡°Initially, just being able to precisely snipe an enemy¡¯s head from two thousand meters away with a single crow feather would be enough¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at the Dark Crow expectantly, saying, ¡°You should know, even the Thunder Dragon General hasn¡¯t had the chance to inherit my dream.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± The Dark Crow was skeptical, feeling like the big king might be pulling its leg. ¡°Train well. When your release-type skill range breaks through 800 meters, I will contract you and take you to fight in other ces, not just stay in this small Green Sea City.¡± The Dark Crow¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Big King, you are wise!¡± ¡°This humble servant will train diligently to inherit your ambition!¡± Saying that, it spread its wings, took a shooting stance, and a ck crow feather condensed at the tip of its wing, shooting out with a ¡°whoosh.¡± It directly shattered a wild tree. Seeing this, Lu Ran nodded in satisfaction. Though curses were powerful, the fundamentals needed to be solid too! Training the Dark Crow as a sniper aiming for maximum effective range would undoubtedly enhance its overall strength! Excellent. Next, General Ha focused on energypression, the Sudden Death King specialized in energy shaping, and the Dark Crow concentrated on energy release. Each pet beast had a bright future ahead. Now, Lu Ran was genuinely considering contracting the Dark Crow. In the future, he could take it into secret realms, sniping mutated beasts from 800 meters away, or cursing bosses from 2,000 meters out, making them explode before even seeing them. How delightful would that be? Collecting materials along the way would surely be satisfying. ¡­ That day, Lu Ran spent half the day interacting with the Dark Crow. Both man and bird were utterly exhausted. Though more tired, Lu Ran felt even more energized. Holding resources for awakening six other attributes, he wanted to see if the remaining six general beasts had potential simr to the Dark Crow. In the back hills of Maple Park. The sky was dark with a dense swarm of crows. A cluster of crows flew together, forming a ck cloud. Above the ck cloud, the one-eared cat, the giant turtle from Qingwu Lake, and the fire snake from Emerald Mountain were carried over and dropped into the back hills of Maple Park. As for the bug king from Emerald Mountain, the Ice Bird guarding the tea leaves, and the queen bee supplying honey, they could all fly on their own, so they didn¡¯t need the Dark Crow¡¯s help. Soon, all seven general beasts of Green Sea were gathered here. Lu Ran observed them. The one-eared cat was level 19. The ck turtle, Ice Bird, fire snake, and queen bee were all level 18. The bug king was level 17. The levels were not low. However, none were as high as the Dark Crow, which was level 20. Lu Ran understood why. The Dark Crow often interacted with the Association, gaining the most resources. The one-eared cat¡¯s stray cat team frequently worked with the police, helping handle small mutated beasts in the city. It had even been honored with the title of White Cat Sheriff, and thus had plenty of resources. It was normal for these two to have higher levels. As for the bug king¡­ Lu Ran didn¡¯t need to guess. It likely had arge harem and many offspring, which severely diluted its resources, causing it tog behind. ¡°Indeed, women only slow down the pace of getting stronger,¡± Lu Ran shook his head. Subsequently, Lu Ran smiled at the gathered general beasts and said, ¡°You¡¯ve all worked hard recently. I¡¯ve brought you some rare resources that can awaken a second attribute.¡± ¡°Using these will make you even stronger.¡± ¡°Meow-ow!!!¡± Upon hearing this, the six generals beasts immediately began chattering excitedly. Soon, Lu Ran distributed the resources. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, the general beasts only managed to gain an additional attribute, without awakening any specialbination powers like the Dark Crow had. Next, Lu Ran dismissed all the general beasts except for the old turtle. [You brought such rare resources, I knew there had to be a catch¡­] The old turtle was quite familiar with Lu Ran. It remembered when Lu Ran first approached it, chatted, and brought food, all just to get it to retrieve his phone from theke¡­ Usually, the resources were just fine, but the awakening attribute resource this time felt significantly rarer and more precious. The old turtle couldn¡¯t believe Lu Ran didn¡¯t have an ulterior motive. ¡°Old Turtle, these resources are truly a free gift for you.¡± ¡°I do have a favor to ask, but I¡¯llpensate you separately for it.¡± [What is it? You know I just want to retire as soon as possible. I agreed to maintain the peace of Qingwu Lake only to avoid being disturbed by various parties due to chaos.] ¡°Exactly!¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I recently heard that there¡¯s a group causing trouble in the sea, which might threaten Green Sea. In the future, besides Qingwu Lake, could you also help guard the sea?¡± Old Turtle: ??? [What nonsense are you talking about? I¡¯m just a freshwater turtle, not a sea turtle.] [Besides, didn¡¯t you say that the sea is full of high-level creatures that we can¡¯t afford to provoke, and thus we shouldn¡¯t worry about it for now? How can we handle it now?] Lu Ran cleared his throat and said, ¡°You¡¯re all supernatural beings now; what¡¯s the difference between freshwater and seawater? Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve known each other for two years. You understand me, and I understand you. You just want stability, right? But the problem is that there¡¯s indeed a restless group in the sea. For the peace of Green Sea City, just work for two more years, the final two years.¡± ¡°In a while, I¡¯ll bring you some ¡®Loong-type cuisine¡¯ to help you evolve into a ¡®Dragon Blood being,¡¯ bing a dragon turtle. I believe you¡¯ll have the strength to suppress andmand the coastal waters.¡± ¡°By the way, didn¡¯t I just help you awaken the rock attribute? You know about Baxia 1 , one of the Loong¡¯s nine sons, right? The dragon turtle with a stone tablet on its back. I think you could cosy that. Look at General Ha¡¯s strength; it¡¯s because he cosyed Yazi 2 , another of the Loong¡¯s nine sons. If you also y the role of Baxia, you definitely won¡¯t be weak. To support your work, I¡¯ll bring you a stone tablet weapon in a few days for you to carry and guard the sea. No problem. Once you be the King of the Coastal Waters, you can retire properly!¡± ¡°This is all out of necessity¡­¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want the Qingwu Lake, where you¡¯ve lived for decades, to be upied by those from the sea, forcing you to leave your home, right?¡± The old turtle was furious. That was indeed intolerable. It had developed feelings for Qingwu Lake after decades. ¡°Ga?¡± The Dark Crow, still perched in the tree, fell into deep thought. Why was General Ha being used as an example again? Was Lu Ran trying to persuade the ck turtle general now? However, conquering the sea was indeed a crucial strategic goal. The Dark Crow¡¯s eyes gleamed with ambition¡­ Given the ck turtle general¡¯s steady nature, perhaps it could take on this important task! Footnote:
  1. Biaxia(°ÔÏÂ): In Chinese mythology, ¡°Baxia¡± (°ÔÏÂ), also known as the Dragon Turtle, is one of the nine sons of the Dragon King. Each of the Dragon King¡¯s sons has distinct characteristics and symbolic meanings. Baxia is depicted as a creature with the body of a tortoise and the head of a dragon. It is often shown carrying heavy objects, such as stone steles, on its back, symbolizing strength and endurance.
In essence, the character is being encouraged to take on the qualities of Baxia¡ªstrength, endurance, and protection¡ªby embodying its image.
  1. Yazi(íýíö): In Chinese mythology, ¡°Yazi¡± (íýíö) is one of the nine sons of the Dragon King. Each of the Dragon King¡¯s sons has its own distinct personality and symbolism. Yazi is typically depicted as a dragon with a fierce and aggressive nature. He is known for his temper and his fondness for fighting and killing, making him a symbol of bravery and valor. Here¡¯s how Yazi is portrayed and his cultural significance: Appearance: Yazi is often depicted as a dragon with a ferocious expression, sometimes shown on weapons and armor to invoke his fierce spirit. Symbolism: Yazi symbolizes unyielding strength and a warrior¡¯s spirit. He is associated with power, protection, and the ability to ward off evil. Cultural Role: Yazi¡¯s image ismonly used in Chinese art and architecture, particrly on weapons, military insignia, and protective talismans. His presence is believed to bring courage, strength, and protection to those who bear his image.
Chapter 144: First Clearance of the Legendary Secret Realm Chapter 144: First Clearance of the Legendary Secret Realm Boss Lu spent two days in Green Sea City. During these two days, he mainly focused on training the dark crow and the ck turtle. He sourced a considerable amount of dark and mental resources from Infinite City for the dark crow. As for the ck turtle, it enjoyed two days of the same meals as the sudden death king¡ªDragon Cuisine! The resources in the ocean are far richer than those onnd. The coastal waters of Green Sea City are considered part of Green Sea City¡¯s territory. Given this, Lu Ran naturally wouldn¡¯t miss out on ocean resources. He hadn¡¯t bothered with them before because he wasn¡¯t strong enough. Now, as long as there are no deep sea ferocious beasts at level 40 or 50 in the coastal waters, controlling the area should be easy.Additionally, Lu Ran wanted to use the old turtle as a test subject to study Loong-type evolution. As a Dragon Chef, Lu Ran¡¯s goal is to develop a stable Loong-type evolution path. One evolution case from the sudden death king isn¡¯t enough to prove anything. He needs a sufficient number of test samples. When the timees, the beast taming university, which provides Loong-type resources, will surely send a batch of test subjects. But as a researcher, Lu Ran naturally has the right to increase the number of test subjects. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to train the local beasts of Green Sea City during the research process. In fact, the fire snake would be the best test subject. Being a snake and of the fire type, it¡¯s very suitable for Dragon Cuisine cooked with me Dragon Culinary Intent. However, Lu Ran isn¡¯t very familiar with it, so he naturally chose the old turtle, which he knows well and can trust rtively more, for cultivation first. A few dayster, as the new semester was about to start, Lu Ran returned to Sky City. By this time, the Loong-type research institute dedicated to Lu Ran had already been built at the university. A Loong-type resource library had also been set up next to it, stocked with arge number of advanced and rare Loong-type resources. There were even exquisite-level resources. For instance, the Dragon King bird meat slices that Manager Ying had obtained earlier¡ªDr. Gu and Principal Shi Zhen had jointly provided 50 slices this time for Lu Ran¡¯s preliminary research. Seeing the room full of Loong-type ingredients, Lu Ran was dazzled. However, he knew that he shouldn¡¯t handle these ingredients casually, like just grilling them. Although that would technically still count as Dragon Cuisine, it would undoubtedly be the crudest form of Dragon Cuisine. Now, facing such an abundance of Loong-type ingredients, Lu Ran needed to focus on creatingplex dishes thatbine multiple ingredients to generate more unique effects. To research the Loong-type evolution path, this was paramount. However, unfortunately, on Blue Star, there were no Dragon Chefs, and naturally, no Loong-type recipes. Lu Ran had to research and experiment on his own, making numerous attempts and learning from his mistakes. Fortunately, with the me Sprite skill, Lu Ran could significantly reduce the cost of trial and error. Additionally, certain recipes could be adapted from others. After returning, Lu Ran started by consulting some nutritional knowledge in the Beast Taming University¡¯s library, studying the nutritionbinations in wind and snow-type cuisines, such as supernatural ice cream, ice jelly, and frozen fruit tea. ¡°Keep it up!¡± ¡°As long as I can evolve the first batch of Loong-types, everything will get easier.¡± ¡°By then, the next phase of research should be taken over by breeding researchers¡ªfiguring out how to make Loong-type pet beasts mate and produce more purebred Loong-types¡­¡± Just as Lu Ran was waiting for the new semester to begin, a major event urred in Infinite City! An event significant enough to shake all nations. In Xia Country¡¯s Infinite City No. 1 to No. 7, beastmasters of all generations were busy with their own affairs. Suddenly. A system announcement echoed in their ears. [Congrattions to level 3 beastmasters King of Ice, King of Snow, King of Cold, and King of Winter for clearing the level 3 legendary secret realm ¡°Permafrost¡± and embarking on the path of legends.] This announcement caused a sensation in Xia Country¡ªno, it caused a global stir. Unlike the prompts on the divine beast leaderboard, which were broadcast only within the Beastmaster Square of a single Infinite City, this announcement was broadcasted almost globally, with Infinite Cities in various countries receiving the broadcast. It was simr to the major updates announced when the number of beastmasters reached 100,000 or 1,000,000. ¡°King of Ice, King of Snow, King of Cold, King of Winter? Who are they?¡± In Xia Country, some fourth-generation beastmasters initially thought that a level 3 beastmaster team from their own country had cleared the legendary secret realm. But these four names were unfamiliar; no one recognized them. ¡°The Four Heavenly Kings of Ice and Snow¡ªthey are the top third-generation beastmasters from the Snowfield Federation, not from our country.¡± ¡°The Permafrost secret realm isn¡¯t our secret realm.¡± ¡°Damn! Foreign beast taming teams have already cleared a legendary secret realm???¡± Since the emergence of legendary secret realms, countries have been observing and some have started their own attempts to clear them. However, it¡¯s been nearly a week, and no word hase out about anyone sessfully clearing a legendary secret realm. Now, news has finally broken about a sessful clearance, but what frustrates most countries is that the sessful team isn¡¯t from their own nation! Especially for the Eagle Federation, this was a tough pill to swallow. Not only did Infinite City make such a high-profile global announcement about the first team to clear a legendary secret realm, but it turned out to be their old rivals. After being repeatedly annoyed by Lu Ran and the Four Heavenly Kings of Snowfield, the top brass of the Eagle Federation were collectively fuming. Outside. Not long after this event came to light, Lu Ran paused his work and paid close attention, deeply surprised. Although he didn¡¯t know how difficult the Snowfield Federation¡¯s level 3 legendary secret realm was, the level 3 legendary secret realm in Xia Country¡¯s Infinite City had a BOSS that was a middle overlord species. The opposing secret realm likely wasn¡¯t any weaker. This Ice and Snow Winter team was truly impressive. These four were third-generation beastmasters from the Snowfield Federation? Inparison, Lu Ran felt that Xia Country¡¯s third-generation beastmasters were somewhat underwhelming. No wonder the inte often said that the only strong generation in Xia Country was the First Generation. The second and third generations of beastmasters in Xia Country were often considered unremarkable. Unlike Xia Country¡¯s situation of a generational gap, other nations might not have had a particrly strong First Generation, but their second and third generations were filled with powerful individuals. This is also why Xia Country ces greater emphasis on cultivating fourth-generation beastmasters and even established the Beast Taming University. If the fourth generation doesn¡¯t step up, the beast taming field in Xia Country might face a significant gap. The third-generation beastmasters of the Snowfield Federation were quite strong. Some of their powerful third-generation beastmasters could already outperform second-generation beastmasters from other countries. Now, with the third-generation beastmaster team from the Snowfield Federation being the first to clear a legendary secret realm, regardless of the battle details, the methods they used, the effort they put in, or the costs they incurred, as the first team to achieve this, they were bound to gain worldwide recognition. [Big News! I have a friend in the Snowfield Federation¡­] While Lu Ran was following this news, he quickly noticed a trending post with over two thousand curated replies. Original Poster Spicy Rabbit Head: [Hey everyone, big news! I have a friend studying in the Snowfield Federation. He¡¯s be a beastmaster over there, and guess what he discovered in Infinite City No. 1???] [It¡¯s not about the Four Heavenly Kings making it onto the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard!! That¡¯s not the point!] [He heard in the beastmaster square that the ¡°Permafrost secret realm¡± has disappeared from the pir tform!!] [After the ¡°Permafrost secret realm¡± was cleared, it vanished, and a brand-new ¡°level 3 legendary secret realm¡± appeared in its ce. People there are already specting that legendary secret realms are single-use, with only one clearance reward per realm!] Top Comment 1: [Is this for real??? OP, you better not be lying!!! Imagine the teams that almost cleared it but didn¡¯t they¡¯d be devastated.] Top Comment 2: [No surprise there. If you aren¡¯t strong enough, you miss out. It¡¯s only fair that high difficulty secret realms have better first-clear rewards.] As Lu Ran read through the post, he frowned. Just then, Manager Ying called. ¡°Lu Ran!!¡± ¡°Did you see the news?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw it,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°I also saw a post iming that legendary secret realms might be single-use only.¡± Manager Ying: ¡°That¡¯s correct. Xia Country justmunicated with the Snowfield Federation and bought the first-hand intelligence.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got the details and wanted to update you.¡± ¡°Legendary secret realms are indeed one-time challenges. Once cleared, the secret realm will disappear and be reced by a new legendary secret realm. However, this new secret realm will only be avable to beastmasters who haven¡¯t cleared a legendary secret realm before. Teams that have already cleared one can¡¯t challenge the new one.¡± ¡°In other words, each person can only clear a corresponding level legendary secret realm once.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°There¡¯s another crucial piece of intelligence. Although they didn¡¯t reveal what the clearance reward for the legendary secret realm was, they described it with terms like ¡®unique,¡¯ ¡®astonishingly good,¡¯ and ¡®everything you could want.¡¯¡± ¡°It can be said that clearing a legendary secret realm and obtaining a legendary reward is akin to starting on the path of legends, giving one the potential to be a legendary beastmaster. Perhaps the purpose of the legendary secret realms is to select and elerate the development of outstanding beastmasters.¡± ¡°Additionally, the scoring system for legendary secret realms is different from ordinary secret realms and breakthrough secret realms. It only has four levels: ordinary, good, excellent, and perfect.¡± ¡°ording to the Four Heavenly Kings of the Snowfield Federation, the grading of these four levels is determined not by the performance during the challenge but by the number of participants. If four people enter the secret realm and clear it, it¡¯s an ordinary rating. If two people enter and clear it, it¡¯s an excellent rating. If one person enters and clears it, it¡¯s a perfect rating. They specte that the rewards should increase progressively with the rating.¡± ¡°This mechanism¡­ is so harsh?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°What¡¯s the progress on Xia Country¡¯s attempts to clear the legendary secret realm?¡± Manager Ying: ¡°The second and third generations have no hope. Just looking at it could make them explode. The First Generation has split into two teams and started taking turns to challenge it. But unless they are willing to pay a heavy price with significant casualties, there¡¯s no way they can clear it. And that price is something the First Generation cannot bear, so they remain stuck there, ready to retreat at the slightest sign of trouble.¡± ¡°In short, I don¡¯t think we can count on our second and third generations. The only hope lies with your Fourth Generation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you this so you can start paying attention to the challenge of the Dragon King¡¯s Nest. Don¡¯t rush to break through. Once you reach level 2, you won¡¯t be able to challenge level 1 legendary secret realms anymore. Since the rewards are unique, they must be astonishingly good. It would be a shame to miss out.¡± ¡°If you find the Dragon King¡¯s Nest too difficult, you can also check out the Public Infinite City to see if there¡¯s an opportunity with other legendary secret realms. Currently, the legendary secret realms in various regions and countries are still somewhat different.¡± ¡°I predict that countries will soon actively coborate and send ¡®exchange envoys¡¯ to swap secret realm challenges. After all, depending on the BOSS attributes and species, there will always be a secret realm that¡¯s easier for a particr beastmaster to challenge.¡± ¡°No, the Dragon King¡¯s Nest secret realm is perfect. Since the BOSS is Loong-type, it will definitely drop Loong-type resources, which could be very helpful for researching Loong-type evolution,¡± Lu Ran said, deciding not to choose any other level 1 secret realms from different regions. He felt the Diamond Dragon was just fine. Of course, the current problem was that he couldn¡¯t defeat it. With some more special training and gathering the four most powerful Fourth Generation beastmasters of Xia Country, there might be hope¡­ But upon hearing that the final rating was rted to the number of challengers, Lu Ran hesitated again. The rewards for a perfect rating must be much better than for an ordinary rating, right? In any case, dying the time to enter the breakthrough secret realm seemed necessary. Breaking through without clearing a level 1 legendary secret realm would indeed be a huge loss. Compared to the First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation beastmasters, this Fourth Generation had a significant advantage. After all, the first three generations couldn¡¯t challenge low-level legendary secret realms anymore. But the Fourth Generation, mostly at the apprentice or level 1 stage, could tackle everything from low-level to advanced legendary secret realms, gaining several unique first-clear rewards along the way¡­ Originally, Lu Ran had nned to enter the breakthrough secret realm in a month, just in time to hatch a pet beast egg and contract his Third Pet. But thinking it over, it didn¡¯t seem that necessary. Even if he didn¡¯t time it perfectly, contractingter would be fine¡­ Having a newly hatched pet beast, still in its most innocent and adorable stage, immediately contracted and thrust into life-and-death secret realm challenges seemed a bit inhumane. Dying it might be better¡­ ¡°Manager Ying, could you help apply for those 50 pieces of exquisite roast meat? I¡¯ll give some to General Ha as well.¡± ¡°You know, it was after eating just a quarter piece of roast meat that itprehended the Dragon yer Sword Intent. Giving it more will definitely speed up its level improvement, causing more damage to the Diamond Dragon.¡± ¡°And once I clear the Dragon King¡¯s Nest secret realm, the rewards inside might significantly benefit future research.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Manager Ying nodded after listening. ¡°Use them as you like; no need to apply. It¡¯s all Qingyi¡¯s stuff anyway¡­¡± ¡°We should still follow the procedures and exin everything clearly¡­¡± Lu Ran said shyly. After all, these resources were meant for researching Loong-type evolution paths. With everyone watching, starting the research with all the resources already fed to a dog wouldn¡¯t leave a good impression¡­ Chapter 145: The Regret of the Past Chapter 145: The Regret of the Past Manager Ying had left. From its perspective, Lu Ran had already grown into a mature fourth-generation beastmaster. It believed that by giving Lu Ran the crucial intelligence, he would find a way to conquer the secret realm on his own. No one else needed to worry. Assisting Lu Ran in figuring out how to tackle the legendary secret realm was not Manager Ying¡¯s style. ¡°I¡¯m just a bodyguard, not a babysitter. A fourth-generation beastmaster needs to go through trials and learn to be self-reliant to be a strong individual.¡± ¡°Huh? Weren¡¯t we supposed to be partners? How did I be a bodyguard?¡± ¡­ ¡°From now on, soloing a level 1 legendary secret realm will be the top priority.¡±After Manager Ying left, Lu Ran fell into deep thought once again. How could he solo the Diamond Dragon? First, the sudden death king needed to have strong enough defense to withstand multiple rounds of attacks, giving General Ha an opportunity to strike. This required its Thunder Dragon armor to be even tougher. This was rtively easy to achieve; he just needed to keep feeding it Dragon Cuisine to increase the artistic conception of the dragon¡¯s level. In addition, it needed to integrate energypression and energy flow technique into the Thunder Dragon armor. Hmm¡­ That was about the extent of the sudden death king¡¯s role. Next. General Ha needed to have strong enough attacks; the previous level of damage was simply insufficient! Enhancing General Ha¡¯s attack power could be approached in two main ways. First, in terms of skills, Lu Ran felt that there wasn¡¯t much room for short-term improvement in energypression. A twenty-fold energypression was already the limit, and that level had almost cost General Ha its life. So, the next step was to enhance General Ha¡¯s skill power through sword intent. Just as Lu Ran had mentioned earlier, feeding it Dragon Cuisine to increase the level of the Dragon yer Sword intent was a good choice. This process could involve having General Ha and the sudden death king spar with each other, one gaining Dragon yer experience and the other training its defense. Next, the most effective way to boost General Ha¡¯sbat power would be to upgrade the quality of its weapon. To be honest, while the Ice Sky Greatsword was decent, it was only a rare weapon worth a few tens of thousands of crystal coins. Among rare quality equipment, it was quite ordinary and no longer befitting of General Ha¡¯s status. If he could obtain an exquisite-level sword, General Ha¡¯s power would undoubtedly see a substantial leap. However, the problem was that Master Lin had mentioned that there were currently no forgemasters in Xia Country with the experience needed to forge such a weapon. Since there were no advanced beastmasters in Xia Country who used swords, naturally, no forgemaster would idly use exquisite-level ore to forge a sword. If the forging failed and the materials were wasted, it would be pure extravagance. This was also why Lu Ran had personallye to learn forging. Clearly, if Lu Ran waited until he mastered forging, it would be toote. He couldn¡¯t afford to wait. So, he had to try to find someone to forge it. At worst, he could request a simple sword with high quality. It didn¡¯t need to beplex; as long as it met the quality standards, it would be better than the Ice Sky Greatsword. Actually, besides this route, Lu Ran had another bold idea. Was there a naturally urring exquisite-level mineral that looked like a sword? For example, a naturally sword-shaped mineral resource, like a Stone Sword¡­ Given the miraculous works of nature, it was entirely possible. There were naturally urring stones resembling humans and animals, so finding a sword-shaped exquisite mineral wasn¡¯t out of the question. General Ha¡¯s talent as the king of swords didn¡¯t necessarily require it to wield a sword in the conventional sense. As long as it looked reasonably like a sword, and General Ha believed it could be a sword, even a cleaver or a tree branch could serve as a sword. With its intelligence, it had perfectly reached the state of ¡°with a sword in the heart, all things be swords.¡± If such a natural resource existed, it would make things much easier. Lu Ran could borrow it, avoiding the risk of forging or processing failures and preventing material damage. Simrly, a naturally exquisite sword would undoubtedly provide a greater boost to General Ha than the Ice Sky Greatsword. After using it, he could return it, saving both money and effort¡­ If antlers weren¡¯t too short and didn¡¯t resemble a sword, not even a dagger, Lu Ran would have considered having General Ha use an antler as a short sword in battle. Exquisite-level ore didn¡¯t need to worry about getting damaged in battle. Forging an exquisite-level weapon was extremely difficult, and at level 20bat capability, no one could break through the mineral¡¯s defenses. The only concern for someone borrowing it might be a newbie dying in the secret realm with such an expensive resource, resulting in a total loss. If the owner was worried, Lu Ran could always sign an IOU and buy it himself¡­ Thinking this through, Lu Ran felt that obtaining an exquisite-level natural sword was undoubtedly the most reliable and cost-effective approach. As for how to get it, Lu Ran thought of Master Lin¡ªhe surely had connections. He gave Master Lin a call. With the school year approaching, Master Lin wasn¡¯t running his Forge House and had been staying in Sky City. When he received Lu Ran¡¯s call, he was instantly surprised: ¡°Professor Lu, what brings you to contact me?¡± Master Lin had been quite emotionaltely. Damn, who would have thought that a quirky Fourth Generation beastmastering to forge a sword for his dog would now be Xia Country¡¯s strongest Fourth Generation? And the only Dragon Chef, no less! That was far more prestigious than his title of Forgemaster. ¡°Master Lin, stop joking around. Just call me Passerby A.¡± ¡°Are you in Sky City? I¡¯lle find you.¡± ¡°Oh, sure,e on over. I actually have something to discuss with you as well.¡± Soon, Lu Ran arrived at Master Lin¡¯s vi in Sky City. Master Lin was already sitting in the garden, sipping juice, waiting for Lu Ran. Lu Ran sat down and got straight to the point: ¡°Master Lin, I wanted to ask if you know of any naturally urring exquisite-level ore that looks like a sword.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Master Lin was taken aback and fell into deep thought. ¡°You¡¯ve really stumped me with this one.¡± ¡°To my knowledge, there isn¡¯t such a thing.¡± Lu Ran was surprised and said, ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re talking about exquisite-level nts that look like swords, I do know where to find those.¡± ¡°But as for ore, there really isn¡¯t any.¡± ¡°nts? What¡¯s that about?¡± Although Lu Ran felt that nts might not be suitable, he still asked instinctively. ¡°Hmm, how should I put it¡­¡± ¡°Currently, the breakthrough secret realm connected to Infinite City links to four great worlds. You know that, right?¡± Master Lin looked at Lu Ran and continued, ¡°The Star-Moon Continent, where pet beasts are primarily animal life forms.¡± ¡°Apart from that, there are three other worlds dominated by ¡®elemental species,¡¯ ¡®nt species,¡¯ and ¡®mechanical species.¡¯¡± ¡°Of these, we have the most contact with the Star-Moon Continent. We have very little contact with the other three worlds, and our interactions with the mechanical world have been minimal. In fact, many beastmasters who ventured there perished, and the experience was quite tragic.¡± ¡°Although our contact has been limited, there have been some interactions. In the nt world, nts evolve much faster than animals. Animals are merely food for nts, which is the opposite of how animals on Blue Star and the Star-Moon Continent use nts as resources.¡± ¡°In that nt world, there is a type of nt called long leaved sword grass, known for its sword-like appearance. Before it evolves consciousness, it is an exquisite-level nt. However, it isn¡¯t the kind of exquisite nt resource that benefits pet beasts when consumed; it¡¯s a ferocious nt.¡± ¡°In that world, most of the powerful nt life forms are ferocious nts.¡± ¡°Long leaved sword grass grows in grasnds. It is resistant to me, extremely tough, and incredibly sharp. Ordinary forces cannot destroy it. If you identally brush against it, you could be gravely injured or even killed. Even dragon species avoid getting scratched by it.¡± ¡°You know, countries on Blue Star are currently researching how to create mechanical pet beasts, nt pet beasts, and elemental pet beasts¡­ And while entering the breakthrough secret realm, although high-level life forms cannot be brought out, ordinary nt resources can.¡± ¡°So, some beastmasters who explored the nt world have dug up nts with the potential to evolve consciousness and re-nted them outside, hoping that cultivation in the external environment would allow them to evolve into nt pet beasts.¡± ¡°Of course, no one has seeded yet.¡± ¡°I digress. What I wanted to say is that I know someone who went to great lengths to dig up a long leaved sword grass and is currently cultivating it.¡± ¡°If this nt evolves consciousness and bes a nt life pet beast, it would at least be of the upper sovereign species. How about that? Does it fit the characteristics of a sword-like nt?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± Lu Ran nodded. The long leaved sword grass reminded him of the de Grass in the Mantis Forest secret realm. They seemed to be simr nt life forms. This was good, but not the best. ¡°It would be great if someone brought back a lightsaber from the mechanical world. That sounds cooler.¡± Lu Ran remarked. Master Lin: ??? ¡°So, what exactly are you nning to do?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not thinking of using sword-shaped ore or sword-shaped nts as weapons for your dog Erha, are you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ranughed, ¡°I¡¯m thinking of tackling a legendary secret realm. If we forge a weapon, I fear it might waste materials. Why not try using a raw form first? If it doesn¡¯t work, we can then get it forged and processed.¡± ¡°Who would have thought there¡¯d be no sword-shaped ore, but there is a long leaved sword grass¡­¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Master Lin said, ¡°You really think outside the box¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, Master Lin, who is the beastmaster cultivating the long leaved sword grass?¡± Although Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if it could be used as a weapon or if the owner would be willing to lend it, he was curious about nt life and decided to pay a visit. The image of Erha carrying the long leaved sword grass¡­ felt quite fitting. Although there was a risk of self-injury, they had the divine deer pendant, making the cost of trial and error low. Lu Ran reflected on a past regret¡ªhe never awakened the grass element in his noob dog General Ha. It always felt like something was missing. ¡°It¡¯s a second-generation beastmaster, also in Sky City, a professor in the cultivation department and a botanist¡­ I¡¯ll give you their contact information in a moment.¡± Master Lin stopped worrying about Lu Ran¡¯s ns. ¡°Great. By the way, Master Lin, you mentioned you needed to talk to me. What¡¯s it about?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Master Lin said, ¡°I was thinking, with your beast taming skill like me Sprite, you are far ahead of other forging department students in terms of forging technique. Attending sses with them might slow down your progress.¡± ¡°So I suggest you skip the sses, and I¡¯ll teach you forging one-on-one. What do you think?¡± ¡°Absolutely.¡± Lu Ran immediately agreed. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go with that n.¡± Master Linughed heartily. ¡°By the way, I have a personal treasure¡ªaprehensive guide on inscriptionbinations. Take it and study it first.¡± ¡°The three main steps of forging¡­¡± ¡°The final step is to inscribe markings on the already formed forged item using an Inscription Stone. This guides the perfect fusion of multiple materials, creating a connection that suits the forged item.¡± ¡°The first two steps shouldn¡¯t be a problem for someone with your abilities and the me Sprite. So you just need to focus more on the inscription process.¡± ¡­ After leaving Master Lin¡¯s ce, Lu Ran took out his phone and dialed the number Master Lin had given him. A momentter, a raspy female voice answered. ¡°Who is this?¡± ¡°Professor Ye, this is Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Lu Ran? Hmm? Lu Ran, the Freshman Tournament champion?¡± The voice on the other end was clearly surprised. ¡°The Dragon Chef, Professor Lu?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°Professor Ye, do you have some time? I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± The voice was puzzled, wondering why Lu Ran would seek her out. Meanwhile, holding the phone, Lu Ran had a serious expression. Nothing much, just want to see if your precious experimental nt can be used as a real sword for my dog, Erha. Chapter 146: A Blade of Grass Can Slay Dragons Chapter 146: A de of Grass Can y Dragons ¡°I heard, Professor Ye, that you brought back a long leaved sword grass from the breakthrough secret realm¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m quite interested in this nt, so I was hoping to take a look.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± In a certain research institute, Professor Ye was watering flowers while taking the call. She nodded and said, ¡°I see.¡± She pretty much understood. Lu Ran, that dog, was skilled in using sword-like weapons. Now, it was clear that Lu Ran had a sudden idea to see if the long leaved sword grass could be used as a sword. ¡°Normally, that wouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± However, facing Lu Ran¡¯s request, Professor Ye regretfully said: ¡°If you had contacted me earlier, there might have been a chance.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled.¡°That long leaved sword grass is almost dead. It¡¯s already wilted. Its toughness and sharpness are gone, and it¡¯s be very soft.¡± ¡°If you want to see it, now is definitely not the right time.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Aren¡¯t you a botanist? How could you let it die! ¡°No problem, Professor Ye. Do you have some time now?¡± Lu Ran still wanted to take a look. ¡°Sure,e over to my ce. We should live quite close to each other.¡± Both Professor Ye and Lu Ran were professors in the cultivating department, but one specialized in cultivation while the other specialized in Culinary. Their research institutes weren¡¯t too far apart. In no time, Lu Ran arrived for a visit. Professor Ye seemed to be in herte twenties, wearing a whiteb coat. She had a round face with faint freckles, brown short hair, and sses. Upon seeing Lu Ran, she greeted the younger and promising colleague, who was ten years her junior, ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± After a friendly handshake, Professor Ye turned around and said, ¡°If you want to see the long leaved sword grass, follow me.¡± With that, she led Lu Ran to a gigantic outdoor research area that resembled a botanical garden. Along the way, Lu Ran saw many special nts potted in various containers. As for why they weren¡¯t nted in the ground, he realized after reading the information about the soil. [Red Soil]: Suitable for fire species nt growth¡­ [ck Soil]: Suitable for dark species nt growth¡­ Each nt required different types of soil in various colors. It was clear that the ordinary soil from the Blue Star couldn¡¯t meet the growing needs of Professor Ye¡¯s experimental nts. ¡°This is it.¡± Soon, Professor Ye led Lu Ran to a separate area where there was only one nt, illuminated by a special light source providing nutrients. Yet, it still couldn¡¯t prevent the nt from withering. Lu Ran looked at the long leaved sword grass. It resembled the ¡°sisal¡± herb found on the Blue Star. Of course, the differencey in the leaves. Sisal had many leaves, often dozens, each resembling a sword. But this long leaved sword grass had only one leaf. [Name]: Long Leaved Sword Grass [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A rare ferocious nt with a very low probability of developing sapience and beginning an evolutionary path. As expected! The introduction of a ferocious nt was quite different from the supplementary resources suitable for pet beasts. ¡°What a pity.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran understood why Professor Ye felt so regretful. The green sword leaf that should have been standing tall was now mostly yellow and wilting, with even the sharpest part starting to droop. This was already a ¡°dying¡± ferocious nt. ¡°After I transnted it from the secret realm to here, I immediately simted its original environment in every way possible, providing it with the required nutrients¡­¡± ¡°But still, I couldn¡¯t make it thrive as it did in its original habitat.¡± ¡°Forget about cultivating it to develop sapience; right now, it¡¯s a challenge to keep it alive as an ordinary nt.¡± Professor Ye said self-deprecatingly: ¡°I guess I was aiming too high. For the next phase of nt and pet beast research, I should start with some ordinary species of supernatural nts.¡± The main issue was that losing an exquisite ferocious nt was too great a loss to bear. ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Professor Ye, would you be willing to sell this nearly dead long leaved sword grass to me?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± Professor Ye¡¯s sses reflected light as she looked puzzled. ¡°If it were in perfect condition, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised by your request. Many have wanted to buy my long leaved sword grass before.¡± ¡°But as you can see, it¡¯s already in this state. I¡¯ve tried various methods, including using pet beast nourishment and special resources to rejuvenate it, but nothing has stopped its decline. In less than a month, it will probably diepletely. Why do you want to buy it?¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not nning to cook the long leaved sword grass, are you?¡± Professor Ye was incredulous. That was absolutely out of the question. She had cared for this sword grass for a long time, and although it was dying, she had developed some attachment to it. It would be too tragic for its final moments to end up as food. ¡°Of course not.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. Everyone knew that ferocious nts were not suitable as food. Their nutritional value was probably not even as high as some rare resources. Low nutritional value aside, most ferocious nts would actually harm the body if consumed. Just like some ordinary nts on the Blue Star, some are delicious and nutritious, while others are unpleasant and harmful. ¡°To be frank, I am indeed interested in the long leaved sword grass. If Professor Ye thinks it can¡¯t be saved, why not let me try?¡± ¡°If I manage to revive it, it shows my skill, and it¡¯s like finding a treasure.¡± ¡°If I fail, I¡¯ll ept the loss, and you, Professor Ye, can at least recover some of your investment.¡± ¡°Would you be willing to part with it at a low price?¡± Lu Ran asked. If the long leaved sword grass were in a healthy state, he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it without selling his most valuable resources, even if it hadn¡¯t developed sapience. However, an almost dead long leaved sword grass gave Lu Ran hope. Could the Spirit Transformation Pot rejuvenate this withering long leaved sword grass? Lu Ran had previously bought several nearly rotten nt-based ingredients from the Infinite City. After throwing them into the Spirit Transformation Pot, they became fresh and plump in no time. Although the long leaved sword grass wasn¡¯t food, Lu Ran felt that reviving it wouldn¡¯t conflict with the operating mechanism of the Spirit Transformation Pot. The only challenge was that the quality of the long leaved sword grass was very high, nearly matching that of the Spirit Transformation Pot. Reviving it might take a long time, during which Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Pot for anything else. But that wasn¡¯t a big deal. Recently, he wasn¡¯t short on ingredients or crystal coins. The Beast Taming University had provided him with high-quality Loong food, all extremely fresh, so he didn¡¯t need the Spirit Transformation Pot for now. Lu Ran was indeed interested in the long leaved sword grass. Its moderate length meant that General Ha carrying it wouldn¡¯t look odd. At this moment, hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, Professor Ye frowned, looking at the long leaved sword grass and then at Lu Ran. Lu Ran imed he had a way to reverse the condition of the long leaved sword grass? To be honest, even though she had purchased intelligence from the cat-eared maid caf¨¦, knowing a few possible methods to reverse its vitality, none of the current techniques on Blue Star could achieve this. Therefore, she wasn¡¯t very optimistic about Lu Ran. ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Professor Ye said. She had indeed given up on the long leaved sword grass. ording to what Lu Ran said, this way, she could minimize her losses. Moreover, considering Lu Ran¡¯s promising future, Professor Ye was also willing to do him this favor. However, even if it was a withered long leaved sword grass, exchanging it for some crystal coins or ordinary resources still felt like a loss to Professor Ye. After all, she had invested significant effort to obtain and cultivate this sword grass. ¡°But, may I make a request?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need crystal coins.¡± ¡°I would like to ask you, Professor Lu, to help me cook something, a barter exchange.¡± Professor Ye looked at Lu Ran. ¡°Dragon Cuisine??¡± If Dragon Cuisine could be used for the exchange, it would be the least painful way for Lu Ran to make the purchase. As expected, in this era, having a unique skill is more valuable than money. ¡°Sort of. I would like to ask Professor Lu to use your Culinary Intent to help make some fertilizer.¡± Lu Ran: ? Alright, alright, all you cultivation department botanists like to mess with chefs, right? ¡°I have a few special nts containing Dragon Power that I cultivate. Usually, I water them with Dragon Blood. After seeing you, Professor Lu, I had a sudden idea. What changes would ur in their growth if fertilized with something transformed by Dragon Cuisine?¡± Professor Ye adjusted her sses, her interest piqued. The cultivation of the sword grass had failed, but other experiments were still ongoing. ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran agreed without hesitation. From now on, Professor Ye would be his partner. The two would research Loong-type nts together¡­ investing a bit of Dragon Cuisine, it made perfect sense. Thus, Lu Ran never expected that he could so easily get his hands on the long leaved sword grass through such an arrangement. Though it was a nearly dead sword grass. After leaving Professor Ye, Lu Ran ced the long leaved sword grass into the Spirit Transformation Pot. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t take long. In a day or two, Lu Ran would be able to tell if the Spirit Transformation Pot had any effect on the long leaved sword grass by observing its changes. If it had no effect, Lu Ran would simply ept it. But if it worked, even if it took a few months to nurture, it would be a huge gain. Of course, Professor Ye didn¡¯t lose out either, as she could obtain Loong-type fertilizer from the only Dragon Chef, minimizing her losses. Lu Ran liked these win-win oues. ¡°Alright, as for the weapon, let¡¯s bet on this one for now.¡± Having set everything in order, Lu Ran decided to make further preparations for the legendary secret realm. He took out his phone and contacted Fang Lan. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lu Ran asked immediately after the connection was established. ¡°Conducting an experiment! Waiting for a reaction¡­¡± Fang Lan replied. Fang Lan had also applied for her ownboratory at the beast taming university. For the university, Fang Lan was a super talent. Although her rank in the Freshman Tournament wasn¡¯t top-notch, the issue was, she wasn¡¯t in thebat department. She was in the Healing Department, specializing in toxicology. The number of first three generations of beastmasters in Xia Country was limited. Most of them were in thebat department. Even if they had a secondary profession, it was mostly as a chef or a forgemaster. Doctors, however, were a rare upation. And those proficient in poison attributes were even rarer, just a handful. After all, why would a normal beastmaster forgo the Domineering Energy of thunder or the destructive power of fire to cultivate poison, such a dangerous attribute? Researching poison, a single mistake could be lethal. Even if someone started in this field, most would die in the process. Creating a new knowledge domain from scratch is the hardest pioneering effort. Unlike Fang Lan, who had ess to aplete toxicology curriculum at the beginner stage. Currently, in Xia Country, the number of beastmasters proficient in poison is fewer than ten. How could the beast taming university not prioritize a poison attribute genius like Fang Lan, who hails from a family of medical experts? Her training level might even surpass some of the strongest talents in thebat department. ¡°Did you see the news about the Snowfield Federation tackling a legendary secret realm?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°I saw it! Are you also eager to conquer a level 1 legendary secret realm? Take me with you! Let¡¯s team up.¡± On the other end of the line, Fang Lan¡¯s tired voice suddenly became energetic. ¡°I refuse,¡± Lu Ran said. Fang Lan: ??? ¡°Legendary secret realms are different from abyss secret realms. They are extremely dangerous inside. I can¡¯t guarantee your safety. Even for myself, I have to be extremely cautious. One mistake could mean we don¡¯t make it out.¡± ¡°Moreover, ording to my intelligence, the more people who challenge a legendary secret realm, the worse the rewards. If you don¡¯t have perfectly suited teammates, soloing is actually safer and more cost-effective.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Fang Lan pouted. She wasn¡¯t unreasonable and knew that challenging a powerful secret realm with an unevenly matched team could be more dangerous than going solo. The most terrifying thing is having weak teammates. They could easily be the breakthrough point for a powerful boss. If a teammate is in crisis and others try to save them, it can disrupt the entire battle rhythm. Fang Lan clearly did not want to be Lu Ran¡¯s ¡°weak link.¡± ¡°However, you might not be able to personally participate in the secret realm challenge, but you can still contribute indirectly. Can you prepare some venom for me likest time when I tackled the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm?¡± Lu Ran asked with a smile. ¡°Heh,¡± Fang Lan replied. ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°But Dragon n creatures have very high poison resistance. Their Dragon Blood has innate detoxifying properties. It¡¯s very difficult to create a poison effective against them.¡± ¡°If I could enter the secret realm, using poison attribute energy to enhance the venom¡¯s properties would make it much easier. But just carrying the poison might be a bit demanding.¡± ¡°So, there¡¯s a way, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yeah, I need a sample of the Diamond Dragon¡¯s Dragon Blood, the more, the better. Only then can I concoct a highly effective venom.¡± ¡°Can you get it?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°I can! But give me some time. I¡¯ll get it to you within half a month.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your Dragon Blood.¡± ¡­ Two dayster. The beast taming university officially started its term. However, it seemed that Lu Ran neither needed to attend sses nor give lectures. In the forging department, Lu Ran, due to his mastery of the me Sprite, was more skilled in smelting mineral materials than some forging masters. Putting him in ordinary sses with other freshmen would squander this Talent. Therefore, Master Lin decided to give him special tutoring, starting with teaching him inscription engraving. On the culinary side, they also didn¡¯t want teaching duties to impede Lu Ran¡¯s research time. Though Lu Ran could teach the basics, it was unnecessary and a waste of his talent. The cultivating department directly set his knife skills and fire skills courses as advanced sses, which only elite students selected at the end of the term could opt for. Thus, without the interference of trivial matters, Lu Ran dedicated himself to researching culinary arts and training his pet beast. During this period, he continuously experimented withplex dishes, such as Dragon Beard Noodles, Meat Dragon, Spicy Lobster, and Squirrel Dragon Fish, abandoning the primitive barbecue style and incorporating various supernatural ingredients and seasonings. There were cases of failure, but also instances where the nutritional value skyrocketed. But Lu Ran thoroughly enjoyed his experiments. After all, having food made him happy. Even when a dish failed, it just meant the nutritional value didn¡¯t meet the expected greater-than-10 standard. The taste was still decent. Having just finished a bowl of Dragon Blood Vermicelli Soup, Lu Ran routinely checked on the long leaved sword grass¡­ ¡°Huh??¡± After two days, the long leaved sword grass finally showed some changes. Not in a negative direction, but rather, its life form was much betterpared to when Lu Ran first brought it back. The withered areas had begun to show a hint of green! ¡°Come on, grass, give it your best. I don¡¯t expect you to develop sapience like Professor Ye does. Just recover your vitality as a normal sword grass¡­ Then, I¡¯ll let beastmasters from other countries witness what it means for a single de of grass to cut down a True Dragon!¡± Lu Ran tried to use telepathy to encourage the long leaved sword grass, regardless of whether the grass, which hadn¡¯t developed sapience yet, could understand. Chapter 147: Lu Rans First Time Chapter 147: Lu Rans First Time While Lu Ran was learning about nutritional bnce and enhancing his culinary skills, he didn¡¯t neglect his forging department studies. Generally speaking, learning so much in a short period would be impossible for the average person to digest. But Lu Ran was different; he was willing to spend money. He bought a lot of lucid fruit, temporarily boosting his learning ability. As a result, he managed to progress in both culinary manship and forging simultaneously. At this point, Lu Ran had almost mastered some basic theoretical knowledge in forging. Having grasped the basics, Lu Ran quickly developed some ideas. He wanted to enchant the Ice Sky Greatsword with a blood-sucking attribute. Fang Lan needed the blood of a Diamond Dragon for her poison research-the more, the better.General Ha could break the defense of the Diamond Dragon and make it bleed a little, but the amount of blood was too small. Moreover, it was difficult to collect. However, if Lu Ran could have a weapon with a blood-sucking attribute, he could obtain a ¡°blood-soaked sword¡± after attacking. This would solve the problem perfectly. In addition, Lu Ran had another reason for this idea. The Legendary Secret Realm could only be cleared once, which was a pity! Lu Ran wanted to see if he could repeatedly get something from the Diamond Dragon. Of course, if he went too far, he worried that he might identallyplete the trial mission. After all, the trial mission of the Legendary Secret Realm was to ¡°defeat the Diamond Dragon,¡± not to kill it. If he had the ability to dismantle the boss¡¯s vital organs, there was a risk that Infinite City might judge it as ¡°defeated,¡± which would be awkward. But if it was just some Dragon Blood, it should be fine, right? Clearly, just knocking off a few scales to get a few drops of blood wouldn¡¯t be considered defeating it. At that point, he could fill a bottle with Dragon Blood, exit, abandon the challenge, and then re-enter to continue the challenge¡­ When the challenge crystal coins were at zero, as long as he was strong enough, Lu Ran felt¡­ Hmm, the blood of an upper sovereign pure Dragon n, though not exactly exquisite, was still quite rare. The main point was that it came from a mutated Diamond Dragon, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At this moment, a weapon with a blood-sucking attribute became crucial! However, despite understanding the principles behind this high-difficulty enchantment operation, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t confident enough to do it by himself. So, Lu Ran decisively chose to summon help and called over Master Lin, who had just finished his ss. ¡°To give a weapon a blood-sucking trait, you need to use a rare resource called the ¡®bloodsucker stone¡¯ as the main enhancement material¡­¡± ¡°So, do you want me to help, or do you want to do it yourself?¡± Master Lin asked, looking at Lu Ran. ¡°I¡¯ll do it myself, but I need you to teach me,¡± Lu Ran replied. At the moment, General Ha¡¯s ability to break the defense of the Diamond Dragon was too limited. Having a blood-sucking weapon too early wouldn¡¯t be useful. It would be better to wait until General Ha¡¯s strength increased a bit more. After two days of learning basic knowledge and cooking for a few days, Lu Ran was itching to switch gears and delve into forging. ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t have anything else nned anyway. There¡¯s no time like the present. Today, I¡¯ll guide you through your first forging attempt,¡± Master Lin said, crossing his arms with an expectant expression. After all, Lu Ran¡¯s beast taming skill was the me Sprite. Once Lu Ran delved into forging manship, he was sure to be the world¡¯s top-level Forgemaster. By then, Master Lin could proudly say that it was he who had taught Lu Ran. ¡°By the way, besides forging a sword, what else do you want to forge?¡± Master Lin asked. ¡°Starting with a sword is quite challenging.¡± ¡°How about we start with something simpler?¡± ¡°Uh? I was thinking of a Crow Feather Bow,¡± Lu Ran said. It wasn¡¯t to increase his bond with the dark crow. It was purely because he could use a ranged weapon for poison application techniques. ¡°This¡­¡± Master Lin¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Anything else?¡± This wasn¡¯t easy either; the forging department also had different specialties, like tailoring¡­ and bow crafting was even more specialized. ¡°How about a stone tablet?¡± Lu Ran suggested. This was something he was nning as a gift for the ck turtle, to help it cosy as Baxia and assist in suppressing the coastal waters. ¡°A stone tablet?¡± Master Lin said, ¡°Let¡¯s start with the stone tablet then. It¡¯s the easiest.¡± ¡°As long as you have enough talent, I guarantee you¡¯ll be able to forge a rare quality weapon within half a month.¡± Master Lin was confident, not in Lu Ran, but in the me Sprite! ¡°Half a month!¡± Lu Ran nodded, feeling this was eptable. Next, Lu Ran began his first forging attempt under Master Lin¡¯s guidance. They used materials provided by Master Lin. Lu Ran was a very special kind of Forgemaster, almost not needing external facilities or devices. The first step was melting the materials. After the me Sprite possessed him, Lu Ran could control energy release and start the fire himself. In terms of temperature control, his culinary fire skills provided a solid foundation, so there were basically no issues there. Moreover, the me Sprite could sense the optimal temperature for melting minerals, making this step very easy for Lu Ran. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh. Lu Ran stood there, and in front of him, a special liquid formed from the core and auxiliary materials floated in the mes, sparkling. ¡°Perfect, just perfect,¡± Master Lin eximed in admiration at this sight. Next, for the second step¡ªshaping the form¡ªLu Ranbined energy shaping and energy ovey techniques. He directly controlled the me Sprite to help shape the molten essence. As long as the structure wasn¡¯t tooplex, he could shape it directly without using molds. At most, he would only need to polish it afterwards to refine the details. Under Lu Ran¡¯s control, the mineral essence, wrapped in mes, slowly took the shape of a stone tablet. No wonder Master Lin said that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t suitable for learning with the new students in the forging department. With his configuration, it would be an overwhelming advantage. Next, under Master Lin¡¯s guidance, Lu Ran embedded primary materials like water enhancement and rock enhancement minerals into the unformed stone tablet. After some effort, Lu Ran quickly forged arge stone tablet iid with gems. However, this wasn¡¯t the end. ¡°Next is the most important step¡­¡± Master Lin said. ¡°The materials for forging this stone tablet and the methods for inscribing it are all documented in the textbooks, notes, and manuals I gave you. You¡¯ve studied them carefully, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± At the final moment, Lu Ran took out the Inscription Stone. Inscription carving is the most crucial step in creating high-quality equipment. Simply melting and reacting materials, adding primary materials, and shaping the appearance only result in a semi-finished product. The true power of these forging materials hasn¡¯t been unified yet; they can¡¯t interact or associate with each other. This would lead to the weapon breaking down quickly. The purpose of the inscription is to use external forces to integrate the power of all materials into a cohesive whole. This process requires a natural mineral called the Inscription Stone. The use of the Inscription Stone is easy to understand: it absorbs the user¡¯s physical energy to release a magical wave. This magical wave greatly promotes the fusion of various forging materials. By using the Inscription Stone to contact the forged equipment, you can ¡°link¡± the power waves of multiple materials along a trajectory suitable for various mineral materials. Once the linking isplete, a high-quality weapon is considered forged. This step is called inscription carving because it resembles inscribing characters on the equipment. The challenge in the final step lies in the fact that the linking trajectories for different mineral materials are not the same. When dealing with familiar materials, a Forgemaster can forge easily by just expending some physical energy. It¡¯s simr to a Chef following a tutorial or recipe¡ªit¡¯s straightforward. But if the mineral materials used or the materialbinationsck past references, the process bes very difficult. The Forgemaster needs to continually invest energy and attempt various methods in the final stage, much like a Chef experimenting with a new recipe. This process tests the Forgemaster¡¯s stamina and experience. If significant mistakes are made, it can result in damaging the forged equipment embryo or reducing the quality of the final product. Fortunately, Lu Ran¡¯s superhuman physique gave him a significant advantage in this process. As for this forging session, it wasn¡¯t asplicated. Following the tutorial step by step, Lu Ran easilypleted the inscription carving. Despite his superhuman physique, he only broke a sweat after the forging. A high-quality stone tablet capable of amplifying water and rock powers was effortlesslypleted. ¡°Not bad.¡± Master Lin examined the stone tablet once Lu Ran finished forging. For a first attempt, this result was quite impressive. However, when he looked at Lu Ran, he noticed some dissatisfaction in his eyes as he gazed at the stone tablet. ¡°I feel I can do better,¡± Lu Ran said. After all, it was meant for the ck Turtle. With his current status, he should at least present a rare quality stone tablet weapon. ¡°Haha, no rush. This is only your first forging attempt. Starting with something highly difficult isn¡¯t very suitable. You can keep this stone tablet as a memento, or if you don¡¯t value it, you can dismantle it. Continue to work on it, reassemble it, and improve your skills.¡± ¡°Dismantle?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°I get it. When I was a kid in Xiaweiyi, I learned about firearms disassembly and assembly. This process was very helpful for beginners to understand firearms. So, forging can be done this way too.¡± Master Lin was baffled: ??? What kind of family did you have, learning firearm disassembly and assembly as a kid in Xiaweiyi¡­ ¡°Master Lin, the four swords I forged here for the Freshman Tournament, can they also be dismantled for learning?¡± Master Lin: ??? ¡°Damn it, if you dare to, go ahead!¡± ¡­ It didn¡¯t even take half a month. Just a weekter! Through continuous practice and dismantling masterworks to learn from their construction and ideas, Lu Ran had already begun to forge rare quality weapons. And the cost? Just a few permanently damaged weapons. Green Sea City. Ten dayster, Lu Ran finally fulfilled his promise. He brought the ck Turtle some of the better Dragon Cuisine dishes he had cooked during this period. Outside Qingwu Lake. Lu Ran walked to theke¡¯s edge, a dark crow perched on his shoulder. This visit was not only to deliver resources to the ck turtle but also to check the dark crow¡¯s training progress. It had been diligent; the effective range of its release-type skills had broken through 50 meters, and the effective range of its curse had also reached 50 meters. Compared to the previous 20 meters, it was no longer asckluster, proving that Lu Ran¡¯s investment in improving its diet hadn¡¯t gone to waste. [You know¡­] [This so-called Dragon Cuisine really smells wonderful.] [I¡¯ve never tasted anything this delicious in all my years.] The ck turtle, meanwhile, seemed deeply moved, tears welling up as it enjoyed the meal Lu Ran had prepared. ¡°How is it? This Seven-Star Dragon Fish Ball is quite something, right?¡± Lu Ran smiled. The Seven-Star Dragon Fish Ball, white in color, stic but not greasy, fragrant and tender, with a sweet and smooth taste, was made primarily from mutated dragon fish meat, dragon blood porcupine meat, and dried lobster, supplemented with various other ingredients. It was a Dragon Cuisine designed to enhance the purity of dragon blood and increase scale defense, originally developed for the sudden death king. Now, it was perfectly suited for the ck turtle. Next to it, numerous basketball-sized snow-white fish balls floated on theke surface like stars scattered across the sky. As the ck turtle sighed in satisfaction, faint red energy patterns began to appear on its ck shell. Clearly, this Dragon Cuisine was subtly transforming the ck turtle¡¯s physique, guiding it toward evolving into a dragon turtle, a Sub-dragon Species. ¡°Take your time, it¡¯s all yours.¡± ¡°Old turtle, this is for you too.¡± Next, Lu Ran took out a massive stone tablet matching the ck turtle¡¯s size and ced it nearby, saying: ¡°This stone tablet is called the Abyssal Stele, rare quality. It has an adhesive effect, so you can carry it on your shell without worrying about it falling off.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The ck turtle, initially enjoying its meal, was stunned when it saw Lu Ran bring out a gigantic stone tablet. Did it really have to carry this thing? It looked heavy. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate it. This tablet can significantly boost your strength, helping you dominate the coastal waters! Whether it¡¯s increasing the power of your water skills or enhancing your rock skills, it¡¯s a great asset¡­ Though it might seem a bit superfluous, as the saying goes¡­¡± ¡°Quack!¡± The dark crow chimed in. It looked solemnly at the ck turtle. ¡°General ck Turtle, even with the Abyssal Stele on your back, you can still be invincible in the coastal waters. Don¡¯t let the Big King down!¡± ¡°Get lost! That¡¯s not the right saying. It makes the stele sound like a burden,¡± Lu Ran shooed the silly bird away and said to the ck turtle, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s all just motivational talk. The important thing is to know that this is a good item.¡± The ck turtle fell into deep thought. Could this old body really handle all the trouble Lu Ran was putting it through? Never mind, let¡¯s eat the Dragon Fish Ball first. ¡­ After settling things with the ck turtle, Lu Ran returned to Sky City. Under master Lin¡¯s guidance, he spent two dayspleting the final training. He finally managed to enchant the Ice Sky Greatsword with a bloodsucking effect by fusing it with the bloodsucker stone. After nearly half a month, Lu Ran re-entered the Legendary Secret Realm: Dragon King¡¯s Nest! ¡°Roar!!!¡± With the roars of two giant dragons, Lu Ran once again replicated his firstbat experience. At present, they still didn¡¯t have the power to defeat the Diamond Dragon, butpared tost time, they were a bit moreposed and had a clear objective. ¡°General Ha, sword control.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Inside the cavern, the sudden death king took a heavy hit to create an opening for General Ha. A Flying Sword shot out, piercing through a scale and drawing blood from the Diamond Dragon, causing it to roar in pain. However, just as it was about to retaliate in fury, it was bewildered to find that the Flying Sword had swiftly been swept away by a Gale, and the enemy had vanished without a trace. The Diamond Dragon looked down to inspect its wound¡­ only to be even more bewildered to find that the blood from the wound had disappeared as well. Chapter 148: The Golden Age Chapter 148: The Golden Age Infinite City, a private room. Lu Ran returned with General Ha and the Sudden Death King. All three were exhrated. Lu Ran and General Ha felt the thrill of blood-stealing. As for the Sudden Death King, it was quite the shock for it. Although its defense had improved recently, it still couldn¡¯t withstand a beating. It took a hit from the Diamond Dragon and ended up more injured than the dragon itself. Talk about a shock! ¡°Roar!! (I survived another day!!)¡± The Sudden Death King clenched its fists, yearning for stronger defense!¡°Woof!¡± General Ha extended aforting paw to his old buddy. There was no other way. To ensure stable damage output, someone had to take the hits. That someone couldn¡¯t be Lu Ran, nor could it be General Ha. So, the Sudden Death King had to take one for the team. ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Sudden Death King. Once we get the resources, you¡¯ll be our top priority,¡± Lu Ranughed. Additionally¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve finally be what we despise.¡± Lu Ran muttered as he held the Ice Sky Greatsword, now bathed in Dragon Blood. The creature he hated the most was the mosquito. Yet, what they had just done was no different from a mosquito¡¯s actions. But it didn¡¯t matter. First, they needed to collect the Dragon Blood. [Name]: Dragon Blood (Diamond Dragon) [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: The blood of a Diamond Dragon, used to enhance the defense of scales. It has a very low chance of causing mutations in rock species creatures. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± However, after collecting a few drops of Dragon Blood into a bottle, Lu Ran fell into deep thought. ¡°Is this it???¡± After spending all that effort learning to forge and finally enchanting the weapon with a blood-sucking ability, the Dragon Blood looked pretty underwhelming. The level and effects seemed ordinary, nothing special. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t entirely free for Lu Ran. General Ha and the Sudden Death King were severely injured, requiring the power of the Divine Deer Pendant for healing¡­ This contrast only made Lu Ran frown more. The joy of picking up a bargain plummeted to its lowest point. ¡°Enhancing the defense of scales is a minor benefit. The research institute already has plenty of simr Loong-type rare resources.¡± ¡°But the effect of causing mutations in rock species creatures is somewhatforting. However, it¡¯s unclear just how small this ¡®very low probability¡¯ is.¡± Apart from giving the Dragon Blood to Fang Lan for research, if they obtain more in the future, they could consider making Dragon Blood Cuisine or giving some to the ck Turtle. Could this mutation effect turn rock species creatures into Diamond Turtles? ¡°Returning¡­¡± Lu Ran was just about to return when suddenly a voice echoed in his ear. [Congrattions to level 4 beastmasters Apollo, Wolf God, and Second-generation Superhuman for sessfullypleting the level 4 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Hurricane Ridge¡¯, starting the Path of Legend.] The brief announcement not only caused Lu Ran to pause but also reignited the excitement in Infinite City. After more than ten days, another beastmaster team had finally conquered a Legendary Secret Realm! Moreover, this time it was done by a team of just three people. Level 4? Second-generation beastmasters? While some of the Fourth Generation might be puzzled, the names Apollo, Wolf God, and Second-generation Superhuman were quite familiar to the First, Second, and Third Generations from various countries. Second-generation Superhuman, Wolf God, and Apollo were among the top second-generation beastmasters from the Eagle Federation. Among them, Qin Ming, the strongest second-generation beastmaster from Xia Country, had once battled Wolf God in a public secret realm. The result ended with Qin Ming¡¯s defeat. Both Second-generation Superhuman and Apollo were on par with Wolf God, making it no surprise that a team from the Eagle Federation could conquer a secret realm. In terms of second-generation beastmaster strength, the Eagle Federation was far ahead. While the Snowfield Federation excelled in third-generation beastmasters, the Eagle Federation was known for its second-generation beastmasters. Though it came a bitte, the system announcement made it clear to all countries that the Eagle Federation wasing back with a vengeance, determined to reim its lost honor from earlier. Being the second country to clear a Legendary Secret Realm, and doing so with just three members, showcased the formidable prowess of their beast taming field! ¡°A level 4 Legendary Secret Realm, the BOSS must be an upper overlord species, right?¡± Lu Ran mused. A species levelparable to the me Dragon King. Of course, there are differences among upper overlords. The weaker ones might just be ordinary upper overlord species. The stronger ones could belong to the light, dark, Loong, space, or time upper overlord species. As for the more absurd ones, those capable of rivaling legends are even rarer than legendary species. These guys from abroad really have some skills. Lu Ran estimated that the second and third generations in Xia Country must be feeling the pressure even more. ¡°But what does that have to do with me?¡± Lu Ran hummed a tune as he held the Dragon Blood and continued to return. Although the Dragon Blood¡¯s effect was a little underwhelming, it was still better than nothing. However, there was no need to linger too long in this Legendary Secret Realm¡­ In any case, he woulde back tomorrow! ¡­ Beast Taming University, Healing Department, below the girls¡¯ dormitory. ¡°Here, Dragon Blood. Is this enough for you?¡± ¡°If not, I can find more.¡± ¡°This should be enough.¡± Fang Lan took the bottle, shook it, and said, ¡°I¡¯ll call my parents and mentor to help you research it in a bit.¡± ¡°No need to be so formal, there¡¯s no rush.¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°You can take your time with it.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a hurry to conquer the Legendary Secret Realm?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°Not at all. Our current strength is stillcking. Rushing in might be more harmful than helpful. This stuff is mostly just auxiliary; the key is our own strength,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I wonder if you could be the first fourth-generation beastmaster to conquer a Legendary Secret Realm.¡± Fang Lan pondered as she swung the bottle, ¡°Right now, among the four generations, only the first and fourth generations haven¡¯t had a team conquer a Legendary Secret Realm.¡± ¡°The first generation¡¯s level 5 Legendary Secret Realm is pretty challenging.¡± ¡°And for the fourth generation, since the pet beasts haven¡¯t had enough time to mature, it¡¯s not easy to challenge either.¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°I¡¯ll try my best. In Xia Country, I might be the first. As far as I know, the fourth generation who did well in the Freshman Tournament don¡¯t seem to have any ns to conquer a Legendary Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Other than me, the most impressive one should be Lin Yin. But until now, she¡¯s still troubled by that headache incident, which affects her from time to time, leaving her no mind for conquering.¡± ¡°But globally, I don¡¯t know about the fourth generation in other countries¡­¡± ¡°In other countries, didn¡¯t you crush the Tyrannosaurus Rex team from the Eagle Federation?¡± Fang Lan blinked and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you already considered the world¡¯s strongest fourth generation?¡± ¡°The two don¡¯t necessarily corrte,¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°The Tyrannosaurus Rex team in the Eagle Federation might not even be the strongest fourth generation there.¡± ¡°Think about it, the dinosaur project isn¡¯t perfect yet. To contract with a Tyrannosaurus Rex, they had to learn very specialized beast taming skills tailored for ancient species.¡± ¡°Any beastmaster with a strong background wouldn¡¯t choose skills so casually and be a project experiment. While Loong-type species are strong, space and time species are even stronger.¡± ¡°Moreover, even if someone is optimistic about the revival of dinosaurs, they can wait until the project is fully mature before contracting. So, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team isn¡¯t considered top-tier.¡± ¡°Perhaps the current pet beasts of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team have strong potential, but in terms of strength and future prospects, there should be many well-equipped fourth generation teams in the Federation that are superior to them.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Fang Lan thought, agreeing with the analysis. ¡°Looks like you do care about the situation over there.¡± ¡°No, I just saw someone else¡¯s analysis on an online forum,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I was just browsing.¡± Fang Lan: ??? ¡°So, does that mean your first ce might be taken?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like it might,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°After all, my current n is to solo. If beastmasters from other countries team up, my progress definitely won¡¯t be the fastest.¡± ¡°Whether there will be a powerful fourth generation team, we¡¯ll know after some time.¡± ¡°Forget it! Just do your best,¡± Fang Lan said as she put away the Dragon Blood bottle. ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare now and start the research today.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran yawned and prepared to leave as well. Next, he needed to make the most of his time. Continue honing his culinary skills! Currently, he hadn¡¯t touched the 50 pieces of exquisite-level Dragon King bird slices. He was afraid of wasting even one piece by ident, which would be a sin. He nned to cook those exquisite ingredients only when his culinary skills were at their best, right before he decided to conquer the Legendary Secret Realm. If everything went well, after consuming them, General Ha and the sudden death king would experience a significant power boost. Besides that, The sword grass in the Spirit Transformation Pot was bing more and more vibrant. Although it was still a bit wilted, Lu Ran felt that it should fully recover in less than half a month. By then, if Fang Lan¡¯s research yielded results, Lu Ran felt that to some extent, he would be ready to solo the Dragon King¡¯s Nest. In the meantime¡­ Lu Ran nned to enter the Legendary Secret Realm once a day. Not for anything else, but to draw more blood. And to ensure that General Ha and the sudden death king¡¯s bodies didn¡¯t get rusty¡ªjust eating without training wouldn¡¯t do. ¡­ A few more days passed like this. In Xia Country¡¯s Infinite City No. 7, on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, General Ha still maintained a significant lead, holding the first position. As for the second ce, it was no longer Dean Qin. He stopped participating, quickly raising his pet beast to level 30, evolving it into a sovereign species, to avoid being discussed every day¡­ And the sudden death king, whose role in the Legendary Secret Realm was primarily to take hits, hadn¡¯t moved up in the rankings despite its progress. It still held the tenth position, just not being pushed out. During this period, the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard underwent its third settlement. With Lu Ran holding the first and tenth positions, he received a massive reward of over a million crystal coins. Of course, Lu Ran¡¯s mood remained calm. Because that amount of money could probably only buy one piece of Dragon King bird slice. Having seen so many exquisite resources, as a Dragon Chef, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t possibly still get excited like a neer. However, regardless of everything, having two pets on the leaderboard meant that Lu Ran had achieved resource freedom when it came to rare resources. However, during this period, Lu Ran made a foolish mistake: he scheduled his daily routine too tightly and forgot to take the sudden death king to other Infinite Cities to improve its ranking. As a result, during the settlement, the sudden death king was still on the leaderboard of Infinite City No. 7. If the sudden death king ranked tenth in Infinite City No. 7, it might have ranked eighth or ninth in other Infinite Cities. This oversight possibly cost him a lot of crystal coins. But having learned this lesson, Lu Ran definitely wouldn¡¯t forget next time. Of course, what concerned Lu Ran the most right now wasn¡¯t the divine beast leaderboard. It was that during this period, as expected, fourth-generation beastmasters from other countries started clearing Legendary Secret Realms. [Congrattions to level 1 beastmasters Jin, Jiana, and Monasa for conquering the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Hydra Ind¡¯ and starting the Path of Legend.] [Congrattions to level 1 beastmasters Princess of Light, Glory Knight, Moonlight Knight, and Sunlight Knight for conquering the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Dark City¡¯ and starting the Path of Legend.] While Lu Ran was still drawing blood from the BOSS, the internationalmunity was once again shaken. On the same day, two beast taming teams consecutively conquered level 1 Legendary Secret Realms. This time, the impact was much greater than when third-generation or second-generation beastmasters conquered Legendary Secret Realms. After all, currently, fourth-generation beastmasters were the most numerous. On Xia Country¡¯s forums, there were endless discussions. Soon, the identities of the members of the conquering teams were uncovered! ¡°Whoa, even Ah San Country has fourth-generation beastmasters conquering Legendary Secret Realms? So fierce?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate Ah San. After the revival of spiritual energy, Ah San now has the most superhumans. Jin and Jiana are superhuman twin siblings.¡± ¡°Moreover, the number of fierce wild beasts over there is much higher than here¡­¡± ¡°That guy using the local Snake God¡¯s name as an ID is no simple character either! Hees from the Snake God tribe over there. The whole tribe raises snakes, and it has first, second, and third-generation beastmasters. Clearing the Snake Ind Secret Realm is right up their alley!¡± ¡°The configuration of this team is pretty perfect!¡± ¡­ ¡°What about the other team? Why are their IDs so uniform?¡± ¡°Use your brain! Who would be qualified to have three knights as personal guards?¡± ¡°Hiss¡­ Is it really a princess?¡± ¡°Thanks for the invite, I¡¯m in Misty City. One of the princess¡¯s pet beasts is an elemental lifeform of a middle sovereign species. As far as I know, one of their First Generations entered a breakthrough secret realm with one of our First Generations. That breakthrough secret realm had special pet beast eggs as a reward.¡± ¡°Their pet beast egg evidently hatched early and was given to a fourth-generation contract. Unfortunately, Passerby A got the reward, but his two contract slots were already full¡­ Using that egg to conquer the Legendary Secret Realm was impossible.¡± ¡°When will our fourth-generation beastmasters be able to conquer a Legendary Secret Realm? What¡¯s Passerby A up totely? Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s really teaching cooking and learning to forge¡­¡± ¡°Passerby A did challenge a Legendary Secret Realm before and got utterly defeated¡­ Honestly, there¡¯s no need for him to challenge it. As the only Dragon Chef, he doesn¡¯tck resources. If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t waste the effort.¡± On the forums, various pieces of intelligence surfaced, making Xia Country¡¯s beastmasters realize how vast the world was and how many formidable fourth-generation individuals existed. The Tyrannosaurus Rex team and Dragon Chef Lu Ran were just among them; there were many other notable figures. ¡­ [Congrattions to level 1 beastmasters Free Ssh, Invincible Megalodon, I Surrender, Don¡¯t Hit Me, and A Bottle of Lafite for conquering the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Forbidden Sea¡¯ and starting the Path of Legend.] A few days after intense international discussions, another country¡¯s fourth-generation team conquered a Legendary Secret Realm. Compared to the First, Second, and Third Generation beastmasters, this generation of fourth-generation beastmasters was particrly formidable. The First Generation had no clear records, and only one team each from the Second and Third Generations managed to conquer a Legendary Secret Realm. However, within a short period, three fourth-generation teams, totaling eleven individuals, had already done so. Of course, this might also be rted to the fact that the bosses in level 1 Legendary Secret Realms were upper sovereign species, not overlord species. Nheless, this situation led the media in various countries to marvel that the golden age of the Age of Beast Taming was approaching. [The Rise of Fourth-Generation Beastmasters: The True Golden Age in the Age of Beast Taming!] [Prediction! In the next ten years, the fourth-generation beastmasters will lead the trend in this golden era!] As the talented fourth-generation beastmasters from various countries emerged and shone in the Legendary Secret Realm challenges, discussions on international forums intensified. Initially, someizens believed that while Xia Country¡¯s second and third generations werecking, the fourth generation, represented by Lu Ran, was quite strong. However, opinions started to shift. ¡°So, it turns out that among Xia Country¡¯s fourth-generation beastmasters, only Lu Ran is impressive. The others are still not up to par. It¡¯s been so long, and they still can¡¯t form a team to conquer a Legendary Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Now it seems that there are many formidable fourth-generation beastmasters worldwide, and there will likely be even more in the future¡­ I used to think Lu Ran was the strongest fourth generation, but it looks like I was wrong.¡± ¡°I wonder which fourth-generation team from Daxia, Eagle, or Snowfield will conquer a Legendary Secret Realm first¡­¡± With the progress of Legendary Secret Realm strategies worldwide, not only did the second and third generations of Xia Country feel the pressure, but the fourth generation also began to experience increased stress. One major reason Xia Country¡¯s fourth-generation elites hadn¡¯t conquered a Legendary Secret Realm was that they knew Lu Ran was attempting it. They feared that if they hadn¡¯t finished, Lu Ran would seed, making their efforts futile. Instead, they decided to wait for Lu Ran toplete the first one and then tackle the second. But now, the question was, what exactly was Lu Ran doing? Could it be that he hadn¡¯t found suitable teammates? Pluto, Youxiong Anlin, Du Yuan, and others once again volunteered themselves, but Lu Ran declined, saying he already had a teammate (Fang Lan). Lu Ran didn¡¯t care about the external opinions. ¡°Are you kidding? I¡¯ve been working hard to solo this for so long, why would I team up with you?¡± Not only were the fourth-generation beastmasters concerned about Lu Ran¡¯s situation, but the first three generations were also interested in his progress. Even master Lin showed concern. ¡°Lu Ran, I have a ss today, so I won¡¯t be able to teach you. By the way, how¡¯s your progress in the Legendary Secret Realm?¡± Master Lin hadn¡¯t previously paid attention to Lu Ran¡¯s progress in the Legendary Secret Realm, as he didn¡¯t understand much about it. However, with increasing news and online discussions, he couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Uh¡­ it¡¯s going okay.¡± ¡°Why do you sound so down? Feeling the pressure?¡± Master Lin, acting like a caring uncle, asked in surprise. ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been using the Ice Sky Greatsword to draw blood from the Diamond Dragon recently¡­ Its defense is really strong. My Ice Sky Greatsword shattered this morning¡­¡± Master Lin: ??? ¡°Darn. Why are you still drawing blood? What have you been doing for the past half month?!¡± ¡°How bad is the damage? Do you want me to fix it, or will you do it yourself?¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty serious; it¡¯s been through a lot¡­ Wait a minute.¡± Suddenly, Master Lin heard a shout from Lu Ran¡¯s end. ¡°What happened?¡± Master Lin asked. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lu Ran¡¯sughter came through, making Master Lin frown. Crap, has Lu Ran lost it? ¡°Out with the old, in with the new. I¡¯ve almost drawn enough Dragon Blood. Let the Ice Sky Greatsword go with the wind.¡± Lu Ran said over the phone: ¡°Master Lin, I¡¯ll hang up now. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine.¡± Master Lin: ??? After hanging up, Lu Ran looked excitedly at the Spirit Transformation Pot. Just now, it had vibrated, indicating that the ingredients inside had reached their peak state. Originally, Lu Ran had nned to repair the Ice Sky Greatsword, but now, his mind was solely on the sword grass. Lu Ran took the Spirit Transformation Pot and carefully poured out the sword grass, which had been uprooted from the soil, onto the ground. As expected, even though the sword grass had regained vitality, it would wither again without a suitable growth environment. However, that didn¡¯t matter. Lu Ran now had the Sword Nourishing Pot. It provided a better environment than any soil. He could use the sword grass and then ce it back in the pot, ensuring it wouldn¡¯t die. Unfortunately, the divine deer antler¡¯s mechanism was to absorb essence from nts to heal animals. If the divine deer pendant could also heal nts, the sword grass would be even more resilient. ¡°General Ha!!!¡± Lu Ran shouted. The Golden Generation, huh? Let him study the Dragon yer Sword and prepare Dragon King bird slices. In a few days, he would dominate an era! Chapter 149: Soloing the Legend, Suppressing an Era Chapter 149: Soloing the Legend, Suppressing an Era Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s voice, General Ha quickly finished its food and ran out. ¡°Woof!¡± Its tail wagged, though its mood wasn¡¯t the best. After all, its weapon had just broken¡­ Although it had already noted down the grudge, it would take some time for its mood to improve. ¡°Look at that,¡± Lu Ran indicated for General Ha to look at the ground beside him. Hmm? General Ha looked over with a puzzled expression. It saw a piece of grass lying there, very much resembling a sword, with a root like a hilt and leaves like a de. General Ha hesitated. Could this be the legendary¡­ Wo Cao1 ? It often heard humans say ¡°Wo Cao, Wo Cao,¡± and now finally it saw the real thing! Seeing this grass, General Ha¡¯s gaze turned serious. Could it be that this Wo Cao was the new sword Boss Lu had prepared for it? It felt a bit random. Originally, holding a sword in its mouth was abstract enough. Now, using grass as a sword seemed even more abstract. However, as a dog, holding a piece of grass in its mouth somehow seemed reasonable. General Ha disyed a look of wisdom, its brain nearly overheating. Startled, it quickly released Blizzard Sword Intent to cool down. ¡°What nonsense are you thinking now?¡± ¡°Try it out, be careful, it¡¯s very sharp,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha eagerly manipted the wind element, lifting the long leaved sword grass. During this process, General Ha¡¯s expression changed. It felt the wind entwined around the sword grass being instantly cut. It couldn¡¯t control it normally! This sword grass could even cut through the wind element it had gathered. ¡°Bite the root directly, it¡¯s not sharp there,¡± Lu Ran instructed. After all, the sword grass was a natural resource, and using it wouldn¡¯t be as handy as a forged weapon. But everything would require gradual adaptation¡­ The grass was inanimate, while the dog was alive. Lu Ran believed that General Ha would eventually tame it. ¡°Whine¡­¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes glinted with interest. Grass, you have sessfully caught my attention. Its eyes sharpened as it quickly re-manipted the Gale, summoning the sword grass to its side. Then¡­ it carefully bit the root. In that instant, space seemed to freeze, and time felt like it stood still. Holding the sword grass in its mouth, General Ha showed an expression of disbelief. Thump¡­ thump¡­ thump¡­ It clearly heard its own heartbeat, feeling¡­ a very terrifying power brewing. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha took a step back. Lu Ran also stepped back. Man and dog, they put some distance between them. The next second. The air around General Ha started to buzz and vibrate, as if even the air was being pierced by the sword grass. Its eyes shone with a continuous gleam, like a sharp edge bursting forth. ¡°Howl!!!¡± General Ha suddenly howled towards the sky, its breath rising rapidly. An extremely formidable sword momentum surged out of its body, transforming into a tangible deterrent that swept across the area!!! Swish! Swish! Swish! In an instant, countless sword marks appeared on the flowers and nts in the courtyard. Inside the house, another creature eating its meal shuddered all over, suddenly looking outside with a bewildered expression, feeling that General Ha¡¯s strength had suddenly increased significantly after just a short while outside! Boom!!! Following that, a green breeze emanated from General Ha¡¯s flowing fur, turning into waves of air that continuously pushed outwards. This was¡­ a new swordsmanship intent! [Vegetation Sword Intent]: A de of grass, a branch of wood, both can be swords. With Vegetation Sword Intent, attacks will carry a grass-type trait! The grass-type trait involves absorbing vitality and energy. If a grass-type skill causes damage, it will make the opponent¡¯s life and energy drain particrly quickly. ¡°Impressive.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran, standing nearby, was quite shocked. Good dog. He had thought that changing swords would only improve General Ha¡¯s overall species attributes, but unexpectedly, it had also gained a new sword intent! At this moment, havingprehended Vegetation Sword Intent, General Ha found it easier to wield the long leaved sword grass. For a while, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t tell if the long leaved sword grass had helped General Ha understand the sword intent, or if General Ha had independently grasped it to better wield the sword grass. However, feeling General Ha¡¯s increasingly powerful sword momentum, Lu Ran was certain that this sword grass was indeed a weapon transitioning from rare to exquisite quality! [Species]: Upper Commander (Middle Sovereign)! Immediately, with the support of Weapon Mastery and the King of Swords, General Ha, wielding the sword grass in its mouth, underwent a species transformation! The enhancement provided by the sword grass was immense. It directly elevated General Ha from the lower sovereign stage in Ice Sky Greatsword mode to the middle sovereign stage in sword grass form! Although it seemed like just a small stage improvement, as species levels progress, each advancement bes increasingly difficult. Advancing from Supernatural to Commander is rtively easy, but the journey from Sovereign to Overlord is as challenging as climbing a mountain. The strongest pet beasts of the first-generation beastmasters only reached upper sovereign species. Now, General Ha, without undergoing aplete evolution and only having fused two traits, already possessed a speciesparable to a middle sovereign. This was undeniably terrifying. Although it still couldn¡¯t match the species level of the Diamond Dragon,pared to General Ha¡¯s previous self, it had be significantly stronger. This breakthrough would undoubtedly allow it to inflict more serious damage on the Diamond Dragon. ¡°Woof!¡± At this moment, General Ha exuded amanding aura, its fur flowing and its gaze sharp. This was a good sword! It slightly tilted its head, and a faint green sword qi instantly sliced a boulder in half! ¡°As long as you¡¯re satisfied, go test the sword elsewhere, don¡¯t wreck the house!¡± Lu Ran, also eager, nned to cook some Dragon King bird slices. In the next two days, he could treat General Ha and the Sudden Death King to a feast! Speaking of testing the sword, General Ha immediately looked towards the house, eyeing the Sudden Death King, who was peeking out. ¡°Roar?¡± The Sudden Death King saw General Ha¡¯s gaze and pointed to itself. Me? Me? General Ha nodded vigorously. The first sword after bing stronger, it would first cut down the Sudden Death King! ¡°¡­¡± The Sudden Death King¡¯s face fell. Fine, it would remember this grudge. Currently, the Diamond Dragon was the Sudden Death King¡¯s idol. After all, when the Diamond Dragon shattered General Ha¡¯s sword, the Sudden Death King thought it was truly impressive. Someday¡­ it would have that skill too! The Sudden Death King clenched its fists tightly. ¡­ ¡°Now, all that¡¯s left is the resource enhancement phase.¡± Seeing that General Ha and the sword grass were quitepatible, Lu Ran felt a weight lifted from his heart. Then, he looked at his backpack. A small bottle of ck venom was already prepared. This was a poison concocted by Fang Lan after over a week of effort. He recalled the exact words of the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden. ¡°Even inactive Dragon Blood still has strong poison resistance.¡± ¡°If you want a venom potent enough to harm it, you need a poison-type pet beast with strength close to it to assist.¡± ¡°The conditions are hard to meet, so I slightly modified the effect of this venom.¡± ¡°It can react with the Diamond Dragon¡¯s blood. After one minute of contact, the Diamond Dragon will enter a state of energy chaos for 3 to 5 minutes.¡± ¡°During this period, its internal energy will be disordered, making it very difficult to mobilize energy and release skills smoothly. Of course¡­ just difficult, it can still release skills, so be careful.¡± ¡°In short, whether you can decide the oue during this weakened period is up to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Lu Ran thought to himself. Next to the bottle of venom, there was also a crow feather bow. After learning various forging techniques, Lu Ran created it for applying poison, and it was of rare quality. In the future, if he contracts a dark crow, he can use this crow feather bow to practice shooting together and achieve super beast mimicry! So now, everything was ready, they just needed the right timing. In the next two days, Lu Ran didn¡¯t extract any more Dragon Blood. He had already collected arge vat of Dragon Blood and felt that gathering more was pointless. It would be better to clear the secret realm early and see what rewards solo clearing the Legendary Secret Realm could bring him. Then, he would break through to level 2 and farm the level 2 Legendary Secret Realm, which was better than being stuck at level 1. 50 slices of Dragon King bird meat¡­ Exquisite-level resources¡­ In two days, Lu Ran cooked them into various Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon. He divided them between General Ha and the Sudden Death King in a 4:5 ratio. Hmm? What about the missing 1 part? Of course, Lu Ran ate it himself. With the Culinary Intent of me Sprite and me Dragon, he could also be considered a humanoid ferocious beast. Eating Dragon Cuisine and tasting dishes had a dual purpose: it not only allowed Lu Ran to sample his culinary creations but also helped him improve his Culinary Intent. As his Culinary Intent grew, he could prepare even better dishes. Over the span of two days, Lu Ran, General Ha, and the Sudden Death King feasted, their mouths full of oil, continuously absorbing the benefits brought by the Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon. Even though the dishes Lu Ran cooked might be considered the most basic exquisite-level cuisine, the high-quality ingredients and the rtively weak consumers ensured the benefits were nothing short of astounding. For General Ha and the Sudden Death King, aside from the improvement in their physical attributes, the most significant enhancements were in their Dragon yer Sword intent and the artistic conception of the dragon. If artistic conception could be categorized by quality and level, the development of these two pet beasts¡¯ artistic conception had far surpassed their peers. Even the Diamond Dragon, which had mastered rock intent, wouldn¡¯t surpass General Ha and the Sudden Death King in terms of artistic conception level. After all, it was still a wild dragon, unrefined by a beastmaster, and there was a significant gappared to pet beasts nurtured by a professional like Lu Ran. Its only advantage now was probably its species. The improvement in artistic conception made General Ha feel that it could now restrain not just sub-dragons but even pure Dragon n members to a certain extent! As for the Sudden Death King, its progress was even more remarkable. The enhancement brought by Loong-type resources was apparent. The current Sudden Death King could effortlessly overpower the lower sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex it once struggled against. In fact, Lu Ran felt that its strength might even surpass General Ha¡¯s before integrating the sword grass and enhancing its Dragon yer Sword intent. The Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon seemed to have elevated its Dragon¡¯s Bloodline to an extremely high level. Although this might not be immediately obvious, when it undergoes its next evolution, the high-purity Dragon Blood it now possesses could potentially allow it to evolve into a true Loong-type! With all the enhancementsplete, Lu Ran spent some time harmonizing with his two pet beasts. Without informing anyone, he then entered Infinite City alone and ventured into the Dragon King¡¯s Nest secret realm, a ce he had entered countless times. [Teleportationplete.] [Current location: Dragon King¡¯s Nest (level 1 secret realm)] [Difficulty: Legend] [Challenge mission: Defeat the Diamond Dragon.] [Introduction: ¡­] As the system prompt tone sounded, Lu Ran, carrying the crow feather bow and wearing the divine deer pendant, along with General Ha, who had the sword grass in its mouth, and the Sudden Death King, brimming with Domineering Energy, once again found themselves in the familiar cavern. The three of them took their positions: the Sudden Death King at the front, General Ha next, and Lu Ran in the rear. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± The Diamond Dragon, having been ambushed, plotted against, and drained of blood countless times, still roared from its designated spot and slowly emerged, swinging its tail covered in Diamond Scales with a domineering presence! Lu Ran had be a battle-hardened veteran in this secret realm. Unfortunately, the secret realm would disappear after each visit, or he would have stayed to farm resources. Seeing an old enemy, both sides were filled with intense animosity. Although the Diamond Dragon had no memory of previous encounters, it immediately roared upon seeing Lu Ran and hispanions. It began to gather a cluster of round diamonds around it. As it spread its arms and swayed its body, the diamondsunched like cannonballs! Get out, intruders! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Faced with such a fierce greeting, Lu Ran naturally wouldn¡¯t let General Ha counter with its sword. General Ha¡¯s strength needed to be reserved for attacking the Diamond Dragon, not wasted on defense. So¡­ ¡°Sudden Death King, go!¡± With their extensive experience, the Sudden Death King didn¡¯t even need Lu Ran¡¯smand. Red lightning immediately surged from its body, forming the massive shadow of a Thunder Giant Dragon! The shadow quickly solidified, bing a true Thunder Giant Dragon! ¡°Roar!!!¡± This time, the Sudden Death King confidently stood its ground against the Diamond Dragon. With a series of impacts, the Sudden Death King blocked each attack. Although its Thunder Dragon Armor shattered once more, it was clear that it had dissipated much more of the opponent¡¯s skill power than before! Crack. As the Thunder Dragon Body shattered, chunks of diamond struck the Sudden Death King¡¯s true form, causing it to stagger back step by step. The good news was that the Sudden Death King only sustained minor injuries. The opponent¡¯s attack merely cracked some scales before disintegrating into a shower of sparkling fragments. Clearly, the tenfoldpressed energy armor had performed admirably. The Sudden Death King could finally withstand the Diamond Dragon¡¯s ordinary skills. At this moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t hesitate. Without a word, he used the divine deer pendant to heal the Sudden Death King from a distance, acting as a dedicated healer. Roughly speaking, it was as if the Sudden Death King hadn¡¯t been injured at all. Meanwhile, while the Sudden Death King was taking the brunt of the attack for General Ha, General Ha repeated its old trick. Using the long leaved sword grass, it condensed more than twenty times the Dragon yer Sword qi. The sword qi shot out horizontally, creating a massive disturbance in the cavern, with the sound of the wind echoing like wailing ghosts. Boom!!! The shnded instantly on the Diamond Dragon, causing a massive explosion that filled half the space with dust. Amidst the smoke, the Diamond Dragon¡¯s furious roar soon echoed. Before the smoke could clear, a beam of light, reflected off diamond, pierced through the haze and swept across the cavern. At this critical moment, the Sudden Death King reacted quickly. Using its energy flow technique, it rapidly reshaped itself into the Thunder Dragon Body, bravely standing in the path of the energy cannon. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The massive energy cannon instantly prated the Thunder Dragon Body. This attack was one of the Diamond Dragon¡¯s ultimate moves. Lu Ran and his team had only seen it from a distance before and had never faced it directly. They knew this move had a special effect: it crystallized the area it hit, severely hindering movement-essentially a type of petrifying control technique. Although it was a control technique, its power was formidable. In an instant, the Sudden Death King¡¯s body was pierced through, leaving arge hole. Fortunately, Lu Ran¡¯s divine deer pendant kept up with the healing. Just after healing General Ha¡¯s teeth, it was now mending the Sudden Death King¡¯s wound. ¡°Roar!!¡± Faced with the crystallization spreading from the wound, the Sudden Death King acted decisively. It extended its dragon w,pressed lightning, and shattered the crystallization itself. Though this action caused further injury by tearing the wound, the divine deer pendant¡¯s healing ensured the Sudden Death King could withstand it. As the smoke cleared, the Diamond Dragon¡¯s form reappeared before Lu Ran and hispanions. This time, the Diamond Dragon looked particrly battered. A ghastly red sword mark ran across its abdomen, shattering its diamond scales, with Dragon Blood flowing profusely. Clearly, this time General Ha¡¯s attack had finally inflicted a very serious injury on the Diamond Dragon. However, what made Lu Ran¡¯s expression change was that, because they hadn¡¯t retreated immediately, he, General Ha, and the Sudden Death King finally witnessed more of the Diamond Dragon¡¯s abilities. To their surprise, the Diamond Dragon¡¯s massive wound began to slowly crystallize, as if it were regenerating Diamond Scales to staunch the bleeding. Lu Ran realized this was bad news. He couldn¡¯t multitask, treating both General Ha and the Sudden Death King while also firing poison arrows immediately. However, it wasn¡¯t a major issue; they could do it again. While the red-eyed Diamond Dragon was self-crystallizing its wound, General Ha had already condensed a second wave of sword qi and directly shed at its head. Boom!!! The massive sword qi struck again. The Diamond Dragon¡¯s pupils shrank, but in its crystallizing state, it lost the chance to react immediately. The alternating attack strategy of General Ha and the Sudden Death King left the Diamond Dragon gasping for breath. Bang!!! The cavern shook, and thick dust clouds rose once more. From within the smoke, the Diamond Dragon¡¯s painful and furious roars echoed. At the critical moment, it tried to move its body, but its movements were sluggish, and it was still hit by the sword qi. This was one of the few advantages Lu Ran and his team had. The shnded heavily on the side of its back, creating another massive wound. Blood sttered everywhere. From a distance, Lu Ran, relying on memory, drew his bow and fired blindly. With a ¡°whoosh,¡± the poison arrow embedded itself deeply into the Diamond Dragon¡¯s flesh. Without the defense of its Diamond Scales, its flesh was quite vulnerable. Especially considering the crow feather bow¡¯s supernatural effect, which enhanced both power and speed. The Diamond Dragon didn¡¯t feel much from the poison arrow. Compared to the excruciating pain caused by the sword qi, the arrow felt like a mosquito bite, barely noticeable. However, the venom on the arrow slowly reacted with the Diamond Dragon¡¯s blood without its awareness, spreading infection throughout its body. After all thismotion, the Diamond Dragon was thoroughly enraged. But Lu Ran and his team weren¡¯t foolish enough to engage it head-on. With the enemy finally hit by the arrow, they decided to y a game of hide and seek in the cavern while waiting for the venom to take effect. ¡°Come on,¡± Lu Ran taunted the Diamond Dragon as he led General Ha and the Sudden Death King further into the depths of the cavern. Behind them, the Diamond Dragon, eyes bloodshot, roared in fury while chasing them, all the while crystallizing its wounds. ¡°One minute,¡± Lu Ran reminded himself, based on Fang Lan¡¯s prompt. The venom would react with the Dragon¡¯s blood within a minute, disrupting its energy flow and severely slowing its skill release speed. That would be the best time to counterattack and hopefully take it down in one go. With this strategy in mind, Lu Ran led the excited General Ha and the Sudden Death King for nearly a minute before finally stopping, turning to face the pursuing Diamond Dragon. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Diamond Dragon, seemingly unable to learn from its mistakes orcking better options, formed a massive, sharp diamond in its maw and hurled it at Lu Ran and his team. ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King bravely stepped forward again. Struck by the massive diamond, its Thunder Dragon Body was shattered once more, and its body was flung against the wall by the sharp projectile. This time, the Sudden Death King¡¯s situation was dire. The attack was more powerful and faster, with the shaped rock being more solid, like a mountain pinning it to the wall. The crystallization continued to control its body, leaving it immobile. ¡°Roar¡­¡± A hint of mockery appeared in the Diamond Dragon¡¯s eyes, as if dering its victory. But at that moment, General Ha¡¯s skill flew out again, with sword qi following closely, perfectly timed to avoid the Diamond Dragon¡¯s attack. Boom. The Diamond Dragon was knocked over once more, its body flipping wildly. It roared furiously, trying to stand up and counterattack General Ha, now unprotected by the Sudden Death King. However, the venom had already taken effect. The Diamond Dragon felt its energy gathering much slower. Realizing the opportunity, General Haunched a continuous assault, no longer needing the Sudden Death King¡¯s protection! ¡°Howl!!~~¡± General Ha, holding the long leaved sword grass, continually condensed and released sword qi. Condense, release! As a wind-type pet beast, it could unleash its skills faster than the Diamond Dragon. Now, with the Diamond Dragon affected by poison, it was nothing more than a living target. As long as they could take down the Diamond Dragon before exhausting themselves, this battle would end in their victory! Of course, even if the Diamond Dragon had other means and managed to counterattack, it wouldn¡¯t matter. It thought it hadpletely pinned and controlled the Sudden Death King, but in the next instant, the power of the Thunder me Dragon erupted from the Sudden Death King. Lu Ran had attached the me Sprite to it, granting it the terrifying strength to break free from the crystallization! ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King stood up again. By now, the main battlefield had shifted to General Ha and the Diamond Dragon. The Diamond Dragon, knocked over, continued to be bombarded by the relentless Dragon yer Sword qi amidst the smoke. Even then, General Ha was not satisfied. It directly summoned the long leaved sword grass to stab at the Diamond Dragon! Swish!!! Even while being bombarded by sword qi, the Diamond Dragon, which had just managed to stand up, suddenly lowered its head. A terrifying sword grass burst forth with astonishing sharpness, effortlessly prating its body and piercing its heart, absorbing its blood, and then floating in the air. Indeed,pared to the sword qi, the power of the sword grass itself was even more terrifying. ¡°Job done.¡± Lu Ran re-hung the crow feather bow on his back, as the system prompt tone sounded in his ear. [Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: Perfect!] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve earned 1 million crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve obtained an exquisite resource, Heart of the Dragon (contains the Diamond Dragon¡¯s heart blood, significantly boosts scale defense, with a small chance of causing sub-dragon creatures to mutate into Loong-type!).] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve obtained a special resource, Upgrade Card x100.] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve obtained a beast taming skill: Damage Transfer (transfers damage received to a designated contracted pet beast).] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve obtained a special resource, Stone Dragon Egg (lower sovereign species, sub-dragon species, Stone Dragon egg).] [Congrattions, you¡¯ve obtained a special resource, Trait Crystal (Dragon King Bloodline: fusing this trait with a pet beast grants it the potential to evolve to the top-level blood of the Dragon King, regardless of its initial species).] At present, all the Infinite Cities were rtively calm. Inside Infinite City No. 7. Du Yuan and Youxiong Anlin were having afternoon tea. Through the Freshman Tournament, they had be friends. ¡°Do you think the teammates Lu Ran called are up to the task? Why haven¡¯t they cleared the secret realm yet? They should have called us instead.¡± ¡°My Panda has mastered the second stage of energy flow. No matter how strong the enemy¡¯s defense is, it can easily inflict damage internally.¡± ¡°Your space-type pet beast is even more unpredictable. With Lu Ran¡¯s two pet beasts, they should have cleared it by now.¡± ¡°I heard that Lu Ran does have a few fixed teammates. Fang Lan is one of them. Besides her, there are a few others who didn¡¯t even make it to the top 100¡­ Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t have chosen them, would he?¡± Du Yuan from the strategy team also twitched his mouth. Eagle Federation. At this moment, in the Eagle Federation, a first-generation beastmaster was being interviewed by the media. Xia Country had no Fourth Generation who had cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, and neither did the Eagle Federation nor the Snowfield Federation. The pressure on the Fourth Generation wasn¡¯t limited to Xia Country. During the interview, the first-generation beastmaster responsible for training the Fourth Generation replied seriously for the first time: ¡°Speed doesn¡¯t mean everything. The clearance reward for the Legendary Secret Realm is rted to the number of challengers. Our Fourth Generation in the Eagle Federation has greater courage and is attempting to team up in pairs to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm. It¡¯s normal for it to take a bit longer.¡± In the Thousand Inds Nation, Nation of Gold, Sakura Country, Coffee Kingdom¡­ these beast taming powerhouses also had elite Fourth Generation teams working hard to conquer the Legendary Secret Realm. Right now, which beast taming team would be the next to clear the Legendary Secret Realm and who would be in that team was undoubtedly the most anticipated question among the beastmasters. Finally! On this day, the long-awaited prompt tone echoed throughout the world, resonating in the ears of every beastmaster in each infinite city. [Congrattions¡­] At the mere mention of the word ¡°congrattions,¡± many people grew tense, worried that the congrattions were not for a beastmaster from their own country. ¡°Which country¡¯s team is it this time?¡± ¡°Is it the Second Generation, Third Generation, or Fourth Generation? Or perhaps the First Generation?¡± People spected internally, but in the next moment, almost everyone¡¯s expression changed. [Congrattions to Level 1 Beastmaster Passerby A for solo clearing the Level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Dragon King¡¯s Nest¡¯ with a perfect rating, starting the Path of Legend.] ¡­ At this moment, the world shook. All generations of beastmasters¡ªFirst Generation, Second Generation, Third Generation, and Fourth Generation¡ªfrom various countries disyed expressions of shock. Passerby A¡­ solo¡­ Legendary Secret Realm¡­ Are you kidding me?! ¡­ In just a short moment. Each infinite city felt as though a massive earthquake had struck, and the crowds were in an uproar. Whether they were on the road, eating, or shopping, everyone stopped what they were doing, standing still in disbelief. As the broadcast ended, nearly hundreds of thousands of beastmasters wore expressions of astonishment. First, they doubted if they had heard correctly and kept questioning themselves, then confirmed¡­ they had not misheard. ¡°Oh my God, is that just an ID? This guy cleared the Legendary Secret Realm alone?!¡± In the West, many beastmasters shouted in disbelief. ¡°Dammit, what a joke!!¡± In Sakura Country, a Fourth Generation team that had just returned unsessfully from the Legendary Secret Realm stood collectively stunned upon hearing the broadcast. A solo clear of a Legendary Secret Realm, is that even humanly possible? ¡°Passerby A? Him? No way, absolutely impossible.¡± Simrly, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, who were training to strategize for the Legendary Secret Realm, were holding back their frustration, eager to crush Lu Ran after reaching level 30. However, upon hearing the broadcast, their faces turned pale as if they had been frightened. If Xia Country had a Fourth Generation team that cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, that would be eptable and expected. But why¡­ was it a solo clear? The Knights Order of Yinglun, the superpowered siblings of Peacock Country¡­ these Fourth Generation elites from other countries who had teamed up to strategize the Legendary Secret Realm, now all looked up at the sky, seemingly trying to peer through the spatial barrier to see what Passerby A looked like. They couldn¡¯t understand how this guy named Passerby A managed to solo clear such a difficult Legendary Secret Realm. A powerful pet beast? Special items? Personal superpowers? Perfect strategy? They had all these too. What made this guy different¡­ In an instant, Lu Ran¡¯s name was etched deeply in the minds of countless Fourth Generation elites. Of course, the most shocked were those within Xia Country. ¡°Pffft¡ª¡ª¡ª¡± When the world announcement came out, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan, who were drinking tea, directly spat out the tea they had just sipped, spraying it onto each other¡¯s faces, their eyes filled with shock. ¡°Damn.¡± The two spoke in unison, a chill rising from their feet to their heads, unable to believe what they had just heard. ¡°Damn.¡± The constant exmations of astonishment from all directions confirmed to them that they hadn¡¯t misheard; the infinite city had indeed broadcasted Lu Ran¡¯s sessful solo clear of the Legendary Secret Realm. ¡°Shit.¡± Their pupils contracted sharply, their hearts overwhelmed with shock. ¡°This guy didn¡¯t ept our team-up request and hasn¡¯t strategized, not because he was burdened by a bunch of useless teammates, but because he was attempting a solo clear!¡± Youxiong Anlin stood up, unable to believe Lu Ran was this crazy. It¡¯s important to know that the princess of Yinglun had a middle sovereign element pet beast, an incredible talent, and background, plus three knight guards assisting her. Yet Lu Ran¡­ he¡­ ¡°The key point is¡­ he seems to have seeded?¡± Du Yuan said, bewildered. No. 1, No. 2, No. 3¡­ each infinite city was in an uproar. The Pig Raiser and others from LuJia Vige, who were still gathering materials in the novice secret realm, all looked up, their mouths twitching. Sister White Tiger, She Pi, and others who had broken through secret realms with Lu Ran also nearly stumbled, uttering incredulous words. Even the First Generation¡­ Gu Qingyi and others, who were discussing their next steps to strategize the Legendary Secret Realm, were suddenly halted. The petite superpowered girl, Lin Nian, after a moment of surprise, looked at Gu Qingyi and said, ¡°This Fourth Generation beastmaster you found is pretty good, way better than my useless older sister.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. I¡¯m also surprised. I haven¡¯t been in contact with him muchtely; I¡¯ve been with you all the time,¡± Gu Qingyi responded, equally surprised. As a First Generation beastmaster, she was also diligently conquering the Legendary Secret Realm and had no time to worry about Lu Ran¡¯s level 1 secret realm. ¡°It¡¯s absurd, a solo clear¡­¡± A gray-haired young man nearby rubbed his temples in frustration. ¡°He¡¯s a tough one. He¡¯ll probably catch up to our progress in no time.¡± The surrounding First Generation beastmasters all twitched their mouths, as if acknowledging that even some Second Generation elites on the divine beast leaderboard were being overshadowed by him. Clearly, at this moment, the First, Second, and Third Generations from various countries were all shocked by Lu Ran¡¯s solo clear. In reality, this was the case; online, it was even more explosive. ¡°I was initially puzzled why such a strong big shot like Passerby A hadn¡¯t led a team to strategize the Legendary Secret Realm for so long. It seems I was too short-sighted. He doesn¡¯t even care about teaming up. ¡®Let me solo it¡¯ is his motto!!!¡± ¡°Damn, I¡¯ve never admired anyone in my life, but this time I really do. What did the foreign media call those Fourth Generation teams that cleared the Legendary Secret Realm? The Golden Generation?? Ha, watch Passerby A single-handedly suppress an entire era!¡± ¡°Brothers, I just saw an interview with the Eagle Federation. They said they haven¡¯t strategized the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm because their Fourth Generation elites are attempting dual clears¡­ Go, leavements, tell them they should try solo clears instead!¡± After the Tyrannosaurus Rex team incident and the Legendary Secret Realm event, Lu Ran¡¯s prestige among Xia Country¡¯s fourth-generation beastmasters skyrocketed to an incredibly formidable level. The slogan ¡°Lu Ran, single-handedly suppressing the Golden Generation¡± spread rapidly, making him the most talked-about figure among the Fourth Generation. Currently, when foreign beastmasters saw the name Passerby A, even though Lu Ran hadn¡¯t said a word and remained extremely low-key, they could still feel an overwhelming pressure. ¡°This guy is truly a monster.¡± ¡°Daxia is so lucky. I thought their national luck waspletely exhausted by a batch of absurdly strong First Generation elites, but now they have this unbelievably powerful Fourth Generation.¡± ¡°I have a feeling this guy will be a nightmare for every country!¡± Discussions were rampant from all sides, whether it was international forces or underground dark organizations. At this moment, the source of the event, Lu Ran, had already returned to his private room with General Ha and the sudden death king, checking the resources they had acquired! ¡°This time, we¡¯ve really hit the jackpot.¡± ¡°The sudden death king is soaring.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, my strength is still too weak. I need to rely on external aids to solo. My goal is to have the strength to solo level 2 secret realms without any external aid!¡± Lu Ran carefully examined each resource, his heart filled with excitement. All his efforts to strategize the Legendary Secret Realm had not been in vain. The heart of the dragon¡­ damage transfer¡­ Stone Dragon Egg¡­ dragon king bloodline trait¡­ each one seemed like a treasure. Even the Stone Dragon Egg, which Lu Ran felt was the least useful to him, and the rtively less useful damage transfer skill, could probably be sold for a sky-high price. This would allow him to acquire extremely precious unique resources for General Ha¡¯s next evolution. Footnote:
  1. Wo Cao(ÎÔ²Ý): In this context, ¡°Wo Cao¡± is a Chinese ng term used to express surprise or shock, simr to ¡°Oh crap¡± or ¡°WTF¡± in English. Literally, it means ¡°lying on grass,¡± but it¡¯s often used as a euphemism for a stronger curse word ¡°ÎÔ²Û¡± (w¨° c¨¢o). The phrase creates a humorous double entendre here since the character is actually encountering real grass for the first time, making the expression both literal and figurative.
Chapter 150: Harvesting Abundantly Chapter 150: Harvesting Abundantly There was once a beastmaster with the ID Treant who said that there are two extremely gratifying things for a beastmaster:
  1. Pet beast evolution.
  1. The reward stage of pioneering secret realms.
Pet beast evolution marks the beginning of a pet beast acquiring new talents. This lottery-like thrill is incredibly addictive. The reward stage of pioneering secret realms is no different. Challenges in known reward secret realms do not provide this kind of thrill. However, clearing breakthrough secret realms and unknown secret realms, facing unknown rewards, makes beastmasters particrly excited. At this moment, Lu Ran was quite excited. The rewards for solo clearing and pioneering a Legendary Secret Realm did not disappoint him. One million crystal coins, a hard currency, need not be mentioned for now.One hundred upgrade cards. To upgrade a contract card, it requires 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 cards¡­ Currently, the contract cards for General Ha and the sudden death king have both been upgraded twice. These 100 cards can be used to upgrade one of their contract cards again, adding a new effect. A contract card upgraded once gains the new effect of stamina recovery. Twice upgraded provides slow healing. Thrice upgraded elerates growth. This is equivalent to an auto-training effect. At this time, if Lu Ran wanted to quickly level a pet beast to level 30¡­ upgrading its contract card would be the way to go. Besides these basic resources, Lu Ran looked at the heart of the dragon, the Stone Dragon Egg, and the dragon king bloodline trait. His expression was peculiar. The heart of the dragon contains the heart¡¯s blood of a Diamond Dragon, which has a small chance of causing a Sub-dragon creature to mutate into a Loong-type! As for the dragon king bloodline¡­ those who can be called Dragon Kings are generally upper overlord members of the Overlord dragon n, incredibly powerful. This Loong-type trait is unbelievably rare. It should be noted that the mainstream dragon blood traits and dragonborn traits currently only grant pet beasts ordinary dragon bloodlines and ordinary dragon characteristics. They do notpare to this dragon king trait, which directly bestows Dragon King potential on the user. Lu Ran had never heard of such a trait before; it must be an exclusive reward from this Legendary Secret Realm, the first on the blue star. This trait likely also represents the potential of the Diamond Dragon itself. The Diamond Dragon is actually a mutated form of the Sub-dragon Stone Dragon. The Diamond Dragon is only its first stage of mutation; ording to Dean Kong¡¯s research, the Diamond Dragonter undergoes another evolution to be the Diamond Dragon King. This evolution is what made a beastmaster a legend. Lu Ran felt that the three resources rewarded by infinite city could potentially recreate a Diamond Dragon King. After hatching the Stone Dragon, bath it in Dragon Blood, let it consume the heart of the dragon to induce mutation and evolution, transforming it into a Diamond Dragon. Then, fuse it with the dragon king bloodline trait, granting it Dragon King potential, which could enable another evolution into the Diamond Dragon King in the future¡­ ¡°No wonder infinite city says that those who clear a Legendary Secret Realm ¡¯embark on the Path of Legend.¡¯¡± ¡°Such abundant resources are indeed provided to cultivate Legendary beastmasters, significantly enhancing a beastmaster¡¯s strength. If one possesses a pet beast with the potential of a Diamond Dragon King, it would be hard for that beastmaster not to excel.¡± ¡°But unfortunately, I am all about rebellion,¡± thought Lu Ran. The heart of the dragon and the dragon king trait are definitely meant to be used to strengthen the sudden death king! The positioning of a Diamond Dragon actually conflicts somewhat with the sudden death king, as both are front-line tank roles. For such a role, having one pet beast with the dragon attribute is enough. Lu Ran naturally could not give up on the sudden death king, so he would have to forgo the Stone Dragon. He had more than one sovereign pet beast egg. The one waiting to be hatched had a high probability of being an elemental type pet beast, an extremely rare species, with very few existing on the blue star. Lu Ran would definitely not give it up. Additionally, there was a dark crow waiting for a contract, with its curse type abilities being quite interesting, so Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t abandon it either. Hence, he simply couldn¡¯t manage to raise more. Although Lu Ran felt regretful about giving up a sovereign species Stone Dragon Egg, he had no choice but to take the heart of the dragon and the dragon king trait for the sudden death king. As for the Stone Dragon Egg, he would either sell it or give it to someone else to nurture. Thest beast taming skill, damage transfer, would transfer the damage received by the beastmaster to a pet beast. This was the first time Lu Ran had heard of such a skill, and it seemed to be a newly introduced beast taming skill. He figured this skill would be highly attractive to beastmasters who follow abat-oriented school. Faced with this skill, Lu Ran felt conflicted because he didn¡¯t think it suited him; it wasn¡¯t his ideal type of skill. However, his rational side told him that this skill was quite good and could greatly enhance a beastmaster¡¯s survival ability. For instance, if curses could be considered damage, Principal Shi Zhen might be able to transfer the curse to a pet beast that didn¡¯t care about its gender¡­ Of course, Lu Ran felt this would need further development. ¡°If it only transfers the damage received by the beastmaster to a designated pet beast, its usage is quite limited.¡± ¡°But if this skill can be deeply developed to transfer the damage received by one contracted pet beast to another contracted pet beast¡­¡± ¡°For example, transferring the damage received by general ha to the more defensively strong sudden death king, then this skill would be divine.¡± ¡°Or, if it could transfer the damage received by the sudden death king to a non-contracted pet beast or even to an enemy, it would also be a divine skill.¡± ¡°I wonder if this skill can be developed in such ways¡­ Never mind, I¡¯ll keep it for now.¡± At the moment, Lu Ran was very satisfied with his harvest andmunicated this through telepathy to general ha and the sudden death king. Next to him, general ha, who was waiting with its tongue out, showed a disappointed expression upon hearing the news. ¡°Woof! (None of these are useful for me.)¡± However, it quickly regained its spirit. Regardless, having eaten 20 slices of exquisite meat slices and possessing sword grass, general ha already felt great. These resources would be used to enhance the sudden death king¡¯s defense. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Nearby, the sudden death king was moved to tears, feeling that all the beatings it had endured this past month were worth it. Diamond Dragon, rest assured¡­ your power, your will, I will inherit them! ¡°With the heart of the dragon and the dragon king bloodline, you have the evolution resources you need for level 30. If you can¡¯t evolve into a dragon with this, we might as well both drop dead,¡± Lu Ran said, now convinced that the sudden death king would sessfully transform into a Loong-type at level 30. Moreover, it wouldn¡¯t be just any dragon; it would be at least an upper sovereign like the Diamond Dragon, possessing Dragon King potential! However, this meant he had to find a new experiment subject. The resources enjoyed by the sudden death king were so superior that its evolution path couldn¡¯t be used as a reference. Even if he used these two resources to nurture a lizard with a husky, it might still cultivate a pure Loong-type. The resources were so good that they obscured the role of the Dragon Chef. He needed to use reproducible resources, such as the dragonborn trait or Mutated Dragon Fish Meat, to evolve a Loong-type to truly demonstrate the power of the Dragon Chef. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯smunication device was flooded with congrattions. He briefly replied ¡°Thanks¡± to most people before closing the chat, but he made a point to read Dr. Gu¡¯s message. After some thought, he sent a message: ¡°[Dr. Gu, I have a lower sovereign species Stone Dragon Egg. Are you interested? I also have resources with a chance of causing it to mutate with Dragon Blood.]¡± Currently, the pet beasts of the First Generation were mostly evolved and bred from creatures on the blue star. For the First Generation, pet beast eggs from the Star-Moon Continent, which had initial species at the sovereign level, were extremely tempting. The special pet beast egg from the Freshman Tournament was highly coveted by many First Generation members, but the guild leader chose neither to contract with it himself nor to give it to another First Generation member. Instead, he awarded it as a prize to the top Fourth Generation member. In fact, this pet beast egg was indeed powerful. A First Generation member from Yinglun also obtained a simr pet beast egg, which hatched into a middle sovereign species elemental living creature. This elemental pet beast was eventually contracted by a princess of the Royalty, who sessfully led her team to break through a level 1 Legendary Secret Realm with its help. It was clear that it was anything but weak. As for this Stone Dragon Egg¡­ Lu Ran thought that since Dr. Gu had helped him so much, giving her this lower sovereign species hatchling might be a good choice if she was interested. Perhaps it could further enhance Dr. Gu¡¯s strength as a Dragon Tamer. Soon enough, Dr. Gu responded. ¡°Thanks ?? , but I don¡¯t have the time to nurture a new pet at the moment, and I already have ns for my next pet beast.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran was surprised that Dr. Gu didn¡¯t want it. Since that was the case, he decided to sell it. Besides Dr. Gu, Lu Ran also thought of Fang Lan. However, she had already reserved her Third Pet, which was themander species pet beast awarded from the Freshman Tournament. She and the school had customized a poison pet for her, and now she nned to major in poison. Compared to the Stone Dragon, a poison pet beast was evidently more suitable for her. Although it was possible to use resources to awaken a poison attribute in the Stone Dragon, there was still the issue ofpatibility. Adding an ipatible attribute would greatly reduce the Stone Dragon¡¯s potential, so it would be better to give her something more suitable in the future. After some consideration, Lu Ran thought that general ha¡¯s level 30 trait was still undecided. Using this Sovereign Egg for a trade might get him some unique, powerful trait simr to the ¡°Dragon King trait.¡± With that thought, Lu Ran returned to reality. In the dormitory. As expected, Manager Ying was already waiting outside. Seeing Lu Ran emerge, it smiled: ¡°Suppressor of the Golden Generation, Passerby A, not bad.¡± ¡°Haha, is that what people are calling me online?¡± ¡°It is indeed a significant achievement,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Compared to the youth of some legendary beastmasters from the Star-Moon Continent, your strength is quitemendable.¡± ¡°Not bad, but there¡¯s still a lot of room for improvement,¡± Lu Ran said, scratching his nose. ¡°I was just about to look for you, Manager Ying.¡± ¡°I have a lower sovereign species egg as one of my rewards?it¡¯s a sub-dragon, the precursor to the Diamond Dragon, the Stone Dragon.¡± ¡°Besides that, I also have a tank of Diamond Dragon Blood that can potentially mutate the Stone Dragon into a Diamond Dragon.¡± ¡°Combining the two, there¡¯s a high chance of recreating a Diamond Dragon pet that rivals those in the secret realms!¡± Lu Ran said, exaggerating a bit. If it were the heart of the dragon and the Dragon King trait, there might be a chance to recreate a Diamond Dragon. However, with just a Stone Dragon Egg and ordinary Dragon Blood, the odds aren¡¯t as high. But when selling something, it¡¯s natural to hype up its rarity. Even if the chances aren¡¯t great, there is still a chance, right? ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal. I¡¯ll give you the Stone Dragon Egg and the Dragon Blood, and you help me get the resources I need. This way, you, as the middleman, can earn the difference.¡± ¡°Stone Dragon Egg???¡± Manager Ying was stunned, not expecting such a valuable item among the rewards. Good heavens, is this the treatment for a solo clear? A sovereign species pet beast egg is something even the top First Generation members covet. It¡¯s practically the best new pet candidate! Infinite City actually dismantled the secret realm boss to use as a reward! ¡°Is this an intelligencemission?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± Manager Ying considered the deal. It didn¡¯t need the Stone Dragon Egg itself, and a Diamond Dragon wouldn¡¯t mean much to it. However, such a pet beast egg, along with the apanying mutation resources, would likely drive most beastmasters crazy. Especially with the words ¡°Diamond¡± and ¡°Dragon¡±?the former is sure to be popr among female beastmasters, and thetter is universally appealing. ¡°What do you want?¡± Manager Ying asked in surprise. ¡°Are you stillcking resources?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to prepare in advance for the evolution at level 30.¡± ¡°In a while, I¡¯ll be entering a breakthrough secret realm. After the breakthrough, general ha and the sudden death king will be aiming to reach level 30 and will be able to fuse new traits.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already got an idea for the sudden death king¡¯s trait, but for general ha, I haven¡¯t found anything suitable yet. I¡¯m not satisfied with the repeatedly obtainable traits avable on the market.¡± ¡°So I¡¯m asking you to see if there are any unique, powerful traits suitable for it, especially those dropped from breakthrough secret realms, public secret realms, or even Legendary Secret Realms, particrly from foreign clearing teams.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Manager Ying nodded. Indeed, Legendary Secret Realms have been dropping many unique resources, and these resources aren¡¯t necessarily needed by the challengers. At such times, they often sell or trade them to get the resources they need. Lu Ran¡¯s idea was to have Manager Ying look into whether there were any unique rare traits suitable for general ha, held by beastmasters who had cleared special secret realms abroad. ¡°The chances aren¡¯t great,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Also, letting a sovereign pet beast egg end up abroad¡­ even if it gets a unique trait, it still feels like we¡¯re letting the other side get a bargain.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll help you investigate. Likewise, I¡¯ll keep an eye out here in Xia Country.¡± ¡°The First Generation members should have a lot of unique treasures as well.¡± ¡°Additionally, the First Generation might soon clear secret realms and acquire new resources. Plus, now that you¡¯ve cleared a Legendary Secret Realm, the top Fourth Generation members will probably start gathering and teaming up to clear new Legendary Secret Realms. Since you¡¯re not in a rush, why not wait and see?¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Worst case, when I choose a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm to clear, I¡¯ll check out a few countries and apply for ¡®exchange challenges.¡¯ I¡¯ll pick a Legendary Secret Realm that seems suitable for general ha, and maybe I¡¯ll get apatible trait myself.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s mouth twitched. Do you really not take Legendary Secret Realms seriously? ¡°Anyway, just keep an eye out for me, including for other resources,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°For instance, legion type traits, curse type traits, and reversal technique type traits¡­¡± Clearly, Lu Ran was nning ahead for the dark crow. ¡°Anyway, leave the Diamond Dragon Egg to you. You can make a small profit, but don¡¯t let me suffer too much. I still need to get some of the resources I need,¡± Lu Ran said, pretending to feel a pang of loss. ¡°This is a Sovereign Egg!¡± ¡°Are you nning to nurture that crow?¡± With its intelligencework, Manager Ying naturally knew all about Lu Ran¡¯s crow. After thinking for a moment, it said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, fair trade is our motto. You know the reputation of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦. And speaking of that crow, I do know of a¡­ very suitable rare trait for it! Its value, even if slightly less than your egg, isn¡¯t far off!¡± Chapter 151: The Gaze of the Evil God Chapter 151: The Gaze of the Evil God ¡°Exin in detail.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s interest was piqued when Manager Ying mentioned a trait suitable for the Dark Crow. ¡°You should know the history of the Star-Moon Continent, right?¡± ¡°The Star-Moon Continent is different from the Blue Star. On the Blue Star, humanity is not unified; each country is still engaged in open and covert conflicts.¡± ¡°Without an apocalyptic crisis, it¡¯s impossible for them toe together.¡± ¡°But the Star-Moon Continent is different. There, humans are rtively united. Because other supernatural beings have developed for much longer, the continent is full of dangers, both within and outside its borders. They have no choice but to stick together for survival.¡± ¡°Although the Beast Taming Empire has seen many emperors¡ªsome with Eastern features, some with Western features, and even some mixed-race humans¡ªit has always been regarded as the legitimate authority of humanity. This fact has never changed.¡± ¡°And looking at the history of the Beast Taming Empire, during the stages of resisting external enemies and expanding territories, they fought one of the most devastating and challenging wars.¡± ¡°The enemy was the evil god creatures from outside the Star-Moon Continent.¡±¡°The origin of this species is unknown, but their power is strange and mysterious. They are proficient in dark and psychic forces and are extremely skilled at bewitching people and using curse power.¡± ¡°Even before the Beast Taming Empire officially encountered these evil god creatures, the humans who had been bewitched by them were already causing immense suffering.¡± ¡°Among them, the most infamous minions of the evil god creatures were an organization called the ¡®Witch Coven.¡¯ The female beastmasters in this group were all granted power by the evil gods and were extremely malevolent in their methods.¡± ¡°Yes, the witch you asked me about, who cursed Principal Shi Zhen, is a member of this Witch Coven. She is a beastmaster who was bewitched by an evil god.¡± ¡°At that time, Shi Zhen and a group of first-generation beastmasters entered the breakthrough secret realm, which was from that era. Their mission was also rted to the evil god creatures¡­¡± ¡°Although they eventuallypleted the task excellently, he was cursed by the Witch Coven before leaving the secret realm.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Lu Ran was shocked. So that¡¯s what happened. ¡°The trait you mentioned, suitable for the Dark Crow, is it with Principal Shi Zhen?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°When hepleted the breakthrough task of that secret realm, he received a good rating and was rewarded with a rare trait called the ¡®Evil God¡¯s Eye.¡¯¡± ¡°Reportedly, it is the crystallization of the eye power of a Raptor-type evil god.¡± ¡°However, if you hope to grant your Dark Crow General immense power through this trait, you will be disappointed.¡± ¡°Although it does have the capability to enhance strength, it is primarily a support-type trait.¡± ¡°A pet beast that fuses with the Evil God¡¯s Eye will have its dark and mental powers significantly enhanced. Additionally, it will gain the Space Eye, which can shape the Evil God¡¯s Eye to cross space, from hundreds of meters to thousands, to tens of thousands, or even across an entire city, and gaze upon others.¡± ¡°Anyone gazed upon by the Evil God¡¯s Eye will be ¡®locked¡¯ by the evil god creature. Their traces will be indelibly remembered by the evil god creature, no matter where they run, they will be found, forever living under the gaze of the evil god.¡± ¡°One could say this is an extremely top-level reconnaissance-type trait!¡± ¡°Back then, many powerful figures of the Beast Taming Empire were driven nearly insane by being under the evil god¡¯s gaze. It could even lock onto others across multiple provinces.¡± ¡°I was thinking, your Dark Crow¡¯s curse power is hard to defend against. If paired with the reconnaissance ability of the Evil God¡¯s Eye, it might be able to curse enemies with greater precision from thousands of miles away!¡± ¡°Have you been letting it practice release-type skills recently?¡± ¡°With this, it¡¯s like giving it a super long-range precision aiming scope.¡± ¡°Whoa, that¡¯s awesome!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°This trait is truly powerful. I already have attackers and defenders in my team, but I¡¯m missing a scout. This seems perfect for the Dark Crow.¡± ¡°Wait, if this trait is so powerful, why didn¡¯t Principal Shi Zhen use it himself?¡± Manager Ying whistled and said, ¡°He would need a pet beast with both dark and mental attributes. Among the entire First Generation, no one¡¯s pet beast possesses both dark and mental attributes¡­¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not the main issue. Pet beasts can be reced by cultivating new ones. If the strategy team had such a top-tier trait, it would undoubtedly provide significant advantages in pioneering secret realms.¡± ¡°The real issue is that fusing the Evil God¡¯s Eye traites with certain side effects. Using the ultra-long-range Evil God¡¯s Gaze inflicts greater damage on the user¡¯s eyes the farther it gazes!¡± ¡°A level 20 pet beast might use the Evil God¡¯s Eye to gaze from Green Sea to Jinling, but it would go blind in the process. This trait has impressive reconnaissance capabilities, but the side effects are clearly defined. The trait crystal¡¯s introduction explicitly warns that prolonged use of the Evil God¡¯s Eye will damage the eyes.¡± ¡°Generally speaking, most beastmasters prefer abilities without side effects. If you end up nearly blinding yourself just for reconnaissance, it¡¯s not worth it. After all, there are other reconnaissance-type traits besides the Evil God¡¯s Eye.¡± ¡°Moreover, the Evil God¡¯s Eye is more effective in breakthrough secret realms than in ordinary ones. But on the Star-Moon Continent, such a trait might easily be mistaken by local powerhouses for an evil god¡¯s minion, leading to unintended harm. So, nurturing it is quite troublesome, you understand.¡± ¡°No wonder,¡± Lu Ran understood. ¡°So, even though this is a unique rare traitbining mental, dark, and spatial powers, it remains in Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s possession¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Lu Ran said decisively as Manager Ying finished speaking. So it causes significant eye damage? With a team consisting of a broken-tooth and a shattered-scale, the Dark Crow General¡¯s damaged eye would fit right in! The divine deer pendant was prepared just for you all! Evolving the Dark Crow into an evil god crow? Sounds good to Lu Ran. As long as the ability is strong enough, any side effect is negligible. ¡°Huh? Decided so quickly? I thought you would hesitate for a while!¡± Manager Ying was surprised. ¡°But there¡¯s actually another issue,¡± it said. ¡°What other issue?¡± Lu Ran asked, puzzled. ¡°Shi Zhen is almost ready to retire on the spot. The Stone Dragon Egg would be useless to him!¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± So, after all this fuss, nobody wants the Stone Dragon Egg? What kind of fate would be worthy of the Stone Dragon Egg¡¯s tumultuous journey¡­ ¡°Got it,¡± Manager Ying thought for a moment and said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Shi Zhen that your Crow has mastered the curse power, and now you¡¯re nning to study the powers of the evil god folks through the Evil God¡¯s Eye¡­ Maybe, in the future, you¡¯ll have a chance to find a way to lift his curse!¡± ¡°¡­This is an investment in his own future happiness, convincing him to sell you the Evil God¡¯s Eye no matter what.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that for a pitch?¡± ¡°Absolutely brilliant,¡± Lu Ran gave a thumbs up. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s trade the Stone Dragon Egg for other resources. Since you¡¯ve set your sights on the Evil God¡¯s Eye, I¡¯ll have a talk with Shi Zhen. But if he insists on keeping it for his own research, there¡¯s nothing I can do,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°But just to be sure, what¡¯s the actual value of the Stone Dragon Egg? Is there a high probability it will mutate into a Diamond Dragon? If we¡¯re trading with our own people, we can¡¯t rip them off,¡± Manager Ying, being an intelligence dealer, asked Lu Ran to maintain its reputation. A Diamond Dragon is the ace pet beast of a legendary beastmaster renowned across the Star-Moon Continent, with immense evolutionary potential! ¡°Ahem,¡± Lu Ran admitted, seeing Manager Ying¡¯s insistence, ¡°The chance of mutation isn¡¯t as high as I bragged earlier.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a very high probability that after bathing in Dragon Blood, it will remain an ordinary Stone Dragon.¡± ¡°Even if it mutates into a Diamond Dragon, it won¡¯tpare to the one in the secret realm.¡± ¡°The one in the secret realm has the dragon king bloodline. This one, even if it mutates, would just be an ordinary dragon species.¡± ¡°So, hoping to replicate Yi Du¡¯s legendary ace¡­ is a bit unrealistic. After all, the key resources that could make it rival the Diamond Dragon King, I¡¯ve kept for myself, nning to use them on the sudden death king¡­¡± After Lu Ran finished, Manager Ying fell silent. That¡¯s not what you said earlier. ¡°Forget it,¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words made Manager Ying understand. If there¡¯s a chance to sell it to our own people, we¡¯ll be as truthful as possible, with only slight embellishments to help them weigh the pros and cons. But if we sell it to other countries, like the Eagle Federation or Sakura Country, then this Stone Dragon would be the direct offspring of the Diamond Dragon King! In the future, there¡¯s a high probability it could replicate the achievements of the Diamond Dragon King! You won¡¯t be disappointed with your purchase. And if it doesn¡¯t pan out? There are no bad pet beasts, only bad beastmasters-that would be the beastmaster¡¯s own problem¡­ no after-sales service provided. ¡°By the way, Manager Ying, I¡¯ll take care of that pet beast egg for the uing Freshman Tournament.¡± ¡°About time!¡± Manager Ying pouted. This egg¡­ out with the old, in with the new. During Lu Ran¡¯s time strategizing in the Legendary Secret Realm, it had to watch over the egg, practically turning it into a babysitter. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not nning to enter a breakthrough secret realm soon.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lu Ran smiled. He initially nned to time his entry into the breakthrough secret realm to coincide with the hatching of the pet beast egg. But now, having spent a month in the Legendary Secret Realm, entering another breakthrough secret realm would mean missing the egg¡¯s hatching. This would result in the newly hatched creature not seeing him first. No matter the species, Lu Ran believed the hatchling would most likely consider the first creature it sees as its parent. So, to build a deeper bond with the egg, Lu Ran decided to wait for it to hatch and take care of it for a while before entering a level 1 breakthrough secret realm. It¡¯s just a monthter than nned; Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry. Since getting the ck card, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t taken a proper break. With this month, although training would continue, he nned to spend most of his time rxing with General Ha, the sudden death king, and himself. And maybe take a trip, like visiting LuJia Vige, which he always wanted to see but never had the chance. If he could acquire the Evil God¡¯s Eye, Lu Ran nned to focus more on nurturing the dark crow over General Ha and the sudden death king for this month. If the young elemental pet beast wasn¡¯t fit for battle due to its age, then Lu Ran would likely choose the dark crow as his third pet beast. Lu Ran needed to ensure that, like the sudden death king, the dark crow would have impressive abilities right after being contracted, able to contribute to the team. Chapter 152: Beastmaster Mentor Chapter 152: Beastmaster Mentor ¡°By the way.¡± Just as Manager Ying was about to leave, Lu Ran suddenly called out. ¡°I have something here for you!¡± Lu Ran took out the damage transfer skill card. ¡°By the way, does a curse count as damage? If it does, could you help me give this to Principal Shi Zhen? If it can help him out.¡± Lu Ran thought Principal Shi Zhen was quite a decent person! Over time, Principal Shi Zhen had given him two exquisite resources. One was the Wind King¡¯s Fruit and the other was the ethereal flower. Although one was an advance sry and the other was a reward he earned, the other party was quite generous. Now, he was thinking about the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait¡­Principal Shi Zhen probably wouldn¡¯t care much about the Stone Dragon Egg, but this damage transfer might be useful. The only problem was whether this thing could actually transfer a curse. If it couldn¡¯t, that would be a bit of a problem¡­ It might even waste one of the other party¡¯s skill slots for nothing. So, Lu Ran first asked Manager Ying if it knew anything about this skill. ¡°Damage transfer?¡± Manager Ying paused, looking at Lu Ran, and said, ¡°Just how many good things have you acquired¡­¡± But then it shook its head and said, ¡°Sorry, but he probably can¡¯t use this skill of yours.¡± ¡°Huh? A curse doesn¡¯t count as damage?¡± ¡°Maybe it does, but if the curse is too high-level, do you think a newly learned damage transfer can transfer it? Skills need to be developed.¡± ¡°Many beastmasters have multiple skill slots but only specialize in one or two beast taming skills for this reason.¡± ¡°Dabbling in too many things without mastery!¡± ¡°And the reason I said he can¡¯t use your skill is because¡­ he already knows this skill himself!¡± Lu Ran was stunned. He had calcted everything except this. Damn, just how much effort had Principal Shi Zhen put into trying to revert back? ¡°Aftering out of the breakthrough secret realm, he has been trying various ways to lift the curse. His new contract slots and skill slots have long been filled with skills to try and lift the curse.¡± ¡°Damage transfer is thetest skill he learned. Your card is not the first on the blue star. Although it¡¯s rare, beastmasters abroad also obtained it from breakthrough secret realms.¡± ¡°He got the intelligence and bought it at a high price from other countries. He paid a considerable price for this skill, which doesn¡¯t have a stable drop rate.¡± ¡°In the end, after learning it, he still couldn¡¯t transfer the curse.¡± ¡°You could say it was a lot of effort wasted for nothing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s such a shame.¡± Lu Ran had thought giving the damage transfer skill would be a surefire way to get the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait, but he didn¡¯t expect the other party already had the skill. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, leave it to me.¡± ¡°As forborpensation, I¡¯ll take it from the Stone Dragon Egg.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you get that trait. Of course, you might have to pay some other price as well¡­ depending on my negotiation results with him.¡± With that, Manager Ying stepped out, not saying anything more to Lu Ran. Seeing it leave, Lu Ran stood there in thought. After a long while, he shook his head. Forget it. Whatever. Lu Ran began packing his things. The professor¡¯s vi was nice, but he didn¡¯t n to stay here for the time being. During this process, Lu Ran casually turned on the TV¡­ ¡°The beast that suppressed an era¡­¡± As soon as the sound came on, Lu Ran turned it off. Goodness, they were quick to jump on the bandwagon. ¡°Speaking of which, I haven¡¯t shared the good news with Fang Lan, and she hasn¡¯te to congratte me either.¡± While packing, Lu Ran casually picked up his phone and dialed Fang Lan¡¯s number. ¡°Uh¡­¡± On the other end, Fang Lan¡¯s sleepy voice came through. ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­You should watch the news.¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°What¡¯s up? Just tell me.¡± Fang Lan was annoyed, not in the mood for guessing games. ¡°Alright, I cleared the Legendary Secret Realm.¡± Lu Ran sighed, feeling it was quite anticlimactic. The whole world was shocked by his solo clear of the Legendary Secret Realm, and this person was sleeping. ¡°Huh? Huh? Huh?!¡± ¡°You cleared it?!¡± Fang Lan¡¯s tone changed: ¡°Did my poison work?¡± ¡°It did,¡± Lu Ranughed. ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯d have taken a few more beatings before seeding.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Fang Lan said, feeling pleased. With her research deepening, she found poison increasingly interesting. It gave her a sense of invincibility, thinking that as long as something could be poisoned, even gods could be taken down. ¡°Since you¡¯re done with your side of things, I need to start considering my own Path of Legend,¡± Fang Lan said calmly. Lu Ran didn¡¯t bring her along, so she¡¯d go on her own. Now that both of her pet beasts were level 20, and since her poison had proven effective even against Dragon n bosses, Fang Lan was inspired to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm herself. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, about to say something, but then he thought of the rich rewards from the Legendary Secret Realm and felt it would indeed be a pity if Fang Lan missed out. Fang Lan continued, ¡°Actually, before, people like Youxiong Anlin, Du Yuan, and Pluto had asked me if I was interested in teaming up to tackle the Legendary Secret Realm. But at that time, my pet beasts weren¡¯t level 20 yet, and with your warning, I thought it was too dangerous, so I declined.¡± ¡°Now, I think teaming up might be worth a try.¡± ¡°Then go with Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan,¡± Lu Ran suggested. ¡°Those two aren¡¯t weak. If I had teamed up with them earlier, we might have cleared it a month ago.¡± Youxiong Anlin¡¯s Light and Dark Panda seemed to be well-trained. It was the only pet beast in the Freshman Tournament that had mastered the second stage of the energy flow technique, a skill that even General Ha and the sudden death king (the lizard) hadn¡¯t grasped. The second stage of energy flow not only had remarkable stamina recovery but also could partially ignore defense, directly inflicting energy damage into the enemy¡¯s body, enhancing the pration of energy skills. So, just as General Ha could break the defense of the Diamond Dragon, the Light and Dark Panda could also break defenses. Both the Dragon yer Sword intent and the second stage of energy flow had some armor-piercing effects. As for Du Yuan, he had a space pet beast that could perform short-range teleportation and spatial concealment, serving as a decoy to attract the Diamond Dragon¡¯s attacks. Although he couldn¡¯t withstand much damage, he could easily dodge and draw attacks. These two ¡°Freshman Tournament runner-up and third-ce¡± yers had some skills. With their help, Lu Ran estimated he could have cleared the Legendary Secret Realm much earlier. Combining Fang Lan¡¯s poison with these two¡¯sbat power, Lu Ran felt they might have a good chance of teaming up to clear the newly refreshed Legendary Secret Realm. If three weren¡¯t enough, adding a fourth member should do the trick. It¡¯s a shame that the superhuman Lin Yin had disappeared. Otherwise, having a superhuman lead the team would have made it even easier. ¡°If you can¡¯t find suitable teammates, don¡¯t rush into the challenge. Just stay at level 1 for now.¡± ¡°What are you nning?¡± Fang Lan asked. ¡°Have you forgotten? I¡¯m a professor in the cultivating department, a professor!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Fang Lan still didn¡¯t understand. Lu Ran exined, ¡°Next, I¡¯m going to focus on research on Loong-type species. At that time, I¡¯ll definitely need pet beasts and beastmasters to cooperate.¡± ¡°I can totally select a batch of students from the freshmen, have them cooperate in the Loong-type research, and use the resources of the beast taming university to help them cultivate their second pet, steering it towards the Loong-type direction.¡± ¡°If the Eagle Federation can cultivate a Tyrannosaurus Rex team, I should have no problem cultivating a ¡®Jiao Dragon Team¡¯ at the beast taming university, right?¡± ¡°Besides, I can invest in their second trait, third trait, and beast taming skills just like Dr. Gu invested in me¡­¡± ¡°Very soon, a powerful Fourth Generation Dragon Taming Team can be formed. By then, you can lead the team to tackle the secret realm, and the chances of clearing it will be very high.¡± Fang Lan remarked, ¡°And if this team finds a unique trait or skill in the Legendary Secret Realm that suits you, they would hand it over to you, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so calcting, I could hear your ns all the way from the girls¡¯ dormitory!¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± Seeing his intentions exposed by Fang Lan, Lu Ran said, ¡°It¡¯s a win-win cooperation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mutually beneficial. I¡¯m not taking advantage of anyone.¡± Dragon King trait, Stone Dragon Egg¡ªthese resources, even the First Generation would envy. From this, it¡¯s clear that the unique rewards of the Legendary Secret Realm have little to do with level; each is a top-tier treasure. Unfortunately, Lu Ran himself can only clear it once. However, Lu Ran could only clear the Legendary Secret Realm once, but he could ¡°cultivate¡± and ¡°mentor¡± other beastmasters, enabling them to team up and clear the Legendary Secret Realm, thereby earning rewards. Then, he could take a share of their rewards, effectively allowing him to gain from the Legendary Secret Realm indefinitely. A true Beastmaster Mentor! Fang Lanughed and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this just like when we teamed up to clear the novice secret realm back then?¡± ¡°Except that one had you leading the team and providing absolutebat power, while the other has you stepping back to offer resources.¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty much how it is,¡± Lu Ran said, rubbing his nose. The rewards from the Legendary Secret Realm were just too tempting. Besides, he did have the means to do this¡­ ¡°So, your choice of people¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I think the folks from LuJia Vige are quite suitable. The main thing is, we already know each other well and have teamed up dozens of times. Also, it keeps the benefits within the family.¡± ¡°When I won the Freshman Tournament, Lu Bing and the others even invited me to be the vige chief of LuJia Vige¡­¡± This was true. After Lu Ran became sessful, the beastmasters of LuJia Vige hoped Lu Ran would return to the vige. LuJia Vige had a strong sense of n identity, with the older generation being somewhat xenophobic, but Lu Ran was not an outsider at all. His grandfather was the previous vige chief, and his parents had donated an elementary school and a clinic to LuJia Vige. Now, Lu Ran, as one of the leading fourth-generation beastmasters, had also provided significant help to the vige¡¯s development. Even the current vige chief of LuJia Vige believed that Lu Ran was more suited to leading the vige and the Lu n forward. The vige chief of LuJia Vige had always been the strongest person, historicallypeting through hunting skills. Now, Lu Ran was undoubtedly the strongest person toe out of LuJia Vige, making him the obvious choice for the vige chief. At that time, Lu Ran, being busy, didn¡¯t take it seriously and politely declined Lu Bing and the others with augh. A minor taking on the role of vige chief? Ridiculous. But now¡­ while he didn¡¯t necessarily need to be the vige chief, Lu Ran felt there was a need to cultivate his own force. It was too slow to reap the benefits of infinite city on his own. Rather than choosing other talented individuals with their own backgrounds to be Loong-type graduate students, it would be better to choose those with some connection to the divine deer and his own lineage-the Lu n. A vige protected by legendary creatures is certainly not simple. Besides himself, there might be other ¡°cheaters¡± emerging from there in the future. ¡°¡­¡± Fang Lan. Fang Lan was speechless. Lu Ran, with his ambitions of bing the King of Green Sea and now a n leader, are you really nning something big? ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for Lu Bing and the others to break through level 1 and team up with them.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m researching the poison species, it doesn¡¯t really depend on my level, so I¡¯m not in a hurry to break through to level 2.¡± ¡°Sounds good!¡± Lu Ran agreed. Since the Legendary Secret Realm would refresh and there weren¡¯t any imminent opportunities like the Freshman Tournament, it wasn¡¯t necessary to rush through the levels. As they spoke, Lu Ran opened the group chat for the novice secret realm strategy team. Passerby A: [Everyone, don¡¯t rush to choose your second pet beast. Let me see if I can find some suitable fish, lizard, or snake pet beasts with inbornmander species traits. This way, when you apply to be my graduate students and join me in researching Loong-type evolution, the university might provide some resources to support us.] [If the Dragon Pets are well-cultivated, everyone will have a chance to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm after reaching level 1.] As soon as Lu Ran spoke, the LuJia Vige team and Pig Raiser got excited. Pig Raiser: [God Lu, I bow to you!] Wow, inbornmander species pet beasts-this was a privilege reserved for the top 16 of the Freshman Tournament. Lu Bing: [So, should we challenge the breakthrough secret realm now?] Currently, the group had pretty much mastered the novice abyss secret realm, collecting a considerable amount of resources and making it to the top of the supernatural divine beast leaderboard. There were no more challenges left in the novice secret realm stage. But to contract a second pet, they would need to break through first. Passerby A: [We can try to apply for a month¡¯s leave from the university to challenge the breakthrough secret realm. If the opportunities inside are good, we might leap to the first echelon of the Fourth Generation.] After Lu Ran¡¯s suggestion, everyone was especially motivated and couldn¡¯t wait to challenge the breakthrough secret realm, be level 1 beastmasters, and join Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Taming Team. ¡­ On the other side. Manager Ying had already found Shi Zhen. When it teleported to Shi Zhen¡¯s house, it was exasperated to see Shi Zhen picking out suitable women¡¯s clothing. Manager Ying said, ¡°I say, are you already getting used to this curse??¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve even thought of a name for your new gender. Let me guess, Shi Xia?¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Shi Zhen was startled by the sudden voice. He immediately threw away the dress and angrily looked at the cat, saying, ¡°Intelligence dealer, don¡¯t you know to knock before entering someone¡¯s house?¡± ¡°Seriously.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Shi Zhen said, ¡°I¡¯m just preparing for the worst. If I really can¡¯t lift the curse in the future, then¡­ I¡¯d have to get used to it eventually. I can¡¯t just kill myself.¡± Manager Ying felt something was wrong. Oh my, this curse is really powerful. It¡¯s almost bending Shi Zhen¡¯s mind. Step by step, it¡¯s eroding his mind. ¡°Do you actually want to recover?¡± Manager Ying frowned, saying, ¡°I just found some information that might help you recover.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Shi Zhen looked sharply at Manager Ying. ¡°I discovered a supernatural being that naturally awakened the power of curses!¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Where!¡± Shi Zhen was shocked. Ever since he was cursed, he had been searching for beings that possessed curse power for research. He even tried cultivating some himself, but without the relevant traits, he had never seeded. Although he had the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait, it wasn¡¯t inherently curse power, just a technique for spatial maniption. So, his research into curse power had hit a dead end. Now, hearing that Manager Ying had found a pet beast with curse power, he immediately asked anxiously. ¡°Lu Ran. Lu Ran cultivated a Third Pet. It¡¯s inherently dark. After Lu Ran fed it mental awakening resources, the pet beast, with its exceptional talent, awakened curse power bybining the two attributes.¡± ¡°Lu Ran?!¡± Shi Zhen had just seen the news about Lu Ran solo-clearing the Legendary Secret Realm. He was choosing clothes to dress up formally and meet this genius. After all, they hadn¡¯t met yet, but identally, he got distracted by the women¡¯s clothing. ¡°What kind of luck does he have?¡± Shi Zhen couldn¡¯t help but say. ¡°So, why not invest in him a bit? He¡¯s an exquisite Chef and has a curse pet beast. Maybe, through research into curse power, he could cook an exquisite cuisine that can lift the curse,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Remember to pay the intelligence fee.¡± ¡°I recall you had a bounty out for curse-rted information.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°But it seems like he doesn¡¯tck any resources right now. How should I invest?¡± Shi Zhen pondered. ¡°I should have a good impression on him, right? I¡¯ve already given him two exquisite resources.¡± ¡°If Lu Ran remembers my kindness¡­¡± ¡°Even if he does, he needs the capability to research an antidote. He¡¯s still quite weak right now, how can he contribute? Don¡¯t you have the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait? You aren¡¯t using it, so why not give it to him to enhance his curse pet beast? It might help him research faster,¡± Manager Ying suggested. ¡°That makes sense.¡± Shi Zhen thought for a moment, ¡°But this trait has some side effects. He might not want to fuse it with his pet beast.¡± ¡°This is the only top-level trait rted to dark and mental attributes, and it¡¯s unique in the world. Even if he has some concerns, given its rarity, he should be tempted. It shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°Give me the trait, and leave everything to me. I¡¯ll make sure he willingly helps you research an antidote.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Shi Zhen took out the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait crystal, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Manager Ying. Briefly describe my cursed situation to Lu Ran and ask him to research an exquisite cuisine to lift the curse with the help of his curse pet beast.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Manager Ying nodded slightly. Then, it happily departed. This is what a top-level intelligence dealer is all about! Sess! Chapter 153: Bringing a Female Chef Home Chapter 153: Bringing a Female Chef Home At the dormitory, Lu Ran had just hung up the phone with Fang Lan. In fact, Fang Lan had always been interested in Loong-type species. She had previously discussed her ideas with Lu Ran: she also wanted to evolve a poison dragon. However, after learning more, her thoughts changed. Now, Fang Lan only desired the ultimate poison. She didn¡¯t want to waste the ¡°trait slot¡± to fuse poison snake with Loong-type traits to turn it into a dragon. After all, the Loong-type didn¡¯t particrly enhance poison. Instead, she wanted to continuously stack different ¡°poison traits¡± to make her pet beast¡¯s poison even stronger. As for her ideal poison dragon, she would naturally wait to directly contract with a poison-type Dragon n member.When Lu Ran cultivates a stable Loong-type evolution path and the Dragon Pet attributes flourish, there will naturally be a ¡°poison-type dragon baby¡± born. This way, she could skip the basic species cultivation and directly enhance the toxicity on the Loong-type foundation. Lu Ran thought Fang Lan was bing more and more extreme; this identity of a poison-type beastmaster was really getting out of hand. On her cultivation path, she didn¡¯t want to mix in any impurities. It seems that the future title of the world¡¯s number one poison-type master belongs to her; she truly doesn¡¯t want to take any detours. Soon, Lu Ran had packed up, but just as he was about to leave, he saw Manager Ying yawning anding back. ¡°Why are you back again?¡± Seeing it looking half-asleep, Lu Ran thought it hadn¡¯t found Principal Shi Zhen and was nning toe back for a nap. ¡°Here.¡± The next moment, Lu Ran saw Manager Ying with a calm expression, tossing him a trait crystal. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was stunned. He caught the crystal, and the eye of data took a look, and he immediately eximed, ¡°No way, this fast?¡± ¡°Did you negotiate with Principal Shi Zhen, or did you rob him?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡­ never mind, it¡¯s not important.¡± ¡°He was particrly fond of this trait crystal, nning to give it to a favored nephew.¡± ¡°But he considered my request and chose to make a deal with you instead.¡± Manager Ying, with a ¡°you should be grateful¡± tone, said, ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t ask for your Stone Dragon Egg. Just spend more effort in the future researching a cuisine that can lift curses.¡± ¡°When the timees, you can repay this favor by creating an exquisite cuisine that can lift curses.¡± ¡°Dragons are the creatures with the highest curse resistance. You can easily research this while working on Loong-type cuisine. Once you have an idea, you can apply for resources directly from the university.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Hmph,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I¡¯ll deduct my payment from the proceeds once the Stone Dragon Egg is sold.¡± With that, Lu Ran saw Manager Ying, looking rather pleased with itself, walking step by step back to its room. Seeing its expression, Lu Ran fell into deep thought, feeling that something was off. Oh well, it didn¡¯t matter. After all, he had the Evil God¡¯s Eye now, and the Stone Dragon Egg along with the Diamond Dragon Blood could be exchanged for other resources. Letting Manager Ying take a cut seemed reasonable. He looked at the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait in his hand. Unfortunately, it would have to wait until he contracted the dark crow to fuse with it¡­ This process would take about two months. Why not start training the dark crow¡¯s vision in advance? They say you are what you eat, so for the next month, he would give it more eyeballs to eat. ¡­ After packing up, Lu Ran was ready to return to Green Sea City. However, as soon as he stepped out the door, he saw a girl in a ck training suit, holding a phone, seemingly navigating to a specific location. ¡°Lu¡­¡± She stopped in front of a vi and, seeing Lu Ran justing out of the house, was momentarily stunned. ¡°Lu Ran!¡± Lu Ran looked at the short-haired girl in surprise and spoke: ¡°Summer?¡± ¡°Are you looking for me?¡± This person was none other than the disciple of Old Gentleman Jiang Dou¡¯s old rival, the new beastmaster who mastered spear intent, Summer. ¡°Uh-huh¡­¡± ¡°Congrattions on your breakthrough in the Legendary Secret Realm.¡± Summer lowered her phone-holding arm, slightly congratting him, then her cheeks turned red as if she had made a big decision, and said, ¡°I came to ask if you¡¯re still taking students¡­¡± ¡°You said before in the arena that if I learned Culinary from you, it could help my spear intent advance, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran recalled. ¡°You left right after that, so I thought you weren¡¯t interested.¡± It¡¯s been a month since then¡­ ¡°I did talk to the school about changing my major, but they said your ss is an advanced course and isn¡¯t avable right now. They told me to contact you privately,¡± Summer exined seriously. ¡°But during that time, I was working with the school¡¯s mentor to select a second pet, so this matter got dyed.¡± ¡°Another reason is¡­ at first, I thought I could do it on my own.¡± ¡°But today, after seeing you single-handedly conquer the Legendary Secret Realm¡­¡± A capable person can be a teacher. She didn¡¯t mind that Lu Ran was younger than her. As long as she could learn something valuable, she was willing to learn cooking from Lu Ran. As long as it could make her stronger¡­ ¡°You want to learn how to use spear intent personally, without relying on your pet beast¡¯s power, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. This was something Lu Ran had already studied. After all, he himself had mastered this technique. Though he learned it through super beast mimicry, once mastered, the sword intent became his own. Additionally, Lu Ran had a certain talent for it. Combining the development of his brain and precise control of his body¡¯s strength with the Inch-perfect de technique, Lu Ran quickly gained a deep understanding of how he learned and mastered sword intent. It wasn¡¯t just about ¡°knowing¡± the technique; he understood how he, as a human, learned it. In fact, Lu Ran was even attempting to ¡°create martial arts,¡± aiming to develop a swordsmanship technique simr to the Inch-perfect de technique that could help ordinary people master sword intent. His research into this was, of course, for the Old Gentleman Jiang Dou. Lu Ran wanted to surprise him. After all, the Old Gentleman had pursued sword intent his entire life. If he missed the opportunity just because he couldn¡¯t be a beastmaster, it would be too regrettable. So, having already started researching ¡°self-created skills,¡± Lu Ran was naturally qualified to guide Summer. The Old Gentleman Jiang Dou had praised Lu Ran as a once-in-a-decade swordsmanship genius, and it was not without reason. General Ha was able toprehend sword intent so easily mainly because it received feedback from Lu Ran¡¯s weapon talent through reverse super beast mimicry. Otherwise, what itprehended would likely be called ordinary artistic conception, not sword intent. ¡°Yes,¡± Summer felt that she had reached a limit. Challenging an abyssal difficulty secret realm of the same level might be possible, but challenging the Legendary Secret Realm was still far beyond her reach. She clearly also wanted to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm¡­ and, like Lu Ran, solo clear it. ¡°In addition to that, there¡¯s also Dark Spear Intent,¡± Summer added. ¡°This spear intent, I also want to use without relying on my pet beast.¡± ¡°Hmm? What spear intent?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°What is Dark Spear Intent?¡± Summer exined, ¡°My second pet beast is a ck Panther. It has excellentprehension, and through my training, it has mastered the artistic conception of darkness shaping. It canpletely devour the sunlight in an area, creating a region as dark as night.¡± ¡°It can also attack to deprive the opponent of the light in front of them.¡± ¡°After merging with it, I also gained a simr ability of Dark Spear Intent. It¡¯s the opposite of Fire Plundering Spear Intent. However, I can¡¯t use either Fire Plundering Spear Intent or Dark Spear Intent on my own.¡± ¡°I feel that if I want to further improve my strength, I need the ability to use artistic conception power independently.¡± ¡°Another one? It seems like artistic conception shaping is asmon as dirt with you,¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but remark. ¡°Hmm? Isn¡¯t it the same with you?¡± Summer retorted. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It might also be rted to my beast taming skills. My first beast taming skill is fusion, and another one I obtained from a breakthrough secret realm is Comprehension Enhancement, which can improve my pet beast¡¯sprehension ability.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Even so, it was still impressive. Comprehension Enhancement¡­ another unique beast taming skill that he hadn¡¯t heard of before. Lu Ran pondered. No wonder she ranked fourth among the freshmen. In the absence of superhuman Lin Yin, Summer, with her simple background, managed to reach fourth ce, defeating many second-generation beastmasters like Pluto and the Dog King. There had to be a reason for it. She must have mastered spear intent early on and performed well in the breakthrough secret realm with it. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have obtained such a rare skill. ¡°It¡¯s possible. Techniques are interconnected. Once youprehend one, the others will follow naturally. If you hade earlier, I might not have had the time, but I happen to be free for the next month,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Come back to Green Sea City with me. By the way, Green Sea City is where my family lives.¡± Lu Ran maintained a calm expression, feeling quite pleased inside. Having Summer return with him meant that her ¡°Fire Plundering Spear Intent,¡± which could also be called ¡°Sun Culinary Intent,¡± could be used to cook meals for him, allowing his me Sprite to absorb new energy and grow. Additionally, he could guide her to use Dark Culinary Intent to create Dark Cuisine for the Dark Crow. Originally, Lu Ran was troubled that the food he prepared wasn¡¯t suitable for the Dark Crow. After all, his Blizzard Culinary Intent and Dragon Culinary Intent were suitable for General Ha and the Sudden Death King, respectively. He didn¡¯t have any culinary intent rted to darkness, spirit, or curses that could benefit the Dark Crow. Now, a talented female chef hade along. She could cook dishes as she trained her culinary intent, and these could be rewards for his beasts. This unexpected arrival of a chef apprentice was a delightful surprise for Lu Ran. He had to bring her back to Green Sea City to be the Dark Crow¡¯s temporary cultivator! Of course, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t take advantage of her. He would try to teach her his experiences and techniques for using sword intent and culinary intent independently, and even top-level techniques like Dragon Culinary Intent. ¡°Alright.¡± Summer had no objections to going to Green Sea City. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Buy a ticket to Jinling now, and we¡¯ll transfer from there,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°So soon?¡± Summer was startled. ¡°Time is money.¡± ¡­ Green Sea City! After taking leave from thebat department, Summer followed Lu Ran directly to Green Sea City. For amodation, Lu Ran¡¯s house was big, and he nned to find her an empty room. The two had just taken a taxi from the airport to the Starlight Vi Community and got out of the car. Suddenly, Summer saw a ck bird flying rapidly in the sky. It was a giant crow! ¡°Enemy attack!¡± Summer¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as she pulled out her spear, startling Lu Ran who quickly intervened. ¡°Friendly,¡± Lu Ran said swiftly. The approaching figure was naturally the Dark Crow. It ignored Summer and looked straight at Lu Ran. ¡°Big King, I was busy practicing sniping and didn¡¯t notice you had returned,¡± it said, flying towards Lu Ran under Summer¡¯s bewildered gaze. Of course, Lu Ran pushed it away without hesitation. ¡°A talking crow!¡± ¡°Wait, what is sniping?¡± Summer remained confused. ¡°And why does it call you Big King?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a long story. Anyway, wee to Green Sea City.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my prospective Third Pet.¡± ¡°Dark Crow, this is a chef apprentice who came with me. She should be quite skilled at barbecue and Dark Cuisine,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile, stroking his chin. ¡°For the time being, you will be responsible for tasting her Dark Cuisine.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Summer was taken aback. Barbecue? Dark Cuisine? Quickly, sheposed herself. Whatever Lu Ran said was fine, as long as it could make her stronger¡­ ¡°Understood!¡± The Dark Crow scrutinized Summer and said, ¡°You scared me. I thought it was the queen, but it¡¯s just a chef.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Summer: ??? ¡°You might want to keep quiet,¡± Lu Ran said, his face darkening. He felt the Dark Crow was getting cheeky again, so he took out a pet beast egg. ¡°Go hatch this egg.¡± Dark Crow: ??? Hatch, hatch an egg??? Big King! I am a subject, not a consort. Nearby, Summer also felt a bit faint. Could this be the pet beast egg of the Freshman Tournament champion? Isn¡¯t this a special species? Given to a crow to hatch? Green Sea City is strange, both its people and its supernatural beings! ¡°It¡¯s just to watch over it,¡± Lu Ran exined. He wanted the Dark Crow to get acquainted with the egg, as he nned to enter a breakthrough secret realm soon. He would rely on Manager Ying and the Dark Crow to help take care of the baby. Since it was a future teammate, the Dark Crow needed to get used to it first. Chapter 154: The First Encounter of King and General Chapter 154: The First Encounter of King and General Soon, Lu Ran moved in with Summer. After arriving home, Lu Ran released General Ha and Sudden Death King. The two pet beasts found Summer curious. But they didn¡¯t stay curious for long and soon ran off to watch TV together. Tom and Jerry, start! As for Dark Crow, it stayed silent on the side, holding a giant egg¡­ How the heck do you hatch this thing¡­ Once Lu Ran had finished tidying up, Summer had also almost finished organizing her room. Seeing Summer, Lu Ran called out to her:¡°Come with me.¡± Saying this, he led Summer to the adjacent gym. Lu Ran activated a giant punching machine. Seeing this, Summer looked intrigued. Then, she saw Lu Ran calmly punch the machine. Beep beep beep¡­ 150 points. Then, Lu Ran punched it a second time. Beep¡­ 150 points. Lu Ran punched it three more times, making it a total of five punches, each scoring 150 points. After the demonstration, Lu Ran looked at Summer and said, ¡°Your turn to try.¡± ¡°Punch three times. You don¡¯t need to use full strength each time; just control your power and make sure each punch has roughly the same force.¡± ¡°Like this?¡± Summer followed Lu Ran¡¯s instructions and punched three times. The scores disyed were 163, 142, and 152 respectively. Seeing this, Summer fell into deep thought. Lu Ranughed: ¡°These scores reflect the force of your punches. Clearly, your control over your strength is not perfect yet.¡± ¡°If you want to master spear intent, start by practicing this.¡± ¡°The control of your strength depends on your brain, and the key to wielding spear intent lies in your mental will, which also depends on the brain, an unknown realm. The two are deeply connected.¡± ¡°I have a de technique here. You can start practicing with it.¡± ¡°The main purpose of this technique is to develop your brain, thereby improving your control over your body.¡± ¡°You could say that mastering this technique is a crucial step for you to embark on the supernatural path.¡± ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to practice with a real de. You can use a sword or a spear; it¡¯s the same.¡± ¡°When you can do what I do, punching with a force variation of no more than 3, we can proceed to the next step.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± At this moment, Summer was convinced that Lu Ran could genuinely teach her! She took the de technique that Lu Ran tossed to her. Hesitating for a moment, she looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°This must be very precious.¡± ¡°Not bad. It is quite valuable, but the Cultivation Studies major in the research department has simr techniques. I really don¡¯t understand why you chose thebat department. All the precious theoretical knowledge is in the cultivating, research, and Healing Departments¡­¡± ¡°You should switch majors as soon as possible.¡± Summer: ??? Is that so? Lu Ran yawned. For a genius, this was indeed the case. What thebat department taught, a genius had already mastered most of it. It was better to delve into niche fields to enhance one¡¯s own strength. The Cultivation Studies major had been researching how to enable Blue Star humans to open their Beast Taming Space. Additionally, they studied how to quickly level up beast taming skills and developed some niche skills for human use. There were indeed a few skills simr to the Inch-perfect de technique for direct human cultivation. This was something Lu Ran had heard from Manager Ying. However, there wasn¡¯t a technique with exactly the same function as the Inch-perfect de technique. The techniques there were mostly for health maintenance and body forging. Counting the Inch-perfect de technique, Lu Ran felt that these skills for human cultivation were quite simr to martial arts manuals in Blue Star¡¯s martial arts dramas. Although they couldn¡¯tpare to beast taming skills in terms of power, they were still rare and valuable, especially since they didn¡¯t upy a skill slot and didn¡¯t require the power of a pet beast. Lu Ran felt that these skills were very likely the predecessors of beast taming skills, developed by humans on Star-Moon Continent to strengthen their bodies and fight fierce beasts before the beast taming system was researched. Although they were quickly reced by beast taming skills, they were still passed down on a small scale. In short, Lu Ran found the Inch-perfect de technique, which develops the brain, to be quite impressive. The proprietress¡¯s ancestors must have been extraordinary. Indeed, for Shopkeeper Long to be assigned as a novice guide for challengers in Infinite City, he must have had some background. ¡°You should go to the courtyard and practice on your own first.¡± ¡°Once you get the hang of it, the next training task is to maintain spear intent release!¡± ¡°Maintain spear intent release?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve watched many of your battle videos. Your usualbat style involves close-range fighting with a spear, right? You rarely use the spear for long-range skills.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Summer responded. ¡°Release-type skills consume too much energy. It¡¯s impossible to maintain long-termbat.¡± When strategizing for secret realms, frequent use of release skills would make it harder to conquer the realm. On the contrary, fighting directly with the spear often yielded better results. ¡°Well¡­ everyone starts off that way.¡± Lu Ran and General Ha initially faced this dilemma too, but with General Ha¡¯s fusion with the nature control trait, it no longercked energy. Now, the total amount of energy it could mobilize was greater than that of a level 30 pet beast. ¡°However, you still need to practice. This is also one of the basics for mastering spear intent, which can deepen your understanding of it.¡± ¡°When the timees, you¡¯ll practice by grilling Barbecue with an iron skewer. When you can make the spear intent stay on the roast meat for more than 5 minutes, you¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°By the way, you should have plenty of crystal coins now. I suggest you buy a dozen lucid fruits to speed up your progress.¡± ¡°Your pet beast has Comprehension Enhancement, and you have lucid fruits. You should be able to learn quickly,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°Hmm, you probably don¡¯t have any right now. I¡¯ll lend you ten for the time being. Remember to pay me backter.¡± After making arrangements, Lu Ran waved his hand, and ten lucid fruits appeared. Aftering into some money, he had bought a hundred lucid fruits to keep in stock, apparently treating them as after-meal snacks. ¡°This¡­¡± ¡°I will practice hard¡­¡± Seeing the ten lucid fruits appear, Summer¡¯s mouth twitched. She guessed that Lu Ran must have spent a considerable amount on resources that temporarily boosted learning abilities. Indeed, it¡¯s not just about fearing apetitor with high talent; it¡¯s about fearing one who has high talent, is willing to spend money, and also works hard. Infinite City No.3. After arranging for the female chef, Lu Ran returned here. Crystal coins bnce: 1.962 million Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (Epic), Spirit Transformation Pot (Exquisite), Long Leaved Sword Grass (Exquisite), Inscription Stone (Rare) Resources: Heart of the Diamond Dragon (Exquisite), Ethereal Flower (Exquisite), Trait Crystal (Dragon King Bloodline, Evil God¡¯s Eye), Beast Taming Skill Cards (Death Revival, Damage Transfer), Lucid Fruits x88, Upgrade Cards x116, various rare ingredients, various rare minerals. Currently, Lu Ran couldpletely be described as a wealthy tycoon. Even including the first-generation beastmasters, considering all his assets, Lu Ran should be among the wealthiest in the world. Anyone who could loot him would instantly be rich. This time, Lu Ran came to buy some eye-rted resources. Wearing a mask, he quickly arrived at the store and left just as quickly. [Name]: Darksea Pearl [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: The eye of the Darksea Octopus King. When consumed by dark-type creatures, it can effectively enhance mental sight and the strength of dark-type energy. Non-dark-type creatures will experience severe side effects, potentially resulting in permanent blindness. [Price]: 10,000 crystal coins/each Lu Ran bought sixty Darksea Octopus Eyes directly. Crystal coins bnce: 1.362 million Now, in terms of resources, Lu Ran could be described as extremely generous. Even General Ha¡¯s dog food was no longer the meager daily portion worth a few thousand crystal coins. It had been upgraded to a daily meal worth over ten thousand. He directly treated the ¡°Enhancement type rare resource,¡± which other fourth-generation beastmasters could only afford once after much frugality, as ¡°daily food¡± for his pet beasts. It was no surprise that with Lu Ran¡¯s method of cultivation, he would soon catch up with the progress of the third-generation beastmasters. After returning, Lu Ran nned to level up General Ha¡¯s contract card. He estimated that by the time he had a breakthrough, General Ha, even if not reaching level 30, wouldn¡¯t be far behind. As for Sudden Death King, there was an overabundance of Loong-type cuisine, providing more than enough nutrition. This meant Lu Ran didn¡¯t have to buy it himself, as Beast Taming University had prepared plenty for him to practice his Culinary Intent. Even Dark Crow now had a bunch of top-tier dark resources, and it seemed it would reach over level 20 by then. The rewards from the divine beast leaderboard and the Legendary Secret Realm taught Lu Ran that crystal coins were meant to enhance one¡¯s strength. With greater strength, one could earn even more crystal coins. Big money isn¡¯t saved, it¡¯s earned! ¡­ When Lu Ran returned, Summer was still practicing the Inch-perfect Spear Technique. Lu Ran temporarily called a halt: ¡°Take a break and switch training content to refresh your mind.¡± Summer: ¡­ ¡°Lunchtime is approaching. Today, you should start by practicing culinary skills with spear intent.¡± ¡°How should I do that?¡± Summer put away her spear, looking puzzled at Lu Ran inside the house. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared some ordinary ingredients for you to experiment with.¡± With that, Lu Ran nced at his phone, then walked out the door, returning shortly with arge bag. ¡°I bought a bag of pig eyes. Later, you will use iron skewers to apply Dark Spear Intent, using the skewers as spears to string the eyes together and roast them continuously in the courtyard. There¡¯s a barbecue grill over there.¡± ¡°As you roast, taste the food yourself. As dark cuisine, your ck Panther pet beast should also like it. I suggest you eat it in fusion with it to help you understand your Dark Culinary Intent from another perspective¡­¡± ¡°Me???¡± Summer¡¯s eyelids twitched as she looked at the bag Lu Ran opened. Inside, a pile of pig eyes stared back at her, sending chills down her spine. ¡°Can I not eat it?¡± she said. ¡°After roasting, I¡¯ll dissolve the fusion and let the ck Panther eat it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s best not to,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Ovee it; it¡¯s actually quite tasty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a specialty snack from Guangxi.¡± Summer¡¯s hands trembled as she held the spear. She had thought dark cuisine meant ¡°cuisine imbued with Dark Culinary Intent,¡± not ¡°literal dark cuisine!¡± Roasted pig eyes, for people to eat? She would rather eat fried bugs than roasted pig eyes. ¡°Keep it up. Once you¡¯ve practiced enough, I have a rare resource¡ªthe eye of the Darksea Octopus King¡ªthat needs roasting. At that time, I¡¯ll personally light the fire and teach you some fire skills toplement your Dark Culinary Intent.¡± Lu Ran offered encouragement. Dark Crow¡¯s meals depended on Summer. If she mastered her Dark Culinary Intent, it would significantly enhance the nutritional value of the Octopus eyes. At this moment, Lu Ran felt like a maniptive boss exploiting his employees. The harder the employees worked, the morefortable the boss could be. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best¡­¡± Summer, who was usually a steadfast spearsmanship girl, now looked slightly troubled. She felt that practicing culinary skills was more painful than practicing with her spear. After a while, Summer, feeling frustrated, went to set up the barbecue grill, carrying a bag of Pig Eyes to the backyard. Meanwhile, Lu Ran, chuckling, found Dark Crow and asked, ¡°How¡¯s it going, incubating the egg?¡± Dark Crow, holding the pet beast egg, remained silent and said in distress, ¡°Big King, please let me practice sniping instead; this is so boring.¡± ¡°Next time, watch your mouth!¡± Lu Ran red at Dark Crow menacingly. Luckily, this time it was just Summer. If it were next time with Dr. Gu, and this guy was still running its mouth, Lu Ran felt he could strangle it. ¡°Get out of here.¡± ¡°Go practice in the yard, and don¡¯t hit the house. Practice your release-type skills toward the sun.¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, the female chef is also in the yard grilling some food. After she¡¯s done, you can taste a bit and give her some feedback. If something doesn¡¯t suit your taste, let her know to improve it.¡± ¡°Big King, you¡¯re brilliant!!¡± Crow quickly put down the egg and flew to the yard. Lu Ran shook his head and began incubating the egg himself. An egg. Hurry and hatch. Lu Ran was now itching with curiosity about what was inside the egg. For this, he had even postponed his ns to enter the breakthrough secret realm. [Name]: Egg [Attribute]: Unknown [Species]: Unknown [Introduction]: A special life species with innate sovereign potential. Although the species type is unknown, Lu Ran was now fairly certain that it was an elemental lifeform. This was because the guild leader¡¯s breakthrough to Level 5 took ce in the elemental world. Besides him, a First Generation from Yinglun was also there. Only the two of thempleted the breakthrough task in that world. Both were rewarded with pet beast eggs. However, the species should be different. The other person¡¯s egg had a yellow shell, while this egg from Xia Country had a white shell. The other person¡¯s egg also hatched much earlier, producing a middle-level sovereign species rock-type lifeform. Therefore, Lu Ran¡¯s egg was very likely to be an elemental lifeform as well, given that it was obtained from the same world. Of course, there could be surprises. The elemental world also had ordinary supernatural beings. Although not mainstream, they still existed. Hence, it was highly probable that it was a special elemental species. ¡°Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t ovep with my current pet beasts¡¯ attributes,¡± Lu Ran prayed. Unlike Fang Lan, who preferred an extreme single path, he liked to have more variety to handle different situations. After all, Lu Ran often soloed. Having a diverse set of pet beast attributes would prevent him from being countered. ¡­ Meanwhile. As Summer was wrestling with the Pig Eyes, Dark Crow flew out andnded on a rock. It began to gaze at the clouds, gathering crow feather arrows, and started shooting at the sun. Whoosh!!! The ck energy crow feather flew up several dozen meters before the energy dimmed and quickly dissipated¡­ ¡°It¡¯s getting shorter. Under the sunlight, my crow feather arrows are getting shorter,¡± Crow muttered. ¡°Ahem.¡± Nearby, Summer couldn¡¯t help but scrutinize this Crow, wondering what was so special about Lu Ran¡¯s Third Pet. Besides speaking and having dark attributes, it indeed seemed quite rare. But judging from its strength, it appeared rather weak. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re called Dark Crow, right?¡± Summer asked while holding a skewer, striking up a conversation with Dark Crow. ¡°Hmm? cking off during cooking isn¡¯t a good habit!¡± Dark Crow, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s subordinate daring to ck off during cooking, immediately lectured her. Summer: ??? ¡°However, you are correct; I am indeed called Dark Crow. You can call me Dark Crow General,¡± Dark Crow said, making a gentlemanly greeting with its wing. [This Crow is so intelligent; its wisdom is almost on par with an adult¡¯s,] Summer couldn¡¯t help but marvel. ¡°By the way, how did you and Lu Ran meet? And why do you call him big king?¡± Summer further inquired out of curiosity. However¡­ ¡°Woman, you have crossed the line!¡± Dark Crow¡¯s pupils contracted, almost turning dark. How dare she pry into such confidential matters. ¡°Can¡¯t you say?¡± Summer was taken aback. Well, never mind then. She was just curious and didn¡¯t understand why this Crow and Lu Ran had such a harmonious rtionship without a contract. ¡°Not really,¡± Dark Crow pondered. It seemed there was no harm in sharing. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Dark Crow¡¯s thoughts drifted away. In Xia Country, the Crow species symbolized misfortune and was greatly disliked. Whenever it flew to a ce and encountered humans, it would always be driven away. Over time, Dark Crow began to fear humans and would instinctively flee at the sight of them. Until it met Lu Ran. Dark Crow still remembered the first time it encountered Lu Ran. It was eating a piece of carrion in the back mountain when Lu Ran suddenly appeared. Although it felt sorry to leave the food behind, it instinctively wanted to escape to avoid being attacked. But to its surprise, Lu Ran¡¯s voice prated its mind effortlessly. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s actually a crow here!¡± ¡°And it looks pretty cool.¡± ¡°Hey, Crow, do you want to be my general? I¡¯ll get you better food. What¡¯s so good about carrion?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask who I am; just call me ¡®King.¡¯ I am destined to be the King of Animals and the Beast Taming King.¡± ¡°Follow me!¡± ¡°Caw?¡± Recalling Lu Ran¡¯s delighted and non-discriminatory expression, Dark Crow knew right then that Lu Ran was entirely different from other humans. Some people are born to be kings and are destined to shine in a brand-new era! ¡°What? You knew each other even before the revival of spiritual energy?¡± Summer was astonished. Moreover¡­ ¡°Pff¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help butugh out loud. King of Animals, Beast Taming King-what a joke! Was Lu Ran really so silly back then? Although, boys of that age often are¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± At that moment, seeing Summer¡¯s smiling face, Dark Crow froze, realizing it had made a mistake! Oh no! It had said too much. Lu Ran had told it to keep a low profile and not to reveal his ambitions to be a king too early! However, it seemed like this was one of their own, their Chef, so it should be fine. ¡°Remember, keep all of this to yourself and focus on doing your job well,¡± Dark Crow said sternly. ¡°Build high walls, stockpile food, and bide time before proiming oneself king! Our goal is the stars and the sea.¡± Chapter 155: The Unusual LuJia Village Chapter 155: The Unusual LuJia Vige Actually, Roasted Pig Eyes are quite tasty. Putting the whole pig eye into your mouth and biting down suddenly, the ck eye fluid and juices burst into your mouth, creating a thrilling sensation¡­ Plus, the chewy texture¡­ Initially, Summer was repulsed, but after taking a bite, she found it unexpectedly eptable, as if she had opened the door to a new world. Next to her, the dark crow also tried a few bites and found it decent, casting a few more approving nces at the female chef. However, Lu Ran, General Ha, and the sudden death king refused to taste it. Dark artistic conception is inherently unsuitable for culinary intent. The dishes cooked up are typical Dark Cuisine; even normal ingredients get twisted in the process, and the result is suitable only for dark pet beasts. It¡¯s far less versatile than me-type culinary intent. As normal people, they definitely couldn¡¯t ept that taste and artistic conception.¡°As long as the dark crow likes it.¡± Lu Ran looked at the dark crow and Summer, who were already engrossed in eating Roasted Pig Eyes, and fell silent for a moment. Cursed Crow, Evil God¡¯s Eye, paired with the sanity-draining Dark Cuisine of roasted eyes, it indeed suited the dark crow¡¯s style. Moreover¡­ Summer, who had turned into the leopard woman¡­ Although she had strongly refused earlier, her body was now quite honest. Obviously, after fusion, her taste had aligned with that of the ck Panther pet beast¡­ ¡­ In the following days, Lu Ran stayed home to rest, read novels, and browsed forums. Every evening, he enjoyed the Barbecue made by Summer with sun culinary intent, apanied by honey water, living a very leisurely life. The high-pressure life of daily culinary and forging practice, along with exploring the Legendary Secret Realm, was gone for good. Apart from asionally showing Summer a few culinary skills and keeping an eye on the dark crow¡¯s training, there was hardly anything else he needed to do. Lu Ran¡¯sid-back, homebody lifestyle baffled Summer. Was this really the daily life of the Strongest Fourth Generation on Blue Star? If not for the fact that under Lu Ran¡¯s guidance, her mastery of spear intent had indeed progressed rapidly, she would have doubted his authenticity. ¡°Um¡ª¡± Another day, Summer, bringing Barbecue to Lu Ran, could no longer stand this side of him. Facing Lu Ran, who was yawning and scrolling through his phone on the sofa, she said: ¡°¡®Professor Lu,¡¯ can you stop scrolling through your phone every day?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lu Ran rubbed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to train? Aren¡¯t you afraid the other Fourth Generations will catch up with you?¡± Summer didn¡¯t know why she was anxious for Lu Ran, but seeing him like this was unbearable. The media had practically put Lu Ran on a pedestal, yet here he was, reading novels every day. ¡°What¡¯s so great about these novels anyway?¡± Summer nced at a few titles, such as Unscientific Beast Taming and Beast Taming Master, all wish-fulfillment beast taming novels that emerged after the spiritual energy revival. What was so interesting about them? Lu Ran¡¯s own experiences were no less bizarre than these stories. ¡°They¡¯re really good. You¡¯d know if you read them¡­ never mind, just go train.¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Lu Ran stretchedzily again, feeling he was almost ready to get back into action. Seriously, this woman had no idea how hard he had worked the previous month. He had worked overtime for a month and was just taking a break for three or four days. Wasn¡¯t that normal? Bncing work and rest is important too. Moreover, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t entirely resting. He often kept an eye on world affairs and managed Green Sea City¡¯s development through the dark crow in the shadows. In a few days, without leaving the house, he had reshuffled and reorganized the power structure in Green Sea City, making it more efficient for some supernatural species to provide tributes. Lu Ran did some calctions. The natural resources that the various species in Green Sea City could produce each month were worth hundreds of thousands of crystal coins. That was quite significant. Of course, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t take everything, or the ecosystem of Green Sea City would copse. Besides, to be honest, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in urgent need of these resources right now. What Lu Ran was doing now was selling the surplus resources produced by the wild supernatural beings in Green Sea City, then exchanging them for suitable resources in Infinite City. He would then reward these beings, creating a positive cycle of strength and resources. As a result, the supernatural species in Green Sea City would undoubtedly grow stronger and stronger. Perhaps, one day, they might rival the ferocious beasts in human-restricted zones. After all, they were essentially leveraging Lu Ran as a ¡°middleman¡± to trade with humans and Infinite City. Now, Lu Ran was treating Green Sea City like a farming simtion game¡ªbuilding high walls, stockpiling food, and slowly strengthening Green Sea¡¯s forces. ¡°It¡¯s time to get moving,¡± Lu Ran said, standing up in response to Summer¡¯s reminder. ¡°I¡¯ll go on a trip for a couple of days. I¡¯ll take the dark crow with me. You can stay here if you like, or go back to school, or challenge some secret realms for practical training.¡± Summer: ??? ¡°A trip???¡± Summer had thought Lu Ran would get serious and do something the Strongest Fourth Generation should do, but it turned out to be a trip? ¡°Fine, do whatever you want,¡± Summer said. It didn¡¯t really matter to her what Lu Ran did. Why was she even concerned? He would realize the urgency once others surpassed him. ¡°Wait, before my trip, youe with me to Infinite City,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at Summer. ¡°To check my training results?¡± Summer¡¯s expression turned serious. ¡°That too. I also want you to go all out against the sudden death king in the arena, to boost its record. I almost forgot to switch the leaderboard and get it to Rank 1.¡± Summer: ??? ¡­¡­¡­ Infinite City No. 3. [Regional Announcement: Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard updated.] [Newly Listed Divine Beast: Scaled Dragon Lizard.] ¡­¡­ [Reason for Listing: Evolved and mutated from a small lizard, it fused the traits of ¡°Red Lightning¡± and ¡°Overlord Body.¡± In the arena, it faced the uppermander species, the fusion state of the ckfire Phoenix parrot, and emerged unscathed.] [Rank: Ascended to Rank 1 on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard!] In Infinite City No. 3. Many people looked at the updated Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard in silence. Passerby A? Then it¡¯s no big deal. But then, a wave of confusion followed. How did Summer end up in a one-on-one match against Lu Ran in the arena of Infinite City No. 3? She seemed to have lost badly. Of course, the most bewildered was the Older Sister with spear intent. She never imagined there was such a quick way to reach Rank 1 on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. Using herself as a boss to farm? What she didn¡¯t expect even more was that her full-force attack had no effect on that lizard¡­ she couldn¡¯t break its defense at all. Summer had been worried that Lu Ran¡¯sx attitude might cause him to be overtaken by other Fourth Generations. But now, she was speechless, realizing that she couldn¡¯t even catch up to Lu Ran herself. What kind of monster is this guy? ¡­ General Ha took Rank 1 on themander leaderboard in Infinite City No. 7, and the sudden death king secured Rank 1 on themander leaderboard in Infinite City No. 3. Lu Ran, satisfied, didn¡¯t prepare much and set out with the dark crow for LuJia Vige. This time, Lu Ran didn¡¯t take a ne or high-speed train, mainly because LuJia Vige wasn¡¯t far from Green Sea City¡ªthey were in the same province. His chosen mode of transportation was¡­ General Ha! After fusing with the nature control trait, General Ha didn¡¯t even need to conjure Wind Wing to fly anymore. Riding the wind was enough¡ªvery convenient. ¡°Woof!!¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± General Ha ran wildly on the wind high in the sky, with Lu Ran sitting on its back¡­ Currently, General Ha was quite displeased. There was arge dark crow nearby, and while the dark crow wasn¡¯t big enough for Lu Ran to ride, it could certainly grab Lu Ran with its ws and fly, right? Why was it being used as the mode of transportation? ¡°Caw!¡± The dark crow flying alongside looked innocent. ¡°General Ha, don¡¯t be mad. Isn¡¯t it morefortable to sit on your fluffy fur?¡± the dark crow ttered. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha red at the dark crow. Damn crow. It¡¯s clearly a bird, yet it let its beastmaster ride a dog to fly, without even trying to carry the beastmaster itself. This grudge, it would remember! Lu Ran realized that all three of his pet beasts could potentially serve as mounts. General Ha could fly by running in the air. The sudden death king, once transformed into a dragon, could likely grow wings and be a true giant dragon. And the dark crow, after another round of enhancement, might just berge enough to carry a person. Among them, he felt that being a Dragon Knight would be the coolest¡­ For now, though, the conditions didn¡¯t permit it. Although the sudden death king could use energy shaping to be a Thunder Dragon, sitting on it would conduct electricity. So, for now, he would make do with riding General Ha. Lu Ran and hispanions set off in the morning and arrived at LuJia Vige before noon. LuJia Vige was located at the foot of a mountain. It was not only far from the city but also rtively distant from nearby viges and towns. Normally, this area saw very few outsiders and was a very peaceful vige. Afternding in LuJia Vige, Lu Ran put General Ha away and began to wander around aimlessly. Despite its remote location, LuJia Vige¡¯s various facilities were not outdated. Many of the two-story buildings were quite exquisite, and the roads were well-built. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on farming to trade with the outside world. As Lu Ran walked, he arrived at a small park within LuJia Vige. Although it was almost noon, many elderly people were still ying with children, not in a hurry to go home for lunch. ¡°It¡¯s developed much better than I imagined,¡± Lu Ran thought. However, as he continued to observe, he frowned. In the small grove of the park, several sika deer walked out in groups, grazing nearby. ¡°Sika deer?¡± Lu Ran was slightly stunned. Weren¡¯t sika deer a level 1 protected animal in the country? Was LuJia Vige raising deer? And it seemed like they were being free-ranged? ¡°Dark Crow, let¡¯s go over and take a look at them.¡± Lu Ran became interested. Although he hadn¡¯t heard Lu Bing or others mention it, the presence of deer in LuJia Vige must hold some special significance. However¡­ ¡°Caw? Look at what? Them? Who?¡± The dark crow, circling in the sky, was confused by Lu Ran¡¯s invitation. Following Lu Ran¡¯s gaze, it saw nothing. ¡°The sika deer,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°What sika deer?¡± The dark crow was puzzled. What was going on? Was Big King seeing things? It thought that Big King should eat some Pig Eyes to supplement his eyesight. ¡°Are you blind? There¡¯s a whole group over there,¡± Lu Ran pointed. However, the dark crow remained bewildered. ¡°But¡­ I don¡¯t see anything,¡± it said. After the dark crow spoke, Lu Ran suddenly fell silent. Not see it? What kind of joke was this? He looked again; there was clearly a group of sika deer wandering over there! ¡°You better not be messing with me,¡± Lu Ran said, summoning General Ha again. ¡°General Ha, look over there,¡± Lu Ran pointed in a certain direction. But¡­ ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha, like the dark crow, looked bewildered. What¡¯s the matter? ¡°You guys can¡¯t see them???¡± Lu Ran was stunned. Were these two deliberately pretending not to see, or did they really not see? There was clearly a group of sika deer over there. At this moment, with General Ha¡¯s grand appearance, children from LuJia Vige also noticed Lu Ran and hispanions. ¡°Wow, a big doggy!!!¡± The children of LuJia Vige didn¡¯t seem to fearrge dogs. Seeing the majestic Erha, they ignored their elders¡¯ attempts to stop them and ran over in groups. Seeing the two small children running over, Lu Ran, in a desperate move, decided to ask the little ones, ¡°Kids, do you see a group of sika deer over there?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The two kids, who had juste over, were confused by Lu Ran¡¯s question. They looked in the direction he pointed but didn¡¯t see any sika deer. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing that they couldn¡¯t see them either, Lu Ran felt a deep sense of unease. This was incredibly strange. However, he still said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s very gentle. You can pet it.¡± Saying this, he ignored General Ha¡¯s look of despair and turned to look at the elders who had followed the children. These were two elderlydies in their sixties or seventies. ¡°Oh my, you little rascals, slow down¡­¡± They were anxious seeing the children approach the unfamiliarrge dog, but they couldn¡¯t keep up with the nimble kids. Although every household in LuJia Vige had the habit of raising dogs, and the children weren¡¯t afraid of them, that was because the family dogs were gentle. The danger with unfamiliar dogs, however, couldn¡¯t be guaranteed. Fortunately, after approaching, they found General Ha to be quite good-tempered. ¡°Elderlydy, are there any sika deer in our vige?¡± Lu Ran asked the two elderlydies who hade over. ¡°Sika deer?¡± The two elderlydies looked at Lu Ran, feeling he seemed somewhat familiar. Seeing the mighty General Ha, they thought it was quite extraordinary. However, perhaps due to their age and limited exposure to information in the Age of Beast Taming, they had only seen Lu Ran briefly on television and didn¡¯t immediately recognize who he was. ¡°Sika deer? How could there be any in the vige?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not from the vige, are you?¡± The two elderlydies felt that Lu Ran didn¡¯t seem like a young man from the vige. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s attention was entirely elsewhere. He had just spotted two sika deer behind a nearby swing, grazing together. They appeared suddenly and eerily, seeminglypletely ignoring Lu Ran and the others. Besides Lu Ran, it seemed that no one in LuJia Vige could see them¡­ At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s heart raced. Damn, what was going on with LuJia Vige? It felt like a ghost vige. Although he came to LuJia Vige to trace some myths and legends and explore his ancestralnd, he didn¡¯t expect it to be this eerie right from the start. Chapter 156: Paranormal Phenomenon Chapter 156: Paranormal Phenomenon ¡°General Ha.¡± Faced with such a bizarre phenomenon, Lu Ran fell silent for a moment before issuing the ¡°scam¡±mand. As directed by Lu Ran, General Ha immediately broke free from the two children and opened its mouth towards a certain spot, blowing a gust of wind. Whoosh whoosh whoosh¡ª The wind wasn¡¯t strong, but it was enough to lift a skirt and naturally attract the attention of any creature. However, as General Ha¡¯s wind blew past, there was still no change! The airflow wasn¡¯t even obstructed when it came into contact with the sika deer. It just blew right through. The two sika deer continued to wander as if they hadn¡¯t sensed anything at all.Although Lu Ran could see the sika deer, it was as if ¡°they¡± didn¡¯t exist¡ªthey werepletely unaffected by the external environment and couldn¡¯t affect it either. Lu Ran looked at the grass they had just been eating. Despite nibbling at it for a long time, the grass remained perfectly intact. Necromantic? First, he ruled out spirits. Lu Ran had seen necromantic pet beasts before, and this waspletely different. Illusion? Lu Ran frowned. It might be an illusion cast by someone targeting him! And a very powerful one at that. Itpletely kept General Ha from noticing anything. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Not wanting to linger in this eerie park, Lu Ran left immediately, taking General Ha and the others with him, distancing himself from the two children and the elderlydy. ¡°Dog, dog¡­¡± The two children seemed reluctant to part with General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± But General Ha was annoyed. Those brats had messed up its fur. If it weren¡¯t for their young age, General Ha would have held a grudge. ¡­ On the main road. Lu Ran and General Ha arrived under a green nt. Taking a deep breath, Lu Ran spoke, ¡°Manager Ying, are you there?¡± ¡°Speak.¡± A ripple in space appeared, and a ck cat emerged. No one knows exactly how many clones Manager Ying has. Lu Ran only knows that it can be found in Sky City, Green Sea City, and now, even on this trip, he could call upon it. It has me in its heart! [Species]: ??? [Attribute]: ??? [Species Leve]l: ??? [Growth Level]: ??? However, since this wasn¡¯t its main body, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t see Manager Ying¡¯s true information. But estimating its strength, a single clone might not be very powerful, but all of the clonesbined shouldn¡¯t be weaker than the First Generation. After all, it¡¯s a creature that has survived from ancient times. Even though Manager Ying often imed to be weak, Lu Ran clearly didn¡¯t believe it. It was probably just an excuse to ck off. ¡°Manager Ying, I think I might have encountered some paranormal phenomena.¡± Faced with the impatient Manager Ying, Lu Ran recounted the strange events he had just experienced in the LuJia Vige park. ¡°Can you sense anything?¡± ¡°You mean, could the power of the divine deer worshipped in LuJia Vige be affecting this ce?¡± ¡°Deer?¡± After Lu Ran finished, Manager Ying quickly looked towards the park and frowned. ¡°I can¡¯t sense anything either.¡± ¡°When you first entered the novice breakthrough secret realm, I began investigating ancient creatures and the first ce I came to was around LuJia Vige.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a very ordinary vige.¡± ¡°Are you sure you saw a lot of sika deer?¡± Lu Ran hesitated. If even Manager Ying couldn¡¯t detect anything unusual, it meant that whoever created the illusion was far stronger than Manager Ying. ¡°But it might indeed have something to do with the divine deer.¡± Seeing that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t joking, Manager Ying¡¯s expression turned serious and said, ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a theory.¡± ¡°What theory?¡± ¡°The superhuman abilities on Blue Star aren¡¯t just random.¡± ¡°They are activated by the influence of some powerful beings.¡± ¡°Either they were directly blessed by these powerful beings, or their ancestors received blessings from these beings.¡± ¡°Why is Lin Yin the only one disturbed by that fox in her dreams?¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t that fox choose another superhuman?¡± ¡°And for you¡­¡± Manager Ying raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don¡¯t you think your situations are quite simr? Only you can see the shadows of those sika deer.¡± ¡°And you, coincidentally, are a descendant of the divine deer tribe and have awakened an extremely rare superpower.¡± ¡°Maybe superhumans are born with certain special missions.¡± ¡°You mean, through these deer shadows, I might be able to uncover the secrets of the divine deer, possibly even find it?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance. At least it¡¯s a clue,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I¡¯ve searched for ancient creatures for so long without finding anything, but both Lin Yin and you have had experiences that others can¡¯t understand, in strange ways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to say there¡¯s nothing suspicious going on.¡± ¡°Since these deer shadows don¡¯t seem to pose any threat to you or affect you, why not stay here for a few days and study them closely?¡± Lu Ran hesitated but eventually nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll stay in LuJia Vige for a while to figure out what¡¯s going on.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll also have my different clonese over to observe from various perspectives,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Can¡¯t youe in your main body?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran as if he were an idiot. ¡°My main body is still in slumber, waiting for its power to recover.¡± ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m working so hard to make money and strengthen my clones?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran suddenly understood. Manager Ying worked hard as an intelligence dealer to earn money to cultivate its clones, waiting for their power to feed back to the main body and awaken it. It was really working hard¡­ Much more inspiring than that fox engaging in dream scams. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve already gathered some preliminary information on unique traits.¡± ¡°Both domestic and international.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve selected three traits that seem suitable as evolutionary resources for your dog. Do you want to check them out first?¡± ¡°The parties involved hope to trade these traits for the Stone Dragon Egg and its rted resources.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, we can make the deal right away.¡± The Stone Dragon Egg is quite in demand, but as a conscientious intelligence dealer, Manager Ying would definitely ensure Lu Ranpares all avable options. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!!¡± Lu Ran temporarily distracted himself from the paranormal phenomena and looked at Manager Ying. ¡°What are the traits?¡± Lu Ran perked up his ears. Beside him, General Ha also stuck out its tongue, eagerly anticipating. ¡°The first trait is Void Chill.¡± ¡°This is a powerful energy source mastered by an overlord creature. Simr to special lightning and exotic mes, it¡¯s a type of special ice power with the effect of freezing space.¡± ¡°Your Erha has mastered Blizzard Artistic Conception, and you also want to give it space attributes in the future. This trait might serve as a good ¡®transition bridge,¡¯ linking its current and future powers.¡± ¡°Moreover, after integrating this power, when you encounter beastmasters on Blue Star you want to eliminate, you can use this ability to lock space, preventing them from escaping to Infinite City.¡± ¡°An ice trait containing space power,¡± Lu Ran thought. Although it didn¡¯t seem as potent as the Evil God¡¯s Eye, it was still top-tier and definitely more valuable than traits that could frequently drop in Infinite City. As Manager Ying said, it was very suitable as a transitional power before General Ha awakens space attributes. ¡°And the second one?¡± Naturally, Lu Ran wanted topare all options. ¡°The Dragon Hunter Trait,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°What is that? It sounds so strange,¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. Why does it sound like a trait specifically targeting the Sudden Death King? ¡°A creature that integrates this trait can gain growth experience and continuously strengthen itself by hunting Dragons. The stronger the Dragon hunted, the greater the enhancement. The more Dragons hunted, the more significant the overall enhancement, ultimately making itsprehensive attributes surpass those of the Loong-type.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an ability developed by a Dragon Hunter on the Star-Moon Continent. She was known as the Dragon yer, a legend in Dragon ying. It¡¯s strange that Infinite City managed to turn this ability into a trait as a reward,¡± Manager Ying shook its head. ¡°The Dragon Chef Trait, huh?¡± Manager Ying continued, ¡°I thought it would be perfect since you¡¯re a Dragon Chef, and that dog of yours has mastered Blizzard Sword Intent. This trait might let you level up quickly through Dragon ying¡­ The beastmaster who owns this trait knows it¡¯s valuable but can¡¯t handle it, so they¡¯re looking to trade.¡± ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up, thinking this sounded pretty good. Gale Sword Dog evolves into Dragon yer Sword Dog! ¡°And thest one?¡± Lu Ran asked. This Dragon yer Trait essentially allows General Ha to gain growth experience by killing dragon species creatures, simr to leveling up by killing monsters in the novice secret realm. The only difference is that this trait limits the monster type, making it valuable only in Loong-type secret realms. ¡°Thest one is the Ultimate Perception Trait, which grants the fused pet beast exceptionalprehension. Your dog already seems quite perceptive. If itsprehension is further enhanced, it might achieve even greater skill development.¡± ¡°A trait that permanently boostsprehension?¡± After Manager Ying finished, Lu Ran fell into deep thought. He nced at General Ha, closed his eyes, and pondered. Void Chill, Dragon yer, Ultimate Perception¡­ ¡°Do I even need to choose? I¡¯ll take the Ultimate Perception Trait,¡± Lu Ran said, opening his eyes. ¡°You rascal¡­¡± Manager Ying chuckled, extending its paw to point at Lu Ran. ¡°Actually, I also rmend this trait the most.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly. ¡°The Void Chill Trait can act as a bridge, linking Blizzard Sword Intent and space attributes.¡± ¡°The Dragon Hunter Trait ties into General Ha¡¯s Dragon yer Sword Intent and its growth.¡± ¡°But the Ultimate Perception Trait, though abstract, seems to offer the highest potential. As long as General Ha¡¯sprehension is sufficient, it can eventually integrate all powers, achieving the effects of the other two traits.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± Beside him, General Ha showed a wise expression, then fell into contemtion. It was already smart enough; could it really be even smarter? A smile crept up on General Ha¡¯s face¡­ ¡°This trait enhancesprehension, not intelligence. You silly dog, stop fantasizing about weird things. Your intelligence is beyond saving,¡± Manager Ying said, looking at General Ha. Judging by its expression, it was easy to guess what it was imagining. ¡°Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!!!¡± ¡°In summary, that¡¯s the idea,¡± Manager Ying said, turning its head. ¡°Currently, on Blue Star, the only power that can be called a ¡®mark of a strong one¡¯ is the Domain Skill.¡± ¡°A domain is constructed by a pet beast using vast energy and numerous skills around itself. It can shield and iste space, allowing various skills to interrte, continuously strengthen each other, and be nearly unavoidable, making it a lethal move that embodies a pet beast¡¯s entire skill set.¡± ¡°As the saying goes, ¡®When the Domain Skill is unleashed, the battle is over.¡¯¡± ¡°However, creating a Domain Skill requires significant talent from the pet beast. It¡¯s not something that can be learned just by leveling up.¡± ¡°It requires joint effort from both the pet beast and the beastmaster.¡± ¡°Currently, on Blue Star, there are only a few dozen pet beasts that have grasped the rudimentary form of a Domain Skill. The difference in strength between pet beasts with and without a Domain Skill is like night and day.¡± ¡°If your General Ha can fuse with the Ultimate Perception Trait, considering it already has mastery over three types of sword intent¡­ perhaps in the future, it could integrate more artistic conceptions and create an invincible sword domain.¡± ¡°Think about it. If it gains more sword intent through its exceptionalprehension¡­ it could mix sword domains and understand multiple domains. How strong would that be?¡± ¡°Although the Ultimate Perception Trait might not provide a significant short-term boost, as an evolution resource, it could result in a powerful evolution talent in terms ofprehension, offering long-term benefits,¡± Manager Ying spected. ¡°Void Chill and the Dragon Hunter Trait are essentially paths others have taken, but with the Ultimate Perception Trait, Lu Ran can continue to let General Ha forge its own path.¡± ¡°Though the oue is uncertain, in terms of potential, it is undoubtedly the strongest.¡± ¡°As a well-informed ancient creature, Manager Ying still believes that such a trait is more suited to a super genius like Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Such a trait, and instead of keeping it to invest in themselves, they¡¯re selling it? Who is it?¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but ask, understanding the immense potential of the trait. ¡°Ahem,¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°It¡¯s from Kimchi Country¡­ Isn¡¯t it because I hyped up the value of this Stone Dragon Egg outside?¡± ¡°She is the daughter of a big consortium and has set her sights on the Diamond Dragon.¡± ¡°If the trade goes through, besides this trait, they¡¯ll have to throw in some other things too.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°Moreover, don¡¯t overestimate the Ultimate Perception Trait. After all, the same trait can have vastly different effects on different pet beasts.¡± ¡°Instead of gambling on trait fusion, it¡¯s more practical to have a pet beast with a strong species.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lu Ran looked at the wise-eyed General Ha, thinking it should be able to handle thisprehension-enhancing trait, right? ¡°I¡¯ll investigate for a while longer. If there¡¯s a more suitable trait, we¡¯ll discuss it then. If not, I¡¯ll help you with the trade. The Ultimate Perception Trait will be yours, and the other resources will be my payment for getting you the Evil God¡¯s Eye and the Ultimate Perception Trait. Is that okay?¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Although it felt like Manager Ying would make a hefty profit from this trade, given that it was working so hard just to awaken its main body, Lu Ran decided not to haggle. He just wondered what Erha would evolve into after fusing the Ultimate Perception Trait, weapon mastery, and nature control¡­ Chapter 157: The Divine Deer’s Dream Chapter 157: The Divine Deer¡¯s Dream Having determined General Ha¡¯s evolution trait, Lu Ran felt quite relieved. General Ha, Ultimate Perception Trait. Sudden Death King, Dragon King Trait. After they both broke through to level 2, their evolution paths were no longer a concern. Now, only the Dark Crow¡¯s evolution trait remained undetermined. For the Dark Crow, its level 10 ¡°fusion slot¡± had awakened the curse power after consuming attribute awakening resources. For the level 20 ¡°fusion slot,¡± Lu Ran nned to fuse the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait, but it required a contract before the fusion could bepleted. In other words, it still needed one more evolution trait to be prepared. As for this, Lu Ran had no better options for the time being. He still nned to ask Manager Ying to help him search worldwide for a unique trait that would be suitable. ¡°Alright, these aren¡¯t urgent matters. Let¡¯s investigate LuJia Vige first,¡± Lu Ran said, tapping the locust tree.Where did all these sika deere from? ¡°Go yourself.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anything. I¡¯m off,¡± Manager Ying chose to continue cking off, yawning as it did. To be honest, it hated this vige. Too many dogs here! ¡­ ¡°Keep a low profile.¡± Next, Lu Ran continued his investigation in LuJia Vige. To avoid being disturbed, he even wore a mask. Although this made him look more suspicious, it was better than being recognized and dragged into the homes of enthusiastic vigers for a meal. For this small vige, it didn¡¯t take Lu Ran long to walk around. Apart from the vigers¡¯ homes, he had explored almost everywhere. Then, to his dismay, he discovered that there were at least dozens of sika deer wandering around various parts of LuJia Vige. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°Why did Lu Bing and the others have to enter the breakthrough secret realm?¡± Lu Ran felt quite resentful. If they were still in LuJia Vige, it would have been great. Lu Ran was sure that if he told them about this, they would definitely be too scared to sleep in the vige. A herd of ghost-like deer shadows wandered around the vige, unseen by anyone. It was quite absurd. After a day of running around, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t uncovered anything. He even waved the divine deer antler in front of the deer shadows, but they remained unresponsive. Finally, night fell. Lu Ran decided to do something thrilling. He nned to find a ce with many deer shadows, set up camp, and sleep there. LuJia Vige wasn¡¯t a tourist spot, so there were no inns. Even if there were, Lu Ran would still choose the most eerie ce to sleep in order to investigate the divine deer. After all, if superpowers were truly rted to the divine deer, then his strange dream might also be connected to it. Referring to Lin Yin¡¯s situation, these ancient creatures might, for some reason, only be able to connect with superhumans through dreams. However, Lu Ran was still a bit scared. Before sleeping in the park woods, he called Sudden Death King, General Ha, and Dark Crow to his side. He also summoned Manager Ying to keep watch over him while he slept. However. Lying down, Lu Ran stared at the sky with wide eyes. He couldn¡¯t sleep, not at all. Finally, Manager Ying had enough. It used a hypnosis technique and sent Lu Ran straight to sleep. ¡­ ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°My head hurts.¡± ¡°This cat¡¯s hypnosis technique is terrible. My brain feels like it¡¯s about to explode¡­¡± ¡°But this time, I didn¡¯t dream. Investigating clues through dreams failed!¡± Lu Ran groggily opened his eyes. But soon, his expression changed, and he looked around in surprise. He was no longer in the park woods, and General Ha and the others were not beside him. Lu Ran called out, but there was no response. ¡°Am I in a dream?¡± The reason he thought he wasn¡¯t dreaming initially was because he had never been so conscious in his dreams before. In past dreams, he couldn¡¯t even realize he was dreaming. But at this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s mind was clear, and he could vividly recall the experience of falling asleep. A lucid dream? ¡°Where is this¡­¡± Lu Ran looked around. This sudden arrival in a new ce felt more like entering a secret realm than a dream. Lu Ran quickly climbed up from under the tree and started walking, finding himself still in a vige. However, it didn¡¯t look like a modern vige; it looked more like an ancient one. ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Soon, Lu Ran heard some sounds and found himself near a special building. It seemed like the entire vige had gathered there. They were dressed in rough linen clothes, and Lu Ran couldn¡¯t tell which era they were from. At this moment, these people were all kneeling on the ground, praying devoutly to a giant wooden statue. This is¡­ Lu Ran frowned as he looked at the deer-shaped statue. He was slightly startled. Were they worshiping the divine deer? And were these people ancient vigers of LuJia Vige? Momentster, the vigers seemed to have finished their worship. They stood up and began to disperse. Some of them walked right past Lu Ran, treating him as if he were invisible. After everyone had left, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t resist moving closer to the divine deer statue to observe it more closely. However, before he could examine it in detail, he felt water sshed on his face¡­ and it was quite cold. It felt as if he had been licked by the Blizzard Sword Intent. Lu Ran blinked his eyes, and everything in the dream disappeared, reced by General Ha¡¯s big face. ¡°Hey, are you alright?¡± General Ha, Manager Ying, and Sudden Death King surrounded Lu Ran, looking worried. ¡°What the heck is going on?¡± ¡°h h h, next time just lick me without the magical attack,¡± Lu Ran said, getting up and locking his arms around General Ha¡¯s neck. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was furious. Even if I licked you directly, you wouldn¡¯t wake up. Next time, I¡¯ll let Sudden Death King zap you awake. ¡°Your pet beasts saw your pained expression while you were sleeping and thought you were having a nightmare again,¡± Manager Ying said, shrugging its shoulders and looking at General Ha. ¡°This time I wasn¡¯t¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°Did I look very distressed?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Manager Ying replied. ¡°It wasn¡¯t physical pain but more like the agony of heartbreak, a kind of emotional pain that makes you twitch. But you probably haven¡¯t experienced that, so it¡¯s hard to exin.¡± ¡°So, what did you dream about?¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°Thanks for the description¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, I did have a dream, but I don¡¯t know if it was influenced by some unknown power or if it was just a case of thinking about something during the day and dreaming about it at night.¡± ¡°And the dream was quite simple.¡± ¡°I dreamed of what LuJia Vige looked like in ancient times. I saw many vigers worshiping the divine deer together.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, Manager Ying showed a subtle expression. ¡°Turns out sleeping was a good idea. I feel like I¡¯m close to solving the mystery, but you might need to sleep a few more nights to confirm it.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying in confusion. Manager Ying grinned, ¡°I¡¯ll give you this piece of intelligence for free, no need to thank me!¡± ¡°If your dream was indeed influenced by something, I have a rough guess.¡± ¡°Firstly, the divine deer worshiped by LuJia Vige in ancient times, whether it died, reincarnated, or fell into a deep sleep, was in a much worse state than that fox that bewitched Lin Yin.¡± ¡°The dream you just had didn¡¯t convey much information, but there were still some clues.¡± ¡°You saw many vigers worshiping the divine deer, right? On the Star-Moon Continent and in ancient Blue Star, there was actually a power system known as the Power of Faith.¡± ¡°Some powerful supernatural beings protected the weak for a reason-they sought the Power of Faith from living creatures.¡± ¡°This phenomenon was especiallymon when supernatural beings faded away in ancient Blue Star. To avoid losing their powers, many powerful beings tried to use the Power of Faith to counteract the retreat of spiritual energy, thereby retaining their supernatural abilities.¡± ¡°But clearly, they all failed.¡± ¡°So I have a hypothesis. With the current revival of spiritual energy, the dream you had might be trying to convey that the vigers of LuJia Vige should rekindle their faith to provide the divine deer with the Power of Faith.¡± ¡°In this way, the divine deer, which is in a very poor state, might be able to revive through strong faith.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the ideal situation,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°And what¡¯s the less ideal situation?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s heart raced, feeling close to the truth. Manager Ying was indeed capable; having it around made many things suddenly be clear. ¡°The less ideal situation is that the divine deer is truly gone, and providing the Power of Faith won¡¯t help,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I have a hypothesis: the deer shadows you saw in LuJia Vige are spirits of faith formed from the remaining faith in the divine deer.¡± ¡°This would exin why only you, a superhuman from LuJia Vige, can see them, while I, an outsider, cannot. There¡¯s no way I could see spirits of faith generated from the collective spiritual beliefs of your species.¡± ¡°Even within your species, it¡¯s likely that only a unique superhuman like you can perceive them.¡± ¡°Generally, after the Power of Faith is generated, it automatically converges into the body of the one being worshiped. If this Power of Faith is wandering outside, it usually means the worshiped entity is either dead or unable to absorb the faith.¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s another possibility-the spirits of faith are too weak to find the main body.¡± Lu Ran fell into deep thought. After a long pause, he spoke, ¡°So my next step in investigating the divine deer should be to strengthen these spirits of faith, right?¡± ¡°As long as these spirits of faith be stronger, they might be able to find the divine deer¡¯s traces on their own and restore its state.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Manager Ying nodded. ¡°This is the most reasonable hypothesis considering your dream and the deer spirits.¡± ¡°Since entering the modern era, many viges have indeed moved away from superstitious practices and no longer worship totems, which naturally weakened the Power of Faith.¡± ¡°Although this exnation makes sense, it¡¯s still just a hypothesis that needs more verification. You need to have a few more dreams. If the content of these dreams is consistent, then it¡¯s highly likely that these faith spirits are guiding you to help the divine deer gain a more substantial Power of Faith.¡± ¡°Why wait for more nights? Just hypnotize me now so I can keep dreaming!¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but say. Manager Ying responded, ¡°Sure.¡± In the next second, it delivered a kitty punch to Lu Ran¡¯s face, knocking him down again. After repeating this process several times¡­ Lu Ran, looking exhausted, sat on the ground. ¡°I had several identical dreams.¡± ¡°The dreams are indeed guiding me to help increase the faith in the divine deer.¡± ¡°That settles it. There¡¯s no way you could coincidentally have the same dream so many times,¡± Manager Ying said yfully. ¡°This dream-based persuasion seems much more reliable than that fox¡¯s dream scam. It only requires a small amount of the Power of Faith, while the fox demanded epic-level spiritual resources. Who would be willing to give it that?¡± ¡°But the Power of Faith is different. As long as there are benefits, even those who aren¡¯t from LuJia Vige would be somewhat willing to believe in it.¡± ¡°So, are you willing to help the divine deer, whose fate is still unknown, gain faith?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. Of course he would. If it weren¡¯t for the divine deer antler, he wouldn¡¯t be where he is today. To repay the divine deer antler, he had to help out. Besides, Manager Ying probably didn¡¯t know this piece of intelligence-the divine deer was a legendary retainer of the life dragon, one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons of the Star-Moon Continent. Currently, Lu Ran was also tasked with investigating the death dragon and obtaining The Stone of the Other Shore, a legendary item. If he could find the divine deer, he might find clues about the Creator Divine Dragons. So, there was no reason for Lu Ran to abandon the task of helping the divine deer gain more faith. Additionally, this reminded Lu Ran of something. When he faced the me Dragon King, he had imed to be the ¡°divine deer¡¯s envoy.¡± Damn, now his bluffing had be reality. It seemed he really had to take on the role of the divine deer¡¯s envoy. Considering the divine deer antler, he already had ns to support LuJia Vige. Now, with the divine deer¡¯s dream, he had no choice but to support LuJia Vige. After all, getting the people of LuJia Vige to believe again was much easier than going to big cities like Shanghai or the imperial capital and telling a bunch of social elites to ¡°believe in the divine deer.¡± Moreover, the Power of Faith must be rted not only to the number of believers but also to the strength of the believers. The stronger the believers, the more substantial the Power of Faith they could provide! ¡°Do you think if I actually manage to awaken General Deer, it wouldn¡¯t be as stingy as that fox?¡± ¡°Would it reward me with something?¡± Lu Ran pondered. Manager Ying: ??? ¡°What are you thinking? Do you want a little deer to raise?¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± Lu Ran pouted. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the true value of the divine deer. Never mind, I¡¯ll go talk to the vige chief about changing the vige chief.¡± Chapter 158: The Best Village Under Heaven Chapter 158: The Best Vige Under Heaven The sky was just starting to lighten. Lu Ran found his way to the house of the current vige chief. He gently knocked on the door, and immediately, the barking of a mastiff could be heard from inside. Listening to the annoying noise, Lu Ran released his fierce beast breath. Even through the door, the noise abruptly stopped. ¡°That¡¯ll shut you up,¡± Lu Ran muttered, a fierce expression on his face. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± After a moment, the door opened. A sturdy man, standing at six feet three inches tall and covered in muscles, exuding a fierce beast-like aura, pushed the door open. ¡°Vige Chief Lu Yan?¡± Lu Ran asked upon seeing him. The man looked puzzled, but then Lu Ran removed his mask and met his gaze.Vige Chief Lu Yan¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief, ¡°Are you Lu Ran?¡± While the elderly and children of LuJia Vige might not recognize Lu Ran, the current vige chief certainly would. After all, it was like a small vige producing a True Dragon. His deeds would be prominently recorded in the family genealogy and revered by future generations. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Lu Ran confirmed. ¡°Vige Chief Lu Yan, may Ie in and talk?¡± ¡°Of course,e in,e in,¡± Lu Yan said, still in shock. He never expected Lu Ran to suddenly show up in LuJia Vige. ¡°Lu Ran, Nephew, why didn¡¯t you let us know you wereing back to the vige?¡± ¡°You see, the vige isn¡¯t prepared at all. I¡¯ll go organize a wee banquet for you right away!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, really,¡± Lu Ran quickly replied. ¡°How could there be no need? If it weren¡¯t for you supporting Lu Bing and others, who in turn supported the other beastmasters in the vige, the casualty rate among the fourth-generation beastmasters in LuJia Vige would be much higher by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I should do. We¡¯re family, after all,¡± Lu Ran responded with a smile. Following Vige Chief Lu Yan, he entered the house. As they stepped inside, the mastiff in the yard was still cowering in a corner, staring at Lu Ran in terror, a puddle of urine beneath it. ¡°Lu Yi and Lu Bing have both gone to the breakthrough secret realm. They didn¡¯t tell me you wereing¡­ this bunch of people.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell them either,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°This time, I¡¯m here specifically to discuss something with you, Vige Chief Lu Yan.¡± ¡°Hmm???¡± Lu Yan was taken aback. ¡°To discuss something with me?¡± ¡°Yes, Vige Chief Lu Yan. It seems you¡¯re not a beastmaster?¡± Lu Ran inquired. Lu Yan¡¯s eyes dimmed, and he chuckled, ¡°No, actually, I did receive the ck card, but I decided against bing a beastmaster.¡± ¡°My son was one of the first-generation beastmasters, but¡­ he died in the secret realm.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m the only pir left in the family. If I were to take on such a dangerous role, what would happen to the elders and my wife at home?¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°My condolences.¡± Vige Chief Lu Yan was indeed a man of great responsibility. He had resisted the allure of supernatural power. ¡°It¡¯s fate,¡± Lu Yan said. ¡°We¡¯re all people with hard lives.¡± Lu Yan looked at Lu Ran. It seemed like Lu Ran didn¡¯t recognize him at all, but Lu Yan had seen Lu Ran before. During the funeral of Lu Ran¡¯s grandparents, young Lu Ran had briefly returned to LuJia Vige. As for Lu Ran¡¯s parents¡­ they passed away suddenly, and no funeral was ever held. After learning about their ident, LuJia Vige should have taken Lu Ran back to care for him. But with no news, Fang Lan¡¯s family got to him first. After all, Lu Ran grew up in the city and was likely more familiar and closer to Fang Lan¡¯s familypared to LuJia Vige. Later, the vigers went to visit Lu Ran, but at that time, he was always depressed, isting himself from the world. Now¡­ Lu Ran had clearly stepped out of the shadows. Who would have thought that Lu Ran, in the blink of an eye, would be the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster on the blue star, bing the focus of global attention? Fate is indeed a wondrous thing, Lu Yan mused. ¡°Lu Ran, are you interested in returning to LuJia Vige?¡± Lu Yan asked. ¡°Honestly, ever since I gave up on bing a beastmaster, I knew I wasn¡¯t fit to be the vige chief of LuJia Vige.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve discussed it with the Vige Committee, and we decided that we need someone from the fourth-generation beastmasters, someone with both strength and responsibility, to lead and integrate us into the new era.¡± ¡°However, the general consensus, including the majority of the fourth-generation beastmasters, is that they want you toe back and take on the role of vige chief.¡± ¡°After all, you¡¯re Lu Hai¡¯s grandson and have done so much for LuJia Vige. No one is more suitable than you. I understand that you might not see much value in a small vige like ours and might even see it as a burden. But being alone out there, you can¡¯t handle everything yourself. Some minor tasks and dirty work can be handled by the beastmasters of LuJia Vige.¡± ¡°Lu Yan, we¡¯re all family. No need to be so distant,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Actually, the reason I came to see you this time is precisely about this matter.¡± ¡°I came back intending to run for vige chief and lead the vige¡¯s development.¡± ¡°Really??¡± Lu Yan was overjoyed. If it were ten years ago, he might have cared about the position of vige chief, but ever since his son died and he gave up the ck card, Lu Yan had only one conviction left. He considered all the young people in the vige as his own children, hoping they would fare better and not fall like his son did on the path of beast taming. Now, with Lu Ran agreeing to return and develop LuJia Vige, it was a monumental event for the vige. Given Lu Ran¡¯s current status at the forefront of the Age of Beast Taming, having him lead would make it hard for LuJia Vige to fall behind. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Great!¡± Lu Yan eximed, invigorated. ¡°There won¡¯t be any issues. I¡¯ll notify the Vige Committee right away. We won¡¯t need any elections, huntingpetitions, or anything like that. We¡¯ll transfer the position immediately, and no one will oppose it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep it simple,¡± Lu Ran said, waving his hands with a bitter smile. ¡°Besides, I won¡¯t be able to stay in LuJia Vige all the time. The reason I want to be the vige chief is to implement some reforms in the vige.¡± ¡°Reforms?¡± ¡°Can you gather all the vigers? I n to speak to everyone together,¡± Lu Ran said seriously. ¡°This concerns the crucial development of LuJia Vige for the next hundred years!¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Lu Yan was momentarily stunned but chose to trust Lu Ran and nodded firmly. ¡­ Momentster, the vige loudspeaker red. ¡°Attention all vigers, attention all vigers.¡± ¡°Except for the elderly and children who have difficulty moving, please gather in front of the Vige Committee courtyard for an important announcement.¡± ¡°This concerns the transition of the vige chief and the development of LuJia Vige for the next few decades and even centuries. Everyone must be present.¡± Before long, almost all the vigers, except for the elderly with mobility issues, had gathered outside the Vige Committee courtyard. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°A new vige chief? I thought it wasn¡¯t time for an election yet.¡± Hundreds of vigers gathered, still unclear about why they were summoned so urgently. It was early in the morning, and some people hadn¡¯t even had time to change, showing up in their shorts. The elders of the Lu n were even more confused, wondering why Lu Yan was making such a fuss so early in the morning. A new vige chief? How could that be? Once the crowd had mostly gathered, Lu Yan stood on the high tform, holding a megaphone, and shouted, ¡°Everyone, please calm down and be quiet!¡± ¡°I have an important announcement to make. From today onwards, I will no longer be the vige chief of LuJia Vige.¡± ¡°Now, I would like to invite the new vige chief to say a few words.¡± ¡°Lu Yan, what are you doing?¡± Some of the elders, holding walking sticks, were about to rush the tform, but as Lu Ran took the stage, the crowd fell into a sudden silence. Especially the younger people, all staring wide-eyed. ¡°Holy crap, it¡¯s God Lu.¡± ¡°Is that really Lu Ran? The real Lu Ran?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s him, the legendary figure from LuJia Vige, now the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster on the blue star!¡± ¡°I have a treasured photo of him by my bedside. I¡¯ve looked at it many times. No mistake.¡± ¡°He actually returned to the vige.¡± ¡°Wait a minute, could it be that the new vige chief Lu Yan mentioned is¡­¡± At this moment, the appearance of Lu Ran caused a sensation no less than that of a national superstar appearing in the crowd. Facing over a thousand vigers, Lu Ran felt a bit uneasy. As he stepped up, he began, ¡°Hello, uncles and aunts, elderlydies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters. I am Lu Ran.¡± ¡°My grandfather is Lu Hai, the former vige chief of LuJia Vige. Some of you probably knew him.¡± ¡°Just now, I discussed with Vige Chief Lu Yan, and I will be taking over as the vige chief of LuJia Vige. Does anyone have any objections?¡± ¡°Holy crap¡­¡± After Lu Ran finished speaking, the young people were in an uproar. Objections? Not a chance. Previously, the biggest desire in LuJia Vige was to have Lu Ran return as the vige chief. Now that their wish hade true, they were beyond thrilled. The elders, meanwhile, lowered their walking sticks, staring at Lu Ran in disbelief¡­ Had they really managed to bring back the impressive grandson of Lu Hai? ¡°No objections!!!¡± ¡°Screw it, anyone who objects, I¡¯ll steal their chickens.¡± ¡°Lu-Ge, if you go east, I¡¯ll never go west. Can you take me through a secret realm like you did with Lu Bing? Just once.¡± ¡°Do you have any autographs? Any autographs?¡± ¡°I want a photo with you, and with the Gale Sword Dog.¡± ¡°Has the Gale Sword Dog considered breeding?¡± Amid the cheers of the young people, vigers of other age groups had no chance to speak. Lu Ran chuckled awkwardly. Was he really this popr? ¡°Actually,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I want toe back as vige chief to lead everyone forward because someone asked me to.¡± Uh¡­ This statement from Lu Ran suddenly stunned the vigers. Beside him, Lu Yan was also slightly taken aback. Lu Ran continued, ¡°I wonder if you all remember the legend of LuJia Vige. In ancient times, there was a divine deer that protected our n.¡± How could the vigers of LuJia Vige not know? Almost every elder loved to tell children the story of the divine deer. Of course, everyone treated it as just a myth. Except for the older generation, who actually believed it? ¡°If I told you that the divine deer¡­ is real?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s tone and expression were extremely serious. As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell into sudden silence. Some of the elders even widened their eyes. Compared to the young people born in the new era, those who grew up in the old times were more sensitive to such matters. Back then, the vige still had offerings for the divine deer¡­ ¡°After the resurgence of spiritual energy, I came into contact with some secrets. The main reason I want to help develop LuJia Vige is that I received a dream from the divine deer. The divine deer exists somewhere.¡± ¡°In ancient times, the situation of LuJia Vige was beyond your imagination. We were one of the top ten super tribes in the world. However, over time, we have fallen into decline. But now that the divine deer is about to awaken, the revival of LuJia Vige¡¯s past glory is not a dream.¡± ¡°Years ago, due to some unforeseen events, the divine deer was gravely injured while protecting LuJia Vige and fell into a deep sleep.¡± ¡°But now, with the resurgence of spiritual energy, the divine deer is close to returning. Before its awakening, it granted me some resources in a dream, hoping I could lead LuJia Vige back to its peak.¡± ¡°This is the main reason I returned to LuJia Vige. Thanks to the divine deer¡¯s blessing, every member of the Lu n will receive abundant resources every month!¡± ¡°Beastmasters will receive beast taming skills, trait crystals, top-quality young pet beasts, and arge number of crystal coins.¡± ¡°Non-beastmasters will receive arge amount of cash, and soon everyone will be millionaires. There will also be supernatural nutritional supplements that can extend life and cure diseases avable¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s set a small goal first: to be The Best Vige Under Heaven. Believe me, we can achieve it.¡± After Lu Ran finished speaking, the young people and elders, despite the speech sounding like a sales pitch, clutched their wildly beating hearts and widened their eyes in disbelief. However, the person who said this was Lu Ran, the Strongest Fourth Generation on the blue star, making it almost impossible to doubt its credibility! Lu Ran had no reason to deceive them! Only Manager Ying was secretly jumping up and down, thinking, ¡°You really can bluff!¡± ¡°I knew it, I knew the divine deer must exist.¡± Suddenly, an elderlydy in her seventies began to weep and knelt on the ground, startling Lu Ran. He quickly said, ¡°Help the elderlydy up. Everyone, please calm down.¡± ¡°What I¡¯m saying is true. From now on, as long as you¡¯re part of the Lu n, you will all receive the divine deer¡¯s protection.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. I¡¯m just acting on behalf of the divine deer. Also, keep this to yourselves. If word gets out, LuJia Vige will never have peace again.¡± ¡°Anyone who dares to leak this information will be permanently expelled from LuJia Vige and the Lu n!¡± At this moment, an elder tapped their cane and said with red eyes. This older generation was the most devout believers in the divine deer¡¯s existence. The elderly looked at Lu Ran in amazement¡­ Was he the divine deer¡¯s envoy? Faced with the excited vigers, Lu Ran could only smile wryly. ¡°If you want to thank someone, thank the divine deer, not me.¡± ¡°Especially to our fellow beastmasters, the divine deer also said it would choose some n members who make significant contributions to the vige to receive legendary blessings. Make the most of this opportunity. If you receive the divine deer¡¯s blessing, the future Strongest Fourth Generation on the blue star might not be me, but one of you. Everyone has a chance.¡± ¡°All for the vige!¡± ¡°Next, as the new vige chief, my first reform is to establish a Divine Deer Festival in the vige. We will hold this festival several times a year to regrly worship the divine deer, with the non-working elders presiding over the ceremonies.¡± ¡°For the young vigers who are beastmasters, continue to team up and train in the secret realms of the infinite city.¡± ¡°For those who are not beastmasters, I will invite professors from the beast taming university, who are experts in pet beast breeding and spiritual nt cultivation, to help transform our vige¡¯s industries, turning LuJia Vige into a Beast Taming Vige.¡± ¡°Everyone will engage in the cultivation of supernatural beings and spiritual nts to develop our vige.¡± ¡°I hope that with our collective efforts, LuJia Vige can regain its former glory.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly, though his heart ached. The divine deer didn¡¯t actually provide any resources. All the investment for LuJia Vige woulde from him alone, and he still had to make the vigers thank the divine deer¡­ to provide the Power of Faith. It was tough, but considering the divine deer antler, Lu Ran epted it. After all, the poption of LuJia Vige was small, and the ce wasn¡¯t big, so it wouldn¡¯t bankrupt him. ¡°The Best Vige Under Heaven!!!¡± ¡°The Best Vige Under Heaven!!!!!¡± Today was destined to be an exceptionally exhrating and exciting day for LuJia Vige. Many young people, inspired by Lu Ran¡¯s speech, shouted with enthusiasm. In life, one of the greatest joys is discovering that you have a billionaire father. For the people of LuJia Vige, discovering that their vige was truly under the protection of a divine beast brought immense happiness. Soon, following Lu Ran¡¯s suggestion, the vigers began summoning back those who had gone out to work or study. ¡­ ¡°Ah Bing,e back!!! The vige is handing out gold bars!!¡± ¡°Son!! Are you still at that lousy job? So what if you became a manager? Get back here now!!¡± ¡°Brother, my dear brother,e back quickly, the vige is giving out subi.¡± On this day, the fourth-generation beastmasters of LuJia Vige, upon returning home, did the first thing: they consulted the elders for more myths and legends about the divine deer, listening to them as if they were sacred texts. For them, simply receiving resources wasn¡¯t enough. They longed for the divine deer¡¯s blessing, to be super-strong beastmasters like Lu Ran, and to lead the era. Believe in the divine deer! Contribute to the vige¡¯s development! LuJia Vige, already a tightly-knit n vige, now had a unified belief that bolstered its cohesion, showcasing extraordinary vitality. At the same time, faint points of light in the vige gathered in the sky, merging into the deer spirits of faith that only Lu Ran could see¡­ ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was dumbfounded. ¡°I haven¡¯t even distributed the resources yet, and the Power of Faith is already surging. Well, it makes sense. Even gods who offer nothing have plenty of followers; not to mention, this ¡®God Lu¡¯ is actually nning to distribute wealth.¡± ¡°Could it be that in the end, LuJia Vige will truly be The Best Vige Under Heaven, where every viger is incredibly powerful?¡± Lu Ran touched his chin, ignoring the twitching expression of Manager Ying beside him, and said, ¡°Whatever, it doesn¡¯t matter. All for the general deer.¡± Chapter 159: Evolution Secret Realm, Global Attention Chapter 159: Evolution Secret Realm, Global Attention Lu Ran was very attentive to the development of LuJia Vige. He asked Manager Ying beside him, ¡°Does the Alliance have any supernatural beings that are deer species?¡± ¡°The kind with an initial species level of upper supernatural.¡± ¡°You want to bring them in for the beastmasters of LuJia Vige as their second pet contract?¡± Ying turned her head. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You might as well just merge LuJia Vige into Green Sea City and let them find suitable supernatural beings to contract there,¡± the cat scoffed. ¡°Contracting deer would make it seem like LuJia Vige ¡®has a divine deer in its heart,¡¯ wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°What you said, I¡¯ve also considered. My idea is that everyone¡¯s teamposition should be diversified.¡± ¡°For the development of LuJia Vige, I n to cultivate it in this way: First, using my identity as a Dragon Chef, I¡¯ll find a group of beastmasters who are good at fighting and have them contract with snake species as their second pet, forming a Loong-type Jiao Dragon team.¡±¡°These people will be the mainbat force.¡± ¡°One dog and one dragon, it¡¯s somewhat simr to my own path.¡± ¡°Second, another group of beastmasters will develop their second pet towards support roles, such as healing and recovery.¡± ¡°In this way, when they form teams, their weaknesses won¡¯t be too obvious. I think we can select a group of grass-type deer to send to LuJia Vige for nurturing, serving as team mascots¡­¡± ¡°So, Manager Ying, are you not interested in cooperating on the revival of the divine deer?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t think I was bragging just now, did you? Actually, the divine deer¡­¡± Lu Ran was about to rope Manager Ying into helping him strengthen LuJia Vige, but at that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone and looked at the caller, somewhat surprised. ¡°Who is it?¡± Manager Ying was dissatisfied. Who was calling and interrupting Lu Ran? ¡°It¡¯s Qingyi,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Pfft, Qingyi is what I call her. Do you call her that?¡± Manager Ying was angry. Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°I mean, your Qingyi.¡± With that, Lu Ran answered the call. Gu Qingyi immediately said, ¡°Lu Ran, when do you n to enter the breakthrough secret realm?¡± ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°nning¡­ maybe in a month?¡± Lu Ran estimated. ¡°A month? That means two months, right?¡± On the other end, Gu Qingyi shook her head and said, ¡°Your pet beast has been at level 20 for a while now. What¡¯s keeping you so busy? Enter the breakthrough secret realm as soon as possible!¡± ¡°Has something happened?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Not long ago, a special public secret realm appeared in the Super Public Infinite City in Antarctica.¡± ¡°Only those with level 30 pet beasts can benefit there.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was stunned. ¡°What kind of public secret realm?¡± Antarctica¡­ Previously, Antarctica had no permanent residents, only scientific researchers from around the world. But now it¡¯s different. The Blue Star Beast Taming Alliance, a super beast taming organizationposed of beast taming forces from various countries, has its headquarters in Antarctica. And Antarctica¡¯s Infinite City is naturally a public infinite city, with beast taming forces from various countries having their personnel stationed there. Antarctica¡¯s Infinite City is also known as the Super Public Infinite City, as it is indeed the area with the most public secret realms. ¡°It¡¯s a public secret realm with no level restrictions. I¡¯ve sent you the details. Take a look.¡± Lu Ran opened the message. [Name]: Evolution Secret Realm [Entry Level]: No restrictions [Introduction]: Under the starry sky, this is an area extremely suitable for the evolution of supernatural beings. The Evolution Secret Realm periodically erupts with arge amount of evolution energy. If a supernatural being undergoes an evolution during this eruption, it can unlock greater potential. During the eruption of evolution energy, the ten pet beasts with the highest potential post-evolution will receive the Starry Blessing and gain additional power. [Entry Fee]: 100,000 crystal coins [Next Evolution Energy Eruption Countdown]: 44 days ¡°Evolution Secret Realm???¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°There¡¯s such a secret realm?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s indeed quite peculiar,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°A Legendary Secret Realm, an Evolution Secret Realm¡­ who knows what strange secret realms Infinite City wille up with next.¡± ¡°Now you understand why I want you to enter the breakthrough secret realm as soon as possible.¡± ¡°If you enter the breakthrough secret realm now, ande out a monthter, given the umtion of your pet beast, reaching level 30 before the evolution energy eruption in the Evolution Secret Realm shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± ¡°After all, your Dragon Lizard has consumed so many rare and exquisite resources, its nutrition is already more than sufficient.¡± ¡°Taking advantage of this Evolution Secret Realm to transform it into a dragon would be an excellent choice.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you obtain the dragon king trait in the Legendary Secret Realm? If you fuse it with your sudden death king andbine it with the Evolution Secret Realm¡¯s boost, it might evolve into something extraordinary.¡± ¡°With the dragon king bloodline trait and the Loong-type boost, your sudden death king should easily secure a spot in the top ten for potential evolution, even among the first-generation, second-generation, and third-generation pets from various countries.¡± ¡°Free rewards are not to be missed, right?¡± Gu Qingyiughed on the other end of the phone. ¡°Once the Evolution Secret Realm opens this time, the next opening date is uncertain. If you miss it, you might have to wait a long time.¡± ¡°Anyway, your sudden death king is already prepared with the evolution trait and resources. I suggest that General Ha, your third pet, can wait for the second opening of the Evolution Secret Realm to evolve, to be better prepared.¡± ¡°Your sudden death king, however, should seize this opportunity and aim for one of those ten spots.¡± ¡°By evolving your pet beasts in batches in the Evolution Secret Realm, you maximize the chance for each one to receive the Starry Blessing.¡± Gu Qingyi analyzed for Lu Ran. ¡°Indeed, evolving them separately would be better, ensuring each pet beast has the highest chance of receiving the Starry Blessing,¡± Lu Ran nodded. After all, trying to have General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow evolve in the same batch and all secure top ten potential would be challenging. They would not onlypete with others but also with each other. Staggering their evolutions would be more strategic. ¡°I originally wanted to wait for that pet beast egg from the Freshman Tournament to hatch, take care of it for a while, and then challenge the breakthrough secret realm,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°The main reason is that I want the egg to see me first when it hatches.¡± Of course, another reason was that he didn¡¯t want to challenge the breakthrough secret realm right after the Legendary Secret Realm. He wanted to rest for a while! Gu Qingyi spoke up, ¡°Hey, it doesn¡¯t matter when that pet beast egg hatches. You can give the egg to Manager Ying. It can dy the hatching time while ensuring the egg continuously absorbs external nutrients, so its development won¡¯t be affected.¡± Manager Ying, who had been eavesdropping, couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. It had initially been intrigued by the Evolution Secret Realm, but this conversation was too much. Come on, talking as if it was some egg-hatching master. It¡¯s true that dying the egg¡¯s hatching time is possible, but it requires a lot of resources! ¡°Manager Ying also has expertise in breeding?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°As an intelligence dealer, of course, it knows a bit of everything,¡± Gu Qingyiughed. ¡°I understand. Thank you, Dr. Gu, for the information.¡± Lu Ran rubbed his head. He had nned to ck off for another month, but now he had to advance his schedule to challenge the breakthrough secret realm. ¡°Manager Ying is with you, right? Message delivered. Let it help you n. I¡¯ll hang up now.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran ended the call with Dr. Gu and looked at Manager Ying. With a pleading look, he turned to Manager Ying. ¡°Manager Ying, you heard it. The Evolution Secret Realm is opening for the first time. I must seize this opportunity.¡± ¡°During this period, I need you to use your magic to take extra care of this egg.¡± ¡°Apart from that, I also need you to help look after LuJia Vige¡­¡± ¡°Great, now I not only have to be your bodyguard but also a babysitter for your pet beast. And now, you want me to take care of an entire vige?¡± Manager Ying huffed, feeling Lu Ran was going too far. Lu Ran earnestly said, ¡°I have an important piece of information. After hearing it, you might change your mind, Manager Ying.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Manager Ying was puzzled. ¡°What if I told you that helping take care of LuJia Vige could help us quickly find the legendary item, The Stone of the Other Shore?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Manager Ying frowned. ¡°To find The Stone of the Other Shore, there are two key conditions. First, you need a powerful necromantic pet beast. Second, you need a part of the death dragon¡¯s body.¡± ¡°The second condition is the most difficult.¡± ¡°After all, the death dragon is one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons of the Star-Moon Continent, a top-level legend.¡± ¡°However, we can take a different approach. What if we find the life dragon, which is also one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons?¡± ¡°What exactly are you getting at?¡± ¡°The divine deer is one of the three legendary retainers of the life dragon and is also an overlord species! Awakening it could likely help us find The Stone of the Other Shore, or at least bring us closer to the truth,¡± Lu Ran analyzed. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Manager Ying was shocked. ¡°What did you just say???¡± ¡°You heard me. The divine deer is one of the three legendary retainers of the life dragon. Where did you get this information?¡± Lu Ran whistled and summoned the me Sprite, fire dancing on his fingertips. ¡°I took a trip to the Star-Moon Continent. Of course, I seriously investigated the intelligence about the death dragon. While I didn¡¯t find much about the death dragon, I did gather some information about the life dragon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the source is me Dragon King, the acebat pet of Yan Sizhen, an 80-plus level upper overlord species and legendary creature. It¡¯s reliable.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Manager Ying¡¯s expression shifted, then, with a fierce look, it swung its kitty punch at Lu Ran¡¯s face! ¡°Such crucial intelligence, and you¡¯re only telling me now?!¡± Lu Ran caught the kitty punch and said, ¡°Earlier, there was no information about the divine deer, so this intelligence would have been useless. But now it¡¯s different. With the Power of Faith, we have hope of finding the divine deer. This information has naturally be valuable.¡± Manager Ying fell into deep thought. The divine deer is actually a legendary retainer of the life dragon??? Is the divine deer truly a legendary creature? Could it be that the Star-Moon Continent is indeed the ancient era of the blue star? Otherwise, why would the divine deer appear on the blue star? The death dragon¡­ the life dragon¡­ Manager Ying sensed that there were indeed significant secrets hidden within. In addition to running an intelligence organization to make money and awaken its main body, it was also driven by a deep curiosity about the world¡¯s secrets. After a moment of hesitation, Manager Ying decided it had to help Lu Ran with this task. Finding the divine deer was indeed crucial to uncovering more information about the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons. ¡°Alright,¡± Manager Ying nodded in contemtion. It realized that using Faith to awaken the divine deer would be a massive, long-term project. At that moment, Lu Ran, ncing at his phone, noticed that news about the Evolution Secret Realm had started to flood in! [Evolution Secret Realm! The era where every third-generation beastmaster has a sovereign species pet beast may be upon us!] Currently, skilled third-generation beastmasters have already evolved sovereign species pet beasts, but some third-generation beastmasters only possessmander species. This Evolution Secret Realm is a boon for those third-generation beastmasters looking to develop new pets. They might seize this opportunity to evolve a sovereign species pet beast in one go. Simrly, some first and second-generation beastmasters, who are nurturing new pets and haven¡¯t undergone significant evolution, can also take advantage of this experience to increase their new pets¡¯ potential. This secret realm is essentially a beneficial one for beastmasters of all generations. At present, most discussions about the Evolution Secret Realm are focused on the first, second, and third generations. As for the fourth generation, their growth period has been too short. Few have likely managed to raise their pet beasts to level 30 by the time the Evolution Secret Realm opens. After all, most frontline fourth-generation beastmasters are still strategizing for the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm. They probably won¡¯t easily break through levels just for the Evolution Secret Realm, as missing the Legendary Secret Realm means a permanent miss, while the Evolution Secret Realm will always be there, whether they enter sooner orter. Thus, only a few fourth-generation beastmasters, including Lu Ran, will be able to enter this Evolution Secret Realm, provided they quickly break through and elevate their pet beasts to level 30. Given the time constraints, it¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s little attention on this group. [This Evolution Secret Realm may not reveal which beastmaster is the strongest, but it should show who excels the most in nurturing new pets.] [The 10 pet beasts with the highest evolution potential will receive the Starry Blessing. I wonder what the Starry Blessing will be.] [Do you think these 10 blessing spots will go to first-generation, second-generation, or third-generation new pets?] [It depends on whose new pets have the greatest potential. I¡¯m more interested in which countries¡¯ beastmasters will im these 10 spots.] The international forums were abuzz with discussions. Chapter 160: Before the Breakthrough Chapter 160: Before the Breakthrough At this moment, all eyes are on the Evolution Secret Realm. As thetest updated secret realm, beastmasters of all generations are curious about its benefits. After all, the entry fee of 100,000 crystal coins isn¡¯t cheap. Especially for fourth-generation beastmasters, it¡¯s a significant amount. Many fourth-generation beastmasters n to wait and see. They want to observe others¡¯ evolution results first. If the enhancements are substantial, they will save up every crystal coin to evolve here, even if it means skimping and saving. Of course, not every fourth-generation beastmaster chose to wait. Like Lu Ran, the Golden Generation who had already passed the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm, they face a difficult decision.In Europe, Misty City. Dressed in abat uniform, the Princess of Light listens to her mentor¡¯s analysis. ¡°The first batch of entrants into the Evolution Secret Realm will undoubtedly be numerous.¡± ¡°First Generation, second generation, and Third Generation beastmasters, who are currently nurturing new pet beasts, won¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡± ¡°But only the ten pet beasts with the highest evolution potential will receive the Starry Blessing.¡± ¡°If it were just domesticpetition, or only fourth-generationpetition, your pet beast would have a high chance of receiving the Starry Blessing.¡± ¡°But this time, the entrants include beastmasters from all generations, making thepetition undeniably fierce.¡± ¡°Although you¡¯ve received rewards from the Legendary Secret Realm, the First Generation and second generations have experienced many breakthrough secret realms, which also contain many unique and precious rewards. The umtion of their foundations cannot be offset by one Legendary Secret Realm.¡± ¡°You need to decide whether to quickly enter the breakthrough secret realm and strive to enter the Evolution Secret Realm with the first batch of entrants, or to wait and see, waiting for the second opening of the Evolution Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Although we don¡¯t know when the Evolution Secret Realm will open for the second time, it shouldn¡¯t be too long, probably not more than three months.¡± The princess, with her beautiful face and golden hair, thought for a moment and said, ¡°Mentor, there¡¯s no need to think any further. I want to seize this opportunity.¡± ¡°Thepetition for the first opening is fierce, but the second one might not be any less intense. By then, the fourth-generation beastmasters should have had the chance to ess the Evolution Secret Realm, and if the rewards are truly substantial, the First Generation, second generation, and Third Generation beastmasters who weren¡¯t nning on nurturing new pet beasts might also decide to start.¡± ¡°At that time, thepetition for the second opening might be even more intense than the first.¡± ¡°There is no room for hesitation. If you don¡¯t seize every opportunity, you¡¯ll always be indecisive and never at the forefront.¡± ¡°Lu Ran from Daxia, the young man who solo cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, if he chooses to hesitate and wait this time while I choose to forge ahead and be among the first pioneers, wouldn¡¯t I surpass his progress and move ahead of him?¡± the princess said. ¡°Exactly.¡± The princess¡¯s mentor smiled with satisfaction. It¡¯s no wonder she¡¯s a member of royalty and has been receiving beast taming education for three years; with such determination, it¡¯s hard not to be strong. Such decisions are being made by many elite fourth-generation beastmasters. Of course, not all countries are focusing solely on the fourth generation. In Eagle. At the Dinosaur Life Research Institute. Dr. Hayden, the head of the research project, is holding a meeting with many researchers. ¡°Recently, the Tyrannosaurus Rex team was defeated by the Dragon Chef, Lu Ran, from Xia Country, making us aughingstock internationally!¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m pleased that everyone has turned this humiliation into motivation and made significant progress in a short amount of time.¡± ¡°This Evolution Secret Realm has appeared at the perfect time. We must seize this opportunity for our second dinosaur-to-dragon experiment!¡± ¡°If we seed, it will be the best rebuttal to those media critics!¡± The dinosaur project has already undergone one evolution experiment, where dinosaur pet beasts were handed over to a group of third-generation beastmasters for nurturing. They quickly raised them to level 30 and then attempted evolution. The result was aplete failure in dragon transformation; none evolved into Loong-type dragons. The fourth-generation Tyrannosaurus Rex team is the second batch of experimenters in the dinosaur project. Dr. Hayden and his team n to increase the sess rate of dinosaur pet beasts transforming into Dragon Pets by customizing beast taming skills for them. However, due to the level restrictions of the fourth generation, this experiment hasn¡¯t reached its final step: the initial evolution. But now, with the emergence of the Evolution Secret Realm, Dr. Hayden and his team feel they can temporarily shift their focus away from the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. They n to recruit a new batch of third-generation beastmasters around the Evolution Secret Realm and have them contract new dinosaur pet beasts. Then, using thetest research resultsbined with the power of the Evolution Secret Realm, they will attempt the dragon transformation again! If sessful, they would be the biggest beneficiaries of this Evolution Secret Realm! ¡°If that Dragon Chef Lu Ran is also researching Loong-type evolution, his experimental subjects surely won¡¯t miss this Evolution Secret Realm either. This time, we must surpass Xia Country,¡± Dr. Hayden said. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that his individual research progress canpare to our entire elite team.¡± To enter the breakthrough secret realm without any burdens, Lu Ran began delegating tasks. He entrusted the pet beast egg to Manager Ying. For the development of LuJia Vige, he could transfer crystal coins to Manager Ying and co-invest with it. The only burden, the dark crow¡­ Lu Ran naturally nned to throw it back into the Green Sea. However, after thinking carefully, he felt like he was forgetting something. After a moment of recollection, he remembered that there was a female chef back home. Lu Ran quickly called Summer. ¡°Hey, Summer?¡± ¡°Have you seen thetest news about the Evolution Secret Realm?¡± Summer nodded, ¡°I saw it. Do you want to be among the first batch to enter?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then go for it.¡± ¡°Why do you sound so relieved¡­ If I enter the breakthrough secret realm, I won¡¯t be able to guide you in learning spear intent for at least a month,¡± Lu Ran said, his mouth twitching. Now that Lu Ran has finally decided to make some progress, Summer actually felt relieved. ¡°It¡¯s okay, maintaining the Inch-perfect de technique and the release of artistic conception will be enough for me to practice for a long time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to master both techniques before youe out of the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Thank you for thinking of me during this time¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°No, I just wanted to ask you to help me train the Dark Crow General while I¡¯m away. Your Dark Cuisine is quite beneficial for it. I¡¯ll leave you enough rare ingredients, which will also save you money on buying ingredients for your culinary practice. It¡¯ll save you a lot.¡± Summer was dumbfounded: ??? Are you kidding me! She felt like she wasn¡¯t here to learn Culinary but to work as Lu Ran¡¯s breeder. ¡°Just having one dark pet beast to taste your dishes won¡¯t help you improve,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. This is part of the training! Next to him, Manager Ying remained silent; Lu Ran had indeed arranged everything perfectly. He entrusted the egg and the vige to it, and the uncontracted Dark Crow to another genius for care. This skill of ¡°convincing others to work for him¡± was truly honed to perfection by Lu Ran. After hanging up the phone with Summer, Lu Ran turned to Manager Ying and said, ¡°Come on, Manager Ying, let¡¯s go to Infinite City. I¡¯ll prepay you 1 million crystal coins. Take care of LuJia Vige for me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Manager Ying pursed its lips. At this moment, Lu Ran could only say that having money was good. Giving out 1 million crystal coins now seemed painful, but once the settlement of the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard was done, with General Ha and the sudden death king both on the leaderboard, another pile of crystal coins woulde in. Right now, Lu Ran was just hoping that the Dark Crow would live up to expectations. Hmm? Wait a minute, if the sudden death king and General Ha evolve, do they have a chance to make it onto the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard??? Wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­ more and more crystal coins? If the sudden death king sessfully fuses with the Dragon King¡¯s trait and evolves, Lu Ran felt its species level wouldn¡¯t be low; it might even be an upper sovereign species. With this potential, it could definitelypete on the sovereign leaderboard. As for General Ha, Lu Ran was now debating whether to let it evolve alongside the sudden death king. Summer chuckled. During the days Lu Ran was supposed to be teaching her, he was either reading novels or snacking on kebabs and drinking c, making her feel guilty. If they were to evolve together, he had to ensure that General Ha¡¯s evolution potential could reach the top 10 and receive the Starry Blessing, otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it. However, the evolution trait prepared for General Ha was the Ultimate Perception Trait. The enhancement this trait provided during evolution was certainly not as significant as that of the Dragon King Trait. ¡°Then again, General Ha already has the potential of a middle sovereign. Evolving once more should at least give it the potential of an upper sovereign, right?¡± ¡°How many pet beasts can reach upper sovereign potential in just one evolution?¡± ¡°The breakthrough task shouldn¡¯t be difficult with my current strength. I¡¯ll strive toplete it as soon as possible¡­ With the top-level Loong-type trait like the Dragon King Trait, the sudden death king¡¯s evolution potential is maximized. During this breakthrough secret realm, I¡¯ll see if there¡¯s a chance to strengthen General Ha¡­¡± Lu Ran thought. After making all the arrangements, Lu Ran began to execute his n step by step. First, he asked Lu Yan to continue as the deputy vige chief. Then, he introduced Manager Ying to him for the handover. Next, he stored arge amount of dark resources and the dark crow with Summer in Green Sea City. As for Lu Ran himself, after finishing all this, he informed the relevant people about his intention to challenge the breakthrough secret realm and started preparing supplies. Afterpleting everything, Lu Ran prayed to the divine deer antler, hoping for a reliable breakthrough secret realm this time. ¡°Even if it¡¯s unreliable, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s a culinary test or a forging test, bring it on. I¡¯m not afraid of secondary profession secret realms anymore.¡± ¡°As for battles, I¡¯m not afraid either, as long as I don¡¯t encounter bizarre eras. Please, no witches!¡± Havingpleted all preparations, Lu Ran wasted no time and headed to Infinite City to initiate the breakthrough secret realm. After all, there were only 44 days left until the Evolution Secret Realm opened. The sooner he broke through, the better, and he didn¡¯t know how long the queue for the breakthrough secret realm would be. The first-generation beastmasters sometimes had to queue for a day, or even a week. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself, then initiated the challenge. [Name: Breakthrough Secret Realm] [Secret Realm Level: Level 1] [Difficulty: Unknown] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 0] [Introduction: You will enter an unknown world and undergo breakthrough trials.] [Do you wish to enter the Breakthrough Secret Realm?] Yes. [Matching a suitable Breakthrough Secret Realm for you¡­] [Secret realm matching in progress¡­] [Please wait¡­] [Estimated wait time: 1s¡­] ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. So quick? The number of people waiting to break through in Xia Country shouldn¡¯t be that high. Could it be matching him with the ¡°Golden Generation¡± abroad? [Matching sessful.] [Secret Realm Type: Multiyer] [Teleport countdown: 10¡­9¡­] Ten secondster, in Lu Ran¡¯s private room, a sh of white light appeared, and his figure slowly vanished. Buzzzz! Lu Ran¡¯s vision suddenly went dark. However, unlike his first time entering a Breakthrough Secret Realm, this time, he didn¡¯t immediately arrive in a new world. Instead, in the darkness, more information emerged! This time, Infinite City provided an introduction to the Breakthrough Secret Realm. [Teleporting¡­] [Target Location: Star-Moon Continent, Beast Taming Empire, Mingan.] [Era Introduction: At the end of the Beast Taming Empire, the once-glorious human nation is now on the brink of copse. After severalrge-scale wars, many regions of the empire have bends of death, gued by disease and pestilence. In this chaotic era, the power to manipte the dead has emerged, bringing necromancers to the forefront of history. They toy with the souls of the living and the dead, bing a major threat to the Beast Taming Empire. To eliminate this unstable factor, the empire has called upon motivated individuals from the public to cooperate with the Beast Taming Legion with the goal of eradicating the necromancers hidden across thend. Mingan. Once a bustlingmercial city, now and of death ravaged by war, it hides numerous beastmasters who have epted the power of the dead, making it a veritable city of death.] ¡°This¡­¡± At that moment, beastmasters from various countries were bewildered. They never expected to encounter a breakthrough secret realm rted to the necromancer upation. However, what left them even more stunned was that Infinite City¡¯s message wasn¡¯t finished yet. [The breakthrough task type this time is: Faction Confrontation.] [Please choose your faction identity now.] [Faction ¢Ù: Civilian beastmaster participating in the Mingan campaign.] [Faction ¢Ú: Civilian beastmaster seduced and corrupted by necromantic power.] [The breakthrough task will refresh after all challengers have chosen their factions.] Everyone: ??? ¡°Is there even a choice? Who would join the necromancers?¡± ¡°My pet beast is of the light type, countering the necromancers. Maybe, this breakthrough secret realm will give me a high rating.¡± In the darkness, the Princess of Light felt optimistic. The three Knights of Light who entered the breakthrough secret realm with her and were luckily matched together felt the same way, their spirits lifted. Chapter 161: A Villain is Just a Villain Chapter 161: A Viin is Just a Viin ¡°Got it!¡± Everyone was confused, and so was Lu Ran. This breakthrough secret realm was yet another highly unconventional one. It involved the derivative upation of a beastmaster: a necromancer. The curse witch was gone, but necromantic power was also quite niche. However,pared to curse power, necromantic power had been studied to some extent by various countries. After all, the international criminal organization ¡°The Other Shore¡± had risen to power by mastering necromantic power. Therefore, any beastmaster with some experience would have a general understanding of necromancy and what a necromancer does. Of course, with the revival of spiritual energy, The Other Shore rarely hunted beastmasters anymore.It¡¯s likely that they were busy hunting supernatural beings outside to level up, slightly reducing their presence during each country¡¯s busiest times. ¡°Does Infinite City have a storage check?¡± At this moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t immediately choose a faction but pondered internally. He remembered the ¡°Death Revival¡± skill book in his backpack and suspected that Infinite City had performed a backpack check on him. ¡°Whatever the case, this breakthrough secret realm came at a perfect time!¡± Lu Ran originally hoped to encounter a normal breakthrough secret realm, but now, even though this one seemed unusual, he felt surprisingly okay with it. The source of necromantic power, Lu Ran guessed, was most likely rted to the death dragon. Entering this kind of secret realm would make it easier for him to investigate intelligence rted to the death dragon. Moreover, Lu Ran intended to cultivate a necromantic pet beast, but even in Xia Country, there wasn¡¯t much experience in this area. Just like when he increased his culinary skills in a previous breakthrough secret realm, this one might provide him with some valuable knowledge about necromancy. And now, the most important issue was choosing a faction identity. A civilian beastmaster participating in the Mingan City crusade¡­ or a civilian beastmaster lured by necromantic power. Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. For a normal beastmaster, they would surely choose the first option. After all, it sounds like the ¡°righteous¡± side, regardless of the circumstances. The evil image of necromancers had long been ingrained in people¡¯s minds due to The Other Shore organization. Moreover, even on the Star-Moon Continent, necromancers were not well regarded. This was not because necromancy was inherently discriminated against, but because the growth of a necromancer was too unstable. Long-term absorption of soul power could lead a necromancer to lose their sanity and be increasingly insane, resulting in extreme actions. This is why the Beast Taming Empire viewed necromancers as unstable elements and did not allow civilian beastmasters to contact this power privately. Imagine a normal beastmaster encountering this breakthrough secret realm¡ªwho would want to work with a group of people who could go crazy at any moment? Additionally, the empire¡¯s side seemed like the ¡°big leg 1 ¡± to cling to. Joining the Beast Taming Legion might make it easier to pass through the secret realm. Lu Ran¡¯s first thought was to choose to be a member of the campaign force. However, he quickly hesitated because, since it was a ¡°faction confrontation mode,¡± the other faction couldn¡¯t be entirely a trap. Infinite City wouldn¡¯t be so unfair to challengers, right? Civilian beastmasters lured by necromantic power¡­ Choosing this faction might grant some ¡°special identity¡± or ¡°additional buffs.¡± [Most people would definitely choose the righteous side. Perhaps all the challengers would choose faction (1).] [In this case, if I choose faction (2), disregarding NPC factors, it would be a solo fight against all the challengers. If sessful, would the rating rewards be richer?] [Additionally, since the story involves being lured by necromantic power, it indicates that there¡¯s a tempting source of power within Mingan City. The likelihood is high that only faction (2) can ess this special side quest.] [Perhaps choosing faction (2) could yield some extra rewards.] Lu Ran gritted his teeth and decided to see how Infinite City would arrange his identity in faction (2). ¡°I choose (2)!¡± At the same time, the nine other challengers who entered the same secret realm as Lu Ran also made their choices. ¡°(1)!¡± Once everyone made their choices, the voice of Infinite City sounded again. [Faction selectionplete.] [Breakthrough Task: Faction Victory!] [Prompt (1): The condition for faction victory is the ownership of Mingan City after 14 days.] [Prompt (2): This secret realm is a historical projection. Internal lifeforms cannot be taken out or contracted.] [Prompt (3): ¡­] Except for the novice secret realm benefit ¡°Eye of Data,¡± which was no longer avable, the other prompts were not much different from their first breakthrough secret realm. Of course, since this was PVP, involving challenger confrontation rather than PVE, an additional death immunity was included: should a challenger die, they would be sealed by Infinite City and could return normally after 30 days. Once the voice faded, everyone felt a dizzying sensation, finally arriving in a brand-new world. ¡°Where is this?¡± After entering the breakthrough secret realm, the nine who chose faction (1) opened their eyes and found themselves in a massive training ground. Opposite them, a middle-aged man in armor slowly approached and spoke, ¡°Thank you all for extending a helping hand to the Beast Taming Legion.¡± ¡°Currently, our forces are severelycking, but an order is an order. To maintain the empire¡¯s stability, the necromantic forces in Mingan City must be eradicated.¡± ¡°Your task is simple: assist the Beast Taming Legion in guarding the outskirts of Mingan City to prevent necromantic power from spreading. Our reinforcements should arrive within a month.¡± ¡°Huh??¡± An Asian man in armor, who also entered the breakthrough secret realm, widened his eyes and said, ¡°Are you saying that the Beast Taming Legion won¡¯tunch an attack on Mingan City for a month??¡± Hearing this, the group of beastmasters who chose faction (1) fell silent. ¡°That¡¯s correct. We are currently a fragmented force, without even a single level 3 beastmaster. ording to intelligence, the beast taming strength of Mingan City is not weaker than ours.¡± ¡°Additionally, due to battles elsewhere, manpower is extremely scarce. It will take at least a month for reinforcements to arrive.¡± A momentter. The beastmasters who chose faction (1) collectively felt a pang of regret, realizing they had stepped into a significant pitfall. After the middle-aged beastmaster left, the nine beastmasters from different countries exchanged nces. Among them, the Princess of Light from Yinglun and the Knights of Light Order immediately caught the attention of the other five. ¡°You¡¯re the Princess of the Golden Generation!¡± a neon beastmaster eximed upon noticing her. The Princess was delighted to see that she and her threepanions were matched together, as these three hade specifically to assist her inpleting the breakthrough. However, upon seeing the other five, she frowned. ¡°Hello. Are you all fourth-generation beastmasters?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a third-generation beastmaster, and my upation is a doctor,¡± said the neon beastmaster. ¡°I haven¡¯t paid much attention to levels recently and just decided to enter a level 1 breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Same here,¡± a ck woman spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m a historian¡­ Wow, this era is so fascinating. It¡¯s a period with very vague historical records. There might be great discoveries to be made.¡± A tall man in golden armor retorted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? The Beast Taming Legion said they might notunch an attack on Mingan City for 30 days.¡± ¡°By then, it will be toote. Our breakthrough task would have already failed.¡± Through their conversation, the Knights of Light from the Golden Generation despairingly discovered that their five teammates were all third-generation beastmasters, not fourth-generation, and were virtually nobodies in terms ofbat strength. Regarding the breakthrough task, they had no particr ambitions. They were the type who would be content if they could safely return, breakthrough or not. Of course, now that they were in the same faction as the Golden Generation, they nned to follow the Golden Generation¡¯s lead entirely. If they could win effortlessly and gain points, who would want to fail? ¡°I knew it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to rely on the Beast Taming Legion¡¯s strength,¡± the Princess sighed. ¡°But it¡¯s okay. ording to that legion beastmaster, the necromantic forces in Mingan City aren¡¯t veryrge.¡± ¡°The strongest necromancer is probably only at level 2, which is just the normal difficulty for a level 1 breakthrough secret realm. There¡¯s no need to worry too much.¡± ¡°As long as we can persuade the remnants of this Beast Taming Legion to cooperate with us inunching an attack, there¡¯s a good chance we can take down Mingan City.¡± The Glory Knight, deep in thought, said, ¡°Their task is to guard outside Mingan City to prevent necromantic power from spreading. Convincing them to take the initiative in attacking won¡¯t be easy, even if we show strength beyond that of a typical level 1 beastmaster.¡± ¡°The only way to get them to initiate an attack is if the necromantic power from Mingan City starts spreading. They would have to attack early to contain it and fulfill their task.¡± The neon beastmaster said, ¡°Makes sense. So, should we send an undercover agent into Mingan City to deliver intelligence to the necromancers, making them aware that the Beast Taming Empire ns to eradicate them? That way, we can provoke a conflict between the two forces.¡± ¡°Then, we can assist the Beast Taming Legion in capturing Mingan City, quicklypleting our task.¡± The Moonlight Knight said, ¡°By the way, how many challengers are there this time? Just 9? Is it possible that someone chose faction (2)? If so, the faction confrontation might be moreplicated.¡± ¡°Unlikely, right?¡± the ck woman said. ¡°Who in their right mind would choose faction (2)? They¡¯d have to be really bored.¡± ¡­ Inside Mingan City. At this moment, Lu Ran, wearing a ck robe of unknown origin, was indeed quite bored. Around him were more than a dozen other ck-robed beastmasters. It was impossible to tell if they were natives or fellow challengers. Lu Ran was currently following this group of ck-robed beastmasters, listening to a deadpan young man¡¯s indoctrination. ¡°You have made the most correct choice of your life!¡± ¡°Flesh is weak, the soul is eternal! The path of necromancy is undying and evesting.¡± ¡°In these chaotic times, bing a necromancer is the only hope for survival.¡± ¡°I, Gory, will now teach you the techniques to awaken necromantic power.¡± ¡°If your aptitude is good enough, you will have a great chance to transcend the limitations of flesh and exist in the world as a spirit!¡± ¡°A month from now, the Lord Divine Envoy of the Holy Church will arrive in Mingan City. Those of you who excel in necromancy will have a chance to be taken to the Divine Chosen Land to receive the blessing of God.¡± Wow, this sounds like a viin! This is a necromantic cult! Lu Ran thought to himself in the crowd. ¡°The soul, like the spirit, is the original power that every life possesses. The decaying empire calls this great power evil simply because they fear its strength, which could rece their authority.¡± ¡°However, the practice of necromancy is indeed dangerous. Not every pet beast is suitable for developing soul power. If a pet beastcks sufficient soul talent, it is very risky for a beastmaster to learn necromancy.¡± ¡°Before I teach you necromancy, I must first test the soul talent of your pet beasts. If they have no talent, then for your own safety, I will not teach you necromancy. You may need to find a suitable new pet beast before further training.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. Wow, this missionary is actually considerate of the followers¡¯ safety. The missionary took out a pitch-ck stone and said, ¡°This is the Soul-Calming Stone. It can temporarily force the soul of a living being out of its body. If a pet beast has good soul talent, it can stay outside its body longer and even have strongbat abilities in soul form.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like getting a preview of the necromantic state.¡± ¡°But if the soul talent is poor, the soul will quickly be forced back into the body, like a fish out of water.¡± ¡°Next, I will use this to test the necromantic talent of your pet beasts.¡± [Name]: Soul-Calming Stone [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: A special stone containing unique power that can temporarily force the soul of a living being out of its body without harming the soul or the body itself. Lu Ran used the eye of data to nce at the Soul-Calming Stone. It seemed the missionary wasn¡¯t lying. This stone is great! I wonder if The Other Shore has it! But Xia Country doesn¡¯t have such resources. I must find an opportunity to snatch a few pieces! Footnote:
  1. Big Leg(´óÍÈ): In Chinese, the term ¡°´óÍÈ¡± (literally ¡°big leg¡±) is a metaphor for a powerful or influential person or entity. The phrase ¡°±§´óÍÈ¡± means to seek support or protection from such a person, simr to the English expressions ¡°cling to a powerful ally¡± or ¡°seek the backing of a big shot.¡±
Chapter 162: Even the Villains Find It Ridiculous Chapter 162: Even the Viins Find It Ridiculous Missionary Gory finished speaking and looked at the beastmasters below, noticing that everyone was gazing at him with fervent eyes. He couldn¡¯t help but nod in satisfaction. This group had been carefully selected from Mingan, and their ideological awareness was the most aligned. They were very suitable for being absorbed into the faith. Next, it would depend on their talents. ¡°Now, summon your pet beasts,¡± he instructed. ¡°Yes, Lord Gory.¡± The beastmasters, all d in ck robes, answered in unison and began summoning their pet beasts. Soon, a dozen or so pet beasts appeared nearby. Lu Ran observed that they were all creatures below level 20, and of rather low species, quite weak. After a moment of contemtion, Lu Ran also summoned General Ha. General Ha, resembling a wolf, blended into the group of weak pet beasts without drawing any attention. Without a sword in its mouth and with those wise eyes, General Ha hardly looked like a formidable presence. ¡°Woof,¡± General Ha barked softly, looking at Lu Ran, inquiring about the situation. ¡°Nothing much, just testing your soul talent, no fights for now,¡± Lu Ran thought. Oh.General Ha showed a disdainful look, so that¡¯s what it was about? Did it even need testing? There was no way it could becking! By the way, what exactly is a soul? General Ha looked at Lu Ran with wisdom. ¡°Watch carefully,¡± Lu Ran said, exasperated. At this moment, the person closest to the missionary walked over at Gory¡¯s signal. His pet beast was a rock boar. The missionary directly handed the Soul-Calming Stone to this person and said, ¡°During this process, the pet beast must not resist or use energy to protect itself, otherwise, the soul cannot be extracted. Communicate with your pet beast and conduct the test yourself. I won¡¯t interfere to avoid any overreaction.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± The beastmaster received the Soul-Calming Stone as if it were a treasure and looked at the rock boar. ¡°Oink oink¡­¡± The next moment, he struck the boar¡¯s head with a brick. Immediately, those present were astonished to see arge mass of gray pig-shaped spirit being extracted by the Soul-Calming Stone, almost toppling over next to its flesh body,pletely unprepared. General Ha: ? At that moment, the rock boar¡¯s physical body seemed dazed and stood still, while its pig-shaped spirit, inheriting its expression, was frantically shaking its head in panic and shock. At this point, Lu Ran quickly activated the Eye of Data. [Name]: Unstable Rock Boar Spirit [Species Level]: None [Growth Level]: None ¡°Ugh!!!¡± After just a few seconds, the rock boar¡¯s spirit let out a suffocating cry and quickly darted back into its physical body. The dazed rock boar then ¡°came back to life,¡± gasping for air, its pig eyes showing lingering fear. ¡°This won¡¯t do,¡± Gory observed, frowning. The talent was too poor. It was the kind that would go mad and lose its sanity after consuming a few souls. ¡°Lord Gory, does it have a poor talent?¡± the beastmaster of the rock boar asked. Gory replied, ¡°Theoretically, any pet beast can be converted to necromancy, but here¡¯s the issue: only pet beasts with a sufficiently strong soul talent can maintain their identity throughout the growth process in a necromancy form.¡± ¡°I suggest you continue to cultivate this pet beast normally. If it happens to die in the future, you can then consider transforming it into a necromancy. For now, step aside. Later, I¡¯ll take you around Mingan to find pet beasts with strong enough soul talents. At that time, you can decide whether to contract a new pet.¡± ¡°Your current pet beast doesn¡¯t have much hope.¡± ¡°Pass the Soul-Calming Stone to the next person.¡± This person walked away disappointed. The next beastmaster¡¯s cat-shaped pet beast, however, had a decent talent. Its spirit could stay outside its body for a minute before feeling ufortable, a result that made Gory nod in satisfaction. While it still wasn¡¯t an exceptionally strong soul talent, for a beastmaster of this level, it was sufficient and could definitely develop into a follower. ¡°Next¡­¡± ¡°Next¡­¡± Soon, it was finally Lu Ran¡¯s turn. Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t n to cultivate General Ha in the necromancy line, he was still very curious about General Ha¡¯s soul talent strength. Holding the brick-like Soul-Calming Stone, Lu Ran looked at the bewildered General Ha beside him. ¡°Your turn, give it a try,¡± Gory said, looking at Lu Ran and General Ha. Compared to the previous pets, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast seemed quite impressive and well-trained. However. What happened next left the missionary and everyone else in stunned silence. Lu Ran kept striking General Ha¡¯s head with the Soul-Calming Stone, but the dog just stared back with wide eyes, showing no reaction at all. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The surrounding beastmasters hoping to join the Holy Church were confused. Although this dog looked a bit clueless, they¡¯d never heard of a creaturecking a soul. ¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± Lu Ran was puzzled too. ¡°Woof!¡± Finally, after being hit on the head repeatedly, General Ha showed a displeased expression. Soul-Calming Stone, huh? It would remember this grudge. ¡°Could it be??¡± At this moment, seeing the Soul-Calming Stone have no effect on the dog, missionary Gory pondered and said in surprise, ¡°Unbelievable, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a situation; I¡¯ve only heard about it before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that if the soul talent is very strong, ordinary Soul-Calming Stones will be ineffective. Your pet beast might have an exceptionally high talent!¡± He looked at Lu Ran with admiration and asked, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Sudden Death King,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Great name, it seems very fitting for necromancy,¡± Gory said. ¡°It¡¯s okay if we can¡¯t test it; this already proves that your pet beast¡¯s soul talent is very high. Its level and species must be impressive too.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Does it also have highprehension?¡± ¡°Soul talent is rted toprehension?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°A strong soul talent doesn¡¯t necessarily mean highprehension, but if theprehension is strong, the soul strength and talent are definitely powerful,¡± Gory exined. Gory was even more delighted. Indeed, the decaying empire was increasingly losing favor. Now, it wasn¡¯t just the lower-ranked beastmasters who wanted to join the Death Holy Church in pursuit of eternal life. Even some geniuses were gradually being drawn to the Death Holy Church. The Death Holy Church was indeed very enticing. It openly told beastmasters that even if their pet beasts died in battle, there was still a chance for resurrection. And if necromancy was cultivated to its peak, even if the beastmaster died in battle, they would have the opportunity to transform into a spirit, potentially extending their lifespan. This alone made many people yearn for it. Such temptation, in these war-torn times, had an undeniably fatal attraction. ¡°Wait here for a moment.¡± Gory was excited, not expecting to have discovered a genius. Soon, all the pet beasts of this group were tested for their talent and then taken away by another ck-robed figure who suddenly appeared. As for Lu Ran, Gory called him aside. ¡°Sudden Death King, your pet beast¡¯s talent is exceptional. The Basic Necromancy we have might not be suitable for you. We¡¯ll discuss your situation when the divine envoy arrives in a month.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°A monthter?¡± Lu Ran had waited for a long time, thinking they would give him special treatment, but was this it? I chose the necromancy faction specifically to learn about necromantic knowledge, and now you¡¯re telling me to wait a month? Give me another chance, and I¡¯d choose the empire faction just to mess with you. ¡°A month¡­¡± Lu Ran frowned and said, ¡°I joined you because I¡¯m interested in necromancy. A month is too long. Now the empire is exterminating necromantic power everywhere. Are we supposed to stay in Mingan for a month?¡± ¡°Half a month. I can wait for half a month.¡± ¡°You are indeed extraordinary,¡± Gory said. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing we can do. We can¡¯t contact the headquarters; we have to wait for the headquarters to contact us periodically.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait a bit longer.¡± Most of the people in the previous group wanted to join the Death Holy Church because they could hardly survive in this chaotic world. Lu Ran seemed different, having his own ideas. However, Gory wasn¡¯t surprised by Lu Ran¡¯s attitude. The empire was truly too corrupt now. Beast taming factions like the Death Holy Church, which rose in rebellion, were countless. Many talented beastmasters chose to join the resistance against the empire. To Gory, Lu Ran seemed like one of those people. ¡°The wait of one month is worth it. With your talent, you will definitely receive special training once you reach the headquarters. We are just ordinary missionaries of the Holy Church and cannot provide you with the best guidance.¡± ¡°However, if you are really interested in necromancy, I don¡¯t mind teaching you the most basic necromancy,¡± Gory said. ¡°But even if your pet beast doesn¡¯t turn into a spirit, its strength isn¡¯t weak, right? Are you really willing to rely on Basic Necromancy and make it a spirit right away?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran was puzzled. ¡°If you wait until you reach the headquarters, you might have the chance to learn advanced necromancy.¡± ¡°Advanced necromancy can allow your pet beast to retain its physical body while also cultivating soul power. Basic Necromancy, on the other hand, requires abandoning the physical body to cultivate soul power.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth opened slightly, then he said, ¡°It does sound like advanced necromancy is more interesting.¡± ¡°But even so, I still want to learn Basic Necromancy. Can you teach me?¡± Lu Ran felt that his Death Revival Skill Book was a typical form of Basic Necromancy. Could there really be a beast taming skill that allows simultaneous cultivation of the physical body and the soul? Lu Ran was astonished but felt that acquiring such a skill seemed very difficult and time-consuming. ¡°Forget it,¡± Gory shook his head, feeling helpless with Lu Ran. However, since he had already exined the pros and cons, Lu Ran probably wouldn¡¯t recklessly practice Basic Necromancy. To Gory, Lu Ran was a promising talent. If he rmended Lu Ran to the headquarters, they would receive significant rewards. But if Lu Ran hastily used Basic Necromancy to cultivate his pet beast, much of his potential would be wasted. Saying this, Gory took out a gray notebook from his chest pocket and tossed it to Lu Ran. ¡°This is my personal cultivation notes. You can take a look at it. I¡¯ll also lend you this.¡± He then threw a Soul-Calming Stone to Lu Ran and said, ¡°You can go into the city and find some wild beasts to study their souls. Hei Yu.¡± As Gory spoke, another woman in a ck robe appeared, seemingly one of Gory¡¯s subordinates. He said, ¡°Hei Yu, you will be responsible for guiding the Sudden Death King and teaching him relevant necromancy knowledge for the time being.¡± ¡°Also, prepare a quiet room for him.¡± ¡°Yes, Lord Gory,¡± the ck-robed woman nodded. ¡°Sudden Death King, you are the most talented pet beast I¡¯ve found after going through several cities. If you sincerely wish to practice necromancy, don¡¯t act recklessly. Wait until we return to the headquarters,¡± Gory advised earnestly. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded in response to the advice. In fact, he didn¡¯t need to be told; even if he wanted to learn, he couldn¡¯t just learn it on his own. This should be considered a beast taming skill. Beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent learn beast taming skills based on their Beast Taming Space. People from the Blue Star don¡¯t have a Beast Taming Space and can¡¯t learn beast taming skills the same way as beastmasters from the Star-Moon Continent. They can only learn skills through skill cards created by Infinite City. Lu Ran¡¯s intention was purely to research and understand the principles of necromancy from a different perspective. But the fact that they were willing to lend him the Soul-Calming Stone¡­ Lu Ran was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected boon. He then looked at the personnel arranged by Gory. Although they were said to be guides, they were more likely there to monitor him. If a ¡°genius¡± like him were to run away, it would be a significant loss for Gory, a missionary. To keep him, Gory didn¡¯t hesitate to lend out his cultivation notes and the Soul-Calming Stone. It seemed General Ha¡¯s talent was indeed impressive. However, Lu Ran had no intention of running away. Since he chose the necromancy faction, he nned to stay for the full 14 days to help the necromancy faction defend against the Imperial Army and other challengers¡¯ attacks. ¡­ After Hei Yu led Lu Ran away, Gory stood in ce, deep in thought. After a while, another person in a ck robe walked in and said, ¡°Lord Gory,test intelligence indicates that a remnant force of the Beast Taming Legion seems to be approaching Mingan.¡± ¡°I understand. Continue the reconnaissance. Also, send two more people to keep an eye on the Sudden Death King. If we end up fighting the Imperial Army, don¡¯t let him escape,¡± Gory instructed. Given the identities arranged by Infinite City, Gory wasn¡¯t too suspicious of Lu Ran¡¯s intentions in joining the Death Holy Church. Lu Ran and his group had been thoroughly vetted multiple times. However, if the Beast Taming Legion and their group ended up in a battle, even if Lu Ran wanted to join the church, he would likely consider escaping or betraying them if things went south. To prevent the loss of such a genius, Gory had to ensure someone kept a close watch on Lu Ran. As for the Beast Taming Empire¡­ Gory didn¡¯t believe they would go to great lengths for such a small city. Mingan was rich in necromancy resources after the chaos of war. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Gory was reluctant to give up control of this resource-rich city. Meanwhile, Lu Ran, following Hei Yu to his room, suddenly lowered his head and spoke: ¡°I have a question I¡¯m very curious about. Could you answer it for me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hei Yu looked at Lu Ran. ¡°You said necromantic pets feed on souls.¡± ¡°So, essentially, a soul is also an ingredient, right?¡± Lu Ran said softly. ¡°Do you think a soul can be cooked? Just like ordinary ingredients, adding seasoning,bining with other ingredients, and making a dish.¡± Hei Yu¡¯s expression changed. She felt this guy was a lunatic. Necromancers¡¯ pets feeding on souls was already uneptable for the mundane world, and this guy¡­ actually wanted to cook souls into cuisine? If Lu Ran knew what she was thinking, he would definitely cry out in injustice. He was merely contemting whether this could remove the side effects of consuming souls, like ¡°removing the fishy smell,¡± and thereby normalize necromancers. After all, Dr. Gu still had a pile of Death Revival skill cards. If Xia Country wanted to cultivate its own necromantic legion, they certainly couldn¡¯t train a bunch of unstable forces. Simrly, Lu Ran had to consider the diet of his necromantic pet. ¡°I¡¯ll try itter,¡± Lu Ran mumbled, tossing the Soul-Calming Stone in his hand. A Soul Chef felt even rarer than a Dragon Chef. As Lu Ran mumbled, Hei Yu felt even more scared. Boss, I need to report! This guy seems genuinely interested in necromancy, even more extreme than the higher-ups at headquarters! Chapter 163: Vindicating necromancy is our duty Chapter 163: Vindicating necromancy is our duty Before long, Hei Yu delivered Lu Ran to a private courtyard within the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. After dropping Lu Ran off, the necromancer Hei Yu hurriedly left. She informed Lu Ran that if he needed anything, he could find her next door. ¡°What¡¯s with this person?¡± ¡°Is it social anxiety?¡± Lu Ran saw that she seemed very wary of him, leaving him speechless. Damn, it¡¯s already good enough that I¡¯m here in the necromancer faction and not afraid of you guys, but now you¡¯re afraid of me! Lu Ran shook his head, baffled by the situation. Actually, there was another reason Lu Ran dared toe to the necromancer faction.In general, in these faction-based secret realms, once a faction is chosen, as long as the challenger doesn¡¯t act recklessly, they are usually bound to the faction for the duration of the mission. There¡¯s no risk of being killed by one¡¯s own faction. Infinite City arranges identities, just like when Lu Ran and others were given the role of restaurant apprentices before. Besides, in these faction-based missions, the strength of the challengers can significantly influence the oue of the faction conflict. In other words, the strength of the challengers is crucial to their faction, acting as high-end power. Otherwise, the trial would be meaningless. The oue of faction conflicts is generally determined by the challengers who enter, not by NPCs. Therefore, neither the imperial army nor the Death Holy Church upying Mingan would be too powerful. There would be no figures that the challengers could not confront. If Lu Ran had been worried before, his conversation with the missionary Gory hadpletely reassured him. Because Gory¡¯s position wasn¡¯t high¡ªjust a missionary who couldn¡¯t contact higher-ups and could only wait passively to be contacted, he couldn¡¯t be a top-tier expert. Moreover, the fact that Gory mentioned he could only be contacted ¡°a monthter¡± also indicated that high-end forces wouldn¡¯t appear near Mingan in the short term. Lu Ran judged that the group who chose the empire faction should be facing the same situation. The imperial troops with them might just be a small unit without any top-tier experts. As an official force, their situation might be slightly better than his side, but it should still be limited. ¡°Unless a level 3 beastmaster appears in the opposing faction, the breakthrough task shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Lu Ran analyzed, standing in the courtyard. All the challengers were level 1 beastmasters, so the highest level beastmasters from the Star-Moon Continent that could appear in the faction conflict would likely be level 2. If a level 3 beastmaster showed up, the challengers wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. ¡°However, to be safe, I need to enhance my strength as much as possible before the other side makes a move.¡± Lu Ran looked at the necromancy notebook in his hand, sat on a wooden chair in the courtyard, and began to read. After skimming through it, Lu Ran had a ¡°just as I thought¡± expression. The Basic Necromancy technique described in the notebook was identical to the death revival skill card he possessed. Both methods involved transforming a contracted pet beast that had died into a necromantic life form. Besides this, the notebook contained additional information, such as records of necromantic skills! It also documented Gory¡¯s insights on cultivating necromantic skills, sharing his experiences in developing these abilities. After reading it, Lu Ran confirmed that it was useless to him. What the missionary said made sense. Even if he learned it, he couldn¡¯t just kill General Ha and the sudden death king to transform them into necromantic beings. Moreover, Lu Ran believed that having both the soul and body intact was the most perfect state. Therefore, if he wanted to contract a necromantic pet, he nned to go with Manager Ying to find pet beasts whose bodies were no longer sufficient to sustain life and had to be transformed into necromantic beings. He wouldn¡¯t directly transform normal living beings into necromantic ones. However, through his conversation with Gory, Lu Ran learned for the first time that there were necromancy techniques capable of preserving the body while cultivating the soul. That was quite advanced. But thinking about it, it made sense. Mental strength and soul power are integral parts of life itself. Most advanced creatures, even without mental abilities, can exert pressure using mental strength. So, with the right techniques, there¡¯s no reason soul power couldn¡¯t be wielded. However,pared to mental strength, controlling soul power while retaining a physical body might be more challenging. I really want to get my hands on that advanced necromancy technique¡­ Lu Ran pondered. If he could indeed acquire it, he would like the dark crow to cultivate soul power. Curses are notoriously difficult to guard against, and mental attacks are already harder to defend againstpared to physical or elemental attacks. If soul curses were added into the mix, wouldn¡¯t they be even more troublesome? By then, General Crow would truly be a terror to everyone, living or dead. It would be the epitome of eerie! Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts were in disarray, but¡­ it seemed difficult to obtain advanced necromancy techniques through the Death Holy Church. The missionary couldn¡¯t contact the headquarters, and he could only stay for a month, so that route was essentially closed. Even if he got it, being from outside the Star-Moon Continent meant he couldn¡¯t directly cultivate it. ¡°If during the breakthrough task, I perform extraordinarily, not only eliminating all the opposing challengers but also single-handedly defeating the imperial army, is there a chance I might receive an SSS rating and obtain a super rare beast taming skill like the first breakthrough secret realm?¡± ¡°Since I chose the necromancy faction, could the reward be an advanced necromancy technique?¡± Lu Ran spected, but quickly shook his head. Besides the difficulty of single-handedly defeating an army, the rewards are also random, so it¡¯s better not to have too high expectations. It¡¯s worth a try, but don¡¯t get your hopes up too much. Both these paths rely heavily on external factors. ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Advanced necromancy techniques are developed by people. I have Basic Necromancy; why can¡¯t I delve deeper into soul power myself? Even if I don¡¯t get a reward, I might still have a chance to develop simr abilities on my own.¡± ¡°General Ha! Sudden Death King!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s brows rxed as he summoned General Ha and the sudden death king. Since there was nothing particrly important to do in this breakthrough secret realm apart from the breakthrough task, Lu Ran decided to spend his free time studying soul power with General Ha and the sudden death king. After summoning the two pet beasts, Lu Ran looked at the Soul-Calming Stone in his hand. ¡°Sudden death king! Don¡¯t resist.¡± Lu Ran had previously tried it on General Ha, but there was no reaction. ording to the missionary, General Ha¡¯s soul talent and strength were exceptional, making it impossible for the mineral to expel its soul. Additionally, soul talent was rted to Comprehension, a notion Lu Ran was hearing for the first time. General Ha¡¯s Comprehension was indeed high. Lu Ran felt that if this theory were correct, then in the future, should he develop advanced necromancy techniques, he might further enhance General Ha¡¯s soul and thereby improve its Comprehension. As for the sudden death king¡­ ¡°Roar???¡± The sudden death king looked confused. Before it knew it, Lu Ran had already struck it with the Soul-Calming Stone. In the next moment, the sudden death king¡¯s soul was expelled. ¡°Wow ka wow ka¡­¡± However, to Lu Ran¡¯s surprise, the sudden death king¡¯s soul was not proportional to its body. Instead, it was a tiny red-eyed eagle lizard, only about half an arm¡¯s length. Damn. It¡¯s one thing to be expelled. But why is its soul smaller than its body? Lu Ran couldn¡¯t quite understand the situation with the sudden death king¡¯s soul. Compared to previous test subjects, the sudden death king¡¯s soul was nearly solidified, very clear, and seemingly high-quality. But¡­ within less than a minute of being expelled, the sudden death king looked like it was about to die. The lizard soul hurriedly returned to its body. ¡°Wow ka!!¡± The sudden death king sat on the ground, looking terrified and gasping for breath. ¡°Woof!!¡± Nearby, General Ha showed a mocking expression, ridiculing the sudden death king for being weak, with its soul expelled by a mere stone. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king bared its teeth, looking aggrieved and sorrowfully at Lu Ran, feeling that it was unfair to be sneak-attacked. However, despite its misery, the sudden death king noticed that Lu Ran was stillughing nearby!! ¡°Interesting.¡± After a moment of surprise, Lu Ran indeed smiled. ¡°It seems soul power still hides many secrets.¡± Holding the Soul-Calming Stone, Lu Ran smiled happily. ¡°Choosing the necromancy faction was the right decision.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Sudden death king, don¡¯t be upset. Your soul strength isn¡¯t weak; it just seems unsuitable for necromancy due to your Talent. But I never intended to train you and General Ha in necromancy anyway.¡± ¡°However, I¡¯ve made an intriguing new discovery.¡± ¡°Not training you in necromancy doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t strengthen your soul power.¡± ¡°Soul power appears to be linked with Comprehension. If General Ha is to fuse with the Ultimate Perception Trait, it¡¯s evident that the stronger the soul power, the better the fusion effect will be, and the higher the evolution potential.¡± ¡°And as for you, sudden death king, most life forms have souls that resemble their physical bodies, but yours is different. Do you know what that makes me think of?¡± Both the sudden death king and General Ha disyed puzzled expressions. ¡°Your training path has always been geared towards Loong-type development, aiming to change your species. Your physical body and mind, due to frequently consuming Dragon Cuisine, have undergone significant changes with Dragon Blood, and your mental intimidation has transformed into Dragon Might.¡± ¡°But throughout this process, we¡¯ve never considered cultivating your soul.¡± ¡°Aplete dragon should have not only a dragon body and mind but also a Dragon Soul, right?¡± ¡°Perhaps, during a stage of evolution, your soul might gradually transform into a dragon¡¯s. But if we start shaping your soul towards a dragon form before evolution, wouldn¡¯t the evolution result be more perfect?¡± ¡°Maybe the reason beastmasters on blue star have struggled to cultivate dragons is that they neglected the cultivation of the dragon¡¯s soul and focused only on the bloodline and mind.¡± ¡°Of course, it also rtes to blue starcking stable methods for soul enhancement and cultivation. If we had a Dragon Soul trait crystal, we might be able to validate this theory. Unfortunately, we don¡¯t.¡± Upon hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, the sudden death king¡¯s brain started working rapidly. At this moment, General Ha patted it. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha told the sudden death king not to overthink it and leave the brainwork to Boss Lu, the external brain. They just needed to wait for the research results. ¡°Roar!¡± The sudden death king nodded in agreement. That made sense. At this moment, Lu Ran was indeed quite excited. He felt he had discovered something extraordinary. Soul power is rted to Comprehension! Through resources, creatures transformed into sub-dragons only undergo changes in their blood and mind, but their soul form changes very little! This might affect their transformation into true dragons. Lu Ran felt fortunate to have discovered these two pieces of information so early. Otherwise, even though General Ha and the sudden death king might be very strong after evolution, it would not be a perfect evolution. If he could further enhance their souls before their next evolution, it should make the evolution more perfect. ¡°But the only known method to enhance the soul is by devouring souls. Souls of different creatures are just different types of necromancy resources¡­¡± However, Lu Ran soon had a headache. He couldn¡¯t let General Ha and the sudden death king go around eating souls, could he? Necromantic pets devour souls because they are inherently necromantic creatures; they rely on this for growth and survival. But on his side, his pet beasts haven¡¯t even turned into necromantic creatures yet. If they start devouring souls, Lu Ran felt this would make them seem even more viinous than The Other Shore and the Death Holy Church. Compared to him, necromancers would look like saints. ¡°People eat pork and chicken, which is already cruel enough. The natural world is like this. Eating souls isn¡¯t essentially different from eating these. The only difficulty is the ¡®toxicity¡¯ of souls. If the ¡®impurities¡¯ can¡¯t be removed, whether normal creatures or necromantic ones eat them, there will be certain side effects.¡± ¡°To enhance soul power through devouring souls, this difficulty must be ovee. The soul consciousness must be purified and exorcised.¡± ¡°So, my direction for enhancement in this breakthrough secret realm is very clear.¡± ¡°Try to see if I can remove the impurities from souls through Culinary techniques and make the souls into Cuisine.¡± ¡°If sessful, there will be a method to enhance the souls of General Ha and the sudden death king. Additionally, it can aid Dr. Gu in establishing a stable necromantic organization. In that scenario, I will hold significant power within it.¡± ¡°I might even be a pioneering figure in the necromancy faction on blue star, formalizing the necromancy field.¡± Initially, Lu Ran was just brainstorming, but now he was eager to find some souls to cook. All of the above is still just a n, and Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if it would seed. He felt the chances were slim, but he had to try. Lu Ran nned to head to the outskirts of Mingan to find some wild chickens and rabbits, extract their souls, and try his Culinary techniques on them. Of course, without concrete experimental results, Lu Ran definitely wouldn¡¯t let General Ha or the sudden death king try eating souls. He needed a test subject first! ¡°Right, I¡¯ll find Ms. Hei Yu and use her pet beast as the test subject. She should have a necromantic pet beast, right?¡± With this in mind, Lu Ran went to visit Ms. Hei Yu, a subordinate of Missionary Gory. ¡°What is it?¡± Ms. Hei Yu, who had been staying in a nearby house, was surprised to see Lu Ran seeking her out so soon. She thought he might have encountered some difficulty in learning necromancy. ¡°Ms. Hei Yu, what do you think about necromancy?¡± ¡°Or rather, why did you choose to be a necromancer?¡± However, as soon as Lu Ran arrived, he asked a deeply philosophical question. Ms. Hei Yu stood still for a moment, then shook her head and said, ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°During the war, my pet beast died protecting me. I was on the brink of death myself, but in the end, Lord Gory saved me. He taught me necromancy and helped resurrect my pet beast. That¡¯s how I became a necromancer.¡± ¡°Most necromancers just want to resurrect their pet beasts. It¡¯s that simple.¡± She looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Wanting to resurrect one¡¯s pet beast and let it continue ¡®living¡¯ in a necromantic form seems perfectly normal to me.¡± ¡°Is that answer satisfactory to you?¡± ¡°Quite.¡± Lu Ran grinned and said, ¡°I think the same way. Necromancy is just a normal attribute, no different from other attributes. Power is neither righteous nor evil; it all depends on how it¡¯s used.¡± ¡°However,pared to normal cultivation systems, necromancy does have significant side effects.¡± Ms. Hei Yu said, ¡°That¡¯s unavoidable. There¡¯s always a trade-off. We can only do our best to ensure that the consumed souls don¡¯t affect our minds.¡± She looked at Lu Ran. Given that Gory had praised Lu Ran¡¯s Talent, it was certain he would be trained at the headquarters. She pondered for a moment and said, ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps what we need is someone to resolve this dilemma!¡± Lu Ran spread his arms, his eyes shining as he started his speech: ¡°I believe that necromancy will be the key force in reforming this empire, the critical force in changing the field of beast taming. If someone can find a way to eliminate the drawbacks of necromancy, then this system can develop openly and without discrimination.¡± ¡°I want to be that person, but I don¡¯t know much about necromancy. Ms. Hei Yu, can you help me?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Ms. Hei Yu was stunned. This wasn¡¯t what she was expecting at all. What¡¯s with this sudden death king? But Lu Ran¡¯s words indeed struck a chord with her. She hadn¡¯t expected someone who hadn¡¯t officially joined the Death Holy Church to have such a profound realization. For a moment, Hei Yu¡¯s mind was in turmoil, and her gaze toward Lu Ran changed. Having been part of the deathly quiet Death Holy Church for so long, she had only ever deeply respected and admired Missionary Gory. Now, Lu Ran was the second person she found to be quite extraordinary. ¡°How can I help?¡± she asked. ¡°Just as I mentioned earlier¡­ Actually, I¡¯m also a Chef. I want to see if I can remove the impurities from souls by turning them into cuisine.¡± Lu Ran revealed a kind smile. ¡°I want your necromantic pet to be the taste tester¡­ After all, my pet beasts aren¡¯t necromantic, and having them try it might not provide aprehensive feedback experience.¡± Hei Yu: ??? After all that, it¡¯s still about cooking souls! And you even considered letting normal pet beasts eat souls!!! Are you a devil!! Hei Yu¡¯s vision darkened, and she instinctively took a step back. ¡°Are you serious about stepping back?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°That really hurts me. Maybe no necromancer has done this before, or maybe someone tried and failed, but the development of a new field always requires someone to make continuous and repeated attempts. Abandon your prejudice, Ms. Hei Yu, I need your help!¡± ¡°Vindicating necromancy is our duty.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hei Yu said, then fell silent. She felt it was a shame that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t the Holy Son of the Death Holy Church. This guy was different from herself¡­ He was practically a natural-born necromancer! Chapter 164: The Soul-Reaping Blade Chapter 164: The Soul-Reaping de Mingan, outskirts. After being shocked by Lu Ran¡¯s ¡°great ambition,¡± Hei Yu still chose to join him. The sky was dark and overcast. In the weeds, a plump rat the size of a cat was gnawing on something. Lu Ran and Hei Yu, both cloaked in ck robes, stood some distance away¡­ It was evident that Lu Ran had chosen this creature as his first test subject. [Name]: Giant Rat Beast [Attribute]: Unawakened [Species Level]: Lower Supernatural[Growth Level]: Level 3 Hmm¡­ pathetically weak. To deal with such a creature, Lu Ran didn¡¯t even bother to summon General Ha. Estimating the distance and calcting his strength, Lu Ran picked up a stone and hurled it with force. Under Hei Yu¡¯s astonished gaze, the stone struck the Giant Rat Beast precisely, knocking it unconscious. Lu Ran could only say that not using his Crow Feather Bow was already him being merciful. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± At Lu Ran¡¯s signal, Hei Yu quickly followed. Soon, Lu Ran stood before the unconscious Giant Rat Beast and pulled out his Soul-Calming Brick. Smack! The brick hit the Giant Rat Beast, and a gray soul emerged from its body. Since the Giant Rat Beast was already unconscious, its soul was now dazed and unclear. Hei Yu swallowed nervously and asked, ¡°How do you n to ¡®cook¡¯ it?¡± ¡°I have a Special Beast Taming Skill. Let¡¯s try barbecuing the soul first.¡± Lu Ran extended his finger, igniting a me. There are countless beast taming skills that grant beastmasters special abilities. Many chefs can manipte mes themselves. Seeing this, Hei Yu wasn¡¯t particrly surprised, especially since Lu Ran had already dered his identity as a chef. However, Lu Ran soon encountered a challenge. The me Sprite, which could discern the optimal cooking temperature for ¡°ingredients,¡± showed no reaction to this particr soul. It was evident that the me Sprite had its limits. Even Yan Sizhen, the emperor who developed it, probably never envisioned someone using it to barbecue souls. With the me Sprite unable to assist, Lu Ran had to rely on his own experience. He kept the me at its lowest setting and began to roast the soul. But, as expected, a soul couldn¡¯t be barbecued like an ordinary ingredient¡­ Even though Lu Ran¡¯s me was extremely weak, the Giant Rat Beast¡¯s soul was even more fragile. In an instant, it was burned into white smoke, its soul scattering into nothingness. This wasmonly referred to as: ¡°soul annihtion.¡± The rat¡¯s body also seemed to slip into a more peacef, as if it would never wake up. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Looks like this is a bit more difficult,¡± Lu Ran turned to Hei Yu. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hei Yu. ¡°I had a feeling this idea was too far-fetched,¡± Hei Yu said. ¡°Maybe the intention is good, but if even the great figures of the Holy Church and legendary necromancers haven¡¯t solved this problem¡­ for us, isn¡¯t it¡­¡± ¡°This is just the beginning. Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lu Ran said, then fell into deep thought. ¡°Let¡¯s try other cooking methods¡­¡± Currently, Mingan had an abundance of rats, so Lu Ran decisively chose the Giant Rat Beast as his hunting target. Next, under Hei Yu¡¯s watchful eyes, Lu Ran tried boiling souls and steaming souls¡­ but without exception, the fragile souls were instantly annihted. ¡°They¡¯re too weak. The spirits are too fragile and can¡¯t withstand even slightly violent cooking methods.¡± ¡°The key is that there aren¡¯t any strong souls nearby for experimentation.¡± With Hei Yu silently following, Lu Ran finally found a cooking method that wouldn¡¯t so easily cause the soul to scatter. By igniting Freshwood to remove the stench, he made a lightly smoked Rat Spirit. The smoke from the wood was indeed absorbed by the Rat Spirit. Before the soul could dissipate, Lu Ran quickly had Hei Yu taste it. Hei Yu helplessly summoned her pet beast, a necromantic fox. The little fox happily devoured the Rat Spirit, but after it was done, Hei Yu shook her head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no difference from the usual soul consumption.¡± ¡°My pet beast still sensed the residual consciousness within the spirit during the consumption process.¡± ¡°And the taste?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Ugh,¡± the necromantic fox shook its head. Not tasty, not tasty at all. Directly eating the soul tastes better! ¡°So, smoky necromantic food does indeed change the vor, but Freshwood as a seasoning can¡¯t remove the impurities in the soul! It¡¯s not suitable for necromantic pets.¡± Lu Ran was pleased to reach this conclusion. This at least proved that the taste of the soul could be altered. Since the vor could change, finding a special seasoning might purify the soul¡¯s impurities. ¡°Alright, Ms. Hei Yu, thank you very much. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Okay,¡± Hei Yu nodded. Though she hoped Lu Ran would seed, she felt his chances were slim. However, Lu Ran was very earnest¡­ She nced at the bag of unconscious giant rat beasts Lu Ran carried and fell silent. If Lord Gory asked about thister, how would she respond? She felt that even Gory, the missionary, would think Lu Ran was crazy. ¡­ Back at the secluded courtyard. After returning, Lu Ran continued to immerse himself in cooking Rat Spirits. His bizarre methods only increased upon his return. For instance, he attempted to dissect the Rat Spirit, breaking it into pieces to study its structure. But unfortunately, even the slightest movement caused the spirit to disperse. Dissection was impossible. ¡°Souls contain the pre-death consciousness of living beings, which can also be considered soul memories.¡± ¡°In those Xianxia novels 1 , the so-called ¡®soul searching¡¯ must be about this.¡± ¡°Essentially, a soul is an energy body, a necessary nutrient for necromantic pet beasts to sustain life. The soul itself is non-toxic. The harmful part is the consciousness within the soul.¡± ¡°The aggregation of these consciousnesses can pollute the minds of necromantic pet beasts and necromancers, causing them to lose reason and fall into madness.¡± ¡°Attempting to ¡®remove the odor¡¯ of soul consciousness from a spirit, simr to purifying a fish, should be feasible. However, it¡¯s extremely difficult, akin to creating an entirely new recipe. Even if I had ess to all the ingredients on the Star-Moon Continent, it would take an indeterminate amount of time to experiment and find the rightbination. This process can¡¯t be forced; it depends on chance.¡± ¡°But aside from that, theoretically, there should be another method to remove impurities from a soul.¡± ¡°If we consider the spirit as an ingredient with unwanted parts, then a straightforward approach would be to cut them off.¡± ¡°However, ordinary supernatural cooking utensilsck the ability to cut through a soul.¡± Lu Ran looked at the Rat Spirit, which dissipated into nothingness upon contact with his cleaver, and fell into deep thought. Using ordinary utensils simply passes through the spirit without causing harm, while supernatural utensils distort the spirit upon contact, causing the soul to copse but not slice it. ¡°Ordinary supernatural utensils don¡¯t have the properties to cut a soul. But if I forge special utensils from soul-rted ores, could they potentially ¡®cut¡¯ the spirit?¡± Lu Ran nced at the Soul-Calming Stone, wondering if it could be forged into a de. Regardless, during this trip to the secret realm, he had to find more of these stones. He needed a soul-reaping de! A de that could seamlessly slice through a soul! However, even if a soul-reaping de could be forged, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t confident that his ¡°knife skills¡± would effectively separate the spirit from its consciousness. This concept was too abstract. Even if Yan Sizhen were reincarnated, he would likely have to ponder this challenge deeply. This would require a profound understanding and recognition of the soul itself. ¡°Soul-type sword intent.¡± ¡°To achieve this, I need soul-type sword intent. If I master soul-type sword intent, I might not even need a soul-reaping de to inflict slicing damage on a spirit.¡± Soon, Lu Ran, deep in his research, thought of a new approach. But again, soul-type sword intent is an extremely abstract ability. For this research direction, Lu Ran decided to pass the buck. ¡°General Ha, you think you¡¯re pretty tough, don¡¯t you? Take the Soul-Calming Stone and y with it, and I¡¯ll give you a few rats. Try toprehend some soul-reaping sword intent, and remember, don¡¯t eat the rats.¡± Next, General Ha was summoned by Lu Ran, looking bewildered. Despite General Ha¡¯s initial protests, he was quite interested in the Soul-Calming Stone and the spirits, and quickly ran off to experiment. Of course, Lu Ran didn¡¯t actually expect General Ha to seed. If General Ha had already fused with the Ultimate Perception Trait, or if General Ha was a necromancy-type pet beast, Lu Ran might have held some hope. But for now¡­ he just wanted it to get familiar with the process. Lu Ran understood that solving the necromancy issue wouldn¡¯t be quick; it was a long-term project. ¡°Huh???¡± Just after sending General Ha away, Lu Ran thought of another possible method for cutting through the soul and consciousness. ¡°Could it be that I¡¯m a genius?¡± Lu Ran took out the sword grass from his backpack and extracted it from the Sword Nourishing Pot. He looked at the sword grass and fell into contemtion. ¡°I wonder if sword grass has a soul. If it does, whether it¡¯s conscious or not, could using a Soul-Calming Stone on it potentially create a soul sword grass?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be a natural soul-reaping de?¡± ¡°Woof woof woof woof!!¡± The next moment, Lu Ran snatched back the Soul-Calming Stone from General Ha and, under General Ha¡¯s astonished gaze, started using the stone on its beloved weapon. The result, of course, was not as easy as Lu Ran had imagined. Sword grass that hadn¡¯t be a supernatural life form was no different from ordinary nts. Perhaps after bing a supernatural life form, sword grass could transform into a nt spirit, but in its current state, sword grass didn¡¯t have a soul. None of the methods worked. Feeling frustrated, Lu Ran tried cutting a spirit directly with the sword grass, but that didn¡¯t work either. ¡°It¡¯s really tough. No wonder so many beastmasters from the Death Holy Church and The Other Shore haven¡¯t been able to solve this problem,¡± Lu Ran thought, feeling a headacheing on. For now, the closest direction seemed to beprehending soul-type sword intent. Lu Ran decided to first research soul-reaping sword intent with General Ha. As for the breakthrough task, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t in a hurry. His task was to defend the city. Even if all the members of the Death Holy Church were eliminated, as long as he alone could hold the line and defeat the enemies, it would still be a victory! The ones who should be anxious were the attackers. He also didn¡¯t have any intelligence on the enemy and couldn¡¯t just blindly go out to solo them. Even if there was going to be a fight, he would wait until the enemy showed themselves before attacking. The enemy, eager toplete their task, wouldn¡¯t stay hidden forever. At this moment, Lu Ran fully appreciated the value of the ¡°Evil God¡¯s Eye Trait.¡± If he had already contracted with General Crow and it had mastered the Evil God¡¯s Eye, Lu Ran could curse and cause sudden death to the entire opposing faction from a distance, instead of being so passive. Meanwhile¡­ Hei Yu was summoned by Missionary Gory to inquire about Lu Ran¡¯s situation. ¡°What???¡± ¡°Barbecue Soul, Steamed Soul, Boiled Soul, Smoked Soul?¡± Missionary Gory was shocked. As an experienced necromancer who couldn¡¯t go a day without souls in his meals, he was nauseated by Hei Yu¡¯s report. But then he smiled and said, ¡°Never mind, let him be. We¡¯ve truly found a treasure this time.¡± Seeing the ¡°Sudden Death King¡± eager to study necromancy to help necromancers ovee their limitations, Gory felt a surge of excitement. It¡¯smon for a missionary to find a talented neer, but finding one with such a grand ideal was extremely rare. He believed that if the headquarters learned about Lu Ran¡¯s situation, Lu Ran would be cultivated as a core member, if not outright as a ¡°Holy Son level¡± talent. Of course, if Lu Ran somehow miraculously seeded in his research, it would be on another level entirely. The divine envoys might even rally around the ¡°Sudden Death King¡± as the heir to the sect leader. Gory smirked at his own fanciful thoughts, thinking it impossible. ¡°Keep a close watch on him.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Hei Yu nodded. Seeing the missionary lord¡¯s shocked expression, she felt satisfied. Even the experienced necromancer found the Sudden Death King too crazy. ¡­ On the other side¡­ Nine challengers from various countries on Blue Star gathered once again. The Moonlight Knight from the Golden Generation said, ¡°I¡¯ve found out that the one upying Mingan City is a necromantic cult missionary named Gory. He has three level 30 necromantic pet beasts, all ofmander species, and he¡¯s just a level 2 necromancer.¡± ¡°Within Mingan City, he should be the strongest enemy.¡± ¡°Although he has many subordinates, they shouldn¡¯t be particrly formidable.¡± ¡°If we can persuade the remaining imperial troops to join us in attacking Mingan City, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to take it!¡± Footnote:
  1. Xianxia novels(ÏÉÏÀС˵): A genre of Chinese fantasy literature that blends martial arts, Taoist philosophy, and mythology. ¡°Xianxia¡± (ÏÉÏÀ) means ¡°immortal hero¡± and typically involves characters striving for immortality through spiritual and physical cultivation. These stories are set in fantastical worlds with supernatural abilities, epic battles, and a focus on personal growth and adventure.
Chapter 165: The First Clash of the Two Factions Chapter 165: The First sh of the Two Factions Beast Taming Empire, Feiming Province, outside Mingan City. The nine challengers from the blue star who chose the imperial faction had roughly figured out the situation. Currently, due to the internal turmoil in the empire, most of Feiming Province had already fallen. The necromancy cult took advantage of this opportunity to preach and recruit new members in various cities. At present, not only in Mingan City, but necromancy cult missionaries could be seen everywhere. However, although the necromancy cult posed a significant threat, it had not yet openly rebelled. The empire¡¯s biggest enemy now was still the rebel army, which meant the empire didn¡¯t have many troops to deal with the opportunistic necromancy cult. ¡°Princess, knights,¡± the neon beastmaster with the ID Beast Doctor said politely, ¡°What should we do next, act independently, or directly confront the imperial army?¡± The one with the ID Glory Knight replied, ¡°Hah, you saw the morale of those imperial remnants just now. Expecting them to take the initiative to attack is unlikely.¡±¡°We need a two-pronged approach.¡± ¡°On one hand, we confront the imperial remnants and show them our strength, letting them know our side has an absolute advantage.¡± ¡°On the other hand, we first infiltrate the necromancy cult¡¯sir independently, creating some chaos to give the cult the illusion that the imperial army is about to attack and has already locked onto them.¡± ¡°In this way, if the necromancy cult abandons the city and flees, the imperial remnants tasked with sealing off Mingan City will have no choice but to act, allowing us to take over Mingan City easily.¡± ¡°Of course, since the mission is to capture the city, the necromancy cult is unlikely to flee so easily. If they abandon the city upon learning that the Beast Taming Legion is going to attack, then the mission would be too simple.¡± ¡°I suspect that there must be some treasure in Mingan City that the necromancy cult covets, or perhaps the cult intends to be the new rulers of Feiming Province, transitioning from the shadows to the open. In any case, they are unlikely to abandon the city easily.¡± ¡°In this situation, if they learn that the imperial remnants intend to attack, they might even take the initiative to strike. At that time, we can use this opportunity to incite the imperial remnants to join us in capturing the city.¡± ¡°We still need to leverage the imperial remnants¡¯ power. Even though they are remnants, that imperial army still has more than two hundred soldiers. The necromancy cult likely has a simr number of members. Relying solely on us would be too risky.¡± After Glory Knight finished speaking, he looked at the other challengers. Although these third-generation beastmasters were not primarilybat specialists, each had some skills and at least one level 20 pet beast. They were stronger than ordinary faction members, and their secondary professions were diverse: a doctor, two breeders, a Forgemaster, and a historian. They might prove useful at some point. As Glory Knight concluded his analysis, everyone nodded in agreement, clearly recognizing who the leader was. The Princess of Light possessed a level 20 sovereign species pet beast, capable of contending with a level 30mander species pet beast. Coupled with her top-tier skills and equipment, and supported by three other Golden Generation Knights of Light, the necromancy cult missionaries would be no match. Their sess in breaking through the secret realm depended on these key yers. ¡°Let¡¯s go with that n,¡± the Princess of Light nodded, agreeing with Glory Knight¡¯s suggestion. She then turned to Fina, the ck woman who imed to be a historian, and asked, ¡°By the way, Miss Fina, I¡¯m curious about the necromancy cult¡¯s ultimate fate. Do you know what happened to them in the end?¡± The princess looked at the self-proimed historian. ¡°Well,¡± Fina replied with an awkward smile, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°Miss Fina, you don¡¯t seem to be a very reliable historian,¡± the Moonlight Knight said suspiciously. Earlier, they had asked this historian many questions, but her knowledge seemed to beckingpared to their own. ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person!¡± the ck woman muttered, twitching her lips. Each of youes from Royalty and has ess to far more historical resources than I do. Moreover, she became a historian only to gain entry to various breakthrough secret realms for archaeological purposes and to sell historical data for profit. It¡¯s not like she needed to delve deeply into her studies. ¡°I only know that the empire eventually fell, but it wasn¡¯t the necromancy cult that caused its downfall,¡± the ck woman said. ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell us that,¡± the Moonlight Knight sighed, rubbing his forehead. Everyone knew the empire¡¯s fate. It was said that thest emperor, in his quest for immortality, angered a legendary creature, leading to the empire¡¯s total destruction. The current internal strife within the empire was also rted to thest emperor¡¯s outrageous actions. Of course, humanity was not entirely wiped out, but due to the wrath of the legendary creature, they no longer dared to establishrge human kingdoms. The era reverted to one of warring factions and mountain lords, with no unified empire. Legend had it that the First Emperor of the empire, the God of Hunting, founded the kingdom with the favor of a legendary creature. In contrast, thest emperor¡¯s offense against a legendary creature led to the empire¡¯s downfall, making the empire¡¯s historye full circle. However, people still didn¡¯t know whether these two legendary creatures were the same. ¡°Next, I will infiltrate Mingan City personally and create some chaos. Perhaps I should try to assassinate that missionary?¡± the Sunlight Knight, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. ¡°If I seed in the assassination, this mission might be secure,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t be arrogant,¡± the princess red at him. ¡°Necromancers are the most proficient in assassination, infiltration, and Concealment among beastmasters. Although The Other Shore doesn¡¯t deal in assassinations, even the top assassin organizations wouldn¡¯t dare provoke them. The necromancy cult members are even more dangerous.¡± ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll just create some minor disturbances,¡± the Sunlight Knight replied. ¡°Wait¡­¡± At this point, a lean young man from Southeast Asia, whose upation was a breeder, spoke up. ¡°Sunlight Knight, wouldn¡¯t it be too dangerous for you to go alone?¡± ¡°The Other Shore was quite active in our region before. The necromancers¡¯ abilities are extremely bizarre. I¡¯ve seen them inbat many times.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± the tall Sunlight Knightughed. ¡°Don¡¯t you know my background?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The young man from Southeast Asia knew that the Knights of Light Order was impressive, but he didn¡¯t actually know the details about the Sunlight Knight. At this moment, a young man from Latin America cleared his throat and said, ¡°The Sunlight Knight is a big shot. He has a light-type bird of the uppermander species and a Space-type rat beast of the uppermander species.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Hearing this, the Southeast Asian beastmaster fell silent. Light-type and Space-type¡­ well, the Golden Generation truly lives up to its name. Aside from the strongest, the Princess of Light, any one of the other three knights was incredibly formidable on their own. With such a setup, infiltrating the necromancy cult headquarters shouldn¡¯t be a problem. With some luck, they might even assassinate a few core members. Even if discovered, escaping with the help of Space-type and light-type pet beasts would be a breeze. At that moment, the Southeast Asian youth suddenly felt that even without the imperial army¡¯s assistance, the four big shots of the Knights of Light Order could easily lead them to victory. This was the true meaning of ¡°winning effortlessly.¡± Choosing the empire faction¡­ was definitely the right decision. Indeed, choice is everything. ¡­ The next day. The Sunlight Knight operated alone and infiltrated Mingan City. On his shoulder crouched a white hamster. When the two were close together, they were nearly invisible, making them hard to detect. For an ordinary beastmaster, a level 2 necromancer would indeed be troublesome. But for the Knights of Light Order, it was nothing significant. After all, the necromancer didn¡¯t even have a sovereign undead. ¡°This should be the City Lord¡¯s Mansion,¡± the Sunlight Knight murmured, breathing heavily, feeling a bit tense. ording to their intelligence, the necromancy cult had taken over the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, making it their headquarters. To create some chaos, this was the ce to start. He carefully made his way inside when suddenly, a cackling ¡°Hehehe¡± echoed in his ears, causing him to frown. The Sunlight Knight lightly leaped onto the rooftop and looked towards a courtyard. In the courtyard, there were corpses of giant rat beasts scattered everywhere, and a massive barbecue grill stood in the middle. On the grill were several Rat Spirits, with various colors of smoke wafting from beneath them. ¡°Dammit, what the hell,¡± the Sunlight Knight muttered. Although he had always heard that necromancers were evil, seeing it firsthand was far more shocking. ¡°!!!¡± His Space-type hamster¡¯s eyes widened, and it covered its mouth with its tiny paws. This was hell! The Sunlight Knight then focused on the two figures in ck robes by the barbecue grill, along with a fox spirit, thinking, ¡°Unbelievable, just you two.¡± ¡°If you can leisurely barbecue souls in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, your status must be significant. Taking you out should cause major chaos.¡± At this moment. The ones barbecuing the souls were naturally Lu Ran and Hei Yu. At Lu Ran¡¯s request, Hei Yu had gathered various seasonings for him. Lu Ran was experimenting with smoked cuisine once again. During the experiment, Lu Ran discovered that he truly was a genius, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a ¡°cackle.¡± Looking at the mes, he had a new idea. The me Sprite, developed by Emperor Yan Sizhen, could absorb different mes to grow, having great potential. Ordinary mes weren¡¯t suitable for barbecuing souls, but what about soul mes??? Lu Ran had a sudden thought. When a fire-type pet beast dies, it often bes a fire-type undead, and the ghost fire from a fire-type undead contains soul power. If he could transform the me Sprite into a soul me, simr to how it could transform into a dragon-shaped me, could he then further understand Culinary Intent through soul mes? His superpower, telepathy, was an application of soul power. Bybining telepathy with super beast mimicry, he had created reverse super beast mimicry. So, was it possible tobine telepathy with the techniques of the me Sprite to develop a ¡°soul me¡±? Lu Ran now had a new research direction. ¡°Sudden Death King¡­ you¡­¡± At this moment, Hei Yu, who was waiting to taste the food, felt a chill seeing Lu Ran suddenly cackling. After just one night, she found him even more terrifying. However. Before Hei Yu could inquire about Lu Ran¡¯s ¡°condition,¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression suddenly turned ferocious. With a fierce beast¡¯s keen senses, he detected a hint of hostile intent. [This guy is a demon, just attack it!] The Space-type hamster¡¯s mental ripple was clearly captured by Lu Ran. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Lu Ran looked towards the rooftop. This shout instantly scared the Sunlight Knight, who was just about to make a move. ¡°Damn.¡± He didn¡¯t expect the necromancer to be so perceptive. His Spatial Concealment,bined with optical concealment techniques, breath elimination, and presence reduction equipment¡ªthreeyers of concealment¡ªhad all been detected? The princess was right, never underestimate these necromancers; they are the true masters of assassination. ¡°In that case¡­¡± Since he had been discovered, the Sunlight Knight decided not to hide anymore. However, before he could react, a sword light, as if breaking through the dawn from the darkness, shot directly at him. The terrifying power made the air scream, and the air currents swirled wildly. In an instant, the Sunlight Knight sensed mortal danger. The crisis he felt was more terrifying than when he challenged the Legendary Secret Realm. Boom! The Sunlight Knight¡¯s mind was in shock. His pupils contracted sharply. He would die. Although he didn¡¯t yet understand what was happening, in just a split second, the Sunlight Knight reacted as quickly as possible, and both he and the Space-type hamster¡¯s forms began to blur. Swish!!! The long leaved sword grass pierced through the Sunlight Knight¡¯s leg, as if striking air. At the same time, although his entire body was blurred, the Sunlight Knight still let out a horrific scream as the sword grass passed through his ethereal body. What was that thing that could hurt him even through a spatial barrier? The Sunlight Knight shouted frantically, ¡°Run, teleport!!¡± ¡°Hurry up!!¡± At this moment, the Sunlight Knight was terrified. Before fleeing, he saw what it was that had attacked him¡ªit was¡­ a de of grass. In the next instant, the sword grass flew back, but the Sunlight Knight¡¯s figure had already disappeared from the original spot. The sudden change on the rooftop caused Hei Yu¡¯s face to change drastically, not understanding what had just happened. An enemy? What was that technique? Space-type?? However, what shocked her even more was the flying sword grass. ¡°Woof.¡± Meanwhile, General Ha, who was lying beneath the roof, came out and grabbed the returning sword grass with its mouth, looking solemnly in the direction where the enemy had disappeared. ¡°Damn.¡± Hei Yu was stunned to see General Ha holding the sword grass in its mouth. A dog carrying grass? ¡°Heh, I see.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran quickly figured out what had happened. ¡°Incredible,¡± Lu Ran thought to himself. The person from earlier must have been a challenger who chose the Empire faction. To have a Space-type pet beast meant it would indeed be difficult to capture them. However, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected the sword grass to be so powerful, capable of slightly injuring an enemy in a spatially blurred state. Truly worthy of being a special ferocious nt of the sovereign species. ¡°Ms. Hei Yu, could you please inform Missionary Gory that an assassin proficient in Space-type techniques just attempted to kill us? I suspect it was a beastmaster from the Empire side. Tell him to prepare and enhance defenses,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at the bewildered Hei Yu. ¡­ Meanwhile. The Sunlight Knight and the Space-type hamster were continuously performing spatial jumps. When the Space-type hamster exhausted its energy, the Sunlight Knight summoned his sunbird and fled as a beam of light. On the sunbird¡¯s back, the Sunlight Knight looked at his leg, which felt like it had been scraped by countless des, now red and swollen to the bone. He was filled with fear?what kind of attack was that? ¡°Impossible. In a blurred state, how could that attack affect me?¡± ¡°Who was it? Wasn¡¯t the opponent a necromancer? How could there be such a powerful Grass-type pet beast in the shadows?¡± The technique of injuring with flying leaves was too absurd! It must have been a Grass-type pet beast of the sovereign species! Chapter 166: I Contribute to the Holy Church! Chapter 166: I Contribute to the Holy Church! Outside Mingan, Feiming Province, in the camp of the remnants of the Beast Taming Legion. The Princess of Light and her entourage had not yet confronted the imperial army, still awaiting the return of the Sunlight Knight. If the Sunlight Knight could bring back some good intelligence, it would be more favorable for their negotiations with the imperial army. However¡­ ¡°Sunlight, what happened to you?¡± With a cry of rm, everyone saw the Sunlight Knight limping down from his pet beast, looking utterly shocked. The Moonlight Knight rushed forward in concern, only to find the Sunlight Knight still wearing a terrified expression. On his shoulder, the Space hamster¡¯s fur was standing on end, clearly frightened as well. After returning, the Sunlight Knight said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, just lightly injured.¡±¡°How did you get hurt?¡± The Princess approached, her eyes full of disbelief. Even if she were injured, the Sunlight Knight getting hurt was hard to fathom. After all, he had contracted a Space pet beast and mastered the ¡°Phasing¡± ability. This ability allowed him and his pet beast to enter a spatial rift, bing shadows to evade enemy attacks. Unless it was an attack capable of distorting space, or another Space technique, how could Sunlight get injured? Necromancy, while eerie, was not absurd enough to harm Space. Everyone else looked at the Sunlight Knight in confusion. He had left confidently, but his return was troubling. ¡°It was grass. I was injured by a strange grass,¡± the Sunlight Knight gritted his teeth. ¡°My body had already phased, but that grass could still hurt me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was the grass itself or if it contained a special artistic conception that allowed it to injure me. But it indeed had a certain degree of influence on space-attacking techniques.¡± ¡°Fortunately, the impact isn¡¯t too severe. My leg is just slightly injured. Moonlight, treat meter.¡± ¡°Uh, uh,¡± the Moonlight Knight was stunned. ¡°Grass???¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you heading to the necromancer cult¡¯s territory? How could you be injured by grass?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± the Sunlight Knight was almost in tears. ¡°Maybe it was some grass pet beast¡¯s shaping + release-type skill.¡± ¡°In any case, it was ridiculously strong. I feel like, even if it wasn¡¯t as powerful as the attacks from the boss in the Legendary Secret Realm, it was pretty close.¡± Everyone fell silent, especially the Glory Knight and Moonlight Knight led by the Princess of Light, whose expressions changed subtly. ¡°Tell us everything that happened after you entered Mingan,¡± said the Glory Knight. The Sunlight Knight nodded and began to recount everything he had seen, including the scene of ¡°two necromancers barbecuing souls and cackling,¡± which caused the group to turn pale. He also described how he ¡°didn¡¯t even see an enemy pet beast but was scared off by a piece of grass,¡± without missing a single detail. This plunged everyone into deep thought once again. At this point, the Sunlight Knight couldn¡¯t care about his pride anymore. Toplete the mission, he couldn¡¯t withhold any intelligence. ¡°This mission is off. The enemy faction has experts; it¡¯s not as straightforward as we imagined,¡± the Sunlight Knight said sadly. ¡°How strange, why would there be a powerful grass species creature in a necromancer¡¯s stronghold,¡± the Beast Doctor wondered. ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense. Could it be that, like us, the two people you encountered were also challengers?¡± asked the ck woman. ¡°Impossible. I¡¯m familiar with all the powerful fourth-generation beastmasters from the Blue Star, and none of them are proficient in grass species,¡± said the Sunlight Knight. ¡°Besides, even if a beastmaster from the outside chose the necromancy faction, who the hell would jump into character right away and start barbecuing souls?¡± ¡°Right, even necromancers from The Other Shore aren¡¯t this extreme. They kill and swallow immediately. It seems the ultimate evil still lies where necromancy originated,¡± said the youth from Southeast Asia with fear. Compared to their side¡¯s kidney harvesting and soul devouring, this was more terrifying. Extracting the soul and then barbecuing it! If the soul had consciousness, how painful would that be? ¡°It should be about ¡®bnce,¡¯¡± the Glory Knight pondered. ¡°Obviously, we challengers have all chosen the imperial faction, which puts the necromancer faction at a significant disadvantage.¡± ¡°To bnce the difficulty, it¡¯s normal for the other side to have a strong NPC. It¡¯s not impossible for them to have a grass pet beast, after all. The necromancer cult doesn¡¯t entirely consist of necromantic pets; there are normal pet beasts within it.¡± ¡°But in any case, this makes things even more troublesome.¡± With an expert in the opposing faction capable of scaring off the Sunlight Knight with a mere piece of grass, plus the presence of missionaries, capturing Mingan would be much harder. Everyone¡¯s expressions were grim, not expecting the breakthrough secret realm to be this challenging. ¡°Indeed, we should find a way to get support from the imperial army and make a joint attack,¡± said the Princess of Light. ¡°First, let¡¯s observe and see the subsequent reactions from the enemy camp after your ¡®intrusion.¡¯¡± The Sunlight Knight sulked, ¡°Those evil necromancers¡­¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, on the other side. Missionary Gory was personally teaching the newly joined beastmasters of the Death Holy Church necromancy. Although he could delegate this task to his subordinates, he chose to do it himself. A missionary¡¯s job is to recruit members. If the new members have good potential, they would be taken back to the headquarters by a divine envoy for training. If their talent is average, they would stay and be his subordinates. By personally teaching, regardless of whether these members are eventually taken away or stay, he could leave an excellent impression on them. For someone like Lu Ran, whom Gory judged unsuitable for learning Basic Necromancy, he immediately used cultivation notes and a Soul-Calming Stone to win his favor. This way, when Lu Ran eventually achieves great sess at the headquarters, Gory could also benefit. For necromancers who stayed, his reputation as their leader would be even more critical in their eyes. ¡°Revive! My pet beast!¡± At this moment, under a young man¡¯s shout, a dead pet beast beside him had its spirit separate from its body and begin to take shape. Seeing his already deceased pet beast truly resurrected into a necromantic pet under the influence of necromancy, the young man was overwhelmed. Just as he was about to thank Missionary Gory, suddenly, Hei Yu¡¯s figure appeared. She quickly walked over to Gory¡¯s side and quietly conveyed some intelligence to him. Outside Mingan. Upon hearing Hei Yu¡¯s report, Gory¡¯s expression changed dramatically. ¡°What did you say?¡± He immediately looked at the new members and said, ¡°That¡¯s all for today. You can go about your own activities.¡± ¡°I have some matters to attend to.¡± With that, he and Hei Yu left the area. ¡°Someone infiltrated the City Lord¡¯s Mansion to assassinate you?¡± ¡°To be precise, someone infiltrated the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, and the sudden death king sensed their hostility, prompting its pet beast to attack and scare them off. However, the opponent¡¯s pet beast was of the Space species and very elusive. We couldn¡¯t capture them.¡± ¡°The sudden death king suspects it¡¯s the imperial army, but I can confirm it is the imperial army because the intruder wore the imperial army¡¯s insignia!¡± Hei Yu recalled. Initially, she hadn¡¯t noticed, but upon reflection, she was certain. Clearly, the Sunlight Knight came ¡°well-prepared¡± to incite conflict between the necromancer faction and the imperial faction. ¡°Space species¡­¡± Gory¡¯s expression changed again. Such a rare ability could easily fetch wealth and honor in any department of the empire. Why would it appear in a small ce like Mingan? The imperial army¡­ impossible! The imperial army wouldn¡¯t send someone with Space species abilities to do the dirty work of eliminating the ¡°necromancer cult.¡± What merit do we necromancer cultists have to warrant that? Could it be that a civilian beastmaster dislikes the Death Holy Church¡¯s talented beastmasters? That seems more likely. Under the empire¡¯s propaganda, the Death Holy Church has a terrible reputation. Many second-generation beastmasters, under the banner of ¡°punishing evil and promoting good,¡± voluntarily join the efforts to eradicate the necromancer cult. If this imperial remnant army got lucky with the help of a civilian genius, it would make sense. Although the empire is crumbling, a dying camel is still bigger than a horse. Many civilian forces still stand with the empire. However, what Gory found unbelievable was that Lu Ran could detect the intruder and easily repel them. And it was a Space species user. Even he would find it tricky to deal with a Space species opponent. ¡°Where is the sudden death king? Take me to see it,¡± Gory said. ¡°Alright.¡± Soon, Missionary Gory met Lu Ran again. He saw Lu Ran looking nonchnt, and next to him was General Ha, holding a piece of sword grass in its mouth and looking very cocky. Gory¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Sudden death king, how did you discover the Space enemy? Hei Yu mentioned she even heard the opponent¡¯s scream, and you managed to injure them¡­¡± ¡°I originally thought you just had a high soul talent, but now I realize I underestimated you. Your current strength is just ridiculously high.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much; the opponent was just too weak. My strength, whether high or low, doesn¡¯t affect my devotion to the Death Holy Church¡­¡± Lu Ran said piously. ¡°Gory, rest assured, if the imperial army really attacks, I will fight alongside you.¡± Gory and Hei Yu: ??? Gory came intending to reassure Lu Ran, telling him not to fear the imperial army, ¡°don¡¯t run away,¡± and ¡°if we flee, we¡¯ll flee together, don¡¯t give up on joining the church.¡± However, Lu Ran¡¯s high level of awareness stunned Gao Li. Suchmitment¨Dlet alone from a new member who had joined just a day ago¨Dwas unparalleled even among his long-time subordinates! ¡°Missionary Gory, you don¡¯t n on running away, do you?¡± Lu Ran asked, worried that Gory might want to flee after discovering the imperial army had a Space user. If that were the case, he would have to ¡°reluctantly ascend the throne¡± and take up the banner of resisting the empire. ¡°Well¡­¡± If the enemy were too strong, Gory would naturally consider fleeing with his subordinates. But the Space user was just beaten by Lu Ran, so Gory couldn¡¯t gauge their strength. ¡°If we don¡¯t have to leave, I certainly don¡¯t want to,¡± Gory said, looking at Lu Ran. ¡°To be honest, apart from spreading the Death Holy Church in Mingan, I have other tasks.¡± ¡°Other tasks?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback but then rxed. As expected, the necromancer faction wouldn¡¯t easily abandon the city. ¡°Yes, tasks. I might as well tell you, it¡¯s no secret anyway.¡± ¡°In the past two years, the Death Holy Church has been conducting research,¡± Gory said. ¡°One major advantage of necromantic pet beasts is that they can possess beastmasters, essentiallying with a built-in Fusion Skill, allowing necromancers and their necromantic pets to fight as one.¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Possession is a significant trait of the necromancy attribute.¡± ¡°And the possession of necromantic pet beasts isn¡¯t limited to beastmasters.¡± ¡°If the soul talent of necromantic pets is well-developed, they can even possess other objects andplete their evolution.¡± ¡°For example, within the church, some elders and divine envoys have sessfully researched how to let necromantic pets possess dragon bones or beast bones, evolving into undead skeletal beasts.¡± ¡°This way, they retain powerful soul attack methods while regaining formidable physical bodies.¡± ¡°Their strength is on par with necromantic pet beasts that retain their flesh and can develop soul attributes.¡± ¡°And now, within the church, the research isn¡¯t limited to possessing bones. Some high-ranking members are exploring how to let necromantic pets possess ¡®weapons¡¯ and ¡®armor,¡¯ bing something akin to artifact spirits.¡± ¡°Of course, achieving this is undoubtedly more challenging.¡± ¡°Therefore, some Forgemasters in the church have devised a method: instead of forcing necromantic pets to possess weapons for evolution, they ce special weapons in thend of death, allowing the weapons to naturally develop souls.¡± ¡°At this moment, I am carrying a special weapon forged within the church. I have already buried it in the area of Mingan with the strongest death breath.¡± ¡°So, the church¡¯s mission for us is actually to upy a city of death and cultivate artifact spirits. If we abandon the city easily, finding another suitable cultivation site would be extremely difficult, and my path to promotion would be hopeless.¡± ¡°Artifact spirits???¡± Upon hearing this, Lu Ran was stunned. The Death Holy Church¡¯s Forgemasters were really pushing the boundaries, even researching weapons with souls! Thinking about it, it made sense¡­ Lu Ran knew that in many myths and legends, some powerful artifacts indeed had artifact spirits. The forging method ofbining souls and weapons might actually work! ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°You¡¯ve treated me well. Even if I have to risk my life, I¡¯ll help you fend off the enemies.¡± ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± Gory was shocked. Indeed, sincerity begets sincerity. His approach to developing followers was truly spot on! ¡°Gory, do you have any extra Soul-type ores? Besides being a Chef, I¡¯m also a Forgemaster. The concept of artifact spirit weapons sounds intriguing, and I¡¯d like to research it myself. I want to contribute to the church¡¯s development.¡± Gory and Hei Yu: ??? Chapter 167: Blade Cuts Flesh, Heart Cuts Soul Chapter 167: de Cuts Flesh, Heart Cuts Soul ¡°This¡­¡± At this moment, Gory really wanted to say, ¡°You sure have a lot of demands.¡± One moment you¡¯re a Chef, the next you¡¯re a Forgemaster¡­ However, even though Gory grumbled inwardly, his expression showed some helplessness in the face of Lu Ran¡¯s dedication to the Holy Church. If he didn¡¯t offer his support, it would be irrefutable proof in the future that Gory was ¡°disloyal to the Holy Church.¡± Finally, with a twitching mouth, Gory said, ¡°The Soul-Calming Stone I lent you is a Soul-type ore.¡± ¡°I do have a few more.¡± They were all used to detect soul talent during missionary work. Before Gory could finish speaking, Lu Ran interrupted, ¡°Thank you, Gory. I¡¯ve always felt something was missing when researching ¡®soul cuisine.¡¯¡±¡°If we could forge a ¡®soul kitchen knife with an artifact spirit,¡¯ it might just resolve the growth drawbacks of necromancy!¡± Impossible, absolutely impossible. Gory screamed internally, ¡°You kid, you¡¯re too far-fetched.¡± Although he felt it was unrealistic, he still had to support it. ¡°Alright, I can give you one more Soul-Calming Stone to aid in your forging research. But that¡¯s all I have,¡± Gory said. He wanted to kick himself now. Why did he have to talk about artifact spirits with Lu Ran? If he hadn¡¯t brought it up, Lu Ran might not have even asked for the soul ore. ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran smiled. Beside him, Hei Yu remained silent, feeling that Lord Gory waspletely at Lu Ran¡¯s mercy. Necromantic cooking utensils¡­ At first, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t even thought about it. His aim was simply to forge a soul-reaping de, a weapon that could consistently harm souls. Whether it had an artifact spirit didn¡¯t matter. But now that he thought about it, a de of Necromancy seemed more suitable as a soul cooking utensil than a simple soul-reaping de. Of course, regardless of which one, for now, Lu Ran could only dream about it. Following Gory¡¯s instructions, Lu Ran and Hei Yu returned to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Meanwhile, Gory began dispatching people to investigate the movements of the imperial army. The imperial army¡¯s restlessness was not good news for Mingan. ¡°Let¡¯s hope nothing goes wrong,¡± Gory sighed. ¡­ After returning, Lu Ran did not have Hei Yu taste-test again; instead, he chose to train alone. Firstly, regarding the forging of the de of Necromancy and the soul-reaping de, although he had acquired another Soul-Calming Stone, there was no rush. Having just a soul-reaping de wouldn¡¯t be enough to cut soul consciousness; otherwise, someone from the Holy Church would have done it already. As for the de of Necromancy, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t forge it yet, but he roughly understood the Death Holy Church Forgemasters¡¯ approach. Their idea was to create a container suitable for the lingering souls in thend of death, helping them repair their souls and attracting these lingering souls in the process. If the weapon and the lingering souls could perfectly integrate during this process, then a necromantic weapon would be born. Unfortunately, although Lu Ran understood the theory¡­ He didn¡¯t have ess to and of death suitable for nurturing a weapon. Even if he did, the process might take months or even decades. The main issue was that he didn¡¯t know how to forge the container for a necromantic weapon. Simrly, even if a necromantic kitchen knife was created, whether it could cut soul consciousness remained uncertain. Most likely, it couldn¡¯t. They were merely ¡°tools.¡± The key might lie in the user¡¯s understanding of ¡°soul consciousness.¡± Perfect tools,bined with a perfect understanding by the user, could achieve the ¡°pinnacle of knife skills,¡± allowing them to perfectly cut the soul¡¯s consciousness and energy. So, Lu Ran decided to focus on improving himself first. While General Ha trained his ¡°sword intent,¡± Lu Ran also began his training. Fortunately, he had the foresight to stockpile hundreds of lucid fruits. Otherwise, in a war-torn ce like Feiming Province, acquiring training resources would be extremely difficult. ¡°Sudden Death King!¡± ¡°Roar???¡± The Sudden Death King appeared, looking bewildered. ¡°Train with me.¡± The Sudden Death King thought for a moment and then asked how they would train together. ¡°Simple,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°You just need to stand there.¡± As he spoke, Lu Ran took out a Cleaver and said, ¡°Next, I¡¯ll keep chopping at you with this Cleaver.¡± Sudden Death King: ??? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t use much force. Besides, even if I used all my strength, I couldn¡¯t break through your defense.¡± The Sudden Death King was startled but then nodded in agreement. That was true. ¡°In short, you have only two tasks,¡± Lu Ran said, finding a piece of ck cloth to cover his eyes. Holding the Cleaver, he gave a light chop on the Sudden Death King¡¯s tough scales. ¡°Your first task is to keep repeating a thought in your mind. When you feel pain, let me know.¡± ¡°Remember, it¡¯s not physical pain, but the pain in your soul.¡± With his eyes closed, Lu Ran fully activated his telepathy, capturing the emotional and conscious fluctuations of the Sudden Death King. He swung the Cleaver again. [I¡¯ll remember this grudge,] the Sudden Death King kept repeating. Lu Ran, using his telepathic superpower, captured its conscious fluctuations, attempting to help the Sudden Death King ¡°cut off hatred.¡± ¡°de cuts flesh, Heart cuts soul.¡± Although Lu Ran¡¯s telepathic superpower was not abat ability, it was still quite a hack. For instance, previously, the space hamsters had failed to hide their mental fluctuations, allowing Lu Ran to capture their hostility. Now, Lu Ran was clearly using telepathy to assist in his training of soul sword intent. By capturing the emotional fluctuations of his enemies through telepathy, he aimed to cut them with a sword! Although he wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, Lu Ran felt it was entirely reasonable. If he could harm the Sudden Death King¡¯s soul with just a supernatural Cleaver, wouldn¡¯t that be soul sword intent? Of course, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t just practicing blindly. If a few swings didn¡¯t work, he would take out the Soul-Calming Stone and use it to extract the Sudden Death King¡¯s soul. Then, using telepathy, he would sense the differences in the Sudden Death King¡¯s feelings when attacked by himself versus when attacked by the Soul-Calming Stone. Thisparative approach allowed Lu Ran to deepen his understanding of soul damage. And that wasn¡¯t all. Although the Cleaver didn¡¯t cause any damage, constantly being chopped at did annoy the Sudden Death King. At such times, Lu Ran would put down the Cleaver and release mes, attacking the Sudden Death King with the me Sprite. Simrly, whenever the Sudden Death King could feel that its soul was being scorched rather than its body, Lu Ran considered it progress. This meant he had sessfullybined ordinary mes with telepathy, transforming them into a soul me. And so it went. Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Ran stuck to 8 hours of practice each day, consuming one lucid fruit per hour. After five days, he and General Ha had spent several hundred thousand crystal coins. General Ha also needed the lucid fruits. Although its training methods were not as scientific, it had a Talent for weapon mastery and a strong soul Comprehension. By reverse Super Beast Mimicry, Lu Ran could temporarily borrow its weapon mastery Talent, increasing his own training efficiency. On this particr day, The Sudden Death King was enduring the usual beatings. Although Lu Ran¡¯s Cleaver attacks were annoying, the Sudden Death King had grown ustomed to them over time, treating them like a mild scrape. However, What had always been mundane attacks changed today. As a blue gleam shed in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, the Sudden Death King suddenly felt a sharp pain in its soul and let out a startled cry, immediately standing up. Boom! Its massive body rose, and Lu Ran was taken aback, locking eyes with it. Simultaneously, Lu Ran nced at his own information, noticing some changes. [Species]: Human [Beast Taming Level]: Level 1 [Beast Taming Skills]: Super Beast Mimicry, me Sprite [Special Abilities]: Telepathy, Blizzard Sword Intent, me Dragon Sword Intent, Soul Sword Intent! [Soul Sword Intent]: A special attack derived frombining swordsmanship with telepathy, capable of directly shing the enemy¡¯s soul! ¡°Wo Cao,¡± Lu Ran eximed loudly. ¡°Woof??¡± General Ha rushed out from inside, holding a sword grass in its mouth, as if to say, ¡°Wo Cao is with me.¡± ¡°You idiot, General Ha. This time, I¡¯ve taken the lead again.¡± Lu Ran grinned excitedly, holding the Cleaver. Damn, those five days and the 800,000 crystal coins¡¯ worth of lucid fruits were not wasted after all. Soul Sword Intent, huh? Good, it¡¯s done! Lu Ran nced at the Soul-Calming Stone, feeling that the next step could be to try forging this thing into a Soul-Reaping de. What kind of sparks would fly whenbining a Soul-Reaping de with Soul Sword Intent, which can attack the mind and soul? ¡°Woof, woof, woof!¡± At this moment, General Ha was dumbfounded. It worked? Why was it Boss Lu who seeded first¡­? ¡°Want to learn?¡± ¡°I can teach you.¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha calmly. This dog, it really thinks its Comprehension is out of this world without a beastmaster showing off? On the other hand, the Sudden Death King also started looking eagerly at Lu Ran. ¡°You can¡¯t learn it.¡± Lu Ran pouted. ¡°I¡¯ll tryter to see if I can really cook up some harmless soul cuisine.¡± ¡°By then, I¡¯ll roast a few Dragon Souls for you to eat.¡± ¡°But speaking of which,¡± Lu Ran looked into the distance, ¡°it¡¯s been almost a week.¡± Why has there been no movement from the challengers of the Empire faction? After some investigation, Missionary Gory did find that the Empire¡¯s remnants were recruiting civilian beastmasters nearby. This confirmed Missionary Gory¡¯s belief that the Empire¡¯s remnants were determined to reim Mingan. Therefore, the necromancers in the city had been preparing for war during this time. However, the other side had been slow to take action. Lu Ran was getting anxious. Although if the other side did nothing, he could win without a fight andplete the task smoothly, he felt that his rating wouldn¡¯t be high that way. ¡°No, I need to perform.¡± ¡°If this continues, it won¡¯t work. I can¡¯t just keep training. Afterpleting the breakthrough task, I¡¯ll continue researching Soul Sword Intent.¡± ¡°The urgent priority is to get my breakthrough task rating to SSS-level.¡± ¡°Since the other side isn¡¯t attacking, I¡¯ll learn from the person who previously infiltrated the City Lord¡¯s Mansion and ¡®sneak attack¡¯ the higher-ups of the Empire faction to prompt the war to happen quickly.¡± Lu Ran made up his mind. Although it was a bit arrogant and dangerous, he was more worried about getting a poor rating on the breakthrough task, resulting in no good rewards. After all, one only gets one reward for a Level 1 breakthrough secret realm; if you miss it, it¡¯s gone. ¡°The reason the opponent dared toe alone to the necromancer faction¡¯s base camp is because they relied on their Space ability, which made them confident that no one could harm them, allowing them to escape safely.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m going tounch a sneak attack, I must first prepare an escape route. Our advantage¡­ should be ¡®air superiority,¡¯ right?¡± After fusing with the Nature Control trait, General Ha¡¯s control over the wind was wless. Not only could it perfectly walk on air at high speeds, but it could also summon gales to hinder pursuers. Lu Ran felt that General Ha could easily carry him into the sky and deliver a big surprise to the Empire faction from above. ¡­ While Lu Ran was plotting, The Princess¡¯s faction had also been actively preparing these past few days, such as gaining a deep understanding of the necromancer system and formting battle strategies. Another aspect was persuading the Imperial Army. The Sunlight Knight¡¯s infiltration did indeed provoke an intense reaction from the Death Holy Church. This intense action also allowed the Empire faction to capture an extraordinary breath, fearing that the necromancer faction mightunch an attack. ¡°Captain Kane, we responded to the Imperial Army¡¯s call to participate in the fight against the necromancer cult. We¡¯re here to train, to seek justice, and to help the weak, not to stay on guard with you.¡± ¡°The nine of us have decided to attack Mingan on our own. Are you sure your Beast Taming Legion won¡¯t join us?¡± ¡°There are still many innocent civilians in Mingan, and many beastmasters who are about to be harmed. Are you just going to watch them suffer under the necromancer cult¡¯s persecution?!¡± The Glory Knight spoke solemnly to the highestmander of the Empire¡¯s remnants, a Level 2 beastmaster, Army Commander Kane. ¡°We can¡¯t stand it any longer. This is our final request?no, demand. We demand that the Beast Taming Legion joins us in the attack.¡± ¡°Glory, don¡¯t rush. This matter¡­¡± Captain Kane was sweating profusely, feeling conflicted. At this time, waiting for reinforcements was clearly the best option. The military order was also to guard the perimeter. Rushing in now was too irrational. However, the Glory Knight¡¯s words repeatedly struck at Kane¡¯s heart. Indeed, if they could liberate Mingan a day earlier, many more citizens of the Empire might be spared from the necromancers¡¯ persecution. ¡°Hmph, as I said, if you¡¯re afraid, we can charge the front lines ourselves.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about fear.¡± Captain Kane pondered deeply. In truth, what troubled Kane the most wasn¡¯t the safety of the Empire¡¯s citizens. Although he felt a twinge of guilt, so many people had died over the years that he couldn¡¯t possibly save them all. After all, he was just a Level 2 beastmaster. What really made him hesitate was the strength of the Glory Knight and his group. The Princess of Light and the three Knights of Light had already demonstrated their power to the Imperial Army. Especially the Princess of Light¡¯s strength, which even made Kane, a Level 2 beastmaster, feel apprehensive. This led Kane to conclude that this group had an extraordinary background, probably second-generation beastmasters from a powerful faction undergoing training. If these people attacked Mingan on their own and then got injured or worse, their influential background would surely me him for not joining the assault. This could spell disaster for his troop of remnants. The consequences might be worse than the direct attack on the city. On the other hand, if they could leverage this group¡¯s strength to capture the city and please them, it might lead to great future prospects. ¡°Alright.¡± Over the past few days, Kane¡¯s psychological defenses had gradually been broken down. He said, ¡°Glory, the citizens of Mingan are suffering under the cult¡¯s persecution, and it pains me deeply. To hell with the military orders! The necromancy forces in Mingan are showing signs of withdrawing. To prevent them from spreading, we must advance our attack!¡± ¡°We need your help. Let¡¯s attack together!¡± ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± The Glory Knight smiled. Finally, they could officiallyy siege to the city. He was quite curious now whether the mysterious person who had injured Sunlight would appear in the battle. This person had terrified Sunlight, and their Knights Order needed to avenge Sunlight. Chapter 168: I Recommend the Sudden Death King as the Holy Son of the Holy Church Chapter 168: I Rmend the Sudden Death King as the Holy Son of the Holy Church After making his decision, Lu Ran began to conserve his energy. Out of respect for his enemy, he naturally wanted to be in his best state for the sneak attack. Once well-rested, Lu Ran donned a ck robe, which made him look quite menacing, and mounted General Ha, the giant dog, ready to take off. With his current identity as a member of the Cult of Necromancy and General Ha as his steed, Lu Ran felt like a character from an animated film, ¡°Princess Mononoke.¡± Of course, he couldn¡¯t possibly be the princess, but he hoped his dashing appearance wouldn¡¯t make the enemy faction mistake him for a necromancer prince. ¡°General Ha, let¡¯s go!¡± Lu Ran patted General Ha. After a week of boredom, finally having a battle to fight put General Ha in a good mood. He no longer minded being a steed. His eyes rolled up and down, left and right, as if he was preparing some big move. ¡°Awwooo~~~¡± General Ha howled, stepping on the air, with Gale swirling around him, as he ascended step by step into the sky. Walking on the wind, riding the wind! General Ha¡¯s speed was swift. Lu Ran deliberately had him ascend higher, as they needed to be cautious and slowly search for the enemy¡¯s exact location.However, before Lu Ran could get far from the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, suddenly, a necromancer shrouded in gray mist, wearing a ck robe, and surrounded by the phantom soul of a vulture, appeared in the air, blocking Lu Ran¡¯s path. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran frowned. ¡°I am Huo Di, the assistant of Lord Gory.¡± ¡°Ordered to protect Your Excellency, the Sudden Death King.¡± ¡°Where are you headed, Your Excellency?¡± The necromancer¡¯s hoarse voice made Lu Ran exasperated. Gory, you sly fox, sending Hei Yu alone to monitor me wasn¡¯t enough; you even nted a more powerful assistant nearby, huh? Lu Ran figured that trying to head to the empire¡¯s faction alone was now out of the question. Gory would never let him go on a ¡°suicide mission.¡± ¡°How are you protecting me? That Space guy came back just now.¡± Lu Ran turned the tables, making a passive situation active. ¡°Being targeted again and again, I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m going after them to take them down.¡± ¡°What??¡± Gory¡¯s assistant¡¯s expression changed upon hearing this. Had that Space guy infiltrated again? ¡°Sudden Death King, calm down. If you chase them, you¡¯ll fall into their trap. Let¡¯s go meet Lord Gory and discuss how to counter the enemy together, okay?¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha red at Huo Di, feeling like smashing something. Blocking it from fighting, this grudge was noted. At this moment, themotion in the high skies outside the City Lord¡¯s Mansion also caught the attention of several necromancers. Seeing this, Lu Ran said: ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran had no choice. Gory had continuously provided him with cultivation notes and Soul-Calming Stones, so he couldn¡¯t make things difficult for him. So, he agreed to go see Gory with this vulture ghost. ¡­ ¡°This is outrageous!¡± Not long after, upon learning that Lu Ran had been harassed by that Space enemy again, Gory was quite angry. However, facing an equally ¡°angry¡± Lu Ran, Gory had to soothe him. ¡°Sudden Death King, calm down. Calm down; you¡¯re being too impulsive.¡± Hearing from his assistant that Lu Ran wanted to chase down the remnants of the imperial army, Gory¡¯s mouth twitched. This abstract way of doing things did fit with Lu Ran¡¯s previous behavior patterns. ¡°Huo Di, Hei Yu, how are you two protecting the Sudden Death King? You let the enemy infiltrate again without noticing.¡± He looked at Huo Di and Hei Yu, scolding them. Hei Yu and Huo Di felt quite innocent. The Space enemy was inherently difficult to detect! They honestly hadn¡¯t noticed a thing. ¡°It¡¯s not their fault, but should we just sit here and wait?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°One, two infiltrations to gather intelligence. The imperial army is clearly nning to target Mingan. If we sit and wait, we¡¯ll be too passive.¡± ¡°Gory, that guy is too annoying. Let¡¯s go kill them together.¡± ¡°Rather than waiting for them to prepare and attack the city, why not use the necromancers¡¯ advantage to strike first and end the enemy.¡± Gory: ¡°¡­¡± What he said made so much sense, Gory couldn¡¯t refute it. After being discovered, Lu Ranid all his cards on the table, trying to persuade Gory to lead arge force and attack together. However, Lu Ran quickly sighed, noticing Gory¡¯s hesitation. ¡°The other side is, after all, a regr army. We need to n carefully. Although they are remnants, their Army Commander, Kane, is a tough character, not weaker than me.¡± ¡°Furthermore, they might have received help from civilian forces.¡± ¡°Sudden Death King, you are just a level 1 beastmaster, right? Although you are already very strong and have unique insights in some areas, you must understand the difference between level 1 and level 2 in a direct battlefield¡­ There are still many level 2 beastmasters among those imperial remnants.¡± ¡°And besides, they are gathered in hundreds¡­¡± ¡°My suggestion is to defend Mingan. If the enemy doesn¡¯t attack within a month, we can ask Lord Divine Envoy for help once he arrives. Dealing with them will be a piece of cake for him.¡± ¡°Are level 2 beastmasters that strong?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be harassed by that Space rat anymore.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t take the initiative, fine. But I want to take that Space guy down to stop him from bothering me.¡± Gory¡¯s mouth twitched again. He felt he couldn¡¯t persuade Lu Ran. Indeed, no one would want someone constantly spying on them. It was quite nerve-wracking. If he were Lu Ran, he would also want to take out that Space guy. ¡°How about this?¡± Gory pondered and said, ¡°I¡¯ll send a team to investigate that Space beastmaster. If there¡¯s an opportunity, we¡¯ll take him out.¡± ¡°I want to take revenge myself. I¡¯m a person who holds grudges,¡± Lu Ran blinked. What a joke, wasn¡¯t this just sending people to their deaths? Gory felt that Lu Ran was truly unyielding. ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous¡­¡± Gory hesitated for a long time and finally said, ¡°But I understand your feelings.¡± ¡°How about this, Sudden Death King, you and I spar one-on-one. If your strength gains my approval¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll dispatch a team to assist you in assassinating that infiltrator.¡± ¡°But if you lose, I won¡¯t let you go to your death.¡± Gory¡¯s expression was serious. Gory also wanted to see the true strength of this genius. This was the biggest concession he could make. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran was taken aback but smiled. Initially, he was worried that going alone might be too dangerous. If he could have a bunch of necromancers backing him up, his safety would be greatly enhanced. With some luck, he might even be able to take out the enemy in one fell swoop. Lu Ran quickly analyzed the situation in his mind. If the enemy was strong and he couldn¡¯t handle it alone, having the necromancer faction supporting him would be crucial. If the enemy wasn¡¯t strong and he could take them down solo¡­ To prevent the enemy from escaping, having the necromancer faction help him seal the battlefield, allowing him to eliminate the enemy one by one, would be very useful for boosting his rating. After all, even if the enemy stood still, with hundreds of pet beasts, he couldn¡¯t handle them all at once. ¡°This¡­¡± Huo Di and Hei Yu were stunned. They hadn¡¯t expected things to escte so quickly to a fight between Lu Ran and Gory. Soon, Lu Ran and Gory moved to an open area outside. Beside Lu Ran was General Ha, holding the sword grass in its mouth. This peculiar pet beast of Lu Ran¡¯s always puzzled Gory and Hei Yu. Was this a dual-attribute canine beast of wind and grass? ¡°Your opponent is it,¡± Gory said, looking at Lu Ran and General Ha. The missionary took a deep breath and began summoning his pet beast. ¡°Roar!!!¡± In the next moment, a ck tiger beast with a spirit form, its green eyes glowing, seemed to emerge from the underworld, looking coldly at General Ha. [Name]: Phantom Tiger Beast [Attribute]: Spirit [Species Level]: Lower Commander [Growth Level]: Level 30 As soon as the Phantom Tiger Beast appeared, Lu Ran immediately saw its stats. ¡°You can attack first,¡± Gory said, waiting for Lu Ran and General Ha to make the first move. However, in the next moment, his pupils constricted as he felt a gale blow past. Boom!!! A st of air surged around them. Huo Di and Hei Yu, who were watching from the sidelines, hadn¡¯t fully focused their attention when their ck robes were blown by the violent airflow. Under their ck hoods were expressions of shock. In an instant, General Ha¡¯s figure vanished from in front of Lu Ran and reappeared behind the Phantom Tiger Beast. Ssshhh¡ª¡ª¡ª Without any warning, a faint sword mark appeared on the Phantom Tiger Beast¡¯s leg, causing it to cry out in pain and topple forward. With twenty times the wind forcepressed under its feet,bined with gale, General Ha had mastered an explosive technique akin to ¡°divine speed.¡± In a sh, the gale allowed General Ha to injure the Phantom Tiger Beast¡¯s leg before it even saw its enemy. As the strike concluded, General Ha calmly turned its head to look at the incredulous Gory. ¡°How is this possible!!¡± Gory, Huo Di, and Hei Yu all eximed in shock. ¡°Is this sufficient?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°If it were an enemy, that strike would have been aimed at a more lethal spot with even greater force.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have just grazed it like it did.¡± ¡°You¡ª¡± Gory was stunned. ¡°How can its strength and speed be this powerful?¡± Gory initially intended to spar patiently with Lu Ran, but he never expected that his Phantom Tiger Beast wouldn¡¯tst a single round against the opponent. ¡°Roar!!!¡± At this moment, the Phantom Tiger Beast was also shocked, finally sensing the faint sovereign aura emanating from General Ha. ¡°I told you, we are very strong,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°Although its level is low, as a sovereign, it can easily fight above its level¡­¡± ¡°Sovereign???¡± Gory was dumbfounded, looking at General Ha, who was holding the sword grass. What a joke, this dog was actually a sovereign species? Even in the Imperial City, sovereign species pet beasts were extremely rare. A sovereign species¡­ No wonder Lu Ran and his team could easily handle the Space infiltrators. But why? Why would someone like Lu Ran, who owns a sovereign pet beast, choose the Death Holy Church? ¡°He¡¯s so strong!¡± Hei Yu, who knew Lu Ran wasn¡¯t weak, didn¡¯t expect that even Gory, a missionary, would be at a disadvantage against Lu Ran. Even though Gory the missionary didn¡¯t use the necromancer¡¯s signature possession skill, the fact that he was suppressed in a single encounter clearly demonstrated the terrifying strength of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast. Huo Di¡¯s expression changed, and Gory himself was deeply stirred. ¡°Sudden Death King, joining the Holy Church with a sovereign species pet beast, what exactly are you thinking?¡± he originally thought Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast was amander species¡­ but it turned out to be a sovereign. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I just wanted to be a necromancer out of interest,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°Now, Gory, do you think I have the strength to go on the offensive?¡± Gory¡¯s expression was uncertain. A sovereign pet beast¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s status in his mind rose another notch! Damn it, contracting a sovereign pet beast at level 1 and having such an interest in necromancy, once he gets taken away by the divine envoy, he won¡¯t just be treated as a core member anymore¡ªhe¡¯ll be groomed as a Holy Son candidate. At this moment, countless thoughts surged in Gory¡¯s mind, and finally, he made a decision. They definitely couldn¡¯t ignore that Space enemy. Otherwise, if Lu Ran got hurt even slightly, it would be a serious matter. ¡°Sudden Death King, whatever you say goes. From now on, I¡¯ll assign 100 level 1 necromancers at your disposal. We¡¯ll take the initiative and show the imperial army what we¡¯re made of.¡± ¡°Let them know we aren¡¯t to be trifled with.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression was strange. Indeed, having strength was beneficial¡ªjust like that, he had be the boss of a necromancer unit of a hundred people? ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran said with a pleased expression, but he added: ¡°However, since it¡¯s my insistence to retaliate, I wouldn¡¯t feel right dragging others into it.¡± ¡°Those whoe with me don¡¯t need to engage in the battle. Just stay on the sidelines, support me, cheer me on, and intimidate the enemy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to handle the enemy alone first.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want innocentrades to get hurt or killed because of me.¡± Gory, Huo Di, Hei Yu: ??? The three of them were shocked, feeling increasingly unable to see through Lu Ran. Is he for real? I could cry¡­ It was the first time they had encountered someone like this. Was such a person actually real? If it weren¡¯t for theirck of authority, the three of them would have rmended Lu Ran to be the Holy Son of the Holy Church. They also wanted a leader like him. ¡°Sudden Death King, you¡­¡± Gory the missionary felt an inexplicable emotion rise within him. For the first time, he felt that Lu Ran was someone worth getting to know deeply. When the timees, he would definitely speak highly of Lu Ran in front of Lord Divine Envoy. Of course, Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts at this moment weren¡¯t so ¡°selfless.¡± He just wanted to [enjoy the experience] alone. If it weren¡¯t for the rating and the rewards, he wouldn¡¯t want to solo such a dangerous task. ¡°I¡¯ve decided,¡± Gory the missionary said after a moment of contemtion, seemingly making some kind of decision. ¡°I n to temporarily retrieve that weapon buried in thend of death to assist you, brother Sudden Death King.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Bathing it in true life will be more beneficial for its growth.¡± ¡°What weapon?¡± Lu Ran asked. Oh, there was such an item. If it weren¡¯t for him, and the empire¡¯s faction attacked, Gory would surely choose to retrieve this to counter the enemy. This was¡­ a key item that could change the situation. ¡°It¡¯s a sword forged by an elder using special methods. The de isposed of a thousand fragments of soul bones and teeth, capable of changing its shape and attacking enemies in various ways. It¡¯s called the Bone Sword Thousand des.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha shivered beside him as Gory finished speaking. Bone Sword Thousand des? What kind of devilish forging method is this! Evil necromancers¡­ Lu Ran, you mustn¡¯t learn such wicked ways! Chapter 169: Attack and Defense, General Ha’s New Mode Chapter 169: Attack and Defense, General Ha¡¯s New Mode ¡°Sounds¡­ powerful.¡± Lu Ran was stunned. A sword forged from a thousand soul bone fragments and teeth fragments? It did sound quite impressive. ¡°Yes!¡± Gory said seriously, ¡°But it¡¯s a weapon that¡¯s very hard to control.¡± ¡°At least, I can¡¯t control it.¡± ¡°However, if one can truly master this fierce weapon, the power it brings is extremely formidable.¡± ¡°I once used this fierce weapon briefly with the help of the Lord Divine Envoy, so I know its power well.¡± Gory looked at Lu Ran confidently and said, ¡°For example, if I were to use this fierce weapon and let my pet beast possess me, the sudden death king, the situation just now might have been reversed. Its attacks would have been much less effective against us.¡±¡°Even if it is a sovereign species.¡± ¡°Bone Sword Thousand des is both offensive and defensive; it can advance to kill enemies and retreat to defend.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran and General Ha were taken aback, but they let it slide, thinking if it made Gory happy, so be it. ¡°The Lord Divine Envoy once told me that during the nurturing of the bone sword, if any idents ur, one can use the power of the bone sword to escape alive.¡± ¡°Although this bone sword hasn¡¯t yet be a ¡®necromancy weapon,¡¯ it is currently a very formidable fierce weapon.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s made from soul bones, basically, the stronger the soul talent of the pet beast, the more power it can exert.¡± ¡°Although I can¡¯t control it, I feel like your pet beast might be able to give it a try. After all, it is a sovereign species. A sovereign species is a natural ruler. This kind of royal bloodline isn¡¯t limited to the blood; it also lies in the spirit and soul!¡± ¡°In terms of spirit, it has sovereign intimidation, which can materialize as a deterrent to intimidate enemies.¡± ¡°In terms of soul, it is also the absolute king of souls, capable of unleashing immense potential from life.¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha fell into deep thought. Thank you, Phantom Tiger Hero. But General Ha really didn¡¯t want to unleash the power of this weapon. If Lu Ran got tempted, it would be a disaster! Hardly had they gotten the sword grass, and Boss Lu stopped eyeing its teeth. This wretched bone sword¡­ really came at the wrong time. Outside Mingan. A deste area. After the battle between the imperial army and the rebels, the bones of over ten thousand beastmasters and pet beasts were buried here. It could be said that this ce had the strongest deathly breath in the entire Mingan area. Currently, this ce was heavily sealed off, with a necromancer guarding every interval. Seeing Gory arrive, these guards did not hinder him at all. Soon, Gory led Lu Ran, Huo Di, and Hei Yu to the ce where the bone sword was buried. ¡°This is the ce.¡± Led by Gory, the group stopped outside a giant magic array. Gory then summoned the phantom tiger beast. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The phantom tiger beast floated in the air, blowing a soul wind that illuminated the array. In the next moment. The magic array glowed with a dazzling gray-white light, apanied by a series of ¡°crack, crack, crack¡± sounds. The ground was cracking, light was emerging from the fissures, and the earth¡¯s surface began to split, revealing a bottomless chasm. The light within the chasm grew more intense, and a white, eerie wind blew up, causing the ck robes of the group to flutter violently. Even General Ha frowned, sensing the presence of the fierce weapon. ¡°Woof¡­¡± Soon, under the illumination of the light, a white bone sword in the form of a greatsword floated up, propelled by the soul wind, appearing before everyone. [Name]: Bone Sword [Level]: Rare [Introduction]: A fierce weapon forged from a thousand soul beast bone fragments and teeth. The de can be freely disassembled and reassembled into various forms ording to the user¡¯s intention. Boom! Boom! Boom! Continuous soul winds resonated on the bone sword. At a nce, Lu Ran could feel that although this bone sword was of rare quality, its power was much stronger than the Ice Sky Greatsword forged by Master Lin. The difference between the two could be described as the extremes of quality among rare weapons. ¡°Nice sword!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight of the bone sword. Faced with such a sinister weapon, General Ha didn¡¯t feel scared; it just wanted to take a bite and see what it tasted like. As long as the forging materials weren¡¯t its bones or teeth, there was nothing to fear. As for the bones of other ferocious beasts¡­ those were just food. ¡°Go give it a try,¡± Lu Ranmanded the reluctant General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha pouted and cast a sidelong nce at Gory. ¡°Just be careful with this sword¡­¡± Gory warned, watching as General Ha flicked the sword grass with its tail, transforming it into foxtail grass. Then, stepping on the wind, General Ha grabbed the bone sword in its mouth, curious to see what was so special about it. Buzz!!! As General Ha picked up the bone sword, its expression changed, sensing the liveliness of its soul. This novel feeling was something it had never experienced before. ¡°Whimper~~~~~¡± With a low hum, a ghostly light began to appear in its eyes. It swung the sword a few times with ease. ¡°Hmm???¡± Gory noticed something was amiss. Soon, he realized what was wrong. Because¡­ it was too synchronized. After Lu Ran¡¯s dog picked up the bone sword, it showed no signs of difort. Instead, its soul breath was steadily rising, and it looked quite pleased! What Gory didn¡¯t know was that for most beings, using the bone sword to enhance their soul power would indeed be a heavy burden, difficult to control. However, since it was a sword, and General Ha was the king of swords, possessing the talent of weapon mastery, wielding it was as easy as moving its own limbs. Moreover, being a rare quality sword, it was well within General Ha¡¯s control limits. After all, the foxtail grass it wielded with its tail was an exquisite quality ferocious nt sword. It had mastered that, so wielding the bone sword was no challenge. Nheless, the enhancement the bone sword provided to General Ha was indeed significantly different from the weapons it had used before. This bone sword provided a massive boost in soul power. In just an instant, General Ha felt its soul power surpassing its physical strength, an unstoppable force. To manage this overwhelming power, General Ha had no choice but to channel it into the bone sword. With a mere thought, a spectacr scene unfolded. The bone sword in its mouth began to growrger with a ¡°whoosh,¡± simr to the Ice Sky Greatsword¡¯s transformation. During this process, the massive de of the bone sword started to shatter. The white de crumbled like paper, quickly turning into countless white fragments that floated around General Ha, resembling a dance of white paper. ¡°Howl~~~¡± With a roar, the fragments of the sword began to change shape again, adhering to General Ha¡¯s body. Piece by piece, the shattered de seemed to form armor¡ªleg armor, back armor, head armor. The white bones floated and assembled with agility. Soon, its entire body looked as if it was d in sharp armor. Its form became more imposing, and its face appeared like a small shield mask made of white bones! It had actually used the bone sword fragments¡¯ reassembly function to create a set of protective bone armor for itself! After this transformation, Gory and the others could no longer recognize its previous appearance. Compared to Erha, it now looked more like a bone hound that had crawled out of the underworld, a pure necromancy creature! Outfit inspiration: Sudden Death King! ¡°Not bad,¡± Lu Ran¡¯s voice rang out. Of course, the defense provided by the bone armor couldn¡¯tpare to a single hair of the Sudden Death King, but it sure looked cool. ¡°This!!!¡± However, seeing General Ha so effortlessly wielding the bone sword¡¯s various powers once again, Gory was left in disbelief, feeling that the word ¡°genius¡± was insufficient to describe Lu Ran and his team. At this moment, although General Ha was fully armed with bone armor, it could feel that the most significant enhancement was not its defense. But rather¡­ itsbat technique! The immense soul power wasn¡¯t useless for General Ha, even without necromancy skills. Its sword control technique not only enhanced strength and speed but also increased the number of weapons it could wield simultaneously. Controlling one sword versus multiple swords brought vastly differentbat advantages. Previously, due to its immature multitasking technique, it was extremely difficult for General Ha to control multiple swords and achieve the ¡°Ten Thousand Swords Return to One¡± technique. But now, with the bone sword enhancing its soul power, General Ha found its multitasking ability greatly improved. It howled, and the remaining bone sword in its mouth shatteredpletely into fragments! The fragments transformed into nine white bone flying swords, floating around General Ha. With bone armor and nine bone flying swords swirling around it, General Ha¡¯s impressive figure drew astonished gazes from Huo Di, Hei Yu, and others. ¡°So strong.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but praise continuously. He hadn¡¯t expected that the special soul bone sword could so significantly enhance General Ha¡¯s sword control abilities. ¡°The Forgemaster who crafted this sword is a genius!!¡± Lu Ran vowed to understand the structure of this sword. When they returned, he nned to use a thousand of General Ha¡¯s teeth and find exquisite-level soul materials to personally forge a more suitable Thousand des for General Ha¡¯s fangs! And this was just a normal rare weapon. How powerful would a necromancy exquisite weapon be when paired with General Ha? Sword grass¡­ bone sword¡­ It seemed General Ha¡¯s enhancement direction was to keep collecting various powerful swords. ¡°You guys are too strong¡­¡± Gory felt a bit helpless. When he used this sword, it didn¡¯t have this effect at all. Clearly, Lu Ran¡¯s dog was too extraordinary, fully unleashing the bone sword¡¯s power beyond its limits! ¡°Gory, lend me the sword.¡± ¡°No need to save it as ast resort; General Ha can perfectly wield it. I¡¯ll let it engage in dual sword mode, using a sword and shield dog form to suppress the imperial faction!!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s confidence surged. This sword, to some extent,pensated for General Ha¡¯sck of crowd control abilities. ¡°Um¡­¡± Originally worried about Lu Ran, Gory suddenly found himself a bit concerned for the imperial army. His gaze deepened. This Sudden Death King was undoubtedly a natural-born necromancer! Even orthodox necromancers found it difficult to control the soul bone sword. They hadn¡¯t even formally changed careers and were already using it so skillfully! ¡­ With the new sword in hand, unlocking a new form for General Ha, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t wait to charge towards the imperial faction. A stormy atmosphere loomed over both the imperial and necromancy factions! Standing on the city wall, wearing a hooded ck robe, Lu Ran¡¯s young face peeked out from under the cloak. Behind him¡­ were necromancers scattered around, ready to move out with Lu Ran at any moment. Chapter 170: A One-Man Defense Against Thousands Chapter 170: A One-Man Defense Against Thousands Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Before the necromancer legion of Mingan set out. Missionary Gory also stood atop the city wall, delivering a final rallying speech to these necromancers. ¡°Theckeys of the empire have infiltrated Mingan multiple times.¡± ¡°ording to intelligence, they are about tounch a full-scale attack on Mingan.¡± ¡°We cannot sit idly by! Therefore, the ¡®sudden death king¡¯ will lead you in striking against the imperial faction!¡± ¡°You must follow themands of the sudden death king without fail! Huo Di, Hei Yu, you two will also assist the sudden death king in battle.¡± ¡°And I will coordinate the remaining necromancers of Mingan to provide you with backup.¡± Faced with Missionary Gory¡¯s orders, the necromancers did not show much excitement; instead, they ced their palms on their chests in acknowledgment.Kill!!! Defeat the imperial army, and we can feast again! Some necromancers¡¯ eyes glowed green. Although Missionary Gory was rtively normal, not every necromancer was the same. However. Before Gory could continue introducing this necromantic power to Lu Ran and exin how tomand them. A phantom bee flew in andnded next to a necromancer¡¯s ear. After contacting the pet beast, the necromancer¡¯s expression immediately changed, and they scrambled towards Gory, shouting, ¡°Lord Gory, bad news.¡± ¡°Latest intelligence reports that a group of over two hundred imperial soldiers is secretly advancing towards Mingan!!¡± ¡°It seems they are about tounch an attack on Mingan!!¡± At these words, the scene instantly erupted. Gory, who had been calm, suddenly changed color and shouted, ¡°What??? Is the information urate??¡± ¡°Absolutely urate!! The imperial army is mobilizing on arge scale, and their target is Mingan!!¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be.¡± His mind was shaken, and he looked towards Lu Ran. Gory was taken aback by Lu Ran¡¯sughter. ¡°Damn, hahaha,¡± Gory found it hard to ept that Lu Ran could stillugh at a time like this. ¡°Xiao Gao, I¡¯ve told you, the imperial faction never gives up. If you don¡¯t strike first, they¡¯lle for you. Do you believe me now???¡± Lu Ranughed. It seemed that not only was he anxious, but the enemy challengers were too. Anxiety all around. ¡°I¡­¡± Gory was speechless but relieved. Thankfully, Lu Ran had spotted the enemy¡¯s incursions multiple times, prompting him to increase surveince on the imperial faction. Otherwise, they might have been caught off guard by the empire¡¯s attack. Gory, still shaken, looked at everyone. ¡°You all heard it; our response was a step too slow. The imperial army is already marching towards Mingan!!¡± ¡°Next¡­¡± Before Gory could finish, General Ha, the bone hound beside Lu Ran, leaped into the wind, and Lu Ran was swept up by the gale. ¡°Gory, you handle the mobilization. I¡¯ll go ahead to stall the imperial army.¡± ¡°Remember to support me quickly.¡± With that, Lu Ran hurried off, leaving Gory momentarily stunned. ¡°Your Excellency is noble!¡± Seeing Lu Ran go to buy them time alone, a group of necromancers was also stunned. A good man, just like Lord Gory. ¡­ Meanwhile. On a treacherous path leading to Mingan, the imperial army was indeed on the move. Despite their attempts to conceal their movements, such arge force could not escape the necromancers¡¯ surveince. The main issue was that the imperial army didn¡¯t dare to split their forces. They weren¡¯t a special forces unit, just a group of remnants relying on numbers. If they split into smaller groups, they would be easily picked off by necromancers with superior concealment abilities. ¡°Why do I have a bad feeling about this?¡± Among the nine challengers, a ck woman historian swallowed nervously. Her eyelids had been twitching since earlier. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ve made so many preparations; we¡¯ll be fine,¡± said the Beast Doctor. It was known that Mingan had numerous necromancers and a powerful grass-type pet beast. They had prepared countermeasures. For example, they had equipped many fire-type weapons and even provided some to the imperial army for free. As for light-type weapons to counter necromancy, those were standard issue. Given these preparations, the challengers couldn¡¯t fathom how they could lose. ¡°And even if we die, it¡¯s no big deal. We won¡¯t truly die,¡± said the Southeast Asian youth. ¡°It just wastes time, and I¡¯ve heard the sealing process is very painful.¡± ¡°Are there really no challengers in the opposing faction?¡± a Latin American youth frowned. ¡°Such an invincibility mechanism usually only appears in PVP scenarios, where challengers face off against each other.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just fighting the secret realm projections, there wouldn¡¯t be an invincibility mechanism¡ªwe would truly die!¡± ¡°This secret realm was generated after we chose our faction. If there are no challengers on the other side, why does the invincibility mechanism exist?¡± This was amon phenomenon. If a breakthrough secret realm involved beastmaster confrontations, there would often be a prompt: ¡°Challenger deaths will not result in true death; they will return to normal after 30 days.¡± Upon death, the body would be recovered by Infinite City, treated, and sealed. During this time, the identity card would not be deactivated. However, if the task didn¡¯t involve PVP or confrontation between Blue Star beastmasters, but was purely PVE¡ªfighting secret realm beastmasters or ferocious beasts, orpleting a special task like Lu Ran¡¯s superior chef assessment¡ªdeath would be permanent. The identity card would then be deactivated. So, the presence of an invincibility mechanism in this mission was indeed a point of contention. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because it was designated as a confrontation-type secret realm before faction selection, and Infinite City didn¡¯t anticipate everyone choosing the imperial faction, so it didn¡¯t have time to adjust,¡± someone suggested. At this, the knights¡¯ expressions tightened. ¡°Enough with the defeatist talk. Whether there are challengers on the other side or not, we must win this mission!¡± the Glory Knight said. For the three of them, wasting a month wasn¡¯t a big deal. But for the Princess of Light, who was preparing to enter the Evolution Secret Realm, failure in this mission would be a devastating blow. It would be worse than truly dying. ¡°We won¡¯t lose,¡± said the Princess of Light. As soon as she spoke, a rumbling sound filled the sky. Everyone looked up. They saw dozens of massive rocks, like meteors, rapidly falling from the sky with an incredible whooshing sound! The imperial beastmasters widened their eyes at this unbelievable sight. At the center, Captain Kane shouted, ¡°Enemy attack! Enemy attack!¡± These rocks were, of course, thrown by Lu Ran. He had previously gathered a lot ofrge stones in Mingan, storing them in a spatial backpack, waiting for this exact moment. Using the gravitational potential energy from the high altitude, these ¡°meteors¡± might not kill the strong, but for ordinary beastmasters, it was as devastating as a major rock-type skill. They might be intercepted early, but it would at least deplete the enemy¡¯s resources. Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless giant rocks fell quickly, and the faces of everyone below changed. In the next instant, various release-type skills were fired into the sky. Among these were severalser beams¡ªthe four members of the Knights of Light Order had joined in to help the Beast Taming Legion block the meteor attack. However. The meteor attack was only the first wave, or rather, a decoy. While everyone¡¯s attention was on the ¡°meteors,¡± nine bone flying swords whizzed through the air. The flying swords zigzagged erratically, with no discernible target, but with their incredible power and speed, they pierced through one pet beast after another, painting the sky with blood. This sudden change threw the imperial faction into chaos. ¡°Who is it? Show yourself!¡± The mysterious bone swords quickly drained the life from many pet beasts, then fell to the ground as if they had lost power. People looked warily at these fallen des, realizing they were sharp bones. With the swords on the ground, the crowd thought the danger had passed and began searching for the attacker. ¡°One, two, three, four¡­¡± ¡°Seven, eight, nine¡­¡± A hoarse voice suddenly echoed from one side, causing everyone to turn abruptly. They saw a mysterious figure in a ck robe, apanied by a bone hound and dressed like a necromancer, slowly approaching them. The figure was muttering some low, cryptic words that puzzled many in the imperial army. ¡°Judging by the outfits, there are nine of them.¡± ¡°Wait, are you from the Knights of Light Order?¡± As the ck-robed figure drew closer, the beastmasters of the imperial faction remained unresponsive. However, the Princess of Light and herpanions were visibly shocked, staring at the mysterious figure in disbelief. They instantly understood what Lu Ran meant. A fellow countryman¡­ This person was also a challenger from the blue star!!! My God! Someone actually chose the necromancer faction!! ¡°Grass! It¡¯s that grass!!¡± The Sunlight Knight suddenly noticed a piece of sword grass entwined around the bone hound¡¯s tail. Seeing this foxtail grass, his face turned pale. ¡°That¡¯s the grass that injured me back then!!¡± As the Sunlight Knight spoke, everyone was once again taken aback. So, the one who injured the Sunlight Knight was indeed a challenger?! ¡°Wait!!!¡± The Princess of Light and herpanions looked at Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast, an evil-looking bone hound, and immediately sensed something was amiss. This guy wasn¡¯t a normal beastmaster!! Even if a normal beastmaster, out of curiosity, chose the necromancer faction, their pet beast species wouldn¡¯t be so sinister. At this moment, General Ha looked like an underworld bone hound, a pet beast typically associated with a necromancer. And what was with that grass??? Such a pet beast, such attacks, the group had never heard of before. In an instant, the Knights of Light Order members concluded that Lu Ran must belong to some underground faction, not the International Beast Taming Alliance. After all, the Sunlight Knight had personally witnessed the opponent barbecuing souls! The Other Shore! It was possible that the opponent was from The Other Shore! As their minds raced, Lu Ran spoke again. ¡°Come on, let the beastmasters of the Star-Moon Continent experience a small taste of the Fourth Cmity. Although, it¡¯s just me on this side,¡± Lu Ran said, and once again, an anomaly urred. The bone flying swords that had just fallen to the ground began to tremble and rise into the air again! Compared to their previous erratic flight due to General Ha¡¯s control issues, this time, the bone swords flew with much more agility, weaving through the heads of the pet beasts in an instant! Boom! Boom! Boom! One pet beast¡¯s head after another exploded, throwing the imperial army into chaos once more. Fearing that the next target of the flying swords might be themselves, the imperial soldiers focused on trying to defend against the swords rather than attacking their wielder. However, defending against General Ha¡¯s sword control was far from easy. These imperial soldiers had no chance to counterattack; they were cut down by the flying swords. Even Captain Kane, who tried to have his pet beast resist one of the flying swords, could only barely manage to hold it off. ¡°You bastard¡ª¡± Seeing Lu Ran wreak havoc, a surge of anger rose within the Princess of Light and herpanions. Recognizing their identities, yet still daring to be so brazen? Wasn¡¯t he underestimating the Golden Generation a bit too much? Suddenly, as the flying swords darted around, arge amount of golden elemental energy materialized out of thin air, forming rock shields that blocked the path of the bone flying swords. The previously unstoppable flying swords were now impeded, only managing to prate halfway through the rock shields before getting stuck and losing momentum. Gale winds battered against the rock shields as General Ha tried to retrieve the swords. However, the quickly shaped rock shields tightly trapped the flying swords, giving them no chance to break free, sealing them with rock-binding techniques. At this moment, even Lu Ran had to admit that the Princess of Light had some skills. He nced at the towering rock sovereign that had appeared beside her. Surrounded by elemental lifeforms, the Princess of Light stepped forward, her golden hair billowing, and slowly said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too arrogant?¡± ¡°Just one person, and you dare toe and stop us!¡± ¡°Are all beastmasters from The Other Shore this brazen?¡± Having summoned her middle sovereign species elemental pet beast to help the imperial army block the attack, the Princess of Light¡¯s blue eyes were filled with hostility as she red at Lu Ran. At that instant, the imperial army quickly regained theirposure. The most enraged among them was Captain Kane. ¡°Reform the ranks, attack!!!¡± Although Lu Ran had been ferocious just moments ago, the imperial army still had many soldiers. In an instant, hundreds of release-type skills rained down in waves. The sky was filled with a myriad of skills: mes, lightning, hurricanes, frost, rocks¡­ At that moment, the Princess of Light and herpanions also joined the fray. Beams of light, interspersed with various attacks, shot towards Lu Ran. ¡°He¡¯s done for!¡± the Beast Doctor shouted from the side. With hundreds of skills descending upon him, he couldn¡¯t fathom how anyone could defend against them. However, things were far from simple. Faced with such a barrage of attacks, Lu Ran remained utterly unperturbed. Apanied by a sudden thunderp and surrounded by countless arcs of lightning, a towering giant dragon, shaped by an energy apparition to over ten meters tall, stood before the countless attacks, shielding Lu Ran and General Ha. Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless skills struck the Thunder Dragon Body. Aside from a few skills that managed to create wounds and prate the Thunder Dragon Body to hit its main body, most skills only left faint scratches on its armor before vanishing into thin air. Even those skills that did manage to harm its main body only seeded in breaching the Thunder Dragon¡¯s armor, leaving no significant damage on the main body itself. ¡°Roar!!!¡± As the Thunder Dragon Body reshaped and healed under the flow of energy, the Sudden Death King spread its wings and roared at the enemy army. This scene left the Beast Taming Legion stunned once more. It also left the nine challengers in a daze. Standing behind the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran and General Ha were evidently unscathed by the barrage of attacks. ¡°One person has always been my style.¡± ¡°What, do you n to resist me?¡± ¡°Besides, who¡¯s from The Other Shore? I just chose a faction. Why make such a big deal out of it? Choosing the necromancer faction and ying the role of a necromancer is quite reasonable, isn¡¯t it?¡± His gaze fell on the Princess of Light and herpanions. Unexpectedly, among his opponents were members of the Golden Generation. It seemed that these individuals posed the greatest threat. Lu Ran pulled back the hood of his ck robe, revealing a youthful face of around 18 years old. This simple act caused the nine challengers¡¯ expressions to change instantly, disying utter disbelief. ¡°Oh!!! My!! God!!¡± one of the young men eximed, his pupils contracting sharply. ¡°It¡¯s him, the one who swept through the Tyrannosaurus Rex team and solo cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, Lu Ran from Daxia!!¡± ¡°The Strongest Fourth Generation who subdued the Golden Generation!!¡± ¡°How is this possible?! How is he here, and why did he choose the necromancy faction?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, that Thunder Dragon is indeed Passerby A¡¯s pet beast. He also has a canine beast and is skilled with swords. Look closely, doesn¡¯t that grass resemble a sword? And weren¡¯t those bones earlier also like swords?!¡± ¡°He has demonstrated these techniques before, including tail-wrapped swords and sword control!¡± ¡°Lu Ran, Passerby A!!¡± Initially, it seemed absurd that one person dared to confront a hundred-man army, but upon seeing Lu Ran¡¯s face, everyone suddenly found it reasonable. Especially the Princess of Light, whose previously calm demeanor turned into panic. It was as if Lu Ran¡¯s face was more terrifying than the name of The Other Shore organization itself. ¡°General Ha, storm sh!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯smand, the gale winds obeyed General Ha. General Ha began to charge up, and the sword grass flew into its mouth. Thepressed, raging airflow transformed into a massive, unstoppable green sword qi, over ten meters long, which shot towards the enemy!!! The terrifying sword qi sliced through the sky, its might far surpassing the previous sword control. Seeing such a dreadful skill, the imperial army¡¯s expressions tightened once more. ¡°Everyone, defend!¡± Kane shouted. Countless earth energy flowed along the ground to form a tall wall. However, the sword qi shattered the earth wall in an instant. After breaking through the wall, the sword qi faced another barrage of skills. These skills gradually weakened its power but couldn¡¯t stop its advance. It wasn¡¯t until the Knights of Light Order intervened, erecting a massive light wall, that General Ha¡¯s sword qi was finally halted. Yet, the collision between the sword qi and the light wall triggered a violent explosion, turning into a gale that knocked down many bodies from the imperial army, throwing the scene into chaos. ¡°Not bad.¡± Facing a hundred opponents, Lu Ran still had theposure to praise his enemies, which immediately plunged the nine challengers into despair. Their gazes at Lu Ran were like looking at a demon king. Could this guy have intentionally chosen a niche faction just to fight against many and boost his rating? Everyone spected, feeling that this fit Lu Ran¡¯s style of solo clearing the Legendary Secret Realm perfectly. Of course, the most devastated at this moment was Captain Kane of the imperial army. He regretted it deeply¡ªwhy had he listened to the advice of those civilian beastmasters ande to besiege the city? Who could have known that such a monster was hiding in Mingan? Who exactly was this person? However, his despair was about to deepen. The earth and sky turned dark. In the distance, over a hundred necromancers in ck robes were rushing towards them. ¡°Protect the future Holy Son!!!!¡± These necromancers were fervent. Missionary Gory had said that with the Talent of the Sudden Death King, it was entirely possible for him to be the Holy Son of the Holy Church in the future. They were to protect Lu Ran at all costs. However, as they approached, they found the imperial army inplete disarray, with people and horses overturned, a scene of utter defeat, and they were shocked. Could all this have been done by the ¡°Sudden Death King¡± alone? ¡°Perfect timing!!!¡± Seeing the necromancer legion finally arriving in force, Lu Ran grinned and said: ¡°Do not attack. Prioritize protecting yourselves. Don¡¯t get hurt. Leave everything to me. Now, spread out and surround them. Today, not a single one of the imperial army shall escape!¡± The arrival of Lu Ran¡¯s reinforcements,bined with how they addressed him and the orders he issued, made the nine challengers¡¯ hearts sink once more. Holy Son? Necromancy faction¡¯s Holy Son? What a joke. How did Lu Ran manage that? Weren¡¯t we all supposed to enter the Secret Realm at the same time? Choosing the necromancy faction didn¡¯t mean bing its leader. Something¡¯s off! ¡°Investigate thoroughly!!¡± At this moment, the Sunlight Knight recalled Lu Ran grilling souls with another necromancer and felt utterly defeated. ¡°I suggest the International Beast Taming Alliance investigates his family tree for three generations. This guy doesn¡¯t seem to be acting.¡± Chapter 171: Prize Time Chapter 171: Prize Time The Sudden Death King Blocks Damage! General Ha Attacks! This battle strategy had been practiced countless times by Lu Ran and his team during their confrontations with the Diamond Dragon. It was evident that the members of the Imperial faction had no capability to break the defense of the Sudden Death King, who was like a boss-level entity. Had they been better prepared, perhaps they would have had a slim chance of victory. However, due to inadequate intelligence gathering and their focus on preparing fire and light weapons, they ended up falling into a big trap. Of course, when fighting Lu Ran, these beastmasters of the Imperial faction had one particr advantage. That was sheer numbers. Although the Sudden Death King had strong defense abilities, continuously defending would also consume its energy.With more people on their side, they could keep attacking persistently, and it was only a matter of time before they wore the Sudden Death King out. If the Sudden Death King were alone, it certainly wouldn¡¯tst long. The sheer number of skills the opposition could unleash would eventually overwhelm the Sudden Death King. Besides, there were a few members of the Golden Generation who could actually harm it. However, what made this battle tough for the Imperial faction was that, apart from the heavily defensive Sudden Death King, there was also a powerful offensive threat on the other side. ¡°Awoooo~~~~¡± With a sword grass in its mouth, General Ha unleashed a dozen fierce gales of sword qi. The green light, like ghostly spirits, covered the sky, causing panic in everyone. Countless waves of sword qi flew out; at this moment, the four members of the Knights of Light Order could no longer spare attention to protect the Imperial Army. They concentrated all their focus on Lu Ran. The Princess of Light, the Glory Knight, the Moonlight Knight, and the Sunlight Knight all moved to the nks. With the Sudden Death King blocking the front, it was difficult to harm Lu Ran directly, so they aimed to attack from the sides and rear. In the front, the Rock Monarch and hundreds of Imperial soldiers were left to attract Lu Ran¡¯s attention. ¡°Now!!!¡± After the initial assault, General Ha shattered the rock that was sealing the bone sword and decided to use sword control again. Clearly, sword control consumed less energy and was more suitable for dealing with scattered and numerous enemies. However, as the Princess of Light and her team moved, General Ha had no choice but to abandon its fight against the Imperial Army and use sword control to pursue them, preventing their nking attacks on Lu Ran. At this moment, seeing the Sudden Death King blocking the frontal assault and General Ha¡¯s attention being diverted, the Princess of Light gave amand. Instantly, the Sunlight Knight vanished, hidden by the light, and reappeared on the Sunbird! Teleportation!!! Buzz! Spatial ripples flickered, and the Sunlight Knight¡¯s figure instantly appeared behind Lu Ran. Immediately, the Necromancer Legion, following Lu Ran¡¯smand, moved to seal off the battlefield. The Sudden Death King was withstanding attacks at the front. Meanwhile, General Ha¡¯s focus was drawn away. In this situation, Lu Ran found himself in his most vulnerable state, with no pet beast to protect him! The Sunlight Knight opted for a decapitation strategy! ¡°Die!!!¡± The Sunlight Knight held a bow and arrow. As he drew the bow, sunlight converged, forming an arrow of sunlight aimed directly at Lu Ran¡¯s head. Boom. However. What should have been a perfect sneak attack was disrupted by a sudden sense of foreboding that made the Sunlight Knight shudder. Lu Ran, demonstrating keen perception, turned to look at the arrow of sunlight. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you. I knew you¡¯de.¡± ¡°Did you misunderstand something?¡± ¡°Who told you I was the weak link?¡± As Lu Ran finished speaking. Buzz! Countless threads of fire gathered, forming the ming armor of the me Dragon, covering Lu Ran¡¯s entire body. Then, with a wave of his arm, he shaped a ming sword. Immediately, a wave of ming sword qi surged forth! Bang! The ming sword qi instantly devoured the arrow of sunlight. The Sunlight Knight¡¯s pupils shrank. He intended to have the spatial hamster on his shoulder teleport him away, but then he noticed another force within Lu Ran, distinct from the power of mes! Swish!! An intense chill, directed by Lu Ran¡¯s gaze, enveloped the Sunlight Knight and the spatial hamster, freezing them in ce like ice sculptures. After the me Dragon Sword Intent¡­ came the seamless switch to the Blizzard Sword Intent! One wave of sword qi for offense, another wave of sword intent for control; Lu Ran, like a human-shaped ferocious beast,pletely suppressed the Sunlight Knight. It should be noted that Lu Ran¡¯s beast taming skills, both Super Beast Mimicry and the me Sprite, were extraordinary powers drawn into himself. At this moment, Lu Ranbined the advantageous attributes andbat techniques of both General Ha and the Sudden Death King¡­ Attacking him was a grave mistake. Boom!!! The Sunlight Knight and his cohorts, their sneak attack foiled, were instantly obliterated by Lu Ran! ¡°Sunlight!!!¡± This scene left the three members of the Knights Order, who were being pursued by several bone swords, utterly shocked. Of course, the five Third Generation members, who were nothing more than burdens to the Knights Order, were equally shaken. They were not particrly skilled inbat and found themselves dumbfounded in this situation. Their only option was to blend into the Beast Taming Army, joining the attack on the Sudden Death King. ¡°We¡¯re doomed, doomed,¡± one of them kept muttering, ¡°Why did it have to be him?!¡± ¡°Is this guy nning to solo all hundred of us?¡± ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t understand the phrase ¡®suppress an era¡¯ until now. Now I get it.¡± However, the most critical issue was that the morale of the Imperial Army had already copsed! Lu Ran and his allies didn¡¯t even need to face the hundreds of fighters head-on! In armybat, if one side¡¯s casualty rate reaches 20-30%, the entire legion is on the brink of copse. If both sides were evenly matched, it might still be possible to hold morale together and continue fighting. But with so many of their own dead, and the enemy unscathed, plus their endless reserves, only a fool would keep fighting. Anyone could see the situation clearly at this point. Throughout history, legion battles have always been this way: once the casualty rate reaches a certain threshold, the will to fight is lost. Very few armies fight to thest man, and it was clear that this Imperial Army did not possess such fortitude. So now, except for the four members of the Sunlight Knights Order who were genuinelymitted to killing Lu Ran toplete their mission, the rest of the Imperial Army started to scatter and flee, forced to fight as they ran. Unfortunately. Lu Ran had anticipated this scenario perfectly. An endless stream of the Necromancer Legion surrounded the fleeing Imperial stragglers, making escape impossible. In this predicament, these stragglers preferred to take their chances against the necromancers, seeking a slim chance of escape, rather than confronting Lu Ran on the battlefield. ¡°Ugh-¡° Soon, as members of the Imperial Army tried to flee, some were injured by the Necromancer Legion. Seeing this, Lu Ran, who ¡°cherished his soldiers like his own children,¡± felt his heart clench and his eyes redden. Don¡¯t run, or you¡¯ll be consumed by the evil necromancers! Afraid of losing out on the experience points, Lu Ran¡¯s heart-wrenching emotions were immediately conveyed to General Ha and the Sudden Death King through telepathy. These two also knew that injuries to their own necromancers or losing kills to the Imperial faction would lower their rating, so they instantly tapped into even greater potential, theirbat momentum more ferocious than ever. ¡°Howl!!!¡± In addition to the nine bone flying swords, General Ha¡¯s soul power surged, finally unleashing the sword grass it held in its mouth. In an instant, the gigantic head of the Rock Monarch on the frontal battlefield was pierced through! But elemental lifeforms are tricky; no matter how severe their injuries, they quickly reform through elemental regeneration, much like how the Sudden Death King¡¯s Thunder Dragon armor can reshape and regenerate as long as it receives an energy supply. Although the Rock Monarch was crushed in an instant, its injuries quickly began to heal. But even this brief moment was enough. No longer needing to fully defend against the Rock Monarch¡¯s attacks, the Sudden Death King opened its jaws, its gaze locking onto the chaotic battlefield. At this point, aside from the frontal Rock Monarch, there were no more attackers, making it the perfect time for a counterattack. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± The roar of the Thunder Dragon!! Having endured for so long, the umted Domineering Energy,bined with its electrical discharge, turned into a massive lightning beam sted from the Sudden Death King¡¯s mouth, sweeping across the battlefield in an instant!!! Boom!!! As the Thunder Dragon¡¯s roar swept through, countless beastmasters and their pet beasts were sted away, their bodies charred ck by the lightning. The Rock Monarch¡¯s body was also instantly engulfed by the thunder, its injuries worsening, and its regeneration interrupted. Of course, most importantly, the five third-generation beastmasters were, without exception, devoured by the Sudden Death King¡¯s counterattack, their eyes filled with despair as they perished. ¡°Choices are really important¡­¡± At this moment, they nearly had ¡°Why didn¡¯t I choose the Necromancer faction?¡± written all over their faces. If they had chosen the Undead faction, wouldn¡¯t they have directly received Lu Ran¡¯s support and breezed through? Golden Generation, to hell with the Golden Generation Knights Order! ¡°What a joke¡­¡± By this time, Gory and the others had already made it to the battlefield. Seeing the one-sided ughter that was taking ce, they were instantly wide-eyed. Looking at the Beast Taming Army, now a broken mess, and the chaotic battlefield, they swallowed hard in unison. ¡°Damn it, damn it.¡± Realizing the tide hadpletely turned against them, the Glory Knights were at their wits¡¯ end. Boom! Boom! Boom! Although they managed to shatter General Ha¡¯s bone sword with all their might, there were simply too few of them left to reverse the overwhelming situation. The soul-powered General Ha, expertly wielding multiple flying swords, had mastered battlefield control and segmentation to an extreme degree, isting the Princess of Light and herrades in no time. ¡°Rock Monarch!¡± Under these circumstances, the desperate Princess of Light, mounted on an uppermander-level glowing unicorn, had no choice but to recall the battered Rock Monarch and issue retreat orders to the two knights mounted on uppermander-level Holy Light Lions. There are still a few days left! There¡¯s still a chance! As long as there are mountains, there¡¯s wood to burn. Clearly, they no longer wanted to face Lu Ran head-on. Even though they knew Lu Ran¡¯s side had also expended considerable energy-especially the giant dragon, which seemed nearly spent-the unassailed Necromancer Legion, loyal to their ¡°Holy Son,¡± had yet to make their move. In such a hopeless situation, fighting to the death was not a viable option. If they were ordinary challengers with a fail-safe mechanism, they might have gambled everything and fought to thest. After all, they could just try again in the next secret realm. But as elite Fourth Generation talents, they were not willing to die here. Even if the mission failed, retreating and surviving for 30 days in the secret realm to continue their cultivation was far better than being annihted and subsequently falling into months of forced recuperation. Time is money. Unfortunately for them, their judgment-though correct-meant nothing to Lu Ran, who only saw them as essential for maintaining his rating. He didn¡¯t care what they thought, didn¡¯t care about their feelings, and certainly didn¡¯t care about offending them. He was determined to annihte everyone to secure his rating. ¡°General Ha.¡± Light faction pet beasts have undeniably swift movement speeds. However¡­ They encountered the unreasonable power of General Ha. ¡°Awooo!!!¡± To swiftly end the battle, General Ha, despite being injured all over,pressed Gale to over twenty times its usual force across its entire body. Utilizing the Energy Flow Technique: Gale. This formed a brand-new skill: Divine Speed. With sword grass clutched in its jaws, General Ha¡¯s fur fluttered, its form bing an indistinct blur. At this moment, it resembled a green streak of lightning, appearing instantly before the Moonlight Knight, who was mounted on a Holy Light Lion. ¡°Heal!¡± The Moonlight Knight, clutching a light-element firefly in one hand, was trying to heal his pet beast¡¯s wounds while fleeing. But in the blink of an eye, his horrified expression was consumed by a sweep of sword qi. ¡°Moonlight!!!¡± Seeing yet anotherrade torn apart beside them, the Princess and the Glory Knight¡¯s eyes turned red. But more than sorrow or rage, their hearts were filled with a deep-seated terror. Even though they knew they wouldn¡¯t die permanently, it was still the first time any of them had experienced ¡°death.¡± ¡°This dog¡­!¡± Looking at General Ha, who was radiating energypressed to over twenty times its usual amount and soaked in blood, its speed surpassing even that of light-element pet beasts, they shuddered with fear. Total lunatic! These were theirst thoughts. Though they put up a valiant resistance, within a few rounds, they too met their demise! ¡°Perfect!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lu Ran nced toward where deserters were still battling the Necromancer Legion, his eyes specifically on the Imperial Army captain, Kane, who was locked inbat with Gory. He sighed, rubbing his forehead. ¡°I¡¯m too weak.¡± As a result, some necromancers were injured, and some Imperial soldiers were killed by necromancers. ¡°Without absolute power, achieving perfection is impossible,¡± Lu Ran muttered, saying something that would make anyone want to smack him. [I need¡­ a mage-type pet beast that can masterrge-scale area-of-effect attack skills if I encounter this kind of secret realm again.] General Ha was still more suited for one-on-one duels. And the Sudden Death King was best used as a tank. Although they could manage group attacks to some extent, it wasn¡¯t their main specialty. What Lu Ran needed was a pet beast that had perfected its capabilities in one specific area. ¡°Next up, it¡¯s time to clear the battlefield,¡± Lu Ran quickly called General Ha and the Sudden Death King to join him in farming the remaining enemies for extra rating points. At the same time¡­ ¡°Run, run for your lives!!!!¡± The Imperial Army soldiers, seeing Lu Ran advancing, broke out with renewed strength and frantically tried to break through the Necromancers¡¯ encirclement. But¡­ it was futile. A brutal, bloody battle quickly concluded, with smoke and bloodshed marking its end. ¡­ This fantastical battle almost made the numerous Necromancers of the necromancer faction fall to their knees in admiration of Lu Ran. The Mingan faction achieved an all-around victory without any surprises. After annihting the Imperial Army and returning to Mingan, the missionary Gory celebrated grandly,pletely convinced by Lu Ran¡¯s monstrous strength. It even filled him with hope of seeing Lu Ran be the Holy Son of the Holy Church in the future. If possible, he was willing to lead his followers in fully supporting Lu Ran and join whatever faction Lu Ran chose in the future! However¡­ After this victorious return, Lu Ran fell into silence within Mingan. No different from before the battle, he continued quietly researching soul cuisine. This scene left Gory, Hei Yu, and others speechless. Geniuses¡­ are they all like this? At this moment, what Lu Ran cared about the most was the breakthrough reward. Although he had annihted the enemy, the sess criteria for the breakthrough task was the control of Mingan after 14 days, so the task was far from over. Even though the Imperial faction had been wiped out, if any contingencies they left behind managed to destroy Mingan, Lu Ran would still fail. Fortunately, nothing out of the ordinary happened until the 14th day. And finally, Lu Ran¡¯s breakthrough reward arrived. [Congrattions, you havepleted the breakthrough task.] [Rating: SSS-Level!] [Congrattions, you have obtained 1 million crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained a contract card (bound).] [Congrattions, you have obtained an exquisite-level resource: Millennial Soul Bone (the bone of a soul beast with powerful soul power, can be used for making soup, forging, or possession).] [Congrattions, you have obtained a beast taming skill: Soul Enhancement (enhancement-type beast taming skill that allows the beastmaster to consume their own stamina to enhance the soul of their pet beast).] [Congrattions, you have obtained a trait crystal: Necromancer Clone (when fused with a pet beast, provides an exceptionally strong soul talent, allowing it to create a necromancer clone that shares consciousness with the main body and can train soul power, which further can be merged with the main body).] [You have reached the requirements for a ¡®Level 2 Beastmaster¡¯ promotion. Would you like to promote now?] Chapter 172: Breakthrough! Chapter 172: Breakthrough! ¡°Promotion!¡± The breakthrough task was finallypleted. Seeing the reward, Lu Ran felt a sense of rity¨Dit was the perfect moment to break through. ¡°Give me a breakthrough!!!¡± Although realm breakthrough didn¡¯t really require Lu Ran¡¯s effort, he still shouted out as if it were all due to his own hard work. Meanwhile. As Lu Ran broke through, the bottlenecks for General Ha and Sudden Death King in the yard were also simultaneously unlocked. Both of them suddenly looked up, with powerful energy waves surging from their bodies. Their levels rapidly rose, one level after another. ¡­The sky was overcast. In such a City of Death, it seemed even the heavens were unwilling to let a few rays of sunshine through. Hei Yu sat in the courtyard next door,pletely focused on practicing necromancy. ¡°Hmm?¡± Just then, suddenly, two astonishing sword intents mixed with Dragon Might tore through the air and raged towards the sky. The powerful breath made the necro-fox in her arms curl up slightly, as if a young beast in the mountains had heard the roar of a tiger¡­ ¡°A breakthrough?¡± Feeling the strong aura, Hei Yu showed a surprised expression. Had Lu Ran and his pet beasts broken through? ¡­ Crack. After the realm breakthrough, Lu Ran moved his muscles and bones, which instantly emitted a series of cracking sounds. He looked into the distance, able to clearly see even a tiny insect far away. Level 2! [Species]: Human [Beast Taming Level]: Level 2 [Beast Taming Skills]: Super Beast Mimicry, me Sprite [Special Abilities]: Telepathy, Blizzard Sword Intent, me Dragon Sword Intent, Mind Sword Intent Such a powerful Level 2 setup was definitely peculiar among all beastmasters. Lu Ran smiled. This feeling of getting stronger was quite addictive. He quickly looked towards General Ha and Sudden Death King. At this moment, after their energy outburst, both General Ha and Sudden Death King gradually returned to calm. General Ha! [Growth Level]: Level 27 Sudden Death King! [Growth Level]: Level 29 Both had just broken through, and the foundation they had umted during the bottleneck stage at Level 20pletely erupted. Sudden Death King¡¯s rapid growth could be attributed to the warehouse full of Loong-based ingredients at Beast Taming University, providing it with the best matched food daily. It would be difficult for it to grow slowly. Although General Ha¡¯s diet was slightly inferior to Sudden Death King¡¯s, it wasn¡¯t much worse either. Additionally, Lu Ran used 100 upgrade cards obtained from the Legendary Secret Realm to enhance General Ha¡¯s contract card. Being in a contract card state also boosted its growth speed. Lu Ran was quite satisfied with their breakthroughs and level increases. The increase in level had strengthened all their attributes. If they had to face a 1VS100 battle again, he felt it would be much easier. At this point, there were still half a month remaining in the Breakthrough Secret Realm. Lu Ran felt that Sudden Death King reaching level 30 during this time shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Awoo!~~¡± Both pet beasts were delighted to feel the powerful new strength they had obtained. General Ha looked at Sudden Death King, as if wanting to test how much stronger it had be. ¡°Roar!!¡± Sudden Death King shook its head repeatedly, disying a wise expression, indicating that General Ha should look at Lu Ran. Why not¡­ ask about the task rewards first! ¡°Yes, they¡¯re quite good.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°There¡¯s a skeleton of a pig-shaped ferocious beast called millennial soul bone, which can be used to make soup, forge weapons, or for possession.¡± ¡°It¡¯s considered a soul-rted ingredient and forging material, exquisite-level, a rare item.¡± ¡°I think we could use it to forge a weaponbining General Ha¡¯s teeth in the future¡­¡± ¡°Woof woof!!!¡± Before Lu Ran could finish, General Ha barked excitedly, strongly suggesting using it to make soup. ¡°You¡¯re right. Using it to make soup could directly enhance the soul strength of you, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow, facilitating a stage evolution.¡± General Ha nodded repeatedly, yes, yes. ¡°Even if we used it for forging, an exquisite-level weapon would be a temporary one. Also, the pig bone doesn¡¯t seem quite suitable for you and would eventually be reced. It¡¯s better to use your teeth. Although it might start as a rare quality, slightly weaker, it has growth potential. The materials can be reced over time. Most importantly, it¡¯s easier to forge. Currently, I can¡¯t handle exquisite-level forging materials, but I can manage exquisite-level bone soup.¡± ¡°A pot of soup couldst quite a while¡­¡± General Ha: ??? ¡°Roar!¡± Sudden Death King grinned naively. During this time, Lu Ran continued to explore soul cuisine. He had even sessfully forged a Soul-Calming Stone into a Soul-Reaping de. However,bining the Mind Sword Intent with the Soul-Reaping de still didn¡¯t effectively split soul consciousness. Lu Ran felt that his Mind Sword Intent wasn¡¯t proficient enough, and the Soul-Reaping de wasn¡¯t powerful enough. Not only was the de he forged subpar, but even the bone sword from the Cult of Necromancy wasn¡¯t adequate. Lu Ran nced at the soul bone and wondered if he could forge a small Cleaver from it. Could it work if he used ny percent for soup-making and ten percent for forging? Additionally, he nned to clone the Bone Sword Thousand des someday. He definitely wanted to incorporate General Ha¡¯s teeth as material, but he hadn¡¯t finalized the other materials yet. The pork bone seemed suitable, but perhaps it wasn¡¯t the best choice. Before leaving the Breakthrough Secret Realm, he nned to take the bone sword with him for further study. With sword grass avable, there was no immediate rush to forge a soul bone sword. He felt confident in selecting the forging department. Without further hesitations, Lu Ran took out another skill crystal: Necromancy Clone. This was a pleasant surprise. He had always thought that the advanced necromancy technique, which involved dual cultivation of physical body and soul, was a beast taming skill. However, it turned out to be a nurturing method for pet beasts. Now, among his Breakthrough Secret Realm rewards, he had indeed received this advanced necromancy technique! Necromancy Clone! To be honest, Lu Ran was quite conflicted when he received this trait crystal. It seemed suitable for General Ha, Sudden Death King, or Dark Crow-or really any pet beast. It was a versatile trait. If given to General Ha, it could help it cultivate a necromancy body, perfecting its necromancy swordsmanship. Moreover, the Necromancy Clone could potentially merge into a weapon, allowing its soul clone to be an artifact spirit. If given to Sudden Death King, it could develop a necromancy dragon clone, capitalizing on the all-rounded strength of the Dragon n, especially their mighty Dragon Soul. At that point, if it could cultivate both its physical body and soul, Sudden Death King would achieve dual Absolute Defense. If given to Dark Crow, it couldbine its soul power with curse power, creating a formidable soul curse that would be nearly impossible to defend against. In terms ofpatibility, the curse talent and soul power made the bestbination. Lu Ran fell into deep thought, analyzing the situation. Soon, he made a decision. He would go with his initial n and give it to Dark Crow. Although every pet beast could benefit from this trait, not all of them were the ¡°most suitable.¡± Only Dark Crow was the ¡°perfect fit.¡± For example, General Ha had already fused with the Nature Control trait. Soul power isn¡¯t a form of nature force. It couldn¡¯t perfectly harmonize with General Ha¡¯s existing abilities. Compared to necromancy, natural attributes like wind, lightning, light, water, and space were more fitting for General Ha. In contrast, the Ultimate Perception Trait he had prepared was truly versatile, regardless of what powers General Ha awakened before or after. General Ha¡¯s inherent soul talent was already strong. After all, necromancy clone was a man-made skill. Who¡¯s to say that General Ha couldn¡¯t develop simr abilities, like a sword soul, after fusing with the Ultimate Perception Trait? If fused with necromancy clone now, it would lead General Ha¡¯s evolution on a highly divergent path. Ultimate Perception Trait was more appropriate. Fusing both Ultimate Perception and necromancy clone at the same time was unnecessary. Lu Ran had already determined General Ha¡¯s path: the level 40 to level 60 stage would focus on Space. An ethereal flower to awaken a new attribute, with the other two traits centered around space. Compared to the necromancy route, the space route was clearly more powerful and suited to General Ha¡¯s swordsmanship. So, he excluded General Ha. As for Sudden Death King, necromancy clone certainly couldn¡¯t take the ce of the Dragon King bloodline. Even if it were to fuse, it would be after its first evolution at level 40. But upon careful consideration, does creating a necromantic dragon clone for Sudden Death King really make sense? Lu Ran certainly wasn¡¯t expecting Sudden Death King¡¯s necromantic dragon clone to be an attacking force; that would go against its inherent talent and personality. If it¡¯s just for defense, how often would they encounter necromancy-type enemies? Not every attack requires a defense strategy. Sometimes overpowering with sheer strength is just as effective. There¡¯s no need to oveplicate things. On the other hand, Dark Crow desperately needed such a trait to solidify its development path. The synergy of mental, dark, and soul elements would create the ultimate curse! It could perfectly target a being¡¯s physical body, mind, and soul, covering all aspects! Moreover, it was the only pet beast without a suitable evolution trait at the moment. Of course, Lu Ran had another reason for choosing this route¡­ He took out the Soul Enhancement skill card. It was quite surprising. After obtaining the necromancy clone trait crystal, Lu Ran felt there was no need to contract with another necromantic pet. Once Dark Crow had the necromancy clone, it could serve the role of a necromantic pet. Thus, the Death Revival skill card would be unnecessary. At this point, the appearance of the Soul Enhancement skill card was an eye-opener for Lu Ran. Enhancement-type beast taming skills were verymon but also incredibly practical. They allowed a beastmaster to expend stamina to temporarily enhance one attribute of their pet beast. Although this enhancement was temporary, it significantly helped with intensive training, resulting in a small but permanent improvement in the corresponding attribute of the pet beast. Of course, the permanent improvement wasn¡¯t as significant as the temporary boost. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if The Other Shore had soul enhancement skills, but there were no guaranteed ways to obtain them from any secret realms, making this a super rare beast taming skill. Unlike fire or water enhancement, soul enhancement, like mental enhancement, was universally applicable to all pet beasts and useful in a broad range of situations. Learning it couldn¡¯t hurt-it had no limitations. ¡°I don¡¯t need the necromancy clone to help General Ha and Sudden Death King cultivate soul power. By learning the Soul Enhancement skill, I can help them enhance their soul power directly.¡± ¡°Sudden Death King¡¯s Dragon Soul might also be molded using this skill.¡± ¡°Then, if they had any insights, I could use super beast mimicry to learn the corresponding soul techniques.¡± ¡°Learning this skill should deepen my understanding of soul power. It might even help mebine it with mind sword intent to create truly perfect soul cuisine.¡± ¡°For the third beast taming skill, instead of the highly limited Death Revival, Soul Enhancement seems like a better choice.¡± After a thorough analysis, Lu Ran quickly and efficiently nned out the rewards from this secret realm. With that, he decided to use the Soul Enhancement skill card. He ced the skill card on his forehead, and a wealth of information about using Soul Enhancement flooded his mind. [Beast Taming Skills]: Super Beast Mimicry, me Sprite, Soul Enhancement ¡°Sudden Death King!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯s call, and with a sudden flying brick, Sudden Death King¡¯s soul was forcibly knocked out! ¡°Wow wow!!!¡± The little lizard¡¯s soul rolled on the ground a few times, showing an innocent expression as it looked over at General Ha, who wasughing at it. But before Sudden Death King could react, a Soul Enhancement spellnded on its soul! In the next moment. Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes widened as its small lizard soul rapidly grew, step by step approaching the size of its main body, no¡­ even surpassing it and bing increasingly like the Thunder Dragon it aspired to be! ¡°Is this possible?!¡± At that moment, looking at the necromantic dragon-like Sudden Death King, Lu Ran was equally surprised. He hadn¡¯t expected that with just a simple enhancement, without in-depth development, Sudden Death King¡¯s soul would start transforming into a dragon form! Damn, Lu Ran didn¡¯t expect that making Sudden Death King¡¯s soul undergo dragon transformation would ultimately rely on the reward¡¯s Soul Enhancement skill rather than soul cuisine. However, this transformation seemed to be only temporary; once the skill wore off, its soul would revert back to normal. To achieve a permanent dragon transformation, consistent cultivation was still necessary. Developing soul cuisine remained a must. Moreover, helping Sudden Death King undergo dragon transformation appeared to consume a tremendous amount of energy. After a brief moment, Lu Ran felt weak in the legs despite his remarkable physical condition. ¡°Soul Enhancement should be like space enhancement, one of those high-consumption enhancement skills. Even though both are enhancement skills, the amount of stamina consumed varies depending on the attribute.¡± ¡°Of course, high consumption also means significant improvement. During the soul enhancement stage, a pet beast¡¯s Comprehension might also increase to some extent. It¡¯s like a beastmaster¡¯s version of a lucid fruit!¡± ¡°No, this is too exhausting.¡± Feeling his stamina drain, Lu Ran was now a bit envious of those beastmasters who diligently used enhancement skills to train their pet beasts like clockwork while taking supplements. Compared to this skill, reverse Super Beast Mimicry and me Sprite both consumed far less energy. After a quick experiment, Lu Ran canceled the Soul Enhancement. In the next moment, under an excited expression, Sudden Death King reverted back to its little lizard form. Its big red eyes looked up at Lu Ran, going ¡°Wow wow.¡± It felt¡­ the experience just now was quite enjoyable, offering a novel sense of soul tion! It wondered if its beastmaster could sustain this longer to see where its limitsy! Chapter 173: Hidden Mission Chapter 173: Hidden Mission After mastering soul enhancement, Lu Ran now had a new task to focus on, apart from researching soul cuisine. This new task involved using soul enhancement daily to strengthen both sudden death king and general ha. It had been discovered that using soul enhancement to nurture sudden death king could make its soul increasingly resemble that of a dragon. This was crucial for achieving a more perfect dragon transformation during its evolution. Strengthening general ha, on the other hand, would enhance its advantage in Comprehension. Initially, after Lu Ran learned mind sword intent, he tried teaching it to general ha for several days through reverse super beast mimicry, but general ha couldn¡¯t grasp it. This suggested that the superpower of telepathy yed a decisive role in forming mind sword intent. Even though general ha¡¯s swordsmanship Talent and Comprehension Talent weren¡¯t low, mastering the mind sword intent was still quite challenging. However, with the use of soul enhancement by Lu Ran,bined with the lucid fruit, it took general ha less than two days to grasp the mind sword intent. Of course, there was a subtle difference between their sword intents.The sword intent Lu Ranprehended was called ¡°mind sword intent,¡± while the one general ha mastered was called ¡°soul shing sword intent.¡± Lu Ran quickly understood why. The mind sword intent was a unique blend of his own telepathy and swordsmanship will, which did not suit general ha. Just as sudden death king was suited for the artistic conception of the dragon, but general ha, limited by its species¡¯ bloodline, could not learn it and had to take a different path by learning the Dragon yer Sword intent. The mind sword intent faced a simr situation. General ha, using Lu Ran¡¯s experience and insights from the mind sword intent, mastered a different sword intent highly effective against souls. This situation initially seemed a bit unfortunate. After all, Lu Ran¡¯s mind sword intent allowed him to capture and cut down enemies¡¯ emotional consciousness with precision. However, general ha¡¯s soul shing sword intent deviated towards soul suppression and wasn¡¯t as strong in controlling fine details. The reality, though, was that there was nothing unfortunate about it. Lu Ran¡¯s mind sword intent and general ha¡¯s soul shing sword intent unexpectedlyplemented each other. After Lu Ran incorporated techniques from the soul shing sword intent to optimize his mind sword intent, his swordsmanship saw noticeable improvement! When shing at the soul, Lu Ran could clearly feel that he was hitting something different now. He could decide what to cut and what not to cut, all with a single thought. ¡°Hei Yu!!!¡± ¡°Hei Yu!!!!¡± With Lu Ran¡¯s call, Hei Yu, who had once been Gory¡¯s subordinate, was now almost exclusively at Lu Ran¡¯s service. ¡°Come over here quickly.¡± ¡°What¡¯s up, Lord sudden death king?¡± Hei Yu hurried over, looking at Lu Ran surrounded by a pile of giant rat beast corpses, and swallowed hard. To be honest, the giant rat beasts of Mingan were almost driven to extinction by Lu Ran. ¡°Taste this.¡± Lu Ran held a soul-reaping de that resembled a jade-like ck kitchen knife. ¡°Uh??¡± Hei Yu nodded. Another tasting? She had gotten used to it. Although Lu Ran had never seeded, she admired his spirit of never giving up no matter how many times he failed. Lu Ran¡­ he wasn¡¯t just thinking about it. He genuinely hoped to cook harmless soul cuisine and change the necromancer upation. ¡°What kind of cuisine is it this time?¡± A fox spirit emerged from behind Hei Yu, and she asked Lu Ran. ¡°Rat Spirit Sashimi!¡± ¡°Ah???¡± Hei Yu was stunned. Then, she saw Lu Ran lift an unconscious giant rat beast and tap its skull with the soul-reaping de, extracting its soul from its body. Next, he raised the soul-reaping de high, his eyes shing gray, and brought it down in one swift motion. Boom. The soul-reaping de passed through the soul but seemed to cause no harm to it. However, in some mysterious way, only Lu Ran could sense that the giant rat beast¡¯s soul consciousness, belonging to the rat spirit, had beenpletely ¡°sent off.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± Lu Ran indicated to the little fox that it could start eating. This time, it was the simplest handling of a soul that Lu Ran had ever let Hei Yu and the others taste. There was nothing culinary about it; it was just a single cut on the soul. Despite being puzzled by Lu Ran¡¯s request, Hei Yu had toply. Soon enough, the fox spirit opened its mouth wide and absorbed the rat spirit, devouring it whole. Gulp. It swallowed the rat spirit in one go, showing a satisfied expression. But in the next moment, the fox spirit¡¯s eyes widened in shock, and it froze on the spot. ¡°What happened?¡± Hei Yu noticed something was wrong and quickly asked. ¡°Ugh!! Ugh!!¡± The fox spirit recovered and looked at its owner in shock, whining incessantly. Momentster. Hei Yu also showed an expression of disbelief and looked at Lu Ran. ¡°Seems like the results are good?¡± Lu Ran looked at her, the corners of his mouth slightly curving upwards. Fantastic. The prototype of soul cuisine had finally emerged. Although he hadn¡¯t yet cooked the soul, he had, with just his knife skills,pletely removed the harmful substance-the soul consciousness-from the soul! Lu Ran looked at Hei Yu¡¯s slightly open mouth and her stunned expression, feeling satisfied. ¡°Are you¡­ a deity?¡± Hei Yu continued to stare in a daze. Lu Ran¡¯s achievement had greatly shocked Hei Yu. She went weak in the knees and found it hard to imagine. A member casually recruited by Gory, who not only had immense strength but also solved a major issue that had troubled the Holy Church for years??? ¡­ ¡°Lord Gory!! Lord Gory!!¡± With Lu Ran¡¯s permission, Hei Yu, deeply shocked, sought out Gory and informed him of Lu Ran¡¯s research results. At that moment, It wasn¡¯t just Hei Yu who was stunned; Gory was also so shocked that he scrambled over to Lu Ran¡¯s courtyard, bringing his pet beast to personally taste the pure soul body stripped of consciousness. ¡°This, this, this¡­¡± After the experience, Missionary Gory was left stuttering and in utter amazement, feeling a sense of incredulity. ¡°How did you do this???¡± Ever since Lu Ran disyed his overwhelming power, Missionary Gory had already lowered his posture significantly. Now, he waspletely ready to kneel before Lu Ran. Not even when he met those divine envoys and elders did he feel this way. Seeing Lu Ran at this moment was like seeing the Sect Leader of the Holy Church. Lu Ran was glowing! ¡°Just a special kind of Culinary Intent,¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°However, this kind of Culinary Intent is very difficult to master¡­¡± Lu Ran wasn¡¯t wrong. This kind of mind sword intent is based on telepathy, and if he¡¯s not mistaken, telepathy is a supernatural power granted by the legendary creature, the divine deer. Ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to master it. However, Lu Ran believes that he will eventually find other universal methods to eliminate the harmful aspects of souls through culinary means. ¡°You¡¯re a deity! You truly are a deity!!!¡± Gory, overwhelmed with astonishment, almost lunged forward to embrace Lu Ran but was held back by Hei Yu. ¡°Lord Gory, please restrain yourself. Don¡¯t frighten Lord sudden death king,¡± Hei Yu coughed lightly, her gaze serious. From a budding young girl to a necromancer despised and shunned by everyone, Hei Yu had felt yearning for light and eptance, even if she didn¡¯t show it outwardly. The appearance of Lu Ran was indeed like a ray of light in the hearts of these necromancers. While she felt gratitude and respect for Gory, she now felt admiration and reverence for Lu Ran. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Gory said with a broad smile. ¡°I was just too excited.¡± Heughed heartily. ¡°Ah hahahahaha, when the divine envoy arrives, I¡¯ll give them such a big surprise!!!¡± ¡­ ¡°What kind of surprise do you have for me?¡± ¡­ Gory¡¯sughter froze, and he abruptly looked towards the sky. Hei Yu and Lu Ran also changed their expressions and looked up. A woman with red burn scars covering her face, d in a ck robe, stood on top of a bone dragon whose eyes were filled with green mes, gazing indifferently downward. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Seeing this terrifyingly scarred woman, Gory choked on his words and stammered, ¡°Nether me divine envoy¡­¡± Lu Ran was also slightly taken aback-divine envoy? Hadn¡¯t Gory said that the people from the Holy Church wouldn¡¯t arrive for another month? There were still two weeks left. [Species]: Nether me Bone Dragon [Attributes]: Undead, Fire [Species level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth level]: Level 59 Additionally, all the details of the bone dragon she was riding became clear in Lu Ran¡¯s mind. This was a high-level expert, not inferior to even the First Generation. If a first-generation beastmaster from Blue Star were to enter here, it would be equivalent to a divine envoy for the Cult of Necromancy. Such divine envoys are actually quite numerous within the Cult of Necromancy. Their role is simr to that of a liaison officer, responsible for connecting peripheral members with the headquarters. ¡°Elder Shanggong detected some unusual activity in the necro embryo you were cultivating and specifically sent me to check on the situation. Missionary Gory, did you use that bone sword?¡± Gory was startled upon hearing this. He hadn¡¯t expected that the bone sword had a contingency. He understood. If anyone used that bone sword, the elder who forged it would sense the anomaly. So, to find out what was going on, Elder Shanggong had sent the Nether me divine envoy to investigate. This resulted in the divine envoy arriving much earlier than nned. ¡°Reporting to Lord Divine Envoy, I did indeed use that weapon, but it was because remnants of the imperial armyunched a surprise attack on Mingan. To protect ourselves, we had no choice but to use the sword¡¯s power.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± After understanding the situation, the Nether me divine envoy didn¡¯t ask further questions. In her view, the matter was concluded. Using the necro weapon for self-defense was permissible. Now, the divine envoy wanted to rify another matter. ¡°You mentioned a ¡®big surprise¡¯ earlier. What did you mean by that?¡± Hearing this, Missionary Gory stepped back and pointed to the silent Lu Ran. ¡°It¡¯s him, it¡¯s him! The great hope of the Holy Church, sudden death king!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The Nether me divine envoy looked at the youthful face of Lu Ran and frowned, puzzled by Gory¡¯s excitement. ¡°Nether me divine envoy, let me introduce him to you!¡± ¡°This young man, named sudden death king.¡± ¡°I found him while recruiting followers in Mingan. He is a genius beastmaster.¡± ¡°Even at level 1, he has already contracted a sovereign species pet beast.¡± ¡°His potential is astoundingly strong, and his pet beast¡¯s soul talent is incredibly powerful.¡± ¡°Recently, when the imperial army attacked Mingan, sudden death king used the bone sword and single-handedly changed the course of the battle, defeating the enemies.¡± ¡°He protected us.¡± The Nether me divine envoy had a slightly surprised expression, but Gory continued speaking. ¡°If it were just that, it wouldn¡¯t be noteworthy.¡± ¡°The most critical aspect is his extraordinary understanding of necromancy.¡± ¡°Furthermore, he has extraordinary ideals.¡± ¡°He believes that necromancy is destined to transform the continent, but its drawbacks also need to be resolved.¡± ¡°After I taught him Basic Necromancy, he immediately began researching ways to mitigate the detrimental aspects of soul consumption. It can be said he is genuinely interested in necromancy and is a born necromancer.¡± ¡°Impressive.¡± The Nether me divine envoy didn¡¯t expect this missionary to have discovered such a remarkable genius, and one with ideals at that. Indeed, it was a pleasant surprise for her. In these chaotic times of the empire, countless geniuses wereing forth, and the Holy Church needed to replenish its ranks with fresh talent to strengthen its influence and gain a voice in this turbulent world. ¡°Lord Divine Envoy, I haven¡¯t finished yet.¡± ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°The key point is that the sudden death king has actually found a way to resolve the detrimental aspects of soul consumption!!¡± The Nether me divine envoy was stunned. ¡°???¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± She instinctively eximed, her mind struggling to process this information. After a moment, her face reddened with intensity as she stared intimidatingly at Missionary Gory. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to deceive you!¡± Gory quickly responded. ¡°I hope you are not deceiving me.¡± ¡°Did you really find a way to resolve the soul consumption issue?¡± The divine envoy turned to Lu Ran. ¡°Yes, Lord Divine Envoy, you can help verify it.¡± Lu Ran obediently grabbed another giant rat beast and, using the same method as before, extracted a pure soul essence. The bone dragon descended, and the Nether me divine envoy¡¯s expression fluctuated as shemanded the bone dragon to devour the soul. The next moment, feedback from the bone dragon arrived, and just like Gory and Hei Yu, the Nether me divine envoy¡¯s face showed a look of shock. ¡°It¡¯s actually true¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually true?!¡± She then burst intoughter, covering her forehead, unable to restrain her joy. ¡°Hahahahahaha.¡± Herughter was even more maniacal than Gory¡¯s, causing Hei Yu and the others to gulp nervously. ¡°Excellent, truly excellent!!!¡± The Nether me divine envoy waspletely stunned by Gory¡¯s surprise. She hadn¡¯t expected that his surprise could indeed astonish her. With a burning gaze, she looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Incredible, unbelievable. How did you do it? But that¡¯s not important now. You,e back to headquarters with me!!!¡± ¡°Missionary Gory, was it? You¡¯ve done an excellent job discovering a genius with the potential of a Holy Son. When we return to headquarters, I will personallymend you to the Sect leader.¡± Potential of a Holy Son! Gory and Hei Yu¡¯s faces flushed with excitement upon hearing this. They seemed genuinely happy for Lu Ran. After all, they had witnessed his journey from a necromancy novice to being recognized by the divine envoy for his Holy Son potential. At this moment, Lu Ran also realized that he likely triggered some hidden mission! A major hidden mission: Necromancy Holy Son. Indeed, the main storyline was just the beginning. To break through the secret realm, one must engage in the hidden missions and explore the worldview! Chapter 174: The Locked Human Level Chapter 174: The Locked Human Level ¡°Missionary Gory.¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking the Sudden Death King with me.¡± After regaining herposure, the Nether me divine envoy couldn¡¯t wait to take Lu Ran back to headquarters. ¡°Sudden Death King, what an opportunity, you can head to headquarters ahead of time!¡± Gory said, genuinely happy for Lu Ran. After all, Lu Ran was highly valued by the Holy Church, and naturally, Gory expected to rise along with him. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran hesitated for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Do you have any concerns?¡± the Nether me divine envoy asked. ¡°No,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°It¡¯s just that, as a person, I prefer research overbat.¡±¡°For example, researching how to eliminate the drawbacks of soul consumption.¡± ¡°For example, how to create artifact spirits.¡± ¡°I had originally nned to help Gory research necromancy weapons, but with this trip, I may not get the chance¡­¡± The Nether me divine envoy knew that Lu Ran was a unique talent, not just a brute force type. Seeing that Lu Ran¡¯s interests were so broad, she couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°No worries.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, you can talk directly to the Sect leader once you get to headquarters.¡± ¡°All research projects of the Holy Church can be opened to you, as long as you have the talent!¡± ¡°Sounds good¡­¡± Lu Ran had been waiting for this statement! With this trip, he was determined to obtain the forging and cultivation methods for the bone sword Thousand des and artifact spirits. At this moment, Gory was touched seeing that even as Lu Ran was about to ascend to headquarters, he was still thinking about helping him research artifact spirits. Little did he know, if Lu Ran hadn¡¯t triggered this hidden mission, once the 30 days were up, his bone sword would likely have been taken by Lu Ran for research¡­ As for now, once at headquarters, he could personallymunicate with those forging elders, and Lu Ran naturally wouldn¡¯t be preupied with the bone sword buried in the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Nether me divine envoy stretched out her hand, and a gust of ck wind swept Lu Ran up. In the blink of an eye, Lu Ran found himself on top of the bone dragon. The bones were quite slippery, and he had to hold onto a piece tightly to avoid falling. ¡°Is there anything else?¡± the Nether me divine envoy asked. ¡°No,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Let¡¯s move out,¡± the Nether me divine envoy said, instructing the bone dragon to take off. Meanwhile, Lu Ran¡¯s gaze fell on the yard full of giant rat beast corpses and then shifted to Missionary Gory and Hei Yu. An awkward silence followed. ¡°Sudden Death King, see you next time,¡± Missionary Gory waved, seemingly hopeful for his next meeting with Lu Ran. Beside him, Hei Yu nodded in agreement, curious about the kind of treatment Lu Ran would receive at the headquarters. Would he really be the Holy Son? If so, then she would be a follower who had once apanied the Holy Son. ¡°Yes, goodbye and thank you,¡± Lu Ran replied, knowing well that this might be theirst encounter. Most likely, he would stay at the headquarters for a while and then leave this dungeon. The breakthrough secret realm would eventually break apart. Though he knew they were just illusions, Lu Ran was genuinely grateful for their help over the past half month. As the bone dragon slowly ascended and then rapidly climbed into the clouds, heading in a particr direction, Mingan City became smaller and smaller¡­ ¡­ On the bone dragon. The ground below was no longer visible. Lu Ran clung onto the bones while the Nether me divine envoy stood at the front, gazing into the clouds. ¡°Your expression seems very excited.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of heading to the ¡®cult¡¯s¡¯ stronghold?¡± Without turning around, the Nether me divine envoy could sense the excitement on Lu Ran¡¯s face. She was surprised; even if Lu Ran was genuinely interested in necromancy, the rumors about the Holy Church were far from ttering. The Death Holy Church was often referred to as an evil cult outside. Did this young man have no fear? ¡°Afraid?¡± Lu Ran smiled, but didn¡¯t reply. [If this were a PVE-type breakthrough secret realm, I¡¯d indeed be scared.] [But in a realm where I can resurrect after death, what¡¯s there to fear?] Lu Ran felt like a gamer knowing he could respawn; he¡¯d venture into dangerous ces courageously. Even if a legendary creature stood in his path, he would still dare to touch it. However, he snapped himself out of this inted sense of confidence. [No, I must stay vignt.] [What if I encounter a situation like Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s and bring back a curse from the secret realm¡­] High above, the bone dragon continued its flight. Unbeknownst to Lu Ran, some other pet beasts of the Nether me divine envoy were already flying in various directions at a faster speed. The headquarters of the Death Holy Church is situated on the Star-Moon Continent, and yet, it is not. To put it simply, the headquarters exists within a ¡°space secret realm.¡± Thanks to the unique positioning of this site, the Death Holy Church, although infamous, has remained fundamentally secure and intact. At this moment, within a death space, stretching mountain ranges lie beneath a vast expanse of void. A long rainbow span of energy traverses through the space, prating even deeper into the void. In the void, an elderly figure d in a vintage ck robe sits floating in mid-air, meditating. Around him swirl the spectral images of dozens of terrifying creatures¡¯ souls, seemingly imprisoned in another dimension, endlessly howling outward. Buzz. Ripples flicker through the void. The rainbow span enters the void, and the elder gently lifts a hand, capturing a cluster of souls. A wealth of information floods into his mind. ¡°Hmm?¡± The elder opens his hollow eyes, revealing a trace of surprise. ¡°A soul chef¡­¡± ¡°Could he be the catalyst for change¡­¡± The elder slightly shakes his head, stepping out of the void as the souls behind him vanish into thin air. Soon after, within the space, on a mountain peak that appears pitch ck from afar, the bone dragon ridden by the Nether me divine envoy descends. Lu Ran, too, slid off the bone dragon,nding precariously on the edge of a cliff. There, a ck-robed elder is gazing at the gloomy sky. Seeing this man, the Nether me divine envoy gives a slight nod and says, ¡°Sect leader, the person has been brought.¡± Then, she rides the bone dragon and slowly retreats, leaving Lu Ran confused and alone on the spot. Huh? You¡¯re just leaving? Being left alone, Lu Ran felt rather speechless. However, as the ck-robed elder on the cliff turned around, Lu Ran hesitated for a second but then stepped forward respectfully and said, ¡°Greetings, Sect leader.¡± ¡°No need for formalities; I already know everything about you,¡± the ck-robed elder replied. ¡°Can you demonstrate your method of removing soul consciousness?¡± ¡°No problem. I need a giant rat beast.¡± ¡°Will other necromantic pets not work?¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy was puzzled, unsure why Lu Ran had such a particr fondness for the giant rat beast. When the Nether me divine envoy brought Lu Ran here, almost every necromantic pet in Mingan was mobilized to thoroughly investigate Lu Ran¡¯s background. The intelligence was then sent ahead to the headquarters. Though this was their first meeting, the Cult Leader of Necromancy was not unfamiliar with Lu Ran. He even knew that Lu Ran had a great reputation among the followers in Mingan. ¡°That¡¯s fine too,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Immediately, the Cult Leader of Necromancy waved his sleeve, and an unconscious ox spirit floated towards Lu Ran. Lu Ran took out his soul-reaping de, first touching the ox spirit lightly, then closing his eyes for a few seconds. Momentster, he shed down with precise force. As the de cut through, a faint ripple of artistic conception emanated from it. The Cult Leader of Necromancy, having locked onto this unique Culinary Intent, showed an appreciative expression. ¡°Is this satisfactory?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± said the Cult Leader of Necromancy, waving his hand. ¡°Come over here.¡± Lu Ran, wary of what the old man had up his sleeve, nevertheless chose to approach him. ¡°Let me ask you, do you wish to be the Holy Son of the Death Holy Church? Do you want to be the heir of our church, and aspire to be a legendary necromancer, standing at the pinnacle of the continent?¡± The rapid-fire questions from the Cult Leader of Necromancy sent ripples through Lu Ran¡¯s mind. Although he had somewhat mentally prepared himself for this scenario, Lu Ran knew very well what he hade here for. Intelligence! Compared to resources or status, obtaining crucial information was more important. ¡°Respected Cult Leader, I am indeed very interested in necromancy. Additionally, I found that the behavior of Missionary Gory and others didn¡¯t match the rumored actions of a cult, which piqued my interest in joining the Death Holy Church to see for myself.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to meet you so soon. If my abilities can contribute to the development of necromancy, I am certainly willing to use them. However, what I am truly curious about is why was the Death Holy Church established in the first ce?¡± Lu Ran looked the Cult Leader in the eyes. ¡°Is the doctrine merely surface-level, aimed at ¡®helping beastmasters regain new life¡¯?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy was not surprised by Lu Ran¡¯s question. His hollow gaze returned to the sky as he spoke: ¡°Since I intend to make you the Holy Son of our church, you certainly deserve to know more.¡± ¡°Indeed, I established the Death Holy Church under the guise of helping beastmasters who have lost their pet beasts regain a new life. But in reality, it is for the future of the human species.¡± ¡°The future of the human species??¡± Lu Ran was stunned, unable to fathom how a so-called cult could be rted to humanity¡¯s future. ¡°Heh,¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy chuckled, fully aware that Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t understand the true nature of the world. He continued, ¡°Do you know why, on this continent, there are only level 8 beastmasters, and no level 9 beastmasters?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback once again. ¡°That¡¯s because the legendary divine beasts, who control the world, do not permit the emergence of level 9 human powerhouses.¡± ¡°This is forbidden knowledge. Thousands of years ago, when humans developed the ability of beast taming, their rise was meteoric. However, this rapid ascent triggered the rm of many legendary divine beasts.¡± ¡°The legendary divine beasts feared that humans would grow to their peak, gaining the power to enve them. At that time, the survival of the human species hung by a thread, dependent on the whims of those divine beasts.¡± ¡°Fortunately, not all legendary divine beasts were hostile to humanity. Some stood on our side, resulting in a pact¡­¡± ¡°What kind of pact?¡± Lu Ran asked urgently. ¡°Some of the legendary species altered the world¡¯sws, cing a curse on the human bloodline that prevents our kind from breaking through to the legendary realm.¡± ¡°But, if a beastmaster can match the power of a divine being with a mortal body, this restriction will be lifted, enabling humans to achieve the legendary realm and regain the potential to stand at the pinnacle of the world.¡± ¡°However, matching the power of the legendary realm as a mortal is exceedingly difficult.¡± ¡°Relying solely on the current beast taming system is utterly inadequate. Throughout history, countless elites have attempted to challenge the legendary realm and failed.¡± ¡°My establishment of the Death Holy Church was guided by others, and all of this is to break this rule and help humanity escape its confines.¡± ¡°This is all you need to know.¡± ¡°However, the development of necromancy is bound to be tortuous. Though some geniuses possess the mental strength to practice necromancy without adverse effects, and can grow into powerful necromancers, it is not enough!¡± ¡°For any domain to reach its peak, it cannot rely on just a handful of people.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of this that the Death Holy Church aims to expand its followers and discover more geniuses to strengthen this attribute. However, for ordinary beastmasters, growing by devouring souls is inherently difficult.¡± ¡°But things are different now. The church has long been researching how to eliminate the drawbacks of soul consumption. Surprisingly, what this vast organization couldn¡¯t figure out, you-a young man who has just begun touching necromantic power-have solved.¡± ¡°Fate is truly unpredictable,¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy shook his head. ¡°Although your method is hard to replicate, you¡¯ve already demonstrated remarkable Talent. I want you to continue your research to lower the barrier for ordinary people to be necromancers. Are you interested?¡± ¡°If, in the future, necromancy truly bes the attribute that changes the fate of the human species and frees us from the control of the legendary divine beasts, your name will be immortalized in history.¡± Lu Ran was shaken. He had considered countless reasons for the birth of the so-called Death Holy Church, but never had he anticipated this exnation. The intelligenceing from the Cult Leader of Necromancy¡¯s mouth sounded quite reasonable. But still, Lu Ran had a nagging feeling that something was being withheld. Was the truth really as the Cult Leader described? ¡°Do you wish to be my disciple and the Holy Son of the Death Holy Church?¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy asked again. ¡°Do you have the will to match the power of legends with a mortal body?¡± ¡°Master!¡± At this moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t care whether something was being hidden or not. Without hesitation, he addressed the Cult Leader. The identity of the necromantic Holy Son was something he must obtain. This was crucial for how many resources he could gather in the next half month within this breakthrough secret realm! Moreover, only by obtaining the identity of the Holy Son could he collect more intelligence! ¡°Hahaha, good.¡± At this moment, the Cult Leader of Necromancy revealed a satisfied smile upon hearing Lu Ran¡¯s address. ¡°From this day forward, sudden death king, you are my first disciple as the legendary necromancer Los, and also the Holy Son of the Death Holy Church!!!¡± Lu Ran locked eyes with the ck-robed old man, his heart churning. Oh my god, Mom and Dad, you¡¯ve climbed to the high-level members of The Other Shore, and here I am¡­ inexplicably bing a high-level member of the necromantic forces on the Star-Moon Continent¡­ and at the heir level, no less! ¡­ On this day, the death space experienced intense vibrations across various mountain peaks. One by one, necromancers well-versed in different schools received the news and disyed expressions of shock. ¡°What? The Cult Leader has emerged? And he¡¯s taken on a disciple?¡± ¡°The long-vacant position of Holy Son has finally been confirmed?¡± The moment they received the news, although unsure if any special ceremony would take ce within the church, these necromantic elders instinctively began searching for treasures such as Dragon Soul and Phoenix Soul. After all, they couldn¡¯t meet the new Holy Son empty-handed, could they? Chapter 175: Holy Son! Chapter 175: Holy Son! The Death Holy Church, also known as the Cult of Necromancy, has a death space with a total of eighteen peaks. These peaks have numerous caverns and residences for the high-level members of the Holy Church. Only elders and divine envoys are qualified to stay long-term in the death space. The Sect leader, elders, divine envoys, core geniuses, missionaries, and ordinary members constitute the main structure of the Holy Church. Currently, a giant skeletal soul has appeared over each peak, announcing thetest news within the church. ¡°The sudden death king, originally an ordinary member of the Death Holy Church, a genius neer, single-handedly defeated hundreds of imperial beastmasters in Mingan and protected numerous followers of the Cult of Necromancy. Moreover, as a culinary genius, he tirelessly researched to find a method to eliminate the drawbacks of soul devouring. Ultimately, he seeded in separating the soul and consciousness using culinary manship, cooking the ¡®Harmless soul¡¯ andying an important foundation for the development of necromancy, contributing extraordinarily to the expansion of the necromancy domain!¡± ¡°Today, our legendary necromancer, Los, epts the sudden death king as his disciple, and bestows upon him the title of the first necromancy Holy Son of our Death Holy Church, a status equal to that of an elder!¡± The news spread rapidly, causing continuous vibrations in the death space. The title of necromancy Holy Son, almost a sure candidate for the next sect leader, made many core geniuses within the church ufortable. After all, they had put in countless efforts to carry the banner of the church and to be the Holy Son. Who would have thought that a neer would suddenly intercept their goals? However, upon hearing the sect leader¡¯s official recognition of the neer¡¯s achievements, these geniuses were instantly bewildered. Using culinary manship to cook the Harmless soul?¡°What a great talent!¡± Unlike the core geniuses, many elders who had immersed themselves in necromancy for years were full of admiration, realizing that the sect leader had taken on an extraordinary disciple. For the Death Holy Church to develop, its biggest challenge isn¡¯t the external ¡°nder.¡± Because the rumors are true. If one¡¯s talent isn¡¯t sufficient, practicing necromancy indeed makes one less and less human. Necromantic pet beasts can only feed on souls, but souls are ¡°toxic,¡± which greatly limits the development of necromancy. Perhaps some geniuses can grow to Level 5, Level 6, or even Level 7 unaffected by sheer willpower¡­ But how many such people are there? How many geniuses have avoided necromancy entirely due to their fear of it? The emergence of Lu Ran can be said to have ignited a spark of hope for the Death Holy Church, a spark capable of spreading like wildfire. The elders and divine envoys instantly understood why the sect leader had taken this disciple: because his talent matched the status. ¡°This will be your residence from now on,¡± said the Cult Leader of Necromancy, who was definitely a necromancer proficient in Space magic. With a single step, Lu Ran followed him as if crossing into another space, arriving at a brand-new mountain peak. The peak was vast and empty, but upon arrival, Lu Ran¡¯s heart skipped a beat because¡­ almost every corner of the mountain wall was iid with Soul-Calming Stones. ¡°You canmunicate with the mountain deityter to design the style of your residence.¡± ¡°Mountain deity?¡± ¡°A rock-type necromantic pet that has served the Holy Church for many years.¡± Oh, an exclusive church builder. ¡°By the way, since I¡¯ve epted you as my disciple, it seems I haven¡¯t prepared a gift for you yet,¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy said kindly to Lu Ran. With a wave of his hand, a bottle-like artifact and an ancient book flew directly to Lu Ran. Lu Ran quickly caught them. [Name]: Soul Capturing Bottle [Level]: Exquisite ¡°This Soul Capturing Bottle is a precious artifact for attacking, capturing, and preserving souls. Generally, souls are not easy to carry, and many necromancers struggle to find food for their pet beasts on the fly.¡± ¡°But with this Soul Capturing Bottle, you can carry thousands of souls at any time, making it much more convenient.¡± ¡°Whether you¡¯re taking them out for research or need them forbat, like sacrificing a soul to cast a skill, this will make everything much easier.¡± Holding the hot Soul Capturing Bottle, Lu Ran thought to himself, this is what having a legendary master is like. As for the other item. [Name]: Soul Meditation method Lu Ran¡¯s heart skipped another beat. ¡°The Soul Meditation method is a specialized meditation technique of the Holy Church. Aside from Basic Necromancy, most advanced necromantic skills of the Holy Church are built upon this meditation method.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bite off more than you can chew. For now, focus on practicing this. Once you¡¯ve reached a significant level, I¡¯ll teach you the next steps based on your Talent.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± No need! No need! Just give me everything! Give me all the skills! Although Lu Ran really wanted to say this, he was afraid of the potential negative repercussions. Instead, he gratefully nodded and said, ¡°Thank you, master. I will train diligently.¡± ¡°Additionally, since you have an interest in culinary manship, forging, and necromantic research, I will inform Elder Shanggong to have you study artifact spirits with him.¡± ¡°The bone sword you used in Mingan was forged by Elder Shanggong.¡± ¡°And the cleaver you¡¯re currently holding¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem to be of high quality. You can ask Elder Shanggong to forge a better one for your research.¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy had high hopes for Lu Ran. ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded. At this moment, the Cult Leader¡¯s gaze shifted to the distance as if contemting something. ¡°Of course, given your current level and age, don¡¯t worry about too much. Just focus on strengthening yourself and exploring what you enjoy.¡± ¡°Next, I have another task to attend to!¡± ¡°In the meantime, let the Nether me divine envoy serve as your dedicated divine envoy. She will teach you how to survive in this space, and you can also delegate any tasks to her.¡± ¡­ After finishing speaking, the Cult Leader of Necromancy departed. While Lu Ran wasn¡¯t entirely sure what the Cult Leader meant by ¡°another task,¡± he decided not to overthink it. The difference in status between him and the Cult Leader was still too significant. Instead, using his identity as the Holy Son to ask elders and divine envoys for gifts felt more natural. ¡°Greetings, Holy Son!¡± After the Cult Leader of Necromancy left, the Nether me divine envoy arrived once more, speaking respectfully. Lu Ran felt a bit introspective at this moment. Indeed, this seemed to be the correct way to operate within the breakthrough secret realm. With this identity, not to mention the Golden Generation of the opposing faction, he might even be able to bring his ¡°subordinates¡± to sweep through a few First Generation big shots as well. ¡°Nether me divine envoy, no need to be so formal. By the way, where is the mountain deity? Let it arrange a simple residence for me first.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Additionally, as a neer to the Holy Church, I feel a tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility. I¡¯m not sure if I can shoulder this mission. I would like to rest for today and start fresh tomorrow. Can you take me to meet the elders of the Holy Church one by one?¡± ¡°Also, I want to meet the divine envoys and other genius peers. I n to visit them, seek their advice, and engage in discussions. Please inform them in advance so they can be prepared. I¡¯ll leave the scheduling to you; just make sure we don¡¯t show up and find them unavable.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± the Nether me divine envoy responded, somewhat surprised. She hadn¡¯t expected that after being named Holy Son, Lu Ran would remain so humble. He even intended to visit people from the Holy Church personally, rather than having them visit him. ¡°Moreover, if they inquire about information regarding me, feel free to disclose it as needed. This way, perhaps we can reduce some of the distance,¡± Lu Ran said thoughtfully. After all, once they know about his pet beast, it will be easier for them to prepare suitable gifts! He wanted to see how many people in thisrge Holy Church truly understood social etiquette! He already had ¡°General Ha¡± ready with a notepad. If any visits were made without offering gifts, he would certainly note it down. Then, he could sell this grudge book to ¡°Manager Ying¡± as valuable intelligence: [The most stingy and socially inept high-level members of the necromantic cult on the Star-Moon Continent.] ¡°I will ensure it is done well,¡± the Nether me divine envoy nodded. ¡°And one more crucial thing, although understanding the Holy Church is very important, I hope we canplete it quickly, preferably within half a month.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to waste too much research time.¡± ¡­ Within a short time, the Nether me divine envoy departed to visit the various elders, conveying Lu Ran¡¯s requests. Meanwhile, the mountain deity, resembling a pangolin, had prepared a residence for Lu Ran. Lu Ran moved in immediately. He then took out the two items given by his master, the Sect Leader. The Soul Capturing Bottle, an excellent artifact, could store souls, something even his identity card¡¯s space couldn¡¯t do. Lu Ran contemted using a nested storage method: storing the Soul Capturing Bottle inside the identity card¡¯s space and then storing souls inside the bottle. This way, he could carry countless souls with him, ready to perform soul-based cuisine anytime, anywhere. ¡°Master also mentioned the sacrifice stream earlier!¡± ¡°Yes, sacrificing souls to cast certain skills.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ what a wicked technique. I¡¯ll need to inquire which elder possesses this skill and what it takes for my pet beast to learn it. I think the dark crow would be a good candidate.¡± ¡°By then, sacrificing tens of thousands of souls to cast a powerful curse would make fighting higher-level opponents a breeze, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Sacrifice plus curse seems to be a potentbination¡­¡± Lu Ran thought, feeling he had found a new direction for nurturing his pets. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m a good person and will only curse the bad people.¡± Lu Ran then picked up the Soul Meditation method and skimmed through it before rolling his eyes and tossing it into his space. This technique requires the Beast Taming Space to practice, which he does not possess. Clearly, resources and equipment are more suitable for him. The next day. Lu Ran, holding a meticulously nned schedule, began his visits to the high-level members of the Holy Church. The first on his list was Elder Shanggong, the forging master. Lu Ran intended to inherit Elder Shanggong¡¯s crystallized skills so that his craftsmanship wouldn¡¯t be lost. ¡°Holy Son¡­¡± ¡°Greetings, Elder Shanggong. I hope my sudden visit hasn¡¯t inconvenienced you. This morning, I personally prepared this special smoked rabbit spirit. I¡¯ve just arrived and don¡¯t have anything valuable to offer. I hope you¡¯ll ept this humble gift without offense.¡± ¡°This is¡­ I haven¡¯t even personally visited you yet, so how could I ept such a thoughtful gift from you, the Holy Son¡­¡± For a moment, Elder Shanggong¡¯s hand slipped away from his storage pouch, suddenly feeling that the gift he had prepared might be somewhat insufficient. Chapter 176: Return â‘¡! Chapter 176: Return ¢Ú! When Lu Ran began visiting various ces. The Cult Leader of Necromancy had also left the Star-Moon Continent and arrived at a secluded ind in the sea region. He arrived at a grave and stood there for a long time before finally speaking, ¡°Elder brother.¡± A faint ck mist enveloped the tombstone, forming a ghostly shadow. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°I want to activate the permission soul key for the Land of Divine Selection, and I need to borrow your soul power.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it not time yet?¡± the ghostly shadow replied. ¡°This time, I want a key that can temporarily unlock the permissions.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡±¡°I have taken on a disciple, and I want to enhance his soul.¡± ¡°Disciple? You took in a disciple?¡± The ghostly shadow looked at his younger brother in surprise. ¡°Yes.¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy chuckled softly and said, ¡°He is a genius with remarkable necromancy Talent who has resolved the defect of necromancy devouring souls for growth.¡± ¡°That indeed is a genius. Can this person be trusted? Is his background clean? Have you investigated him thoroughly?¡± The ghostly shadow asked consecutively. ¡°Why consider so much for such a genius? As long as he can carry forward the necromancy lineage, my fate and the fate of the Holy Church do not matter.¡± The ghostly shadow remained silent for a moment and said, ¡°You¡­¡± He sighed repeatedly, feeling a bit helpless about his younger brother. ¡°People are not always what they seem. If you want to take in a disciple, I still hope you can choose someone who is like a son to you. You¡¯ve never married, and your journey till now has been hard enough.¡± ¡°I just want to aplish the things you could not,¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy said slowly. ¡°Besides, although I haven¡¯t investigated deeply, this new disciple of mine seems like a good person.¡± A dozen dayster. The mentally exhausted Cult Leader of Necromancy, holding a permission soul key he had crafted with his elder brother, began his return to the death space. The death space, this space secret realm, is actually a space secret realm left behind by a legendary deceased being. As a legendary secret realm, it naturally contains many hidden benefits. But every time one seeks these benefits, a great price must be paid. Each time a necromancer with decent talent appeared in the Holy Church, the church would send them to the Land of Divine Selection to receive the blessing of the deity. This blessing could enhance the entrants¡¯ soul power and alleviate the drawbacks of devouring souls. Of course, this was merely an ordinary enhancement. In addition to the ordinary enhancement, the Land of Divine Selection had an even more formidable ability. It could bless a human soul so that even if a beastmaster died, their soul could survive in the world in a soul form. A form of alternative immortality. Lu Ran became the Holy Son of Necromancy, and the Cult Leader of Necromancy was well aware that Lu Ran would certainly encounter many dangers in the future. For Lu Ran¡¯s safety, he hoped that even if Lu Ran faced unforeseen events, he could survive in soul form. ¡°Finally, I¡¯m back.¡± As soon as the Cult Leader of Necromancy returned, he went straight to Lu Ran¡¯s residence to see if his obedient disciple had been diligently training over the past ten days. However. Just as the Cult Leader of Necromancy peered into the void towards Lu Ran, he was instantly dumbfounded! At a nce, he could tell that there were no signs that Lu Ran had been practicing the ¡°Soul Meditation Method¡± he had taught him! Not even a bit! Instead. In the courtyard, Lu Ran had set up a massive barbecue grill, roasting a ¡°Dragon Soul.¡± The remnant soul of a pure-blooded dragon! A dog and a dragon lizard were eagerly waiting to be fed. ¡°Sudden Death King!¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy uttered slowly as he descended to the ground. The Sudden Death King, which had been sniffing the aroma, was startled. But upon realizing he wasn¡¯t being called, it rxed. ¡°Uh, Master?¡± Still roasting the dragon soul, Lu Ran paused as he saw his master return. He felt a bit anxious. Truth be told, since the Cult Leader of Necromancy had left over ten days ago, he had not shown up at all. Lu Ran had received so many gifts that he had gone a bit overboard, even extorting some from the other young geniuses. Seeing his master¡¯s return now, Lu Ran felt a bit guilty. ¡°Why does it look like you haven¡¯t practiced the Soul Meditation Method I taught you at all?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°When I first arrived at the Holy Church, I thought it was more important to understand the church before focusing on training. So, I asked the Nether me divine envoy to lead me in visiting the various elders, divine envoys, and disciples of the church.¡± ¡°So, are these things all gifts from them?¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy asked, looking at the Dragon Soul and the pile of rare cooking utensils and food ingredients beside it. ¡°Yes, the elders were overly enthusiastic in their gifts,¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°and since these things are perfect for research, I epted them.¡± ¡°Tell me, what gifts did you receive these past few days?¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy had a faint smile as he looked at his disciple. He felt that Lu Ran seemed to have a side of him that he had not yet discovered. ¡°Ahem,¡± Lu Ran said, embarrassed. ¡°I¡¯ve kept a record¡­¡± With that, Lu Ran pulled out a small notebook and handed over the list of gifts he had received in the past days to his master. The Cult Leader of Necromancy extended his hand, taking the list from a distance. He then fell silent. Elder Shanggong: Soul Forging Method and several necromancy forging materials. The Soul Forging Method was Elder Shanggong¡¯s ultimate skill. Equipment forged with this method could independently absorb the breath of souls from thend of death, with the potential to nurture a spirit. Although it had never been fully sessful, it was at least a new avenue to explore. Elder Mingxin: The nearly exquisite weapon, Soul Scarecrow. This was a terrifying scarecrow. As long as it absorbed even a tiny bit of the enemy¡¯s blood, any damage inflicted upon the scarecrow would be multiplied several times onto the enemy¡¯s soul. Elder Zi: One Dragon Soul, X¡­ ¡°What does this ¡®X¡¯ mean?¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy asked. He noticed that most of the resource names in the notebook had an ¡®X¡¯ marked beside them. More precisely, 90% of the resource names had an ¡®X¡¯ marked, while only gifts like weapons, equipment, special skills, and beast taming skills were unmarked. ¡°Oh¡­ the ¡®X¡¯ means I¡¯ve already used it,¡± Lu Ran replied silently. Spending idle time was pointless, so he used the resources to enhance his pet beasts as soon as he got them. His master remained silent once more. He then nced at General Ha, the Sudden Death King next to the barbecue grill, and theplete set of cooking utensils scattered around. It became clear where Lu Ran had used all those resources. At this moment, the growth level of the Sudden Death King had already reached level 30. Moreover, its soul had grown to an unbelievable extent, resembling the soul of a dragon, very much like a Thunder Dragon Body. General Ha¡¯s soul had also be exceptionally powerful. His soul felt like an unsheathed divine sword. The Cult Leader of Necromancy surmised that if any pet beast of the same level dared to attack its soul, it would be like hitting a flesh-and-blood hand against a sword sharp enough to cut through iron. Though it was clearly a dog, its soul was akin to a sword soul. ¡°Never mind,¡± the master shook his head. Enjoying receiving gifts wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad trait. But even epting gifts from ordinary disciples-his Holy Son disciple really was something else! ¡°Take a good rest today. Tomorrow,e with me to a ce.¡± ¡°What ce?¡± Lu Ran asked curiously. ¡°The Land of Divine Selection. I intend to enhance your soul. This way, even if your body dies in the future, your soul will not perish and can still exist in this world!¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy looked at Lu Ran seriously and said, ¡°As the Holy Son of Necromancy, this is the treatment you deserve.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Lu Ran was shocked. He didn¡¯t expect his master to bring him such a significant gift. ¡°Master! Can we go now?¡± Lu Ran suddenly thought of something and showed an ¡°eager¡± expression. ¡°Hmm?¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy didn¡¯t understand why Lu Ran was in such a hurry. However, seeing the ¡°eagerness¡± on Lu Ran¡¯s face, the master didn¡¯t have the heart to deny his disciple¡¯s first request. Although he was a bit tired, he smiled and said, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master!!!¡± Lu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, his heart pounding wildly because today was his 30th day in the secret realm! He had thought he wouldn¡¯t see his master before leaving, but unexpectedly, his master returned on thest day. The most important thing was, his master brought such a grand gift. If they went to the Land of Divine Selection tomorrow, it would be toote for everything. Even now, Lu Ran felt a bit anxious because he didn¡¯t know how long the so-called enhancement would take. Time¡­ was running out. At this moment, Lu Ran felt increasingly fond of his master. Over the past days, Lu Ran had deepened his understanding of his master significantly. Because many of the church elders had life-and-death ties with the Cult Leader of Necromancy, Lu Ran gathered a lot of intelligence while interacting with them. His master, the Cult Leader of Necromancy, started out as a second-generation beastmaster living a carefree life. Not because his parents were exceptional, but because his elder brother was! The elder brother of the Cult Leader of Necromancy was once one of the top legendary figures on the continent. However, one day, this legendary prodigy disappeared. The Cult Leader of Necromancy stopped living a hedonistic lifestyle and instead delved into the study of necromancy. He sought out like-minded friends to research necromancy together. Eventually, he established the vast Death Holy Church. Lu Ran spected that his master¡¯s elder brother probably perished while challenging the legendary realm. His master¡¯s research into necromancy might have been an alternate path to once again challenge the legendary realm¡­ ¡°What a pity¡­¡± Lu Ran sighed inwardly, wondering if his master had ever seeded. ¡­ The Land of Divine Selection was also within the death space. Using the soul key, the Cult Leader of Necromancy unlocked this special soul world and entered it with Lu Ran. He led Lu Ran to a massive gray soul pool and indicated for him to go in. Although Lu Ran felt that the gray soul pool was somewhat strange, he didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity and chose to enter. The moment he stepped into the pool, Lu Ran felt as if there were countless ants crawling on his soul-an unbearable itchbined with intense pain. ¡°Ugh-¡± Instantly, Lu Ran was drenched in sweat and his entire body started trembling uncontrobly. ¡°The process will be somewhat grueling.¡± The Cult Leader of Necromancy¡¯s expression was also somewhat pale due to the effort of opening this special space. Looking at Lu Ran, he thought about how his disciple was still just a young teenager and might not have experienced much pain. He said, ¡°You can talk to me, ask questions, and distract yourself a bit. It might ease the difort.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth. ¡°Master¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°Do you know about the Death Dragon? One of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons of the Star-Moon Continent,¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy began. ¡°The legends say it wields the power of death. Is our necromancy rted to the Death Dragon?¡± Lu Ran inquired. The Cult Leader of Necromancy didn¡¯t find such Myth and Legend-rted questions from Lu Ran surprising. In fact, he would only find it odd if Lu Ran, who hadn¡¯t practiced cultivation at all in the past half month, started asking about cultivation techniques. ¡°It is rted.¡± ¡°The secret realm we are in right now was left behind by one of the Death Dragon¡¯s legendary retainers after it passed away¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran lifted his head in astonishment. ¡°The Four Great Creator Divine Dragons are supreme. They created the world, created life, and even the human race was created by these Creator Dragons.¡± ¡°All living creatures on this continent, even the legendary divine beasts, owe their existence to them.¡± ¡°In essence, they are the sovereigns of this world.¡± ¡°For humans to rival those legendary divine beasts, whichmand the forces of nature, using only the normal power of humans and their pet beasts is incredibly difficult.¡± ¡°After all, the elemental attributes that pet beasts cultivate have already been perfected by those legendary divine beasts.¡± ¡°But the power of death is different! Aside from the Death Dragon and its retainers, no other divine beasts have mastered the power of death. That¡¯s why I say necromancy might be the hope to change the dire straits of humanity.¡± ¡°By learning from the Death Dragon¡¯s power, we can gain the strength to defeat those legendary divine beasts!¡± ¡°So, does that make you feel like the path you are cultivating in is extremely powerful?¡± the Cult Leader of Necromancy chuckled. What his master said instantly made Lu Ran forget about the pain. Indeed, it was powerful! Life and death¡­ Just as Lu Ran was about to continue his questions, his expression changed. The space around them began to blur¡­ Especially Lu Ran¡¯s figure¡­ [The secret realm has ended, returning¡­] [Return countdown¡­ 10¡­ 9¡­] ¡°Is it time already?¡± Lu Ran was momentarily stunned by the sight. ¡°What is this-¡± The changes around them also made the Cult Leader of Necromancy¡¯s face change drastically. His already pale face became even paler. Sensing the interference of a higher-dimensional force affecting his existence, he suddenly had an unreal thought. He looked at Lu Ran in shock, feeling as if everything around was bing an illusion, with only Lu Ran growing more real, blurred yet tangible. [Why¡­e to think of it, now I realize that the name ¡°sudden death king¡± sounds so strange.] The Cult Leader of Necromancy murmured in his heart¡­ He wanted to say something but had already lost the ability to do so. His very existence began to fade away. His heart started to wither, filled with confusion and bewilderment. However, in the next moment, his once deadened heart sprang to life again. ¡°Thank you, master. If I ever get the chance, no matter where I am, I will carry forward necromancy and even help humans break through the limits of legends,¡± Lu Ran said just before being teleported away. ¡°Once a master, always a master.¡± Although the Cult Leader of Necromancy didn¡¯t understand which higher power was reanimating him as a projection of history, hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words brought a smile to his face. Even though the experience was an illusion, it seemed he hadn¡¯t lost all hope. He nodded subconsciously. But before his nod wasplete, Lu Ran had already vanished. The breakthrough secret realm copsed along with Lu Ran¡¯s departure. At that moment, Lu Ran and the nine other challengers, who had been sealed within the infinite city, all returned! Chapter 177: Scrutinizing Lu Ran Chapter 177: Scrutinizing Lu Ran Passerby A¡¯s Exclusive Room. Lu Ran stood in ce, sighing. Sigh. He felt as if the infinite city was purposely strangling him by the neck. This Sect Leader master certainly knew more secrets. As a result, the person returned precisely on thest day¡­ There wasn¡¯t much time tomunicate at all. At this moment, Lu Ran still wanted to know if his soul had been sessfully enhanced. He did feel that his soul had grown significantly stronger, but whether or not his soul could be resurrected, there was no definitive conclusion.¡°Never mind, even if I do have the power of soul survival, it¡¯s not like I would go looking for death voluntarily.¡± ¡°If I happen to die someday, resurrection would be a pleasant surprise.¡± Lu Ran sighed again. This Sect Leader master had seemingly put in a lot of thought for his sake. It¡¯s just a pity that everything they experienced was illusory. Otherwise, Lu Ran would really want to have such a good master in reality as well. Of course, it¡¯s not that Jiang Dou Old Gentleman isn¡¯t good; it¡¯s just that having more than one master is indeed not a problem. ¡°At least in the history that Blue Star beastmasters have explored, Star-Moon Continent has not yet produced a legendary beastmaster.¡± ¡°The Death Holy Church probably didn¡¯t seed in the end¡­ They couldn¡¯t use necromancy to suppress the legendary realm¡­¡± ¡°It seems indeed very difficult.¡± ¡°However, having gained so many benefits, I must fulfill the promises I made to the Sect Leader master.¡± Lu Ran held the new contract card, with a serious expression on his face. First, develop necromancy and clear its name. Second, challenge the legendary realm and help the human race break the legendary barrier. The first point, Lu Ran is determined to achieve, starting on Blue Star. As for the second point, although Lu Ran doesn¡¯t know if there are any specific limitations preventing humans on Blue Star from bing legends, if breaking through to legend really requires matching a deity with a mortal body, then when the timees, Lu Ran certainly won¡¯t be a coward. ¡°In the beast taming domain, the apprentice stage up to level 6 is the umtion and evolution phase. Reaching level 7 can be considered a legend.¡± ¡°And reaching level 8, that¡¯s considered a top-level legend. Each one can leave a name in the annals of history. They are not just contemporary legends; in the vast river of history, they are also segments of legend.¡± ¡°Currently, the strongest beastmaster on blue star is only level 5. Who knows how long it will take¡­ to give birth to a quasi-legend.¡± Lu Ran shook his head, looking at his backpack. To challenge legendary species at the level of an 8th-level beastmaster is undoubtedly difficult. It¡¯s better to take it slow and enhance step-by-step. Crystal Coin Bnce: 3,079,000 Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (Epic), Spirit Transformation Pot (Exquisite), Long Leaved Sword Grass (Exquisite), Soul Capturing Bottle (Exquisite), Soul Scarecrow (Rare), Holy Spirit Robe (Rare), Inscription Stone (Rare), Complete Cooking Utensil Set (Rare) Resources: Contract Card (bound), Millennial Soul Bone (Exquisite), Heart of the Diamond Dragon (Exquisite), Ethereal Flower (Exquisite), Trait Crystal (Dragon King Bloodline, Evil God¡¯s Eye, Necromancy Clone), Beast Taming Skill Card (Death Revival, Damage Transfer), Upgrade Card x16, Various Rare Ingredients, Various Rare Minerals. Special: Soul Forging Method, Bone Sword ¨C Thousand des Forge Blueprint, Soul Meditation Method, Heart Cleansing Meditation Method, Basic Necromancy, Advanced Necromancy, Possession Evolution Method, Soul Sealing Technique, Sacrifice Method¡­ This time in the secret realm, the good things Lu Ran harvested can be said topletely surpass those from the first breakthrough secret realm. Among the gifts Lu Ran received, most were souls of rare species. Of course, Lu Ran had General Ha and Sudden Death King consume these items in the secret realm. After all, Lu Ran was preparing to have them evolve soon, so it was crucial to strengthen their souls as quickly as possible. As for the effects, they were naturally excellent. Thanks to Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement, Sudden Death King¡¯s soul sessfully underwent dragon transformation, while General Ha¡¯s soul formed a sword soul, making its sword skills even more powerful, akin to a unique constitution. Besides the special souls, there were also a bunch of forging materials. Lu Ran forged aplete set of cooking utensils in the secret realm, such as the ice and snow soul-reaping de, the me soul-reaping de¡­ Not to mention, Lu Ran also scavenged arge amount of Soul-Calming Stones, for people to detect their soul talent in the future. In terms of finished equipment, there was a soul curse type item called the Soul Scarecrow and a custom-made piece of equipment, the Holy Spirit Robe, which could resist damage of all attributes to some extent and had a restoration function. These two items could be considered as quasi-exquisite quality. Of course, the rarest finds were the necromancy techniques Lu Ran acquired¡­ However, despite their rarity and being considered the main assets of the Death Holy Church, these techniques turned out to be practically useless for Lu Ran. This is because they all require the Beast Taming Space to practice and can only assist pet beasts within that space, which left Lu Ran quite frustrated. Even advanced necromancy like the necromancy clone, which is a method for nurturing pet beasts, still requires special beast taming skills to create a clone. It¡¯s far less convenient than using a trait crystal. Though disappointed, Lu Ran still collected them all. They might be useless now, but who knows if beastmasters on blue star might someday develop the Beast Taming Space? If that happens, they might be useful. Additionally, even if they aren¡¯t useful for him, he could sell them to the government or hand them over to researchers. The only technique Lu Ran might be able to use now is the Soul Forging Method. This only requires a forgemaster to have a soul-type me. Although Lu Ran doesn¡¯t currently have one, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him to cultivate a soul me given that he has a me Sprite. ¡°Sigh. I have a whole set of necromancy skills but can¡¯t practice any of them.¡± ¡°Never mind.¡± Lu Ran exited his exclusive space. ¡°I should go back and contract the Dark Crow first.¡± Nurturing the Dark Crow and waiting for the Evolution Secret Realm to open seemed to be his next steps. Currently, Sudden Death King is level 30, and General Ha is level 29. By then, they should both be ready to evolve. For Sudden Death King¡¯s evolution resources, Lu Ran prepared the Dragon King Trait Crystal and the Heart of the Diamond Dragon, which maximizes nutritional absorption before evolution. As for General Ha, Manager Ying has likely exchanged for the Ultimate Perception Trait. If all goes well, General Ha could evolve alongside Sudden Death King. Lu Ran believes in their potential and is confident they won¡¯t be any weaker than the first, second, or third generation of pet beasts nurtured by top-level beastmasters! It¡¯s worth noting that their trait crystals are top-tier, their food is top-tier, and now, even their nurturing methods are top-tier, involving soul cultivation methods. Lu Ran is convinced they¡¯ll secure 2 out of the 10 avable slots for evolution. As for the Dark Crow, Lu Ran could only take it step by step, given how short the nurturing period had been and theck of soul enhancement. Lu Ran originally nned to go hunting for some ferocious beasts to feed it soul cuisine for a period before fusing it with the necromancy clone trait crystal to help its evolution. If it misses out this time, it will have to wait until the next Evolution Secret Realm opens. However, realizing he still had the exquisite pork bones left for making soup, Lu Ran thought that using this exquisite resource might give the Dark Crow a chance to evolve alongside General Ha and Sudden Death King. Although, evolving three pet beasts at once might be a bit too shy¡­ ¡°Meow!!¡± ¡°You finally came back!!!¡± Green Sea City. When Lu Ran returned, Manager Ying immediately noticed him. ¡°Hey~¡± ¡°Manager Ying, long time no see.¡± In the living room, after teleporting back, Lu Ran was fiddling with the ck necromancy robe referred to as the Holy Spirit Robe. He felt that wearing this outside might make him look suspicious. Hmm¡­ maybe I¡¯ll wear this robe when I¡¯m soloing a Legendary Secret Realm in the future. ¡°What¡¯s that in your hand¡­¡± Manager Ying nced at the necromancy robe in Lu Ran¡¯s hand and said, ¡°A loot from the secret realm? The material looks nice.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the main point. After taking care of LuJia Vige and the pet beast egg for a month, I¡¯m finally giving them back to you!¡± Manager Ying snorted, clearly fed up with the extended responsibility. ¡°Thank you, thank you¡­¡± Lu Ran chuckled, somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Here, your Ultimate Perception Trait Crystal. In the end, I traded it with the wealthy heir of that conglomerate.¡± Manager Ying felt intrigued seeing Lu Ran¡¯s embarrassed look. ¡°Thanks.¡± Lu Ran took the trait crystal. ¡°By the way, how did your breakthrough in the secret realm go this time?¡± Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but ask, curious about Lu Ran¡¯s second breakthrough secret realm experience, since his first had received an extraordinarily high rating. Considering Lu Ran¡¯s strength before entering, the results should be remarkable, right? ¡°It was a faction confrontation type task.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°The background was set at the end of the Empire era, during the early stages of necromancy development on the Star-Moon Continent. One faction was the Imperial Army, and the other was the necromantic forces.¡± ¡°You chose the necromantic forces, didn¡¯t you?¡± Manager Ying spected. ¡°That faction seems more interesting!¡± ¡°You, the son of a high-level member of The Other Shore, wouldn¡¯t choose the simpler mode of the Imperial Army.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°I chose the necromantic forces, while the other nine challengers all chose the Imperial Forces.¡± ¡°Oh, Yinglun¡¯s Knights of Light Order, including four members of the Golden Generation, were among them¡­ Just one week into the secret realm, I killed all nine of them¡­¡± ¡°Should I be worried about diplomatic issues?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Manager Ying. Wow. You really are ruthless. ¡°Get ready to trend on social media.¡± Manager Ying smirked. ¡°With you involved, the necromantic forces, and the Golden Generation, news of this breakthrough secret realm is going to be huge. Some of those challengers will definitely sell this intelligence to the media for a hefty sum.¡± ¡°Apart from killing the other challengers, did you do anything else that might be considered excessive?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s that look for?¡± Manager Ying was startled. It instinctively took out its phone and skimmed through it. Ding- Just then, a news notification popped up. [Lu Ran! Holy Son of the Necromantic Cult! Urging the International Beast Taming Alliance to investigate him thoroughly!] Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Meow, meow, meow???¡± Manager Ying was shocked. ¡­ The news media had shared a video. One of the challengers, eager to grab the first wave of traffic, had recorded a video detailing his secret realm experience in person. The video was posted on the international beast taming forum, and it sparked a massive uproar as soon as it was released. In just ten minutes, the repost count exceeded 1 million. The uploader was a young man who had been killed by the shockwave from Sudden Death King¡¯s skill in the secret realm. In the video, he recounted his harrowing experience! ¡°You won¡¯t believe who I encountered in the level 1 breakthrough secret realm!!!¡± ¡°I ended up in the same breakthrough secret realm as the four members of the Knights of Light Order from the Golden Generation, and the top member of the Fourth Generation, Lu Ran!¡± ¡°It was a faction confrontation task, with one side being the Beast Taming Empire and the other side the necromantic cult¡­¡± ¡°Out of the ten challengers, including myself and the Golden Generation members, nine of us chose the Empire faction. I mean, who in their right mind would choose the necromancy faction, right?¡± ¡°But the key is, Dragon Chef Lu Ran from Daxia, he chose it!¡± ¡°If it were just that, it wouldn¡¯t be such a big deal; maybe he was just curious.¡± ¡°But here¡¯s the kicker: one of us infiltrated necromancy City and saw Lu Ran barbecuing souls with the necromancer NPCs!! Barbecuing souls! Even necromancers from The Other Shore wouldn¡¯t go that far!¡± ¡°And here¡¯s the most critical part: when the nine of us finally led the Empire army to confront the necromantic cult in a decisive battle¡­ those necromancers started calling Lu Ran ¡®Holy Son¡¯!!¡± ¡°What in the world?! I was floored. How did he, a beastmaster, manage to be their heir in a faction confrontation task?? I wouldn¡¯t know how things ended because Lu Ran killed me.¡± ¡°Guys, it was terrifying. Lu Ran, all by himself, held off hundreds of Beast Taming Empire soldiers. Even the Knights of Light Order were helpless against him. His Erha even transformed into a bone hound, decimating opponents left and right. I suggest the international beast taming alliance thoroughly investigate this top member of the Fourth Generation. His conduct as the Holy Son of the necromantic cult doesn¡¯t seem like an act¡­ Just kidding, I believe Lu-Ge is a good guy (gritting teeth), but what¡¯s shown in the video is absolutely real!¡± It was inevitable for the video to explode after being posted. Having watched the entire video, Manager Ying fell into a long silence, then turned to Lu Ran with a piercing gaze. ¡°Is everything he said true? The Holy Son of the necromantic cult???!!!¡± Lu Ran sighed and replied, ¡°Do you believe it? Ordinary necromancers and a missionary don¡¯t have the authority to decide who¡¯s the Holy Son. They just called me that as a joke because I¡¯m so well-liked.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Manager Ying nodded. ¡°At that time, I was just a fake Holy Son, only having the potential of a Holy Son.¡± ¡°I only got the true Holy Son identity after I went to the necromantic cult¡¯s headquarters and was epted as a disciple by the Cult Leader of Necromancy, a legendary necromancer. They definitely don¡¯t know about this, since they were already dead by then,¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll sell you some intelligence after this.¡± ¡°???¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Huh??¡± ¡­ Once the video was released. It immediately shot to the top of trending topics in various countries. After not hearing any buzz about Lu Ran for a month, people finally realized that he was in a breakthrough secret realm. [Wow, Lu Ran and the Knights of Light Order were in the same breakthrough secret realm?][Did the Knights get wiped out¡­ The Holy Son of necromancy taking on hundreds, geez, the pressure is real. This is like a viin BOSS temte.][If our enemy is Lu Ran, then I¡¯ll allow my soldiers to be deserters!][Why isn¡¯t anyone from the Knights speaking up??? Did they get demoralized that badly?] In Yinglun, the Princess of Light sat on her bed, looking at the news, almost passing out from anger. Faced with the overwhelming online inquiries, she chose to turn off her phone and didn¡¯t respond, tacitly epting these ims. Even though she also wanted to call for a thorough investigation of Lu Ran, she understood that not only was there a slim chance that Lu Ran was really a problem, but even if he was, Xia Country would undoubtedly protect such a genius and give him a reasonable identity. ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± As the news continued to spread, the Principal of the beast taming university, Shi Zhen, Dragon Tamer Gu Qingyi, and Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden Fang Lan¡­ everyone who saw the video had bewildered expressions. The First Generation of Xia Country felt a wave of dizziness. What exactly did Lu Ran do in the secret realm?! Reading through countlessments calling for a ¡°thorough investigation of the Holy Son,¡± they all felt a headacheing on. Chapter 178: The Hatch of the Elemental Pet Beast Egg! Chapter 178: The Hatch of the Elemental Pet Beast Egg! Currently, only two people in Xia Country know Lu Ran¡¯s true identity. While others were stillughing and marveling at Lu Ran¡¯s prowess for causing such a big uproar, Gu Qingyi¡¯s mouth started to twitch. This couldn¡¯t withstand any scrutiny¡­ Many people on The Other Shore definitely know Lu Ran¡¯s identity. Once they trace it back to The Other Shore, Lu Ran¡¯s status as a high-level member of The Other Shore could no longer be hidden. Whether he could be definitively identified as the Holy Son of the necromancy cult was uncertain, but his background with The Other Shore was undeniable. However, Gu Qingyi quickly shook her head and decided it was pointless. Even if they found out, what could they do? Lu Ran acted so boldly, indicating that he didn¡¯t care about it himself, so there was no need to be concerned. After all, it was a well-known fact that the international beast taming alliance can only govern small countries. She dialed Lu Ran¡¯s number and immediately headed towards him. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°What intelligence?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes lit up upon hearing that Lu Ran wanted to sell some information to it.It wasn¡¯t opposed to buying intelligence. As long as the information was valuable, it would be willing to pay a corresponding price. ¡°Concerning the Legendary level!¡± Lu Ran said mysteriously. ¡°I know why there are only level 8 beastmasters on Star-Moon Continent and no level 9 beastmasters!¡± ¡°Hmm???¡± Manager Ying was taken aback. ¡°Go ahead, name your price.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take this intelligence!¡± ¡°Oh,e on, considering our rtionship, would I really charge you?¡± Lu Ran switched his tone and smiled. ¡°Let me tell you for free.¡± Manager Ying pouted; free information always came with the highest price. Judging by Lu Ran¡¯s demeanor, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be thest time he asked for its help for free. ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± Just as Lu Ran had started to speak, his phone rang, and Manager Ying looked annoyed. But seeing that it was Gu Qingyi calling, it couldn¡¯t make Lu Ran hang up the phone directly. ¡°Answer it, answer it,¡± Manager Ying said, exasperated that Gu Qingyi always called at the most critical moments. ¡°Hello, Lu Ran, what¡¯s the deal with that video? Is it real? The stuff about the necromancy Holy Son, is that fake?¡± she asked, sounding doubtful. Apparently, she didn¡¯t believe it either. Even if Lu Ran¡¯s parents were high-level members of The Other Shore, how did he end up as the Holy Son of the far more terrifying necromancy cult? It was obviously fake. There must be a huge misunderstanding. ¡°Actually, there is a bit of a misunderstanding,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Although the process was wrong, the result was correct.¡± Lu Ran shared with Gu Qingyi the same exnation he gave to Manager Ying. Dr. Gu: ??? Next to him, Manager Ying smirked mischievously. ¡°Come to think of it, the Cult Leader of Necromancy must at least be a level 8 beastmaster. What did they see in you to take you as a disciple?¡± This was something that even puzzled Manager Ying earlier. Not to mention Lu Ran, even the First Generation would find it incredibly challenging to establish a rtionship with a legendary beastmaster. Take Gu Qingyi, for example. Although she had a contract with a Loong-type beast and was very prominent on the blue star, her achievement of contracting a Loong-type beast was something many top-level second-generation beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent could do effortlessly. Or consider Lu Ran¡¯s current impressive identity as a Dragon Chef. In the Beast Taming Empire, while this role was rare, it still wasn¡¯t enough to gain the extraordinary favor and personal mentorship of a legendary beastmaster. Each legendary beastmaster represented the top-tier humanbat power on the continent, entities capable of ying dragons and obliterating cities with ease. Bing an heir to a legendary cult, especially in such a short timeframe, would be nearly impossible without some exceptional talent far ahead of the era. ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to elope with the Cult Leader¡¯s daughter, did you?¡± Gu Qingyi asked suspiciously from the other side of the phone. ¡°How could that be! I merely resolved an issue with the necromancy¡¯s soul-devouring downside while in a secret realm,¡± Lu Ran replied with a cheerful tone. Upon hearing this, both Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying stiffened. ¡°It basically means there is now hope for necromancy to be normalized,¡± Lu Ran continued. ¡°In the future, thanks to me, the upation of necromancer can be on par with the standard beastmaster system.¡± ¡°Let the rumors on the inte spread as they will. Free publicity is not to be wasted. By the time I redeem the reputation of necromancy, all this will have served as groundwork.¡± ¡°When will Xia Country establish its Department of Necromancy? My mind is overflowing with necromancy knowledge with nowhere to put it,¡± Lu Ran mused. After bing the King of Green Sea and the patriarch of his n, was he about to take on yet another identity? ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Qingyi was stunned, with many things to say but ultimately falling silent. She was confused, feeling that Lu Ran went to the breakthrough secret realm not for a trial, but as if he had some cheat code! The guild leader had tasked her with establishing the Department of Necromancy and researching the necromancy domain, but she hadn¡¯t started due to certain challenges. And now, Lu Ran went to the breakthrough secret realm and imed to have solved all the issues of the necromancy domain??? ¡°Are you the illegitimate child of Infinite City???¡± Manager Ying was also quite shocked and blurted out the question, feeling that Lu Ran¡¯s luck was overwhelmingly strong. First, he mastered the Loong-type, and now the necromancy domain-how did he manage to achieve such substantial gains in these opportunity-rich unknown fields? Both were left speechless by Lu Ran. ¡°Dr. Gu, where are you?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Actually, the existence value of the necromancy domain is significant and also rtes to the Legendary level. I was just about to exin this to Manager Ying, but then your call interrupted.¡± What followed was a continuous bombardment of intelligence from Lu Ran. He revealed piece by piece the information that human beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent couldn¡¯t break through to the Legendary level because they were capped by Legendary creatures. Then, he exined the origin of the necromancy cult on the Star-Moon Continent and the ambitions of its Sect leader! Necromancy! This domain was created by two prodigies who sought to help humanity break through the Legendary limit. They developed this ability by mimicking the death dragon and leveraging the power of the death dragon¡¯s retainers! Not only was it not evil, but it also held a grand purpose. Now, Lu Ran had even solved the major issue that led to the necromancy domain being viewed as evil. Unexpectedly, when this archaeological intelligence is revealed, it would shake the blue star to its core. Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were shocked, feeling that the already tumultuous The Other Shore might descend into further chaos. A new faction might emerge, with many people possiblying to seek support from Lu Ran-the orthodox necromancy practitioner! At this moment, Manager Ying, unable to digest such explosive intelligence, leaned against the sofa as if drunk. Its tail swayed back and forth, and its expression was dazed. Dr. Gu remained silent for a long while before she slowly spoke, ¡°Wait for me; I¡¯ll be at Green Sea shortly.¡± Compared to the forbidden knowledge Lu Ran unearthed through archaeology and his own research findings, the rumors circting online seemed trivial. Currently, the excitedizens were righteously calling for a ¡°thorough investigation¡±, but when Lu Ran finally clears the name of necromancy, the reversal would be monumental. ¡°I wonder what secrets you will uncover in your next breakthrough secret realm.¡± After ending the call with Dr. Gu, Manager Ying¡¯s whiskers twitched as it looked at Lu Ran, feeling rather impressed by this youngster. For a level 1 beastmaster to enter such a secret realm, surviving Mingan City alone would already bemendable. Yet, Lu Ran not only survived but also became the Holy Son of a legendary cult and obtained such unique intelligence. ¡°Let me analyze this calmly.¡± Manager Ying was now considering how to maximize its gains in the impending necromancy wave. ¡°Sure, go ahead and analyze.¡± ¡°By the way, where is Summer? And Dark Crow?¡± ¡°Oh, Summer? Dark Crow tricked it into training the Green Sea army. It¡¯s been cooking outside every day for a month now.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Well, good job, Dark Crow. After a month, Summer¡¯s spear intent should be well-honed by now. ¡°By the way, give me the egg,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s on the balcony. You can take it out of the incubation liquid and hatch it anytime, whenever you feel like.¡± ¡°Alright?¡± Lu Ran was momentarily stunned but quickly ran to the balcony. There, he saw a rectangr incubator filled with clear liquid, and a white pet beast egg was floating inside. ¡°No need to overthink this.¡± With nothing urgent to attend to, he was just waiting for the Evolution Secret Realm. Taking care of a new pet wouldn¡¯t require much additional effort. Lu Ran eagerly reached into the incubator, intending to hatch the creature that had been incubating for half a month right away. He was curious to see what species this pet beast egg would turn out to be. Lu Ran thought the rock monarch of Princess of Light was pretty impressive, with its ability to infinitely regenerate its body and its elemental transformation, akin to an immortal being. Soon, Lu Ran took out the pet beast egg, looking at it with anticipation. Momentster, the pet beast egg began to emit a dazzling light. Indeed! Lu Ran¡¯s ck pupils focused on the pet beast egg, and his heart churned with excitement along with the radiance. ¡°Crack¡­¡± In the next moment, cracks appeared on the eggshell. As the cracks spread, the pet beast egg gradually shattered. However, contrary to the norm, this young living creature didn¡¯t simply ¡°hatch¡± from the egg. Instead, the light within the cracks grew stronger, enveloping the entire egg. Under the glow, the egg transformed into apletely new form of life!!! No trace of the eggshell remained. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± The newly born creature made a delicate sound. Lu Ran, in turn, watched it in awe. The white creature floated into the air, swaying with the breeze like a girl¡¯s gently fluttering veil. It was light, soft, and softly drifting, as pristine and serene as a little elf. ¡°Is this¡­ a cloud?¡± Lu Ran whispered as he gazed at the life form that had finally emerged from the pet beast egg. ¡°Pitter-patter??¡± The pure white creature, resembling a small cloud, also turned to look at Lu Ran. At the same time, its information appeared before Lu Ran¡¯s eyes. [Name]: Weather Elf [Attribute]: Water (Ice, Thunder) [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 1 [Species Talent]: Weather Blessing (The Weather Elf has three forms: Rain Cloud Form, Ice Cloud Form, and Thunder Cloud Form. In the respective forms, it can control heavy rain, blizzard, and thunderstorm power to the fullest extent. It can also grant a Weather Blessing to specified individuals or groups, enhancing the potency of their corresponding attribute skills and elerating their energy recovery speed¡­) ¡°This is amazing.¡± Lu Ran eximed as he looked at the Weather Elf in delight. Just what he wanted-a mage-type pet beast capable of group attacks. And as it turned out, this little creature also possessed formidable support abilities! Chapter 179: Weather Elf! Chapter 179: Weather Elf! Weather Elf! Clearly, it is a mist-type elemental spirit primarilyposed of water elements. Lu Ran was instantly delighted. Although he would be happy regardless of what kind of innate sovereign species pet beast hatched from the egg, this weather elf felt like a divine gift. It perfectly matches his current team! Lu Ran needed a water-element pet beast for future sea region battles, and here it is. He needed a pet beast with wide-range AOE damage, and here it is. Moreover, its ice cloud form and thunder cloud form seemed to be able to assist both General Ha and the Sudden Death King. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t think of any elemental spirit more suitable for him than this cloud.¡°Pitter-patter-¡° However, as Lu Ran gently looked at the weather elf, who would have thought it would instantly change its expression and start bawling. Rain began to pour down from its cloudy body. Plop, plop, plop!! Most importantly, its crying seemed to trigger an external weather change, and rain clouds materialized over half the Starlight Community, leading to a downpour. ¡°Um.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. Seriously. Is this really level 1? He looked at the heavy rain outside, lost in thought. This is what a sovereign is. But please, don¡¯t cry! ¡°What, has it hatched?¡± At this moment, Manager Ying sensed themotion and walked onto the balcony¡­ As it discovered the floor covered in water, its gaze turned towards the weather elf and the bewildered Lu Ran. [Water-elemental spirit¡­ Could it be a species that controls weather by manipting natural energy?] Manager Ying quickly deduced the weather elf¡¯s general abilities by observing the situation outside. ¡°Pitter-patter-¡° However, what Lu Ran didn¡¯t expect was that as Manager Ying entered, the weather elf saw it and cried even harder. It even showed signs of darkening, with electric arcs starting to flicker around its body¡­ Boom- A thunderp echoed outside. ¡°Whoa.¡± This scene frightened Lu Ran, who hurriedly used telepathy to calm it down. Water and lightningbo is not something to be trifled with. It¡¯s too easy to cause idental injury. It might be because it was just born and not yet ustomed to the outside environment, but the Weather Elf¡¯s emotions were quite unstable at the moment. However, no matter how much Lu Ran tried to soothe it, it didn¡¯t seem to work. Eventually, Manager Ying scowled disdainfully, took out a water gem from its personal space, and tossed it to the Weather Elf. Feeling the rich water element power, the Weather Elf immediately paused and caught the water gem with its body. ¡°You¡¯re useless,¡± Manager Ying pouted. ¡°Crying right after being born means it¡¯s obviously hungry. Just ¡®There, there, don¡¯t cry¡¯ won¡¯t work. You need to feed it.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!¡± The Weather Elf held the water gem, its body moving as if nodding. ¡°I know, you don¡¯t need to tell me,¡± Lu Ran said through gritted teeth. ¡°I could sense its emotions earlier; I just didn¡¯t immediately think of what to feed it.¡± ¡°Elemental-type beings prefer pure energy crystallizations like energy gems or special water sources, rather than animal flesh.¡± ¡°Given that it¡¯s water-affiliated, you should try liquid food first.¡± ¡°Boring, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Manager Ying nced at the Weather Elf, losing interest. ¡°See you.¡± Lu Ran continued to observe the Weather Elf. A sovereign by birth truly lives up to the name. Not only does it have three innate attributes, but it also possesses various energy maniption techniques and skills right from birth, with no need for a beastmaster to train or develop themter. [Skills]: Rainmaking, Snowfall, Thunder! ¡°So powerful,¡± Lu Ran gently looked at the now-calm Weather Elf. The Weather Elf, holding the water gem, also ¡°looked¡± at Lu Ran. Though it was just a cloud without facial features, it might use energy fluctuations to perceive its surroundings. ¡°From today onwards, I am your beastmaster.¡± ¡°Here, take this, a wee gift.¡± Lu Ran took out a bottle of drink from the ck card space. The Weather Elf immediately and excitedly extended a cloud to take the drink and poured it into its body. ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!¡± It seemed quite content and happily epted Lu Ran. ¡°Let¡¯s give you a name,¡± Lu Ran smiled, feeling that ¡°Weather Elf¡± was too long and awkward to say. He decided to give it a nickname, just like General Ha and the Sudden Death King. What should it be¡­ However, as soon as Lu Ran started to think, the Weather Elf suddenly went limp and seemed to fall asleep, breathing softly. Lu Ran was silent. It really seemed like the ssic case of eating and then sleeping, and crying upon waking. Before long. Gu Qingyi also arrived at Lu Ran¡¯s ce, and the three of them-Lu Ran, Manager Ying, and Gu Qingyi-began a three-way discussion. Originally, they were supposed to talk about necromancy matters, but after seeing the hatched egg, Gu Qingyi couldn¡¯t help but ask about its species. And Lu Ran, naturally, shared the basic information about the Weather Elf. ¡°You still say you¡¯re not an illegitimate child of Infinite City. This Weather Elf fits in so perfectly with your other two pet beasts,¡± Manager Yingmented wryly. Paired with General Ha, it could trigger blizzard weather. Together with the Sudden Death King, it could initiate thunderstorm weather. As a duo, they formed a perfect weather team. ¡°A Weather Elf¡­ That¡¯s indeed amazing, especially at sea. With a group of wind and water-element spirits, the Weather Elf¡¯s control over the weather might even make it the core of a weather legion,¡± Gu Qingyi marveled. ¡°With an inherent talent for Legion Command no less.¡± ¡°Not bad at all,¡± Lu Ran grinned widely, feeling almost personally praised when the Weather Elf wasplimented. ¡°Do you want me to find a Nature Control trait for you?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°The Weather Elf species seems perfectly suited for the Nature Control trait.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lu Ran nodded. If General Ha had a decentpatibility with the Nature Control trait, the Weather Elf was a perfect match. Even the enhancements brought by some unique traits wouldn¡¯t be as significant as those from Nature Control. ¡°However, its abilities are soprehensive that apart from traits like Nature Control, which can enhance its power in all aspects, I can¡¯t think of any other traits that would fit it perfectly,¡± Gu Qingyi pondered. ¡°Special Thunder, Special Frost, Special Water Source-they could work but are somewhat limited in enhancing it fully,¡± she mused. ¡°Actually, we could cultivate itterally. Since it¡¯s called a Weather Elf, we might try to awaken it to other weather forms,¡± Manager Ying suggested casually. ¡°For instance, by awakening new attributes, we could potentially develop it into a Storm Form, Sandstorm Form, Intense Sunlight Form, or even a Smog Form.¡± ¡°However, some of these attributes might not align well with its current Cloud Form, so it¡¯s uncertain if they can be sessfully developed.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Lu Ran nodded. He understood that one approach to nurturing this little one was to vertically strengthen its existing water, ice, and thunder abilities. The other approach was to infuse it with new attributes to unlock diverse weather forms. New forms could assist other pet beasts. For example, if Lu Ranter contracted a pet beast with earth or rock powers, a Sandstorm Form for the Weather Elf could provide excellent support. ¡°Once the contract is established, I might add the me Sprite to it and see if it can awaken a Fiery Cloud or Intense Sunlight Form,¡± Lu Ran contemted. He didn¡¯t have to wait for it to awaken new attributes; he could directly use his beast taming skills to test new forms. ¡°¡­¡± Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were momentarily speechless. ¡°Are we getting off track? Let¡¯s not focus on the cloud baby for now,¡± Manager Ying interrupted. ¡°Alright, now that Qingyi is here, why don¡¯t you narrate your breakthrough secret realm experience from start to finish in detail?¡± ¡°OK,¡± Lu Ran began to recount his experience in the breakthrough secret realm. The core of their discussion was essentially how to bring the necromancy system to the forefront of the Blue Star stage openly. Even though Xia Country was very powerful, they couldn¡¯tpletely disregard the eyes of the world and directly practice necromancy. It was essential to clearly exin to the internationalmunity that the necromancy system posed no detriments and had significant benefits. Obtaining certification from the International Alliance was necessary before bringing necromancy openly to the world. ¡°This might require a fully perfected research oue and an international press conference,¡± Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran and said: ¡°A conference aimed at vindicating the necromancy system. After the conference, Xia Country can help maneuver it to gain the support of the beast taming alliances from various countries. This way, necromancy can genuinely step onto the world stage.¡± ¡°Although Xia Country could continue its secret research and training without making it public, both options have their pros and cons. What do you think, Lu Ran?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°Keeping it secret might be more straightforward and less risky, but it could slow down the progress in necromancy research.¡± ¡°On the other hand, if we make it public and bring necromancy to the world stage, Xia Country would receive extensive resource support from the International Beast Taming Alliance and could be the cradle of necromancy. You¡¯d also gain numerous honors and rewards.¡± ¡°The International Beast Taming Alliance highly values groundbreaking research and discoveries in the beast taming domain.¡± ¡°In doing so, Xia Country could leverage necromancy research to gain substantial political capital with other nations.¡± ¡°But in return, you¡¯d be a high-profile figure on the international stage. Your influence would far exceed that of a Strongest Fourth Generation or Dragon Chef. You¡¯ll be under even more scrutiny,¡± Gu Qingyi pondered aloud and said, ¡°Guess how many assassination attempts I faced after I first nurtured a Loong-type pet beast?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I still want to use necromancy openly and make it as normal and epted as water, fire, wind, or thunder attributes,¡± Lu Ran stated. ¡°After all, I promised the sect leader in the secret realm that I would promote the development of necromancy.¡± ¡°After the Evolution Secret Realm¡­ No, after Dark Crow¡¯s next evolution, I¡¯ll hold a press conference for necromancy. I¡¯ll present my research findings and my discoveries in the secret realm to the world.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll pioneer necromancy as a new schrly field.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking at the young man with a degree of admiration. ¡°Researching Loong-types, investigating necromancy¡­ You and your generation¡­ No, just you alone¡­ Who knows what kind of revolution you¡¯ll bring to the world after this Evolution Secret Realm expedition.¡± Manager Ying, standing nearby, chuckled and added, ¡°Haha, now I¡¯m curious whether he¡¯ll also bring forth nt life and mechanical life from the Infinite City. Otherwise, I¡¯d really start to suspect he has some undisclosed secrets with Infinite City.¡± Chapter 180: Contract, Third Pet Chapter 180: Contract, Third Pet After conversing for over an hour, Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying finally saw Dr. Gu leave, looking satisfied. At this moment, the weather elf had also woken up. Its energy recovery was quite swift. After greeting Manager Ying, Lu Ran set off to venture with the weather elf. However, before heading out, Lu Ran made sure to disguise himselfpletely. After all, he was currently at the center of international scrutiny. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± The weather elf curled up in Lu Ran¡¯s pocket, curiously peering at the sky outside, and asked where they were headed. ¡°We¡¯re going to find a crow.¡±¡°When we meet it, I¡¯ll introduce you to all your teammates,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°And finally¡­ let¡¯s see yourbat abilities.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!¡± With the weather elf in tow, Lu Ran fell into deep thought as they walked. Right now, the weather elf was undoubtedly as pure as a nk te. When it was still an egg, he could let Manager Ying or the dark crow help take care of it, but now¡­ Whether handing it to Manager Ying or Fang Lan, Lu Ran was clearly uneasy, because its character would certainly be influenced. The former would skew its personality, while thetter might even skew its attributes. If it got influenced by Fang Lan, the weather elf might evolve towards a poisonous cloud, which would be troublesome. However, there were times when he needed to enter the infinite city and couldn¡¯t carry it with him. What should be done then? Leaving it alone outside was also worrisome for Lu Ran. ¡°Why not contract the weather elf first? Contract the dark crow as the fourth pet beastter?¡± ¡°Never mind, better to contract the dark crow first. As for this little guy, hmm!! Let¡¯s have Manager Ying take care of it for now. The sudden death king is level 30 now, and I can enter the level 2 breakthrough secret realm anytime. As long as I breakthrough quickly and contract the weather elf soon, their time together won¡¯t be much, and it definitely won¡¯t get influenced.¡± Soon, after making up his mind, Lu Ran arrived at Emerald Mountain. Then, he witnessed a profound scene. With a gun in hand during summer, lined up with grilled fish, snakes in the forest were queuing up, distributing the fish among themselves. Nearby, the dark crow and fire snake were maintaining order, ¡°cultivating¡± the Green Sea snake army. ¡°Big King???¡± However, when the dark crow noticed Lu Ran approaching, it was so shocked that it nearly rubbed its eyes in disbelief. Once the dark crow confirmed it was Lu Ran, it immediately burst into tears, saying, ¡°Big King, I missed you so much! You¡¯re finally back.¡± ¡°Big King?¡± The dark crow¡¯s voice caught summer¡¯s attention. She quickly turned around and indeed saw Lu Ran, who was approaching, wearing a hat and mask. ¡°Have you mastered spear intent?¡± As soon as Lu Ran approached, he noticed a significant improvement in summer¡¯s spear intent. She was in her ordinary state, not maintaining her fusion form, yet the long spear she held was continuously emitting a sun-like artistic conception. Her progress was faster than Lu Ran had imagined. She could already disy spear intent without relying on the power of a pet beast. It should be noted that Lu Ran had only achieved this with the help of super beast mimicry, while she hadpletely relied on her Inch-perfect de techniquebined with her own talent. Lu Ran felt that her weapon talent was not inferior to his, if not superior. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re back,¡± summer nced at Lu Ran, breathing a sigh of relief, and said, ¡°Considering the time, it¡¯s about right.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re back, I¡¯ll return to school tomorrow. Anyway, thank you both for your guidance.¡± ¡°I have mastered the spear intent!¡± Summer sincerely expressed her gratitude. She was thankful to Lu Ran for his Inch-perfect de technique and to the dark crow, as without its request for her to make barbecue for the city¡¯s supernatural beings, her spear intent wouldn¡¯t have progressed so quickly¡­ She initially thought that within a month, she could at most maintain proficiency in the Inch-perfect de technique and artistic conception release. As it turned out, she had managed to master the independent spear intent through sheer workload. But honestly, after a month of making barbecue, she was utterly sick of it. She didn¡¯t want to touch cooking any time soon. ¡°Caw.¡± The dark crow looked at summer, the female chef, and said, ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard!¡± Lu Ran also noticed this. He looked at the dark crow; its level had unexpectedly reached level 25. It seemed that the resources he left behind,bined with summer¡¯s Dark Culinary Intent, had brought significant benefits to the dark crow. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly, ¡°It¡¯s been more than a month away from school, it¡¯s time to go back to ss¡­¡± ¡°How was your breakthrough secret realm experience?¡± summer asked. ¡°Uh¡­ haven¡¯t you been keeping up with the news?¡± Seeing her drenched in sweat, Lu Ran guessed she must have been working hard on barbecue and probably hadn¡¯t checked the news. ¡°Just take a look at your phone and you¡¯ll know.¡± summer: ??? ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll head back and check it out,¡± summer said. It seemed Lu Ran was here to find the dark crow, so she decided to go back to Lu Ran¡¯s ce first and take a bath. Besides¡­ what kind of mysterious breakthrough experience could it be? In no time, summer left. As she descended the mountain, summer took out her phone. Following Lu Ran¡¯s suggestion, she searched for news about Lu Ran¡¯s breakthrough¡­ And then¡­ she stopped in her tracks halfway down the mountain, lost in thought. ¡­ At the same time, Lu Ran looked at the dark crow, fire snake, and its dozens of followers, and said: ¡°Fire snake, you all can leave now.¡± ¡°Hissssss-¡± The fire snake nodded. With a single call, all the poison snakes scattered and crawled away. Soon, only the dark crow, Lu Ran, and the weather elf remained. Lu Ran took out the contract card and looked at the dark crow. The dark crow, upon seeing the card, was visibly excited. ¡°Big King!!! Could it be-¡° ¡°Although you haven¡¯t met the requirements I mentioned¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°But considering all your hard work recently¡­¡± ¡°Uwuuwu, I¡­¡± Before the dark crow could finish, Lu Ran flicked the contract card, hitting the dark crow square on the head. In the next instant, the card absorbed the dark crow. Immediately after. The contract card revealed the dark crow¡¯s detailed information. [Species]: Dark Curse Crow [Attributes]: Dark, Mental [Species Level]: Lower Commander [Growth Level]: Level 25 [Species Talent]: Dark Curse (Canbine dark power with mental strength to form curse power!) Lu Ran took the card and slowly browsed through the information, feeling the mental connection he had established with the dark crow, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Pitter-patter-¡± The weather elf, who witnessed the entire process of Lu Ran contracting the dark crow, looked on with a curious expression, still in its initial stage of understanding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re next.¡± ¡°Everyone,e on out.¡± After contracting the dark crow, three cards floated around Lu Ran, emitting a shimmering light. With a sh, General Ha, the sudden death king, and the newly contracted Dark Crow General were summoned all at once by Lu Ran! ¡°Woof!!¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± General Ha and the sudden death king looked at the new addition, the Dark Crow General, without much surprise. However, they both showed curious expressions when they noticed the weather elf floating beside Lu Ran. ¡°Cloud baby, give them a little surprise,¡± Lu Ranughed heartily. He instructed the weather elf. The next moment, the weather elf nodded thoughtfully, and instantly, a snow cloud formed over General Ha. Glistening snowkes began to drift down. ¡°Awwooo???¡± Feeling the temperature drop and even sensing his Blizzard Sword Intent bing more active, General Ha looked up at the snow cloud with a surprised expression, barking in excitement. His eyes lit up. ¡°Roar!!¡± This magical scene also piqued the curiosity of the sudden death king. However, in the next moment- Boom!!! A white lightning bolt, rapidly formed under the gathering thunderclouds, struck the sudden death king with precision. While it caused very little damage, the sudden death king disyed a greatly puzzled expression. Huh? ¡°Brilliant! In the future, use the ice cloud form to enhance General Ha¡¯sbat intelligence and Blizzard Sword Intent.¡± ¡°And use the thunder cloud form to regrly summon heavenly thunder tribtions for the sudden death king to undergo heavenly thunder body forging!!¡± ¡°Pitter-patter-¡± Although the weather elf didn¡¯t fully understand what Lu Ran was saying, it still called out joyfully. ¡°Big king, big king, what about me?? What about me??¡± The newly joined dark crow eagerly looked at the weather elf, almost like looking at a beloved child. Its high intelligence allowed it to roughly guess that this cloud creature was the life form that hatched from that egg. ¡°You???¡± Lu Ran thought for a moment and looked at the weather elf. The weather elf also pondered for a bit but didn¡¯t feel that any ¡°weather blessing¡± was suitable for the dark crow. However, since the dark crow was insisting, the weather elf summoned a rain cloud, poured down a heavy rain, and left the dark crow drenched, giving it a proper bath. ¡°Caw?¡± The dark crow was flying around aimlessly in the air¡­ ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no suitable weather for dark attributes. Does an overcast day count as weather? A thick, light-blocking cloud cover, shrouding the world in darkness¡­ plunging everything into a state of perpetual night,¡± Lu Ran pondered but quickly felt it wasn¡¯t feasible. The weather elf, as a pet beast, indeed had strong innate abilities, but its cultivation direction was hard to manage, unlike the more straightforward nurturing paths for General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow. ¡°Caw.¡± At this moment, the dark crow was silently weeping on the side, so does it mean I¡¯m not worthy¡­ ¡°Stop wallowing in despair,e here. I¡¯ll help you awaken a new ability,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at the dark crow that had been eating the big eyeball for over a month, a smile appearing on his face. He took out the trait crystal of the Evil God¡¯s Eye. Upon sighting the trait crystal, the dark crow flew over immediately, itching to have a try. ¡°Big king, I¡¯m ready!¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Lu Ran tossed the trait crystal of the Evil God¡¯s Eye towards the dark crow. As the crystal made contact with it, they began to merge instantaneously, emitting a pervasive red glow! The gazes of General Ha, the sudden death king, and the weather elf were immediately drawn towards the dark crow. [It should be able to awaken a species talent, right?] Lu Ran¡¯s heart pounded with nervous anticipation. Although he felt the chances were high, the moment was still a bit nerve-wracking. Hoping for another powerful talent!!! ¡°Ahhhhh-¡° During the fusion process, the dark crow seemed to be in considerable pain, its ck eyes shut tightly as it covered its eyes with its wings. ¡°Hold on, try to control it,¡± Lu Ran¡¯s voice called out, prompting the dark crow to nod vigorously. During this period, the interwoven red and ck energy waves continuously emanated from its body, making its color scheme quite simr to the sudden death king. ¡°My eyes-my eyes-¡° During the fusion process, the chatty dark crow couldn¡¯t keep its beak shut, constantly muttering. However, its aura was indeed growing stronger, filled with an ominous and eerie feeling that made both General Ha and the sudden death king furrow their brows. If the dark crow wasn¡¯t theirpanion, they would undoubtedly dislike this aura immensely. It was even more diforting than a necromancy-type aura. Nevertheless, the fact that it could affect the senses of General Ha and the sudden death king proved how solidified and potent the dark crow¡¯s mental strength had be. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± Even the weather elf was somewhat frightened by the dark crow¡¯s current aura. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, remember it used to hold you when you were little,¡± Lu Ran reassured, pinching the weather elf. The soft texture was quite pleasant; he thought it might be perfect as a future flying tool. A Nimbus Cloud! Just like a soft cotton bed. ¡°Pitter-patter!!!¡± The weather elf signaled Lu Ran to stop pinching, because by now, the dark crow¡¯s aura was beginning to recede. Its fusion trait process was much less dramaticpared to the previous experiences of General Ha and the sudden death king. On a closer look, as the dark crow moved its wings away from its eyes, it slowly opened them, and instantly, General Ha, Lu Ran, the sudden death king, and the weather elf felt enveloped in absolute darkness. In the darkness, numerous pure ck eyes with a red vertical pupil at the center appeared, covering the sky, the earth, and all around, all staring at them. Though itsted just a moment, the sense of oppression was incredibly strong. When the darkness faded, everyone realized that the dark crow¡¯s previous pure ck eyes had now morphed into blood-red vertical eyes intertwined with ck and red. Its form hadn¡¯t changed much, but its eyes had! ¡°Caw caw caw caw caw!!!¡± Seeing the world through its new eyes, the dark crow suddenly burst into maniacalughter, ¡°Caw caw caw caw.¡± ¡°This power¡­ I gaze upon the world, and the world submits to its king!!¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s face turned dark as he checked the contract card. [Name]: Evil Eye Crow [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Species Talent]: Dark Curse, Target Lock (Creatures with this talent can use the Evil God¡¯s Eye to lock onto enemies. When attacking a locked target, the natural energy loss of skills during the attack process is significantly reduced!) ¡°Look at this.¡± Seeing the dark crow¡¯s new species talent, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but be surprised even as the dark crowughed manically. Target lock?? You see, the Evil God¡¯s Eye, by nature, is merely a ¡°reconnaissance-type¡± trait. Although it can span vast distances to allow the Evil God¡¯s Eye to gaze at and lock onto enemies, it can only influence the enemy¡¯s mental state to a certain extent, monitoring them without causing any direct harm. Therefore, to pair the Evil God¡¯s Eye with ultra-long-range strikes, the dark crow still needs to diligently train in release-type skills, ideally reaching the third stage of release, the eternal skill, which allows absorbing external energy, making the skill perpetually active. Only then would it be possible to urately strike across a city or even a nation. Of course, the dark crow still has a long way to go before reaching that point. However, the awakening of this target lock talent effectively grants the dark crow a low-powered version of the third stage of energy release! Lu Ran was slightly amazed. With this talent, if it locks onto an enemy, its skills in ultra-long-range attacks won¡¯t suffer significant energy loss, maintaining enough power until theynd on the target. This is, in the truest sense, ultra-long-range striking. ¡°Dark crow!!!¡± Lu Ran was ecstatic, eager to test the dark crow¡¯s new ability. ¡°I¡¯m here!¡± ¡°Use your Evil God¡¯s Eye to assist a random general from the Green Sea currently on the battlefield.¡± ¡°Find a lucky one to experiment with thebo of Evil Eye lock-on and ultra-long-range curse.¡± ¡°Never mind, that might be difficult to find. Sudden death king, you¡¯re up. First, run 10,000 meters away, and the dark crow¡¯s attack will follow.¡± Sudden death king: ??? Chapter 181: Self-harming Team Chapter 181: Self-harming Team ¡°Just kidding.¡± Lu Ranughed as he saw the sudden death king with a bitter expression. Then, he turned his gaze towards the dark crow. ¡°Caw.¡± The dark crow nodded and slightly closed its eyes. In the next moment. It felt as if the entire region of the Green Sea appeared in its mind. However, it was all blurred. Only a rough outline could be seen. To observe more clearly, it still needed to project the Evil God¡¯s Eye. At present, the trait of the Evil God¡¯s Eye endowed the dark crow with unimaginable space perception and scouting talent.It first projected the eye towards the one-eared. At this moment, the one-eared was giving a lecture to his underlings in a warehouse. Suddenly. The void seemed to tear open, and a gigantic dark red eye appeared out of nowhere in the sky. The pattern of the eye was identical to the dark crow¡¯s, both having ck eyes with a blood-red vertical pupil. Gulp¡­ The eyeball rolled in the Evil God¡¯s Eye, and the dark crow¡¯s perception of this ce became increasingly vivid. ¡°Meow!!¡± However, this scene frightened the one-eared and its group. They looked at the suddenly appearing Evil God¡¯s Eye with great rm, their fur standing on end. The terrifying eye stared at dozens of cats for a moment, then disappeared to find its next target¡­ There was no battle here. The range of the dark crow¡¯s scouting continued to expand during which Lu Ran maintained telepathy with the dark crow. Before long, the dark crow¡¯s focus extended to the boundaries of the Green Sea. In this area. The bug king was on duty, watching another swarm of mosquitoes cross the sea region, trying to reach the Green Sea. The bug king showed an unfriendly expression. Bzzz bzzz bzzz- Hundreds of mutant mosquito beasts, all pitch ck, swept in from the sky. Although each was below level 10, with not very high levels, mosquitoes had be the most troublesome creatures for human cities now. ¡°Swish!!¡± Just as the bug king was about to spread its wings and lead the princes and princesses behind it for some training, suddenly, the Evil God¡¯s Eye opened here again. The eerie Evil God¡¯s Eye not only startled the bug king and its group but also made the swarm of mosquitoes instantly feel an ominous aura, as if they were locked on by a terrifying existence. ¡°Found them, the intruders.¡± On Emerald Mountain, the dark crow opened its eyes and let out a ¡°caw caw caw¡±ugh. ¡°Let there be mutual ughter-¡± It whispered like an evil god, as its cursed spirit slipped into the void, flying swiftly towards the targeted enemies. Originally, the dark crow¡¯s attack range was just over a hundred meters, but now, with the added boost from its targeting Talent, its curse extended across 500 meters, 1000 meters, 5000 meters¡­ And yet, the energy expenditure remained minimal. Not long after. The bug king¡¯s species, guarding the border, witnessed a shocking scene. The swarm of mosquitoes suddenly went insane, their eyes transforming to the pattern of the Evil God¡¯s Eye. In the air, they began a brutal fight against each other, with blood sttering across the ground. And nearby, the Evil God¡¯s Eye observed everything, as if it were the source of all this evil. [What is this!] The bug king was also on high alert. However, this Evil God¡¯s Eye merely nced at them briefly, then closed its eye and slowly faded away. Through the contract link and telepathy, Lu Ran roughly sensed the dark crow¡¯s achievements and couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished. This range of over ten thousand meters had indeed allowed it to effortlessly curse and kill a group of enemies. In a simpler secret realm, it might even be able to clear stages without ever seeing the BOSS, greatly elerating resource farming efficiency¡­ ¡°Ah!!! My eyes, my eyes!!!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see, it¡¯s so dark!!¡± However, the dark crow couldn¡¯t maintain its cool for more than a few seconds. Blood began to trickle from the corners of its eyes. Observing enemies over such a vast distance had put an immense strain on its eyes. Nearby, General Ha and the sudden death king both had disdainful expressions, although they didn¡¯t know what had happened. Was this minor injury worth crying out about? But then they both fell silent, looking at each other. Why did their team always end up self-harming after every battle? ¡°Buzz!¡± In the next moment, Lu Ran held the divine deer antler and gave it a light wave. The golden-green healing wave instantly mended General Crow¡¯s eyes. ¡°Hey?¡± The blood stopped, and light returned to its eyes. The Dark Crow General was momentarily stunned. ¡°As long as I¡¯m here, don¡¯t be afraid. Even if your eyes are damaged, I can heal them back.¡± ¡°Big King is invincible!!!¡± ¡°Ah¡­ What magnificent power of the king!!!¡± The Dark Crow General was ted! ¡°¡­¡± At this moment, Lu Ran was already eager to take the dark crow to a secret realm for a challenge. He wanted to see if they could curse-kill a BOSS right at the entrance and clear the stage efficiently. However, Lu Ran nced at the cloud baby nearby and pondered; he had to deal with this little one first. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± The weather elf, seeing General Crow¡¯s eyes inexplicably bleeding, was even more frightened of it. This made the dark crow feel quite wounded. It really wasn¡¯t a bad crow. ¡°Let¡¯s test your power next.¡± Lu Ran looked at the weather elf, which was a level 1 middle sovereign. In theory, it should not be at a disadvantage even against a level 20 middle supernatural. It could also hold its own against a level 10 middlemander. So, although the weather elf had just been born, its strength should not be underestimated! ¡°By the way, since you are an element, can you shape yourself?¡± Lu Ran looked at the cloud baby and said, ¡°You can change your form, right?¡± Lu Ran took out his phone and pulled up a picture of a little girl¡­ ¡°No, you can¡¯t see this.¡± ¡°Do you remember the older sister who left our ce when you woke up, or the older sister who went down the mountain earlier? Can you transform into something simr?¡± ¡°Caw?¡± The dark crow rubbed its eyes. The weather elf was slightly confused. As a cloud, it could change its form in countless ways. But given its young age, it didn¡¯t understand why Lu Ran wanted it to do this. Wasn¡¯t its current simple form easier? Why make things soplicated¡­ However, since it was Lu Ran¡¯s request, the weather elfplied and began to shape-shift into a humanoid form. Before long. What started as a mass of cloud resembling cotton candy began to form into a girl-like shape. Although its body was still entirely made of white cloud, the form was much more animatedpared to before. ¡°Hey, it really works.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Can this form summon thunder?¡± Lu Ran asked. Immediately, the weather elf transformed from an ordinary cloud into a ck thundercloud, with electricity flickering within its body¡­ Boom. A bolt of lightning shot out from its arm effortlessly, burning through severalrge trees in its path before dissipating. ¡­ A momentter. The weather elf, exhausted, fell asleep again. Lu Ran called out, ¡°Manager Ying!!!¡± ¡°What do you want now?¡± Manager Ying appeared, looking at Lu Ran with an expression of exasperation. This guy always had something going on. ¡°No big deal. The weather elf fell asleep. Can you look after it for a while? I need to make a trip to Infinite City to buy some milk form.¡± ¡°Why is it always-¡± Manager Ying started toin, but then her eyes widened in shock at the sight of the cloud baby in Lu Ran¡¯s arms. Because of that bastard Lu Ran, Yunbao had shape-shifted into a cloud cat form and fallen asleep. The form resembled Manager Ying¡¯s species! Trying to trigger Manager Ying¡¯s maternal instincts. Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Is this how you treat elemental species???¡± She looked at Lu Ran, infuriated. Oh, he¡¯s ying the family card now, isn¡¯t he? ¡°Haha¡­¡± Lu Ran scratched his head,ughing, ¡°Mainly because the cat form is cuter, Manager Ying. You wouldn¡¯t want this adorable cloud elf to shape-shift into a form like Erha to fight, right?¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Woof woof woof!!¡± Beside them, General Ha was not pleased. ¡°Roar!!¡± The sudden death king felt that both cat and dog forms were unreliable; transforming into a cloud giant dragon for battles seemed more reliable. ¡°Caw.¡± The dark crow was still wiping its tears, thinking, cloud crow, oh cloud crow. Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran¡¯s three misfit pet beasts, then at the adorable cloud cat. After a moment of contemtion, she gritted her teeth and said, ¡°Just don¡¯t let it turn into a dog.¡± General Ha: ¡°Woof!!¡± It noted this grievance. ¡°Hahahahaha.¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help butugh. It was so easy to win over Manager Ying. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Manager Ying snapped. ¡°By the way, Manager Ying, I¡¯ve already prepared the evolution traits for General Ha, the Sudden Death King, and the Dark Crow. Their post-evolution training doesn¡¯t need to be rushed, but for the weather elf, the nature control trait alone isn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°Do you have any intelligence on legendary overlord Bosses with simr abilities?¡± ¡°In level 2 Legendary Secret Realms.¡± Lu Ran knew he had to eventually challenge a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm. The one in Xia Country, called the Tomb of Death, had a BOSS known as the Asura Centipede, a lower overlord species. The chances of obtaining a trait suitable for the weather elf from it weren¡¯t high. Therefore, he decided to ask Manager Ying about other level 2 Legendary Secret Realms around the world, particrly those in public Infinite Cities or other countries, to see if there was any overlord BOSS with weather power. If there was, Lu Ran nned to take it on. If it dropped a suitable trait, it would save him from having to think too much. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say I¡¯m the illegitimate child of Infinite City? Let¡¯s see if it can provide me with a suitable trait.¡± Even if it didn¡¯t, Lu Ran could use the resources obtained to trade for other needed resources. ¡°Let me think,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Meng Country¡¯s level 2 Legendary Secret Realm has a BOSS that is a young Desert Tyrant, a lower overlord species with sandstorm power. It¡¯s incredibly strong, and no one has cleared it yet.¡± ¡°Egypt¡¯s level 2 Legendary Secret Realm has a BOSS that is a young Sun Eagle, a lower overlord species that controls sunlight power.¡± ¡°There¡¯s also a public Infinite City on the high seas, where the BOSS is a young dragon that can summon winds, rains, and control thunder. It¡¯s a typical Eastern Loong, quitepatible with the weather elf¡¯s species.¡± ¡°Oh, and another country¡¯s level 2 Secret Realm BOSS is a mutated sea beast corrupted by pollution, capable of summoning highly corrosive acid rain. Yeah, you probably wouldn¡¯t like that one.¡± ¡°OK, OK,pile the information and send it to my phone. If there are any strategic tips for the BOSS included, that would be great. I¡¯m heading to Infinite City now.¡± Seeing that Manager Ying was as reliable as ever, Lu Ran handed the cloud cat to her and eagerly prepared to go to Infinite City. He wanted to spend! He wanted to test the Dark Crow¡¯s abilities on a Secret Realm BOSS! Lu Ran packed up his self-harming team and, under Manager Ying¡¯s grumbling gaze, teleported away immediately! Chapter 182: Three Pets on the Leaderboard Chapter 182: Three Pets on the Leaderboard Infinite City, Passerby A¡¯s dedicated room. To further experiment with Dark Crow¡¯s abilities, Lu Ran opened the secret realm panel. He casually selected a simple-level, level 2 secret realm. [Name: Gray Wolf teau] [Secret Realm Level: Level 2] [Difficulty: Simple] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 1000] Lu Ran casually selected the Gray Wolf teau and entered directly. ¡­[Challenge Mission: Kill the Gray Wolf Leader.] ¡­ ¡°Dark Crow, it¡¯s your turn.¡± Lu Ran stood on a deste patch of dry grasnd, surrounded by nothing but his three pet beasts. General Ha calmly looked over the teau, sensing the ¡°breath¡± of its kind, though much weaker. Even Sudden Death King didn¡¯t feel any sense of danger upon entering this realm; it seemed more like a tourist trip. Indeed, as a simple-level, level 2 secret realm, the BOSS was merely a level 30 lowermander species. If not for the fact that gray wolves are pack animals, most level 2 beastmasters should be able to solo it. ¡°Kaw!! So, it¡¯s the Gray Wolf Leader!¡± Dark Crow closed its eyes. It expanded its perception, searching for the strongest breath in this realm. Momentster. In the distance, surrounded by the pack, the Gray Wolf Leader suddenly looked up. As it raised its head, so did the wolf pack; soon, they saw a massive eye opening in the sky, staring at them. ¡°Arrooo!!!!¡± The Gray Wolf Leader bared its teeth, looking cautiously, but seeing no movement, it instantly began to condense apressed wind bullet to destroy the eerie eye. But before the wind bullet could fully form, ¡°Boom!¡± the chaotic, violent energy exploded in the Gray Wolf Leader¡¯s mouth, causing its head to vanish instantly. All that was left was a body, slowly toppling over. Seeing this, the wolf pack panicked and fled in all directions, while the Evil God¡¯s Eye disyed an indifferent look. At the same time. [Congrattions, you havepleted the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: SSS-Level!] [Congrattions, you have obtained 1000 crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained the rare resource, Hurricane Ore.] [Congrattions, you have obtained the advanced resource, Gray Wolf Fang.] [Congrattions, you have obtained the advanced resource, Gray Wolf Hide.] ¡°What¡¯s the deal? You¡¯re using energypression just like General Ha, aren¡¯t you afraid of an energy explosion?¡± Dark Crow General snorted softly and looked at Lu Ran. Lu Ran remained silent, calcting the time and noticing the slight red tinge in Dark Crow General¡¯s eyes, he broke into a smile. ¡°Half a minute, it only took half a minute to clear a secret realm.¡± ¡°As expected of you, Dark Crow General.¡± ¡°Thank you, Big King, it¡¯s all because of your blessings!!¡± Dark Crow General pped its wings tteringly, ¡°You¡¯re the impressive one, Big King!!¡± ¡°Woof woof!!¡± ¡°Roar!!¡± General Ha and Sudden Death King were equally stunned. It was already over??? Such efficiency??? Also, this Crow, could you stop ttering the beastmaster? They were already almost sick of it. ¡°General Ha, Sudden Death King, look at Dark Crow General¡¯s dedication.¡± Theparison was painful; Lu Ran instantly felt a pang of disappointment. He looked into Erha¡¯s supposed wise eyes. This guy always thought it was more of a genius than the beastmaster, thinking it was smarter than the beastmaster. And Sudden Death King always had a despairing look when faced with the tactics and training methods that the beastmaster painstakingly thought of, as if the beastmaster was bullying it. Look at Dark Crow General, now that¡¯s loyalty! Even with eye pain, it didn¡¯t forget to tter, making Lu Ran feel genuinely pleased. ¡°Dark Crow General, keep it up, work hard, someday you¡¯ll surpass Sudden Death King and General Ha and be the Boss of the team.¡± Lu Ran gave a thumbs up to Dark Crow General. ¡°Squawk! Can¡¯t, can¡¯t.¡± Dark Crow General pped its wings shyly, looking at General Ha and Sudden Death King. But deep inside, something called ambition began to grow. It really did want to be the top ace! ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha curled its lips, no way, it didn¡¯t believe Dark Crow General could beat it, including Sudden Death King. They couldn¡¯t beat it. ¡°Roar!!¡± Sudden Death King also shook its head indifferently, it had no interest in being the team leader, but it was determined to develop an imprable defense that no one in the team could break and thus remain undefeated¡­ ¡°Once you all evolve and start from the same starting line, I¡¯ll set up an internalpetition to see who is stronger,¡± Lu Ranughed. General Ha, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow General: !!! ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this now,e on, Dark Crow General, let¡¯s try a few more times and see the limit distance your eye and talents can handle.¡± ¡­ While Lu Ran was still experimenting with his pet beasts¡¯ abilities, he remained unaware of themotion it stirred up within Infinite City No. 3. Infinite City No. 3, Beastmaster Square. As more and more beastmasters gathered, the area grew increasingly lively. Couples on dates, material trading, big shots showing off and picking up newbie beastmaster girls for level-ups-this was the ce to be. Naturally, today¡¯s hot topic here was about thetest news concerning Lu Ran. ¡°Passerby A, do you believe this nonsense about the Necromantic Holy Son?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been seeing all this talk online about The Other Shore. I¡¯d never even heard of this organization before. Damn, could Boss Lu, who was always so high-profile, really have been brainwashed and abducted by them to betray the country?¡± ¡°Impossible. Such an outstanding talent, if an evil organization could sway him, what are the high-level members even doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just an attempt to smear him online. This sort of thing isn¡¯t new.¡± ¡°Exactly, and what¡¯s so great about necromantic pet beasts anyway? Unless it¡¯s a strikingly beautiful ghost¡­ Otherwise, aren¡¯t sword dogs cool enough?¡± ¡°Such nonsense.¡± Just then, a group arrived. Leading the group was Pluto, wearing the Star Cluster¡¯s guild uniform, heading straight to the public secret realm with his followers. Pluto, who had also seen the news earlier, dismissed it with a sneer. If someone had said Lu Ran crushed the Knights of Light Order in a breakthrough secret realm, he¡¯d believe it. But im that Lu Ran had willingly sumbed to necromantic power? Not a chance. ¡°It¡¯s Pluto!!!¡± The passersby also noticed the group from the Star Cluster guild. Although not as famous as Lu Ran, Pluto was also a prominent figure in Infinite City No. 3. His second pet, a Thunder-Horned Ant, had even made it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. Though it was only ranked tenth, it undoubtedly made him one of the top figures among the Fourth Generation. ¡°Pluto, how do you view this news?¡± Upon seeing him, the passersby immediately sought his opinion. ¡°Think about it, Passerby A. During the Freshman Tournament, Lu Ran obtained a pet beast egg of an innate sovereign species, and it¡¯s even from a special species. With such a superb pet beast egg, only a fool would contract with another pet beast.¡± ¡°Why would he waste his time researching necromancy?¡± ¡°Mark my words, you¡¯re going to see Lu Ran¡¯s sovereign pet beast on the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard very soon¡­¡± Pluto said calmly. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely to be an elemental pet beast. Researching elemental attributes is the proper path¡­¡± [Regional Announcement: The Divine Beast Leaderboard and the Commander Species Leaderboard have been updated.] [New Entry: Leaderboard Divine Beast; Species: Evil Eye Crow.] [Attributes: Dark, Mental] [Species Level: Upper Commander] [Growth Level: 26] [Beastmaster: Passerby A] [Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from a Crow, with extremely strong talents. Awakened dark and mental power, performing a long-distance instant kill on a lowermander species, level 30 mutated gray wolf, in a simple-level, level 2 secret realm, Gray Wolf teau!] [Rank: Rose to second on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard!] At the same time, Pluto¡¯s Thunder-Horned Ant, formerly ranked tenth, was knocked out of the top ten. Everyone instinctively nced at the Divine Beast Leaderboard, including Pluto. Pluto: ??? ¡°Pluto bro¡­ it looks like you¡¯ve been pushed out. It¡¯s that big shot, Passerby A. But why didn¡¯t he contract with a sovereign pet beast?¡± one of Pluto¡¯s followers from the Star Cluster guild said. ¡°What the hell!!!¡± Pluto¡¯s eyes turned red with rage. He had just finished analyzing that Lu Ran would focus on nurturing an innate sovereign pet beast. So what is Lu Ran doing now??? Ignoring the innate sovereign and contracting with amander crow??? Is Lu Ran targeting him on purpose, knowing that he had struggled to get his rank on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, just to deliberately knock him down? At this moment, everyone else also looked strangely at the fuming Pluto. ¡°Forget everything I just said. I suggest a thorough investigation of that crow. Even its species name sounds ominous!¡± Pluto internally roared. ¡­ On the other side, Lu Ran was still unaware that he had inadvertently caused Pluto yet another setback. After a round of experiments, Lu Ran discovered that the maximum range of his Dark Crow¡¯s Evil God¡¯s Eye was nearly twenty thousand meters. When the Evil God¡¯s Eye stared at an object over ten thousand meters away, its eyes would be overstrained and start to bleed. At twenty thousand meters, its eyes would go blind instantly. Its targeting Talent was linked to the Evil God¡¯s Eye¡¯s sight distance, and it could still maintain about 5% effectiveness when targeting enemies up to twenty thousand meters away with its skills and curses. This level of suppression was almost like cheating. Lu Ran initially wanted the Dark Crow to be a sniper¡­ But now it was less of a sniper and more of an anti-aircraft gun with its full-map targeting and long-range attacks. ¡°Keep it up,¡± Lu Ran thought, believing that with continued growth, the Dark Crow might eventually turn into an intercontinental missile after reaching level 60. It could curse someone from across a country. ¡°Caw! Caw!¡± The Dark Crow preened proudly at Lu Ran¡¯s praise. ¡°However, your Evil God¡¯s Eye is drawing too much attention. Moving forward, you need to practice keeping its presence hidden, so enemies can¡¯t tell when they¡¯re being targeted.¡± ¡°In such cases, even if your skill¡¯s power is significantly weakened, you can still make a decisive impact through surprise attacks.¡± ¡°Got it!!!¡± The Dark Crow nodded vigorously. ¡°Whew¡­¡± With the Dark Crow¡¯s emergence, Lu Ran felt his teamposition was bing more perfect. However, even with a more bnced team, Lu Ran knew he wasn¡¯t ready to challenge a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm yet. The boss of a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm was a level 30 lower overlord species. Remembering how difficult it was for General Ha and the Sudden Death King to challenge a level 20 upper sovereign, Lu Ran knew how formidable an overlord would be. He didn¡¯t want to court disaster, so he nned to wait until General Ha and the others had undergone some evolution before attempting the challenge. By then, General Ha and the Sudden Death King should at least be upper sovereigns. Facing the challenge at that stage would undoubtedly lessen the pressure significantly. With the Dark Crow¡¯s support, they might even manage a solo clear. After a while, Lu Ran left his room but then realized he had an unread message. Pluto: [6 1 ] ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was confused. What was this guy talking about? Could it be apliment for his crushing of the Knights of Light Order and his solo clear of the Imperial Army? That had to be it. Passerby A: [Thanks.] Footnote:
  1. 6(6): In Chinese ng, ¡°6¡± means ¡°awesome¡± or ¡°impressive.¡±
Chapter 183: Principal Shi Zhen is Saved Chapter 183: Principal Shi Zhen is Saved After familiarizing himself with the abilities of the dark crow, Lu Ran headed straight to the official store of Infinite City. Although exquisite resources were almost never sold, the rare quality and below resources were quiteplete in each of the Infinite Cities. Even foreign imported resources were abundant. Lu Ran, carrying arge sum of money, came to spend once again. However, on the way, when Lu Ran saw that the dark crow had also made it to the divine beast leaderboard and heard people saying things like ¡°Pluto is really miserable,¡± he fell into a moment of contemtion. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything,¡± he muttered, clearing his throat as he walked into the store. First on his list was the lucid fruit, a resource that temporarily increased learning ability. More than a hundred were naturally desirable. Although the effect of this resource diminished as the difficulty of what he studied increased, Lu Ran had already grown ustomed to having it. In addition to this, he also bought 60 Darksea Octopus Eyes to supplement the dark crow¡¯s diet. Going forward, its core diet would be the Darksea Octopus Eye paired with millennial soul bone soup. Moreover, there was no need for Summer to handle the cooking; Lu Ran nned to focus on cultivating its soul power during this period. This wouldy the foundation for fusing the necromancy clone trait and awakening the necromancy element! Afterwards, Lu Ran also bought 30 rare quality water energy crystals, ice energy crystals, and thunder energy crystals each as food for the weather elf.After spending over 2 million crystal coins, Lu Ran¡¯s remaining bnce dropped below 1 million, taking him back to square one overnight. As for General Ha and the sudden death king¡¯s food, since there were still supplies in the backpack, Lu Ran didn¡¯t purchase more. Once everything was done, he exited Infinite City and returned to Green Sea, switching his phone off from Do Not Disturb mode. ¡­ ¡°Manager Ying, where¡¯s Summer?¡± Lu Ran asked upon getting home and seeing Manager Ying resting next to the weather elf. ¡°She left. She asked me to tell you that she returned to school first, probably to prepare for the Legendary Secret Realm challenge.¡± Over the past month, following Lu Ran, the Fourth Generation teamposed of Youxiong Anlin, Du Yuan, and others had also sessfully cleared the Legendary Secret Realm. Now that Summer hadprehended spear intent, she surely didn¡¯t want to fall too far behind the others. ¡°Oh, got it,¡± Lu Ran nodded. To be honest, he had wanted to bring Summer into the future Jiao Dragon team n. A spear strikes like a dragon! Although none of her pet beasts were Loong-type, she could always wait for the Third Pet. Unlike Pluto or the Dog King, Summer was also a moner genius¡± like Lu Ran, without any background affiliations, just a master of spearsmanship. ¡°Manager Ying, do you want some soup?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked. ¡°What kind of soup?¡± Manager Ying perked up. ¡°Fish soup?¡± ¡°Rat soup.¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± ¡°Just kidding, it¡¯s pork bones soup, an exquisite soul bone soup, something I got from a secret realm. I¡¯ll start preparing it now and share some with youter!¡± ¡°That sounds eptable,¡± Manager Ying smirked. True to his word, Lu Ran quickly set up arge soul stone pot in the yard and started preparing the soup. These Cooking Utensils were all brought from the secret realm. During his two weeks in the Cult of Necromancy, Lu Ran had actually tried making soup with many rare quality soul bones, so he was pretty experienced by now. Combined with the soul Culinary Intent transformed from his mind sword intent, Lu Ran wielded his sword to stir the pot, fearless of ruining the dish. Boldly, he followed his ideas, conducting small-scale experiments. Two hourster. The rich aroma of pork bone soup permeated every soul, drifting across the whole city. Most citizens suddenly got an inexplicable craving for pork, clearing out all the pork from marketces and butcher shops. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± Lu Ran lifted the pot lid, and a brilliant golden light instantly spread. Heughed heartily; one look at the color, and he knew the soup quality was up to standard-definitely on the threshold of exquisite cuisine. At Lu Ran¡¯s call, everyone except the still-sleeping weather elf eagerly gathered to taste the soup. Manager Ying, General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow were all ready. ¡°Big King, you truly are amazing!!!¡± The dark crow was moved to tears when it saw that Lu Ran had served it thergest bowl. Soon, the group, along with Lu Ran himself, began to enjoy the soup. ¡°Gulp, gulp.¡± As the bone soup went down, everyone felt an instant surge of heavenly delight. At the same time, the enhancements brought by the exquisite cuisine were immediately felt by the pet beasts. Due to Manager Ying¡¯s formidable strength, the enhancement wasn¡¯t very noticeable for it. However, General Ha, the sudden death king, and Lu Ran themselves felt an immediate effect. This bowl of soup¡­ could strengthen the waist and knees, boost energy, remedy weakness, and fortify bones! In a moment, Lu Ran, General Ha, and the sudden death king felt their muscle and bone strength grow. Lu Ran nced at General Ha, who looked back with a puzzled expression, baring its teeth as if to warn Lu Ran not to get any ideas about its bones. Of course, aside from these basic effects, the most crucial aspect was the enhancement of soul power! This was most keenly felt by the dark crow, as it had never encountered soul cuisine before. In contrast, Lu Ran, General Ha, and the sudden death king had already consumed a lot of high-quality soul cuisines in the Cult of Necromancy. Therefore, a bowl of pork bones soup didn¡¯t bring them a significant boost. ¡°Ah~~~¡± For the dark crow, it was the first time tasting something so delicious, leaving it slightly dazed. In no time, it finished therge bowl. Moreover, it seemed to have gained some insights. ¡°Big King, I need more. I feel like I¡¯ve experienced something different.¡± ¡°Drink up; the rest is all yours,¡± Lu Ran agreed, knowing that he, General Ha, and the sudden death king had already reached their current soul power limits and wouldn¡¯t see much improvement. Thus, giving the rest of the pork bones soup to the dark crow was the best choice. This was the dark crow¡¯s first time experiencing exquisite cuisine, and Lu Ran knew it would deeply immerse itself in the experience. ¡°Slurp slurp-¡± The dark crow gulped down the soup wildly. As it drank, it muttered, ¡°This is so delicious. Big King, I¡¯m not being greedy; I just really want to improve.¡± ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha and the sudden death king red at it, ready to pummel it. This crow, always iming it wanted to improve, as if trying to pull something over on them. However. After downing severalrge bowls of pork bones soup, the dark crow¡¯s eyes gleamed with a sharp light. It spread its wings and said, ¡°Big King, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Lu Ran and Manager Ying, who had been sipping their soup, slowly turned to look at the crow. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What did you figure out?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, instinctively looking at the dark crow¡¯s contract card in his mindscape. At that time, both the sudden death king and General Ha had gained new abilities from consuming exquisite Dragon Cuisine. It seemed the same was happening with the dark crow. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t quite imagine what kind of insight the dark crow could achieve from just drinking pork bones soup. ¡°Wow!¡± With a quick nce, Lu Ran was indeed shocked to find that it had indeed gained something. [Skill]: Pig Transformation Curse [Description]: This skill allows the user to curse and reshape the enemy¡¯s soul and mental power, making them believe they are a pig and adopt pig-like behaviors. Lu Ran: ??? ¡°What did it figure out?¡± Manager Ying asked. Given that it was the dark crow¡¯s first time enjoying such advanced resources, it wasn¡¯t surprising that it had a significant gain. After all, the crow¡¯s talent was quite high. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered for a moment. ¡°Well¡­¡± Lu Ran turned to Manager Ying, ¡°It might be easier to show you with a test subject.¡± ¡°Mainly, I want to see it myself too.¡± ¡°Seriously, stop being so secretive,¡± Manager Ying retorted, then turned its gaze to the sudden death king. Sudden death king: ??? The sudden death king shook its head frantically. ¡°Let¡¯s use it.¡± Eventually, Manager Ying used its mental power and teleportation abilities to temporarily pull out a criminal monkey from Green Sea Prison. ¡°Grr!! Grr!!¡± This monkey immediately disyed strong aggression upon its appearance. In many cities, such supernatural animals existed; once they evolved, their extremely aggressive nature made them impossible to tame. ¡°Yikes!!!¡± The reckless monkey quickly locked its red eyes on the ¡°weakest¡± Lu Ran and leapt with its ws aimed at him. ¡°How dare you!!!¡± The dark crow¡¯s Evil God¡¯s Eye constricted sharply at the sight. In the next instant. The leaping monkey froze mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground. Then, it slowly got up on all fours, wearing a bewildered expression. ¡°Oink oink.¡± Next, the monkey began rooting in the dirt with its nose like a pig and made iprehensible noises. ¡°Oink oink-¡° ¡°Ah?¡± Seeing this, Manager Ying was stunned and turned to the dark crow, asking, ¡°Illusion?¡± The monkey¡¯s immediate behavior like a pig in the next second made Manager Ying think the dark crow had cast an illusion on it. However, upon closer inspection, Manager Ying realized something was off. When it tried to break the supposed illusion as one usually would, it failed to undo the monkey¡¯s transformation. ¡°It¡¯s not an illusion,¡± Lu Ran remarked, pulling out a Soul-Calming Stone b, and smashing it down on the monkey. In the next moment, the soul of a pig, covered in monkey fur, was knocked out. ¡°Damn.¡± Seeing this, Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but exim. General Ha and the sudden death king also widened their eyes in shock. A pig-shaped soul was actually knocked out of a monkey¡¯s body??? But, it only took a few seconds for the pig-shaped soul, after leaving the body, to distort and revert to a monkey shape, trying to return to its body. ¡°The dark crow¡¯s newly acquired skill seems to be abination of curse power and the artistic conception of the pig. By affecting the enemy¡¯s soul and mental power, it turns them into a pig!¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it can only temporarily affect the soul and mental power right now. The effect is a bit weak. If there was a way to also transform the enemy¡¯s body into a pig, that would be an extreme form of insult.¡± Lu Ran chuckled sinisterly. ¡°Ugh.¡± Manager Ying was genuinely startled, eximing, ¡°How can there be such a disgusting skill?¡± In an instant, she imagined Lu Ran¡¯s enemies being cursed by the crow and snuffling the dirt with their noses on the spot. It was a mental torment too heinous to describe. General Ha and the sudden death king nodded vigorously, looking at the dark crow with profound apprehension. Being turned into a pig and humiliated was far worse than being gravely injured in a battle. The dark crow: ¡°Caw??¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Manager Ying, don¡¯t you think Principal Shi Zhen still has hope!!!¡± Manager Ying¡¯s mouth curved slightly, ¡°Are you saying that once you figure out how to turn a human body into a pig, you can use the pig transformation curse to override the sex-change curse??!!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s vision darkened, replying, ¡°There¡¯s no way such a solution would work. What if something goes wrong?¡± Principal Shi Zhen would rather stay a woman than turn into a pig. Moreover, if it doesn¡¯t override but instead fuses and levels up the curses, that would turn into a disaster¡­ Lu Ran certainly didn¡¯t want to be chased by abat-oriented First Generation in the form of a sow. Chapter 184: The Domain of the Strong Chapter 184: The Domain of the Strong ¡°In any case, this is a great start.¡± ¡°Next, we just need to figure out how to turn the enemy¡¯s physical body into a piglet.¡± ¡°By that time, we should have a clear idea of how the witch managed to transform Principal Shi Zhen.¡± Lu Ran coughed lightly. He felt that to change the physical body, external aid was likely needed! For example, for the sudden death king to undergo dragon transformation, it would need resources with Dragon¡¯s Bloodline. Simrly, for the dark crow to curse enemies into pigs, it might need to sacrifice some pig¡¯s blood, pig trotters, pig heads, or pig intestines. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Just drinking soup isn¡¯t enough.¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°Only 13 days left, let¡¯s push through!¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran mumbling about those 13 days and said, ¡°By the way, I forgot to tell you, you don¡¯t need to rush about the Evolution Secret Realm anymore.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, ¡°Why not?¡±¡°Why not rush.¡± Manager Ying smirked, ¡°In this month while you were in the secret realm, infinite city updated with three new Evolution Secret Realms in three different ces, opening in 22 days, 29 days, and 40 days¡­ so no rush.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but curse, ¡°I¡¯ve been pushing myself so hard to enter the Breakthrough Secret Realm to catch the Evolution Secret Realm in 13 days, and now you tell me suddenly there are several more???¡± Manager Ying blinked and said, ¡°Who knows how infinite city updates things.¡± ¡°This thing has no clear pattern.¡± ¡°But this is a good thing though. This way, each Evolution Secret Realm won¡¯t be so crowded.¡± ¡°Everyone can evolve separately, develop peacefully, and have a higher chance of getting rewards.¡± Lu Ran was speechless: ¡°I really¡­¡± He shook his head. Well, in that case, there¡¯s indeed no rush anymore. He didn¡¯t even need to hurry the evolution of his three pet beasts together. After all, the intervals between these Evolution Secret Realms are just a few days. There¡¯s plenty of time toy a good foundation for the dark crow. ¡°I originally nned to let the three pet beasts evolve together in the Evolution Secret Realm 13 dayster,¡± Lu Ran said. Manager Ying: ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°You sure are confident in their evolution potential.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I had nned to grab 3 out of the 10 evolution blessing slots simultaneously¡­¡± ¡°Woof!¡± Nearby, general ha and the sudden death king wore confident expressions. Although the dark crow didn¡¯t fully understand what was going on, it fixed its feathers with a deep, thoughtful look. Manager Ying fell silent before saying, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, aren¡¯t you afraid of bing a global enemy? Those who don¡¯t get the rewards will hate your guts for taking up three spots by yourself.¡± Lu Ran shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not that I want to, but since before there was only one Evolution Secret Realm, and now there are so many, and we don¡¯t have to wait long, let¡¯s evolve separately. Although I¡¯m confident, it¡¯s better to y it safe. If any of the three fail to make it into the top ten, I¡¯ll have nowhere to cry.¡± He looked at the sudden death king, general ha, and the dark crow. ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°I don¡¯t know whether to call you arrogant or humble.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°By the way, Manager Ying, do you know the ¡®domain¡¯?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Manager Ying nced at Lu Ran, feeling an ominous premonition. ¡°I want you to use it a few times. I want to take general ha to observe and learn.¡± Lu Ran murmured. As for the sudden death king, with thebination of Dragon Soul, dragon king bloodline trait, artistic conception of the dragon, and the exquisite-level heart of the dragon, Lu Ran was not worried about its dragon transformation at all. Not to mention bing an upper sovereign. Lu Ran even dared to think boldly; could the sudden death king possibly be the first overlord species on blue star with this evolution? If there was anyone in the team whose foundational evolution was the most solid, it was undoubtedly the sudden death king. If a reliable evolution order were to be determined in the team, the sudden death king would unquestionably be the first to evolve because there would definitely be no issues with it. As for general ha, with sword soul, the Ultimate Perception Trait, and various sword intents, to be honest, the foundation didn¡¯t seem as strong as that of the sudden death king. After all, the sudden death king¡¯s rewards were obtained from the Legendary Secret Realm. But now that there¡¯s plenty of time, Lu Ran suddenly thought about where further improvements might be made. For example, since general ha has the Ultimate Perception trait that enhances Comprehension, Lu Ran wanted it to first observe and experience the power of the ¡°domain,¡± which is something only the strong can master. Who knows, when the timees for evolution, it might gain even more. After all, having good Comprehension is useless without the proper vision to match it. As for the dark crow, even with exquisite pork bones soup and necromancy clones, its setup still felt a bit inferiorpared to the sudden death king¡¯s evolution configuration. Now that there was plenty of time, Lu Ran also nned to see if there were any areas that could be improved. These were activities he initially intended to do within the original 13 days, during which time was undoubtedly tight. But now, with more time, Lu Ran had more options. If possible, he naturally wanted each pet beast to undergo a perfect evolution. ¡°It¡¯s only level 30, and you want it to learn the domain¡­¡± Manager Ying looked at general ha. Though this dog had impressive Comprehension, it still seemed unrealistic for it to gain anything substantial. This was tantamount to letting a three-year-old child fly a ne! ¡°Woof!¡± General ha furrowed its brow. Are you doubting me? ¡°Why don¡¯t you have Gu Qingyi teach it? My domain is quite unique and may not be suitable for teaching.¡± Manager Ying turned away, unwilling to deal with this silly dog. ¡°She¡¯s obviously very busy,¡± Lu Ran asserted confidently. ¡°¡­¡± Manager Ying fell silent. The crux of the matter was that its domain was primarily for crowd control and escape, really not suitable for Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts. Even if only exining the theory, different types of skill domains don¡¯t align. ¡°Manager Ying¡­ pork bones soup¡­¡± ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Manager Ying knew those bowls of soup Lu Ran had given wouldn¡¯te for free. ¡°So that¡¯s what it¡¯s all about.¡± Just as Manager Ying reluctantly prepared to agree¡­ ¡°Meowow, meowow-¡± Manager Ying¡¯s phone suddenly rang. Manager Ying frowned and nced at it. ¡°Just as we mentioned her, she calls. Her intelligence is sharp, indeed.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up. ¡°I¡¯ll find you another excellent mentor, someone far more suitable than me.¡± Lu Ran leaned over, curious. ¡­ ¡°Manager Ying?¡± A deliberately loud female voice came through on the other end. ¡°Shi Zhen, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I just came across news about Lu Ran¡¯s Third Pet, that pet beast with the curse power. It has already fused with the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait, right?¡± ¡°How is it going? Has the curse power improved?¡± Manager Ying responded, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s made significant progress. I feel like your curse might be lifted soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already thought of a method to lift the curse, but Lu Ran insists it¡¯s risky and refuses to try it.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s excited voice echoed. ¡°No worries, what method? Can anything be worse than my current situation?¡± ¡°Here¡¯s the thing-the method is not yet fully developed.¡± ¡°Lu Ran has been busy cultivating these pet beaststely. I think you shoulde over and personally guide him. He¡¯s still a rookie and unfamiliar with developing such abilities.¡± ¡°He initially wanted my guidance, but you know my situation. It¡¯s more efficient for you beastmasters to teach other beastmasters.¡± ¡°Besides, you¡¯re now the principal at the beast taming university. Even though you¡¯re a leader, you can¡¯t always stay hidden. It¡¯s time to get involved in some teaching tasks, so you can feel more justified about your paycheck.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Principal Shi Zhen was momentarily stunned but quickly considered Manager Ying¡¯s suggestion as an opportunity to study the curse power further. ¡°OK, no problem at all. Where are you guys? I¡¯ll head over as soon as I change back.¡± ¡°Green Sea, or if you prefer not to go out, we can meet at infinite city no.3. And there¡¯s no need for any transformations; juste straight over,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Principal Shi Zhen replied. ¡°In two hours, infinite city no.3. I¡¯ll meet with Lu Ran first.¡± ¡°Settled, then!¡± The call ended after a moment. Manager Ying looked at the silent Lu Ran and said, ¡°So, how about that? Having a big shot like the First Generation as your mentor-impressive, right? Back in his prime, his strength matched that of Gu Qingyi.¡± ¡°He not only knows the domain but also excels at it. Besides the domain, he can also provide resources to help you cultivate the dark crow.¡± ¡°Though he almost depleted his family fortune to lift the curse, a camel that¡¯s lost weight is still bigger than a horse¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°You really know how to make things happen. I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Hmph, after all, I still have to take care of it. How could I have time to teach you?¡± Manager Ying nced at the weather elf inside the house. ¡°Now, Principal Shi Zhen can be considered the most avablebat-oriented First Generation¡­ very suitable!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, then let¡¯s go with that¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. Principal Shi Zhen, huh? Is this reliable? ¡­ Two hourster. Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected that he¡¯d return here so soon after leaving. At beastmaster square, near andmark sky-high pir, Lu Ran, in disguise, looked around cautiously. Not long after, a handsome, maturedy with ck short hair and ck-rimmed sses approached from a distance. Although she was making every effort to disguise her gender and dressed in a masculine style, her delicate face and curvy figure still betrayed her true identity. ¡°Lu Ran.¡± Principal Shi Zhen approached and calmly adjusted his sses. Honestly, he¡¯d been theughingstock of other First Generation members for quite some time, but a ¡°junior¡± like Lu Ran probably wouldn¡¯t dare to mock him. ¡°Hello, Principal¡­¡± Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, finding the person unexpectedly attractive. Ridiculous! Why does she seem even more feminine than girls like Fang Lan and Xia Ri? Looks like the dark crow¡¯s curse expertise is stillcking. Take a look at this witch; she managed to turn a guy into such a pretty girl. ¡°Manager Ying must have told you about my situation,¡± Principal Shi Zhen stated seriously. ¡°Yes. Thank you for the trait crystal, Principal,¡± Lu Ran expressed his gratitude. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Shi Zhen replied, ¡°So, what¡¯s the risky curse-lifting method Manager Ying mentioned but you¡¯re unwilling to try?¡± ¡°Uh, well¡­¡± Lu Ran hesitated, but seeing Shi Zhen¡¯s slightly expectant eyes, he slowly exined, ¡°One of my pet beasts has mastered a ¡®pig transformation curse.¡¯ It can potentially turn any living being into a pig. Manager Ying¡¯s n is to use this curse to override the sex-change curse and then cancel the pig transformation curse to reset everything¡­ But I¡¯m worried that if it fails to override, the two curses might fuse. In that case¡­¡± Shi Zhen: ??? A sow??? Shi Zhen¡¯s eyes turned red. ¡°Darn intelligence dealer!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s infuriating,¡± Shi Zhen¡¯s chest heaved. He knew that intelligence dealer was unreliable. If the method was reasonable, how could Lu Ran object? ¡°But Principal, this is already a pretty good start. At least we can now engage with more advanced curse power. I believe we will eventually lift the curse,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words resonated deeply with Shi Zhen. ¡°Enough talk,¡± Shi Zhen said. ¡°Let¡¯s find a public secret realm so I can take a look at this pig transformation curse.¡± ¡°Alright, and Principal Shi Zhen, could you also guide me on the ¡®Domain Skill¡¯? I originally wanted Manager Ying to demonstrate it, but she said you would teach me hands-on. Thank you again. You¡¯re too kind,¡± Lu Ran added. Shi Zhen: ??? ¡°When did I ever say that!¡± He eximed in shock. Domain Skill, is that something you can teach? Suddenly, Shi Zhen felt a sinking feeling, realizing that he had certainly been sold out by that cat. No wonder Manager Ying was so eager for him toe over. Seeing the anticipation in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, Shi Zhen bit his lip and said, ¡°Alright, it¡¯s been a while since I stretched my muscles. Given the situation, I¡¯ll show you, the so-called Strongest Fourth Generation genius, what a true expert¡¯s domain looks like.¡± ¡°Let me introduce you to my ¨C Stone Buddha Domain.¡± Chapter 185: The Stone Buddha Domain Chapter 185: The Stone Buddha Domain Stone Buddha Domain? Is that the name of Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s Domain Skill? Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Principal, do you believe in Buddhism?¡± Shi Zhen nced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°No.¡± ¡°But the breakthrough secret realm rewarded some rted resources.¡± ¡°To absorb the resources, I had my pet beast believe in it.¡± ¡°If worshipping Buddha could lift my curse, I might as well believe in it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless.¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this.¡± Principal Shi Zhen said, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the ¡®giant beast nest¡¯.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Giant Beast Nest. A public secret realm. Beastmasters of all levels can enter. Though it¡¯s called a nest, it¡¯s actually a vastnd with an extremely harsh environment. It gets its name because most of the ferocious beasts inside are enormous. Under Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s lead, Lu Ran headed to the teleportation zone of the public secret realm. Spending a certain amount of crystal coins, the two teamed up and entered the secret realm together. ¡­ ¡°Chirp-¡° When they entered, the ce where they appeared was rtively safe, but as they ventured a bit further, they quickly encountered a creature foraging in the tall grass. ¡°This ce¡­ is really absurd.¡± Lu Ran swallowed hard, looking at the several meters high ¡°weeds¡± and the ostrich-like creature with strong legs, a long neck, and thick green wings standing over ten meters tall. He shook his head. [Name]: Terror Bird [Attribute]: Grass [Species Level]: Lower Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 48 Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Terror Bird, huh? Looks like this is its territory.¡± Shi Zhen saw it and smiled slightly, ¡°Do you want to try challenging it?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Lu Ran was stunned and said, ¡°Alright.¡± After all, there¡¯s an expert beside me. Between the fingers of Lu Ran¡¯s right hand, a contract card appeared, and with a sh of light, General Ha, shaking its head, appeared on the ground. ¡°What, it didn¡¯t turn into a bone hound? The news was indeed fake.¡± Seeing General Ha, Shi Zhen muttered. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Don¡¯t worry, once I forge Fang de-Thousand des, General Ha can wear a suit of sharp spiked armor. ¡°General Ha.¡± ¡°See that big guy over there? Go get it!¡± ¡°But be careful.¡± Hiding behind arge rock, Lu Ran nced at the distant bird, cautiously giving orders to General Ha. ¡°Woo!!¡± General Ha had a confident look, signaling for its weapon. ¡°It¡¯s grass type. Are you nning to give it your sword grass?¡± Hearing this, General Ha was taken aback. In that case¡­ Boom! Two Sword of Wind were magicallypressed, one held in its mouth and the other wrapped around its tail. In Dual Sword school form, its eyes sharpened and its fur flowed as it rode the wind, charging towards the terror bird. ¡°Your pet beast is indeed handsome,¡± Shi Zhenmented. ¡°And quite brave too, going head-to-head with a ferocious beast of a much higher level without hesitation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a good habit.¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°It¡¯s okay, only this one acts like that. The other one is much more cautious.¡± As he spoke, General Ha had already risen to the same height as the bird¡¯s head. General Ha¡¯s appearance naturally caught the terror bird¡¯s attention. Its emerald green eyes nced over, and it instinctively leaned forward, intending to eat General Ha as if it were a bug. ¡°Awoo!!!¡± The wind sword on General Ha¡¯s tail immediatelyunched, and sword control technique activated, aiming straight for the bird¡¯s eye. Boom!!! However, just as the attack was about tond, the terror bird tilted its head, catching the wind sword in its beak in an instant. ¡°Boom!¡± The wind sword shattered in its mouth, with the raging airflow giving the bird a refreshing coolness. It then looked back at General Ha, expressionless. General Ha: ??? ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha¡¯s battle-ready gaze gradually turned wise, then thoughtful-a little more analyzing¡­ Swish! Divine Speed activated, and it turned around to run. ¡°Woof woof!!!¡± Running back, General Ha barked, indicating it needed the sudden death king to tank the damage and attract the fire. Fighting alone might be a bit dangerous. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Watching how Lu Ran¡¯s dog wasn¡¯t actually silly, Shi Zhenughed. Lu Ran stood off to the side, speechless, and said, ¡°Principal Shi Zhen, are you trying to show us the gap between us?¡± ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not necessary. We already know we can¡¯t win against it.¡± A level 48 lower sovereign was equivalent to a level 38 lower overlord. Right now, they didn¡¯t even dare to challenge a level 30 lower overlord BOSS, let alone one of this high level. ¡°Well, not exactly. I just wanted to take a closer look at your pet beast. Why did you only summon one?¡± ¡°Mainly for it to observe and learn the domain. As for the other two¡­¡± Lu Ran exined, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry to see them. One at a time.¡± After all, with his soul prehension) enhancement, he could only focus on one pet beast at a time. ¡°Alright~¡± Shi Zhen shrugged. At this moment, the giant terror bird also started moving its long legs, chasing after General Ha. In the wild, the higher the level of the ferocious beast, the less willing it was to waste energy. Facing such a weak, food-grade creature like General Ha, using skills would be equivalent to hunting for nothing. The purpose of hunting is to replenish nutrition and energy. If the energy expended is greater than the gains every time, it will eventually die in the wild, no matter how strong it is. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± A fragrant breeze blew by. Lu Ran noticed that Shi Zhen even wore perfume. Stepping forward, Principal Shi Zhen quickly summoned a tall gray ape, standing like a human, right in front of himself. The ape was enormous, with skin like stone and hair like rock, exuding a majestic aura. Its eyes were calm and indifferent. [Name]: Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign [Attribute]: Rock [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 56 ¡°Monkey, activate the domain,¡± Shi Zhenmanded. ¡°Yes, use 0.5x speed.¡± In the next instant, Lu Ran watched as the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign performed a one-handed Buddhist salute. Even with Lu Ran¡¯s perception, he could only barely catch a glimpse of how the domain was deployed. It was likely the massive energy fluctuations emanating from the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign that led to this. These energy fluctuations flowed rapidly in the external environment and in an instant, formed a domain that seemed like an energy shield. Of course, that was just the surface effect. By the time Lu Ran realized what was happening and General Ha returned to his side, it felt as though the entire world around him had changed. The huge patches of wild grass and the ground had all disappeared. Instead of some energy shield, Lu Ran found himself standing on an endless, rocky terrain that didn¡¯t seem like ¡°stone ground¡± but rather a ¡°hand.¡± Beyond the hand beneath his feet, everything around him was murky gray,pletely obscuring the outside world. The internal terrain, with every de of grass and tree, had been altered by the domain. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked around in astonishment. ¡°Shriek-¡± The giant terror bird also looked around in surprise before ring angrily at the suspected culprit, the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign. After deploying its domain, the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign hadn¡¯t vanished; like Lu Ran and the others, it too stood within the stone-hand space. ¡°What did you see?¡± Shi Zhen asked. Lu Ran responded, ¡°The Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign rapidly released energy to construct a domain that epassed itself and the enemy.¡± ¡°But forming a domain shouldn¡¯t be that simple, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re correct. The first step in constructing a domain is to release arge amount of energy, shaping it into a space that epasses both the self and the enemy. This process requires a very fast energy flow; otherwise, it could be easily interrupted. Just now, it deliberately cast it in slow motion. Normally, it would deploy the domain in an instant.¡± ¡°And merely shaping energy into a barrier doesn¡¯t truly constitute a domain.¡± ¡°The critical step in forming a domain, in addition to energy shaping, is making the energy resonate with space. Only this way can the domain iste and shield space. Notice how you can¡¯t teleport out now?¡± ¡°And to achieve this, there are currently two shortcuts: one is the Space attribute, and the other is energypression.¡± ¡°A pet beast with the Space attribute can grasp domains more easily than those without it, butpressing energy to a certain extent can also cause spatial vibrations, thereby increasing the likelihood of forming a domain.¡± ¡°Of course, even after achieving this, it only counts as forming the outer shell of a domain. At this stage, the domain has no offensive capabilities and can be breached very easily.¡± ¡°And what truly allows a domain to take form is the ¡®domain core.¡¯ This refers to several key skills of the pet beast, which be connected to the outer shell of the domain, acting as its support and framework. Once this integration is achieved, unless the enemy can break your Domain Skill, the domain space remains unbreakable.¡± ¡°And when the Domain Skill and domain space be unified, the power of the domain skill is enhanced by the power of space!¡± ¡°Even if the pet beast doesn¡¯t have the Space attribute, it can still affect space to some extent!¡± ¡°For example, look!¡± At that moment, the terror bird was immobilized by the immense aura exuded by the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign. Both sides were at a stalemate, with the terror bird gradually realizing the daunting power of its enemy, and signs of retreat were evident. However, once it was inside the domain, its fate was no longer in its own hands. The Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign thrust one of its hands into the air, and a massive stone Buddha statue materialized. Lu Ran and General Ha looked back in shock, realizing they were indeed standing on the hand of this Buddha statue. As the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign moved, the other hand of the Buddha statue slowly descended. Even before the handnded, the space around it began to copse, causing spatial vibration and fractures. Countless spatial shockwaves instantly engulfed the terror bird! Boom! In the next moment, the terror bird turned into minced meat, and the vibrating space almost made it impossible for Lu Ran and General Ha to stand firm. ¡°This.¡± ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Shi Zhen said. ¡°In the outside world, even if the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign were 20 or 30 levels higher, it wouldn¡¯t be able to shatter space and use the force of spatial breakage as an attack.¡± ¡°But, because it¡¯s within the domain, where this space is under its control, it can easily leverage the ¡®vibration trait¡¯ to shatter the space, causing incredibly strong damage!¡± ¡°Yes, the core of this Stone Buddha Domain is the stone Buddha, which the ape shapes with the artistic conception of Buddha, along with several traits it has mastered and fused to arm the stone Buddha.¡± ¡°Stone Buddha Domain, the Buddha¡¯s palm, shatters the space!¡± ¡°Is this really something a pet beast at level 50-plus can do?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched with disbelief. ¡°So, just how powerful are those level 80 me Dragon Kings?¡± Seeing the astonishment on the faces of the Strongest Fourth Generation and Erha in front of him, Shi Zhen couldn¡¯t help but smile triumphantly. Showing off his knowledge felt incredibly satisfying. ¡°Well, it¡¯s actually just a domain prototype,¡± Shi Zhen exined. ¡°It¡¯s said that a fully developed domain can modify the rules within it. For example, it can make all creatures within the domain unaffected byary gravity or unable to use natural energy. It would truly iste them from the external world¡¯s rules.¡± ¡°In fact, the powers mastered by those creator divine beasts in the Myth and Legend of the Star-Moon Continent are, in essence, a form of domain. The only difference is that their domain epasses the entire world,¡± Shi Zhen continued. ¡°Of course, this sounds simple when I describe it, but whether a pet beast can master a domain still depends on its Talent. For instance, the resonance between energy and space, or making skills be the framework of the domain-these mystical feelings are impossible to achieve without innate talent.¡± ¡°Among my group of pet beasts, only the Ape Sovereign can master a domain. Even internationally, experts who are proficient in domains only have a few pet beasts that can grasp Domain Skills. It¡¯s not something every pet beast can learn.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha looked thoughtfully at the giant Buddha, subconsciously imagining the Buddha¡¯s head reced with its own dog head. So cool! It wants to learn a domain! ¡°So, did you gain anything from this? If you did, shall we move on to study the pig transformation curse?¡± Shi Zhen seemed quite interested in this topic. ¡°Ah-¡± Lu Ran was momentarily taken aback and said, ¡°I just realized I forgot to take the pills that increase Comprehension for myself and my pet beasts¡­ Can we go through it one more time?¡± Shi Zhen: ??? Chapter 186: General Ha: Urgent, Urgent, Urgent Chapter 186: General Ha: Urgent, Urgent, Urgent Momentster, the Sacred Stone Ape Sovereign demonstrated the Stone Buddha Domain again. Immediately afterward, it copsed from exhaustion, its tail going limp. Clearly, while the domain was powerful, it was also the ¡°ultimate move¡± for a pet beast approaching level 60. Using it for even a short while left it utterly drained. No wonder Manager Ying was reluctant to demonstrate this; it was just too exhausting. ¡°General Ha, how about it?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes emitted a misty blue-gray light as he performed soul enhancement on General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha pondered, quickly releasing energy around it. Soon, a wind barrier enveloped Lu Ran and the others.A massive wind sphere epassed everything, blowing dust and grass in all directions. However, the next moment, Erha stuck out its tongue, squinted its eyes, and tilted its head. It indicated that this was the best it could do. No matter what, it couldn¡¯t grasp the concept of ¡°energy¡± resonating with ¡°space.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Principal Shi Zhen gestured with his hand, saying, ¡°If eating a lucid fruit could instantly grant domainprehension, this resource wouldn¡¯t just cost ten thousand crystal coins apiece-it would be priced like an epic resource!¡± ¡°Even at this level, what it aplished isn¡¯t very impressive. Its energy flow technique seems to be still in the first stage, which isn¡¯t sufficient. To establish a connection between Domain Skill and domain space, reaching the second stage of energy flow is essential.¡± ¡°Moreover, the speed at which it initiates the domain is too slow.¡± ¡°However, itspression of wind energy is quite good; it¡¯s just that it¡¯s mastered the hardest part well.¡± ¡°Also, your beast taming skill is quite interesting¡­¡± Shi Zhen said, looking at Lu Ran. ¡°The soul enhancement skill can briefly enhance the soul of a pet beast, and soul power is rted to Comprehension,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°A skill rewarded from a breakthrough secret realm? Seems impressive,¡± Shi Zhenmented. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve seen the domain; next, let¡¯s take a look at the pig transformation curse.¡± Shi Zhen knocked on his head in frustration, feeling the unpleasant task of using one bizarre curse to study another. ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded with a smile, then turned to General Ha and said, ¡°You focus on mastering the second stage of energy flow-the domain can wait.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll discuss more after we return.¡± ¡°Woof!~~¡± General Ha sighed and nodded-it was so difficult! Soon enough, Lu Ran and his group found a weak wild beast at random and cast the pig transformation curse. When a rabbit started making extremely indecent movements and sounds under the dark crow¡¯s pig transformation curse, Principal Shi Zhen pursed her lips. ¡°Do you have a research direction?¡± she asked Lu Ran. ¡°Yes, I obtained some skill information in the breakthrough secret realm. I think I canbine that with an attempt to level up the curse-to create a curse that affects life signs,¡± Lu Ran said, referring to collections he had obtained from a necromancy cult. One collection, named ¡°Sacrifice Method,¡± described how necromancy pet beasts could enhance their skills by sacrificing souls. Lu Ran nned to use this ¡°Sacrifice Method¡± to see if he could apply it more broadly, by sacrificing ¡°flesh and blood,¡± to enhance the dark crow¡¯s pig transformation curse, thereby transforming the enemy¡¯s life signs into those of a pig. ¡°And then, after you guys get familiar with the advanced pig transformation curse, you¡¯ll study a reverse curse method, right?¡± Shi Zhen asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That makes more sense than the cat¡¯s ¡®curse overriding curse¡¯ method. Although it¡¯s a bit cumbersome, it¡¯s much safer,¡± Shi Zhen exhaled. ¡°I will help you with the research,¡± Shi Zhen said. ¡°Do you need any specific assistance?¡± ¡°Squawk.¡± Before Lu Ran could speak, the dark crow interrupted. It looked at Big King, indicating it wanted to speak. Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, not too keen on letting it speak, but he sighed, deciding to see what it had in mind. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Shi Zhen also looked at the dark crow. ¡°Squawk, squawk.¡± The dark crow rubbed its wings together. Before arriving, Lu Ran had briefed it about Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s situation, so it was well aware of its duties. The dark crow said, ¡°Your Excellency, since we are researching the pig transformation curse, could you provide us with some of your hair and blood from before and after your transformation?¡± The dark crow felt that the sex-change curse was far more useful than its pig transformation curse! If only it could learn that as well. As a king, Lu Ran must have a queen with a perfect talent. If such a female isn¡¯t avable, the sex-change curse is an option. This is crucial if Lu Ran ever needs exceptional offspring! The dark crow, nning for all possibilities, felt it was its duty as the crow minister to be prepared, even if the contingency might never be used. ¡°This too???¡± Shi Zhen was speechless, clearly reluctant toply, yet he couldn¡¯t deny the request¡¯s logic. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran added, ¡°I think this is something worth researching.¡± ¡°For now, I can¡¯t think of anything else, but once I do, we¡¯ll discuss it further, Principal.¡± Lu Ran was relieved to see that the dark crow only wanted materials, and he appreciated that it was being slightly more reasonable this time. ¡°Fine,¡± Shi Zhen gritted his teeth, ¡°I hope your research yields results soon¡­¡± ¡­ After a brief exchange, Lu Ran returned home from Infinite City. In the living room, Manager Ying was still napping beside the weather elf. On the sofa, Manager Ying and the cloud cat made a picturesque duo. ¡°Is it still sleeping?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because someone keeps making it transform and use skills as soon as it was born?¡± Manager Ying retorted sarcastically. ¡°You¡¯re lucky you made a contract with the dark crow for your third pet beast. Had you contracted the weather elf, I can¡¯t imagine how tragic its childhood would have been.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°Come on, didn¡¯t the princess contract her rock monarch right after it was born as well?¡± ¡°And it grew up quite strong.¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°That¡¯s why she got bitten by the dog as karma.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Woof, woof, woof!¡± General Ha came out from behind Lu Ran. Although Manager Ying was stating a fact, it felt like an insult directed at it. ¡°How was it? Did you see Shi Zhen¡¯s domain?¡± Manager Ying changed the topic, asking, ¡°Any thoughts?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha. ¡°I¡¯m nning to have it construct a simple sword domain using the Blizzard Sword Intent, vegetation sword intent, and the nature control trait.¡± ¡°Basically, it would be a domain where¡­¡± ¡°The sky is filled with blizzard winds sharp as des.¡± ¡°And the ground is covered with thousands of sword grass nts, interweaving snow and vegetation.¡± ¡°In extreme cold, the enemy will be rendered powerless, rapidly overwhelmed by the omnidirectional shes of the Blizzard Sword Intent created by countless icy winds and the vegetation sword intent spread by numerous sword grass.¡± ¡°The Blizzard Sword Intent will handle ¡®control,¡¯ while the vegetation sword intent will manage ¡®consumption.¡¯¡± Ice attribute: Freezing, which freezes the body and mind. Grass attribute: Absorb, which absorbs energy and life. ¡°Thebination of these two attributes will ravage the enemy with countless strands of sword intent.¡± ¡°In a very short time, the enemy¡¯s condition will deteriorate significantly. Weak enemies will already be dead, and stronger foes will be seriously weakened. At this moment, General Ha can deliver the final blow with ¡®soul sh,¡¯ leaving no chance for the enemy to be part of necromancy.¡± ¡°As for why we¡¯re not integrating soul shing or Dragon yer Sword Intent into the domain, I believe that a domain tooplex would be unsuitable for it as a beginner.¡± ¡°Moreover, grass and snowstorms are natural elements, and they can synergize with General Ha¡¯s nature control trait, allowing it to unleash greater power within the domain.¡± ¡°We can discuss moreplex domainster. As long as a pet beast has a solid foundation, it should be able to construct as many domains as it likes, right?¡± ¡°Your idea is already quiteplex, containing two attributes it doesn¡¯t currently possess! Mastering even one domain is extremely challenging.¡± Manager Ying remarked, ¡°But, a sword domain full of natural scenery? It seems as if there are no swords, but in reality, the grass and snowstorm are all sharp des.¡± ¡°When the enemy¡¯s blood mingles with the blueish domain, it actually looks quite beautiful.¡± It smiled slightly. ¡°Let me help you name it. What¡¯s that phrase again? ¡®Romance of wind, flower, snow, and moon,¡¯ right? You could call it the ¡®Wind Grass Snow Moon Sword Domain!¡¯¡± ¡°I reject that on behalf of General Ha,¡± Lu Ran interjected. ¡°Tsk,¡± Manager Ying rolled its eyes, ¡°With this concept in mind, it¡¯s time to work toward it. But don¡¯t rush. Once General Ha fuses with the Ultimate Perception Trait and leverages your talents, I believe it will absolutely be able to grasp the sword domain.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha, beside Lu Ran, felt relieved after hearing Lu Ran¡¯s description. It scared General Ha; it feared Lu Ran had nned some kind of hellish sword domain filled with bone swords and teeth. The Blizzard Sword Domain surrounded by sword grass made General Ha pant with excitement, showing a longing expression. It really liked this magnificent imagery. With eagerness, it was ready to dive into research immediately! With that, General Ha dashed to the yard in a hurry. ¡°This dog¡­¡± Lu Ran chuckled, seeing General Ha¡¯s renewed enthusiasm and shook his head. Manager Ying mentioned that the sword domain involves two attributes General Ha currently doesn¡¯t have: grass and ice. This was indeed a challenge. However, Lu Ran had considered this in advance. After all, General Ha is a sword dog capable of wielding weapons, so wouldn¡¯t the attributes of its weapons also be its attributes? Sword grass represents the grass attribute, but the missing ice attribute could be supplemented with another weapon. Currently, General Ha is a Dual Sword school swordsman, so carrying two swords is perfectly reasonable. Lu Ran had also nned for this additional weapon, which would be the anticipated Fang de. He intended to forge each of General Ha¡¯s teeth into ice fangs, creating an Ice Soul Sword. Moreover, these two swords have great potential and could possibly ¡°awaken¡± and grow. In the future, if the sword grass could transform into nt life, And if the Fang de could birth its own artifact spirit, This situation reminded Lu Ran of the turtle and snake beastmaster he encountered during the Freshman Tournament. Fusion evolution of pet beasts! Could the nt life grass sword and necromancy life Fang de be General Ha¡¯s attachments, evolving and growing alongside it? In this light, although it¡¯s a straightforward sword domain, the potential for growth is extremely high. ¡­ Lu Ran decided to let General Ha explore the sword domain on its own. As for the Dark Crow, Lu Ran had determined it would be the third to undergo evolution, so there was no rush for it. Enhancing its soul and studying curse power would both take time. The Sudden Death King, on the other hand, required the most immediate attention because Lu Ran nned for it to be the first to evolve. Although its current setup wasprehensive and wless, there was one aspect that hadn¡¯t reached its peak. That was the development of its ¡°Red Lightning¡± trait. The Red Lightning trait strengthens the body the more it gets struck by lightning. Although the Sudden Death King had previously undergone special training at the Power nt,pared to its perfect dragon king bloodline, perfect Dragon Soul, and powerful artistic conception of the dragon, its trait development was stillgging behind. For the next two weeks, Lu Ran nned to focus its training on this aspect. ¡°Now that the weather elf is here, for the next two weeks¡­¡± ¡°The Green Sea will be under constant red lightning storm warnings!¡± Lu Ran muttered, foreseeing that the Sudden Death King would soon be the team member who dislikes the weather elf the most. But there was no helping it. This was all for the Sudden Death King¡¯s own good and its perfect evolution. Even a newborn weather elf had been roped into working just a day after its birth. Hopefully, the Sudden Death King would appreciate this. Not everyone gets the chance for heavenly thunder body forging and heavenly thunder blessing, after all. Chapter 187: The First Enemy of the King of Green Sea Chapter 187: The First Enemy of the King of Green Sea Two dayster. The rumors about Lu Ran being the ¡°Holy Son of Necromancy¡± were slowly dying down. If the international beast taming alliance had actively responded to public reports, the rumors might have persisted. However, with no response or indication from either the international beast taming alliance or the Xia Country beast taming alliance, the topic became uninteresting. Regarding the specific details of the breakthrough secret realm rted to necromancy, Lu Ran had not disclosed much to anyone. Besides Manager Ying and Dr. Gu, not even Fang Lan had asked about it, and Lu Ran had not volunteered any information. Moreover, Fang Lan had no time to pay attention to Lu Ran at the moment. She, along with other domestic poison researchers, was busy studying the blood and venom of the typus Sea King Beast. The typus Sea King Beast, a level 60 upper overlord species BOSS. The guardian overlord of the Level 5 Legendary Secret Realm in Xia Country.During the month Lu Ran spent in the breakthrough secret realm, a team of First Generation from Xia Country sessfully conquered it, bing the first team in the world to conquer a Level 5 Legendary Secret Realm. Although the typus Sea King Beast was mainly water-based, it possessed some toxicity. The typus is one of the few venomous mammals, so the research on its body materials was naturally assigned to this group of poison experts. They were so busy that they had no time to care about other matters. Even if they knew the truth, Fang Lan would probably feel that the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden and the Holy Son of Necromancy seemed like a well-suited pair, much like siblings. After all, by secr standards, or in the eyes of those who were her opponents in the breakthrough secret realm, she did not seem like a good person. Boom!!! An uninhabited ind outside the Green Sea. A thunderstorm had been raging for two days. Under the violent thunder and rain, a ¡°ck Dragon¡± was advancing, bathing in lightning. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Every strike of the terrifying thunder made the scales of the sudden death king emit hot steam, causing the flesh beneath to burst open. ¡°How do you feel, sudden death king? Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Lu Ran, wearing earplugs, asked while sitting on a rock. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The red eyes of the sudden death king were illuminated by the lightning, tears welling up, wondering why it was always filled with such emotion¡­ ¡°Pitter-patter!! Pitter-patter!!¡± The weather elf floated beside Lu Ran, encouraging the sudden death king. ¡°Roar¡­¡± The sudden death king wiped its tears. Though it constantly endured lightning strikes, it was understanding enough to know it shouldn¡¯t me the baby weather elf. After all, it was Lu Ran who was the real devil for bringing the newborn here for special training. Granted, the weather elf seemed to be enjoying itself. The weather elf¡¯s species ability was to control the weather. For them, controlling the weather was as instinctive as survival. Lu Ran¡¯s request for it to manipte thunder was not met with resistance; instead, the elf found it quite fun. As for the power of the thunder the weather elf could control, Lu Ran was secretly amazed. If relying solely on its own power, the thunder the weather elf could generate wasn¡¯t very strong-enough to instantly kill a weak level 20 supernatural species creature at best. But the weather elf, with its nature control trait, could unleash a power far exceeding its own level if the environment was suitable. Take this isted ind, for instance. The surrounding thick rain clouds naturally harbored terrifying thunderous energy. By bringing the weather elf here, these rain clouds essentially became its toys. A single lightning strike was too much for the sudden death king to withstand with just its body. ¡°Environment is a crucial factor influencing a pet beast¡¯sbat power.¡± ¡°Big King! Big King!!!¡± As Lu Ran sighed, a dark crow swiftly flew over the dim horizon. While cautiously eyeing the lightning in the sky, it sped up. ¡°Dark Crow?¡± Lu Ran looked over. ¡°Big King, something terrible has happened,¡± the dark crow hastily said as it quicklynded beside Lu Ran. It tilted its head back, took a gulp of rainwater to moisten its throat, and then spoke: ¡°The ck turtle general¡­ has returned severely injured!!¡± ¡°The stone tablet was smashed, and its turtle shell has cracks, possibly from a fierce battle in the sea region!!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Never mind, where is it? Take me there first.¡± ¡°The ck turtle general is currently unconscious near the shore, being guarded by the flock of crows.¡± ¡°General Ha!!!¡± Lu Ran called out. On the other side of the ind, amidst a wind and snow environment, General Ha, practicing energy flow, heard the call and immediately dashed over. ¡°Take me to the shore. Cloud Baby, you stay here with the sudden death king. If anything unexpected happens, just shout ¡®Manager Ying,¡¯ and it¡¯ll be okay. I need to handle something first.¡± Lu Ran patted the soft body of the weather elf and spoke. ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!¡± The weather elf nodded obediently. As for the sudden death king, it gave a deep look and waved itsrge hand, indicating it also had the right to know about the situation with the ck turtle general! As a former colleague, the ck turtle general¡¯s plight could not be ignored by the Thunder Dragon General. ¡°Are you trying to ck off?¡± Lu Ran, already seated on General Ha, rolled his eyes. But the sudden death king had a point. ¡°Fine, follow along.¡± With that, Lu Ran¡¯s entire team set off. ¡­ Near the shore, the area had already been cleared by the flock of crows. The ck turtle generaly unconscious and gravely injured. Not only was the stone tablet Lu Ran had given it missing, but its usually impervious turtle shell was also covered in cracks. As Lu Ran and his crew arrived, the flock of crows was dispersed by the dark crow. Lu Ran¡¯s expression darkened as he approached the ck turtle general. He took out the divine deer pendant and waved it gently. In the next moment, the ck turtle¡¯s injuries werepletely healed. ¡°Mmm-¡± The ck turtle seemed to regain consciousness, struggling to open its eyes. [This is bad, really bad.] It muttered inwardly, looking utterly desperate. ¡°Old turtle, snap out of it.¡± Lu Ran patted its shell. ¡°It¡¯s all good now; your injuries are healed.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The ck turtle finally noticed its surroundings. No longer in the deep sea, it was now surrounded by Lu Ran, General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow, all looking at it with concern. [Did I escape back?] [Boo-hoo, you owe me for this one!] The old turtle, realizing it had sessfully made it back, teared up. ¡°ck turtle general, what on earth happened?¡± ¡°What kind of danger did you encounter in the ocean?¡± the dark crow asked urgently. Lu Ran also asked, ¡°Yes, old turtle, what happened to you out there?¡± Before this incident, Lu Ran had dispatched the ck turtle general tomand the coastal waters. He had even enhanced it with Dragon Blood and forged weapons for it. The ck turtle general quickly became the King of the Coastal Waters, as expected. None of the surrounding sea creatures were its match. But now¡­ ¡°I encountered a monster,¡± the old turtle replied. ¡°It had a human-like upper body and a fish-like lower half, and it couldmunicate with various water creatures.¡± ¡°It imed toe from the ¡®Fishman Empire¡¯ and sought tomand this area.¡± ¡°Of course, I refused, but Ipletely underestimated its strength. Although I managed to drive it away, I was gravely injured in the process.¡± ¡°Fishman? Empire?¡± Hearing the ck turtle¡¯s words, Lu Ran sensed trouble. He felt deeply uneasy. ¡°Caw!¡± Beside him, the dark crow also showed a fierce expression. ¡°Manager Ying!!!¡± Lu Ran used the Manager Ying summoning technique once again. In the next moment, a rather reluctant cat arrived. ¡°Manager Ying, listen to me. We¡¯ve got a serious problem. It seems that a ¡®sea beast force¡¯ has formed in the Eastern Sea. The old turtle, whom I sent to guard the coastal waters, was attacked by a ¡®mermaid ferocious beast¡¯ iming to originate from the ¡®Fishman Empire¡¯.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Upon hearing this, Manager Ying, who had just arrived, instantly became alert. ¡°Damn.¡± It then shot a nce at the ck turtle general and said, ¡°Is this true?¡± ¡°Uh-huh.¡± The ck turtle nodded. ¡°This is indeed a serious matter,¡± Manager Ying said gravely. ¡°Land-based ferocious beasts haven¡¯t yet formed any semnce of a nation, but the ocean¡­ it¡¯s already happening?¡± ¡°Fishmen¡­ mermaid¡­ species rted to humans? Are these supernatural evolutions of fish?¡± ¡°Or did the Blue Star originally have ¡®mermaids¡¯ that have grown stronger with the revival of spiritual energy?¡± Manager Ying wondered aloud. Land creatures had always explored the ocean too little. ¡°The current issue isn¡¯t that, but the ¡®Fishman Empire¡¯. Just from the name, it sounds like a species capable ofnding. Otherwise, even if they established an empire, they would likely just stay in the ocean,¡± Lu Ran pointed out. ¡°Now that there are low-level soldiers-well, if the ck turtle general was able to repel them, they should be considered low-level. Anyway, they¡¯re already approaching the maind, which clearly indicates their intent to expand their influence toward the continent,¡± Lu Ran said. ck turtle: ? ¡°¡­¡± Manager Ying pondered for a moment and then continued, ¡°Well, with our current capabilities, we can¡¯t handle this alone. I¡¯ll pass this intelligence on to Gu Qingyi.¡± ¡°The sea region of Xia Country is generally managed by her. Among the First Generation, she is particrly skilled in maritime warfare as the Dragon Tamer.¡± ¡°Only she is skilled in maritime warfare among the First Generation?¡± Lu Ran frowned. ¡°That¡¯s extremely risky. We¡¯re dealing with the forces of the deep sea ferocious beasts; it¡¯s beyond what a single First Generation can handle.¡± ¡°I understand your concern, but don¡¯t worry too much just yet,¡± Manager Ying said seriously. ¡°For now, we¡¯re just scaring ourselves. We don¡¯t even know the full situation on the other side. In any case, don¡¯t worry. While we may not be able to deal with them in the ocean, if they dare tond, they¡¯ll be the ones facing their doom.¡± ¡°In the meantime, as the King of Green Sea, you need to tighten the defense of the coastal waters. This area¡¯s defense is not as strong as Shanghai¡¯s. It would be best to bring in some experts to hold the fort, so that runaway mermaid won¡¯te back with reinforcements,¡± Manager Ying advised. ¡°I understand,¡± Lu Ran nodded. The Fishman Empire, huh¡­ we¡¯re entering turbulent times. He felt that his position as King of Green Sea was being challenged for the first time. ¡°I¡¯ll go inform Qingyi now,¡± said Manager Ying as it took out a phone and walked aside. At this moment, the ck turtle turned its head and sighed deeply. ¡°With my meager strength, encountering such a formidable enemy, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t bear this responsibility any longer.¡± ¡°I have no choice but to retire to Qingwu Lake and live out my days. I humbly request Big King to allow me to retire in peace¡­¡± Before Lu Ran could respond, the dark crownded on the ck turtle¡¯s shell and said, ¡°Got beaten up and you want to quit? Big King is not a petty person. Since you have bled for Green Sea and made great contributions, if there¡¯s anything that can enhance your strength, even exquisite resources, Big King will get them for you.¡± ¡°The Fishman Empire entering the coastal waters is not yet a huge wave. If they dare to take one more step forward, it will be a total upheaval!¡± ¡°Get stronger, ck turtle general. We, the seven general beasts of Green Sea, will together sound the horn of counterattack against the Fishman Empire!¡± the dark crow dered with fierce eyes. ¡°Indeed, old turtle. We owe you a great deal this time. I will soon acquire even more powerful resources to enhance your strength,¡± Lu Ran said. General Ha and the sudden death king also cast encouraging nces toward the ck turtle, with the weather elf looking bewildered. Old turtle, you can do it. At least you can fight for another five hundred years! ck turtle: ??? Chapter 188: Whose General Is This Chapter 188: Whose General Is This ¡°I have already notified Gu Qingyi.¡± ¡°Next, the Xia Country Alliance and the International Alliance will conduct another exploration of the deep sea.¡± Manager Ying leisurely walked back and happened to see the ck turtle trying to leave, being desperately held back by the dark crow. ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath. He had been at ease for so long that he almost forgot that, in the context of spiritual energy revival, the greatest enemies were actually those ferocious beasts. Previously, the evolution period was short, and the ferocious beasts had not yet be a climate. But over time, humans would definitely be gradually outpaced. It¡¯s a matter of numbers. Humans are just one species, while the concept of ¡°ferocious beasts¡± epasses all non-human species.With such a vast base, even if each species produced only one chosen one, it would be enough to trouble humans. Take the Star-Moon Continent for example. In the thousands of years of development history of the Beast Taming Empire, they have always been fighting against the forces of ferocious beasts. Just as one ferocious beast force is defeated, another rises shortly after. Endlessly. So, will blue star face the same situation next? ¡°Let¡¯s hope for world peace. The only advantage blue star humans currently have is the ability to grow quickly through infinite city¡­¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Manager Ying said indifferently, ¡°The world peace you speak of is merely human peace. Human hunting of wild animals has never ceased.¡± ¡°In my opinion, global evolution is fair.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t need to worry too much. Among us supernatural beings, there are also old and new grudges. Even if global evolution happens, humans will not immediately face immense pressure.¡± ¡°For example, if the rat species evolves, their first target wouldn¡¯t be humans, but us.¡± ¡°And some friendly species will certainly choose to ally with humans for a better survival environment,¡± Manager Ying added. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lu Ran smiled. Oh well, why worry? He¡¯s not the leader of the human race; why think so much? He certainly wouldn¡¯t risk his life to help if ferocious beasts invaded Neon Country or Sacred Eagle Country. As long as the forces of ferocious beasts don¡¯t mess with him or infringe on his interests, he won¡¯t bother himself with them. Let the vested interests worry about it. The fourth-generation beastmasters have their own advantages. They can develop slowly, with external pressures and international pressures all falling on the First Generation. However, the problem is¡­ Green Sea City is a coastal city, and in Xia Country, the one managing the deep sea is Gu Qingyi, not some stranger. Lu Ran rubbed his temples. Even if it was just to help Dr. Gu share the pressure, he needed to prevent the Fishman Empire from causing trouble on shore. He might not have the strength now, but that doesn¡¯t mean he won¡¯t in the future. Lu Ran felt that he was growing stronger at a decent pace. [I¡­ really don¡¯t want to fight anymore¡­] ¡°Don¡¯t be like this, ck turtle general. Green Sea cannot do without you.¡± At this moment, the ck turtle and dark crow were still arguing. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± General Ha, sudden death king, and cloud baby chose to watch the drama unfold. In all honesty, the dark crow cared even more about the safety of Green Sea City than Lu Ran did. After all, in its eyes, this was ¡°its¡± territory. ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Lu Ran mimicked the dark crow using super beast mimicry and coughed: ¡°Since the ck turtle is unwilling to personally engage in battle, I appoint it as the Grand Marshal of Green Sea, a general beast.¡± ¡°And you, because you¡¯re under contract, can¡¯t be considered a general beast anymore.¡± ¡°After this, I will select another water species to take up the role of ¡®Green Sea Navy General¡¯ to guard the sea region for the ck turtle.¡± ¡°ck turtle, I¡¯llter provide you with resources for an awakening in the mental category. You¡¯ll need to learn mental sensing. Your duty will be tomand and manage the Green Sea Navy. How does that sound?¡± ¡°Brilliant!¡± The dark crow pped its wings. [Alright, let¡¯s do it this way.] Not only humans preferpromises; supernatural beings do too. The old turtle reluctantly epted the idea of ¡°retiring behind the scenes¡± and ¡°bing the navy marshal.¡± As long as it didn¡¯t have to go to the frontline to fight, it was fine. It wanted to stay peacefully in Qingwu Lake. ¡°Indeed, its temperament is rtively cautious and steady, not suitable for charging as a general. However, as a marshal, it fits well.¡± Manager Ying, also watching the drama, quickly got engrossed. Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°ck turtle, dark crow, do you have any rmended beasts?¡± ¡°Those that are fierce inbat, water species.¡± Lu Ran turned to ask the ck turtle and dark crow. ¡°By the way, do you know of any supernatural beings like starfish, sponges, or octopuses from the sea?¡± Lu Ran continued to ask. [Ah, unfortunately not.] The ck turtle shook its head, [I¡¯m not familiar with those.] ¡°Big king, I¡¯m also not familiar with marine creatures,¡± the dark crow reported. ¡°What a pity!¡± Lu Ran said regretfully. Then he spoke up: ¡°In that case, go to Qingwu Lake and catch a carp. Use the Soul-Calming Stone to test each one, and see whose soul talent is the strongest. This way, it can serve as an experimental subject for the Dragon Soul nurturing method and potentially leap over the dragon gate to enhance its potential, guarding the sea in the future.¡± ¡°Big king, you are wise!!¡± The dark crow eximed repeatedly. [That sounds good.] The ck turtle, eyes wet with relief, thought. It finally wouldn¡¯t have to go to the front lines. Bing the navy marshal did elevate its position, but it also seemed to bring it closer to retirement! Hopefully¡­ nothing unexpected happens. ¡­ After getting the Flock of Crows to escort the ck turtle away, Lu Ran and the others stood by the coastal waters, gazing into the distance, as if trying to discern the depth of the unknown enemy. Nation-building¡­ The Fishman Empire, was it? Just wait. Once his dragon legion is assembled, he will certainly im his share of the sea¡¯s resources. When it came to nurturing a dragon legion, Lu Ran preferred to cultivate a batch of Eastern Divine Loongs that could summon wind and rain, rather than giant Western dragons that breathed fire and spat lightning. The reason was simple. With the appearance of the weather elf, even if it didn¡¯t have legion traits, it could still be the core of a legion. If there was a group of Divine Loongs that could summon wind and rain to cooperate with it, flooding a country would seem very achievable! A weather legion! Compared to the dark crow¡¯s celestial regiment, this goal was clearly more defined and much more feasible. Finally, in the deep sea, he nned to establish a Dragon Pce City! This time, the ck turtle also brought back an important piece of intelligence and achieved a great merit. Since it didn¡¯t want to fight, he might as well let it be the Turtle Prime Minister and enjoy its retirement¡­ ¡­ During the waiting period for the Evolution Secret Realm, Lu Ran encountered a small incident. First, Lu Ran went to Qingwu Lake to select a king carp. Then, he personally stayed by the coastal waters to see if any creatures from the Fishman Empire would invade. However, after that mermaid attacked and failed, retreating in disgrace, several days passed without any sign of a counterattack. This made Lu Ran feel quite bored. He wanted to capture a mermaid alive to inquire about the situation with the Fishman Empire. If there were ¡°mermaids,¡± Lu Ran guessed that without waiting for the Fishman Empire to attack thend, the surface would directly enter the ¡°great maritime era.¡± A bunch of old perverts would go to capture mermaids as pet beasts. Boom!!! In Green Sea, on thunder ind. After several consecutive days of being struck by lightning for training,bined with the pendant from the divine deer, the sudden death king underwent a period of rapid growth in physique, which then gradually slowed down. Lu Ran knew that for the sudden death king at its current level, the development of the red trait had probably reached a bottleneck. Continuing further, although improvements would ur, there wouldn¡¯t be significant progress in a short amount of time. This kind of development could only be achieved over months. Heavenly thunder body forging + thunder blessing + divine deer pendant allowed the sudden death king to train its red lightning trait to a level that would normally take years in just a few days. As the opening time for the first Evolution Secret Realm drew closer, International news outlets also began their countdown. [Only 5 days left! Evolution Secret Realm opening for the first time, which ten will receive the Star Blessing slots?] [Eagle Federation¡¯s Dinosaur Life Research Institute announced it¡¯ll conduct the second dragon transformation experiment in the Evolution Secret Realm!] [Famous second-generation beastmaster Phoenix stated he¡¯ll be nurturing the strongest new pet ¡°Phoenix¡± with special resources obtained from the Legendary Secret Realm.] [Lately, Dr. Lunbo, a giant in evolutionary studies, auctioned an evolution method called ¡°wisdom grass¡± in Eagle Federation. It is rumored that this method can grow a nt organ called ¡®wisdom grass¡¯ on the animal¡¯s head to enhance intelligence. The method has reportedly been purchased by a mysterious buyer.] [Shock! A female billionaire from Rui Country is seeking a mate for her beloved dog to give birth to a high-quality pup, offering an exquisite resource as a dowry!] While nurturing the sudden death king and the weather elf, Lu Ran kept an eye on the world¡¯s trending news. Finally, during a period of boring waiting, he encountered a big piece of news. It wasn¡¯t something he saw online but was instead brought to him by Manager Ying. ¡°The Fishman Empire has news, both good and bad. Which do you want to hear first?¡± Manager Ying gracefully stepped towards Lu Ran in the void of thunder ind. Her gem-like eyes fixed on him. ¡°Stop ying around, just get to the point,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Start with the one rted to me.¡± ¡°That would be the good news,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°The mermaid that was sent to upy various sea regions is just a prince of the Fishman Empire. It has dispatched many subordinates to seize marine territories everywhere. Your area in Green Sea is just a trivial spot.¡± ¡°Even if they failed, it¡¯s likely they won¡¯t pay too much attention to it in the short term. They¡¯ll probably focus on easier targets first.¡± ¡°So, after a while, once they¡¯ve taken the easier targets, they¡¯ll eventually shift their focus back to the territories they previously failed to conquer, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Indeed, that¡¯s a possibility. If they intend tond, these coastal waters, despite not being rich in resources, are still key areas,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°And the bad news?¡± Lu Ran inquired. ¡°The bad news is not directly rted to you but involves the international beast taming alliance. They¡¯ve uncovered the origins of the Fishman Empire, and it¡¯s quite worrisome.¡± ¡°In ancient times on Blue Star, ¡®fishmen¡¯ truly existed as a species. The king of the Fishman Empire is simr to me and might have survived from ancient times.¡± ¡°Although we don¡¯t know the exact level of this entity, a creature like this will undoubtedly be more challenging to deal with than marine creatures that just recently evolved and gained resources like ¡®exquisite resource¡¯ and ¡®epic resource¡¯¡­¡± At this point, even Manager Ying revealed a wary expression. ¡°Furthermore, it¡¯s unclear whether its offspring are newly created or also ancient survivors. But the fact that it¡¯s defaulting these territory seizures indicates significant ambition.¡± ¡°In the future, humanity might have to face ancient enemies!¡± ¡°Ancient creature!¡± Lu Ran was stunned. ¡°Damn, there¡¯s another one like you who can survive for ages.¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡°Hmph,¡± Manager Ying pouted. ¡°I call it exceptional talent. The Fishman Empire, just by the name, sounds like trash.¡± ¡°So, I won¡¯t bother finding a master to guard Green Sea. I¡¯ll leave it to you, Manager Ying. You¡¯re just a cat; I hope you don¡¯t run away when you encounter fish,¡± Lu Ran said seriously. ¡°To them, it¡¯s just like catching small fish.¡± ¡°No, my advice is to quickly find the divine deer and cling to it! I¡¯m very weak!¡± Lu Ran and Manager Ying engaged in a heated argument. Meanwhile, in a distant deep-sea kingdom, An order was issued. ¡°The failed attack is tolerable; abandon that region for now.¡± ¡°Hmm? The lord of that sea region is a powerful turtle species with a stone tablet on its back?¡± ¡°A stone tablet¡­ What species is that? It sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Go, send more people. Invite it, I want it to submit to me and be my general. Such a strong warrior is too good to waste in such a small sea region!¡± Chapter 189: Secrets of the First Generation Chapter 189: Secrets of the First Generation Since learning from Manager Ying that the Fishman Empire wouldn¡¯t be coveting the Green Sea anytime soon, Lu Ran refocused his thoughts on the Evolution Secret Realm. ¡°Are you nning to teleport directly via Infinite City, or are you considering an actual trip abroad to Antarctica?¡± Manager Ying adjusted her fur, asking with slight irritation. ¡°Is there a difference?¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°Whichever is more convenient.¡± ¡°Of course, Infinite City teleportation is more convenient. However, after the spiritual energy rebirth, there are many ces in Antarctica very suitable for ice-type pet beasts.¡± ¡°The natural energy is more abundant and it¡¯s better than most ice-type secret realms.¡± ¡°Moreover, a First Generation beastmaster from Xia Country who has nurtured a new pet beast will lead a group of ice-type beastmasters on an expense-paid trip to Antarctica. I think it might be a good experience for you and your Erha.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s not ice-type, it can still be considered half an ice-type due to its Blizzard Sword Intent.¡±¡°It will probably be very happy there.¡± Despite Manager Ying¡¯s disdain for dogs, she always provided intelligence rted to Lu Ran promptly. ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Ran looked towards General Ha, who was still tirelessly practicing the sword domain in the distance. After a week and dozens of lucid fruits, General Ha hadprehended the ¡°second stage of energy flow,¡± but it was still far from mastering the sword domain. Taking it to Antarctica for some rxation didn¡¯t sound like such a bad idea. A simted blizzard environment couldn¡¯tpare to the natural energy-rich areas of Antarctica, filled with ice and wind energy. After some thought, Lu Ran said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll look into what special ces there are in Antarctica.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just worried about being assassinated¡­¡± ¡°Are youing?¡± he asked his personal bodyguard. ¡°Me?¡± Manager Ying shook her head and replied, ¡°No! Anyway, with Xia Country¡¯s First Generation leading, let him protect you.¡± ¡°He¡¯s stronger than me.¡± ¡°Just go already.¡± ¡°Actually, I do want to take the weather elf with me. If I go by myself, entering Infinite City, no one will be there to look after it.¡± Manager Ying fumed, really being treated like a nanny. A pet beast born just a week ago, going on a trip? Just let it sleep at home! Lu Ran didn¡¯t give Manager Ying a chance to refuse and continued immediately, ¡°Which First Generation is it?¡± ¡°What new pet? Is it powerful?¡± ¡°Not bad,¡± Manager Ying replied with a curled lip. ¡°It¡¯s Zhu Kaixin, with the Infinite City ID Pig Deity. He recently nurtured an ice pig king. Apparently, because of it, he has obtained an ice-type, time-type trait.¡± ¡°If sessfully nurtured, hisbat power should rank among the top First-Generation beastmasters in Xia Country.¡± Him, huh.¡± Although Lu Ran had never met him, he knew of him. Zhu Kaixin, also known as the Boar of the Twelfth Branch, was an idol among the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance¡¯s twelve branches. His background was also in pig raising. Rising from an ordinary pig raiser, he became a prominent figure among the First-Generation beastmasters-no small feat. He was quite an entric character. Raising pigs to an art form, every pet beast he contracted was a pig. Pigs of various attributes. A truly dedicated individual. Some even suspected that he had mastered some beast taming skill for ¡°Pig Species Enhancement.¡± ¡­ The next two days passed peacefully. When the time arrived, Lu Ran and Manager Ying began packing their bags, preparing to head to the Sky City airport. By the time they reached the airport waiting room, it was already filled with many beastmasters. First to Fourth Generations were present. Some were purely there for tourism, while others were also nning to enter the Evolution Secret Realm and do some sightseeing along the way. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Lu Ran?¡± ¡°Hey, Manager Ying is here too?¡± Both Lu Ran and Manager Ying were well-known figures in the beast taming domain of Xia Country. The former was the Strongest Fourth Generation, while thetter was Xia Country¡¯s most famous intelligence dealer. As Lu Ran and Manager Ying walked into the waiting room, looking for something to eat, a chubby young man who had been chatting nearby suddenly interrupted his conversation and walked over, squinting. ¡°Hey, Manager Ying, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°This must be the big shot Passerby A. Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Pig Deity.¡± The chubby young man smiled and greeted them. ¡°Not at all, I¡¯m just a newbie; you¡¯re the real big shot,¡± Lu Ran replied politely. ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m just a few years ahead in beast taming; I don¡¯t qualify as a big shot. You¡¯re the real big shot, standing out among millions of fourth-generation beastmasters,¡± Zhu Kaixin humbly remarked. Although he might rank in the top 100 among first-generation beastmasters, the number of first-generation beastmasters is inherently small. His aplishments, on a global scale, are rtively modest. But Lu Ran was different. He was a true figure of prominence, garnering worldwide attention. ¡°No, no, it¡¯s thanks to the guidance of the first-generation big shots. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today¡­¡± ¡°Come on, you two! Enough with the pleasantries already; cut it out,¡± Manager Ying interrupted helplessly. The surrounding beastmasters also chuckled, wanting to get acquainted with Lu Ran. This was a characteristic of Xia Country. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Zhu Kaixinughed, ¡°Lu Ran, let¡¯s sit together in the VIP cabinter so we can chat properly.¡± ¡°Come on, let me introduce you to a few other big shots¡­¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Lu Ran smiled wryly, regrettinging to the waiting room for food. So troublesome¡­ all Manager Ying¡¯s fault, saying the Chef here was good. What followed was a continuous exchange of business cards. Finally, when Lu Ran felt he couldn¡¯t take any more, it was time to board. Zhu Kaixin whisked him into a two-person VIP cabin. In the private space, Zhu Kaixin began to speak more confidentially, ¡°Lu Ran, you¡¯re nning to evolve your Dragon Lizard this time, right?¡± ¡°You solo-cleared the Loong-type Legendary Secret Realm; you should be confident in achieving dragon transformation, right?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± Lu Ran replied modestly, ¡°It depends on luck; can¡¯t say for sure.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be modest. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing your giant dragon crush those dinosaurs from the Eagle Federation,¡± Zhu Kaixin said. ¡°This time, a lot of media is stationed in Antarctica, and some even n to follow you into the secret realm just to get firsthand evolution information¡­¡± Lu Ran grumbled, ¡°These people¡­ always stirring up trouble.¡± ¡°No choice,¡± Zhu Kaixin finally revealed his true intention, ¡°By the way, Lu Ran, are you researching the power of curse with your sister? Your new pet beast should have mastered curse power, right?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± What¡¯s with the whole ¡°sister¡± thing? Referring to Principal Shi Zhen? ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran confirmed. ¡°Seriously, I think Shi Zhen¡¯s got it all wrong. Rather than trying to change back, he could totally adapt to his new female body and rediscover his peak strength. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Zhu Kaixin seemed quite regretful: ¡°There are already so few women among the First Generation. Having a good buddy suddenly turn into a beautiful girl is a wonderful thing, yet he¡¯s all determined to retire¡­¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t expect that your third pet beast wouldn¡¯t be the egg brought back by the former guild leader¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ran, are you interested in Time-type pet beasts?¡± ¡°Um?¡± Lu Ran was startled for a moment, ¡°Of course.¡± Globally, beastmasters who have mastered the power of time are even rarer than those whose pet beasts have domain abilities. Lu Ran dared to let General Ha learn the power of space but didn¡¯t dare touch the power of time, mainly because the rted resources were too scarce; the difficulty of nurturing was off the charts. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯ve obtained a Time-type ice trait that can give ice-based powers the effect of freezing an entire area for a period.¡± ¡°I¡¯m nning to use it to nurture a new pet beast. When my ice pig gives birth someday, I¡¯ll give you one of its offspring!¡± Lu Ran: ??? What would I do with your piglet? Lu Ran initially thought Zhu Kaixin was going to give him that ice trait! ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched, sensing another motive behind Zhu Kaixin¡¯s offer. ¡°Hehe,¡± Zhu Kaixin chuckled, ¡°After I finish nurturing this ice pig, I¡¯m nning to see if I can raise a Loong-type pig next. I¡¯ll be counting on your help then.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Just provide the ingredients, and I¡¯ll take care of cooking the Dragon Cuisine.¡± ¡°Good brother! In the future, if you run into any trouble, juste to me. I¡¯ll handle it!¡± Zhu Kaixin patted his chest, which was even more exaggerated than the gender-swapped Principal Shi Zhen¡¯s. ¡°By the way, where did you get that ice trait?¡± Lu Ran asked curiously. ¡°Oh, that,¡± Zhu Kaixin said, ¡°I got it by defeating a boss in a public secret realm. Let me tell you all about it¡­¡± ¡°The strength of wild bosses in public secret realms isn¡¯t necessarily higher than abyssal difficulty or legendary difficulty bosses, but the types of bosses are very random and not fixed. The rewards are also highly random, just like those in breakthrough secret realms. So, if you have some free time, don¡¯t waste it in abyss secret realms. Instead, focus on hunting wild bosses in public secret realms,¡± Zhu Kaixin advised. ¡°If you can¡¯t keep an eye on it yourself, ask others to help monitor for you. As soon as you get news, rush to slice the boss with your sword. The more you try, the higher the chance you¡¯ll get a unique and rare trait.¡± ¡°Hey, do you know what trait I want the most?¡± Zhu Kaixin asked. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A luck-enhancing trait! A trait that boosts your luck! Although I¡¯m not sure if it exists, it would be amazing to nurture an auspicious pig. Even if it doesn¡¯t have muchbat power, it would be incredibly valuable in a ce like Infinite City with its trial mechanism. Over time, we¡¯d be swimming in rare resources.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite the dreamer,¡± Lu Ranughed. ¡°Since Infinite City has consciousness, you¡¯d be better off praying to it every day for good fortune rather than relying on luck-enhancing traits.¡± The two chatted for quite a while. Despite the gap in strength between First Generation and Fourth Generation beastmasters, they were both young, and findingmon ground in conversation wasn¡¯t difficult. Plus, Lu Ran¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t that different from the First Generation. Moreover, Zhu Kaixin was clearly a chatterbox who spoke freely and openly about everything. Lu Ran learned a lot of information from him that he hadn¡¯t seen online or heard from other First and Second Generation beastmasters. ¡°This time in the Evolution Secret Realm, I think only the two of us from Xia Country have a real shot atpeting for those ten spots,¡± Zhu Kaixin spected. ¡°The new pet beasts of others don¡¯t seem that impressive,¡± he shrugged. ¡°Thank the former guild leader! You Fourth Generation folks have had a good environment for growth. The Second and Third Generations only had it slightly better than the First Generation, nowhere near asfortable as your lot,¡± Zhu Kaixinmented. ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran asked, ¡°Why do you say that?¡± With a surprised expression, Zhu Kaixin suddenly grew excited, ¡°You don¡¯t know? No one told you? Come! Let me exin!¡± Lu Ran leaned in, eager to listen. He loved hearing gossip. ¡°The first-generation beastmasters from Xia Country had a lot of impressive figures at the beginning. After all, we have arge poption, but with more peoplee dirty dealings, you know?¡± Zhu Kaixin exined. ¡°For instance, back then, resources from various public secret realms were tightly controlled by powerful beastmasters. Infinite City didn¡¯t intervene and even tacitly allowed this behavior of older generations exploiting the newer ones.¡± ¡°Although this issue still exists today, it¡¯s much better. The Alliance has opened up many public secret realms, and there are now various channels to ess resources in special public secret realms. But back then, nothing like that existed. Resources were heavily monopolized and concentrated at the top.¡± Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too surprised and asked, ¡°So, what led to the change?¡± With a grin, Zhu Kaixin continued, ¡°It was our current former guild leader. He wanted to enter a public secret realm to get some resources, but he faced obstacles everywhere. In the end, this old man shed with several organizations and was even targeted in real life.¡± ¡°The result? This old man ended up taking down over a dozen first-generation beastmasters all by himself. Quite impressive, right?¡± ¡°Who could have thought such a fierce individual was hiding among the first generation,pletely unseen? His strength didn¡¯t match his age at all. After that, his position as the strongest first-generation beastmaster in Xia Country was firmly established.¡± ¡°Shi Zhen, Gu Qingyi, Lin Nian, and our current batch of first-generation beastmasters were actually a bit antisocial and didn¡¯t mix well with factions back then. They focused solely on strategizing for secret realms. But after that old man took down those first-generation beastmasters, the beast taming domain in Xia Country needed leaders. So we had to step up and take on various roles.¡± ¡°And that old man, due to his overwhelming strength, was more of a free-spirited type. But under multiple invitations, he was forced to assume the position of the guild leader.¡± ¡°Oh, speaking of that time, it was pretty boring. You never went to university, so you wouldn¡¯t know the atmosphere among that batch of first-generation beastmasters. They were like a student council in a not-so-great university, abusing their little bits of power, with rampant bureaucratic behavior. They even got so arrogant that they disregarded human lives and thought too highly of themselves. In the end, they crossed paths with a real tough guy,¡± Zhu Kaixin said with a chuckle. Lu Ran took a sharp breath, genuinely impressed. No wonder Manager Ying mentioned that the old man was the strongest in the country, even surpassing superhuman Lin Nian. His achievements had the vor of an unyielding novel protagonist ¨C just an older version. So the reason he hadn¡¯t experienced many difficulties himself was that someone had already dealt with that troublesome batch. Infinite City wouldn¡¯t have randomly chosen an old man as a beastmaster; the former guild leader must have something unique about him. Lu Ran continued to delve deeper into their conversation with Zhu Kaixin, feeling like he had be a true gossip enthusiast. Compared to Manager Ying, who was supposed to be an intelligence master, Zhu Kaixin truly lived up to the title! Next, Zhu Kaixin shared insights into the internationalndscape, discussing how second-generation beastmasters in other countries werepeting with first-generation beastmasters for resources and status. However, due to the long journey, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t chat endlessly. When he got tired of talking, he headed to another VIP cabin to rest. Until¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. We¡¯re in Antarctica.¡± Chapter 190: Slippery Antarctic Roads, General Ha Wants to Go Home Chapter 190: Slippery Antarctic Roads, General Ha Wants to Go Home Antarctica. The continent is nearly entirely covered by ciers, which extend from the center to the sea, forming enormous ice barriers. Numerous floating icebergs make the scenery here remarkably majestic. The ne from Xia Country finallynded in an area free from snow and ice, touching down in a man-made base. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!!¡± Although this group of tourists ranged from the First Generation to the Fourth Generation, everyone was young, and many were visiting Antarctica for the first time, feeling a heightened sense of curiosity about the ce. Lu Ran also stepped out with the crowd. Unlike the beastmasters d in cotton and down jackets, he kept it simple with just casual clothes. His good physical condition coupled with being a fire species human allowed him this luxury. ¡°Where can I capture penguins?¡± ¡°I want to see the seals.¡± ¡°Are there pr bears? What, this is Antarctica? Never mind then.¡±The people were extremely excited. Zhu Kaixin stood on the aircraftdder and said, ¡°Everyone, register at the base first, then you can move around freely.¡± ¡°But be careful. Although you are the elite from Xia Country¡¯s beast taming domain, there are stillrge areas of Antarctica that the international alliance hasn¡¯t conquered.¡± ¡°There are still many powerful ferocious beasts here.¡± ¡°On the other hand, this is an ice species paradise. If anyone wants to contract an ice-type pet beast, this is the best ce to capture them. Penguins, seals, sea lions, albatrosses¡­ Their quality here is far superior to the ice species creatures back home.¡± ¡°However, you need to apply to the international alliance before any capture attempts!¡± ¡°Of course, besides ferocious beasts, you also need to be cautious of natural disasters. This is the coldestnd on Earth with the most storms and highest wind speeds. A single mistake could mean being swallowed by nature¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s a safety guide in the base. Take your time to understand it; I won¡¯t nag. Even though I¡¯m the team leader, I can¡¯t keep tabs on all of you.¡± This group had gone through several levels of approval to join Zhu Kaixin on this trip to Antarctica and possessed some level of skill, so he wasn¡¯t too worried about them. ¡°Pig Deity, don¡¯t worry. We won¡¯t head to dangerous ces.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll just take a look around the edges of the danger zone, I won¡¯t go in.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯d better do that¡­ Oh, and don¡¯t get into conflicts with beastmasters from other countries!!¡± Zhu Kaixin added seriously. ¡°Of course, if you both simultaneously discover a rare species you want to contract ore across a rare resource and end up in a dispute¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hold back, call for backup and deal with it immediately.¡± ¡°Got it!!!¡± everyone agreed. At this moment, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard the words ¡°coldest and most stormy¡±-General Ha, you should thank me. After enduring such a long flight to bring you here¡­ His butt was sore from sitting so long. Such a wonderful environment, General Ha must thoroughly enjoy it ¡­ Soon, per Zhu Kaixin¡¯s instructions, everyone headed to the base to register. As for amodations, there was no need. If they needed rest, they could just enter the Public Infinite City from where they were and rest in their respective rooms. From here, one could directly enter the huge Public Infinite City in Antarctica, which was very convenient. ¡°Ha~~¡± Manager Ying, visibly tired, groggily approached Lu Ran and said, ¡°You¡¯re really something, making me look after it the whole way, I¡¯m exhausted.¡± A backpack hung from Manager Ying¡¯s back, and the weather elf was sound asleep inside it. ¡°Haha!¡± Lu Ran chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°Old Zhu talks way too much, can¡¯t help it¡­ Ahem, I¡¯ll be a level 3 beastmaster as soon as possible¡­¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°But let¡¯s be clear.¡± ¡°Before you be a level 4 beastmaster, don¡¯t you dare already have your next pet lined up without an avable contract slot.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to babysit your pet beasts anymore!¡± Manager Ying gritted her teeth. What kind of person gets new pets lined up before they¡¯ve even got a contract card? The key is if Lu Ran could manage his pet beasts himself, but always delegating the care is uneptable! ¡°Absolutely, absolutely¡­¡± Lu Ran muttered. Shouldn¡¯t be an issue. For a fifth pet, he didn¡¯t have any ns at the moment. He also wasn¡¯t interested in ¡°capturing penguins,¡± ¡°capturing sea lions,¡± or ¡°capturing seals¡± like the other beastmasters around him. With General Ha and the weather elf, he had enough ice species pet beasts already. ¡°There¡¯s still some time before the Evolution Secret Realm opens. Boss Lu, any ns?¡± Zhu Kaixin approached Lu Ran from a distance and suggested with a mischievous grin, ¡°How about we research the pig transformation curse together?¡± Along the way, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but share the intriguing pig transformation curse with Zhu Kaixin while listening to other gossip. Zhu Kaixin was utterly fascinated by the curse and expressed a keen interest, even offering various pig-rted sacrificial materials to assist Lu Ran in his research. ¡°Another day, another day,¡± Lu Ranughed wryly, overwhelmed by Zhu Kaixin¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°I want to take my pet beasts out for some activity first. I have some training ns.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Zhu Kaixin chuckled. ¡°Manager Ying, I¡¯ll leave Lu Ran¡¯s safety in your capable hands.¡± ¡°Since you¡¯re also here, my burden is lighter,¡± Zhu Kaixin added confidently. Although no one had seen the full extent of Manager Ying¡¯sbat prowess, its escape abilities were second to none. ¡°Fine,¡± Manager Ying replied impatiently. ¡°Well, I¡¯m off then.¡± With a wave, Zhu Kaixin turned and walked away. ¡­ Shortly after, on a remote white cier, far from civilization. Lu Ran inhaled the cold air as he walked alongside Erha, arge dog, both moving in tandem. ¡°Awooooo~~~~~¡± General Ha let out an excited howl. ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!!¡± Like General Ha, the weather elf transformed into a snow cloud, drifting beside Lu Ran and reveling in the surroundings with immense excitement. It was indeed veryfortable. ¡°It really is a great ce,¡± Lu Ran could sense General Ha and the weather elf¡¯s joy through telepathy. Unlike the ice secret realms, Antarctica had a distinctive feature: the natural energy of the Blue Star was continuously strengthening here. The revival of spiritual energy was far from over, and this ce was where natural energy surged most intensely. The sensation of constantly being bathed in bursts of natural energy was difficult to experience elsewhere. ¡°Woof!!¡± In this tranquil environment, General Ha immediately began to study the blizzard sword domain, methodically breaking down and analyzing the hybrid sword domain. Observing this, the weather elf also diligently summoned more snow and wind, ¡°pitter-patter! pitter-patter-¡± to cast a weather blessing on General Ha, enhancing its affinity with ice energy. Under the swirling snow, General Ha appeared majestic like the wolf king of the north wind, with sharp eyes and a striking presence. Holding the Ice and Snow Sword in its mouth, it sensed the Frost and Snow in the area. ¡°Though you call it a vacation, it¡¯s just training in a different ce,¡± Lu Ran sat on a rock, resting his chin in his hand, looking at the ice clouds in the sky. ¡°This is probably General Ha¡¯s peak intelligence moment, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s test it.¡± Lu Ran nced at General Ha, who was focused on the icefield with concentrated eyes, and interrupted its spellcasting. ¡°General Ha.¡± General Ha: ? ¡°Do you like it here? Would you want to stay here forever?¡± ¡°Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!!!¡± General Ha stuck out its tongue, panting and smiling. Really? ¡°Do you know what the most famous resource in Antarctica is after the spiritual energy revival?¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha shook its head in confusion. ¡°Extreme Ice, it¡¯s a very rare resource.¡± ¡°It only has the chance to form in snowy environments during bursts of spiritual energy.¡± ¡°Even the secret realms in Infinite City don¡¯t have this resource.¡± ¡°It¡¯s incredibly rare. Right now, you can only find it in Antarctica. Due to the difficulty in mining and preservation, it hasn¡¯t beenmercially exploited or sold yet.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha blinked. Extreme Ice. What¡¯s that? Can it be eaten like a popsicle? Nice, it likes it. But, proving its peak intelligence, General Ha¡¯s expression turned serious in an instant. It ran over frantically and covered Lu Ran¡¯s mouth, signaling him to stop talking. Extreme Ice! Better not have it! There¡¯s no such thing as free popsicles. However¡­ ¡°You¡¯ve tried the Seed of Cold Wind before, haven¡¯t you? The one that allowed your wind energy to have cold properties? Thanks to that, we were able toprehend the Blizzard Sword Intent!¡± ¡°Extreme Ice is a simr resource, except it can make ws, teeth, and bones as strong as millennia-old ice. ording to research, if a non-ice pet beast wants toprehend the ice and snow artistic conception, Extreme Ice is the best resource.¡± ¡°You, of course, don¡¯tck the ice and snow artistic conception, but if Extreme Ice can imbue your teeth with ice power, forging the Ice Fang Sword will be much easier. Compared to post-forging enchantments, this innate enchantment has a clear advantage.¡± ¡°This was the most valuable intelligence I gathered beforeing here¡­ I¡¯ve already set it as our main mission.¡± ¡°You guessed right; you really are getting smarter¡­¡± General Ha: ??? ¡°Awoooo!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes widened, feeling its intelligence being outmatched by Boss Lu once again. Toote, it¡¯s all toote. Why didn¡¯t it think about enhancing its Ice Fang beforeing to Antarctica¡­ At this moment, Manager Ying¡¯s figure slowly appeared in the snowstorm. This time, it was another clone, with a snow-white body, resembling a majestic snow leopard! ¡°Lu Ran, your intelligence on the location of Extreme Ice hase through. Remember to pay the intelligence fee.¡± ¡°OK, OK.¡± General Ha covered its mouth, watching Lu Ran and Manager Ying¡­ feeling once again like it was being perfectly arranged by them. What about the promised vacation? ¡°A vacation includes enjoying good food,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°But don¡¯t rush the sword domain training¡­ bncing work and rest is important too.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!¡± The weather elf tilted its head in confusion, not understanding why Uncle Ha seemed possessed by Uncle Sudden Death King at this moment. ¡­ Afterwards, Lu Ran led General Ha on a quest to find Extreme Ice. The main activity was breaking through iceyers to find ¡°Ice Heart-Extreme Ice¡± to be eaten like ice pops. To soothe General Ha¡¯s emotions, Lu Ran was very gentle and even brought various fruits to make fruity ice pops from the Extreme Ice. At this point, General Ha was both happy and pained; savoring fruity ice pops on the Antarctic continent was truly enjoyable, but the thought of having a thousand teeth knocked out to make weapons made its head throb faintly. ¡°General Ha¡¯s ideological awareness is still not up to par,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°Its status within the team is just too high. Whether General Ha willingly forges the Ice Fang Sword depends on Sudden Death King.¡± As long as Sudden Death King evolves strong enough this time, General Ha will definitely sense the crisis and won¡¯t worry so much about losing teeth. Speaking of Sudden Death King¡¯s dragon transformation¡­ While browsing his phone, Lu Ran raised an eyebrow. The fact that there was inte ess here made him happy, but seeing thetest annoying news about the Dinosaur Life Research Institute trying to take a shot at him made him quite unhappy. These guys never give up, huh? ¡°Dr. Hayden, the Evolution Secret Realm is about to open. Currently, there is significant international interest in the second dragon transformation experiment by the Dinosaur Life Research Institute. However, some specte online that Lu Ran, the Dragon Chef from Daxia, might also enter this Evolution Secret Realm. What are your thoughts on this?¡± In the interview video, Dr. Hayden from the Dinosaur Life Research Institute spoke. After the brutal defeat of the Tyrannosaurus Rex teamst time, he was the most affected. Hayden: ¡°I do not deny Lu Ran¡¯s talent; he is indeed one of the most outstanding beastmasters from Xia Country that I have ever seen. However, it is unfortunate that he was born in Xia Country, where the best research environments aren¡¯t avable to him. If he could join the Eagle Federation, perhaps we could join forces to cultivate the strongest Loong-type!¡± ¡°But as it stands, it¡¯s regrettable. Even if he manages to cultivate a pure Loong-type in this Evolution Secret Realm, its potential will inevitably fall short of our Dinosaur King!¡± Reporter: ¡°Dr. Hayden, but Lu Ran solo-cleared a Loong-type Legendary Secret Realm. Could the rewards from there significantly enhance the potential of his pet beast?¡± Dr. Hayden: ¡°Heh, it¡¯s quite a coincidence. We in the Eagle Federation also have a second-generation beastmaster who solo-cleared a Legendary Secret Realm. I happen to know the rewards he received. While precious and unimaginable, they are not that remarkable. Our investments in dinosaur life for this experiment are not inferior to those rewards!¡± ¡°Besides, Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Lizard is just a middlemander species, inherently inferior to dinosaur life.¡± ¡°Moreover, I have received intelligence that Lu Ran, the Dragon Chef, has already contracted a quasi-Loong pet beast. Thus, he traded one of the precious resources from the Legendary Secret Realm, the ¡®Diamond Dragon King¡¯s Egg,¡¯ for other benefits. If he had fully nurtured this egg, there might have been hope of surpassing dinosaur life. But if it¡¯s just that Dragon Lizard, then it¡¯s truly unfortunate¡­¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Lu Ran eximed, ¡°I sold an ordinary Stone Dragon Egg, how did it turn into a Diamond Dragon King¡¯s egg in the rumors?!¡± Shaking his head, Lu Ran knew that false intelligence could be damaging. However, this guy was confident-maybe that¡¯s amon trait among researchers? Yet, what he said did have some truth to it. Sudden Death King¡¯s innate species was indeed far inferior to a Tyrannosaurus Rex-a Red-Eyed Eagle Lizard simply couldn¡¯tpare. Although Lu Ran had prepared many precious resources for Sudden Death King¡¯s evolution, the resources he could acquire might also be avable to his opponents. Many teams worldwide have cleared Loong-type Legendary Secret Realms, and the Eagle Federation could easily trade for excellent resources. That might also be the source of their confidence. One dragon king bloodline might not be enough to overpower the opposition. But unfortunately for them, they overlooked one crucial point. In the breakthrough secret realm of the necromancy cult, Sudden Death King devoured several ¡°True Dragon¡± souls, including the souls of Loong-type overlord species offered by the elders of the cult. The degree of cultivation in Sudden Death King¡¯s Dragon Soul was unparalleled-not just on Blue Star, but even on the Star-Moon Continent, it would be unrivaled. In Lu Ran¡¯s view, the enhancement that the Dragon Soul provided to Sudden Death King was far greater than what a dragon king bloodline could offer! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, soon enough, you all will witness what it means to be the true King of the Dragon n,¡± Lu Ran thought to himself. Chapter 191: The Opening of the Evolution Secret Realm Chapter 191: The Opening of the Evolution Secret Realm In the blizzard. Lu Ran and General Ha kept moving. At this point, they had already ventured deep into the ¡°Danger Zone.¡± Due to the harsh environment here, they hadn¡¯t encountered other extraction teams. Guided by the map provided by Manager Ying, Lu Ran continuously found extreme ice. This was certainly a good thing, but on the other hand, General Ha felt like its mouth was almost numb. It felt like it could create a blizzard just by blowing now. After eating so much ice, it wondered if it would have a stomachache when it got back. ¡°Woof~¡±General Ha looked desperate. The ice tasted good, but it wasn¡¯t happy at all. ¡°Let me see.¡± Lu Ran pried General Ha¡¯s mouth open, seeing its sharp white teeth as pure as ice, and nodded slightly. ¡°Good teeth, good teeth.¡± ¡°As long as it works.¡± ¡°But, kind of tired now.¡± Lu Ran panted. ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha rubbed its head against Lu Ran¡¯s pant leg. Indicating: If you¡¯re tired, we can take a break. There was still the sudden death king¡¯s evolutioning up, conserving energy was quite important. It¡­ no longer wanted to eat ice, almost threw up. It wanted to eat hotpot! ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Lu Ran nodded. When it came to the sudden death king¡¯s evolution, Lu Ran wanted to stay in the state of soul enhancement. He had to wee it with sufficient energy. ¡°But I can rest myself, you¡¯re not tired.¡± ¡°If you want hotpot, I¡¯ll make it for you now. After eating, you can continue eating ice.¡± Lu Ran shouted, ¡°Manager Ying, are you there? I¡¯ll leave Cloud Baby in your care next, General Ha, you help look after it too¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going to my private room to rest soon. You take General Ha to continue finding extreme ice.¡± General Ha: ? ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Manager Ying appeared and thought Lu Ran was getting more and more ridiculous. ¡°After the Evolution Secret Realm is over, I will provide you with top-secret intelligence.¡± ¡°Information that will shock the world.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± The next moment, General Ha revealed a fierce expression. Antarctica, right? It bore a grudge; why did such resources have to exist! ¡­ To prepare for the uing Evolution Secret Realm, Lu Ran decided to take a rest. Although there¡¯s no concrete evidence showing that a beastmaster using enhancement type skills during pet beast evolution significantly boosts their potential, most beastmasters prefer to enhance their pets as they evolve. This interaction enhances their sense of involvement. Now that Lu Ran has an enhancement type skill, he ns to do the same. After all, aside from consuming some energy, there¡¯s no real loss. Even a slight benefit would be worth it. At this moment. Not only was Lu Ran resting, but the sudden death king was also in deep sleep within its contract card. After several days of intense training, it was now recharging its energy under Manager Ying¡¯s mental hypnosis, waiting for the moment to leap over the dragon gate. After a long sleep, who knows how long it had been. Lu Ran was awakened by amunication. Pig Deity: [Lu Ran, stop sleeping. Let¡¯s go grab some food. Then the Evolution Secret Realm is about to open.] ¡°Uh?¡± Lu Ran got up, rubbed his eyes, then nced at the time. A momentter, he returned to Antarctica, brought back the Icefang Dog, and stepped out of his private room¡¯s dimensional gate, arriving at the Teleportation za in Public Infinite City. At this moment, the za was packed with people, far surpassing the hustle and bustle of those international metropolises. Beastmasters from various continents and countries had gathered. In such a vast crowd, not to mention Lu Ran was wearing a mask, even without any disguise, it¡¯s unlikely anyone would notice this Dragon Chef. Before long, Lu Ran followed the address given by Zhu Kaixin and arrived at a Western restaurant. In a private room. ¡°How¡¯s the preparation going?¡± Seeing Lu Ran, Zhu Kaixin grinned and said, ¡°You look quite refreshed, so you must not be under much pressure.¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Lu Ran yawned and said, ¡°Still four hours left, right?¡± ¡°Time is passing so slowly.¡± ¡°Pretty quick, actually. Maybe because you have no pressure. I got some intelligence here, interested?¡± Zhu Kaixin asked. ¡°It¡¯s about which beastmaster entering the Evolution Secret Realm might have a new pet with considerable potential.¡± ¡°No need to look. It doesn¡¯t feel useful,¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not a battle, so knowing others¡¯ intelligence won¡¯t impact us much.¡± ¡°Moreover, if the intelligence is inurate, it can be very misleading.¡± Lu Ran pouted. ¡°Hahaha, are you talking about Dr. Hayden?¡± Zhu Kaixin said. ¡°Back then, Manager Ying wanted to trade for your Stone Dragon Egg, saying it had the potential to mutate into a Diamond Dragon.¡± ¡°But to the public, it was promoted as a Diamond Dragon King¡¯s egg.¡± ¡°The difference is too vast.¡± ¡°Mostly, people believed it because you were the only beastmaster at the time who could solo clear a Legendary Secret Realm. Having such an award wasn¡¯t surprising.¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°There is one piece of intelligence I¡¯m quite interested in. Do you have it?¡± ¡°Has the Eagle Federation¡¯s Loong-type research made significant progress?¡± Zhu Kaixin said, ¡°About that, from what I know, they¡¯ve made substantial strides, especially in resurrection technology.¡± ¡°The resurrected dinosaurs have seen significant advancements in innate Dragon¡¯s Bloodline. Their first trait can perfectly fuse with loong-type traits, giving them a considerable advantage over other blue star species.¡± ¡°Secondly, in the past month, teams from two countries have conquered the Legendary Secret Realm for loong-type creatures. Both of these countries are allies of the Eagle Federation. The internal resources are most likely traded to the Dinosaur Research Institute.¡± ¡°Now, they should have some quality loong-type exquisite resources in their possession.¡± ¡°Besides, they seem to have convinced the ¡®Evolver¡¯ to participate in this experiment. The Evolver is a third-generation beastmaster from the Eagle Federation. He acquired a unique beast taming skill, ¡®Evolution Blessing,¡¯ from a breakthrough secret realm. This skill can enhance the evolution sess rate and potential of contracted pet beasts.¡± ¡°Furthermore, any evolution within the Evolution Secret Realm will receive an additional boost.¡± ¡°They are confident, and it¡¯s understandable. Based on this known information alone, even Gu Qingyi believes they have a real chance of cultivating a creature with dragon attributes.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Lu Ran nodded after hearing this, feeling that with such configurations, it might be possible for them to evolve a dragon. ¡°But no matter, I¡¯ll step up,¡± Lu Ran said, now more at ease with Pig Deity and no longer inclined to be modest. ¡°Awesome!¡± Pig Deity gave a thumbs up, choosing to believe in Lu Ran. After all, Lu Ran didn¡¯t seem like someone who would boast. Facing the configurations of the Eagle Federation, Lu Ran still seemed confident. Pig Deity started to look forward to the evolution of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast. The two of them chatted while starting to order food. Just then, Lu Ran suddenly paused and said, ¡°Dr. Gu is apparentlying over in a bit.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Pig Deity was surprised and said, ¡°It seems she¡¯s quite concerned about you.¡± ¡°She¡¯s currently busy with matters of the Fishman Empire, yet she still has time toe over.¡± Gu Qingyi herself had no new pets needing evolution. Since she wasing, it must be to see Lu Ran. ¡°Hmm? Principal Shi also said he¡¯sing,¡± Lu Ran continued, his private messages incessant. ¡°Damn,¡± Zhu Kaixin said, ¡°Do they not trust me? Do they think I can¡¯t protect you alone?¡± Within public secret realms, mutual ughtering is possible. Zhu Kaixin felt that Gu Qingyi and Shi Zhen were probablying to ensure Lu Ran¡¯s safety, fearing any mishap. But Zhu Kaixin didn¡¯t think it was necessary. Regr beastmasters would surely not dare to make a move against Lu Ran in such a public setting. ¡°All wealthy people,¡± Lu Ran remarked. ¡­ Time ticked away. By now, more and more people were gathering at the teleportation zone of the Evolution Secret Realm. Some had even entered early to secure a spot. Although it wasn¡¯t yet time for the evolution energy to surge, anyone could enter the Evolution Secret Realm by spending crystal coins at any time. However, entering early would just offer an ordinary environment. If there was something unique about the Evolution Secret Realmpared to other ces, it was the starry sky view-in addition to the vast, crater-fillednd resembling the moon¡¯s surface, one could clearly see countless bright stars in the pitch-ck sky. Many wealthy beastmasters had alreadye early, just to witness this beautiful starry sky. Before long, four figures entered the Evolution Secret Realm. Lu Ran, Zhu Kaixin, along with the newly arrived Gu Qingyi and Shi Zhen. Lu Ran came to the Evolution Secret Realm, only to be nked by three First Generationbat-type beastmasters as bodyguards. ¡°Damn, no wonder you dared to step out today,¡± Zhu Kaixin said, wrapping an arm around Shi Zhen¡¯s neck. ¡°In your ordinary form, I can get close. Why can¡¯t I when you¡¯re in your gender-swap form?¡± ¡°We¡¯re all good brothers here. I haven¡¯t even held a girl¡¯s hand,¡± he added. ¡°Get lost,¡± Shi Zhen, strikingly handsome in his male form, tried to break free but couldn¡¯t match the fat man¡¯s strength. ¡°You two, behave yourselves,¡± Gu Qingyi said, frowning with a stern expression. Can¡¯t you see there are kids here? [Lu Ran: ?] ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Ahem, ahem.¡± As a Fourth Generation hanging around a group of big shot First Gens, Lu Ran felt the pressure. Inside the secret realm. ¡°Let¡¯s find a ce first,¡± Gu Qingyi suggested. The Evolution Secret Realm wasn¡¯trge, but it wasn¡¯t crowded either. If there was only one Evolution Secret Realm, it might have been packed this time. But with infinite city opening three Evolution Secret Realms simultaneously, many beastmasters opted to wait for the other three to open and didn¡¯t n to rush into the first one. Of course, such a situation would attract a lot of onlookers, even those not nning to evolve any pet beasts-like Gu Qingyi. However, the 100,000 crystal coins entry fee ensured that only a select few could afford to merely spectate. This audience didn¡¯tpete for spots with the beastmasters below; instead, they rode flying pet beasts, watching the action from the sky. ¡°Here should be good,¡± Lu Ran and his group chose a rtively secluded area for the evolution process. Still, with the four of them together, their group would inevitably attract attention. Soon enough, foreign beastmasters also looking for spots noticed Lu Ran¡¯s group. ¡°Wow, isn¡¯t that the Dragon Chef, Lu Ran?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here at the Evolution Secret Realm too.¡± ¡°The beauty next to him, is she the Dragon Tamer, Gu Qingyi?¡± During the wait, their location continued to draw attention. Eventually, even the dinosaur research team on the other side became aware of Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi¡¯s presence in the Evolution Secret Realm. ¡°Dr. Hayden, should we go over and take a look?¡± one researcher asked. ¡°No rush. We can check them out after the evolution,¡± Dr. Hayden replied calmly. At this moment, research teams and beastmasters from almost every country had found their own spots within the Evolution Secret Realm, waiting for the surge of evolution energy! ¡°The time is almost here. Pig Deity, Lu Ran, you two can release your pet beasts and begin the final enhancement before the evolution,¡± Gu Qingyi said, checking the time and looking at Zhu Kaixin and Lu Ran. ¡°Also, Zhu Kaixin, make sure to keep your pet beast away from Lu Ran¡¯s. We don¡¯t want anypetition for the evolution energy.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Damn,¡± Zhu Kaixin muttered, feeling a bit annoyed. Knowing Gu Qingyi for three years, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she was constantly looking out for Lu Ran and was worried about him hogging the evolution energy. The next moment. ¡°Luluu,¡± Zhu Kaixin¡¯s giant tusked pig with snowy white fur appeared, surrounded by swirling snow. [Name]: Great Snow Pig King [Attribute]: Ice [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Growth Level]: Level 31 Lu Ran, meanwhile, didn¡¯t just release his Sudden Death King; he also brought out General Ha and the Dark Crow, intending to let them witness Sudden Death King¡¯s evolution together. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Awakening from its slumber, the Sudden Death King let out a vigorous roar. However, sensing various powerful energies within the Evolution Secret Realm, it quickly became cautious, warily eyeing its surroundings. So many strong energies¡­ ¡°Waga-ga!¡± The Dark Crow, on the other hand, was unfazed and loudly eximed toward the starry sky, ¡°Oh King, are we finally going to conquer the cosmos and be the rulers of the universe?!¡± ¡°General Ha, freeze it,¡± Lu Ranmanded. General Ha blew out a stream of fine snow, instantly freezing the Dark Crow¡¯s beak. ¡°¡­¡± The Dark Crow whimpered. The Sudden Death King also shot it a re. Stupid crow, what nonsense are you spouting? Can¡¯t you sense how many powerful beings are around here??? Talking so arrogantly could attract a bunch of enemies, and the first to meet a sudden death¡­ would definitely be it, the tank! ¡°Such ambition,¡± Zhu Kaixin said, feeding the Great Snow Pig King while admiring Lu Ran¡¯s crow. ¡°No wonder it holds the pig transformation curse. It¡¯s got personality.¡± As for Gu Qingyi and Shi Zhen, they were already familiar with the Dark Crow and its antics, so they just shook their heads slightly. At this moment, Lu Ran finally brought out the precious resource he had been saving for a long time-the Heart of the Diamond Dragon-and tossed it to the Sudden Death King. ¡°You can eat it now.¡± Consuming it now, with the impending evolution, would maximize the nutritional value of this exquisite resource. ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King nodded and swallowed the diamond-like heart whole. Finally. As time passed, a prompt tone resounded in the ears of every entrant. [Evolution energy eruption countdown: 60 seconds.] [Prompt ¢Ù: After the evolution energy erupts, it will envelop pet beasts that meet the evolution criteria, putting them into an ¡®enhancement¡¯ state.] [Prompt ¢Ú: Among the enhanced pet beasts, the ten with the strongest evolution potential will receive a star blessing, further boosting their evolution potential.] [Prompt ¢Û: Entrants are temporarily granted the eye of data, allowing them to observe details about evolving pet beasts.] 60¡­ 59¡­ 58¡­ As the beastmasters waited nervously, suddenly, the ground cracked open, and numerous beams of white light surged out! Chapter 192: Second? First! Chapter 192: Second? First! Public Infinite City, Evolution Secret Realm, Antarctica. The uneven surface cracked open, unleashing countless beams of light. At this moment, hundreds of beastmasters simultaneously threw trait crystals towards their pet beasts! Lu Ran, likewise, took out the ¡°dragon king bloodline trait crystal¡± and tossed it towards the sudden death king. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Under the watchful eyes of general ha and the dark crow, the sudden death king was exceptionally tense. As the first one in the team to undergo a stage one evolution and currently having the lowest species level, it felt immense pressure. However, remembering all the hardships endured and the many blows taken, the sudden death king¡¯s gaze gradually turned fierce. It was determined to achieve the world¡¯s strongest defense! Buzz!The moment the dragon king bloodline crystal touched it, the two began to merge. A vast amount of evolution energy, spurting from all directions within the secret realm, rushed towards the sudden death king, enveloping it in a swirl. In an instant, its massive body was wrapped in a white light of evolution. Various emotions-nervousness, anxiety, anticipation-surfaced in Lu Ran¡¯s heart. ¡°Believe in yourself.¡± Standing on a boulder not far away, Gu Qingyi and Shi Zhen watched and advised Lu Ran not to be overly nervous. Exquisite-level resourcebined with the dragon king bloodline trait crystal was a sure thing. Although Lu Ran¡¯s lizard was inherently weaker, and fusing two traits only made it a middlemander-unlike the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which became a lower sovereign upon fusing two traits-they believed that with supplemental Loong-type cuisine, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast wouldn¡¯t becking. ¡°Of course, I believe.¡± At this moment, no one knew, not even Gu Qingyi, that Lu Ran was actually nervous about the sudden death king¡¯s potential leap from middlemander to overlord species! He wasn¡¯t worried about it undergoing dragon transformation or reaching the upper sovereign level!! Lu Ran had kept the sudden death king¡¯s perfect dragon soul a secret, considering how shocking it might be that a non-necromancy creature had been consuming souls. Fearing that Manager Ying and Dr. Gu wouldn¡¯t ept it, he had simply skipped over that detail. However, once the soul enhancement method is confirmed in this Evolution Secret Realm, all conventional notions should be shattered. Not just necromancy creatures can enhance their souls by consuming souls, normal creatures can do it too. Ahem, he¡¯s really not a viin¡­ A few seconds passed. The sudden death king was still enveloped in the light of evolution. Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement was also infused into the sudden death king. At this moment, besides the beastmasters who were very nervous about their evolving pet beasts, the hundreds of top-tier experts gathered in the sky were also tense. They came from various countries, riding on flying pet beasts, observing the entire evolutionnd through the eye of data, monitoring the pet beasts below. They hoped their friends orpatriots would gain something valuable. They desired the beastmasters of rival nations to fail in their evolution! Of course, besides them, there were also a group of top-notch journalists flying in the sky, documenting the evolution process of each beastmaster. ¡°Is there any big news, any big news?¡± A white-haired girl sitting on a flying squirrel was constantly searching for big news. Her main targets were people from the Dinosaur Research Institute, Dragon Chef Lu Ran, and Pig Deity Zhu Kaixin. asionally, she would also nce at other beastmasters. Soon, several pet beastspleted their first evolution, enveloped by evolution energy. Boom! A massive sovereign presence swept through the evolution energy like a storm, covering the sky. But unfortunately, as the white mouse reporter observed for a while, she saw dozens of pet beasts finish their evolution, yet none offered the big news she sought. Most beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts, even after being bathed in evolution energy and undergoing the first stage of evolution, only advanced to lower sovereign species. ¡°Lower, lower, middle, lower¡­¡± The white mouse reporter¡¯s gaze shifted, countless data appearing in her eye of data. Honestly speaking, achieving lower sovereign level with just a first evolution meant the 100,000 crystal coins weren¡¯t spent in vain. Reaching middle sovereign level, they had hit the jackpot. It¡¯s worth noting that some top-tier big shots with initial contracts with upper sovereigns had their upper sovereign pet beasts not immediately reaching that level after a single evolution. Most seeded only after fusing two additional traits, reaching the pinnacle of sovereigns. Therefore, reaching middle sovereign with a single evolution was already considered very high-quality data. However, it wasn¡¯t enough! The white mouse reporter wanted to see novel evolutionary forms, upper sovereign levels, and the birth of ultra-rare attributes. Finally. Under her gaze, two stars suddenly lit up against the pitch-ck sky. One red, one ck. Buzz!!! These two stars erupted with dazzling light, descending likeets. Countless beastmasters raised their heads in shock, looking towards the two positions directly bathed in starlight. The red light fell directly in front of an orange-haired beastmaster, bathing the bird-like pet beast encased in the light of evolution in front of him. ¡°Star Blessing!!!¡± The youth, with the identifier Phoenix, was ted. Meanwhile, the other beam of lightnded in front of a ck Chieftain, illuminating his tiger-shaped pet beast wrapped in the light of evolution! ¡°Excellent!!!¡± The ck Chieftain smiled. This scene made countless people green with envy. Quickly, these two pet beastspleted their evolution. A firebird bathed in starlight mes soared up, showcasing its powerful upper sovereign bloodline, even with a phantom of a Phoenix appearing behind it. [Name]: Phoenix [Attributes]: Fire, Light [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 33 [Introduction]: Contains Phoenix bloodline, awakens self-healing power! On the other side, a ck tiger beast roared, breaking through the light of evolution. [Name]: Darklight Tiger Beast [Attributes]: Dark, Space [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 31 [Introduction]: Perfectly merges space attribute! As these two star blessings descended, other stars began to light up one after another, bestowing star blessings in various directions. At this moment, numerous top-tier experts and beastmasters, who were closely monitoring the situation, simultaneously turned their attention to one particr direction. That direction was where the Eagle Federation¡¯s dinosaur research team was located. Here, numerous researchers from the Eagle Federation had gathered. If there was one nation most closely watched for this Evolution Secret Realm event, it was undoubtedly the Eagle Federation, which had made headlines internationally several times. Every beastmaster knew they were aiming toplete their second dragon transformation experiment on this site! Would they seed? At this moment, the Tyrannosaurus Rex contracted by the evolver undoubtedly received the star blessing as well. The evolver was a brown-haired young man wearing sses, looking schrly and expectantly at his new pet. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Under the light of evolution, a more intense and realistic Dragon Might erupted, causing the ground to tremble. As the light of evolution shattered, a massive 20-meter-tall giant earth dragon roared in all directions!!! ¡°Perfect!!!¡± The evolver suddenly shouted. The continuous roars made the newly evolved creatures within a hundred square miles show expressions of fear and awe. The attributes of this giant earth dragon quickly appeared in the eyes of many experts, astonishing them. [Name]: Ancient Rock Dragon [Attributes]: Loong-type (Earth, Rock) [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 32 [Introduction]: Awakens the bloodline of the ancient Dragon n, potential close to an overlord! ¡°Oh!!!!¡± Dr. Hayden¡¯s joy was almost overflowing. Many international reporters also began to breathe heavily. ¡°My god, the second Loong-type creature has been born on Blue Star!!!¡± ¡°The Eagle Federation has indeed cultivated a second Loong-type.¡± ¡°Its evolutionary potential is rated as close to an overlord by Infinite City! This is the power of the Loong-type?!¡± ¡°The ancient Dragon n bloodline, so powerful! I wonder how Professor Lu Ran is doing over there.¡± With this scene unfolding, the eyes of many experts couldn¡¯t help but shift towards Dragon Chef Lu Ran from Xia Country. Everyone knew that Xia Country and the Eagle Federation had always beenpeting in Loong-type research. Now, the Eagle Federation had undoubtedly proven their sess. But what about Lu Ran? Even the stubborn Dr. Hayden, greatly confident in his own research, couldn¡¯t help but ride his pet beast into the sky to look in Lu Ran¡¯s direction. This time, surely that kid would be convinced, right? How could any dragonpare to the ancient Dragon n? Rely on that middlemander-level Dragon Lizard? However, what left everyone puzzled was that Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Lizard, which was shrouded in the light of evolution, had neither received a star blessing norpleted its evolution by breaking through the light. It appeared to be stuck somehow. ¡°Professor Lu Ran-¡° ¡°The Eagle Federation¡¯s dinosaur research institute has already evolved the second Loong-type creature on Blue Star. What are your thoughts on this?¡± At this moment, even a fearless reporter, riding a flying pet beast, approached Lu Ran and brazenly asked the question. It was clearly a reporter from the Eagle Federation. Nearby, Gu Qingyi and Shi Zhen were about to get angry, but Lu Ran, who was enhancing the soul of the Sudden Death King, simply smiled and waved his hand slightly. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not interested inpeting for the ¡®second¡¯ or ¡®third¡¯ title right now.¡± ¡°I already have a ¡®first¡¯ beside me, so I aim to be the ¡®first¡¯ as well,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at Gu Qingyi. Gu Qingyi blinked and muttered, ¡°Huh?¡± This brat isn¡¯t concerned about his pet beast now and still has the time to banter? ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed that nine star blessings just descended from the sky?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t loud, but the strong ones had excellent hearing. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s heart was trembling because, through the contract link, he could clearly feel the astonishing transformation happening to the Sudden Death King!! The surging bloodline power, the turbulent spiritual sea, the roaring dragon soul¡­ all indicated that this was an epic level transformation. Even the Diamond Dragon paled inparison to the current Sudden Death King. He¡­ seemed to really be on the verge of cultivating a Dragon King!! Second Loong-type on Blue Star? No need! He had no interest in that. He wanted to be the first beastmaster on Blue Star to cultivate an overlord species creature! At this very moment, the White Mouse reporter was stunned to find that as thest few star blessingspleted, the entire starry sky lit up. The dazzling starlight outlined a constetion- a dragon-shaped constetion. It seemed that the blessing of a single special star couldn¡¯t further enhance the existing evolutionary potential of the next pet beast. Boom!!! The starlight from the dragon-shaped constetion fell, causing many to show confused and astonished expressions. What was happening? Why was this different from before? ¡°Is this cheating?¡± A strong individual blurted out. In the next instant. The final star blessing descended entirely upon the Sudden Death King. The Dragon-shaped Star Soul fell swiftly from the starry sky, shimmering with dazzling starlight, and perfectly fused with the light of evolution! ¡°Roar!!!!¡± An astonishing Dragon Roar echoed through the void. The Sudden Death King¡¯s form expanded once again, growing to over ten meters, bing a colossal entity. ¡°Why!!!¡± Dr. Hayden, in mid-air, widened his eyes in disbelief. He looked up and down, unable toprehend how Lu Ran¡¯s middlemander-level Dragon Lizard could cause such an unprecedented change in the Evolution Secret Realm. Even with exquisite resources and top-level traits, it shouldn¡¯t be causing this muchmotion. After all, they had those too! ¡°Indeed, what is going on here!¡± The White Mouse reporter from the International Alliance was also full of curiosity. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± A brave beastmaster spected, feeling a shock in his heart. Then, they all understood. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± Apanied by another dragon roar that reverberated through the starry sky, overwhelming Dragon Might swept across the area, forming an aura of dominance. The just-evolved Ancient Rock Dragon¡¯s pupils contracted, and it instinctively crouched low. Numerous First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation pet beasts were quickly calmed by their owners, looking on in shock. As the light dissipated, an immensely gigantic figure appeared before everyone¡¯s eyes. However, this figure was not dragon-shaped but resembled a massive rock formation,prised of two shield-like structures. No, those weren¡¯t shields; they were wings! Shield-shaped wings! ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes widened, thinking that the Sudden Death King had evolved its wings into shields to prevent Lu Ran from using its scales to make a shield! As this figure unfurled its enormous dual wings-ck on the outside and dark red on the inside-its full appearance waspletely revealed. It was a robust giant dragon with a domineering head and red shoulder and knee armor on its shoulders and legs!! Its crimson eyes seemed to contain lightning capable of scorching the entire world. Its scales had a rocky texture with red light flowing internally. However, its most prominent feature was undoubtedly the massive Shield-shaped Wings it had just unfurled, farrger than its own body. The wings on its back swayed slowly, resembling rock shields. The newly born wings were imbued with tremendous power. With just a slight movement, thunder and lightning exploded around it, causing the void to roar. ¡°Roar-¡± The Sudden Death King¡¯s profound gaze illuminated, and the thunderous roar echoed in the hearts of every beastmaster present. [Name]: Shield-winged Dragon King [Attribute]: Loong-type (Thunder, Rock) [Species Level]: Middle Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 30 [Introduction]: The unique species, king of myriad dragons. At this moment, the first overlord species on Blue Star was born! Moreover, it was not a lower overlord but an astonishing middle overlord, having undergone an evolution that crossed two major species levels! Lu Ran stood beside the Shield-winged Dragon King, his expression serene. It inherited the Dragon King¡¯s mental intimidation from the me Dragon King. It inherited the Dragon King¡¯s bloodline power from the Diamond Dragon. And it had devoured numerous overlord dragon souls, cultivated into a perfect Dragon Soul. At this moment, all the investments had paid off. With the support of the Evolution Secret Realm, the Sudden Death King soared to new heights. Not only did its species significantly enhance, but it also followed its own will, gaining a secondary attribute and achieving a supreme evolution that resulted in an astounding transformation in its defense! Additionally¡­ [Species Talent]: Dragon King¡¯s Shield (A pet beast with this talent, when entering the Dragon King¡¯s Shield form, doubles its resistance to all types of damage and can convert a portion of the damage into its own energy and vitality.) The Dragon King¡¯s Shield form must be the state when its wings gather, right? As Lu Ran sensed the Sudden Death King¡¯s new abilities, the entire Evolution Secret Realm¡¯s beastmasters, upon observing the Sudden Death King¡¯s species level, were shaken as if a meteor had struck the earth! It wasn¡¯t just the foreign beastmasters who were astonished; even Gu Qingyi, Shi Zhen, and the distant Zhu Kaixin looked at the Sudden Death King¡¯s new species in bewilderment. Wait, middle¡­ overlord? ¡°Hmm, not bad.¡± Lu Ran tried to maintain a calm demeanor. But hisposed appearance immediately caused countless First Generation beastmasters to explode with disbelief. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me, a middle overlord???¡± ¡°My God, this can¡¯t be real.¡± ¡°Seeing that level of blessing, I knew it had to be an overlord species,¡± a beastmastermented. ¡°But I never expected it to be as simple as a lower overlord; it¡¯s a middle overlord! Come on¡­ I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s such a pet beast out there!!¡± ¡°A pet beast species that many First Generations haven¡¯t even cultivated yet, developed by a Fourth-generation beastmaster in a single evolution?¡± ¡°And it jumped from a middlemander to this, crossing two major levels¡­¡± ¡°Impossible, absolutely impossible!!!¡± At this moment, Dr. Hayden, who had thought his cultivation of the Ancient Rock Dragon had assured his victory and earned his redemption, saw Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast information and his eyes immediately reddened. The degree of shock he felt was greater than anyone present. His heartbeat was as loud as thunder. Each dinosaur researcher looked in disbelief at the lightning-concentrated Dragon Might in the starry sky and at the Ancient Rock Dragon crouching on the ground, their minds in turmoil. ¡°This¡­¡± The evolvers from the Eagle Federation, seeing their newly evolved powerful pet beasts so utterly dwarfed, were confounded. What kind of monster had that youth from Xia Country evolved? They had maxed out everything, so how did the other side manage this?? The entire Evolution Secret Realm fell silent. Originally, all the ordinary evolutions had served as a backdrop for those blessed by the stars. But at this moment, even the evolved creatures blessed by the star blessings were overshadowed by the Shield-winged Dragon King form of the Sudden Death King. ¡°So that¡¯s what he meant by second and first.¡± Someone suddenly recalled Lu Ran¡¯s words and felt a shiver down their spine, feeling like this young man held mastery over everything. ¡°Indeed, what¡¯s the big deal about the second Loong-type being born?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the second one.¡± ¡°But the global birth of the first overlord species, now that¡¯s the major news!!!¡± The white mouse reporter¡¯s pupils constricted several times. Seeing many of her peers still stunned mid-air, she quickly chose to leave the realm! She understood that this young man had be the beastmaster heralding the arrival of a brand-new era-the era of overlord species! Chapter 193: The World Trembles Chapter 193: The World Trembles The first Evolution Secret Realm has opened, and the outside world is continuously monitoring it. Whether for the purpose of saving money or because they cannot afford it, most of the beastmasters are waiting outside for the first-hand evolution news from the Evolution Secret Realm. Europe, Asia, North America, South America¡­ Beastmasters from all countries, regardless of whether it is day or night, are glued to the forum, constantly refreshing. ¡°So slow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been almost ten minutes since the Evolution Secret Realm opened, why is there no news yet?¡± ¡°Anxious, anxious, I wonder how strong the enhancement in the Evolution Secret Realm is. If it¡¯s good, I¡¯ll save up for a ticket.¡± ¡°Wow, look at the international section! The white mouse reporter posted something!¡± ¡°What? Is there a result?¡± Everyone was shocked. The white mouse reporter? It could only be her!No wonder she is certified by the international beast taming alliance, a gold-medal reporter who dares to explore the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. This white mouse reporter became famous after the spiritual energy revival, personally daring to venture into various life-forbidden zones, grabbing first-hand major news effortlessly. Unexpectedly, she is also paying attention to the Evolution Secret Realm. ¡°Damn Lu Ran.¡± At this moment, in Europe, Misty City, the Princess of Light and her group, who failed to break through sessfully, were also gloomily browsing the forum. The Evolution Secret Realm, they could have entered too, but how could they have been so unlucky to run into Lu Ran¡­ If nothing else, Lu Ran was in such a hurry to enter the breakthrough secret realm, definitely to catch the first ride of the Evolution Secret Realm. Just don¡¯t know if the pet beast Lu Ran nurtured could be as dazzling among the new pets cultivated by a bunch of First Generation, second generation, and Third Generation big shots. ¡°Although I don¡¯t want to admit it, with the potential of those two pet beasts of his, they could possibly reach the level of an upper sovereign with just one evolution.¡± Although the Princess of Light had been tragically defeated by Lu Ran, she was even more convinced of Lu Ran¡¯s strength. However, soon, the Princess of Light with her golden hair was suddenly stunned, seeing an iprehensible post, no, a series of several posts was posted by someone called White Mouse! The number of replies and shares on these posts was skyrocketing at an exaggerated speed! [Shield-winged Dragon King! The Blue Star¡¯s Pet Beast with the Strongest Potential is Born!] [The Meaning of Overlord Level! Unique Species, King of Myriad Dragons!] [Evolution Secret Realm Results Released! Xia Country¡¯s Passerby A, Set to Lead a New Era!] [Sovereign Dragon vs. Overlord Dragon! Second vs. First!] The flood of posts and thebined information pointed to this: Lu Ran, the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster, under the guise of Passerby A, entered this Evolution Secret Realm, which was 99% popted by First Generation, second generation, and third-generation beastmasters. However, his pet beast¡¯s evolution not only wasn¡¯t overshadowed by the new pets cultivated by the big shots, but it also shone like the brightest star in the gxy, surpassing the blue star¡¯s limits and bing the world¡¯s first overlord pet beast! Bang! The Princess of Light abruptly stood up, mming the table, her eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°Is it that Dragon Lizard?!?!¡± She suddenly recalled that dragon-shaped beast which, on the battlefield, single-handedly withstood the attacks of hundreds of pet beasts. Although it was incredibly strong, an overlord species¡­ was it not too outrageous? Was she dreaming? ¡°What? An overlord Loong-type?!¡± Eagle Federation, Tyrannosaurus Rex team training base. A group of fourth-generation Tyrannosaurus Rex team members were also anxiously awaiting the results of this experiment. After all, this concerned their future. When they saw the words ¡°Dragon King¡± and ¡°Overlord,¡± their hearts skipped a beat. They thought Dr. Hayden and the evolvers had sessfully evolved an overlord dragon n. However, as they read further, their hearts sank. ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s that Lu Ran from Xia Country. His Dragon Lizard evolved into the Shield-winged Dragon King, a middle overlord, the Shield-winged Dragon King!¡± ¡°And us, did we seed in evolving?¡± ¡°We did, but¡­¡± ¡°Only to sovereign.¡± The members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team were at a loss for words as they stared at the oue, wondering which joker could have fabricated this. A high-level sovereign Ancient Rock Dragon was certainly impressive, butpared to an overlord dragon, it was nothing. However, the golden certification emblem indicated that the channel publishing this news represented the international alliance. The sessful dragon transformation of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was supposed to be a moment of joy and celebration. But at this moment, the dinosaur institute¡¯s achievement seemed entirely overshadowed by that youth. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it!!!¡± Members of the team who once ridiculed the sudden death king as nothing more than a small lizard in the news werepletely baffled. Why was it that Lu Ran not only had that outrageously strong sword-holding dog, but now had also nurtured such a monster? The world¡¯s only overlord dragon n??? They couldn¡¯t even fathom it. ¡°Fake, it must be fake. The white mouse reporter¡¯s ount must have been hacked!! Report it!!¡± Xia Country. A group of idle beast taming university students were also browsing the forum in their dormitory. Compared to the shock abroad, the reaction here was much more down-to-earth. ¡°Whoa.¡± Cries of ¡°whoa¡± could be heard from every corner-dormitories, teaching buildings, various ces on campus. Those who hadn¡¯t been following the Evolution Secret Realm even thought a meteor was about to collide with the blue star. As the news spread, the information that Lu Ran had nurtured an overlord dragon n quickly swept through the beast taming university, no, the entire Xia Country! ¡°He-¡° ¡°This monster.¡± ¡°Damn, an overlord?¡± ¡°Is the Evolution Secret Realm that powerful??¡± ¡°What?¡± Pluto, Summer, Dog King, and the Fourth Generation batch who had interacted with Lu Ran were all dumbfounded. Of course, even more so, were the newbie beastmasters from Green Sea City. ¡°Damn!!!¡± Yang Xishuai and the others each felt like they were about to explode. The lizard that had once served as their sparring partner¡­ had be the world¡¯s first overlord species?? Was this news even for real? ¡°I¡¯ve fought that lizard before!¡± ¡°I once did an assessment on that lizard!¡± The beastmasters who had fought the sudden death king were all shocked and in awe. Their minds were buzzing with this revtion. ¡°So this is the Dragon Chef? Who spread the rumor that he had switched to studying necromancy? Necromancy? Can itpare to a Loong-type?¡± ¡°Stop it, I¡¯m changing my major.¡± ¡°Hail to the vige chief!!¡± Beastmasters in Xia Country saw thatizens from the Eagle Federation didn¡¯t even dare show up on international forums at this moment, which only highlighted how earth-shattering this news was. ¡°Even if it¡¯s true, the first overlord must be credited to the Evolution Secret Realm!¡± ¡°Open your eyes and look, it¡¯s a middle overlord. Others haven¡¯t even evolved a lower overlord yet, and you¡¯re telling me that such an impressive evolution is mainly due to the secret realm¡¯s boost?¡± ¡°No matter how powerful the Evolution Secret Realm is, raising an upper sovereign to a lower overlord is its limit. Can you exin to me what ¡®middle¡¯ means??? The boss of a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm is only a lower overlord!!¡± Any doubts were quickly shot down. Lu Ran, who had already subdued one generation, had amassed arge group of fans, and now, with this new miracle, these fans showed even stronger support. Of course, while the outside world was in upheaval, the strong within the Evolution Secret Realm had yet to recover from their shock. ¡°Xia Country is rising, unstoppable.¡± ¡°This youth might surpass the second generation and third generation quicker than expected.¡± ¡°Should we really let him grow unchecked?¡± Beastmasters from countries with tense rtionships with Xia Country were deeply worried, fearing the rise of Lu Ran. After all, thepetition for Infinite City¡¯s public resources among various nations still relied on beast taming battles. Every country understood that the beast taming upation would eventually grow to possess power rivaling that of nuclear weapons. Such a Shield-winged Dragon King¡­ made many people uneasy. ¡°Whoa.¡± ¡°So much hostility.¡± Just then, arge white cat stepped to a high spot. Next to the cat, a maid-dressed cat-eared girl said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, Manager Ying, you will protect him anyway.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Manager Ying sighed, feeling a headache. Given Lu Ran¡¯s stature as the first of the Fourth Generation, he was already troublesome enough. Now, it had gone beyond mere trouble. He had suppressed a bunch of First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation members. What was going on with this sudden death king? Its species level was approaching its main body in slumber, and it was upset. This kid¡­ Manager Ying¡¯s eyes were deep. Indeed, beastmasters chosen by legendary creatures are never simple. ¡°Is it finally over?¡± Seeing that the evolution energy and star blessing had ceased their activity, Lu Ran gently touched the scales of the sudden death king and smiled slightly. ¡°Roar¡ª-¡° At this moment, the sudden death king looked domineering and confidently gazed at General Ha, showing a disdainful expression. It wasn¡¯t that it had be stronger and started acting arrogant; rather, it was due to Lu Ran¡¯s continuous telepathy, provoking it to agitate General Ha. And indeed, it worked. General Ha was stunned by the sudden death king¡¯s disdainful look. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha growled, indicating its frustration. Was the sudden death king getting inted just because it evolved? This feud, it remembered well. But right now, the gap between the sudden death king and General Ha was truly immense. To put it simply, before the evolution, even if it teamed up with General Ha and Dark Crow, along with the divine deer¡¯s pendant and Lu Ran, they might not have managed to clear a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm. They couldn¡¯t handle the level 30 boss of a lower overlord species. But now, don¡¯t even mention cooperation. It was uncertain if that boss could even beat the sudden death king in a one-on-one battle. That¡¯s the disparity! The appearance of the Dragon King¡¯s Shield Talentpletely solved the sudden death king¡¯s issue of not being able to sustain its form for long periods. Even when the divine deer¡¯s pendant would be outdated, it would have its own means of regenerating. Being able to convert damage into attack power, energy, and life,bined with invincible defense-who could defeat it? It could be said that the gap between the unevolved General Ha and Dark Crow and the sudden death king was now vast. Even if they evolved, it was uncertain if they could catch up, given how perfect the sudden death king¡¯s evolution resources were. ¡°You you you-¡° At this moment, Zhu Kaixin also rode over on the Great Snow Pig King. Just like before, they had also received the star blessing, but it was clear that Lu Ran had stolen all the spotlight. ¡°Old Zhu, want to spar outside?¡± Lu Ran looked at Zhu Kaixin¡¯s Frost Pig King. [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 33 ¡°Damn,¡± Zhu Kaixin was dumbfounded. To be honest, he was quite satisfied with this evolution. Although his pet beast hadn¡¯t awakened a Time-type ability, it was still good. At least it had absorbed most of the time-type ice trait power, which was already not bad-after all, it¡¯s a Time-type! However, whenpared to Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast, Zhu Kaixin was instantly bewildered. He didn¡¯t notice anything particrly outstanding about Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Lizard before, but after it evolved, how did it be so unbelievably powerful? Even if it had evolved into a Loong-type upper sovereign, he wouldn¡¯t have been as shocked. But this middle overlord dragon n-it¡¯s definitely like hacking the game, like seriously hacking! Zhu Kaixin looked at Gu Qingyi. Gu Qingyi also shook her head, indicating she didn¡¯t quite understand. In her opinion, the Dragon King¡¯s trait crystal could at best help the sudden death king evolve into a Loong-type upper sovereign, which was already impressive. Using the boost from the Evolution Secret Realm to reach the level of a lower overlord was also understandable. But evolving into a middle overlord-that just fried the CPU of Gu Qingyi, a doctoral candidate in evolutionary studies. Lu Ran must have some unknown, extraordinary methods of nurturing! ¡°Fine, let¡¯s spar then!!!¡± Zhu Kaixin shouted, wanting to see what was up with this Shield-winged Dragon King. Not giving those eager reporters a chance for further interviews, Lu Ran and his group teleported away. They left behind a crowd of silent beastmasters from various countries, still staring at the sacred evolution grounds. ¡°The world is about to change.¡± ¡°Indeed, this person must not be allowed to stay. I¡¯ll offer a bottle of ¡®82 Sprite to anyone who assassinates him.¡± Chapter 194: Legion BOSS Chapter 194: Legion BOSS Antarctica, Public Infinite City. Shi Zhen, Zhu Kaixin, and the others were teleported out, their hearts pounding wildly. Even though they were First Generation, they had never experienced anything like this. They had just witnessed the birth of the world¡¯s first overlord species! This was definitely something that would be written into the textbooks of various countries! ¡°Where should we spar?¡± After emerging, they quickly escaped the crowded square through Gu Qingyi¡¯s pet beast¡¯s instant teleportation. Then, Zhu Kaixin turned to Lu Ran with a question. ¡°Spar? Can¡¯t you be more considerate?¡±Gu Qingyi knew that Lu Ran was eager to test the sudden death king¡¯s strength, but the pressing issue now was how to ensure Lu Ran¡¯s safe return to Xia Country. First and foremost, they needed to ensure Lu Ran¡¯s safety. ¡°Should we contact the former guild leader for escort?¡± Zhu Kaixin scratched his head, realizing it was a valid point. Having Lu Ran wander around Antarctica¡¯s Public Infinite City wasn¡¯t the safest choice. ¡°Uh, I¡¯m fine with anything,¡± Lu Ran decided to follow Dr. Gu¡¯s advice. But¡­ should they really have the former guild leader escort him personally? Lu Ran remembered Zhu Kaixin mentioning that the former guild leader rarely involved himself in such matters. He usually served as the symbolic top-tierbat force, providing suggestions and leaving the execution to other First Generation members. ¡°Alright, leave it to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll create multiple clones to escort him back from Antarctica.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t just sit around idly. Pig Deity, you should strengthen the surveince around the base.¡± ¡°For now, Lu Ran should stay within Infinite City. It¡¯s rtively safer here, as few dare to cause trouble under the watchful eyes of the patrol beasts.¡± As they were considering how to safely get Lu Ran back to Xia Country, a feline voice suddenly sounded. And indeed, a cat named Manager Ying had quietly appeared nearby and was slowly approaching. The group exchanged looks, noting how fast the cat had moved. ¡­ ¡°Alright then.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s actual coordinates were still on the deste icefield, not at the Xia Country base in Antarctica. Manager Ying sent Pig Deity to scout around the base to gauge which factions were impatiently making moves. ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Pig Deity shrugged. Actually, the idea of sparring with Lu Ran wasn¡¯t all thatpelling. A First Generation versus a Fourth Generation¡­ even though they both had new pet beasts, he felt that despite his advantage in beast taming skills, the odds weren¡¯t in his favor. The gap between a sovereign and an overlord was still too significant. They had often challenged secret realms at the overlord level and were deeply aware of the difference. If Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon King were to rise to the top of the divine beast leaderboard through a sparring match with him, wouldn¡¯t his own record show him getting utterly defeated? As one of the leading First Generation figures from Xia Country, Old Zhu still wanted to maintain some dignity. Moreover, the immediate priority was indeed Lu Ran¡¯s safety. After resolving the discussion, Zhu Kaixin chose to exit the secret realm, and seeing this, Shi Zhen said, ¡°Well, I should head out too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll head to Antarctica shortly.¡± At this moment, Shi Zhen looked distressed. Sudden death king¡¯s evolution had shocked him so much that he was feeling unwell. Shi Zhen suspected that he might change genders again. However, to bolster Lu Ran¡¯s escort team, even if he ended up in a female body, he would still go to Antarctica to join the escort. Soon, only Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were left. Gu Qingyi massaged her temples and said, ¡°Why did you have to run off to Antarctica?¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s all for training General Ha,¡± Lu Ranughed, mentioning that General Ha had consumed a bunch of extreme ice, which had honed the quality of its teeth. Prime rare resources! Ice and wind dual-element fangs! ¡°Don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m here, he won¡¯te to any harm, even abroad,¡± Manager Ying assured her. ¡°And, how was I supposed to know his pet beast would evolve so absurdly? If I had known it could evolve into a middle-tier overlord, I would never have let him leave the country.¡± Manager Ying also felt aggrieved. It really knew how to trouble itself. ¡°By the way, this isn¡¯t the ce to talk.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go to my caf¨¦,¡± Manager Ying suggested. Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦, Antarctica Branch. ¡°Alright, I happen to have some things I haven¡¯t discussed with Lu Ran yet,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Well, what a coincidence, so do I,¡± Manager Ying said. Both of them looked at Lu Ran, blinking expectantly. The implication was clear: Did he have something to exin too? ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Lu Ran coughed and said, ¡°Same here.¡± ¡­ After concepts like ¡®Infinite City¡¯ and ¡®beastmasters¡¯ became fully public, Manager Ying¡¯s business continued to expand. The business scope no longer just involved Asia; early on, branches were already established in Public Infinite City, the headquarters of the international beast taming alliance. In the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦. With only two familiar faces remaining, Lu Ran asked, ¡°Are you both curious about how the sudden death king evolved into a middle-tier overlord all of a sudden?¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯re not even surprised?¡± Manager Ying observed. Although Lu Ran had been happy throughout, he was far less shockedpared to everyone else. It seemed as if he knew about sudden death king¡¯s potential from the start. ¡°Hehe,¡± Lu Ran chuckled and said, ¡°I did have some spections from the beginning.¡± ¡°Actually, there are some details about thest secret realm that I haven¡¯t fully shared with you,¡± he continued. ¡°What? What?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s fur seemed to bristle with curiosity, suspecting that Lu Ran had withheld some crucial information. ¡°So, are you going to tell us now?¡± Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t seem to mind. Everyone has their little secrets. She had hers, Manager Ying probably had many, and naturally, Lu Ran had his. As friends, there was no need to pry. When Lu Ran was ready to talk, he would share. Most of the people who liked to pry into others¡¯ opportunities had already been taken care of by the former guild leader. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It actually has to do with the soul.¡± ¡°Back in the secret realm, when I used the Soul-Calming Stone to extract the sudden death king¡¯s soul, I found that its soul didn¡¯t match its main body and was still the original red-eyed eagle lizard.¡± ¡°So, I did some research within necromancy cults and investigated rted materials. I discovered that usually, the physical body grows ahead of the soul.¡± ¡°Although the soul will eventually match the body, this process takes time.¡± ¡°The more significant the changes from external forces to the bodypared to its original state, the longer it takes for the soul to adapt and match the new body.¡± ¡°Evolution can elerate this matching process.¡± ¡°At that time, I started to think that the reason why beastmasters on Blue Star struggle to evolve dragon-type species might be because they focus solely on the cultivation of bloodline and the dragon¡¯s spiritual artistic conception, while neglecting the cultivation of the Dragon Soul aspect.¡± ¡°After all, knowledge about souls isn¡¯t abundant on Blue Star. Although during the evolution process, the soul gradually transforms into a Dragon Soul, can such an iplete evolution be considered perfect? What would happen if the Dragon Soul perfectly matches the body, or even surpasses the body, before the evolution?¡± ¡°You mean to say that you crafted a Dragon Soul for it before its evolution?¡± Manager Ying finally understood. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t you just say that outright?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you also enhancing that Crow¡¯s soul power?¡± Lu Ran exined, ¡°It¡¯s different. Dark Crow¡¯s soul power is enhanced through culinary preparations using special soul bones and my Culinary Intent, simr to enhancing other attributes.¡± ¡°When I was cultivating the soul of the sudden death king, I used some¡­ unconventional methods.¡± ¡°I made it mimic necromancy-type pet beasts and had it consume ¡®souls.¡¯ And not just any soul, but the souls of purebred overlord dragon species. And more than one. I didn¡¯t mention it earlier to avoid startling you.¡± Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi were speechless for a moment. It had consumed several souls of overlord dragon species? ¡°Hey, hey, why that look? I didn¡¯t treat you as outsiders, that¡¯s why I¡¯m sharing this with you. You¡¯re not going to shun me now, are you?¡± Lu Ran hurried to rify. ¡°Those souls were ¡®purified¡¯ and are purely energy forms.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no different from eating meat¡­ it¡¯s not cruel.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyelids kept twitching, unsure of what to say next. Having a living creature consume souls¡­ that¡¯s ssic Lu Ran. Even members of The Other Shore would bow down to you, calling you the living Yama. No wonder you could be the Holy Son of necromancy. Truly, birds of a feather flock together. ¡°eptable,¡± Dr. Gu said, tapping the table and exhaling deeply. No wonder Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had such strong evolutionary potential; it consumed the ¡®souls of overlord dragon species¡¯. As expected of the necromancy Holy Son, you¡¯ve taken the application of breakthrough secret realms to the next level. Now she understood. But to discover this, and quickly refine it into a cultivation route, Lu Ran certainly showed considerable talent. ¡°So from what I see, as long as living creatures can also consume ¡®souls¡¯ to be stronger, necromancy-type creatures consuming souls won¡¯t be seen as an exception, correct?¡± Manager Ying chuckled. ¡°After all, other beastmasters will start buying souls to enhance their pet beasts then¡­¡± A marketing genius! ¡°Haha¡­¡± Lu Ranughed awkwardly and said, ¡°It¡¯s not that easy. Making it possible for living creatures to consume harmless souls is even harder than making necromancy creatures consume harmless souls.¡± ¡°Sudden death king and the others are not necromancy creatures; they can¡¯t directly devour souls. So, to make them consume souls, I had to process the souls multiple times and turn them into soul cuisine.¡± Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi were speechless. It still sounded unsettling. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve finished exining my stuff. Didn¡¯t you both also have something to tell me?¡± Manager Ying nced at Gu Qingyi and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Do you remember when you asked me about Legendary Secret Realms suitable for a weather elf?¡± Manager Ying said to Lu Ran. ¡°There¡¯s one secret realm where the boss is a young dragon capable of controlling weather. You listed this realm as one of your potential challenge targets, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°That secret realm got raided not long ago. Apparently, a team formed by beastmasters from four small countries cleared it,¡± Gu Qingyi added. ¡°Seems like you missed it, Lu Ran.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Seriously?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°It got raided already?¡± ¡°And a team patched together from four countries!?¡± That¡¯s not fair! ¡°No other choice; there are too few level 2 beastmasters, so they had to form a team,¡± Manager Ying exined. ¡°It happened while you were sleeping!¡± Manager Ying smirked. ¡°But it¡¯s actually good news.¡± ¡°Because after this secret realm was raided, I managed to get my hands on the intelligence on the newly refreshed secret realm.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you asking me about ¡®legion-type trait¡¯ before?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°This new Legendary Secret Realm, the boss is a lower overlord that canmand countless lives, forming them into a powerfulbat force and transforming. I suspect it possesses legion-type abilities!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, you should go raid it as soon as possible. Previously, it was hard to say, but now that your sudden death king has evolved, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± ¡°Even if itcks in species level in terms of skills and techniquespared to the boss, you still have other pet beasts.¡± ¡°This is the first time a legion-type boss has appeared in a secret realm, and this ce is in Public Infinite City. Right now, nations are probably very interested in this secret realm, so if you¡¯rete, someone else might snatch it up.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Lu Ran nodded. Great, the sudden death king just evolved and is already being sent to get beaten up and work. But then, he started to worry. If the legion boss drops a trait, should it go to Cloud Baby or Dark Crow? Giving it to Dark Crow would be fitting since it already has countless minions. Plus, if its third trait is necromancy clone, it could potentially spawn endless clones, essentially forming its own legion. On the other hand, giving it to Cloud Baby would allow it to form a weather army using nature force, making it a force capable of annihting nations. This could push the weather elf toward bing a master of weather¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s indecisiveness struck again. Well, first, let¡¯s see if it even drops, then we¡¯ll decide. Chapter 195: This is an Overlord! Chapter 195: This is an Overlord! ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll teleport over to take a look in a bit.¡± Lu Ran was very satisfied with the intelligence provided by Manager Ying. He then turned to Gu Qingyi. Didn¡¯t Dr. Gu just say there was something she needed to tell him? ¡°It¡¯s about the Fishman Empire.¡± Gu Qingyi took a sip of tea and continued: ¡°While investigating the Fishman Empire deep in the ocean, powerful members from the international beast taming alliance encountered the Fishman King!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Both Lu Ran and Manager Ying perked up. ¡°The Fishman King is themander of the Fishman Empire.¡±¡°ording to further intelligence, it belongs to an upper overlord species, water type, and is a special ocean species of level 61.¡± ¡°In an environment like the deep sea, beastmasters from the international alliance had almost no power to resist.¡± ¡°In just an instant, they werepletely wiped out.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Lu Ran was shocked. ¡°Was it that bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s lucky you didn¡¯t go, Dr. Gu.¡± Gu Qingyi nodded. Even if she had gone, the situation probably wouldn¡¯t have turned around. The power of the Fishman King far exceeded that of a Level 5 Legendary Secret Realm boss. Besides, in the deep-sea environment, even beastmasters adept at maritime warfare wouldn¡¯t fare well against the Fishman King. ¡°So, did all those people die?¡± Manager Ying asked. If they all died, it would be huge international news. ¡°No, the Fishman King just defeated them and then let them go.¡± ¡°Let them go?¡± Manager Ying didn¡¯t understand. ¡°Could it be that the Fishman Empire is a peace-loving species?¡± it asked. ¡°Or maybe it just saw humans as weak ants, not worth the kill,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Just like when humans catch a grasshopper, admire it for a moment, and then release it back into the grass.¡± He had indeed done something like that before¡­ Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as ridiculous as you think. The Fishman King seems to be quite ¡®wary¡¯ of humans, although I think, currently, humans have no means to counter it.¡± ¡°On the surface, Manager Ying seems to be more urate in its guess. The Fishman King stated that it has no interest in upying thend but also doesn¡¯t want the ocean to be disturbed by terrestrial life.¡± ¡°It hopes that humans and the Fishman Empire can form an alliance through marriage, ensuring peaceful development for both.¡± Manager Ying and Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Marriage???!¡± Lu Ran and the cat raised their voices. ¡°Mermaids, fishmen, and humans can do that?¡± Lu Ran pped his hands. ¡°But why bring this up specifically with thed?¡± Manager Ying frowned and said, ¡°Do you want to send him for this marriage alliance?¡± Gu Qingyi nced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°The Fishman Empire has specific requirements. Not just any human can marry into the Fishman Empire; they need ¡®high-quality¡¯ humans, meaning ¡®superhumans.¡¯¡± ¡°I certainly don¡¯t want Lu Ran to take any risks, but doesn¡¯t this request seem a bit suspicious?¡± Lu Ran and Manager Ying fell into deep thought. Lu Ran said, ¡°Judging by history, the Fishman Empire¡¯s desire for a marriage alliance with humans likely means that the Fishman King is still in the stage of conquering the ocean and doesn¡¯t have the capacity to simultaneously fight terrestrial creatures.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s also concerned that terrestrial creatures might see it as a threat, so it wants to show goodwill.¡± ¡°But once the Fishman Empirepletely dominates the sea region, will it still love peace? That¡¯s uncertain.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°So, the international alliance is currently divided into two factions. One wants to strongly suppress the rise of the Fishman Empire and hopes to fight back against the Fishman King by detonating nuclear weapons in the deep sea. The other faction doesn¡¯t want significant conflict and supports the marriage alliance to understand more about the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s our stance?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°We¡¯re currently neutral.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why does the Fishman Empire insist on superhumans for marriage alliances¡­¡± Manager Ying asked suspiciously, ¡°Are you suggesting they might know the secrets of superhumans?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Superhumans have been mysteriously targeted and are suspected to be rted to legendary creatures. Now, the Fishman Empire also specifically demands superhumans as marriage partners.¡± ¡°No one can say for sure what secrets superhumans hold, but I worry that even if the Human Alliance decides against a peaceful marriage alliance with the Fishman Empire, the Fishman Empire won¡¯t give up on superhumans.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a chance that they might take matters into their own hands and abduct superhumans from thend.¡± ¡°So, I came to warn Lu Ran to be extra cautious. His conflict with the Fishman Empire might escte beyond just ¡®coastal waters disputes.¡¯¡± ¡°Lu Ran himself is very likely to be a target of the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°Especially now, with Lu Ran having evolved into a middle overlord, I suspect it will be hard for him to avoid attention. He might face scrutiny from both human nations and marine empires¡­¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Lu Ran cursed under his breath. It felt like an impossible situation. If the Fishman Empire wanted to capture him to marry the Mermaid Princess, he wouldn¡¯t be that worried. But what if they wanted to turn superhumans into superhuman fish food? ¡°I feel like reality is bing increasingly dangerous for me,¡± Lu Ran mused, stroking his chin. ¡°Maybe I should avoid reality for a while, stay in the Infinite City until I level up past 60, and then return¡­¡± Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying shook their heads but didn¡¯t object. If Lu Ran really had the resolve, it might actually work out for him. ¡­ Not long after, Lu Ran found himself back at the Teleportation za in Infinite City. The issues with the Fishman Empire were still too remote for immediate concern. At the current stage, the Fishman Empire likely didn¡¯t want to provoke humans just yet. After all, it wouldn¡¯t be a wise choice to antagonize humans before fully conquering the ocean. Besides, for Lu Ran, bing stronger was the best way to ward off future threats. He nned to first conquer the legion-type Legendary Secret Realm. For someone like him, the King of Green Sea and the vige chief of LuJia Vige, mastering legion-type abilities could bring about a qualitative change in his power. He might even catch up to the second generation¡¯s level. ¡°Unfortunately, Manager Ying doesn¡¯t have in-depth intelligence, only surface-level information.¡± To avoid someone else beating him to it, Lu Ran teleported directly from Antarctica¡¯s Infinite City to the high seas¡¯ Infinite City. Upon arrival, he immediately activated the secret realm pir tform. [Name]: Ubilias Ind [Level]: Level 2 [Difficulty]: Legendary [Secret Realm Introduction]: Ubilias Ants are a species that evolved and mutated due to special celestial phenomena. The queen ant has the ability tomand the Ant Colony and transform into an ant demon. When humans discovered these creatures, they had already set foot on the Star-Moon Continent. Eventually, after the ant colony had devoured several cities, they were exterminated at the cost of the life of a legendary warrior. Ubilias Ind is the birthce of the ant colony, and here, you will face an undeveloped colony of Ubilias Ants and experience their terror. (Ubilias Ants, Metal and Rock dual types, lower supernatural uppermander species, levels 1~30.) (Ubilias Queen Ant, Metal and Rock dual types, lower overlord species, level 30.) (Ant Demon, Metal and Rock dual types, data depends on the size of the ant colony.) [Challenge Crystal Coins]: 0 ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran stared at the information, slightly taken aback. He felt that this secret realm might be a bit troublesome. If it were just a one-on-one fight against a lower overlord-level boss of the same level, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem-he would just go for it. After all, his Sudden Death King is already a middle overlord. Even if the opponent has a stronger foundation, he has the Divine Deer Pendant on his side. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t one to back down. However, if this lower overlord had a bunch of underlings, then its threat level would be far beyond that of a simple lower overlord. Mastering a legion skill, even if justmanding a group of low-ranking soldiers, could make it possible to fight beyond one¡¯s level! ¡°For a typical beastmaster, solo-clearing a Legendary Secret Realm is incredibly difficult.¡± ¡°Each level seems harder than thest.¡± Lu Ran shook his head. In fact, after him, a person from the Eagle Federation also solo-cleared a Legendary Secret Realm. However, that person¡¯s situation was hard to replicate. To aplish the solo clear, he had five contracted pet beasts, and four of them died. It was suspected that he used inhumane methods to pass. People could hardly understand what he was thinking. Even though he was also hailed as the strongest second generation after Lu Ran, this kind of behavior wasn¡¯t widely epted and was called crazy by many beastmasters. Was sacrificing four pet beasts for a solo clear of a Legendary Secret Realm really worth it? After all, unlike beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent, beastmasters on Blue Star cannot contract a new pet beast in the original contract slot if an old one dies. Of course, as with any hot topic, there¡¯s controversy. Some people believe there¡¯s nothing wrong with his actions. Many beastmasters focus on nurturing a single pet beast, concentrating all their resources on it so that it can take on multiple opponents at once. Eliminating weaker pet beasts and concentrating resources to enhance just one to its maximum potential is also a valid strategy. Therefore, most people think that after losing four primary pet beasts, this ¡°crazy¡± beastmaster not only won¡¯t get weaker, but his power might actually increase. ¡°For safety¡¯s sake, let¡¯s have the Sudden Death King umte some ¡®Domineering Energy¡¯ first.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t rush into the Legendary Secret Realm. Instead, he turned to the training secret realm. He nned to have the Sudden Death King endure some hits to get into its ¡°optimal state.¡± Another reason was that the Sudden Death King had just evolved, and Lu Ran wasn¡¯t yet familiar with its capabilities. Entering an unknown secret realm without understanding the strength of his pet beast would be irresponsible and could easily lead to poor decisions. ¡­ Inside the training secret realm. Lu Ran stood on thewn. Three cards revolved around him, emitting light. The figures of the Sudden Death King, General Ha, and the dark crow appeared. The massive Sudden Death King materialized behind Lu Ran, while General Ha and the dark crow stood to his left and right. The three generals had arrived! Compared to the current Sudden Death King, which stood several meters tall, General Ha and the dark crow, though not small, seemed rtively weaker. In reality, this wasn¡¯t just a feeling. Compared to the Sudden Death King, General Ha and the dark crow were indeed weaker. ¡°Roar!¡± The Sudden Death King spread its wings and roared, causing the grass and trees in the secret realm to sway. However, its pride was short-lived. Lu Ran¡¯s next words plunged it into an icy abyss. ¡°Alright, Sudden Death King, we¡¯re going to challenge a Level 2 Legendary Secret Realmter. First, you need to umte your Domineering Energy.¡± ¡°General Ha, dark crow, attack the Sudden Death King with all you¡¯ve got. Don¡¯t hold back.¡± Sudden Death King: ??? ¡°Woof!!¡± Upon hearing Lu Ran¡¯smand, General Ha disyed a sharp expression and turned slightly to face the Sudden Death King, which had previously looked at it with disdain. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King felt wronged; Lu Ran had instructed it to act that way. ¡°Caw!¡± The Dark Crow General narrowed its eyes, feeling that the Thunder Dragon General was overly domineering and needed to be humbled. Otherwise, the Dark Crow General would never have its day to shine. It wanted to turn the Sudden Death King into a pig! ¡°Roar!!!¡± With that, General Ha and the Dark Crow General began attacking the Sudden Death King, which wore an expression of stomach-churning unease! General Ha swung its head, a sword grass clutched in its mouth, and unleashed a Dragon yer Sword Qi. The sound of the sword qi slicing through the air was as if a thousand dragons were wailing. The mighty and unparalleled sword qi swept across the ground like a hurricane, overturning everything in its path as it headed straight for the Sudden Death King. ¡°Caw!¡± The Dark Crow General cast a pig transformation curse, an attack shrouded in mystery. No one could discern how it executed the curse. Boom!!! In the past, such a Dragon yer Sword Qi would have left the Sudden Death King howling in pain and shattering its scales. But this time, facing General Ha¡¯s attack, the Sudden Death King quickly brought its wings together, using them as a shield. The sword qi disappeared into the shield without a trace, not even leaving a scratch. As for the Dark Crow General¡¯s pig transformation curse, it seemed to have no effect on the Sudden Death King, as if the powerful Dragon Soul of the Sudden Death King was immune to the curse¡¯s distortion. Seeing the Sudden Death King cautiously defending itself yetpletely unharmed, both General Ha and the Dark Crow General were stunned. After a brief moment of surprise, the Sudden Death King moved its wings aside. It pondered briefly, analyzing the situation¡­ Then, it calmly looked at General Ha and the Dark Crow General. ¡°Wow ka. (Such a terrifying attack. If I had not evolved, I would have surely met a sudden death.)¡± General Ha and the Dark Crow General: ?? Seeing their perplexed expressions, the Sudden Death King¡¯s excitement grew. Finally, it had achieved an invincible defense. ¡°Roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King patted its belly, indicating for General Ha and the Dark Crow General to hit harder. Did they not eat breakfast?! ¡°Awooooo!!!!¡± Facing the increasingly arrogant Sudden Death King, General Ha could no longer tolerate it. Clenching the sword grass in its mouth, the contours of its teeth began to blur and twist. With a snap, several teeth shattered simultaneously as General Ha turned into a shadow,unching a close-quarters attack on the Sudden Death King with the sword grass. Buzz!! General Ha moved in a sh, but the Sudden Death King still shielded itself with its enormous wings. When the shnded, all it left was a nearly imperceptible white mark on the wing, which quickly faded away. General Ha turned back, sword grass in its mouth, eyes wide with disbelief. It was hard to imagine how tough the Sudden Death King had be post-evolution. Blood trickled from its mouth, a self-inflicted measure, and yet it still failed to break the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense. This realization caused General Ha to feel a pang of frustration. While General Ha had explosive measures, the dark crow remained silent. Hurting itself would only increase its scouting range, but with the Sudden Death King right in front of it, even the pig transformation curse was futile. It had no other means to affect the Sudden Death King! ¡°This is what it means to be an overlord.¡± Watching the scene, Lu Ran felt reassured. Even General Ha¡¯s Dragon yer Sword Intent,bined with the sword grass and energypression, couldn¡¯t break through this defense. It was invincible. ¡°You two!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t attack its wings. Look for other weak points,¡± Lu Ran instructed. At Lu Ran¡¯s prompting, General Ha and the dark crow¡¯s eyes focused,unching another round of attacks. The Sudden Death King, however, remained unfazed, sitting calmly on the ground and watching its teammates¡¯ efforts with an amused expression. After a flurry of attacks¡­ The Sudden Death King was still sitting in the same spot. General Ha and the dark crow, utterly exhausted, had only managed to make the Sudden Death King extend a wed arm, scratch its mouth, and yawn. Chapter 196: Direct Attack on the Yellow Dragon! Chapter 196: Direct Attack on the Yellow Dragon! ¡°Woo woo woo, big king, I can¡¯t fight, not even a bit.¡± Momentster. The dark crow chose to give up. Its mental attacks, energy attacks, and even curse attacks had no effect on the sudden death king. It surrenderedpletely, feeling that even if it fused with the necromancy clone trait, it would be challenging to defeat the sudden death king. The sudden death king¡¯s Dragon Soul was too strong. Could a mere necromancy clone hope to influence its soul? The dark crow had deep doubts. Indeed, it decided it was better off as a scout or military advisor. Being the ace and general position was not suitable for it. Lu Ran smiled andforted the dark crow, telling it not to be sad.¡°Woof¡­¡± At the same time, Lu Ran pulled over General Ha, who had a face full of doubt over his dog life. At this moment, General Ha already had a mouth full of broken teeth, bing the Gale Sword Dog-Old Lady form. However, it still couldn¡¯t inflict any effective damage on the sudden death king. Not to mention causing damage. It might not have even made the sudden death king lose a bit of stamina. After all, the sudden death king could regain health and energy just by getting hit. In addition, it could also convert damage to enhance its strength. In other words, General Ha and the dark crow had been busy for nothing, only manually enhancing the sudden death king¡¯s state. Even Lu Ran¡¯s divine deer pendant was useless this time. Previously, if the sudden death king wanted to enhance itself, it had to use the divine deer pendant to recover after getting beaten. But now, it had no injuries at all¡­ The divine deer pendant seemed more useful for the pet beast attacking it. Meaning General Ha. Lu Ran took the broken antler and used healing to restore General Ha¡¯s teeth. ¡°How do you feel?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha grinned. Feeling very unconvinced. ¡°Woof woof.¡± General Ha turned around, about to study the sword domain. Erha seeks revenge, even if it takes ten years. After evolution, they would decide the victory or defeat once again! ¡°Hey, wait a minute!¡± Lu Ran grabbed its tail. Lu Ran said, ¡°The wolf dog¡¯s base species is far inferior to the Dragon n. Even if you evolve, chances are you¡¯ll only be an upper sovereign.¡± ¡°With a weapon, you might only reach the level of a lower overlord.¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to defeat the sudden death king.¡± ¡°Even if you master the sword domain, if you can¡¯t take it down in one hit, you¡¯re just giving the sudden death king a buff.¡± ¡°You know its defense all too well.¡± ¡°Are you really confident that mastering the sword domain after evolution will allow you to beat it?¡± ¡°A domain is something many pet beasts of beastmasters can use, but as for a middle overlord level pet beast, it¡¯s the only one currently¡­¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Woof woof woof woof!!!¡± General Ha turned back, vaguely feeling a toothache, knowing all too well what Boss Lu was thinking. Isn¡¯t it just about the teeth? Here, take them-all of them. Compared to the humiliation of not being able to defeat the sudden death king in the future, General Ha preferred short pain. Better a short pain than a long one. Indeed, as the sudden death king¡¯s ridiculously strong power was revealed, General Ha, the battle maniac, became a bit anxious. Rather than being humiliated by the sudden death king in future internalpetitions, it was better to sacrifice its teeth now and gain stronger power! Got it,pletely understood. Lu Ran smiled, ¡°I like talking to smart dogs.¡± ¡°Your only hope to defeat the sudden death king doesn¡¯t lie in the sword domain. If you can master the sword domain, the sudden death king can also master other domains in the future.¡± ¡°Your biggest advantage is actually your ability to use weapons.¡± ¡°With an epic level weapon, even if it reaches upper overlord, so what?¡± ¡°Although we don¡¯t have an epic-level weapon, we can still forge two exquisite-level weapons.¡± ¡°Get your teeth ready for me, and I¡¯ll forge you an exquisite-level life-fated sword before you evolve.¡± ¡°With sword grass, in dual sword form, you¡¯ll definitely be strong!¡± Lu Ran chuckled. This was the only way Lu Ran could think of for General Ha to catch up to the sudden death king. The Dragon n is universally recognized as the strongest species, with the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons being Loong-type; no one questions the strength and status of the Dragon n. If General Ha wanted to defeat the sudden death king with the dragon king bloodline, it seemed it could only rely on the king of swords talent. Lu Ran still hoped General Ha could stand tall. After all, it¡¯s the strongest sword in the team, and after at least one evolution, its strength should be on par with the sudden death king. As for the dark crow, Lu Ran decided not toment on it, because its fighting style has never been about frontal battles. For example, when dealing with a beastmaster who possesses powerful pet beasts, if General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow all have equivalent strength, the easiest one to secure victory would definitely be the dark crow. The sudden death king would have to take hits first. General Ha would go straight in with its sword and engage inbat. But the dark crow could assassinate the target from a different country entirely, precisely eliminating the beastmaster themselves. If it hides well enough, the opponent might not even have the chance to summon their pet beast. The roles of the three are different. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Meanwhile. The sudden death king continued to sit, enjoying the breeze. It felt that General Ha and the dark crow were far from pushing its limits. It wasn¡¯t even in light injury, let alone at a critical or near-death state. Under such conditions, how could it possibly perfectly activate the [Heart of the Overlord talent]? Sigh, it wasn¡¯t that it didn¡¯t want to cooperate this time; the teammates just weren¡¯t up to the task¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king revealed an unbeatable yet lonely expression¡­ Lu Ran could see this clearly; trying to have General Ha and the dark crow heavily injure the sudden death king seemed unrealistic. Since that¡¯s the case. ¡°Sudden death king, you should injure yourself.¡± Lu Ran walked up to it. Pointing towards the starry sky, he said, ¡°Fly up high, then retract your wings and jump down.¡± ¡°Find a height that can inflict severe damage. I don¡¯t believe you can jump from over ten thousand meters and still not get injured.¡± ¡°Roar?¡± The sudden death king stumbled, its big eyes filled with confusion. It looked at Lu Ran with the eyes of someone looking at a demon. Does it¡­ really have to go this far? ¡°There¡¯s another way: you canpress thirty times your usual thunder energy into your body, and I¡¯ll light a me to trigger a thunder me explosion to cause injuries. Pick one.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t believe it. Getting injured? There were plenty of methods. The sudden death king fell into deep thought. ¡­ After some time, once Lu Ran had prepared and rested, he finally stepped into Ubilias Ind. [Teleportationplete.] [Current location: Ubilias Ind (Level 2 secret realm)] [Difficulty: Legend] [Challenge mission: Kill the queen ant.] Lu Ran, General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow had just been teleported over. They weren¡¯t directly sent in front of the queen ant. Seeing this, a significant weight lifted from Lu Ran¡¯s heart. As the core of the ant kingdom, the queen ant was undoubtedly heavily protected, surrounded by countless soldier ants. Most level 2 Legendary Secret Realms only feature a single lower overlord BOSS. However, this secret realm was swarming with thousands of ant soldiers. How on earth were they supposed to deal with that? Even with a middle overlord pet beast, facing a well-trained ant legion to sessfully defeat the queen ant would be incredibly challenging. But as he found himself at the edge of the ind, standing on a sandy beach, Lu Ran came to a realization. In this secret realm, trying to advance slowly to the center of the ant kingdom to challenge the queen ant was the dumbest strategy. Even the sudden death king might not be able to handle the ant demon formed by countless soldier ants. If the legion skill can¡¯t challenge an overlord level, what¡¯s the point of having one? To conquer this secret realm, the optimal strategy should be to iste and defeat the ants one by one. Don¡¯t proactively seek out the queen ant; instead, address as many weak ant colonies as possible before they can merge. That way, even if the queen ant reacts, it won¡¯t have many troops left to deploy. Alternatively, finding the precise location of the queen ant and sneaking in to take it down before the ant colony and queen ant can react would be another viable approach. In any case, they absolutely should not give the queen ant the opportunity tomand its ant colony; otherwise, the difficulty of the secret realm would skyrocket. Upon entering, Lu Ran said, ¡°Dark crow, use the Evil God¡¯s Eye to scout the situation across Ubilias Ind. Check where the queen ant and major forces of the ant n are distributed.¡± ¡°Caw!¡± The dark crow nodded. It then started using the Evil God¡¯s Eye to scan the ind¡¯s territory. Soon, as the Evil God¡¯s Eyes opened across various locations on the ind, the dark crow took a gulp upon seeing the sight. The ind was devoid of any other life forms, with only massive ck ants crawling around, searching for the dwindling nt resources as food. If nothing unexpected happened, these ants would soon shift their gaze to the sea, venturing into the ocean to hunt for fish. The dark crow¡¯s Evil God¡¯s Eye then began scouting deeper areas. It discovered that the ind¡¯s underground was home to an independent kingdom, which served as the main base for the Ubilias Ants. When the Eye opened at this location, the dark crow felt even more overwhelmed. The underground was teeming with ants, almost ckening the entire view. The sheer number exceeded its expectations far beyond what it could oversee with its Flock of crows. These ants were systematically constructing and expanding their nests with clear organization. Fortunately, most of these ordinary ants were of the supernatural species and weren¡¯t very high-level. However, given their vast numbers, a rough estimate by the dark crow suggested there were definitely tens of thousands. And that was just one location. If the ants across the entire ind were tallied, the numbers would be unfathomable. ¡°Caw¡­¡± Staying at the ind¡¯s edge, the dark crow cautiously continued to peer deeper. The Evil God¡¯s Eye finally reached the deepest part of the ant nest. The dark crow¡¯s vision opened at the top of the nest. From its vantage point, it spotted a gigantic ant, asrge as a Loong, exuding an aura of terror. It was asleep amidst a heap of food. The immense energy radiating from this creature made the dark crow feel that although it wasn¡¯t quite on par with the sudden death king, it was undoubtedly far stronger than both it and General Ha. Having pinpointed the queen ant¡¯s exact location, the dark crow began surveying the surrounding area and found that the queen ant was indeed heavily guarded, with a particrly high quantity and quality of guarding ants. ¡°Big king,¡± whispered the dark crow, blood trickling from its eye socket as it turned its red eyes towards Lu Ran. Even as Lu Ran administered healing, the dark crow reported its findings. ¡°So many?¡± Lu Ran was mildly shocked. Originally, he had estimated there would be a few thousand ants. Discovering the entire ind was swarming with ants was utterly astonishing. Moreover, the underground ant colonies were so densely packed that eliminating them individually would take an interminable amount of time. The only silver lining was that the queen ant was currently asleep, which meant its perception skills should be lower. Lu Ran nced at the dark crow, thankful that he had contracted it as his third pet beast. Otherwise, locating the queen ant¡¯s precise position would have been incredibly challenging. Without knowing the queen ant¡¯s exact location, strategizing to conquer this secret realm would have wasted a tremendous amount of effort. ¡°Big king, what should we do?¡± the dark crow asked. ¡°The enemy numbers are beyond imagination,¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°Trying to eliminate a portion first would be too exhausting and would most likely get us discovered in the process. Let¡¯s see if we can go straight for an assassination of the queen ant instead.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± The dark crow started to protest, thinking that the queen ant¡¯s location wasplex and heavily guarded by its subordinates. Sneaking in without Space abilities seemed nearly impossible. However, it quickly turned its gaze toward the sudden death king. It felt that Lu Ran¡¯s method of assassination might differ from traditional approaches. Sudden death king: ??? ¡°That¡¯s right. Our biggest advantage over other challengers is that we¡¯ve pinpointed the queen ant¡¯s location without being detected.¡± ¡°Before our first strike, it¡¯s highly unlikely that the other soldier ants or even the queen ant will notice us.¡± ¡°Sudden death king, remember the ¡®prep phase¡¯ in the training secret realm we went through earlier?¡± Lu Ran looked up at the sky and said, ¡°In a moment, we¡¯ll fly directly above the queen ant¡¯s location and conduct an airstrike! Sudden death king, you¡¯ll jump from the maximum height and shape yourself into a thunderbolt. We¡¯ll go straight for the heart and see if we can smash through the ground and crush the queen ant directly!¡± ¡°Body strength equals destructive power.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s try this tactic first. If it doesn¡¯t work, we can switch to another n.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Caw!¡± Both General Ha and the dark crow¡¯s eyes lit up. Brilliant! The dark crow¡¯s pinpoint uracybined with the thunder dragon missile approach should definitely be tough for the queen ant to handle. General Ha¡¯s dog paws and the dark crow¡¯s wings both patted the Thunder Dragon General. It couldn¡¯t be helped; being strong had its drawbacks. Chapter 197: Illegitimate Child Confirmed Chapter 197: Illegitimate Child Confirmed Inside the Legendary Secret Realm. The sudden death king was at a loss for words. However, as the strongest member of the team, the sudden death king knew that to conquer this secret realm, it had to rely on itself. It tried to mentally prepare. With a determined look at Lu Ran, general ha, and the others. Once, you helped me be stronger. This time¡­ it¡¯s my turn to contribute and take down the boss for you! ¡°Roar!!¡± No need to thank it¡­Because its name is the grateful sudden death king! ¡­ High above. Lu Ran sat on general ha. Watching the sudden death king fly higher and higher, a smile appeared. The configuration of my team is truly far ahead. Other countries would never think of this strategy to conquer the secret realm. Soon, the sudden death king and the others reached an extremely high altitude. At this moment, the sudden death king sighed. In the past¡­ it actually had acrophobia. But now, it waspletely cured. ¡°Here, just jump straight down,¡± the dark crow said in fluent Chinese mixed with foreignnguage. ¡°Roar¨C¡° Having experimented a few times earlier, the sudden death king was quite proficient in retracting its wings. With a calm look, it allowed itself to freefall from the high altitude¡­ Buzz!!! At the edge of the clouds. No one outside would have imagined that the recently world-shocking super Dragon King would directly use airdrop tactics to conquer the secret realm. Using gravity, the sudden death king continued to elerate its descent. In an instant, it became like a ck meteor, sweeping through with astonishing destructive power,unching an air raid on the queen ant!! At this moment, the queen ant was still in a beautiful dream, dreaming of leading the Ant Colony to its pinnacle. As the sudden death king continued to fall, general ha, the dark crow, and Lu Ran followed, but always maintained a rtively safe distance. After all, in the training secret realm, they had witnessed the destructive power generated by the sudden death king¡¯s high-altitude fall. That destructive power seemed capable of destroying a small city without any problem. At this moment. The massive ant kingdom was still working and bustling in an orderly manner. Suddenly, a worker ant lifted its head and looked up at the sky, discovering a massive fireball interwoven with high temperatures and thunder, slowly approaching. To it, this sight had no special meaning. But as the loong meteor drew closer, these worker ants foraging on the ind suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of oppression. A breath capable of destroying everything!!! They wanted to rush back to the nest and report to a higher level, but their speed made it toote. The naturally falling sudden death king was getting closer to the ground. Its speed was so enhanced that even it couldn¡¯t see its surroundings clearly anymore, forcing it to close its eyes. Without sufficiently strong defense, this fall would undoubtedly pulverize it into unrecognizable pieces. But the sudden death king can endure! ¡°Roar!! (My defense is invincible!!)¡± the sudden death king shouted internally, boosting its own morale. [What¡¯s going on¡­] Deep in the underground ant nest, the sleeping queen ant suddenly woke up, a sense of unease surging through its heart. As a creature of an overlord species, they generally possess a strong sixth sense, allowing them to perceive crises ahead of time. But the queen ant couldn¡¯t understand what on this ind could pose a threat to it or the ant n. [Hmm¡­] Upon waking, to find the source of its unease, it immediately connected mentally with the entire ant n, using their vision and perception to observe the situation across the ind. Quickly, the queen ant¡¯s perspective shifted to a worker ant staring at the sky. At this moment, from the viewpoint of this worker ant, the falling body of the sudden death king was less than a hundred meters from the ground¡­ [What is that-] Seeing such a terrifying thunder me fireball falling, the queen ant was instantly stunned. But what terrified and horrified it even more was that the falling point of this massive thunder me fireball seemed to be directly above it!! Queen Ant: ? This thunder me fireball wasing right at it!! But by the time it realized this, it was already toote. With a ¡°boom,¡± the earth seemed to tremble, and the entire ind experienced an earthquake, as if copsing. The shockwave from the massive explosion instantly turned countless weak ants into a mist of blood!! Boom!!!!!! The intense vibrations spread like a tsunami. [No!] The queen ant first sensed the ground copsing and then felt the intense energy, bright light, and heat wave engulfing it. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. The most terrifying part was that amidst the intense light and heat, its body seemed to suffer a brutal impact. A massive form descended from the sky, plummeting through rock and soil, smashing directly onto it. Thud. The queen ant¡¯s entire body was crushed, green blood oozing out. It screamed desperately, trying to summon the ants to protect it, but the air raid was too sudden. It had no time to react or summon the Ant Colony to form a protectiveyer. In fact, the nearby ants received almost the same level of impact. In an instant, they were engulfed by the shockwave, losing their life force. High above, Lu Ran and the others watched as a massive mushroom cloud, reaching hundreds of meters high, soared from the ground. They gulped as they saw the ground continuously fracturing and extending. For a pinpoint target, the sudden death king¡¯s jump was indeed a lethal move. Terrifying, truly terrifying. ¡°Woof~¡± General ha also twitched at the corner of its mouth, feeling that the sudden death king and itself were indeed in different leagues. ¡°Caw.¡± The dark crow was equally shocked. Is this how the dinosaurs went extinct? ¡°What¡¯s the result? What¡¯s the result!¡± At the moment the sudden death king hit the ground, Lu Ran cried out internally, eager to know the oue. If this tactic failed, they would have to retreat to their exclusive room, rest, and discuss the feasibility of other strategies. But soon, a cheerful prompt tone reached Lu Ran¡¯s ears, making him grin from ear to ear. He patted general ha and immediately flew downward. ¡°Sudden death king, well done!!!¡± Lu Ranughed heartily. He never expected that this legion-type boss wouldn¡¯t even get the chance to use its legion skill before he stealthily raided it. Not only was the sudden death king formidable, but the dark crow was also amazing! Ironically, general ha ended up cking off for the entire process this time. [Congrattions, you havepleted the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: Perfect!] [Congrattions, you have obtained 5 million crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained the exquisite resource, blood drop stone (a pet beast that consumes this will be able to asexually reproduce an offspring inheriting some of its bloodline power).] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resources, upgrade card x100.] [Congrattions, you have obtained the beast taming skill, retainer (allows a contracted pet beast to possess ¡®retainer life¡¯).] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resources, queen ant egg (a lower sovereign species, an individual with immense growth potential and the possibility of inheriting the abilities of the queen ant, birthed by a mutated Ubilias Ant queen).] [Congrattions, you have obtained special resources, trait crystal (Dominion Power: a pet beast that fuses with this trait crystal can awaken dominion power, gaining a strong dominion effect over creatures that share its bloodline or species. After establishing a dominion link, the pet beast can temporarily lend part of its strength to its subordinates, or borrow strength from them temporarily to enhance itself).] ¡°Wow¡­¡± In the secret realm, Lu Ran¡¯s voice echoed with longsting shock as the rewards appeared. This is bad. The rewards from this secret realm are too extraordinary to tell Manager Ying about, or else I¡¯ll never be able to shake off the ¡®illegitimate child of Infinite City¡¯bel. ¡­ Outside. The birth of the Shield-winged Dragon King certainly shocked the world, but not everyone could focus solely on the Evolution Secret Realm. With the emergence of a special Legendary Secret Realm in the public infinite city on the high seas, hinting at the possibility of uncovering legion type abilities, countries¡¯ strategy teams went crazy, throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the exploration. So far, no legion-type abilities had been found on the Blue Star. But everyone knew how powerful legion-type abilities could be. For instance, on the Star-Moon Continent, any supernatural empire capable of potentially annihting the Beast Taming Empire inevitably had some ferocious beasts that wielded ¡°legion-type¡± abilities. The power wielded by these ferocious beast legions was unmatched by even the most formidable ferocious beasts fighting alone. Furthermore, in any era of the Beast Taming Empire, the leaders of the strongest Beast Taming Legions always possessed legion-type skills or core legion pet beasts. For individual beastmasters, legion type traits might not be as enticing. After all, the resources required to sustain a Pet Beast Legion are beyond the reach of an average person. However, for all the nations on the Blue Star, everyone hopes to establish their own Pet Beast Legion. Such a force would significantly elevate a country¡¯s strength. Yet, there¡¯s a catch. The situation on Ubilias Ind is exceptionallyplicated. Even though the BOSS is just a lower overlord, its elusive naturebined with the protection from numerous subordinates makes it difficult for national strategy teams to locate its main body before being detected by the Ant Colony. Before even catching a glimpse of the queen ant, these teams are repelled by monstrous forms created by the gathered ants. This secret realm¡¯s difficulty far exceeds that of other level 2 secret realms. Moreover, countries are currently short on skilled level 2 beastmasters, causing significant anxiety among many strategy groups. High difficulty in a secret realm means richer rewards! However, these strategy teams from various countries will soon find relief. Public Infinite City, Beastmaster Square. Beastmasters of various ethnicities looked up suddenly with incredulous expressions. [Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard and Overlord Species Leaderboard Updated.] [Leaderboard Divine Beast: Shield-winged Dragon King.] [Attribute: Dragon] [Species Level: Middle Overlord] [Growth Level: Level 30] [Beastmaster: Passerby A] [Reason for Leaderboard: Single-handedly defeated the lower overlord species, Level 30 Ubilias Queen Ant in Legendary Difficulty, Level 2 Secret Realm, Ubilias Ind, with one strike.] [Ranking: Ascended to the top of the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard!] Though the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard had only one pet beast, the Shield-winged Dragon King¡­ ¡°Oh, no!!!¡± ¡°Passerby A!! How did he get here?¡± ¡°What a joke, he one-shotted a legion BOSS?!?!¡± The urrence stirred a tremor within Public Infinite City. It left numerous national strategy teams in despair-they hadn¡¯t even located the BOSS, and he had already defeated it. Simultaneously, it stunned the world. [Congrattions to Level 2 Beastmaster Passerby A for solo-clearing the Level 2 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Ubilias Ind¡¯ and achieving a perfect rating, thereby starting the Path of Legend.] Upon hearing this broadcast, even more people were dumbfounded. The pet beast evolved in the morning and solo-cleared a Legendary Secret Realm in the afternoon??? This Lu Ran, alias Passerby A, leaves no room forpetition! Can anyone step in to check his dominance? At this moment, beastmasters worldwide could only be grateful that each level of a Legendary Secret Realm could only be cleared once per person; otherwise, this Passerby A would be a nightmare for every nation! Chapter 198: Dividing the Spoils Chapter 198: Dividing the Spoils ¡°Sudden Death King, thank you for your hard work.¡± ¡°Roar¡­¡± After the secret realm ended, Lu Ran began to treat Sudden Death King¡¯s injuries. The impact was enough to instantly kill an overlord of the same level, indicating how terrifying it was. At this moment, the queen ant could no longer be found in one piece¡­ Although Sudden Death King was also in a sorry state, thanks to the Dragon King¡¯s Shield, its injuries were quickly healing upon impact. Combined with its strong defense, it only suffered ordinary heavy injuries and sessfullypleted the ¡°assassination.¡± After Lu Ran used the divine deer pendant to treat Sudden Death King, it soon recoveredpletely. ¡°Woof.¡±¡°Caw.¡± During this time, General Ha and Dark Crow were also inspecting this gigantic meteor crater with a diameter of several hundred meters, shaking their heads slightly. Queen Ant, what a miserable death you had. ¡°Let¡¯s withdraw.¡± Lu Ran smiled. At this moment, he couldn¡¯t wait to go back and divide the spoils-uh, I mean distribute the rewards. As for this secret realm, honestly, Lu Ran already knew through Dark Crow¡¯s scouting earlier that there was nothing valuable left. Everything had been consumed by the queen ant for propagating the Ant Colony. ¡­ Exclusive Room. Sudden Death King sat on the floor, exhaling deeply. A moment of fear. Fortunately, the queen ant didn¡¯t have strong defense. Otherwise, after falling, it might have faced a second round of battle. This oue was pretty good. It didn¡¯t want to fight any ant demon. A swarm of ants can bite a dragon to death-this principle it understood well. No one knew how powerful an ant demon¡¯s outburst could be. Better not to take that gamble. ¡°Roar~~¡± Squinting its eyes, Sudden Death King inquired Lu Ran if there were any resources suitable for it. ¡°This blood drop stone¡­ Sudden Death King, would you consider having a Dragon King¡¯s son?¡± At this moment, leafing through the rewards, Lu Ran paused before speaking. ¡°How about this for you?¡± This round of exquisite resources¡­ so strange! ¡°Huh?¡± Sudden Death King froze, its voice cracking in surprise. Beside it, both General Ha and Dark Crow also looked shocked. Wo Cao, could there really be such a resource? ¡°Roar!!¡± Hearing that Lu Ran wanted to give it a resource, Sudden Death King waved its hands and shook its head vigorously. What a joke, it¡¯s a male lizard. How could it rely on something like this to reproduce? Lu Ran then looked at General Ha and Dark Crow. These two guys also shook their heads repeatedly. They were both males too; they couldn¡¯t ept it, not at all. ¡°Although this thing might seem a bit unconventional, it really is quite valuable!¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°ording to breeding knowledge, the higher the species level and growth level of a pet beast, the harder it is to breed, but the offspring produced are also much stronger.¡± ¡°If this thing is used on a high species level creature, its effects can be maximized!¡± ¡°Even giving it to a legendary divine beast, wouldn¡¯t it produce a baby divine beast?¡± Lu Ran quickly started thinking wildly and shook his head. That¡¯s unlikely-after all, it¡¯s just an exquisite resource. Even in the best-case scenario, it wouldn¡¯t inherit theplete bloodline strength of a divine beast. In summary, all Lu Ran could think of at the moment was that Sudden Death King was the most suitable for this blood drop stone. Dragon King bloodline, unique species, high species level¡­ But Sudden Death King didn¡¯t like it, and Lu Ran couldn¡¯t force it. He¡¯d keep it for now. Who knows, maybeter he¡¯d encounter an older, single, and rare species? Making a good connection could possibly bring back an offspring. At that moment, Manager Ying¡¯s image shed in Lu Ran¡¯s mind for some reason. It was said its main body was a nine-tailed cat, presumably also an extremely rare species. Its clone was already so powerful, the main body must be even stronger¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s look at something else,¡± Lu Ran said, swallowing hard, and began to consider another beast taming skill: retainer! At first nce, Lu Ran had made up his mind. His next beast taming skill would be this one. What is a retainer? In essence, it¡¯s like one life forming a ¡°contract¡± with another life. On the Star-Moon Continent, retainer life is a very special term. Generally speaking, only extremely powerful legendary divine beasts can have retainers. And only they possess the ability to ¡°create retainers.¡± Ancient myths say that legendary divine beasts can share a part of their power with other life forms, enabling them to undergo evolution. These beings that evolve by receiving the legendary divine beast¡¯s power form a special bond with it. The rtionship bes closer, likerades and generals with a shared bloodline. Two of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons, the Life Dragon and the Death Dragon, are each said to have three retainers who act on their behalf in the world, maintaining the bnce of life and death. This skill clearly counts as an unconventional ¡°legion skill.¡± But instead of training ¡°ordinary soldiers,¡± it cultivates ¡°high-level generals.¡± Generally speaking, the stronger the divine beast, the stronger its retainers. Evidently, this is essentially a skill for ¡°recruiting subordinates.¡± The most astonishing part for Lu Ran was that this wasn¡¯t a trait crystal but a beast taming skill. This means, if Lu Ran learns it, he could potentially assign one or even multiple retainers to each of his pet beasts with further development!! For example, General Ha. If a sword-shaped life form became its retainer, undoubtedly, General Ha¡¯s power would be significantly amplified!! And it would be the kind of power that defies logic. As General Ha grows stronger, its retainer grows stronger¡­ and the stronger the retainer, the stronger General Ha gets. Although unsure to what extent this ¡°exploit¡± can be leveraged, having a sword closely linked to itself would unquestionably propel General Ha to new heights. Then there¡¯s the weather elf. If several pet beasts wielding weather power became its retainers, its strength would undoubtedly make a qualitative leap. Even for Sudden Death King, who¡¯s rtively less suited to have retainers for jointbat, having a minion proficient in healing would make it invincible. However¡­ Lu Ran shook his head, knowing that mastering this beast taming skill would be equivalent to a beastmaster managing an additional ¡°team¡± of spirits, which would certainly require significant effort. Moreover, retainer life forms most likely cannot be stored back inside contract cards, meaning they could only unt their power on the Blue Star and not be taken into the Infinite City. Unless Lu Ran contracts retainer life forms as a second team of pet beasts, but that would make contract cards in extremely short supply. ¡°Sigh, if only someone could figure out a cultivation method for Beast Taming Space. If there were such a space plus contract cards, I wouldn¡¯t have to worry so much.¡± Aside from the challenge of carrying retainers, the ¡°legion¡± part of the legion skill can¡¯t just be carried around either. Lu Ran looked at the trait crystal for Flock Dominion, thinking it was more suitable for Dark Crow. He had been debating whether to give a legion skill crystal to Dark Crow or the Weather Elf if one ever dropped. But now that the crystal had actually dropped, the decision was clear. The Flock Dominion crystal can only govern creatures that share its bloodline or are of a simr species. On Blue Star, the Weather Elf is a unique species. Unless the clouds on Blue Star suddenly develop consciousness and evolve into elemental lifeforms, which is highly unrealistic. Animal life, necromancy life, nt life, mechanical life, elemental life¡­ each more far-fetched than thest. So, this Flock Dominion trait crystal could only go to Dark Crow. After all, it still had a few thousand crow subordinates in Green Sea City. ¡°With this, General Ha and Dark Crow, you both have a bright future ahead.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Caw!¡± General Ha and Dark Crow both disyed intelligent expressions. Perfect-let Sudden Death King work hard to earn resources, then they could use those resources to grow stronger and surpass it. How delightful. ¡°Roar¡­¡± Sudden Death King grumbled from the side. Wasn¡¯t it supposed to help Cloud Baby earn resources? In the end, neither it nor Cloud Baby got any benefits-all the rewards went to the dog and the crow. ¡°And this queen ant egg¡­¡± Lu Ran saw that the secret realm had dropped another egg, and he pondered for a moment. He felt this egg was much more valuable than the Stone Dragon Egg. Although the Stone Dragon Egg is from a Sub-dragon Species, there are many sub-dragons, and unless it¡¯s a pure Loong-type, it doesn¡¯t hold much value. But this queen ant egg, if it hatches into a little queen ant, would be a sovereign creature with inherent ¡°legion attributes.¡± If fused with a few more traits, it could even evolve into the core of an overlord-species legion. Such a pet beast hatchling indeed had immense potential. Yet, given that Lu Ran was already grappling with not having enough contract slots, he surely didn¡¯t have the resources or time to raise a queen ant. Pet beast retainers, Dark Crow¡¯s legion, Weather Legion-he couldn¡¯t even manage all of these. Most of the resources Lu Ran acquired this time seemed quite useful and worth keeping. The only item he felt could be traded to obtain other, more needed resources was the queen ant egg. Lu Ran believed that many First Generation tamers in the country would be interested in it, as it is a legion-type pet beast. Well, let¡¯s see who offers the highest price. Highest bidder wins! ¡­ [You act quickly¡­] Soon after Lu Ran finished his challenge, private messages from Gu Qingyi and others started pouring in. Lu Ran chuckled and responded uniformly, [Pretty good haul]. Seeing that Lu Ran didn¡¯t seem to want to go into detail, the others didn¡¯t probe further about the specifics of his haul. Only Gu Qingyi asked an additional question. Gu Qingyi: [What are your ns next? Waiting for the next Evolution Secret Realm?] Passerby A: [Hmm, I haven¡¯t decided whether to evolve Dark Crow or General Ha first. But their evolution resources are ready. Let¡¯s see who will be better prepared in theing days.] Now, with another trait for Dark Crow, Lu Ran felt a bit conflicted about the third trait. Should he fuse necromancy clone or Flock Dominion? After some thought, Lu Ran decided to go with necromancy clone first. After all, trait crystals require patibility.¡± Even though Dark Crow has a group of underlings right now, there¡¯s no real connection between them and it. They can¡¯t apany it into the Evolution Secret Realm, either. Attempting to fuse Flock Dominion from scratch seemed risky and might not allow for optimal absorption. However, if he first fused necromancy clone, by the time Dark Crow reached level 40, it could likely have mastered the clone ability. At that point, ruling over its own clones would still count as dominion. This way, Dark Crow¡¯spatibility with the Flock Dominion trait wouldn¡¯t bepletely zero. Besides, if the trait crystal fusion doesn¡¯t involve evolution, it can be done outside the secret realm. With the Flock of crows around, the fusion effect might even be better. ¡°Darn it, too bad Dark Crow¡¯s mindset isn¡¯t quite there yet; otherwise, the blood drop stone could bebined with the Dominion crystal and retainer ability.¡± ¡°Speaking of which¡­ can elemental lifeforms have offspring through the blood drop stone?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mind started to wander again. But elemental lifeforms likely don¡¯t possess bloodline power, and it feels doubtful. Besides, making a weather elf less than a month old have offspring makes Lu Ran feel a bit inhumane. Chapter 199: Black Turtle: WTF Chapter 199: ck Turtle: WTF After being momentarily distracted, Lu Ran quickly recovered and continued his inquiry. Passerby A: [Dr. Gu, when are you going to send me back to the Green Sea¡­] Whether it¡¯s for the evolution of general ha or the dark crow, the subsequent preparations need to be started. For general ha, a new lifebound weapon needs to be forged. As for the dark crow, its soul strength needs to be continuously cultivated. The forging materials needed for the former are easy to acquire. Considering Lu Ran¡¯s current financial status, it¡¯s not difficult to purchase them. With the assistance of the me Sprite and the forging experience from the Cult of Necromancy, and with a bit of practice, the forging should be achievable. However, ording to the forging diagram, to forge the necromancy weapon embryo, a soul me is required. This type of me, soul me, is something that Lu Ran hasn¡¯t managed to research yet. He feels he might need some external help. That is, to hunt fire type ferocious beasts and extract their souls for research.For thetter, it also requires Lu Ran to hunt arge number of ferocious beasts and extract their souls to make cuisine for cultivating the dark crow. If Lu Ran wants to dive deeper into necromancy studies, stayingpletely in the infinite city won¡¯t work. Besides the breakthrough secret realm, the monsters in ordinary secret realms are heavily data-driven, shattering on contact and not allowing for soul separation. Therefore, he needs to find a solution in the real world. Gu Qingyi: [Is it urgent? Should I push them a bit?] Passerby A: [Yes, very urgent. By the way, are there any ces in Xia Country where wild fire type ferocious beasts are abundant, uncontroble, and in need of massive clearing?] [Mental and dark types are needed too!] Gu Qingyi: [Uh, what are you nning to do.] Passerby A: [As a beastmaster from Xia Country, I want to eliminate some safety hazards for the public.] Gu Qingyi: [Speak inly.] Passerby A: [The next step of cultivation requires arge number of souls¡­] Gu Qingyi chuckled, it seems this Holy Son of Necromancy is nning to take action in the real world¡­ While Lu Ran was enjoying himself outside. In the Green Sea. A fishman resembling a toad surfaced onshore. [Where exactly is it?] The big king had sent it to find a turtle bearing a stone tablet, but it had been searching for a long time without sess. After asking around, it learned that the turtle was also an outsider, seemingly having entered the ocean from thend. Originally, the Fishman Empire had a ban on entering thend easily. However, it understood the consequences of failing the task assigned by the big king. Distressed, the fishman began to wander aimlessly around the waters near the Green Sea, seeking information. However, it wasn¡¯t long before a Flock of crows hovering in the sky took notice of it. [Intruder sighted!] [Intruder detected!] Although the Dark Crow General wasn¡¯t present, this Flock of crows had already developed the habit of reporting different invading species to the corresponding general for resolution. At Qingwu Lake. The ck turtle was enjoying a leisurely retirement, asionally teaching life lessons to the King Carp Lu Ran had chosen. Life was very pleasant. However, as a Flock of crows began fluttering over theke, a sense of rm struck the ck turtle. ¡°Damn it.¡± The old turtle nced at the yet-to-mature King Carp, feeling a bit uneasy. How has troublee even before the new general has grown up? ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go take a look.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be anything major.¡± ¡°After thisst task, I¡¯m retiring for good!¡± The old turtle wrestled with its thoughts for a while but eventually decided to take a look, driven by the upational habits it had developed over these past days. It strapped on the stone tablet newly forged by Lu Ran, nced at the crows, and in the next moment, the Flock of crows formed a wind circle, lifting the ck turtle into the air. ¡°What is this??¡± Before long, the fishman leader, still searching for the stone-bearing turtle in the Green Sea, saw a massive Flock of crows descending from the sky. Squinting, it could tell just by their breath that this Flock of crows was a bunch of weaklings, almost all below level 10. They couldn¡¯tpare to it, the proud level 38 fishman leader. But what stunned it next was: The Flock of crows slowly descended, and as the dark mass of crows dispersed, a giant turtle bearing a stone tablet appeared directly in front of it. It was as if the Flock of crows were merely the turtle¡¯s subordinates or even its mounts! Seeing the stone tablet-bearing giant turtle it had been searching for finally appear, the fishman¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. [Ah, you¡¯re quite the turtle, aren¡¯t you? Even managed to get so many birds as your mounts. Our big king doesn¡¯t even have this many tricks up his sleeve.] This fishman seemed to possess a Special Ability that allowed it tomunicate clearly with the ck turtle. The ck turtle¡¯s face darkened. Damn. It had been tricked. Seeing the ¡°intruder,¡± its heart sank. Another fishman. It regretted everything. It looked up at the Crows circling above, contemting if they could take it back. However, these Crows seemed only responsible for bringing it here, without any intention of taking it back until the trouble was resolved. ck Turtle: ??? Dark crow, is this how you train your subordinates? It, the old turtle, was not going to forget this slight. ¡°Damn it,¡± the old turtle thought as it looked silently at the fishman, feeling a bit intimidated. Thest time it fought one of these fishmen, it had been tough, and this one had to be even stronger than thest. Was it here for revenge? The old turtle¡¯s stomach churned because it knew that Lu Ran and the dark crow were not in the Green Sea these days. Why, why did they say the Fishman Empire wouldn¡¯t cause trouble in the short term? What is this?! [Fine, if I die, I die. I¡¯ve lived long enough anyway. Maybe dying like this isn¡¯t so bad after all. At least I wouldn¡¯t have to endure anymore suffering. But still, I¡¯d rather die of old age naturally¡­] However, just when the old turtle thought its end was near, the next words from the fishman left it stunned. For the enemy wasn¡¯t here to cause immediate trouble, though for the ck turtle, it felt like trouble nheless. ¡°Woolee!¡± the fishman began. [You must be themander of these coastal waters, right? I¡¯ve heard about you from my subordinates. Your heroic deeds have reached the ears of our big king, who has taken a great interest in you. I¡¯m here to convey his decree, inviting you to be a general of our Fishman Empire!] [Come with me.] [Don¡¯t refuse, or you¡¯ll miss your chance to change your turtle destiny.] Boom. In the next moment, the fishman unleashed a powerful surge of energy, creating a gale that smacked against the ck turtle, leaving it stunned. ¡°Wow¡­ (I¡­)¡± The ck turtle was about to say, ¡°If you want me to be a general in your empire, you might as well kill me.¡± But in a split second, the fishman¡¯s expression grew impatient. With a swift move, it leaped onto the ck turtle¡¯s head and pped a fishy hand down onto its skull. It hatedmunicating with turtles, finding it too troublesome. Better to just knock it out and take it away. With a single strike, the ck turtle was rendered unconscious. The fishmanmander grabbed one of its legs and began dragging it toward the ocean. Seeing this, the Flock of crows was utterly dumbfounded. ¡­ Some timeter. In Antarctica. With the arrival of the escort team from Xia Country. Lu Ran also returned to reality from the infinite city, nning to head back to Xia Country first. However, as soon as he emerged, he noticed Manager Ying¡¯s not-so-happy expression, apanied by the weather elf, waiting for him outside. ¡°Lu Ran, something¡¯s happened.¡± Lu Ran was immediately taken aback by the grave look on Manager Ying¡¯s face. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Lu Ran paused, asking, ¡°Are there a few hundred First Generation powerhouses waiting to ambush us on the way?¡± ¡°In that case, forget going back. I¡¯ll just stay in the infinite city until I reach level 60¡­¡± Manager Ying¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your Green Sea that¡¯s in trouble.¡± ¡°Oh, crap.¡± Lu Ran was stunned. ¡°Green Sea? What happened to Green Sea??¡± ¡°What could possibly happen in Green Sea?¡± Manager Ying exined, ¡°Not long ago, a Flock of crows descended upon my cat-eared maid caf¨¦, hysterically crashing into the windows, trying to convey some message.¡± ¡°But since my clone in Green Sea was busy escorting you to Antarctica, there was nobody there who could understand what the crows were trying to ry.¡± ¡°However, through contacts with the maid caf¨¦ staff, one of my clones that was still in the country rushed over and received some bad news.¡± ¡°What news?¡± Lu Ran felt an ominous foreboding. ¡°The fishmen of the Fishman Empire have once againnded in Green Sea City.¡± ¡°Could it be that enormous damage was caused?¡± Lu Ran asked, but he dismissed the possibility in the next moment. After all, something like that would require contacting the Green Sea Association, who would then seek assistance from the Jinling Association. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I spoke with the Crows and got the full story.¡± ¡°It seems that the fishman your ck turtle general defeated earlier went back and reported this to the Fishman Prince.¡± ¡°Surprisingly, the Fishman Prince doesn¡¯t seem to want revenge, but instead appears to have taken a liking to the old turtle.¡± ¡°So this time, they sent people to abduct your ck turtle general, intending for the old turtle to be its subordinate.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Damn it,¡± Lu Ran cursed after a moment, his eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°They dare to steal my general?¡± ¡°But how do you n to get it back?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Ran felt overwhelmed, unable to understand how he had found himself in such a mess. However, the news gave him somefort; as long as the old turtle surrendered andplied, its life wouldn¡¯t be in danger. Otherwise, Lu Ran would feel incredibly guilty. After all, if he hadn¡¯t assigned the ck turtle to guard the coastal waters, it wouldn¡¯t have gotten into this situation. From the ck turtle¡¯s perspective, it had always wanted to retire, but now it was being captured by the Fishman Empire to serve as a war general, which must be incredibly frustrating. Damn it, does that Fishman Prince have a screw loose or something? Wanting a turtle at level twenty-something? ¡°I definitely can¡¯t abandon the ck turtle. No matter what, I have to rescue it.¡± ¡°Manager Ying, do you have any ideas?¡± Lu Ran was at a loss. Even Gu Qingyi, Xia Country¡¯s top expert in maritime warfare, probably wouldn¡¯t have a way to rescue someone from the Fishman Empire. Manager Ying remained silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the Fishman Empire has a Mermaid Princess. If you be the Fishman Prince¡¯s brother-inw, you might be able to ask for the ck turtle back¡­¡± ¡°Or you could storm the ce, but we can¡¯t defeat them. What if you level up first? After all, it seems like the Fishman Empire doesn¡¯t have any ill intentions towards the old turtle. Given the old turtle¡¯s Talent, it might even be a general in the Fishman Empire. Its Talent is quite good; it hasn¡¯t trained seriously, yet its level has been rising steadily. In a ce like the deep sea, it¡¯ll probably grow even faster.¡± ¡°Eventually, you can reunite on equal footing¡­¡± Lu Ran: ??? Chapter 200: Top-Level Intelligence Dealer Chapter 200: Top-Level Intelligence Dealer ¡°I¡¯m not joking with you.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there a more reliable method?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran with displeasure. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m an omnipotent deity?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Lu Ran retorted. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Manager Ying was taken aback, sliding a cat paw across her cheek and showing a shy expression, ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve found me out.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Alright, no more teasing.¡± Manager Ying shook her head. ¡°When ites to the deep sea, I don¡¯t really have any good solutions.¡± ¡°However, I can sell you some intelligence.¡±¡°To let you know how your old turtle is faring after reaching the deep sea.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s doing well, there¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry.¡± ¡°But if it¡¯s not doing well, then you can rush over, okay?¡± ¡°You can even sell that?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me your cat-eared maid caf¨¦ has branched out to the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°As if.¡± Manager Ying rolled her eyes. ¡°But I can use one of my skills to gather intelligence for you.¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of¡­¡± ¡°Foreseeing the future?¡± Lu Ran was stunned. Damn, almost forgot, this cat also has Time abilities. It does seem like it can use Time for simtions. Back when they were searching for a necromancer in Jinling, they relied on the cat¡¯s ability. Lu Ran had actually forgotten about it. Unlike Pig Deity Zhu Kaixin¡¯s mediocre level, Manager Ying can genuinely apply Time skills in realbat! ¡°You really are a deity!¡± Lu Ran was thrilled. That¡¯s what top-level intelligence dealer means-creating information from nothing. ¡°Tch.¡± Manager Ying spoke up: ¡°But my foreseeing the futurees with four prohibitions.¡± ¡°1. I do not foresee the future of beings that are too powerful.¡± ¡°2. I do not foresee the future of beings with too much potential.¡± ¡°3. I do not foresee a future that is too far away.¡± ¡°4. Every time I use foresight, there must be adequatepensation, I can¡¯t be taken advantage of.¡± It frowned at Lu Ran: ¡°Your old turtle¡¯s strength isn¡¯t great, so it meets the first condition.¡± ¡°As for the second, it barely meets my standard for potential¡­¡± Although the old turtle has decent potential, it is merely considered upper supernatural since the resurgence of spiritual energy. For it to concern Manager Ying, it would at least need to have the future of an innate sovereign species. Of course, there are always exceptions. For instance, Lu Ran¡¯s dog, lizard, and crow, after receiving such nurturing from him, have an unpredictable future with immense potential. Manager Ying wouldn¡¯t easily foresee their futures. It would be too easy for it to suffer a bacsh. But for that turtle, in the short term, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. ¡°As for the third rule, I will only foresee the condition of your old turtle six months into the future.¡± ¡°If it seems fine in six months, then you can be at ease during that period.¡± Manager Ying assured. ¡°How about it? Can you ept that? If so, we can discuss the fourth rule. After all, using foresight is extremely taxing.¡± ¡°Trying to get it for free is out of the question.¡± Lu Ran looked at it and asked, ¡°What do you want then¡­¡± ¡°How about giving me some intelligence that satisfies me.¡± Manager Ying said uninterestedly, feeling that Lu Ran might not have anything good. Lu Ran would have to keep the good stuff for himself, so the only thing that might interest it would be some valuable intelligence. As for the worth of the intelligence Lu Ran could provide, that didn¡¯t matter much. It would help Lu Ran regardless. The main point was, it wanted to instill a principle in Lu Ran: no freebor. ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lu Ran felt a headacheing on. Intelligence, huh. What intelligence could he possibly have? But soon, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up, and he pped his hands, ¡°Manager Ying.¡± ¡°Previously, didn¡¯t you also use your foresight ability to search for ¡®sleeping ancient life forms¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes, so what?¡± Manager Ying didn¡¯t understand what Lu Ran was getting at. ¡°Now that ancient life forms like the Fishman King have awakened, it indicates that other ancient life forms will likely awaken soon too, along with the elerating resurgence of spiritual energy.¡± ¡°But, as we judged before, there must be a batch of ancient life forms in a near-death or weakened state, finding it extremely difficult to return to their peak, right?¡± ¡°Our n back then was to persuade them-exining the pros and cons-and see if they would be willing to be necromantic pets and live another life!¡± Manager Ying nodded. ¡°But for many pet beasts, this condition might be hard to ept. Why not give them more options?¡± Lu Ran suggested. ¡°What if I had a way for them to pass on their bloodline at thest moment of their lives?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Manager Ying was taken aback. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran continued, ¡°I obtained a resource from the Legendary Secret Realm just now¡­¡± He then began to exin the functions of the blood drop stone to Manager Ying. ¡°If you encounter powerful ancient life forms, you can sell this intelligence to them.¡± This way, not only would it help advertise Lu Ran¡¯s blood drop stone, but Manager Ying could also profit from selling this intelligence to ancient life forms. ¡°Wow.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment after hearing this. ¡°You managed to get your hands on something like that?¡± ¡°Is this intelligence valuable enough?¡± Lu Ran asked quickly. Manager Ying pondered for a moment and said, ¡°How powerful beings can sessfully propagate their offspring is indeed a significant issue. In ancient times, it was easier with abundant spiritual energy and thriving species. But now, most of these beings have likely be thest of their kind. Finding simr species to mate with increases the difficulty of reproduction, given theplications of gic istion¡­¡± ¡°Your blood drop stone¡­ it would indeed drive some powerful beings crazy, even those of overlord species.¡± ¡°Alright, this intelligence is valuable enough.¡± Manager Ying indeed saw a business opportunity in this information! Lu Ran cautiously asked, ¡°Speaking of which, Manager Ying, don¡¯t you have any interest in the blood drop stone yourself?¡± ¡°???¡± Manager Ying got angry and said, ¡°I¡¯m only eighteen years old.¡± Lu Ran: ??? An eighteen-year-old cat is already considered quite old, isn¡¯t it? And, eighteen years old??? So, the years spent in slumber don¡¯t count as age, huh? ¡°Foreseeing the future, we¡¯ll talk back in Xia Country!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to Qingwu Lake to perform the foresight.¡± ¡­ After negotiating with Manager Ying, Lu Ran then followed it, embarking on the perilous journey back to Xia Country. Originally, Lu Ran was very worried about encountering danger on this return trip, but as it turned out, he was overthinking it. Even if someone wanted to harm him, now was definitely not the best time. After all, this was probably the time when Xia Country had the highest level of protection for Lu Ran. After some time, Lu Ran sessfully returned to Green Sea City. Upon returning to Green Sea City, Lu Ran breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, nothing unexpected happened. Though he had considered leveling up to level 60 in infinite city, without the inte, he would feel like dying. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Upon arriving back, Lu Ran¡¯s only bodyguard was Manager Ying, the cat. But Lu Ran had noints about this. After all, when you have a big shot from the Time element who can foresee the future as your bodyguard, what more could you ask for? Although Manager Ying didn¡¯t appear reliable, it was probably more dependable than Principal Shi Zhen or the Pig Deity. Plop¡­ Plop¡­ When Lu Ran and Manager Ying arrived at Qingwu Lake, they were met with the sorrowful sight of the King Carp, heir to the ck Turtle Marshal, swimming in distress on theke surface to wee the great King of Green Sea. The King Carp, possessing strong soul power, was very intelligent. Witnessing the ck Turtle Marshal being taken away and not returning, it had already begun to suspect that the ck Turtle Marshal had likely encountered trouble. Now, with Lu Ran¡¯s arrival, its suspicions were confirmed. [Wooo, Master, Master¡ª-] the King Carpmented in theke, devastated. Although only a few days of guidance, it respected the ck Turtle Marshal greatly, both as a master and a father figure. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Manager Ying silently observed the fish. Lu Ran alsoforted, ¡°General Carp, don¡¯t be anxious. The ck Turtle Marshal may not be doomed.¡± ¡°It was just captured by a monster.¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any immediate danger to its life.¡± ¡°You must strive to be stronger, diligently training your own abilities. Once you sessfully undergo dragon transformation, you may still have a chance to rescue the ck Turtle Marshal.¡± ¡°Go on, train hard.¡± After Lu Ran¡¯sforting words, the General Carp¡¯s eyes gleamed with determination and it turned to swim away. Meanwhile, Manager Ying twitched its lips, thinking, good grief, there isn¡¯t a single normal supernatural being in Green Sea City. In a smallke, Lu Ran had managed to find two extraordinary beings. A scene was ying out: [Train hard, and rescue your master]. ¡°Hoo¡­¡± Manager Ying¡¯s mental power began to envelop the entire Qingwu Lake, searching for anything rted to the old ck turtle¡­ In just a few moments, it retrieved the old turtle shell that the ck turtle had once shed and left in theke. Holding the turtle shell, Manager Ying said, ¡°I¡¯m about to begin.¡± Without waiting for Lu Ran¡¯s reaction, it closed its eyes slightly, and the turtle shell in front of it was immediately enveloped by its mental power. ¡°Let¡¯s watch together.¡± During the foresight, it extended a cat paw. Seeing this, Lu Ran also extended his hand and grasped it. In the next instant. Lu Ran felt as though his surroundings were spinning and shifting, as if he had entered some sort of domain. Everything around him turned pitch ck. These dark spaces gradually lit up, resembling the screen of a movie theater emerging from darkness. Blub blub blub¡­ The sound of bubbles forming filled the air. Soon, the dark space was tinted with deep blue, revealing an underwater scene that was vividly disyed before Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, making him feel as though he was watching an immersive 3D movie. ¡°Locked on¡­¡± ¡°Fortunately, it seems that in a future where you don¡¯t seek it out, your ck Turtle Marshal is safe and sound¡­¡± As the cat spoke, the scene became even clearer. In the deep sea, a massive turtle, tens of meters in length and width, with a giant stone tablet on its back and a body that was deep blue with a bright red head, led tens of thousands of shrimp soldiers and crab generals in a battle against a shark group. The scene was spectacr. The deep sea was in constant turmoil, with energy waves emanating from the ck Turtle Marshal like a hurricane sweeping through the battlefield. In terms of growth level, excluding species level, it might even surpass the Sudden Death King. ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was shocked. ¡°Manager Ying, is this urate??¡± Seeing this scene, Lu Ran was bewildered. Didn¡¯t the turtle say it wanted to retire??? How did it end up in the deep sea and be the leader of tens of thousands of shrimp soldiers and crab generals??? And did it evolve? What¡¯s with the stone tablet? It looked like one it had forged itself, but there were some changes, as if the stone tablet had been upgraded. What exactly had it experienced? The foresight shattered like a bubble in an instant. Manager Ying¡¯s clone, panting heavily, said, ¡°The foresight was based on certain preconditions. If you don¡¯t influence the future, it¡¯s very likely to turn out this way¡­¡± ¡°There, I told you, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°It looks like it¡¯s developing better in the deep sea than in your broken Green Sea.¡± ¡°Maybe it was your small domain that was limiting its growth.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, ¡°Impossible, absolutely impossible. The ck turtle must have been forced into this. Although it looks very brave in the future, I know it too well. It¡¯s definitely waiting for me to bring it back to retire¡­¡± ¡°So, what are you nning to do next?¡± Manager Ying asked disdainfully. Lu Ran coughed and said, ¡°Since it¡¯s alright, let¡¯s allow it to remain a general in the deep sea¡¯s Fishman Empire for now. This situation has served as a wake-up call for us. Without sufficient strength, it¡¯s impossible to retire peacefully¡­¡± ¡°Through this ordeal, whether it wants to retire in Green Sea or directly in the deep sea, it now has the power to do so. This experience¡­ using the resources of the Fishman Empire to forge its growth, is not a loss either.¡± ¡°In a few months, once I have the capability to venture into the sea, I¡¯ll go find it!¡­¡± Old turtle, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to find you, but going there now would be like marching to my death¡­ Lu Ran sighed, hoping that everything was well in the deep sea, and that it would wait for him. Chapter 201: Establishing Power Chapter 201: Establishing Power Knowing that the ck Turtle was safe and even growing stronger with the resources from the Fishman Empire, Lu Ran felt relieved. His only concern was whether the ck Turtle might betray them in the future. In his eyes, there was no Green Sea King anymore, only the Fishman King. However, Lu Ran could ept this, as long as the ck Turtle was safe. It didn¡¯t matter where it was. As the Green Sea King, his main approach was to respect the wishes of his subordinates. As long as they weren¡¯t against him, there was no problem. When the time came, and he had the strength to seek out the ck Turtle, if it wished to retire and return, he would bring it back. If it didn¡¯t want to, then so be it. Considering their old acquaintance, he might even sponsor the ck Turtle with more resources to help it live better in the Fishman Empire. Rising under the Fishman King, above all fish, step by step, reaching the top¡­ bing the influential Turtle Prime Minister, Lu Ran was supportive of that. Having a familiar beast in the ocean would make things more convenient.But knowing the ck Turtle, it probably still preferred a peaceful life. Bing a general of the empire might have been due to various reasons, perhaps out of desperation. ¡°Ah, what a sin.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯ve nted an undercover agent in the Fishman Empire¡­¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°You got a bargain and still act coy,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Having an ocean empire maintain a general for you, what more could you want¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°By the way, how is Lujia Vige doing?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts turned to the situation in Lujia Vige. The matter with the ck Turtle made it clear that his own power was still too weak. Not just his personalbat power. But his power in general. This time it was fine with the Fishman Empire, as they were only interested in the ck Turtle¡¯s potential to switch sides. But if in the future, enemies targeted his people or beasts¡­ Lu Ran wasn¡¯t a god, he couldn¡¯t cover everything perfectly. This time, Manager Ying had gone out with him, giving the Fishman Empire an opportunity to exploit. However, if by this time the Crow army had already formed itsbat power, with thousands of crows gathering to execute a legion skill, even without the Dark Crow itself here, a mere Fishman couldn¡¯t stir up any trouble. Strengthening his power was urgent. ¡°Not bad,¡± Manager Ying nodded. Over time, Lujia Vige has risen remarkably fast. There are now nine level 1 beastmasters and 241 apprentice beastmasters. Among the apprentices, three teams can now team up to tackle the abyssal difficulty in the novice secret realm. Those capable of challenging more difficult realms are even more numerous, nearly everyone else can participate. Even some major guilds do not possess such a foundation of neers. Achieving this was not solely due to the resources invested by Lu Ran. A significant factor is that Lujia Vige is a joint venture between Lu Ran and Manager Ying. Many special pieces of intelligence from the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ have been made freely avable to Lujia Vige. This prior experience and strategies for conquering secret realms are why Lujia Vige has been able to rise so quickly. ¡°Indeed, not bad at all,¡± Lu Ran murmured. Relying solely on new blood, this level of strength, though perhaps not on par with established guilds, is not far behind. Of course, besides intelligence and resources, the real key is the innate talent of the people in Lujia Vige. Most are born hunters. For such individuals, bing beastmasters is as natural as fish taking to water. Without talent, it¡¯s impossible to convert resources into strength. However, more than their strength, Lu Ran is concerned about their faith. Only by gathering enough Power of Faith can he find the divine deer. Of course, strength is also crucial; after all, the more powerful they are, the more Power of Faith they can offer at the same level of devotion. ¡°I¡¯ll contact those nine level 1 beastmasters next; they haven¡¯t formed a contract with a second pet beast yet,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s time to establish the nned Jiao Dragon team.¡± ¡°The abyssal difficulty of the secret realm is not their ultimate goal; they should pursue the Legendary Secret Realm!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, you contact them yourself,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°If that¡¯s all, then I¡¯ll go ahead¡­¡± ¡°Hey, wait!¡± Lu Ran quickly stopped it. ¡°If there¡¯s any intelligence from the necromancy side, remember to contact me.¡± Lujia Vige, Green Sea, and the Department of Necromancy. These three are among the few forces directly under Lu Ran, and he ns to focus on developing them quickly. Lujia Vige is responsible for the strategy of conquering Infinite City. Ordinary vigers handle the strategy for dungeons ranging from ordinary to abyssal difficulty, harvestingmon resources. The Jiao Dragon team handles the strategy for dungeons of legendary difficulty, obtaining legendary resources. As for the generals of the Green Sea, they are responsible for matters on Blue Star. In the future, they will be reserved for expanding territory and exploring unknownnds. As for the Department of Necromancy¡­ Lu Ran feels it could be merged with Lujia Vige. If a pet beast of a beastmaster from Lujia Vige dies in battle, the beastmaster can directly change sses to be a necromancer. In this way, each pet beast essentially has two lives. Who canpete with that? The foundational advantage of Lujia Vige will snowball, growing everrger. Of course, apart from that, some of the powerful beastmasters of Xia Country whose pet beasts die will certainly rely on necromancy. Relying on necromancy is essentially relying on him. With interests intertwined, loyalty can be sufficiently ensured. Through these powerful individuals, he seems to be able to quickly rally a significant force in terms of high-endbat capabilities. However, the First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation that have survived up to now are all extremely cautious. Since Gu Qingyi obtained a batch of death revival skill cards, the biggest reason she hasn¡¯t yet established a Department of Necromancy, aside from not being able to control necromancy well, is that there hasn¡¯t been a death of a pet beast belonging to a beastmaster with extraordinary potential. The death revival skill cards remain unused. Among the Fourth Generation beastmasters, instances of pet beast deaths are frequent, but the number of death revival skill cards is limited. Unless it involves a Fourth Generation with exceptional talent, no one is willing to act charitably by distributing these rare skill cards to the mediocre. Of course, there are some important conditions for changing ss to a necromancer. One is that the individual still has the opportunity to learn beast taming skills. If they no longer have a skill bar, that¡¯s unfortunate. Additionally, the pet beast¡¯s corpse must still be present, and the death must have been recent. Typically, a pet beast¡¯s soul remains within its body for 3 to 7 days after death. During this period, it is possible to revive them using death revival. If this time is exceeded, even a skill card cannot bring them back. Of course, if the soul of a pet beast is directly in, such as being killed by General Ha¡¯s Soul-Cleaving Sword Intent, or if its body is obliterated without a trace, blown to nothingness, it is highly unlikely to be revived. These conditions together are undoubtedly very strict and not something that can be achieved casually. ¡°I understand,¡± Manager Ying nodded after listening. ¡°That reminds me,¡± she added. ¡°Did you see the newsst night?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Look.¡± Lu Ran grimaced, pulled out his smartphone, and began scrolling. ¡°Search for ¡®Four Saints Guild¡¯.¡± Lu Ran murmured a ¡°huh?¡± and started searching. Momentster, Lu Ran¡¯s expression froze. [¡°Leader Bai Qi of the Four Saints Guild encounters a Level 52 Space public BOSS-fourbat pets killed!¡±] [¡°One of the Four Major Guilds in Infinite City No.5, the Four Saints Guild, falls?!¡±] [¡°Reviewing the brilliant achievements and the top fivebat pets of second-generation beastmaster Bai Qi¡­¡±] ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Lu Ran delved deeper. It turns out that the guild team from the Four Saints Guild was gathering materials in a public secret realm when a Level 52 Space species BOSS suddenly appeared. Although there were five members in this team, even the strongest among them, leader Bai Qi, was only a level 4 beastmaster, with none of hisbat pets reaching level 50. As one can imagine, faced with a sovereign species Space BOSS, the fate of this team was sealed. In a desperate bid for escape, leader Bai Qi, at the cost of the lives of his fourbat pets, managed to momentarily repel the BOSS and break free from the spatial constraints, allowing the entire team to teleport to safety. Aside from Bai Qi, other guild elites also lost theirbat pets, but these individuals were not as renowned, so they were mentioned less. ¡°That¡¯s some bad luck¡­¡± Lu Ran shook his head. Encountering a randomly spawned public BOSS, it¡¯s hard to tell if it¡¯s good or bad luck. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°This leader Bai Qi of the Four Saints Guild should meet the prerequisites to be a necromancer, ording to my intelligence. He has currently developed and specialized in three beast taming skills only.¡± ¡°The others, unfortunately, have a full set of more varied skills.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure if Gu Qingyi will reach out to him, since the Four Saints Guild isn¡¯t part of the official strategy team and is more of a grassroots guild. Plus, there¡¯s some controversy surrounding the origins of the Four Saints Guild¡­¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I could approach him?¡± Lu Ran asked, puzzled. Manager Ying¡¯s lips curled into a smile, saying, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in dire need of your own exclusive power? Although Bai Qi¡¯s family background isn¡¯t clean, it doesn¡¯t really concern him; it was all his parents¡¯ generation.¡± ¡°And, timely enough, he¡¯s been whitewashed 1 .¡± ¡°Moreover, Bai Qi¡¯s character is eptable. He had the opportunity to use guild members as bait to escape, yet he chose to confront the boss head-on. I¡¯ve also checked his past reputation, and it¡¯s satisfactory.¡± ¡°However, with the recent massive deaths of his main pet beasts, he¡¯s in a tough spot. Without his corebat power, the decline of the Four Saints Guild isn¡¯t far off. In the business world, as the Four Saints Guild falls, it¡¯s likely to be swallowed up bypeting groups soon.¡± ¡°Now, if you could lend him a hand, you might just gain a powerful general.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not the main reason.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because his younger sister, ¡®Bai Ling¡¯, is quite pretty, and she¡¯s been through the same breakthrough secret realm as you. I was worried you might miss this news and lose the chance to offer timely help, which might lead to a potential girlfriend for youter on.¡± Manager Ying grinned mischievously. ¡°Scram.¡± Lu Ran red, knowing full well Manager Ying had a mischievous side. He wasn¡¯t at all familiar with Bai Ling. Like Pluto, Bai Ling was a second-generation beastmaster who performed well in the Freshman Tournament-decent, but not outstanding. Now, without any backing, her resources would likely dwindle. ¡­Besides, even if he were looking for a girlfriend, he wouldn¡¯t choose a daughter of the underworld. He preferred women much stronger than himself, ideally surpassing him in every aspect of talent and strength. Yet Lu Ran narcissistically thought that such women would be hard to find. And even if he did find one, she probably wouldn¡¯t be interested in him. ¡°Do you really think he¡¯s a good fit?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Why not predict his future interactions with necromancy?¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡°Scram!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll discuss it with Dr. Gu. If she thinks it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll reach out to Bai Ling¡­¡± To recruit the first necromancer and establish The Other Shore in Xia Country! ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi had just parted ways not long ago. Gu Qingyi was previously part of the team escorting Lu Ran. Now, receiving a call from Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi was slightly surprised. However, as Lu Ran exined the matter regarding ¡°Bai Qi,¡± Gu Qingyi quickly understood and said: ¡°Oh, I also obtained that intelligence.¡± ¡°But at the time, I was abroad and didn¡¯t have the opportunity to follow up. I had nned to investigate after returning.¡± ¡°The main reason, actually, is that I¡¯m not very familiar with this Bai Qi. You know, necromancy is a sensitive issue, and we can¡¯t just choose anyone for it.¡± ¡°But since Manager Ying said there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues with him, then there probably aren¡¯t, right?¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°So, are you going to contact him to see?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going, I can provide you with a tool.¡± ¡°What tool?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°An exquisite-level tool-the Heart-Seeking Stone. It was acquired by a First Generation who ended up as an examiner while recruiting new disciples. He took the Heart-Seeking Stone from the forces of a colossal beast taming entity in the breakthrough secret realm before he left. It¡¯s a bit less potent than you, but still very¡­ impressive.¡± ¡°The Heart-Seeking Stone has always been a national treasure-level tool used officially for interrogating special personnel. If you need it, I can get it for you to use, so you can see if Bai Qi is suitable for recruitment.¡± ¡°OK, I need it,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll send it over to you.¡± Lu Ran: ???? Gu Qingyi: ¡°Cat Ears Express, guaranteed delivery.¡± Let Manager Ying¡¯s clone do the delivery, then! ¡­ That same day. The Heart-Seeking Stone was delivered into Lu Ran¡¯s hands. Holding the stone, Lu Ran found it quite novel. The principle of the stone was simple, simr to a lie detector. If it detected that the target was lying, it would change temperature and vibrate. To be honest, it seemed a bit underwhelming for something of exquisite-level. Lu Ran had a hundred ways to lie while telling the truth. However, this is only useful if you know someone is trying to probe with questions. If you¡¯re unaware, it still holds some utility. After Manager Ying¡¯s exnation, Lu Ran realized that its high level wasn¡¯t due to its functions, but because it could detect targets regardless of their level. ¡°Manager Ying, am I excellent?¡± Lu Ran asked, ying with the Heart-Seeking Stone that resembled a pebble, just as Manager Ying was about to leave. Manager Ying: ? ¡°Average.¡± The next moment, the stone felt cold and shivered. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Manager Ying, with a fierce look, had never seen such a shameless person before, huffily turned to leave. ¡°Cloud baby, am I handsome??¡± Lu Ran then asked the weather elf lying in the ice cream. ¡°Pitter-patter?¡± The weather elf looked up nkly, then nodded. The stone remained unchanged. A great item, sadly, it belongs to the state; otherwise, he would want one too¡­ ¡°What should I wear to meet Bai Qi?¡± At this moment, Lu Ran, having acquired an important item, rifled through his clothes and paused upon seeing the necromancy robe. He coughed, deciding that while it matched the vibe, it was too likely to attract police attention. He opted for the harmless Erha T-shirt instead, to avoid scaring Bai Qi and prompting a police call. Footnote:
  1. Whitewashed(Ï´°×): In Chinese, the term ¡®Ï´°×¡¯ (x¨« b¨¢i) is akin to the English term ¡®whitewashed.¡¯ It means to clean up or cover up one¡¯s past misdeeds or illegal activities to appear legitimate or respectable.
Chapter 202: The One That Made the Kid Next Door Cry Chapter 202: The One That Made the Kid Next Door Cry After changing into his Erha battle robe, Lu Ran contemted booking a flight to the Four Saints Guild¡¯s headquarters in Flower City. However, as he picked up his phone, he paused to think. He realized his sense of awareness was far from adequate. With the outside world being so dangerous, how could he recklessly venture out? If the conditions allowed, it would only be reasonable to have the other partye to Green Sea City instead. Lu Ran had Bai Ling¡¯s contact information for Infinite City. Through Bai Ling, he should be able to reach Bai Qi. ¡°Bai Ling might not necessarily be in Infinite City.¡± ¡°I should use the student information system to look up her real-world contact details.¡± Setting down his phone, he plopped down in front of hisputer and logged into the beast taming university¡¯s school management system using his special privileges to search for Bai Ling¡¯s information.¡°1587¡­¡± After finding the phone number, Lu Ran sat in his swivel chair, shifted his gaze from the screen, and dialed the number. Ring, ring, ring¡­ A momentter. A weary female voice came through. ¡°Who is this?¡± Hearing the familiar voice, Lu Ran spoke up, ¡°Is that Bai Ling?¡± ¡°Are you¡­ Passerby A?¡± Bai Ling¡¯s voice rose, slightly surprised. ¡°It¡¯s me. How is Bai Qi doing?¡± ¡°Not great. Although he has recovered physically, four of his pet beasts were severely injured and died. The impact on him has been substantial, and he has locked himself in his room,¡± Bai Ling sighed. After all, as a pir of the Four Saints Guild, the guild would be doomed if Bai Qi fell. ¡°Tell him to adjust his state ande find me in Green Sea City.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bai Ling was confused, not understanding why Lu Ran suddenly wanted to meet her brother. Logically, they should have nothing to do with each other. Now, whether it¡¯s Lu Ran¡¯s identity as a Dragon Chef or as a member of the Strongest Fourth Generation, he already outshines most of the First Generation. Especially recently, since Lu Ran cultivated an Overlord Dragon, he could be a guest of honor in any major country. Compared to that, what could the Four Saints Guild possibly have that Lu Ran would care about? She was certain, apart from a shared adventure in a secret realm, no one else in the guild had any contact with Lu Ran. ¡°You just need to tell Bai Qi¡­¡± ¡°Do you want to understand the essence of life? Do you want to save your dead¡­ pet beast?¡± ¡°If he¡¯s willing toe, I¡¯ll be waiting for him in Green Sea City.¡± Lu Ran hung up the phone. At the same time. ¡°!!!¡± Bai Ling¡¯s pupils shrank sharply, utterly shocked by the voiceing through the phone. Lu Ran¡­ He has the ability to resurrect dead pet beasts??? ¡­ Flower City. Inside a manor, after ending the call, Bai Ling immediately ran to Bai Qi¡¯s room. She kept knocking on the door, and after a moment, it was opened by a young man in patient attire, with a weary expression, who looked at her and said: ¡°What¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°Has someonee to see me again? I¡¯ve told you, I don¡¯t want to see¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not someoneing to see you; it¡¯s someone asking you toe see him,¡± Bai Ling said earnestly. Bai Qi: ??? Bai Ling¡¯s words utterly baffled Bai Qi. Given his current plight, where he had just suffered the bacsh from the deaths of four pet beasts, he could understand if people came to offer sympathy or even to mock him. But for him, a person who had just experienced such a bacsh, to be asked to go see someone else? What kind of move was that??? ¡°Which¡­¡± Bai Qi started to ask who the hell was messing with him, but Bai Ling interrupted: ¡°It¡¯s Lu Ran, Passerby A, who just bred an overlord dragon.¡± ¡°He contacted me, saying he has a way to bring back your dead pet beasts.¡± Thud. Upon hearing this, Bai Qi lost his bnce and fell to his knees, grabbing his younger sister¡¯s arm, his eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°Who.¡± ¡°What did you say.¡± ¡°Say that again?¡± Bai Ling took a deep breath and said, ¡°It¡¯s Lu Ran, Passerby A!¡± ¡°Are you going or not?¡± Bai Qi was also greatly shocked, hardly able to believe it, and said, ¡°Can pet beasts really be resurrected???¡± ¡°Could it be that he has discovered some resurrection-type resource??¡± ¡°But such resources are so rare, why would he be willing to give it to me?¡± After speaking, Bai Qi took a deep breath and gratefully grabbed Bai Ling¡¯s hand, saying, ¡°I underestimated you before. I didn¡¯t expect you to have such charm, to leave such a big shot from the breakthrough secret realm so unforgettable.¡± ¡°Ha ha, Passerby A has good taste.¡± Bai Ling: ??? She shrugged off Bai Qi¡¯s arm but was also quite puzzled. Could it be¡­ that Lu Ran actually harbored a secret crush on her? If it was Lu Ran¡­ Bai Ling pondered briefly, no, she felt she wasn¡¯t worthy. ¡­ That day. Bai Qi quickly recovered from his dejected state and regained the formidable aura of Killing God Bai Qi, the renowned strongman of Infinite City. Dressed in formal attire, Bai Qi soon arrived in Green Sea City, and then, following the coordinates given by Lu Ran, cautiously approached the deserted Emerald Mountain. There, he saw a youth in an Erha T-shirt, who didn¡¯t seem very bright, ying with fire. It appeared he was burning some strange, mist-like substances¡­ On a nearby tree, a crow with eerie eyes perched silently, watching him. No¡­ It was as if the entire forest shadows were filled with countless glowing eyes, all watching him. Gulp. Although Bai Qi was a prominent second generation, seeing Lu Ran-a legendary figure even on a global scale-made him quite cautious. And what was with this forest? It was as eerie as challenging some dark secret realms. ¡°Is it big shot Lu Ran?¡± Bai Qi asked, ¡°I am Bai Qi, leader of the Four Saints Guild, Killing God Bai Qi of Infinite City, Bai Ling¡¯s brother.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve finally arrived,¡± Lu Ran said as he transformed a soul into smoke. The dark crow on the tree took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke into its mouth, and in an instant, it revealed a look of bliss. Lu Ran continued, ¡°You must be Bai Qi, I¡¯ve already heard about your situation.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity, four of your main pet beasts died in battle, leaving only one newly nurtured pet.¡± Bai Qi gave a wry smile and said, ¡°Lu Ran, big shot, Bai Ling told me that you have a way to save my pet beasts. Although I don¡¯t know what you want, I beg you to help me. As long as they can be saved, I, Bai Qi, am willing to work like an ox or a horse for you for the rest of my life. If you ask me to go east, I will never go west.¡± ¡°Or, you set the terms, whatever they are, I can agree.¡± Lu Ran shook his head and said, ¡°First, let me see their bodies. You haven¡¯t dealt with them yet, have you?¡± ¡°Not yet¡­¡± Bai Qi hesitated, sighed, and then summoned the bodies of four pet beasts. In the next moment. The bodies of a green jiao snake, arge white tiger, a red-feathered bird, and a ck crocodile turtle appeared. No wonder the gang was named Four Saints Guild; his own pet beasts were also contracted ording to the species of the Four Sacred Beasts. It seemed not only him, but other beastmasters in the Four Saints Guild also mainly had sub-dragons, tiger beasts, birds, and turtle species, essentially cosying the Four Sacred Beasts. Lu Ran nced at the bodies of these pet beasts, then looked at Bai Qi and asked, ¡°How many beast taming skills have you cultivated?¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you should have three, right?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Bai Qi nodded. He always wanted to learn some unique and powerful skills, not those ordinary ones that could be found in any secret realm that everyone could learn. First, because the potential of unique skills was greater, and second, because one person indeed didn¡¯t have the energy to develop too many beast taming skills, so he always maintained a quality over quantity mindset, preserving his skill slots. Faced with Lu Ran¡¯s question, Bai Qi was puzzled, not understanding what Lu Ran meant by asking these questions¡­ ¡°It indeed fits well¡­¡± ¡°I can help you save these pet beasts, but you will also have to bear a certain cost.¡± ¡°I n to establish a special department and am currently short-staffed. After helping you, I hope you cane and work for me, leaving the Four Saints Guild. Can you do that?¡± Lu Ran looked seriously at Bai Qi. He was not a phnthropist, naturally, he would not help someone without a reason. Helping the other party was akin to an investment, and the other party must work for him in return. Upon hearing this, Bai Qi almost without hesitation said, ¡°Of course, I can.¡± ¡°If you can help me save my pet beast, you¡¯ll be my reborn parents, my biological big brother, anything really!!¡± Lu Ran cracked a smile and said, ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be that serious¡­¡± ¡°Saving your pet beast is simple, but its form might change a bit after. If you¡¯re okay with that, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± As he spoke, he extended his hand, pinching a ck beast taming skill card between his fingers and tossed it to Bai Qi. Bai Qi immediately caught it. The next instant. As Lu Ran¡¯s voice rang out again, Bai Qi¡¯s expression turned deathly pale. ¡°Would you mind, switching from a beastmaster to a necromancer?¡± ¡°Holy-¡± At the sight of the beast taming skill card, Bai Qi was nearly scared out of his wits, almost throwing the skill card away. Death revival! Necromancy! The core skill of The Other Shore! His pupils shrank, thinking Lu Ran had some kind of resurrection-type rare resource. But then¡­ At this moment, Bai Qi was utterly shocked; he never imagined that Lu Ran would actually pull out a necromancy ss change card for him. You should know, such things are only avable from The Other Shore, and necromancy has always been a taboo among the international alliance, always banned by all the major countries! Looking at Lu Ran, no wonder Bai Qi¡¯s face turned sheet white. If he practiced this, his entire family would be doomed, discovered by tomorrow, and the Xia Country alliance would confiscate all his family¡¯s assets and resources. Bai Qi was numb. Suddenly, he recalled a rumor about Lu Ran. Lu Ran¡­ Holy Son of the necromancy cult¡­ supposedly connected to The Other Shore¡­ Was the rumor true??? ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°With this, your pet beast can be saved. Will you learn it or not?¡± Holding the burning-hot death revival skill card, Bai Qi was sweating profusely, feeling more nervous than facing a Space series Boss. ¡°Boss Lu Ran, does the alliance know about this organization you¡¯re nning to form?¡± ¡°And what¡¯s its purpose?¡± Bai Qi decided to ask clearly first. Lu Ran chuckled: ¡°Of course, it¡¯s to overthrow the alliance and be the deity of the new world¡­¡± As he spoke, he reached out, a necromancy robe draping over him, his ck cloak fluttering in the wind. In the dark forest, the eerie cawing of hundreds of crows filled the air. He couldn¡¯t help it, he changed his clothes. At this moment, Bai Qi¡¯s eyes widened, his heart skipped a beat, feeling the whole world had turned unfamiliar, his body chilling, done for, it seemed he had stumbled into something monumental. Chapter 203: Netherworld Chapter 203: Netherworld ¡°No¡­¡± Bai Qi¡¯s heart shattered as he said, ¡°We can¡¯t do this¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know the dangers of necromancy?¡± ¡°A pet beast resurrected through necromancy is no longer the same creature.¡± ¡°When the timees, not only the pet beasts, but even we ourselves will be something neither human nor ghost.¡± ¡°I admit, this world isn¡¯t perfect, but there¡¯s no need to overturn or destroy anything, right?¡± Fearing that today might be hisst, Bai Qi urgently spoke out. If resurrection meant using necromancy, then he would rather not resurrect any pet beast. He didn¡¯t want his pet beasts to be puppets of death, nor did he want to end up as something neither human nor ghost.Besides his upation as a beastmaster, he had family; there was no need to go to such extremes. It must be said, the International Alliance did a very thorough job of publicizing the evils of necromancy. As Bai Qi was passionately trying to persuade, he saw Lu Ran suddenly strip off his necromancy robe and revert to wearing an Erha T-shirt, drastically changing the mood. Bai Qi: ¡°¡­¡± His mouth full of retorts, Bai Qi didn¡¯t even know where to begin. ¡°It was just a joke, why so serious?¡± Lu Ran quipped. He didn¡¯t probe any deeper, knowing well that human nature could not withstand such tests; enough was enough. He said, ¡°All that was nonsense, actually, the Alliance is intentionally studying necromancy, and I¡¯m one of the project leaders.¡± ¡°Apart from me, there¡¯s also Dr. Gu Qingyi and oh, the former guild leader knows about this too.¡± Bai Qi: ¡°What???¡± ¡°Do you need me to call Dr. Gu so you can chat with her?¡± ¡°Also, your concerns are unnecessary.¡± ¡°My second time entering the breakthrough secret realm, I went undercover and infiltrated the Cult of Necromancy on the Star-Moon Continent, and I obtained quite a few useful things.¡± ¡°For example, how to preserve and restore the memories and consciousness of a pet beast turned into a necromantic creature.¡± ¡°So, by resurrecting your pet beast through necromancy, your pet beast will still be your pet beast.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Bai Qi said. ¡°Are you apprehensive about the drawbacks of necromantic beasts consuming souls?¡± Lu Ran asked. Bai Qi¡¯s expression kept changing, and his heart continued to race uncontrobly. He had indeed been scared just now. If research into necromancy was a state-supported project, that would make sense. However, he was genuinely concerned about the drawbacks of necromancy consuming souls, something the Alliance always emphasized. ¡°Forget it, to gain something, one must inevitably give something in return.¡± ¡°I am willing to join this organization.¡± ¡°I am also willing to bear all the drawbacks of necromancy.¡± ¡°As long as my pet beast has a chance at rebirth, I am willing to assist you in researching necromancy.¡± ¡°There must be pioneers who make sacrifices. If this research can find a solution to the drawbacks of necromancy, then I would be¡­¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Hey, hey, hey, aren¡¯t you being a bit too dramatic?¡± Bai Qi looked at Lu Ran nkly. Am I being too dramatic, when I am so determined? Lu Ran said, ¡°After infiltrating the Cult of Necromancy, I¡¯ve already found a solution to the drawbacks of necromancy. That is, after bing a necromancer, apart from the differences in pet beast attributes and food from other beastmasters, there is no other difference.¡± Bai Qi was stunned: ¡°???¡± ¡°Solved??¡± His eyes widened in disbelief again. ¡°Solved. Otherwise, why do you think the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance established the Department of Necromancy?¡± Lu Ran spoke indifferently, ¡°Of course, currently only I can handle the food for necromancy.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve exined everything to you. Make your decision.¡± ¡°Do you want to ss change to be a necromancer?¡± ¡°Moreover, I believe it won¡¯t be long before necromancy can make a legitimate appearance on the world stage.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have to endure the pressure from necromancy for too long.¡± Bai Qi swallowed hard. This Lu Ran, was he a deity? Not only had he evolved an overlord dragon, but now he even imed to have solved the drawbacks of necromancy. He could hardly imagine how Lu Ran¡¯s mind worked. ¡°Having drifted through life, I only regret not having met a true leader earlier¡­¡± Bai Qi immediately spoke up: ¡°Boss, what¡¯s our organization called? I guess I¡¯ve been recruited now. From today onwards, I will dissolve the Four Saints Guild and follow you.¡± What use is the Four Saints Guild? Better off without it, Bai Qi realized. Mixing with someone like Lu Ran, a chosen one, holds a future with far greater prospects. If what Lu Ran said is true, then the necromancy department holds immense potential. He¡¯s among the first to delve into this uncharted territory. If even death can be reversed, what¡¯s there to fear? After a moment of contemtion, Lu Ran said, ¡°There¡¯s a necromantic force overseas called The Other Shore.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s call our organization ¡®Netherworld,¡¯ deriving from ¡®realm of the dead.¡¯¡± ¡­ Atop Emerald Mountain. Lu Ran casually established the necromancy department exclusive to Xia Country-Netherworld. Though currently, the department has only two members. And between them, they couldn¡¯t muster a single necromantic pet beast. But that was about to change. After Bai Qi learned the death revival skill, Lu Ran shared the experiences from the missionary¡¯s necromantic notes with him. Killing God Bai Qi immediately began transforming the life form of his pet beasts. He wore a ck suit, surrounded by a mist of greyish-ck, connecting himself with several pet beasts. Time gradually passed. The bodies of the four pet beasts began to dpose naturally, as if turning into some kind of nutrient. As the outlines of the corpses nearly vanished, they were reced by a dark grey mist, constructing a new life form. It didn¡¯t take much time for the four pet beasts-jiao snakes, White Tigers¡­ Bai Qi¡¯s deceased pet beasts-to start redeveloping consciousness in their ethereal, spirit forms. ¡°Having just transformed into necromantic beings, their strength will definitely have diminished somewhat.¡± ¡°However, once they get ustomed to the unique traits of necromancy and begin harnessing their soul power, their strength will rapidly undergo a profound transformation.¡± Lu Ran spoke, while Bai Qi, since the start, might not have been listening. He watched as the pet beasts, in their necromantic forms, reopened their eyes, disying familiar gazes, and his eyes reddened. ¡°This is wonderful¡­¡± Bai Qi¡¯s emotions surged. Knowing Bai Qi¡¯splex feelings at the moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t disturb him and leaned against a tree, quietly observing. [This is the greatness of necromancy.] [Once necromancy is rightfully recognized, more beastmasters and pet beasts will be able to avoid regrets.] [It¡¯s the Death Revival skill card-it¡¯s too rare, inevitably making it impossible for everyone to undergo a smooth ss change.] [How does The Other Shore manage to obtain Death Revival in bulk?] [I don¡¯t understand. If only I were stronger, I would definitely visit The Other Shore headquarters.] Momentster. Bai Qi had regained his spirits. Behind him, four necromantic pet beasts, each over level 40, followed. ¡°Do not discuss necromancy matters with anyone, not even Bai Ling or other rtives,¡± Lu Ran cautioned. ¡°Understood, thank you,¡± Bai Qi replied, smiling. ¡°As for the pet beast food issue, although I¡¯ve resolved it, there¡¯s still no good portable food. If you need, you can bring over the ferocious beasts you¡¯ve hunted, and I will handle them for you.¡± ¡°Necromantic pets are different from other pet beasts; they only need to feed extensively once and can then be active for a long time.¡± ¡°Then, Lord Lu Ran¡­¡± ¡°Drop that title, just call me ¡®Minister¡¯. Our organization will be known as the Netherworld Department.¡± ¡°Minister, once I return, I¡¯ll make arrangements for the Four Saints Guild. What should I do next?¡± asked Bai Qi. He shouldn¡¯t be exploring secret realms within the country anymore. If necromantic pet beasts get listed, that would be a big problem. Of course, changing his Infinite City ID might be an option¡­ But everything still depends on Lu Ran¡¯s arrangements. Lu Ran thought for a moment: ¡°For now, you don¡¯t need to tackle the Infinite City secret realms. There are still many dangerous areas within Xia Country that haven¡¯t been fully cleared. Operate solo and deal with those uncontroble ferocious beasts.¡± ¡°Then collect the carcasses of the ferocious beasts and bring them to me; I¡¯ll handle the souls.¡± ¡°Since we don¡¯t have a suitable partner yet, I¡¯ll choose a teammate for youter. Eventually, everyone in the Netherworld Department will operate in pairs, ensuring mutual support.¡± ¡°OK, no problem.¡± Bai Qi is now full of motivation, feeling that his life has a new direction. His life¡¯s ambition is no longer to expand and strengthen the Four Saints Guild, but to promote necromancy alongside Lu Ran. After all, his fate is now tied to necromancy, for better or for worse. ¡°Oh right, you should contact Dr. Guter on your own to register and back up your information to avoid being targeted by some of the First Generation as an evil necromancer back in the country.¡± ¡°After all, there are only a few among the First Generation who know about the Netherworld¡­¡± To be precise, just two. ¡­ ¡°Netherworld¡­¡± ¡°You, the Holy Son of the Cult of Necromancy, are really stepping up,¡± Lu Ran said, after settling Bai Qi¡¯s affairs. Manager Ying approached with a smile and said: ¡°I wonder what it would look like when The Other Shore encounters the Netherworld.¡± ¡°Cough cough,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That¡¯s a matter for the future. Let¡¯s talk about itter.¡± Now, Lu Ran¡¯s role for the Netherworld is simple: it helps him hunt ferocious beasts. The Netherworld provides the corpses of the beasts, and Lu Ran provides the soul food. Take Bai Qi, for example, as a standout among the second generation, he can hunt sovereign species ferocious beasts of level 50, a featparable to the elder brother from Pluto. Such capability ces him in the Second echelon on the blue star. Eventually, when he hunts 100 powerful ferocious beasts, Lu Ran will store the souls in the ¡°Soul Capturing Bottle,¡± returning 50 portions and keeping 50 for himself. Soon, his side will no longerck soul-based resources. The more members of the Netherworld there are, the faster he can collect souls. At the same time, Bai Qi¡¯s process of hunting ferocious beasts around Xia Country also helps eliminate safety hazards for the country, killing three birds with one stone! A triple win! For instance, Bai Qi is now heading to a desert area to hunt fire-type ferocious beasts for Lu Ran. The area is harsh, resources are scarce, and numerous beasts are stirring. Bai Qi¡¯s covert hunting also helps alleviate the pressure on the local military and the Beast Taming Association. Of course, Lu Ran will also expedite the research to forge a lower-grade rare-level Soul Capturing Bottle to provide other necromancers a means to store food. He has studied all these techniques at the Cult of Necromancy. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Is there something you need?¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying. ¡°The mineral resources you requested have been sourced from the sellers,¡± Manager Ying said: ¡°Exquisite-level ore, Ten-thousand-year Ice Heart.¡± ¡°Exquisite-level ore, Storm Eye.¡± With the Ten-thousand-year Ice Heart, weapons forged from this type of ice crystal yield a special effect of maximally enhancing the ice power of pet beasts. Even if the pet beast is not of the ice type, as long as it possesses an artistic conception of ice and snow, the skills it performs can be stronger than those of a normal ice-type pet beast. Even if the pet beast has no innate ice-rted abilities, carrying this item will endow its skills with certain ice effects. It¡¯s akin to installing an ice heart in a weapon, allowing it to breathe together with the user¡¯s skills, as if it were an ice and snow creature. The Storm Eye, on the other hand, is an ore that maximally enhances the user¡¯s affinity and control over wind powers. It is said that merely wearing the Storm Eye allows a pet beast to be like a monarch of the wind, clearly seeing the flow of wind in nature through its eyes. Lu Ran sought these two pieces of ore, of course, to forge new weapons for General Ha. Although their effects are basic, the enhancements they provide are substantial. Combining the Ten-thousand-year Ice Heart, the Storm Eye, a thousand of General Ha¡¯s teeth, along with the Soul Forging Method and rare auxiliary materials borrowed from Elder Shanggong, Lu Ran is determined to forge a new exquisite-level weapon simr to the Bone Sword Thousand des for General Ha. The uniqueness of the weapon will naturally be entrusted to the Soul Forging Method and those rare materials obtained from the secret realm of Blue Star. If the forging is sessful, this weapon also has the potential to evolve into an artifact spirit weapon, possibly bing a retainer alongside sword grass with the potential to develop consciousness, for General Ha. The biggest problem now, aside from Lu Ran not having sessfully developed the Soul Fire, is¡­ ¡°Where¡¯s the money?¡± Manager Ying stretched out its paw. Buying ore requires cash. Lu Ran said, ¡°I don¡¯t have any cash. How about I give you a queen ant egg instead? You sell it, and with the money from the sale, buy these two ores for me. Then, give me whatever is left.¡± ¡°Hmm, we could also trade in goods, if you have a trait crystal suitable for my pet beast.¡± ¡°As for themission, you can take a cut from the sale.¡± In Lu Ran¡¯s view, the value of a single queen ant egg was at least equivalent to two ordinary exquisite resources plus a unique trait crystal. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t concerned about letting Manager Ying take a cut. Investing in Manager Ying was a transaction in itself; it worked hard to earn money, which was also aimed at gathering resources to awaken its main body. Once its main body awakened, Lu Ran¡¯s bodyguard would be even stronger. Manager Ying fell into deep thought. From the current situation. A Legendary Secret Realm with a perfect rating almost certainly yielded a pet beast egg from a sovereign species. And Lu Ran, this guy, seemed not to need these pet beast eggs, always having to trade them away. Over time, it appeared that this intelligence dealer was bing a professional egg seller. Chapter 204: Jiao Dragon Team Chapter 204: Jiao Dragon Team After Manager Ying took the queen ant egg, Lu Ran also gained new resources. It wasn¡¯t that the forge ore had arrived so quickly, but rather Gu Qingyi hade to the Green Sea. She brought the nature control trait crystal needed by the weather elf. Besides that. ¡°Huff huff¡­¡± In Lu Ran¡¯s yard, a dozen colorful, stout giant snakes were huddled together, excitedly looking at Lu Ran. ¡°Huff huff¡­ (Big brother, hungry, food.)¡± Lu Ran silently watched them. Who taught them this?He looked towards Dr. Gu, d in an off-white trench coat, her slender legs sheathed in ck stockings. It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it? Definitely you! ¡°How about it.¡± ¡°These dozen or so have the richest loong-type bloodline I could find,¡± Gu Qingyi said, slightly bending over, her pale hand gently resting on the head of an emerald green giant snake. ¡°They all seem quite spirited¡­ then I¡¯ll contact the people from Lujia Vige toe to the Green Seater,¡± said Lu Ran. Lu Ran had discussed with Gu Qingyi about learning from the Eagle Federation and developing a loong-type beast taming team exclusive to Xia Country-the Jiao Dragon Team. Gu Qingyi immediately stated that she could provide the precursor bodies of Dragon Pets and the loong-type trait crystals. Before Lu Ran became a Dragon Chef, all dragon-rted research was conducted by her, and Gu Qingyi¡¯s research institute naturally had the most proto-dragon juveniles. Lu Ran did not refuse. Having Dr. Gu¡¯s help would save him a lot of trouble, and as for the benefits the Jiao Dragon Team might bring in the future, if they were to be shared with Dr. Gu, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t mind. Now, these proto-dragon juveniles had been tamed and delivered, and Lu Ran was just waiting for the prospective members of the Jiao Dragon Team toe and contract them. After the contract, it would be his turn. To provide Loong-type cuisine! After a round of nurturing with Loong-type cuisine and fusing with loong-type trait crystals, Lu Ran believed that soon, a powerful Jiao Dragon legion could be deployed into the Legendary Secret Realm for strategy. By then, each member would possess strength not inferior to second-generation beastmasters like Pluto and Dog King, even potentially surpassing them! Thinking about how this group of people could continuously provide him with rare resources from the Legendary Secret Realm, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but smile. The era of resource scarcity¡­ was about to end. Although saying this might invite criticism, Lu Ran indeedcked resources, at least the evolutionary resources for General Ha and the Dark Crow, which he found unsatisfactorypared to those of the Sudden Death King. ¡°Stop grinning like a fool,¡± Gu Qingyi said, waving her hand in front of Lu Ran¡¯s face. ¡°The second entry into the Evolution Secret Realm is in a week. Are you going to evolve your pet beasts then?¡± she asked, stroking her chin thoughtfully. Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t care much for the administrative duties of the Jiao Dragon team; she left that to Lu Ran, providing only Loong-type resources, Loong-type traits, and proto-dragon juveniles. ording to Lu Ran, it might take a quarter for the Jiao Dragon team to grow and start paying off, as they were all neers from Lujia Vige with a weak foundation. Unlike Bai Qi from the Netherworld, who had a strong foundation and maintained the strength of a top-tier second generation even after his ss change to necromancer. Compared to the Jiao Dragon team, she was more curious about Lu Ran¡¯s progress. ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really torn right now,¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°How so?¡± Gu Qingyi pondered. ¡°Let me guess, is it because the evolution of the Sudden Death King is so dazzling that you¡¯re worried that General Ha and the Dark Crow can¡¯t match its evolutionary potential?¡± ¡°And then you struggle to find better evolutionary resources.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°The crystals from the Dragon King bloodline and those Overlord Dragon Souls are too strong. It¡¯s hard for General Ha and the Dark Crow to replicate such resources, so I think their evolutionary level is about at the upper sovereign.¡± ¡°Trying to reach Overlord carries some risks.¡± Gu Qingyi responded resignedly, ¡°You should be content. Isn¡¯t being an upper sovereign enough? Besides you, who else even has an Overlord?¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no need to chase perfection everywhere. For example, given your current perspective, were the first and second traits you fused for General Ha the best choice?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t a unique trait be stronger?¡± ¡°But with your resources at that time, how could you have managed that?¡± ¡°Look, even now, it¡¯s impossible to be perfect in every aspect. Each pet beast¡¯s situation is unique. For instance, our First Generation, although currently the strongestbat force on Blue Star, mostlyprises main pet beasts whose traitse from ordinary secret realms-traits that are far inferior to those of your Fourth Generation,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that the potential of most second-generation beastmasters¡¯ pet beasts surpasses that of our older ones.¡± ¡°Compared to you, shouldn¡¯t I be the one crying?¡± ¡°Have a cry, let¡¯s see,¡± Lu Ran suggested. Gu Qingyi: ? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lu Ran capitted. ¡°I got used to bickering with Manager Ying¡­¡± Gu Qingyi felt that Lu Ran was drifting away. He was no longer the cautious newbie. She said, ¡°Of course, if you really want to pursue perfection, you can wait a bit longer since there are three Evolution Secret Realms yet to be opened.¡± ¡°You can enter thest two.¡± ¡°And who knows when Infinite City will update with a few more Evolution Secret Realms.¡± ¡°If the conditions allow then, you might even hold off evolving Dark Crow and General Ha for now. More and more teams are getting through the Legendary Secret Realm. Just wait a little longer, and you might find the resources you desire.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Lu Ran pondered, wondering why Dr. Gu suddenly started lecturing him. Still, what she said made sense. It was worth considering. ¡­ After helping Lu Ran relieve some anxiety, Gu Qingyi left and left behind twelve snakes. Lu Ran whistled, and the Dark Crow, practicing curse power on the rooftop with a Soul Scarecrow, descended immediately! The Soul Scarecrow, a rather good piece of equipment that Lu Ran had brought back from the Cult of Necromancy, could curse enemies from a great distance using their fresh blood as a catalyst. Lu Ran gave this equipment to Dark Crow, as currently, it was the only one in the team whose abilities matched well with the scarecrow. ¡°Big King, at yourmand!¡± Dark Crownded gracefully, waving its wing and asking ceremoniously. ¡°Do me a favor, take these dozen snakes up to Emerald Mountain.¡± ¡°We just don¡¯t have enough space here to amodate them.¡± Aftermunicating with the dozen snakes, Lu Ran had the Dark Crow summon a Crow army to carry out the mission. ¡°No problem, Big King!¡± Soon, the dozen Talent-strong giant snakes were sent off, and Lu Ran took out his phone to contact Lu Bing. Now, the ¡°Road Ahead Icy¡± had be the exclusive assistant to the vige chief of Lujia Vige, responsible for connecting Lu Ran with Lujia Vige and rying important orders from Lu Ran. After all, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t always stay in Lujia Vige. ¡°Vige Chief, Vige Chief, Vige Chief!¡± Upon receiving Lu Ran¡¯s call, Lu Bing spoke with an excited tone, ¡°Are the pet beasts in ce??¡± Having just emerged from the breakthrough secret realm, Lu Bing and the others were thrilled to learn that Lu Ran had be the vige chief of Lujia Vige. Although Lu Yan, the current vige chief, was not bad, Lu Ran, a beastmaster, definitely met the expectations of Lu Bing and the others more suitably. This would certainly add prestige when they went out. The Strongest Fourth Generation, the breeder of the Overlord Dragon, the suppressor of an era, Passerby A¡­ Our vige chief! We are a n! ¡°Yes, they are in ce,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. ¡°The nine of youe over.¡± ¡°Okay!! I¡¯ll notify them right away,¡± said Lu Bing. Currently, nine individuals from Lujia Vige had experienced the breakthrough secret realm, advancing to level 1 beastmasters. Due to Lu Ran¡¯s request, these individuals had not yet contracted new pet beasts, waiting for this batch of near-dragons. However, more precisely, it was eight people from Lujia Vige plus one Pig Raiser. The reason for including the Pig Raiser in Lujia Vige was that during the strategy for the novice secret realm, the Pig Raiser, while leveling up with a girl from Lujia Vige, warmed up his rtionship with her to the point where he was likely to marry into Lujia Vige. Lu Ran was speechless, though he didn¡¯t know that girl personally, he felt like his vige¡¯s cabbage was being scooped up by a pig, benefiting this young man. He had a premonition that as Lujia Vige grewrger, more and more Talent-strong beastmasters, regardless of gender, would want to marry into Lujia Vige. ¡°We need to take some time to work on the vigers¡¯ sentiments, so they aren¡¯t fooled by scoundrels.¡± Lu Ran pondered. After ending the call with Lu Bing, Lu Ran then reached out to Fang Lan. At this moment, Fang Lan was nearly as dispirited as Bai Qi. Her poison research team had recently cracked the project on the typus Sea King Beast¡¯s venom, sessfully transforming its venom and blood into resources for cultivating poison pet beasts. As resources dropped from a Level 60 Upper Overlord species boss, it could definitely be called exquisite venom. Fang Lan also took advantage of this opportunity, during the First Generation big shot¡¯s strategy for the Level 5 Legendary Secret Realm, to enhance herself. However, Fang Lan had thought that by cracking the exquisite venom of an upper overlord, she could surprise Lu Ran and somewhat catch up to him. Little did she know that Lu Ran would then cultivate the sudden death king into an overlord dragon. Fang Lan almost spat blood. She could never have imagined that the lizard, which she had nearly killed, could be so outrageously powerful in Lu Ran¡¯s hands. She now felt especially guilty about the sudden death king, thankful that Lu Ran had taken over; otherwise, a lizard with the potential to be an overlord would have died by her hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Fang Lan said listlessly, feeling that the surprise of cracking the exquisite venom had lost its vor now and thus chose not to mention it. ¡°In the next few days, Lu Bing and the others wille to Green Sea City for a training camp. Are youing?¡± ¡°Really? The Jiao Dragon team is finally getting on track?¡± Fang Lan¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Remember to have them run through the poison realms a lot!¡± ¡°Alright, so are you teaming up with them?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Hmph, no need.¡± Fang Lan snorted. ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind; someone else has already invited me.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. ¡°Haven¡¯t Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan already been through the realm?¡± ¡°Who else is there?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s Pluto and Dog King; they¡¯re not very strong, too dangerous. Better wait for Lu Bing and the others to grow.¡± ¡°None of them!¡± Fang Lan said. ¡°It¡¯s Lin Yin, who dropped out of the race. She seems to be doing better recently, contacted me and¡­ and Summer, who you lured away.¡± ¡°I feel they¡¯re more reliable, so I agreed. I¡¯m going to give it a try.¡± Fang Lan mentioned Summer through gritted teeth; Lu Ran really had some nerve, not only teaching his students but also bringing them to his family home in Green Sea City. ¡°Did anything beyond a teacher-student rtionship happen between you and Summer???¡± ¡°Cough, cough.¡± ¡°What a mess.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t at school at the time, so taking her to the Green Sea was convenient, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°No, why are you so nosy?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just reminding you, your status isn¡¯t ordinary now! When boys are away from home, they need to protect themselves and not be easily fooled by bad women!!¡± Fang Lan said: ¡°Foreign spies may not be able to assassinate you, but there¡¯s a high chance they could seduce youpletely. This habit of casually bringing women home, shouldn¡¯t that change? You weren¡¯t even close with Summer before!¡± ¡°Alright, alright¡­ I get it¡­¡± Lu Ran covered his ears, wondering if Fang Lan was getting jealous. He just wanted to find someone to cook for the dark crow. Lu Ran sighed, but Fang Lan changed her mind and decided to team up with Lin Yin, Summer, and others. Lu Ran thought that was also fine, certainly more reliable than Pluto and his group. After all, Lin Yin is a superhuman and the older sister of the first-generation beastmaster Lin Nian. With her leading the team,bined with Summer, who possesses powerful spear intent, and Fang Lan, who excels in poison abilities, these three could potentially clear the Legendary Secret Realm faster than Youxiong Anlin¡¯s team. If all goes well, they might even finish before the Jiao Dragon team. Chapter 205: The Giant Panda Arrives Chapter 205: The Giant Panda Arrives Several dayster. Lu Ran was still systematically nurturing his pet beasts in the Green Sea. By now, the Jiao Dragon team had fully assembled in the Green Sea, each member selecting their future Loong-type partners. Providing them with Loong-type cuisine daily didn¡¯t really interfere much with Lu Ran¡¯s own activities. After all, Lu Ran was also looking to develop his beast taming skills. The process of using the me Sprite for culinary purposes was also a way to train his beast taming skills and his culinary techniques. Without them, Lu Ran might have just cked off during this period. Instead, nurturing the Jiao Dragon team and forming the Netherworld put Lu Ran himself on the grill, forcing him to engage in many more activities daily. This enriched his life.And enhanced his strength. However. Compared to nurturing the Jiao Dragon team, Lu Ran certainly focused more energy and attention on training his own pet beasts. In the days following his return, each of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts worked exceptionally hard. Training secret realm. ¡°Ehh-wooo-¡° In order to surpass the Sudden Death King after its first-stage evolution, General Ha trained tirelessly every day. The Divine Deer pendant had almost be its exclusive training tool. In a very short time, General Ha had sacrificed hundreds of teeth and suffered countless broken bones to fully master 30 times energypression. And now, it could, at the cost of severe injuries, utilize 40 times energypression. Energy level four! Currently, even among the First Generation, few pet beasts could achieve this level of technique. The Divine Deer pendant,bined with General Ha¡¯s tenacity, had allowed it to achieve an extraordinary mastery of energypression. At this moment, even without evolving, using 40 times energypression with sword qi, coupled with the Dragon yer Sword intent, it could make the Sudden Death King feel pain. Seeing General Ha so determined not to be left behind by the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran came to understand that the Divine Deer pendant¡­ might just be General Ha¡¯s best resource! If the species isn¡¯t enough, make up for it with techniques! Mad dog, this is truly a mad dog. And the Sudden Death King, seeing General Ha catching up at a frenzied pace, was also scared. So it too began to learn new abilities. The Sudden Death King has now evolved into a dragon, making its previous trump card, ¡°Artistic Conception of the Dragon,¡± obsolete. It has be the Dragon King itself; there is no longer any need to mimic dragons through artistic conception, which would be like shifting its power into reverse. It is now the powerful creature that others should be imitating. The Jiao Dragon Team¡¯s pet beast should now be the one mimicking andprehending the power of the Sudden Death King to learn the Artistic Conception of the Dragon. For the Sudden Death King, which now has a strong species foundation, the path of creature artistic conception is no longer suitable. Unless it could visualize the Legendary Dragon. But evidently, Lu Ran and his team do not have this capability¡­ Now, the Artistic Conception of the Dragon has been perfectly absorbed by the Sudden Death King, transformed into its own potential. However, aside from its strong species and overpowering Talent, it no longer has other advantages. On General Ha¡¯s side, with astounding Comprehension, mastery over various Sword Intents, a damage-free version of 30x Energy Compression, and other techniques like flow and release entering the Second Stage, he can be described as a super battle genius, unbeatable among his peers. Meanwhile, the Sudden Death King, after discarding the Artistic Conception of the Dragon, has all its energy techniques stuck in the First Stage. It has primarily relied on its species advantage inbat. At the same growth and species level, it is far from reaching the invincibility of someone like General Ha. Although pet beasts have different Talent focuses, this situation is not ideal, so, under Lu Ran¡¯s guidance, the Sudden Death King has started learning the ¡°Meteorite Artistic Conception.¡± Lu Ran isn¡¯t directing without reason. After evolving, the Sudden Death King developed a Loong-type attribute, but unlike the Eastern Loong, which mixes Water, Wind, and Thunder attributes, or the Western Giant Dragon, which mixes Thunder and Fire attributes, its Loong-type energy is a mix of Thunder and Rock attributes. Besides the violent nature of Thunder, the Dragon Power also epasses the thickness and hardness of rock, making its Dragon Energy more skewed towards Defense. For Thunder attribute development, the Sudden Death King is already doing quite well. To further enhance its abilities, it naturally needs to start focusing on the Rock attribute. In fact, the Diamond Dragon¡¯s mastery of the Mountainous Artistic Conception is quite impressive. Not only does it enable its body to stand as steadfast as the mountains themselves, but it also infuses its attacks with the overwhelming power of the mountains. However, the Diamond Dragon was born in the mountains, and its alignment with the Mountainous Artistic Conception does not necessarily mean that the Sudden Death King will be simrly attuned. After much consideration, Lu Ran realized that the Sudden Death King surprisingly resonates with the Meteorite Artistic Conception. After all, it has received the Star Blessing and is particrly adept at utilizing ¡°meteorite tactics.¡± A meteorite, being a rock, belongs to the rock species. Thus, it is highly appropriate for the Sudden Death King to learn the Meteorite Artistic Conception. Naturally, Lu Ran does not intend for it to learn the destructive power of meteorites, as that would not suit the Sudden Death King¡¯s character. As a meteorite enters the atmosphere, it heats up and may shatter, potentially disintegrating before it even reaches the ground. Only a few meteorites manage to remain intact and reach the surface. Lu Ran wants the Sudden Death King to envision itself as a celestial body that, despite undergoing high-pressure conditions, maintains its integrity. From this perspective, he aims to enhance the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense. This could tentatively be considered a form of the Natural Disaster Artistic Conception within the broader Natural Artistic Conception. The training process is simple: continuous airdrops using meteorite tactics to create pressure, imagining oneself as a meteorite. While it¡¯s uncertain whether this method will enable the Sudden Death King to master the Meteorite Artistic Conception, there is no doubt that the process will fortify its defense, making the effort worthwhile regardless of the oue. This approach sounds significantly more potent than the Blizzard Artistic Conception or the Vegetation Artistic Conception. Of course,pared to the whimsical idea of the Meteorite Artistic Conception, Lu Ran also ces great importance on the future positioning of the Sudden Death King. After the first-stage evolution, General Ha is being developed towards the Space species. Following its first-stage evolution, the Dark Crow is being developed towards a legion-oriented direction, leveraging the power of the legion to strengthen its own abilities. What about the Sudden Death King? Should it continue to enhance its defense? Lu Ran does not wish to pursue this path. Its defense is already strong enough, and continuous enhancement would eventually yield diminishing returns, which is not desirable. Lu Ran¡¯s next task was not to enhance its attack power or speed, but rather, he wanted to improve its defensive versatility. Lu Ran had a skill book called Damage Transfer, which could shift the damage received by a beastmaster to their pet beast. Although he had no ns to learn this skill, Lu Ran was inspired by it. He wanted the Sudden Death King to explore ¡°support capabilities¡± next. For instance, bybining energy shaping and release, the Sudden Death King could create shields for General Ha, the Dark Crow, and other beastmasters, enveloping other beings in protective barriers. Having the Sudden Death King at the forefront to absorb damage during every battle was effective, but its defensive coverage was still too narrow. If it could extend its shielding ability to other teammates, and if these shields inherited the Sudden Death King¡¯s own defensive strength to some extent, then its advantage of having robust defense would truly provide perfect support for the entire team. Moreover, the ability to create ¡°defense barriers¡± and ¡°energy shields¡± could significantly expand the tactical value of the Sudden Death King¡¯s defenses. However, the current issue was that, while the Sudden Death King¡¯s Dragon Energy was also strong in defense, its energy and the physical and spiritual defenses were separate. Thus, Lu Ran was looking for a trait crystal that could integrate all of the Sudden Death King¡¯s defensive capabilities. Then, bybining energy release with energy shaping to support teammates, the Sudden Death King would truly be the ultimate shield bearer. No longer needing to physically withstand hits and absorb damage, the Sudden Death King would likely be quite pleased. ¡°Three more days¡­¡± Lu Ran walked over to General Ha to ask if it wanted to evolve in three days. ¡°Whoo¡­¡± Carrying sword grass in its mouth, General Ha paused, looked at Lu Ran, and inquired if Lu Ran had forged his new weapon yet. ¡°Not yet, I still haven¡¯t mastered Soul Fire.¡± Lu Ran admitted awkwardly. Although Bai Qi had sent many fire-based ferocious beasts, the study of Soul Fire was still ongoing¡­ ¡°Arf!¡± With a tinge of regret, General Ha walked away, indicating it needed to obtain the new weapon and master the Sword Domain before evolving. It wanted to establish an unbeatable foundation, one that would not be inferior to the Sudden Death King, and from there, ascend to be an Overlord. This was the path of a Sword Saint. Tail wagging, General Ha walked away. Lu Ran: ??? Lu Ran pped his face, resigning himself to the fact that evolution was not happening yet. However, he was skeptical about General Ha learning the domain before fusing with the Ultimate Perception Trait. ording to the records on Blue Star, the earliest a pet beast had ever mastered the domain was after reaching level 40. Moreover, that pet beast was of the Space species, which naturally had an advantage in mastering domains. But General Ha was only at level 30 and hadn¡¯t even undergone the first-stage evolution. Nevertheless, since General Ha had this idea, Lu Ran naturally supported it, very happy to see his pet beast engaging in effective internalpetition as a beastmaster. ¡°Before forging the Necromancy Sword, how about we get some Space ore and try forging a Space Sword for General Ha?¡± ¡°Maybe it could speed up its entry into mastering the domain.¡± After General Ha¡¯s setback, Lu Ran turned to the Dark Crow. At that moment, the Dark Crow was studying sacrifice. How to enhance the curse effect through sacrificial materials. Essentially, the Soul Scarecrow was a curse tool that used the sacrifice of enemy blood to increase the range of soul attacks. Having used the Soul Scarecrow repeatedly, the Dark Crow had gained some insights but still felt something was missing. ¡°Dark Crow, an Evolution Secret Realm is opening in three days, do you want to evolve?¡± ¡°Big King!!¡± With a sorrowful expression, the Dark Crow clutched the Soul Scarecrow and said, ¡°Time, I need time¡­¡± ¡°I feel I can¡¯t perfectly wield soul power yet; my soul can only leave the body for one day, which is far from enough.¡± ¡°If I evolve now, I¡¯ll only reach the level of an upper sovereign.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want General Ha and Thunder Dragon General to get too far ahead of me, wuwuwu Big King.¡± ¡°Actually¡­ a first-stage evolution doesn¡¯t decide everything, you can still improve your species level afterward,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Wuwuwu Big King-¡± The Dark Crow flew over and clung to Lu Ran¡¯s leg, saying, ¡°Big King, I also want to be an Overlord; I really want to be part of the Overlord species.¡± ¡°I really want to improve.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± Damn. Ambition is good. But one by one, they no longer value the title of upper sovereign species; is there something wrong with their mindset? Could it be that this Evolution Secret Realm should be passed up? Because of the precedent set by the Sudden Death King, both General Ha and the Dark Crow wanted to build a strong foundation before evolving to leap directly to Overlord status. Lu Ran returned to the Green Sea with a frown, sitting on the sofa with only the carefree weather elf watching TV beside him. ¡°The third weather elf should not be contracted.¡± ¡°Your pet beasts are too ambitious; it¡¯s still so small, it needs a joyful childhood,¡± Manager Ying chimed in as she joined him to watch TV, pouting. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve already started training the weather elf¡­¡± Lu Ran said somberly, lifting his head. Strength starts from childhood. ¡°Huh? Where? Isn¡¯t it just watching TV?¡± Manager Ying asked, puzzled. ¡°Are you saying it shaped water droplets into eyes to gain the ability to see?¡± He looked at the weather elf, which had shaped two water droplets on its cloud-like body, resemblingrge, water-blue eyes, reflecting the TV screen¡¯s images. ¡°No.¡± Lu Ran pointed at the TV screen. In the program, a maturedy in the underworld, dressed in a ck suit and smoking a cigarette, was standing with her foot on a defeated enemy¡¯s head, dering, ¡°You lost, as per our agreement, submit to me.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter (so cool)¨C¡± the weather elf shouted excitedly. Lu Ran said, ¡°I n to train Cloud Baby towards the core of the weather legion, letting her watch TV dramas about collecting underlings and fighting with them to foster rted interests.¡± ¡°It¡¯s convenient for her to spontaneously gather underlings and lead them into fightster.¡± ¡°Interest is the best mentor.¡± ¡°Who says leisure entertainment isn¡¯t training pet beasts?¡± Manager Ying: ????? Manager Ying had just been wondering why the weather elf was watching such a TV show, only to realize that darn Lu Ran had chosen it. So this is why you let an elemental spirit less than a month old watch underworld films??? Do you darn want to train her to be the core of the legion or an underworlddy??? ¡°There was an important piece of intelligence¡­¡± ¡°But now, I don¡¯t even want to tell you,¡± Manager Ying sighed as she entered, very annoyed. ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback and said, ¡°What important intelligence? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t received any good news in the past few days. Hurry up and cheer me up.¡± ¡°Did you find the right trait crystal?¡± Manager Ying had already handed over two exquisite minerals to Lu Ran. However, the intelligence on trait crystals was still being gathered. After all, most people who obtained powerful, unique trait crystals would think of using them themselves. Even if their old pets didn¡¯t need them, it would be worthwhile to contract new pets in the future based on the abilities of the trait crystals. Those thinking of trading them were in the minority, so this type of intelligence was very hard toe by. ¡°Not exactly.¡± ¡°But I think you¡¯ll be very interested,¡± Manager Ying looked at the ceiling. Lu Ran urged, ¡°Come on, spill it.¡± ¡°Do you remember Youxiong Anlin?¡± Lu Ran pondered, ¡°Remember him, the guy from Xia Country¡¯s number one civilian guild, ¡®Living Fossil¡¯?¡± ¡°He and Du Yuan from the strategy team have also conquered the Legendary Secret Realm. Quite impressive guys.¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°The core members of the Living Fossil guild are actually not much different from your Lujia Vige.¡± ¡°The Youxiong family also has a Totem Tribe background, inheriting traditions from the ancient times. Your vige worships a divine deer, whereas they worship an Iron-Eating Beast.¡± ¡°However, your vige has been less fortunate and hasn¡¯t developed much.¡± ¡°Whereas they have developed quite well, bing thergest guild in Xia Country.¡± Lu Ran was surprised and said, ¡°Are you suggesting that their worshiped Iron-Eating Beast, a giant panda, is still alive? That it entered hibernation in the ancient times and has now awakened???¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Smart.¡± Lu Ran was stunned, ¡°Really or not?¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± Manager Ying shrugged and said, ¡°It was discovered by Youxiong Anlin¡¯s younger sister.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°So is that Iron-Eating Beast about to die, or is it missing children?¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°You finally have a capable Totem Guardian in Xia Country, can¡¯t you wish them well???¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you taught me?¡± Lu Ran looked innocent. Yes, he had always been such a kind and excellent student, but when had he be so profit-minded? It seemed to have started after meeting Manager Ying¡­ Chapter 206: The Six First Generation Chapter 206: The Six First Generation ¡°So¡­¡± ¡°What are the Youxiong n and the officials saying now?¡± Faced with the revival of such an ancient creature, Lu Ran was unsure of the changes its awakening might bring to the beast taming domain of Xia Country. Manager Ying mentioned this intelligence to him, but surely it wasn¡¯t just to feed him gossip? ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°I only know that the iron-eating beast seems quite energetic, having been awake for several days now.¡± ¡°However, the news only came out today.¡± ¡°The Youxiong n ims they have alreadymunicated with the ancient iron-eater.¡± ¡°They say the ancient iron-eater is willing to serve as the guardian deity of Xia Country.¡±¡°Moreover, if anyone is interested in the Panda Guardian, they can visit the guardian in person tomorrow.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Lu Ran was startled and said, ¡°Why does this tactic seem so familiar?¡± This was exactly his y in the Cult of Necromancy! Posing with a prestigious identity to have others bring gifts! The Youxiong n really knows their stuff! With the reputation of an ancient creature, they can definitely attract many powers from Xia Country to bring gifts and pay homage¡­ Smart move! ¡°Are you nning to go check it out?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I came here to ask if you wanted toe along,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°As a fellow ancient being, I want to talk to that iron-eater.¡± ¡°Who knows, I might get some valuable intelligence.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re busy, I¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°After all, General Ha and Dark Crow aren¡¯t in a hurry to evolve.¡± ¡°Are we also leaving tomorrow morning?¡± Lu Ran was now curious about the ancient iron-eater¡¯s background, wondering if it had stored any ancient treasures. If the ancient iron-eater had a substantial inheritance, Lu Ran was quite interested if it was keen on ¡°propagating its lineage,¡± as then he could exchange the ¡°blood drop stone¡± for resources with it. ¡°No, it will be too crowded tomorrow.¡± ¡°Our status is so unique, we should have some privileges, right?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s leave now!¡± ¡°As far as I know, many have already arrived there.¡± Lu Ran mused; he had thought about preparing some gifts, but never mind. Chuan-Shu. Rong City. Although the Youxiong n has branched out across the nation, the strongest branch has even established the Youxiong Group, arge enterprise spanning Daxia and the Snowfield Federation. However, on fixed annual holidays, members of the Youxiong n still return to Rong City to pay homage to their ancestors. Youxiong Ancient Town. Under a ginkgo tree by the street, Lu Ran, dressed in an Erha T-shirt, a duckbill cap, and ck sunsses, arrived here instantly alongside Manager Ying of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ through teleportation. After teleporting, they approached the sealed ancient mansion. ¡°Look, the door is closed,¡± Lu Ran said. Manager Ying asked, ¡°Should you call or should I?¡± Lu Ran, resigned, replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± A momentter. The call connected. Lu Ran called the only member of the Youxiong n he knew, Youxiong Anlin. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± came the surprised voice from the other end. The two weren¡¯t exactly close. Their acquaintance was limited to meeting during the Freshman Tournament where Youxiong Anlin immediately conceded. And then¡­ Youxiong Anlin invited Lu Ran to team up for the Legendary Secret Realm, but Lu Ran firmly declined. Despite being slighted by Lu Ran, Youxiong Anlin proved his mettle by teaming up with others to clear the Legendary Secret Realm. ¡°Are you in Youxiong Ancient Town?¡± Startled, Youxiong Anlin responded, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you came over too.¡± ¡°Mm-hmm, Manager Ying from the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ and I just happened to be passing by. We heard about the situation here and came to check it out. Can you host us?¡± ¡°Damn,¡± Youxiong Anlin paused, then said, ¡°Sure¡­ no problem, I¡¯ll head over.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys say something beforeing?¡± Youxiong Anlin sighed. There¡¯s a hierarchy even among guests. For someone of Lu Ran and Manager Ying¡¯s stature, it wouldn¡¯t be inappropriate for the current patriarch of the Youxiong n to personally receive them. Lu Ran, the first from Blue Star to cultivate an overlord, among the Strongest Fourth Generation, solo cleared the Legendary Secret Realm as easily as drinking water, and was touted by the media as someone who, within a year, would rival the First Generation. Manager Ying, an ancient creature, was the first to form an alliance with Xia Country and is suspected to be the first ancient creature to awaken. Additionally, it holds true control over Xia Country¡¯s secondrgest intelligence organization and is well-acquainted with every First Generation. These two individuals carry significant weight. Upon receiving the news, Youxiong Anlin immediately came out to greet them personally, ¡°Lu Ran, Manager Ying,e,e, let me take you to the lobby.¡± Youxiong Anlin came out with a wry smile, saying, ¡°Actually, there are a few others like you who also arrived early¡­ uh.¡± ¡°Uh, that outfit.¡± Aftering out, Youxiong Anlin saw Lu Ran¡¯s attire and was momentarily stunned. ck shorts, an Erha T-shirt, sunsses, and a duckbill cap-such a trendy look hardly seemed fitting for someone known as Passerby A, who had suppressed a generation. Had he not received a phone call, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have associated the man before him with Lu Ran, Passerby A. Well¡­ in a sense, it was indeed very good camouge. ¡°It¡¯sfortable,¡± said Lu Ran. Manager Ying then looked at Youxiong Anlin. ¡°Kid¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gotten quite strong.¡± ¡°Ah ha, not bad, not bad,¡± Youxiong Anlin nced at Lu Ran, albeit subtly. His confidence had grown substantially. Although Lu Ran had raised an Overlord Dragon, now, Youxiong Anlin felt that his own future was also promising. All thanks to that Living Fossil-level Guardian! These younger generations, including himself, had received numerous benefits from this Living Fossil-level Guardian, significantly enhancing their strength-it was as if they had powerful creatures helping them cheat. Youxiong Anlin felt that if Lu Ran had not evolved the Overlord Dragon, at this moment, he would undoubtedly not stand a chance against him. However, despite it all, Lu Ran had indeed managed to cultivate a pet beast from the Overlord Species. But Youxiong Anlin believed that, with the Guardian¡¯s help, his Light and Dark Panda would eventually evolve into the Overlord Species as well. Youxiong Anlin was still surprised that Manager Ying could perceive the change in his strength¡­ Indeed, it was also an ancient creature. ¡°Youxiong~ What¡¯s the situation with that Panda Guardian?¡± ¡°You just mentioned that other people have also arrived early?¡± Under the guidance of Youxiong Anlin, Lu Ran and hispanions entered a vast ancient mansion. More than Youxiong Anlin¡¯s newfound powers, Lu Ran was curious about the origins and background of the Panda Guardian. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure myself; the guardian won¡¯t say,¡± Youxiong Anlin admitted. ¡°However, your timing couldn¡¯t be better. Several First Generation big shots have also arrived. My sister has already gone to awaken the guardian.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see for yourselves soon,¡± Youxiong Anlin added mysteriously. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be quite surprised¡­¡± Lu Ran exchanged a nce with Manager Ying, and shortly after, Youxiong Anlin led them to the grand hall. In the quaintly decorated hall, scattered around a few tables, sat several distinguished guests. Youxiong Anlin¡¯s uncle, Youxiong Jiyuan, who is currently the president of the Living Fossil Guild, was warmly weing them. As soon as another group of special guests was brought in, all eyes in the hall turned their way. Noticing Manager Ying, a few nodded in acknowledgment, but their expressions turned curious upon seeing the fully armed Lu Ran. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± The Pig Deity, who was cracking sunflower seeds at a table, spoke up in surprise. ¡°You were brought here by Manager Ying too?¡± Shi Zhen remarked, equally surprised. ¡°Hey, Lu Ran,¡± Dr. Gu greeted warmly, chatting with a petite young girl at another table. ¡°Ah, so we finally meet in person,¡± a young man with gray hair and another with a horse-like face said, both taken aback by Lu Ran. Lu Ran was speechless. Six First Generation big shots gathered! With half of the twelve branches 1 of the Alliance present, it seemed that the information about the Youxiong n¡¯s totem guardian had drawn significant attention from the Alliance. ¡°Hello everyone¡­¡± Lu Ran managed a sheepish smile, feeling somewhat out of ce. However, Manager Ying seemed quite at ease, walking towards Gu Qingyi. ¡°Professor Lu.¡± Seeing Lu Ran, the Youxiong Guild Leader quickly approached, greeting him with a smile: ¡°Wee, wee.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve long wanted to visit you, and I never imagined that you¡¯de to Youxiong Ancient Town today. Please, stay for a few more days so I can y host.¡± ¡°No need to fuss over me¡­¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile, ¡°Youxiong Guild Leader, please, don¡¯t mind me¡­¡± Exchanging pleasantries, Lu Ran found himself seated across from Zhu Kaixin and Principal Shi Zhen. ¡°You guys made it too,¡± Zhu Kaixin said cheerfully. ¡°I knew it; a gathering like this wouldn¡¯t beplete without Manager Ying!¡± ¡°I figured as much,¡± Manager Ying retorted as it hopped onto the chair, casting a disdainful look. ¡°Once the news spread, I expected your noses would be as sharp as a dog¡¯s, rushing over immediately.¡± ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, please wait a moment longer. The Panda Guardian is quite fond of sleep and difficult to wake,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader and Youxiong Anlin mentioned to the early arriving big shots, somewhat helplessly. They knew that once the news was out, official figures would likely be the first to arrive, but they hadn¡¯t anticipated such a distinguished turnout. Six from the twelve branches, one ancient creature, one from the Strongest Fourth Generation¡­ Wow. Such a lineup could topple a small country. ¡°Can you share some intelligence about this Panda Guardian ahead of time?¡± Zishu, one of the twelve branches, a young man with gray hair, asked: ¡°You spread the news without sharing any details. That¡¯s not very proper.¡± The Youxiong Guild Leader chuckled, ¡°The main issue is that we don¡¯t know much ourselves.¡± Just as they were about to continue the discussion, suddenly, everyone felt an immense ferocious breath approaching the venue. The First Generation¡¯s expressions changed as they looked towards the entrance. Soon, a bipedal creature, standing over three meters tall and holding a bamboo leaf in its mouth, a beast also known as a giant panda or bamboo bear, slowly appeared apanied by a young girl barely over one and a half meters tall. ¡°Metal grass dual element, upper overlord, level 68¡­¡± Seeing the giant panda, the group was momentarily stunned. Higher level than the Fishman King? Footnote:
  1. Twelve Branches(Ê®¶þÖ§): The ¡°Twelve Branches¡± (Ê®¶þÖ§, sh¨ª ¨¨r zh¨©) is an ancient Chinese system used for reckoning time, most famously in the context of the Chinese zodiac. Each of the twelve branches is associated with an animal and corresponds to a specific order. Here is the list with their pinyin names and the associated animals: Zishu (×ÓÊó) ¨C Rat. Chouniu (³óÅ£) ¨C Ox. Yinhu (Òú»¢) ¨C Tiger. Maotu (îÍÃ) ¨C Rabbit. Chenlong (³½Áú) ¨C Dragon. Sishe (ËÈÉß) ¨C Snake. Wuma (ÎçÂí) ¨C Horse. Weiyang (δÑò) ¨C Goat. Shenshou (Éêºï) ¨C Monkey. Youji (Óϼ¦) ¨C Rooster. Xugou (Ðç¹·) ¨C Dog. Haizhu (º¥Öí) ¨C Pig.
Chapter 207: Exclusive Secret Realm Chapter 207: Exclusive Secret Realm After the appearance of the guardian resembling a kung fu panda, it looked towards the First Generations in the hall and spoke: ¡°There are indeed quite a few formidable folks here.¡± It can talk! Just like the dark crow and Manager Ying. However, it has a rather unique ent. ¡°Guardian Lord,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader and Youxiong Anlin said respectfully upon seeing the Panda Guardian. The First Generations also slightly rose from their seats as a sign of respect. An upper overlord, level 68, indeed deserving of attention. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t it agreed for tomorrow? I¡¯m toozy to exin now, one of you tell them,¡± said the giant panda, listlessly dragging a chair over and sprawling on it in an utterlyzy manner.Seeing this, the young girl beside him shook her head helplessly and looked towards Youxiong Jiyuan. ¡°Uncle, you do the talking.¡± At this moment, the Living Fossil Guild Leader also turned to the many First Generations and reluctantly began, ¡°Everyone, this is the guardian that the Youxiong n has revered since ancient times.¡± ¡°As you can see, its strength is indeed formidable!¡± ¡°It truly lives up to the title of Xia Country¡¯s Guardian!¡± ¡°And the reason we¡¯ve spread this news, besides wanting the various powers to witness such a mighty guardian of Xia Country, there¡¯s another purpose¡­¡± ¡°This also involves crucial intelligence.¡± ¡°Those standing here are all top practitioners in Xia Country¡¯s beast taming domain, so I¡¯ll get straight to the point.¡± ¡°That is, Infinite City might not have just descended three years ago, it appeared thousands of years ago as well.¡± ¡°This crystallization of beast taming civilization, Infinite City, wasn¡¯t first opened just a few years ago!¡± ¡°Back in the era of totem tribes thousands of years ago, it had already trained a group of beastmasters!!!¡± ¡°However, the training period was short-lived and soon ended.¡± As the Youxiong Guild Leader finished, the First Generations present were momentarily stunned, curious about his im. The International Alliance, in an effort to calm the public, had announced that ¡°Infinite City was identally activated three years ago, triggering its legacy mechanism.¡± The First Generations naturally knew this was a spective statement without concrete evidence. Thus, whatever new discoveries about Infinite City emerged thereafter, they wouldn¡¯t find it surprising. Gu Qingyi asked, ¡°Youxiong Guild Leader, why do you say that? Did the Guardian tell you?¡± Youxiong Guild Leader replied, ¡°Yes, words are inadequate to express it, but there¡¯s morepelling evidence. For instance, ¡®secret realms¡¯ have existed for countless years!¡± ¡°Everyone, you all know about The Other Shore, right?¡± Upon mentioning The Other Shore, Gu Qingyi, Lu Ran, and Manager Ying narrowed their eyes. ¡°The Other Shore possesses a skill card called ¡®death revival,¡¯ yet none of the dungeons in the various Infinite Cities on Blue Star have ever dropped this skill card.¡± ¡°If they acquired it from a breakthrough secret realm, that seems unlikely, as the rewards from these realms are randomly assigned based on the dungeon circumstances.¡± ¡°Why can The Other Shore consistently obtain this unique skill card? It has always been a mystery to all nations.¡± ¡°However, today, I¡¯m here to clear up this confusion. It¡¯s because, apart from the Infinite Cities, there are also dungeons on our Blue Star that can be strategized, offering impressive rewards through these realms!¡± ¡°What?!¡± eximed Youxiong Guild Leader, surprising Pig Deity and the others. Is that even possible? ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± Lu Ran turned to Manager Ying. As an ancient creature, howe you don¡¯t know as much as they do? Manager Ying red at Lu Ran. Yet, this news indeed shocked everyone. Especially Lu Ran, who finally understood where The Other Shore¡¯s skill cards came from. He sighed. Were there really secret realm entrances on Blue Star? Had Infinite City expanded to Blue Star? ¡°These rare secret realms on Blue Star,¡± continued Youxiong Guild Leader, ¡°are not essed with crystal coins but with a ¡®key.¡¯ By possessing the key to open a secret realm, you can endlessly challenge it and extract resources, including skill cards and trait crystals.¡± ¡°It is for this reason that I conclude, Infinite City had already been opened in the distant past,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader stated confidently. ¡°During that ancient period of activation, Infinite City transformed Blue Star, leaving behind some special secret realms. I suspect that The Other Shore has gained control of one such realm, enabling them to consistently obtain special resources.¡± ¡°The reason I am so certain,¡± he continued, ¡°is because our Youxiong n also possesses an exclusive trial secret realm, and the key to open this realm has always been held by our Guardian.¡± ¡°In this realm, one can reliably obtain ¡®Beast Taming Skill: Armoring¡¯ and ¡®Trait Crystal: Super Sleep¡¯-two special resources. With Armoring, regardless of the pet beast¡¯s energy attributes, a beastmaster can use their beast taming skills to help the pet beast develop a suit of battle armor with strong defense, significantly enhancing its defense.¡± ¡°Super Sleep, on the other hand, allows the controlled pet beast to enter a special sleep state autonomously, rapidly recovering its physical energy.¡± ¡°These are the signature resources of our Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm.¡± After the Youxiong Guild Leader disclosed this information, silence fell over the room, and those present exchanged looks of astonishment, having not expected to learn such groundbreaking intelligence in such a small ancient town. ¡°Damn, resource monopoly,¡± the Pig Deity remarked. ¡°No, no, no, I¡¯m revealing this because I want to share the trial secret realm with everyone, allowing all to join in the strategy, and in due course, every beastmaster in Xia Country can participate,¡± Youxiong Jiyuan said with a smile. The crowd: ? Do they think we¡¯re fools? Having an exclusive trial secret realm and keeping it for their own power¡¯s strategy, yet sharing it? Why isn¡¯t The Other Shore sharing their exclusive secret realm for others to strategize? Youxiong Jiyuan exined, ¡°Actually, the Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm can produce ¡®special bamboo resources,¡¯ which are the favorite food of our Guardian.¡± ¡°We from the Youxiong n have also tried to strategize the realm ourselves, and though we can get the food, the amount is far from enough to satisfy the Guardian¡¯s appetite.¡± ¡°Therefore, we can only offer our exclusive realm, asking more people to help us strategize.¡± ¡°And for our part, we will only take a certain amount of the loot aspensation.¡± ¡°This is also why we¡¯ve spread the news, preparing toy our cards on the table with everyone.¡± First Generation, Manager Ying, Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the situation,¡± the Panda Guardian gritted its teeth. ¡°The Youxiong Tribe is so weak now that they can¡¯t harvest any advanced bamboo.¡± Youxiong Jiyuan and others looked embarrassed. If they could monopolize the secret realm, they would, but the key issue is that they can¡¯t satisfy the Guardian¡¯s hunger. After consulting with the Guardian, they had no choice but to make the exclusive secret realm public, allowing anyone to challenge it and thereby gather arge amount of resources. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is¡­ What¡¯s the format of the secret realm?¡± Wu Ma of the twelve branches spoke up, his tall stature and unique appearance suggesting he might be from a minority group. The Youxiong Guild Leader exined, ¡°There¡¯s no danger, and it¡¯s not difficult. The Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm has no level restrictions; anyone can challenge it. The realm adjusts the initial enemies based on the beastmaster¡¯s level. If you seed, stronger enemies appear.¡± ¡°That means it tests the beastmaster¡¯sbat potential. The stronger your fighting ability at your level, the better the rating and rewards you¡¯ll get.¡± ¡°For instance, Youxiong Anlin, although he¡¯s only a level 2 beastmaster now, his rating is much higher than mine.¡± ¡°He currently holds the highest score in the trial secret realm as well.¡± The Panda Guardian added, ¡°Needless to say, his battle beast was almost wasted, but luckily I helped unlock its potential. Now, no one at his level can match him. However, he alone isn¡¯t enough; I need arger quantity of food.¡± It rubbed its stomach, waking up extremely weak. The other food simply didn¡¯t suit its taste and was too low in nutritional value! The resources from the trial secret realm were much better. However. As the Panda Guardian finished speaking, the expressions of the many First Generations present turned odd. No one a match for Youxiong Anlin? Their eyes turned to Lu Ran, who was casually eating sunflower seeds. Was the Panda Guardian unaware that there was an extremely abnormal powerhouse still in Xia Country? It should be noted that in the Freshman Tournament, geniuses like Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan didn¡¯t even have the courage to face Lu Ran and conceded immediately. Although Youxiong Anlin seemed to have received many benefits from the Panda Guardian, the crowd couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of benefits could enable him to defeat Lu Ran, who possessed an Overlord Dragon, among those of the same level. At this moment, hearing the Panda Guardian praise him so highly, Youxiong Anlin became somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Ahem,¡± he coughed, saying, ¡°Lord Panda Guardian, there are always better ones out there. Under your guidance, I will surely be the strongest in the future, but for now, there are still many who are stronger than me.¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± the Panda Guardian eximed in surprise. ¡°Who, then?¡± At that point, the Panda Guardian felt the eyes of the crowd on him and looked over at Lu Ran, who was cracking sunflower seeds in the corner. ¡°Maybe you can tryter,¡± Lu Ran said, putting down the seeds. At that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s mind was storming with thoughts. The situation in ancient times¡­ it seemed quiteplicated. Lu Ran also noticed that the Youxiong n¡¯s totem guardian, this Panda Guardian, was strong, but not strong enough. Compared to the identity of the Divine Deer, there was still a significant gap. Even the me Dragon King was no match for the Divine Deer, let alone a level 68 Panda Guardian. So, if the Youxiong n had its own trial secret realm, does it mean that in ancient times, Lujia Vige might also have had beastmasters chosen by Infinite City? Did Lujia Vige also have its own trial secret realm? ¡°Is he that strong?¡± the Panda Guardian asked unexpectedly, looking at the uniquely styled Lu Ran. ¡°Very strong,¡± replied the Youxiong Guild Leader. ¡°Really?¡± The Panda Guardian was still skeptical, casting a disdainful nce at Youxiong Anlin, saying, ¡°Are you up to it? Howe after my enhancement, you are still not the strongest among your peers?¡± Youxiong Anlin: ¡°I £¤%£¤.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you fight him then? If you lose, I might consider training someone else.¡± Youxiong Anlin: ??? ¡°Ah?¡± Lu Ran also snapped back to reality, looking at the despairing Youxiong Anlin, thinking, I didn¡¯t do anything, brother! Chapter 208: The Ultimate Bodyguard Lineup Chapter 208: The Ultimate Bodyguard Lineup ¡°No, Lord Guardian¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no problem with fighting, but fighting now is actually a bit unfair.¡± ¡°My Panda is level 30 too, but it hasn¡¯t undergone its first-stage evolution yet.¡± ¡°But Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast has already evolved.¡± It was clear that Youxiong Anlin still didn¡¯t want to fight Lu Ran. ¡°Can we wait until my pet beast evolves and then fight?¡± His analysis was so sound that no one could find fault with it. The Panda Guardian looked at him: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be impressive for you and me if an unevolved one defeats an evolved one?¡± Everyone fell silent: ¡°¡­¡±It seemed that both the Panda Guardian and Youxiong Anlin were a pair of jesters. Neither of them seemed very bright. ¡°But his pet beast is a level 30 middle overlord species, only one Species level below you, Lord Guardian¡­ This is too much of a challenge,¡± Youxiong Anlin nearly cried. Challenging beyond one¡¯s level also needs to respect the basicws, right? Even bosses of the same level in the Legendary Secret Realm were instantly defeated. ¡°What?¡± The Panda Guardian was shocked, looking at Lu Ran with disbelief. ¡°You have an overlord species pet beast?¡± That was something the Panda Guardian hadn¡¯t expected. Lu Ran smiled: ¡°Right, what Youxiong Anlin said is correct. Evolved versus unevolved is indeed somewhat unfair. How about we wait until his pet beast evolves?¡± Lu Ran had no quarrel with Youxiong Anlin and didn¡¯t want to see him miss an opportunity. Otherwise, the conversation would have turned into ¡°No worries, I also have an unevolved pet beast; I¡¯ll let my Erha fight with you.¡± ¡°Lord Guardian, please consider this,¡± Youxiong Anlin pleaded as if grasping at a lifeline. The Panda Guardian fell into deep thought, feeling the absurdity. After sleeping on it, were all the young beastmasters of the future this powerful? Already at level 2, to have contracted an overlord species pet beast? In its barbaric era, there hadn¡¯t been such people. Although it had confidence in Youxiong Anlin, at that moment, the Panda Guardian hesitated. After a moment, it shook its head. Never mind, never mind. Lu Ran was right. Once his n¡¯s younger members and the panda with both light and dark traitsplete their first-stage evolution, they could fight fairly. ¡°Then let¡¯s do as you said,¡± the Panda Guardian agreed. Hearing this, Youxiong Anlin breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. Although the Youxiong n wasn¡¯trge in numbers, it wasn¡¯t small either. Being favored by the Guardian was a stroke of luck, and clearly, Youxiong Anlin didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. If someone else were to take his ce, he would have nowhere to cry. He was also hoping to cling to the Guardian¡¯s coattails and solo clear the Legendary Secret Realm. ¡°My good brother,¡± Youxiong Anlin thought to himself, casting a grateful look at Lu Ran, thankful for the big shot¡¯s mercy. After Iplete my first-stage evolution, we¡¯ll see who wins! ¡°Giant panda! Giant panda!¡± At this moment, Manager Ying couldn¡¯t help but interject, saying, ¡°You must have relied on that ¡®super sleep¡¯ Special Ability to sleep from ancient times till now, right?¡± In ancient times, spiritual energy faded, but not every creature mastered a hibernation-like ability. Those who didn¡¯t, surely perished. Manager Ying guessed that the Panda Guardian must possess an ability simr to the ¡®super sleep trait¡¯ discovered in the trial secret realm, allowing it to maintain a low energy consumption and pause its life functions during sleep. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t make sense for it to be so lively now. ¡°Right¡­¡± the Panda Guardian looked at Manager Ying and said, ¡°Hm? You must be that ancient cat mentioned by the Youxiong n?¡± As fellow ancient creatures, Manager Ying¡¯s information had naturally been shared with the Panda Guardian by the Youxiong n. The Panda Guardian was quite curious about this cat. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Manager Ying calmly looked at the giant panda and said, ¡°Guardian of the Youxiong n, do you have any treasures from ancient times? My main body is still in deep sleep, urgently needing arge amount of energy resources.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll trade you with modern resources.¡± ¡°None!¡± the Panda Guardian felt this cat wasn¡¯t a good beast and said, ¡°Ancient supernatural resources have already decayed under the resurgence of spiritual energy, unless it¡¯s something particrly advanced, but how could I possibly have that¡­¡± Hearing the Panda Guardian¡¯s words, Manager Ying showed a look of disappointment. Upon hearing this, Lu Ran was momentarily taken aback. Damn, was this Panda Guardian just a pauper? He had hoped to exchange for some resources¡­ but it had nothing? However, thinking about it more carefully, it made sense. Right now, it even depended on the Youxiong n to help forage for its food¡­ It was in an even worse situation than Manager Ying. Lu Ran felt that this trip had been a waste of time. No, not entirely a waste; at least he had learned about the existence of an exclusive secret realm. Lu Ran nned to visit Lujia Vige again to investigate where the ancestralnd of the vige used to be. Who knows, maybe Lujia Vige¡¯s exclusive secret realm could still be found somewhere on the continent? The divine deer antler¡­ Could it be the key to the exclusive secret realm of Lujia Vige? The Panda Guardian had also mentioned that only some exceptionally powerful supernatural resources could resist decay even after losing their supernatural properties. The divine deer antler¡­ seemed to meet this criterion. Since the ¡°secret realm key¡± held by the Panda Guardian was still functional, then the undecayed supernatural item inherited from the Ancient times by Lujia Vige seemed to be the divine deer antler. ¡°So, if the Star-Moon Continent is indeed the prehistoric era of Blue Star, the historical timeline should be quite clear now,¡± Gu Qingyi said: In the mythological era, the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons created the world. Many yearster, on the Star-Moon Continent, the human race emerged and developed beast taming abilities. After the rise and fall of the Beast Taming Empire, there was a time when the human civilization might have reached its peak. At this time, the Star-Moon Continent experienced a drastic change, presumably the first fading of spiritual energy. As the supernatural dissipated, to preserve the seeds of civilization, the highly developed human civilization established Infinite City, waiting for the revival of spiritual energy and the continuation of the beast taming system. Years passed again. Spiritual energy warmed. Countless lives evolved back into the supernatural. Manager Ying and the Panda Guardian were beings from this stage. The first descent of Infinite City selected a group of Ancient humans to be beastmasters. But before long, there was a trend of fading spiritual energy again. To maintain their power, a group of powerful supernatural beings in nature chose to protect human tribes in exchange for the Power of Faith. This marked the so-called totem tribe era. The Panda Guardian is in this stage, interacting with the Youxiong n and learning about Infinite City and beastmasters. Manager Ying, on the other hand, is one of those ¡°reclusive creatures¡± that is isted from the world, so its knowledge about these matters is not very clear. However, none of this could stop the inevitable. The supernatural disappeared once again, and Infinite City closed. Some special ancient creatures, such as Manager Ying, the Panda Guardian, and the Fishman King, tried everything to choose hibernation. Until modern times, when there was a second warming trend of spiritual energy. Infinite City reappeared, and choices were made for beastmasters and ancient creatures to awaken¡­ After Gu Qingyi finished her analysis, everyone nodded. Now, the Star-Moon Continent is considered to be the prehistoric civilization of Blue Star, which, in Gu Qingyi¡¯s view, is now certain. After all, the Divine Deer is a retainer of the Creator Divine Loong and became the guardian deity of Lujia Vige in ancient times¡­ If it were not the same world, how could the Divine Deer havee from the Star-Moon Continent to Blue Star? Perhaps, led by the Divine Deer, a group of legendary lives sessfully hibernated from the era of the Star-Moon Continent to the ancient times of Xia Country. ¡°Alright, everyone, you can rx now.¡± ¡°The Panda Guardian has been protecting our human species since ancient times and ispletely trustworthy.¡± ¡°Spreading its news will, on one hand, enhance Xia Country¡¯s international influence, preventing ferocious forces like the Fishman Empire from encroaching on thend. On the other hand, it¡¯s also because our Youxiong n alone cannot provide enough resources for the guardian,¡± Youxiong Jiyuan said. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Panda Guardianzily sat in a chair. Actually, its decision to be the guardian of a beast taming tribe was simple: firstly, the tribe¡¯s pet beasts were almost exclusively iron-eating beasts, with rich experience in breeding them. Secondly, as the spiritual energy slowly faded, it felt increasingly powerless and wanted to find an ¡°old folks¡¯ home¡± that provided meals and amodation to enjoy thetter half of its life. Even though the spiritual energy has revived now, the Panda Guardian has grown ustomed to being looked after and living a provided-for life. Thus, it is still very willing to continue as the guardian deity. It also learned that, with its current strength, it is almost invincible in this era. Moreover, the iron-eating beasts have apparently be the national treasure species of this country, which is veryfortable. ¡°Understood.¡± Once Gu Qingyi learned the situation regarding the First Generation, she felt reassured. As the Youxiong n stated, the addition of the Panda Guardian is undoubtedly beneficial for Xia Country. ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that, then. Oh, by the way, is your secret realm avable for challenges now?¡± the petite superhuman, Lin Nian, suddenly asked. Youxiong Jiyuan responded to her inquiry, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, although the real-world secret realm can be challenged indefinitely, it has a cooldown period-open for one day every seven days. However, on the day it is open, there¡¯s no limit to the number of people who can enter.¡± ¡°The time for the next opening hasn¡¯t arrived yet, but I will notify everyone as soon as it¡¯s avable.¡± ¡°Never mind then. I wasn¡¯t interested in ¡®armoring¡¯ or ¡®super sleep¡¯ anyway. Since there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll be going.¡± Lin Nian waved her hand, about to leave, but was stopped by Gu Qingyi. ¡°Hold on,¡± Gu Qingyi said. Lin Nian wasn¡¯t interested in the ¡®armoring beast taming skill¡¯ or ¡®super sleep trait,¡¯ and actually, neither were the other First Generations present. Although these two skills seemed appealing, especially to neers, what they were really after were those unique and powerful traits. Even Lu Ran, a Fourth Generation, wasn¡¯t interested in these two drops. Thus, the appeal of challenging this secret realm wasn¡¯t very strong for them, especially since, as the Youxiong n mentioned, most resources had to be allocated to feeding the Panda Guardian-they certainly didn¡¯t have time to act as its caretaker. Let tomorrow¡¯s gullible visitors tackle the secret realm challenge. There are already enough challenges in Infinite City¡¯s secret realms. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Lin Nian was grabbed and turned to see Gu Qingyi with a sweet smile. ¡°Don¡¯t rush off just yet. Now that you¡¯re here, let the Youxiong n treat you to dinner before you go.¡± The three members of the Youxiong n present: ??? That¡¯s what she said, but shouldn¡¯t we be the ones making that offer? ¡°Also, I need to discuss something with the five of you. Please stay a bit longer,¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking at the First Generation members and then at Lu Ran. Lu Ran, understanding the situation, realized what was happening. Dr. Gu must be nning to take advantage of the presence of several First Generation members to confront them about the necromancy issue! After all, if the dark crow were to evolveter, the truth about necromancy couldn¡¯t be kept hidden. Soon, in the Evolution Secret Realm, numerous international beastmasters would witness Lu Ran evolve a necromancy pet beast. Contracting with necromancy, at least currently, is not epted by mainstream society and is sure to cause a huge sensation¡­ Lu Ran might be a target, providing various countries a legitimate reason to challenge him, and it¡¯s very likely that they would confront him on the spot. In such a scenario, Xia Country would definitely need to send enough bodyguards to apany Lu Ran for the evolution, and the current lineup of six First Generation members¡­ is just right! Chapter 209: The Dark Crow Goes Mad Chapter 209: The Dark Crow Goes Mad The matter involving the Youxiong n had reached a temporary pause. Lu Ran believed that among his peers, he was quite formidable. Unlike the First Generation, he was actually eager to challenge the exclusive secret realm of the Youxiong n. However, since the Youxiong n stated that the realm could not be opened at the moment, Lu Ran had no choice but to temporarily give up. Though this matter had concluded, Gu Qingyi clearly wanted to start the next chapter. Lu Ran actively cooperated with her intentions. Infinite City. Besides the Youxiong n, Gu Qingyi had summoned several members of the First Generation and Lu Ran to Infinite City. They gathered at the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ and opened a private chat room.¡°Gu Qingyi, what¡¯s the matter? You seem quite secretive,¡± said Jiang Rui, a young man with gray hair known as Zishu of the twelve branches. Though he was called Zishu, his acebat pet was actually a mole, renowned as the strongest of the earth species in the country. He mastered the Domain Skill ¡°Infinite Earth,¡± which allowed him to pull enemies into the deepyers of the earth, trapping them underground, restricting their movements, and attacking them with earthquakes. Most of the time, however, he served as a scout in the strategy team of the First Generation. ¡°Is this about Lu Ran?¡± Wu Ma, a Mongolian beastmaster who had won third ce in an international horse racingpetition, had recently formed a contract with a treasure horse, a species that was a lowermander. As for the superhuman Lin Nian, she took on the role of Maotu. Initially, she often presented herself holding a mental species white rabbit pet. Gu Qingyi, Shi Zhen, and Zhu Kaixin, known as Chenlong, Shenhou, and Haizhu respectively, were familiar faces to Lu Ran. At this moment, Wu Ma, seeing this group of the First Generation mixed with Lu Ran and Manager Ying, deduced that whatever Gu Qingyi wanted to discuss was likely rted to Lu Ran. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing,¡± Gu Qingyi said with a slight smile. ¡°You all heard the Youxiong n mention ¡®The Other Shore¡¯ just now, right?¡± ¡°The Other Shore is suspected of controlling a real-world secret realm that has a stable source of ¡®death revival¡¯ skill cards.¡± Everyone nodded, signaling her to continue. ¡°Actually, I currently have over a hundred death revival skill cards in my possession.¡± As she spoke, Gu Qingyi raised her hand, revealing a stack of cards which she fanned out evenly. At that moment, seeing the numerous skill cards in Gu Qingyi¡¯s hands, Lin Nian and the others were clearly taken aback. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Lin Nian asked in surprise. ¡°Did you take down a branch of The Other Shore?¡± The others also stared at Gu Qingyi, convinced that she must have taken down one of The Other Shore¡¯s branches. Gu Qingyi shook her head and said, ¡°No, these were sent back by someone from the high-level members of The Other Shore.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zishu asked, puzzled. ¡°The person who sent back these resources is actually Lu Ran¡¯s parents.¡± ¡°Lu Ran¡¯s parents were undercover agents nted by Xia Country in the predecessor of The Other Shore, and, well, they have now risen to be high-level members.¡± Everyone: ??? ¡°What???¡± The group was stunned, feeling that this piece of intelligence was as explosive as the awakening of the Panda Guardian. Xia Country had nted undercover agents in The Other Shore? And they were Lu Ran¡¯s parents? This intelligence was, of course, false, but by portraying Lu Ran¡¯s parents as official undercover agents within The Other Shore, Gu Qingyi had given them a ¡°clean¡± and even ¡°meritorious¡± status. Although a thorough investigation would reveal many ws in this statement, that was not important; what mattered was the official stance. ¡°Ababa¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin and others were shocked. Pig Deity turned to Lu Ran and eximed, ¡°Damn, Lu Ran, that¡¯s impressive.¡± ¡°Does this mean it¡¯s time to close the and take us to take down The Other Shore? Then uncle and aunt must definitely be big shots of Level 5 or higher.¡± Lu Ran shook his head and said, ¡°My parents¡­ had an ident in the breakthrough secret realm a while ago, and their identity cards have been cancelled by Infinite City. The skill cards that were sent back were all left as a contingency before they entered the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Just when everyone was still shocked by the intelligence, hearing what Lu Ran said, they suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere instantly quieted down. After a moment, Shi Zhen looked at Lu Ran and sighed, ¡°Ah, my condolences. But if your uncle and aunt knew how outstanding you are, their spirits in heaven would definitely be veryforted.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Lu Ran smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m quite open about it. Who says that dying in the breakthrough secret realm is really dying?¡± ¡°When we die in the breakthrough secret realm, Infinite City has the means to resurrect us. Perhaps, once we have the ability to unravel the secrets of Infinite City, we can also resurrect our loved ones and friends who died in the secret realm.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Zhu Kaixin¡¯s eyes lit up as he said, ¡°As long as we continue to grow stronger, anything is possible.¡± At that moment, Gu Qingyi spoke up, ¡°Back then, Lu Ran¡¯s parents not only brought back arge number of skill cards, but also some very important information, such as the significance of necromancy.¡± ¡°Since then, Xia Country has been secretly researching necromancy.¡± ¡°And recently, there has been significant progress in the research on necromancy.¡± ¡°What progress?¡± Wu Ma turned to Gu Qingyi with a curious expression. Xia Country is researching necromancy¡­ and they¡¯re only finding out now. Gu Qingyi¡¯s lips curved upwards as she said, ¡°The side effect of necromancy, which involves devouring souls, has been mitigated.¡± ¡°With the drawbacks of necromancy eliminated, it will be no different from any ordinary attribute and can grow normally.¡± ¡°That means, as long as they are equipped with the death revival skill card, nearly all pet beasts of beastmasters are essentially granted a second life.¡± ¡°This attribute of necromancy¡­ will change thendscape of the beast taming domain.¡± ¡°Is this achievement significant enough?¡± As she finished speaking, the First Generation members were stunned, somewhat in disbelief. Lin Nian turned to Lu Ran and said, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, the one who solved the drawbacks of necromancy, was him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it was Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a rumor during Lu Ran¡¯s second entry into the breakthrough secret realm that he had joined the necromancy cult of Star-Moon Continent and became the Holy Son of the necromancy cult?¡± ¡°Yes, the rumors are true. He indeed became the Holy Son of the necromancy cult and was even taken as a disciple by a legendary necromancer. It was during this process that he developed the method to solve the drawbacks of necromancy.¡± Everyone: ????? ¡°Huh???¡± Everyone waspletely baffled. Damn, Lu Ran¡¯s parents were undercover agents among The Other Shore¡¯s high-level members, and Lu Ran himself infiltrated the necromancy cult to be the Holy Son. What in the world is going on with this family? Lu Ran innocently said, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s just how it is, all arranged by fate.¡± Gu Qingyiughed, ¡°The current issue is that Lu Ran has acquired a trait reward in the Breakthrough Secret Realm, a necromancy clone. He ns to use it on his third pet beast. Without any idents, after the fusion evolution, that pet beast will definitely develop a necromancy attribute.¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried that during the Evolution Secret Realm, other countries might target him because of his necromancy attribute pet beast. So, I¡¯d like to invite you all to be his bodyguards.¡± ¡°To safeguard his evolution process, of course, we won¡¯t exploit yourbor for free. Each of you will receive a Death Revival Skill Card. How about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s nothing, no problem!!¡± Zhu Kaixin was the first to speak up: ¡°Who cares about skill cards, Lu Ran is my idol. I¡¯d like to see who dares to mess with him.¡± Holy crap. Zhu Kaixin was still a bit confused. Dragon Chef, Overlord Beastmaster, and now, he has made significant research advancements in necromancy? He was slightly annoyed, but thankfully, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t a First Generation. Otherwise, they, the First Generations, would really have no y. ¡°After the evolution, the whole world¡¯s attention will be on Xia Country. Do you n to announce Lu Ran¡¯s research findings then?¡± Shi Zhen asked. ¡°Exactly.¡± Gu Qingyi nodded. ¡°First, let¡¯s see who in the Evolution Secret Realm is eager to jump out. These people are our future enemies. This opportunity should be used to lure each one of them out.¡± ¡°A harmless necromancy trait is an enormous temptation for all countries. These people should no longer think about normal cooperation with Xia Country,¡± she said. ¡°Hmm. The next Evolution Secret Realm opens in three days. Is his pet beast nning to evolve then?¡± Lin Nian asked. Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran. ¡°Uh,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Although I¡¯d like to, my Dark Crow isn¡¯t very well-bred yet, and the evolution resources are somewhatcking. I was thinking of waiting a bit longer¡­¡± ¡°What are you waiting for? This is such an interesting event. Don¡¯t dy it. With so many rich First Generations here, each contributing one exquisite resource, we will definitely gather enough for your Dark Crow¡¯s evolution resources.¡± At that moment, Manager Ying suddenly spoke up, winking at Lu Ran as it spoke. Damn. As Manager Ying finished speaking, Lu Ran was startled. Damn, is it really a genius? ¡°You said it, Zhu Kaixin.¡± The next moment, Manager Ying turned to Old Zhu for his opinion. ¡°Ah?¡± Zhu Kaixin said, ¡°Uh, no problem. Let me see what suitable resources I have on my side. Feel free to use them¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin didn¡¯t mind, after all, he would need Lu Ran¡¯s helpter. Now, not only is Lu Ran a big shot in the Loong-type and necromancy fields, but offering him an exquisite resource was no big deal. Perhaps in the future, he might need Lu Ran¡¯s help with the dragon pig or the necromantic pig. ¡°That works, let¡¯s all chip in,¡± Shi Zhen spoke up, still waiting for the dark crow to help him lift his curse, even investing in the Evil God¡¯s Eye and continuing to invest didn¡¯t bother him. Maotu, Zishu, Wu Ma, and others, although feeling something was off, seeing how readily Zhu Kaixin and Shi Zhen agreed, also fell into thought and found it hard to refuse. Mainly because investing in Lu Ran really wasn¡¯t a loss; he was now considered a pioneer like the originator of necromancy on Blue Star. Who could guarantee that their pet beast wouldn¡¯t identally die in battle? Obviously, only Lu Ran had mastered a harmless method of cultivating necromancy. Since that was the case, there would be plenty of reasons to ask for his help in the future. Getting on his good side now was like buying insurance. ¡°Okay,¡± Wu Ma and the others also spoke up. The next moment, Lu Ran fell into deep thought. Good grief, he hadn¡¯t managed to get evolution resources from the Panda Guardian¡­ Instead¡­ He looked at Gu Qingyi smiling and Manager Ying smirking; instead¡­ he had managed to coax a bunch of investments from other First Generations. Dark crow¡­ must be overjoyed by now. ¡°Quick, tell us about your crow¡¯s data situation, let¡¯s see if we have any resources suitable for you to use,¡± Manager Ying fanned the mes. Lu Ran let out an ¡°Ah¡­¡± and said gratefully, ¡°Well then, thanks everyone.¡± ¡°My crow¡­ it¡­¡± Momentarily. Everyone became aware of several special points such as ¡°dark,¡± ¡°mental,¡± ¡°curse,¡± ¡°necromancy,¡± and ¡°Evil God¡¯s Eye,¡± and each began to ponder. ¡°Shoot, I don¡¯t seem to have any suitable resources,¡± Zhu Kaixin said with a headache, ¡°Maybe I should ask a friend when I get back?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t either¡­¡± Shi Zhen frowned. He was probably the poorest among them. The only valuable thing he had, the Evil God¡¯s Eye, had already been given to Lu Ran. At the moment, he really couldn¡¯t think of any exquisite resources. He did have some rare items, but Lu Ran likely wouldn¡¯t be interested in them. ¡°What¡¯s going on with you two?¡± Zishu looked at them with a twitching mouth. They were the most enthusiastic in responding just now, and now when it came to it, they had nothing to offer? Seeing that he couldn¡¯t rely on these two, Zishu said, ¡°Lu Ran, would this work?¡± He then presented a vibrant red flower housed in a jade box. [Name]: Mandrake Flower [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Unpredictable darkness, a flower from the underworld, contains potent dark poison. If consumed, the userpletely absorbs it, enhancing their dark powers. If absorption fails, the body will be harmed, and they will lose light forever. ¡°A ferocious nt?¡± Zhu Kaixin remarked upon seeing the flower. ¡°Are you trying to provide a resource for evolution, or harm someone?¡± Zishu retorted, ¡°You, who can¡¯t bring any resources to the table, get lost.¡± ¡°This is a resource for enhancing dark powers, and ites with certain side effects. Ordinary pet beasts might find it difficult to absorb. However, Lu Ran¡¯s dark crow possesses the Evil God¡¯s Eye. The mandrake flower trying to deprive the Evil God¡¯s Eye of its light might not be easy; their conflicting natures might even allow for absorption,¡± Shi Zhen analyzed. ¡°Right?¡± Zishu added, ¡°I was originally nning to use this to tackle a legendary boss, but I¡¯ve always been reluctant to do so.¡± At that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. Although this resource had some side effects, the absorption conditions for the Dark Crow seemed quite favorable. With the Evil God¡¯s Eye, and considering how he often fed it simr resources like Octopus Eye, the Dark Crow had already developed a good resistance to such toxic resources. Fortune favors the bold. ¡°Let¡¯s not take any risks. Here, take this instead.¡± Seeing Jiang Rui pull out something dangerous, Wu Ma also took out something and ced it on the table. It was an agate shaped like a breast. [Name]: Devouring Agate [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Once consumed, it allows a pet beast to have a powerful digestive absorption capability for 7 days. ¡°Zishu is unreliable. His resource is still a bit dangerous. Luckily, I have a Devouring Agate here. Although it¡¯s not an Enhancement type resource, it can help your pet beast to maximize the absorption of Enhancement type resources. What do you think?¡± ¡°It can be used in conjunction with the Mandrake Flower.¡± ¡°Zishu, Wu Ma, thank you so much!¡± Lu Ran¡¯s heart trembled. Oh, Dark Crow, you can really progress now. ¡°Oh? This resource of yours is quite good.¡± Upon seeing this, Lin Nian said, ¡°I was worried whether his pet beast could absorb so much exquisite resource in one go, but it seems that there won¡¯t be a problem now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll add another mental-type resource.¡± Saying this, she extended her hand, and with a flicker of light, she took out a fruit that looked like a peanut. [Name]: Super Thought Fruit [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Can unearth the brain potential of mental-type pet beasts, enhance mental strength, and greatly boost the pet beast¡¯sputational capabilities. Chapter 210: The Transformation of the Dark Crow!! Chapter 210: The Transformation of the Dark Crow!! Super Thought Fruit! Indeed, it is a resource for enhancing mental strength. Although its core ability is to enhanceputational capabilities, which doesn¡¯t quite rte to curses, it¡¯s still quite good and not a waste. Thisys the foundation for the Dark Crow totermand a legion. After all, controlling a legion withoutputational abilities is definitely not feasible. It would be embarrassing if one couldn¡¯t even keep track of a few soldiers lost in the fray. At this moment, seeing these resources, Lu Ran was instantly relieved. Instead, he was filled with endless anticipation for the evolution of the Dark Crow. Although these resourcesbined might still not match those of the Sudden Death King, Lu Ran felt they were sufficient.What level could be reached next depended on the Dark Crow¡¯s own fate. ¡°That¡¯s enough, thank you, everyone.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then in three days, I¡¯ll take the Dark Crow to the Evolution Secret Realm for evolution!¡± Lu Ran announced. He didn¡¯t mind owing a small favor to these First Generations. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll go look again in the next two days to see if there are any other suitable resources¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin said, feeling a bit unhappy about not being able to contribute at all. ¡°No need.¡± Gu Qingyi said with her arms crossed: ¡°These are already enough for the Dark Crow to absorb. Too many, too mixed resources could overwhelm a level 30 pet beast.¡± ¡°Ah, this¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin was stunned, then helplessly shook his head. If that was the case, he might as well look for resources suitable for Lu Ran¡¯s dog. It wouldn¡¯t be right if everyone else had contributed and he hadn¡¯t shown any gesture at all. ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. In three days, at the Arctic Ocean Public Secret Realm, we¡¯ll all apany Lu Ran into the Evolution Secret Realm!¡± Gu Qingyi sped her hands together and smiled: ¡°No problems, right?¡± Everyone naturally had no objections, instead they were eager and looking forward to it. Among a group of beastmasters, evolving a necromantic pet beast, tsk tsk, that scene¡­ would probably astonish a bunch of media. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Especially the superhuman Lin Nian, her eyes flickered with a red gleam, her fingers twitching, almost impatient for someone to cause trouble, so she could unleash havoc. After securing a round of funding, Lu Ran¡¯s tasks for the next two days became very clear: to further cultivate the dark crow. ¡°The fact that I have yet to master the soul fire shows that I stillck control over my soul power,¡± Lu Ran thought. He believed that once the dark crow evolved, and he performed super beast mimicry on the necromancy dark crow, his control over the soul would surely meet the standards. Exclusive room. Training secret realm. Lu Ran summoned the dark crow. ¡°Caw! Today is another day full of energy!¡± The dark crow flew into the sky, saying, ¡°I¡¯m starting my special training now.¡± ¡°Dark crow, I¡¯ll take you for evolution in three days.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The dark crow was startled, almost falling, and said, ¡°Big king, we shouldn¡¯t rush this.¡± ¡°Today is unlike any other day.¡± Lu Ran shook his head andid out the mandrake flower, devouring agate, and super thought fruit, one by one, saying: ¡°I just found these three exquisite resources for you.¡± ¡°How about that, enough for you toy an invincible foundation?¡± ¡°Three, three, three, three-three of them!!!¡± Initially, the dark crow wanted to persuade Lu Ran, but upon seeing the three exquisite resources lined up, its eyes widened in shock. ¡°Big king!!!¡± ¡°Big king, where did you get these¡­¡± ¡°Is it urgent now?¡± Lu Ran asked with a smile. The dark crow excitedly flew to Lu Ran¡¯s side, saying, ¡°Urgent, urgent, urgent, I want to evolve, I want to be stronger.¡± ¡°I can hardly wait to evolve into the overlord crow!¡± The dark crow was thrilled, feeling cherished by the big king! Bing stronger and evolving are the desires of any creature, especially for an ambitious and aspiring one like the dark crow. Evolution symbolizes moving a step closer to their goals. ¡°Go for it, even General Ha doesn¡¯t get this kind of treatment!¡± Lu Ran discussed the uses of these three resources with the dark crow, saying, ¡°You need to consume these resources in advance.¡± ¡°Unlike the sudden death king¡¯s evolution, you have too many resources this time, and it would be toote if you wait until then.¡± ¡°Also, this mandrake flower is somewhat dangerous and not suitable to be consumed before the evolution; eat the devouring agate first, then the super thought fruit, and finally, this mandrake flower.¡± ¡°Alright,ter I¡¯ll add some rare mountain spring water to the remaining soul bone soup. Drink as much as you can, and if you can manage it, eating the bones too is fine.¡± ¡°Over these three days, your task is to devour voraciously with the power of the devouring agate, understood?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Dark Crow touched its petite cherry lips with a wing, feeling somewhat aggrieved. Why couldn¡¯t it have a mouth as big as General Ha¡¯s or Sudden Death King¡¯s? Otherwise, its eating speed could be much faster. However, despite having a small mouth, Dark Crow wanted Lu Ran to understand that its mouth was the sweetest. ¡°Hehe, Big King, you¡¯re so kind~~~¡± ¡°I am willing to¡­¡± Inside the training secret realm, a string of ttery was released from Dark Crow¡¯s mouth. Lu Ran remained unmoved. ¡­ Two dayster. Lu Ran had already returned to the Green Sea. After being enhanced by the devouring agate, Dark Crow¡¯s digestion and absorption capabilities had indeed be terrifying. For some everyday food, it could initially absorb only about 50% of the nutrients right after eating. The remaining 50% would gradually integrate into Dark Crow¡¯s body over a couple of days until fully absorbed. But now, as soon as it ate, itpletely absorbed and digested the nutrients, which would immediately enhance its body. Under such terrifying digestive power, the power of the super thought fruit was undoubtedly perfectly controlled by Dark Crow. Unfortunately, its level was limited by Lu Ran¡¯s level; otherwise, it would be more than just level 30 by now. The super thought fruit, being an enhancement resource, might push both Sudden Death King and Dark Crow close to level 40 once Lu Ran achieved a breakthrough. And the changes brought about by the super thought fruit to Dark Crow were also quite drastic. Previously, Dark Crow only used its mental strength fused with dark power as a curse, but now, its pure mental attacks had be terrifyingly powerful. Mental energy materialized into mental power, a single wave of which could crush the earth and st a long trench through the forest. However, Dark Crow did not favor this type of attack because it consumed too much mental strength. It still preferred the high-end curse power, elegantly resolving its opponents. With enhanced mental strength, Dark Crow¡¯s foundation grew stronger, making it even easier to devour mandrake flowers. In just one day, not only did Dark Crowpletely digest the highly potent mandrake flower, but it also cleaned out the soul bone soup pot that Lu Ran intended to keep as an heirloom, bones and all. Mental strength, darkness, soul-through this process, Dark Crow became asprehensive in its strengths as Sudden Death King had been, except in physical aspects where it was not dominant. In all other respects, Dark Crow felt it had reached its pinnacle. ¡°Ga ga ga ga¡­¡± Upon awakening in the contract card, the Dark Crow cackled with unbridled madness. ¡°Big King, Big King, I have learned a new skill.¡± Lu Ran was lying on the sofa when the Dark Crow woke up. It immediately shook the contract card and rushed over to share the good news with Lu Ran. ¡°Oh oh¡­ I saw it already.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s attention was still fixed on the forum. [The second Evolution Secret Realm is about to open, and arge number of the Golden Generation are ready!] [Among the fourth-generation beastmasters, will anyone sessfully breed a pet beast from the overlord species as in the legends?] Unlike the previous time, this time many fourth-generation beastmasters were also entering, mostly those who had cleared the Legendary Secret Realm of the Golden Generation. Except for the unfortunate encounter with Lu Ran by the Princess of Light and her group, the others had smoothly made breakthroughs to level 2 and raised their pet beasts to level 30. Moreover, they selectively avoided the first Evolution Secret Realm. They were ready to make a grand showing in the second Evolution Secret Realm. Because Lu Ran evolved an Overlord Dragon in the first Evolution Secret Realm, the excitement for this uing realm had not diminished. However,pared to these news pieces, Lu Ran still preferred reading posts discussing him. [What do you think, will Lu Ran, who only evolved one pet beast in thest Evolution Secret Realm,e to this one to evolve the other two? If he does, to what level will they evolve?] These were the hot topics. A user from the Eagle Federationmented: [Without a doubt, his identity as a Dragon Chef, along with his experience in solo clearing the Loong-type Legendary Secret Realm, has given him a huge boost in breeding Loong-type pet beasts. The Shield-winged Dragon King will apany him for life, bing his signature ace pet beast. However, the other two pet beasts are not so lucky. Lu Ran chose a legion-type realm for his level 2 Legendary Secret Realm. Although he seized the initial advantage and imed the rare rewards, it¡¯s clear that the legion-type rewards don¡¯t suit his other two pet beasts. So even if Lu Ranes this time, he definitely cannot replicate the miracle. I guess it will be at the upper sovereign level.] A user from Indonesia replied: [That Gale Sword Dog is still incredibly strong, having outssed the Tyrannosaurus Rex a long time ago. However, I still can¡¯t see how it could evolve to surpass the Shield-winged Dragon King or reach the overlord level. Maybe even after the first-stage evolution, it would struggle to match the Ancient Rock Dragon. I am not optimistic about it. Regarding the third pet beast, ording to information from Xia Country, it seems to be a dark-type Crow? I haven¡¯t seen any notable performances. I wonder why Lu Ran doesn¡¯t specialize in Loong-type, especially with the convenient secondary profession of a Dragon Chef.] ¡°It all makes sense, but I¡¯m not just a Dragon Chef, I¡¯m also a Soul Chef,¡± thought Lu Ran to himself. ¡°Big King¡­¡± the Dark Crow looked at Lu Ran with hopeful eyes. ¡°I see, I¡¯ve already seen your new skill,¡± Lu Ran scratched his head. [Skill]: Dark Vision [Attribute]: Dark, Mental [Type]: Curse [Introduction]: A curse that strips away light, plunging the cursed into a world ofplete sensory deprivation. This was a new ability for the Dark Crow, awakened during its slumber after digesting the mandrake flower-a supplementary skill, perhaps. Like the Pig Transformation Curse, it relies on the Dark Crow¡¯s Dark Curse Talent. ¡°Very impressive!¡± Lu Ran encouraged. ¡°Big King, I have a bold idea,¡± the Dark Crownded beside Lu Ran and whispered: ¡°We¡¯ve almost exhausted our resources, but I feel like I can keep eating.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, ¡°There¡¯s nothing left for you to eat.¡± ¡°There is! Big King, you gave me that Soul Scarecrow, and it smells quite nice. Let me eat it too!¡± Lu Ran: ??? Damn, you want to eat Equipment too? Although, straw does seem edible. ¡°Too bad, the Queen Ant Egg was given away, or else I would have tried some insect eggs¡­¡± the Dark Crowmented. Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Have you gone crazy? Why don¡¯t you just dig out your own Evil God¡¯s Eye and eat it, then heal yourself with the Divine Deer Pendant¡­¡± Lu Ran said, exasperated. ¡°Damn.¡± But then, the next moment, the Dark Crow eximed in shock, ¡°Can we actually do that???¡± ¡°Big King, I want it!!!¡± ¡°It sounds like it would be a terrifyingly bizarre evolution path.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Damn, are you serious? That¡¯s just too wicked. Chapter 211: Sacrifice to the Evil God, Self-Cultivation Feeding Chapter 211: Sacrifice to the Evil God, Self-Cultivation Feeding ¡°I want to try, I want the epic.¡± Dark Crow and Lu Ran were after the Divine Deer Pendant. In the past, the Divine Deer Pendant was an exclusive training tool for General Ha and the Sudden Death King. General Ha specialized in energypression, and the Sudden Death King used the Red Lightning trait for thunder enhancement, both requiring the healing powers of the Divine Deer Pendant. They maximized the effects of this epic item during their training. Injury-free high-load training was also why General Ha and the Sudden Death King became so formidable in certain techniques and attributes. Without the Divine Deer Pendant, even if Lu Ran had the same cultivation resources, General Ha and the Sudden Death King would not be as strong as they are today. For Dark Crow, the time it could use the Divine Deer Pendant was essentially during overload scouting with the Evil God¡¯s Eye. Overload scoutingbined with healing, repeated over and over, could also train the Evil God¡¯s Eye, but unlike General Ha and the Sudden Death King, this training method provided very little enhancement to Dark Crow¡¯sbat abilities.Although the Evil God¡¯s Eye could enhance dark and mental attributes, at its core, it was still a scouting type eye. However, after being reminded by Lu Ran, Dark Crow suddenly realized a major problem!!! The previous training method was wrong, and the improvement was too minor! Since the eyes of the Darksea Octopus could be consumed and were of rare quality enhancement resources, then surely its own eyes could also be eaten, and the quality would definitely surpass those of any stinky fish or rotten shrimp. This was the Evil God¡¯s Eye! Limited by its own level, the effect might notpare to exquisite resources, but it could be said that there were no resources more suitable for Dark Crow than the Evil God¡¯s Eye, as it was a part of its own body, potentially unleashing 200% effectiveness. Normally, it would be very difficult for supernatural beings to use this type of self-cultivation feeding method, as healing back such high-quality organs like the Evil God¡¯s Eye, if damaged, would be extremely challenging. However, such difficulty was trivial for Lu Ran, who possessed the divine deer antler. After all, the source of its power stemmed from the retainer of the life dragon, a legendary life. Even the true form of the Evil God¡¯s Eye, if it appeared before the divine deer, would be nothing more than an ant. With the power of the divine deer, Dark Crow felt that self-cultivation through consumption was entirely feasible! By consuming a massive amount of the Evil God¡¯s Eye, it aimed to transform its power qualitatively through quantitative change! After devouring numerous Evil God¡¯s Eyes, the enhancement effect would certainly rival that of exquisite resources; the main focus waspatibility! ¡°Big King, I want to try!!!¡± Dark Crow was exhrated, feeling even more excited than when consuming those exquisite resources. Lu Ran: ?? ¡°I see it now.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched, realizing that Dark Crow was somewhat perverse. General Ha and Sudden Death King, although they trained using the divine deer pendant, essentially did not want to get hurt. But Dark Crow was different; this creature seemed willing to do anything to be stronger. Truly, it was the most ideologically sound pet beast in the team. However, after careful consideration, Lu Ran thought it might indeed be worth a try. Although it sounded evil, Dark Crow was naturally a pet beast of the Evil God species. Moreover, animals consuming their own body parts was not unheard of in nature. For instance, cats, as viviparous mammals, often eat their own centa after giving birth because it is rich in nutrients and can quickly provide energy during the birthing process. Lu Ran had even observed this himself. Currently, the Evil God¡¯s Eye was akin to that centa. By consuming it, Dark Crow absorbed the nutrients, and then, the divine deer pendant would absorb external natural energy to regenerate new Evil God¡¯s Eyes¡­ Essentially, Dark Crow was using the divine deer pendant as an intermediary tool to more effectively absorb ¡°general natural energy¡± to enhance its ¡°own rare power.¡± After further contemtion, Lu Ran felt it was feasible. ¡°Woo woo woo, Big King, I want.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s give it a try,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°First, go eat that scarecrow. I¡¯ll get ready, and we¡¯ll enter a forest environment in the secret realm.¡± ¡°Healing your eyes consumed a lot of energy; thankfully, we have Infinite City. Otherwise, Green Sea City would certainly be desertified.¡± ¡°Big King is wise!!!¡± the Dark Crow eximed excitedly. Hahahahaha. It had been worried that, relying solely on the previous exquisite resources, it might not match up to the Thunder Dragon General. After all, the Dragon King¡¯s lineage is too strong. But now, the Dark Crow felt much more secure. ¡­ ¡°Manager Ying, I¡¯m going to Infinite City for the final sprint of nurturing.¡± ¡°After that, I¡¯ll head directly to the Public Infinite City in the Arctic Ocean tomorrow. Please take care of Cloud Baby.¡± Before departing, Lu Ran informed Manager Ying, but all he got in return was a cold look. ¡°You, always rushing¡­¡± ¡°You seem unreliable, don¡¯t forget the time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Manager Ying is wise!¡± Lu Ran said and then teleported away. Manager Ying: ? Super beast mimicry on Dark Crow, right! In reality, Lu Ran often used his super beast mimicry more on General Ha. Practicing swordsmanship with General Ha made it easier for Lu Ran to adapt. Thinking of mimicking the Sudden Death King to gain its strong defense, he would also have to endure being hit himself. Although Lu Ran was capable of enduring hardship, mentally, he was still struggling to get through that barrier. However, Lu Ran had made up his mind. After finishing the evolution of a few pet beasts and having some free time, he would also undergo thunder enhancement training with the Sudden Death King to surpass it. Once he perfectly acquired the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense,bined with General Ha¡¯s sword intent, Lu Ran felt he could probably tear apart some supernatural,mander species level 30 ferocious beasts with his bare hands as if they were knives. Hard Difficulty-Level 2 Secret Realm-Verdant Forest. An ordinary secret realm, its unique aspect being that it contains the richest natural energy among novice secret realms. As a result, arge number of grass-type creatures inhabit and grow inside. However, Lu Ran¡¯s visit this time was not for clearing the levels or monster hunting. It was purely to make use of the natural energy of this ce for a fee. ¡°Let¡¯s begin!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯smand, the Dark Crow flew out, its gaze resolute. With a swift transformation of its wing into a hand, it gouged out one of its Evil God¡¯s Eyes. Whoosh! Blood gushed forth. The Dark Crow¡¯s sunken eye socket resembled a dark abyss. However, one cannot deny the endurance and determination of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts, especially when injured-they are undoubtedly top-notch. Whether it¡¯s General Ha, the Sudden Death King, or the Dark Crow, no matter how severe their injuries, they never scream or roar in pain like other beastmasters¡¯ creatures or wild bosses do. ¡°Ah!!! My power¡­ it¡¯s diminishing¡­¡± As the Dark Crow removed one of its eyes, its condition began to deteriorate, growing weaker. This injury was far more serious than General Ha losing teeth or the Sudden Death King shedding scales. After all, General Ha¡¯s teeth and the Sudden Death King¡¯s scales aremon resources. Losing them doesn¡¯t fundamentally harm General Ha or the Sudden Death King. But the Evil God¡¯s Eye was different. It was a core organ of the Dark Crow¡¯s species, the source of most of its abilities. Without the Evil God¡¯s Eye, its strength was practically reduced by ny percent. ¡°Please, Deer God-¡± Lu Ran earnestly raised the Divine Deer Antler. As the vige chief of Lujia Vige, it was his duty to y an active role and show respect to the divine deer. Under a golden-green halo, the eye socket of the Dark Crow was covered with healing light. The eye tissue quickly regenerated. In less than a minute, its Evil God¡¯s Eye was restored to its original state, although the power of the Divine Deer Antler seemed significantly depleted. ¡°Caw, caw, caw.¡± The incessantly bleeding eye socket soon grew a new Evil God¡¯s Eye. Without a second thought, the Dark Crow tossed the old eye and swallowed it with its beak. Gulp. In the next instant, Lu Ran watched eagerly. Following the prior consumption of the Devouring Agate and now the power originally belonging to it, the Dark Crow quickly felt an incredible transformation in its body. ¡°The effect¡­¡± Its mental strength was vibrant, its dark powers surged, emitting a ck aura, and most importantly, its pupils now appeared even deeper and more profound. ¡°The effect¡­ if I could get more of this, it seems no worse than the resources I consumed before.¡± The Dark Crow¡¯s eyes gleamed fervently at Lu Ran. ¡°Do it!¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth, ready to take the risk. As long as it works. With that resolved¡­ let the secret realm feel the terror. After a while¡­ ¡­ ¡°Ah!!¡± After consuming many Evil God¡¯s Eyes, the Dark Crow¡¯s state finally underwent a significant transformation. ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± At this moment, the breath of the Dark Crow became even more terrifying. Although it is currently just an Upper Commander, it is now no less formidable than General Ha with a sword in his mouth. Its truebat power has certainly reached the mid-level of a Sovereign. The huge Dark Crow stood on the ground. Lu Ran and his group had been in the Secret Realm for a long time, and no ferocious beasts dared approach this area,rgely due to the ominous breath continuously emitted by the Dark Crow. At this time, even Lu Ran felt a chilling sensation upon gazing at the Dark Crow. The pair of dark eyes with red vertical pupils was terrifying enough, and now, to the shock of both Lu Ran and the Dark Crow, as more and more Evil God¡¯s Eyes were consumed¡­ Apart from its own two eyes, a third eye emerged on the forehead of the Dark Crow as its feathers parted! ¡°Damn it,¡± Lu Ran eximed, feeling frightened inside. ¡°The power has be even stronger¡­¡± However, the Dark Crow, after its initial shock, was quite thrilled by this change. So cool! ¡°Big King, keep going, keep going!!¡± the Dark Crow urged. ¡°The eyes must not stop!!¡± Lu Ran swallowed hard, feeling as if things were developing in an unforeseen direction. A dayter. The Dark Crow seemed to have reached a certain bottleneck. It appeared that the power of the Devouring Agate had beenpletely exhausted, or perhaps this method of cultivation had reached the limit of the Dark Crow¡¯s current level. Through self-cultivation, it no longer felt any noticeable increase in strength. Although there was no obvious change in strength, the appearance of the Dark Crow became increasingly bizarre. While it still looked like a huge ck Crow, when it spread its wings, its body and feathers were visibly marked with Evil God¡¯s Eyes all over. Such a terrifying scene might even make the Evil God itself shiver; it¡¯s said that necromancy is eerie, but it pales inparison to the current state of the Dark Crow. ¡°Caw caw.¡± Fortunately, the Dark Crow could hide these extra Evil Eyes, or else Lu Ran would not dare to let it out, fearing it might frighten children on the street. ¡°It¡¯s time.¡± By now, the Dark Crow had be a powerfulmander, capable of killing a Sovereign in a higher ss, just like General Ha. Lu Ran checked the time and said, ¡°That¡¯s it then.¡± ¡°Damn, what a bizarre day. I want to see what you can evolve into¡­¡± Chapter 212: The Dark Crow Evolves, A Mysterious Species! Chapter 212: The Dark Crow Evolves, A Mysterious Species! Having gained Lu Ran¡¯s approval, Jin breathed a sigh of relief. The big shots of domestic superhuman organizations had wanted to get in touch with Lu Ran for a long time, but they had never had the chance. Lu Ran was so formidable that even the big shots of India¡¯s superpower organization suspected that his abilities were rted to theirs. If they could invite Lu Ran to visit India for a discussion, it would naturally be for the best. Jin seemed to want to say something else, but the next moment, someone else arrived. Seeing this, Lu Ran showed a helpless expression and tapped on the Sudden Death King, saying, ¡°I¡¯m dead tired. Call me when the evolution energy bursts again; I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± Saying that, the Sudden Death King cooperatively closed its wings, enveloping Lu Ran, General Ha, and the Dark Crow, making them invisible to the outside world except for a rock-like shield of wings. ¡°This person, so annoying,¡± murmured Monasa, whose hair resembled a snake, his gaze flowing. ¡°Strong individuals always have their quirks, and indeed, being harassed can be annoying,¡± Superhuman Jiana remarked as she looked at the people continuing to arrive. ¡°Indeed,¡± Jin said. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s evolve here too, and after Lu Ran finishes his evolution, we can chat with him.¡± The three of them stepped aside.The neers, seeing Lu Ran enveloped by the shield and sealing himself off from outsiders, also fell silent. Realizing they couldn¡¯t reach Lu Ran, they didn¡¯t bother to call him forcefully. Instead, they settled nearby, nning to evolve in the vicinity. The ce Lu Ran had chosen was initially quiet, but it wasn¡¯t long before it was crowded, even the sky filled with media reporters riding on flying pet beasts, observing from above. ¡°Hehe,¡± especially the White Mouse Reporter who hadst published first-hand news about Lu Ran, appeared again in the Evolution Secret Realm. The strong individuals from various countries who came to watch the spectacle greeted the White Mouse, ¡°White Mouse, who are you nning to focus on this time?¡± ¡°Lu Ran, of course.¡± ¡°It might be hard to replicate the miracle, but he¡¯s still the most talked about.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also curious to see what species his Sword Dog will evolve into.¡± The White Mouse Reporter felt that Lu Ran¡¯s visit this time was likely to evolve his initial pet beast. As for the Crow, she didn¡¯t know much about it and refrained from specting. ¡°Of course, besides Lu Ran, the Ice King also deserves attention! It is said that he has arrived too,¡± the White Mouse spoke up. The King of Ice, King of Snow, King of Cold, and King of Winter, known collectively as the four kings, were the first team to pass through the Legendary Secret Realm. All four of them are Level 3 beastmasters and belong to the Third Generation of the strongest echelon. It can be said that most of the intelligence about the Legendary Secret Realm obtained by various countries came from them. Without their intelligence, Lu Ran might still be unaware that the rating of the Legendary Secret Realm is rted to the number of people whoplete it. Legend has it that these four powerhouses regretted their decision afterward, realizing toote that the rating was tied to the number of participants; they would have opted for a dualpletion. No one doubted their strength, for, as the first global team to pass through the Legendary Secret Realm, their capabilities were certainly up to par. The Ice King, captain of the ice and snow winter team and the only one among the four to have nurtured a new pet, is a beastmaster to watch. If he hase to the Evolution Secret Realm for a second time, it would indeed be noteworthy; such a powerhouse is unlikely to have a weak new pet. ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s more¡­¡± the White Mouse maximized her professional ethos, engaging in conversation with these big shots. Some timeter. Finally. The Prompt Tone sounded. [Evolution energy surge countdown: 60 seconds.] [Alert 1: ¡­] Simr to the previous Evolution Secret Realm, the announcement rang in everyone¡¯s ears, prompting the beastmasters to halt their casual conversations and wait with bated breath. At this moment, the wings of the Sudden Death King slowly unfolded, drawing considerable attention. To everyone¡¯s surprise, there was Lu Ran, the Dark Crow, and that dog, all snuggled up against the giant dragon, resting their eyes. ¡°Huh.¡± As the countdown began, Lu Ran slowly opened his eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s starting now.¡± ¡°Dark Crow!¡± ¡°I¡¯m here!!!¡± the Dark Crow shot into the sky. ¡°That one?¡± The observers watching Lu Ran looked toward the soaring Dark Crow and the indifferent Erha, slightly taken aback. It seemed that Lu Ran intended to evolve the Crow, a Level 30, Dark, Mental, Upper Commander Species. From the perspective of attributes and species, this Crow reaching the level of an Upper Commander at level 30 is quite impressive. However, it¡¯s still hard to imagine how this Crow could possibly surpass the Dragon King below it. Lu Ran is a Dragon Chef, not a Chef Crow after all. Seizing the moment Lu Ran appeared, and before the evolution energy erupted, the white mouse reporter boldly approached him from the air, saying, ¡°Mr. Lu Ran, may I ask about¡­¡± ¡°Shut up! At such a level, you dare to disrupt my evolution!¡± Before Lu Ran could speak, the Dark Crow General angrily red at the white mouse reporter from the sky. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement was already bestowed upon it, and in its view, any interference with Lu Ran was an attempt to cause its evolution to fail! [A talking Crow¡­] The Dark Crow¡¯s distinct personality was indeed memorable. The white mouse reporter gasped, not expecting such a character from a Crow. Yet what she didn¡¯t expect even more was that this unique Crow seemed to know exactly what she wanted. ¡°Just want to know what level I can evolve to, right?¡± ¡°Wait and see for yourself, don¡¯t ask!¡± The Dark Crow¡¯s intense desire to express itself left Lu Ran helpless, but fortunately, the white mouse reporter was wise enough to leave immediately. ¡°Damn Crow¡­¡± the white mouse reporter muttered as she left, utterly frustrated and on the verge of tears, not expecting to be snubbed by a Crow even before Lu Ran could speak. During the conversation. The uneven ground began to crack. Light burst forth from within. ¡°It¡¯sing!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s about to erupt!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡± ¡°Evolve, my pet beast!¡± Voices of excited beastmasters echoed everywhere. Beneath the wave of voices, Countless beams of light surged forth, and at that moment, numerous beastmasters simultaneously threw their trait crystals toward their pet beasts! Lu Ran was no exception. He threw a necromancy clone trait crystal. Besides this, the Dark Crow had already absorbed all other resources in advance. Now, this crystal was the absolute turning point for the Dark Crow¡¯s future! Although it doesn¡¯t enjoy the same soul cuisine treatment as General Ha and the Sudden Death King, the exquisite soul bone has significantly enhanced the soul power of the Dark Crow, perfectly matching its Necromancy clone without any issues. Moreover, what really decides the evolutionary potential of the Dark Crow is not just this Necromancy clone trait-it¡¯s merely the final key to unlock evolution. What truly determines its potential is the entire foundation umted within levels 1 to 30. Whichever power system dominates will dictate the species it evolves closer to after evolution. For example, although the Sudden Death King has absorbed a variety of traits, its cultivation is predominantly Loong-type, with Thunder-type being secondary. Now, the Dark Crow is clearly dominated by curse power, so after evolution, it should primarily be of the Curse type. This aligns perfectly with Lu Ran¡¯s cultivation direction, where Necromancy merely supports the curse power, rather than making the Dark Crow specialize in Necromancy. If one were to specialize in Necromancy, the pursuit wouldn¡¯t be a Necromancy clone but rather the soul as the true essence! ¡°Here ites!¡± The Dark Crow grabbed the trait crystal with its beak, its method of fusion vastly different from others-perhaps a side effect of the pig transformation curse, it¡¯s nearly turned into a pig itself, trying to solve everything by eating. ¡°Gah.¡± The Dark Crow swallowed the trait crystal in one gulp. In the next instant. The surge of evolution energypletely enveloped the flying Dark Crow! In the entire Evolution Secret Realm, time seemed to stand still, and numerous beastmasters held their breath. ¡­ At this moment, the beastmasters evolving their pet beasts couldn¡¯t be bothered with others, fully invested in their own pet beasts. Including the three from India¡¯s Golden Generation near Lu Ran. Only a group of wealthy beastmasters who also loved spectating were acting as an audience, observing everything from the air. A careful observation would reveal that those who were present during the first opening of the Evolution Secret Realm were here again, and the audience was noticeablyrger. Boom! It didn¡¯t take long. A wave of sovereign intimidation spread, and several pet beasts, wrapped in evolution energy,pleted their first evolution. For those who evolved early, the experts in the sky had already drawn conclusions: these pet beasts couldn¡¯t be strong. Without even triggering the star blessing of the cosmos, how could they be powerful? However, evolution urred very swiftly. In no time at all, the sky lit up with one beam of light after another, marking the start of the most thrilling moment. ¡°The star blessing is about to descend!¡± ¡°Quick, look at which 10 pet beasts it is!¡± Stars shining in the sky excited many. Soon, starlight poured down, illuminating different areas. Terrifying sovereign waves erupted with this starlight, booming loudly! In the west, a giant crocodile roared continuously. In the south, a majestic lion devoured the starlight. At this moment, those who evolved under the starlight were undoubtedly upper sovereigns with potential rivaling overlords. However, in an instant, these powerful presences were all suppressed by a resounding roar that pierced the sky. ¡°Moo-¡° In a region mixed with ice and snow, a creature covered in fine blue fur, with huge tusks, was howling at the sky. Its enormous body suggested it was a mammoth. Beside the mammoth, a muscr young man suddenly burst into loud, excitedughter. [Name]: Permafrost Elephant Lord [Attribute]: Ice, Earth [Species Level]: Lower Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 31 [Introduction]: A unique species, an ancient overlord. ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± As the manughed, many shocked gazes turned towards him. ¡°It¡¯s the King of Ice.¡± ¡°He¡¯s actually an overlord¡­¡± ¡°This pet beast, I have intelligence on it. The Ice and Snow Winter Team, in the Legendary Secret Realm, the best reward is a lower sovereign species ancient permafrost elephant cub.¡± ¡°It seems that this cub was ultimately contracted by the King of Ice.¡± ¡°Sss¡­ It¡¯s reached the overlord species.¡± People were incredibly surprised. This mammoth¡¯s species, likely originating from the Star-Moon Continent and not Blue Star, disyed an unbelievable advantage as an innate sovereign. Under the careful cultivation of the King of Ice and the Snowfield Federation, it achieved the formidable status of a lower overlord. ¡°From today on, defeating the Second Generation and First Generation will no longer be a challenge,¡± dered the King of Ice with a bold promation. He felt that, barring any surprises, today he would undoubtedly be the main character in this Evolution Secret Realm, having invested his entire fortune in this colossal elephant, even owing countless favors in the process. The second supreme overlord of Blue Star! The King of Ice¡¯s eyes gleamed with excitement. ¡°Who else!!!¡± At this moment, he could hardly contain his emotions. However, the next moment. History often has a surprising resemnce. When people were shocked by the evolutionary results of the Ice King from the Snowfield, theypletely missed that only nine beams of evolutionary light were still descending in session. There was also a chatterbox, still enveloped in the evolutionary light, until all the pet beasts had finished evolving. Boom!!! A starry sky thundered, and countless people looked up in confusion, only to see, at this very moment, that the entire sky had lit up once again. People wore baffled expressions. Confusion reigned in their hearts. Even the Ice King was momentarily stunned. The dazzling starlight outlined a constetion, one shaped like an eye. Then, the stars gazed downward. Buzz! A vast cascade of starlight fell. ¡°No way?!¡± At this moment, someone seemed to have noticed something, speaking in disbelief. ¡°Ah?¡± The White Mouse Reporter was also startled, quickly looking in Lu Ran¡¯s direction. And sure enough¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast still hadn¡¯t finished evolving. ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± The Ice King also took flight, looking towards the distance. ¡°Lu Ran?¡± He spoke, puzzled. ¡°Is it like this again, could it be a middle overlord?!!¡± Some veteran spectators spected. But after specting, they found it too far-fetched to believe. Not just them, even those aware of the dark crow¡¯s evolutionary resource allocation like Gu Qingyi and others were taken aback. Those resources,bined with Lu Ran¡¯s own nurturing, made it not impossible for the dark crow to reach the status of a lower overlord, but why such an anomaly again?? Besides those resources, what else had Lu Ran been feeding this dark crow?? ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s definitely the illegitimate child of Infinite City,¡± Catmented. After the myriad streaks of starlight descended, everyone held their breath once again to look. Amid the slowly dispersing brilliance, a massive ck crow appeared. Due to its evolution, the power within it was uncontrobly unleashed, revealing a dense array of Evil God¡¯s Eyes. The sight of these eerie eyes sent a chill down the spines of many powerful onlookers, startling them. ¡°What the hell is that monster?¡± ¡°What on earth has Lu Ran bred?¡± Despite its bizarre appearance, many were puzzled as to why this crow could invoke such a dazzling blessing just moments earlier. ¡°Another lower overlord!!!¡± someone eximed. Yet, even as a fellow lower overlord, why was this crow¡¯s evolutionary disy so much more formidable than that of the permafrost elephant lord? Even the King of Ice felt a pang of rivalry, but in the next moment, everyone¡¯s expression changed simultaneously. ¡°No, something¡¯s not right.¡± For in the next instant, a second figure slowly emerged behind the terrifying crow filled with eyes. It was a specter enshrouded in grey-ck mist,posed entirely of spirit, with blood-red eyes-a necromantic crow! Apart fromcking eyes all over its body and having an ethereal form, its appearance was identical to the other. During its evolution, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had astonishingly split into two separate bodies! And both bodies belonged to the overlord species! This was the greatest change following the crow¡¯s evolution! A deathly echo resonated throughout the secret realm. [Name]: Twin Crow (Crow of Curses Form) [Attribute]: Dark, Mental [Species Level]: Lower Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 30 ¡­ [Name]: Twin Crow (Crow of Death Form) [Attribute]: Necromancy, Dark [Species Level]: Lower Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 30 ¡­ [Introduction]: A unique species, twin souls in one body, the master of strangeness!! People were now certain that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had indeed split during its evolutionary process. ¡°How is this possible!!!¡± Upon seeing this, countless people were shocked beyond belief, unable toprehend, and their faces showed their astonishment. In an instant, two overlords had been bred? The King of Ice himself was left dumbfounded. How could this be possible??? Chapter 213: The Second Evolution Secret Realm Opens! Chapter 213: The Second Evolution Secret Realm Opens! Arctic Ocean, Public Infinite City. Learning from past mistakes, this time Lu Ran didn¡¯t travel physically but teleported directly from Xia Country¡¯s Infinite City. Another branch of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦. ¡°The protagonist has finally arrived.¡± Seeing Lu Ran enter, Gu Qingyi, who had sent him several messages in a row, rxed. The other First Generation big shots from Xia Country in the caf¨¦ also turned their attention to Lu Ran. Apart from them, there was only one cat-eared maid in the shop, and no other customers-it seemed that today was a special day, not open to the public. ¡°Sorry for beingte because of some intensive training, big shots. Thank you for waiting.¡± Lu Ran found a ce to sit and exined with a smile, though he wasn¡¯t reallyte; there were still two hours before the secret realm opened.¡°Lu Ran is here, add a cup of kopi luwak for him~¡± As soon as Lu Ran sat down, Zhu Kaixin¡¯sment almost made him leave. ¡°Do you have c???¡± Lu Ran asked loudly. ¡°Kopi luwak tastes good!¡± Zhu Kaixin insisted. Lu Ran was disdainful. At that moment, a tall, sexy cat-eared maid dressed in a maid¡¯s uniform walked out. Her demeanor starkly contrasted with that of Gu and Lin. ¡°Lu Ran, let me introduce, um, my contractee, Tang Changpu.¡± Lu Ran had just noticed that Manager Ying was also there, curled up asleep in a corner. Ying only woke up when Lu Ran came in, still groggy. ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran looked at the smiling cat-eared maid standing before him and immediately stood up to greet her, saying, ¡°Manager Tang, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you.¡± ¡°Manager Ying has mentioned you several times.¡± ¡°Hello, it¡¯s actually I who have long heard of your reputation.¡± Tang Changpu, although referred to as Manager Ying¡¯s beastmaster, was actually mentored by Manager Ying herself, effectively making her Manager Ying¡¯s top employee. She had been working abroad, helping Manager Ying gather intelligence and establish branches. She smiled warmly at Lu Ran, saying, ¡°Mentor Ying has also often spoken of your unparalleled talent.¡± Manager Ying: ¡°???¡± ¡°Ah?¡± It instantly woke up and, with its fur on end, said, ¡°Coffee can be drunk indiscriminately, but words must not be carelessly spoken, Xiao Tang. Be polite, but don¡¯t drag me into this. When did I ever say that!¡± ¡°Manager Ying is wise,¡± Lu Ran remarked again. Soon, the shop was filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Seeing someone mixing drinks, Lu Ran finally switched from kopi luwak to a chilled c, which was more to his liking-he wasn¡¯t one for fine things, much like a mountain pig wouldn¡¯t eat fine bran. With some time left before the opening of the Evolution Secret Realm, everyone had gathered and started to chat leisurely. Zishu, looking like a rebellious youth, was about to undertake an important task yet was still sipping vodka. ¡°Lu Ran, has the mandrake flower been absorbed?¡± he asked. ¡°It has,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°It must be thanks to my ¡®devouring agate,¡¯¡± Wu Ma said calmly. ¡°It seems your dark crow¡¯s potential for evolution is promising.¡± ¡°With thebination of evolution energy and star blessing, it might even reach the status of a lower overlord!¡± ¡°I¡¯m envious. Us from the First Generation might have to wait for the second-stage evolution to have an overlord pet beast,¡± hemented. Lin Nian, sitting nearby, found the discussion boring and chose not to join. Lu Ran said, ¡°Hasn¡¯t Infinite City updated the realm for second-stage evolution yet? There should be one, right?¡± ¡°No updates yet, and who knows if there will be,¡± Shi Zhen replied. ¡°Pet beast second-stage evolution, hmm, still a few levels short. Theter level advancements are truly difficult.¡± ¡°Even eating an enhancement-type exquisite resource won¡¯t raise it by two levels.¡± He was actually quite looking forward to the pet beast¡¯s second-stage evolution. If it developed a powerful talent, it could potentially break through the curse with the power of the pet beast, and then he wouldn¡¯t need to bother others. ¡°Actually, the former guild leader¡¯s pet beast reached level 60 a while ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the strategy team of the International Alliance has also recently had a batch of ace pet beasts reach level 60, but as of now, it seems none have undergone the second-stage evolution.¡± ¡°The overlord pet beast ranking remains solely Lu Ran¡¯s.¡± ¡°After all, with the Evolution Secret Realm for first-stage evolution already avable, Infinite City might just update to include a second-stage evolution version in the future. It seems like everyone is waiting for that,¡± Gu Qingyi said as she sipped her grape shaved ice. ¡°Compared to that, the global poption of beastmasters must be nearing 10 million by now. I wonder what kind of updates Infinite City will implement when that happens,¡± Zhu Kaixin remarked. ¡°I feel that soon, the beast taming domain is likely to undergo significant changes again.¡± Zhu Kaixin added, ¡°Do you think they might update the real-world secret realm?¡± ¡°In the Ancient era, didn¡¯t Infinite City update with a real-world secret realm gamey? Once the number of beastmasters reaches 10 million, they might update it again, it¡¯s possible.¡± Manager Ying chimed in from the side, ¡°They might also update to include a specialized area for training ¡®ferocious beasts¡¯. By then, beings like the Fishman King and the Ancient giant panda might even enter Infinite City on their own for training, without relying on a beastmaster.¡± Everyone: ??!! ¡°What!¡± Zishu eximed in shock, looking at Manager Ying, ¡°Do you have some special intelligence?¡± Manager Ying shrugged and said, ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just a feeling. Something like Infinite City can¡¯t be created by human efforts alone. To create it, you¡¯d need the power of something like the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons. If such beings exist, it doesn¡¯t make sense for them to favor humans so much.¡± ¡°With the resurgence of spiritual energy and supernatural beings gradually gaining intelligence, perhaps one day even ¡®beasts¡¯ could enter Infinite City for specialized training¡­¡± Everyone fell silent; although Manager Ying¡¯s statement sounded far-fetched, it also wasn¡¯t entirely out of the realm of possibility. Essentially, Manager Ying is still an unimed supernatural being. Viewing issues from the perspective of supernatural beings, it¡¯s not surprising to arrive at such conclusions. If that day trulyes, the human way of life might be even more perilous. However, Lu Ran, who was listening on the side, found the idea rather intriguing. If that were to happen¡­ although humans might be at a disadvantage, he wouldn¡¯t be! After all, his retainer skill clearly steered him towards developing a Pet Beast Legion. If beasts not bound by contracts could also enter Infinite City, then it would be much easier for him to train them. ¡°I do wish¡­ Infinite City would upgrade to a hospital facility that cures all ailments¡­¡± At this moment, Shi Zhen, no, it should be Shi Xia-he has been maintaining his sister¡¯s identity for some time now, feeling quite helpless, but having promised Lu Ran, he came to serve as a bodyguard. Everyone looked at Shi Zhen, who seemed like a resentful wife, wondering why he was still fixated on changing back. Things are fine as they are now. If Shi Zhen used those resources aimed at breaking the curse to adapt to living as a daughter, Xia Country might already have another warrior goddess. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Boring, let¡¯s talk about the uing Evolution Secret Realm,¡± said Lin Nian, the petite superpowered girl. ¡°How about we let Lu Ran go evolve his pet beast alone, and we hide?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re all around him, the enemies won¡¯t dare attack him, and that would be no fun.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran twitched the corner of his mouth. What are you all nning? ¡°I think it¡¯s a good idea,¡± chuckled Zishu. ¡°Interesting,¡± Pig Deity also looked forward with anticipation. It was clear these folks were all unstable elements and the type not afraid of stirring up trouble. Lu Ran looked for help from Dr. Gu, who seemed contemtive. ¡°Not bad,¡± said Gu Qingyi. ¡°This time, let¡¯s see who dares to make a move; they definitely need a lesson.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran forgot, she too had been the target of assassinations multiple times. Now that she had grown, she was excited to turn the tables on her hunters. So, I¡¯m just the bait then. ¡°Alright, alright, as long as my safety is guaranteed, it¡¯s OK. You don¡¯t have to stay close; I¡¯ll just have a cat with me, not too much to ask, right?¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying. ¡°Not too much,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Manager Ying has many clones and hasn¡¯t really made a move before. Except for the domestic high-level members, most people don¡¯t know about its capabilities. Having it stay by your side will indeed be quite misleading.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± said Manager Ying, who was intrigued and eating melons, startled. Damn, with so many First Generation around, you still choose it to stay by Lu Ran¡¯s side on the front line? What a joke. ¡°That¡¯s settled then,¡± Lin Nian said. ¡°Lu Ran, be a bit aggressive and force their hand. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be there to keep you safe.¡± Lu Ran gave a wry smile, hoping for the best¡­ Seeing this, Manager Ying could only resign itself to its fate as a bodyguard. ¡°It¡¯s okay, then I¡¯ll just hide by Lu Ran¡¯s side. Don¡¯t underestimate me, I can be quite intimidating too!¡± it dered. The group expressed their doubts. ¡­ Before long, they set off. It was best to enter the Legendary Secret Realm a bit early. Ideally, having Lu Ran stand in one spot for an hour to show his face was a good strategy. Otherwise, those who harbored ill intentions towards Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t even know that he was also attending this Evolution Secret Realm, rendering the trap useless. Since there were many bodyguards, Lu Ran didn¡¯t bother with sunsses, a mask, or a cap. He walked directly to the Beastmaster Square dressed in a simple ck casual outfit. Given the crowd, it would have been difficult for anyone to recognize him, but Lu Ran was too famous, and this time he made no attempt to disguise himself. Soon, as Lu Ran passed by, someone stopped, staring at him in utter surprise. ¡°Lu Ran?? Is that the Lu Ran, Passerby A??¡± he said in an ent that was difficult to ce. Following his outcry, more gazes turned towards Lu Ran. ¡°O! It really is Lu Ran!! It¡¯s him!!¡± ¡°He really dide to this Evolution Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Lu Ran, can I get an autograph? Sign on my belly!¡± ¡°Sorry, I need to get ready to evolve, maybe next time.¡± Lu Ran responded quickly and soon reached the teleportation gate, transporting directly into the Evolution Secret Realm. At that moment, the news of Lu Ran appearing in the Arctic Ocean¡¯s Infinite City exploded on international forums. Lu Ran is here again! But it¡¯s not surprising, given that many from the Golden Generation who passed through the Legendary Secret Realm were present, and Lu Ran¡¯s other pet beasts hadn¡¯t fully evolved yet, so it made sense for him toe. Everyone was curious about which pet beast he was nning to evolve this time. Inside the Evolution Secret Realm. Upon entering, Lu Ran immediately summoned Sudden Death King, General Ha, and Dark Crow. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Returning to the ce of its rise once again, the Sudden Death King gazed at the starry sky, feeling nostalgic. ¡°Woof.¡± Meanwhile, General Ha silently watched the Dark Crow, unsure of how far it could evolve. But General Ha firmly believed that thest one to show up would definitely be the strongest. Letting the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow get a head start? So what! It showed an expression of wisdom. Letting the strengthening Sudden Death King and Dark Crow work for it. Work towards stronger resources. Then itself would evolve. General Ha felt that it was exceedingly clever. ¡°Sudden Death King, take us to a quiet ce,¡± Lu Ran said as he climbed onto the giant back of the Sudden Death King, followed by General Ha and Dark Crow, causing the Sudden Death King to pout. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Upon hearing the instruction, the Sudden Death King still obeyed Lu Ran¡¯smand, pping its wings, and took off flying towards a sparsely popted area. In the sky, the Shield-winged Dragon King appeared, and countless gazes turned towards it; at this moment, the beastmasters in the Evolution Secret Realm also instantly realized that the man hade again. ¡­ The second Evolution Secret Realm had opened, and the level ofpetition might be even fiercer than before. At the moment, many First to Fourth Generation beastmasters had arrived in the realm even earlier than Lu Ran. These young talents of various skin colors squinted their eyes watching the Domineering Energy of the giant dragon flying past, and then slightly shook their heads. Some were overly curious about Lu Ran and immediately followed him, wanting to get closer. For instance, just as Lu Ran hadnded, three people quickly followed him. Boom! When the Sudden Death Kingnded, it majestically looked towards these three people, with Lu Ran, General Ha, and Dark Crow also gazing at them. These three individuals, one male and two females, the man dressed in blue trousers and a floral shirt with curly hair, looked young and wore a smile. One of the women also had curly brown hair, bearing some resemnce to the man, but her attire, like the other woman, was a white saree, exuding an exotic charm. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Big Shot Lu Ran,¡± the man began, ¡°my name is Jin.¡± ¡°This is my younger sister, Jiana, and our teammate, Monasa,¡± he introduced them one by one to Lu Ran, saying, ¡°Both Jiana and I are superhumans. I heard that you are too, so I wanted to meet you.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you guys,¡± Lu Ran recalled. These three were from the Golden Generation of Ah San Country, the first team to clear the Legendary Secret Realm as fourth-generation beastmasters-quite impressive. ¡°Hello.¡± The two young women also smiled and greeted Lu Ran. As scions of a great nation, they couldn¡¯tck pride, but none of that would show in front of Lu Ran. Lu Ran alone was enough to overwhelm all other fourth-generation beastmasters. Before any other fourth-generation could solo clear the Legendary Secret Realm, Lu Ran was unequivocally the top among them. ¡°I know you, but I¡¯m not looking to make friends anymore, so goodbye,¡± Lu Ran waved his hand, dismissing them. Sorry, he now only hangs out with the First Generation. Also, fooling around with foreign girls would worry his family. What if it was a honey trap or a spy? Better not to make contact at all. The trio didn¡¯t expect Lu Ran to dismiss them so bluntly: ¡°¡­¡± Jin said, ¡°Lu Ran, big shot, don¡¯t be in a hurry to refuse. Do you want to know what superhuman abilities truly represent? In India, a superhuman powerhouse, there are ten superhumans, and the depth of research into superhuman abilities is profound¡­¡± ¡°Screech!!!¡± The dark crow, seeing the others still talking, was about to shoo them away, but Lu Ran waved his hand, musing internally, ¡°Let¡¯s talk after evolution.¡± Since these three didn¡¯t want to leave, they shouldn¡¯t me him for any fright they might experience soon. Chapter 214: The Necromancy Holy Son, Revealing His Identity! Shock, silence, bewilderment, terror¡­ Countless people stared at the eerie Twin Crow, feeling as if they had fallen into an icy cavern, their souls gripped and dragged into darkness. One by one, the strong stood facing the Twin Crow, their shock greater even than when facing the Shield-winged Dragon King. The evolution of the Shield-winged Dragon King was traceable, albeit its Species level was extraordinarily high. But what was with this Crow¡­ it actually¡­ actually split into two bodies?? And both bodies belonged to overlord species?! Of course, what shocked the strong from various nations the most was that the Crow¡¯s second body was of the necromancy type!! At this moment, people recalled a rumor from long ago. Lu Ran, the Holy Son of necromancy, was suspected of researching necromancy¡­Hiss¡­ This matter had been forgotten for a long time, and with no reaction from the International Alliance, everyone had thought it was just a rumor. But now, seeing the Twin Crow, witnessing the necromancy body in the form of the crow of death, a chilling sensation arose in everyone¡¯s hearts. ¡°Indeed¡­¡± At this moment, Lu Ran also spoke indifferently. As the beastmaster of the dark crow, he knew much more than these bystanders. Lu Ran had never anticipated that the dark crow would evolve into this form!!! [Species Talent]: Twin Curse (A pet beast with this talent possesses two bodies, with a shared consciousness between them, both are the original. Both bodies must be destroyed for it to truly die!) The original necromancy clone trait had bestowed such a monstrous talent on the dark crow. Although the dark crow had not evolved into a middle overlord species, thebined strength of two lower overlord bodies might rival that of a middle overlord! Lu Ran felt joy inside, finding this talent perfectly suited for the dark crow. From now on, he could keep one by his side and send the other to manage the Crow Legion~ It just remained to be seen if the two bodies could fuse¡­ ¡°Caw caw caw caw¡­¡± ¡°Caw caw caw caw¡­¡± Meanwhile, the Twin Crow, with its two bodies, also burst intoughter, feeling its newfound strength, which was almost ten times greater than that of the former King of Ice!!! What is called Talent! This is what you call Talent! Now, it can not only fight two against one, but also two can fight against one. ¡°Lu Ran, Passerby A!!!¡± However, such moments of joy are often spoiled, and as Lu Ran and the Dark Crow were still basking in their delight, a middle-aged man with blond hair riding atop an eagle suddenly spoke with a grim expression: ¡°Necromancy.¡± ¡°There were rumors that you were exploring necromancy, and I didn¡¯t believe them, but now it seems you have indeed strayed.¡± ¡°Tell me, is it your own doing, or is Xia Country secretly cultivating necromantic pet beasts?¡± Many who saw Lu Ran evolve a necromantic pet beast felt uneasy, sensing that something significant was about to happen, but given Lu Ran¡¯s status, no one dared to speak up first until this man voiced his concerns¡­ ¡°It¡¯s him¡­¡± Seeing this man, numerous beastmasters understood why he reacted this way. Caron, a first-generation beastmaster from the Eagle Federation, whose own brother had been severely injured in apetition within a public secret realm and subsequently died at the hands of a first-generation beastmaster from Xia Country. Because of this, he harbored a natural hatred towards Xia Country. Now that he had caught Xia Country red-handed, it was no wonder heshed out. ¡°Engaging with necromancy has already vited the beast tamingws of the International Alliance. I believe, Professor Lu, as an Interpol Officer of the International Alliance, it is necessary to arrest you and take you back to headquarters for investigation.¡± ¡°I now suspect that you have ties with The Other Shore!¡± At this moment, another beastmaster from Neon Country stood up. Neon Country, being close to Xia Country and often targeted inpetitions within the public secret realms, also had a poor rtionship with Xia Country. As these two stood firm, seeing how formidable Lu Ran had be, many others began to align themselves, aiming to use necromancy as a point of contention against Lu Ran. These nations, backed by powers with strained rtions with Xia Country, were unwilling to let Lu Ran, who had evolved such a terrifying pet beast, leave unscathed. However, Lu Ran maintained a calm expression throughout his encounter with the group. His gaze swept over everyone, including Jin and Jiana, whose expressions were filled with terror. With the evolution of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast, they no longer dared approach him. Lu Ran smiled, indeed he had frightened the youngsters. Then, his gaze shifted toward Caron and the others. ¡°I am indeed studying necromancy,¡± Lu Ran dered, shocking the assembled powerhouses who had not expected such a candid admission. Even iming it was a mistaken or idental evolution would have been more eptable than admitting it outright. ¡°There were rumors that I had joined the Cult of Necromancy in the breakthrough secret realm, even being called the Holy Son of Necromancy¡­¡± ¡°I can clearly state that those were not just rumors.¡± ¡°In the breakthrough secret realm, when choosing a faction, I indeed chose the Cult of Necromancy and was even taken as a direct disciple by a legendary necromancer, bing the heir of the legendary great cult.¡± ¡°What, you disagree?¡± These revtions left the crowd continuously stunned. He¡­ he actually¡­ Many looked at Lu Ran with disbelief in their eyes. Those who stood up to confront were also dumbfounded. Speaking, Lu Ran snapped his fingers, and a gray-ck necromancy robe instantly draped over him. Standing atop the Dragon King, d in the necromancy robe, with the ominously fluttering Twin Crow behind him and a snarling beast at his side, the crowd swallowed hard. Despite facing a fourth-generation beastmaster, the pressure felt immensely overwhelming. ¡°But I joined the Cult of Necromancy to study and resolve the drawbacks of necromancy.¡± ¡°To enable the attribute of necromancy to benefit all beast tamers, and you dare to conjecture my intentions with your filthy thoughts?¡± Lu Ran lifted his head, looking disdainfully at those few, saying, ¡°To view necromancy as an evil attribute, that is your folly.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not like you. I have already found a way for necromantic pet beasts to grow normally and for the upation of necromancers to no longer lose their sanity. I have solved all the drawbacks of necromancy.¡± ¡°So, I cultivate the necromantic species, what¡¯s it to you?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°International Beast Taming Law? What¡¯s that? From now on, whenever a beastmaster¡¯s pet beast dies, it can be harmlessly transformed into a necromantic pet and gain a second life. This is a revolution in the beast taming domain, and it¡¯s time for thews to change.¡± Revolution! Lu Ran¡¯s words, akin to a nuclear bomb exploding in the hearts of those present, made their faces contort wildly, feeling that Lu Ran was outrageously audacious. The few who had just stepped up to target Lu Ran also turned ashen, feeling that Lu Ran was spouting nonsense. How could he possibly have found a solution to the drawbacks of necromancy? Did Lu Ran think he was a god? In their view, Lu Ran was merely spouting nonsense, trying to make an early exit. ¡°Today, no matter what, you cannot leave!!¡± ¡°Everyone, take action together. We cannot let awbreaker get off scot-free.¡± With a grim expression, an Interpol from Neon Country spoke, and as he did, a dense, pure ck giant dog appeared amidst dark clouds and lunged towards Lu Ran from the sky. This was a level forty pet beast, and the Interpol was just a second-generation beastmaster. Seeing this, Lu Ran was somewhat incredulous, not understanding why a second-generation would dare to attack him. He felt that the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow could easily handle this guy¡­ At this moment, Lu Ran undoubtedly had the ability to challenge a second-generation beastmaster. However, not giving Lu Ran any chance to react, the Interpol¡¯s face changed, and he was then gripped by a terrifying mental power and began to rise¡­ ¡°What is this¡­¡± Before he could finish speaking, his entire body was crushed into a mist of blood, along with the ck dog that had lunged at Lu Ran, both exploding into a blood mist. Everyone present was incredibly shocked, having not expected someone to dare kill an Interpol of the International Alliance on the spot. ¡°Hmph, this is a terrorist attack. You deserve to die.¡± Lu Ran was also shocked by the sudden turn of events. He had thought that unless it was an assassin with no identity or background, beast tamers from major countries like Dr. Gu would only administer a light punishment. However, Lin Nian, who acted first, simply crushed her opponent to death. ¡°Xia Country¡¯s beast tamers aren¡¯t to be arrested by any riff-raff,¡± Lin Nian dered, appearing suddenly among the crowd in the sky. Using her superpower to float, her short ck hair fluttered with her mental power. The sight of her made many faces turn pale, not expecting this killer goddess from Xia Country to be present. The next moment, the crowd quickly dispersed, steering clear of her. ¡°Were a few of you also thinking of making a move just now?¡± she asked, her gaze sweeping over several beast tamers from the Eagle Federation and others who had summoned their pet beasts but had hesitated to act, her smile mocking. ¡°Xia Country, Lin Nian,¡± said Caron and a few other beast tamers, their expressions changing upon seeing her. Lin Nian wasted no words and directly attacked. Her pet beast didn¡¯t even make an appearance; her mental power alone, chaotic and earth-shattering, rolled towards countless individuals. A series of void explosions followed, and several in the sky spat blood violently, their bodies seeming to fracture, along with their pet beasts, all sted to the ground. Xia Country¡¯s second strongest beast tamer, ying peers as easily as ughtering chickens. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, Lin Nian, that¡¯s enough,¡± said Shi Zhen and others, reacting a beat too slow like Lu Ran, their eyelids twitching in surprise at Lin Nian¡¯s ferocity. She showed no restraint, and they quickly intervened, worried she might start a massacre. Killing one who had directly attacked was one thing. But wiping them all out would definitely cause a massive international uproar. ¡°Death penalty avoided, but punishment inevitable,¡± Lin Nian seemed unsatisfied, her fighting spirit apparently more vigorous than several othersbined. At that moment, powerhouses from various countries were shocked to discover Gu Qingyi, Lin Nian, Zhu Kaixin, Jiang Rui¡­ One after another, the frontline first-generation beast tamers from Xia Country appeared, a total of five, along with a mysterious woman whose face was covered, all walking beside the Shield-winged Dragon King. ¡°Are you kidding me? I thought Lu Ran hade alone, but five of the twelve strongest from Xia Country are here.¡± ¡°They must be here to protect Lu Ran. Caron and his group have really kicked the iron te.¡± ¡°What kind of treatment is this?!¡± ¡°They don¡¯t seem surprised at all that Lu Ran has cultivated a necromantic pet beast!¡± At this moment, the onlookers, who had previously chosen to stand aside, were visibly shocked to discover that something was amiss. If the people of Xia Country were not surprised by what Lu Ran had revealed, did that mean everything he had disclosed was true and officially verified by Xia Country? Could it be that Lu Ran has truly resolved the drawbacks of necromancy? Why does The Other Shore continue to attract new members? Isn¡¯t it because everyone is captivated by the opportunity for pet resurrection? Despite the side effects, countless people still long for it. But now, someone ims to have developed a harmless necromancy cultivation method. How could that not be surprising? ¡°Professor Lu Ran!!! Have you really found a way to solve the drawbacks of necromancy?¡± Suddenly, someone shouted. Dressed in a necromancy robe, Lu Ran looked at the crowd and said, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°If I have a friend whose pet beast died in battle, and if he switches to practicing necromancy and bes a necromancer, can you guarantee that he won¡¯t lose his sanity and fall into madness like the necromancers from The Other Shore?!¡± Lu Ran continued, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Professor Lu Ran, are you saying that you are willing to share this cultivation method???¡± Lu Ran calmly said, ¡°Of course, but only if that person is a friend of Xia Country; and also, it¡¯s not for free.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s three affirmatives set off a storm in the Evolution Secret Realm, leaving countless people in utter shock. At this moment, they looked at the enigmatic and dominant Twin Crow species of necromantic pets and began to trust Lu Ran. Indeed. For someone as promising as Lu Ran, if he hadn¡¯t found a way to solve the drawbacks of necromancy, he wouldn¡¯t risk cultivating it! As Lu Ran said, he must have found the perfect necromancy cultivation method. Moreover, it seems he is even willing to share this method with his allies. Realizing this, numerous beastmasters from various countries went wild, looking at Lu Ran as if he were a deity. Does this guy really have no limits? After the Dragon Chef, he has now developed such groundbreaking results-his research achievements are nothing short of ¡°pioneering¡± an entirely new attribute domain!!! Countless people swallowed hard, watching Lu Ran and the Twin Crow. There was a premonition that this revolutionary twin souls in one body species, this epoch-making research result, would definitely set off a global sensation and might even force the international alliance to amendws and redefine necromancy! This wasn¡¯t just Lu Ran¡¯s individual effort. If necromancy really had a harmless cultivation method, that would fulfill the wishes of all beastmasters. ¡°The Holy Son of necromancy is incredible!!¡± At this moment, unbeknownst to anyone, among the audience, there were even members from The Other Shore watching the excitement. He was the most dazed one there. Lu Ran¡¯s words had just detonated a in his heart. Now, he just wanted to know if it was toote to switch sides from The Other Shore to Xia Country. ¡°Big, big, big¡­ super big news.¡± While countless people were in shock, the white mouse reporter was the first to snap back to reality, immediately choosing to exit the secret realm, eagerly awaiting the 10-second countdown. Blue Star was about to experience another vibration. As for the king of ice? No one remembered him now. Everyone only knew that this young man, who had suppressed the fourth generation, had suddenly be the owner of three overlords and was about to unleash a massive necromancy storm on Blue Star. Chapter 215: Internal Turmoil in The Other Shore As the second Evolution Secret Realm stirred up a huge sensation inside, outside, just likest time, there were even more beastmasters guarding the forum, waiting to indulge in the spectacle. Most of them, upon hearing that Lu Ran had entered the Evolution Secret Realm again, were eagerly waiting to see the evolution potential of his second pet beast. Online opinions were divided into two camps. One believed that Lu Ran¡¯s Shield-winged Dragon King was a miracle created due to his identity as a Dragon Chef, his solo clear of the Loong-type Legendary Secret Realm, the advantages of the Loong-type, and the support from Xia Country¡¯s Loong-type resources. The evolution forms of his Gale Sword Dog and the third Crow pet beast were unlikely to replicate such a significant advantage, and would most likely only reach the level of an upper sovereign. The other camp believed in Lu Ran¡¯s own strength, confident that no matter the pet beast, he would surely cultivate it impressively. Of course, Lu Ran was not the protagonist of the world. Besides those focused on Lu Ran, like the Snowfield Federation, there was significant interest in the evolution oue of their strongest Third Generation, the king of ice, who had previously stated in a domestic interview that he aimed to evolve into an overlord this time. Unlike the previous time, although the white mouse reporter was quick to react, many other reporters were also quick-witted and responded promptly. Soon, the beastmasters of the Snowfield Federation received the following news:¡°Sess, good news, the Ice King has done it, the permafrost elephant has sessfully advanced to overlord!!¡± However, before the beastmasters of the Snowfield could feel ted, other news flooded in, overshadowing the word ¡°Snowfield.¡± [Lu Ran Creates Another Miracle! New Evolution Method, Split Evolution, One Pet Beast, Two Overlords!] [A God-like Youth with Three Overlords in Hand!] [Debunking Rumors! Lu Ran Truly is the Holy Son of Necromancy!] [Thousand-eyed Evil Crow, Death Spirit Crow, Two Unnervingly Mysterious Overlords!] [The First of the Fourth Generation to Cultivate Necromantic Pets, Turmoil in the Secret Realm, Almost Sparking a Great Battle!] [Harmless Necromancy? The Dawn of a New Era?] While the strongest Third Generation of the Snowfield cultivating an overlord should have been world-shaking news, it was instantly overshadowed by the tidal wave of news about Lu Ran. ¡°What the hell, a single pet beast evolved into two overlords? I don¡¯t know if it split, but I sure did.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the key point that one of them is a necromantic pet beast?¡± ¡°Damn, necromancy, Lu Ran is really studying necromancy! Those rumors before were true!¡± ¡°My God!! This post says that Lu Ran himself revealed in the Evolution Secret Realm that he has indeed be the Holy Son of the legendary necromancy sect in the Breakthrough Secret Realm.¡± ¡°How dare he! Breeding a necromantic pet beast, isn¡¯t that a vition of the International Beast Taming Law, even if he is the top of the Fourth Generation¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ran has found a way to resolve the drawbacks of necromancy, asking for a change in thew???¡± ¡°The five strongest echelon members from the First Generation of Xia Country showed up at the Evolution Secret Realm simultaneously, and all the beastmasters who wanted to capture Lu Ran for breeding necromancy were taken down!¡± Onlookers from around the world, browsing the forum, all agape, were shocked and rapidly scrolling with their fingers and moving their mice. For a time, the international forum¡¯s traffic surged, and frequent slowdowns urred. In Lujia Vige. The young beastmasters in the vige, upon seeing the news, were stunned beyond belief. They never imagined that Lu Ran would start breeding necromantic pet beasts. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see what the news said!!¡± ¡°The vige chief has found a way to resolve the drawbacks of necromancy, which means that if our pet beasts die in battle, it doesn¡¯t mean they are truly dead!! They have a chance to live a second life!!¡± ¡°Really??¡± ¡°Divine deer above! God Lu above!¡± ns and religions have always been formidable collectives; at this moment, the people of Lujia Vige became even more fervent upon seeing this news. At the Beast Taming University. Experts and professors from various disciplines were dumbfounded upon seeing this news. They never expected Lu Ran, who was thriving like the midday sun as a Dragon Chef, to suddenly delve into necromancy. From the First Generation¡¯s support, could it be that the content in these news reports is all true?? ¡°Are you kidding me, can the drawbacks of necromancy really be resolved?¡± Anyone who has delved deeply into necromancy knows that if its drawbacks are resolved, it would have a massive impact on the beast taming domain. ¡°Where¡¯s Principal Shi Zhen, is Beast Taming University going to add a necromancy department now!¡± In the Southern Border, known as the Desert of Death. A figure emerged from the desert, holding a cellphone and looking at the news with a faint smile. ¡°People are still questioning the minister¡¯s power, a bunch of fools.¡± After Bai Qi, the sole member of Netherworld, hunted a group of ferocious beasts, he saw the news and realized the unstoppable momentum; necromancy would soon thrive on the world stage. Lu Ran¡¯s soul cuisine, which his pet beast had already tasted, was definitely up to par. However, there was still one critical issue. Even Lu Ran had not yet mastered the method of converting a pet beast into a necromancer without using the death revival skill card. The threshold to resurrect a pet beast as a necromancer was still quite high. The only one who had mastered this technique was The Other Shore, suspected of harboring a real necromantic secret realm! By announcing this so publicly, Lu Ran was actually splitting The Other Shore and putting pressure on it! Before the severe drawbacks of necromantic forces were evident, although countries were curious about necromancy, they would never invest substantial efforts to research or provoke The Other Shore. But now, if necromancy could be a beneficial attribute in the beast taming domain, The Other Shore, being the only one with a stable method of extracting the death revival skill card, would be the target of everyone. The Other Shore now faced only two possible oues. One, under Lu Ran¡¯s leadership, it would face a real, concerted attack from numerous forces, no longer just minor skirmishes. Lu Ran, having a method to counter the drawbacks of necromancy, would surely have many countries and powerful entities willing to serve him. Two, surrender and ept recruitment, actively hand over the exclusive secret realm, or, more precisely, coborate with Lu Ran. Maximizing the interests of both parties. Once, the vampire Count sent by Lu Ran¡¯s parents warned him to be cautious of the faction-ridden The Other Shore, but in just a few months, Lu Ran proved with his actions that it was merely an underground organization¡­ Now, he held the lifeline of the entire The Other Shore in his hands. A legend from the Star-Moon Continent, the Holy Son of the Great Necromantic Church, facing a necromantic force with only Level 5 necromancers at its highest, was bound to overwhelmingly dominate. Without directly targeting The Other Shore, his research forced it into a corner. ¡°This-¡° Somewhere across the ocean, the vampire count was also stunned by the news. He had beenpletely baffled by Lu Ran¡¯s trajectory of growth. When he had sent a skill card to Lu Ran, he was just a novice, but the pace of Lu Ran¡¯s development thereafter was something the vampire count could notprehend. First, bing the Strongest Fourth Generation of Xia Country, then of Blue Star, and subsequently achieving what no beastmaster had done before-cultivating an overlord pet beast! Now, he had achieved what no member of the other shore had managed to do. That is, cultivating an overlord necromancy beast and solving the growth disadvantages associated with the necromancy species. ¡°I told you to be wary of the other shore, but how has it been just a few months, and now the other shore needs to be wary of you?¡± The Red Count remained silent. If what was described in the news was true, and if Lu Ran truly possessed such core technology, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the other shore would be plunged into internal chaos, immediately dissolving the previously faction-ridden organization. Currently, the other shore is mainly divided into three factions. One, the ambitious faction, seeks the stone of the other shore in attempts to overthrow international governments and control the world. Two, the defensive faction, reluctantly joined the other shore for survival, hunting souls to find ways to resist bacsh. Three, the immortality faction, studies the Life Soul, hoping to achieve human eternal evolution by controlling souls. At least two of these factions wouldn¡¯t mind coborating with Lu Ran, and if not careful, the entire other shore might end up bearing the name Lu. After all, currently, there is no true overlord of the other shore, and the topbat power among the three factions is not significantly different, with some factions already having secret alliances with smaller countries. With such research results from Lu Ran, widespread internal chaos was bound to begin. Indeed, not long after the vampire count had seen the news, a familiar number called. ¡°Is this the Red Count?¡± A husky female voice came from the other end. ¡°Dr. Sean?¡± The vampire count narrowed his eyes. ¡°Have you seen the news?¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, Lu Ran is Dr. Lu¡¯s son, right? Do you have any contact with him?¡± ¡°Yes, but what contact could we possibly have?¡± ¡°After he made a name for himself, Loka and his group wanted to recruit Lu Ran into the Overlord of the Other Shore. Weren¡¯t you the one who actively sabotaged this, going to great lengths to prevent it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that Dr. Lu and his wife once told me they didn¡¯t want their child to be an international criminal. After all, I was nurtured by them; I was merely respecting theirst wishes.¡± ¡°I want the truth. I need to know if Dr. Lu¡¯s son really discovered a method to solve the growth defects of necromancy, if he really was taken as a disciple by a legendary necromancer, and if he really became the Holy Son of the Cult of Necromancy!¡± The tone on the other end became serious. ¡°How would I know? But what if it¡¯s true? What would you do?¡± teased the vampire Count. ¡°Need you ask? Ever since the First Generation Overlord of the Other Shore died, the Other Shore has been fragmented for a long time. Don¡¯t you think Dr. Lu¡¯s son would be perfect as the new Overlord of the Other Shore?¡± ¡°I am as close to Dr. Lu as sisters. If her exceptionally talented son bes the Overlord of the Other Shore, I would definitely support it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The vampire Count fell silent, internally cursing in Xia Country¡¯s ng. Indeed, the news had not been verified yet, and people were already restless. Dr. Sean is a member of the Immortality Faction, obsessed with researching supernatural beings. But how does he not remember this guy being as close as sisters with Lu Yunxiu? To put it inly, the research faction is interested in the various resources Lu Ran might have brought back from the breakthrough secret realm, and possibly, his method to solve the growth defects of the necromancy. This, no doubt, would be coveted by any necromancer, just the same among all three factions. ¡°Is this your personal opinion, or the opinion of the entire Immortality Faction?¡± Right now, the vampire Count really wants to resurrect Lu Ran¡¯s parents and let them see the good deeds their son has done¡­ You didn¡¯t want your son to join the Other Shore, but now, every major faction of the Other Shore is eager to have him as the new Overlord¡­ Lu Ran was unaware that he had effortlessly thrown the high-level members from The Other Shore into chaos, a problem that had gued various countries for a long time. He had been in the Evolution Secret Realm, answering some simple questions. But as time passed, he grew tired of it. ¡°Let¡¯s stop here.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Lu Ran said to Dr. Gu and the others. ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Qingyi nodded. At that moment, with so many bodyguards around him, no one dared to block Lu Ran¡¯s way. Those who had openly targeted Lu Ran, regardless of their status, were now lying on the ground, and one was even dead. ¡°These guys got off easy,¡± Lin Nian sighed as she nced at the convulsing, wailing beastmasters from various countries, feeling helpless. Why was she born in a modern technological society? If she could be a lone ranger in a fantasy world, howfortable that would be. Dislike someone? Just wipe out their entire family. ¡°Caw!!¡± ¡°I support you.¡± General Ha and the Sudden Death King showed disdain for the severely injured, but the Dark Crow, as Lu Ran¡¯s top sycophant, thought it wasn¡¯t enough. Holding a grudge. So what if it belonged to the necromancy species. Did it eat their rice? It felt that letting those people off so easily was too lenient. They even dared to strike at the Big King, unforgivable. If it weren¡¯t for that girl acting too quickly, it would have taught them a lesson. But now, it wasn¡¯t toote. Suddenly, just as Lu Ran was about to leave, two Twin Crows soared into the sky. The powerful individuals from various countries turned their gaze towards them. Surprised. They didn¡¯t understand why these terrifying crows suddenly took flight, seemingly without any signs of being provoked. ¡°This is-¡° The next moment, the beastmasters from various eras paled. They saw the Crow of Death¡¯s form of the Necromantic Crow directly fuse with the body of the Crow of Curses! A fusion began! Chapter 216: Possession of the Crow, Curse of Despair Possession! The scene before them directly reminded the gathered beastmasters of the unique traits of necromancy! Invisible pration. Possession! Among these, the strongest ability was to possess a beastmaster, enhancing theirbat capabilities. This Crow of Death, being a spirit of the necromancy variety, naturally possessed this ability too. However, what no one expected was that it would possess another body of its own. Boom! At that moment, the Thousand-eyed Evil Crow exploded with a terrifyingly chaotic curse power. The malevolent fluctuations of the curse even caused the pet beasts of Level 50 and above, apanying the First Generation, to visibly pale. A sense of dread filled the air.This creature could fuse its two bodies. Thus, itsbat power might well exceed the simple sum of two lower overlords. Who knew what kind of qualitative change could ur when two lower overlords fused! ¡°Are you kidding me? Does such a pet beast even exist?!¡± ¡°Twin souls in one body, possessing itself, that¡¯s just cheating.¡± ¡°What is it nning to do!¡± At that moment, the Twin Crow, now in the full might of the Dark Crow General, unfolded its pitch-ck wings. The Evil God¡¯s Eyes covering them all opened simultaneously, their eerie vertical pupils seemingly speaking as they collectively intoned: ¡°Remember, a king must not be insulted!¡± As the Dark Crow spoke, the powers of various nations were initially confused, but the next moment they realized as the Dark Crow¡¯s numerous eyes swept over those beastmasters who had been severely injured by Lin Nian. ¡°Ah-¡° Following that, those already grievously injured beastmasters screamed again, even those who had fainted suddenly woke up screaming. ¡°This!!!¡± Seeing this, the international powerhouses were shocked, initially thinking that Lu Ran intended to finish them off. However, this action was spontaneously initiated by the Dark Crow, and Lu Ran, upon realizing this, chose not to stop it. Instead, he was quite pleased that the Dark Crow could indeed fuse its two bodies. Although he was pleased, the beastmasters from various nations felt a strong sense of dread. As the words ¡°a king must not be insulted¡± fell, the bodies of those injured beastmasters began to wriggle and contort under the gaze of everyone present, undergoing grotesque transformations! ¡°Grunt.¡± ¡°Grunt..¡± Various indecent noises emanated from their mouths, and then, in less than a minute, everyone was shocked to find that the heavily injured beastmasters and their pet beasts, whose bodies were continuously wriggling, all transformed into pigs. ¡°My God-¡° Seeing one after another internationally renowned beastmasters suddenly turn into pigs, the spectating beastmasters showed terrified expressions and quickly looked towards the dark crow, feeling a chill throughout their bodies. Is this a curse?! ¡°Holy smokes.¡± The Pig Deity, also greatly shocked, eximed, ¡°What, has the pig transformation curse already leveled up to a transformation level?!¡± ¡°This!¡± Principal Shi Zhen was also startled, not expecting the dark crow to have reached this stage. However, Lu Ran was not surprised, for after consuming the soul scarecrow, the dark crow could almost achieve these effects through sacrificing pig blood, only not as proficiently as now. ¡°Scum, turn into pigs and repent!!¡± After the dark crow spoke, Lu Ran, d in a necromancy robe, caused many more to look towards him in even greater fear, not expecting Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast to possess such a terrifying skill. Turning people into pigs¡­ Is this guy a devil? This was even more horrifying than killing them; these were well-known strong individuals from various countries, and if they were to return in the form of pigs¡­ How could they face anyone after that? However, these were not concerns for Lu Ran anymore, Lin Nian unexpectedly cast a nce towards the dark crow, realizing that Lu Ran was even more ruthless than she was. No need to kill, just strike at the heart directly. ¡°Those reporters left early, a group of strong individuals cursed into pigs by Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow-this, too, is super big news!!¡± ¡°Never provoke this Lu Ran again!!!¡± ¡­ Cat-eared maid caf¨¦. Aftering out, Principal Shi Zhen couldn¡¯t wait to ask, ¡°Lu Ran, has that crow mastered the ¡®transformation curse¡¯ yet?!¡± ¡°Could it be-¡° Lu Ran knew Principal Shi Zhen would be frantic upon seeing this move. He said, ¡°Don¡¯t panic yet. Its curse isn¡¯t fully mastered. For instance, those people will revert back in just a few days.¡± ¡°The curse from the Witch Coven is obviously more formidable; I suspect they sacrificed some exquisite resource¡­¡± ¡°My pet beast Crow is still at a low level.¡± ¡°Besides, this is a transformation curse, which is different from a sex-change curse.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, no rush.¡± Principal Shi Zhen indicated there was no need to hurry, at least¡­ he saw hope, a good start! ¡°Awesome.¡± The Pig Deity thought the curse was incredibly explosive. He said, ¡°Once we can curse permanently, just curse a dragon egg directly, and wouldn¡¯t the hatchling turn out to be a pig-dragon?¡± He found this curse extremely enticing. Actually, he possessed a beast taming skill called ¡°pig n enhancement,¡± which was quite powerful and quick to develop. To not waste this skill, he could only continue further down the path of pig farming. Gu Qingyi said, ¡°Can we focus on something serious for a moment¡­¡± ¡°Next, Xia Country will likely be at the center of public attention, especially Lu Ran, who will face even greater security threats.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°The emergence of necromancy will definitely stir up many forces. I¡¯ve been prepared for this.¡± He nonchntly stated. That being said. Lu Ran still hoped to re-enter the breakthrough secret realm soon and be a level 3 beastmaster. Upon reaching level 3, the level cap for his pet beast would rise to level 40. A level 40 overlord species could stand a chance against a level 50 sovereign pet beast. By then, unless it was one of the top-tier First Generation, few could contend with Lu Ran¡¯s strength. Especially once he mastered the retainer skill,bined with the Green Sea army, Lu Ran felt his power would undergo a significant transformation. Then, not just among human realms, even in the realms of ferocious beasts, he would move freely. ¡°However, for safety, you should avoid traveling abroad during this period.¡± ¡°If the international alliance wants to verify anything, let theme to Xia Country.¡± Gu Qingyi said that the former guild leader had given her confidence, advising her not to concern herself with the International Alliance. Xia Country wanted to research necromancy, and so they did, beyond the reach of the International Alliance¡¯s control. Could other countries really dare to openly confront Xia Country, which possessed the strongest First Generation? As long as Xia Country¡¯s research could impact the beast taming domain and alter the globalndscape, then regardless of the nature of the research, numerous countries would inevitablye groveling when the time came, and the narrative within the International Alliance would shift once again. ¡°Too bad I¡¯m so busy, otherwise, I¡¯d really like to be Lu Ran¡¯s personal bodyguard.¡± Zhu Kaixin regretfully said, ¡°Speaking of which, Lu Ran, it¡¯s about time for your initial pet beast, that sword-holding dog, to evolve.¡± ¡°Compared to the Loong-type¡­ necromancy and curses¡­ that sword-holding dog seems harder to evolve.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve been keeping an eye out for suitable evolution resources for you, and I¡¯ll get them to you as soon as I find anything.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thanks.¡± Lu Ran did not refuse. He was in desperate need of strength. In fact, not only Zhu Kaixin, but also Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were keeping an eye out for evolution resources for General Ha. If it was difficult to find such resources before, now it was certainly easier, as Lu Ran had suddenly be an international focus, a key figure in Blue Star¡¯s opening of the necromancy domain. Following this, countless forces would likely seek to ingratiate themselves with Lu Ran. When the time came, General Ha¡¯s evolution resources would likely be plentiful and diverse. General Ha¡¯s reasoning was not incorrect, It had previouslypressed its ice power by dozens of times to boost its intelligence, devising a set of ultimate logic. Sudden Death King would evolve first, contributing retainer skills andmanding traits to the team, followed closely by Dark Crow, taking advantage of the necromancy trend so Lu Ran could gather more resources. Thus, this wave of resources should naturally benefit General Ha next!!! Waiting to evolvest was not a loss. The wise Erha, Big King, resisted the temptation to evolve first, patiently waiting to validate his own ideas. The group did not stay long in Infinite City before teleporting back to Xia Country. The necromancy incident in the Evolution Secret Realm still required attention from this group of First Generation members. Internationally, Neon Country was strongly condemning Lin Nian¡¯s murderous behavior from Xia Country, which Lin Nian chose to ignore. Although that individual held a position with Interpol, at this moment, the International Alliance also decided to ignore it, focusing instead on verifying the ims made by Lu Ran with Xia Country. In international disputes, power and interests are the true arbiters; everything else merely serves to restrain the weak. In response to such international public opinion, the International Alliance immediately announced their ns to quickly send a research team to Xia Country to verify the facts. Meanwhile, the main character, Lu Ran, had returned to Green Sea, enjoying his solitude with a few pet beasts while waiting for the arrival of the International research team. Once confirmed by the International Alliance, based on Dr. Gu¡¯s assessment, Lu Ran should be able to leverage his necromancy research findings to extort considerable benefits from various countries. ¡°General Ha, General Ha, what should we do now?¡± Now that Sudden Death King and Dark Crow had be so powerful, General Ha was unexpectedly calm. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but tease him. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha red, holding a piece of sword grass, and with a light flick, split amon mosquito in two. ¡°Woof. (Just shed some trivial things.)¡± He ignored Boss Lu¡¯s provocation, wholly immersed in understanding the sword soul, heart, and intent. ¡°Ha ha, Dark Crow,¡± Lu Ranughed. Calling out. ¡°Caw caw caw!!!¡± A necromancy Crow appeared from the void, and Dark Crow said, ¡°Big King, I have been waiting for this moment for a long time.¡± Lu Ran was startled and said, ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m calling you?¡± At this moment, Crow of Curses had been sent by Lu Ran to train the crow army. Dark Crow himself had a bold idea-could his Evil God¡¯s Eye serve as a reward to be given to a deservingmon crow? Would the resulting Crow of Curses army be more suited to hismand? It must be said, the intelligence of crows had significantly increased. And now, Crow of Death seemed to have guessed Lu Ran¡¯s intentions, blushing shyly. ¡°Big King, you definitely want me to fuse with you next!!!¡± ¡°After we fuse, you¡¯ll be able to wield the power of necromancy,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Combining it with the me Sprite, the fusion with soul fire bes much more convenient!¡± ¡°You want to use soul fire to forge a new weapon for General Ha!¡± Startled by Dark Crow¡¯s analysis, Lu Ran looked at it with newfound respect. ¡°That¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°But why are you blushing?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°You¡¯re a damn necromancy spirit, why can you even blush? No, wait, it¡¯s just a possession, what are you blushing for?¡± ¡°Enough talk, let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Ran sighed, and the next moment, Dark Crow plunged directly into his body. ¡°Ugh.¡± Following that. ck smoke billowed around Lu Ran, and a wave of spiritual power slowly emanated from him. During this process, Lu Ran¡¯s hair began to change, bing thicker and more disheveled from its previously neat, short cut. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t surprised by this transformation; he didn¡¯t worry much about looking neither human nor ghostly. In thest breakthrough secret realm, he had seen many beastmasters possessed by necromancy spirits. In fact, unlike Fusion Skills, necromancy possession didn¡¯t significantly change a beastmaster. It was essentially just spiritual power shaping. At most, it changed a hairstyle or eye color. If the pet beast was a Dark Crow, it might grant an extra pair of crow wings, giving the beastmaster the ability to fly. If he got a pair of crow wings, Lu Ran felt it was actually quite cool. Whoosh- Indeed, the next moment, as his spiritual power materialized, a pair of dense, Domineering Energy wings burst forth from Lu Ran¡¯s back. The ck wings vibrated, and Lu Ranughed heartily, thrilled by the novelty. But the next moment, he couldn¡¯t hold it together anymore. His expression drastically changed as his mouth, damn it, also morphed into a jinx¡¯s beak under the force of spiritual power shaping, atop which glowed a pair of sinister red pupils. ¡°Fuck, why is your jinx gene so strong! Now that¡¯s just ugly.¡± ¡°Caw?¡± Chapter 217: The Arrival of the International Alliance Crow wings, a bird¡¯s beak, dark colors, red pupils, all entwined with bizarre spiritual power and curse power¡­ If Lu Ran were to don the necromancy robe and hood right now, his appearance would somewhat resemble that of a medieval gue doctor. Lu Ran felt helpless; originally a good person, he was increasingly influenced by the abilities of these pet beasts, making him seem less like one. However, his disappointment was fleeting. Lu Ran soon smiled. Was this what it felt like to be possessed by a necromancer? It was vastly different from being possessed by a me Sprite. The level of the Dark Crow, a lower overlord, was level 30. Thus, when it possessed Lu Ran, thebat power he could exert was naturally greater than that level. Otherwise, possession would not be considered a signature skill of the necromancy species and necromancers. Whoosh! A swirl of grey-ck mes rose in Lu Ran¡¯s palm, making him grin even wider. After much study, he had finally mastered the Soul Fire!Allowing the Dark Crow to possess him and transforming himself into a human of the necromancy species, this Special Ability was achieved effortlessly, as spiritual power naturally fused with the me Sprite, without much struggle. Unlike ordinary mes, the characteristic of Soul Fire was its ability to violently burn souls¡­ directly bypassing the body to attack the soul. Of course, Lu Ran¡¯s efforts over the past half month were not about gaining a means to attack souls. With General Ha¡¯s soul shing sword intent, and his own mind sword intent, he had sufficient capabilities. The true purpose of mastering Soul Fire was its indispensable role in the Soul Forging Method. The Soul Forging Method was a forging technique exclusive to the necromancy cult, developed by the cult¡¯s forgemasters who interpreted various traces within the legendary secret realm. The most significant difference from ordinary forging methods was that the Soul Forging Method did not rely on external tools. For instance, when a typical beastmaster forged weapons and Equipment, the final step of inscribing required the power of an Inscription Stone, which was indispensable. However, with the Soul Forging Method, Inscription Stones could be discarded. Forgemasters could directly use soul power to rece Inscription Stones for soul imprinting, perfecting the Equipment! The results were not only as effective but often even better. In addition to their other research, the Cult of Necromancy has developed a special Inscription that, when etched onto Equipment, can endow the weapon with the effect of nurturing an artifact spirit. Although Lu Ran was unable to witness the actual birth of an artifact spirit during his time at the breakthrough secret realm, it was only because this method had just been developed and nurturing an artifact spirit takes time. Unable to witness the birth of an artifact spirit in the breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran had nevertheless mastered the entire nurturing method. As long as he could Soul Forge a weapon, he could find a ce to nurture it himself! ¡­ One dayter. The necromancy incident continued to ferment. Lu Ran received a warning from Dr. Gu: ¡°The representatives from the International Alliance will arrive in Xia Country tomorrow; be prepared.¡± ¡°They seem to have brought a necromancer to verify things.¡± ¡°It was once an undercover agent that the International Alliance had ced in The Other Shore.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Okay, understood.¡± Lu Ran chuckled to himself, knowing that there were necromancers within the International Alliance as well. Now, the construction of the International Beast Taming Alliance was almost led by several major countries, with countless smaller nations joining to form the organization. Of course, there are also a number of stateless beastmasters, most of whome from smaller countries and are quite powerful. Finding that the resources of their small countries were insufficient for their benefits, they left their nations and directly considered the International Alliance as their second home, continuously climbing within thisrge organization to seek more benefits. This group of stateless beastmaster forces,bined, even somerge countries had to take seriously. Now, they are an important faction within the International Alliance. With such factional chaos, it¡¯s natural that there would be different policies toward organizations like The Other Shore, involving a new attribute; it would be odd if there weren¡¯t any internal undercover agents. ¡°Great, I finally collected a thousand teeth!!!¡± After hanging up the phone, Lu Ranughed wildly, no longer concerned about those matters, instead focusing on General Ha. ¡°Woof.¡± Nearby, General Ha, holding a sky-cleaving sword of rare quality from the Space attribute, shook his head. Through continuous training in energypression, the collection of teeth was indeed fast. At this moment, the sword it held, known as the sky-cleaving sword, was something Lu Ran had obtained from Master Lin. The purpose was to let General Ha be ustomed to the Space attribute, to more easily learn the sword domain. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll forge a divine sword for you in a couple of days!¡± Lu Ran patted General Ha¡¯s head and was about to turn around to contemte the forge when another call came in. It was Zhu Zhu Xia! That¡¯s Old Zhu¡¯s nickname among the twelve branches. Lu Ran answered the call, and before he could speak, the voice on the other end said, ¡°Hey, good news, I got ahold of an exquisite resource that¡¯s perfect for you from a buddy abroad!¡± ¡°I begged him, and he finally agreed to pass this resource on to me.¡± ¡°!!!¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. Old Zhu really knows how towork! Beside him, General Ha¡¯s ears perked up-resources?! This must be for it, right? General Ha¡¯s mouth curled into a smile, its eyes narrowing, a look of wisdom appearing on its face. ¡°Guess what it is?¡± ¡°Never mind, I won¡¯t keep you guessing. Didn¡¯t you say your Gale Sword Dog is currently practicing in the sword domain, and you¡¯re thinking of training it towards the Space attribute?¡± ¡°This time, what I¡¯ve brought you is a Space resource!¡± ¡°Boundary Breaking Root!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lu Ran, hearing it was a Space resource, felt pleased, never expecting Old Zhu toe through like this. However, from Zhu Kaixin¡¯s perspective, he felt he wasn¡¯t at a loss either. He had taken a death revival skill card from Lu Ran, and with Lu Ran¡¯s ability to address the downsides of necromancy growth, he was essentially gaining several lives. As a First Generation frontline beastmaster, he was well aware of the dangers of his upation. Getting on Lu Ran¡¯s good side was like buying insurance for himself, and investing just one exquisite resource was a steal. ¡°It¡¯s a special nt that grows half in an alternate space and half in the external world, thriving on the void forces from the void. It is an exquisite-level space resource.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s different in nature from the ethereal flower. Overall, its value is somewhat less than that of the ethereal flower, which can bestow a Space attribute on a pet beast. The Boundary Breaking Root, however, only allows a pet beast to attack Space attribute enemies.¡± Let me give you an example. The energy flow in Space species pet beasts allows them to enter a ¡®hidden¡¯ or ¡®ethereal¡¯ state, where the physical and the intangible ovep and continuously transition. Usual attacks, unless powerful enough to warp space-time, find it hard to reach a Space pet beast. However, after consuming this root, the pet beast¡¯s teeth and ws undergo a transformation, acquiring certain spatial properties. This not only enables it to easily injure enemies of the Space species but also turns its shed parts into top-notch materials for Space forge! This process also endows the pet beast with a spatial affinity, beneficial for both learning domains and future fusion with Space species, enhancing its capabilities¡­ ¡°Bark, bark, bark!!!¡± ¡°Huh? Lu Ran, did you hear a dog barking? Or am I hearing things? It sounded almost like swearing.¡± Lu Ran, with a twitching smile, nced at the angry General Ha beside him, thinking, ¡°You deserve to be scolded.¡± After all the effort to craft 1000 teeth, you just ¡°snap¡± bring in new resources, suggesting the teeth can be upgraded again to possess the nature of attacking space. So, what now? Change the materials or not? Not changing means the forged weapon won¡¯t be of the best quality. Changing means starting all over again¡­ ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my imagination,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°This resource you brought is quite good, I won¡¯t be polite, I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°No big deal!¡± Zhu Kaixin patted his chest. The resource he provided was probably the best among them! ¡­ After hanging up the phone again, Lu Ran and General Ha looked at each other. Lu Ran scratched his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t change it.¡± General Ha, puzzled, wagged his tail. It wasn¡¯t about what Lu Ran wanted; it was about the dilemma it faced itself. If a better weapon was possible, General Ha naturally wanted the best. ¡°There¡¯s no ¡®best,¡¯ only ¡®better,¡¯¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°When you evolve, the quality of your teeth will improve further. Will you want to change them then?¡± ¡°And after your awakening in the Space species, the quality of your teeth will enhance further. Change them or not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough for now¡­¡± Lu Ran said, looking like a considerate boss. Mainly because if the material upgrades again, he wasn¡¯t sure he could forge it sessfully¡­ The Sky-Cleaving Sword is already usable, and there is no need to forge an exquisite swordbining the ice, wind, and space elements-that would be ridiculously difficult. Even making a dual-element sword is challenging enough! He doesn¡¯t even know if he can sessfully forge one. Let alone a triple-element. ¡°It¡¯s exhausting.¡± Since Lu Ran doesn¡¯t know how long it will take to forge an exquisite weapon, although he now has all the materials, he isn¡¯t rushing to try. He ns to wait until the members of the International Alliance have left before focusing on the forging process. For now, Lu Ran wants to try his hand at forging a simpler version of the ¡°Soul Capturing Bottle.¡± The ability to store souls is crucial for necromancy to be mainstream. Such equipment is essential for the high-level members of the Cult of Necromancy, and even a missionary would carry a rare quality item simr to the Soul Capturing Bottle. Time slowly passes. Shanghai International Airport. A trio, two men and one woman, arrives in Xia Country. Inside the airport, Gu Qingyi from the twelve branches leans against the railing, scrolling through her phone until the group meets. Then, she looks up and greets them, ¡°Wee, King Caesar, wee Dr. Paer~¡± Inside the International Beast Taming Alliance, there is a secret realm strategy team,posed of beastmasters from various countries stationed at the alliance. When these beastmasters make significant contributions during their expeditions in the public secret realms, they might be awarded the ¡°King¡± honor. This title signifies both strength and achievements, as well as status. ¡°Dragon Tamer, don¡¯t mind me,¡± the muscr youth King Caesar spoke indifferently. ¡°Dr. Gu,¡± said a female researcher dressed in a gray tank top and a whiteb coat, her blonde hair standing upright, ¡°King Caesar is here primarily for my protection. The main verification work will be carried out by Mr. Noren and me.¡± Gu Qingyi nced at the well-known researcher from the International Alliance and herpanion, the undercover agent ced at The Other Shore, and said, ¡°Dr. Paer, then I¡¯ll join you on the connecting flight to the Green Sea. Professor Lu has been waiting there for some time.¡± Momentster. The three followed Gu Qingyi onto a private jet. Upon entering, they saw Zhu Kaixin, Shi Zhen, Lin Nian, and others already inside, snacking and chatting, which left them in deep thought. Xia Country, were they concerned about these individuals being a threat to Lu Ran¡­ Such an borate escort was hardly necessary. Green Sea! Lu Ran was fiddling with several small bottles when Manager Ying slowly appeared, saying, ¡°Hey, people are about to arrive.¡± Lu Ran nodded and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already seen them.¡± ¡°Seen them?¡± Manager Ying was startled but quickly understood. Green Sea Airport. Just as a few international friends came out with Gu Qingyi, they saw various buildings outside filled with ck crows, all staring at them intently. ¡°Ah-¡° ¡°Ah-¡° The sinister crows cried out. Among them, the leading dark crow fixed its gaze on the group of visitors, and upon seeing the leader of the crows, the international friends¡¯ expressions changed. Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow?! Although this crow¡¯s growth level wasn¡¯t high, it was still an overlord species, and moreover, the first of the curse type within the necromancy overlord species!! Strong figures from the Eagle Federation had been turned into pigs by this crow, and the curse hadn¡¯t been lifted yet, bing an international joke. Now, facing this crow, the trio was extremely cautious, even somewhat apprehensive. After all, current research on curses and souls in the beast taming domain on Blue Star was extremely limited! ¡°Come with me, I¡¯ll take you to meet our Big King,¡± the dark crow said, pping its wings. Big King?? ¡°Just an honorary title, like the King in the Alliance, nothing to worry about,¡± Gu Qingyi said with a slight smile nearby. Chapter 218: Father of World Necromancy Chapter 218: Father of World Necromancy This crow¡­ Gu Qingyi, Shi Zhen, and the others were somewhat resigned to this talking crow, not knowing how Lu Ran had managed to raise it. ¡°Lead the way.¡± The next moment, Lin Nian spoke with a light smile, seemingly fond of the crow. It was a pity it already had an owner, otherwise, she would have liked to keep such a crow herself. If it had two bodies, maybe it could even perform double acts for her. ¡°Alright.¡± The three international friends still felt it was a bit bizarre. ¡­ Lu Ran, of course, would not entertain these guests at home but took them to one of his territories on Emerald Mountain.In the Green Sea, any sparsely popted wilderness area had already been upied by Lu Ran¡¯s generals. To better operate in these areas, Lu Ran even used the power of supernatural beings to construct a residence for himself. Led by the dark crow, Gu Qingyi and the others reached the top of Emerald Mountain, where they encountered Lu Ran dealing with spirits. One after another, giant fire ant beast corpses were piled up, and behind these corpses was a heap of spirits, dense with spirits burning with gray mes, creating an exceptionally eerie atmosphere. ¡­ Upon seeing this, King Caesar of the International Alliance twitched. Necromancy undercover agent Noren swallowed hard, eximing internally that he had never seen such a scene even in The Other Shore. And Dr. Paer, trying to maintain herposure, said, ¡°Professor Lu Ran, hello.¡± ¡°I am Dr. Paer Cassis from the Life Science Department of the International Alliance Research Institute. I have also conducted extensive research in the Life Soul domain.¡± ¡°This visit on behalf of the International Alliance is to gain a deeper understanding of what you¡¯ve mentioned about the Evolution Secret Realm.¡± ¡°This is Noren, a former undercover agent the International Alliance had ced within The Other Shore. Not long after he gained control over death revival, he started consuming the spirits of ferocious beasts, which gradually eroded his rationality, nearly driving him mad. Fortunately, he was rescued in time. Now, relying on tranquilizers and abstaining from consuming pet beasts, he can more or less function normally.¡± Lu Ran extinguished the soul fire at his fingertips and looked at Noren, who had dark circles under his eyes. ¡°So, your method of verification is to confirm by observing the feeding response of Mr. Noren¡¯s necromantic pet beast, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct, it¡¯s the first and simplest method of confirmation,¡± Dr. Paer stated. ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran replied, turning his attention to the pale, dark-circled young man. ¡°Go ahead, eat as much as you like.¡± He gestured towards the processed souls of the fire ant beasts surrounding them. ¡°Still eating souls¡­¡± the necromantic undercover agent looked towards Dr. Paer, seeking her opinion. He knew that both his and his pet beast¡¯s mental states were already on the brink. Consuming even a bit more soul would certainly drive them into a frenzy, losing all reason and attacking indiscriminately. ¡°Trust Professor Lu,¡± Dr. Paer advised, unsure if Lu Ran was just bluffing, but at the moment, they had no other options. ¡°Alright.¡± If the necromantic pet beast didn¡¯t eat soon, it wouldn¡¯t just be about losing its mind-it would also disperse due to ack of energy. Gritting his teeth, the necromantic undercover agent summoned his pet beast. It was a ck necromantic gori. Although a spirit, it still appeared emaciated, its skin clinging to its bones¡­ Its eyes, almost devoid of emotion and gleaming a sickly green, seemed to retain only instinct. Sensing the fluctuations of food, its gaze unconsciously quivered. ¡°Go, eat those,¡± the necromantic undercover agent directed towards the pile of fire ant beast souls. The next moment, the necromantic gori let out a loud cry and rapidly crawled over, grabbing the souls and stuffing them into its mouth. As it consumed arge amount of souls, the previously numb necromantic gori¡¯s lifeless face slowly began to show signs of vitality. ¡°How does it feel!¡± Seeing this, Dr. Paer quickly asked the necromantic undercover agent. At this moment, Noren was visibly shocked as he watched his pet beast voraciously feed. His mind, which should have been in disarray from the soul consumption typical for necromantic pets, was instead remarkably clear. In the past, when necromantic pets devoured souls to a certain extent, even the consciousness of a beastmaster would be muddled, leading to hallucinations. But now, he could be sure he waspletely lucid. Despite both he and his pet beast being at their limit, they felt no difort as the pet beast continued to feed! Instead, he could distinctly feel the pleasure emanating from the necromantic pet beast¡¯s heart-a pleasure from feeding without side effects, a long-lost joy of feeling alive. The necromantic gori roared with excitement as it ate. Noren, the undercover necromancer, took a step back, not just from shock but also because he could feel the high-quality, side-effect-free souls providing his pet beast with more abundant and superior nourishment. If all its food could be like this, he believed, the base attributes of his necromantic pet would be incredibly strong in the future. ¡°It¡¯s real, it¡¯s really real¡­¡± Noren looked at the boy in disbelief. Originally, the International Alliance had called upon him, a man on the ¡°verge of being lost,¡± to conduct this experiment, and he had been somewhat resistant, fearing the real possibility of failure. But now, he was thrilled and grateful that he hade to witness this tremendous breakthrough. ¡°Is it really true?¡± Dr. Paer and King Caesar, observing this, focused their attention. Did this mean that what Lu Ran said was not false? Although they had realized it, they were still somewhat surprised after personally verifying it. ¡°Professor Lu¨C¡± At this moment, as Dr. Paer saw Noren¡¯s surprised expression, her own respect for Lu Ran underwent a significant transformation. The International Alliance had many researchers who had studied necromancy through captured necromancers. Yet, none had achieved results. This young man from Xia Country had seemingly ovee the growth defects associated with necromancy. Strategizing in secret realms was already a high-risk activity, with a high mortality rate among pet beasts. However, if the fallen pet beasts could be consistently transformed into necromantic growth, it would revolutionize the field of beast taming. Now, the only question was¡­ ¡°Professor Lu Ran, I wonder if the method to ovee the growth defects of necromancy can be made widely avable,¡± Dr. Paer asked immediately. Lu Ran smiled at her and said, ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°It probably can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°To master this handling method, one certainly needs a Talent. I can only say that only a few people are capable of mastering it.¡± ¡°However, that is actually not a problem, because I also possess the forging technique for ¡®containers that preserve souls¡¯.¡± ¡°Even if only a few people can handle souls, necromancers, once they purchase these containers, can always take out food to eat. And, unlike living beings, the necromancy species can sustain life activities for a long time after feeding once, so everything you mentioned is not a problem.¡± Saying this, Lu Ran took out a basic version of the Soul Capturing Bottle and released a processed soul of the fire ant beast from it! ¡°This-¡± Seeing this, Dr. Paer was greatly surprised; she hadn¡¯t expected Lu Ran¡¯s research achievements to extend beyond souls. This necromancer Holy Son, this heir of the legendary great cult, is truly genuine!! He probably got his hands on all the good stuff from that cult! Her breathing grew rapid. Indeed, as Lu Ran said, having containers that can preserve souls meant that, even if only a few people knew how to handle souls, it would be enough to keep the necromancy functioning normally! ¡°Professor Lu-¡° Lu Ran said, ¡°I know what you want to ask, whether I am willing to hand over this method to the international alliance or not?¡± ¡°But even if I do hand it over, what use would it be, when the stable source of the death revival skill cards is not controlled by the international alliance but by The Other Shore?¡± ¡°If you want me to teach this method to the beastmasters of the international alliance, no problem, but I have two conditions.¡± ¡°First, the international alliance must help me clear the international public opinion storm and verify what I say.¡± ¡°Second, not everyone can master this method, so who learns it should be decided by Xia Country.¡± ¡°These are two simple conditions. No problem, right?¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. Indeed, these conditions were not too harsh, at least Dr. Paer didn¡¯t think so, and as for the death revival skill cards, she wasn¡¯t concerned. With the means of the international alliance, they would surely be able to obtain them from The Other Shore. Of course, from Lu Ran¡¯s perspective, these two conditions carried profound implications. After the International Alliance helped verify the authenticity of Lu Ran¡¯s ims, other countries also came to believe that Lu Ran truly possessed these capabilities. Not only the nations, but even The Other Shore is likely to be convinced as well. Lu Ran, along with Dr. Gu and others, analyzed that with this ability, it should be no problem to dissolve The Other Shore without deploying a single soldier. It probably won¡¯t be long before high-level members from The Other Shore contact Xia Country, hoping to surrender to them. After all,pared to being attacked and dissolved by the International Alliance, taking a step ahead to surrender to Xia Country seems like a better deal. Which countries will get to enjoy the benefits of necromancy will also be decided by Xia Country, which can bring substantial benefits to Xia Country and Lu Ran. After all, if you want to learn something, you have to pay a tutor fee. When the timees, it will be a matter of seeing who is under the table. Lu Ran¡¯s idea is that even if the Eagle Federation wants to learn, there should be no problem-just let them first provide two pieces of epic resources¡­ Moreover, as for mind sword intent, Lu Ran isn¡¯t really sure he can teach it to others, but that¡¯s not important. As long as the method is provided, whether or not others can learn it is not his concern. Lu Ran has also discussed this with the elders of the Cult of Necromancy. They believe that it would be difficult for others to learn mind sword intent, and after Lu Ran¡¯s death, this method to resolve the drawbacks of necromancy might be lost. Their suggestion was for Lu Ran to research a special artifact simr to the Spirit Transformation Pot! As long as a conscious soul is ced inside, the artifact would automatically purify the soul and release a harmless soul. With such an artifact, even without Lu Ran, any necromancer could grow harmlessly. And forging such an artifact may only be possible for Lu Ran, who possesses both the me Sprite and mind sword intent. If others cannot learn it, Lu Ran can fully utilize the resources of various countries to research this artifact, allowing the necromancy attribute to flourish! ¡­ Subsequently, representatives from the International Alliance and Xia Country engaged in in-depth negotiations. ¡­ The following day. News certified by the International Alliance shocked the world. [International Alliance Research Institute Certification! Lu Ran from Xia Country, a brilliantly talented top-level researcher!] [Research rewriting thendscape of the beast taming domain! Harmless necromancy cultivation method!] [The father of necromancy in the world-Lu Ran.] [Effective today, the International Alliance Research Institute will coborate with Xia Country to delve deeper into the necromancy field.] At the same time. The inte exploded instantly. Everyone was surprised that the International Alliance had certified Lu Ran¡¯s ims so quickly. This indicated that Lu Ran indeed possessed a viable method of necromancy cultivation. A beastmaster from Siammented: [Certified!? Unbelievable! It¡¯s actually true; Professor Lu is too strong. When can this be promoted on arge scale? I can¡¯t wait to start cultivating spirits!] A beastmaster from Eagle remarked: [It¡¯s actually true¡­ How did this guy, with just a Level 2 beastmaster status, rise to be the Holy Son of the legendary great cult of necromancy, I don¡¯t get it!!!] [What about the princesses from Yinglun, what do they think??] [No news, maybe they¡¯ve entered the breakthrough secret realm again.] [Probably. I wonder what their expression will be when theye out and see Lu Ran recognized as the father of necromancy by the International Alliance.] IP¡­ Once the certification from the International Alliance was released, countries worldwide were shaken and began contacting Xia Country to acquire the harmless necromancy cultivation method. As for theck of death revival skill cards? That was hardly an issue. Necromancers, previously overlooked and treated merely as criminals, at this moment, saw a tenfold increase in the effort to apprehend them. Once it became apparent that necromancy could bring long-term benefits, countries started paying more attention to the other shore. However, countries soon noticed that, all of a sudden, the number of necromancers seemed to have decreased drastically, even ferocious beasts were no longer being hunted, as if they had all gone into hiding! But soon, another world-shaking piece of news was released. ording to a leak from an undercover agent ced within the other shore, there was ongoing internal turmoil, with over half of the Level 5 necromancers hoping to invite Lu Ran to be the overlord of the other shore and take charge! International tremors. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°Unbelievable.¡± ¡°A transnational super criminal organization undergoing internal strife because of one research finding, with half switching sides?¡± ¡°You kidding? This is like sci-fi. Has he really be the daddy of necromantic forces?¡± ¡°Holy crap, what kind of monster is this Lu Ran, a single person, with one statement, dismantling a transnational criminal organization that¡¯s a headache even for the International Alliance?¡± ¡°But surely Lu Ran won¡¯t ept it though¡­¡± The turmoil within such a vast organization as The Other Shore could not possibly be kept secret, especially given that it¡¯s inconceivable for such groups not to have spies from various countries embedded within. The internal strife within The Other Shore is indeed escting, and somehow, a high-level member has managed to acquire Lu Ran¡¯s contact information and made an international call to him. Lu Ran was just about to delve into Soul Forging when the iing call interrupted him. ¡°Is this Lu Ran, son of Lu Qiancheng and Lu Yunxiu?¡± came a raspy voice from the other end. ¡°Who are you? A high-level member of The Other Shore?¡± Lu Ran frowned. ¡°Who I am doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is, do you want a reliable way to ess the Death Revival Skill?¡± ¡°As long as Xia Country can guarantee our safety¡­ I can reveal to you the method to unlock a certain real-world secret realm.¡± ¡°That secret realm, the Death Revival Skill Book, is merely the most basic reward¡­¡± ¡°If you keep talking in that raspy voice, I¡¯m going to hang up,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Don¡¯t hang up. I want to defect to you, just give me shelter¡­ A Level 5 necromancer, a super enforcer, just feed me and that¡¯s enough! I can¡¯t¡­ hold on much longer!¡± Chapter 219: Talks at The Other Shore Lu Ran was speechless. He could feel that this guy might really be at his limit. It felt like ants were crawling all over his body. He craved souls but was afraid to consume them. Even though he was in better shape than that undercover agent from the international alliance, it was only slightly. He was probably on the verge of bing lost. People like him were definitely numerous at The Other Shore. Of course, there were a few with exceptional Talents who could remain unscathed. For instance, his necromancer master had reached the Legendary level through sheer willpower, without any adverse effects.However, the necromancers of the Star-Moon Continent had certain advantages over those from Blue Star. At least they practiced meditation. The heart cleansing meditation method of the Cult of Necromancy could somewhat suppress their chaotic consciousness. In contrast, the beastmasters from Blue Star, whocked training abilities, had to rely solely on their willpower to endure. He wondered how long this guy had been a necromancer. ¡°How many of you are there?¡± Lu Ran asked as he plopped down on the couch, crossed his legs, held his phone to his ear with one hand, and tapped his knee with the other. If he remembered correctly, the man had said ¡°we,¡± which meant he wasn¡¯t speaking just for himself but representing a group of necromancers in a simr situation. ¡°There are a dozen of us now, and the number is still growing.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll consider your conditions,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°But it¡¯s toote today. I¡¯ll contact you tomorrow using this number-make sure to answer.¡± ¡°Remember to bring some food¡­¡± Lu Ran hung up the phone, pondered for a moment, and then reached out to Dr. Gu. They had actually anticipated this oue. Soon, Lu Ran and Dr. Gu decided to meet with these members from The Other Shore in Public Infinite City. The following day, on the high seas in a remote part of Infinite City, Lu Ran, Dr. Gu, and Manager Ying, a cat, arrived at a secluded grove. When Lu Ran and hispanions arrived, two individuals, a man and a woman wearing hats, were already waiting there. ¡°Dragon Tamer, Professor Lu?¡± The two didn¡¯t seem surprised to see that Lu Ran had brought a bodyguard along. Even though Infinite City prohibits fighting, there is still a dy between a fight breaking out, the patrol beast detecting it, and the city imposing sanctions. A beastmaster intent on a ¡°one-for-one¡± strategy could still manage to kill someone even within the bounds of Infinite City. ¡°Let¡¯s start with introductions,¡± Lu Ran said, cutting straight to the point as he was still unaware of the identities and statuses of the two individuals. ¡°Take off the hat,¡± Gu Qingyimanded, leaning against a tree and leaving the negotiations to Lu Ran. Beside her, Manager Ying yawned and climbed onto a tree to rest. ¡°Alright.¡± The male necromancer hesitated for a moment before removing his ck hooded cloak, revealing his Asian features. ¡°Actually, it was the Red Count who gave us your contact information, Your Excellency Lu Ran.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°¡­¡± A level 51 sovereign, huh. Just don¡¯t let me see it again. Once I enter the breakthrough secret realm again, I¡¯m confident I can smash that guy. A few level 40 overlords taking down a sovereign over level 50? Definitely doable. ¡°Your Excellency Lu Ran, you must be aware of the origins of the other shore, right?¡± ¡°I know, as an internationally wanted criminal organization, you¡¯re certainly wary and wouldn¡¯t easily cooperate.¡± ¡°But actually, arge number of people within the other shore were forced to join, like Dr. Lu and his wife, your parents, who are victims.¡± ¡°The other shore was originally a transnational biological enterprise, which had long confirmed the existence of supernatural beings, hence constantly pursuing traces of these beings for biological research.¡± ¡°And their ultimate goal was to find a legendary item known as the stone of the other shore, an item said to grant immortality and possess the power to overturn the world.¡± ¡°Therefore, surrounding this objective, the other shore continued to grow, its development process can be divided into three stages.¡± ¡°In the initial stage, the other shore was still in the form of a multinational corporation, possessing a behind-the-scenes boss, who was also the founder of thepany. His goal was always firm-to find the Stone of the Other Shore.¡± ¡°In the development stage, the other shore began to seek world-renowned scientists to aid in researching supernatural life and creature evolution. Dr. Lu and his spouse were forced to join during this stage.¡± ¡°After these two stages, Infinite City arrived at a certain moment, and a supernatural item controlled by the boss of the other shore suddenly transformed into something akin to a key to a secret realm, opening a real-world secret realm and ushering in the third stage of development.¡± ¡°Through necromancy, the other shore expanded again, continuously enticing beastmasters from various countries with necromantic power.¡± ¡°However, once the other shore had grown to a certain extent, it reached a turning point-the boss of the other shore died unexpectedly during a breakthrough in the secret realm, leading to a quick split into three factions based on the three stages.¡± ¡°First, those who inherited the will of the boss, continuing the search for the Stone of the Other Shore, mostly remnants of thepany and rtives of the boss.¡± ¡°Second, the researchers who had been abducted by the other shore, who over years of study became a faction unto themselves. From being initially forced, they gradually became obsessed with the research of the supernatural, finding the pursuit of the Stone of the Other Shore too elusive, preferring to rely on their own intelligence to discover means of immortality.¡± ¡°Third, because their pet beasts died inbat, to revive their pet beasts, powerful beastmasters specializing in necromantic power joined the other shore, always seeking ways to resist getting lost and to grow stronger normally.¡± ¡°After his death, his confidants wanted to inherit the organization, but s, they could notmand respect, as each faction had powerful Level 5 necromancers; thus, the other shore has continued to remain leaderless. Everyone bands together under the identity of necromancers, but not every faction is united in heart.¡± The young man slowly said, ¡°My name is Pan Kai. Due to an idental death of a pet beast, I was invited to join the other shore to revive it, aligning myself with the third faction.¡± ¡°And this person beside me, Dr. Sean, is a renowned biologist, also one of the early ones to be abducted by the other shore.¡± Another person, a woman in her thirties, African American, removed her hat and forced a smile at Lu Ran, just about to speak of herself as akin to a sister to Dr. Lu, but Pan Kai did not give her the chance, continuing: ¡°The two of us can, to a certain extent, represent a portion of necromancers. Our demands are simple: they want a stable, safe environment to research supernatural life forms without being hunted down due to their identity as necromancers.¡± ¡°Furthermore, we require harmless soul food to sustain ourselves and our pet beasts.¡± ¡°In exchange, I believe you definitely need the location and method to open the real-world necromantic secret realm,¡± Pan Kai stated. Lu Ran¡¯s expression remained unchanged as he looked at him and said, ¡°The real-world secret realm, I know, can only be opened with the key to the secret realm. But isn¡¯t there supposed to be just one key? After the initial holder of the key, the boss from The Other Shore, died, do you still have the capability to open the realm?¡± ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be so kind as to leave various treasures in the outside world before he entered the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°And even if he did leave something, it would only be one key¡­ definitely not with you, but with his confidants.¡± However, it¡¯s worth mentioning, this First Generation boss from The Other Shore really had bad luck. If Lu Ran is not mistaken, his ancestors must have been beastmasters; otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have known about the existence of the supernatural so early. Such a person, wealthy and well-connected, naturally possessing his own exclusive real-world secret realm, also died in a breakthrough secret realm. Perhaps it was because he practiced necromantic power that he was discovered by the powerful beings of the Star-Moon Continent and then was killed. Quite a tragic fate indeed. In fact, it proves that what¡¯s considered a top viin or genius on Blue Star doesn¡¯t seem to measure up on the Star-Moon Continent. For instance, the boss of the Legendary Secret Realm is merely equivalent to the ace pet beast of a legendary beastmaster. And an ace pet beast does not fully represent the total strength of a legendary beastmaster, just as a single Sudden Death King does not represent Lu Ran¡¯s strength. Defeating such bosses requires the top-level beastmasters of Blue Star to team up and exert great effort, which shows that Blue Star¡¯s beastmasters still have a long way to go. The top-level beastmasters of Blue Star challenge the Legendary Secret Realm. Whereas the top-level beastmasters of the Star-Moon Continent are challenging the legendary realm. Soon, Lu Ran¡¯s doubts were rified. Pan Kai said, ¡°Indeed, after that death, the necromantic secret realm could no longer be opened. However, who said that keys cannot be duplicated?¡± ¡°A lock can be opened not only with the original key but also with a copy, or even by brute force.¡± ¡°After the research by the researchers of The Other Shore, it was discovered that the key to opening the secret realm is not a specific item, but a category of items!¡± ¡°In short, after the death of the First Generation BOSS of The Other Shore, everyone there began to research how to restart the secret realm. After expending a great deal of manpower and resources, they finally seeded!¡± ¡°How can it be opened?¡± Lu Ran asked, surprised. ¡°To show my sincerity, I¡¯ll let Your Excellency know in advance,¡± Pan Kai replied: ¡°It¡¯s blood.¡± ¡°Blood crystals of sufficient concentration and quality,bined with powerful spiritual power, can serve as the key to open the secret realm!¡± ¡°Simply put, as long as you have a necromantic pet beast and high-quality fresh blood crystals from the pet beast, and you blend the spiritual power with the blood crystal, you can create a duplicated key!¡± ¡°By the way, the Red Count was also developed during that period as a life key for blood extraction experiments. It¡¯s considered amon property of The Other Shore, including many such experimental creatures.¡± ¡°If you want to enter the secret realm in the future, just draw blood from that vampire.¡± Lu Ran: ? No wonder the vampire¡¯s psyche is so twisted, having grown up being bled from a young age. Very well, continue to draw blood as it grows, and increase the intensity. Chapter 220: The Land of Nurturing Artifact Spirits Chapter 220: The Land of Nurturing Artifact Spirits Having learned important information, Lu Ran continued to inquire. ¡°Where is the actual location of the necromancy secret realm?¡± Knowing about the key was useless without knowing the location. Pan Kai said, ¡°It¡¯s on a small ind in South America, that¡¯s where The Other Shore¡¯s headquarters are.¡± Lu Ran turned and exchanged nces with Gu Qingyi. At that moment, Dr. Sean added, ¡°Before we arrived, there was just a coup within The Other Shore.¡± ¡°Now, the necromancers who remain at headquarters are all hoping to coborate with Your Excellency Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Only a very small fraction of necromancers, due to various reasons, do not wish for The Other Shore to cooperate with Xia Country, but these individuals are in the minority and have already left The Other Shore under the pressure of the prevailing situation.¡± ¡°Of course, I think these are the people we need to be most cautious about; they are not deeply involved in necromancy and haveplex backgrounds, tied to various autocratic small nations and multinational corporations, true ambition seekers.¡±¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°I can ept a coboration,¡± Lu Ran said in response to Dr. Sean. ¡°However, such coboration cannot be overt. I can offer protection to The Other Shore, but the method of protection won¡¯t be ¡®gentle.¡¯¡± ¡°Next, The Other Shore will be ¡®smashed,¡¯ and most of its personnel will be ¡®captured and arrested.¡¯¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Pan Kai said with no objections. ¡°However, there might be some who won¡¯t ept this. They might be okay with coborating, but certainly not with having their fates controlled by someone else, or even changing their identities.¡± ¡°Then we won¡¯t cooperate with them.¡± Lu Ran tossed a spirit-storing ring to Pan Kai, saying, ¡°This ring contains 100 harmless souls that can be used as food, as a token of my sincerity. Whether you can persuade those people is up to you.¡± An international crime organization looking to go legitimate is an indispensable step. When forced to join The Other Shore, those who can be legitimized will be cleaned immediately, just like Lu Ran¡¯s parents, who were also victims. With some fresh blood on his hands, even a necromancer, who is still human after all, has a moralpass. Most people would find some justification for their actions, especially if it involved leveling up by killing beastmasters. They would likely target corrupt bureaucrats or sin-ridden beastmasters first,beling their actions as removing a menace to the people, to mitigate their own guilt. ¡°I¡¯m just killing the bad guys and consuming their souls incidentally.¡± Lu Ran found this kind of rationalepletely eptable. However, he was not willing to coborate with those utterly devoid of moral standards. Even Lu Ran, whose moral standards weren¡¯t particrly high, recognized that associating with such individuals could only bring risk. Nevertheless, Lu Ran believed that such people likelycked the willpower to sustain their undertakings for long; they probably went mad and got dealt with already. Without surprises, Lu Ran felt that there would be another bout of internal strife within The Other Shore. ¡°Harmless soul¡­¡± In an instant, Pan Kai¡¯s attention was wholly captured by the ring in his hand. He swallowed hard, resisting the urge to immediately send his pet beast to devour the soul. To stay lucid, he had refrained from sending his pet beast into battle for a long time, worried about excessive exhaustion. But now, he was in desperate need of sustenance! ¡°Could you tell me more about the specific conditions within the necromancer¡¯s secret realm?¡± Lu Ran asked. The specific conditions of the necromancer¡¯s secret realm¡­ Holding the ring, Pan Kai looked at Lu Ran and replied, ¡°The necromancer¡¯s secret realm has no level restrictions. Anyone can challenge it indefinitely. The realm adapts to the beastmaster¡¯s level, spawning initial enemies ordingly. Upon victory, stronger enemies are refreshed.¡± Lu Ran: ? That sounds awfully familiar. Wasn¡¯t that what those who bred pandas said? Could it be that all real-world secret realms operate on this same mechanism? However, unlike the ¡°rtively safe¡± conditions described by the Youxiong n, Pan Kai continued, ¡°This necromancer¡¯s secret realm is still quite dangerous. The refreshed enemies are all necromancers, and their attacks are mostly soul-based.¡± ¡°There are many ways to heal physical injuries and resources for mental healing aren¡¯tcking, but the capabilities and resources for healing soul damage are almost nonexistent.¡± ¡°To recover, one must slowly heal by devouring souls, but this requires the consumption of arge number of souls and can impact one¡¯s mental state.¡± ¡°So, attempting this secret realm is very dangerous, and it¡¯s best to meet the minimum clearance standards and then retreat.¡± ¡°Do not try to pursue the highest rating.¡± ¡°Since no one has ever achieved the highest rating, I¡¯m not even sure what the best rewards it can drop are.¡± ¡°However, even an ordinary clearance will at least drop a ¡®death revival¡¯ skill card, and if one performs slightly better, a trait crystal ¡®soul burn¡¯ might also be obtained.¡± ¡°This trait crystal is actually quite mediocre, as it merely intensifies the burning of soul power to achieve greater explosive power, but as I mentioned earlier, since there are currently no means to heal the soul, who would want to use such a trait? Its tactical value is even far less than adding a secondary attribute to a necromantic pet beast.¡± ¡°Right-¡° Hearing this, Lu Ran also disregarded this trait, even though his pet beast wouldn¡¯t be affected by devouring souls, and even though he could create healing soul cuisine, he simply wasn¡¯t interested in a purely explosive trait. Why waste a trait slot on fusion traits when he could just as well practice energypression techniques? Indeed, these repeatedly obtainable traits do have their limitations. However, after listening to the description, Lu Ran quickly identified another oversight. ¡°Since the necromantic secret realm is full of dead things, must the aura of death there be very strong?¡± ¡°Exactly¡­ The background of this necromantic secret realm is said to be a legendary battlefield, so it¡¯s filled with the aura of death everywhere.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°!!!¡± Lu Ran was surprised and pleased to hear this. He knew that to nurture an artifact spirit, he needed to find ces with a high concentration of the aura of death, especially those where many supernatural beings had died. On Blue Star, such ces are rare, and Lu Ran had been quite perplexed about where to choose. After much consideration, Lu Ran realized that only the various secret realms in Infinite City resembled the ces he needed. However, choosing a realm for nurturing artifact spirits posed a significant challenge, as it required frequent entry and exit, which was quite exhausting. Unlike the external world where one could simply leave their weapon and walk away, perhaps leaving a security guard to watch over it. Now, this real-world secret realm presented Lu Ran with another option. Nurturing artifact spirit site +1. Though still a secret realm type and exhausting, this legendary battlefield, bustling with necromancy creatures, seemed quite suitable due to the quality of its death breath, which might significantly reduce the nurturing time. This, in turn, provided anotherpelling reason to take over The Other Shore headquarters. At this moment, The Other Shore¡¯s exclusive secret realm, aside from being a prime spot for acquiring death skill books, had also be a nurturing site for artifact spirits in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes. ¡°Say¡­ can I try this out?¡± Pan Kai couldn¡¯t help but ask, holding the ring, just as desperate as he had described over the phone. Lu Ran remained silent for a moment before saying, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave it at that, we¡¯ll meet in person.¡± With that, he nced at Dr. Gu and the cat. In an instant, the cat teleported them away from there. Inside the cat-eared maid caf¨¦. Manager Ying smacked her lips and said, ¡°So next¡­¡± ¡°Leave the next steps to me,¡± Gu Qingyi interjected. ¡°Lu Ran will wait in Green Sea City while I lead a group of the First Generation to South America to secure our territory. Once things are stable there, you can look for an opportunity to join us.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in Green Sea for now and forge weapons for General Ha,¡± he continued. ¡°Then, continue to deal with more ferocious beast souls and forge more spirit-storing rings.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Qingyi nodded. After all, the next step was to take over The Other Shore. These people, likely joining Lu Ran mostly for the harmless souls, would need some incentive to willingly work for him. As for the ferocious beasts themselves and the materials for forging the spirit-storing rings, most would be provided by Xia Country. Reliance solely on Lu Ran¡¯s own resources and Bai Qi of the Netherworld Department¡¯s hunting speed was far from sufficient. This process would also allow Lu Ran to further refine his mind sword intent and Soul Forging technique. The matter concerning The Other Shore was now fully entrusted to Dr. Gu, while Lu Ran returned to the Green Sea. Upon his return to the Green Sea, Lu Ran had intended to continue his Soul Forging practice; however, a sudden thought prompted him to ask Manager Ying¡¯s clone, who was overseeing a weather elf: ¡°Has the queen ant egg not been traded yet?¡± ¡°The queen ant egg has been traded, but I haven¡¯t found the right resources for you yet,¡± Manager Ying looked up. Lu Ran: ??? ¡°What did they exchange for the queen ant egg?¡± ¡°Nutritional supplements for my main body,¡± Manager Ying said eagerly. ¡°When I find the right resources for you, I¡¯ll buy them with money. Haven¡¯t I already given you two exquisite minerals as a deposit?¡± After a moment of silence, Lu Ran said, ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Who was the queen ant egg traded to then?¡± ¡°Lin Nian.¡± ¡°Her??¡± ¡°She¡¯s a superhuman. She doesn¡¯t need mental or pet beasts but instead wants metal and rock species queen ant eggs. It seems superhumans canmand a legion more easily than ordinary beastmasters.¡± ¡°To be precise, Lin Nian wanted it for her older sister, Lin Yin,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°You know, Lin Yin has started challenging the Legendary Secret Realm. She only had one pet beast, but now with another sovereign species pet beast, it¡¯ll be a lot easier for her.¡± ¡°Damn it-¡° ¡°What are you cursing about?¡± Manager Ying asked, puzzled. Lu Ran looked at her: ¡°Fang Lan teamed up with Lin Yin, and if she sees the queen ant egg I found going to Lin Yin, how awkward would that be¡­ Summer was already upset when she came to the Green Sea¡­ Why did you sell it to Lin Nian?¡± Manager Ying looked disdainfully at Lu Ran and said, ¡°You have good things and don¡¯t think of your own sister first, letting me sell them off, and now youeining to me!¡± ¡°Fang Lan¡¯s contract slot is full right now, giving her the queen ant egg is useless¡­ Once she reaches level 2, I¡¯ll find a poison species sovereign hatchling for her,¡± Lu Ran retorted. ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m off to forge-¡° At this time. There were 5 days until the next Evolution Secret Realm opened. There were 16 days until the fourth Evolution Secret Realm opened. Lu Ran felt that General Ha should skip evolving in the third Evolution Secret Realm since 5 days was too short a time, and it probably wouldn¡¯t make much progress. He decided it was better to catch thest call for the Evolution Secret Realm and take General Ha to evolve in the uingst Evolution Secret Realm. Half a monthter, after General Ha had evolved, Lu Ran was also ready to enter the level 2 Breakthrough Secret Realm to be a level 3 beastmaster. Chapter 221: General Ha: Boss Lu, do I look handsome? Two dayster. As Emerald Mountain suddenly transformed into a snow-covered realm, an exquisite divine sword was born. Lu Ran, holding arge sword wrapped in ice and snow, was breathing heavily. It wasn¡¯t excitement or thrill, but sheer exhaustion. To forge this sword, he had stayed awake for twenty-four hours straight, carefully fusing a thousand teeth with the help of a me Sprite. ¡°Quite handsome.¡± Lu Ran looked at his creation and smiled. [Name]: Winter¡¯s Fang [Level]: Exquisite[Introduction]: Forged from a thousand high-quality ferocious beast teeth, this sword contains enhanced powers of the ice and wind species. The wielder can split the sword de into a thousand tooth shards to attack. Each tooth possesses the power to be the core of a blizzard! Initially, the weapon was somewhat cumbersome to forge for Lu Ran, appearing irregr, almost like a thick b of iron. However, the final product, with its winter-colored debined with the rugged appearance of therge sword, surprisingly looked bold and wild. Moreover, the tooth marks on the de, radiating a fierce light, were dazzling to behold! Lu Ran was extremely satisfied. Boom!!! Holding Winter¡¯s Fang, Lu Ran swung the sword in sync with Blizzard Sword Intent, instantly whipping up a tempest of snow that howled toward the sky! The next instant. The sky dramatically changed. The entire cloudyer turned into a whirlpool of snow, brewing the terrifying force of a blizzard, seemingly ready to unleash a catastrophic natural disaster at any moment. On Emerald Mountain. A group of ferocious beasts wrapped in leaves shivered. A dark crow stood at the edge of the sky, narrating the scene to them. ¡°Look!!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been toozy, the Big King has unleashed his wrath, go train now!!¡± At Lu Ran¡¯s home, Manager Ying, with a cat paw, grabbed a weather elf child trying to run outside. ¡°Where are you going¨C¨C¨C¨C¡± It hugged a cloud fluffy like cotton candy, blocking its path. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­ pitter-patter¡­ (Snow, snow¡­)¡± ¡°It¡¯s just weapon forging, you don¡¯t need to go see!¡± ¡­ ¡°General Ha!!!¡± At that moment, Lu Ran called out and summoned General Ha from the contract card, where it had been resting. It wasn¡¯t that General Ha was cking off; in fact, over the past few days, it had been the most diligent in special training among the pet beasts. Training in the meteorite artistic conception was truly soul-crushing, and the Sudden Death King expressed a need to rest. Dark Crow was busy managing the Green Sea and investigating the Fishman Empire, always working on expanding territory in coboration with the ck Turtle to oversee the ocean. Only General Ha kept pushing itself to the limit in relentless special training. But life isn¡¯t a machine; it always gets tired. After General Ha fainted during training, Lu Ran returned it to the contract card to rest. From the fact that it had slept for an entire day, it was indeed overloaded. ¡°Woof.¡± Awoken and feeling the cold environment around it, General Ha was momentarily stunned, then quickly opened its eyes and looked at the Winter¡¯s Fang in Lu Ran¡¯s hand. So familiar. Too familiar. It stuck out its tongue, panting happily. ¡°Awooo~~~~¡± Seeing the newly forged weapon by Lu Ran, General Ha ran forward, leaped up, and grabbed the Winter¡¯s Fang that Lu Ran had stuck in the ground. The next instant. Itnded on the white snow, where a flurry of fine snow danced up around it. The blizzard force swirled around General Ha. Boom! The force of the snowstorm in the clouds also suddenly fell, transforming into infinite snow and forming a snowfield vortex, swirling around General Ha, making it appear like an emperor of snow. Its fur fluttered, and General Ha¡¯s gaze was sharp. With a shake of its head, an impressive sword intent burst forth. [Name]: Gale Sword Dog [Species Level]: Upper Commander (Upper Sovereign)! This sword had a greater effect on General Ha than the sword grass! The sword grass had only helped General Ha reach the middle sovereign level, but this sword propelled it an entire level higher! This was normal, after all, General Ha was inherently of the wind type, best suited for Blizzard Sword Intent. The grass-type power of the exquisite sword grass, although beneficial, was not its limit. But this Winter¡¯s Fang, specially customized by Lu Ran for General Ha, was a perfect match. But this still wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Next, we need to cultivate an artifact spirit from Winter¡¯s Fang.¡± ¡°And also develop a consciousness in the sword grass.¡± ¡°Let them be retainers of General Ha.¡± ¡°Woof woof woof-¡± As Lu Ran muttered, General Ha barked loudly, asking for the name of the sword. ¡°Winter¡¯s Fang,¡± Lu Ran replied. General Ha bared his teeth. Lu Ran handed over the sword grass and the Sky-Cleaving Sword to him. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Lu Ran asked, as he tossed the sword grass and the Sky-Cleaving Sword to General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was brimming with energy. What else but practice sword control! Feeling armed with new weapons, he sensed he was a step closer to the sword domain. With the formidable great sword in his mouth, he felt much clearer in the head. However, looking down at the two swords at his feet, General Ha with the sword in his mouth fell into deep thought. Pacing back and forth, all flustered. ¡°Ha ha.¡± Seeing this, Lu Ranughed heartily and said, ¡°You used to handle one with your mouth and one with your tail, now you have three swords in total. Stumped, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Sword control then, let the two swords float.¡± Lu Ran suggested nonchntly, as it didn¡¯t really matter; the King of Swords could only be triggered once, based on the highest quality weapon carried. Due to the physical limitations of General Ha¡¯s body, Lu Ran had developed the ability for him to control multiple swords simultaneously. Whether it was developing the future technique of ¡®All Swords Returning to One¡¯ or ¡®Sword Shielding the Body¡¯, both would rely on sword control. Though he wouldn¡¯t benefit from the King of Swords boost, he would at least gain from the weapon mastery boost. However, after Lu Ran finished speaking, General Ha paused to ponder on the spot and showed a disdainful expression. That wasn¡¯t cool enough! Saying so, General Ha, to Lu Ran¡¯s slight astonishment, threw the Winter¡¯s Fang from his mouth. Immediately thereafter. He howled skyward. ¡°Awoo~~~~¡± His body erupted with wind force, a furious white current chaotic and earth-shaking, whipping up more snow and ice. This surge of wind force swept upwards, much like how the Sudden Death King, in his lizard form, once shaped himself into the Thunder Dragon form. It seemed General Ha also wanted to envelop himself within a giant energy apparition. Wind force continuously shapes energy, constantly outlining its form. General Ha, at some unknown moment, had managed to learn this technique. In an instant, General Ha shaped a Werewolf Phantom, which seemed like a fusion of Lu Ran and himself-both cool and quirky. ¡°Awooo!!!¡± The next moment, the Werewolf Phantom spread its arms, wielding Sword Grass in one hand and the Sky-Cleaving Sword in the other, while Winter¡¯s Fang, swept up by the Gale, flew up again to be caught in the white Werewolf Phantom¡¯s mouth. General Ha, in his three-sword style Werewolf form, makes his entrance! Within the apparition, General Ha¡¯s main body revealed an intelligent expression as it looked towards Lu Ran. ¡°Bark! (Boss Lu, isn¡¯t it cool?!)¡± Lu Ran: ??? Three-sword style, huh! Lu Ran¡¯s teeth ache. So, you inherited this from the Sudden Death King who stopped using energy apparitions, huh! Indeed, with General Ha¡¯s Comprehension and Talent, it could easily replicate the energy techniques mastered by other pet beasts. Combined with weapon mastery, the three-sword style didn¡¯t hinder its performance. ¡­ Currently, the ferocious white Werewolf Phantom, wielding three weapons, continuously swung them about. Ahead, the snowstorm devastated the trees ahead like a phantom sword dance. It presented a silly yet cool dissonance. Perhaps because this werewolf was primarily shaped after the image of Erha. Seeing that General Ha could now amuse itself, Lu Ran reluctantly shook his head. ¡°As expected of you, keep up the good practice.¡± At this moment, General Ha had already consumed the Boundary Breaking Root gifted by Pig Deity. It now possessed a certain affinity for space. Combined with superb energypression skills and top-level swordsmanship Comprehension through the Sword-Formed Soul, Lu Ran felt that even if General Ha hadn¡¯t grasped a domain yet, after the fusion with the Ultimate Perception Trait, it would be nearly there. Lu Ran pondered. On the evolution of General Ha¡¯s foundation-body, mental, and soul. Physically, its teeth, ws, and bones had undergone numerous enhancements. Always practicing energypression, General Ha¡¯s body was as tempered as that of the Sudden Death King. With the maintenance from the divine deer pendant, it had reached its limit. Even before the Sudden Death King¡¯s evolution, its scales could not perfectly defend against General Ha¡¯s teeth and ws. Now, these had been imbued with spatial properties, making them wlessly impable. Mentally, its various sword intents were the best manifestation of its achievements. And soul-wise, with Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement Talent and the resources of the Cult of Necromancy, its soul had been perfectly tempered, just like the Sudden Death King¡¯s. Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement Talent naturally excels in nurturing the souls of pet beasts. By cultivating the Sudden Death King, he brings its soul closer to that of a True Dragon, and by cultivating General Ha, he makes its soul akin to a Sword Soul. Cultivating the Dark Crow, on the other hand, is about perfecting its adaptability, allowing its soul to exist outside its body for extended periods. This might also be one of the reasons why the Dark Crow developed a twin Talent. In any case, the evolution conditions for General Ha are not bad either, but clearly, it is not yet satisfied among the three pet beasts, each more tangled than thest. Unlike the Sudden Death King and Dark Crow, which rely solely on resources for evolution, General Ha seeks to build a stronger foundation before evolving. Evolution, in this sense, means a transformation that integrates the total strength of a pet beast from levels 1 to 30, naturally including various energy techniques and skill foundations. If one masters a powerful skill like a domain, andbines it with substantial resources, General Ha feels it could be even stronger. ¡­ Half a dayter. ¡°Stop training.¡± While General Ha continued to learn about the Sword Domain, Lu Ran suddenly spoke up, holding a mobile phone. The dashing Werewolf Phantom turned its head to look at Lu Ran, who said, ¡°I¡¯m taking you to a secret realm for training.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha dispersed the phantom, and several swords fell to the ground as it looked puzzled. A secret realm? Other than the Legendary Secret Realm, isn¡¯t fighting bosses in other secret realms just like ying with babies? But the Legendary Secret Realm had already been cleared, hadn¡¯t it? ¡°It¡¯s the real-world secret realm.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly. Just moments ago, the Youxiong n had contacted him, informing him that the Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm had opened once again and asked if he was interested in taking on the challenge. Lu Ran was certainly interested. Meanwhile, on the other shore ind, ording to thetest intelligence, it had beenpletely seized by Xia Country. Naturally, the existence of the other shore ind, as it crumbled, had also been exposed to the International Alliance. Now, Xia Country and the International Alliance are engaged in a debate over the ownership of the necromancy secret realm on The Other Shore. However, it is expected that Xia Country will ultimately emerge victorious, as Lu Ran¡¯s technology, which is critical for securing a stable source of death skill books, holds all other nations by the throat. Without his technology, their intentions to stabilize these skills remain questionable. Currently, Lu Ran is waiting for the situation to stabilize before he challenges the necromancy secret realm. In the meantime, exploring the Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm would be a good choice. ¡°Whoo~~¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes light up. Although he is clueless about what a real-world secret realm is, he wouldn¡¯t miss a chance to fight. ¡­ The King of Green Sea is setting out, and as his topckey, the Dark Crow was the first to receive this intelligence. In the past, its greatest headache was managing to stay by the King¡¯s side while also overseeing the Green Sea. Now, having fused with the necromancy clone trait, this problem has been elegantly solved. Due to the Twin Curse, it now has two bodies, and the traits of both are shared. This means that both the Crow of Curses and the Crow of Death can use the necromancy clone trait to further split off another necromancy clone. Four crows converge in the skies of the Green Sea. Two main bodies fly towards Lu Ran, while the two necromancy clones remain to continue managing the Green Sea. Though the clones are not as powerful as the main bodies, they are certainly formidable. Any Fishman daring to approach will not escape the Dark Crow¡¯s ws. The nanny cat, still caring for the weather elf, gazes at the sky where the Dark Crow is skillfully manipting its clones and falls into deep thought. ¡°I feel like this guy will eventually surpass me in the art of cloning.¡± ¡°A new generation of crows reces the old cat¡­¡± ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± Manager Ying looks towards the approaching weather elf. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­ (Is being able to clone impressive?)¡± it asked. As it spoke, it split from a single cloud into dozens, filling up the ceiling. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­ (A new cloud reces the old cat¡­)¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°You, an elemental creature, want topete in this too???¡± Something is off, very off. Although it has always been under her care, why is Cloud Baby¡¯s personality gradually deviating, bing less like her and more like Lu Ran? They are both quite vexing to cats! ¡­ Chapter 222: The Clash of Black and White Pet Beasts Youxiong Ancient Town. Inside the Youxiong n mansion. Upon his arrival, Lu Ran was warmly received. The Youxiong Guild Leader and Youxiong Anlin were both enthusiastic and somewhat troubled. This guy, just a few days after leaving Youxiong Ancient Town, had now returned with the prestigious title of the Father of Necromancy. What was he up to this time? It¡¯s true what they sayparison is the thief of joy. Due to Lu Ran¡¯s rising poprity over the past few days, the Panda Guardian took a deeper interest in his profile. What they found was astonishing.They realized they had to invite Lu Ran to tackle the trial secret realm, hoping he might unearth some advanced treats. In terms of strength and potential among his peers, Lu Ran was undoubtedly the world¡¯s best. Attacking such a trial secret realm was sure to yield significant loot. ¡°Professor Lu¡­¡± said the Youxiong Guild Leader, ¡°the secret realm officially opens tomorrow.¡± ¡°Additionally, the Guardian Lord would like to invite you and Youxiong Anlin to a duel.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± As Lu Ran followed the others towards the inner courtyard, he nced at Youxiong Anlin, who sighed beside him, and said: ¡°He mentioned that he wanted to fight after his pet beast evolved.¡± ¡°I remember, he wasn¡¯t present in the second Evolution Secret Realm, was he?¡± Although Youxiong Anlin¡¯s Panda had reached level 30, he had chosen not to evolve it in the second Evolution Secret Realm. It seemed he believed the pet beast¡¯s potential hadn¡¯t been fully tapped and wanted to cultivate it further. ¡°The Guardian Lord, after reviewing your profile, realized that you have a pet beast that has undergone a first-stage evolution and another that hasn¡¯t evolved yet.¡± ¡°He suggested that since Youxiong Anlin wants a fair match, let his unevolved pet beast fight yours.¡± ¡°A battle before evolution and another after.¡± ¡°¡­¡± said Lu Ran. Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m not one for casual brawls.¡± Just because you say fight, we fight? ¡°As long as you win, whatever treasures burst forth in the Evolution Secret Realm will be yours alone, with no deductions by the Youxiong n. However, if you lose, whatever is dropped, we get to choose first,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader exined, rying the Guardian Lord¡¯s words. Lu Ran: ? Although Lu Ran wanted to say that there wasn¡¯t much worth mentioning in your secret realm as it stands. However, to keep a backup n, he turned to Youxiong Anlin and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with this Guardian Deity of yours always trying to make you fight me?¡± Youxiong Anlin shrugged helplessly and replied, ¡°It¡¯s because it thinks the current Youxiong n is too weak.¡± ¡°In ancient times, the strength of a beastmaster in a Totem Tribe directly determined the tribe¡¯s living conditions.¡± ¡°After some training and understanding the current situation of beastmasters, it has set high expectations for us.¡± ¡°For example, its expectation for me is to be the foremost among the Fourth Generation¡­¡± Youxiong Anlin felt frustrated. ¡°Ha¡­ Good luck,¡± Lu Ranughed heartily. The Youxiong n had not only gained a Guardian Deity but also a parent eager to see their child seed. ¡°I won¡¯t hold back in the fight, though.¡± ¡°Hold back?¡± Youxiong Anlin chuckled, ¡°No need!¡± ¡°Your Gale Sword Dog hasn¡¯t evolved yet, so it will be a fair fight.¡± Youxiong Anlin was very wary of the middle overlord Sudden Death King and the Twin Crow with twin souls in one body. He could hardly imagine how he would surpass such a monstrous opponent as Lu Ran. But if it was just the Gale Sword Dog, he felt there wouldn¡¯t be a problem. As is well known, Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon Chef was bred from the me Sprite inherited from Yan Sizhen. Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow was cultivated after reaping numerous benefits from the Cult of Necromancy, thanks to his status as the Holy Son. If Lu Ran had an ace pet beast, it would definitely be one of these two. After all, these two pet beasts had perfectly absorbed the gains from Lu Ran¡¯s breakthroughs in the secret realm. Moreover, the traits they fused with were likely unique and exceptionally rare. But Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog was different! This pet beast, contracted during Lu Ran¡¯s novice period and not yet fully developed, had merged with traits that anyone could acquire: weapon mastery and nature control. Its potential,pared to the other two, was worlds apart. Numerous beastmasters deduced from Lu Ran¡¯s evolution sequence that he might have hit a bottleneck in nurturing the Gale Sword Dog. After achieving fame, he became more adept at cultivating Loong-type and necromancy species. Although this pet beast also boasts impressive battle records, Youxiong Anlin, having gained significant benefits from the Guardian, possesses considerable confidence. Challenging Lu Ran beyond his level might not be feasible, but in a one-on-one battle of the same level, Lu Ran might not be his match. This was also why he epted the rule proposed by the Guardian. ¡°Fine, when shall we do this?¡± Seeing this, Lu Ran said indifferently, ready to let General Ha warm up. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the Guardian,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader said thoughtfully. Youxiong Anlin¡­ that should be no problem. It¡¯s known that with the Guardian¡¯s help, the Ancient battle beast bloodline of Youxiong Anlin¡¯s Light and Dark Panda was fully awakened. Although an uppermander, its attributes rival those of a lower sovereign. Moreover, mastering both the top-level light and dark attributes, it¡¯s one of the rare pet beasts in the world that handle conflicting attributes. Thebined power of light and dark, along with the second stage of energy flow, can channel these forces into the enemy, causing damage that can transcend a major level inbat. Of course, the most terrifying¡­ is still that one move¡­ The Youxiong Guild Leader couldn¡¯t help but remark that Anlin¡¯s Panda Guardian is indeed the most talented among the Youxiong n¡¯s panda pet beasts. No wonder the Guardian values him highly, hoping he would be the foremost of the Fourth Generation. Momentster. The Panda Guardian was awakened, a ck and white giant panda with leaf marks on its head, stepping out while holding a bamboo leaf, ¡°Has Lu Ran arrived?¡± Its gaze swept over andnded on Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin waiting outside. ¡°Youxiong Anlin, it¡¯s time to test the results of your training!¡± ¡°I understand, Lord Guardian,¡± Youxiong Anlin said, scratching his head. Whether he can turn the tables depends on this battle. First, to knock Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog off its pedestal, and then, to evolve his pet beast, challenging those of necromancy and Dragon! Just after waking the Guardian, the Youxiong Guild Leader said, ¡°There¡¯s no suitable fighting arena inside the mansion, but the town has plenty of t areas.¡± ¡°You could consider going to the park for the fight. It¡¯s currently demolished, and they¡¯re preparing to build a battle arena there. Although it¡¯s not yet constructed, there¡¯s still a vast wastnd avable. However, Lord Panda Guardian, such a battle might attract a lot of attention.¡± The Panda Guardian cannot enter Infinite City by itself, so Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin naturally cannot go there to fight. This Guardian also wants to watch the battle. Recently, the Youxiong n just established cooperative rtions with various major forces and officials. Currently, many beastmasters are located in Youxiong Ancient Town, also waiting to challenge the trial secret realm of the Youxiong n tomorrow. If they choose to fight in an open area outside, it will inevitably attract a crowd of beastmasters to watch. ¡°What does it matter?¡± the Panda Guardian said indifferently, not really believing that any pet beast of the same species and level could defeat its meticulously trained kin. This was also an excellent opportunity to show outsiders the strength of the Panda species. Truth be told, although it has bezy due to the decline in spiritual energy, it was once a war deity in ancient times, and it had fought hard for its species and level. But now, its kin seemed evenzier than it, which it could not ept. Reviving the glory of the Panda species felt like a personal responsibility to the Panda Guardian. It set a small goal for itself: to make the Panda species the strongest among fierce beasts in Xia Country. Tigers, brown bears, and the like should step aside. The Panda Guardian had a premonition; it felt the concentration of spiritual energy increasing. With the world¡¯s changes, it was only a matter of time before other supernatural beings like itself from ancient times would awaken. Whether totem beasts or wild ferocious beasts, it wanted to seize the opportunity before these creatures! Just like that cat that had already established a multinational intelligence agency, it could not afford to bezy anymore. It needed to cultivate the Youxiong n first. ¡°Lead the way!¡± Soon. Lu Ran and the others left therge estate of the Youxiong n. Lu Ran had been very discreet when he first arrived, but this time, with the Panda Guardian apanying them, it was difficult not to attract attention. Inside an all-terrain off-road vehicle, the Youxiong Guild Leader was driving, with Lu Ran in the passenger seat and Youxiong Anlin sitting in the back¡­ The Panda Guardian, however, was seated cross-legged on the roof of the vehicle, its arms wrapped around its chest, gazing straight ahead. At the moment, guests visiting the Youxiong n were still arriving in droves, with luxury cars parked on both sides of the road. When they saw such a group emerging from the grand Youxiong residence, silence suddenly fell. As the vehicle drove away, they snapped back to reality. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the guardian of the Youxiong tribe?¡± eximed a beastmaster who had seen the guardian before. ¡°The Panda Guardian riding in a big G 1 ?¡± ¡°That¡¯s really trendy.¡± ¡°Is the driver the Youxiong Guild Leader? What are they up to?¡± ¡°It seemed like there were three people in the car, the Youxiong Guild Leader, Youxiong Anlin, and someone wearing sunsses. Couldn¡¯t make out who it was.¡± As people chattered, the Youxiong Guild Leader had already ¡°led the way,¡± taking Lu Ran and the Guardian to apletely demolished town park, now leveled to the ground and surrounded by barriers. Despite the disarray on the ground, upon closer inspection, it somewhat resembled an arena. The vast area should also be suitable for two pet beasts to demonstrate their skills, at least this ce wouldn¡¯t be affected no matter how much it was destroyed. ¡°Come on.¡± After getting out of the car, Youxiong Anlin took a deep breath and looked at Lu Ran, who had also stepped out. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± The Panda Guardian remained seated on the roof of the SUV, chin propped on its hand, watching the two young beastmasters with interest. As an ace among the second-generation beastmasters, the Youxiong Guild Leader was also very concerned about this battle. Although the opponent wasn¡¯t Lu Ran¡¯s ace, if Anlin could defeat the initial pet beast that had swept through the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, it would be considered a significant progress. It should be noted that in the Freshman Tournament, facing Lu Ran, Youxiong Anlin and another seeded yer had directly forfeited, showing little spirit. In an instant, Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin positioned themselves on opposite sides of the ruins in the town park, each holding a contract card. Pet beasts, summon! As both of them activated their intention, massive circr summoning circles materialized in front of them. Apanied by a burst of light, a ck and white Erha and a ck and white giant panda appeared on the ground! Both pet beasts squinted at each other, perhaps sensing a kind of destiny due to their simr colors. ¡°Err-woo-¡± the Erha growled low. ¡°Roar-¡± the giant panda took a step forward. A great battle was about to erupt! However, at that moment, the Panda Guardian waved its hand and said, ¡°Wait!¡± Footnote:
  1. Big G(´óG): In Chinese, ¡°´óG¡± (d¨¤ G) is a nickname for the Mercedes-Benz G-ss SUV. ¡°´ó¡± means ¡°big,¡± and ¡°G¡± refers to the G-ss model. So ¡°´óG¡± literally trantes to ¡°big G,¡± but it specifically means the Mercedes-Benz G-ss.
Chapter 223: Armored Beast ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin, who were ready to start, turned their attention to it together. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Lord Guardian?¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader also asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the dog could use weapons? Let it use them.¡± The Panda Guardian said, ¡°For fairness, both sides should hold nothing back and give their all!¡± ¡°Lu Ran, right? Don¡¯t go easy.¡± Hmm¡­ Upon hearing this, Lu Ran fell into deep thought. ¡°Can it really use them? Its weapon quality is somewhat high.¡±¡°Of course, it can wield high-level weapons; that¡¯s its skill,¡± the Panda Guardian confidently stated. ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Youxiong Anlin added. Lu Ran¡¯s sword-holding dog had fused with the weapon mastery trait. If it were not allowed to use weapons, what difference would that make from holding back? ¡°Alright then.¡± Seeing this, Lu Ran unhesitatingly said, ¡°Then let¡¯s give it our all.¡± Saying so, he reached out his hand and summoned the freshly forged Winter¡¯s Fang, a frigid ice and snow greatsword, which instantly dropped the surrounding temperature!! ¡°Follow me.¡± Lu Ran threw the greatsword he held, and as the wind and snow surged, General Ha leapt up, caught the greatsword in its mouth, andnded gracefully. Its body straightened, its breath climbing steadily, and its gaze turned piercing as it faced the giant panda. Boom!!! Sword-holding General Ha and normal state General Ha were clearly different species. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Feeling General Ha¡¯s powerful breath and the icy momentum of the sword, the giant panda also stood undaunted, roaring in response, evidently well-trained by the Panda Guardian!! ¡°That¡¯s an exquisite sword,¡± the Youxiong Guild Leader remarked upon seeing Winter¡¯s Fang. ¡°Gravity!!¡± At that moment, hearing this, Youxiong Anlin, quite unscrupulously, instructed the Light and Dark Panda to attack. Exquisite or not, his pet beast had devoured exquisite resources before! The giant panda aimed its palm at General Ha, transforming it into a ck hole, instantly generating powerful gravitational waves. Chaos ensued on the field as countless dust particles were swept up. As the target of the gravitational pull, General Ha felt a tremendous suction force trying to draw it towards the opponent. During this process, General Ha seemed to be forcibly pulled, unable to move freely! Youxiong Anlin¡¯s pet beast, a panda with innate Light and Dark attributes, has a first trait of fusion that provides adaptability, allowing it to gradually amodate its own extreme powers during growth. Its second trait is a Dark-type gravitational pull, enabling the pet beast to manipte powerful gravitational forces. This amounted to a strong control tactic! Being forcibly pulled, General Ha initially tried to struggle free, but then he simply gave up, rxed his body, and used the opponent¡¯s gravitational pull to let himself be drawn over. General Ha rose from the ground, held captive by the gravitational force, and quickly approached the Light and Dark Panda. During this process, he clenched Winter¡¯s Fang, aiming to deliver a fatal blow at close range. However, Youxiong Anlin immediately realized General Ha¡¯s intention, his lips curling into a smirk. The next instant. The Light and Dark Panda raised its other palm, which was suffused with golden sparks, releasing countless Light attribute energy projectiles with loud booms. The Light attribute skill, known for its speed, now had General Ha locked in its grip, and at such a close distance, Youxiong Anlin was certain he would hit his target. ¡°Nice.¡± Seeing how adeptly Youxiong Anlin¡¯s pet beast executed the energy technique, the Panda Guardian nodded in approval. The sky full of light projectiles reached General Ha in an instant, causing him to squint, feeling underestimated. With a low growl, a terrifying sword intent erupted from him. The fierce Blizzard Sword Intent, like the roar of the harshest winter, instantly transformed into a blue tidal wave, forming a long arc in front of General Ha at a steady pace. The next moment, as the sword arc passed, all the light projectiles were frozen and split in two, hanging suspended in midair. The area between General Ha and the Light and Dark Panda was engulfed in swirling snow. The intense chill spread, even frosting over the Light and Dark Panda¡¯s palm, which had turned into a ck hole, cutting off its suction and causing excruciating pain. ¡°Ouch.¡± The Light and Dark Panda cried out in pain. Upon seeing this, Youxiong Anlin¡¯s expression changed, never having expected that the Light energy could be frozen and split apart. Not only that, but even from a distance, his pet beast¡¯s palm was frozen, showcasing the formidable strength of his opponent. However, this did not deter Youxiong Anlin from continuing the fight. Seeing Erha break free from gravity and still aggressively approaching, Youxiong Anlin shouted: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, light-dark palm,¡± hemanded, and the Light and Dark Panda shattered the frost, its palms shimmering with light and darkness intertwined, pping towards the approaching General Ha. The light-based pet beast was indeed astonishingly fast. Its form flickered, just about to hit General Ha, but General Ha was quick to react. He did not choose to trade damage for damage, instead swiftly using his sword to block. Boom!!! When Winter¡¯s Fang met the light-dark palm, it instantly triggered violent energy fluctuations. General Ha held the sword in his mouth, and the panda smashed its palm, sword and palm colliding, and the two pet beasts were locked in a stalemate. Youxiong Anlin pursed his lips. On the other side, Lu Ran gave a slight smile and said, ¡°Youxiong, is that all you¡¯ve got? I suggest you give it your all, otherwise don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t give you a chance.¡± Keep in mind, at this moment, General Ha, who could manage 30-40 times energypression, hadn¡¯t even used 10 times his energypression. At this point, aside from the Blizzard Sword Intent, just his basic strengthbined with Winter¡¯s Fang was enough to suppress the opponent. ¡°What do you mean ¡®is that all you¡¯ve got¡¯?¡± Youxiong Anlin¡¯s mouth twitched in annoyance, and the next moment, the two pet beasts separated. Then, Youxiong Anlin nced at the Panda Guardian¡¯s dissatisfied expression, and saw his uncle making frantic eye signals. Cough¡­ This couldn¡¯t go on. ¡°Alright¡­¡± He looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, then I must get serious too.¡± ¡°Lu Ran, do you know why the ancient real-world secret realms were so plentiful, and yet the Youxiong n only took interest in this one?¡± ¡°Why?¡± asked Lu Ran. Could it be because of firecrackers? Youxiong Anlin smiled and said, ¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know soon.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Lu Ran looked towards General Ha, telling him to give it his all next. General Ha responded with a domineering look. At this moment, Youxiong Anlin had already approached his panda, beginning to deploy his beast taming skill!! Fusion! Lu Ran wasn¡¯t surprised that Youxiong Anlin would use the fusion beast taming skill; he had used it during the Freshman Tournament. Fusion Skills, although not unique and possessing stable methods of acquisition, undoubtedly offer the best cost-effectiveness among such abilities. Even unique beast taming skills may not be as powerful as Fusion. These skills allow a beastmaster to gain immense powers and arepatible with every pet beast. Which beastmaster wouldn¡¯t love such abilities? ¡°Roar!!!¡± In a sh. Lights twinkled, and Lu Ran saw Youxiong Anlin and the Light and Dark Panda merge into a gigantic panda person. At this moment, Youxiong Anlin¡¯s hair had turned half white and half ck, with arge panda eye, and his limbs had transformed into those of a fierce beast, presenting a powerful half-beast image brimming with strength. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet,¡± Youxiong Anlin said. As he spoke, a tangible ck substance began to flow over the half-beast form of Youxiong Anlin, continuously shaping armor around him. Lu Ran, witnessing this, was taken aback. Had this guy learned the armoring skill from the trial secret realm? No wonder he had mentioned the exclusive secret realm earlier. ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± Initially, Lu Ran didn¡¯t pay much attention to the opponent stacking beast taming skills. However, gradually, he realized something was amiss. Under the armoring state, the form of the half-beast Youxiong Anlin began to blur. He didn¡¯t seem to be traditionally armored-wearing ayer of armor. Instead, enveloped by a materialized dark energy, he seemed to transform into a type of monster Lu Ran had never seen before!! This monster, bear-like, was entirely dark, its exterior not fur but a metal armor-like material, with only its deep ck eyes visible through the gaps in the armor! ¡°How about that-¡° Youxiong Anlin¡¯s voice was deep, seemingly very proud of his current power. Lu Ran, narrowing his eyes, spoke: ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°I understand now.¡± Lu Ran looked towards Youxiong Anlin, feeling the special fierce beast breath fluctuations emanating from him, then nced at the Panda Guardian. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this is a type of creature shaping within shaping artistic conception.¡± ¡°The Youxiong n has encountered a bear-like creature wearing armor and has a deep connection with it.¡± ¡°Its species level is quite high; even if it¡¯s not at the legendary level, there¡¯s a high probability it¡¯s near-legendary. By perceiving its power, one can shape terrifying creatures, just like learning from the artistic conception of Dragon and Phoenix.¡± ¡°And the armoring state can elerate this learning and perceiving process.¡± ¡°This is why the Youxiong n chose to monopolize this exclusive secret realm.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s possible that the key to the secret realm is a part of this mysterious creature¡¯s body,¡± Lu Ran said, his eyes zing as he looked at the Panda Guardian. The Panda Guardian squinted its eyes but did not reply. However, Lu Ran felt that his guess was very close to the truth. Youxiong Anlin might have indeed understood this creature¡¯s shaping through the key held by the Panda Guardian. Regrettably, within Lu Ran¡¯s team, there were no deer-type pet beasts; otherwise, Lu Ran would have definitely had it perceive the power of the divine deer. Simting the power of a legendary creature is always more potent than imitating ordinary Dragon and Phoenix, or even this armored beast. When Youxiong Anlinpleted his most powerful transformation, Lu Ran also realized why he had been so confident before. At that moment, his strength, in Lu Ran¡¯s view, was quite impressive. Under thebined power of pet beast + beastmaster, it certainly wouldn¡¯t be weaker than an upper sovereign. It was also at this time that the battle fluctuations here finally attracted the first batch of beastmasters. ¡°What¡¯s going on here-¡° The recent battle fluctuations had also keenly alerted many beastmasters in Youxiong Ancient Town. They rushed over immediately and arrived just in time to see Youxiong Anlinpleting his transformation, confronting General Ha, who was holding a sword in his mouth! ¡°What is that-¡° They looked at the creature that resembled an armored beast, all taken aback at once. Even some beastmasters with the Eye of Data couldn¡¯t determine exactly what this creature was. Seeing more and more people arriving, the Youxiong Guild Leader cleared his throat loudly and said: ¡°Friends, please keep it down. Professor Lu is currently exchanging pointers with Youxiong Anlin.¡± ¡°Watch if you want; otherwise, please move along.¡± Youxiong Jiyuan¡¯s reminder made these beastmasters pause again, quickly realizing that the situation on-site was indeed unusual! Not only was the Youxiong Guild Leader present, but the n¡¯s guardian was there too! Furthermore, that young man in an Erha T-shirt,manding a sword dog, if not Lu Ran, then who? ¡°!!!¡± On the other side, as the Panda Guardian saw Youxiong Anlinplete his invincible transformation and more people gathered, the corners of its mouth slightly lifted. Good, let them witness the true strength of the Youxiong n! Chapter 224: Another Epic ¡°God, is that Lu Ran fighting Youxiong Anlin?¡± Right now, the atmosphere is incredibly tense. The beastmasters who rushed over swallowed hard in unison. No one expected Lu Ran to appear in Youxiong Ancient Town. Was he here for the trial secret realm of the Youxiong n? But why did he suddenly start fighting with Youxiong Anlin? And what¡¯s with Youxiong Anlin¡¯s form, why does it look so oppressive? His massive bear-like body ispletely covered in Armor, concealing his species. The pitch-ck Armor flows with white light traces, flickering with a mysterious glow. The beast-face mask of the Armor sketches out the domineering curves of his face. What in the world is this?!¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± At this moment, even Dean Kong from the beast taming university is present, clearly here to study the history of the Youxiong tribe. She looked at the image of this armored beast and shook her head; there was no memory of it in her mind. Although they don¡¯t recognize this beast form, everyone could guess that Youxiong Anlin¡¯s strong appearance must be closely rted to the awakening of their tribe¡¯s Guardian Deity. Keep in mind that during the Freshman Tournament, Youxiong Anlin had surrendered directly to Lu Ran. Now, daring to fight Lu Ran, the top fourth-generation and the Strongest Fourth Generation beastmaster, his strength must have significantly changed! ¡°It¡¯s not the Shield-winged Dragon King, nor the Twin Crow; it¡¯s Lu Ran¡¯s yet-to-evolve Sword Dog.¡± ¡°Now, the oue is uncertain.¡± The beastmasters, seeing this, all sharpened their gaze. ¡°Lu Ran,e on¡­¡± Now, in this form, even Youxiong Anlin¡¯s personality seems twisted, his tone filled with domineering confidence. Boom!!! Huge golden mes interweave with dark ck mes, transforming into twopeting energy waves bursting forth from Youxiong Anlin, the oppression feeling immensely powerful!! ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Youxiong Anlin burst intoughter, already imagining the scene where he defeats Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog and bes famous. However, the next moment¡­ His expression froze. Facing this formidable form, Lu Ran remained unresponsive and simply said, ¡°This form of yours distorts the mind a bit too much. Use it less in the future¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you the correct use of creature shaping.¡± Youxiong Anlin: ??? As the words fell, people saw the armored beast facing Erha, who looked calm and even showed a disdainful expression. ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha calmly stated, though this fellow seemed strong, he wasn¡¯t as terrifying whenpared to the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow. Not as strong as his teammates! Watch him solve it effortlessly. General Ha¡¯s body erupted with Wind Force, and with a howl, he too used creature shaping. It was a simple creature shaping, not as advanced as Youxiong Anlin¡¯s or the Sudden Death King¡¯s, and it also contained an artistic conception. It merely anthropomorphized his own body. The Wind Force continued to shape, continuously outlining. It was the very move General Ha had shown Lu Ran before. ¡°What is that?¡± Youxiong Anlin was shocked, thinking that Lu Ran also wanted this Erha to mimic some powerful creature. But in an instant, he realized he had thought too much. General Ha had merely shaped a Werewolf Phantom around himself and immediately concluded the shaping. ¡°A werewolf??¡± The surrounding beastmasters looked puzzled, their expressions nk. Werewolves were not particrly powerful creatures; many beastmasters abroad had evolved werewolves using anthropomorphic traits, and most werewolves¡¯ species level might not even be as high as Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog. However, they soon realized they had misunderstood. Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog shaping a Werewolf Phantom was not to gain any werewolf power but simply because the werewolf¡¯s body structure was more suitable for wielding swords!!! With a howl, the next moment, the Werewolf Phantom extended its arms, and two swords of wind,pressed thirty times, were formed out of thin air. And Winter¡¯s Fang, carried in the mouth of General Ha himself, turned into a sword held in the mouth of the white Werewolf Phantom. ¡°Is this¡­¡± Seeing this, whether it was Youxiong Anlin, the Panda Guardian, or the surrounding beastmasters, everyone was baffled by General Ha¡¯s new form. Is this¡­ the correct use of creature shaping? This, isn¡¯t this just oveplicating things! ¡°It¡¯s useless!¡± the Panda Guardian muttered, feeling deep inside that even a superficial imitation of the armored bear¡¯s strength-a creature of the near-legendary species-was stronger than mimicking the Overlord Dragon n or the Phoenix n. Sheer numbers of weapons wouldn¡¯t change the oue! ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Youxiong Anlin did not believe such a mere show of creature shaping could defeat him. Bending his knees, he burst forth with full force, charging towards the Werewolf Phantom and throwing a fierce punch, aiming to dismantle the figure with his bare hands. The aura of the armored beast was far more ferocious, carrying a sense of oppression that only top-level bloodlines could impose. It was more terrifying than the usual artistic conception of the dragon. The Panda Guardian prepared to rise, confident in victory. However, in the next moment, its expression froze. ¡°Woof.¡± The Werewolf Phantom, wielding three divine swords, looked towards the charging creature, its gaze sharpening. Unafraid. ¡°Ooo-(This armored beast must be of the Loong-type,)¡± it hypnotized itself. Soul shing Sword Intent. Blizzard Sword Intent. As General Ha unleashed his power, three sword intents burst forth simultaneously, targeting the body, soul, and mental. When quality isn¡¯t enough, quantitypensates. The interweaving triad of sword intents, flickering with piercing brilliance, took the Panda Guardian by surprise. Wait, three? Handling three intents at once? What a joke! Not just it, but many surrounding beastmasters also showed shocked expressions, witnessing the simultaneous use of three intents for the first time, especially by a pet beast with unique swordsmanship skills. Though he had not mastered the sword domain, General Ha¡¯sprehension had allowed him to make some gains in his study of swordsmanship over this period. The secret of the Three-Sword Style- General Ha¡¯s three swords swung into action. Swish. A gale erupted, and the Werewolf Phantom and the armored beast brushed past each other. A dazzling light sparkled at the point of their interaction, both figures stopping momentarily, their backs to each other, maintaining their respective attacking stances. The armored beast threw a punch, while General Ha¡¯s swords continued their shing motion. Following that¡­ Under the incredulous gazes of the Youxiong Guild Leader and the Panda Guardian, the creature that mimicked the legendary species, the Armored Bear, shattered into pieces in an instant during their brief encounter. Cracks appeared one after another on the armor of Youxiong Anlin. With a ¡°puff,¡± the bodies of Youxiong Anlin and the Light and Dark Panda split apart as General Ha cleaved their fused form with a single sword strike. The Light and Dark Panda crashed heavily onto the ground, and Youxiong Anlin, with a pale face and blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, knelt down in shock on top of the Light and Dark Panda. His strongest state¡­defeated¡­in an instant? ¡°Impossible.¡± Witnessing his prot¨¦g¨¦, a recognized genius, being effortlessly defeated by Lu Ran in a single encounter, the Panda Guardian stood up in disbelief, stepping so hard on the roof of the car that he created arge dent. With its mouth slightly open, it waspletely taken aback by the oue. Youxiong Jiyuan: ¡°!!!¡± The battle was decisively concluded. The surrounding beastmasters, who would have normally praised Lu Ran as the Strongest Fourth Generation, remained silent, sensing the Panda Guardian¡¯s rapidly changing expressions and guessing the nature of the confrontation. It seemed that the Panda Guardian had wanted the Youxiong n¡¯s beastmasters to challenge Lu Ran, but the oue¡­ ¡°How can this dog use three types of artistic conception at once!!!¡± The Panda Guardian, still in disbelief about the end result, stared at Lu Ran and General Ha, unable toprehend. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran and General Ha, faced with the Panda Guardian¡¯s question, appeared utterly confused. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, can¡¯t we use them together?¡± ¡°Is it that difficult?¡± Lu Ran spoke up. He had designed General Ha¡¯s sword domain to involve multiple types of sword intent. Now, using several types of sword intent simultaneously in a normal state, wasn¡¯t that just basic to him? ¡°Pfft-¡± Nearby, Youxiong Anlin couldn¡¯t help but spit out another mouthful of blood. It wasn¡¯t due to severe injury, but hearing Lu Ran¡¯sment frustrated him. What was this nonsense? He looked bewilderedly at the Panda Guardian. Hadn¡¯t you said that among themander species, I was absolutely invincible? How could it be that the opponent seemed to have barely used any beast taming skills and yet had defeated me? ¡°I-¡± The Panda Guardian was also bewildered, not understanding why the oue was what it was. Damn, its eyes widened in shock. This Sword Dog, isn¡¯t it from the Upper Commander Species? Why does its disyed power give it the aura of a Lower Overlord!! What kind of bizarre skill setup is this, with three special artistic conceptionsing out at once? It looked towards the smiling Lu Ran, suddenly realizing why everyone said this guy was the Strongest Fourth Generation Beastmaster who suppressed an entire generation. [Damn it, even if Youxiong Anlin¡¯s pet beast has evolved, can it really defeat this guy¡¯s main fierce beast?] Suddenly, the Panda Guardian felt a chill in its heart, starting to lose confidence. It felt like the n to restore the Glory of the Panda Species hadn¡¯t even started and had already encountered the biggest obstacle. It hadn¡¯t met other fierce beast species yet and was already defeated by a dog?? Uneptable!! ¡°Hey, hey, hey.¡± ¡°The fight is over, why don¡¯t we go back and talk?¡± Lu Ran, noticing more and more people gathering around, spoke to the Youxiong n and the Panda Guardian. After this battle, Lu Ran suddenly had more questions he wanted to ask the Panda Guardian and the Youxiong n. ¡°And don¡¯t forget our agreement.¡± Lu Ran smiled, feeling that this challenge in the secret realm wouldn¡¯t be a loss after all. ¡­ Youxiong Ancient Residence. The Panda Guardian still looked skeptical of Youxiong Anlin, always feeling something was off. It couldn¡¯t understand how Lu Ran¡¯s dog could be so strong. Meanwhile, back at the Youxiong Ancient Residence, the Youxiong Guild Leader took Youxiong Anlin for treatment, leaving Lu Ran and the Guardian alone at Lu Ran¡¯s request. Inside the residence, facing the Guardian, Lu Ran directly asked: ¡°Guardian, was my guess back there correct?¡± ¡°The key to the secret realm you hold, is it rted to a powerful creature, perhaps a part of that creature¡¯s body?¡± At that moment, facing Lu Ran¡¯s inquiry, the Panda Guardian looked at him with annoyance and reluctantly said: ¡°So what if it is.¡± ¡°Epic level?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Holy crap.¡± Lu Ran eximed in shock. Although he was aware that a few major nations possessed one or two epic-level national treasures, he had never seen one before¡­ Unexpectedly, the Youxiong n also had control over an epic item. Moreover, this Panda spoke quite openly about it, seemingly unconcerned about it being stolen. Indeed, with its strength, stealing it would indeed be quite challenging. ¡°Just ask whatever you want to know,¡± the Panda Guardian said. ¡°Is it a relic of a legendary species?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s merely a relic of a creature that is close to being of a legendary species, yet surpasses an upper overlord,¡± the Panda Guardian replied. ¡°So, the pet beast of Youxiong Anlin learned its shaping of artistic conception through this item, right?¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Mhm.¡± The Panda Guardian squinted its eyes, ¡°You want to learn as well?¡± ¡°Guardian, if I help you gather food, could you teach me?¡± Lu Ran, finding himself at a dead end, chuckled. It wasn¡¯t that he was interested in the shaping technique of the armored beast, but rather, he wanted his pet beast to also derive some insights from the divine deer pendant! Perhaps, this Panda Guardian possessed some special techniques for insight that could be of use! Chapter 225: I Think Power It turns out he had weaknesses too! Upon seeing Lu Ran request its help, the Panda Guardian¡¯s frustration immediately evaporated. It chuckled and said, ¡°But you don¡¯t have a bear n pet beast.¡± ¡°Without a bear n pet beast, learning the armored bear¡¯s intent is a bit challenging!¡± ¡°Is that quasi-legendary creature called an armored bear?¡± Lu Ran asked. The name was straightforward, possessing the beauty of a supernatural species. ¡°Exactly,¡± the Panda Guardian crossed its arms and said, ¡°Armored bear¡­ nobody knows how it evolved. I guess it might be the descendant of some legendary bear.¡± ¡°Generally, for a creature to evolve into an upper overlord species is already the limit of its life.¡± ¡°To reach the status of a quasi-legendary species through evolution without a miraculous opportunity is extremely difficult.¡±¡°But there is one different scenario.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the offspring of a legendary creature.¡± ¡°Most offspring of legendary creatures are born as quasi-legendary species.¡± ¡°Ah, being born well is a skill too, skipping countless years of detours.¡± The Youxiong n Guardian seemed to know quite a lot. As it spoke, it said: ¡°Why don¡¯t you marry into the Youxiong n?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you an orphan?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go pick a panda for you to contract.¡± Lu Ran: ?? Lu Ran looked at it disdainfully. ¡°That¡¯s really not necessary.¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t have a bear n, who says that only bear species can learn to shape the artistic conception of an armored bear.¡± ¡°You want other species to learn?¡± the Panda Guardian was shocked. ¡°Impossible, they could never learn it.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you evolved a dragon from humans? You choose lizards, carps, snakes-creatures with faint Loong-type bloodlines-as the foundational species.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you find a dog and evolve it towards the Loong-type!¡± ¡°Choosing the right foundational species is crucial for learning artistic conceptions.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°You know what, you¡¯re right. I actually had that idea at first, to evolve a dog towards bing a dragon.¡± If it weren¡¯t for contracting with the Sudden Death King and nning to develop it towards dragon, Lu Ran might have really pushed General Ha towards the Yazi temte. Panda Guardian: ??? ¡°Moreover, other creatures can also learn the artistic conception of the dragon. I¡¯ll find you a video. There¡¯s a monkey pet beast that performs the dragon punch quite impressively,¡± Lu Ran said, pulling out his phone to search for a video for the Panda Guardian. It¡¯s challenging for different species to cross-learn energy shaping concepts, but it¡¯s not unheard of! ¡°No need.¡± Realizing he couldn¡¯t persuade Lu Ran, the Panda Guardian fell silent and chose not to continue the persuasion. Since Lu Ran was so stubborn, he shouldn¡¯t me it if he fails to learn. With that, it pulled out a palm-sized ck shard. Lu Ran immediately perked up and looked over. [Name]: Heart Armor [Level]: Epic [Introduction]: A fragment of the heart armor from the quasi-legendary species, the Armored Bear, it is a top-level material for crafting armor, containing incredible power. Lu Ran: ? ¡°Is this the epic item that can be used as a key to the secret realm?¡± Lu Ran asked, puzzled. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the Panda Guardian inquired, looking at Lu Ran. Lu Ran remained silent. His first reaction: Epic, just like this? It felt likeparing the Divine Deer Antler, one was underground, the other in the heavens. His second reaction: It wasn¡¯t that the Heart Armor was subpar, but that the Divine Deer Antler was just too extraordinary. The Heart Armor was only part of a quasi-legendary creature, while the Divine Deer Antler was part of a legendary creature. Both were epic, but clearly, they were not ofparable quality. Still, epic was epic, and it was already impressive that it could unleash such power in Youxiong Anlin¡¯s beast. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, just my first time seeing an epic resource, a bit surprised,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°So¡­ how exactly did Youxiong Anlin¡¯s pet beast learn the Armored Bear¡¯s conception through this Heart Armor?¡± ¡°Quite simple!¡± The Panda Guardian, utterly serene and without any secrets, instructed, ¡°Watch this!¡± Saying so, it pressed the armor shard against its chest. Then, an energy flow of the metal series enveloped its body, shaping a suit of golden armor, and secured the Heart Armor shard within the energy-shaped armor. ¡°I am an armored bear, I am an armored bear, I am an armored bear¡­¡± the Panda Guardian murmured, eyes closed, repeating incessantly. ¡°As long as your heart is firm enough, continuous self-hypnosis, or even getting help from other creatures to hypnotize you, can make you believe more and more that you are an armored bear. The more you believe, the more you can experience the power of the heart armor, and the easier it bes to emte an armored bear!¡± Lu Ran: ? He felt his intelligence was insulted, tricked. Yet, he couldn¡¯t find any fault at the moment. Because General Ha¡¯s approach to developing the Dragon yer Sword intent was simr. I think you¡¯re a dragon, I use the Dragon yer Sword intent on you, and it deals extra damage. inly, it¡¯s about using self-suggestion to unleash potential and gain greater strength. Simrly, thinking of oneself as an armored bear enables one to transform into an armored bear, using its power to fight, achieving the artistic conception of the creature. That made sense. ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran felt like he had wasted his time asking. Both the Panda Guardian and Youxiong Anlin¡¯s pet beast must have learned this trick through the power of ¡°I think.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve taught you the method.¡± ¡°But, this thing, I can¡¯t give it to you.¡± The Panda Guardian secured the epic heart armor. ¡°If you want to learn that trick, you need to bring enough resources to rent it, and learn by my side!¡± The Panda Guardian felt it was gradually getting a handle on Lu Ran. It was indeed clever. However, Lu Ran just slightly pursed his lips across. Resources in exchange? The Panda Guardian was showing its true colors. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t falling for it. The Panda Guardian hadn¡¯t quite grasped that Lu Ran had no interest in the species of armored bears at all. He asked about the method merely to see if it could be applied to the divine deer pendant. As for now. All Lu Ran could say was, I¡¯ve learned it. It¡¯s not like he could let General Ha, the Sudden Death King, and the Dark Crow sprout antlers and also suggest to themselves that they¡¯re little deer. This learning method was still too abstract. As for the Weather Elf, being an elemental lifeform, it had infinite transformative abilities and could easily shape itself into various forms. It¡¯s just too bad that its attributes and abilities didn¡¯t quite match those of the divine deer. No, that¡¯s not how it should be used. There¡¯s no need to pursue creature shaping, nor to mimic transforming into a divine deer. One must learn to adapt! Just a hint of understanding in how the divine deer antler utilizes the nature force and the life force can be immensely beneficial. Besides¡­ Lu Ran wondered, could it be possible for General Ha to condense an energy sword, and then insert the divine deer pendant into it as the core? By covering the divine deer pendant with a sword-shaped energy shell, and having General Ha hypnotize itself that the divine deer antler is a sword, the divine deer antler is a sword¡­ And then, could General Ha gain the enhancement of an epic level divine sword? Of course, this is under the assumption that General Ha can actually hypnotize itself sessfully, deceiving its own Talent. ¡°What are you daydreaming about???¡± The Panda Guardian, thinking Lu Ran was pondering what resources to use to rent the key to the secret realm, said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, see what resources you can explode out of the secret realm tomorrow¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at it, clever nning, but I won¡¯t be fooled. ¡°I¡¯m going to see how Youxiong Anlin is doing.¡± Lu Ran waved his hand, bidding farewell to the Panda Guardian, alright, big guy, you have no value now. The ¡®I think power¡¯, huh? For the rtively wise General Ha, indeed, it¡¯s a profound cultivation strategy. Adopted! Panda Guardian: ??? That¡¯s it, you¡¯re leaving? The Panda Guardian watched as Lu Ran turned and left, unable to grasp the intentions of this Strongest Fourth Generation, are you renting or not! ¡­ Lu Ran wasn¡¯t really going to check on Youxiong Anlin; during the battle, although he told General Ha not to hold back, it was only under the premise of defeating the opponent. Within the team, when ites to power control, General Ha, perfectly mastering 30-fold energypression, is unmatched; Youxiong Anlin was not seriously injured, and with the resources of the Living Fossil guild, he would recover quickly. [The divine beast leaderboard is updated today, go check out what rewards the overlord pets have! Maybe it¡¯s a billion crystal coins!] Lu Ran scratched his cheek after receiving a message from Manager Ying, thinking to himself, ¡°I haven¡¯t even paid attention to this yet, and you¡¯re already on top of it.¡± It¡¯s true, nothing escapes her when ites to intelligence. Indeed, the rewards for the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard are definitely worth looking forward to. Currently, there are only three known Overlord Pet Beasts, and the rewards they can get must be substantial, right? The Supernatural, Commander, and Sovereign leaderboards all offer substantial crystal coin rewards. Lu Ran has topped both the Supernatural and Commander leaderboards. As for the Sovereign Leaderboard, because the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow evolved and jumped a major level, he perfectly missed it. However, for Lu Ran at the moment, crystal coins aren¡¯t so scarce anymore. Now, he uses crystal coins mainly to buy daily food for his pet beasts and to train the generals in Lujia Vige and the Green Sea. For some major forces, crystal coins are used for this purpose: to cultivate neers. For some top experts, what they urgently need are various exquisite resources. Although exquisite resources have a price, few are willing to exchange them for crystal coins. Usually, they opt for bartering, trading for the resources they need and then using crystal coins to make up the difference. Lu Ran¡¯s situation is simr; relying solely on various secret realms and leaderboard rewards in crystal coins, he can barely buy or afford exquisite resources, only relying on investments from First Generation big shots and trading resources exploded from Legendary Secret Realms. Thus, the utility of crystal coins has significantly diminished for him. With the reminder from the cat, Lu Ran¡¯s mind became active. Even if the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard still only offers crystal coins, the amount must be incredibly substantial, right? To properly raise an Overlord Pet Beast, relying solely on rare resources won¡¯t suffice; exquisite resources are a must. Thus, if Public Infinite City awards crystal coins, the amount must surely be enough to easily purchase exquisite resources! Lu Ran returned to Public Infinite City. Now, the Sudden Death King firmly holds the top spot on an Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard in a certain Public Infinite City. His record is instantly killing a queen ant. And the Dark Crow also firmly holds the top spot on an Overlord Leaderboard in a certain Public Infinite City. His record is leveling up and turning various pet beasts and beastmasters into pigs. Lu Ran doesn¡¯t understand why Public Infinite City counts this as a record, but since it looks very mocking and interesting, he has not made the Dark Crow change leaderboards to this day. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break and wait.¡± After forging Winter¡¯s Fang, Lu Ran had yet to truly rest. After briefly closing his eyes for some rest in his private room¡­ Lu Ran finally heard the Prompt Tone. [The Divine Beast Leaderboard is now settling¡­] ¡­ [Settling the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard¡­] [Congrattions¡­] [Awards are now being distributed: crystal coins, one million.] This was General Ha¡¯s first ce on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. Not very useful. ¡­ [The Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard is settling¡­] [Congrattions¡­] [Awards are now being distributed: enhancement card (first tier).] ¡­ [Awards are now being distributed: enhancement card (first tier).] ¡­ Lu Ran: ? Lu Ran was taken aback. It wasn¡¯t crystal coins this time? Enhancement card, what is this!! Meanwhile. In Infinite City within the Snowfield Federation. The strongest third-generation beastmaster of the Snowfield Federation, who had just evolved the Permafrost Elephant Lord, the King of Ice, was also eagerly waiting for the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard to settle. ¡°Enhancement card?¡± He showed a puzzled expression. Then, he looked at the card that appeared in his backpack. [Name]: Enhancement Card (First Tier) [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A one-time item that can enhance any ordinary, advanced, or rare quality resource material or equipment to exquisite level. Enhancement cards are graded in ten tiers, with the first tier offering the best enhancement effect¡­ Chapter 226: The Tempting Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard Chapter 226: The Tempting Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard ¡°Hmm?!¡± In Passerby A¡¯s exclusive room. Lu Ran nced at the two enhancement cards in his backpack, his expression subtly shifting. A tool that can enhance the resource level? Isn¡¯t that effect somewhat simr to the Spirit Transformation Pot! However, the Spirit Transformation Pot can only enhance flesh or nt-based ingredients. And at most, it can only enhance them to rare quality. But these enhancement cards, they are not limited by type, and their enhancement level cap is exquisite! At first nce, Lu Ran didn¡¯t think much of it, but upon further reflection, his expression began to change.This reward¡­ The rewards from the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard, are they this incredible?! These enhancement cards are simply divine. Infinite City knows beastmasters too well, knows exactly what top-level beastmasters arecking. Do people like Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying, who are at the forefront of the era,ck exquisite resources? The answer is no. What theyck are exquisite resources that are suitable for them. Exquisite resources aremon, but fitting exquisite resources are exceedingly rare! Therefore, among top-level beastmasters, bartering is very popr. But even so, due to the limited amount of exquisite resources, over 90% of people still find it hard to find resources that suit them. For example, exquisite-level light and dark resources are so rare that there aren¡¯t many circting worldwide. In contrast, water and rock resources at the exquisite level are definitely more abundant than light and dark resources at the same level. Now, if a beastmaster possesses enhancement cards, then the situation in the resource market will undergo a significant change. Although there aren¡¯t many exquisite-level light and dark resources, there areparatively more rare-level light and dark resources. If needed, beastmasters can first use enhancement cards to level up rare resources, then use them on their pet beasts! This would greatly alleviate the resource shortages faced by top-level beastmasters. There might be too few types of exquisite resources, but that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s a shortage of advanced or rare quality resources. Like Lu Ran, upon seeing these two enhancement cards, his first thought was that General Ha is going to be lucky!!! General Ha was eager to learn about domains, wasn¡¯t it? To assist it, Lu Ran had purchased numerous lucid fruits to temporarily boost its Comprehension. But honestly, the impact of lucid fruits on General Ha¡¯s enhancement had be pitifully small. The effect was minimal, almost zero help in understanding domains. Therefore, Lu Ran also requested Manager Ying¡¯s help in finding exquisite-level resources that could increase learning abilities and Comprehension. However, such items are not easily found, and there had been no news so far. But now, the situation was different. With the enhancement card, Lu Ran could upgrade the lucid fruit from rare quality to exquisite level, turning it into an exquisite resource for increasing Comprehension, and then use it on General Ha. ¡°This is good.¡± ¡°With a vast inventory of low-level materials, it¡¯s like giving beastmasters the opportunity to choose their own exquisite resources.¡± Lu Ran was excited and very satisfied with the rewards from the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard. ¡­ ¡°Enhancement card?¡± ¡°After the contract card, identity card, and upgrade card, another new type of card has appeared¡­¡± Upon receiving the intelligence from Lu Ran, Manager Ying showed a surprised expression. It immediately understood the value of the enhancement card. If it wasn¡¯t mistaken, once this intelligence was leaked, the beastmasters¡¯ pursuit of overlord pet beasts and the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard would reach an even more frenzied level. ¡°Anyway, General Ha¡¯s evolution resources are no longer a concern now.¡± Inside the cat-eared maid caf¨¦, Lu Ran smiled. General Ha, this fool, had actually been smart this time. Premature evolution, ranking on the board with Sudden Death King and Dark Crow, it had indeed be a mere worker. The leaderboard¡¯s rewards had unexpectedly benefited General Ha. ¡°Before a great battle, there¡¯s always a supply; both the Legendary Secret Realm and the Evolution Secret Realm, and now the rewards from the updated Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard are quite good. I have a bad premonition.¡± Compared to Lu Ran¡¯s happiness, Manager Ying was pouting, somewhat pessimistic. Seeing it like this, Lu Ran asked with concern, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me.¡± Manager Ying, possessing Time abilities and having previously demonstrated foresight, Lu Ran took its words very seriously. ¡°Just focus on getting stronger quickly, continue to expand your advantage,¡± Manager Ying advised before starting to shoo away the customer. ¡°Okay.¡± Lu Ran finished his orange juice, set down the ss, patted his backside, and without lingering, informed Manager Ying of the Overlord Leaderboard¡¯s settlement rewards, then immediately nned to return to the training secret realm to enhance some resources and reward General Ha. The training secret realm was activated. Lu Ran appeared on a grassy field. He took out a contract card and summoned General Ha, who had just gone through a ¡°great battle.¡± ¡°Whoo~~¡± After appearing, General Ha shook its head and yawned. Taking advantage of the yawn, Lu Ran quickly pulled out a Divine Deer Antler and stuffed it into its mouth. ¡°Whoo-whoo?¡± Holding the Divine Deer Antler in its mouth, General Ha looked confused. ¡°Actually, the Divine Deer Antler is also a kind of sword,¡± Lu Ran exined. General Ha widened its eyes: Are you kidding me? Seeing the dumbfounded look in General Ha¡¯s eyes, Lu Ran angrily said, ¡°You can mistake a bear for a dragon, why can¡¯t an antler be a sword? It¡¯s not a bad deal.¡± ¡°If this is a sword, then you have an epic sword. Even without evolving, the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow would be no match for your random shes!¡± After Lu Ran finished speaking, a sharp expression crossed General Ha¡¯s face. Indeed. But as it looked at the Divine Deer Antler, its brain seemed to shrink. Even a grass or a stick would look more like a sword than this. It just couldn¡¯t do it. Although it had forcefully applied the Dragon yer¡¯s artistic conception to that panda, General Ha could feel thatpared to ying a True Dragon, the power of sword intent was significantly weakened. The reason it could do this was also because General Ha didn¡¯t recognize that creature. So, it was quite convincing to itself. But with the Divine Deer Antler, General Ha was too familiar with it. Even though it was rather silly, it was hard to deceive itself again. ¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time.¡± ¡°Actually, the ¡®I think power¡¯ is essentially a form of the power of idealism.¡± ¡°Your mind is not strong enough yet.¡± Lu Ran patted General Ha¡¯s head and unintentionally infused it with a me Sprite. Huff huff huff~~ The next moment, General Ha¡¯s eyes began to turn fiery red, with reddish tints appearing at the tips of its ck and white fur. An extremely high temperature started to invade General Ha¡¯s brain, clouding its vision with a fiery ferocity. Sensing this state, Lu Ran asked again, ¡°Does this look like a sword to you now?¡± He waved the Divine Deer Antler in front of General Ha, whose eyes, blurred and clouded, began to reveal a ghostly image of the antler. Under Lu Ran¡¯s persistent teasing and waving, General Ha barked softly. Somewhat like it. Hearing this, Lu Ran was delighted and shoved the Divine Deer Antler into General Ha¡¯s mouth, but seeing that General Ha¡¯s level did not change for a long time, Lu Ran sighed and pulled it back out. Never mind. Developing the Power of Idealism is a technical job, not to be rushed. ¡°Rumble rumble!¡± Lu Ran withdrew the me Sprite, and General Ha¡¯s gaze gradually cleared. At that moment, Lu Ran took out a Lucid Fruit. ¡°You should learn the Sword Domain instead.¡± ¡°Bark!¡± Seeing the Lucid Fruit, General Ha was about to stick out its tongue to eat it, but Lu Ran pushed its face away and took out an Enhancement Card. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, let me give it a BUFF first,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. Then, under General Ha¡¯s incredulous gaze, Lu Ran pped the Enhancement Card onto the Lucid Fruit. Immediately after, the Enhancement Card disappeared, merging into the fruit. The Lucid Fruit burst into a golden-blue light, its allure more tempting than ever, causing General Ha¡¯s nose to tremble wildly. [Enhancement sessful.] [Name]: Lucid Fruit (Enhanced) [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Can significantly enhance the consumer¡¯s learning andprehension abilities within a day, and permanently slightly increase the user¡¯s learningprehension. ¡°A permanent increase?¡± Seeing this, Lu Ran was slightly taken aback. Good, this way, even if General Ha doesn¡¯tprehend the domain this time, it seems he won¡¯t lose too much. ¡°Bark?¡± General Ha stared at the Lucid Fruit, looking at Lu Ran. Lu Ran nodded, and General Ha immediately excitedly ate the Lucid Fruit. Gulp. It swallowed it in one go. Afterward, General Ha hurriedly began to ask Lu Ran for a sword. Without another word, Lu Ran threw Sword Grass, the Sky-Cleaving Sword, and Winter¡¯s Fang to it. ¡°We¡¯re just waiting for General Ha to awaken its Space abilities at level 40.¡± Frequently used as a sword sheath, Lu Ran was also getting tired of it. The strength of the Space species lies in its various shy effects. Among them, some powerful Space pet beasts can even shape their own space backpacks to carry around. For instance, Manager Ying has her own small independent space backpack. Once General Ha masters the Space abilities and slightly develops the corresponding skills, it won¡¯t always need Lu Ran to carry its sword for it; it can carry and use it anytime on its own. After getting the sword and consuming a lucid fruit, General Ha immediately ran off to learn. Lu Ran, initially wanting to ck off a bit, thought about how hard it was to get the exquisite lucid fruit and gritted his teeth, stretching out his hand and waving towards General Ha. Soul enhancement! Once again, using beast taming skills, he temporarily helped General Ha boost his Comprehension. At this moment, with soul enhancement upon him and the lucid fruit in his belly, General Ha, with the sword in his mouth, looked around as if he saw a whole new different world. ¡°Woof-¡° With a low growl, a ripple of wind rapidly spread from his body¨C Domain unfolded. Boom. In an instant, at a speed invisible to the naked eye, General Ha was within a wind barrier, yet, with the sky-cleaving sword in its mouth and looking around confusedly, it saw but couldn¡¯t resonate the domain with the void, and couldn¡¯t help but bare its teeth. Again- Time slowly passed. Half a dayter. General Ha was panting heavily, still unable to grasp the domain, always feeling like something was missing, and by then, Lu Ran also wasn¡¯t feeling too well, he nced at the time, feeling they couldn¡¯t keep training like this. Soul enhancement makes one feel faint! ¡°Let¡¯s go challenge the trial secret realm of the Youxiong n first,¡± Lu Ran called a halt to General Ha. ¡°Roar!!¡± ¡°Caw.¡± Also summoned by Lu Ran, the warming-up Sudden Death King and Dark Crow also stopped. Seeing General Ha¡¯s frustrated demeanor, as goodpanions, they began to offer suggestions. ¡°Big King, maybe the enhanced version of the lucid fruit isn¡¯t working that well, I have a suggestion.¡± The Dark Crow pped its wings and said, ¡°General Ha could certainly learn from me. We could perform a brain swap surgery-take its brain out, enhance it with an Enhancement Card, and then reinstall it with the power of the Deer God. General Ha¡¯s learning abilities would definitely be perfect-¡° ¡°Roar!! (You really are a genius!)¡± The Sudden Death King looked at the Dark Crow as if it were a demon. Indeed, this creature was wicked, but still, it had his support! ¡°Bark bark-!¡± Nearby, General Ha¡¯s eyes widened, filled with the desire to kill the Dark Crow. Is this something a Crow would say? Also, the Sudden Death King deserved a beating. They were mocking it because it hadn¡¯t evolved and couldn¡¯t beat anyone yet. Snap. General Ha red fiercely, harboring a grudge¡­ ng ng ng. Its teeth, holding the Sky-Cleaving Sword, shook continuously. It could no longer restrain its desire to chop down the Dark Crow and the Sudden Death King. It could not bear this grudge any longer; it had to settle it now. ¡°Bark! (I¡¯ll chop you down!)¡± The domain, unfold!!! Chapter 227: History Must Poetize Facing the infuriating Dark Crow and the Sudden Death King, General Ha once again activated his Domain. This time, it fought with desperate ferocity. It seemed to have made up its mind in a way it had never done before. Under the stunned expressions of the Dark Crow and the Sudden Death King, a terrifying force flowed between General Ha¡¯s teeth. The surrounding Gale converged on it, multiplying tenfold, twentyfold, thirtyfold¡­ fortyfold¡­ forty-onefold¡­ General Ha broke through its limits, enduring heart-wrenching pain. The blood flowing from between its teeth whirled in the Gale like red waves, and under this dance of blood, the Sky-Cleaving Sword it held in its mouth cracked under the strain of General Ha¡¯s ferocious power. ¡°There¡¯s no need, no need¡­¡± Lu Ran said from the side, his mouth twitching as General Ha, in its extreme rage, astonishingly pushed the Compression Skill to new heights, achieving a terrifying fiftyfold Energy Compression. It¡¯s worth noting that even the most adept pet beasts at Energy Compression on Blue Star have not reached this level. Currently, the record for the highest Energy Compression was held by a First Generation of the Eagle Federation, whose pet beast managed a thirtyfold Energy Compression. Shi Zhen once said that there are two shortcuts for a Domain to resonate with the void: first, the pet beast possesses Space capabilities; second, achieving resonance with the void through intense Energy Compression.Now, General Ha seemed to be making a final, extreme attempt through Energy Compression. ¡°Erghhhh-¡° Under General Ha¡¯s roar, this time, due to the astonishing degree of Energy Compression, the Flow was terrifyingly fast, enveloping everyone in an instant. Even the Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow were caught off guard. By the time the two regained their senses, they were no longer in any training secret realm. ciers and snow-coverednds spread beneath their feet, and all sounds seemed to be swallowed by the blizzard. General Ha stood atop an icy rock, with Winter¡¯s Fang naturally falling from its tail into the snow. Following that, on both sides of the Domain, huge sword bodies rose, resembling towering ice and snow sword peaks, numbering in the hundreds. These massive sword bodies, apanied by General Ha¡¯s piercing gaze, instantly shattered into tens of thousands of snowkes. These ice crystal-like snowkes, seemingly pieced together by six sharp teeth, radiated a sharp light, allowing themselves to sweep through the storm, rolling all the nature force within the domain. Caught in the blizzard, Dark Crow and Sudden Death King froze in shock as scars began to appear on their bodies. Even with Sudden Death King¡¯s astonishing defense, the snowkes drifting past caused its scales to crack piece by piece. The power of the ice and snow invaded through the wounds, causing Sudden Death King¡¯s eyes to widen in disbelief. ¡°Roar-¡° It stepped back, shocked, staring at General Ha,pletely unable toprehend how General Ha, who had not evolved and was merely an Upper Commander species, could injure it. At this moment, as each snowke drifted past, Sudden Death King felt an intense pain, as if it had been shed several times in an instant by Blizzard Sword Intent. Although each attack was incredibly weak, the cumtive damage of thousands of attacks in an instant still inflicted significant harm on Sudden Death King. Sudden Death King was already suffering, and Dark Crow, with even weaker defense, was even more bewildered. Crow of Curses covered its mouth and tried to burrow into Sudden Death King¡¯s wings, while saying: ¡°Ah, ah, ah, it hurts so much, Thunder Dragon General, quickly fold your wings, enter the Dragon King¡¯s Shield form!!¡± ¡°Roar-¡° Dark Crow and Sudden Death King realized, after theirmotion, that they had directly forced out General Ha¡¯s domain. ¡°Howl-¡° Seeing that the myriad snowke sword intents could not inflict severe damage on Sudden Death King, General Ha was quite dissatisfied. It immediately manipted the snowke des freely, forming 24 ice swords in mid-air. Among these 24 ice swords, 12 floated in the air and 12 were embedded into the ground, forming a sword formation. In that instant, the power of the entire domain seemed to concentrate within this sword formation. Positioned at the center, Sudden Death King immediately felt an extreme chill, making its form stiff and cold. Just when it was bewildered, thinking General Ha was about to finish it off, Lu Ran timely intervened through telepathy. ¡°Stop, stop, stop, that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°General Ha, stop.¡± At Lu Ran¡¯smand, the domain shattered into pieces. The Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow blinked, the snowy winds and scenes around them disappearing as if they were mere illusions. However, the reality of their wounds was undeniable. The Sudden Death King, covered in scars from the battle, watched as the Dark Crow, bloodied and nearly bald, emerged from between its wings, tears streaming down its face in realization of the truth. From then on, it vowed to keep its mouth shut. ¡°Woof!!!¡± Meanwhile, across from them, General Ha growled fiercely, feeling somewhat vindicated. But then, seeing the fragments of the Sky-Cleaving Sword and teeth scattered around, which reverted it back to its toothless olddy form, General Ha trembled and rolled in pain on the ground. ¡°Whimper (Wait until I evolve.)¡± Even without teeth, its spirit remained unbroken. Lu Ran, witnessing the entire scene, grabbed his hair in frustration. Had General Ha just tentatively used its domain? Powered by the immense Wind Force, it had created a resonant void, a Domain Space. Then, using Blizzard Sword Intent and Winter¡¯s Fang as the core of the domain, it crafted a formidable ice and snow Sword Domain that integrated both offense and control. Although unable to incorporate the power of Sword Grass this time, considering it was General Ha¡¯s first attempt at using a Sword Domain, Lu Ran was utterly amazed by the potential for future refinement. Indeed, it had seeded. To think, not just on Blue Star. Even on the Star-Moon Continent, there were no records of a pet beast understanding the domain below level 30. Was General Ha the first of its kind? Such an achievement was unique in this era, perhaps even worthy of prominent mention in the annals of the Beast Taming Era. Watching General Ha roll around, Lu Ran felt a surge of excitement: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once you¡¯ve undergone your first-stage evolution, you can have a decisive battle with the Dark Crow and the Sudden Death King.¡± Saying this, he took out the Divine Deer pendant and released three streams of healing power towards General Ha, the Sudden Death King, and the Dark Crow. Although General Ha sessfully used the Sword Domain, the cost was enormous. It¡¯s worth noting that its teeth, enhanced with exquisite Space resources, werepletely shattered. Moreover, the Sky-Cleaving Sword, forged from rare Space ore, was also utterly destroyed. However, the effect of the Sword Domain was indeed powerful, managing to prate the formidable defense of the Sudden Death King and causing substantial damage. Unfortunately, the species gap was still too vast. Lu Ran estimated that even if General Ha had exerted all its strength, it could at most have severely injured the Sudden Death King. But for the Sudden Death King, which can convert damage into vitality, a severe injury was no different from a minor one. It might be better to wait until after evolving to fight again. Then there was the Dark Crow. Not skilled in defense, it would be tragic if General Ha pulled it into its domain. ¡°Caw!! General Ha is formidable!!!¡± Once healed, the Dark Crow dared not speak out of turn and immediately startedplimenting General Ha. However, another soul inside it was furiously criticizing, almost like having dual crow personalities. [Caw! From now on, keep a distance of 1000 meters, perform curse sniping from beyond 1000 meters. Can your domain expand to 1000 meters???] Compared to theposed Dark Crow, the Sudden Death King¡¯s expression turned bitter, not expecting General Ha to master the Sword Domain so quickly and to be capable of injuring him before evolving. If it evolved again, that would be too much to handle. It had just be a form that no one could harm, and it would be unfortunate if it became the team¡¯s punching bag again within a month. At that moment, no one would have guessed that in a farce in the training secret realm, Lu Ran¡¯s weakest pet beast, with its astonishingly high potential and Talent, would begin to utilize its Domain Skill at level 30. As an Upper Commander base species, it caused much distress to two Overlords. ¡­ Some timeter. In Youxiong Ancient Town, within therge estate of the Youxiong n. In a separate courtyard, a round dimensional gate hovered a few centimeters off the ground, flickering with a mixture of blue, purple, white, and pink lights. Under the direction of the Youxiong n members, one beastmaster after another from various ces entered the gate, choosing to challenge this real-world secret realm. ¡°You¡¯vee out.¡± Youxiong Anlin was chatting with a peer outside the courtyard when he saw Lu Ran, wearing sunsses and a mask, slowly approaching. He stepped back and said, ¡°I thought you had just beaten someone up and left.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? During our fight, my pet beast was holding back its power. I didn¡¯t actually cripple you,¡± Lu Ran earnestly replied. Youxiong Anlin: ??? That hurts, doesn¡¯t it? He already regretted listening to the Panda Guardian¡¯s advice to challenge Lu Ran. Damn it, knowing the guy is a freak, why did he still hope for the best? So what if he learned to shape the artistic conception of a near-legend creature? It¡¯s just a near-legend creature. Is a near-legend creature as rare as Lu Ran? This beast is one of a kind on Blue Star. Next time the Panda Guardian himself should take the challenge, or let his uncle, the Living Fossil guild leader, a second-generation beastmaster, do it. ¡°Ha ha ha ha.¡± Nearby, a young man wasughing uncontrobly, clearly aware of Youxiong Anlin getting thoroughly beaten by Lu Ran the day before. It wasn¡¯t just him; now, on the Xia Country beast taming forum, everyone knew about Youxiong Anlin¡¯s overconfident challenge against Lu Ran and his instant defeat. The rising atmosphere of the Youxiong n, just built up by the Panda Guardian, was shattered by General Ha with a single sword sh. ¡°Lu Ran, Du Yuan also said he wants to spar with you,¡± Youxiong Anlin pointed at theughing young man. Du Yuan, Youxiong Anlin¡¯s teammate from the official strategy team and a Space beastmaster, stopped smiling. ¡°Get lost,¡± he cursed at Youxiong Anlin, and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t say that, go spar yourself.¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Lu Ran looked at these two prodigies of Xia Country, the Golden Generation, and twitched the corner of his mouth, saying, ¡°You guys should go challenge the Eagle Federation instead of always trying to beat me up. Anyway, Youxiong Anlin, just go ahead into the trial secret realm, right?¡± ¡°But what are you two doing here? Have you finished your challenges?¡± ¡°We were going to enter, but then this big news just broke out, and we were discussing it,¡± Du Yuan said. ¡°What big news?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Of course, it might not be big news to you,¡± Youxiong Anlin took out his phone, showing the screen to Lu Ran. Lu Ran nced briefly and was slightly stunned. ¡°Huh? I actually missed the system announcement.¡± [Women are as capable as men! Four members of the Fourth Generation from Xia Country break through the Legendary Secret Realm!] [Congrattions to the level 1 beastmasters, Sound of the Fallen Nation, Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, and Summer Gun God for conquering the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Gourd Mountain¡¯ and starting the Path of Legend.] Chapter 228: Rewards of the Real-World Secret Realm ¡°Impressive.¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but express his surprise upon seeing Lin Yin¡¯s female beast taming team sessfully make a breakthrough in the Legendary Secret Realm. It¡¯s only been a few days; the queen ant egg probably hasn¡¯t even hatched yet. Even if it had hatched, it wouldn¡¯t have matured beyond a few levels in such a short time. This means that these three, without the aid of a sovereign species pet beast, managed to break through the Legendary Secret Realm. That is indeed quite impressive. ¡°It sounds odd hearing you praise others,¡± Youxiong Anlin murmured from beside him. Lu Ran: ? ¡°However, these three really did well; their team configuration was quite perfect,¡± Du Yuan said.¡°The boss of Gourd Mountain is an upper sovereign species scorpion, skilled in mental, grass, and poison traits. Not only can it conjure illusions, but it can also control the ferocious nts of Gourd Mountain, and its territory is protected by a hallucinogenic poison fog¡­¡± ¡°If Youxiong and I had encountered this secret realm initially, it would have been difficult to get through.¡± Youxiong Anlin didn¡¯t deny it, saying, ¡°Yeah, superhuman Lin Yin handled the illusions, Fang Lan with her poison skills took care of the poison fog, and Summer, wielding the sun spear intent, dealt with those ferocious nts¡­ Lin Yin definitely considered the secret realm¡¯s conditions when she was forming her team.¡± ¡°I just wonder what rewards they all received¡­¡± ¡°Stop wondering; we need to evolve and then challenge the level 2 Legendary Secret Realm, so they don¡¯t catch up to us,¡± Du Yuan said. When he and Youxiong Anlin were challenging the level 1 Legendary Secret Realm, they also teamed up as a trio. The third member was from the strategy team, a support-typebat beastmaster whose pet beast fusion trait and beast taming skills were all about assisting others, making him a sought-after member of the strategy team. Since he wasn¡¯t abat beastmaster, he wasn¡¯t active in the Freshman Tournament at the beast taming university. However, when it came to challenging secret realms, every genius preferred having him on their team over another teammate with strongbat abilities. Once, when they tackled a level 1 Legendary Secret Realm, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan teamed up, but for the level 2 realm, the pair nned to attempt a duo clear. As for a solo clear, they had no ns for it unless one of them evolved a pet beast into an overlord species. ¡°Good luck,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I¡¯m heading over now¡­¡± ¡°OKOK, I¡¯ll take you there,¡± Youxiong Anlin sighed, feeling a pang of regret knowing that Lu Ran could clear this trial secret realm. The thought of Lu Ran taking good loot from the Youxiong n¡¯s realm hurt, especially since he had personally given away this opportunity. Such a tragedy. ¡­ Within one day of the real-world secret realm opening, it could amodate many challengers. By the time Lu Ran arrived, almost all visitors had already entered the realm. Led by Youxiong Anlin, Lu Ran directly entered the realm¡¯s portal. [Prompt: ¡°Do you wish to challenge the ¡®Special Trial Secret Realm: Armor Ind¡¯?¡±] There was no other information, just a confirmation prompt. Without hesitation, Lu Ran chose to enter. In the next instant. It felt like the stars had shifted and space had transformed, as he stepped into another dimension. Opening his eyes, Lu Ran found himself on the outskirts of a bamboo forest on an ind. Before he could react, three creatures resembling rats emerged from within the bamboo. They were robust,rger than lions or tigers, with short fur and a metallic body texture, and their green pupils radiated cruelty. [Name]: Diamond Rat [Attribute]: Metal [Species level]: Lower Commander [Growth level]: Level 30 ¡°Bamboo rats?¡± ¡°Next level,¡± Lu Ran spoke, and before the three diamond rats could attack, their pupils suddenly whitened, and they foamed at the mouth, copsing under an invisible force of intimidation. Simultaneously. The massive form of the Sudden Death King appeared behind Lu Ran, with the Crow of Curses and Crow of Death, two dark crows, perched on each shoulder, preening their feathers. General Ha yawned and appeared next to Lu Ran. The mere release of the Dragon Might by the Sudden Death King had knocked out the three diamond rats without any physical confrontation. Facing the terrifying creature known as the middle overlord dragon n, the three diamond rats virtually had no chance to resist. [Congrattions on passing the first round of the trial. The ferocious beasts of the second round will soon appear¡­] Without giving the challengers any extra time to rest, after Lu Ran and his team dealt with the diamond rats, four vine-wrapped, bamboo-armored apes emerged from the forest¡­ Buzz!!! With a single nce, General Ha¡¯s sharp sword intent directly shattered the spiritual will of the four ape beasts, causing their gaze to falter and their spirits to copse, as they fell to the ground with a thud, dissipating into countless illusions. For an ordinary level 2 beastmaster, facing one trial after another, such challenges are bound to lead to a tough fight eventually. However, for Lu Ran, who currently has three overlords and one upper sovereign by his side, it¡¯s almost like cheating in a dungeon, effortlessly reaching the tenth round. The previous ninth round featured eight level 30 bamboo dragons from the upper sovereign species, Sub-dragon Species, even after the challengers had already been worn down by eight rounds ofbat. Even a single bamboo dragon from the upper sovereign species would be enough to give the challengers a headache, let alone eight! It should be noted that the upper sovereign species is currently the highest species level on Blue Star, where no overlords are present. Yet, with such a configuration of trial beasts, a single curse from the dark crow caused the eight bamboo dragons to lose their minds and kill each other. [The final round of trial beasts will soon appear¡­] ¡°This is boring, that¡¯s it.¡± One could say that since Lu Ran entered the secret realm, it took just a few minutes for batches of trial beasts to be in one after another. This made Lu Ran feel utterly bored,cking any sense of challenge. ¡°Roar- Atst, a creature resembling a panda but covered in rock-like fur and standing nearly ten meters tall appeared. [Name]: Bristle Rock Armored Beast [Attribute]: Rock [Species Level]: Lower Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 30 But as soon as it appeared, the Sudden Death King approached, pounding its chest to signal the opponent toe and hit, to hit hard. The Bristle Rock Armored Beast disyed a bewildered expression, and in the blink of an eye, the Sudden Death King¡¯s massive tail swept across, striking the Bristle Rock Armored Beast¡¯s face and flipping it over. ¡°Roar!!!¡± This blow left the Bristle Rock Armored Beast slightly dazed. It quickly got up in anger and grappled with the Sudden Death King. However, what started as the sound of the initial hit soon turned into a mix of thunderous roars and the pained screams of the armored beast echoing throughout the secret realm¡­ ¡°No difficulty.¡± After a moment, Lu Ran, Dark Crow, General Ha, and the returning Sudden Death King simultaneously brushed the dust off themselves. At the same time, the Prompt Tone sounded in Lu Ran¡¯s ear. [Congrattions onpleting the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: SSS-level!] [Congrattions, you have obtained a rare resource, Diamond Grass x1] [Congrattions, you have obtained a rare resource, Blue Water x1] [Congrattions, you have obtained a rare resource, Armor Bamboo x1] [Congrattions, you have obtained¡­] [Congrattions, you have obtained a beast taming skill: Armoring.] [Congrattions, you have obtained a Trait Crystal: Super Sleep.] [Congrattions, you have obtained a Secret Realm Card x1.] Truthfully, Lu Ran was quite excited about the rewards from the real-world secret realm, even though it posed no difficulty for him at this point. The final boss, after all, was a Lower Overlord,parable to a Level 2 Legendary Secret Realm. The rewards from a solo clear of a Level 2 Legendary Secret Realm were, needless to say, worth at least eight to ten exquisite resources. However, when Lu Ran perfectly cleared the real-world secret realm, he was stunned! This secret realm had unexpectedly awarded him nearly ten different types of rare resources! All were of rare quality, and not a single one was of exquisite-level. ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Is it broken, or is this secret realm just that stingy?¡± Seeing the pile of resources, Lu Ran was almost tempted to curse, but his mood stabilized somewhat upon seeing the details of the Secret Realm Card. [Name]: Secret Realm Card [Introduction]: A special item, dropped at an extremely low probability under the highest rating in the real-world secret realm, it can help the user create a small real-world secret realm space rich in natural energy. A Secret Realm Card! Such an item existed too. The moment Lu Ran saw the secret realm card, he knew he might have gotten lucky again. Upon reflection, it made sense. Since a real-world secret realm could be challenged multiple times, even if the difficulty was high, the rewards couldn¡¯t be too generous. But if it were just a bunch of rare resources, that would be too cheap. Seeing the secret realm card, Lu Ran realized the strategic importance of the real-world secret realm. The secret realm card was a unique drop from the real-world secret realm. He must be the first beastmaster in modern times to receive this reward, right? ¡°So, with this, I canpletely establish an independent alternate space in Green Sea City, using it as my secret base and battle beast barracks?¡± Lu Ran stroked his chin. ¡°It could definitely allow some of the talented battle beasts from Green Sea to grow stronger inside¡­¡± ¡­ Outside. After sending Lu Ran into the secret realm, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan chatted for a bit and were about to enter the realm themselves. It wasn¡¯t for the rewards; they purely wanted to serve the guardian. However, before they could enter, Lu Ran appeared outside, leaving them both puzzled. ¡°Huh?¡± Seeing Lu Rane out just minutes after he entered, Youxiong Anlin was stunned. ¡°You guys haven¡¯t gone in yet? I¡¯ve already cleared it ande out,¡± Lu Ran said upon seeing them still outside. Both were bewildered. ¡°Cleared it?¡± Du Yuan looked baffled. It had only been a few minutes. ¡°Yes, this secret realm was not as difficult as I expected. It¡¯sparable to a Legendary Secret Realm, but the rewards are much less, although it seems we can challenge it repeatedly,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. However, his smile made Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan feel incredibly frustrated. ¡°Damn, be humane,¡± Youxiong Anlin said. ¡°Come on, tell us what theter stages are like. I only made it to the fifth levelst time.¡± ¡°Roar!!!¡± Before Lu Ran could respond, the Panda Guardian, who had been hidden somewhere, immediately arrived at the scene. ¡°Lord Guardian, listen to this guy. He cleared the trial secret realm in minutes. Is he even human?¡± Youxiong Anlinined. Chapter 229: Possibilities of the Overlord of the Other Shore ¡°What did he get?¡± The Panda Guardian seemed unsurprised that Lu Ran hadpleted the trial. After all, Lu Ran did possess two overlord pet beasts. Given his equalbat potential, it would have been odd if Lu Ran hadn¡¯t passed the trial. Still, the Panda Guardian felt a twitch in his heart upon hearing that Lu Ran had cleared the trial secret realm in just a few minutes. How great it would be if the Youxiong n members could be as formidable! ¡°Even though I had earlier imed all the rewards for myself, I¡¯m not that petty.¡± Lu Ran chuckled and took out all the rare resources he had obtained, handing them over to the Panda Guardian. ¡°These resources are all for you.¡±¡°Hmm?¡± The Panda Guardian looked at the pile of rare resources he was holding, slightly startled, and asked, ¡°No exquisite resources?¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t drop.¡± ¡°And even if they had¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°you¡¯re hoping to mooch my exquisite resources too?¡± This giant panda is more naive than Manager Ying! ¡°That can¡¯t be right!¡± The Panda Guardian was puzzled, considering how efficiently Lu Ran had cleared the trial, it was unlikely that there were no exquisite resources. ¡°Did you get a secret realm card?¡± Quickly, something dawned on the Panda Guardian, and he looked at Lu Ran with intense curiosity. ¡°Secret realm card? What¡¯s that?¡± Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan asked, puzzled. Lu Ran, however, was slightly surprised; the Panda Guardian seemed to know quite a bit. It appears that the ancient Youxiong n tribe was indeed formidable; others had also managed to get secret realm cards before. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°¡­¡± The Panda Guardian eximed, ¡°Dumb luck!¡± ¡°It¡¯s called strength, actually.¡± Lu Ran said helplessly. He didn¡¯t like it when his abilities were chalked up to mere luck. ¡°Lord Guardian-¡± Youxiong Anlin, seeing the Panda Guardian repeatedly ignoring him, was tearful, feeling out of favor. The Panda Guardian nced at him and said: ¡°During a certain period, Infinite City updated many trial secret realms in the real world.¡± ¡°These trial secret realms were initially unimed.¡± ¡°However, a beastmaster who perfectlypletes a trial secret realm for the first time can be the master of the secret realm and obtain an exclusive secret realm card.¡± ¡°This exclusive secret realm card can transform a certain item into a secret realm key, monopolizing a realm, making it an exclusive property.¡± ¡°They can also pass down the secret realm key to their descendants, allowing them to continue holding the position of master of the secret realm.¡± ¡°After the perfect first pass, if someone else manages to perfectlyplete the realm again, what drops is an ordinary secret realm card. The probability of dropping an ordinary secret realm card is extremely low, so low that even a perfectpletion 100 times might not yield one. However, its utility is significant, as it can open up a small real-world secret realm, which, whether for cultivating spiritual nts or as a training ground, is far more valuable than exquisite resources.¡± ¡°Even the regions on Blue Star with the densest spiritual energy cannotpare to the realms opened by a secret realm card.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Youxiong Anlin looked towards Lu Ran. So this guy, on his first attempt, took the grand prize? ¡°!¡± Du Yuan also cast an envious look at Lu Ran, cursed with such luck. However, both of them quickly remembered that Lu Ran probably doesn¡¯t need a real-world secret realm. With his current status, anything he needs is just a word away, no need for him to farm himself. Besides, training pet beasts in a small secret realm is not very significant; the training secret realms in Infinite City are top-notch, with environments that are iparable to those on Blue Star. ¡°Does perfecting a first pass on a real-world secret realm really make one the master of the secret realm?¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s attention was on another matter. But soon, he started to feel regretful. The real-world secret realms left over from ancient times are probably already imed. Just like those of the Youxiong n. They¡¯ve already been monopolized with an exclusive secret realm card, matching lock and key. Finding an unimed trial secret realm would be very difficult indeed. Wait a moment. Lu Ran soon fell into deep thought again. From the perspective of the Youxiong n¡¯s trial secret realm, it was the key, not the first to pass, that determined the ownership of the realm. So, what¡¯s the situation with the necromancy secret realm on the other shore? The key has been lost in the breakthrough secret realm, and it¡¯s impossible for it to still exist. So, is that realm now ownerless, or does it still have an owner? It seems ownerless, but it has indeed been controlled by someone. It seems to have an owner, but the secret realm key is ¡°damaged,¡± and now anyone can enter through special methods, making it look ownerless again. Never mind, I¡¯ll just pass through it once and see if there¡¯s a reward for being the first to pass, then I¡¯ll know if it¡¯s ownerless or not. That said, do I really have the potential to be the Overlord of the Other Shore? Controlling the secret realm and possessing the perfect soul food, the necromancy could indeed bepletely tied to him. ¡°Just like that~¡± Thinking this, Lu Ran lifted his head and said to the two Youxiongs, ¡°You should also try the secret realm. That, Youxiong n Guardian, I¡¯m leaving now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving just like that?¡± The Panda Guardian, seeing that Lu Ran didn¡¯t n to continue challenging, said, ¡°Challenge it a few more times, you seem to be doing it with ease.¡± ¡°With your luck, you might even get more secret realm cards.¡± Aren¡¯t you interested in learning the artistic conception of the armored bear anymore! Having finally found someone who could perfectly pass through, the Panda Guardian was reluctant to let him go. ¡°No, my pet beasts are actually very tired already, maybe another time, but not today.¡± Really? Hearing Lu Ran say his pet beasts were already tired, Youxiong Anlin and the others showed skeptical expressions. Was it the pursuit of speed that led to their fatigue? What they didn¡¯t know was that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts were tired because they had been training in the training secret realm for half a day before entering the trial secret realm. It wasn¡¯t because they were entering the trial secret realm in their best condition. Moreover, for Lu Ran now, verifying the ownership status of the necromancy secret realm was clearly more valuable than continuing to challenge a secret realm that already had an owner. After Lu Ran turned and left, Youxiong Anlin paused for a moment, looking at his back, and said: ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me about the next stages¡­¡± Thump. The Panda Guardian slightly kicked Youxiong Anlin¡¯s butt, saying, ¡°Can you be a bit more spirited¡­ It¡¯s killing me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nearby, Du Yuan was silently despondent. Lu Ran, this guy, is really the nightmare of all fourth-generation beastmasters. South America, The Other Shore Ind. After several days, with the strong intervention of the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance, the organization on The Other Shore Ind haspletely changed its identity. As for the development of the necromancy secret realm on The Other Shore Ind, Xia Country is also proceeding in an orderly manner. Currently, the responsibility for this task has been transferred from Gu Qingyi to Lin Nian, who, as the only beastmaster in Xia Country proficient in maritime warfare, has many other duties to attend to. For instance, monitoring the Fishman Empire is a must. Moreover, having Lin Nian, who is even more formidable and intimidating, stationed on The Other Shore Ind has a greater deterrent effect against other countries that want a share of the benefits. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Stationed on The Other Shore Ind, Lin Nian asked directly when she received a call from Lu Ran. ¡°Lin Nian, how are things on your end?¡± ¡°Not bad, things have stabilized mostly, but the exploration of the necromancy secret realm is not going smoothly. I tried challenging it and only reached the ninth stage at most, and the only items dropped were the death revival skill card and the soul burn trait crystal; nothing else.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t the trial secret realm of the Youxiong n drop other resources?¡± ¡°This realm only drops cards and crystals.¡± Lin Nian spoke with dissatisfaction. Lu Ran chuckled bitterly, ¡°The resources here at the Youxiong n aren¡¯t that great either. Besides, a death revival skill card is worth much more than an armoring skill. Just getting that is already a big win.¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently at the Youxiong n. If things stabilize here, maybe I¡¯ll try challenging the necromancy secret realm?¡± Although Lu Ran is not as strong as Lin Nian, trial secret realms do not solely depend on absolute strength but on potential at the same level. The necromancy trials Lin Nian faced were probably level 60, mostly consisting of overlord species, making them naturally challenging. Constrained by ack of resources in the early stages, her potential as a Level 5 beastmaster has not been fully tapped. But it would be different for Lu Ran. He would face level 30 necromancers, and the species level wouldn¡¯t be too high. At the stage of a level 2 beastmaster, his potential is considered invincible,parable to the legendary figures of the Star-Moon Continent. If the Youxiong n can clear it, the situation after challenging the necromancy secret realm would likely not be too different. ¡°Sure, youe over. Should Ie to pick you up, or will youe by yourself?¡± ¡°Tomorrow I¡¯ll have Manager Ying secretly take me there,¡± Lu Ran felt that nothing much should go wrong, and having too many bodyguards could make them more noticeable. After deciding to head to the Other Shore Ind in South America, Lu Ran first returned to the Green Sea. He shared the intelligence about the trial secret realm and the secret realm card with Manager Ying, who pondered for a moment and said: ¡°So, you mean the current necromancy secret realm is likely unimed, which is why members from the Other Shore can enter through special means.¡± ¡°As long as youplete it, this necromancy secret realm will most likely be exclusively yours.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°So, please escort me there!¡± ¡°What a bother,¡± Manager Yingined, rubbing its head. ¡°It would have been easier if you had just asked Lin Nian to pick you up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I trust you more¡­¡± Lu Ran said with a ttering smile. ¡°Let¡¯s rest tonight and set off tomorrow. I¡¯ll let General Ha and the others rest as well.¡± Manager Ying was visibly annoyed but didn¡¯t refuse. It said, ¡°Why the suddenck of urgency? Have you decided against entering the third Evolution Secret Realm?¡± ¡°Yes, the Evolution Secret Realm in two days is too rushed. I¡¯ll wait for the fourth one; a few days won¡¯t make a big difference.¡± ¡°I doubt the fourth one will be any less rushed; it¡¯s only a few days away too.¡± ¡°That Erha of yours probably won¡¯t master its domain before the opening of the Evolution Secret Realm!¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Give it up and perhaps prepare in other ways.¡± Lu Ran fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Manager Ying. ¡°Actually¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Yesterday¡­¡± ¡°General Ha already started to use its domain preliminarily. I¡¯m waiting for the fourth Evolution Secret Realm so it can get more ustomed to it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Ah???¡± Manager Ying suddenly stood up, eyes wide with shock as he stared at Lu Ran, his fur bristling. ¡°What did you say??¡± ¡°That Erha actually learned a Domain Skill??¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran grinned. ¡°I used an enhancement card on a lucid fruit and fed it to him. The same day, he grasped the concept of the domain.¡± ¡°Although he¡¯s still not very proficient, I n to give him another week, then feed him an exquisite-level lucid fruit. By then, mastering the basics of the Domain Skill should be no issue.¡± ¡°Cough, grasping a domain before evolving at level 30, coupled with the Ultimate Perception Trait, it¡¯s hard to imagine what species talent might emerge¡­¡± Lu Ran was immensely curious. The Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow, they both rely on resources as a foundation for their evolution. This time, General Ha is evolving based on skills. The direction of the evolution should vary, right? Manager Ying: ??? Beside him, Manager Ying slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself at a loss for words. You see, his main body belongs to the upper overlord species with space abilities, which he only mastered after reaching levels in the forties. And now, a wind species Erha, at level 30¡­ has mastered it? ¡°Meow-o-¡± Manager Ying covered his mouth, suddenly feeling a suicidal impulse, not quite able to ept it. Chapter 230: Lu Ran’s Goal The next day. Under the guidance of Manager Ying, Lu Ran and hispanions secretly left the country. Since Lu Ran was not in a hurry, the man and the cat took their time, leisurely. High in the sky. Lu Ran and Manager Ying sat together on arge cluster of clouds, transported by a ¡°Somersault Cloud.¡± ¡°Manager Ying, I don¡¯t think this is right.¡± ¡°I asked you to escort me.¡± ¡°But why has it turned into exploiting the cloud baby?¡± Manager Ying pointed to the shimmering light outside the cloud and said, ¡°I¡¯ve added a barrier around it, haven¡¯t I? This way, no one can discover us. You can¡¯t expect me to teleport you all the way there, can you?¡±¡°But the cloud baby isn¡¯t even a month old!¡± Lu Ran eximed in distress, then shifted to a morefortable position. Truth be told, it was indeed morefortable than riding General Ha, the sudden death king, or even teleporting. Soft and fluffy. ¡°It¡¯s fine, training should start from an early age!¡± Manager Ying dered righteously, definitely not because she held a grudge from thest time the weather elf insulted her. ¡°Fair enough.¡± Feeling morefortable, Lu Ran epted this reasoning without guilt. The dizziness brought on by constant teleporting was something he couldn¡¯t quite handle either. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± As for the weather elf, it was currently staring with its water-blue, dewdrop eyes, pouting and flying reluctantly. It didn¡¯t quite understand why it had suddenly be a means of transportation. ¡°What about that secret realm card, have you figured out how to use it yet?¡± ¡°If you have no ideas, how about giving it to me?¡± Above the clouds, Manager Ying, lying within the cluster of clouds, started to covet Lu Ran¡¯s resources again and turned to ask. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Lu Ran tly refused. ¡°I n to get a few more secret realm cardster and open several small secret realms in Green Sea City.¡± ¡°For now, those supernatural beings aren¡¯t very strong and can integrate normally into Green Sea City.¡± ¡°But when their levels increase and a mere yawn can cause environmental changes, they won¡¯t be suitable to live near human cities anymore.¡± ¡°By then, I will have relocated them all into small secret realms.¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ I also need to remind you, it¡¯s manageable now since those supernatural beings are not high-level andck intelligence. But once they reach a higher level and be more cunning, you should be careful not to find yourself nurturing a tiger that turns on you,¡± Manager Ying scoffed. Lu Ran smiled slightly and said, ¡°When that timees, I will definitely find a way to restrain the key supernatural beings I¡¯ve been nurturing, so don¡¯t worry.¡± Manager Ying¡¯s worries were not without reason. Though Lu Ran could now bind them by force and benefit, what would happen in the future if they encountered stronger forces or more tempting offers? Just like the ck turtle, it was simply taken away by the Fishman Empire, and Lu Ran was powerless to stop it. As the power of other ferocious beasts grows, the supernatural beings in Green Sea City will eventually face the prospect of having their ranks poached. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t guarantee that every supernatural being would be as loyal as the dark crow or aszy as the ck turtle. In the future, Lu Ran¡¯s nurturing efforts might just end up benefiting others. For now, the Crow tribe in Green Sea City was what Lu Ran felt most secure about. Once the dark crow integrates the trait ofmanding its species, it will be able to form a contract with the Crow tribe. Then, as long as the dark crow exists, these ordinary crows will not betray. However, with other species, even the bug king that Lu Ran had personally nurtured didn¡¯t give him much peace of mind, feeling it could be lured away by more attractive offers. The bug king was one thing, not to mention creatures like the fire snake and ice bird, which Lu Ran initially subdued by brute force. To address this, Lu Ran nned to see if he could mitigate some risks by using the ¡°retainer¡± beast taming skill when the time came. By turning a strong general beast of Green Sea City into a retainer for one of his pet beasts. This way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about them being poached. However, as he hadn¡¯t yet learned the retainer beast taming skill, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure how many retainers each pet beast could have. But ording to the logic of beast taming skills, even if he could only assign one retainer to a pet beast initially, the number should naturally increase as he developed the skill further. If worsees to worst, he could just use enhancement cards to boost a bunch of lucid fruits for his own consumption, ultimately maximizing the development of the retainer skill. Considering this, Lu Ran asked, ¡°Manager Ying, can the personal space you created hold living things?¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not possible!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity. It seems that once the secret realm space is opened, its location is fixed and cannot be carried around. Otherwise, I could carry the secret realm space with me and move with an army of pet beasts.¡± Lu Ran felt regretful. ¡°Is there really no way? Is there a type of space equipment that can carry living things and be carried around?¡± It would be like an alternative Beast Taming Space! Manager Ying¡¯s mouth twitched, your craving is really huge. No wonder you could raise a pet beast like the dark crow. ¡°Your Soul Capturing Bottle¡­¡± ¡°The Soul Capturing Bottle won¡¯t work. It can only capture souls of physically deceased beings, and those souls are already on the verge of dissipating,cking autonomous consciousness, no different from dead objects.¡± ¡°Then there¡¯s no way. That level of equipment would at least have to be epic level.¡± Lu Ran pondered, ¡°It would be great if I had an epic enhancement card. I could take a rare space equipment, enhance it to exquisite, and then to epic¡­¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°If you really want one, you might find a way in the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran and continued, ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s said that some level 8 beastmasters on the Star-Moon Continent have the ability to transform their Beast Taming Spaces into independent secret realms. These independent realms can exist in the form of an item, capable of carrying living beings and being carried around.¡± ¡°It¡¯s considered an epic-level space equipment.¡± ¡°However, such space items are too rare, even on the Star-Moon Continent, and Blue Star beastmasters don¡¯t have much information about them.¡± ¡°If you could be the disciple of a legendary beastmaster in the next secret realm, you might be able to learn more.¡± ¡°Of course, obtaining such equipment is certainly harder than inheriting from the legendary great cult! Your necromancy master is only a level 7 beastmaster, right?¡± ¡°Really?¡± Lu Ran was not initially concerned about the difficulty when he heard the intelligence provided by Manager Ying. If there really was such a super space that could be carried around, he would have to obtain one no matter what. Especially once he learns the retainer skill and the dark crow fuses with the species-dominating trait, he¡¯s in desperate need of such portable space! Having this, from a short-term perspective, could even enhance his strength faster than learning how to open a Beast Taming Space. ¡°It must be true, consider this intelligence a free gift.¡± ¡°Alright, once General Ha haspleted its evolution, I¡¯ll head to the Breakthrough Secret Realm to see if I can snag one.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°I was just saying it casually, and you took it seriously.¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran speechlessly. What¡¯s the difference between that and saying you¡¯re going to the Secret Realm to snag an Epic Item? Such things, even the necromantic cults might not possess them. If Lu Ran wanted to find one, he¡¯d probably have to raid the pce in the Imperial City. Even if it existed, such an item would mostly be in the hands of legendary figures officially recognized by the Beast Taming Empire. Lu Ran smiled slightly: ¡°You have to have dreams, right? After finishing the Breakthrough Task, there¡¯s nothing else to do, might as well set another goal to pass the time.¡± A pretender as a Beastmaster, diligently carrying out Breakthrough Tasks. A true Beastmaster, afterpleting the Breakthrough Task, the world exploration begins! ¡­ The Other Shore Ind. After arriving, Lu Ran and Lin Nian met up. Upon seeing Lin Nian, Lu Ran didn¡¯t first talk about the necromantic secret, but instead asked, ¡°Is there a vampire creature called the Red Count on this ind?¡± ¡°I remember,¡± Lin Nian crossed her arms, ¡°When we first arrived at The Other Shore Ind, it helped us out. After the deed, Gu Qingyi disabled it and imprisoned it.¡± ¡°Yes, now all members from The Other Shore are detained, as initially stated. We need to investigate their pasts before making any further arrangements.¡± ¡°Though they¡¯re locked up, those necromancers seem quite content after eating the soul food you provided in the prison; not one of them is hurrying us to release them,¡± Lin Nian said with an intrigued expression, not expecting such a development. Some of the necromancers even stated that as long as they¡¯re fed and housed, staying there for a couple of years wouldn¡¯t be too bad. Lu Ran: ? These guys must have been starving for a long while to find imprisonment joyful. Indeed, for many who had no choice but to be necromancers, feeding their pet beasts and living in constant pain has been the norm. This situation might actually be a rare rxation for them. This might be a good time for them to recalibrate their state of being. It¡¯s called imprisonment, but it¡¯s more like being in a hospital. ¡°I need to meet that vampire count,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°To enter the secret realm, we require high-quality blood, right? This one will do.¡± Beside him, Manager Ying¡¯s mouth twitched into a smirk, someone was about to suffer. Given General Ha¡¯s penchant for holding grudges, it knew that Lu Ran was likely the same. ¡°Okay,¡± Lin Nian said emotionlessly, not particrly concerned about Lu Ran¡¯s mental state. The Other Shore Prison. This was a prison constructed by The Other Shore itself, with special cells whose walls were embedded with minerals that isted space powers. Being imprisoned here made teleporting to Infinite City nearly impossible. Led by Lin Nian, Lu Ran and Manager Ying arrived outside a specific prison cell. Inside, a ragged vampire was chained up with magic-suppressing locks, leaning against the wall, his eyes slightly closed. As the space vibrated and fluctuated, he slowly opened his eyes, and upon seeing Lu Ran, he immediately smiled, shaking the chains: ¡°Hahahaha-¡° ¡°You finally came.¡± ¡°Now you can let me go.¡± The Red Count was extremely dissatisfied with Xia Country¡¯s actions!! He was one of the earliest members of The Other Shore to provide resources and intelligence to Xia Country. Detaining other high-level members for interrogation was one thing, but imprisoning him was outrageous!!! ¡°¡­¡± Just as the Red Count was about to greet Lu Ran again, he saw Lu Ran summon the Dark Crow. The Dark Crow looked on indifferently. With no emotion, it stared at the bat in front of it. Heard you hurt the Big King before??? Unforgivable! ¡°Turn it into a pig, then we¡¯ll draw its blood for the secret realm, start with one kilogram.¡± The vampire count: ??? The next moment, the prison echoed with a pig-like scream. Lin Nian watched the entire scene, frowning deeply. How deep was this grudge? ¡­ After resolving the issue with the temporary key to the secret realm, under Lin Nian¡¯s guidance, Lu Ran allowed the dark crow to release its spiritual power to envelop the blood crystal, thus opening the necromancer¡¯s secret realm. Much like entering the trial secret realm of the Youxiong n, Lu Ran was teleported directly inside the secret realm. However, upon entering, he was immediately stunned in ce. Just as the Level 5 necromancer had described, the reality of the necromancer¡¯s trial realm was indeed an ancient battlefield. The surrounding disarray indicated that a fierce battle had once urred here, but¡­ as Lu Ran looked toward the familiar mountain ranges in the distance, he waspletely taken aback. Because the environment of this secret realm was identical to the headquarters of the Cult of Necromancy, for a moment, Lu Ran almost thought he had returned to the breakthrough realm within the Holy Church. Lu Ran¡¯s gaze flickered, his tone heavy: ¡°What exactly happened to the Holy Church in the normal historical timeline? Why has it turned into a battlefield? Wasn¡¯t the headquarters of the Holy Church established by the retainers of the death dragon¡­ Could it have been breached by the imperial army?¡± Chapter 231: The Arrival of the Overlord Era Chapter 231: The Arrival of the Overlord Era In the blink of an eye, two days passed. True to his word, Lu Ran began intensive training in the Necromancy Secret Realm on the Other Shore Ind. The day before, there was another stir on the inte. Because the third Evolution Secret Realm was about to open. Given the significant impact of the previous two Evolution Secret Realms, the anticipation for the third one was just as high. Including but not limited to, the global beast tamers¡¯ spections about Lu Ran¡¯s next evolution. Many beast tamers were curious whether Lu Ran would once again show up with his pet beast and dominate the scene. Crushing allpetition and bing the absolute focus. However, this time, Lu Ran disappointed the beast tamers worldwide.Until the end of the third Evolution Secret Realm, Lu Ran did not appear there. Nevertheless, despite Lu Ran¡¯s absence, the opening of the third Evolution Secret Realm still held epoch-making significance. This time, the Evolution Secret Realm brought forth five lower overlord species. Originally rare overlord species were no longer absolutely rare after the conclusion of this Secret Realm. There was a reason for this. When the first Evolution Secret Realm appeared, most beast tamers had empty contract slots but no suitable new pets to contract. Those who caught the first wave of evolution benefits were the beast tamers who were already nurturing new pets. Although many beast tamers quickly began searching for high-potential new pets and seeking nurturing and evolution resources after seeing the benefits, this process also required time. To find the most fitting resources, more time had to be spent searching. The third Evolution Secret Realm seemed to have arrived at a critical point, allowing a number of capable first-generation beastmasters to sessfully evolve new overlord species pets. Besides the first-generation beastmasters who evolved overlord species pets bing the focus of world attention, the members of the Golden Generation also began to emerge in the second and third Evolution Secret Realms. For example, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan from Xia Country both evolved powerful upper sovereign species pets, nearing overlord existence in the third Evolution Secret Realm. Therefore, even without Lu Ran, who naturally attracts media attention, the media had a field day. [Arrival of the Overlord Era!] [It is predicted that after the fourth evolution wave, the overlord species pet beasts on the Blue Star will exceed double digits!] During the celebration, various forums did not forget to discuss why Lu Ran did not appear in this Secret Realm. Foreign beastmasters unanimously believed that although Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog was strong, it did not have the innate advantages of Loong-type or necromancy-type beasts, leading to a certain bottleneck in its cultivation. He was able to cultivate a Loong-type sessfully because he obtained the exclusive beast taming skill of me Sprite from the first Dragon Chef, Yan Sizhen, in the breakthrough secret realm, thereby bing a Dragon Chef himself. He was able to cultivate necromancy-type sessfully because he identally entered a necromancy cult and utilized moreprehensive necromancy knowledge to develop a harmless necromancy cultivation method. These experiences undoubtedly demonstrated Lu Ran¡¯s extraordinary talent and potential. However, they did not change the fact that his Gale Sword Dog was originally just a middle supernatural species of Erha, and it had fused only themonly avable talents of weapon mastery and nature control. The gap between it and his other pets was toorge. Although the Beast Taming Empire had researched the weapon mastery talent, it was quickly abandoned. If Lu Ran had entered that era¡¯s breakthrough secret realm and participated in rted research, people believed that with his talent, he might have found a new path. But the reality was that Lu Ran did not have those conditions, which was why many believed he was facing a bottleneck. Of course, some people dismissed this notion, such as Youxiong Anlin. Even though his Light and Dark Panda had evolved to the upper sovereign level, he still found it hard to gauge the limits of Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog when recalling their battles. Not having evolved a first-stage overlord species, Youxiong Anlin felt the formidable presence of Lu Ran once again. As a public figure, Lu Ran had long prepared himself to be frequently discussed and did not mind it. He continued to focus intently on training with General Ha in the Necromancy Secret Realm. During the trial, Lu Ran made an astonishing discovery. General Ha had attached the soul shing sword intent to Winter¡¯s Fang, and when it had in a sufficient number of souls, it seemed to have a nurturing effect. This discovery greatly excited Lu Ran, motivating him and General Ha to fight even harder. Time passed slowly. While Lu Ran was engrossed in his intense training, news about Infinite City kept flooding in. Two days after the third first-stage Evolution Secret Realm closed, Antarctica¡¯s Infinite City updated with a new Evolution Secret Realm. [Name]: Evolution Secret Realm (Second-Stage) [Entry Level]: Level 5 and above [Introduction]: On a special star, there is an area extremely suitable for the evolution of supernatural beings. The Evolution Secret Realm periodically surges with a high concentration of evolutionary energy. If a supernatural being undergoes a second-stage evolution during this time, it can awaken stronger potential. During the evolution energy surge, the pet beast with the highest post-evolution potential will receive the Starry Blessing, gaining additional power. [Entry Fee]: 1 million crystal coins [Countdown to Evolution Energy Surge]: 18 days If the media previously proimed the ¡°arrival of the overlord era¡± a bit exaggerated, this was understandable. Apart from the exceptional case of Lu Ran, those who managed to evolve to overlord species in a first-stage evolution shared amon trait. Their pet beasts¡¯ innate base species, even without fusion traits or fusion attribute awakening materials, had at least reached the uppermander level, and most were at the lower sovereign level, like the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Permafrost Elephant. Only with a high enough base species could one hope to evolve into an overlord during the first stage. Even Youxiong Anlin¡¯s Light and Dark Panda, with its innate lowermander species level, couldn¡¯t reach the overlord stage during the first evolution. Thus, relying solely on the first-stage Evolution Secret Realm to usher in the overlord era remained challenging. High-species pet beast cubs were extremely rare, and aside from the Eagle Federation, other countries could only obtain them through rewards from breakthrough secret realms or Legendary Secret Realms. However, with the appearance of the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm, everything was different. Although the primary pet beasts of the first-generation beastmasters may not have had high base species, after long-term cultivation, most had undoubtedly reached the upper sovereign species level. If a low-base species couldn¡¯t achieve overlord status in the first-stage evolution, who is to say it couldn¡¯t in the second-stage? With the activation of the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm, undoubtedly, a significant number of the main pet beasts of first-generation beastmasters would cross into the overlord species. At that time, the true overlord era would have truly arrived. ¡°Has that kid Lu Ran started crying?¡± In Shanghai, Xia Country, Gu Qingyi smiled slightly as she nced at the intelligence report on the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm. Because during a time when overlords were extremely rare, Lu Ran, with his Level 30 overlord, could easily overpower opponents of higher levels. When Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast reaches Level 40, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if it could defeat First-Generation pet beasts of Level 50 or higher. This is what¡¯s known as the overlord advantage. However, if the First Generation can also evolve their pet beasts into overlords through second-stage evolution, Lu Ran¡¯s advantage would be nullified. The gap between the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Generations would widen further. But Gu Qingyi also knew that this gap would be temporary. For instance, considering Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast evolved to overlord species in the first-stage evolution, what if it undergoes a second-stage evolution? Each one could be an upper overlord? Of course, this would take time. Therefore, if the First Generation wants to avoid being overtaken by the well-established Fourth Generation and being surpassed in levels, they should leverage their current advantages in strength and resources to cultivate sufficiently powerful new pets. With the emergence of the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm, the world¡¯s top-level experts are gradually bing the focus of countless Fourth-Generation beastmasters. Take, for instance, Xia Country¡¯s beast taming leader, the former guild leader in his 80s. His battle beast, resembling a Qilin 1 , once suppressed nations to the point they couldn¡¯t breathe. Currently, it is listed at Level 60 on the divine beast leaderboard, though it appears it has yet to undergo evolution. Just like the cyborg from the Eagle Federation, who faced setbacks in the mechanical pet beast world, resulting in his physical disability and retreating from the front lines. However, after the resurgence of spiritual energy, he made aeback through mechanical transformation and returned to the forefront. Several of his pet beasts are still ranked highly on the divine beast leaderboard, surpassing the guild leader of the Eagle Federation¡¯s Beast Taming Alliance. Among them is a pet beast that has reached level 60, yet it has also not chosen to evolve. If his pet beasts were not still organic beings and not transformed into mechanical pet beasts, people might have suspected he had cracked the secret of the mechanical species. However, even so, his ability to transform himself into a cyborg is indeed terrifying. Considering that his generation failed all breakthrough tasks in the mechanical world and returned heavily injured, his resurgence is a testament to the technological prowess of the Eagle Federation. Not just in Xia Country and the Eagle Federation, several major countries have pet beasts that have already reached level 60. However, these top-level First Generations have cleverly not rushed to evolve their pets. It seems they foresaw the appearance of the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm after the first-stage Evolution Secret Realm. Undoubtedly, their gamble paid off. ¡°So annoying-¡° Meanwhile, as the outside world buzzed about the imminent arrival of the overlord era, Lu Ran was busy training General Ha, this clumsy dog. Since thest time General Ha sessfully used the sword domain, it hadn¡¯t been able to replicate it. Not even with 50 times energypression. Whenparing the current state to the previous sessful attempt, two main differences stood out:
  1. The absence of a space attribute rare weapon.
  1. Not being in a state of Comprehension Enhancement.
The former is particrly problematic. The value of a space attribute rare weapon can almost match that of subpar exquisite equipment. Having shattered one already, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t possibly sacrifice another one for General Ha. As for enhancement cards, there was only one left. Lu Ran¡¯s n was to wait until General Ha had mastered the sword domain and then use the enhancement card to refine its skills further. However, from the current situation, without the support of a space attribute weapon and special states, it seemed very difficult for General Ha to re-use the sword domain. ¡°Woo woo woo-¡° Not only was Lu Ran frustrated, but during the past week, even General Ha was getting anxious. It carried Winter¡¯s Fang, wandering among a group of necromancers, nearly losing its mind in battle. Throughout the process, it continuously attempted to activate the domain. Blood flew from its teeth, partly floating in the air and partly staining the sword, as it fought relentlessly. On that day. As Lu Ran was contemting whether to use thest enhancement card to give General Ha another chance to experience the sword domain, something unexpected happened. With the Crow of Death in possession, temporarily transforming into a four-legged version of the crow tengu, General Ha, who was battling the lower overlord necromancer with a sword in its mouth, experienced a sudden explosion of the sword. It seemed the sword had enough of General Ha¡¯s torment and decided to give up. After all, fifty times energypression is not just a high load on the body; it¡¯s also incredibly taxing on weapons. While General Ha could be healed, the durability of the sword, on the other hand, was not so easily restored. Sitting on the Sudden Death King and having it forge his body with weak red lightning, Lu Ran was stunned and looked on in confusion. ¡°???¡± ¡°Damn, it¡¯s bad enough you broke a rare weapon; don¡¯t tell me you shattered the exquisite sword too!!!¡± Footnote:
  1. Qilin(֏֑): The Qilin is a mythical creature in Chinese folklore, often seen as a symbol of good fortune, prosperity, and peace.
Chapter 232: Corpse Dog Chapter 232: Corpse Dog In the Necromantic Secret Realm. Not only was Lu Ran on the Sudden Death King bewildered, but afar, General Ha also looked confused. The massive explosion not only blew away the lower overlord-level Necromantic Crocodile but also sent General Ha in his crow tengu form flying. During the st, even half of the dark crow was startled, disbanding from its possession of General Ha, and eximed while running: ¡°Caw! What¡¯s going on!¡± Startled, Dark Crow watched as General Ha rolled on the ground a few times, then stood up, wiped the blood from his mouth with his paw, and looked into the distance. ¡°That is¡ª-¡° At that moment, arge amount of energy started leaking from Winter¡¯s Fang. Extremely cold and gale-force winds quickly altered the surrounding terrain, turning and of death into an ice-snow tomb.Winter¡¯s Fang was lodged diagonally into the ground. Cracks started to appear bit by bit on its de, and both Lu Ran and General Ha fell silent. Because this time, the shattering was not part of the de¡¯s separation trait. Winter¡¯s Fang, which had been forged less than half a month ago, was really breaking, genuinely getting damaged. Seeing this, Lu Ran¡¯s heart sank; he suspected there was a problem during the forging process that resulted in a defective product. General Ha also looked at Lu Ran with a suspicious gaze, doubting Lu Ran¡¯s forging skills. ¡°Caw! Only heard of guns exploding from overloading,¡± said the Crow of Curses. ¡°Never thought a sword could explode too,¡± added the crow of death. ¡°666 1 ~¡± both Crows chimed in. ¡°Roar¡ª-¡± Even the Sudden Death King stared intently at the sword. See, having destructive power alone isn¡¯t enough; you also need strong defense¡­ ¡°Nonsense,¡± Lu Ran still refused to believe there were ws in his forged sword. Although it was his first time forging an exquisite weapon, with all the foundation he hadid and using the me Sprite as assistance, he thought it should have been wless. ¡°Hmm?¡± In the next instant, as the sword continued to shatter, Dark Crow noticed something unusual. Suddenly, it widened its eyes and eximed, ¡°Big King! Big King!¡± ¡°The sword didn¡¯t explode; it¡¯s manifesting!¡± ¡°It¡¯s alive, it¡¯s alive, this sword seems to be birthing an artifact spirit!!!¡± ¡°What?¡± Dark Crow¡¯s exmation made Lu Ran¡¯s eyelid twitch. In fact, he had already spected on this possibility earlier, but because the nurturing time had been so short, Lu Ran found it hard to believe that Winter¡¯s Fang could give birth to a spirit in such a brief period. You should know, it hasn¡¯t even been half a month since it was forged. The forging elders within the church had estimated that it would take at least years for a supernatural weapon to nurture a spirit, even of rare quality. For exquisite quality, it might even take a year or more. Even if the necromantic breath in this secret realm were particrly rich, it shouldn¡¯t be possible to nurture an artifact spirit in less than a week. However, since even Dark Crow from the necromancy species noticed the anomaly, Lu Ran stopped denying this possibility. If one had to exin it, Winter¡¯s Fang did possess certain unique traits. That was its forging materials, most of which were General Ha¡¯s teeth, making it ¡°of the same bloodline¡± as General Ha. Additionally, General Ha had infused his soul shing sword intent into Winter¡¯s Fang, constantly shing at necromantic entities, which may have elerated the nurturing process of an artifact spirit. ¡°Is this for real¡­¡± Lu Ran swallowed hard as Winter¡¯s Fang, the exquisite sword he meticulously forged, shatteredpletely with a ¡°crack¡± sound. As Lu Ran and General Ha were in utter dismay, amidst the explosive storm of snow and wind, a spirit in the form of a sword, light and nimble, entirely different from therger form of Winter¡¯s Fang, an ice-blue sword spirit, floated and emerged from the storm!!! At the same moment, Lu Ran¡¯s Eye of Data activated! [Name]: Winter Sword Spirit [Attribute]: Necromancy, Ice [Species level]: Lower Sovereign [Growth level]: Level 10 Upon discovering the appearance of the sword spirit, both Lu Ran and General Ha held their breath. Looking at the ice-blue sword-shaped spirit entwined with fine snow, Lu Ran slightly opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but words failed to form and ultimately condensed into one phrase. ¡°Holy crap, the necromantic Holy Church is awesome!!!¡± It really happened! At that moment, the Necromantic Crocodile that had been blown away saw the floating ice-snow sword spirit and seemed to realize what was happening. Furious, it attempted tounch another attack, but at this point, there was no chance for it to cause any more trouble. The Crow of Death instantly possessed the Crow of Curses. Dark Crow¡¯s eyes, dozens of them, opened from within its ck feathers, revealing a blood-red hue. These eyes rotated continuously, locking onto the Necromantic Crocodile. Buzz!!! In an instant, to an outsider, it seemed like nothing happened, but the Necromantic Crocodile stood motionless. The next moment, Sudden Death King sprang into action. It opened its gigantic maw. Though not adept at attacking, it didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t do so. Compressed thunder energy, magnified tenfold, erupted from its mouth in a massive thunderbolt. The robust red lightning struck the Necromantic Crocodile, sending its body flying and carving a charred trench into the ground. ¡°Woof-¡° Seeing the Necromantic Crocodile sted away, General Ha quickly sprinted forward. Leaping into the air, it grabbed the bewildered Winter Sword Spirit and headed back. As General Ha held the sword spirit in its mouth like a mother cat carrying its kitten, its own level started surging rapidly, soon returning to the upper sovereign tier. It seemed that not only did inanimate weapons enhance General Ha, but even weapons with life forms added to the King of Swords talent for General Ha! Moreover, the Winter Sword Spirit¡¯s contribution to General Ha was not much different from that of Winter¡¯s Fang. No. There was a difference. Winter¡¯s Fang, unless reforged,cked growth potential and would eventually lose durability due to wear and tear. However, the sword spirit was different; it could, like a pet beast, continue to grow and develop through nurturing, showing greater potential! In any case, Lu Ran never expected that he would nurture a sword spirit so quickly. ¡°Woof!!¡± While being carried by General Ha, the sword spirit seemed ufortable and emitted a protesting cry, the de quivering slightly. Yes, the sword was ¡°woofing.¡± That ¡°woof¡± not only startled General Ha but almost made Lu Ran and the others lose theirposure. ¡°Thank you, General Ha, I finally know what a sword sounds like,¡± Dark Crow said, trying to stifleughter and covering its mouth in disbelief. Goddamn ¡°woof¡±! This sword acted just like one of General Ha¡¯s puppies. Since the Winter Sword Spirit was no longer an inanimate object, it seemed to dislike being carried in General Ha¡¯s mouth. In a sh, it slipped through General Ha¡¯s uneven teeth and entered General Ha¡¯s body. Necromancy Special Ability, Possession! In the past, to enhance General Ha¡¯sbat power and allow it to hold its own against lower overlords, the Crow of Death had also used its possession ability on General Ha, enabling it to enter a new form. However, the results were not very effective. Fighting with General Ha in this state wasn¡¯t as satisfying as Dark Crow engaging in battle alone. Although General Ha received some soul enhancement, making its soul shing sword intent more powerful, it never fully adapted to the form. The Crow Tengu form,pared to the synergy with General Ha, had Dark Crow feeling it was better suited to align with Lu Ran. However, with the Winter Sword Spirit possessing General Ha, there was an immediate difference. Although the Winter Sword Spirit¡¯s Species Level and Growth Level were far lower than the Crow of Death, General Ha could clearly feel its own sword soul bing incredibly active and powerful. The overwhelming surge of power brought an expression of excitement to General Ha¡¯s face. ¡°Howl!!!!¡± General Ha suddenly halted, raised its head, and let out a long howl as icy-blue streaks appeared in its fur, radiating an immense aura from its body. It felt as though it was on the brink of breaking through to an overlord, almost taking thatst step. The air seemed to crackle as if it were freezing, with the sword intent emanating from General Ha like a peerless divine sword about to unsheathe, ready to slice through the world. At present, the one who felt this the most was the Necromantic Crocodile that had been sted away by Sudden Death King. Although it had endured Dark Crow¡¯s control coupled with Sudden Death King¡¯s Thunder Dragon roar, it wasn¡¯t enough to finish off a lower overlord. Yet as it struggled to get up, it faced an even more terrifying attack! General Ha turned, eyes fierce. Domain activated! In the state of being possessed by the sword spirit, even without holding a sword, General Ha seemed to reach a new special state. It sessfully deployed a sword domain, even with an empty mouth. As the wind and snow swept through, it felt like an eternity had passed. The soul of the Necromantic Crocodile not only froze but seemed as though it had undergone innumerable cuts,pletely shattering. [Congrattions, youpleted¡­] Lu Ran ignored the secret realm broadcast and instead marveled at General Ha, who had once again sessfully deployed the Blizzard Sword Domain. He felt a surge of exhration. ¡°Woof.¡± Having just taken down a lower overlord of the same level by itself, General Ha exuded an air of sophistication. ¡°Woof. (A sword is not just a cumbersome tool.)¡± It turned around. It walked towards Lu Ran, towards Sudden Death King, towards Dark Crow, proudly lifting its head, clearly satisfied with its achievement. ¡°Amazing.¡± Seeing General Ha, with the possession of the sword spirit, effortlessly use the Blizzard Sword Domain, Lu Ran could only think of how worthwhile this past week spent in the secret necromancy realm had been. ¡°Where¡¯s the sword spirit?¡± When General Ha returned, Lu Ran shook its head, signaling it to release the sword spirit so he could take another look. The birth of this sword spirit was not solely due to General Ha. Winter¡¯s Fang was forged by Lu Ran himself! ¡°Woof¨C¡± After shaking its head, General Ha released the sword spirit from its body. However, the newly born sword spirit seemed just as bewildered as the Weather Elf had been previously, drifting aimlessly, appearing quite lost. Seeing this, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t particrly concerned. For a newly born spirit, this was normal. With a bit of cultivation, this sword spirit would undoubtedly help General Ha ascend to the status of a legendary retainer god. ¡°Since you were born from the demise of Winter¡¯s Fang, and can fluently speak dognguage, I¡¯ll name you Corpse Dog, in memory of my lost Exquisite Sword.¡± Lu Ran named the sword spirit with a twitch of his mouth, feeling a bit helpless. He wasn¡¯t sure whether the death of Winter¡¯s Fang was good or bad. His initial intention was to cultivate a sword with an artifact spirit, not just a sword spirit. Perhaps after General Ha evolves, he could use its new teeth to forge a body for Corpse Dog? While Lu Ran pondered, he suddenly had an epiphany. It seemed he had realized something. He looked towards Corpse Dog and General Ha. Now that Corpse Dog was an ownerless spirit, theoretically, it shouldn¡¯t be able to remain in the secret realm. Just like Manager Ying, without a contract holder, it couldn¡¯t enter the secret realm or the Infinite City. So what was the situation with Corpse Dog? It was born within the secret realm¡­ Did he just glitch the system? Lu Ran fell silent for a moment, then patted General Ha, signaling it to enter the possession state with the sword spirit again. The next moment. Lu Ran exited the secret realm with his pet beasts. Corpse Dog remained in a state of possession on General Ha. ¡­ Afterwards. Lu Ran re-entered the secret realm with his pet beasts. Corpse Dog was still in possession of General Ha. ¡­ Even when entering the Infinite City, Corpse Dog continued to possess General Ha! ¡­ After a series of experiments, Lu Ran discovered that while he couldn¡¯t ce both General Ha and Corpse Dog into the same contract card simultaneously, Corpse Dog, when in possession of General Ha, seemed to be recognized as a single entity by Infinite City. This did not prevent it from entering and exiting the Infinite City and the secret realm alongside General Ha! This result astonished Lu Ran. Could it be because the primary material for forging Winter¡¯s Fang, Corps Dog¡¯s predecessor, was General Ha¡¯s teeth? Footnote:
  1. 666(666): In Chinese inte culture, ¡°666¡± is a popr expression used to praise someone for doing something impressive or skillfully.
Chapter 233: Possession Evolution? Lu Ran, along with General Ha, repeatedly vanished and reappeared outside the teleportation point of the Secret Realm. After several experiments, Lu Ran confirmed that entering Infinite City with General Ha and the Sword Spirit together should be doable without much issue. In other words, General Ha could enter the Evolution Secret Realm, and the Sword Spirit could follow along. This discovery gave Lu Ran a bold idea. Since General Ha is quite formidable when the Sword Spirit possesses him, what would happen if the Sword Spirit possessed General Ha during his evolution? After all, General Ha would have to carry the sword anyway. In that case, carrying the Sword Spirit seemed to make no difference. Moreover, it seemed that the Holy Church had also researched possession evolution with necromancy. However, their research focused on the possession of inanimate objects.Of course, possessing living creatures must have crossed the minds of many necromancers. Having a necromancer possess an ordinary creature and evolve together was feasible, but considering that this method hadn¡¯t made waves on either the Star-Moon Continent or Blue Star, it was likely just yful experimentation with no significant results. Logically, it would be difficult to achieve any notable results. Could one really expect to ¡°fuse and evolve¡±? If discovering a new evolution path were that easy, the professors in evolutionary studies wouldn¡¯t all be so bald. However, due to the special nature of General Ha and the Sword Spirit, Lu Ran still considered this idea. Firstly, General Ha had the Talent of the King of Swords. Secondly, the Sword Spirit was born from General Ha¡¯s teeth. Even Infinite City acknowledged their connection to some extent, prompting Lu Ran to suddenly want to try. He wanted to see if having the Sword Spirit possess General Ha during his evolution could provide any enhancements. What if it worked? ¡°General Ha, Corpse Dog.¡± ¡°Woof?¡± ¡°Woof?¡± Lu Ran called out and received two responses. General Ha tilted his head. Lu Ran had called both him and the Sword Spirit, making him feel that Lu Ran was saying ¡°General Ha is a dog.¡± Although, indeed, he is a dog. ¡°This sword¡¯s cry¡­¡± Lu Ran was about to say something but had a sudden stomach ache. The sword¡¯s cry was ¡°woof.¡± Hmm, today hearing the sword¡¯s woofing is like listening to celestial music, temporarily rifying the ears. Still too abstract. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s stop for now. Let¡¯s head back to the Green Sea.¡± ¡°There¡¯s only six days left until the Evolution Secret Realm opens. Let¡¯s use this time to level up the corpse dog to at least level 20,¡± Lu Ran said. Maybe because the Winter Sword Spirit¡¯s material was too precious, and it had cut down many enemies, it was born at level 10. Since Lu Ran wanted to try evolving General Ha while carrying the Sword Spirit, it would be best for the Winter Sword Spirit to be at a higher level. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha agreed. It was tired of cutting down necromancers all the time. ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran took out his phone and made a call. After a while, a white cloud flew over from the sky. Manager Ying was lying on it, yawning, holding a tablet, and looked at Lu Ran, saying, ¡°Finally going back to the¡­¡± ¡°Huh???¡± Taking care of the weather elf on the other shore ind was tiresome for Manager Ying. Mainly because the weather elf was excessively energetic. If it was in the Green Sea, it wouldn¡¯t be a big issue. That ce was Lu Ran¡¯s territory, and there were no powerful creatures nearby, letting the weather elf y freely. But the situation in South America was different. Whether in the ocean or the tropical rainforests, there were unknown dangers that humans hadn¡¯t fully explored. Manager Ying was really afraid that if it didn¡¯t keep a close eye, a passing ferocious beast could swallow the weather elf like a marshmallow. At that point, even selling its clone wouldn¡¯t be enough to exin to Lu Ran. ¡°What the meow is this?¡± However,ing back to the Green Sea wasn¡¯t the focus; the blue Sword Spirit floating beside General Ha caught Manager Ying¡¯s attention more. It looked utterly baffled. A necromancer¡¯s spirit? A sword-shaped spirit? Judging by the intense sword intent it emitted, it had to be a sovereign species! ¡°Did the Cult of Necromancy truly leave behind treasure?¡± Manager Ying spected. ¡°Did you really inherit it?¡± It found the whole thing increasingly absurd. ¡°What nonsense.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°This is the Sword Spirit nurtured by Winter¡¯s Fang.¡± ¡°The sword I forged on Emerald Mountain.¡± ¡°The one made from two exquisite materials.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Are you kidding me!?¡± It was utterly stunned. Although it understood what an artifact spirit was, seeing Lu Ran cultivate one still felt somewhat scientifically imusible. Two exquisite minerals exchanged for a sovereign species necromancy spirit-what a profitable trade! ¡°Let me take a closer look¡­¡± It continued to scrutinize the corpse dog. The next moment. ¡°Woof.¡± The corpse dog barked, causing Manager Ying¡¯s heart to skip a beat. ¡°Why does the sword¡¯s cry sound like a dog?¡± ¡°It might be because the forging materials included General Ha¡¯s teeth, plus it was nurtured by General Ha,¡± Lu Ran guessed. ¡°Ah?¡± Now, Manager Ying, who had been a bit curious about the sword spirit, suddenly looked disinterested. It felt like this sword spirit had taken a wrong turn somewhere. However, its main concern quickly returned to the weather elf. With a forlorn expression, it turned to the elf, which instantly adopted a teary-eyed look and said, ¡°I knew this guy would find a new pet before bing a level 3 beastmaster¡­ Look at that, a sovereign species sword spirit, perfectly matched with that husky. Cloud Baby, looks like this guy is going to abandon you. Who knows what he¡¯ll contract for his fourth creature.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter-¡± The weather elf, despite not fully understanding, instantly teared up upon hearing Manager Ying say Lu Ran was going to abandon it. It nced jealously at the corpse dog next to General Ha. Without hesitation, it transformed into a sword made entirely of clouds, showing that it could do it too. ¡°Woof?¡± General Ha was baffled. It started to drool. ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to that cat,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Whether we form a contract doesn¡¯t affect our bond.¡± ¡°Now, transform into a flying car. It¡¯s time to go home.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!!¡± With Lu Ran¡¯s reassurance, the weather elf cheerfully morphed into a white sports car. ¡°Hey, hey, hey.¡± Manager Ying looked at Cloud Baby in bewilderment, feeling an urge to smack it. Did you even understand what Lu Ran was saying? A normalforting statement should have been, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be the next one he contracts.¡± But what Lu Ran said was, ¡°Whether we form a contract doesn¡¯t affect our bond¡±-the ssic line of a scoundrel. This indicated that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t 100% sure if the fourth contract would be with the weather elf. The weather elf had originally been the third choice, but because it was too small, the dark crow intercepted it midway. And now, after a full moon, was it going to be overtaken again by a newly born sword spirit? Meanwhile, Lu Ran had already gotten into the car. ¡°Come on, Manager Ying,¡± he called out. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Manager Ying was perplexed. Originally, a sovereign species by birth should be a rarebat pet that even the First Generation would envy. Why was thepetition so stiff around Lu Ran? So, who was Lu Ran nning to contract as his fourth creature? The weather elf? The sword spirit? Or did Lu Ran have other ns in mind? Manager Ying wanted to get to the bottom of it, but then decided to let it go. As long as it wasn¡¯t concerning itself, it swiftly jumped into the car. ¡­ Half a dayter. Lu Ran and hispanions returned to the Green Sea. By the time they arrived, it was alreadyte. Lu Ran took a quick shower and went straight to bed. General Ha didn¡¯t return to its contract card either, instead, it stayed outside, guarding the newly born sword spirit as it slept. During the journey, Lu Ran had already experimented. The artifact spirit also fed on souls, but rather than ¡°eating,¡± ¡°absorbing¡± was more urate. As long as the sword spirit shed a soul, it could directly absorb the soul power of the target, converting it into its required nourishment. In other words, if Lu Ran wielded the sword spirit, a power imbued with mind sword intent, he could directly sh ferocious beasts or necromancy creatures to meet its feeding needs. The next day. Lu Ran got up early and, after having breakfast-a bowl of tofu pudding and a fried dough stick-he received a phone call. ¡°Dean Chu?¡± The caller surprised Lu Ran. It was Chu Yan, the dean of the Cultivating College at Beast Taming University. Recently, due to frequently hanging out with Principal Shi Zhen, Lu Ran had almost forgotten about him. What did he want? ¡°Hehe, Professor Lu,¡± Chu Yan¡¯s tone was very polite. After all, Lu Ran was no longer just the Neer King of Xia Country and a Dragon Chef; he was much more than that now. ¡°The semester is almost over, and tomorrow is your first ss. Many students have signed up for it. Do you have the time to teach, or should I just cancel the ss?¡± ¡°A ss?¡± Lu Ran was stunned upon hearing this. The next moment, he stared at the ceiling in confusion. Ah¡­ he had almost forgotten that he was still a mentor at Beast Taming University. To avoid dying Lu Ran¡¯s growth progress, Beast Taming University had rescheduled his culinary ss to the end of the semester, turning it into an elite course that only top freshmen could opt for. This significantly reduced Lu Ran¡¯s teaching hours. However, no matter how much they reduced it, he couldn¡¯tpletely avoid it. ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran quickly sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be avable. I¡¯lle to ss as scheduled tomorrow.¡± Although canceling the ss wouldn¡¯t have been a big deal, Principal Shi Zhen had already given Lu Ran his sry at the start of the semester: an exquisite resource. Having epted the sry, it would be unprofessional to ¡°skip ss.¡± Besides, judging by Chu Yan¡¯s words, many students had opted for this course. Canceling it now would likely disappoint them. It¡¯s just a two-hour ss; Lu Ran could use it to uncover some potential new talent. After all, someone had to inherit his dragon culinary intent and soul culinary intent eventually. Right now, Lu Ran felt somewhat overwhelmed. Not only did he have to feed an entire group of necromancers, but he also had to train a team of Jiao Dragons and nurture his own pet beasts. This left Lu Ran with no time to be Dr. Gu¡¯s personal chef for two months. With the arrival of the second-stage evolution era, he also wanted to help Dr. Gu train her Dragon Pet. Although Dr. Gu had never brought it up, Lu Ran had always kept it in mind. ¡°For now, let¡¯s deal with these misceneous tasks,¡± Lu Ran thought to himself. Lu Ran hung up the phone with Dean Chu Yan and then made a voice call to Lu Bing. ¡°Lu Bing, how is the progress of the Jiao Dragon team?¡± ¡°Very well. Everyone¡¯s snake pets have reached level 20, but we¡¯re almost out of the Loong-type cuisine you providedst time,¡± Lu Bing replied, adding eagerly, ¡°Vige Chief, are you going to supply new cuisine?¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°All at level 20? That¡¯s great. Gather everyone; let¡¯s meet at Infinite City No.7.¡± As he spoke, Lu Ran took out arge bottle from his identity card. Inside the bottle was the blood of the dragon king, filled with electrical arcs and scorching hot. [Name]: Blood of the Dragon King [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Blood of the Shield-winged Dragon King. Bathing in it has the effect of improving bloodline and physique! This was the blood shed by the Sudden Death King during its evolution and training, all of which had been collected by Lu Ran. Besides this bottle, there was plenty more. Repurposing waste blood, this ordinary blood might not be of much use to the Sudden Death King itself, as its whole body was already overflowing with it. But for cultivating the Jiao Dragon team, it was perfect. Chapter 234: Giant Snake Stew ¡°Infinite City No.7? Got it!¡± ¡°By the way, vige chief, you have an elective ss tomorrow. We¡¯ve all signed up for it. Will you be teaching?¡± Lu Bing suddenly mentioned the elective ss. As expected, many members of the Fourth Generation were paying attention. ¡°I will,¡± Lu Ran nodded helplessly. The two chatted for a bit more before hanging up. Previously, the nine members of the Jiao Dragon team hade to make contracts with the jiao snake juveniles sent by Dr. Gu. After that, they received arge number of Dragon Cuisine dishes from Lu Ran. Dragon Cuisine dishes, which contain the artistic conception of the dragon, don¡¯t have a long shelf life. However, to ensure the safety of the Jiao Dragon team, the country provided a cooking utensil simr to the Spirit Transformation Pot to store the dishes. This way, Lu Ran would not have to provide food for the Jiao Dragon team every few days. He could just spend one morning preparing everything in one go and store it, which would be enough for these rookies for quite some time.Those jiao snake juveniles initially started at level 10 or so, carefully nurtured by Dr. Gu. Now, with contracts and enjoying various rare Loong-type resources daily, it was normal for them to reach level 20. ording to Lu Bing¡¯s report, Lu Ran roughly understood the current situation of the Jiao Dragon team. The second young pet beast of the team members, all lowermander species level, had already fused with a trait. This trait was collected based on the attribute, talent, and personal needs of the pet beasts listed by the team members. The first trait did not directly fuse with the loong-type trait. However, for the second trait, Lu Ran nned to have the Jiao Dragon team collectively fuse with the ¡°Dragon Blood Trait¡± to physically transform them in the first stage. As for the supporting resources, naturally, it would be the blood of the dragon king that fell during the training of the sudden death king. Lu Ran nned to use the dragon blood to make stew for the jiao snakes. By heating it with me Sprite, they could soak in it and change their own bloodline. The extremely rare blood of the dragon king for body tempering would definitely allow them to perfectly master the ¡°Dragon Blood Trait.¡± By then, this transformed Jiao Dragon team should initially have the qualifications to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm. Lu Ran was looking forward to the day they could frequently provide him with unique traits and unique skills for his selection. Since Lu Ran needed to handle some matters at the beast taming university tomorrow, he directly woke up Manager Ying and requested it to teleport him to the university today. Whether staying in Green Sea or at the beast taming university for the next few days didn¡¯t make much difference to him. As Lu Ran was scheduled to teach a ss tomorrow, the university¡¯s forum was buzzing with excited posts from many students today. Some secret channels even had posts like this: [Renting out a student ID card for one day. Sessfully registered for tomorrow¡¯s elective ss by big shot Lu Ran. Just swipe the card to attend the ss. Contact me privately for the cost.] Given Lu Ran¡¯s current title, his influence surpassed that of many national celebrities, making the students who sessfully registered for the ss wonder¡­ was it really free for them? Aside from strangers, even people familiar with Lu Ran joined in the excitement. Just as Lu Ran arrived at his dormitory, he received a message from Fang Lan: [Tomorrow¡¯s ss?] [I¡¯m already at the dormitory, I¡¯ll be there tomorrow.] Fang Lan: [Great, both Summer and I signed up. Looking forward to your performance tomorrow.] Lu Ran: ??? Why are you two joining the fun? Lu Ran: [What about Lin Yin?] Fang Lan: [Right after clearing the Legendary Secret Realm, she went straight into the breakthrough secret realm.] Lu Ran was surprised. Compared to Lin Yin, Fang Lan and Summer were much more rxed. Their contemporaries, including Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan, had already reached level 2 and could advance to level 3 anytime. Meanwhile, the two of them were still at level 1 and didn¡¯t seem eager to breakthrough and catch up after clearing the Legendary Secret Realm. Such a zen attitude! Finding typing too troublesome, Lu Ran directly called and asked, ¡°So, when do you n to enter the breakthrough secret realm?¡± Fang Lan: ¡°Hmm¡­ in a few days. By the way, you¡¯ll be entering the breakthrough secret realm soon too, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, once General Ha evolves, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll go in,¡± replied Lu Ran. ¡°Alright, if you enter the nt world, just like the previous two secret realms, use your intelligence to help me collect some ferocious nts!!¡± Fang Lan requested earnestly. ¡°Sure, no problem,¡± Lu Ranughed. ¡°If I can get into the nt world, I promise to get you a ferocious nt with upper overlord potential.¡± The key issue was whether he could get in. The trio¡¯s expedition to the Gourd Mountain Legendary Secret Realm had yielded considerable rewards. Although none of them managed to obtain pet beast juveniles of the lower sovereign species due to their less-than-ideal luck, the high-value rewards included unique traits, unique skills, and exquisite items. For instance, Fang Lan¡¯s greatest gain was a trait crystal: Poison nt Control. Its effect allowed a poison-type pet beast to convert ordinary nts into poisonous ones and control them. At first nce, the trait crystal didn¡¯t seem extraordinary, but for Fang Lan, it was a perfect match. In her own words, she wouldn¡¯t trade it even for a lower sovereign poison pet; she¡¯d rather have this trait. Though there are many poisonous nts, their quantity pales inparison to ordinary nts. With this trait, Fang Lan felt it was as if every nt in the world could possess poison, drastically expanding her poison arsenal. Moreover, given her experience battling scorpion monsters that manipted poisonous nts to attack them, Fang Lan was particrly eager to wield this ability. In her opinion, it was akin to General Ha¡¯s King of Swords talent, a growth-potential trait. For General Ha, the more powerful the sword, the stronger it bes. Simrly, this trait¡¯s effectiveness hinges on the strength of the nts. The more potent the nts a poison-type pet converts, the stronger the controlling pet beast¡¯sbat power. Imagine if a poison-type pet converted foxtail grass into a poisonous nt and controlled it for attacking-naturally, it wouldn¡¯t be very powerful. But if it converted long leaved sword grass, which already had terrifying destructive power, and added poison to it, who could stand against it? Long leaved sword grass is merely a ferocious nt with upper sovereign potential. If Fang Lan were given ess to a ferocious nt with upper overlord potential, she¡¯d be unbeatable. Such ferocious nts are rtively easier to findpared to other life forms of the same level. To put it simply, it¡¯s another resource-intensive trait. ¡°Thanks~¡± Fang Lan said happily, ¡°If I encounter a special secret realm, I¡¯ll find a way to collect some divine swords for you!¡± ¡°You?¡± Lu Ran smirked. Fang Lan: ??? Underestimating her, huh? ¡°A few days ago, I dreamt about entering the mechanical world. The mechanical light swords there were really cool¡­¡± ¡°Light swords are great, but what I¡¯d really like is for you to bring me back a mech suit,¡± Lu Ran joked. ¡°Alright, I need to deliver some resources to the Jiao Dragon team. You go on ahead,¡± Lu Ran said, wrapping up the conversation before quickly teleporting to the base of Infinite City No. 7, associated with the beast taming university. Passerby Guild Headquarters! The Passerby Guild was a small, obscure guild founded by Lu Bing, belonging to the Fourth Generation. In Infinite City No. 3 and No. 7 in Xia Country, she rented buildings to serve as the headquarters for the beast taming activities, team-ups, and interactions of Lujia Vige members. At this moment, following Lu Ran¡¯s instructions, members of the Jiao Dragon team, including Pig Raiser and Lu Bing, were all waiting. As Lu Ran, d in his signature ck-and-white trench coat, entered the room, everyone stood up. Lu Bing and a few others were quite familiar with him from their past frequent team-ups. However, the other four members from Lujia Vige were both nervous and excited to see Lu Ran. ¡°Hey there, everyone,¡± Lu Ran said, smiling and waving. ¡°God Lu, long time no see¨C¡± Pig Raiser, the first to approach with a thick-skinned grin, was halted in his tracks by Lu Ran¡¯s gesture, as mes formed a bullet at the tip of his finger. Sheepishly, Pig Raiser stopped and said, ¡°Just kidding, I wasn¡¯t really going to hug you.¡± ¡°Coward,¡± Lu Ran nced at him and said, ¡°You¡¯re way behindpared to Pig Deity.¡± Although Lu Ran previously dismissed Pig Deity as potentially weak and didn¡¯t have Lin Nian reced, seeing Pig Raiser now made him suddenly feel that Pig Deity was somewhat reliable after all. After all, First Generation is First Generation. Pig Raiser twitched his mouth and said, ¡°Is there really aparison? One is the Haizhu of the twelve branches, and I¡¯m just a lousy Pig Raiser.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll work hard topete for his lordship¡¯s position someday!¡± Pig Raiser said, his heart still tied to the pigsty even though he stood with the Jiao Dragon team. ¡°I have a suggestion for you: you could cultivate your pig toward bing a dragon pig. Pig Deity is also researching this. Maybe you both will findmon ground in the future.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Pig Raiser was stunned. As he stood there, filled with anticipation, Lu Ran addressed the group, ¡°I¡¯m on a tight schedule. After helping your pet beasts evolve, I need to leave. Are you all ready?¡± ¡°Yes, Vige Chief! We¡¯re ready!!¡± everyone replied loudly. ¡°OK,¡± Lu Ran said, taking out a massive cauldron. Everyone: ??? Lu Ran exined, ¡°This is a soul-infused Cooking Utensil I crafted while breaking through a secret realm. Hold on a moment, I¡¯m going to brew a foundational soup. Once it¡¯s ready, just release your pet beasts and have them soak in it.¡± With that, Lu Ran transformed his wings into mes and flew up, retrieving bottle after bottle of the blood of the dragon king from his space backpack and pouring it into the cauldron. Following this, he added a few other supplementary ingredients in precise proportions. Afterpleting this process, Lu Rannded and with a wave of his hand, summoned a dragon-shaped me Sprite. Under his control, the me Sprite breathed fire at the bottom of the cauldron. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle- Before long, the cauldron filled with the red blood of the dragon king began to boil, bubbling like magma. ¡°It¡¯s ready,¡± Lu Ran said to the First Generation members of the Jiao Dragon team. ¡°Although it looks like blood-boiled snake meat, it¡¯s actually a special kind of Dragon Cuisine.¡± ¡°This must be absorbed through the body for a more perfect result.¡± ¡°Release your pet beasts and let them soak in it. Once the blood is fully absorbed, they will undergo a minor evolution by fusing with the Dragon Blood trait.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The members of the Jiao Dragon team swallowed nervously, but they trusted Lu Ranpletely. They released their lowermander species jiao snakes one by one and let them enter the blood cauldron. However, unlike their usual eagerness for delicious Dragon Cuisine, these jiao snakes hesitated, showing fear as they felt the overwhelming presence of the thunder me dragon king within the cauldron, reluctant to climb in¡­ ¡°Hmm, the process might be a bit painful,¡± Lu Ran noted to himself. ¡°These pet beasts sure are vignt.¡± Come on, experience firsthand the agonizing sensation passed down from the Sudden Death King¡­ Chapter 235: The Jiao Dragon in Water After some time. Apanied by the eerie cries of the snakes, they were eventually thrown into the cauldron to cook. No, to temper their bodies. Despite the extremely high temperature and the violent blood of the dragon king, their skin and flesh almost burst open. However, the nutritional value inside quickly transformed their bodies through their almost-bursting skin and flesh. ¡°Roar!!!¡± During this process, Lu Ran also summoned the massive sudden death king. Seeing the pet beasts of the Jiao Dragon team unable to endure this level of heat and violent power, it roared in frustration as if to say ¡°you should be doing better¡±. The roar, infused with Dragon Might, was undeniably effective, quickly jolting some nearly unconscious jiao snakes awake. Reverse use of Dragon Might!¡°Hang in there, hold on! But why does it smell so good?¡± On the other hand, Lu Bing and the others were distressed seeing their snake pets writhing in pain inside the cauldron. But they knew that to be stronger, some price must be paid. With the ¡°encouragement¡± or rather ¡°intimidation¡± from the sudden death king, ten minutester, the cauldron of dragon transformation blood soup was simmered dry, all its essencepletely absorbed by the nine jiao snakes in the cauldron. At the moment, although these jiao snakes crawling out seemed a bit dazed, as their beastmasters, Lu Bing and the other eight could feel the terrifying power contained within their bodies, all swallowing their saliva in unison. The blood in their entire bodies had seemingly undergone a qualitative change, glowing golden. On the surface of their bodies, there were no obvious burns; instead, ayer of hard scales appeared. ¡°OK, the next step is to fuse the Dragon Blood trait.¡± Seeing this, Lu Ran continued guiding the Jiao Dragon team members, who nodded instantly and approached their pet beasts, handing over the pre-prepared trait crystals. Awake now, these jiao snakes could clearly feel the attraction of the Dragon Blood trait crystals, their eyes shining as they crawled towards their beastmasters!! Buzz!!! One snake pet after another began to fuse with their Dragon Blood trait crystals. This was not a first-stage evolution but rather a fusion trait in the second sub-stage of the first-stage evolution. Even so, the nine jiao snakes fusing with the Dragon Blood trait still caused a formidable wave of energy, plunging the sky over the entire guild¡¯s residence into darkness in an instant. Boom!! In the dazzling light of evolution, a faint Dragon Might emanated, and although it fell short of the tangible awe of a sovereign, this power originating from an immense bloodline still exerted a strong pressure on weaker creatures. ¡°This is¡­¡± Suddenly, someone seemed to perceive the astonishing transformation of the pet beast, a smile of delight appearing on their face. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Without making them wait too long, soon, amidst the evolution lights on the ground, a pet beast was the first toplete its evolution. Chaotic Gales appeared out of nowhere, surging upward, as a significantlyrger figure took to the skies, revealing its form. It was a jiao snake covered in azure scales. Compared to its previous snakelike body, its scales were more prominent, and even small dragon horns had developed. With a fierce appearance, it seemed to fly in the air by instinct, its powerful body disying a Domineering Energy as it opened itsrge mouth to roar, actually expressing gratitude to Lu Ran and the sudden death king. Subsequently, one after another, jiao snakes with various attributes soared into the sky. They varied in color, but all shared a defining feature: the extremely noticeable scales covering their bodies like dragon scales, appearing to provide incredible defense. Each with its small horns, regardless of its attributes, seemed to grant them the ability to fly, allowing them to soar through the sky menacingly!! Undoubtedly, having absorbed the sudden death king¡¯s blood of the dragon king¡­ their defense is likely their most remarkable attribute. [Name]: Azure-scaled Jiao [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Growth Level]: Level 20 After casually checking some data, Lu Ran then looked at the other jiao snakes and noticed that all nine Jiao Dragons had now reached the uppermander species level. Moreover, amidst the cries of amazement from the Jiao Dragon team members, Lu Ran could tell without a doubt that these Jiao Dragons must have perfectly fused with the Dragon Blood trait and awakened a very powerful species talent. Of course, their biggest gain at the moment should be something else¡­ ¡°Roar!!!¡± One by one, the Jiao Dragons released their powerful Dragon breath under the satisfied gaze of the sudden death king. The fluctuations in their bodies further shaped them,pleting the transformation needed to narrow the gap to a true Dragon n body. They not only grew four limbs and dragon ws but a few even sprouted wings. With the artistic conception of the dragon and the shaping of the dragon, these jiao snakes had achieved the same milestone as the Tyrannosaurus Rex members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex team. They had all mastered the artistic conception of the dragon! At this moment, even though they were not sovereign species, with their powerful Dragon¡¯s Bloodline and artistic conception of the dragon, they absolutely possessed the capability to hold their ground against lower sovereigns without being easily crushed. ¡°Vige chief¡­¡± Members of the Jiao Dragon team looked at Lu Ran with excitement. In response, Lu Ran merely smiled gently and said, ¡°This can be considered as the Jiao Dragons thriving in water.¡± The fourth-generation beastmasters of Lujia Vige all possessedmendable talent. However, because they were not second-generation beastmasters, they had fewer opportunities and couldn¡¯t fully exhibit their talents, requiring time to grow. Now, having acquired Jiao Dragon pet beasts, Lu Ran had effectively elerated their growth. Whether they could be powerful and obtain more resources thereafter would depend on their own efforts. After everyone shared their individual experiences, Lu Ran issued anothermand: each of the nine members would form a team and attempt to solo clear a level 1 abyssal difficulty secret realm. ¡°I hope you all can make it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. Infinite City No.7¡¯s leaderboard might be tough to crack, but you can aim for other Infinite Cities¡¯ leaderboards. It¡¯s time for you to start earning resources,¡± Lu Ran dered. At hismand, the group dispersed like a pack of hungry wolves, with all nine heading toward Infinite City No.3! It couldn¡¯t be helped; Infinite City No.3 was the stronghold of Lujia Vige, and they wanted to let their fellow vigers witness their achievements. ¡­ That day, in Infinite City No.3. Pluto, a second-generation beastmaster from the Star Cluster guild, and Dog King, another second-generation beastmaster from the Circus guild, were enjoying drinks at a bar in Beastmaster Square. Although they had been rivals in the past, the appearance of the Legendary Secret Realmpelled many major guilds to set aside their grudges and coborate. Legendary Secret Realms are such massive undertakings that no single guild can conquer them alone. Even some small countries couldn¡¯t assemble a team capable of tackling a Legendary Secret Realm and had to coborate with other nations to strategize. At present, Pluto and Dog King had chosen to form an alliance, but even so, they were still far from being able to strategize against a level 1 Legendary Secret Realm. ¡°Sometimes I think we should just give up and break through to level 2 sooner,¡± Dog Kingmented, taking a sip of his drink. ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Pluto, with a more robust psyche than Dog King, replied as he looked at the barmaid beside him and ced his bottle next to her. ¡°Here, why don¡¯t youfort this guy a bit?¡± The barmaid smiled gently and said, ¡°There¡¯s really no need to be too anxious; even now, the number of people in Xia Country who have cleared a Legendary Secret Realm isn¡¯t that high.¡± ¡°No need topare yourselves to those big shots like Passerby A and those monsters. Excluding them, you two are among the most outstanding fourth-generation beastmasters in Xia Country.¡± ¡°Look, Dog King, Pluto, your pet beasts are both in the top ten on the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. The potential¡­¡± Before she could finish. A string of announcements burst forth suddenly. [Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard, Commander Species Leaderboard updated.] [New Entry on Divine Beast Leaderboard, Species: Azure-scaled Jiao.] ¡­ [New Entry on Divine Beast Leaderboard, Species: Purple Lightning Jiao.] ¡­ [New Entry¡­] ¡­ [Ranking, ascended to fourth ce on Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard!] ¡­ [Ranking, ascended to fifth ce¡­] ¡­ [Rank¡­] A cascade of announcements plunged Beastmaster Square in Infinite City No.3 into silence. Inside the bar, Pluto and Dog King sobered up instantly, their backs straightening abruptly. The barmaid next to them looked baffled. Naturally, Pluto and Dog King were even more perplexed, feeling as though they must have misheard something. Until the silence of the bar was pierced by a startling exmation. ¡°What the heck, what¡¯s happening? How did several people suddenly make it onto the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard, and geez, they¡¯re all Jiao Dragons?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, this is insane.¡± ¡°Damn, nine people made it onto the leaderboard. That¡¯s intense. Theypletely pushed the previous nine off, including Pluto and Dog King.¡± ¡°Wait a second, nine Jiao Dragons? Where did theye from?¡± Hearing the discussions, Pluto and Dog King widened their eyes in shock. They both got up simultaneously and walked towards the beastmaster square. They saw a group of people gathered around the divine beast leaderboard, discussing fervently. ¡°This-¡± Pluto looked up at the leaderboard and saw his two pet beasts had been pushed out of the top ten by a bunch of mysterious entities, causing his mental state to copse. This felt worse than not finding a way to clear the Legendary Secret Realm. Day by day, it was already frustrating enough to be overshadowed by Lu Ran. But now, Lu Ran had ascended to the overlord leaderboard. Who on earth were these new figures? Where did these mysterious entitiese from? ¡°Jiao Dragons-¡± Dog King seemed to regain hisposure faster than Pluto. His face turned grim as he said, ¡°Only two people in Xia Country have the capability to cultivate powerful sub-dragon pet beasts.¡± ¡°Dragon Tamer, Gu Qingyi.¡± ¡°Dragon Chef, Lu Ran, aka Passerby A.¡± ¡°This team¡­couldn¡¯t it be a Loong-type team cultivated by Lu Ran, simr to his Tyrannosaurus Rex team, could it?¡± Dog King had hit the nail on the head. Just as he wanted to ask Pluto if this reasoning made sense, he saw Pluto staggering as if he were about to faint from heatstroke. ¡°Damn it.¡± Dog King quickly supported him. ¡­ The emergence of the Jiao Dragon team shocked Xia Country! Dog King¡¯s analysis was known to many others. At this moment, countless beastmasters fully understood that the nation had stepped up its efforts. The Eagle Federation had its Tyrannosaurus Rex team, and now Xia Country had its Jiao Dragon team, which might not be inferior. On the beast taming university forum, thements were ceaseless. ID Hard to Fail: [666, Lu Ran is awesome! This Jiao Dragon team must have been cultivated by Lu Ran!] ID Professor from Master Lin: [Impressive. Not only is he powerful himself, but the beastmasters he trains are also exceptional. Haha, but I¡¯m more curious about the psychological impact on thebat department mentors. These people who made it onto the leaderboard must be students from the beast taming university, right? Theparison in teaching standards is clear as day. Time to step up your game!] ID Dream of Raising Dragons: [Help, how do I join this Jiao Dragon team? It¡¯s so cool dominating the leaderboard!] Having returned to the beast taming university, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t expected the Jiao Dragon team to be so formidable, sweeping the leaderboard in Infinite City No.3. He scratched his head and could only marvel, not surprised it was his handiwork after all. Chapter 236: Just Labor The collective appearance of the Jiao Dragon team, though not as impactful and shocking as the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, still stirred admiration among many young people within Xia Country. Who wouldn¡¯t want to raise a dragon? If one tries to raise a dragon alone, even with resources, they may not seed in finding the correct nurturing path. However, if they could join this Jiao Dragon team that seems to have been created by Lu Ran, raising a dragon would undoubtedly be much easier. After all, Lu Ran managed to cultivate a dragon from the overlord dragon n. How hard could it be to help others raise a sovereign dragon? Thus, even though Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi never publicly promoted any information about the Jiao Dragon team, the ¡°Great Dragon-Raising Era¡± inexplicably began. Numerous beastmasters leveraged their connections to probe for intelligence about the Jiao Dragon team, hoping to join and, under authoritative guidance, cultivate a Loong-type dragon themselves. And the next day¡¯s ¡°culinary ss¡± presented such an opportunity. A total of ¡°two hundred people¡± could meet Lu Ran up close in the ssroom. This was arge ss, attended by the highest-performing students of the semester from various majors. All of them had found ways to enroll in this ss due to Lu Ran¡¯s reputation. On the day of the ss, Lu Ran arrived at the ssroom right on time, dressed in a professional chef¡¯s uniform: white on top, ck on bottom. This was just one of the lecture ssrooms; if practical work was needed, the kitchen was connected at the back. However, Lu Ran evidently did not n to dive straight into the main subject on the first day.Beforeing to ss, he specifically looked up how university mentors conduct their first ss. The results he found were: No need to teach. Just brag to the students about how great you are, how strong the students you¡¯ve mentored are, and then paint a glowing picture of the course¡¯s future prospects¡­ and the ss would basically be over. ¡°Ahem.¡± When Lu Ran entered, the ssroom was quite noisy, filled with young people whispering to each other. But as soon as Lu Ran¡¯s dry cough echoed through the room, it instantly fell silent. In the corner, Fang Lan rested her chin on her hand with interest, watching Lu Ran, curious to see how Professor Lu would show off. In some ces, several young women gazed at Lu Ran with admiration, even having thought of names for their future children. With so many people present, there was a mix of expressions; in one spot, a young man was grinding his teeth continuously. Lu Ran took a closer look and realized, isn¡¯t that Pluto? He actually signed up too. ¡°Hello, everyone.¡± Lu Ran stepped up to the podium. ¡°Hello, Professor Lu!¡± There¡¯s always someone outgoing everywhere, and right after Lu Ran spoke, someone proactively asked, ¡°Professor Lu, how will today¡¯s ss be conducted?¡± Lu Ran nced at him, then addressed everyone, ¡°Initially, during discussions with Dean Chu Yan, we had tentatively decided to only teach basic ¡®fire skills¡¯ and ¡®knife skills.¡¯¡± ¡°However,ter on, the format of my course was slightly altered. Now, everyone sitting here is a super academic star, so presumably, you wouldn¡¯t be interested in simple ¡®fire skills¡¯ and ¡®knife skills.¡¯¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly, ¡°You came here, surely wanting to learn about rare chef ss changes such as ¡®Dragon Chef,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll proceed to exin ¡®Culinary Intent¡¯ in my course.¡± ¡°Quick introduction to Culinary Intent!¡± ¡°Awesome!!!¡± As soon as Lu Ran finished speaking, many students became excited. They hadn¡¯t expected Lu Ran to be so impressive. They attended the ss hoping to learn more about advanced topics rather than just basic knife and fire skills. Culinary Intent is such a technique that even some culinary professors haven¡¯t mastered it, making it obviously quite advanced. ¡°Let me first inquire, among the 200 people present here, whose pet beasts have mastered the second stage of energy shaping, ¡®shaping artistic conception¡¯?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Just raise your hand briefly for me to see.¡± In the next moment, more than forty people in the ssroom slowly raised their hands. Seeing this, Lu Ran nodded. Not bad; during the Freshman Tournament, only he and Summer had mastered artistic conception shaping. Yet, in just a few months, dozens have managed to learn it. It seems that the teaching environment at the beast taming university is indeed impressive. Of course, some of these individuals had been guided personally by him and the sudden death king to master the artistic conception of the dragon. ¡°Artistic conception, simply put, is thebined application of mental will and attribute energy,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Attribute energy is something all of your pet beasts can control, so the key point is the development of mental will.¡± ¡°As everyone knows, mental will is also a critical factor in distinguishing between a sovereign species and amander species!¡± ¡°Once a pet beast reaches the species level of a sovereign species, it can use its mental will to materialize its intimidation, causing both physical and mental damage. Some low-level species pet beasts will find their strengths significantly suppressed by a sovereign species; a single gaze imbued with powerful aura from a sovereign species could instantly kill a supernatural being of the same level.¡± ¡°However, low-level species pet beasts do have a means to counter sovereign species, which is through artistic conception.¡± ¡°So, you can understand that artistic conception is essentially the training of mental will. You can shape your mental will into the mighty forces of nature or even model it after mythological creatures. In essence, you seek every possible way to simte your currently weak mental will into something far more formidable.¡± ¡°And what we call Culinary Intent is the fusion of specialized mental will with cooking utensils¡­¡± Lu Ran continued to borate on the concept of Culinary Intent. ¡°When the shaping of artistic conception and culinary skills merge seamlessly, the practitioner gains the ability to ¡®imbue¡¯ or ¡®merge¡¯ artistic conception into their culinary creations. This is considered a branch application of artistic conception.¡± ¡°Food infused with Culinary Intent can offer numerous benefits to the consumer, such as enhancing their understanding of the corresponding artistic conception, increasing their affinity for the respective attribute, and some special artistic conceptions can even subtly alter a pet beast¡¯s species.¡± ¡°For example, Dragon Cuisine, made through the shaping artistic conception of the dragon, can give pet beasts a significant advantage when evolving into a Loong-type species.¡± The students listened attentively as Lu Ran finally provided substantial information. He said, ¡°Of course, for you, the skill of shaping artistic conception is something you might master in the future, whether in six months or a year. However, turning the skill of artistic conception into Culinary Intent can be challenging if youck a culinary background or experience with cooking utensils.¡± ¡°But if any of you are interested in this ss change, I can provide a training pathway.¡± Lu Ran turned around and wrote the phrases ¡°Weapon Mastery Trait¡± and ¡°Fusion Skill¡± on the ckboard inrge characters. ¡°Cooking Utensils are fundamentally a type of weapon. To quickly gain usage experience, there is a shortcut: have one of your pet beasts integrate the Weapon Mastery Trait. I rmend those interested in this path to contract a ¡®monkey-type pet beast¡¯ for this purpose, as they are rtively more adept at handling instruments.¡± ¡°If a pet beast possesses both the ¡®Weapon Mastery Talent¡¯ and ¡®artistic conception,¡¯ it may be able to master Culinary Intent, despite being a pet beast.¡± ¡°The next step is for you, as the beastmaster, to learn a ¡®Fusion Skill¡¯ and fuse with the pet beast that has mastered Culinary Intent. In this fused state, you can share the pet beast¡¯s culinary skills. If you further enhance your learning ability with items like the ¡®lucid fruit,¡¯ in just a few months, you might be able to detach from the pet beast and still have powerful Culinary Intent!¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. As Lu Ran spoke, many students¡¯ eyes widened, and they scribbled notes frantically. This was pure gold, absolute insider information. In fact, some were already considering contracting monkey-type pet beasts. Some students with basic culinary backgrounds suddenly saw the light after hearing Lu Ran¡¯s guidance. They realized they could have their pet beasts learn culinary skills first and then use a Fusion Skill to leverage those skills themselves. It sounded a bit like exploiting the pet beasts, but it was undoubtedly a shortcut! After all, there is such a thing as the Weapon Mastery Trait. God Lu really doesn¡¯t hold back when ites to sharing good stuff! ¡°Hehe,¡± Lu Ran chuckled as he saw the admiring looks from the students below. What he shared was actually based on his personal experience. Except, in his case, he had used ¡°super beast mimicry¡± instead of a simr effect like ¡°Fusion.¡± After all, super beast mimicry seemed to be unique, and these students had no way of finding something like it. If these students follow the training pathway provided by Lu Ran, while they may not achieve results as quickly as he did, it would still be far more effective than learning step by step. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s move on to the Q&A session. If you have any questions, just stand up and ask; you don¡¯t need to raise your hand,¡± Lu Ran said, putting down the chalk and dusting off his hands. ¡°Yes, yes, I have a question,¡± someone stood up eagerly. ¡°God Lu, is the Jiao Dragon Team established and nurtured through ¡®dragon culinary intent¡¯? Are they still epting new members?¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit off-topic?¡± It appeared that quite a few people were interested in this question as a swarm of curious eyes turned to Lu Ran, awaiting his response. Seeing this, Lu Ran pondered for a moment and then said, ¡°Well, you could say that, but the Jiao Dragon Team isn¡¯t recruiting externally at the moment.¡± ¡°Ah, not even if we bring our own funding?¡± The person sounded utterly disappointed. Bring their own funding¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s expression flickered as he adjusted his tone. ¡°However, there are always exceptions. If you possess a special dragon species or sub-dragon species that could serve as experimental material for the Jiao Dragon Team, there might still be a chance for you to join.¡± ¡°In fact, I understand many of you probably share my enthusiasm for cultivating a Loong-type pet beast. Even if you rely on your own efforts, following my methods could still make it possible.¡± ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve just taught, first focus on bing a Dragon Chef yourself, then you can cultivate your own Dragon Pet!¡± ¡°Of course, the artistic conception of the dragon isn¡¯t easy to master. So, I¡¯ll give you another shortcut to learn the artistic conception of the dragon.¡± Originally, many students felt disheartened when they heard they couldn¡¯t join the Jiao Dragon Team. But seeing that Lu Ran was so open and forting with valuable information and techniques, they instantly became excited again. Lu Ran continued, ¡°There are actually only two ways to quickly and effectively learn the artistic conception of the dragon.¡± ¡°One is through resources.¡± ¡°And the other is through experience.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go into too much detail about the resource method. The Eagle Federation¡¯s Tyrannosaurus Rex Team used this approach. Their research institute poured a vast amount of exquisite dragon-rted resources into creating an awakening liquid through scientific methods, which helped the Tyrannosaurus Rex undergo its transformation.¡± ¡°But this method is extremely costly and isn¡¯t something the average beastmaster can afford.¡± ¡°Let me briefly exin the second method. It involves taking your pet beast to fight Loong-type creatures. Through intense battles, you will experience the power of dragon-like creatures. Of course, this method is extremely perilous and requires high talent from your pet beast,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile, ignoring the students¡¯ faces, which were now filled with various expressions. ¡°Additionally, there is an even faster way: directly experiencing the pure Dragon Might of high-level, high-species Dragon n members.¡± ¡°You might think this is even more dangerous, but actually, it¡¯s not,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget, my Shield-winged Dragon King is also a high-species purebred Dragon n member.¡± The crowd: ??!! ¡°In the next ss, I will work with the Shield-winged Dragon King to help aspiring Dragon Chefs let their pet beasts experience Dragon Might. Of course, this exposure won¡¯tst long. If you can, I rmend preparing some ¡®lucid fruit¡¯.¡± Yet another fruit- the crowd wondered if Lu Ran was simply promoting products. ¡°Additionally, since all of you are top students, you should learn to negotiate with the school. Form teams and ask thebat department mentors to take you into public secret realms where Loong-type bosses reside for practice and experience.¡± ¡°Ahem, don¡¯t say I told you this.¡± With everything Lu Ran exined, it seemed he was paving a way for the Fourth Generation of Xia Country to be Dragon Chefs. However, this wasn¡¯t Lu Ran¡¯s true aim. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t particrly focused on increasing the number of Dragon Chefs. His true interesty in finding out if anyone had the potential to be a soul chef. Unfortunately, as the ss neared its end, no one had inquired about anything rted to necromancy. Consequently, Lu Ran turned around in silence, deciding to subtly nudge these students towards this interest, nting a seed in their minds for the future. Swish, swish, swish. The students watched as Lu Ran began writing something new on the ckboard. It read ¡°Soul Chef.¡± ¡°Alright, that¡¯s the end of today¡¯s ss,¡± Lu Ran announced. ¡°But before we go, I have an assignment for you.¡± ¡°By now, I assume you¡¯ve all done some research on the necromancy department. I can now tell you clearly that solving the downsides of necromancy food also involves ¡®Culinary Intent.¡¯¡± ¡°There exists a special type of Culinary Intent that can process necromancy ingredients, akin to ¡®de-fishing¡¯ and ¡®detoxifying¡¯ that can remove impurities from necromancy food.¡± ¡°As for what this Culinary Intent is and how to master it, that¡¯s your homework. You can ponder it on your own. Oh, and one more thing,¡± Lu Ran added with a slight smile, ¡°those who can should contact the school. Currently, Xia Country holds a special necromancy secret realm, and exploring it might give you the answer.¡± [This guy¡­] On the roof, Manager Ying, who had been eavesdropping on the entire ss, muttered to herself. [Lu Ran isn¡¯t just teaching. He¡¯s clearly trying to steer these genius students into bing Dragon Chefs and Soul Chefs to free up his ownbor. His goal is to cultivate more tools for his use!!!] Even though these college students are attending a beast taming university, it seems they haven¡¯t escaped the fate of working for a shrewd capitalist after all. Chapter 237: Evolution Preparation Complete Chapter 237: Evolution Preparation Complete After ss, the students gained a lot, and as soon as the bell rang, Lu Ran was the first to leave. ¡°Not a bad lecture.¡± Just as Lu Ran reached the corner, a woman leaning against the other side of the wall spoke slowly, causing Lu Ran to stop in his tracks. ¡°Dr. Gu, you¡¯re eavesdropping too?¡± ¡°Too?¡± ¡°Yeah, there are quite a few people eavesdropping,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°For example, Shi Zhen and Manager Ying¡­ They are a bit more tant about it.¡± ¡°After all, it¡¯s your first ss. They obviously want to know what you¡¯re teaching,¡± Gu Qingyi smiled. ¡°But your perception is quite good.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Lu Ran said confidently. To be precise, it was the dark crow¡¯s perception that was superb. As the scout of the team, besides the ability to scout from a great distance with its eyes, it had another bug-level ability.As an overlord species necromancy creature, its sensitivity to souls was currently unmatched. Some powerful beings could hide their breath, but due to their limited understanding of their own souls, their soul fluctuations were still very revealing. At this stage, the dark crow, with its acute sense of soul power, could easily detect them. By letting the crow of death possess him and ying the ¡°big king and general¡± game with the dark crow, Lu Ran had learned many techniques for sensing soul fluctuations. ¡°By the way, Dr. Gu, how many levels is your vast sea azure dragon away from level 60?¡± Lu Ran asked while walking alongside Gu Qingyi. ¡°It¡¯s currently at level 58, and thosest two levels are really tough to climb. I have no idea how long it will take,¡± Gu Qingyi said helplessly. ¡°I recall it was already level 58 before the Freshman Tournament,¡± said Lu Ran. ¡°Is it that hard to level up now?¡± ¡°The scarcity of advanced Loong-type resources also ys a part,¡± Gu Qingyi exined. ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you cultivate the Dragon Soul of your vast sea azure dragon once General Hapletes its evolution before entering the breakthrough secret realm,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°And I¡¯ll make more artistic conception of the dragon cuisine too.¡± Gu Qingyi said with a cheerful smile, ¡°I actually came over to ask you for help in cultivating the vast sea azure dragon using dragon culinary intent and soul culinary intent. But there¡¯s no rush; I won¡¯t catch the first second-stage evolution secret realm this time.¡± ¡°Moreover, the ¡®blessing slots¡¯ for the second-stage evolution secret realm are limited to just ¡®one.¡¯ I¡¯ll let the former guild leader and otherspete for it this time; I won¡¯t get involved.¡± ¡°After you break through to level 3 ande out of the breakthrough secret realm, we can talk about it then.¡± ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll trouble you to be my personal chef for a while.¡± ¡°No problem¡­ Infinite City is getting stingier,¡± Lu Ran nodded. During the first-stage evolution secret realm, there were 10 star blessing slots. For the second-stage evolution secret realm, there¡¯s only one. Clearly, achieving perfect evolution under Infinite City¡¯s blessing now demands higher potential from the evolvers. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s to focus their energies on cultivating ¡®legendary species¡¯?¡± Gu Qingyi suggested. ¡°Legendary species¡­¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what Infinite City is nning. With this level of cultivation support, I¡¯d believe they were preparing reserve forces to invade other worlds.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s just for preserving the beast taming system, this level of support seems excessive.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take it one step at a time,¡± Gu Qingyi pondered. ¡°Currently, the global number of beastmasters is estimated to exceed 9 million.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long to reach 10 million. At that point, Infinite City will roll out its next update. Maybe we¡¯ll gain some insights or new discoveries then.¡± ¡°But for now, the focus of the international alliance has temporarily shifted away from Infinite City.¡± ¡°Infinite City is too advanced; researching it is incredibly challenging. On the other hand, ancient creatures are the primary threat to humanity right now.¡± Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi exchanged nces. ¡°Have other ancient creatures awakened?¡± ¡°Yes, recently there¡¯s been frequent anomalies worldwide. Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, there were strong energy reactions andbat fluctuations a few days ago. It¡¯s suspected that two overlord creatures over level 60 were fighting.¡± ¡°The international beast taming alliance headquarters, deep in the Antarctic ciers, recently detected several terrifying energy waves awakening. It¡¯s suspected that ancient creatures frozen in the ciers are reviving. However, due to the extreme depth of the freezing locations, it¡¯s impossible to investigate further.¡± ¡°In addition, an expedition team consisting of four level 5 beastmasters has been missing in the Sahara Desert for a long time. With their strength, they should be able to escape from even level 60 overlord species creatures, unless the danger they faced was beyond that level¡­¡± ¡°Also, the situation in the deep sea is dire. The Fishman Empire has even rxed its terms, seeking to ally with humanity. The Fishman King doesn¡¯t dare to invade thend for a reason. The situation in the deep sea is likely more severe than onnd. This so-called Fishman Empire¡¯s ability to dominate the deep sea is questionable. Perhaps, the recent resurgence of deep-sea monsters has put them under immense pressure.¡± ¡°In the face of spiritual energy revitalization, humanity has a three-year head start and decades of umted military weapons as a foundation. Those newly evolved creatures won¡¯t pose a significant threat in the short term.¡± ¡°But the resurgence of ancient ferocious beasts is a serious concern. It¡¯s understandable for the international beast taming alliance to be troubled,¡± Gu Qingyi sighed. ¡°This is a crisis that could bring about an existential disaster for humanity.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think that strange dream you had was about ancient creatures invading human cities, do you?¡± she asked, looking at Lu Ran. ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran hesitated. ¡°I can¡¯t rule out that possibility. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s serious trouble.¡± Why doesn¡¯t Lu Ran, like other beastmasters, cultivate just two or three pet beasts? Wouldn¡¯t that be easier? It¡¯s because he anticipates many unknown dangers in the future. Preparing for that, Lu Ran tries to arm himself with as much strength as possible, relying not just on quality but also on quantity. Now, after learning from Dr. Gu about the escting severity of ancient creatures¡¯ revival, Lu Ran exhaled deeply, feeling that his rate of increasing strength was still too slow. Moreover, the most painful problem is that if humanity and ferocious beasts indeed go to war over the sovereignty of the blue star, Lu Ran would be in great danger. Being the Strongest Fourth Generation, the pioneer of the overlord era, and the father of necromancy¡­ If the ferocious beast forces target humanity, they¡¯ll certainly go after potential and talented fourth-generation beastmasters like Lu Ran first. With a twitch at the corner of his mouth, Lu Ran said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. I¡¯m going to take General Ha for training!¡± Gu Qingyi smiled slightly, indeed sensing Lu Ran¡¯s predicament. In her era, geniuses only had to worry about enemy nations. In Lu Ran¡¯s era, although conditions have improved, it seems that the risks of growing up have increased too. Now, there¡¯s the added worry of threats from other species. Yesterday, Lu Ran obtained numerous ice ferocious beasts¡¯ corpses through his connections at the beast taming university. These were almost all between levels 20 and 30, with none being too low-level. He separated their souls and stored them in the Soul Capturing Bottle. With resources in hand, Lu Ran headed back to the training secret realm, while letting the sudden death king and dark crow roam freely, he focused on training General Ha and the winter sword spirit. In the few remaining days, his priority was domain-specific practice. Although General Ha could easily activate the domain when possessed by the winter sword spirit, relying solely on its own strength was still challenging. The training goal for the next few days was for General Ha to activate the sword domain solely with its own power, without the need for the winter sword spirit¡¯s possession. To achieve this, Lu Ran used his second enhancement card to amplify the effects of the lucid fruit, which he then gave to General Ha to use. Additionally, Lu Ran made a well-considered decision: wasn¡¯t space-type weaponry supposed to enhance General Ha¡¯s domain? He took out the ¡°exquisite resource ¨C ethereal flower,¡± which can help pet beasts awaken their space attributes. Of course, this resource wasn¡¯t for General Ha. Instead, Lu Ran gave it to the puzzled winter sword spirit directly. [Species]: Winter Sword Spirit [Attributes]: Necromancy, Ice, Space [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 17 The goal was quite straightforward: toy a stronger space-type foundation for General Ha and elerate its domain proficiency process. Although using the ethereal flower now meant there wouldn¡¯t be any awakening resources left for General Ha at level 40, there was still plenty of time until then. Lu Ran was confident that he could find another ethereal flower before General Ha reached level 40. Lu Ran entrusted this task to Manager Ying. After all, Manager Ying still owed Lu Ran for the queen ant egg. Although the ethereal flower was just as valuable, Lu Ran could always offer a bit more in additional resources to bnce things out. This significantly enhanced General Ha¡¯s evolution configuration once again. With only three or four days left, Lu Ran had practically exhausted all the resources he could leverage. General Ha, being his first pet beast, held a special ce in his heart. Even though Lu Ran had once entertained the idea of cooking General Ha when it was particrly disobedient, since embarking on his journey as a beastmaster, General Ha¡¯spanionship had undeniably made it his most important partner. There were four days remaining until the final Evolution Secret Realm opened. With the possession of the space sword spirit and the boost from the enhanced lucid fruit, General Ha could now activate its domain with just a thought. With three days remaining, the effects of the lucid fruit had worn off, but the mastery of the domain skill, honed through the sword spirit¡¯s possession, was perfectly retained by General Ha. With two days left, even without relying on the sword spirit¡¯s possession, General Ha could now normally activate its domain using its sword of wind. Though the effect was slightly weaker, it had genuinely mastered the domain as its own ability. With one day remaining¡­ The winter sword spirit, under Lu Ran¡¯s meticulous cultivation, had reached level 20. Lu Ran felt adequately prepared. He exited the training secret realm with General Ha and contacted Dr. Gu and Manager Ying, informing them of his intent to head to the Evolution Secret Realm for General Ha¡¯s evolution. ¡°Evolving again, huh? How high do you estimate the species level will be??¡± Shi Zhen and others queried one by one during themunication. They hoped to get a sense of what to expect this time, unlike the surprises they¡¯d encountered with the dark crow. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡± Lu Ran muttered. Although he had the sudden death king and dark crow asparisons, General Ha¡¯s evolution method was quite unique. Considering General Ha¡¯s king of swords talent, he wasn¡¯t aiming too high; getting it to a normal state lower overlord would already be a substantial gain. Chapter 238: Ultimate Perception? An Imperfect Choice? The four first-stage Evolution Secret Realms are located in the public secret realms of Antarctica, the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Antic Ocean, respectively. Currently, the first three Evolution Secret Realms have already been opened. ording to the cooldown period, the next opening will not be in less than three months. So, the only remaining Antic Ocean public secret realm is thest chance for Blue Star¡¯s beastmasters to pursue a perfect first-stage evolution in the near term. This time, Lu Ran once again discreetly enlisted a few bodyguards for protection-just in case. However, unlikest time, Lu Ran didn¡¯t have any ns for fishing or other distractions; he only wanted General Ha toplete its evolution quietly and close out his level 2 beastmaster stage. Of course, although Lu Ran desired peace and quiet, given his current status, it was impossible for him to avoid attention. As he teleported into thest Evolution Secret Realm and sat on a stone, numerous media reporters quickly gathered above the area. ¡°He¡¯s here, he¡¯s here, he¡¯s here! That man hase again!¡± ¡°I knew it, he definitely wouldn¡¯t miss thest Evolution Secret Realm!¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s finally the turn for that Gale Sword Dog. You know, that pet beast is definitely Lu Ran¡¯s most popr one!¡±The numerous reporters focused their cameras and attention on the Gale Sword Dog, General Ha, lying beside Lu Ran. Lu Ran sat cross-legged, eyes closed, shielding himself from external disturbances. General Ha, also with its eyes shut, seemed unfazed by the surroundings. However, although its posture seemed rxed, General Ha¡¯s breath was something the reporters took very seriously. [Species]: Gale Sword Dog [Attribute]: Wind [Species Level]: Upper Commander [Growth Level]: Level 30 Seemingly unremarkable attribute information. But the imposing presence of therge dog lying there created a sense of overwhelming pressure. The reporters understood this perfectly. Even if its growth conditions were not as impressive as those of the Shield-winged Dragon King and the Twin Crow, this dog was definitely not to be underestimated. None of them had forgotten that this very Erha had once effortlessly defeated a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which had a higher species level than itself. An uppermander crushing a lower sovereign-anywhere, that is an awe-inspiring feat. And that was just what people had witnessed firsthand. As for the unseen feats, there were plenty, like when Lu Ran, with the aid of the Gale Sword Dog and the un-evolved Shield-winged Dragon King, single-handedly cleared the Legendary Secret Realm¡­ and defeated the upper sovereign Diamond Dragon. In those battles, the Gale Sword Dog certainly yed a significant role. Additionally, there were rumors that in the Breakthrough Secret Realm, Lu Ran¡¯s Gale Sword Dog transformed into a bone hound from hell, subduing both the Golden Generation and the Imperial Army, which is an incredibly formidable achievement. It¡¯s precisely because of these aplishments that, despite logical reasoning suggesting that General Ha¡¯s evolution conditions couldn¡¯t match those of the Shield-winged Dragon King and the Twin Crow, there remained a group of staunch supporters who believed that General Ha, after evolution, wouldn¡¯t be any weaker than the other two. These were General Ha¡¯s earliest die-hard fans. ¡°There¡¯s a slight difference in hair colorpared to its previous appearances.¡± As Lu Ran, using reverse super beast mimicry, transmitted some final experiences of mind sword intent to General Ha, many beastmasters noticed changes in General Ha. Specifically,pared to its original giant Erha form, the tips of General Ha¡¯s ck and white fur now had a tinge of blue highlights. Though there was a change, this alteration did not attract much attention since the difference was minor. They just assumed Lu Ran had used special resources to cultivate the Gale Sword Dog, steering it towards the ice attribute. ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s still a slight gap before reaching the overlord stage¡­¡± However, not delving deeper into General Ha¡¯s current state was the reporters¡¯ biggest oversight. At this moment, General Ha¡¯s state was far moreplex than it appeared. [Species]: Gale Sword Dog (possessed by Sword Spirit) [Attribute]: Wind (necromancy, ice, space) [Species Level]: Upper Commander (Upper Sovereign) [Growth Level]: Level 30 The true state of General Ha was far from simple. However, there was a downside that Lu Ran found regrettable ¨C even with the Sword Spirit fused with the space attribute, reaching the middle sovereign level, it still couldn¡¯t elevate General Ha to the lower overlord stage in one leap. It seemed the gap between the sovereign and overlord stages was too vast. Lu Ran estimated that when General Ha¡¯s normal state reached the overlord stage, even the addition of a top-tier exquisite sword would likely only elevate it a small level, rather than bringing about a huge leap. The difference between lower overlord, middle overlord, and upper overlord stages was likely significant as well. Otherwise, there would probably be more than one sudden death king in the middle overlord tier right now. ¡°General Ha, oh General Ha¡­¡± At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s biggest expectation for General Ha was that it could achieve a normal state of at least a lower overlord. Then, paired with a good sword, it could reach thebat power of a normal middle overlord. If that happened, Lu Ran would be satisfied. A middle overlord species,bined with domain techniques, might not necessarily be inferior to a high-level overlord of the same rank. ¡°Woof woof-¡° At this time, General Ha was also making its final effort by experiencing the differences between soul shing sword intent and mind sword intent. Soul shing sword intent increases damage to spirit entities. Mind sword intent removes excessive emotions from the soul. One is macro, the other micro. Besides being used for soul cuisine, mind sword intent can also aid oneself, for example, by removing fear and eliminating confusion¡­ Time slowly passed. With his eyes closed, Lu Ran was interacting with his pet beast, giving off a ¡°do not disturb¡± vibe. The numerous media reporters didn¡¯t dare to intrude recklessly. They could only ride on various flying pet beasts, keeping an eye on Lu Ran while also observing other evolvers. ¡°This lineup seems even more formidable thanst time.¡± Most of the beastmasters receiving special attention from these media reporters were from the Eagle Federation. Currently, the Eagle Federation arguably had the most potential beastmasters. This was not because the federation inherently had a lot of native talents, but because the Eagle Federation is an immigrant country. Globally, whenever a genius beastmaster emerged from any small orrge nation, they might be poached by the Eagle Federation and granted citizenship. Over time, the beast taming power of the Eagle Federation quickly grew stronger. Conversely, small countries that could have used the beast taming domain to gain apetitive edge and be powerful lost their opportunity because their talented individuals were rapidly recruited byrger nations. Of course, while reporters were focusing on the powerhouses of the Eagle Federation, those powerhouses couldn¡¯t help but turn their attention to Lu Ran¡­ This was because, in thest two Evolution Secret Realms, Lu Ran had thoroughly trounced the Eagle Federation, leaving them no chance to respond. ¡°I wonder what kind of miracle Professor Lu will bring this time.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t miracles every time.¡± ¡°Anyway, with so many first-generation and second-generation talents gathered here, surely a fourth-generation won¡¯t steal the spotlight again?¡± Some beastmasters with Western faces were scattered around, their gazes fixed in Lu Ran¡¯s direction. Around them stood new pet beasts, some uppermanders, and some sovereign species. It¡¯s undeniable that with each Evolution Secret Realm, the talent and potential of the new pet beasts raised by the beastmasters have significantly increased. The emergence of the Evolution Secret Realm has greatly motivated beastmasters to cultivate new pet beasts, and the dawn of the overlord era has made them invest resources without hesitation, even going bankrupt to fully equip their new pets. ¡­ ¡°It¡¯s so slow.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t it surged yet?¡± The waiting process is undoubtedly long and anxious. For some beastmasters, this moment might be more nerve-wracking than their own wedding. After all, few beastmasters would invest hundreds of millions, or even billions of yuan in their spouse, but they would on their pet beast¡­ [Countdown to evolution energy surge: 60 seconds.] After what felt like an eternity, finally, there was a result. ¡°Is it happening?¡± Upon hearing the prompt tone, Lu Ran interrupted the reverse super beast mimicry. General Ha slowly opened its ice-blue eyes. ¡°Howl~~¡± It barked, asking why Boss Lu hadn¡¯t released the sudden death king and the dark crow. ¡°I¡¯ll release them now.¡± Lu Ran smiled, fulfilling General Ha¡¯s small wish. He just hadn¡¯t had the time yet. With sixty seconds remaining in the countdown, Lu Ran first summoned the sudden death king and the dark crow, allowing them to witness General Ha¡¯s evolution. Then, he took out the ¡°Ultimate Perception Trait Crystal.¡± ¡°Roar¨C¡° ¡°Caw¨C¡° As soon as the sudden death king and the dark crow appeared, they showed cheerful faces toward General Ha, cheering it on. General Ha, on the other hand, snorted coldly and turned its head away. It¡¯s toote to kiss up now. After evolving, it would slice them both up! ¡°So heartwarming, their bond is so strong¡­¡± As usual, Lu Ran summoned all his pet beasts, and the gathered reporters couldn¡¯t help but sigh as they watched the interaction among the three pet beasts. In the blink of an eye. Sixty seconds passed. ¡°It¡¯s starting!¡± someone shouted excitedly. Within the Evolution Secret Realm, the uneven ground began to crack. Light burst forth from the fissures. At the very moment that the light erupted, Lu Ran, standing next to General Ha, threw the Ultimate Perception Trait Crystal towards General Ha¡¯s head, hoping to unleash its hidden intelligence. ¡°Awaken, General Ha.¡± ¡­ ¡°Look, look-!¡± At the instant Lu Ran hurled the trait crystal, countless eyes simultaneously fixed on the flying crystal. Numerous reporters, utilizing their eye of data devices, instantly captured the information of this trait crystal. They all wanted to know what kind of evolution trait Lu Ran intended to infuse into this Erha. After all, considering the potential of this Erha, the strength of the third trait wouldrgely determine if it could ascend to an overlord status. If it was another top-level trait like ¡°dragon king bloodline,¡± then perhaps a dramatic reversal of destiny wouldn¡¯t be out of the question. However. When people saw the information of this trait crystal, they were collectively stunned. [Name]: Trait Crystal (Ultimate Perception) [Introduction]: Upon fusion, it can significantly enhance the pet beast¡¯sprehension. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Comprehension trait?¡± And as Lu Ran embedded the Ultimate Perception Trait Crystal into General Ha¡¯s head, it indeed instantly revealed a look of wisdom. General Ha: ? . ? This scene left the beastmasters dumbfounded. No matter how they thought about it, they couldn¡¯t believe that Lu Ran chose such a trait for his Erha. It¡¯s not thatprehension is useless for pet beasts, but inparison, the most top-tier bloodlines and the most formidable abilities clearly align more with people¡¯s perception of power. Moreover, for the notoriously mischievous and oddly-brained Erha to receive the Ultimate Perception Trait¡­ It could be said that if any other beastmaster or any other species of pet beast used the Ultimate Perception Trait, they wouldn¡¯t think much of it. But if it were Lu Ran, it would feel a bit off. The reason is that a trait likeprehension doesn¡¯t significantly enhance a pet beast¡¯s species. What truly enhances a pet beast¡¯s species are things like bloodlines and rare attributes. ¡°What is he doing-¡° The reporters were puzzled. Had Lu Ran given up? At such an important stage as the first-stage evolution, using a trait like the Ultimate Perception Trait, which is equivalent to a gamble, to fuse with a pet beast-even awakening a rare attribute like Space-would seem much stronger than fusing this trait. [Ultimate Perception Trait¡­] [Fusing such a trait with an Erha, he¡¯s really bold.] [Oh well, geniuses have their own thoughts.] Secretly, Shi Zhen, Zhu Kaixin, Lin Nian, and others were initially very surprised by Lu Ran¡¯s choice. It¡¯s not that the Ultimate Perception Trait is bad, butpared to the dragon king bloodline and necromancy clone, it seemed underwhelming in enhancing the species. [Humph, foolish humans.] Nearby, Manager Ying¡¯s gaze flickered. The trait was found by Manager Ying, and it was also rmended to Lu Ran by it. Compared to these outsiders, it had more contact with Lu Ran than even Gu Qingyi. Manager Ying knew better than these First Generation individuals about the potential talent of Lu Ran¡¯s dog. Moreover¡­ now that the dog had evenprehended a domain, such a monstrous talentbined with the Ultimate Perception Trait would definitely be phenomenal! ¡°Manager Ying, are you and Lu Ran hiding something from me?¡± Gu Qingyi asked, noticing the upward curve of Manager Ying¡¯s mouth. ¡°No, no such thing.¡± Manager Ying shook its head vehemently. It hadn¡¯t mentioned the domain and sword spirit things to them¡­ Hehe, mainly because Lu Ran wanted to give you First Generations a surprise. ¡°It seems Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast¡¯s species level won¡¯t be that high this time,¡± the white mouse reporter in the sky mused, having been closely observing Lu Ran. When Lu Ran took out the Ultimate Perception Trait for fusion with his pet beast, she was also puzzled. However, she quickly rationalized that perhaps Lu Ran wasn¡¯t as fixated on developing another overlord species. After all, with two of his pet beasts already having reached overlord status, it wasn¡¯t inconceivable that Lu Ran might whimsically decide to cultivate a pet beast with exceptionalprehension. After all, ording to the records, Lu Ran¡¯s Erha had demonstrated considerableprehension, mastering various skills before reaching level 10¡­ Even so, Lu Ran¡¯s choice still deviated from the mainstream expectations. Until- The surging evolution energy enveloped General Ha. Combining with the Ultimate Perception Trait, it began to bestow a new species talent on General Ha. During this process, General Ha instinctively released its power, creating a massive white sphere that instantly enveloped Lu Ran, General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow within it! Seeing this enormous white sphere, the beastmasters present were collectively stunned. ¡°Wait a second¡­¡± ¡°Is this¡­ a domain?!?¡± Chapter 239: Evolution, Terrifying Talent! Chapter 239: Evolution, Terrifying Talent! ¡°Hey, hey, hey, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°Am I seeing things right?¡± ¡°Did Lu Ran¡¯s Erha just use a domain skill???¡± General Ha¡¯s new species talent seems to be rted to the domain, causing it to instinctively release a domain during its evolutionary awakening. If viewed from the inside, the internal environment of the domain could be anything. However, from an external perspective, it is essentially an enormous energy ball barrier that envelops a space and istes it from the outside world. Although it appears rudimentary, seeing this top-level signature skill of Blue Star¡¯s strongest beings still made some beastmasters drop their jaws wide open, their eyes fixed on Lu Ran and his team in astonishment. They couldn¡¯tprehend how a level 30 Erha could manage to use a domain skill, an ability typically reserved for only the most top-level First Generation beings. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve seen a First Generation use this before, this is definitely a domain!¡± ¡°Is it really a domain???¡±¡°Yes, it¡¯s a domain, and judging by the scale and intensity, it¡¯s not weak.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding.¡± ¡°If I recall correctly, there¡¯s no record of a pet beast mastering a domain at just the level 30 stage, right?¡± ¡°Could it be because of that Ultimate Perception Trait? Did Lu Ran merge the Ultimate Perception Trait aiming for his pet beast to learn a domain skill?¡± ¡°Did that guy really just get it right???¡± At this moment, many beastmasters felt like clowns, realizing that Lu Ran¡¯s bold gamble had surprisingly paid off. If General Ha could learn the domain skill, then merging the Ultimate Perception Trait would certainly not be in vain. After all, this is the ¡°mark of Blue Star¡¯s top-level warriors.¡± It is an absolute killer move capable of defeating enemies across different species. ¡°No, it¡¯s not because of the trait,¡± a burly young man standing on a level-50-something flying dragon spoke up, shattering everyone¡¯s illusions. With a serious expression, he said, ¡°A freshly understood domain cannot be activated so proficiently.¡± ¡°This guy¡­¡± ¡°This Erha¡­¡± ¡°Even before it merged with the trait, it had already mastered a fairly proficient ¡®domain¡¯.¡± ¡°This might also be the reason they ultimately chose the Ultimate Perception Trait. To learn a domain at level 30 before evolution, with such Comprehension attribute, it is likely enough to rank among the top in the history of the Star-Moon Continent.¡± ¡°They are seeking to achieve an extreme enhancement on an already monstrous Comprehension attribute!¡± ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, this phenomenon suggests that Erha has sessfully and perfectly fused the Ultimate Perception Trait. Furthermore, the trait¡¯s power has resonated with the domain it had already mastered, and it¡¯s now nurturing a super-powerful species talent.¡± ¡°King Caesar-¡± the sight of the burly young man standing on the flying dragon left many beastmasters stunned. He was one of the few top-level Alliance warriors who had mastered a domain skill. Hearing his analysis, many reporters exchanged incredulous nces. Impossible¡­ mastering a domain at a pre-evolution stage? That¡¯s even more exaggerated thanprehending it during evolution! A wind-attribute, uppermander species Erha-no matter how you think about it, it doesn¡¯t align with a domain skill! Had they not witnessed it with their own eyes and received validation from a top-level First Generation like a king of the Alliance, these reporters would never believe it. Even among the powerful figures from Xia Country, Shi Zhen and others were exchanging bewildered looks, equally filled with disbelief. Especially Shi Zhen, who stammered, ¡°What??? I just demonstrated it a few times, and they learned it already???¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be real.¡± ¡°This defies logic.¡± Lin Nian peered intently at the massive domain and flew directly above the barrier, trying to see inside, but to no avail. Breaking a domain from the outside is several times more difficult than breaking it from within. Though Lin Nian had the capability to do so, she naturally wouldn¡¯t. Instead, she opted to protect Lu Ran, ensuring his domain remains undisturbed by outsiders. At this moment, inside the domain. None of them had anticipated that General Ha would instinctively release a domain during its evolution process. This suggests that General Ha¡¯s evolutionary talent might be rted to the domain!!! Just like how Dark Crow¡¯s body instinctively split into two during its evolution, this anomaly is a sign of the new evolutionary talent at work! However, the current domain is somewhat different from the ones Lu Ran and his team had seen before. This isn¡¯t the Blizzard Sword Domain; currently, Lu Ran and his team are in a pletely white¡± domain space. There is nothing but a void of white surrounding them. Lu Ran, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow looked around, but their eyes eventually settled on General Ha, whose entire body was enveloped in evolution energy. They gulped in unison. It seemed impossible to know what kind of evolution General Ha would undergo until the process was entirelyplete. Meanwhile, outside, the reporters and powerful individuals had lost all interest in the First Generation, Second Generation, and Third Generation evolvers. Even if those evolvers could produce overlord species pet beasts, so what? A monstrous pet beast that had mastered a domain before evolution had appeared and was now undergoing evolution. This was undoubtedly the biggest scoop of the Evolution Secret Realm and the most attention-worthy subject. ¡°I was wrong. I had initially doubted that Lu Ran¡¯s initial pet beast might not be as good as the two he contractedter¡­¡± ¡°But now, it¡¯s clear that this initial pet beast is incredibly powerful, having mastered a domain proficiently at level 30!!¡± ¡°I know this Erha. It had learned four major energy techniques at level 10 and advanced techniques like shaping artistic conception and energy release¡¯s second stage at level 20. While that¡¯s impressive, it¡¯s not unheard of in pet beasts. But to have mastered a domain at level 30, that¡¯s something I never expected.¡± ¡°The difficulty of mastering a domainpared to those techniques is like night and day.¡± At this moment, no one questioned why Lu Ran had merged the Ultimate Perception Trait with this Erha anymore. Everyone was focused on seeing how far this Erha could evolve. Even when the star blessings descended, falling in various ces, they didn¡¯t elicit any reaction from the crowd. Until, just as everyone expected, after the nine ordinary star blessings concluded, Lu Ran and his team received an exclusive blessing that overshadowed all others. The sky full of twinkling stars formed a sword-shaped constetion, illuminating a brilliance that streaked across like a sword star! ¡°It¡¯s over, I made a misjudgment.¡± In the sky, the white mouse reporter¡¯s body was trembling uncontrobly with excitement. She watched as the dazzling sword-shaped starlight pierced through the domain and descended inside. Her face flushed, and her legs kept rubbing together in regret for her earlier misjudgment. This Lu Ran is 100% big news material! How could someone like him fail in evolution? Now, led by the white mouse reporter, a group of people were itching to the extreme, wanting to pass through the domain to witness the entire evolution process. Unfortunately, their view waspletely blocked, and with a guardian outside the domain barrier, no one dared to make a move. Inside the domain! At this moment. General Ha had finallypleted its final transformation. As the luminous glow dissipated, its post-evolution form emerged, standing dominantly on the nk terrain. Its body had grown evenrger. Just one of its shins was taller than Lu Ran. Its massive form, every part of it-shoulders, body, waist, and even its majestic long tail-radiated an immense sense of power. Unlike its previous Erha form, General Ha now had mostly sleek white fur, but the ck fur hadpletely disappeared¡­ In its ce was a deep blue fur that resembled millennia-old ice, covering its body. White and blue now formed General Ha¡¯s first impression, giving off an aura that was fierce, cold, like a lone wolf king atop ancient snowy mountains, overlooking all beasts. Moreover, not only had its tail be longer, but its head was also proportionallyrger than before. Long, ice-like fur created an effect like a sword-shaped crown of blue adornment, exuding immense Domineering Energy. ¡°Howl~~~~¡± With a mighty roar from General Ha, Lu Ran and his team finally noticed that the Winter Sword Spirit hadpletely separated from General Ha. It joyfully circled around General Ha, shing an ice-blue light as if celebrating the birth of the King of Swords! This time, the possession evolution seemed to have given little additional power to the Winter Sword Spirit, and General Ha seemed to have gained little from the Winter Sword Spirit either. This left Lu Ran somewhat regrettable, and there was another point that was a bit disappointing. Although General Ha¡¯s body, fur, and overall appearance had be exceedingly powerful and handsome, its eyes seemed to have undergone no change. It still inherited Erha¡¯s eyes, which meant that the wise look in its gazepletely ruined its otherwise formidable aura. However, Lu Ran was quickly filled with immense joy. ¡°Ha ha ha-¡° Within the domain, Sudden Death King and Dark Crow watched as Lu Ran burst into uncontrobleughter, taking out the Divine Deer Antler and gripping it tightly in his hand. Tears began to shimmer in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, his excitement uncontainable and beyond imagination. This scene struck fear into the hearts of Sudden Death King and Dark Crow, making them realize something was amiss. All of this was due to General Ha¡¯s newly awakened species talent! [Species Talent]: Infinite Sword Domain [Introduction]: A pet beast with this talent can create an Infinite Sword Domain, wherein everything can be transformed into a sword! Infinite Sword Domain¡­ This was General Ha¡¯s innate potential,bined with the Ultimate Perception Trait, resulting in a brand-new talent. Within the domain, all things transform into swords! It is the manifestation of the domain ability of ¡°I think power.¡± General Ha turned its head and looked at the Divine Deer Antler in Lu Ran¡¯s hand. Instantly, an invisible wave wrapped around the Divine Deer Antler, transforming it from its antler form into the core of an invisible sword. An epic sword containing terrifying life force was born and instantly flew out of Lu Ran¡¯s hand, transforming into an enormous, unmatched white divine sword, which General Ha grasped in its mouth. ¡°Howl!!!!¡± At that moment, beneath General Ha¡¯s wise gaze, it saw the antler finally resembling a sword. Its species level began to rise at a frightful pace, and a pressureparable to a legend slowly emanated from General Ha. Outside the domain, a group of beastmasters, who were gathered to observe, widened their eyes in unison. They suddenly felt an overwhelmingly terrifying intimidation that surpassed everything, sweeping through the domain and towards the outside world. Even some First Generation pet beasts that had experienced battles with upper overlord creatures showed incredulous expressions, sensing the tremor in their bloodline. They couldn¡¯t fathom what kind of monster had been born inside the domain! [Species]: Sword Domain Dog [Attributes]: Wind, Ice [Species Level]: Lower Overlord (Pseudo-legendary level)! With the enhancement of the King of Swords, Infinite Sword Domain, and the epic sword formed from the Divine Deer Antler, General Ha¡¯s species had directly matched that of a legendary divine beast¡¯s offspring, breaking the boundaries of the overlord era! After ending the overlord era, it became the very first pseudo-legendary pet beast cultivated by a beastmaster on Blue Star! Chapter 240: Pseudo-legendary! Chapter 240: Pseudo-legendary! ¡°Pseudo-legendary¡± Seeing General Ha¡¯s species level, Lu Ran felt a sense of surrealism. General Ha held a giant sword in its mouth, looking at Lu Ran and the others with wise eyes. This feeling was truly wonderful! ¡°As expected of you, General Ha.¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but step forward, his eyes filled with joy. After General Ha¡¯s evolution, its normal state was that of a lower overlord, which was within Lu Ran¡¯s expectations. After all, General Ha wasn¡¯t a creature known for its base species level like Loong-types. But even if its base species level was only lower overlord, as long as General Ha wielded a good sword, it could exert power beyond that of a lower overlord. This was the foundation of General Ha¡¯s strength.However, Lu Ran never expected that during the evolution, General Ha actuallybined ¡°I think power¡± and ¡°domain.¡± This kid was smart from a young age! Finally, it had reached the realm where everything looked like a sword. Not bad at all! Was this the transformation brought about by extreme Comprehension? Within its domain, everything could be turned into a sword. Seeing an antler as a sword, seeing a roadside stone as a sword, seeing falling sunlight as a sword, seeing enemies as swords, wasn¡¯t this just ¡°I think everything is a sword¡±? This Talent, when taken alone, wasn¡¯t particrly groundbreaking. But whenbined with General Ha¡¯s King of Swords Talent, it became something extraordinary. When General Ha saw the Divine Deer Antler, an epic-level or even pseudo-legendary level item, as a sword, it was equivalent to having an epic-quality divine sword in front of it, ready for it to wield. At this moment, the enhancement General Ha could receive was incredibly terrifying. So far, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t seen any item of higher quality than the Divine Deer Antler. Therefore, the sword it transformed into was undoubtedly the strongest divine sword in terms of quality. General Ha¡¯s current species level was indeed proof of the Divine Deer Antler¡¯s power, proof that the legendary divine beast, the divine deer, lived up to its name. Even a broken antler could create a legend. Pseudo-legendary species! ¡°Are you invincible now?¡± Lu Ran asked General Ha excitedly. The Sudden Death King, with its middle overlord species level, could already dominate the world. With General Ha¡¯s species level surpassing upper overlords, wouldn¡¯t it just wipe out everything? However, just as Lu Ran was envisioning taking General Ha to wreak havoc on the First Generation, General Ha seemed reluctant to speak. ¡°Howl~~~¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Seeing that General Ha¡¯s excitementsted only a few seconds before its expression dropped, Lu Ran asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± General Ha, holding the Divine Deer Sword in its mouth, was cursing rather harshly. It could feel the powerful species enhancement brought by the Divine Deer Sword. However, when holding the Divine Deer Sword, General Ha didn¡¯t feel that ¡°cut through everything¡± power at all. In fact, thebat enhancement seemed even less significant than when it had the sword spirit possession. General Ha¡¯s eyes once again disyed wisdom as it nced at the golden-green glowing Divine Deer Sword, questioning Lu Ran. ¡°Woof!¡± Boss Lu, have you ever heard of the Golden Healing Sword Qi? One swing and the enemy is not only unharmed but fully healed. Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Hey, you better not tell me the Divine Deer Sword has no killing power.¡± Reminded by General Ha, Lu Ran was dumbfounded. Lu Ran, who had just been dreaming about using the Pseudo-legendary General Ha to kill everything, now had a twitching mouth. He almost forgot that the Divine Deer Antler¡¯s attribute was healing. Even if it turned into a sword, it would be a Healing Sword! Although under the blessing of the Healing Sword, General Ha had reached the Pseudo-legendary species level, it seemed to be more of a healer dog. At present, General Ha could indeed feel the terrifying power contained within the Divine Deer Sword. By using it in sword form, General Ha felt it could unleash a more terrifying healing power than ever before. But the issue remained-it was still healing power. This oue made even General Ha find it hard to maintainposure. However, Lu Ran quickly adjusted his mindset. ¡°Not a big problem.¡± ¡°Who says a Healing Sword has nobat power?¡± ¡°With a higher species level, your energy control should definitely be stronger. By then, casuallypressing energy by sixty or seventy times should be no problem, right?¡± ¡°With the Healing Sword in your mouth, you don¡¯t have to worry about getting injured.¡± ¡°There are always more solutions than problems.¡± ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t have the destructive power of abat-type epic sword, you should still be able to handle upper overlords of the same level, right?¡± General Ha: ??? ¡°Howl!!!¡± The Sudden Death King and the Dark Crow exchanged nces. General Ha immediately dropped the Divine Deer Antler and looked at the nearby Winter Sword Spirit. In the next instant, the Winter Sword Spirit possessed General Ha. [Species level]: Lower overlord (middle overlord)! This proved that advancing within the overlord level stages was extremely difficult. Even with the support of a sword spirit creature, General Ha could only be elevated by one small stage, not two. But that was fine. The gains from this evolution were already more than satisfactory for Lu Ran. ¡°I think domain¡­ This means I¡¯ll need to start collecting all sorts of misceneous items now.¡± Better to be prepared. Once General Ha activates the Infinite Sword Domain, Lu Ran could just throw in hundreds or even thousands of random items. Within this domain, countless divine swords would instantly manifest. This is the true strength of the Infinite Sword Domain! Lu Ran stowed away the Divine Deer Antler and nced at the surrounding domain. He then addressed the colossal icy General Ha, ¡°Alright, General Ha, disperse the sword domain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for us to leave¡­¡± ¡°Howl~~¡± Upon hearing Lu Ran¡¯smand, General Ha nodded. The vast Infinite Sword Domain quickly disappeared like a dreamy illusion. Meanwhile, outside, countless beastmasters who had been observing the Infinite Sword Domain swallowed nervously as they looked towards the interior! They soon saw the evolved General Ha and Lu Ran along with hispanions not far from it! ¡°Look quickly, what has it evolved into!¡± Everyone was eager to know General Ha¡¯s new species post-evolution! [Name]: Sword Domain Dog [Attributes]: Wind, Ice [Species level]: Lower overlord [Growth level]: Level 30 [Introduction]: Unique species, Master of Swords! Hiss- Seeing the massive icy Erha, the crowd was visibly shaken. It was indeed another overlord species! But only a lower overlord? It shouldn¡¯t be just a lower overlord. The powerful aura emanating from inside earlier and the astonishing phenomena had made even some of the present lower overlords deeply wary. Everyone thought that Lu Ran had nurtured another middle overlord. But unexpectedly, it was just a lower overlord. ¡°Does this name mean it has awakened a domain-type evolutionary talent?¡± ¡°Sword Domain Dog, Sword Domain Dog-this indicates its strength lies in the use of its domain or sword domain.¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s only a lower overlord species, it might be able to suppress middle overlords thanks to its sword domain!¡± ¡°The aura from earlier definitely wasn¡¯t a mistake. It can¡¯t be released by ordinary overlords! It¡¯s more than what it seems on the surface.¡± Soon, people realized they couldn¡¯t judge this Sword Domain Dog by conventional logic. Its Species level isn¡¯t high, which is normal-after all, it started as an ordinary Erha. But a low Species level doesn¡¯t mean lowbat power. This is a level 30 freak that already wields a domain. People estimated that, even if a middle overlord of the same level didn¡¯t possess a domain, they might not gain any advantage over this Erha! ¡°A lower overlord? Defeating higher-level opponents with its sword domain?¡± Standing beside General Ha, Lu Ran heard the surrounding astonished voices and couldn¡¯t help but smile slightly. Short-sighted, so short-sighted. The Erha before you, when fully unleashed, could end the overlord era and touch the legendary realm as a Pseudo-legendary creature. However, Lu Ran had no intention of letting them know the truth. Such a terrifying trump card naturally needed to be hidden. Perhaps in the future, when facing a crisis, General Ha¡¯s Pseudo-legendary form might provide a critical edge to turn the tide. At the moment, although these foreign onlookers were clueless about General Ha¡¯s true nature, Manager Ying, Gu Qingyi, and others squinted their eyes, specting internally: ¡°The boost provided by the King of Swords talent can¡¯t be seen by outsiders, only by the beastmaster themselves. If its base is a lower overlord,bined with the King of Swords talent and a good weapon, its real Species level should be at least a middle overlord now!¡± ¡°When you add in the foundation provided by the sword domain and other factors, fighting high overlords isn¡¯t far-fetched-potentially even surpassing them.¡± Their guesses were more urate. Unfortunately, they still underestimated it slightly. They didn¡¯t realize General Ha hadprehended the Infinite Sword Domain, allowing it to convert divine artifacts like the Divine Deer Antler into swords for self-enhancement. ¡°Let¡¯s go-¡± With that, Lu Ran recalled General Ha and the others, then turned to Lin Nian, indicating his intention to leave. In the outside world, the international forum buzzed with activity. Unsurprisingly, Lu Ran once again dominated the trending topics in various countries. [Miracle Creator, Lu Ran, and Passerby A!] [Exceptional Comprehension! Level 30 Domain Activation!] [A Species Named After a Domain-The Birth of the Sword Domain Dog!] [Protagonist of the Era, Reaching the Pinnacle of Power in the Name of the Fourth Generation!] To be honest, Lu Ran¡¯s continuous creation of miracles-whether it was the Shield-winged Dragon King or the necromancy-based Twin Crow-had already heightened public expectations. People found it hard to imagine how Lu Ran¡¯s initial pet beast could evolve to surpass or even match his other two beasts. When Lu Ran first entered the Evolution Secret Realm, the news had already spread, causing widespread attention. Numerous beastmasters were eagerly waiting for the results. After previous events, these people believed that whatever way the Gale Sword Dog evolved, it wouldn¡¯t cause much of a stir. However, when the actual results were announced, the major forums crashed, and countless people stared at their screens in silence. ¡°A domain?¡± ¡°What the heck, level 30, and it mastered a domain before the first-stage evolution???¡± These people were utterly stunned. Are you kidding? They thought. Even among the top-tier First Generation warriors on the battlefront, not everyone has mastered a domain. Yet, a Fourth Generation beastmaster, who had been one for less than half a year, mastered such a symbol of a top-level fighter with seeming ease? No support from Dragon Chef? No big deal. No knowledge from Necromancy? Still no big deal. Lu Ran used his actions to show the world that any of his pet beasts could exhibit evolutionary foundations that transcend their era¡¯s limitations. ¡°Wait a minute, making a domain the foundation of evolution-this isn¡¯t just unprecedented on Blue Star, it¡¯s likely the first on Star-Moon Continent too, right???¡± ¡°A dog! With a fusion trait that boosts learning ability, it can still reach the level of a lower overlord??? Its base species wasn¡¯t a middle supernatural Erha!¡± ¡°God Lu is truly God Lu¡­ Do you even understand the value of mastering a domain? Skill transcendence-it¡¯s far superior to relying on bloodline power.¡± At this moment, Lu Ran once again sparked worldwide discussion. Now, top talents from various countries were almost numb,pletely baffled by the nature of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts. An Erha could be cultivated to possess extreme Comprehension??? Infinite City. Cat-eared Maid Caf¨¦. Lu Ran was gathered with a group of First Generations. Just as Manager Ying and others were preparing to ¡°interrogate¡± Lu Ran thoroughly, A voice suddenly caused the entire Infinite City to fall silent for a few seconds. It also interrupted their questioning of Lu Ran. [Detected: 10 million beastmasters havepleted the novice trial.] [Initiating the third update¡­] [Activating special theme: World Battle.] [Effective immediately, within the next year, Infinite City will host a world-ss beast taming tournament. Upon conclusion, the top ten beastmasters from Blue Star will receive special rewards and represent Blue Star topete against the Star-Moon Continent¡¯s team in a beast taming battle. Defeat Penalty: Infinite City version downgrade! Victory Reward: Gaining partial management rights of Infinite City.] [Next update time: upon conclusion of the special theme event.] As the system message ended, everyone in the Cat-eared Maid Caf¨¦ was stunned. Chapter 241: Infinite City Update: World Battle ¡°What the heck is this?¡± The sudden update of Infinite City almost made Zhu Kaixin spit out his Sprite. ¡°Did I hear that right?¡± ¡°Infinite City is going to hold a world-ss tournament to select the ten strongest beastmasters on Blue Star?¡± ¡°You heard right,¡± Lin Nian frowned beside him. ¡°And these 10 people will represent Blue Star to go to the Star-Moon Continent and engage in a beast taming battle with the Star-Moon Continent representative team.¡± ¡°What does Infinite City mean by Star-Moon Continent?¡± ¡°Is it a projection of a certain historical stage of the Star-Moon Continent? Are they selecting a beast taming team from a specific era topete with Blue Star¡¯s top ten?¡± Gu Qingyi, Shi Zhen, and the others all looked at each other, clearly caught off guard by this sudden update from Infinite City. ¡°Updated at this exact moment.¡±¡°Looks like we were all wrong.¡± Manager Ying, too, looked surprised and said, ¡°Surprisingly, it¡¯s not updating with new facilities, nor is it remodeling the real world.¡± ¡°A world battle¡­ this is a bit shocking.¡± ¡°And the reward is partial management authority of Infinite City; this reward can be considered legendary level, can¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s extravagant,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°With an existence like Infinite City, if someone holds management authority, even partially, the benefits would be immense.¡± ¡°The benefits are great, but the defeat penalty is severe,¡± Shi Zhen pondered. ¡°What will the Infinite City version downgrade entail? Will the Legendary Secret Realm and Evolution Secret Realm disappear? Will the divine beast leaderboard disappear? Will those cross-city teleportation gates vanish? If so, the resource output of Infinite City will be severely limited.¡± ¡°Judging by this reward, the difficulty of this world battle will not be low; there is definitely a risk of defeat.¡± ¡°No matter the era, the level of beast taming civilization on the Star-Moon Continent is not something Blue Star canpare to. Even in the most chaotic times, they had double-digit legendary beastmasters.¡± ¡°Some eras even had epic legends.¡± A level 7 beastmaster is considered a legendary beastmaster. While epic legends refer to level 8 legendary beastmasters, not confined to the present era but those whose names are recorded in history. The group couldn¡¯t fathom just how strong the Star-Moon Continent¡¯s representative team mentioned by Infinite City might be. However, the current strongest on Blue Star is just a Level 5 beastmaster with a level 60 pet beast. Facing a Level 7 legendary beastmaster with a pet beast over level 70, there would be no chance of resistance. If they were to go up against an epic level beastmaster, the oue would be even more disastrous. The beast taming levels between these two worlds are simply not in the same league. But fortunately, the representative slots will be contested for a year. During this time, Blue Star¡¯s beast taming power might see some improvement. And perhaps Infinite City wouldn¡¯t be so ruthless as to not field a few legendary beastmasters for Blue Star, would it? ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll be a battle against projections of beastmasters from a certain era.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s another possibility¡­¡± ¡°I suddenly have a hunch that the Star-Moon Continent might not be Blue Star¡¯s ancient past, but a real other world. After all, besides the Star-Moon Continent, many other worlds exist,¡± Manager Ying said: ¡°Could the representative team Blue Star faces be from the ¡®modern beast taming civilization¡¯ of the Star-Moon Continent?¡± ¡°Real, current beastmasters existing somewhere right now.¡± As for why the divine deer from the Star-Moon Continent could appear on Blue Star. This is easier to exin. These other worlds might be interconnected, possibly through some kind of space channels. Just like how the real world is connected to the real-world secret realm. ¡°Hmm.¡± Beside them, Lu Ran was instantly drawn into the conversation. He said: ¡°What if other worlds truly exist? Could Infinite City be a gigantic facility epassing multiple other worlds?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just Blue Star where beastmasters are chosen by Infinite City; other worlds have them too.¡± ¡°We can train in the histories of other worlds, and they cane to Blue Star¡¯s ancient times. The crossings go both ways.¡± ¡°This¡­ this idea is quite novel,¡± everyone said, turning to look at Lu Ran. They had to admit, this spection once again overturned all their previous theories about world history. ¡°By the way, not only do you get super rewards for winning the world battle, but even just making it into the top ten representatives brings special rewards,¡± Zhu Kaixin said. ¡°What do you guys think the reward will be? I¡¯d say it has to be something like an epic resource for everyone!¡± ¡°After all, that¡¯s the value of being in the world¡¯s top ten!¡± ¡°Why think so much?¡± Lin Nian shot him a nce. ¡°You can¡¯t even crack the top ten in Xia Country, and you¡¯re already fantasizing about the global top ten?¡± Zhu Kaixin: ??? ¡°Hey, give me a break! We still have a year, I can improve, alright?¡± Lin Nian¡¯s words hit Zhu Kaixin¡¯s sore spot and served as a wake-up call for the others as well. In Xia Country, the only person who could confidently say they might break into the global top ten was probably the former guild leader. And maybe Lin Nian had a chance, too. Everyone else, even Dragon Tamer Gu Qingyi, didn¡¯t have great odds. After analyzing for half a day, the group realized this update basically had nothing to do with them. It was reserved for the truly top-level individuals. ¡°What are you thinking about now?¡± Zhu Kaixin noticed Lin Nian had finished speaking, and Lu Ran had also dropped his head in deep thought. ¡°And what about that Erha of yours!¡± ¡°How on earth did a level 30 dog learn a domain? That¡¯s just ridiculous!¡± Manager Ying lifted its head. ¡°Mind yournguage.¡± ¡°Also, based on my ¡®PhD in Canine Studies,¡¯ I¡¯d say this guy is probably thinking about how to drag the First Generation off their pedestal and squeeze into the world¡¯s top ten within a year, to represent Blue Star in a battle against the Star-Moon Continent.¡± Lu Ran: ? Lu Ran also lifted his head and looked at Manager Ying. ¡°Wait, how did you guess that?¡± Lu Ran asked, stunned. ¡°Is my intention written all over my face?¡± Everyone else: ¡°¡­¡± Honestly, even Zhu Kaixin, Shi Zhen, Gu Qingyi, and the rest felt it was incredibly difficult for them to break into the world¡¯s top ten. And here was Lu Ran from the Fourth Generation, actually contemting getting into the Blue Star representative team??? Indeed. Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts all had very high species levels. However, their growth levels were still too low. Once the first-generation fully undergo their second-stage evolution, Lu Ran¡¯s species advantage won¡¯t be significant anymore. With only a year left, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts probably won¡¯t be able to achieve second-stage evolution. So it won¡¯t be easy to get into the world representative team as a member of the Fourth Generation. ¡°One must always have dreams¡­¡± Lu Ran cleared his throat and said, ¡°The reason my Erha canprehend a domain is quite simple.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard rewards.¡± ¡°The rewards from the Overlord Divine Beast Leaderboard are enhancement cards, which can upgrade rare resources to exquisite-level. To help Erha learn a domain, I enhanced two rare resources to exquisite-level to boost its Comprehension.¡± ¡°You really dare to gamble,¡± Shi Zhen noted. He realized Lu Ran was truly willing to invest heavily in his pet beasts. However, the real credit for Erha¡¯s quick mastery of the domain should go to the Winter Sword Spirit. If it weren¡¯t for its possession state, significantly enhancing Erha¡¯s understanding of the Space domain, the two exquisite resources alone might not have been enough! After exining, Lu Ran fell into deep thought again. Honestly, he might not be unable to contend with the First Generation. After all, General Ha¡¯s potential is at the pseudo-legendary level. So what if the first-generation beastmasters also enter the Overlord Era? He and General Ha have already taken a step into the Legendary Era. And this is just with the divine deer antler. If, during this period, Lu Ran could find a resource representing destruction that exceeds the quality of the divine deer antler, then under General Ha¡¯s Transform All into Swords, their power would be even more terrifying. Lu Ran was genuinely interested in this update, not for the top ten rewards, not for the battles, not for understanding other worlds, but for the management authority of Infinite City! This Infinite City, no matter how you look at it, is a cosmic-level treasure of creation. If he could obtain partial control of such a cosmic treasure, just thinking about it made him ecstatic. Finishing this mission would allow him to rx for good. ¡­ Infinite City¡¯s third update! Ten minutes ago, the outside world was still discussing the Evolution Secret Realm and Lu Ran. But in an instant, with the changes in Infinite City, new news content dominated the headlines. Compared to such a major event as Infinite City updating again, the matter of the Evolution Secret Realm seemed less significant. On the international beast taming forum: [¡°Whoa, World Battle? Selecting the top ten beast tamers from Blue Star to represent Blue Star in battle? So exciting!¡±] [¡°Finally, arge-scale beast taming tournament that covers the whole world. Now we can truly find out who the strongest beast tamer in the world is.¡±] [¡°This isn¡¯t fair, this gives too much advantage to the First and Second Generations, leaving no room for the Fourth Generation.¡±] [¡°No room for the Fourth Generation? The first three generations of beast tamers have paved so many paths and summarized so much experience, making it easier for you, and you¡¯re still not satisfied?¡±] [¡°Have you ever yed a game? Such events are likely to be held repeatedly. One generation may shine now, but that doesn¡¯t mean there won¡¯t be opportunities for the Fourth Generation in the future.¡±] Online, the topic of the World Battle caused an uproar. People spected whether the Blue Star representatives would face projections or some other form of the Star-Moon Continent team. At this moment, Lu Ran, who had been overshadowed by the third update of Infinite City, had already returned to the Green Sea. Hey leisurely on the sofa, also browsing through various forums and news rted to the ¡°World Battle.¡± ¡°One year¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m currently at level 2. Completing the level 2 breakthrough secret realm will take about a month.¡± ¡°Once I be a level 3 beast tamer, the level cap for my pet beasts will be 40.¡± ¡°Although leveling up from 30 to 40 is quite slow, if I¡¯m willing to infuse exquisite resources, it can be done fairly quickly.¡± ¡°The 30 to 40 stage isn¡¯t as difficult for fast leveling with exquisite resources as the 50-plus level range.¡± ¡°So if I push hard, bing a level 4 beast tamer in a short amount of time should be feasible.¡± ¡°But to catch up to the First Generation¡¯s level progress within a year will indeed be challenging. By then, most of the First Generation will likely be level 6 beast tamers.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably be at most level 5 by that time.¡± Lu Ran let out a sigh. After calcting for a long time, he realized that catching up to the First Generation in terms of level would be incredibly difficult. If he wanted to defeat the First Generation and secure one of those ten spots to be one of Blue Star¡¯s top ten, he would likely have to rely on special training methods to enable his pet beasts to fight beyond their levels. In any case, if he wanted to obtain partial management authority of Infinite City, he had to prioritize leveling up. Especially with the level 2 breakthrough secret realm, he needed to enter it as soon as possible and make the most of his time. But doing so would be hard on his pet beasts again. Lu Ran sighed, went into the courtyard, and summoned all his pet beasts-General Ha, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow. Each of them looked more domineering and fierce than thest. Without waiting for Lu Ran to speak, Dark Crow immediately asked, ¡°Big King, are we having an internal showdown?¡± Lu Ran nced at it and said, ¡°No rush. First, let me tell you something. I¡¯m actually someone who dislikes internalpetition and prefers a leisurely life. However, to live a leisurely life, you need to have extremely strong power. Only then can you sustain a life of ease.¡± ¡°Right now, we have a rare opportunity. In a year, there¡¯s an important tournament. As long as you can defeat the opponents, we will receive an incredible reward that will secure our future.¡± ¡°So, how about you undergo one more year of intense training? Rest a little less. If we win the tournament in a year and obtain the management authority of Infinite City, we¡¯ll finally be free! Good days will be ahead!¡± Chapter 242: Preparing for a Rainy Day ¡°Caw caw!¡± When Lu Ran finished speaking, the Dark Crow seemed to be pondering. Just work hard for another year, and then things will get easier, and good days wille? ¡°Why does it feel like I¡¯ve heard this somewhere before?¡± It fell into deep thought, looking towards General Ha and the Sudden Death King, then ncing in the direction of Green Sea High School. Never mind, it must be an illusion, it¡¯s not important! ¡°Not just a year!¡± ¡°Even if it¡¯s a billion years, I am willing to serve the Big King!¡± The Dark Crow was the first to express its loyalty, making Lu Ran feel gratified.¡°Woof!¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, General Ha turned its head, unconcerned. Captured the key point. Defeat the opponent! Now, it had no interest in rewards or retirement. It just wanted to quickly verify how strong it had be after evolving. Its sword was already itching for action. ¡°Roar¡­¡± Among the Three Generals, even the Sudden Death King looked indifferent this time. What a joke, could there be any training more torturous than jumping from high altitudes every few days? It didn¡¯t believe so! As for battles, except being a bit afraid of General Ha, the Sudden Death King wasn¡¯t too worried about others. It was confident that as long as its growth level improved, its defense would be unmatched, and in battles, others would only be giving it a gentle massage. ¡°Great, since you have no objections, it¡¯s decided then,¡± Lu Ran smiled. With such understanding pet beasts, there was no fear of not improving their strength. ¡°Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Stop making promises,e and take a look.¡± ¡°The specific rules for the World Battle have been updated.¡± As Lu Ran was making promises to them, Manager Ying, who was serving as both bodyguard and nanny, walked out from the Weather Elf¡¯s nursery. It seemed that it had just put the Weather Elf, which had been used as a mode of transportation, to sleep. Now, the Weather Elf was a month old. Lu Ran estimated that by the time he returned from the Breakthrough Secret Realm, contracting it wouldn¡¯t be unreasonable, right? Two months, definitely enough time to join the battle. ¡°Ahem, you guys return for now,¡± Lu Ran quickly retracted General Ha, the Dark Crow, and the Sudden Death King into their contract cards. Then he walked over to Manager Ying and looked at its tablet. Manager Ying poked the screen with its cat paw and said, ¡°It seems the way to decide the ten slots is through an arena match.¡± ¡°Arena match?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°I thought it would be a mass elimination tournament for arge group of beastmasters.¡± Manager Ying rolled its eyes at him, ¡°How could that be? It would waste too much time.¡± ¡°Now, every arena in Infinite City has opened registration channels.¡± ¡°As long as you pass the preliminaries, beastmasters can be teleported via the arena to a ce called the King¡¯s Domain.¡± ¡°The King¡¯s Domain has ten floating inds, each with an arena. The first ten to enter the King¡¯s Domain will automatically be the arena masters of one of these arenas.¡± ¡°If no one challenges them afterward, they will be the top ten on Blue Star after a year.¡± ¡°If someone defeats them, they will be reced. Of course, after being reced, as long as the season isn¡¯t over, they can still ¡®seek revenge¡¯ or ¡®challenge another arena master¡¯ to reim their position.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lu Ran nodded in thought. ¡°Are there any restrictions on challenging and being challenged? Being challenged continuously would be too annoying.¡± ¡°Yes, the preliminaries seem to be quite difficult. Although the update just came out, some people have already started challenging.¡± ¡°The preliminary mode involves challenging the Illusion BOSS generated by Infinite City, which is simr to challenging an ordinary secret realm.¡± ¡°ording to intelligence, the first boss is a level 50 upper overlord species ferocious beast. This first preliminary stage should filter out a lot of people,¡± Manager Ying smirked. ¡°For example, even if you use all three of your pet beasts, you wouldn¡¯t be able to beat this guy.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Wow, the first stage is a level 50 upper overlord,¡± Lu Ran realized the high stakes of this preliminary challenge. Most beastmasters, unless their pet beasts have undergone second-stage evolution, wouldn¡¯t even stand a chance. Without a few pet beasts of higher level overlord species, the average person wouldn¡¯t make it. ¡°Exactly, so this ¡®Preliminary: King¡¯s Road¡¯ will likely be a yground for Blue Star¡¯s top-level experts for a while,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll see the top ten of Blue Star emerge anytime soon.¡± ¡°In summary, beastmasters who can pass this preliminary round are destined to be few worldwide. Consequently, the number who can enter the king¡¯s domain to challenge the arena masters will also be small.¡± ¡°And besides that, there are conditions for challenging the arena masters.¡± ¡°What conditions?¡± ¡°The challenger can only issue a challenge twice per natural month. Each time a challenge fails, it costs 10 million crystal coins.¡± Lu Ran nodded again, ¡°That¡¯s manageable. For top-level First Generation, 10 million is certainly an amount they can afford, but losing it would still sting a bit.¡± ¡°Moreover, Infinite City will provide a certain degree of treatment for both sides after the battle,¡± Manager Ying added. ¡°Currently, top-level fighters on Blue Star seldom go all out against each other because treating high-level pet beasts is too troublesome. No one wants to bear the aftermath, so they just spar lightly.¡± ¡°With Infinite City offering post-battle treatment services, defenders won¡¯t mind frequent battles. After all, high-levelbats are very beneficial for enhancing their own strength.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lu Ran said. It seems that over the next year, the king¡¯s domain arena will be the stage for top-level experts on Blue Star to sh. I wonder how long it will take before I can enter as a Fourth Generation and battle them¡­ ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying, ¡°Are there any otherbat rules?¡± ¡°There are,¡± Manager Ying replied: ¡°In the challenge and defense stages, the battles are 3v3. Both parties can summon any three pet beasts from their entire contract pool.¡± ¡°If someone has less than three contracted pet beasts, they can still opt for a 1v3 or 2v3.¡± ¡°Additionally, beastmasters can also participate in the battle.¡± ¡°The battle process has no restrictions on life or death,¡± it looked at Lu Ran seriously and said, ¡°If you¡¯re not absolutely sure, don¡¯t challenge foreign beastmasters whose capabilities are unknown.¡± ¡°Because during the battle, they certainly won¡¯t hold back.¡± ¡°If you want to challenge, use the former guild leader and Lin Nian as stepping stones first. When they make it to the top ten, practice with them. At least they won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°3v3, huh,¡± Lu Ran stroked his chin and said, ¡°It seems Infinite City is reminding beastmasters to focus on elite training for their pet beasts.¡± ¡°To concentrate their resources on the strongest three.¡± ¡°Why the number three? Does it have some special significance?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the strongest individuals,¡± Manager Ying corrected. ¡°It¡¯s the three that work best together.¡± ¡°A team of three individually strongest pet beasts might not perform as well as a team of three well-matched ones.¡± ¡°However, the First Generation doesn¡¯t have much choice left. Their teams are pretty much set. Inparison, the Second and Third Generations have more flexibility in teamposition since they still have opportunities to contract new pets.¡± ¡°As for why three, I have a hypothesis.¡± ¡°Have you heard of thebination domain?¡± ¡°Combination domain?¡± ¡°On the Star-Moon Continent, there are skilled beastmasters who can make two pet beasts with domains merge their domains to create abination domain.¡± ¡°And ording to records, the highest achievement on the Star-Moon Continent is the fusion of domains from three pet beasts. The power they can exert is unmatched by just in quantities of simrly-leveled pet beasts.¡± ¡°I suspect Infinite City might be encouraging Blue Star¡¯s top beastmasters to strive towards that.¡± Lu Ran pondered for a moment and said, ¡°That could be, but it seems very difficult. Most people can¡¯t even utilize one domain effectively.¡± ¡°However, considering the abundant resources the overlord leaderboard can provide, a number of people might be able to advance quickly.¡± ¡°Indeed, if it¡¯s truly to train beastmasters in masteringbination domains, then the First Generation in Xia Country has a significant advantage,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°Even the Eagle Federation doesn¡¯t have as many domain-mastering First Generations as you do.¡± ¡°But on another note, when do you n to enter the breakthrough secret realm?¡± ¡°Once inside, you¡¯ll have a chance to find another legendary master, maybe squeeze some benefits out of them, and get domains for Sudden Death King and Dark Crow too.¡± ¡°Soon!¡± Lu Ran pouted, ¡°You think legendary masters are asmon as cabbages?¡± ¡°You dare to think about carrying a secret realm, but you don¡¯t dare to grab a cabbage?¡± Manager Ying snorted. ¡°Enough talk,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°By the way, I¡¯ll need you to look after the Weather Elf and Winter Sword Spirit for a month after I enter the breakthrough secret realm.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Ugh,¡± Manager Ying grumbled angrily, ¡°Why do you keep adding more?¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t the Winter Sword Spirit special? It can enter Infinite City and secret realms together with that dog. You should just take it yourself!¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°But you forgot, the breakthrough secret realm is different from ordinary secret realms.¡± ¡°When entering Infinite City or ordinary secret realms, even if the pet beast hasn¡¯t been recalled to the contract card, it can be teleported together with the beastmaster.¡± ¡°But when entering a breakthrough secret realm, Infinite City will forcibly recall all pet beasts to their contract cards before teleportation.¡± ¡°Although the Sword Spirit can possession General Ha and enter an ordinary secret realm together, they can¡¯t share the same contract card. Consequently, the Sword Spirit would end up left alone in a specialized room.¡± Lu Ran understood why this only applied to the breakthrough secret realm. It¡¯s because when entering the breakthrough secret realm, Infinite City generates an ¡°identity background¡± for the challengers. If a pet beast was by their side during this process, it would limit the generated background¡¯s flexibility. For instance, when Lu Ran was generated as a follower of the Cult of Necromancy, listening to the missionary¡¯s brainwashing, no one had pet beasts out. If Lu Ran had appeared with Sudden Death King beside him, it would have been excessively conspicuous. Such concerns don¡¯t apply to ordinary secret realms. In short, although he couldn¡¯t bring the Sword Spirit into the breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran could live with it. At least, there was still Sword Grass! With Sword Grass in his mouth-no, even if General Ha just condenses a Sword of Wind, it¡¯s still ssified as a middle-level overlord species. Though not as powerful as with the Sword Spirit¡¯s possession, it should be sufficient for a Level 2 breakthrough secret realm. ¡°Alright, alright, one cat taking care of two kids, huh?¡± Manager Ying finally gave in. However, it didn¡¯t outright refuse since it eagerly anticipated Lu Ran¡¯s potential. This guy always managed to surprise it. It wanted to see what this illegitimate child of Infinite City would achieve in the uing breakthrough secret realm. As Lu Ran prepared to enter the new breakthrough secret realm, he began making arrangements in the outside world to ensure the month wouldn¡¯t be wasted. For example, when he emerges from the secret realm, Dark Crow will have reached level 40 and be able to fuse with its Flock of Crows trait. At that point, all those ordinary crows would be part of itsbat power, so naturally, they couldn¡¯t just rx during this month; they needed rigorous training. To cultivate these crows, Lu Ran nned to use a secret realm card right away and develop a real-world secret realm in the Green Sea. Then, he would spend arge sum of crystal coins to transform this real-world secret realm into a ¡°Bird¡¯s Nest¡± where these crows could roost. First, he would change their living environment. As for their diet, Lu Ran also intended to set aside a significant amount of crystal coins and ask Manager Ying to help with the procurement. ¡°Big King,¡± he said. ¡°Currently, the total number of the Flock of Crows is 5,173.¡± ¡°There are 520 crows above level 10.¡± ¡°There are 12 crows above level 20.¡± ¡°Among them, 90% are awakened with wind attributes.¡± ¡°The remaining crows mostly have other ordinary attributes.¡± ¡°The more powerful ones include five crows with dark attributes like mine and seven with mental attributes.¡± ¡°Five thousand? Already?¡± On the day he heard Dark Crow¡¯s report, Lu Ran was astonished. ¡°Have you gathered every supernatural crow in the province?¡± Lu Ran asked. Dark Crow pped its wings vigorously, ¡°Not quite, but Big King, should I proceed with such a n?¡± Its eyes sharpened. ¡°Forget it¡­ for now, these will be enough,¡± Lu Ran decided. Chapter 243: Re-entering, Breakthrough Secret Realm! ¡°Let me think.¡± Facing such a massive army of Crows, Lu Ran still found it a bit headache-inducing. For a moment, he wasn¡¯t sure how best to nurture them. If they were all dark or mental attributes, it would have been easier, as these attributes match the dark crow, making it simpler to manage and nurture. Matching attributes ensure the legion skill¡¯s power can be maximized. But there¡¯s no help for it ¨C dark and mental are rare attributes. With 90% being wind attributes, there are only two options to perfect the dark crow¡¯s management. Either awaken wind attributes in the dark crow, or awaken mental and dark attributes in the ordinary crows. Needless to say, Lu Ran would definitely choose thetter.¡°Those 12 elite crows that have awakened dark and mental attributes must be given special attention.¡± ¡°In the future, for those innately having mental attributes, buy them dark awakening resources. For those with dark attributes, buy them mental awakening resources.¡± ¡°These 12 have talents and potential close to yours. Arrange them properly.¡± Lu Ran looked at the dark crow and said. ¡°Understood!!!¡± the dark crow responded without hesitation. These twelve would be its close confidants! ¡°As for the rest, regardless of their innate attributes, let¡¯s focus on the mental attribute,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°First, filter out those with good potential.¡± ¡°I will have the beast taming team and the Jiao Dragon team from Lujia Vige farm the secret realms for ¡®mental awakening resources¡¯ a few more times every day.¡± ¡°When the resources burst forth, they will be used to awaken mental attributes in them.¡± As for why not choose dark attributes first, it¡¯s because therge number of dark awakening resources would be difficult to obtain. Unlike mental awakening resources, which can be acquired through level 1 abyss secret realm, and can be reliably gathered by the Lujia Vige and Jiao Dragon teams. This not only trains them but also yields arge amount of resources. ¡°Big King, do I need to leave two clones again this time?!¡± the dark crow asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Leave two necromancy clones. You can use a clone tomunicate with Manager Ying on how to nurture these crows.¡± ¡°The two main bodies wille with me into the secret realm.¡± ¡­ After a moment, Lu Ran arrived at the mountain behind Maple Park. Instead of choosing Emerald Mountain as the location to open the secret realm, he opted for this ce, which was closer to his home. The main reason was that this was the ce where he first met the dark crow, making it uniquely significant. In the dense forest, Lu Ran took out the secret realm card and activated it directly. [Would you like to open a secret realm space here?] Yes. Lu Ran confirmed, and the secret realm card diffused a faint glow which then burned like a me, consuming the card entirely. Subsequently, the ashen remnants of the burn reshaped into a new ck card. [Name]: Exclusive Secret Realm Card [Introduction]: An exclusive secret realm card for a specific real-world secret realm. It can transform a designated item into a secret realm key. With the key, the holder can ¡°close the secret realm¡± and ¡°open the secret realm.¡± As the key card formed, a dimensional portal appeared before Lu Ran. It was circr, with a surface shimmering like ake, glimmering with hues of ck, purple, blue, pink, and white, connecting to another dimension. ¡°Caw!!¡± Lu Ran looked at the dark crow, which immediately plucked one of its feathers. After receiving the feather, Lu Ran transformed it into a secret realm key and handed it back to the dark crow. From now on, the control of this secret realm would be entrusted to the dark crow. ¡°Do a good job!¡± Afterward, Lu Ran stepped into the secret realm. Its size was roughly that of a small town, notrge but sufficient. The newly opened secret realm was still barren, but the concentration of spiritual energy inside was indeed rich. With appropriate nting of specific attribute spiritual nts, the environment inside would soon be revitalized. For instance, nting fire attribute spiritual nts could quickly turn the secret realm into a natural environment rich in fire energy, making it ideal for the growth of fire attribute pet beasts. However, since this was meant to be a habitat for the flock of crows, Lu Ran would definitely need to modify it to focus on wind, mental, and dark attributes¡­ Hmm, on second thought, the scene might look a bit off. Now staring at the deste secret realm, Lu Ran guessed that in a month, it might turn into an extremely eerie ce. For the modifications to the secret realm, Lu Ran nned to contact the professor who had given him the sword grass and ask for his assistance. It took roughly a day, but Lu Ran managed to arrange everything and also prepared arge amount of Loong-type cuisine and soul cuisine. With everything set, he could head to the breakthrough secret realm without any worries. ¡­ ¡°Manager Ying, I¡¯m leaving now. I¡¯ll leave everything in your hands.¡± Before leaving, Lu Ran once again greeted Manager Ying. At this moment, the weather elf floated to its left, while the winter sword spirit hovered to its right. A newly born elemental creature and a necromancy creature only a few days old weremunicating across Manager Ying¡¯s head, one going ¡°pitter-patter!¡± and the other going ¡°woof!¡±-neither understanding a word of what the other was saying. Seeing the look of despair on Manager Ying¡¯s face, Lu Ran cleared his throat. Just as he was about to make a quick exit, Manager Ying grumbled, ¡°Wait a minute!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran paused the teleportation and looked at it, asking, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This is for you.¡± It irritably tossed a box at him. ¡°Ethereal flower, space awakening resource.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°You managed to get it this quickly?¡± ¡°Hmph, while it¡¯s rare, it¡¯s easier to find than the unique traits and skills suitable for you.¡± ¡°This is more expensive than the queen ant egg, right?¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°Should I make up the price difference for you?¡± ¡°No need.¡± Manager Ying turned its head. ¡°Gu Qingyi and I got this together, so I didn¡¯t lose out. Just focus on nurturing Gu Qingyi¡¯s pet beast after youe back from the secret realm.¡± ¡°With your Dragon Cuisine and Dragon Soul cultivation method, she might even make it to the top ten.¡± ¡°No problem at all.¡± Lu Ran weighed the box before cing it into his card pouch. ¡°Also, give my thanks to Dr. Gu. Alright, I¡¯m off.¡± ¡°Cloud baby, corpse dog, be sure to listen to Manager Ying. I¡¯ll be back in a month-¡° After saying that, Lu Ran disappeared on the spot, ignoring the expectant looks from the weather elf and the winter sword spirit. ¡­ Infinite City No. 3, Passerby A¡¯s personal room. This was Lu Ran¡¯s third attempt entering the breakthrough secret realm, and he had been eagerly anticipating it for a long time. Approaching the pir tform, he activated the interface and opened the secret realm. [Name: Breakthrough Secret Realm] [Secret Realm Level: Level 2] [Difficulty: Unknown] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 0] [Introduction: You will enter an unknown world and undergo breakthrough trials.] ¡°Let¡¯s do this,¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath. ¡°But I¡¯m not sure how long the matchmaking will take.¡± He guessed that this time period likely didn¡¯t have many people queuing for Level 2 secret realms. Among the Fourth Generation beast tamers, most were still at the apprentice or Level 1 stages. Very few had reached Level 2. In the Third and Second Generations, there might be some lifestyle-focused beastmasters still at Level 2. However, their numbers were very limited, making it unlikely to match with someone quickly. ¡°Please don¡¯t let this take days¡­¡± Lu Ran prayed. [Would you like to enter the breakthrough secret realm?] ¡°Yes.¡± [Matching you with a suitable breakthrough secret realm¡­] [Secret realm matching¡­] [Please Wait¡­] [Estimated wait time: 1s¡­] Lu Ran: ¡°???¡± ¡°Again, one second?¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡± ¡°Are there really that many Level 2 beastmasters entering the breakthrough secret realm at this time?¡± Lu Ran was baffled. But soon, his expression changed. [Match sessful.] [Secret Realm Type: Multiyer Secret Realm, Cross-World Secret Realm (You have been matched with beastmasters from another world¡¯s Infinite City).] [Teleport Countdown 10¡­9¡­8¡­] ¡°Wait, what the heck? Cross-World Secret Realm?¡± During the ten-second teleport countdown, Lu Ran stared at the words ¡°Cross-World¡± in the secret realm type section, momentarily stunned. Damn. Damn! In the brief moments, Lu Ran¡¯s mind raced in confusion, then swiftly began analyzing the situation. ¡°What the heck is going on!¡± Seeing the ¡°Cross-World Secret Realm,¡± Lu Ran quickly recalled the recent announcement about the world battle feature just updated in Blue Star¡¯s Infinite City. Originally, many beastmasters on Blue Star spected that the opponents they¡¯d face would only be projections of powerful figures from a certain era on the Star-Moon Continent. However, things appeared to be far moreplicated. It might be exactly as Manager Ying and Lu Ran had surmised-the possibility that there are other worlds around Blue Star, and that these other worlds were also selected by Infinite City, turning some individuals into Infinite City beastmasters. It¡¯s highly likely that this other world is the Star-Moon Continent developed to a modern stage. Blue Star¡¯s opponents are real living creatures, not mere projections! ¡°Am I the only one who got matched with beastmasters from another world¡¯s Infinite City, or can all beastmasters on Blue Star get matched as well? Is this preparing us for the uing world battle by allowing cross-server matchmaking to let both sides understand each other beforehand?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, Infinite City truly is a massive server epassing at least two worlds.¡± ¡°I wonder if the Level 2 beastmasters from the other world are strong. Will I get utterly beaten¡­¡± Lu Ran could only wait until he left the secret realm in a month to find out if others could match with other world beastmasters. The ten-second countdown quickly ended, and Lu Ran was teleported away. Buzz! In a nket of darkness, a further introduction to the secret realm slowly emerged. Lu Ran listened carefully as phantom-like text appeared before his eyes. [Teleporting¡­] [Target Location: Divine Tree Continent, Tree Realm City] [Era Introduction: In ancient times, the world was wild and untamed. Humans and various ferocious beasts coexisted on thisnd. Using the ¡°Beast Taming Power,¡± humans quickly gained the strength to rival ferocious beasts. To strengthen their own species, humans and ferocious beasts began an endless struggle for the continent¡¯s resources, severely damaging the natural environment. Rare nt resources became extinct due to excessive harvesting. Until one day, the world¡¯s rules changed: on this continent, flowers, grasses, trees, and all other nts suddenly gained sapience and demonstrated greater evolutionary potential than humans or ferocious beasts. Resource-type nts drastically decreased, while ferocious nt species surged. With continuous nt evolution, various fierce beasts, including humans, quickly became food for the ferocious nts. To survive, some humans researched methods to contract ferocious nts and became ¡°ntmasters,¡± turning the tables on ferocious beasts and using them as nourishment for the nts. Thus, the beastmasters declined, and ntmasters became the maind¡¯s mainstream. Tree Realm City. One of the super main cities in the human activity area, it houses various beast taming families and nt taming families. Although the beastmasters have declined, there are still some ancient beast taming forces that have preserved their legacies and have not given up on their heritage.] In the dark, Lu Ran was slightly stunned. Divine Tree Continent-Isn¡¯t this the world of nt pet beasts? This time¡­ Have Ie to the nt world??? [Breakthrough Task: Achieve a ranking within the top thirty-two in the nt Beast Championship regrly held in Tree Realm City!] [Prompt 1: The nt Beast Championship is arge-scale tournament jointly organized by various factions in Tree Realm City. The contestants are primarily the younger generation from surrounding powers, and it is the main stage forparing the two supernatural schools of nt taming and beast taming.] [Prompt 2: This secret realm is a historical projection¡­] Chapter 244: Beastmaster from Another World Divine Tree Continent, Tree Realm City. A citypletely intertwined with nature. Except for a few particrlyrge buildings, many shops and residences are almost all built on trees. The roadside is also filled with spiritual nts continually exuding nature force, nurturing the breath of life in this super main city. After the familiar Prompt Tone ended, Lu Ran opened his eyes and found himself outside a treehouse, standing in a long line. [So this is the Divine Tree Continent.] Due to cultural differences, the architectural style of this nt world was worlds apart from the Star-Moon Continent and Blue Star Continent that Lu Ran was familiar with. Feeling disoriented, Lu Ran quickly suppressed any feelings of surprise or shock and dly epted the breakthrough secret realm arranged for him by Infinite City. Lu Ran quickly recalled information about the nt world, Divine Tree Continent.Unlike the Star-Moon Continent, where Beast Taming Power was explicitly researched and developed by the First emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, the origin of Beast Taming Power on the Divine Tree Continent is not clearly documented. It only records that the upation of ntmaster was pioneered and improved by someone. Furthermore, on the Divine Tree Continent, there is no concept of nations; cities are the main human settlements. Top-level experts in the cities protect the weak, while ordinary people serve as cheapbor, acting as the city¡¯s gardeners and creating a good cultivation environment for the strong¡­ Due to limited exploration of the Divine Tree Continent by the Blue Star, Lu Ran could only find scant information in his mind. However, this did not affect Lu Ran¡¯s ns foring here. In this breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran had three main objectives. First, perfectlyplete the breakthrough task, receive an SSS rating, and obtain the best reward. Second, find a spatial item that can hold living creatures and be carried. Third, learn about advanced techniques like thebination domain, and teach domain power to both the sudden death king and the dark crow. Lu Ran could pursue these three goals in any world. The cultivation system of the Divine Tree Continent isn¡¯t fundamentally different from that of the Star-Moon Continent. This has led some to specte that the Divine Tree Continent is merely the Star-Moon Continent in a different era. In any case, now that Lu Ran was on the Divine Tree Continent, aside from his three main objectives, it seemed he had a new goal. ¡°Didn¡¯t I promise Fang Lan that if I ever entered the nt world, I would find her the top-level ferocious nt?¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°When I said that, who would have thought I¡¯d actually end up in such a niche nt world?¡± Lu Ran was feeling overwhelmed. If he had known he would end up in the nt world, he wouldn¡¯t have made that promise so easily. It¡¯s not that he didn¡¯t want to find one for Fang Lan, but it might not be easy and would likely require a lot of effort. ¡°But on the other hand,¡± Lu Ran thought of the Sword Nourishing Pot, also known as the Spirit Transformation Pot, housing the sword grass. This time, the sword grass was essentiallying back home. Hadn¡¯t he always been looking for a way to help the sword grass achieve sapience? On the Blue Star, he¡¯d researched for a long time without finding a solution. Maybe now, in contact with some advanced ntmasters on the Divine Tree Continent, he could find the method for awakening. However, there was one thing Lu Ran needed to keep in mind: the secret realm type this time wasn¡¯t faction-based. If he died in this breakthrough secret realm, he would really die and wouldn¡¯t be resurrected. Moreover, among the challengers were other beastmasters from Infinite City in different worlds. He couldn¡¯t be as reckless as he was in the level 1 breakthrough secret realm. Whether facing other challengers or powerful beings within the secret realm, he needed to be exceedingly careful; failure was not an option. After contemting for a while, Lu Ran looked around. Various sounds kept ringing in his ears. ¡°There are really a lot of people signing up this time. Where are you from, brother?¡± ¡°Hundred Flower City? Wow, that¡¯s quite far from here. I¡¯m from Wisteria City.¡± ¡­ ¡°Did you hear? The prize for winning the championship this time is said to be provided by the City Lord himself.¡± ¡°That legendary ntmaster? Really?¡± ¡­ ¡°The registration site for the nt Beast Championship,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself. Judging by the scene, it was clear that participants weren¡¯t only locals from Tree Realm City. Geniuses from several small towns around Tree Realm City had also started to gather. So, what about his identity? He took out a letter he had been holding and opened it for a look. It was a letter of rmendation for the nt Beast Championship. Rmended by the Beast Taming Hall? What the heck is this ce? ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Lu Ran recalled the earlier prompt. [Prompt 4: Beast Taming Hall, an organization from the Ancient era, whose members travel across the Divine Tree Continent seeking ways for beastmasters to survive in this new era.] Ah, it turns out his identity is as a member of a mysterious faction. Is there no more information? Forget it; just handing in the letter should suffice. After all, the identities arranged by Infinite City usually posed no problems unless a challenger acted foolishly¡­ While figuring out his identity, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t idle with his eyes. He saw quite a few people in peculiar outfits-some ntmasters dressed like primitive people in grass clothes, others in revealing grass skirts with fiery figures, but most wore normal cloth clothing or fur armor. However, these people weren¡¯t his main focus. Though Lu Ran appeared to be looking down, thanks to Super Beast Mimicry, his eyes could now perceive, much like the Evil God¡¯s Eye of the dark crow, providing him with a 360¡ã field of view. This made it easy for him to keep an eye on the vast surroundings. Lu Ran quickly realized through details such as clothing, conversation, and expressions that there were three other challengers in the line, just like him! He was so certain not only because these three stood out from the rest but also due to another reason-they too were holding letters of rmendation¡­ ¡°These three¡­¡± The three individuals were all of East Asian descent, two males and one female. As Lu Ran observed, he noticed that their mannerisms and attire were very simr to those of students. Moreover, one of the males and the female, based on their eyes, appeared filled with a mix of apprehension, nervousness, and disbelief. What were they so astonished about? Could they be shocked that they¡¯ve been matched with beastmasters from another world? ¡°Are these three really beastmasters from another world? If so, then there¡¯s no need to overthink it. The people I¡¯ve been matched with might not necessarily be strong; while other worlds might have powerful individuals, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll meet them right away¡­¡± ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t afford to be careless.¡± Lu Ran paid special attention to the only one among the three with a calm demeanor, a youth who seemed much moreposed than the other two. However, this guy seemed younger than Lu Ran, probably only around fifteen or sixteen years old. It was hard to take someone that age seriously. When Lu Ran was observing him, the youth, who had a somewhat handsome face and an aggressive look in his eyes, slowly raised his head as if sensing someone was watching him. Seeing this, Lu Ran averted his gaze and handed his letter of rmendation to the woman at the treehouse window. It was his turn. The next moment, upon seeing the content and symbol on the letter, the registration clerk visibly showed a surprised expression. ¡°Lu Ran, age 18, representing the Beast Taming Hall.¡± ¡°Alright, registration isplete. The preliminary round will begin in seven days. Please arrive at the specified location on time.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With his registrationplete, Lu Ran left, nning to find a ce to stay. Although he didn¡¯t have the currency of this world, he had resources. Selling some would easily cover his amodation. Meanwhile. The other three challengers alsopleted their registration at other windows. Recognizing each other as fellowpatriots, they quickly made introductions. ¡°You¡¯re Liu Man from the neighboring campus?¡± ¡°And you¡¯re Jiang Ming, the guy with the dragon?¡± The two exchanged nces, slightly surprised, clearly familiar with each other¡¯s identities. Soon, however, they noticed the other young man and approached him in astonishment. ¡°Yu Rui, is that you?¡± The youth, who appeared even younger than Lu Ran, frowned upon seeing the two. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°It really is you!¡± The two seemed to have found their cornerstone. ¡°We¡¯re students from Star-Moon University.¡± ¡°Did you hear the Prompt Tone just now? We¡¯ve been matched with beastmasters from another world!¡± ¡°Another world has an Infinite City too! How amazing is that!¡± ¡°I heard it,¡± the young man named Yu Rui nodded. ¡°What¡¯s so strange about that?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they just update the world battle themed event a few days ago? There were a lot of analyses about it,¡± Liu Man remarked. ¡°But meeting others from another world directly in the breakthrough secret realm is still quite surprising. What kind of beings will they be? Will they look like us? Or be monsters with human bodies and beast heads?¡± ¡°Are we enemies, or what?¡± Despite being older than Yu Rui, the man and woman who imed to be from Star-Moon University seemed very concerned about Yu Rui¡¯s opinions. Yu Rui looked in the direction where Lu Ran had left and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already noticed the other party. If there¡¯s any difference, it shouldn¡¯t be much. Also, they should have noticed us too.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t sensed any hostility so far¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, this isn¡¯t the ce to talk. Let¡¯s find a quieter spot,¡± Yu Rui said while biting his lower lip, recalling Lu Ran¡¯s breath earlier, feeling somewhat unsettled. Liu Man and Jiang Ming nodded, and soon the trio found an inn and rented a private room. ¡°Rui-Ge.¡± ¡°Should we make contact with that other world beastmaster?¡± Jiang Ming asked. ¡°Should we catch them and interrogate them for intelligence about their side?¡± Yu Rui looked at him and said, ¡°I advise against that. I have a feeling that the other party isn¡¯t simple.¡± ¡°Even though you two are elites from Star-Moon University, you might not be a match for him.¡± Jiang Mingughed. ¡°That¡¯s why we have you¡­¡± The two people looked at the young man in front of them with strange expressions. Their differing attitudes toward him were because this boy¡¯s father was a legendary ntmaster, and at such a young age, he had already cultivated a pet nt of the overlord species. Even as top students of Star-Moon University, they appeared quite mediocre inparison to this top-level second-generation beastmaster. In Jiang Ming¡¯s eyes, no matter how strong Lu Ran might be, he was just a level 2 beastmaster. Could he really be more formidable than Yu Rui standing before them? ¡°Let¡¯s drop it.¡± ¡°Before the other side shows any hostility, let¡¯s just watch and wait. Our primary goal is toplete the breakthrough task,¡± Yu Rui said. ¡°When the nt Beast Championship starts, we¡¯ll get a better sense of the other party¡¯s strength. Only then can we decide our next move.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jiang Ming nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll follow Rui-Ge¡¯s lead then.¡± ¡°But what exactly is Infinite City? Not only did it send us to the past, it even connects with another world.¡± ¡°Who knows,¡± Liu Man said. ¡°But the appearance of Infinite City has definitely breathed new life into our long-stagnant beast taming civilization, so I guess that¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°Rui-Ge, do you know what Infinite City is about?¡± Liu Man looked hopefully at the much younger boy, clearly indicating that their world, like Blue Star, had no understanding of Infinite City¡¯s origins either. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, just call me Yu Rui,¡± the young man said thoughtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± ¡°But my dad spectes that Infinite City might have something to do with the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons and the disaster recorded in history.¡± Chapter 245: Dog with Grass in Its Mouth Chapter 245: Dog with Grass in Its Mouth At the same time. Somewhere in Tree Realm City. Lu Ran also found an inn and checked in. At the moment, like everyone else, Lu Ran was eager to understand the situation in the other world. He even considered having the dark crow eavesdrop from a distance using the Evil God¡¯s Eye. However, given the uncertain situation in Tree Realm City, Lu Ran dared not act rashly. On the Star-Moon Continent, the Evil God lineage was undoubtedly hated by all, and as for the Divine Tree Continent, Lu Ran was still unsure what the Evil God¡¯s power represented. Therefore, without a clear understanding of the situation and without a guaranteed way to save himself, he would not easily have the dark crow take action. If discovered by a local strongman, he would be done for. Since there was still plenty of time, Lu Ran decided to investigate slowly. Now, his main objective had expanded to include gathering as much intelligence as possible about the other world.Knock! Knock! Knock! Not long after entering the inn, although Lu Ran intended to first look for some books to understand the Divine Tree Continent and Tree Realm City, he hadn¡¯t even started when there was a knock at the door. ¡°Guest.¡± ¡°Are you there?¡± Lu Ran opened the door to see the innkeeper standing there with an apologetic look. The innkeeper said, ¡°Sorry to disturb you, but someone outside wishes to see you. They asked me to inform you.¡± ¡°See me? There must be a mistake,¡± Lu Ran said in surprise. Who could it be? It couldn¡¯t be those three beastmasters from the other world, right? ¡°No mistake.¡± ¡°Then lead the way.¡± Regardless of who it was, since someone had followed him, Lu Ran definitely wanted to meet them. He said this and then followed the innkeeper downstairs. Soon, he saw a young man dressed in fine clothes smiling and approaching him. This person was clearly not a challenger. Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t know his background, it soon became clear after he introduced himself. ¡°Are you Lu Ran, Your Excellency?¡± ¡°I am Shi Ze from the dog taming family of Tree Realm City¡­¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± Lu Ran raised an eyebrow. Dog taming family? What a coincidence, I alsoe from a dog taming n! ¡°I would like to invite Your Excellency Lu Ran to visit my home,¡± Shi Ze said with a smile. ¡°There are very few beastmasters left now. I heard that you came from the Beast Taming Hall and traveled a long way to register for the nt Beast Championship. I want to extend our local hospitality.¡± ¡°The environment at these inns is somewhat inadequate and not suitable for Your Excellency to prepare for the tournament.¡± The news traveled quickly¡­ The dog taming family is probably one of the organizers of the nt Beast Championship; otherwise, they couldn¡¯t have gathered his intelligence so quickly and sent an invitation immediately. ¡°Alright, then I won¡¯t stand on ceremony,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Thank you.¡± For such matters, Lu Ran naturally wouldn¡¯t be reserved. Staying in the inn indefinitely would limit the information he could ess. Having contact with local powers wouldn¡¯t hurt. ¡°You are quite straightforward,¡± Shi Ze said, pleased at how easily he had extended the invitation to Lu Ran. The Beast Taming Hall is one of the few top-level beast taming legacies left on the Divine Tree Continent. Since Lu Ran came from there, his strength must be substantial. The beast taming lineage is weak now, so it¡¯s necessary to unite all the forces they can and support each other to survive on the Divine Tree Continent. ¡­ Not long after, Lu Ran left the inn and headed to the Shi Family with Shi Ze. Along the way, Shi Ze briefed Lu Ran about the situation in Tree Realm City. ¡°Tree Realm City is divided among nine major families.¡± ¡°Among them, six are mainly focused on nt mastery, and three are based on beast taming.¡± ¡°Our Shi Family is one of the three beast taming families, primarily specializing in canine beasts.¡± ¡°Apart from the nine major families, the City Lord¡¯s Mansion is thergest force in Tree Realm City. The City Lord herself is a legendary ntmaster and the strongest person in Tree Realm City.¡± ¡°The nt Beast Championship was originally her idea.¡± Walking beside Shi Ze, Lu Ran responded with a curious ¡°Oh?¡± and asked, ¡°Aside from thepetition between nt life and ferocious beasts on the surface, is there any special significance to this tournament?¡± Shi Zeughed and said, ¡°As an outsider, you might not know. The main reason the City Lord initiated this tournament was due to her own inner conflict.¡± ¡°The City Lord actuallyes from a beast taming family. However, as the beast taming system declined, she ultimately chose to switch to nt Taming. It¡¯s said that the City Lord made this decision with great determination. Even after her switch, she never forgot her roots in beast taming.¡± ¡°Therefore, after she seized control of Tree Realm City, she didn¡¯t suppress the beast taming lineage like other major cities. Instead, she provided substantial support. For instance, this nt Beast Championship is meant to give our three beast taming families a chance topete for resources,¡± Shi Ze said with a sigh. ¡°The City Lord is a good person.¡± Lu Ran asked curiously, ¡°What¡¯s there to be nostalgic about? If nt Taming is stronger, then just choose nt Taming. If that doesn¡¯t work, why not dual-cultivation?¡± Shi Ze looked at Lu Ran in surprise, not understanding why he would say such a thing. He asked, ¡°Then why did you choose beast taming over nt Taming?¡± Lu Ran replied earnestly, ¡°Because my beast pets are very strong. Ordinary nt pets are no match for them, so I chose beast taming.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s straightforward reasoning left Shi Ze momentarily speechless. It made too much sense to refute. Afterposing himself, Shi Ze said: ¡°These days, those in the beast taming lineage persist more out of a sense of tradition and heritage. Take our family, for example. We¡¯ve been involved in beast taming for hundreds of years, passing down aplete Dog Taming system. To suddenly switch to nt Taming would be a betrayal of our ancestors¡¯ legacy.¡± ¡°The City Lord is probably the same way. Coming from a beast taming family yet abandoning her inherited skill to study something else, she might be feeling a bit nostalgic. Deeply ingrained beliefs are hard to change. There¡¯s always been a rumor that the City Lord is looking for a genius adept at beast taming to mentor and continue her family¡¯s beast taming legacy.¡± ¡°Of course, not all beast taming powers are like what I described. Many are actively transitioning to nt Taming. The problem is, some families have aplete beast taming legacy and strong beast taming skills, but theyck any experience with nt Taming.¡± ¡°Rashly switching to nt Taming is akin to gambling. If it seeds, you be stronger. But if it fails, you might end up worse off than you are now.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s really a battle between innovation and tradition.¡± ¡°As for dual-cultivation, that¡¯s even less feasible. The Beast Taming Space suitable for beast pets and the nt Taming Space suitable for nt life are not interchangeable.¡± ¡°Well, Lu Ran, you probably don¡¯t have to worry about any of this. The Beast Taming Hall is a top-level legacy in the beast taming system. Even if the overall talent and potential of nt pets surpass those of beast pets, this is only true for the average person. The beast pets cultivated by the Beast Taming Hall should easily overpower ordinary nt pets in terms ofbat strength,¡± Shi Ze said, looking at Lu Ran with anticipation. ¡°Lu Ran, why not represent our Shi Family in the tournament this time?¡± ¡°Although the nt Beast Championship wees participants from various forces, it¡¯s essentially apetition among the nine major families of Tree Realm City for rted interests. If you represent the Beast Taming Hall, even with a good performance, it would mostly bring some fame. But the Beast Taming Hall is already very well-known and doesn¡¯t really need such rankings to prove itself.¡± ¡°But our Shi Family is different. If youpete on our behalf and achieve good results, we can gain tangible benefits, like territory or mining rights in secret realms.¡± ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t ask you topete for us without offering something in return. Regardless of the results, we will give you a generous gift. If your performance is outstanding, the benefits our Shi Family gains will be shared with you. How about it?¡± As the conversation deepened, Shi Ze began to reveal his true intention in inviting Lu Ran-to have him represent the Shi Family in the nt Beast Championship. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too surprised. He shrugged and said, ¡°Shi-Ge, I¡¯m indeed not bound to represent the Beast Taming Hall. However, I¡¯m not part of your Shi Family either, and doing this would be like cheating.¡± Seeing that Lu Ran wasn¡¯t opposed to the idea, Shi Ze¡¯s face lit up with joy. ¡°Ah, what¡¯s the big deal? It¡¯s all permitted within the rules.¡± ¡°Moreover, if you¡¯re still concerned, I have a cousin, an exceptional beauty with remarkable talent¡­¡± ¡°No need for that,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Since it¡¯s allowed by the rules, I don¡¯t mind. As long as the Shi Family treats me fairly, I¡¯m fine with representing you in the tournament.¡± ¡°Refreshing!!¡± Shi Ze was on the verge of tears, impressed by Lu Ran¡¯s straightforward and unpretentious nature, unabashedly mentioning benefits. Speaking with someone like Lu Ran felt veryfortable for Shi Ze. However, he still had some doubts about Lu Ran¡¯s actual strength and the extent of the benefits he could secure for the Shi Family. Given his background with the Beast Taming Hall, Lu Ran¡¯s strength shouldn¡¯t be weak, right? ¡°Rest assured, we won¡¯t let you suffer any losses. By the way, what would you like in return, and what results do you expect to achieve in the nt Beast Championship?¡± Lu Ran thought for a moment and then looked at Shi Ze, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll likely make it to the top 32, maybe even top 16.¡± ¡°As for specific results, I can¡¯t say for sure. I¡¯m not very familiar with the nt Beast Championship. Shi Ze, could you fill me in on pastpetitions?¡± ¡°Top 16? That¡¯s already pretty good!¡± Shi Ze seemed fairly satisfied upon hearing this. It appeared Lu Ran had confidence in his own abilities. Lu Ran¡¯s certainty about making it to the top 16 was due to the breakthrough task requirement being at least the top 32. He believed that with his strength, he shouldn¡¯t have any difficulty passing the breakthrough task. Infinite City wouldn¡¯t issue a breakthrough task that was impossible for the challenger toplete. If it was issued, it meant that it was a difficulty level achievable by a level 2 beastmaster. Since the breakthrough task¡¯s threshold was the top 32, Lu Ran felt confident he could easily make it to the top 32. Given that his strength was a bit above that of a typical level 2 beastmaster, mentioning the top 16 in a modest way seemed reasonable. Shi Ze continued, ¡°Here¡¯s the thing. The nt Beast Championship has an age limit of 25 and under, so the overall level isn¡¯t that high. Last year¡¯s winner was a level 4 ntmaster who owned a level 41 upper sovereign species nt pet.¡± ¡°In past tournaments, participants who made it to the top 16 were generally level 3 beastmasters with pet beasts around level 35.¡± ¡°By the way, Lu Ran, I haven¡¯t asked about your strength yet¡­¡± ¡°All the past top 16 participants were level 3 beastmasters?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°And the champion was a level 4 beastmaster?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Lu Ran?¡± Shi Ze asked, noticing the surprised look on Lu Ran¡¯s face and suddenly getting a bad feeling. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m only level 2. This just got more challenging,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. Shi Ze: ??? ¡°But it¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Lu Ran continued. ¡°My beast pets are strong. Fighting above my level should be fine.¡± ¡°Wait, you¡¯re only level 2???¡± Shi Ze was dumbfounded. ¡°Yep,¡± Lu Ran said with a cheerful smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ordinary level 3 beastmasters won¡¯t be a match for me.¡± Even a level 4 beastmaster wouldn¡¯t be too frightening as long as their pet beast was just a sovereign species. His goal was definitely an SSS rating, and to achieve that, he would need to win the championship, which involved defeating a level 4 beastmaster. ¡°Alright, alright then¡­¡± Seeing Lu Ran¡¯s confidence, Shi Ze couldn¡¯t argue further. After all, Lu Ran came from a top-level beast taming force, so questioning his abilities wouldn¡¯t be appropriate. ¡°So, is there anything else you need¡­¡± Shi Ze asked with a wry smile. ¡°Yes, there is. If I want to find a way to help unawakened ferocious nts gain Sapience, does the Shi Family have anything like that?¡± Lu Ran inquired. ¡°This?¡± Shi Ze waspletely puzzled. ¡°We don¡¯t have that, to be honest.¡± ¡°If you want postpartum care for a female dog, we¡¯re good at that. But nts¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a beastmaster?¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°nt pets are very powerful too. It¡¯s worth understanding them. And who says a beastmaster can¡¯t study ferocious nts?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of ¡®Dog with Grass in Its Mouth¡¯? It¡¯s a single de of grass that can conquer the sun, moon, and stars. At Beast Taming Hall, we¡¯ve also been undergoing some innovations recently.¡± Shi Ze: ??? He suddenly felt that the beastmasters from Beast Taming Hall were not what he had imagined! Chapter 246: Divine Tree Dog with Grass in Its Mouth¡­ What a mess. A dog fighting with a de of grass in its mouth? Shi Ze shook his head, unable toprehend. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± ¡°A dog?¡± His eyes suddenly showed a look of surprise as he turned to Lu Ran beside him, ¡°Is your pet beast also a canine beast?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Ran nodded, ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention that?¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t. Haha, what a coincidence!¡± Shi Zeughed, ¡°Now that you¡¯re representing our Shi Family, it¡¯s even more convincing!¡±¡°I didn¡¯t expect it, another canine beast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s indeed fate. Speaking of which¡­ I have a cousin with the same surname Shi, named Shi Xia.¡± Lu Ran chuckled sentimentally. Fate is a strange thing, you can link anything if you¡¯re casual enough. ¡°Really?¡± Shi Ze was astonished, wasn¡¯t this too much of a coincidence. ¡°If your pet beast is also a canine beast, then we have a lot of topics to talk about.¡± Lu Ran rolled his eyes, ¡°I¡¯m not interested in postpartum care for a female dog.¡± ¡°Not just that!¡± ¡°Let me think, how about this, Lu Ran, when we arrive at our family¡¯s estate, I¡¯ll find someone to have a match with you.¡± ¡°That way, the elders can see your prowess.¡± ¡°This way, with seven days left before the bigpetition, we can provide you with some targeted war-preparation resources! Consider it our wee gift.¡± ¡°We are very skilled in training canine beasts in the Shi Family.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°Good! We¡¯re almost there.¡± Shi Ze looked ahead. The Shi Family estate was located in the southern part of Tree Realm City, covering hundreds of acres. On the carriage pulled by two Wind-chasing Horses, Shi Ze was full of anticipation. It didn¡¯t take long before they arrived at the gate of the Shi Family mansion. The main gate was wide open, leading straight to the inner courtyard. There was no one guarding the entrance, but two robust giant white dogs were lying there. As the carriage pulled by the Wind-chasing Horses approached, the two white guard dogs stood up, barking ¡°Woof woof woof¡± loudly. [Species]: Moonlight Dog [Attribute]: Light [Species level]: Lower Commander [Growth level]: Level 33 [Introduction]: A canine beast that grows under the moonlight. ¡°Woof woof!!¡± The giant dogs, although barking, didn¡¯t exude any hostility. Rather, it seemed like a weing gesture. After the carriage stopped at the gate, Lu Ran and Shi Ze got off. Shi Ze waved his hand, and the two Wind-chasing Horses turned around and walked away on their own. He then smiled and spoke to Lu Ran, ¡°These are our family¡¯s guard dogs. Every main gate has two of them.¡± ¡°Light attribute¡­¡± Lu Ran remarked with surprise, ¡°No wonder the Shi Family is reluctant to alter their training methods lightly. It seems you have a heritage in light attribute cultivation.¡± ¡°Haha, the bloodline of our family¡¯s canine species is said to be inherited from the legendary ¡®Moon Swallowing¡¯ canine. From supernatural to sovereign levels, they can increase their power by absorbing moonlight, making their training rtively easy.¡± Shi Zeughed, then sighed, ¡°Originally, this was a significant advantage, but who would have guessed that nt life would be even more unreasonable¡­¡± ¡°Any nt can grow by absorbing sunlight. In an instant, our advantage was shattered.¡± ¡°nt pet beasts are not only strong but also easy to cultivate. How can wepete with that!¡± Lu Ran: ? Are you talking about photosynthesis? ¡°But luckily, most nt life only absorbs nutrients from sunlight to grow. We still retain an edge-our pet beasts can use light elements to attack, which ordinary nts can¡¯t do.¡± Shi Ze smiled slightly, ¡°Be careful in the uing fight!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll first take you to the main hall to rest while I call the elders.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran nodded. Soon, under Shi Ze¡¯s guidance, they arrived at the reception hall. Along the way, many household servants addressed Shi Ze as ¡°young master,¡± indicating his significant status in the Shi Family. It was unclear whether he was the patriarch¡¯s offspring or an elder¡¯s. After the servants reported their arrival, a middle-aged man and two elders quickly made their way to the main hall. Upon seeing Lu Ran and Shi Ze chatting and drinking tea, theyughed heartily. ¡°Shi Ze, this must be the genius from Beast Taming Hall.¡± The family was naturally aware that Shi Ze had gone to fetch thepetition genius from Beast Taming Hall; it was, in fact, their idea. The Shi Family¡¯s strongest beastmaster was only level 6. In the face of Beast Taming Hall, a force with legendary beastmasters, they had to show some respect. One must say, the arrangement by Infinite City for this genius from Beast Taming Hall was quite impable. Even though Lu Ran himself was only level 2, his identity alone would deter ill-intentioned people from targeting him without considering the consequences. ¡°Indeed, Second Master, Third Master, Elder Uncle.¡± Shi Ze stood up respectfully and then introduced, ¡°This is Lu Ran from Beast Taming Hall. He has also cultivated a canine beast, which makes him quite connected to our family. Furthermore, he has agreed to represent the Shi Family in the nt Beast Championship¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! Wee to the Shi Family.¡± Upon hearing Shi Ze, the three men¡¯s faces blossomed with joyful smiles. ¡°Greetings, esteemed elders.¡± Lu Ran also smiled and bowed, showing proper courtesy without being overly formal. ¡°By the way, Second Master, Third Master, Elder Uncle,¡± Shi Ze continued, addressing the trio, ¡°Lu Ran has shown some interest in nt pets and previously asked me about methods for ¡®ferocious nts to awaken sapience.¡¯¡± ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t know much about this. Do any of you?¡± The lean elder looked at Lu Ran and asked, ¡°Are you interested in this, Your Excellency?¡± ¡°Do you know about it?¡± Lu Ran inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± The Shi Family¡¯s Second Elder shook his head, ¡°Ferocious nts on this continent have, since ancient times, mysteriously awakened sapience andpleted their evolution.¡± ¡°Although there isn¡¯t a specific method, I have heard a few theories.¡± ¡°Please, go ahead,¡± Lu Ran responded eagerly. ¡°These theories might sound familiar to you, but given your young age, perhaps you haven¡¯t heard all of them. Let me exin,¡± the Second Elder chuckled. ¡°One theory states that in the distant past, the legendary creatures ruling over this continent were all animal species.¡± ¡°They were the absolute rulers of thisnd.¡± ¡°Consequently, the evolution of animals on this continent proceeded much faster than that of other organisms.¡± ¡°But one day, a Divine Tree suddenly emerged, developing sapience. It suppressed countless legendary beast species, with its roots extending throughout the continent¡¯s ley lines, gaining control over the world.¡± ¡°The nts that evolved sapience did so because they received the Divine Tree¡¯s grace and blessings, enabling their evolution.¡± ¡°This is Theory 1. For nts to evolve, they can only rely on the Divine Tree¡¯s grace.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes widened. This theory was known on Blue Star as well. Many botanists firmly believed in it because spiritual nts on Blue Star could not develop sapience, while on the Divine Tree Continent, they could. The key difference, of course, was the presence of the Divine Tree in one ce and its absence in the other. ¡°And there is another theory,¡± the Second Elder continued, ¡°that the Divine Tree altered the world¡¯s rules, suppressing the evolution of other species while elerating the evolution of nt life. However, for nts toplete their evolution, they must still meet certain ¡®conditions¡¯. This means that each nt species requires different methods to awaken sapience, fulfilling the specific awakening conditions set by the Divine Tree.¡± ¡°This theory seems more reliable than the first,¡± he added. ¡°There¡¯s nomon method for awakening that I¡¯ve heard of, but I believe some top-level nt Taming Families should possess methods to help specific nts awaken sapience. However, such methods are closely guarded secrets, much like the beast taming methods we possess. They wouldn¡¯t share them with outsiders.¡± Specific awakening methods? That made sense. However, both theories tied everything back to the Divine Tree. The Divine Tree. It must be a legendary living creature. To have the continent named after it, its power must be formidable, possibly even rivaling the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons. But surely, it must be more powerful than the divine deer. After all, it is said to have single-handedly altered the world¡¯s bnce. ¡°Alright, thank you,¡± Lu Ran said, although he hadn¡¯t gained the information he was seeking. It seemed that to delve deeper, he would need to engage with top-level ntmasters. The City Lord of Tree Realm City was supposed to be a legendary ntmaster. Didn¡¯t Shi Ze mention that she had intentions of taking on a disciple? Lu Ran pondered whether he might take advantage of the uing breakthrough secret realm to be her apprentice. ¡°Are you looking to evolve a specific ferocious nt, Your Excellency?¡± A rtively portly elder asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied. After a moment of contemtion, he added, ¡°Have you heard of the long leaved sword grass?¡± ¡°Long leaved sword grass!!¡± Shi Ze¡¯s Elder Uncle, the stalwart man, eximed, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s known as the most top-tier ferocious nt among the sovereign species!¡± ¡°Even creatures from the Dragon n, if shed by it, are either dead or crippled. Its sharp body can even cut through space!¡± ¡°Once it awakens, it bes a powerful upper sovereign species ferocious nt!¡± ¡°Could it be that¡­¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran interrupted with a smile. ¡°During my travels across the continent, I discovered an unawakened long leaved sword grass and decided to dig it up.¡± ¡°I found that even in its unawakened state, the sword grass was incredibly sharp. Its offensive power surpassed the ws and teeth of my canine beast.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ve had my canine beast hold it in its mouth during battles.¡± ¡°And, it¡¯s surprisingly effective.¡± ¡°The Dog with Grass in Its Mouth technique is bing more and more refined.¡± ¡°Therefore, I began to wonder, is it possible tobine beast pet and nt pet approaches, with humans practicing beast taming, and beasts controlling nts?¡± ¡°Now, I really want to awaken the sword grass. If it awakens, my canine beast might be even stronger.¡± Everyone: ¡°???¡± ¡°Damn! So that¡¯s what Dog with Grass in Its Mouth means,¡± Shi Ze said, dumbfounded. ¡°Lu Ran, you¡¯re brave. Letting a pet beast fight with such a dangerous nt in its mouth, aren¡¯t you afraid the sword grass will identally cut the dog¡¯s head off?¡± ¡°No worries, my canine beast has excellent control over the sword grass,¡± Lu Ran replied cheerfully. ¡°A grass attribute canine beast?¡± Shi Ze¡¯s Elder Uncle asked in surprise, as such beasts are rare. ¡°Not exactly,¡± Lu Ran rified. ¡°But it masters the nt artistic conception, making it sort of a half grass attribute pet beast.¡± The reason General Ha, his canine beast, could control the sword grass so well was due to its weapon mastery trait. It perceives the sword grass as a weapon, but this is difficult to exin, so Lu Ran simply attributed it to nt artistic conception. ¡°This¡­¡± The elders exchanged nces. It was the first time they had seen someone make a pet beast fight while holding a sword grass. But, in essence, isn¡¯t this just like the traditional grass attribute pet beasts controlling nts? In reality, grass attribute pet beasts can manage ordinary nts but are incapable when ites to supernatural nts. This is because the level of control grass attribute pet beasts have over grass is always inferior to that of nt life. In the face of nt life, grass attribute pet beasts are like grandchildren, considered among the weakest attribute species in this nt age. ¡°This¡­¡± The Second Elder hesitated, skeptical about this cultivation method. He couldn¡¯t imagine it having anybat effectiveness, especially since Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast wasn¡¯t even of the grass attribute. It might still manage to use the sword grass now, but once the sword grass truly awakened, Lu Ran¡¯s dog might not be able to handle it anymore. Would a ferocious nt like the sword grass really let a dog control it? They couldn¡¯t envision it. At this moment, Shi Ze chuckled wryly and said, ¡°Lu Ran,e on, let¡¯s spar outside. Let me see how your pet beast actually fights.¡± Shi Ze believed that the truth muste from practice. He didn¡¯t want to find someone else to fight Lu Ran; he decided to step up himself. ¡°Sure,¡± Lu Ran agreed nonchntly. ¡­ Soon, everyone arrived at the battle arena in the back. The three heads of the Shi Family didn¡¯t stop the fight; they were also curious to see Lu Ran¡¯s strength. As more and more unconventional ideas came from Lu Ran¡¯s mouth, they grew increasingly suspicious of this so-called genius from the Beast Taming Hall. If it weren¡¯t for the blood-mark seal on the letter of rmendation, they might have doubted Lu Ran¡¯s true identity. In therge arena, marked by four pirs at each corner, Shi Ze was already eager to start. He found Lu Ran quite interesting. What he hadn¡¯t told Lu Ran was that he himself was a contestant in the nt Beast Championship and had made it to the top 32st year. Lu Ran imed to have the strength of someone ranked between 16 and 32. Whether that¡¯s true or not, a fight would quickly reveal the answer. ¡°I¡¯ll summon first.¡± ¡°Radiant Moon.¡± Standing in the arena, Shi Ze focused his mental strength, and an enormous summoning circle took shape on the ground. As white light spread, a giant canine beast, with a moon-shaped mark on its forehead, emerged, its blue eyes fixed on Lu Ran. ¡°Howl!!!!¡± [Name]: Moon Swallowing Dog [Attribute]: Light [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 35 At level 35, this middle sovereign Moon Swallowing Dog exuded a domineering energy worthy of a sovereign. But in the next moment, its imperious gaze wavered, and its pupils suddenly contracted. ¡°General Ha.¡± As Lu Ran finished speaking, he began to summon. Even Shi Ze appeared suddenly shocked. Because as Lu Ran summoned his pet beast, a soul-suppressing force emanated from deep within its bloodline, causing the Moon Swallowing Dog to tense up and its heart to race. This reaction transmitted to its beastmaster as well!! Boom!! A fierce cold wind spread, and General Ha appeared amidst swirling snow, its massive and imposing body several timesrger than the Moon Swallowing Dog. Although they didn¡¯t know what species General Ha was, seeing the Moon Swallowing Dog¡¯s fearful reaction, they instantly realized that this giant canine beast likely had a terrifyingly high species level. ¡°Howl~~~~¡± General Ha looked on calmly. ¡°An overlord species!!¡± Suddenly, Shi Ze¡¯s Second Master eximed in astonishment. His contracted beast pet clearly informed him of the nature of the giant canine beast before them. This, unbelievably, was an overlord species canine beast. It was worth noting that in the vast Tree Realm City, only the City Lord possessed a nt pet of the overlord species. And now, they had witnessed such a formidable pet beast owned by a level 2 beastmaster. Their gaze shifted to Lu Ran¡¯s smiling face, their hearts trembling. Something was off. This guy¡¯s background was definitely not as simple as just being a regr member of the Beast Taming Hall! Chapter 247: Death Forest ¡°An overlord?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? An overlord?!¡± The overlord species are so rare that even on the Star-Moon Continent or the Divine Tree Continent, ordinary beastmasters can¡¯t hope to encounter them. Usually, only Legendary level beastmasters can use overlord pet beasts as their standard. Even for non-legendary beastmasters, only super geniuses with the potential to be legendary or top-level second-generation beastmasters backed by legendary beastmasters have a chance to contract an overlord at lower levels. At this moment, Shi Ze¡¯s eyes widened with shock. This guy, he¡¯s definitely not a fake, absolutely from the Beast Taming Hall, and possibly the parents or master of Lu Ran are the legendary beastmasters within the hall. No way this is just an ordinary member of the Beast Taming Hall. Clearly, this is the young master from Beast Taming Hall out to train! Everyone¡¯s attitude towards Lu Ran instantly elevated by several levels.In that instant, Shi Ze felt the trembling of his own pet beast¡¯s body and suddenly understood why Lu Ran dared to confidently challenge levels above his own. A level 30 overlord species can definitely contend with a level 40 sovereign species, fighting 10 levels above is no problem. Staring at the giant canine beast with its flowing blue and white fur, the crown of swords on its head, and a domineering face, Shi Ze was at a loss for words. But the next moment, several members of the Shi Family couldn¡¯t hold back. Seeing General Ha¡¯s stone-cold sharp teeth and ws, everyone knew without a doubt that this pet beast contained horrifying power within. Yet in this situation, Lu Ran casually took out a piece of sword grass and threw it into the air. The domineering giant canine, upon seeing the sword grass, disyed a remarkably intelligent look, leaped up, caught the sword grass, and struck a battle pose. Its momentum¡­ even seemed to rise. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°???¡± Are you guys insane! Even if sword grass awakens, it¡¯s just an upper sovereign at best! You¡¯re having an overlord beast fight with a mere upper sovereign level sword grass in its mouth, what¡¯s the point?! Also, why did this canine beast¡¯s momentum actually go up after catching the sword grass! Everyone was baffled! Everyone originally thought that Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast would at most be a sovereign species. That would at least make sense for it to be fighting with sword grass. But an overlord and sword grass¡­ how does that even work together? ¡°Bring it on!¡± At this moment, General Ha was fully geared up. Lu Ran looked at Shi Ze, whose mouth was twitching uncontrobly, unsure whether to let his Moon Swallowing Dog attack. One can easily guess with their gut that it¡¯s going to be a tough battle. ¡°Lu Ran, you attack.¡± Shi Ze¡¯s Moon Swallowing Dog solemnly conjured a moonlight shield to protect itself. Clearly, they gave up on the idea of ¡®sparring¡¯ and turned the fight purely into a ¡®test¡¯. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°General Ha, sword control!¡± Hearing themand, General Ha nced at its kin with a bored expression. As a dog, you¡¯re just like that Sudden Death King lizard, only knowing defense. How embarrassing! With a howl, the sword grass in its mouth was instantly swept up by a Gale and shot forward. In just a split second, the Moon Swallowing Dog¡¯s pupils contracted, its moonlight shield shattered into pieces, and the sword grass was just a step away from its head. The flying speed was so fast, even it, a light-type beast, couldn¡¯t react. No, more urately, the moment the sword grass attacked, its whole body went into a frenzy, unable to move due to the sword momentum¡¯s lock. Snap. Even though the sword grass didn¡¯t touch the Moon Swallowing Dog, a blood dot appeared on its forehead. A drop of blood trickled down. ¡°Howl~¡± The Moon Swallowing Dog rolled its eyes and voluntarily toppled over, indicating surrender. ¡°What kind of sword control is this?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a wind and ice dual-type dog, aren¡¯t you!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you wielding sword grass?!¡± Shi Ze and the others were left speechless. Under the sheer power of Lu Ran¡¯s beast pet, never mind wielding a piece of sword grass, even handling an ordinary foxtail grass would unleash an astonishing force. Now, he just wanted to say, whatever Lu Ran wanted to research, let him be happy with it. This isn¡¯t about making it to the top 16~32, considering this strength, getting to the top 8, 4, or even the finals isn¡¯t impossible! ¡°Thank you for letting me win,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°It¡¯spletely beyond us. If it were an overlord of another species, we might stand a chance. But the suppression from the same bloodline is too overwhelming,¡± Shi Ze said, his mouth still twitching. ¡°Lu Ran, you really kept that overlord pet beast a secret from me.¡± ¡°If I¡¯d known, I wouldn¡¯t have suggested sparring with you.¡± ¡°I did mention my pet beast is quite strong,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. ¡°At this level, it should be no problem for you to represent us in the battle, right?¡± ¡°No!! Of course, no problem!!¡± At this moment, even though their own genius had been thoroughly defeated, the Shi Family elder¡¯s eyes were filled with excitement as they looked at Lu Ran, their entire being practically trembling. A genius capable of contracting an overlord. What kind of luck had the Shi Family stumbled upon this year to encounter such a genius? Now, they no longer cared how Lu Ran wanted to nurture his pet beasts. That was no longer their concern as long as Lu Ran was happy. Their primary mission now was to ensure Lu Ran¡¯s happiness. ¡°Lu Ran, rest assured that we will mobilize the entire family¡¯s resources to help you find a way to awaken the sword grass¡¯s Sapience,¡± the Second Elder of the Shi Family said with a broad smile. ¡°We have some connections with a nt Taming Family. I¡¯ll visit them to see if they have any solutions.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Lu Ran said, sping his fists in gratitude. ¡°It¡¯s the least we can do, young man. Is there anything else you might need?¡± The two elders of the Shi Family had started calling Lu Ran ¡®young man,¡¯pletely disregarding seniority, leaving Shi Ze to roll his eyes nearby. It¡¯s no wonder the elders kept asking. Lu Ran¡¯s identity is likely very prestigious, and they weren¡¯t sure what resources would suffice. He probably didn¡¯tck ordinary resources. Now, for the Shi Family, the oue of thispetition seemed less important than winning Lu Ran¡¯s favor. [The snowball is rolling¡­] Lu Ran thought, understanding that General Ha¡¯s overlord species had led these NPCs to wildly specte again. Very well. He wouldn¡¯t be polite. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s nothing much.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been quite interested in ferocious ntstely.¡± ¡°If possible, I¡¯d like to ask the Shi Family to help me find some special ferocious nts, ones that haven¡¯t yet awakened Sapience. The higher the level, the better,¡± Lu Ran said earnestly. Awakening Sapience would prevent him from taking them along, but unawakened ones were just like ordinary resources and could be taken freely. Since the method for his long leaved sword grass to awaken Sapience was hard to find, Lu Ran nned to find a suitable ferocious nt for Fang Lan before the tournament began. The group looked at each other again, astonished at Lu Ran¡¯s special fondness for ferocious nts. If Lu Ran were part of their family, they would certainly break his legs. A genius beastmaster with an overlord canine beast, spending time researching ferocious nts? Why?? Ordinary beastmasters might not measure up to ntmasters, but he contracted an overlord ferocious beast. Unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t control Lu Ran. ¡°That¡¯s doable!¡± Elder Uncle Shi Ze said thoughtfully. ¡°We can buy them from the City Lord!¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°What kind of ferocious nt are you looking for?¡± ¡°Uh, preferably something poisonous,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°What do you mean by buying from the City Lord?¡± Elder Uncle Shi Ze smiled, ¡°I can tell you¡¯re not familiar with Tree Realm City.¡± ¡°Do you know about the nt Beast Championship?¡± ¡°The first segment is the preliminary round. All contestants must pass through the ¡®Death Forest¡¯ to enter the main tournament.¡± ¡°The so-called ¡®Death Forest¡¯ is actually the City Lord¡¯s private garden. She transnted hundreds of ferocious nts there. You could say that the ferocious nts from around Tree Realm City have all been moved to the Death Forest.¡± ¡°These ferocious nts, though they haven¡¯t awakened Sapience, can cause terrifying damage to living creatures purely through their nt instincts.¡± ¡°Every year, this preliminary segment eliminates a bunch of contestants, and only a few, often fewer than 100, make it to the main tournament.¡± ¡°The City Lord¡¯s original intention was to clear out ferocious nts to open up goodmercial routes for Tree Realm City. However, sheter had an epiphany: rather than outright eliminating these ferocious nts, why not utilize them to train the younger generation of Tree Realm City? And so, the Death Forest was created.¡± ¡°So, the number of ferocious nts in the City Lord¡¯s collection is unimaginable. If we visit her, we might be able to procure the specific kind you need.¡± ¡°I see, the Death Forest¡­¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°How about this,¡± the Second Elder of the Shi Family said, looking at Lu Ran, ¡°Would you like to enter the Death Forest for a trial run?¡± ¡°Familiarizing yourself with the environment beforehand will make the uing preliminary round much easier to pass.¡± ¡°Moreover, you¡¯ll have the chance to personally pick out the ferocious nts you want, and we¡¯ll handle the negotiations with the City Lord for you.¡± ¡°Members of the nine prominent families in Tree Realm City have the privilege of entering the Death Forest for training at any time. Therefore, every year during the pre-selection stage, the number of our family members who get eliminated is far lower than that of outsiders.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested, we can have Shi Ze guide you in and apany you!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Lu Ran said, clearly intrigued. ¡°I¡¯d like to check out the Death Forest before the tournament starts. By the way, are there any notable ferocious nts inside?¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± Shi Ze replied, ¡°When ites to poisonous ferocious nts, the Phantom Orchid stands out. It can disguise itself as ordinary but alluring fruit, and it has the ability to manipte minds, making people irresistibly want to eat its fruit.¡± ¡°But that fruit, even a pet beast of sovereign species will experience sudden death upon ingestion; its toxicity is incredibly lethal.¡± ¡°Another one is the Dripping Guanyin. Its leaves often blend in with other tall nts, asionally releasing a drop of liquid. That liquid is also extremely terrifying; just a touch on the skin causes immediate cell necrosis throughout the body, even sovereign species can¡¯t withstand its poison.¡± ¡°Besides these, there are several non-poisonous but equally frightening ferocious nts, like the Dragon Blood Willow. It is said to require dragon blood for growth. The City Lord often feeds the Dragon Blood Willow in the Death Forest with dragon blood. Its branches, when whipped by the wind, are like a divine loong¡¯s tail, capable of instantly reducing a flesh-and-blood body to pulp!¡± ¡°And this is just their instinctual behavior without the awakening of Sapience,¡± Shi Ze shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing the City Lord has them under control. Otherwise, if these ferocious nts were left unchecked around Tree Realm City and they eventually awakened Sapience, the destruction they could cause would be unimaginable.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Lu Ran nodded in agreement. It indeed sounded perilous. No wonder the nts in this world had turned the tables and started hunting animals. This Death Forest sounds interesting. If only he could relocate the entire forest. Even if they couldn¡¯t awaken Sapience, moving them to the Green Sea as guardians wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea-as long as he could keep them alive. He had to find a way to be a disciple. He needed to cling to the City Lord¡¯s coattails. Learn a few things before leaving. Chapter 248: The Overlord’s Advantage! Afterwards, Lu Ran stayed at the Shi Family¡¯s residence, where he was well-treated with excellent food and amodations. The Shi Family took Lu Ran¡¯s matters very seriously. That same day, the Second Elder of the Shi Family drove to the nt Taming Family, the Teng Family, in Tree Realm City to inquire about the awakening of sword grass for Lu Ran. Simultaneously, the Third Elder of the Shi Family went to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion to apply for early ess to the Death Forest for Lu Ran. That night. The Shi Family hosted a banquet to wee Lu Ran. At the banquet, Lu Ran met more of the younger generation of the Shi Family, including the cousin mentioned by Shi Ze¡­ However, despite the Shi Family¡¯s matchmaking efforts, this wild and spirited woman paid little attention to Lu Ran, unlike the fawning elders of the Shi Family. She left immediately after finishing her meal. In fact, not everyone tries to curry favor with beastmasters who have influential backgrounds. Lu Ran quite appreciated such people because he himselfcked this admirable quality. At this moment, while eating, Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts drifted to apprenticing under the legendary ntmaster. To quickly master the cultivation of nt life, apprenticing under a legendary expert was undoubtedly the fastest method. Just like when he apprenticed under a legendary necromancer and became the Holy Son of the Holy Church, it instantly advanced his understanding of necromancy far beyond anything on the blue star.The same principle applied now; if he could apprentice under the City Lord, his exploration of this world would progress significantly. ¡°Lu-Ge, my cousin is just like that, don¡¯t mind her. By the way, your pet beast is dual-element with wind and ice, right? I¡¯ll send its food over to youter,¡± Shi Ze said, holding a wine ss and trying to clink it with Lu Ran¡¯s ss of orange juice. ¡°Bottoms up.¡± Lu Ran drank the orange juice in one go. ¡­ In a secluded courtyard of the Shi Family. After Lu Ran returned, the Second Elder of the Shi Family, apanied by Shi Ze, visited him. First, they brought some rare meats and vegetables suitable for wind and ice canine beasts. Second, they brought important intelligence for Lu Ran. The thin, Second Elder of the Shi Family sat on a chair, looking at Lu Ran sitting nearby, and said, ¡°I¡¯ve found out for you!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. Beside him, Shi Ze also listened attentively. ¡°There¡¯s a legend that far to the west, on the vast green ins, there¡¯s a super city simr to Tree Realm City called Myriad Leaf City.¡± ¡°In Myriad Leaf City, there¡¯s a nt Taming family known as the Ji Family.¡± ¡°The members of this family mainly contract sword grass!¡± ¡°If you want to know the method for sword grass awakening, they might have some knowledge.¡± ¡°How far is Myriad Leaf City from Tree Realm City?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°If you ride a wind-element flying pet beast and travel day and night, you can reach it in less than half a month,¡± the Second Elder said. Lu Ran: ???? Forget it. I don¡¯t have enough time! ¡°Besides this information, the Teng Family also gave me a hypothesis.¡± ¡°That is, to awaken a nt, it needs an excellent growth environment, and secondly, its characteristics must be honed to the extreme!¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°For example, your sword grass was pulled directly by you¡­ Even though you have preservation methods, it¡¯s very difficult for it to develop sapience after being removed from its original growth environment.¡± ¡°Moreover, each nt has its own characteristics. For example, the Dragon Blood Willow¡¯s characteristic is that it grows quickly and robustly by absorbing dragon blood.¡± ¡°So, for the Dragon Blood Willow to develop sapience, it absolutely needs arge amount of dragon blood.¡± ¡°Simrly, for sword grass, its characteristic is its sharpness, cutting through everything.¡± ¡°Therefore, the Teng Family suspects that to awaken the sword grass¡¯s sapience, it needs to cut through a significant number of living creatures, or perhaps, cut through something specific.¡± Lu Ran fell into deep thought. This theory should be a continuation of the second awakening method mentioned earlier by the Shi Family. Different nts have different awakening conditions. For the awakening of sword grass, outsiders specte that it involves cutting! However, the key seems to be what it needs to cut. Just like the Dragon Blood Willow needs dragon blood, pig blood or dog blood would bepletely ineffective. Just as the corpse dog needed to keep killing souls to speed up the nurturance of a spirit; if it hacked at stones and trees, it wouldn¡¯t speed up at all. In that case, for sword grass to awaken, does it need to cut specific things too? What could those be? Animals, nts, souls, metal elements? Although it¡¯s unclear what exactly needs to be cut to elerate the sword grass¡¯s development of a spirit, and it¡¯s uncertain whether this method is correct, at least the Shi Family provided Lu Ran with a line of thought. Next, he could try letting the sword grass cut various unusual things, expanding its range of activities. As for the sword grass¡¯s growth environment, Lu Ran thought the Spirit Transformation Pot was quite suitable. After being in it for a few months, the sword grass hadn¡¯t withered; instead, it became even sharper. It really became a Sword Nourishing Pot. This had resulted in Lu Ran not using the Spirit Transformation Pot to enhance his meals for a long time. Of course, this was also because Lu Ran had be more affluent and could directly buy fresh food, reducing his need for the Spirit Transformation Pot. After thanking the Second Elder of the Shi Family for the information, the Second Elder left Lu Ran¡¯s ce. However, Shi Ze didn¡¯t leave immediately and instead smiled while looking at Lu Ran. ¡°Lu-Ge, do you think the food is enough?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never fed an overlord species pet beast before, so I¡¯m not sure about its appetite¡­¡± Shi Ze pointed to the boxes of rare dog food brought into the courtyard and said, ¡°If it¡¯s not enough, I can get more delivered.¡± ¡°It¡¯s enough; I still have a lot of food here,¡± Lu Ran smiled and wasn¡¯t particrly concerned about such minor matters. Shi Ze sighed and said, ¡°Lu-Ge, raising an overlord species pet beast surely isn¡¯t cheap, right?¡± The higher the species level and growth level of a pet beast, the greater its nutritional needs for each meal. Ordinary people really can¡¯t afford it. If the diet is inadequate, the pet beast¡¯s growth level won¡¯t increase, and it might be too weak to fight in battles due to hunger. In this case, nt life, which can survive by rooting in fertile soil and absorbing sunlight and water, indeed has a considerable advantage over animal life. ¡°It¡¯s manageable,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°As long as you¡¯re strong enough, earning resources is quite fast.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Shi Ze nodded and then asked, ¡°Lu-Ge, I heard that overlord species pet beasts can remodel their bodies and optimize their bloodline. Is that true???¡± Clearly, Shi Ze¡¯s interest in Lu Ran stemmed from wanting to learn more about overlord species from him. ¡°Hm¡­ yes, that¡¯s correct. However, the corresponding abilities need to be developed by the pet beast itself.¡± ¡°For example, my canine beast is still young, so it hasn¡¯t learned these abilities yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true then!¡± Shi Ze¡¯s eyes lit up. The unique aspect of a sovereign species is its inherent ability to exert a tangible deterrent effect. Its sovereign aura can easily crush the spirits of weaker creatures. On the other hand, the special aspect of an overlord species is not just its high control over attribute energies, but also its exceptional control over its own body. Overlord species are incredibly adaptive. If they need to fly, they will quickly evolve true wings. If they need to resist cold, their bodies will rapidly evolve extremely cold-resistant fur. They can be considered perfect creatures in nature. Furthermore, if they want to conserve energy and life force, they can enter a ¡°hibernation state¡± at any time, simr to hibernation, reducing energy consumption. They can survive for a very long time, with any random overlord species being able to sleep for centuries without issues. The ancient creatures of Blue Star that have survived to the present day are mostly overlord species, thanks to this ability. As for Lu Ran, his sudden death king, dark crow, and General Ha have just evolved and haven¡¯t even fully mastered their energy techniques. Therefore, Lu Ran hasn¡¯t rushed to have them develop the true abilities of overlord species, such as body control. He ns to do so in the future. For example, the sudden death king currently has a massive body. This results in high energy consumption, even for simple activities like sitting down to watch a movie. If not for Lu Ran and Infinite City providing sustenance, finding food on Blue Star would be difficult for them, and they¡¯d likely spend most of their time in hibernation. Therefore, Lu Ran hopes that when the timees, they can develop an ability simr to the ¡°amplification trait¡± through body control. This would allow them to shrink their bodies a bit. In daily activities, they could stay in their shrunken state to conserve energy. Then, during battles, they could return to their main body to unleash their full power. This way, their range of activities could be greatly expanded. The advantage of the overlord species lies here: as long as you are willing to develop your body control abilities, it¡¯s like getting a ¡°miniaturization trait¡± for free. ¡°It¡¯s really amazing,¡± Shi Ze sighed. ¡°I wish my Moon Swallowing Dog could evolve into an overlord species someday!¡± ¡°I really want it to evolve three heads.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say your canine beast has the bloodline of the legendary creature ¡®Moon Swallower¡¯? Why are you aiming for it to evolve into a three-headed dog?¡± Shi Ze chuckled, ¡°There¡¯s no way it has the Moon Swallower bloodline. It¡¯s probably just our ancestors boasting about their pet beasts. The offspring of legendary creatures are generally Pseudo-legendary species, and even with a diluted bloodline, they¡¯re likely overlords.¡± ¡°Our family¡¯s canine beasts were bred from the supernatural species. If they were descended from legends, they wouldn¡¯t be doing so poorly.¡± ¡°As for the three-headed dog, it just looks so cool. We beastmasters are supposed to make our pet beasts more unique and powerful than anyone else¡¯s.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s one way to put it¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. Most creatures evolve with a purpose, like dogs evolving into werewolves to better use weapons. But you want it to evolve three heads just for the sake of being special. Previously, he hadn¡¯t noticed, but now it seemed Shi Ze might just be another spoiled son of a wealthy family. ¡°Enough said, Lu-Ge. I also found the books you wanted. It¡¯s gettingte, so you should rest!¡± Not long after, Shi Ze bid farewell to Lu Ran. Lu Rany down on his bed, yawning and starting to read. More specifically, he was looking at a nt encyclopedia. Having arrived at the Divine Tree Continent, he definitely needed to cram some knowledge quickly. Although he had some prior understanding, it was too limited. Different times and ces require understanding things that aren¡¯t universally the same. ¡°These ferocious nts have abilities that are much moreplex than those of animals.¡± Lu Ran flipped through the pages with curiosity. For instance, he came across a ferocious nt called the ¡°parasitic mushroom.¡± When any living organismes into contact with it, mushrooms start to grow on the body. These mushrooms then absorb the life force of the organism to grow. He also discovered a ferocious nt known as the ¡°bone-melting grass.¡± It¡¯s a deadly weapon against bones; if ingested identally, the creature¡¯s skeleton will quickly dissolve. Even creatures with the hardest bones can¡¯t easily resist its power. These bizarre ferocious nts, if they were to evolve into living creatures, would have nearly indefensible abilities, which exins why animals can end up as prey. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Lu Ran suddenly stopped flipping through the pages. ¡°The abilities of these ferocious nts are almost as strange as curses.¡± ¡°Is it possible to extract their core abilities and turn them into real curses?¡± As Lu Ran continued reading, a thought struck him. Since the dark crow can analyze soul bones and awaken the pig transformation curse, could it also analyze these ferocious nts and convert their bizarre abilities into its own curses? At the moment,pared to General Ha¡¯s extreme output and the sudden death king¡¯s extreme defense, the dark crow, although it has superior reconnaissance, has somewhat limited offensive methods, to be honest. If it could have a variety of peculiar curses, even if its raw strength is not as great as its opponent¡¯s, it could still potentially use the strangeness of its abilities to torment its enemies. ¡°This secret realm is really something,¡± Lu Ran mused. ¡°I¡¯ll look for some special ferocious nts for the dark crow to study.¡± ¡°I think the Ultimate Perception Trait would suit the dark crow quite well too¡­¡± Chapter 249: Pointing at a Dog and Calling It a Deer In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived. Shi Ze came to visit Lu Ran early in the morning. ¡°Lu-Ge, the trial permissions for the Death Forest have been approved.¡± ¡°When should we head out?¡± Lu Ran was leisurely sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, enjoying breakfast delivered by the household staff. ¡°Shi-Ge, care to join me for some breakfast?¡± Although this breakfast didn¡¯t contain any Culinary Intent, the ingredients were all local specialties, giving Lu Ran a unique sense of enjoyment. ¡°Ah, no need. I¡¯ve already eaten,¡± Shi Ze politely declined. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll finish quickly, and we can go afterwards?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Sure,¡± Shi Ze agreed without hesitation.Lu Ran started to swiftly finish his breakfast, equally eager about heading to the Death Forest. After eating, they made some quick preparations and set out immediately. ¡­ On the way, Shi Ze said, ¡°In the next few days, members of the major families could also be applying for trials in the Death Forest, scouting ahead.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible that other contestants might use the paths provided by the major families in Tree Realm City toe here in advance to observe the environment.¡± ¡°So, we might encounter others in the Death Forest, and you must be extremely cautious.¡± ¡°Sometimes, the most dangerous threat isn¡¯t the ferocious nts, but the humans. Ferocious nts without Sapience won¡¯t deliberately scheme against you; they act purely on instinct, predictable patterns. Once you understand their habits, navigating the Death Forest isn¡¯t too difficult.¡± ¡°However, during the preliminary round, beastmasters are allowed to interfere with and eliminate each other within the forest. So there¡¯s a high chance that some ntmasters will ¡®kill with a borrowed knife,¡¯ using these terrifying ferocious nts to set traps in advance against other contestants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the hardest part of the preliminary round.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Lu Ran leaned back in the carriage with a slight smile. ¡°Eliminating other contestants during the preliminary round is a great rule.¡± ¡°Imagine if someone could eliminate all the contestants in the Death Forest during the preliminary round. Wouldn¡¯t that mean they could win the championship directly without furtherpetition?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Shi Ze was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± ¡°How could that be possible with so many contestants¡­¡± ¡°True.¡± Lu Ran shook his head, honestly admitting that the idea came from thinking it might yield a higher rating. Also, it would save time. From what he understood, after the preliminary round, contestants would rest for three days before starting the main tournament. The main tournament would thenst several days. Stretching it out like this, the 30 days allotted for the breakthrough secret realm could quickly be consumed. But if he could end the tournament during the preliminary round with absolute power and take first ce, he could use the remaining time as he pleased, without following the tournament¡¯s schedule. ??¨¤?§à??¨§?? Still, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if this approach would work. If he could send out the dark crow and use the divine deer pendant, he felt there would be no pressure. After all, thebination provided unparalleled long-range scouting and sniping curses, almost like having cheat codes activated. However, unsure if the Power of the Evil God was well-epted in this era, he decided to y it safe and only send General Ha and the sudden death king, avoiding unnecessary risk. Two middle-level 30 overlords are equivalent to two middle-level 40 sovereigns. Last year¡¯s champion¡¯s ace was an upper-level 41 sovereign, theoretically stronger than General Ha and the sudden death king, but that was just in theory. After all, General Ha could use the sword domain, far surpassing the average level 30 overlord. When the domain was activated, all ferocious nts would be like sword grass to it. Wouldn¡¯t it then control all these ferocious nts? Itsbat power would skyrocket! This is what¡¯s called beast controlling nt! Who¡¯s the real ntmaster now? It¡¯s still uncertain. ¡°Cough, cough, Lu-Ge, you do have bold thoughts.¡± Shi Ze felt that Boss Lu was getting a bit carried away. Indeed, the overlord canine beast was impressive and could crush him, butst year he only made it to the top 32 in the championship. The higher the rankings, the higher the levels. Moreover, in this current beast taming era, the strongest contestants were mostly ntmasters. In an environment like the Death Forest, the power boost for ntmasters was enormous. ¡°Haha, just thinking out loud.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here!!!¡± It didn¡¯t take long for the two to reach the outskirts of Tree Realm City and arrive at the entrance to the Death Forest. At this moment, the entrance was heavily guarded by the City Lord¡¯s troops. Apart from Lu Ran and Shi Ze, just as Shi Ze had mentioned, there were also other people who had arrived early, trying to scout the area. As Lu Ran and Shi Ze got off the carriage, Lu Ran unexpectedly looked in one direction. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± From another direction, someone else felt Lu Ran¡¯s gaze and quickly looked over. That person was none other than Yu Rui, one of the three beastmasters from the other world whom Lu Ran had noticed yesterday. Yu Rui appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. At this time, he was with two others, led by a woman in a floral dress, also waiting outside the forest. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± As Yu Rui noticed Lu Ran¡¯s gaze, Jiang Ming and Liu Man also nced over and their expressions changed quickly. Others, possibly influenced by infinite city, might not be sensitive to their attire. But as fellow challengers, Jiang Ming and Liu Man immediately realized that Lu Ran¡¯s clothing was modern! Could this person be the other-worldly beastmaster Yu Rui had mentioned? ¡°Hey there.¡± Seeing their tense expressions, Lu Ran smiled and waved at them, not hiding his identity at all. This action, however, made the two even more on guard. ¡°Lu-Ge, people you know?¡± Shi Ze asked from the side. ¡°Had a brief encounter during registration yesterday,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Oh, they seem to be with people from the Yang family and were brought here as well. Looks like they have quite the background, just like you¡­¡± Shi Ze remarked, quite surprised. ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Lu Ran nonchntly withdrew his gaze. Meanwhile, on the other side. The woman in the floral dress also spoke up in surprise, ¡°Are they acquaintances of yours? Beastmasters?¡± Yu Rui shook his head, withdrawing his gaze, and said, ¡°No, but he should be a very dangerous individual. In the tournament¡­ we need to be cautious of him.¡± Indeed, dangerous! Jiang Ming and Liu Man were taken aback, never expecting Lu Ran to openly wave at them as if he had no fear of being identified as someone from another world. Such a person was either clueless or extremely dangerous. Although they had crossed paths, none of the four had any intention of conversing further. After making some brief preparations, they went into the Death Forest, each choosing different directions to proceed. Inside the Death Forest. The deeper you go into this ce, the more dangerous the transnted ferocious nts be. Under the guidance of Shi Ze, Lu Ran encountered many ordinary ferocious nts along the way. If they awakened, they might only reach the level of supernatural ormander species, which Lu Ran naturally wasn¡¯t too concerned about. He hoped to find something for Fang Lan at least on the same level as sword grass. ¡°Shi-Ge, take me to see that Dragon Blood Willow,¡± Lu Ran said. He didn¡¯t know much about poisons but was quite knowledgeable about dragons, so his first target was the Dragon Blood Willow. If this thing could awaken, it seemed like a good retainer for the sudden death king. After all, it could grow quickly just on the blood shed by the sudden death king. Plus, it would be rtively easy to cultivate. Unfortunately, theirpatibilities didn¡¯t quite match, making it difficult tobine forces effectively in battle. ¡°Lu-Ge, you¡¯re really fearless.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you summon a canine beast to protect yourself?¡± ¡°Relying solely on me for scouting puts a lot of pressure on me.¡± At that moment, Shi Ze was scouting the way ahead with the Moon Swallowing Dog, while Lu Ran followed behind as if casually window-shopping. This made Shi Ze¡¯s eye twitch. Did Lu Ran truly not worry about sudden dangers? ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Lu Ran responded. ¡°Summoning it could actually be more dangerous than not.¡± Given General Ha¡¯s impetuous nature, Lu Ran figured that if he summoned it to scout, they might encounter even more dangers along the way. This fellow not only had a penchant for mischief but also a sharp tongue. During the novice trial secret realm, it even tried to eat poisonous mushrooms. Despite several months passing, it had barely improved. In fact, after merging with the Ultimate Perception Trait, General Ha¡¯s Comprehension may have increased, but its intelligence likely decreased. Previously, General Ha understood that the divine deer antler wasn¡¯t a sword. But now, everything seemed like a sword to it. It was as if it sacrificed intelligence in exchange for greater Comprehension andbat power. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too worried about encountering danger because hisbat ability, when fully unleashed, wasn¡¯t much weaker than that of ferocious beasts. Thanks to the physical qualities he gained through super beast mimicry and the boost from the me Sprite, he could practically be considered a fire-attribute ferocious beast himself. He was a natural counter to those nts. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Shi Ze was puzzled. How could summoning be more dangerous than not summoning? With a smile, Lu Ran looked at him and said, ¡°Because it¡¯s a bit of a troublemaker¡­ but never mind, I¡¯ll summon it anyway. As long as we keep an eye on it, it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal.¡± ¡°Plus, I need to test a new ability.¡± As he spoke, Lu Ran summoned General Ha, nning to have it activate the Infinite Sword Domainter to see if it could control those dangerous nts. This was also a way to rehearse for the uing preliminary round. ¡°Woof~~~~¡± At the same time, the summoned General Ha scanned its surroundings with sharp eyes. ¡°What ability? What are you talking about?¡± Shi Ze asked curiously. ¡°Control dangerous nts,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Seriously, Lu-Ge, I didn¡¯t read much, but don¡¯t try to fool me.¡± Shi Ze was skeptical. Fighting while carrying a sword grass was one thing, but a wind and snow canine beast controlling dangerous nts? That just didn¡¯t sound usible. It did sound like fool¡¯s y. ¡°General Ha, try to see if you can control those dangerous nts,¡± Lu Ran instructed, pointing ahead. The area was filled with a group of ¡°bean shooters,¡± a type of ferocious nt with varied attributes. Some could shoot ice shells, others thunder shells. Though they weren¡¯t particrly formidable, their sheer numbers and tendency to cluster made them a headache to deal with. ¡°Woof woof!!¡± General Ha looked calm and was about to activate the Infinite Sword Domain to envelop the nts and turn them into nt swords, but suddenly, an understanding dawned on it. Maybe using the Sword Domain to control these non-sapient nts was overkill and a waste of energy. Overkill! With a wise look in its eyes, General Ha had a sudden realization: even without the Sword Domain¡¯s power, it could still control these nts. The divine deer! Just one antler from the divine deer could transform nt natural power into life energy; it was immensely powerful in controlling nature. If it could mimic the divine deer, wouldn¡¯t these nts obediently listen? ¡°Whoosh~¡± General Ha panted heavily, its eyes gleaming with intelligence, feeling exceptionally clever. With this thought, it began energy shaping on top of its head, rapidly growing a pair of intricately intertwined antlers. [I am a deer, I am a deer, I am a deer¡­] Shi Ze and Lu Ran: ?? Shi Ze was stunned and asked, ¡°Lu-Ge, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking me?¡± Lu Ran looked speechlessly at General Ha. He had instructed it to activate the Infinite Sword Domain, but instead, it was cosying as a divine deer. Even so¡­ Just as Lu Ran was about to grumble internally-after all, even if the divine deer was a divine beast that wielded incredible life force over nts-General Ha didn¡¯t look the part at all as a dog. However, before Lu Ran could finish his thoughts, General Ha, now adorned with antlers, suddenly emitted a unique aura. This aura was indistinguishable from the divine deer antler, radiating a dazzling golden-green light. The glow surrounded General Ha, making its original canine form unrecognizable. From its silhouette alone, it looked like an authentic divine deer¡­ ¡°Holy crap, a deer dog,¡± Shi Ze eximed in astonishment. Lu Ran¡¯s mind momentarily froze. Was this biological artistic conception shaping? You¡¯ve got to be kidding me. How did it manage to grasp this? Could it be because General Ha had constantly used the divine deer antler and fused with the Ultimate Perception Trait? Darn, Lu Ran was still in a daze. He realized he had been wrong; the Ultimate Perception Trait was indeed more fitting for General Ha! Simultaneously, as General Ha utilized biological artistic conception shaping, giving itself antlers and adopting a deer dog form, an extraordinary phenomenon urred. Centered around General Ha, numerous ferocious nts began to sway. They seemed to sense a great power, and despitecking Sapience, they made gestures of submission. Some even seemed eager to offer their own energy! Beside them, Shi Ze and the Moon Swallowing Dog gaped, unable to make sense of what they were witnessing. Elsewhere in the Death Forest, the majority of the ferocious nts also started to sway vigorously. In addition, Yu Rui and his team, who were traversing the forest, suddenly became incredibly alert, their expressions shifting dramatically. ¡°What¡¯s happening!!¡± Not only the ferocious nts, but even the lower overlord-war ancient tree-apanying Yu Rui started trembling all over, as if sensing a terrifying pressure, unwillingly bowing in a certain direction. These ferocious nts and lower species behaved like they had encountered a superior being, losing control over their actions in an instant. The forest was in uproar. At the same time, in the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. In a secluded training chamber, a white-haired elderly woman abruptly opened her eyes, looking towards the Death Forest in astonishment. ¡°What did those ferocious nts encounter?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 250: The Arrival of the Legend ¡°Woof woof woof woof.¡± By simting the breath of the divine deer antler, General Ha sessfully cosyed as the divine deer. It stood tall in the golden-green halo, unting antlers intertwined like tree roots. Like the legendary deer thatmanded the divine office of nt life, it caused countless nts to bow in reverence. In the glow, although General Ha emitted peculiar sounds uncharacteristic of a deer, the aura of the ferocious nts was undoubtedly suppressed. However, what made General Ha a bit regretful was that although it sessfully simted the breath of the divine deer, it did not acquire the capabilities of the divine deer. As a result, although these ferocious nts did not dare to attack General Ha actively, General Ha couldn¡¯t control them in this state either. Seeing this, the intelligent General Ha couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of frustration. Should it rely on the sword domain? ¡°Lu-Ge, what species is this dog of yours exactly?¡± Seeing General Ha¡¯s astonishing transformation and feeling the unusual behavior of the surrounding ferocious nts, Shi Ze couldn¡¯tprehend and asked.For a moment, it was hard to tell if it was a dog or a deer. To say it¡¯s a deer, initially, it did look like a dog. To say it¡¯s a dog, but this deer form looked even more powerful than the dog form. Shi Ze had lived long enough to see many things, but it was the first time he¡¯d seen such a creature. ¡°It¡¯s just shaping artistic conception of the creature.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I told you, sending it out might cause trouble.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Shi Ze knew about shaping artistic conception, but the transformation from a dog to a deer was indeed a bit much. Besides, what level of deer could be so formidable to cause such a stir among these ferocious nts? However, Lu Ran seemingly wasn¡¯t lying. At that moment, themotion was indeed significant. Shi Ze looked into the distance¡­ The vegetation seemed like green pythons dancing, and the trees in the forest looked like many giants waving their hands, extraordinarily terrifying. Such a disturbance had never before been seen in the Death Forest, and he did not know what the consequences might be¡­ ¡°Bro, I regret it. Please make it stop.¡± ¡°Thismotion is too much. If something goes wrong, our Shi Family won¡¯t be able to handle it.¡± Shi Ze almost knelt before General Ha. The Moon Swallowing Dog had been scouting just fine; why on earth did he insist on Lu Ran summoning this dog? Wouldn¡¯t a beastmaster understand their pet beast better than anyone else? ¡°The issue shouldn¡¯t be too significant.¡± Having seen many grander scenes, Lu Ran didn¡¯t really care. He nced at General Ha, slightly ming himself for not explicitly instructing General Ha to activate the sword domain, which resulted in General Ha having the space to act on its own. ? This insight of General Ha¡¯s was something Lu Ran hadn¡¯t anticipated. It could be considered the first manifestation of the Ultimate Perception Trait after General Ha¡¯s evolution. It allowed General Ha to cross species and simte the breath of the divine deer. Lu Ran was quite pleased; without this unexpected turn of events, General Ha probably wouldn¡¯t have cleverly cosyed as the divine deer. This was quite a gain; to outsiders, it should make General Ha seem somewhat rted to the legendary divine deer, making it easier to boast, create background stories, and intimidate others! Just as Lu Ran had this thought, a powerful pressure suddenly came from afar, causing Shi Ze to involuntarily look up. Due to themotion in Death Forest,yers of white clouds rolled in the distant sky, like white waves sweeping over. Somewhere in Death Forest, Yu Rui, the Child of Legend from another world, was calming his pet beast while saying, ¡°It must be a species with a very strong suppression effect on nts that appeared¡­¡± As he spoke, he also looked up at the sky. [Species]: Dandelion Overlord [Attribute]: Grass, Wind [Species Level]: Upper Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 77 ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the City Lord¡¯s pet beast.¡± A woman traveling with Yu Rui and others also looked at the sky, quite surprised. ¡°Something must have happened.¡± Beside them, two other beastmasters from Star-Moon University suddenly became excited. Could it be that they triggered some hidden side quest? At this moment, the legendary City Lord of Tree Realm City had indeede to search for the source of the disturbance. Upon arriving at Death Forest, she instantly locked onto the source of the chaos. Standing on the Dandelion Overlord, she looked down at the two men and two dogs, deep in thought. At this moment, Lu Ran and Shi Ze also looked up at the olddy over the Sea of Dandelions, swallowing nervously. ¡°Ci-City Lord.¡± Shi Ze felt a headacheing on, not expecting to attract the City Lord. Unlike Shi Ze, Lu Ran was quite pleased as he gazed at the elder, silentlymending General Ha for a job well done. He thought this might be an opportunity-not only could they skip the tournament, but they could also meet the legendary City Lord in advance! ¡°Did you create this disturbance?¡± The legendary City Lord looked at the deer dog, frowning. ¡°Are you from the Shi Family? Is this anomaly because of you?¡± She eyed Shi Ze, then turned her attention to Lu Ran, feeling that the source of the changey with him rather than Shi Ze. ¡°Respected elder, I am Lu Ran from the Beast Taming Hall, here for the Tree Realm City tournament.¡± ¡°To drive away the ferocious nts and prevent them from attacking, my pet beast used a special ability. I didn¡¯t expect such a significant reaction, and I apologize sincerely,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Beast Taming Hall¡­¡± The legendary City Lord¡¯s gaze turned to General Ha, showing a hint of surprise. She could immediately tell that General Ha¡¯s species level far surpassed that of a sovereign. Moreover, the life form this canine beast had shaped was highly likely of a pseudo-legendary species level, otherwise, it couldn¡¯t have caused such drastic changes in the ferocious nts. Truly, the Beast Taming Hall, one of the oldest and most mysterious beast taming legacies on the continent, had an arrangement that surprised even her, a legendary figure. ¡°¡­Do you recognize the creature it shaped?¡± ¡°First, have it return to its normal state. The ferocious nts in this forest were transnted here and can¡¯t withstand such severe agitation,¡± the legendary City Lord said. ¡°Understood.¡± Lu Ran quickly signaled General Ha with his eyes. General Ha immediately let out a ¡°woof¡± and returned to its clear-eyed, adorable look, gazing at the legendary ntmaster with a pleading, cute pet expression. ¡°Yes, I recognize it. It¡¯s a divine deer. We once had the fortune to encounter one. ording to ancient texts in the Beast Taming Hall, the divine deer is a legendary life form thatmands the natural life force.¡± ¡°Divine deer¡­¡± The legendary City Lord was somewhat incredulous. Legend has it that all legendary creatures on the continent had vanished. Yet, this beastmaster had encountered a legendary life form? No, it was more than just a mere encounter. If it were only an encounter, this canine beast wouldn¡¯t be able to mimic the divine deer¡¯s power with such authority. The legendary City Lord¡¯s immediate judgment was that Lu Ran was most likely a beastmaster blessed by a legendary creature. Although being blessed by a legend was an incredibly rare urrence, it wasn¡¯t unheard of in the history of the Divine Tree Continent. Considering that Lu Ran came from a top-level beast taming force like the Beast Taming Hall, she gradually realized that Lu Ran¡¯s identity was anything but ordinary. Could he be the heir of the Beast Taming Hall? But why would the heir of the Beast Taming Halle to participate in the Tree Realm City tournament? The prizes shouldn¡¯t be enticing enough for someone like Lu Ran. ¡°¡­¡± Shi Ze was equally astonished. He never expected that Lu Ran had encountered a legendary creature. This guy, just what was his background? ¡°You¡¯re not just an ordinary member of the Beast Taming Hall, are you?¡± The legendary City Lord looked deeply into Lu Ran¡¯s eyes. Lu Ran scratched his head sheepishly andughed, ¡°My parents sent me out for some experience.¡± ¡°Ahem, actually, I¡¯m quite interested in ntmaster techniques. As you can see, with the divine deer¡¯s power, my canine beast has a certain suppressive effect on ferocious nts.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have a ntmaster in the Beast Taming Hall, so I wanted to see if I could find a skilled ntmaster outside to mentor me and learn more about this upation.¡± ¡°Shi-Ge can vouch for me.¡± Shi Ze: ???? Huh. ¡°A genius from the Beast Taming Hall wanting to study ntmaster techniques? Aren¡¯t you afraid your parents will break your legs?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words seemed to stir a memory within the legendary City Lord, causing her brows to furrow once more. This kid¡­ is he going through a rebellious phase? ¡°City Lord, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Shi Ze added, ¡°Lu-Ge¡¯s idea isn¡¯t to be a ntmaster himself but to let his pet beast master the ntmaster techniques. I¡¯ve battled with him before; his canine beast had a sword grass in its mouth and defeated my Moon Swallowing Dog in one swift move¡­¡± ¡°He wants to let humans master beasts and beasts master nts, sort of like in ancient times when grass-type beastmasters had grass-type pet beasts that could control various nts.¡± ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t believe it was possible either,¡± Shi Ze admitted, ¡°But after seeing his canine beast¡¯s ability to suppress ferocious nts today, I suddenly feel like it might actually be possible¡­¡± Beast controlling nt¡­ The legendary City Lord fell silent. However, as she continued to watch Lu Ran¡¯s canine beast, her interest piqued. She chuckled and asked, ¡°So, you want to apprentice under a skilled ntmaster?¡± ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°With your background, no ntmaster would dare take you as a disciple. If you were to switch to ntmaster techniques, they¡¯d fear your family mighte after them.¡± ¡°Besides, you¡¯d never give up beast taming. If you were to switch to ntmaster techniques, it would make even less sense for anyone to take you on as a disciple.¡± ¡°As a beastmaster, how would anyone be willing to teach you their skills?¡± ¡°You really know how to create problems for yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± Lu Ran said confidently, ¡°Even if no one helps me, I¡¯ll figure it out on my own. After all, the First Generation ntmasters figured it out by themselves too.¡± ¡°What big talk,¡± the legendary City Lord said as shended on the ground, her Dandelion Overlord forming a ring that hovered behind her. ¡°How about we make a bet?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± Lu Ran looked at her intrigued. ¡°If you can win first ce in the nt Beast Championship, I¡¯ll teach you ntmaster techniques. You don¡¯t have to switch to ntmaster-just keep focusing on beast taming, but I¡¯ll help you fulfill your wish of beast controlling nt. How does that sound?¡± Lu Ran was overjoyed, eximing internally. He hadn¡¯t expected this legendary ntmaster to be so agreeable. ¡°Is this for real???¡± ¡°Huh???¡± Shi Ze was still in shock beside them. Lu-Ge, this¡­ ¡°It¡¯s true. But, I will be increasing the difficulty of this tournament. I n to invite a friend¡¯s disciple to participate.¡± The City Lord said calmly, ¡°She¡¯s a level 3 ntmaster with a lower overlord species nt pet under her contract.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Ran agreed without hesitation. ¡°Alright, since you¡¯re so confident, then prepare yourself. As for this forest,¡± she looked at the surroundings, ¡°don¡¯te back for now.¡± ¡°These ferocious nts have been quite shaken and their vitality has diminished. I need to nurture them; otherwise, they won¡¯t be of much use on the day of the tournament.¡± ¡°Understood. By the way, may I ask your name, senior?¡± Lu Ran, seeing they were about to leave, didn¡¯t mind. He had already set up a path to apprenticeship, so the Death Forest didn¡¯t matter anymore-he could explore itter as he wished. ¡°Ye Ying,¡± City Lord Ye nced at Lu Ran and said her name calmly. Chapter 251: The Preliminary Round Begins ¡°Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap.¡± After a short while, Lu Ran and Shi Ze left the Death Forest. Once outside, Shi Ze was quite shocked and said, ¡°Lu-Ge, City Lord Ye actually intends to take you as her disciple. Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re going to the top?¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lu Ran looked at him in confusion. ¡°Ahem, I almost forgot your background. You¡¯re so calm¡­ could it be that your parents are also legendary powerhouses?¡± Shi Ze¡¯s mouth twitched. Child of Legend! As Shi Ze thought, it seemed possible. No, not just possible-Lu Ran was even more impressive than a Child of Legend. After all, this guy seemed to have had contact with legendary creatures. ¡°Listen, don¡¯t spread what I just talked about with City Lord Ye. I don¡¯t want others to know I¡¯ve had contact with a legendary creature. I trust you, that¡¯s why I told you directly,¡± Lu Ran patted Shi Ze on the shoulder. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t even tell my own father! I¡¯ll keep it to myself, or else I¡¯ll be screwed,¡± Shi Ze assured him. ¡°But now that you mention it, City Lord Ye was right. With your status, not just any ntmaster would dare to take you as a disciple. It would be like stealing from the Beast Taming Hall¡­¡± Shi Ze pondered.¡°City Lord herself doesn¡¯t mind and keeps you as a beastmaster while taking you as a disciple. It might be because she switched to ntmaster after starting as a beastmaster.¡± ¡°Remember I told you there were rumors that City Lord Ye wanted to take a disciple to pass on her family¡¯s beast taming skill? Maybe, she sees potential in your beast taming Talent. The ntmaster knowledge might just be a bonus.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Learning advanced ntmaster knowledge is enough for me,¡± Lu Ran said nonchntly. ¡°Does City Lord have any old rivals? She mentioned inviting a friend¡¯s disciple topete. She¡¯s not exactly being friendly¡­¡± ¡°Seems like she just wants to see me knock out that disciple¡­¡± ¡°That, I really don¡¯t know¡­¡± Shi Ze was taken aback, ¡°But it¡¯s not surprising. City Lord Ye wouldn¡¯t be a legend without facing some formidable rivals along the way. But, a level 3 ntmaster with an overlord species nt pet? That doesn¡¯t look easy.¡± ¡°Six days left, Lu-Ge, can you make a breakthrough to a level 3 beastmaster?¡± ¡°No way!¡± Lu Ran answered firmly. Infinite City beastmasters have this one issue: breakthroughs are not up to the beastmaster¡¯s own decision. They are held back by various level restrictions within Infinite City. The only way to advance to the next realm is bypleting tasks assigned by Infinite City. However, setting aside these shorings, it would be unfair to ignore the benefits they offer. Even though their growth level is restricted, Infinite City provides beastmasters with an alternate path. Pet beast evolution. On Star-Moon Continent and Divine Tree Continent, there¡¯s no concept of first-stage evolution at level 30 or second-stage evolution at level 60 for pet beasts. The methods for pet beast evolution are top-tier beast taming secrets, not essible to everyone. But the beastmasters trained by Infinite City are different. Their pet beasts are given evolution opportunities directly by Infinite City through the use of fusion traits. Even the weakest beastmaster¡¯s pet beast could seize the chance to defy fate through evolution. ¡°What can we do then?¡± Shi Ze worried for Lu Ran. He still hoped Lu Ran would be City Lord Ye¡¯s disciple. After all, Lu Ran was quite close with the Shi Family. If Lu Ran became the City Lord¡¯s disciple, it would bring great benefits to the Shi Family. ¡°Though I might not be able to break through, I do need to prepare.¡± ¡°You could try giving your pet beast some intense training this week. Don¡¯t forget, its abilities somewhat counter nt life, so there¡¯s no need to worry too much,¡± Lu Ran said. Moreover, he didn¡¯t only have General Ha; he had Sudden Death King too. Given the size of the Death Forest¡­ Honestly, if he wasn¡¯t concerned about causing too much chaos and affecting the City Lord¡¯s opinion, Lu Ran would directly have Sudden Death King fly high and jump down, activating Thunder me Dragon mode, and crash into the Death Forest. The entire forest would turn into a crater, and no contestant or ferocious nt would survive. ¡­ Because of Lu Ran, the Death Forest was quickly cleared. Some contestants who hade to familiarize themselves with the preliminary round trial site had noints upon hearing it was an order from the City Lord. ¡°Can you find out what¡¯s going on today?¡± Star-Moon University¡¯s ntmaster, Liu Man, asked a local from Tree Realm City. Simr to Lu Ran, Yu Rui and three other beastmasters from another world were quickly identified as extraordinary by the local powerhouses of Tree Realm City and were invited to join them. Since both Yu Rui and Liu Man were ntmasters, they naturally chose to connect with a nt Taming Family. Though Jiang Ming was a beastmaster specializing in raising dragons, considering the unusual nature of this breakthrough secret realm, he didn¡¯t dare to separate from them. He abandoned the invitation from the beast taming family andtched onto Yu Rui. ¡°I¡¯ll try to find out. Today¡¯s events indeed seem unusual,¡± replied a maturedy in a floral dress, contemting the situation. From Liu Man and the others¡¯ perspective, this breakthrough secret realm was truly baffling and hard to grasp. ¡­ Shi Family. Lu Ran returned and immediately requested a training ground from the Shi Family. He began intense training with General Ha, instructing the Shi Family members not to disturb him. Although Shi Ze wanted to assist Lu Ran, he knew that the Shi Family¡¯s capabilities were not on par with the Beast Taming Hall, so he refrained from offering any unhelpful aid. However, Lu Ran understood the importance of social connections. To give the Shi Family a chance to contribute, he asked Shi Ze to find some special ferocious nts for Dark Crow to research. Hence, General Ha trained in the Ferocious nt Domain, Sudden Death King adapted to Thunder me mode, and Dark Crow researched new types of curses. Lu Ran and his team began preparing rigorously for the uing nt Beast Championship. Lu Ran was confident in achieving good results in the normal tournament. However, given the involvement of bing a disciple of a legendary top-level side quest, he didn¡¯t dare to be careless and started impromptu training to ensure a 100% sess rate. At the same time, Yu Rui and others were searching for the source of anomalous energy they sensed in the Death Forest, in hopes of uncovering a hidden side quest. Unfortunately, Shi Ze remained tight-lipped, and since City Lord Ye wasn¡¯t someone easily essible, their investigations yielded little. Simultaneously, City Lord Ye¡¯s figure arrived at another super city with a legendary powerhouse in residence. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± An elderly woman with a simr aura to City Lord Ye stepped out of the main city. ¡°Senior Sister.¡± If anyone from Tree Realm City were present, they would be extremely surprised. There had never been any rumors suggesting that City Lord Ye had a senior sister. ¡°I¡¯ve found a promising young beastmaster and I¡¯m considering taking him as a disciple. However, skills should not be imparted lightly, so I intend to give him a challenge,¡± City Lord Ye said. ¡°I¡¯d like to borrow your disciple to participate in the nt Beast Championship in Tree Realm City to put some pressure on him.¡± ¡°Uh???¡± The red-haired elderly woman spoke, surprised. ¡°Who is this person who has caught your interest enough to consider taking a disciple?¡± ¡°But¡­ beastmaster? What are you trying to achieve? Isn¡¯t beast taming a relic of the past? The Divine Tree Continent no longer hasnd that can support beastmasters.¡± ¡°While that¡¯s true, it¡¯s still somewhat regretful. I struggled with this myself back then. Why couldn¡¯t beast taming surpass nt taming? I see a glimmer of hope in him,¡± City Lord Ye replied. Coming from a beast taming family and having been around beasts from a young age, she naturally loved it. However, the reality was that beast taming had fallen behind nt taming. In the end, she chose reality over dreams. The reason for organizing the nt Beast Championship was her hope to see if one day, beastmasters could overshadow ntmasters, even if only in the small confines of Tree Realm City. But, s, not once had a beastmaster imed the championship title to date. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying this young beastmaster has incredible potential?¡± asked Legend Ye¡¯s senior sister. ¡°Even your prized disciple might not necessarily defeat him,¡± Legend Ye chuckled, considering Lu Ran¡¯s background in the Beast Taming Hall and his pet beast being an overlord with encounters with legendary creatures. ¡°Ha.¡± Legend Ye¡¯s senior sister dismissively shook her head. ¡°Fine, as long as it makes you happy. I¡¯ll let her make the trip. But if your chosen one loses and gets discouraged, don¡¯t hold it against me.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± After finishing the invitation, Legend Ye returned to Tree Realm City, satisfied. Meanwhile, a nearly twenty-year-old genius ntmaster, at her master¡¯s request, set off for Tree Realm City to participate in the nt Beast Championship. In the blink of an eye, several days passed. Soon, it was the day of the preliminary round of the nt Beast Championship. Given that this preliminary round was to be held in a forest, naturally, there weren¡¯t many spectators. On the day of the preliminary round, only a few hundred geniuses from nearby cities and examiners from the nine major families gathered around and within the Death Forest. ¡°Lu-Ge, you really have endurance; you¡¯ve been practicing intensely for several days without a break,¡± Shi Ze remarked with admiration as he and Lu Ran waited outside the Death Forest. ¡°Are you running out ofpliments?¡± Lu Ran retorted bluntly. ¡°Isn¡¯t this just basic stuff?¡± ¡°Absolutely not! After two days of secluded training, I start feeling like ants are crawling all over me. I have to watch a Flower Princess dance to calm down and continue training,¡± Shi Ze exined. ¡°Oh, I even forgot to take you to see the Flower Princess dance in Tree Realm City. My bad, my bad. How about we go after the tournament?¡± Lu Ran paused, nearly forgetting that beastmasters on the Divine Tree Continent also needed to train themselves, often through focused meditation. Comparatively, beastmasters here had a more monotonous training routine-it was perfectly normal for them to struggle to maintain focus for two days. Unlike Lu Ran, who didn¡¯t need much personal meditation and could just guide his pet beast in training. His own training included honing his beast taming skills, which was far more engaging than mere meditation. Whether it was synchronizing with his pet beast or cooking with the me Sprite, each session brought fresh excitement. Currently, Lu Ran was also exploring the sword domain, seeing if he could learn sword techniques from General Ha. When absorbed in practice, time flew by without a hint of monotony. ¡°The preliminary round is about to begin!!!¡± ¡°Contestants, please get ready!!¡± As Shi Ze and Lu Ran conversed, an examiner with a Devourer Flower by his side announced loudly, signaling the start of the preliminary round. The hundreds of contestants promptly adopted serious and focused expressions. ¡°I will now describe the preliminary round. You will depart from here, and your assessment goal is to traverse the entire forest and reach the opposite edge. Those who seed will advance to the next round, the main tournament.¡± ¡°During the journey, you¡¯re allowed to interfere with and eliminate yourpetitors; the rules do not restrict life or death.¡± ¡°So, please confirm once more whether you wish to participate in this tournament!!¡± No restrictions on life or death! Many beastmasters took a deep breath, but the high rewards made them willing to risk it. Participating in this tournament was still safer than venturing into the wild to gather resources. ¡°Stay alert, the preliminary round is more dangerous than the main tournament. We¡¯ll team up and move together; don¡¯t lose track of me,¡± warned Yu Rui, eyeing Liu Man and Jiang Ming with a touch of sympathy. They were fellow beastmasters from the same ce, and in this breakneck secret realm without a death immunity mechanism, he couldn¡¯t just turn a blind eye to them. ¡°Thank you, thank you,¡± Liu Man and Jiang Ming both expressed their gratitude to Yu Rui. As they spoke, the three of them turned their gaze towards Lu Ran. A concern loomed in their minds. As challengers from different worlds, they were uncertain about Lu Ran¡¯s stance. If Lu Ran considered them enemies, a conflict was inevitable among them. However, the silver lining was that Lu Ran was alone, while they had three people. Considering Yu Rui¡¯s strength, Liu Man and Jiang Ming felt slightly reassured. Even if a conflict arose, surely, it would be Lu Ran who would be defeated. ¡°Alright then, the preliminary round begins now-¡± shouted the examiner once more. Though conflicts were permitted during the preliminary round, skirmishes typically urred among the nine major families. Eliminating contestants from other families meant increasing one¡¯s own family¡¯s potential gain. That said, initial stages rarely saw fierce fighting; early skirmishes would only make one a target for others, benefiting opportunists instead. Buzz!!! As the preliminary roundmenced, beastmasters and ntmasters began summoning their pet beasts and nt pets, swiftly entering the Death Forest. Just then, as three individuals summoned their pets, the entire forest entrance suddenly fell silent. Boom!!! Right at the start, Yu Rui summoned his gigantic War Ancient Tree, standing several meters tall. This was a legion-type nt pet, with various fruits and leaves dangling from it, each bearing a face, akin to a squad of soldiers. ¡°Overlord!!¡± Upon sensing the War Ancient Tree¡¯s breath, many contestants¡¯ expressions changed. With an overlord like this leading the way, traversing the Death Forest would be a breeze for Yu Rui. Not only him, but among the contestants there was another striking woman who summoned an overlord nt pet. It was a Flower Demon Emperor, an anthropomorphic figure with deep green leaves for arms and its lower body wrapped in light-colored tulip-like petals, resembling a skirt. It held its flower-covered head high with an air of arrogance, causing the surrounding nt pets to bow in submission to its breath. ¡°A lower overlord, the Flower Demon Emperor!¡± In an instant, the appearance of two overlord pet beasts left countless contestants taken aback, perplexed about what this year¡¯s championship was bing. The beastmasters, in particr, felt even more troubled by this development. But fortunately, thest overlord to appear wasn¡¯t a nt pet this time. ¡°Woof-¡± A majestic General Ha appeared amidst wind and snow, its eyes radiating a keen sword intent that sent a piercing mental strain to those who dared to gaze at it! [Species]: Sword Domain Dog [Attribute]: Wind, Ice [Species Level]: Lower Overlord! General Ha¡¯s details shed in Yu Rui¡¯s mind, making his expression change as he looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°An overlord???¡± ¡°This guy is definitely not simple.¡± ¡°What, he has an overlord too?¡± Liu Man and Jiang Ming were equally shocked. And it wasn¡¯t just that NPC woman; how could this beastmaster from another world have an overlord at level 2 as well? Was this person unique like Yu Rui, or were all beastmasters from another world equipped like this? Chapter 252: The Fierce Contest In the previous nt Beast Championship, the acebat pet of the first-ce winner was merely an upper sovereign. An upper sovereign level was already quite rare, considering that beastmasters on the Divine Tree Continent do not have as many opportunities to elevate their pet beasts¡¯ species level as those in Infinite City. However, this time, three contestants appeared with contracts involving overlord species. Both the examiners from the major families and the geniuses from various factions were utterly bewildered. In a distant direction. City Lord Ye and her senior sister stood on top of an ancient massive tree, looking towards this ce and discussing the matter. ¡°An overlord canine beast, is this the beastmaster you¡¯ve favored?¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s going on with this tournament you¡¯re hosting? There¡¯s even a youngster with a contract involving an overlord nt pet. Judging by age, this beastmaster is even younger than the one you like, probably younger than my disciple too!¡± ¡°How would I know¡­¡± ¡°Senior sister, are you worried about your disciple? Why did youe along?¡± City Lord Ye said slowly, ¡°This tournament is indeed full of surprises; there¡¯s even an overlord ntmaster¡­¡±Logically speaking, a beastmaster who can contract with an overlord wouldn¡¯t care about this insignificant tournament she¡¯s hosting. Had she known there was another ntmaster with an overlord contract, she wouldn¡¯t have invited her senior sister¡¯s disciple. Three overlords¡­ This immediately elevated the difficulty of the nt Beast Championship to a new level. Lu Ran¡¯s chances of winning the championship just got slimmer. ¡°What¡¯s there to worry about? You should be concerned about the beastmaster you favor.¡± As these two legends exchanged words, the ongoingmotion at the scene persisted. ¡°Might as well eliminate him right here.¡± Although Yu Rui¡¯s war ancient tree had a formidable presence as well, Gu Yu, the master of the Flower Demon Emperor, primarily focused her attention on Lu Ran. The beastmaster her master wanted her to eliminate must be this person. To be honest, she had no interest in this tournament. If it weren¡¯t for her master wanting her to gain experience, she wouldn¡¯t have even taken a second look. Gu Yu ced her hand on the Flower Demon Emperor, signaling not to enter the Death Forest just yet¡­ She contemted eliminating Lu Ran at the entrance itself and then withdrawing from the tournament. However, just as Gu Yu was still observing Lu Ran, suddenly, not only she but everyone present, including the two legends in the distance, had a drastic change in their expressions. Because after summoning General Ha, Lu Ran began chanting again, preparing to summon a second pet beast. Summoning a second pet beast in itself was nothing extraordinary. However, if this pet beast were also an overlord, and its presence even more terrifying, it would be apletely different matter!!! ? ¡°Roar!!!!¡± After summoning General Ha, Lu Ran also summoned the Sudden Death King. A massive summoning circle appeared in the sky, and when the Dragon King, towering over ten meters with colossal shield-shaped wings, stepped out from the circle, its terrifying Dragon Might instantly swept across half the forest. Without a doubt, the Sudden Death King had the highest base Species level in Lu Ran¡¯s team. Coupled with its Dragon n bloodline, its oppressive presence over all things was absolutely formidable. In the sky, the Sudden Death King opened its red eyes, crackling with thunder, and roared dominantly. This roar made many eyes almost pop out of their sockets. Especially Jiang Ming and Liu Man from Star-Moon University, they were almost dumbfounded. ¡°Another overlord species!!!¡± They eximed in shock. ¡°A middle overlord!¡± Even the Child of Legend, Yu Rui, couldn¡¯t believe it. Who would have thought that after summoning a lower overlord canine beast, Lu Ran would also summon a middle overlord giant dragon. One person with contracts to two overlords? And one of them is a middle overlord? A middle overlord at level 30? What a joke. ¡°What¡¯s going on with this guy?¡± Even the Child of Legend was stunned by Lu Ran¡¯s configuration. However, what shocked them even more were Lu Ran¡¯s next words. ¡°You fly to the opposite exit, don¡¯t let anyone pass.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to eliminate them all, just block them. After I deal with this side, I¡¯lle to support you.¡± Lu Ran spoke casually to the Sudden Death King. In the sky, the massive Dragon King roared again, nced at the remaining prey on the scene, and then flew towards the forest. Everyone: ??? What did that mean? ¡°Damn it, this guy ns to eliminate all the contestants in the preliminary round and end the tournament right there!¡± It¡¯s clear that the challengers know each other well. To achieve high ratings, every challenger from Infinite Cityes up with peculiar ideas and excels in every detail of their tasks. As soon as Lu Ran finished speaking, Jiang Ming¡¯s eyes widened in realization, perceiving Lu Ran¡¯s intentions. His words undoubtedly stirred up a storm on the scene. The master of the Flower Demon Emperor, who was preparing to snipe Lu Ran at the entrance, also revealed an expression of disbelief. Is this guy insane? ¡°Junior sister, is he serious??¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± Even the two legends in the distance were taken aback. Two overlords-Lu Ran not only had two overlords but also intended to end the tournament at the preliminary round. As the Sudden Death King flew away, Lu Ran turned around, his actions conveying to everyone that he was serious. Buzz- General Ha stepped forward, let out a ¡°Howl~~~,¡± and in its icy blue eyes shed a hint of coldness. The terrifying Blizzard Sword Intent, with temperatures dropping extremely low, materialized into a sovereign aura, sweeping around like a snowstorm. Crack. Many nt pets, beast pets, ntmasters, and beastmasters exhibited frost-like sword marks on their bodies. While the external injuries were manageable, the powerful Blizzard Sword Intent inflicted an undeniable mental blow on many pet beasts. Soon, a batch of mentally weaker pet beasts turned rigid and fell, their surrounding ntmasters one by one showing drastic changes in their expressions. ¡°This person is serious.¡± Yu Rui and Gu Yu stood beside their respective nt pets, both their overlord pets exuding formidable auras, unaffected by General Ha. However, only a few could remain unaffected like them. Most others stood like prey in a blizzard, struggling at their positions. Although there was nothing around them, it seemed like the next moment they would be blown away or frozen to death, their expressions filled with agony. ¡°Rui-Ge, what should we do-¡± Including Jiang Ming, who had a contract with an upper sovereign species sub-dragon, found it hard to cope, hiding behind his Dragon Pet. ¡°Roar-¡± The Dragon Might of Jiang Ming¡¯s Storm Dragon struggled immensely against the non-targeted sword intent of General Ha, causing Jiang Ming¡¯s heart to nearly stop. He couldn¡¯t fathom why this beastmaster from another world was so powerful, capable of overwhelming the entire scene with just an outburst of mental will. What was the origin of this sharp, sword-like, yet blizzard-like cold deterrence? ¡°You two, forfeit or enter the forest to seek a slim chance-¡° At this moment, Yu Rui didn¡¯t dare to underestimate the situation. He watched Lu Ran with an extremely serious expression, offering hispanions a choice between two options. In any case, he did not expect facing someone like Lu Ran would enable them to utilize their numbers for substantial help. Unless they were teammates who were well-versed in legion skills and capable of coordination, or if they were of a supportive type, weaker temporary teammates would onlyplicate matters. Unsure about Lu Ran¡¯s intentions and whether he would strike ruthlessly, Yu Rui directly suggested Jiang Ming and the other to give up on the tournament and the breakthrough task and seek protection from the examiners. In fact, they weren¡¯t the only ones. As soon as General Ha unleashed its aura, one person turned pale, felt dread in his heart, and quietly moved behind everyone else, seeking refuge behind their examiner. ¡°I forfeit.¡± Shi Ze, witnessing Lu Ran¡¯s madness from the start, cursed inwardly as he sought protection. As someone who ¡°knew¡± Lu Ran well, he made the wise choice seeing Lu Ran¡¯s real intention to end the tournament in the preliminary round. Yet, even then, he was terrified by Lu Ran¡¯s audacious actions and concealed strengths. Forfeiting seemed to be the best decision, though not everyone was willing to concede willingly. Even though Lu Ran appeared formidable, if the sky were to fall, taller individuals would bear it. Most contestants believed that against such an arrogant Lu Ran, the other two overlord ntmasters and several other geniuses from prominent families present would not remain indifferent. Could Lu Ran really stand against everyone, despite his strength? Hence, at that moment, someone gritted their teeth against the terrifying sword intent and quickly entered the Death Forest, leaving the battlefield. ¡°Roar!!!¡± Now, for the beastmasters who entered the Death Forest, the only challengey in the other overlord Lu Ran had released. They couldn¡¯t believe that the Sudden Death King alone could stop everyone. Such a massive creature, flying in the sky, would undoubtedly be the primary target of all ferocious nts. Unfortunately for them, the situation in the sky did not develop as expected. The Sudden Death King aimed to nk and block ahead, bing the most noticeable target. Down below, numerous ferocious nts, sensing the Sudden Death King¡¯s breath, instinctivelyunched attacks. But¡­ it was almost futile! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Numerous bean shooters spat out ice, thunder, hurricane, and me seed bombs, all aiming for the sky. However, the Sudden Death King didn¡¯t even bother to dodge, letting the attacksnd on its body. As the explosion smoke cleared, the Sudden Death King remained unscathed. Not to mention the low-level ferocious nts like bean shooters, in the next instant, a massive willow branch, drawn to the enticing breath,shed out. Dubbed as the Loong-type and Dragon n killer-the Dragon Blood Willow¡¯s branch, capable of piercing the scales of a giant dragon, emerged horizontally, seemingly treating the Sudden Death King as prey. However, the branch merely shed across, piercing the Sudden Death King, but with a snap, it was the Dragon Blood Willow¡¯s own branch that shattered from the recoil, slowly falling and wilting away. ¡°Roar-¡± The Sudden Death King disyed a disdainful expression. Is this it? Does it even possess one-tenth the power of the Dragon yer Sword¡¯s sword qi? It dare hunt it without even achieving sapience, audacious! Besides the visible ferocious nts in the forest, the void vines growing from otherworldly soil punctured into the high sky, entwining the Sudden Death King¡¯s body, attempting to drag it into another space for devouring. However, before its absolute strength, these ferocious nts could scarcely withstand it. Instead of dragging the Sudden Death King into another space, the Sudden Death King, without a care, continued flying, nearly pulling the void vines out of their otherworldly soil. ¡°Roar-¡° Witnessing the Sudden Death King arrogantly traversing through the Death Forest, numerous contestants¡¯ hearts sank. What¡¯s this now, can¡¯t these ferocious nts give us some break?! Chapter 253: Sword Domain Suppression In people¡¯s perception, ferocious beasts are merely the prey of ferocious nts. However, when the overlord dragon n of an extremely high species descended, these people realized that this was not the case. The monsters among the beast taming are also extremely terrifying. ¡°Roar¨C¡° As it flew, the sudden death king unleashed its Dragon Might, the momentum exploding like thunder in the void, continuously sweeping and weakening the contestants on its path. It didn¡¯t intend to do much else, calmly flying ording to Lu Ran¡¯s task, continuing forward to guard the checkpoint exit. ¡°So this is the foundation of the Beast Taming Hall¡­¡± City Lord Ye clicked her tongue, but at this moment, her attention was more on Lu Ran¡¯s situation. Currently, the top-level contestants were all gathered around Lu Ran.With an overlord pet beast spared, could Lu Ran rely on just a canine beast to contend with so many geniuses simultaneously??? By normal tournament standards, Lu Ran had a high chance of winning the championship. City Lord Ye couldn¡¯t understand why Lu Ran was doing this. She only wanted Lu Ran to secure the final victory, not eliminate everyone in the preliminary round to take first ce. This kid, truly rebellious. She had a premonition that if she really took Lu Ran as a disciple, there would be no end of trouble in the future. ¡°Withdraw.¡± Jiang Ming and Liu Man, upon Yu Rui¡¯s suggestion, nced at the departing Sudden Death King from a distance and immediately felt that this preliminary round was unyable. Failing the breakthrough task didn¡¯t matter; they could just challenge again next time. But if their lives were at stake, it would be all over. They weren¡¯t acquainted with Lu Ran and didn¡¯t think he¡¯d show mercy. ¡°Hey, should we team up?¡± Yu Rui himself didn¡¯t dare to be overconfident either. While enduring the sword intent menace, he yelled to the master of the Flower Demon Emperor. He truly didn¡¯t need weak teammates, but if it was a strong one, that was another matter. ¡°Team up?¡± At this moment, the disciple of City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister also felt Lu Ran¡¯s power and finally realized that the task set by her master might not be so easy toplete. Hearing Yu Rui¡¯s suggestion to team up, she nodded lightly and said, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Count me in. This guy is getting a bit too arrogant.¡± Hearing the exchange between the two, other ntmasters in the vicinity also joined in, grinning. A young man with wavy green hair stood there, apanied by a level 40 upper sovereign Thunderstrike Wood Monarch. His strength was clearly formidable, and he handled the oppressive sword intent with apparent ease. Of course, this also had to do with General Ha not having drawn its sword yet, and the fact that the sword intent was spreading out as an AOE, rather than concentrating fully on any single opponent. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s take this guy down together.¡± ¡°What does being an overlord matter?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s actions predictably stirred up everyone¡¯s shared resentment. Not many had the confidence to confront Lu Ran alone, but when Yu Rui suggested teaming up, they all eagerly agreed, wanting to eliminate Lu Ran first. To everyone, Lu Ran appeared to be a major threat. Advancing to the main tournament and earning a ranking would ensure prizes for everyone. What benefit was there in eliminating everyone during the preliminary round for Lu Ran? Wasn¡¯t this a self-damaging act? The crowd stared fiercely at the everposed Lu Ran. Standing beside General Ha, Lu Ran watched the situation unfold exactly as he had anticipated, slowly extending his hand without showing any concern over the number of adversaries. ¡°Why is he still so calm?¡± At this moment, seeing the numerous contestants preparing to team up against Lu Ran, Jiang Ming and Liu Man, who had chosen to withdraw, looked puzzled by Lu Ran¡¯s nonchnce. But in the next moment- 90% of the ntmasters and Beastmasters who chose to team up suddenly regretted not withdrawing directly. They watched as Lu Ran raised his hand, slowly snapped his fingers, and said: ¡°Domain, open.¡± This sound, like a devil¡¯s whisper, made everyone¡¯s expression change drastically. ¡­ The moment the words fell. The crowd, who had just been enduring the oppressive sword intent, suddenly found themselves no longer in the Death Forest. In a blink of an eye, they were transported to an entirely new space. This space seemed boundless, with the sky and all around a vast expanse of white. But the most terrifying part was that the white ground was covered in long sword grass, emitting a terrifying sword intent different from earlier. It continuously pricked at their nerves, while simultaneously draining their physical strength. nt Sword Intent. Sword Grass Domain, Ferocious nt Sword Domain!!! Everything around them left the dozen beastmasters dragged into the domain utterly stunned. Those who could withstand General Ha¡¯s sword intent were considered the geniuses of the area, and they naturally understood the situation at hand. Of course, the most shocked of all were undoubtedly the disciples of legends, Gu Yu, master of the Flower Demon Emperor, and Yu Rui, the other-world beastmaster and Child of Legend. After being pulled into the domain, both were left slightly agape, their faces filled with disbelief as they continually scanned their surroundings. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s have some fun.¡± ¡°You wanted to team up, right?¡± Lu Ran teased, casting a yful nce at Yu Rui. It was then that everyone noticed the transformation. Upon entering the domain, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast had entirely changed its appearance. The once familiar form was now covered in a radiant gold and green glow, with antler-like intertwined roots atop its head and a giantized sword grass clutched in its mouth. Its image waspletely different, as if it had be another species. Most daunting was its aura-¡°boom¡±-a powerful sword intent that seemed capable of piercing through space itself, shattering the mental fortitude of several onlookers. In just an instant. Within the sword domain, several more copsed. The geniuses who could previously resist the sword intent were instantly overwhelmed by its fury after being drawn into the domain. ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha looked down at Yu Rui, Gu Yu, and the few others who remained. ¡°What a joke! Is this really¡­ a domain?!¡± ¡°Impossible. Absolutely impossible.¡± As Lu Ran¡¯s strength became increasingly apparent, Yu Rui¡¯s expression shifted repeatedly. He was visibly shaken, his gaze darting around as he muttered in disbelief. He lifted his head, looking at General Ha, unable toprehend the sight before him. What kind of creature is this? What is going on with this other-world beastmaster? Two overlords, plus a domain! A level 2 beastmaster mastering a domain? How could this be? In his world, he had never heard of any legendary expertprehending a domain at level 2. Sword Domain Dog, Sword Domain Dog¡­ So that¡¯s what this species name means? If Yu Rui had been calm earlier, thatposure vanished the moment Lu Ran unfurled the domain and dragged them inside; Yu Rui could no longer remain calm. ¡°What on earth is happening here?¡± Gu Yu, standing nearby, was just as bewildered. Despite having the Flower Demon Emperor by her side, her expression was grim. She couldn¡¯t understand the challenge her master had arranged for her. Isn¡¯t this clearly a legendary expert who has suppressed their level and disguised their age to toy with us juniors? ¡°Howl-¡° ¡°Shriek-¡° What astonished them the most was that even though their species were entirely different, both the War Ancient Tree and the Flower Demon Emperor seemed to be under some form of bloodline suppression. They stared in terror at the strange creature that was part deer and part dog. ¡°Wait a minute, this feeling¡­¡± Suddenly, as Yu Rui sensed the War Ancient Tree¡¯s distress, his expression changed again. ¡°Was the mutation in the Death Forest a week ago caused by you guys???¡± At this moment, Yu Rui seemed to have uncovered a hidden truth. The terrifying wave that seemed to subdue all the ferocious nts in the Death Forest was actually caused by this deer dog? ¡°That¡¯s right, but too bad, no rewards for you.¡± ¡°Alright, General Ha, finish them.¡± No longer willing to waste time, Lu Ran gave the order. General Ha let out a howl, and within the sword domain, hundreds of long leaved sword grass shot up from the ground, their des surrounded by green whirlwinds. ¡°Ancient Tree, War Fortress-¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words were immediately followed by Yu Rui¡¯s urgentmand. The current situation prompted Yu Rui¡¯s rapid breaths as he franticallymanded his pet beast. The terrifying sword intent emanating from the numerous rising sword grass made him feel the imminent threat of death. He understood that if he didn¡¯t resist, death was inevitable. Though frightened by the divine deer¡¯s aura, under Yu Rui¡¯s orders, the War Ancient Tree shaped itself and encapsted both Yu Rui and itself, transforming into arger, defense-focused fortress structure. Upon the fortress, countless bizarre-looking fruit soldiers were born, each armed with small wooden shields. Besides, the fortress raised cannon barrels, aiming directly at General Ha and Lu Ran. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Flower Demon Emperor, is it still not working?¡± Not only Yu Rui, but Gu Yu was also anxious at this moment. The most frustrating part for her was that the Flower Demon Emperor had been emanating Thorn Enchantment all along. Thorn Enchantment was a technique that used mental allure to control various nts, whether they had sapience or not. Previously, the Flower Demon Emperor could even enchant ferocious nts of a higher growth level than itself, such as upper sovereigns. However, at this moment, its attempts to enchant the sword grass within this domain werepletely ineffective. ¡°Shriek-¡° The Flower Demon Emperor let out a pained groan. Despite the sword grass having the life force of nts, they felt more like sharp divine swords. Forget about enchanting them-its own body was on the verge of being pierced through and through. Boom!! As the geniuses attempted to resist, countless sword grass shot into the air, while new ones continued to sprout from the ground. The swirling sword grass quickly formed a terrifying storm of de leaves, much like a green tornado, which instantly engulfed everyone. Lu Ran and General Ha watched cidly as the core duo struggled within the storm of sword leaves. Momentster, both their nt pets were in a severely battered state. Buzz. Lu Ran took a step forward, like the master of the domain, entering the storm of sword leaves unscathed. Observing the Flower Demon Emperor and the War Ancient Tree¡¯s wretched attempts to defend themselves, he shook his head and moved on to clear out other opponents. At this moment, Lu Ran remained unaware that outside, a tremendous uproar had already been stirred. One examiner after another stared in shock at the ever-growing domain barrier, which was relentlessly expanding and devouring everything as it moved deeper into the Death Forest. They couldn¡¯t help but question whether they were dreaming. ¡°Domain¡­¡± The contestants who had withdrawn early stared dumbfounded at the formidable barrier, too shocked to speak. ¡°Holy crap,¡± Shi Ze muttered, equally stunned. He hadn¡¯t expected Lu Ran and his group to possess such a terrifying trump card. No wonder Lu Ran was confident in saying he could end the tournament here. To these people, domains were signature skills of legendary strongmen, terrifying techniques that only those with the potential of a legend couldprehend in advance. No one expected to see such a technique in a low-level beastmaster. This was fundamentally different from the resources that could be obtained through the backing of an overlord species. It required foundation,prehension, and innate talent! Compared to the examiners and contestants who only had a superficial understanding of domains, City Lord Ye and her senior sister were the ones left most speechless at this moment. ¡°Domain¡­¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not just a beginner¡¯s domain- it involves several advanced applications of the domain¡­¡± Chapter 254: SSS! The newly initiated basic domain can only establish a barrier in its original area and oncepleted, it cannot be altered. However, the domain released by General Ha at this moment not only can move but also continuously absorbs the ferocious nts from the outside and transforms them into sword grass through an unrestricted force. The advanced technique involved here can no longer be considered just a nascent domain! Rather, it is an advanced domain! It is already ahead of many First Generations on Blue Star. This isrgely thanks to General Ha¡¯s astonishing Comprehension, which allows it to master anything very quickly. Initially, Lu Ran was worried about whether they could finish the tournament¡¯s preliminary round. But over the past few days, as General Ha exhibited the advantages of the Ultimate Perception Trait and gradually perfected the domain, Lu Ran¡¯s worriespletely dissipated. However, the two legends who were unaware of the Ultimate Perception Trait were filled with endless confusion and shock at this moment. ¡°Yu¡¯er-¡° Suddenly, just a few seconds after being immersed in the shock of the domain, City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister¡¯s eyes widened with worry for her disciple¡¯s safety. When City Lord Ye approached her, she was very confident in her disciple, as they had been fortunate enough to contract a young overlord nt.But when she saw Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast release such a high-level domain, her heart sank, and she realized something was very wrong. Facing such a domain, there was no way the Flower Demon Emperor, who had no experience in contending with domains, could sessfully break it and free its owner from the constraints. What awaited them was a high likelihood of defeat! ¡°Junior Sister, did you do this on purpose??¡± At this moment, City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister was both angry and frustrated, already imagining how devastating this would be for her disciple¡¯s confidence. ¡°If I said I wasn¡¯t very familiar with his strength either?¡± ¡°Also, don¡¯t worry, he should act with discretion.¡± City Lord Ye¡¯s face hardened; this Lu Ran was too abnormal, truly worthy of being a beastmaster blessed by a legendary creature. Did she really have the qualifications to take such a person as her disciple? In the end, not only Beast Taming Hall but also the legendary creatures mighte to destroy Tree Realm City and me her for misleading Lu Ran. But the bet had already been made, and City Lord Ye didn¡¯t know how to take it back for the moment. ¡°Yu Rui won¡¯t be in danger, right?¡± At this moment, as the domain barrier moved, Jiang Ming and Liu Man were trembling all over, greatly worried about Yu Rui¡¯s situation. The domain¡­ Will Yu Rui be alright? If a Child of Legend dies in the breakthrough secret realm or at the hands of a beastmaster from another world, it would definitely be earth-shattering news for the Star Moon Federation. No¡­ Perhaps they wouldn¡¯t even be able to take this news out. If Yu Rui dies, Lu Ran would most likely eliminate them to keep the secret¡­ Kill potential enemies! They kept imagining the worst. At this moment, Liu Man and Jiang Ming were deeply terrified, unable toprehend why the beastmaster from the other world was so formidable. Dual overlords, domain skill¡­ What on earth is this configuration? Meanwhile, General Ha¡¯s domain continued moving and expanding, constantly enveloping new beastmasters. At the same time, it was also separating out the already subdued beastmasters. ¡°It¡¯s the ntmaster of the Flower Demon Emperor¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s the ntmaster of that War Ancient Tree¡ª¡° The examiners following behind the moving domain saw a few unconscious figures at the edge of the domain and were instantly rmed. They discovered these were the owners of the two overlords!! They had been separated from the domain just like the previous beastmasters!! ¡°They still have a breath.¡± ¡°The injuries are manageable, but their spirits have taken a significant hit, they might need spiritual healing-¡° ¡°Hurry, take them for treatment.¡± The examiners checked the two¡¯s condition and were inwardly shocked. The ordinary beastmasters were one thing, but seeing Gu Yu and Yu Rui, who also had overlords, in such a miserable state was rming. To fight two against one¡­ No, to fight many against one, and still be unable to break the domain. A true symbol of strength. ¡°Lost, huh.¡± At this moment, seeing her disciple indeed defeated, City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister felt a chill in her heart. But thankfully, the injuries were not too severe. Just as Legend Ye said, Lu Ran, no matter who he faced, held back and didn¡¯t inflict lethal injuries, even against ¡°enemy faction¡± Yu Rui. ¡°It seems this tournament might really end in the preliminary round,¡± City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister said, twitching at the corner of her mouth. ¡°I never thought this tournament would end in such a manner,¡± Legend Ye silently watched the Death Forest. At this moment, after dealing with the more formidable contestants, Lu Ran and General Ha began a rampage. The remaining contestants were all rtively weak. Feeling the terrifying sword intent approaching from behind, they elerated their escape. However, the more they focused on and feared Lu Ran, the more they neglected the inherent dangers of the Death Forest. Many had already been entangled by ferocious nts andy fallen on the ground. Even those with somewhat decent strength, who swiftly navigated through the forest using their rich experience, found their faces turning grim upon facing the obstruction of the Sudden Death King ahead. ¡°Roar-¡° Some contestants, who were nearly at the brink of seeing daylight, were directly blown away by the terrifying Dragon Might, fainting just before the finish line. At the finish line, violent Red Lightning crackled, making the area appear even more perilous than the forest¡¯s interior. This was Lu Ran¡¯s death line; too much time had already been wasted. He was absolutely unwilling to allow the preliminary round to end with any downtime before the main tournament, which would cut into his secret realm exploration time. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°What on earth is going on this year?¡± ¡°Where did these monsterse from?¡± Ahead was the Sudden Death King, in the middle were the various ferocious nts of the Death Forest, and behind was Lu Ran and General Ha. At that moment, the contestants in the forest felt a deep sense of despair. Eventually, due to the high consumption of maintaining the domain and theck of worthy opponents for General Ha to utilize it against, General Ha reverted to its original form. Lu Ran and General Ha moved forward leisurely, taking down weaker contestants one by one. In the end, it was Lu Ran, alone, who reached the finish line, arriving at the exit of the Death Forest. At the exit, the Sudden Death Kingy bored, while the surrounding examiners swallowed hard, staring at the man and his dog, not knowing what to say. ¡°Is there no one left?¡± At this moment, having finally reached the exit, Lu Ran looked around the empty surroundings and finally revealed a smile. ¡°So, there are no contestants left.¡± ¡°Does this mean there¡¯s no need for the main tournament? Am I the final winner?¡± he asked the few examiners guarding the finish line. The examiners were at a loss for words. One burly middle-aged man stepped forward and said, ¡°That seems to be the case, but this situation is unprecedented. It might require the City Lord¡¯s personal decision¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Before the examiner could finish his sentence, the figure of City Lord Ye appeared at the Death Forest¡¯s finish line. She looked at Lu Ran with a hint of resignation, her voice resonating within the Death Forest and beyond, making sure everyone involved heard her clearly. ¡°Since only one person passed the preliminary round, this year¡¯s nt Beast Championship has only one champion.¡± ¡°No rankings for the others.¡± ¡°The tournament is over!¡± As soon as City Lord Ye¡¯s words fell, a delightful sound echoed in Lu Ran¡¯s ears. [Congrattions, you havepleted the breakthrough task.] [Rating: SSS-level!] [Congrattions, you have obtained 5 million crystal coins.] [Congrattions, you have obtained a contract card (bound).] [Congrattions, you have obtained an exquisite-level resource: Miracle Seed (a seed that can be nted inside an animal life form, which will grow into a powerful nt organpatible with the host upon maturity).] [Congrattions, you have obtained the beast taming skill: Vibrant Vitality (a special beast taming skill that allows the beastmaster to convert nt natural power into Life Healing Power).] [Congrattions, you have obtained a trait crystal: Lucky Clover (a nt life fused with this trait greatly increases its luck and can bring good fortune to those around it).] [Congrattions, you have obtained a lower sovereign species nt seed (this seed will grow into a nt life of a lower sovereign species).] [You have reached the promotion criteria for ¡®Level 3 Beastmaster.¡¯ Would you like to promote now?] Lu Ran: ¡°!¡± No. With a quick nce at the rewards, Lu Ran¡¯s heart surged with excitement. Indeed, the rewards for an SSS-level rating were extremely satisfying. However, now was not the time for excitement. Lu Ran turned his gaze to City Lord Ye. City Lord Ye also locked eyes with Lu Ran. ¡°You,e with me,¡± she finally spoke, taking Lu Ran with her under the watchful eyes of the examiners. No one knew what the City Lord intended to do with Lu Ran. But it didn¡¯t matter. What was important now was that the news of this tournament would undoubtedly shake the surrounding regions to their core. ¡­ The nt Beast Championship in Tree Realm City ended directly after the preliminary round, nearly causing an uproar in the city. High-level members of various families were almost dumbstruck upon hearing that a freak had single-handedly ended the tournament in the preliminary round. Had they not seen their family geniuses being carried back, they wouldn¡¯t have believed it. The Shi Family. The Shi Family high-level members were inplete shock. Though they knew Lu Ran was strong, this achievement genuinely startled them. Meanwhile, Lu Ran, the main character of this event, had already been happily escorted away by Legend Ye. ¡°You¡­,¡± City Lord Ye said, taking a deep breath as she looked at Lu Ran inside the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. ¡°No wonder you agreed to the bet so readily; your strength is formidable.¡± ¡°You are the most extraordinary level 2¡­ no, the most extraordinary young generation beastmaster I¡¯ve ever seen.¡± ¡°Master, you tter me,¡± Lu Ran replied with a shy smile. City Lord Ye: ??? Did he just call me Master??? ¡°Although I have some strength in beast taming, my experience in nt Taming is quitecking,¡± Lu Ran said humbly. ¡°They are interrted. With guidance, you will quickly get into and master the art of nt Taming,¡± City Lord Ye said, a slight smile crossing her wrinkled face. ¡°Alright, since you called me Master, I¡¯ll ept you as my disciple.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll teach you what you need to know; you don¡¯t need to fulfill anymitments or inherit anything. Just make sure you don¡¯t cause me any trouble in the future.¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± Lu Ran said with delight. ¡°I¡¯m a very honest person.¡± ¡°Honest??¡± City Lord Ye raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you joking? An honest person would end a tournament in the preliminary round? Is that something an honest person would do?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was eager to be your disciple and quickly learn about nt Taming.¡± Chapter 255: Peaceful Coexistence Chapter 255: Peaceful Coexistence City Lord Ye was speechless. In her youth, the young prodigies were all remarkably talented and graceful. Their every move could elicit screams from thousands of young girls. In her opinion, Lu Ran¡¯s strength far surpassed those individuals. But the problem was, why did she feel that the boy in front of her was a bit slick-tongued and very frivolous. For a moment, City Lord Ye didn¡¯t understand. Perhaps she had not traveled the continent muchtely and couldn¡¯t keep up with the current trends. ¡°Forget it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do that next time.¡± ¡°The tallest trees in the forest are the first to get blown down1 . Even if youe from an extraordinary background, you need to learn how to act modestly. That way, you can better protect yourself.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s the force behind you, your parents, or me, your master, none of us can protect you all the time.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Lu Ran nodded heavily. But he couldn¡¯t help it. The rating mechanism was just like that. He would still dare next time. Fortune favors the bold. ¡°Before I teach you, I want to know, what exactly do you want?¡± City Lord Ye asked. Lu Ran pondered for a moment, then looked at City Lord Ye with utmost seriousness and said, ¡°I want tobine beast taming and nt Taming.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to give up beast taming, but I¡¯m also very interested in nt Taming.¡± ¡°So I want to research whether I can let a pet beast have absolute control over a nt life without contracting a nt pet, and draw strength from it to enhance itself.¡± ¡°Master, have you heard of retainers?¡± City Lord Ye replied, ¡°Of course, it is said that the Divine Tree has four retainers guarding the four corners of the continent, helping the Divine Tree fend off threats from overseas. Are you saying you want to¡­¡± ¡°Exactly!!¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°It is said that legend creatures at the Main God Level and above all have several Divine Retainers. There is a special bond, a mutual influence, and enhancement between the Divine Lord and the Divine Retainers.¡± ¡°Therefore, I was thinking, if animal life could cultivate nt life into retainers. After all, no one ever said that retainers must be of the same species, right?¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the ultimate dream. Right now, it¡¯s not even clear how to help a pet beast cultivate a retainer. I still don¡¯t know how to awaken the sapience in the sword grass,¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°You certainly have grand ideals,¡± City Lord Ye smiled slightly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t aim too high too fast. It¡¯s okay to take it step by step. What you propose doesn¡¯t sound entirely impossible, after all.¡± ¡°As for your sword grass¡­¡± ¡°To help it awaken, you might need to visit Myriad Leaf City and consult the nt Taming Family there. They might know the awakening method for sword grass.¡± ¡°The Ji Family?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°You know them?¡± City Lord Ye looked at Lu Ran and said, ¡°That¡¯s good then. In that case, I¡¯ll make a trip to the Ji Family on your behalf. Consider it a weing gift for you as my disciple.¡± Lu Ran: ¡°!!!¡± ¡°Thank you, master!!¡± Lu Ran gratefully bowed. Ye Ying nced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°By the way, the Flower Demon Emperor ntmaster you encountered in the preliminary round is a disciple of my senior sister. In terms of rtionships, you are considered fellow disciples. You should go visit herter.¡± ¡°And that ntmaster named Yu Rui is not from a simple background either. It¡¯s good you didn¡¯t go too hard on him, or it would have been difficult to handle afterward. When you have time, try to befriend him. It won¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± That¡¯s true. Lu Ran was somewhat genial to these three beastmasters from another world, aiming to pry some intelligence from them after gaining some background. ¡°You¡¯re currently staying with the Shi Family, right?¡± City Lord Ye asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Next, move to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. As I said, go see your Senior Sister Gu and Yu Rui first. I¡¯ll prepare your living quarters for you.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll go see Yu Rui first. Your Senior Sister Gu is receiving treatment from my senior sister at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. You can visit her once she¡¯s somewhat recovered.¡± ¡°Okay. By the way, master, when will the formal apprenticeship ceremony be, like hosting a banquet where you invite all the families, all your fellow disciples, and the strong ones from the surrounding cities?¡± Lu Ran asked. He cared about the formalities. ¡°We can skip the formal apprenticeship ceremony.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Ah, what?¡± City Lord Ye red at Lu Ran. She was mainly concerned that when the forces behind Lu Ran eventually arrived, it would be difficult to manage if things were too borate. Simplicity was better. Lu Ran felt a jolt in his heart. Where was he going to collect gifts now? Forget it, the important matters take priority. Small gifts are not needed; he was no longer as poor as before. ¡­ Leaving the City Lord¡¯s Mansion in high spirits, Lu Ran began to look forward to his new life as the Young City Lord. Following his master¡¯s suggestion, Lu Ran headed to the Medical Center in Tree Realm City to visit those he had previously fought. Unlike the Star-Moon Continent, the Divine Tree Continent was rich in healing abilities. Here, there were not only ferocious nts but also various pet beasts proficient in healing and support. Unfortunately, on the blue star, exploration of the nt world, elemental world, and mechanical world was minimal, making healing methods scarce. Speaking of healing methods, Lu Ran distractedly reviewed his rewards as he walked. A beast taming skill, Vibrant Vitality-a special-type skill that allows the beastmaster to convert nt natural power from the environment into Life Healing Power! When Lu Ran first saw this skill, his mind was filled with thoughts. Isn¡¯t this the ability of the divine deer antler? The breakthrough secret realm actually rewarded him with a skill simr to the divine deer antler¡¯s ability, and yet they said there was no pattern? Lu Ran felt conflicted about this skill. A healing-type beastmaster would be extremely valuable on the blue star. Without the divine deer antler, he would have learned it without hesitation, bing a healer. But unfortunately, he already had the divine deer antler. With its quality, Lu Ran felt he could rely on it until level 70 or 80, which made this otherwise rare skill quite redundant. However, only this skill seemed redundant; the other rewards were still very good in Lu Ran¡¯s opinion. For example, the lucky clover trait-Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but exim at its power. Although he didn¡¯t think his luck was particrly bad, who couldin about more good luck? If he were to contract a pet beast and infuse it with this trait, wouldn¡¯t it mean that every time he tackled a public secret realm boss, unique rewards would drop? In that case, this trait would be the most invaluable support trait for a beastmaster in Infinite City. No matter what, Lu Ran was never going to sell or trade this trait. He intended to reserve it for a future support pet beast. Unfortunately, sword grass was a weapon, an attack-type ferocious nt, and not suitable for bing lucky clover. Otherwise, once the sword grass awakened, simply infusing it would have been convenient. But it was okay that sword grass wasn¡¯t suitable. Lu Ran then turned his attention to the seed of a lower sovereign species nt; this should be equivalent to a pet beast egg. Just in a different form. Lu Ran felt a headacheing on-it was also a blind box seed, much like the weather elf egg earlier. No specific species information was given. This left Lu Ran quite troubled; he had no idea if the creature that would hatch from this seed would be suitable for lucky clover. ¡°And then there¡¯s this miracle seed, which feels like the least useful thing.¡± ¡°Making animals grow nt organs? What¡¯s the point of that¡­¡± He remembered seeing a news story on the blue star about a beastmaster who had cultivated a pet beast with grass growing on its head. It probably involved a resource simr to the miracle seed. As for this resource, it didn¡¯t seem suitable for General Ha, Dark Crow, or Sudden Death King since they were not grass, earth, or water creatures. Therefore, Lu Ran had no immediate ns for it-it was very likely he would sell, gift, or trade it. Reviewing the rewards once more, Lu Ran felt quite pleased. The biggest gain was undoubtedly the lucky clover trait; the rest were secondary. With a pleasant mood, Lu Ran finally arrived at the official Medical Center in Tree Realm City. This chain establishment was built upon several giant trees. Lu Ran wore a mask and a change of clothes upon arrival. After all, as a recentpetition winner who had beaten many opponents, Lu Ran was wary of potential trouble. ¡°Do you know where the ntmaster with the contract with the war ancient tree is receiving treatment? Take me there,¡± Lu Ran called out to a passing medic, showing the token his master, the City Lord, had given him to identify himself. ¡°Yes, my lord!¡± Although the medic didn¡¯t know Lu Ran¡¯s identity, upon seeing the token, they immediately showed respect and saluted. Before long, Lu Ran arrived at the outside of a healing tree room. He gently knocked on the door, and a female voice immediately responded from within. ¡°Pleasee in¡­¡± The next moment, Lu Ran opened the door and stepped inside. There were only three people in the room: Yu Rui, Liu Man, and Jiang Ming. Yu Rui was lying weakly on the tree bed, already conscious, indicating he had received treatment, though he still looked quite weak. Liu Man and Jiang Ming, acting as ¡°close rtives,¡± were attending to him. Hearing the knock, the three initially thought it was the medic returning. But when Lu Ran entered, their expressions changed dramatically. Liu Man and Jiang Ming even jumped up in surprise. ¡°Don¡¯t get excited.¡± Lu Ran smiled at them, waving his hand to calm them. ¡°If I intended to harm you, you¡¯d already be done for.¡± ¡°Even though wee from different worlds, we were still trained as beastmasters in the same ce. We don¡¯t have to be enemies; we can coexist peacefully.¡± ¡°Though we didn¡¯t know each other before, this is a good opportunity to get acquainted, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh, by the way, sorry for eliminating you straight away for the rating. But you¡¯re not holding a grudge over that, are you?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s words left the trio silent. However, Lu Ran was right about one thing. If he had intended to harm them, their lives would have ended back in the Death Forest. After Yu Rui regained consciousness and realized that his injuries were not fatal, he was incredibly surprised and recognized that Lu Ran had shown restraint. ¡°Y-yeah, exactly. Even though wee from different worlds, we were all trained by Infinite City. We can all be friends!¡± Jiang Ming, seemingly intimidated by Lu Ran¡¯s power,ughed awkwardly. ¡°Mm¡­¡± Beside him, Liu Man took a deep breath. As long as Lu Ran remained friendly, being friends was fine. Peaceful coexistence was indeed preferable. ¡°My name is Lu Ran. You can just call me by my name,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. ¡°By the way, are we the first batch of challengers matched with each other?¡± ¡°It seems so¡­¡± Yu Rui slowly adjusted his position and said, ¡°In any case, thank you for showing mercy.¡± ¡°It was necessary, given that we have no real grudge or enmity,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°The main thing is, you all didn¡¯t show any hostility toward me. Had youe after me right from the start, things might have been much worse than just a hospital stay.¡± Hearing this, Jiang Ming felt a shiver run down his spine, bing deeply uneasy. After all, he had initially suggested capturing Lu Ran to extract intelligence. Suddenly, he realized he had narrowly escaped a dire fate. Cough cough cough. He started coughing violently, drawing Lu Ran¡¯s attention. ¡°Nothing, nothing!¡± Jiang Ming almost knelt down in fright. ¡°Lu-Ge, you¡¯re incredibly strong. Are all beastmasters from your side as terrifying as you?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± Lu Ran replied casually. ¡°Where Ie from, I¡¯m quite average. There are plenty who are stronger at the same level. Now, as a return favor, how about you answer some of my questions?¡± The three of them: ??? Footnote:
  1. The Tallest Trees in The Forest are The First to Get Blown Down(ľÐãÓÚÁÖ·ç±Ø´ÝÖ®): This is a Chinese proverb meaning that those who stand out or excel in a group are often the first to face criticism, challenges, or envy. It suggests that being too prominent or noticeable can attract unwanted attention or trouble.
Chapter 256: Star Moon Federation In the same realm, there are plenty who are stronger than you? Nonsense! That¡¯s a lie! Who would believe that? The three of them couldn¡¯t believe that in Lu Ran¡¯s world, he was just average. Or rather, they didn¡¯t want to believe it. If it were true, just how terrifying would Lu Ran¡¯s world be? Every low level beastmaster has an overlord, and domains are just standard? Impossible, absolutely impossible¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s voice came through again, ¡°Where do youe from, or how do you refer to it?¡± The three exchanged nces; this question didn¡¯t seem unanswerable.¡°Star Moon Federation.¡± ¡°Star Moon¡­ Star Moon?! What¡¯s its rtion to the Star-Moon Continent?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Star-Moon Continent¡­ That¡¯s the ancient era of the Star Moon Federation,¡± Liu Man said oddly. For people of the Star Moon Federation, entering history to train makes sense. But where did this otherworldly beastmaster, Lu Ran,e from? Everyone felt a bit like they had been cheated. Hmm¡­ Lu Ran fell into deep thought. Star Moon Federation¡­ Star-Moon Continent¡­ So the Star-Moon Continent is indeed another world, and there exists a civilization that continues into the modern era. Originally, blue star beastmasters spected that the blue star was the modern version of the Star-Moon Continent. Now, it seems the blue star might be something else entirely- the Star-Moon Continent has its own favored offspring. In that case, it can be confirmed that the opponents in the blue star world battle were not virtual projections, but most likely modern beastmasters from the Star Moon Federation!!! ¡°Were you shocked to find out you were matched against an otherworldly beastmaster?¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°Of course we were shocked. Who knew there were other beastmaster civilizations besides ours¡­¡± Jiang Ming blurted out. From this statement, Lu Ran captured two key pieces of information. ¡°Hmm? The Star-Moon Continent is history to you, but what about this Divine Tree Continent?¡± ¡°From the way you talk, it doesn¡¯t seem to be another world?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Uh.¡± Jiang Ming was taken aback. Yu Rui spoke up, ¡°The Divine Tree Continent¡­ tracing back through history, it has a nk period. ording to our archaeologists¡¯ findings, the Divine Tree Continent is actually the Star-Moon Continent.¡± ¡°The Star-Moon Continent came first, followed by the Divine Tree Continent. Something must have happened in the middle of history, causing a massive change in world rules and the rise of nt life.¡± Lu Ran showed a look of realization and continued, ¡°So, on the Star-Moon Continent, were there eras dominated by elemental lifeforms or mechanical life?¡± ¡°Our people have entered trials in these four worlds. Don¡¯t tell me the other two worlds are also the Star-Moon Continent, just from different eras.¡± At this point, there was no point in hiding anything. Yu Rui continued, ¡°Yes, these are all taught in our history lessons.¡± ¡°In Myth and Legend, when the world was still void, the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons were born from the rules of time, space, life, and death, and then they created the world.¡± ¡°After the world was created, it was filled with rich elemental forces, which formed the basic source of the world.¡± ¡°In the midst of these abundant elemental forces, the world gave birth to the first batch of innate deities, who were primarily elemental lifeforms.¡± ¡°After this batch of elemental deities, many ordinary elemental creatures began to emerge, alongside animals and nts.¡± ¡°The era dominated by elemental lifeforms you mentioned could be this era.¡± ¡°Humans in this era had already gained the ability to contract with other creatures.¡± ¡°However, due to a period of nk history, this era experienced a historical break.¡± ¡°The rules of the world changed dramatically, elemental lifeforms ceased to be born, and ordinary elemental creatures disappeared altogether. Instead, various ferocious beasts evolved rapidly and soon became the dominant species in the world.¡± ¡°After some time, history seemed to cycle. Ferocious beasts declined, and nt life rose to prominence.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ In a distant future, there will again be a cyclical change, a historical break. After this break, humans will develop the power of technology and create mechanical life.¡± ¡°So, the history of the Star-Moon Continent can roughly be divided into the Elemental Age, Age of Beast Taming, nt Age, and Machine Age.¡± Yu Rui added, ¡°And our Star Moon Federation arises after the Machine Age.¡± Interesting. Lu Ran was surprised to find that the elemental world, Star-Moon Continent, Divine Tree Continent, and mechanical world all share the same universe. However, due to historical breaks,ter generations were unaware of the ancient past. It wasn¡¯t until Yu Rui¡¯s era in the Star Moon Federation that some historical truths were unearthed. This discovery was nothing short of monumental. ¡°What do you know about the infinite city?¡± Lu Ran inquired. ¡°Could you share any information you have about infinite city with me?¡± Yu Rui gave a dry cough due to his injuries and didn¡¯t feel like talking, so he motioned for Jiang Ming to speak. If Lu Ran wanted to know, they might as well tell him. Yu Rui sensed that many beastmasters from the Star Moon Federation were likely matched up with beastmasters from Lu Ran¡¯s world. The exchange of intelligence between the two worlds seemed inevitable. At this point, there was no need for secrecy. While the beastmasters¡¯ rtionships between the two worlds in the future remained uncertain, it was best to consider Lu Ran as an ally rather than an enemy under the current circumstances. ¡°Infinite city¡­¡± Jiang Ming began. ¡°We don¡¯t really know the origins of infinite city either. It appeared suddenly a year ago, selecting arge number of beastmasters to enter and undergo various trials¡­¡± ¡°Initially, many people were cautious and hesitant. However, after rare resources and skills were rewarded within various secret realms, the reluctance faded.¡± ¡°After all, resources are scarce on our side. The emergence of infinite city has filled this gap, allowing our stagnated beast taming civilization to flourish once again.¡± Lu Ran pondered for a moment-did infinite city only appear a year ago for them? This was off by who knows how many yearspared to the blue star. The blue star, after all, had encountered infinite city back in the Ancient times. However, the Star Moon Federation has preserved and continued the beast taming system, so their entry into infinite city wasn¡¯t starting from scratch. ¡°You all were already beastmasters when you entered infinite city?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Jiang Ming replied. As Lu Ran continued to gather information, he was surprised to discover that the facilities within infinite city were incredibly rudimentary in the Star Moon Federation. There are no Evolution Secret Realms! No Legendary Secret Realms! Various secret realms also do not drop trait crystals! Their pet beasts must evolve through special breeding techniques and evolution resources, unlike on the blue star, where fusion traits allow for evolution. Additionally, since they can create their own Beast Taming Space, they are not issued contract cards. However, when ites to level limitations set by infinite city, they are still bound by them and must go through breakthrough secret realms to level up. Few people resist this, as the resources dropped in breakthrough secret realms are very abundant, and training in historical settings is a rare opportunity. In summary, the facilities in the Star Moon Federation¡¯s infinite city are somewhatckingpared to those on the blue star. It feels as though the level of nurturing investment is different! For the blue star, infinite city seems to invest more resources in nurturing. For the Star Moon Federation, only a small portion of resources is invested. However, this does not mean that the overall strength of the Star Moon Federation is weaker than the blue star. Even before the appearance of infinite city, the Star Moon Federation had aplete beast taming system and Legendary-level beastmasters already existed. Therefore, the Star Moon Federation is currently much stronger than the blue star. ¡°Hey¡­¡± At this moment, Liu Man suddenly looked up and asked, ¡°Did your infinite city update with the world battle?¡± ¡°Our infinite city suddenly updated with a world battle feature not long ago, stating that a year from now, there will be a duel with beastmasters from ten other worlds.¡± ¡°If we win, the facilities in infinite city will be upgraded, and we will gain partial management rights of infinite city.¡± ¡°If we lose, there will be certain penalties.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s lips curled into a slight smile. ¡°That¡¯s right, our infinite city also updated with the world battle. This confirms that in a year, there will be a duel for control of infinite city resources between beastmasters from our two worlds.¡± Although Lu Ran appeared calm, he was actually quite distressed. Currently, the blue star doesn¡¯t even have a single level 6 beastmaster, while the Star Moon Federation already has Legendary-level beastmasters. How on earth are they supposed to win this? Just how? The only possible advantage might be the higher investment in nurturing. Perhaps, over the course of this year, the overall strength of the blue star could rapidly improve with continuous updates from infinite city. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s not like it concerns us weaklings anyway, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Jiang Ming said. ¡°The world battle has nothing to do with us, after all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more curious about the reasons behind the historical breaks in the Star-Moon Continent across different eras,¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°Could it be rted to Legendary creatures?¡± ¡°After all, when the rules of a world change, it seems like a species represented by a Legendary creature might have faced defeat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible,¡± Yu Rui chimed in again. ¡°I¡¯m not clear about the other eras, but the end of the Machine Age happened due to the War of Legends.¡± ¡°It was in that era, a supposed War of Legends that led to the destruction of the Star-Moon Continent. The humans of the current Star Moon Federation are actually the ¡®human seeds¡¯ stored in mechanical space by their Guardian, a Legendary Mechanist, before that great war.¡± ¡°When we emerged from the mechanical space after hundreds of years, the Star-Moon Continent was already in ruins.¡± ¡°It took many years of reconstruction to reach the current level we have now.¡± ¡°That war is also the reason for the slow progress of our current beast taming civilization, as the continent¡¯s resources have been almost exhausted¡­¡± ¡°A Legendary Mechanist existed during the Machine Age???¡± Lu Ran was taken aback and asked, ¡°A level 9 beastmaster?¡± ¡°As far as I know, weren¡¯t human levels sealed by Legendary creatures, capped at Pseudo-legendary level?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Yu Rui replied. ¡°Legendary creatures have indeed always been sealing human levels-during the Elemental Age, the Age of Beast Taming, the nt age, and the Machine Age.¡± ¡°However, ording to archaeological discoveries, it seems that in these four eras, there were humans who managed to break through to the Legendary level, defeating Legendary creatures with mortal bodies.¡± ¡°In the history of the Star-Moon Continent, there have been four Legendary beastmasters.¡± ¡°But it appears that whenever a human breaks through to Legendary, history breaks, and in the new cycle, human levels are sealed again¡­¡± Hearing this, Lu Ran fell into deep thought. So it was like this. He had thought that humans had never produced a Legendary being. So, who was the Legendary beastmaster from the Age of Beast Taming? Could it have been a beastmaster focused on soul cultivation, trained by his necromancer master? He had originally wanted to help his master fulfill this wish, but now it seems that someone had already done it. Chapter 257: Breakthrough, Level â‘¢ Beastmaster ¡°Have you guys noticed anything special over there?¡± Although Lu Ran was stronger, having taken advantage of the situation to gather a lot of intelligence, they also wanted to see some of the information he had. Jiang Ming looked eagerly at Lu Ran. Of course, if Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to share, there was nothing they could do about it. ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Lu Ran looked at Jiang Ming and said, ¡°We also know nothing about the Infinite City.¡± ¡°Before asking you for this intelligence, we even thought that our super-Ancient era was the Star-Moon Continent. But now, it seems that¡¯s not the case at all. You guys are the true Star-Moon Continent.¡± ¡°As for what kind of connection there is between our world and yours, we¡¯ll probably have to explore that slowly.¡± ¡°Hmm, maybe when the world battle is over and one side gains partial control of the Infinite City, they can use it to uncover more hidden secrets of the world.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t just take your information for free; I¡¯ll share some of ours with you too,¡± Lu Ran contemted: ¡°Firstly, over in our world, the Infinite City didn¡¯t appear just a year ago like it did for you. It descended in our super-Ancient era, at least ten thousand years ago.¡±The three of them gasped in shock. What! The Infinite City appeared over there ten thousand years ago? ¡°Moreover, our Infinite City¡¯s facilities are far moreplete than yours.¡± ¡°In addition to ordinary secret realms, public secret realms, and breakthrough secret realms, there are evolution secret realms, Legendary Secret Realm, and a divine beast leaderboard. You guys don¡¯t seem to have these, do you?¡± After Lu Ran finished speaking, the three of them fell into deep shock. If Lu Ran had previously imed to be just an ordinary beastmaster from the Blue Star, and they had doubted him a bit, now, upon learning that the Infinite City had descended on the Blue Star ten thousand years ago, they couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the terrifying extent to which the beast taming civilization on the Blue Star had been cultivated by the Infinite City over such a long period! Here, in just one year, the resources of the Infinite City had produced quite a few new legendary figures. So, over tens of thousands of years¡­ it was unimaginable. Absolutely unimaginable. Could it be that Lu Ran was telling the truth and he really was just an ordinary beastmaster over there? ¡°Legends walk everywhere, and overlords are asmon as dogs.¡± Suddenly, this phrase popped into the minds of the three. Even Yu Rui, the Child of Legend who had seen a lot, felt a sudden apprehension upon hearing this information. [Star Moon Federation, what do we have to contend with Blue Star?] The three of them felt deeply helpless. If it were the Star-Moon Continent before the War of Legends, when the mechanical civilization of the Star Moon Federation was thriving, there might have been a chance topete with Lu Ran¡¯s Blue Star. But now, the Star Moon Federation seemed entirely outmatched by Blue Star. It was like the three of them beingpletely overwhelmed by Lu Ran. If Lu Ran wasn¡¯t lying, then it¡¯s possible that even if he were considered ordinary over there, it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible? ¡°Don¡¯t lose heart,¡± Lu Ran said, seeing the look of shock on their faces. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s talk another time. Yu Rui, right? You don¡¯t look so well; you should get some rest. We still have a lot of time ahead.¡± ¡°Although you guys didn¡¯t manage to achieve a breakthrough and got eliminated, at least this secret realm is still worth exploring. Keep at it.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle back to continue our chat once you¡¯ve recovered enough.¡± ¡°I still have a few things to attend to.¡± Lu Ran cheerfully cut their conversation short. After handling a few tasks for his City Lord master and ¡°building rapport¡± with these three extraordinary individuals, he intended to head back. Soon, Lu Ran left. The three of them remained in the ward, lost in deep thought. ¡­ ¡°Next, as the City Lord master requested, I need to visit her senior sister¡¯s disciple.¡± Lu Ran sighed, wanting to get it over with quickly and return to his breakthrough. Back at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Lu Ran followed the address given by his City Lord master and arrived at a courtyard. He was still rehearsing what to say when he noticed something surprising: an old woman with white hair was conversing with another old woman with red hair in the courtyard. As Lu Ran approached, the two women turned their gaze towards him. City Lord Ye spoke, ¡°Lu Ran,e and meet your Martial Aunt Tian.¡± ¡°Martial Aunt Tian, Master.¡± Lu Ran quickly walked over and respectfully greeted them. However, he couldn¡¯t help but ponder: what kind of extraordinary person was his Grandmaster? Both disciples had be legendary ntmasters. But judging by the age of his master and martial aunt, the grandmaster was probably no longer alive. ¡°Good, good, good,¡± Martial Aunt Tian said. ¡°I see you¡¯ve already started calling her your master. You¡¯ve made quick progress.¡± Her tone was somewhat dissatisfied. ¡°Your strength is indeed impressive. Ever since Yu¡¯er became a ntmaster, she has never lost to her peers or to someone of a lower level. You¡¯re the first.¡± Lu Ran smiled, ¡°I just had a bit of luck. My senior sister¡¯s strength is indeed remarkable; it¡¯s just that our abilities happen to counter hers.¡± ¡°How is she now?¡± ¡°She¡¯s mostly fine but still resting. You can get to know each other better when she wakes up,¡± Martial Aunt Tian responded. ¡°Ran¡¯er,¡± City Lord Ye, standing nearby, noticed how her senior sister affectionately called Yu¡¯er and felt that directly calling Lu Ran by his full name was a bit distant. She also changed her tone and said, ¡°Ran¡¯er, over the next two days, I will be visiting the Ji Family in Myriad Leaf City to find out the method for the awakening of the sword grass.¡± ¡°Your Martial Aunt will stay here, so if you have any questions, you can ask her.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran nodded at this. However, at this moment, he didn¡¯t actually have any pressing questions. He just wanted to get back and achieve his breakthrough as soon as possible. He needed to learn the beast taming skills for his retainers first. Then, he wanted to see how many levels General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow could ascend after breaking through the bottleneck. In short, after his breakthrough, his strength would undergo a qualitative change. This would make his actions in this world more convenient. Since there was no need for further discussion at the moment, Lu Ran didn¡¯t want to disturb the two of them any longer. After inquiring about his amodation, he took his leave. ¡°Master, I¡¯ll head back to cultivate now,¡± he said. ¡°I felt like I gained some insights from the recent battle, and I think I might be close to a breakthrough.¡± After he finished, City Lord Ye replied, ¡°Go ahead, train diligently. Both beast taming and nt mastery are just tools-your own level is what truly matters.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded, eagerly heading to the courtyard arranged for him. The courtyard was filled with the chirping of birds and the fragrance of flowers, with many advanced spiritual nts cultivated within. It was an ideal ce for living and cultivation. After inspecting the courtyard, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t wait to retreat into the house. [You have reached the advancement criteria for ¡®Level 3 Beastmaster.¡¯ Would you like to advance now?] ¡°Advance, advance.¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath, and in an instant, a mysterious force enveloped him, nurturing every part of his body, mind, and soul. An incrediblyfortable feeling spread throughout his body, and the various attribute boosts from the breakthrough made Lu Ran clearly sense the change in his power. For a beastmaster, leveling up is not only about the number of contracts but also about mastering beast taming skills. For example, Lu Ran¡¯s soul enhancement skill requires physical stamina to use. Naturally, the higher the beastmaster¡¯s level, the stronger their stamina, and the more effective their skills. [Species]: Human [Beast Taming Level]: Level 3 [Beast Taming Skills]: Super Beast Mimicry, me Sprite, Soul Enhancement [Special Ability]: Telepathy, Blizzard Sword Intent, me Dragon Sword Intent, Mind Sword Intent, Dragon Might, Super Vision ¡°Incredible, incredible.¡± Feeling his now monstrous physique, Lu Ran was enthralled by this sensation. With this setup, any beastmaster who saw it would likely be astounded. Since thest breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran acquired two new special abilities: Dragon Might and Super Vision. Both abilities could be considered offshoots of Super Beast Mimicry. For instance, the sword intent, initially copied through Super Beast Mimicry from General Ha¡¯sbat technique. Meanwhile, Dragon Might and Super Vision werebat techniques mimicked from Sudden Death King and Dark Crow, respectively. In recent times, Lu Ran had started having Sudden Death King use Red Lightning to help forge his body. Since Lu Ran couldn¡¯t endure as much as Sudden Death King and their species were different, the physical enhancement brought solely by Red Lightning was minimal. However, along with benefiting from the body forging effect of Red Lightning, Lu Ran also had Super Beast Mimicry for additional enhancement. His thunder body forging practice, once synchronized with Sudden Death King¡¯s, was almost like training sword intent alongside General Ha. Leveraging Super Beast Mimicry, Lu Ran¡¯s physique increasingly resembled the power of a dragon-man. During this process, he naturally learned a type of sword intent, Dragon Might Mimicry. As for the scouting techniques copied from Dark Crow, they essentially enhanced Lu Ran¡¯s vision to the extreme. He had used them as soon as he entered this secret realm. Whether it was far sight, night vision, 360-degree reconnaissance, or seeing through illusions, no problem existed. Now, due to his breakthrough, the strength of these special abilities had further increased. At this moment, Lu Ran felt that even without relying on his pet beasts, his strength should beparable to a Level 30 sovereign species ferocious beast. ¡°Right, the pet beast levels.¡± After finishing his breakthrough, Lu Ran indulged in the feeling for a while, then immediately checked the level changes of his three pet beasts!!! General Ha. [Growth Level]: Level 33 Sudden Death King. [Growth Level]: Level 36 Dark Crow. [Growth Level]: Level 39 ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran nced and fell silent for a moment. Dark Crow, what¡¯s up with that? Lu Ran figured that the profound umtion during the Level 30 bottleneck explosion meant the levels of the three pet beasts post-breakthrough wouldn¡¯t be low. After all, they consumed so many exquisite-level evolution resources at Level 30. While much of the power from these resources converted into species potential, it didn¡¯t mean there was no boost to their growth level. Among them, General Ha¡¯s post-breakthrough growth level being the lowest didn¡¯t surprise Lu Ran. After all, it primarily consumed evolution resources to enhanceprehension. That Sudden Death King¡¯s level was so high likely stemmed from thesting effects of Dragon Souls, Dragon King¡¯s Hearts, and the Exquisite Cuisine of the Dragon it consumed. But Dark Crow¡¯s level, that was unexpected to Lu Ran. However, Dark Crow did consume quite a few exquisite resources at the time. Whether it was the mandrake flower provided by Zishu or the super thought fruit offered by Lin Nian, both were attribute-enhancing resources. Additionally, Dark Crow perfectly absorbed these through the devouring agate and even consumed many of its own eyes. Its significantly elevated growth level now seemed usible. ¡°The Dragon n, being a powerful species, are nearly invincible at the same level. They also have long lifespans, so their growth level increases slowly.¡± ¡°Inparison, the growth level increase speed for the Crow species is rtively normal. It seems that in the future, under the same resources, Dark Crow¡¯s growth level will be the highest in the team, Sudden Death King will have the highest base species level, and General Ha will have the highest skill level?¡± Lu Ran analyzed briefly and then didn¡¯t bother with the three of them anymore. He took out the Retainer Skill Card and promptly smacked it onto his forehead. [Beast Taming Skill]: Super Beast Mimicry, me Sprite, Soul Enhancement, Retainer! Having finally learned this incredible beast taming skill, Lu Ran felt a surge of excitement. He quickly checked its effects after learning it. [Name]: Retainer [Introduction]: Current effect allows one pet beast to contract a retainer. After the contract, the retainer life can receive one of the following enhancements from the main pet: power enhancement, talent enhancement, or bloodline enhancement. When the retainer life and main pet fight side by side, the retainer life can rely on the main pet to perform a fusion skill. Chapter 258: Tree King’s Inheritance ¡°This¡­¡± After choosing to learn the retainer skill as his fourth beast taming skill, Lu Ran fell into a long contemtion. As expected! It wasn¡¯t as good as he had imagined. Lu Ran had daydreamed that once he mastered the retainer skill, he could assign three to five retainers to each of his pet beasts, like General Ha, the Sudden Death King, and the dark crow. However, after mastering the skill, Lu Ran realized in silence that he could only assign one retainer per pet beast at the current stage. To assign more retainers to more pet beasts, he would need to develop it further himself or wait until his beast taming level increased. ¡°Fortunately, I had anticipated this oue. It¡¯s eptable. Yes, actually, such a result is normal. If it were as I had imagined, it would be too overpowered.¡± ¡°No, even the current effect is very overpowered.¡±A retainer life can receive one type of enhancement from the main pet: a power boost, a talent boost, or a bloodline boost. When the retainer life and main pet fight side by side, the retainer life can utilize a ¡°fusion skill¡± by attaching to the main pet!! No wonder legends of divine beasts often involve them nurturing retainers. Imagine, if General Ha contracted the sword spirit and sword grass as retainers and they received General Ha¡¯s talent boost, how terrifying would that be? General Ha¡¯s talent, naturally, is in swordsmanship. Ultimately, this would manifest as¡­ The sword domain! Perhaps, by bing retainers and receiving such a boost, they could effortlessly use the sword domain too. And it doesn¡¯t end there. When retainers and the main pet fight side by side, retainers can attach to the main pet to enhance ¡°fusion skills¡±!! In other words, during battle, retainers can provide a skill buff to the main pet, making its skills stronger. Fusion between different pet beasts¡¯ skills is generally quite difficult. However, if there¡¯s a retainer contract between two pet beasts, it might not be so challenging after all. If the sword spirit and sword grass mastering the sword domain isn¡¯t extreme enough¡­ What if their sword domain could fuse with General Ha¡¯s sword domain? Suddenly, Lu Ran remembered what Manager Ying had previously mentioned about the bination domain¡±!! On the Star-Moon Continent, several formidable legendary beastmasters possess pet beasts with domains. In some cases, the domains of different pet beasts can even merge, forming abination domain. ¡°Wait a second.¡± ¡°If in a year, I manage to develop the retainer skill so that one pet beast can contract two retainers.¡± ¡°Then, if the sword spirit and sword grass both be General Ha¡¯s retainers, the sword spirit has a domain, the sword grass has a domain, and then they merge with General Ha¡¯s sword domain, forming a triunebined sword domain. In a 3v3 scenario, wouldn¡¯t their power be extraordinarily overwhelming, easily defeating everyone?¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath, suddenly realizing how to leverage the retainer skill. General Ha¡¯s strength lies in its swordsmanship talent, so it should be paired with sword-rted retainers. The Sudden Death King¡¯s strength is its powerful Dragon¡¯s Bloodline species, so in the future, it should be paired with dragon-rted retainers. As for the dark crow¡­ developing the retainer skill seems challenging for it, so at level 40, it should directly receive a fusion with the trait of group dominance, without assigning it any retainers since it already has many clones. ¡°Another question arises.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the sword spirit and sword grass also be contracted?¡± If he wants to achieve a triunebined sword domain using the retainer skill to dominate the top ten First Generation contestants, the sword spirit and sword grass must both be contracted. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t be able to appear in tournaments. Lu Ran didn¡¯t mind contracting them, but the issue remains-with only a limited number of contract slots, many pet beasts are waiting in line. Weather Elf, Sword Grass, Sword Spirit¡­ and now there¡¯s the Lucky Clover Trait, which might even require a nt pet beast. This is hardly sufficient. Standing in ce with a headache, Lu Ran felt increasingly envious of the beastmasters from the Star Moon Federation, as they rely on their own Beast Taming Space. Although the number of contracts in a Beast Taming Space is equal to the number of contract cards. However, Lu Ran knew that on the Star-Moon Continent, a very powerful beast taming skill exists: Beast Taming Space Enhancement. It directly allows one to have double the contract slotspared to a beastmaster of the same level. Double the Beast Taming Space,bined with the retainer skill, would make Lu Ran feel he could decisively defeat any equal-level opponents. Unfortunately, for now, it remains just a thought. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s do this. When I get back, I¡¯ll contract the Cloud Baby. After all, the triunebined sword domain and the concept of two retainers is just my theory for now, and it¡¯s uncertain whether it will work.¡± ¡°Contracting the Weather Elf is more straightforward. At least its blizzard weather and thunderstorm weather can synergize with General Ha and the Sudden Death King without any issues.¡± ¡°As for the Corpse Dog and the Sword Grass that might awaken sapience in the future, I¡¯ll let them grow freely for now. I¡¯ll reserve the contract slots and wait until they have fully developed the Combined Sword Domain. Contracting themter won¡¯t be toote.¡± ¡°However, even with this n, if I encounter any rare pet beasts in the future, the number of contract slots still feels insufficient,¡± Lu Ran pondered. He thought about whether it was possible to reduce the number of pet beasts. Do I really need to contract another nt pet beast to merge with the Lucky Clover? If the Sword Grass can awaken sapience, can¡¯t the Lucky Clover merge with it instead? Although the Lucky Clover appears to be a supportive trait, is there any way it could be converted into an offensive trait? ¡°I remember that in a Level 5 secret realm, there¡¯s a trait called the Critical Hit Trait.¡± Suddenly, Lu Ran recalled something. ¡°The Critical Hit Trait, when fused with a pet beast, grants a very small chance of delivering a skill with multiple times the damage.¡± ¡°Once it triggers a critical hit, the skill damage will be exceptionally high.¡± ¡°Although it relies on probability and its performance is highly unstable, it can be counterbnced by ¡®frequency¡¯ to make up for the ¡®probability.¡¯ Hence, this trait has its audience.¡± ¡°Many strategy team beastmasters use pet beasts with this trait. By repeatedly running dungeons dozens or even hundreds of times, they gamble on a critical hit to clear the secret realms.¡± ¡°This trait works decently in PvE, but in PvP, it¡¯s too hit-or-miss and not exactly reliable.¡± ¡°But what if the Critical Hit Trait werebined with the Lucky Clover Trait, which increases luck? What would happen if a single pet beast possessed both?¡± Lu Ran mused, envisioning the scene where the Sword Grass delivers a critical hit with every strike. Moreover, the Lucky Clover Trait also brings luck topanions. Achieving something asplex as abination domain likely requires a bit of luck as well. If the Sword Grass were to fuse with the Lucky Clover Trait, could it potentially elerate the creation of thebination domain? ¡°Perhaps, that¡¯s the way to go,¡± Lu Ran thought, scratching his chin as he visualized a future where the Sword Grass¡¯s every strikends a critical hit. ¡°This way, I won¡¯t need to seek additional nt life for the Lucky Clover, saving a contract slot!¡± ¡°Moreover, another option could be to feed the Miracle Seed to the Dark Crow. If the Dark Crow grows a nt organ, wouldn¡¯t it also count as part nt life? The Lucky Clover might fuse with it as well. Thebination of curse and luck might create some interesting effects.¡± ¡°This can save another contract slot. Additionally, if the Dark Crow awakens a nt organ, it might research strange nt resources and learn new curses faster. However, this approach carries risks. The Dark Crow isn¡¯t perfectlypatible with grass species. It might work as a short-term solution, but in the long run, it could affect its subsequent evolution.¡± Trait pairing is an art, and Lu Ran shook his head, deciding to focus on studying the retainer skill first¡­ ¡­ The next day. At this point, City Lord Ye had already departed for the distant grasnds. Lu Ran spent an entire day studying the retainer skill and discovered that binding the Sudden Death King and General Ha could actually work. He could directly make the Sudden Death King General Ha¡¯s retainer¡­ Then, within the Infinite Sword Domain, General Ha could wield the Sudden Death King as a sword, cutting down everything in its path. However, the image was too abstract to see a bright future, so Lu Ran quickly dismissed this devilish idea as soon as it shed in his mind. For now, with his master gone and holding the city lord¡¯s token, Lu Ran had practically be the overlord of Tree Realm City. Even though his status wasn¡¯t quite the same as the Holy Son of the Cult of Necromancy, it wasn¡¯t too far off. After a day of studying the changes following his breakthrough, Lu Ran headed once again to the Death Forest to find a suitable ferocious nt for Fang Lan. His previous two trips were rushed, so he hadn¡¯t had a chance to find the right nts. This time, no matter what, he was determined to find several suitable ones and bring them back for her to choose from. In fact, the ones Shi Ze mentioned initially were all excellent choices. Each was a sovereign species ferocious nt, whether it was the Dripping Guanyin or the Dragon Blood Willow, both were extremely powerful. However, if possible, Lu Ran still hoped to find a ferocious nt for Fang Lan that, upon awakening, could reach the level of an overlord species. This way, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her situation in the future. ¡°Although there are many sovereign species ferocious nts here, none seem capable of bing overlords.¡± ¡°It seems that even for a legendary ntmaster, obtaining an innately overlord species ferocious nt is not an easy task,¡± Lu Ran mused as he wandered through the Death Forest. ¡°It appears you are indeed very interested in nt life.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Lu Ran, while wandering around, heard a voice. Looking around, he was slightly taken aback: ¡°Martial Aunt Tian?¡± The person appearing from one end of the forest was none other than City Lord Ye¡¯s senior sister. She said, ¡°I heard from your master that you came from the Beast Taming Hall and want to study thebination of beast pets and nt pets?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°I have a dream¡­¡± ¡°Alright, I don¡¯t want to hear about your dream,¡± Martial Aunt Tian waved her hand and said, ¡°My junior sister has never taken on a disciple before; you are the first. Unfortunately, youe from the Beast Taming Hall, so it¡¯s impossible for you to switch to ntmaster training and inherit her mantle.¡± ¡°I have a request; I wonder if you can ept it.¡± ¡°Please, Martial Aunt Tian, go ahead,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°You should know, right? Your masteres from a beast taming family. She switched from beast taming to nt taming. Her family has passed down a special beast taming skill. She has always been concerned about abandoning her family¡¯s legacy. If possible, I¡¯d like you to inherit her family¡¯s unique skill. It is called the Beast Taming Power, and it does not conflict with your path.¡± ¡°However, Beast Taming Hall should have many exceptional beast taming skills. If it doesn¡¯t suit you, it might be a waste of your time, so you don¡¯t need to pay too much attention to my words,¡± Martial Aunt Tian added. ¡°As for my master¡¯s family¡¯s beast taming skills¡­ I¡¯m really not familiar with them,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with my master in the future.¡± Martial Aunt Tian¡¯s suggestion was indeed reasonable. A beastmaster who could cultivate the Beast Taming Space could learn an unlimited number of beast taming skills, as long as they had sufficient talent and energy. Unfortunately, Lu Ran could only respond vaguely at this moment, as he was not a traditional beastmaster. The number of beast taming skills he could learn was limited. Currently, it was impossible for him to learn such skills not issued by Infinite City. ¡°Oh, by the way.¡± ¡°Martial Aunt Tian, I want to ask you about something I forgot to mention to Master.¡± ¡°Oh, go ahead,¡± Martial Aunt Tian looked at Lu Ran. ¡°Just as you said, I am a beastmaster and have established a Beast Taming Space, not a space for nt pets. This means I am destined not to be able to contract with nt pets and cannot be a ntmaster unless I abandon my Beast Taming Space and switch my focus.¡± ¡°However, I still want to cultivate some nt pets. Carrying them might be a problem in the future.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that some level 8 beastmasters or ntmasters turn their spaces into ¡®space treasures¡¯ upon their death. These space treasures can even store living things, and the growth boost for the internal life forms isparable to that of a low-level beastmaster¡¯s Beast Taming Space.¡± ¡°I want to know if there¡¯s a ce where I can obtain such a space treasure¡­¡± Martial Aunt Tian: ??? ¡°Ah,¡± Lu Ran saw Martial Aunt Tian¡¯s utterly confused expression and awkwardlyughed, ¡°I just thought I¡¯d ask on a whim, haha, you can just listen casually, and I¡¯ll take it casually too¡­¡± It seemed that even for an ordinary legendary ntmaster, such epic-level space treasures were incredibly precious. ¡°No, I was just amazed that you dare to bring up anything.¡± ¡°To even dare covet such treasures, ha-ha,¡± she chuckled with a hint of speechlessness. ¡°You haven¡¯t asked your family about it, have you?¡± ¡°No, I only recently came up with the idea.¡± ¡°If you were to ask the legends at the Beast Taming Hall, you wouldn¡¯t need to ask me.¡± ¡°There actually is a ce to obtain what you mentioned.¡± Lu Ran: ?????!! ¡°But don¡¯t get your hopes up too high. Many know about this ce, but none have the ability to acquire it.¡± ¡°Have you heard of the Tree King? She was an epic legend who fell a long time ago. After her demise, she transformed her nt Taming Space into legacy ruins, open for challengers. The site is located at the center of the Divine Tree Continent.¡± ¡°Anyone who seeds in the challenge will not only inherit her legacy but also receive ownership of these legacy ruins, which is the space treasure you spoke of. These legacy ruins are not a secret; many legends know about them. However, even the most gifted individuals have failed to pass this challenge.¡± ¡°Among the challengers, there have been absolute geniuses contracted with ¡®upper overlord species,¡¯ individuals more remarkable than you in background, yet they have all failed¡­¡± Chapter 259: Same Origin? ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was very surprised when he heard this. Is there really a ce to obtain it? But upon second thought, the vast and ancient Divine Tree Continent would be odd if it didn¡¯t have a way to obtain something like this. However, even if there is a way to obtain it, not everyone can get it. It depends on their abilities. ¡°Even a genius from an upper overlord species can¡¯t get the contract?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°The Tree King was so powerful. A legend at twenty, a top-level strong person on the continent by twenty-seven. To her, ordinary geniuses were probably nothing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pity she died young, otherwise she might have be the first human legend.¡± ¡°After all, she was a rare Time ntmaster!¡±¡°My master and I also went there to challenge it when we were young, but¡­¡± ¡°I can only say, even among ntmasters, the gap is huge.¡± ¡°Because that legacy is extremely difficult to obtain, I¡¯ve never taken Yu¡¯er there to challenge it,¡± Martial Aunt Tian said lightly. ¡°So, there is a ce to acquire the space treasure, but can you get it?¡± Lu Ran fell into deep thought. Time??? Is it true? He began to seriously analyze. ¡°I am a beastmaster, and the Tree King was a ntmaster. Can I also undertake the trial for the legacy?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes, the ruins can be challenged by anyone,¡± Martial Aunt Tian replied. ¡°The Tree King probably doesn¡¯t mind the upation of her inheritors. Like you said, once someone obtains her legacy, even a beastmaster can be a top-level ntmaster.¡± ¡°Are you really considering the challenge?¡± Martial Aunt Tian was taken aback. ¡°Not even an upper overlord can scare you.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly and said, ¡°I¡¯m still young and have room to grow.¡± ¡°This legacy ruins must have level restrictions, right?¡± ¡°Yes, indeed. Any beastmaster under level 6 may undertake the trial for the legacy.¡± ¡°As for those of a higher level, their growth systems are basically fixed, making it hard to absorb the ways of others.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°If I get the chance, I¡¯d really like to try it out. Even if I can¡¯t pass, it would be a rare experience.¡± Upper overlords couldn¡¯t pass? What does that have to do with my Pseudo-legendary sword dog! Especially when General Ha, in its deer dog form, has a strong counter-effect against nt species. However, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t guarantee that he would be able to clear the legacy ruins either. But Martial Aunt Tian¡¯s words at least gave him a glimmer of hope, letting him know that there was a ce on the Divine Tree Continent to obtain a space treasure. ??? Even if he couldn¡¯t pass this time, if he ever returned to the Divine Tree Continent again, he could continue to challenge it. As long as it¡¯s before reaching level 6, there¡¯s a chance. Even if he couldn¡¯te to the historical projection of the Divine Tree Continent, Lu Ran felt that there should also be simr legacy ruins in the era of the Star-Moon Continent. In short, this news made Lu Ran certain that obtaining an epic level space treasure was not just a dream; it could truly be a reality. ¡°Really???¡± Martial Aunt Tian pondered for a moment. Considering that Lu Ran could grasp a domain at level 2, which was unprecedented, he might not necessarily be any less capable than the genius who contracted an upper overlord at a low level. But¡­ ¡°Hehe, wait until your master returns, and tell her yourself.¡± ¡°The journey to the Tree King¡¯s legacy is long and fraught with dangers. Going alone, who knows how long it would take you.¡± ¡°Moreover, once you learn what the Tree King¡¯s trial entails, you might not be so eager to challenge it right away.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Martial Aunt Tian, is the trial content the same for everyone?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same, but also different.¡± ¡°As I mentioned earlier, the Tree King was a Time ntmaster.¡± ¡°So the trial content is based on that.¡± ¡°As long as you can defeat the Tree King at the same level stage, you¡¯ve passed.¡± ¡°For example, if you break through to level 3, you¡¯ll need to defeat the Tree King at the stage of a level 3 ntmaster.¡± ¡°And when you reach level 4, you¡¯ll have to defeat the level 4 Tree King.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think the Tree King is easy to bully at a low level,¡± Martial Aunt Tian continued. ¡°When she first became a ntmaster, her initial nt pet was a middle overlord-level time nt pet.¡± ¡°It can be said that she started at her peak potential and grew almost invincibly at each level.¡± Lu Ran was stunned: ¡°???¡± ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t need to lose all confidence. After all, it¡¯s a fabricated projection and certainly not as powerful as the original,¡± Martial Aunt Tian said with a slight smile. Seeing the usuallyposed Lu Ran finally show a surprised expression was quite satisfying. ¡­ After wandering around the Death Forest and learning about the Tree King¡¯s ruins from Martial Aunt Tian, Lu Ran decided to wait patiently for the City Lord, his master, to return. As Martial Aunt Tian mentioned, the journey to the Tree King¡¯s ruins is distant and fraught with peril. As a level 3 beastmaster, he would struggle to make the journey alone. Unlike the Blue Star, the Divine Tree Continent and the Star-Moon Continent are teeming with treacherous regions. Traveling at full speed would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention, and without sufficient strength, powerful ferocious nts and beasts would hunt him down on the way. On the other hand, traveling discreetly and safely would slow his progress, potentially taking a year or more to reach the destination. What Lu Ran needed most right now was time. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be great if the breakthrough task location refreshed near the Tree King¡¯s ruins?¡± He muttered to himself, hoping that Infinite City would take care of him next time and spare him the trouble. ¡°I¡¯vee to visit you all again.¡± After returning from the Death Forest, Lu Ran went to ¡°visit¡± the injured Yu Rui. By the end of the day, Yu Rui¡¯s condition had significantly improved. Besides the treatment provided by the local healers, Yu Rui also had many healing resources of his own. Otherwise, even with Lu Ran holding back, he would still have been bedridden for at least two months. ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re alone?¡± Lu Ran noticed that Yu Rui was the only one in the hospital room, with the other two missing. ¡°You again!¡± Yu Rui, who was reading, saw Lu Ran and his expression changed. ¡°You don¡¯t seem happy to see me?¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°No¡­ Do you have any business today?¡± Yu Rui replied. He was still digesting the information Lu Ran had disclosed the previous day and struggling to ept the reality. ¡°I remember your father is a legendary ntmaster, right?¡± Lu Ran hade over partly because he suddenly remembered something important. Given that Yu Rui was a modern ntmaster, he might possess exceptional knowledge about botany. The issue with the long leaved sword grass could entirely be something to inquire about with him. ¡°By the way, do you know how to elerate the sapience of ¡®long leaved sword grass,¡¯ a type of ferocious nt?¡± ¡°Long leaved sword grass¡­¡± Yu Rui was taken aback. ¡°Is that the nt from the domain earlier¡­¡± ¡°This, I¡¯m not exactly sure about.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression turned slightly grim¡­ ¡°However, back in our world, there are indeed people who have sessfully awakened the sapience of sword grass through their methods.¡± ¡°Your long leaved sword grass was obtained from a secret realm, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°The long leaved sword grass has beenpletely extinct by theter generations. Some people on our side have indeed acquired unawakened long leaved sword grass from secret realms and attempted to cultivate its sapience.¡± ¡°And, they seeded.¡± ¡°But methods for cultivation are not something everyone is willing to disclose, so I don¡¯t know the specifics. However¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°But I do know the evolution direction of long leaved sword grass,¡± Yu Rui said. ¡°Researchers on our side have identified its overlord evolution form, although there is only one sessful case.¡± This didn¡¯t matter much to Lu Ran. With trait crystals at his disposal, as long as he could awaken the sapience of the sword grass, evolving it would be rtively easy. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Lu Ran said, thinking that since he was here, he might as well gather some intelligence. ¡°Metal element!¡± ¡°The sessful case involves the long leaved sword grass evolving into a dual-element of grass and metal!¡± ¡°Perhaps you can derive some inspiration from this.¡± When Yu Rui finished, he looked at Lu Ran and asked, ¡°May I ask you a question?¡± The metal element¡­ Lu Ran fell into deep thought. The long leaved sword grass had the characteristic of being extraordinarily sharp, and indeed, the metal element also had sharp properties. ¡°What would you like to ask?¡± Lu Ran asked, looking at him. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a lot since yesterday. Do you think there¡¯s a possibility that the human races from our two worlds originated from the same source?¡± Yu Rui asked. Lu Ran squinted his eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯ve actually considered that possibility.¡± ¡°You mentioned that at the end of the Machine Age, there was an apocalyptic war on your side.¡± ¡°At that time, the top-level human experts couldn¡¯t guarantee the survival of ordinary people, so they established the mechanical space to transfer most humans into it.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°But even children understand that to mitigate risk, you shouldn¡¯t put all your eggs in one basket.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯ve wondered, is it possible that while some of the Star-Moon Continent¡¯s humans were transferred to the mechanical space, another part was sent to another?¡± ¡°And then, gradually, our civilization was formed.¡± Yu Rui¡¯s face lit up with excitement, ¡°So you think the same way, too?¡± He had this theory the previous night, and hearing that Lu Ran shared the same suspicion made him feel it was indeed possible. ¡°However, this still doesn¡¯t exin what infinite city is or why it came into being.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not specte aimlessly. You should continue resting. I¡¯m leaving now.¡± Lu Ran waved as he left. Whether the blue star civilization and the Star-Moon civilization shared amon ancestry didn¡¯t matter much to him. Right now, he just wanted to know when his City Lord master would return¡­ ¡­ One dayter. Finally, after much anticipation from Lu Ran, the Sea of Dandelions rolled through the sky of Tree Realm City. An elderly woman with white hair descended directly to the courtyard where Lu Ran was waiting. Her first action upon returning was to find Lu Ran. ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± City Lord Ye was surprised to find Lu Ran already in the courtyard, looking up at the sky as if he had been waiting for her. ¡°Master, you¡¯re finally back!¡± Lu Ran said with a smile, ¡°It must have been a tough journey.¡± After a quick rest, please take me to the Tree King ruins as soon as possible! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 260: Sword Grass Awakening Method ¡°While it was exhausting, at least I gained something.¡± ¡°Did the Sword Grass Family tell you the awakening method?¡± Lu Ran was stunned. Actually, he didn¡¯t hold much hope. After all, the Sword Grass Family is also a household with a legendary ntmaster. Although the City Lord¡¯s master¡¯s visit would surely be treated with great honor, the Sword Grass awakening method, even if it existed, was likely the core heritage of the family, something they wouldn¡¯t easily reveal. ¡°No, they merely validated some of my ideas,¡± City Lord Ye exined. ¡°But they promised that if I take you there, they would be willing to help your Sword Grass awaken its Sapience and evolve into a supernatural life form.¡± Lu Ran: ??? This family sure is clever. ¡°If you want to help your Sword Grass awaken its Sapience, we can make a trip to Myriad Leaf City when we have the time.¡±¡°This visit confirmed one thing: the Sword Grass must y specific creatures to evolve its Sapience.¡± ¡°And only they know what those specific creatures are.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± Lu Ran replied. However, he was destined not to go. Because he couldn¡¯t ensure that if the Sword Grass awakened in the breakthrough secret realm, he would still be able to take it out. Any life form within the breakthrough secret realm cannot be contracted or taken out, unless it¡¯s a reward from the realm, like Lu Ran¡¯s nt seeds or the former guild leader¡¯s element egg. And Lu Ran¡¯s Sword Grass was a nt he directly dug out from the secret realm, so essentially, it still belonged to the realm. If it awakened within the secret realm, Lu Ran was afraid he might not be able to take it out, and that would be a huge loss. Just in case. If the Sword Grass were a nt native to the blue star, it wouldn¡¯t be as risky. Because there are always beastmasters with too much time on their hands who have experimented with this, allowing their two pet beasts to mate and quickly give birth within the breakthrough secret realm. And then the young beast, after the 30-day period ended, would be sent out of the infinite city along with the challenger. The beastmaster who conducted this experiment was undoubtedly condemned on the blue star, but his actions have indeed emboldened more and more beastmasters. ???? Some even wanted to mate their pet beasts with the high species in the secret realm, but unfortunately, whether humans or pet beasts, mating with the projections in the secret realm cannot result in pregnancy¡­ Actually, at this point, Lu Ran had roughly figured it out. Combining the confirmation from the Sword Grass Family and Yu Rui¡¯s words, Lu Ran spected that for the Sword Grass to awaken, it probably needs to y a certain number of ¡°metal ferocious beasts¡±!!! Sword Grass is known for its sharpness. If there are any metal ferocious beasts whose blood is a resource for ¡°enhancing sharpness,¡± then there is a high probability that this would be rted to the Sword Grass awakening. This ferocious beast species may not be fixed; any metal ferocious beasts might work, but there would likely be some requirements regarding the number or quality of the ferocious beasts in by the Sword Grass. For instance, it might need to absorb the blood of a metal ferocious overlord species to awaken. With this hypothesis, Lu Ran felt quite satisfied. He nned to experiment slowly with metal ferocious beasts once he returned to the blue star. What a pity that the sudden death king isn¡¯t a metal species. If it were, things would be much simpler. ¡°But Master, there¡¯s no rush to awaken the Sword Grass right now. Once it awakens into a life form, it will be inconvenient for me to carry it.¡± ¡°At that point, it won¡¯t be able to enter the space equipment anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± City Lord Ye nodded. ¡°That is indeed a problem, but fortunately, the Sword Grass isn¡¯t very big. Carrying it around isn¡¯t much of an issue after getting used to it.¡± ¡°One Sword Grass is okay, but as I get more nt pets, it might be problematic,¡± Lu Ran said with a bitter smile. ¡°Master, I n to challenge the Tree King Ruins.¡± ¡°If I can conquer the Tree King Ruins and obtain a space treasure that can store living creatures, I won¡¯t have to worry about carrying living beings anymore!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll find someone to help awaken the Sword Grass after I clear the ruins!¡± City Lord Ye: ? ¡°Are you serious?¡± She looked at Lu Ran in bewilderment. ¡°The Tree King Ruins have been there for so many years, and no one has been able to clear them. You¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t understand Lu Ran¡¯s behavior. Just to make it more convenient to carry a sovereign species nt pet¡­ So, he¡¯s aiming to obtain an epic level space treasure¡­ Is this how a normal person thinks? Although Lu Ran was strong, she still wasn¡¯t optimistic about his chances. ¡°Master, are you hungry?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked City Lord Ye. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Let me prepare a grand meal to wee you back. Actually, I have some skill in culinary manship!¡± City Lord Ye was surprised, ¡°You can cook?¡± ¡­ That evening, Lu Ran took over the kitchen at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion, iming the chef¡¯s duties for the night. Using his Culinary Intent, Lu Ran prepared several of his specialty dishes. In addition to City Lord Ye, Martial Aunt Tian and Senior Sister Gu, who had apanied him from the Sword Grass Family, were also invited. After tasting Lu Ran¡¯s dishes, the three of them were astonished. They hadn¡¯t expected someone as strong as Lu Ran to also be a master chef. ¡°Delicious.¡± Originally, Gu Yu was feeling a bit down for being eliminated by Lu Ran, but after eating his food, her mood improved immediately. Good food can heal the mind. At the dinner table, Martial Aunt Tianmented enviously, ¡°Junior Sister, what kind of luck do you have to take such a good disciple?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s previously showcased talent did not make Martial Aunt Tian jealous of City Lord Ye, but his culinary skills certainly did. If she had such a disciple, wouldn¡¯t she be able to enjoy delicious food every day? ¡°Yu¡¯er, you should learn a bit. As a girl, instead of always learning those impractical arts like music and dance, you should focus on cooking and sewing. They are much more useful!¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Gu Yu chose to continue eating, not wanting to talk. ¡°Who did you learn your cooking from?¡± she asked. ¡°From my Uncle Gou¡­ Uncle Gou is my father¡¯s sworn brother; his culinary skills are amazing.¡± Lu Ran was sweating, almost slipping up. ¡°In any case, Martial Aunt Tian, you¡¯re too kind.¡± In fact, the chef at the City Lord¡¯s Mansion wasn¡¯t bad either. After all, he was hired by a legendary beastmaster. Even with the advantage of the me Sprite, Lu Ran wouldn¡¯t say he outssed the chef; it was purely that his novel dishes brought a fresh experience for first-time eaters. ¡°Not bad. By the way, did you tell your master about your n with the Tree King Ruins?¡± Martial Aunt Tian suddenly asked, putting down her food. ¡°Tree King Ruins¡­ I was wondering why he brought it up all of a sudden. It turns out it¡¯s because of you,¡± City Lord Ye said helplessly. ¡°If you all n on going, I¡¯ll take Yu¡¯er along as well.¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t expect her to clear it, sparring with the Tree King at her level would be a valuable experience.¡± Gu Yu continued eating, not wanting to talk. She was feeling the pain of beingpared to ¡°other people¡¯s disciples.¡± Meanwhile, City Lord Ye looked at Lu Ran, who had a hopeful look in his eyes. ¡°Alright then, in a couple of days, let¡¯s go together,¡± City Lord Ye shook her head. Before teaching Lu Ran the path of a ntmaster, it would be good for him to witness firsthand the mightiest ntmaster of the past century. Immediately diving into teaching all sorts of things wasn¡¯t her style. Broadening her disciple¡¯s horizons first seemed like a method that suited her better. ¡°Thank you, Master!¡± Lu Ran smiled. ¡°By the way, Master, didn¡¯t you challenge the Tree King Ruins before? If it¡¯s the third-level stage, what kind of strength can we expect from the Tree King?¡± City Lord Ye replied, ¡°At the third-level stage, the Tree King has two contracted pet beasts. One is a middle overlord species, the ¡®Moon God Tree,¡¯ which is both grass and time-type.¡± ¡°The other is a lower overlord species called the Harvest Dragon, a rare dragon-shaped nt pet.¡± ¡°Moon God Tree, Harvest Dragon¡­¡± Gu Yu slowly raised her head. ¡°They¡¯re formidable nt pets,¡± City Lord Ye said. ¡°The Harvest Dragon is quite special; as it ages, its species level automatically increases. During its infancy and growth stages, it¡¯s a lower overlord, in its prime stage, it¡¯s a middle overlord, and in its elder stage, it¡¯s an upper overlord.¡± ¡°The older it gets, the stronger it bes.¡± ¡°And the Moon God Tree can use its time-type skills to temporarily age the Harvest Dragon to its elder stage, giving it upper overlord strength. So you can essentially consider it as a nt-type dragon n of upper overlord species.¡± Lu Ran was stunned. Being able to temporarily change age states at just the third-level stage? It seemed far more powerful than the time-type capabilities of his cat. Although, premonition was also not bad¡­ Mainly, he remembered the cat mentioning that the former guild leader was truly extraordinary. Given the former guild leader¡¯s talent, if he were a few decades younger, around the typical age of 20 to 30 for most beastmasters, he might have been able to single-handedly challenge all the beastmasters of arge nation. However, restrained by his age, although some still regard him as one of the strongest in the world, in truth, the former guild leader never goes all out. His advanced age limits his stamina, making it difficult to fully exert some beast taming skills. Even in battles, he often lets his pet beasts fight on their own without using his beast taming skills for enhancement. If the former guild leader could contract a Moon God Tree, temporarily rejuvenate, and restore his peak stamina, he might actually realize the scenarios imagined by the cat-remaining strong even in his old age. ¡°Simrly, as the Moon God Tree can temporarily increase the age of allies, it can also decrease the age of enemies.¡± ¡°Many challengers who fight against it end up being reverted to an infant state, significantly weakening their powers.¡± ¡°In addition, the Moon God Tree can ce a ¡®reversal mark¡¯ on itself and other nt life. If they or their nt allies sustain serious or lethal injuries, they can use the reversal mark to rewind time and restore their injuries to their original state, even recovering their stamina to peak levels.¡± ¡°With such a set of overpowered skills, defeating them is nearly impossible.¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s overpowered¡­¡± Lu Ran murmured. It can even use time reversal to heal injuries. ¡°Heh, now you know why I said, even with so many geniuses, it¡¯s nearly impossible to clear?¡± Martial Aunt Tian said with a faint smile. At any level, the Tree King remains an invincible presence; otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t be considered the most talented and potential-rich woman in centuries. [It¡¯s fortunate.] After hearing this, although Lu Ran sensed the difficulty, he also felt it wasn¡¯t unbeatable. He thought it might require frequent use of the divine deer antler and would probably need General Crow to pitch in as well. Honestly, under normal circumstances, General Crow might be the weakest of his three pet beasts. However, with the help of the divine deer antler, which allows the dark crow to sacrifice dozens of eyeballs to cast a terminal curse, it¡¯s likely that very few pet beasts can withstand it. The Tree King has been dead for so long, and the modified ruins space probably doesn¡¯t have such a sophisticated consciousness to despise necromancy or the Power of the Evil God, right? Chapter 261: The Legend of the Ruins Divine Tree Continent, Qingyu. Unlike the scattered super cities and ordinary cities across the Divine Tree Continent, Qingyu is considered the most central and prosperous area of the continent, with a level 8 ntmaster presiding over it. Its status is roughly equivalent to the imperial capital of the Beast Taming Empire on the Star-Moon Continent. The Tree King¡¯s ruins are located within Qingyu. After deciding to challenge the Tree King¡¯s ruins, the legendary City Lord Ye Ying of Tree Realm City and the legendary City Lord Tian Qianmo of Abundance City, along with their disciples, nned to bring them to Qingyu to broaden their horizons and undergo training. Above the blue sky and sea, a green flying vessel sped through the air. Onboard, City Lord Ye, City Lord Tian, Lu Ran, and Gu Yu had already set off. This flying vessel, in fact, was City Lord Tian¡¯s nt pet, a designated transport pet, ideal for carrying people. Lu Ran felt it was even morefortable and stable than an airne. After spending some time in the small cabin on the flying vessel, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t sit still and went to visit his city lord master.¡°Master.¡± ¡°Ran¡¯er, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Master, just call me Lu Ran,¡± Lu Ran said bitterly. ¡°Being called Ran¡¯er sounds strange.¡± ¡°What!¡± City Lord Ye was puzzled, not understanding what was strange about it. ¡°Are you rejecting me?¡± She sensed Lu Ran¡¯s distance from the nickname. ¡°How could that be, master? It¡¯s just that I¡¯m simply not used to it. It¡¯s quite different from our customs. Even if you called me ¡®grandson,¡¯ it would be morefortable than this,¡± Lu Ran said helplessly, looking at the elderly woman before him. Looking at her, he suddenly thought of his grandmother, the woman who always cooked beast milk for him and cared for him in every way. Honestly, Lu Ran felt quite lucky. Both his sect leader master and city lord master treated their disciples well. Although he had just be a disciple, the former went to great lengths to help him shape his soul, while thetter, understanding Lu Ran¡¯s needs, immediately set out to visit other legendary families to seek an awakening opportunity for him. ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re notfortable with it, forget it. I only called you that because I heard my senior sister using it for her disciple.¡± City Lord Ye waved her hand and said, ¡°Is there something you need? You¡¯ve just broken through to level 3. Instead of stabilizing your realm and developing your abilities, why do I always see you wandering around?¡± Lu Ran murmured in his heart; he wanted to stabilize his realm, but he didn¡¯t have a Beast Taming Space to train in. There was no need to stabilize anything. In fact, in a few days, his dark crow would reach level 40, and he would be able to enter the next breakthrough secret realm for a perfect breakthrough. ¡°Master, I heard that you started as a beastmaster andter switched to nt Taming.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a rumor outside that you¡¯ve always wanted to take on a beastmaster disciple to pass down your family¡¯s legacy. Is that true?¡± City Lord Ye was taken aback, then sighed and said, ¡°It¡¯s not just a rumor outside. Did your Martial Aunt Tian tell you as well?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± ¡°Indeed, I had that thought in my early years. In my youth, due to some changes, I was the only one left in my family. I should have passed down my family¡¯s legacy, but in the end, I chose nt Taming.¡± ? ¡°After bing a legend, just as the rumors say, I had the idea of taking on a beastmaster disciple to pass down my family¡¯s skills.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t want to take on a disciple lightly, and I never found a suitable candidate, so this matter was dyed.¡± ¡°Until you appeared. Initially, when I saw your incredible potential as a beastmaster, I was indeed tempted. But after thinking it over carefully, I decided against it.¡± ¡°Youe from the Beast Taming Hall, and you¡¯ve likely encountered all kinds of divine beast taming skills. My family¡¯s beast taming skills aren¡¯t that impressive. Forcing you to learn and inherit them would be a waste of your energy and dy your proper training.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just forget about it.¡± City Lord Ye shook her head. ¡°Master, unless you n to ept another disciple, please pass them down to me.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Regardless of whether this skill is useful to me, as your disciple, I should do something.¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m not suited to learn it, perhaps one day, when I take on a disciple, I can pass it down for you.¡± Lu Ran wasn¡¯t actually interested in the beast taming skills of his city lord master¡¯s family. Firstly, he couldn¡¯t really learn them. Secondly, even if he could, the rare beast taming skills collected by the Xia Country Research Institute and the ones he had gathered from the Cult of Necromancy would likely be superior. At this moment, Lu Ran spoke purely to make City Lord Ye happier. Although he understood that everything was a phantom, in the secret realm stage, these phantoms were indistinguishable from real people and even had their emotions. By expressing his willingness to pass down the legacy, he could at least let City Lord Ye feel that epting him as a disciple wasn¡¯t in vain. A well-intentioned lie to bring happiness was one of the few things this disciple could do. ¡°You, taking on a disciple?¡± Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s words, City Lord Ye chuckled. Lu Ran was barely of age, and thinking about taking on disciples seemed a bit premature. ¡°It must be something your Martial Aunt Tian told you. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary beast taming skill. Whether it¡¯s passed down or not doesn¡¯t matter much.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s rare for you to have such thoughts.¡± ¡°Oh well, if you do meet someone suitable in the future, then help me pass it down,¡± City Lord Ye said with a smile. As she spoke, she took out a training manual and tossed it to Lu Ran. The name of the beast taming skill: Seal Transformation. Lu Ran took the manual and couldn¡¯t discern much just from the name. City Lord Ye exined, ¡°Seal Transformation is a skill that allows you to seal your pet beast¡¯s power, putting it into a ¡®sealed state.¡¯ In this state, the pet beast¡¯s appearance will change significantly, making it look extremely weak.¡± ¡°No, not just in appearance-its actual condition will be weaker than before.¡± ¡°However, this sealed state is actually a way to umte power. Once the seal is released and it transforms back to its original state, it can unleash a much stronger force than usual.¡± ¡°In other words, it¡¯s about trading a normally weaker state for a much stronger battle stance.¡± Lu Ran was slightly taken aback and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t this skill really powerful?¡± City Lord Ye shook her head, ¡°Looking at the results, it does seem strong. However, during the sealed state, the pet beast is indeed much weaker. Many geniuses in my family, when faced with sudden dangers, were unable to even release the seal due to the pet¡¯s weakness in its sealed state, and met with misfortune.¡± ¡°A true strong person wouldn¡¯t bind themselves like this.¡± ¡°The process of releasing the seal takes time too, and in the face of a real crisis, that time could determine life or death.¡± ¡°This skill might be good for ¡®ying the fool to catch the tiger,¡¯ but y the fool long enough, and you might just be one. For most beastmasters, instead of developing this skill, it¡¯s better to develop an enhancement-type beast taming skill, which can also greatly boost a pet beast¡¯s battle power. Although it consumes the beastmaster¡¯s stamina, it offers more flexibility in tactics. I didn¡¯t delve deeply into this skill because I dislike this method.¡± ¡°Therefore, I don¡¯t wish to force anyone to learn or pass it down. If you hadn¡¯t brought it up, I wouldn¡¯t have voluntarily taught you this skill.¡± ¡°Yet, it¡¯s a skill our family has inherited for hundreds of years, so my feelings about it areplex,¡± City Lord Ye finished, and Lu Ran carefully put away the skill manual, smiling. ¡°Master, rest assured, I¡¯ll study it when I return. Even if I can¡¯t learn it myself, I¡¯ll find a suitable disciple who can, and pass it down.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste too much energy on it,¡± City Lord Ye advised again. ¡°Especially since this is a beast taming skill, applicable only to beast pets, it¡¯s ineffective for nt pets. So don¡¯t think about modifying it to work on nt pets. I¡¯ve tried to improve it, and it¡¯s quite difficult. The principles are different, and you can¡¯t forcefully change the effect.¡± ¡°I got it!¡± ¡­ After some time spent flying, Lu Ran and hispanions finally reached Qingyu. In truth, on the Divine Tree Continent, a legendary strong person is akin to a strategic-level force, akin to a walking catastrophe. Typically, when a legend arrives in another legend¡¯s territory, they announce themselves in advance. The Tree King¡¯s Ruins are such an important site. Although, ording to the Tree King¡¯sst wishes, anyone can challenge it, there is actually a force responsible for safeguarding and managing those who challenge it. ¡°The founder of the nt Taming force overseeing Qingyu is said to be one of the Tree King¡¯s suitors.¡± ¡°They took root here just to guard the Tree King¡¯s Ruins and choose suitable heirs for the Tree King.¡± ¡°And here¡¯s the oue.¡± ¡°The suitor has already passed away, and his descendants have reached level 8, yet no one has managed to conquer the Tree King¡¯s Ruins to this day.¡± On the flying vessel, Legend Tian stood at the forefront, gossiping with Lu Ran and Gu Yu behind her. ¡°A celestial talent like the Tree King naturally had many suitors,¡± Gu Yu mused. ¡°It¡¯s such a pity that this legendary figure passed away before turning 30.¡± ¡°The main thing is that the exact cause of her death remains unknown,¡± City Lord Ye added. ¡°Perhaps someone who receives her legacy might discover what really happened to her.¡± She nced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°The Tree King, at her peak, was said to be capable of confronting legendary creatures. Don¡¯t underestimate this.¡± City Lord Ye knew Lu Ran¡¯s abilities better than outsiders, knowing that General Ha possessed the shaping of legendary creatures. But mimicry is just mimicry, and the Tree King was known to stand against actual legendary life, making her not easy to defeat. ¡°Understood,¡± Lu Ran nodded. As they spoke, they arrived at Tree King City. This city was specially established tomemorate the Tree King. Her legendary deeds have besting lore; during her time on the continent, she founded many cities for refugees and repeatedly eradicated ferocious beasts and nts guing thend. Her reputation remains high, and many cities still honor statues of the Tree King. Thus, the location of her legendary ruins is far from unimpressive. As they approached the city with a gigantic tree reaching into the clouds, a figure exuding powerful energy suddenly appeared before the flying vessel. ¡°Are the arrivals the City Lords of Tree Realm City and Abundance City?¡± Chapter 262: Tree King Phantom Blocking the leaf flying vessel was a middle-aged man dressed in a purple robe. His hands were sped behind his back as he stood in mid-air, likely using a Special Beast Taming Skill that allowed him to harness the power of his pet beast. ¡°It¡¯s us.¡± ¡°Qing Lianshan.¡± City Lord Tian, who stood at the front of the vessel, recognized him with surprise and said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve be a legend too.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re so low-key about it that there¡¯s no news of it in the outside world.¡± ¡°I only recently made the breakthrough,¡± Qing Lianshan admitted. ¡°It seems this is the true City Lord Ye and City Lord Tian.¡± ¡°My father is in seclusion,¡± Qing Lianshan continued. ¡°I¡¯m here to wee you. I hope that¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Why would there be any issue?¡± City Lord Tian replied. ¡°Having a super genius like you personally greet us is an honor.¡± City Lord Ye, City Lord Tian, and Qing Lianshan¡¯s father were of the same generation. Although it was just the son who came to greet them, neither Ye nor Tian felt it inappropriate. Since he was now a legend, there was no difference in rank; they were all equals.¡°These must be your disciples.¡± Qing Lianshan was a bit surprised himself, not expecting these two legends to have taken on disciples recently. As for them bringing their disciples to experience the Tree King ruins, he didn¡¯t mind. In fact, many self-proimed gifted geniuses came here to challenge it, but they all ended in failure. Over time, everyone came to understand the difficulty of the Tree King¡¯s legacy. No one really expected to seed; they just used this ce as a trial ground. If he remembered correctly, City Lord Ye and City Lord Tian had also challenged the Tree King ruins in their youth and both failed. Now,ing back with their disciples was quite interesting. ¡°Since they¡¯re your disciples, we won¡¯t test their entry qualifications. They can challenge it whenever they¡¯re ready,¡± Qing Lianshan said. ¡°Thank you,¡± City Lord Ye responded, then turned to Lu Ran and asked, ¡°When do you n to challenge?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been resting and preparing along the way, and I¡¯m in pretty good shape now,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°I can go anytime.¡± ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s start now.¡± City Lord Ye smiled and then turned to Qing Lianshan, saying, ¡°My disciple wants to give it a try now.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Qing Lianshan looked at Lu Ran and Gu Yu. When he focused on Lu Ran, he suddenly made a noise of surprise and said, ¡°Why don¡¯t you have the breath of a ntmaster?¡± ¡°Instead, you seem like a beastmaster?¡± ¡°Yes, senior.¡± Lu Ran chuckled and replied, ¡°I am indeed a beastmaster, not a ntmaster.¡± Uh¡­ Qing Lianshan was taken aback. A legendary ntmaster took a beastmaster as a disciple, but never mind, it was none of his business. ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t dy you any further. You can go directly to the challenge,¡± Qing Lianshan said casually. ¡°Hmm, I think I¡¯ll tag along to watch as well.¡± City Lord Ye and City Lord Tian exchanged a strange look with Qing Lianshan before returning to normal. Lu Ran and Gu Yu might not be aware, but they understood. Qing Lianshan had been challenging the Tree King ruins from level 1 and had been unsessful for decades. A Legend Tian once mentioned to Lu Ran that there were geniuses who could contract with upper overlords but hadn¡¯t seeded in the Tree King ruins; Qing Lianshan was one of them. City Lords Ye and Tian were surprised to see Qing Lianshan break through to legend status because once a legend, you can no longer challenge the ruins. In their view, after trying for so long, Qing Lianshan would not give up until he seeded. But now¡­ had he abandoned the attempt? ¡­ The entrance to the Tree King ruins was atop a towering ancient tree in Tree King City. The leaf flying vessel docked next to a branch, and Lu Ran and Gu Yu followed their masters onto the branch, feeling numerous eyes upon them. This lush ancient tree likely amodated many ferocious nts, none of which were weak. Qing Lianshan alsonded on the branch. At the end of the branch was a tree hollow-like entrance to an interdimensional space, connected to the main trunk and the ruins¡¯ interdimensional space. ¡°You can enter directly.¡± ¡°Young people, don¡¯t be nervous. Just keep a calm mind, although being serious doesn¡¯t make much difference, haha.¡± Perhaps feeling affected by his own unsessful attempts, Qing Lianshanughed aloud as he saw Lu Ran step forward. ¡°Senior Sister Gu, I¡¯ll go first then,¡± Lu Ran said, ncing at Gu Yu. ¡°Suit yourself¡­¡± Gu Yu replied, somewhat resigned-she wasn¡¯t expecting much of a result for herself anyway. After all, despite Lu Ran¡¯s strength, even their master didn¡¯t have much hope for him. Lu Ran took a quick look at his master and elder masters before nodding and stepping into the entrance of the ruins. For hundreds of years, no one had been able to pass the Tree King¡¯s legacy trial in the ruins. At first nce, it seemed incredibly difficult, almost impossible to clear these ruins. However, beforeing here, Lu Ran had made thorough preparations, including an in-depth investigation of Tree King. He had sought out Yu Rui and others to gather information. For City Lord Ye and City Lord Tian, their understanding of Tree King and the ruins was certainly limited to this era. But for Yu Rui and other future beastmasters of the Divine Tree Continent, continuous archeological efforts had deepened their understanding of the Tree King ruins well beyond current times. From Yu Rui and his group, Lu Ran learned something crucial: in the future, someone would indeed pass the Tree King ruins! That person was also a female beastmaster. Although there weren¡¯t clear records of how she passed the Tree King ruins or what legacy she received, her identity as the one whopleted the legacy trial was well documented inter history! She became the first-and only-level 9 ntmaster and legend ntmaster in the history of the Divine Tree Continent. This archeological discovery didn¡¯t surprise the Star Moon Federation; for such an extraordinary figure like Tree King, only someone with even greater talent could surpass her. And the only one who could be even more remarkable than Tree King, the epic legend of the Time element, was likely the sole legend ntmaster of the Divine Tree era. ording to Yu Rui and others, there was an ongoing debate in the Star Moon Federation: did this legend ntmaster reach her legendary status because she received Tree King¡¯s legacy, or was she naturally destined for legend, merely iming Tree King¡¯s legacy along the way? Lu Ran thought it could be a bit of both, as luck and opportunity are also integral parts of a strong person¡¯s abilities. It¡¯s a pity that this isn¡¯t a real journey back in time. Otherwise, if he managed to clear the challenge, he might snatch away the future legend¡¯s opportunity. ¡°Bring it on.¡± ¡°This is part of the life-changing opportunity for a legendary figure.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see if I have the strength to seize this chance.¡± ¡­ Inside the Tree King ruins. After being teleported, Lu Ran found himself standing on a vast grasnd with nothing in sight but an endless sea of grass. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to summon his pet beast, but in that moment, three phantoms appeared before him. These phantoms consisted of a tree, a dragon, and a human. The Moon God Tree resembled a Christmas tree, with lush, vibrant green branches adorned with shimmering golden fruits that swayed gently like moons in a breeze. While the Moon God Tree appeared magnificent, the Harvest Dragon looked quite goofy; it had a dragon-like shape but appeared more like an oddly-shaped, green banana with slight dragon features. Ity on the ground, squinting its eyeszily in a juvenile pose. The humanoid phantom, enshrouded by the flow of time, concealed its face. It stood behind the two pet beasts and, without any warning,manded them to attack. In an instant, the moon-like fruits began to sway, emitting a radiant aura, and the Harvest Dragon opened its eyes wide as an overwhelming Dragon Might erupted from it. Bathed in Moonlight¡¯s glow, its size surged rapidly, growing to several dozen yards in length. Its body became covered with vibrant green dragon scales that gleamed with a golden hue. ¡°Roar!!¡± Under the enhancement of the Time element, the Harvest Dragon transformed nearly instantaneously, its eyes shining brightly, its slim and powerful body equipped with strong limbs, massive leafy wings, and whiskers flowing like grassy tendrils-all adding to its aura of power, resembling a verdant Azure Dragon. Boom. The astounding Dragon Might surpassed even the intimidation of the sudden death king¡¯s Dragon King power, causing the earth and sky to shatter under its pressure. The full force of an upper overlord was unmistakable. An ordinary challenger, without a pet beast of an overlord species, would likely struggle to endure even this initial wave of intimidation. ¡°Roar!!¡± The Harvest Dragon bellowed across the sky, its Dragon Might crashing toward its enemy. In the next moment, one of the three pet beasts that Lu Ran had summoned suddenly unleashed its power. ¡°Howl!!!!¡± ¡°It said, is that all they have?¡± Lu Ran smiled and snapped his fingers. General Ha, with the divine deer antler in its mouth, activated its domain, enveloping the entire area-the expansive Infinite Sword Domain-around the Moon God Tree, Harvest Dragon, and the Tree King phantom. Within the domain, General Ha held the divine deer sword in its mouth, with its tail wrapped around the sword grass, its Pseudo-legendary might clearly evident. It wielded the Dragon yer Sword intent, and in a sh, shattered the Harvest Dragon¡¯s overlord-level Dragon Might into pieces. Boom!!! The terrifying sword intent swept across, forcing the Moon God Tree and the Tree King phantom to step back in unison, and even the Harvest Dragon in the sky stiffenedpletely. ¡°Roar-¡± Within the domain, the sudden death king cast a sideways nce. Where did this old dragone from, daring to unt Dragon Might in front of General Ha? Could it not keep giving him opportunities to hone his Dragon yer Sword intent? ¡°Caw caw caw, I can finally join the battle now!¡± Of course, the most excited was the dark crow. It hadn¡¯t been able to participate in previous tournaments, which bothered it immensely. But now, it felt like it could finally show off its prowess. In the empty Sword Domain, Lu Ran faced off against the Tree King phantom. Next to the Tree King, the Moon God Tree swayed, while overhead, the Harvest Dragon looked solemn. Lu Ran stood on the sudden death king¡¯s shoulder. Beside him, the dark crow, having entered a state of soul enhancement, opened dozens of Evil God¡¯s Eyes. In front of him, the massive General Ha, with the divine deer antler transformed into a giant sword in its mouth, was equally matched in presence to the Tree King. ¡°Caw caw!! This ruin has been here for hundreds of years, and the phantom is still intact? There¡¯s bound to be some glitches! You three won¡¯t suddenly disappear, will you?¡± As the dark crow quipped, the battle erupted in full force! Chapter 263: Covenant of Ten Thousand Years The words of the Dark Crow were actually a curse directed at the Tree King Phantom, Moon God Tree Phantom, and Harvest Dragon Phantom!! These entities were merely the spirits of the ruins, set up by the Tree King before its demise, essentially just a program. It likely utilized an advanced energy shaping technique. Since they are not real life forms, they naturally became the target for specific curses. Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!! The Crow of Death possessed the Crow of Curses, and dozens of eyeballs on the Crow of Curses burst open, oozing blood. The terrifying curse power on its body caused even the Sudden Death King nearby to feel frightened, and even General Ha, who had the Epic Sword in its mouth and had reached the Pseudo-legendary level, sensed the tremor in its domain. It seemed that the curse power from the Dark Crow could even break through its domain. This curse was not something the Dark Crow could normally cast; at this moment, it had sacrificed all the eyes on its body.Without the ability for further healing, the Dark Crow would be ruined for life. This was equivalent to an overlord casting an ultimate curse at the cost of nearly ¡°self-detonating.¡± Facing such a terrifying curse, in an instant, the forms of the Moon God Tree, Harvest Dragon, and Tree King Phantom began to blur. They were almost being ¡°erased¡± from existence by a powerful curse power. ¡°Howl!!!¡± Above the giant dragon, Lu Ran crossed his arms over his chest as General Ha swung its head and turned to strike the Dark Crow with the sword. The gold-green sword qi of healing power fiercely struck the Dark Crow, sending it flying. As the Dark Crow was propelled away, its exploded eyes began to heal slowly. In truth, given the Dark Crow¡¯s current species level and growth level, relying solely on the Divine Deer Antler to heal such a level of injury had be quite troublesome, unlike the simplicity of previous treatments. Though healing was still possible, both the consumption of the Divine Deer Antler¡¯s power and the treatment time had increased. However, when the power of the Divine Deer Antler and General Habined, the healing power took a qualitative leap, enabling immediate healing during battle. ? ¡°Caw caw!!¡± Feeling the rapid recovery of the eyeballs after casting the ultimate curse, the Dark Crow, with its wings wrapped around the massive sword qi, was flung backward and crushed to the ground,ughing wildly before taking flight again. However, in an instant, its expression froze as it sensed its curse power being quickly neutralized. If not for the soul enhancement from Lu Ran, it felt that even sacrificing all its eyeballs wouldn¡¯t affect the opponent in the slightest. Across from Lu Ran, the three blurred phantoms were constantly fluctuating between illusion and reality. As the curse power tried to erase them, a power of time within these phantoms was simultaneously restoring their existence. The continuous sh of these two forces caused Lu Ran¡¯s expression to turn grim. ¡°Dark Crow, change into a pig curse¡­ never mind, respect the deceased, strengthen the current curse!¡± Evidently, in this ruins strategy, Lu Ran directly relied on the Dark Crow as the main force. The Sudden Death King was responsible for protecting him, General Ha for strengthening the Divine Deer Antler, changing sses to a healing role. At the same time, it used legendary pressure to control enemies, weakening their state, while the Dark Crow continually sacrificed its own power, casting fierce curses to obliterate the opponents. Buzz!! While the Dark Crow was recovering, it also repeatedly sacrificed its power, strengthening its curse power. It hovered in mid-air, spreading its eye-covered wings like an evil god, casting a shadow of ck curse power over the white Infinite Sword Domain. ¡°Wow ka!!!¡± To the astonishment of the Sudden Death King, in fact, the Time domain overlord and the upper overlord Harvest Dragon barely had a chance to exert their powers, constantly twisting between disappearance and existence. After two rounds of curses. The three phantomspletely vanished before Lu Ran¡¯s eyes. Under the restraint of General Ha¡¯s divine deer pressure, the opponents had no chance to make a move. Lu Ran exhaled deeply, his heart racing; seeing that nothing unexpected happened, and confirming the defeat of the ruins phantoms, he began to survey the surroundings. ¡­ Meanwhile. In the outside world. Only a few minutes had passed since Lu Ran entered. The conversation between Qing Lianshan the Legend and the two Legends, Ye and Tian, had not yet entered into depth. ¡°Legend Ye, your disciple is quite remarkable.¡± Looking at the ancient tree of ruins, he said, ¡°As a level 3 beastmaster, he has to face a Time-type nt pet of a middle overlord, and a Loong-type nt pet of an upper overlord¡­¡± ¡°To be able to withstand such pressure for 5 minutes already, he must not only have overlord pet beasts, but also quite a high species level andbat talent, right?¡± ¡°Haha, of course,¡± Legend Ye responded with a faint smile. Boldly specte, boldly guess! He has not just one overlord pet beast, but two!! Most importantly, one of them even possesses an advanced domain and has been blessed by a legend! With mere five minutes¡­ She felt that even if Lu Ran battled against the tree king phantom for an entire hour, it might still be possible. Both were calcting Lu Ran¡¯s situation. But in the next moment, suddenly, the entire ancient tree of ruins shook, emanating dazzling golden light. Everyone in Tree King City-people, nts, and beasts-turned their gaze toward the glowing ancient tree of ruins. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Gu Yu asked nkly, standing on the ancient tree. She didn¡¯t notice that Qing Lianshan beside her had an astonishing, incredulous expression on his face. ¡°The ancient tree shines, is the legacy arriving?¡± Legend Tian eximed in shock. ¡°Has someone passed the legacy trial? Who?!¡± Legend Ye spoke in surprise, but after a moment of surprise, she paused slightly, thinking who else could be challenging the ruins inside but her recently epted disciple? ¡°Master, Martial Aunt, do you mean¡­ Junior Brother Lu passed??¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been five minutes, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say this challenge¡­ is hard?¡± ¡°Yes. I brought you here to witness the formidable power Senior Tree King had during her youth¡­¡± Legend Tian replied in confusion. Clearing it in 5 minutes¡­ what does that mean¡­ It means Lu Ran defeated the Tree King in just 5 minutes? ¡°What, what kind of joke is this!!!¡± Qing Lianshan eximed, eyes wide, ¡°Impossible, how could anyone clear the Tree King ruins in just 5 minutes??¡± At this moment, the entire Tree King City was in shock, countless eyes fixed on the glowing ancient tree of ruins in disbelief. Who, which prodigy, haspleted the legacy trial? As the outside world was in vibration, within the legacy ruins, Lu Ran was still waiting for a prompt tone. However, he quickly realized that although the legacy ruins were created by Infinite City, they weren¡¯t exactly a product of Infinite City, so there wasn¡¯t likely to be any prompt tone. ¡°Phew, I wonder if I¡¯ve actually passed¡­ hopefully, there¡¯s not a second phase or something.¡± He didn¡¯t have the energy to continue enhancing the Dark Crow¡¯s soul; he had already staked most of his power on the first two rounds of attack. The power of the Divine Deer Antler couldn¡¯t support many healing rounds, especially as the Evil God¡¯s Eye was now considered the core organ of an overlord. As Lu Ran paused to catch his breath, a low voice suddenly resonated. However, it wasn¡¯t a prompt tone. ¡°What do you mean?¡± This female voice made Lu Ran¡¯s heart tighten. He quickly turned to a certain direction. There, a phantom reappeared. Her figure was still blurry, but faintly visible in a green dress. She didn¡¯t look much different from the Tree King phantom he had just faced. The Tree King ruin phantom spoke slowly, and Lu Ran could distinctly sense human emotion in her tone. Not at all like those thoughtless, instinct-driven phantom creaturesmonly found in Infinite City¡¯s secret realms. ¡°With¡­ consciousness?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback and said, ¡°Tree King?¡± ¡°Are you still alive?¡± ¡°No, I am already dead. This is just a strand of my sealed consciousness that appears when someonepletes the challenge.¡± ¡°I initially had high hopes for my sessor, but now, I am very dissatisfied.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°ording to the covenant of ten thousand years, legendary life forms should not interfere with my affairs or with the covenant.¡± ¡°The legendary life behind you didn¡¯t tell you this?¡± The Tree King phantom¡¯s voice was calm, as if merely stating facts, and her words instantly overwhelmed Lu Ran¡¯s mental processes. ¡°What¡¯s all this about¡­¡± Lu Ran was bewildered. ¡°Senior, what is the covenant of ten thousand years? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± ¡°What do you find unsatisfactory about me? I can change¡­¡± Just as Lu Ran finished speaking, he felt something was off, as if the Tree King was breaking up with him or something. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± she asked, regarding Lu Ran attentively. ¡°Then you must be one of those fortunate enough to unexpectedly acquire legendary power. In that case, I can ept it.¡± ¡°What is this covenant of ten thousand years?¡± Seeing that Lu Ran genuinely had no clue, the Tree King phantom continued, ¡°A long time ago, this continent was dominated by numerous legendary divine beasts, and both nt life and humans were suppressed under the legendary realm.¡± ¡°Until one day, a Divine Tree emerged, waging war against many divine beasts by itself, securing an opportunity for nt life to awaken.¡± ¡°This period is set for ten thousand years.¡± ¡°During these ten thousand years, nt life can awaken freely. This is the result of the Divine Tree¡¯s battles. Whether nt life can continue to awaken after ten thousand years will depend on the development level of the ntmunity.¡± ¡°To strengthen the power of the ntmunity, the retainers of the Divine Tree helped the human race transform Beast Taming Power into nt taming power across the continent. This effort elerated the growth of nt pets and facilitated the emergence of powerful nt pet beasts. I am a ntmaster chosen by one such Divine Tree retainer.¡± ¡°However, unfortunately, my body encountered problems, so I chose to pass on my power to fulfill a covenant with that legend. I was dissatisfied with you earlier because you carry the breath of a legendary divine beast. You must understand, there is a natural enmity between nt spirits and animal spirits.¡± Lu Ran felt a chill down his spine. ¡°Of course, you need not worry. I now understand the source of your legendary energy-it¡¯s from the Creator Divine Loong, specifically the Life Divine Dragon¡¯s retainer,¡± the Tree King said after a pause. ¡°This is a neutral legendary creature, so technically, you are not breaking any rules.¡± ¡°My legacy, you may take it.¡± ¡°However, in doing so, you might also be marked as part of the nt spirit lineage.¡± Hearing that he could still receive the legacy, Lu Ran promptly replied, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to me. I came to challenge the ruins out of reverence for you, and for no other reason.¡± The Tree King was taken aback for a moment. After a short silence, several items appeared in front of Lu Ran, though the actions seemed a bit grudging¡­ [Name]: Branch of Ruins [Level]: Epic [Introduction]: Contains a space within that can elerate the growth of animals and nts. ¡­ [Skill]: Time eleration Inheritance Crystal [Introduction]: A beast taming skill that allows a beastmaster to elerate the growth and skill effectiveness of pet beasts. ¡­ [Name]: Leaf of Time [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: Consuming it gives pet beasts a chance to awaken a Time affinity, based on theirpatibility with the Time element. Chapter 264: Exploration Progress Up In front of Lu Ran, there were a total of three items. One was a small branch that could bepletely held in the palm of his hand. The branch was golden with a few emerald green leaves. It appeared ordinary, but Lu Ran sensed power from it second only to the divine deer antler. Epic level. This was a space-type artifact containing partial time properties! Seeing it, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t keep his inner peace, knowing that this was the purpose of his trip. With this, his beastmaster school could be different from all other beastmasters on the Blue Star. Legion school!Of course, as a beastmaster who takes unusual paths, upon seeing this, Lu Ran had another bold idea. General Ha doesn¡¯t have muchbat power while holding the divine deer antler. So, holding a ¡°small world¡± in battle should give it somebat power, right? Although the branch of ruins might not make General Ha reach the pseudo-legendary species like the divine deer antler, the two have different meanings. Under the divine deer antler, the pseudo-legendary General Ha excels in ¡°pseudo-legendary pressure¡± and ¡°healing power.¡± The former acts as a control technique, but doesn¡¯t actually cause much substantial damage to strong opponents. Thetter causes even less damage. However, holding the branch of ruins, Lu Ran estimated that it would grant General Ha the power of the Space. Even if it doesn¡¯t reach pseudo-legendary, upper overlord level should be no problem, and it would definitely be powerful. But Lu Ran quickly shook his head at this thought¡­ How could he do that? Once the corpse dog bes General Ha¡¯s retainer and enjoys the talent boost, its level might not be inferior to that of the branch of ruins! Apart from the branch of ruins, there was another item resembling a crystal ball, also palm-sized. To be honest, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t very concerned about the beast taming skills or various secret manuals within the breakthrough secret realm. Because even if obtained, without the Beast Taming Space, he couldn¡¯t train. Just like the ¡°seal transformation¡± beast taming skill from the City Lord master¡¯s family, Lu Ran had it but could only keep it as a collection for the time being. However, this time, things seemed to be different. Because the beast taming skill inheritance from the Tree King wasn¡¯t a ¡°text-based manual,¡± but an item that seemed very advanced, much like a skill card, it appeared that it might not require much personal training. [Name]: Time eleration Inheritance Crystal! Lu Ran¡¯s emotions were far from calm-could this thing be like a beast taming skill card, something you just use without needing to learn? If so, it would be a huge win. A time-type beast taming skill! Time eleration¡­ It could elerate a pet beast¡¯s growth and skill effects. The first thought Lu Ran had was to use it in conjunction with resources to enhance his pet beast¡¯s growth level. With this, wouldn¡¯t it be like having a permanent ¡°devouring agate¡±? Pet beasts need time to digest food and convert it into growth attributes. If this process could be elerated, it would essentially be an alternative form of growth eleration. elerating skill effects is also easy to understand. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure if he understood it correctly, but if a pet beast has a self-healing skill that usually takes an hour to recover from severe injuries, then with time eleration, it might only take a few minutes. Or, for instance, the dark crow¡¯s long-distance curse could have immediate effects. After locking onto a target from a city away and invoking the curse, though the curse can strike across long distances, it still requires ¡°travel time.¡± In this case, with time eleration, could the curse hit its target almost instantaneously? The dark crow initiates a curse, and then, at superluminal speed, the curse power is applied to the target. This is another bug-level beast taming skill, one that enhances the more absurd the pet beast¡¯s skill is. However,pared to these two, the third resource aligns most closely with Lu Ran¡¯s understanding of resources. A green leaf. It looks unremarkable, but it is actually an attribute awakening resource, and a Time awakening resource! However, it¡¯s not a 100% epic-level Time awakening resource but an exquisite-level awakening resource with a probability of awakening Time. Nevertheless, Lu Ran was thrilled. Well, after merging the luck trait with a pet beast, he would consider using this awakening resource. With luck on his side, Lu Ran believed the awakening would be sessful. Lu Ran still holds a strong admiration for the Time attribute. Seeing these three legacy resources, Lu Ran was stunned for a few seconds. Although the quantity was notrge, the quality of each one was extremely high, feeling superior even to the solo clear resources from the Legendary Secret Realm of the infinite city. ¡°Rest assured, Tree King.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my duty to restore the Glory of nt life,¡± Lu Ran vowed. ¡°Once I be stronger, those legendary divine beasts will no longer strip nt life of their living space!¡± Unintentionally, Lu Ran set another goal for himself. ¡°But maybe you¡¯ll have to wait until you reach the legendary level to truly challenge those legendary divine beasts,¡± the Tree Kingmented, her tone gradually turning yful. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that the final legacy went to a beastmaster, though it wasn¡¯t really through ¡®cheating.¡¯ No, it can¡¯t be considered cheating.¡± She looked at General Ha and the dark crow. General Ha had a wise look in its eyes. The dark crow also disyed its wisdom through its numerous Evil God¡¯s Eyes, but its intelligence seemed overshadowed by even a single hair of General Ha, making it appear rather intimidating. If it had only been the divine deer antler, then a beastmaster with simr strength to Lu Ran absolutely couldn¡¯t have defeated it. From the Tree King¡¯s perspective, what was amazing was the canine beast¡¯s ability to use the divine deer antler¡¯s power to enhance its species, elevating itself to a Pseudo-legendary status, and then further strengthening the healing power of the divine deer antler. This allowed the dark crow to sacrifice and curse without restraint, not worrying about healing issues. At the same time, restricted by the divine deer pressure, which counteracts nt life, the phantom¡¯s resistance to the curse was greatly increased. Having grasped such an ability is also a testament to Lu Ran and his team¡¯s strength. The Tree King realized that Lu Ran is indeed an exceptional individual. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t have been chosen by the divine deer-she couldn¡¯t believe that the divine deer antler would simply fall into a beastmaster¡¯s hands without reason. Even so, Senior Tree King felt a bit of regret. If she¡¯d known earlier, she would have equipped the phantom with a few epic pieces of Equipment. She had quite a few at the time. But then again, perhaps no one would have been able to clear it at all. ¡°Senior Tree King, you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met who knows about the divine deer.¡± ¡°You know about the divine deer and the Creator Dragons. You must be familiar with the history before the Divine Tree Continent, right?¡± Lu Ran asked, his eyes filled with curiosity. Currently, most of the legends on the Divine Tree Continent, including his City Lord master, are unaware of the existence of the Star-Moon Continent or the Creator Dragons. But the Tree King actually knows. Lu Ran wanted to inquire about the death dragon. Although on the blue star side, fortunately, the situation is initially under control, some hidden dangers still remain. A group of necromancers who haven¡¯t been brought under control is still searching for the legendary item, the stone of the other shore, attempting to overturn the world. Lu Ran needed to continuously gather intelligence on the death dragon to find the legendary-level stone of the other shore ahead of time. ¡°That¡¯s because I am a divine chosen ntmaster. You could consider me a divine chosen beastmaster as well,¡± she exined slowly. ¡°Because I was chosen and blessed by a legendary nt living creature, I know more than the average person.¡± ¡°What do you want to know? I can answer within the limited time.¡± ¡°You mentioned earlier, the divine deer is a neutral legendary life?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Four Great Creator Divine Dragons created the world and transcend everything. They are the creators of the continent. Whether it¡¯s the innate divine spirits of the Elemental Age or the conflicts among divine beasts and divine spirits in the nt age, the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons have never been involved.¡± ¡°Their retainers have always acted as maintainers of the continent¡¯s ecology and have never participated in the struggles of other species.¡± ¡°They are considered absolutely neutral legendary life, treating humans, beasts, and nts equally.¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath and said, ¡°I see, the Creator Dragons are that powerful. I used to think the divine tree could rival the Creator Dragons.¡± ¡°The Creator Dragons aren¡¯t dragons per se; they are the embodiments of life and death, space-time rules. They don¡¯t belong to elements, animals, or nts. They are rule life.¡± ¡°The Divine Tree is indeed powerful, but it¡¯s merely an ultimate nt spirit, a divine spirit of acquired status.¡± ¡°In the legendary realm, the levels of legendary life can generally be divided into lesser legend, intermediate legend, greater legend, Main Divine Level, and Creator Divine Level.¡± ¡°Among them, the Four Great Divine Dragons are undoubtedly at the Creator Divine Level, whereas the Divine Tree is at the Main Divine Level.¡± ¡°As for the retainers of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons, they hold unique positions, but in terms of purebat power, they are mostly between the lesser legend and intermediate legend levels, not the top-level power among legendary life.¡± Lu Ran was aware that differences exist between legendary lives. There was some rted information on the blue star, but nothing as detailed as what the Tree King provided. Then, he inquired about information regarding the death dragon! The Tree King looked at the life form of the dark crow and said, ¡°A beastmaster chosen by the life divine dragon¡¯s retainer, but with a pet beast cultivating the power of death¡­¡± ¡°Caw caw! Thank you for thepliment,¡± the dark crow said, scratching its head in embarrassment. Tree King: ¡°I wasn¡¯t praising you.¡± ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha pressed down on the dark crow to keep it from interrupting. It was eager to gather information about the death dragon, find the legendary-level stone of the other shore, and eventually carry the legendary death stone sword in its mouth. Among those around Lu Ran, only the sudden death king remained quiet, pondering. Hearing about so many levels of legends, it suddenly felt discouraged, contemting how, as a middle overlord, it could withstand a few moves from a legendary species. Even with its defense, no matter how much it trained, it seemed inadequate. ¡°In the northern outer sea region of the continent, there is an endless abyss. Within this abyss, a retainer of the death dragon has been sleeping for years. That¡¯s the only rted information about the death dragon I know,¡± the Tree King exined. She didn¡¯t concern herself with why Lu Ran was seeking information about the death dragon or whether he would pursue such a dangerous creature. In her view, Lu Ran, being an adult, should be capable of making his own decisions. ¡°An abyss in the sea region beyond the continent.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, then nodded firmly. His exploration was one step further! ¡°My time is limited.¡± The Tree King phantom said, ¡°After receiving my legacy, you can seek the ¡®Divine Flower¡¯s whereabouts.¡¯ Some of my nt pets, including the Moon God Tree and Harvest Dragon you¡¯ve encountered, as well as some pet beasts you will contract in the future, have been training under the legendary divine spirit, the Divine Flower. Although you are a beastmaster and have developed a Beast Taming Space, with the help of the Divine Flower, you should be able to modify the space to simultaneously have the dual functions of beast mastering and nt mastering.¡± Lu Ran: !!! Wow. Is there more to the legend? However, Lu Ran felt that he might not have the time to search for it¡­ As the phantom before him grew more blurry, Lu Ran wanted to ask something more, but in the end, he simply said, ¡°Senior Tree King, can you tell me your real name?¡± The Tree King looked at this unique divine chosen ntmaster, smiled gently, and softly uttered three words. In closing, she said: ¡°Don¡¯t waste my legacy. This ruins space contains many mysteries. Develop it well.¡± ¡°Though I have passed away, there will surely be a day in the future when we meet again.¡± Lu Ran: ??? Chapter 265: A Quick Profit Before Leaving Tree King City. Outside the ancient tree of ruins, three legends and Gu Yu stood frozen, staring at the glowing giant tree, their lips trembling. Around them, the sky continued to gather beastmasters, and even other legends nearby were rmed and rushed to see what was happening. ¡°Who is challenging the ruins!¡± Such words had been uttered countless times. At this moment, everyone was staring in wonder at the changes in the ancient tree of ruins. Was the Tree King¡¯s legacy taken? Many were envious. Such a great treasure-if no one could inherit it, it wouldn¡¯t matter. But seeing someone actually able to take it, many people were devastated. Who could it be? After numerous calls, Lu Ran¡¯s figure slowly appeared on the branches of the ancient tree, looking troubled.Ah, what did the Tree King¡¯s words mean? Would they meet again in the future? Wasn¡¯t she dead? Lu Ran felt she must have had some kind of incurable illness, leading to an untimely death. Such situations weremon on the Star-Moon Continent. Many beastmasters with strong innate potential also had some congenital diseases. For example, some people were born with special physiques, inherently possessing beastmaster talents, just like Lu Ran¡¯s superhuman abilities. But benefits often came with risks. Being haunted by nightmares like Lu Ran was considered mild. On the blue star, some superhumans experienced constant headaches after awakening their abilities, which was more debilitating. These could be considered ¡°strange diseases.¡± And on the Star-Moon Continent, strange diseases were even moremon, collectively called ¡°talent diseases.¡± It means the weak human body couldn¡¯t endure such powerful talents. The Tree King could contract a Time overlord and was chosen by legendary nt creatures, so she certainly had extraordinary talents, possibly rted to Time. Having such formidable talent, it¡¯s not unlikely she suffered from a severe ¡°talent disease.¡± ? But since she was chosen by legendary life, even if she had an illness, it shouldn¡¯t be incurable, right? The Tree King was so certain they¡¯d meet again, suggesting she found a solution??? Yet she imed she had already died¡­ Lu Ran suddenly thought of a possibility. Reincarnation! Could it be that the Tree King found a special way to reincarnate? ¡°Oh well, whatever. Even if she did reincarnate, it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯d meet again. In a few days, I¡¯ll be out of here.¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself, guessing that the Tree King probably held a grudge. Seeing her low-level projection defeated by him with the help of a divine deer antler cheat must have displeased her, and she might want to test him again by strength in the future. But sorry, he wouldn¡¯t give her that chance. ¡°Huh¡­¡± After Lu Ran emerged, he had been pondering the Tree King¡¯sst words. Coming back to his senses, he noticed beastmasters everywhere were staring at him. Among them was Qing Lianshan, his eyes red and hair disheveled, slowly asking, ¡°Did you pass the legacy trial?¡± ¡°Fortunately, I did not disappoint!¡± Lu Ran naturally responded. Qing Lianshan: ? No one expected you to pass, okay! He was now inplete disarray, wanting to know how hepared to this young man. ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± Suddenly, Legend Ye burst intoughter, exuding a collection of intertwining auras from various nt species, disying legendary might. At this moment, City Lord Ye was at a loss for words to describe her feelings as she looked at the calm-faced Lu Ran. She felt her disciple was truly remarkable. He really¡­ managed to pass. ¡°Well done!!!¡± City Lord Ye unleashed her might, causing the surrounding crowd to change expressions. They hadn¡¯t expected another legend to be hidden here, and upon hearing City Lord Ye¡¯smendation for Lu Ran, many understood his background. Disciple of a legend. This identity alone was enough to deter those coveting the ruins¡¯ treasures. However, even without any background, as long as Lu Ran obtained the Tree King¡¯s legacy, no one would dare act rashly against him. Everyone knew, though the Tree King had passed, her powerfulbat pets hadn¡¯t all perished. Thosebat pets were Lu Ran¡¯s natural protectors, far fiercer than a legendary master. ¡°Sorry, Senior Sister Gu, but it looks like the legacy ruins won¡¯t be open for further challenges,¡± Lu Ran said, turning to Gu Yu. Gu Yu: ??? ¡°Hahaha, let¡¯s head home!¡± Lu Ran and his group, who arrived quickly, were prepared to leave Tree King City just as swiftly after City Lord Ye¡¯s heartyughter, not nning to linger any longer. Beside them, though Legend Tian was also internally shaken, she didn¡¯t say much. She too unleashed her legendary aura to show support for Lu Ran. However, despite the strength of the two legends, it wasn¡¯t long before an even more powerful presence approached. An elder sitting on a green lotus drew near, surprising everyone. Although not as formidable as the Tree King, the elderly man was one of the rare level 8 ntmasters on the Divine Tree Continent. ¡°Great-grandfather.¡± Upon seeing him, Qing Lianshan wasn¡¯t surprised. The inheritance of the Tree King being imed had inevitably alerted his great-grandfather. Compared to others, the elder was quiteposed. He studied Lu Ran with curiosity and said, ¡°Congrattions on obtaining the Tree King¡¯s legacy. May I ask what happened after passing through the ruins?¡± Raising his head, Lu Ran saw an epic legend for the first time. City Lord Ye and City Lord Tian exchanged nces, their expressions slightly tense. Clearly, confronting this elder would be difficult even for them, but he didn¡¯t seem to be an enemy. ¡°Not much happened,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°After clearing the ruins, I encountered a cognizant Tree King phantom. She instructed me on several matters and told me to await herbat pets.¡± His exnation sent the Green Lotus Elder into deep thought. ¡°So there indeed was a special consciousness left behind. As expected of Senior Tree King.¡± This epic legend appeared to know quite a bit but did not probe further about the legacy ruins. With a sense of amazement, he turned to leave, saying, ¡°Remarkable indeed.¡± ¡°Lianshan, since Legend Ye and the others are eager to return, see them off. This heir of the Tree King may need time to process the legacy.¡± ¡°Yes, Great-grandfather.¡± Qing Lianshan felt extremely troubled, as if he¡¯d eaten something unpleasant. To him, it was as if his ¡®goddess¡¯ had run off with a pretty boy, and now he was expected to drive them home. On the flying vessel, Lu Ran and his group were essentially making a quick getaway, creating quite a thrilling situation, giving no opportunity for the people of Tree King City to make contact. City Lord Ye was still catching her breath after they had traveled some distance, unable to believe that Lu Ran had actually cleared the ruins. Wasn¡¯t their intention to bring Lu Ran along just to broaden his horizons and gain some experience? Both City Lord Ye and Martial Aunt Tian felt as though they were the ones being enlightened instead. ¡°Dear disciple¡­¡± In reality, Lu Ran could now be considered a disciple of the Tree King as well. City Lord Ye felt quite helpless, wondering what merit she had to share a disciple with the Tree King. ¡°Master, Martial Aunt Tian, while I was at the Tree King ruins, I actually obtained some very important intelligence that I want to share with you.¡± Feeling a bit bored, Lu Ran exined the ¡°covenant of ten thousand years¡± and the ¡°divine chosen ntmaster¡± to Master Ye and the others, leaving them stunned and unable to calm down. ¡°So, you¡¯re now tied to the faction of the nt spirits.¡± ¡°You need to help the nt spirits train warriors for a future confrontation with legendary divine beasts?¡± Neither of the legends expected that the Tree King¡¯s legacy woulde with such significant burdens and responsibilities. ¡°No, to be precise, all ntmasters are now tied to the nt faction,¡± Lu Ran rified. ¡°Once the covenant of ten thousand years ends, it will inevitably spark a war that influences the entire continent, with both sides being the ferocious beasts and nt species.¡± ¡°At that point, the status of the continent¡¯s overlord will be re-established,¡± Lu Ran continued. ¡°However, there¡¯s still a long, long time before the covenant ends, and we may not live to see it.¡± ¡°But I have a feeling that even if we die, we might not truly perish. Instead, everything could be preserved by the nt spirits, allowing us to resurrect in a miraculous way when the covenant ends, to participate in the final war.¡± ¡°I suspect that the Green Lotus Elder we encountered back there might know the inside story of the covenant of ten thousand years, much like the Tree King. After all, in essence, all ntmasters are aiding the Divine Tree in cultivating soldiers.¡± ¡°Never mind¡­¡± Legend Tian remarked. ¡°The truth of the world doesn¡¯t concern me much; these things are too far beyond us. Let¡¯s talk about you instead. You¡¯ve obtained the Tree King¡¯s legacy; what are your ns moving forward?¡± Legend Tian¡¯s question hit the nail on the head for City Lord Ye. The covenant of ten thousand years may seem distant, but the immediate concern was Lu Ran. Earlier, Lu Ran mentioned that Senior Tree King¡¯sbat pets would seek him out. Does this mean Lu Ran is nning to leave soon? ¡°In the short term, I n to stay in Tree Realm City to learn ntmaster knowledge from my master. Who knows when Senior Tree King¡¯sbat pets will find me,¡± Lu Ran exined. ¡°Master, once we return, let¡¯s organize a Master¡¯s Apprentice Banquet. Senior Tree King also intends for me to undergo a ss change to be a ntmaster¡­ Now, there¡¯s no need to worry about the Beast Taming Hall anymore¡­¡± City Lord Ye: ¡­ Why is Lu Ran so keen on the Master¡¯s Apprentice Banquet? What City Lord Ye didn¡¯t realize is that Lu Ran was eager about it due to his new identity as the Heir of the Tree King! Just imagine, the caliber of attendees at the banquet would be drastically different now, possibly even attracting many legends who wish to visit, offer gifts, and establish friendly ties with him. Not hosting the banquet would be a tremendous missed opportunity! ¡°As you wish.¡± With Lu Ran bringing it up twice, City Lord Ye decided not to decline anymore. Since Lu Ran wasn¡¯t bothered by her status as just an ordinary legend, there was no reason for her to hesitate. ¡°By the way, Master, I have obtained the ruins space from Senior Tree King. It requires a lot of ferocious nts to perfect the spatial environment. Is it alright if I transnt some ferocious nts from the Death Forest?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a small matter. You could move the entire Death Forest in there if you wanted,¡± City Lord Ye casually replied. Such generosity from the master! ¡­ In this world, nothing spreads faster than news. While on the journey, the news of Lu Ran, the Heir of the Tree King, preparing to be an apprentice to the City Lord of Tree Realm City was already making the rounds. Before Lu Ran and his group could return to Tree Realm City, representatives of various factions had begun making their way to the city, hoping to pay a visit to the Heir of the Tree King. Time seemed pressing indeed. Calcting the timing, Lu Ran realized he didn¡¯t have much time left. He needed to capitalize on his identity immediately. Upon returning to Tree Realm City, Lu Ran didn¡¯t even have the leisure to catch up with Yu Rui and the others; he headed straight to the Death Forest to be a diligent mover. Right now, the ruins space was barren and desperately needed enhancement. Meanwhile¡­ Yu Rui and the others were diligently exploring and learning in Tree Realm City. Since Lu Ran wasn¡¯t taking on the breakthrough task, they figured they should make the most of their trip to the secret realm by focusing on other areas. That¡¯s right: exploring the world. If done properly, the rewards from exploration could be just as valuable aspleting the breakthrough task, or so theyforted themselves. ¡°Rui-Ge, we haven¡¯t seen that Lu Ran aroundtely, have we?¡± Jiang Ming lifted his head suddenly from the ancient texts they were studying together in the room. ¡°No idea, maybe he¡¯s off exploring the world too,¡± Liu Man replied. ¡°Ha, he doesn¡¯t know as much about the Divine Tree Continent as us. We¡¯re definitely at an advantage in that regard, don¡¯t you think, Rui-Ge?¡± In the past few days, they¡¯d amassed quite a collection of rare resources and scrolls, even stumbling upon some major archaeological secrets. The two turned to Yu Rui, only to see a peculiar expression on his face. Yu Rui said, ¡°Thest time I saw him, he was asking me for information about the Tree King ruins¡­ You think, after being gone for so long, he might have gone to explore the Tree King ruins?¡± ¡°Tree King ruins???¡± Jiang Ming was taken aback. ¡°Those are probably the highest exploration opportunity any challenger can normally ess on the Divine Tree Continent, right? After all, it¡¯s part of the legacy of a legendary figure. But Tree Realm City is so far from the Tree King ruins¡­¡± ¡°In any case, even if he¡¯s not weak, I doubt he¡¯s strong enough to explore the Tree King ruins. If that¡¯s where he went, it seems like a waste of time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yu Rui shrugged just as there was a knock at the door. ¡°Sir, today¡¯s tree news has arrived!¡± It was the errand boy delivering the newspaper. If you¡¯re going to explore the secret realm, keeping up with daily intelligence from various ces is a must. Liu Man went to open the door and took the tree news, which was full of content, saying, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Sir!!! There¡¯s big news today. Take your time going through it; I¡¯ll be off now,¡± the boy said. ¡°Big news?¡± Liu Man paused, then looked at the tree news content, her expression shifting dramatically. ¡°What is it?¡± Seeing Liu Man stand frozen at the door, Jiang Ming asked, ¡°What¡¯s the big news? Let me guess¡­ Is it about the Tree King City¡¯s genius, Qing Lianshan, finally breaking through to legend status? He¡¯s famous for having attempted the Tree King ruins many times but never passing.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡± Liu Man said, bewildered, walking back stiffly to spread the tree news for them to see. Yu Rui put down his ancient text, and Jiang Ming nced over too. [Heir of the Tree King Emerges! Lu Ran, disciple of Tree Realm City¡¯s City Lord Ye Ying, passes the Tree King legacy trial in just five minutes, hailed as an extraordinary genius unseen in 800 years!] All three: ??? Chapter 266: Return â‘¢! Transnting ferocious nts is a technical task. Even though theyck consciousness and simply act on hunting instincts like pitcher nts and Venus flytraps, they can still pose many obstacles for those attempting to transnt them. Fortunately, General Ha¡¯s mastery of the deer dog¡¯s form of divine deer pressure can suppress even the instinctive behaviors of unconscious ferocious nts. This greatly increased Lu Ran¡¯s transportation efficiency. In just two short days, the ferocious nt garden that City Lord Ye had managed for decades was left bare. In its ce, within the massive space equipment of the Tree King Ruins, there was now an area filled with ferocious nts. ¡°Phew.¡± Wiping the sweat off his brow on the destend, Lu Ran felt he had worked hard enough. He looked toward the main city; in the past two days, various forces had arrived in Tree Realm City, and the tributes had been steadily delivered to the City Lord¡¯s Mansion. Lu Ran¡¯s activities were like clockwork, alternating between transnting and receiving gifts.This feeling of happiness made him feel like he was back in the times when he served as the Holy Son of necromancy. Among the gifts he received, Lu Ran considered the most valuable to be from the Qing Family of Tree King City. Despite feeling mncholic, Qing Lianshan, under the orders of his ancestral elder, came to visit with generous gifts. He presented a seed of a spiritual nt which, after awakening, could reach the level of a lower overlord species. It was said to be a precious nt capable of altering the environment and increasing the concentration of spiritual energy. It appeared to be a heartfelt gift intended to help Lu Ran improve the space within the ruins. Although Lu Ran didn¡¯t have the ability to awaken it, simply nting it in the ruins space could significantly benefit the legion creatures inside. This was the most valuable gift, while the most fitting one came from the Ji Family of Myriad Leaf City. Before Lu Ran could ask them to help with the awakening of the sword grass, they gifted him a vial of silver blood, iming it could help awaken the sword grass. This oue caught Lu Ranpletely off guard. Initially, he never imagined he would acquire the sword grass awakening resource in this manner. ¡°This is the correct way to open the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°However, I shouldn¡¯t be easily satisfied. Is there not a more effective and perfect strategy to unfold?¡± He estimated the time and felt that this breakthrough secret realm was almosting to an end. However, though he gained a lot, there were still aspects that made Lu Ran feel regretful. For instance, there was no time to venture to the outer sea to explore the location of the death dragon¡¯s retainer. Additionally, there was no time to locate the Tree King¡¯s pet beast to receive the ¡°true legacy.¡± Indeed, the Tree King ruins, time eleration beast taming skill, and Leaf of Time that Lu Ran inherited were, to him, just the most superficial aspects of the legacy. ??? The true legacy of the Tree King should have been her rtionships. That is, her pet beasts and the Divine Flower that chose her. Undoubtedly, the Tree King¡¯s pet beasts were now levels 80-100, and the Divine Flower was certainly a level 90-plus legendary life form. As the Heir of the Tree King, he should have been trained by them. This was the biggest benefit of being the Heir of the Tree King. But, without a doubt, Lu Ran didn¡¯t have enough time left to receive this training. Lu Ran analyzed the shorings of this secret realm again and decided to make up for them after returning. ¡°Merelypleting the breakthrough task isn¡¯t very challenging for me now. The current issue is not having enough time to explore the world.¡± ¡°In practical terms, I spend too much time on travel.¡± ¡°Each breakthrough secret realm is only 30 days. Like this time, even with a legendary strong figure leading the way, it took half a month to make a return trip to the Tree King Ruins.¡± ¡°Half the time was wasted on the road.¡± ¡°The Star-Moon Continent is exceptionally vast. Even for legendary figures, traveling to some distant ces takes ten days to half a month.¡± ¡°For weak beastmasters traveling on their own, it might take years.¡± ¡°This won¡¯t do. What I need next is an ability that allows extremely fast travel.¡± ¡°After all, I can¡¯t guarantee that there¡¯ll always be a legendary strong figure to act as my driver.¡± Moreover, even legendary drivers have varied travel speeds¡­ For instance, Legend Tian¡¯s ¡°leaf flying vessel¡± is not a pet beast built for extreme-speed travel. Sadly, General Ha, the sudden death king, or the dark crow-all of their top travel speeds are not evenparable to the leisurely leaf flying vessel. ¡°The dark crow is now level 39, and after more than half a month of nurturing, it¡¯s very close to reaching level 40.¡± ¡°Once we return, if it merges with the species dominance trait, it probably won¡¯t develop in the speed aspect.¡± ¡°When General Ha reaches level 40, it will awaken the space attribute. The travel speed from teleportation is undeniably powerful, but Space skills are among the most energy-consuming. General Ha¡¯s species isn¡¯t known for stamina, so it won¡¯t be able to use it intensively. Even Dr. Gu mentions that Manager Ying, who is supposedly the best at using teleportation, is always left panting and looking barely alive after transporting herself.¡± ¡°Short distances with teleportation are fine, but for cross-continent travel, it¡¯s not suitable.¡± ¡°Using General Ha¡¯s wind abilities for travel¡­ While decent, it feels too conventional and doesn¡¯t reach the extreme.¡± ¡°As for the sudden death king, let¡¯s not even go there. Although its flying speed is eptable, its abilities aren¡¯t focused on speed. Its fourth trait is destined to be a support trait, unable to enhance speed.¡± ¡°What I need is a pet beast that, at the level 40 stage, ideally rivals or surpasses the level 68 leaf flying vessel in speed.¡± ¡°The weather elf¡­¡± Lu Ran¡¯s next pet beast is expected to be a contracted weather elf. He decided the first fusion trait would be nature control, a conventional trait well-suited to its species. As for the second, third, and fourth traits, those haven¡¯t been prepared yet. Using the weather elf as a transport pet would indeed befortable, but the best travel method he could think of for it is the wind force, which, unless enhanced by special traits, is too conventional-much like General Ha. ¡°As of now, cloud baby seems the most suitable. Its strength lies in its versatility. After reaching level 40, it will have several opportunities to merge traits and will even undergo an ¡®evolution¡¯ during which I can focus on enhancing its aspects.¡± ¡°Perhaps I should develop cloud baby into a dual-function support and transport pet. It also possesses the water attribute, which would allow me to explore underwater, making it suitable for both sea and air.¡± Lu Ran contemted while stroking his chin. However, whether cloud baby can be trained to achieve ¡®extreme speed¡¯ as a transport pet ultimately depends on luck-finding the right, powerful traits. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t entirely sure about this and nned to ask Manager Ying for advice once he returned. As Lu Ran stood pondering in the Death Forest, something significant was happening in Tree Realm City. Numerous legendary figures suddenly looked up, eyes fixed in one direction. From that direction, a fearsome aura was rapidly approaching. The sheer power of it was enough to cause a stir among those present. After a moment, even Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed. General Ha, who was resting nearby, sprang to its feet, eyes vigntly fixed on the sky. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sky darkened abruptly, obscured by a deep green form. Emerging from the white clouds was a massive being, extending over a thousand meters, majestically coiling in mid-air, its presence utterly startling. ¡°This is¡­¡± Seeing the form, Lu Ran took a deep breath. [Species]: Millennium Dragon [Attributes]: Grass, Time [Species Level]: Pseudo-legendary [Growth Level]: Level 93 Lu Ran¡¯s heart trembled as he quickly recognized the dragon-shaped nt life in the sky as belonging to a familiar identity. Could this creature be the evolution form of the Harvest Dragon, the pet beast of the Tree King? At that moment, the Millennium Dragon hovered among the clouds, its immense gold and emerald eyes fixated on Lu Ran and General Ha below. Its grass-like long whiskers fluttered as its mouth slowly opened, and Legend Ye appeared beside Lu Ran in an instant. ¡°Are you the one who received the master¡¯s legacy?¡± the dragon asked, seemingly unbothered by the number of people around, its gaze scrutinizing. ¡°It¡¯s the Tree King¡¯sbat pet,¡± Legend Ye said, relieved as she realized it wasn¡¯t an enemy approaching. Lu Ran had mentioned after leaving the ruins that the tree king phantom had instructed him to wait for itsbat pet to find him. To Legend Ye, this Millennium Dragon was undoubtedly the Tree King¡¯sbat pet. ¡°Master, you arrived just in time,¡± said Lu Ran, assuring Legend Ye that there was nothing to worry about, before turning his attention to the Millennium Dragon. ¡°You sure took your time in getting here,¡± he remarked. ¡°I¡¯ve waited so long that even the flowers have withered.¡± Millennium Dragon: ? ¡°If you can evolve into a million-year dragon, then we¡¯ll meet again.¡± Seeing the Millennium Dragon had initially excited Lu Ran, but the next moment, he sighed with a hint of helplessness. Because¡­ [The secret realm has ended¡­] The voice of Infinite City echoed in his mind simultaneously. Lu Ran didn¡¯t pay further attention to the Millennium Dragon. Instead, he nced onest time towards City Lord Ye. The countdown began, and the surrounding space started to blur¡­ Especially Lu Ran¡¯s form¡­ He looked at Legend Ye, who appeared bewildered, and bowed deeply. ¡°Master, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°You¡­¡± At that moment, City Lord Ye also noticed something, her expression changing dramatically. She was about to say something when the Millennium Dragon in the sky looked at Lu Ran with a more astonished expression. It watched its own slowly disappearing dragon ws and eximed, ¡°A historical projection? You¡¯re kidding, not even the Divine Tree could do this. Who are you really¡­?¡± As a time dragon with a pseudo-legendary species status, the Millennium Dragon immediately recognized the nature of its current form. Its pupils contracted in disbelief. It couldn¡¯tprehend who would fabricate its conscious presence. Fabricated just to let it fly around to meet this person. The Millennium Dragon looked at Lu Ran in shock. Lu Ran chuckled and spoke onest sentence: ¡°Just a disciple of the Tree Realm City Lord, a so-called ordinary beastmaster wanting to switch sses to be a ntmaster. When I return, I won¡¯t disgrace the title of Heir of the Tree King.¡± Finishing those words, Lu Ran slowly vanished under Legend Ye¡¯s calm yetplex gaze. The breakthrough secret realm also crumbled in its wake. When the time was up, Lu Ran, along with three other beastmasters who felt a sense of relief at the inn, all returned! The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 267: A Dramatic Situation Passerby A¡¯s Private Room. Lu Ran stood there, sighing. He sighed again, now certain that Infinite City was definitely messing with his mindset. It happenedst time, too. His sect leader master hadn¡¯t even finished his soul enhancement, and he was suddenly teleported back. And this time, it was the same. A Level 90 pseudo-legendary time dragon-if Lu Ran was given just half an hour more, he was confident he could benefit from the encounter. But no, the secret realm ended just like that, leaving Lu Ran hurt and frustrated. ¡°Historical projections can¡¯t just appear out of nowhere. The resources in the secret realm must have used great power to turn illusion into reality. Creating these, Infinite City also has to expend resources. One might conclude that if a challengerpletes the trial mission given by Infinite City step by step, it uses normal resources.¡±¡°But if the challenger explores the world, contacts the strong, esses top-level resources, and encounters legendary living creatures, then Infinite City¡¯s expenditure will increase.¡± ¡°Maybe it just doesn¡¯t want the hassle of repeatedly bringing back the projection of legendary living creatures, so it¡¯s intentionally cutting me off.¡± Lu Ran pondered. If it doesn¡¯t want to, fine, that¡¯s understandable, but then why did the Millennium Dragon appear in the end, just to tease him? Where was the promised illegitimate child? ¡°Forget it, at least I¡¯m back now!¡± Lu Ran fell back onto the ground, lying there and staring at the ceiling. A month had passed, and he wondered how things were on the blue star. Some of the first-generation beastmasters must have already experienced second-stage evolution by now. He got up and first walked out of his private room. Instead of rushing back to reality, he slowly made his way to the arena outside Infinite City No. 3 and looked at the king leaderboard at the top of the arena. A month had passed, and the world battle event indeed had significant progress. By now, some first-generation beastmasters had passed the preliminary rounds, sessfully bing arena masters and securing ces among the top ten king seats globally. Lu Ran grinned as he looked at the ten names listed side by side. Because among them, there were notably two Xia Country beastmasters¡¯ IDs. Former Guild Leader ID: Respect the old and love the young. And Lin Nian ID: Superhuman. The remaining eight spots were divided among beastmasters from eight other countries. ¡°Dr. Gu isn¡¯t doing well, but that¡¯s no big deal. I¡¯m back now, and let¡¯s see if I can help elevate her,¡± Lu Ran said, crossing his arms. With the Evolution Secret Realm no longer holding him back, his daily life would be much freer, allowing him to allocate more time to his pet beast training. This time, he nned to call Dr. Gu to help her evolve an overlord dragon! After checking the leaderboard, Lu Ran turned and left. Still in full disguise, no one noticed that the Fourth Generation Grand Demon King, who had stirred up a storm on the blue star a month ago, had returned. During Lu Ran¡¯s month-long absence, the blue star clearly became the stage for the First Generation. They were active first in the second-stage Evolution Secret Realm, then eagerly challenged the path to kingship. It was evident that this period had nothing to do with the second, third, or fourth generations. Soon after, Lu Ran teleported away from Infinite City. Having checked the beast-taming king leaderboard was enough for him. As for the divine beast leaderboard, Lu Ran didn¡¯t bother. Because he had already discovered three exquisite enhancement cards lying in his backpack. Clearly, in the past month, the divine beast leaderboard had settled again, granting him three more chances to perfectly enhance his pet beasts. However, despite having what seemed like plenty, considering Lu Ran currently had General Ha, the sudden death king, two dark crows, the weather elf, the sword spirit, and sword grass, three cards weren¡¯t enough. ¡­ Green Sea, Lu Ran¡¯s Room in Reality. Lu Ran¡¯s figure slowly appeared. As soon as he did, a feline head pressed against the ss window, peering inside. Lu Ran: ? Manager Ying was sunbathing in the yard. As soon as it sensed the life force, it got up and saw the noticeably changed Lu Ran. ¡°Yo.¡± Manager Ying gave the ss a smack with its cat paw, blinked into the room, and looked at Lu Ran¡¯s weathered face. ¡°You¡¯re back, huh.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s way morefortable here on the blue star¡­¡± ¡°Manager Ying, what important things happened on the blue star this past month? Tell me, I¡¯d rather not check online for each bit of news. It¡¯s hard to tell what¡¯s true or false there. Your intelligence is more reliable.¡± Considering Lu Ran must have also gleaned significant intelligence during his time in the Evolution Secret Realm, Manager Ying cleared her throat and said: ¡°While you were gone for a month, four major events urred.¡± ¡°Three of them are well-known, while one remains somewhat secretive.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Lu Ran sat down, ready to hear more. ¡°First is the matter of the second-stage evolution secret realms,¡± Manager Ying exined. ¡°Just like with the first-stage evolution secret realms, Infinite City has subsequently updated with two more evolution secret realms.¡± ¡°And two of the second-stage Evolution Secret Realms have already beenpleted.¡± ¡°The two who received the evolution blessing were the former guild leader and a transformer from the Eagle Federation.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°The former guild leader evolved the very first ¡®upper overlord species¡¯ pet beast on the blue star, the Five Mountains Qilin.¡± ¡°As for the transformer, somehow, during the second-stage evolution, their pet beast became a mechanical transformation pet beast, achieving the status of a middle overlord species.¡± Honestly, this news did surprise Lu Ran a bit. He paused for a moment, saying, ¡°The former guild leader is impressive. Could he be a descendant of some ancient Totem Tribe?¡± ¡°Well, the old man himself hasn¡¯t said anything, so who knows,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°The transformer is also quite surprising. Weren¡¯t all the challengers of the mechanical secret realm defeated? Despite returning heavily injured, they managed to develop a mechanical pet beast, surpassing a group of First Generation from the Eagle Federation. That¡¯s pretty strong,¡± Lu Ran noted. ¡°Indeed,¡± Manager Ying agreed. ¡°That transformer entered MIT at the age of 12, so they do have some skills.¡± ¡°Previously, their talent in nurturing pet beasts was just average. But after entering the mechanical secret realm, their full potential was unleashed.¡± ¡°What about the second event?¡± Lu Ran continued to inquire, not too concerned with these First Generation advancements. With 11 months remaining, he wasn¡¯t in any rush; he nned to take his time catching up. ¡°The second event involves significant global changes,¡± Manager Ying said seriously. ¡°More and more ancient creatures have been awakening. As of now, a conservative estimate suggests there are over 50,¡± she revealed. Lu Ran was astonished: ¡°!!!¡± ¡°Currently, these ancient creatures are primarily divided into two factions,¡± Manager Ying added. ¡°One faction, much like the Fishman King of the Fishman Empire, has been dominating wilderness areas, proiming themselves rulers and gathering mutated beasts awakened by spiritual energy to establish empires of ferocious beasts. ces like the Amazon Rainforest, the Sahara Desert, and even Mount Everest have already been imed as territories by these overlord beasts.¡± ¡°The other faction, simr to the Panda Guardian of the Youxiong household, remains close to humans. This is what allows the international alliance to not bepletely overwhelmed by the rapidly rising threat of these ferocious beasts.¡± ¡°Recently, the most notable battle urred in Africa, where a nearly thousand-meter-long giant snake awoke. In a state of extreme hunger, it devoured an entire small nation, including all humans and supernatural beings.¡± ¡°In response, the international alliance dispatched many first-generation beastmasters, but they failed to subdue it. Ultimately, a nuclear weapon was required to eliminate the creature.¡± ¡°An internationally renowned superhuman skilled in prophecy predicted that in theing year, incidents like these will ur frequently, with ancient creatures continuing to awaken.¡± ¡°At this rate, the ¡®disaster¡¯ you dreamed of might not be far off,¡± Manager Ying said slowly. ¡°While it might not result in the exaggerated scenario of cities being collectively invaded, there¡¯s still a chance that one or two ancient creatures could suddenly attack a city, causing chaos.¡± ¡°After all, human cities have gathered many beastmasters. The number of beastmasters continues to grow, and their flesh offers great nourishment to some of these ferocious beasts, far superior in quality to the supernatural beasts of the same rank.¡± Lu Ran remained silent for a moment before asking, ¡°What¡¯s the third event?¡± Manager Ying¡¯s expression grew serious. ¡°The third event has a far greater impact than the previous two.¡± ¡°You remember our discussions about the world battle in the caf¨¦?¡± ¡°A few days ago, someone emerged from a breakthrough secret realm, bringing back extremely rming intelligence.¡± ¡°They encountered beastmasters from an other world!¡± ¡°The Star-Moon Continent is real, and it¡¯s not an ancient part of the blue star. A civilization iming to be the Star Moon Federation is the legitimate heir to the Star-Moon Continent¡¯s legacy!¡± ¡°That civilization has no fewer than a two-digit number of legends. Most likely, they will be our opponents in the uing world battle! This intelligence has shocked the world, and if you go online now, you¡¯ll see heated discussions everywhere!¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°Oh.¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡°What on earth do you mean by that?¡± ¡°The beastmasters of the Star Moon Federation-we encountered them in the breakthrough secret realm as well,¡± Lu Ran said, looking somewhat unimpressed. ¡°I thought I was the only one who matched with them, but as it turns out, with the world battle updates, everyone can encounter beastmasters from the other world.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Manager Ying was taken aback. ¡°You matched with them too?¡± ¡°Yes, although it¡¯s possible to meet them now, the chances are still rtively low. But you, you¡­¡± ¡°So what happened in your breakthrough secret realm? Did you have any conflicts with them? Several groups of challengers have shed with the Star Moon Federation beastmasters and were severely outmatched. Their level of beast mastery seems far superior to ours.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°Come on, do you think I could be crushed?¡± ¡°Uh,¡± Manager Ying hesitated. ¡°Well, I suppose there¡¯s no one at your level who¡¯s more formidable. So does that mean you¡­?¡± ¡°Pretty much. I came across three of them, one of whom was the son of a legendary ntmaster with a contract with an overlord species pet beast. He should have been unstoppable in the secret realm, but unfortunately for him, he ran into me,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. ¡°But I didn¡¯t go too far. By now, they should have returned to the Star Moon Federation, possibly reporting to their superiors about what happened¡­¡± Manager Ying paused. Those three¡­ What unfortunate luck. A typical level 2 beastmaster on the blue star at best contracts a sovereign pet beast, which is already considered among the top tier of the Golden Generation. The average level consists ofmander species pet beasts. Yet those three ended up matching against Lu Ran, who contracted four overlords? ¡°In any case, since you¡¯ve encountered the Star Moon Federation beastmasters yourself, you must have gathered a lot of intelligence and understood the significance of another world existing,¡± Manager Yingmented. ¡°Yes,¡± Lu Ran nodded, a little surprised. ¡°This world¡¯s structure is trulyplex¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯splicated,¡± Manager Ying scoffed. ¡°You met beastmasters from the other world and didn¡¯t tell me immediately. Such a big deal, you should report to me first thing next time! When you casually asked me for intelligence, I thought your experience was pretty ordinary.¡± ¡°Tell me, what was your breakthrough secret realm experience like this time?¡± ¡°Hang on, there¡¯s the fourth piece of intelligence-what about the rtively secretive intelligence? What is it?¡± Lu Ran inquired. Manager Ying contemted for a moment and said, ¡°Oh, that.¡± ¡°Recently, spacecraft brought back some lunar exploration intelligence. It seems there¡¯s evidence of supernatural beings¡¯ activity on the moon.¡± She cast a meaningful look at Lu Ran and said, ¡°It appears there could be supernatural beings on the moon. Currently, this intelligence is known to only a few nations and hasn¡¯t been disclosed publicly.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Lu Ran exhaled and said, ¡°With even other human civilizations appearing, it¡¯s no surprise if there¡¯s life on the moon. After all, aren¡¯t the Star Moon Federation people essentially ¡®aliens¡¯ to us?¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Manager Ying said impatiently. ¡°Now, hurry up and tell me about your breakthrough secret realm experience.¡± Lu Ran patted his chest and said, ¡°I¡¯m a responsible beastmaster. First, tell me about Cloud Baby and the Corpse Dog. How have they been this past month? I couldn¡¯t sense their presence in the yard.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°If you were concerned about them, you would¡¯ve asked the moment you came back!¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been busy training the Crow Legion. You can check on them yourselfter. Now, just tell me about the breakthrough secret realm.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t rush. Before I tell you, stay calm.¡± Manager Ying snorted, ¡°Let me guess, another SSS rank, with some outrageous reward, right? I¡¯m already mentally prepared, go ahead.¡± Lu Ran shrugged, ¡°An SSS rank, of course, but the main point is my exploration of the secret realm. This time¡­ I¡¯ve be the disciple of a legendary master.¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡°Oh, and this time I entered the Divine Tree Continent, and my master is a legendary ntmaster. I even brought back several thousand ferocious nts from her.¡± Manager Ying: ??? After several question marks, Manager Ying calmed down a bit and said, ¡°I can ept that. With your capabilities, which legend wouldn¡¯t be tempted to take you as a disciple? If I were a legend, I¡¯d want to have you as my disciple too.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not finished, Manager Ying. I also obtained an epic item, a relic space. I really did find a spatial equipment capable of storing living things! Now, I can finally set up the legion school!¡± ¡°And what¡¯s more, I found the location of the retainer of the Death Dragon. I¡¯m getting closer to finding the materials for the Death Dragon¡­ Oh, if only the secret realm time wasn¡¯t so short! Otherwise, I might have already befriended a legendary nt spirit named Divine Flower.¡± Manager Ying: ??? Chapter 268: Leader of the Flock of Crows, Pet Beast Legion After Lu Ran finished speaking, Manager Ying widened her eyes and looked at Lu Ran¡¯s smug expression, immediately wanting to reach out with her ws to scratch him. Are you kidding me! Manager Ying was shocked internally. Did this guy really find an epic space treasure? This guy must be an illegitimate child of Infinite City. If not, she¡¯d eat Gu Qingyi. ¡°Ahem, Manager Ying, calm down.¡± Seeing Manager Ying whip out her cat paw, glowing with light, Lu Ran quickly said: ¡°No intention of showing off, just wanted to share the joy.¡± ¡°I only feel like you¡¯ve unted your skills, there¡¯s no joy,¡± Manager Ying replied. ¡°Come on, having a decent haul isn¡¯t a bad thing.¡±¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true.¡± Manager Ying pondered, but why does she feel inexplicably annoyed? It must be Lu Ran¡¯s infuriating tone. Then, Lu Ran detailed his experience in the breakthrough secret realm to Manager Ying, whose expression kept changing throughout. Manager Ying initially thought that for Lu Ran to acquire epic space equipment, he¡¯d have to plunder the Imperial City. But who knew Infinite City would take such care of Lu Ran, directly sending him to a world with a legacy of ruins. Although Manager Ying wasn¡¯t familiar with the Tree King, the assessment was a same-level battle? Sheughed. While Lu Ran was indeed aggravating, she had faith in his abilities at the same level. So in summary¡­ Infinite City is ying favorites with Lu Ran! ¡°How is that favoritism?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°You know, every time one enters a breakthrough secret realm, the voice says ¡®matching you to a suitable breakthrough secret realm,¡¯ which means each breakthrough secret realm is ideal for every challenger, offering them opportunities that fit their capabilities.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that some people have the ability to seize them, and others don¡¯t. Ahem, I¡¯m just one of those with the ability.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, we know you¡¯re outstanding.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve provided my intelligence as well. Oh, by the way, I¡¯m at level 3 now, so Manager Ying, you¡¯re free. You can leave Cloud Baby to me,¡± Lu Ran mused, ¡°And, considering the mutual information we exchanged just now, mine seems a bit more valuable, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°What you mentioned, those are things you can find online with a simple search. In that case, help me find some other intelligence.¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡°Speak.¡± She licked her paw, shaking her head slightly. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t the obedient kid she liked, taking things too seriously! ¡°I want intelligence on speed-type traits, the kind suitable for long-distance travel.¡± Lu Ran continued, ¡°This time in the breakthrough secret realm, I wasted half the time on travel. Otherwise, the gains would have been greater. Help me find some unique speed traits!¡± ¡°Got it, that shouldn¡¯t be hard to find, and the value won¡¯t be too high.¡± Manager Ying nodded. After all,pared to seeking travel speed, most beastmasters still pursue power. But for an oddball like Lu Ran, the efficiency of exploring the secret realms indeed matters a lot. With General Ha, the Sudden Death King, and the Dark Crow, Lu Ran didn¡¯t reallyckbat power but functional pets. ¡°We can discuss other matterster; I need to check on Cloud Baby and the others first.¡± After speaking, Lu Ran stretchedzily. He had been itching to move, eager to contract a retainer for General Ha and fuse the species dominance trait with the Dark Crow. For a beastmaster, their anticipation for their pets to grow stronger is always paramount. Moreover¡­ with the changing world situation, the Pet Beast Legion indeed needs to ramp up quickly. When it takes nuclear power to deal with, and even the First Generation can¡¯t solve ancient beasts, the strength is evident. To rapidly match such monsters in power and feel secure, the Pet Beast Legion is the only shortcut. ¡°Off you go.¡± Who knows how much Manager Ying didn¡¯t want to see Lu Ran anymore. With a teleport, she threw him from the room to the back hill of Maple Park,nding at the entrance to the Green Sea secret realm. At this moment, the entrance to the secret realm was open, and numerous crows perched on branches were on guard. Seeing Lu Ran suddenly appear, they were initially wary, but when the Dark Crow emerged beside him, they immediately called out in delight. ¡°Hello, Big King!¡± ¡°Hello, Big King!¡± These greetings echoed repeatedly. It¡¯s not that they shared thenguage talent with the Dark Crow; they were merely mimicking. They didn¡¯t know many words. Crows, like parrots, have the ability to mimic sounds. Through supernatural evolution up to this point, and under the Dark Crow¡¯s guidance, some of this mimicry has be a unique hallmark. ¡°Good, good,¡± the Dark Crowplimented, impressed by the strength of these crows. ¡°Good, good,¡± the flock of crows mimicked back from the trees. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Lu Ran said as he ventured into the secret realm, with the Dark Crow following him¡­ ¡­ Crows Secret Realm. This is the name of the secret realm now. Upon entering, it felt as though they had stepped into an imprable dark forest. Enormous trees with ck trunks and leaves surrounded them. On the ground, there were all sorts of bizarre ck weeds, mushrooms, and stones. The entire secret realm was painted in shades of ck. Almost immediately, chills ran down their spines as countless eerie winds blew by. ¡°Caw caw!¡± ¡°Caw caw!¡± At that moment, countless white lights glinted in the pitch-ck forest ¨C eyes belonging to crows perched on the dark trees. Their watchful gaze made the forest seem even more sinister. ¡°What the heck,¡± Lu Ranmented, nodding approvingly at the work the botanist had done. Not bad. ¡°Not bad, caw caw,¡± the Dark Crow affirmed, finding the environment pleasant. If it was satisfied, surely its flock of descendants could livefortably there as well. ¡°Pitter-patter!!!!¡± ¡°Woof woof!!¡± As Lu Ran and the Dark Crow entered, the flock of crows remained still. Soon, two other creatures emerged. A ck cloud. A blue sword spirit. The two eagerly rushed towards Lu Ran, who smiled upon seeing them and said, ¡°You both look energetic.¡± ¡°Cloud Baby, turn white.¡± Weather Elf: !! Quickly, it shifted from its dark Cloud Form to its normal state. Observing their growth levels, Lu Ran pondered briefly before remarking, ¡°Looks like Manager Ying hasn¡¯t starved you.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!!! (Naughty cat.)¡± ¡°Woof woof!! (Naughty cat.)¡± ¡°Alright, well, she must have been harsh on you then,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°You can hold a grudge for now and pay her back once you¡¯re stronger.¡± ¡°First, let me show you how the Dark Crow Generalmands its Flock of Crows!¡± ¡°Dark Crow, this is for you.¡± Lu Ran handed over a mental-type exquisite nt resource, the Divine Form Herb, that he had acquired from the breakthrough secret realm. Seeing it, the Dark Crow quickly gobbled it up with a gulp! The Divine Form Herb, a mental resource, has an exceptional effect on enhancing mental energy shaping. After happily consuming the herb, the Dark Crow¡¯s stagnation at level 39, where it had been for over half a month, finally eased. Under Lu Ran¡¯s watchful eyes, it advanced to level 40. Seeing this, Lu Ran produced a species dominance trait crystal. [Species Dominance Trait Crystal]: A pet beast that fuses with this crystal can awaken the dominion power, granting it tremendous authority over creatures that share its bloodline or are simr in species. Once a dominion link is established, the pet beast can temporarily lend some of its power to its subordinates or temporarily enhance itself with the strength of its followers. ¡°Caw caw,¡± the Dark Crow eximed as it eagerly epted the crystal, feeling way ahead of the pack! Meanwhile, General Ha and the Sudden Death King were still lingering in the thirties, while the Dark Crow had already reached level 40! As the Dark Crow called out, crows from all over the Green Sea began streaming into the Crows Secret Realm. The Crow of Death and Crow of Curses, with their necromantic clones, safeguarded its sides, while the Flock of Crows took to the skies, circling above. Ah!!! Ah!! The crows continuously cawed as the Dark Crow waved its wings, causing numerous Evil God¡¯s Eyes on its body to open once again, releasing drops of blood. Gathering a quantity barely the size of a marble, these blood droplets from the Evil God¡¯s Eye were divided into nearly invisible tiny specks by the Dark Crow and sent flying toward the Flock of Crows. Feeding the crows with blood! Ever since its evolution, the Dark Crow had been rewarding its Flock of Crows with a minuscule fraction of its eye blood. However, understanding the art of crow leadership, it refrained from offering too generous rewards, only providing the diluted nectar of eye blood. This was mainly because the flock could not bear the full brunt of the Power of the Evil God; they needed to be cultivated gradually. Despite this cautious approach, the Dark Crow had begun to forge a bond with them that was even more ¡°intimate¡± than a typical species connection. ¡°Big King, I¡¯m advancing!!!¡± After once again rewarding the Flock of Crows, the Dark Crow, with a serious expression, received a nod from Lu Ran before swallowing the species dominance trait crystal! ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Perhaps the Dark Crow was too eager, as it nearly choked. Fortunately, the trait crystal quickly emitted a radiant glow, dissolving and merging, allowing it to calm down. ¡°Swallowing everything will only harm you,¡± Lu Ran remarked. ¡°Caw caw!!!¡± The Dark Crow, feeling a bit guilty, couldn¡¯t contain its inner excitement as it awaited the minor evolution. Buzz!!! In the next instant, a swirl of dark energy enveloped not only its body but seemed to linger in the air above every supernatural Crow. Staring skyward, Lu Ran observed the faint dark energy coiling around the entire Flock of Crows. ¡°Ah!!!¡± ¡°Ah!!!¡± The Crows cried out fervently. Is this the establishment of the connection? Lu Ran noticed that the Crows who had awakened their mental and dark attributes were exhibiting the strongest resonances, whereas those with other attributes had somewhat weaker responses. Nheless, they were indeed harmonizing with the Dark Crow! ¡°A legion evolution indeed; hence, the term ¡®legion crystal,¡¯¡± Lu Ran murmured to himself. Nearby, the Weather Elf, with its droplets formed eye, and the Corpse Dog, buzzing around like a headless fly, also witnessed this event, both slightly surprised at the Dark Crow¡¯s prowess. ¡°Caw caw-¡° As a veteran, the Dark Crow naturally relished in the admiration from its juniors. It sensed it ¨C with this trait crystal fusion, although its own power hadn¡¯t strengthened, the Flock of Crows had experienced a noticeable increase in strength! Even while wrapped in ck energy, the Dark Crow¡¯s eyes remained wide open, visibly excited. Although its own strength hadn¡¯t soared, it truly felt the astonishing capabilities of the dominion crystal: an enhanced bond with the Flock. Even if it wasn¡¯t strong, perhaps it could borrow their power! Aside from the Dark Crow, Lu Ran focused on the contract card and immediately noticed the Dark Crow¡¯s newly awakened species talent! [Species Talent]: Swarm Transformation [Introduction]: Once the dominated Flock reaches a certain size, they can temporarily transform together into a powerful swarm form, boosting their growth level! ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was momentarily taken aback seeing the Dark Crow¡¯s talent. It wasn¡¯t an upgrade in Species level; rather, it was a talent that enhanced its growth level?! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! As Lu Ran watched in amazement, the sky became obscured as crows converged upon the Dark Crow. Amidst its wild cackling, its body began to swellrger andrger. Finally, as Lu Ran, Cloud Baby, and the Sword Spirit stood in stunned silence, a ck gale tore through the dense forest, whipping through the trees and over thend. With no obstacles to impede it, an enormous silhouette emerged. It maintained an almost crow-like form, yet this colossal bird bore three pairs of massive, hundred-meter-wide wings that struck an imposing figure. Lu Ran barely had time to take in its entirety, but the first impression was unmistakable¡­ Enormous. Chapter 269: Strong Online, Even Stronger Offline The swarm form of the dark crow, though not asrge as some of the beasts that have awakened from the Ancient past, is still impressivelyrge within Lu Ran¡¯s team. Even General Ha and the sudden death king, who are considered rtivelyrge among pet beasts of the same type, would appear like prey that could be easily grasped under the shadow of this massive ck bird. Lu Ran took a closer look. The enormous body of the flock of crows appeared almost ghostly, with a faint swirl of spiritual power around it. The entire body seemed to be able to shift form like a liquid or gas at any moment. After transforming, no individualponents were visible, indicating that this form wasn¡¯t stitched together but rather achieved through the talent of the dark crow, which had truly ¡°fused perfectly¡± with a multitude of its kin. After this transformation, even the numerous Evil God¡¯s Eyes of the dark crow were no longer visible. However, Lu Ran could sense that they hadn¡¯t disappeared. When he looked up at the flock of crows¡¯ red vertical eye,rger than his own body, he knew that the many Evil God¡¯s Eyes had also fused together, making their power even more formidable. Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!! Especially noteworthy were the three pairs of giant ck mist wings newly attributed to the dark crow, slowly bestowing upon it the power of wind. This seemed to rte to the fact that over 90% of the crow flock were wind type. [Species]: Twin Crow (crow flock form) [Attribute]: Dark, mental, necromancy (wind) [Species Level]: Lower overlord[Growth Level]: Level 45 ¡°Level 5¡­¡± Seeing the current growth level of the dark crow, Lu Ran was impressed. The swarm transformation had instantly elevated the dark crow¡¯s growth level by 5 levels temporarily. This is notable because it urred after level 40, where each level up in difficultypared to before is iparable. Even in the few months following 60 levels, Dr. Gu couldn¡¯t raise a pet beast by one level. Yet now, with just a mere assembly of ¡°supernatural crows that are a dime a dozen,¡± the dark crow¡¯s growth level surged by 5 levels. Lu Ran pondered, if he invested huge resources into these ordinary crows and expanded their numbers, could it be possible to push the dark crow to over level 50? This is considering that these crows hadn¡¯t yet undergone any deep training. Although the crow flock form can¡¯t wreak havoc in the various secret realms of the infinite city, on the blue star, in reality, itsbat power is nearly at the top tier. ¡°Big King!!!¡± The dark crow¡¯s enormous eyes stared intensely, its voice resonating in Lu Ran¡¯s soul, making him a bit ufortable. ¡°Not bad,¡± Lu Ran slowly spoke, ¡°If the growth level increases a bit more, it might even be able to sh with some of the weaker ancient creatures.¡± ¡°Is it Manager Ying, caw caw?¡± the flock of crows spoke. The weather elf and sword spirit were on alert. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Lu Ran coughed mildly, ¡°Manager Ying hides her strength well.¡± ¡°Alright, you can revert now. Let the crows go about their business, or you can adapt to this form in the secret realm. It¡¯s not yet time for this form to engage in battle,¡± Lu Ran instructed. Soon after, apanied by the dark crow¡¯s acknowledgement, Lu Ran summoned General Ha. ¡°Woof!¡± As soon as General Ha appeared, it was startled by the dark crow¡¯s immense form, but in a moment, Lu Ran patted its leg. The reason he didn¡¯t pat its head was that, given Lu Ran¡¯s height, he couldn¡¯t reach it without jumping. ¡°The dark crow has already fused with the trait crystal. Next, I¡¯ll use the retainer beast taming skill to help you contract a retainer.¡± ¡°!!!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up. The two father-figure presences simultaneously directed their gaze towards the sword spirit flying with Cloud Baby. ¡°Hehe,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, waved, and Corpse Dog immediately flew over. At this moment, the weather elf was at level 20, and Corpse Dog was at level 23. Both had already stepped into the level 20 threshold. Standing in ce, Lu Ran directly activated the power of the retainer. In the next instant, as peculiar fluctuations appeared in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, General Ha¡¯s body was surrounded by special ripples, seemingly formed by abination of mental power and spiritual power. ? It lifted its paw, showing a surprised expression as it sensed the effect of this power, then looked towards the sword spirit flying over. ¡°Woof~¡± The sword spirit began to circle around General Ha, and in the next moment, General Ha wisely observed it and gently ced its paw on the sword¡¯s de. Buzz!!! When the two made contact, General Ha seemed unaffected at first, but the Winter Sword Spirit appeared as though it was being ¡°empowered¡± by General Ha. Its de began to tremble violently, emitting a traditional sword hum for the first time. The intense, mixed Sword Intent surged from it, as if capable of piercing through the secret realm¡¯s space, relentlessly fierce and formidable. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha disyed a look of surprise as it gradually perceived the contract connection forming with the sword spirit. It also felt that its own breath was bing increasingly attuned with the spirit. [Species]: Winter Sword Spirit [Attribute]: Necromancy, Ice, Space [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 23 [Skills]: Soul shing Sword Intent, Blizzard Sword Intent, Sky-Splitting Sword Intent Boom!!! The contract wasplete, and the sword intent vibrations from Corpse Dog intensified, releasing an overpowering Sword Intent that even pricked General Ha, leaving it astonished. Lu Ran was just as surprised. As General Ha¡¯s contracted retainer and having received part of General Ha¡¯s talent feedback, Corpse Dog unexpectedly grasped all three Sword Intents. Ignoring Soul shing and Blizzard Sword Intents, which General Ha also knew, thest one, Sky-Splitting Sword Intent¡­ [Sky-Splitting Sword Intent]: Once honed to a mighty level, this sword¡¯s will can effortlessly cleave through space! ¡°Woof!!¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes brightened once more. It picked up the sword spirit, beckoning it to possess it, eager to try out the Sky-Splitting Sword Intent. ¡°Woof woof.¡± However, Corpse Dog seemed displeased at being held in such a manner for battle. After considerable twisting and turning, it resignedly possessed General Ha. In the next instant, General Ha¡¯s entire body was suffused with an ice-blue glow, extraordinarily magnificent. ¡°What a pity.¡± Lu Ran mused at how potent the retainer skills were, having already created a miniature General Ha, eagerly hoping to develop this skill further and obtain a second retainer position. However, Lu Ran still had unfinished business. He turned his attention to the weather elf. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± Seeing Lu Ran finally focus on it, the weather elf looked pitifully at him. At this point, Lu Ran was quite capable of acquiring not just a lower sovereign species, but even an upper sovereign pet beast. Seeing the weather elf looking so pitiful, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t help but chuckle as he held it in his arms. ¡°Okay, okay, let¡¯s get you contracted,¡± he said with a smile. He took out the contract card he¡¯d obtained from the breakthrough secret realm and, under the weather elf¡¯s eager gaze, inserted it into its cloudyer. The contract card emitted a dazzling light, and Cloud Baby was enveloped in a glow. Almost without resistance, it was absorbed into the contract card. At that moment, Lu Ran¡¯s mind was filled with curious thoughts. If he were to mimic Cloud Baby as a super beast, what should he do with that ability? Maybe he could work at the meteorological department to create artificial rain or snowfall? Or use the me Sprite to fly into the sky and make it sunny whenever he pleased? And even if he sessfully mimicked the weather elf, what kind of power would it grant him? ¡°Never mind, I¡¯ll figure it outter,¡± he thought. With the contractplete, Lu Ran took a deep breath and summoned Cloud Baby again because he still needed to fuse a trait crystal with nature control into it. Even though there were many unique traits to choose from, none seemed to fit the weather elf species better than nature control. Throughout the fusion process, the weather elf was full of wonder. The nature control trait didn¡¯t change its appearance much; it only made its cloudyer thicker and fuller. However, its awakened species talent was unquestionably impressive! [Species Talent]: Shapeshift at Will (For each new ¡®nature¡¯ attribute possessed, it gains a special cloud form corresponding to that attribute type, allowing for better control over rted natural weather!) ¡­ Upon returning from the breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran went ahead with enhancing all his pet beasts. However, not every beastmaster who returned from the breakthrough secret realm was victorious, with abundant resources to strengthen their pets. Somewhere in the Star Moon Federation¡­ Upon returning to the blue star, Yu Rui and his twopanions naturally found themselves back in their hometown. After their return, the trio didn¡¯t even take the time to add friends. They quickly exited the infinite city, eager to report their experiences and findings from the breakthrough secret realm to their ¡°mentor¡± or ¡°parents.¡± After exiting the infinite city, Yu Rui found himself back in his room. He pushed open the door, ready to head out, but then paused in surprise. Sitting in the living room with his eyes closed in meditation was his father, the renowned ntmaster Legend Yu, well-regarded throughout the expansive Star Moon Federation. ¡°Dad, howe you¡¯re home today?¡± he asked in surprise, as his father was usually a very busy man and rarely at home. ¡°Judging by the time, you should be nearly done with the breakthrough secret realm,¡± his father said, opening his eyes and emerging from his meditation. He looked at his son with a curious expression. ¡°Why are you still at level 2?¡± he asked, puzzled. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Yu Rui stammered, looking conflicted. ¡°Father, that¡¯s not important. I have something else critical to tell you!¡± ¡°I¡­ I encountered a beastmaster from another world! During this breakthrough secret realm, I was matched against a beastmaster from another world.¡± ¡°Really,¡± Legend Yu replied nonchntly. Yu Rui: ??? ¡°In the past two months, many challengers in the breakthrough secret realm havee across beastmasters from another world. It¡¯s not just you.¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± Yu Rui eximed in shock. ¡°So, Dad, you must understand why I¡¯m still at level 2.¡± ¡°Dad, what do we do? Those beastmasters from the other world are all monsters.¡± Legend Yu: ? He paused for a moment before speaking. ¡°Are you trying to tell me that you failed your breakthrough task because you encountered a beastmaster from another world?¡± ¡°ording to returning beastmasters, those from a ce called the blue star are pathetically weak. Most who encounter them in the confrontation tasks manage toplete their missions easily.¡± ¡°Ah??¡± Yu Rui¡¯s eyes widened, feeling like he couldn¡¯t quite wrap his head around it all. ¡°No, that¡¯s not right, is it??¡± Chapter 270: Fame Shakes Star-Moon ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Let¡¯s hear it.¡± ¡°I came here just to wait for you because I had a feeling you would encounter a beastmaster from the other world.¡± ¡°I wanted to see what new intelligence you could bring back from the breakthrough secret realm.¡± Legend Yu was quite strict with his son. After all, he had chosen a young cub from an upper sovereign pet beast as the initial nt pet for a contract, and guided him on how to nurture the pet beast to the overlord species. Hearing that his son had encountered a beastmaster from the other world, he had originally been hopeful that his child would show his talent in front of the otherworldly people. However, seeing that he was still at level 2, he fell silent. ¡°I¡­¡± Yu Rui was somewhat bewildered but spoke earnestly: ¡°That Blue Star is quite fearsome; the beastmaster civilization has a legacy of tens of thousands of years.¡± ¡°Ever since ten thousand years ago, they began interacting with Infinite City.¡±¡°And now, a level 2 beastmaster with a contract for two overlords is considered nothing more than ordinary?¡± ¡°Take the one I encountered, for instance. Even though he was also level 2, his pet beast possessed an ¡®advanced domain skill¡¯¡­¡± ¡°I¡­ was no match at all.¡± Legend Yu: ??? ¡°Could it be¡­ he is deceiving me? It doesn¡¯t seem likely, I feel like he¡¯s not lying¡­¡± ¡°Could it be that there are many other worlds, and I, along with other challengers, am matched to a different ce?¡± ¡­ Meanwhile, the situation at Yu Rui¡¯s home was still unfolding at Star-Moon University. As soon as Jiang Ming and Liu Man stepped out, they logged onto the campus forum to see if anyone else had encountered a beastmaster from the other world. However, they were bewildered as soon as they logged onto the forum. The surprising part was that other people had indeed encountered beastmasters from the other world, but what felt off was that the discussions on the forum seemedpletely different from their own experiences. [That ce called Blue Star is so weak, not to mention Legendary level, they don¡¯t even have a level 6 beastmaster.] [The world battle next year is in the bag.] [The three guys I ran into were pitifully weak, just a skirmish, and they were so scared they peed themselves, begging for mercy, it was hrious.] [After all, it¡¯s a ce that has only had three years of beastmaster civilization, whereas our side has been developing for who knows how long.] [They do have one advantage over us, and that¡¯s the facilities of Infinite City, but it¡¯s not enough to close the gap. It¡¯s just newbie benefits. After thebat conclusion, our side will upgrade facilities and theirs will degrade, further widening the gap.] ¡°No way, that can¡¯t be right,¡± Jiang Ming stared nkly at the discussion, feeling that something was off. The way others described it, beastmasters from Blue Star seemed to be weak. But the one he encountered was nothing like that. He felt it necessary to share his own experience to alert the beastmasters here. Jiang Ming quickly edited a post: [Does something seem off? I¡¯m Jiang Ming, a student at Star-Moon Beast Taming University. Just a few minutes ago, I came out of a Level 2 Breakthrough Secret Realm. I entered the era of the Divine Tree Continent and encountered a Blue Star beastmaster. The beastmaster I met was like a monster¡­ He was only Level 2, but he had a contract with a Middle Overlord Dragon King and a Lower Overlord Divine Dog. Don¡¯t be fooled by the Divine Dog¡¯s Lower Overlord status-it possesses an Advanced Domain Skill. At this stage, even an Upper Overlord might not be its match.] As soon as Jiang Ming posted, it immediately attracted a crowd. Feeling that it wasn¡¯t enough, Jiang Ming added some more information. [This beastmaster named Lu Ran also passed through the Tree King Ruins, just like the legendary ntmaster from history, and acquired the epic legacy of the Tree King. ording to the rumors, this guy¡­ in just 5 minutes, crushed a peer Tree King and took the legacy. His strength is definitely not as simple as what he showed in front of me; there might be hidden powers. And ording to him, he is considered quite ordinary back home¡­] Once the content of the post was enriched, everyone viewing it was stunned in front of their screens. But then, within just a few minutes, the post exploded, drawing in a massive number of users, all arguing that this simply couldn¡¯t be possible. [Sharing the story you just made up?] [Beating a same-level Tree King in 5 minutes, why don¡¯t you just fly to the heavens.] Seeing the reply, Jiang Ming¡¯s face turned beet red, muttering, ¡°You all are the idiots.¡± However, responses and new posts quickly followed: [Lu Ran, this name, seems to have some intelligence on it.] [It seems this poster isn¡¯t lying; there indeed is such a person.] [Lu Ran, while not among the most powerful beastmasters of Blue Star, is often mentioned in the intelligence gathered.] [The first on Blue Star to evolve a pet beast into an overlord species, ushering in the Overlord Era-the genius beastmaster¡­ the modern Father of Necromancy¡­ not just two overlords as the original poster stated, but four at level 2. Such a person is definitely the top genius of Blue Star, how could he be ordinary? You¡¯ve been misled.] Is there really such a person? Seeing someone¡¯s reply, the onlookers were stunned, then they began to look through Lu Ran¡¯s titles. Then, they expressed disbelief, four overlords at level 2? A level 30 mastering a domain? That can¡¯t be possible¡­ But then, remembering what Jiang Ming said about defeating a same-level Tree King in 5 minutes, they fell silent again. [Really, there is such a person? The poster wasn¡¯t lying?] [That would mean hisbat ability at the same level is almostparable to that legendary ntmaster from history.] [Four overlords at level 2, outrageous, and one even evolved through splitting. From what the poster implies, Lu Ran used only two during his breakthrough task and crushed all his opponents¡­] [Damn, there¡¯s such a monster. With the world battleing up next year¡­ well, it seems there won¡¯t be a problem. Even if he breaks through, he¡¯s only level 3; in a year, it¡¯s impossible for him to reach legendary status. He won¡¯t be able topete. Once our side¡¯s legendary fighters defeat their top-level contenders, their side¡¯s Infinite City facilities will be downgraded, and he won¡¯t be able to be powerfulter on.] [That makes sense, as imusible as it sounds, but he¡¯s only level 3, basically at a student¡¯s level here, still far from being a top-level fighter.] Lu Ran¡¯s achievements indeed set off a buzz across the major forums of the Star-Moon Continent, making him a celebrity of the Star Moon Federation. His name quickly reached the ears of many legendary beastmasters and even prompted a response from the legends of the Star Moon Federation. One mentor even mentioned in ss, ¡°If any of my students encounter Lu Ran in the breakthrough secret realm, I permit you to run.¡± In a very short time, Lu Ran became famous across the Star-Moon, surpassing even some of the renowned first-generation beastmasters. Although people were surprised that blue star produced such a monstrous genius, the legends here understood that Lu Ran¡¯s potential didn¡¯t immediately concern them. Their main task remainedbating the first-generation beastmasters from blue star, rather than dealing with a fourth-generation beastmaster like Lu Ran. The world battle happening in a year cannot be lost. If it¡¯s lost, the hard-won advancements of modern beastmaster civilization would regress by decades, exponentially increasing the pressure on humans from other species. ¡­ blue star. Lu Ran was unaware that his name had reached the strong figures of the Star Moon Federation and that he was already seen as the greatest potential of blue star. At this moment, Lu Ran had justpleted a contract and nurtured pet beasts, emerging from the crows secret realm. In fact, he still had some nurturing tasks left unfinished. For instance, awakening the sword grass. Or deciding who to feed the miracle seed to. He hadn¡¯t awakened the sword grass yet because the silver blood in his possession, gifted by the Myriad Leaf City nt Taming family, was of rare quality-Lu Ran found it less than perfect. He nned to use an enhancement card to elevate it to exquisite-level before awakening. At the same time, he wanted to study this silver blood to see if blue star offered a better alternative, aiming for perfection. As for the miracle seed, which grows into a nt organ, he intended to deliberate further. ¡°Dr. Gu, huh.¡± Just as he stepped out, Lu Ran noticed a missed call from Dr. Gu. He quickly returned the call, and a voice came through, ¡°Lu Ran! I just heard from Manager Ying that you¡¯ve emerged from the breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly and said, ¡°Dr. Gu, when will you being to Green Sea? I have some time now and can help you nurture pet beasts for a while.¡± ¡°Together, we can get you onto the king leaderboard.¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Gu Qingyi replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to say that. But aren¡¯t we short on nurturing materials on our side?¡± ¡°To achieve the perfect evolution into a Loong-type, I believe you mentioned that a Dragon Soul is needed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°The soul cuisine made from other ferocious beasts using the dragon culinary intent should be inferior to the one made with Dragon Souls, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but where on blue star can we find plenty of Dragon Souls?¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°No, no, no. Not being able to find them was in the past,¡± Gu Qingyi said with a cheerful smile. ¡°Recently, a force called ¡®Dragon Pce¡¯ has appeared in the ocean. It contains numerous pseudo-dragons and purebred members of the Dragon n, allegedly led by an Ancient dragon.¡± ¡°This Dragon Pce City is currently at war with the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°Yes, and there are other marine forces mixed in, making the deep sea a chaotic mess right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m considering whether I can sneak into the deep sea to seize some opportunities¡­¡± ¡°Dang,¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°Is that a good idea¡­¡± ¡°Why not? Because of the battle between Dragon Pce City and the Fishman Empire, several of our coastal cities have been hit by tsunamis. If it weren¡¯t for timely warnings, the damage would have been significant.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even asked them forpensation yet.¡± Lu Ran paused and said, ¡°Wait, did you just say the Fishman Empire is at war with Dragon Pce?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Oh no, my old turtle is still serving as a war general in the Fishman Empire. I hope it¡¯s okay¡­ Even though Manager Ying predicted that the old turtle wouldn¡¯t face issues in the short term, I¡¯m a little worried upon hearing about the battles in the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°Alright, Dr. Gu, count me in. I¡¯ve contracted a water-type pet beast now. I¡¯ll see if I can quickly find a water trait, then join you on an adventure in the deep sea!¡± Lu Ran said, intending to also look for the old turtle. Don¡¯t worry, old turtle, the big king ising. Chapter 271: Lu Ran Goes to Sea Chapter 271: Lu Ran Goes to Sea Gu Qingyi was surprised by Lu Ran¡¯s efficiency. He had just returned, and the fourth pet beast was already contracted. Actually, Lu Ran himself didn¡¯t have much choice; there were too many pet beasts in the house. Contracting with the weather elf had been a decided matter for a long time. By now, he wouldn¡¯t go back on his word. Not to mention how attached the weather elf was, elemental creatures were still quite rare on the blue star. In fact, they were not just rare for the blue star, but even for the Star Moon Federation, they were considered very rare. The Elemental Age, Age of Beast Taming, nt Age, Machine Age¡­ The current orthodox Star Moon Federation on the Star-Moon Continent still retains legacies of Beast Taming, nt Taming, and Machine Masters, but there¡¯s no Element Master legacy. Elemental lifeforms have not been born since before the Age of Beast Taming began. Now, the only way to acquire an elemental pet beast might be through the rewards from Infinite City.¡°Excluding rule lifeforms like the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons.¡± ¡°The first legendary lives were innate divine spirits born from the natural source, all elemental lifeforms. Theoretically, the legendary evolution of elemental lifeforms started so early, their level should be much higher than that of animals or nts.¡± ¡°It¡¯s strange how this species, which should have been the strongest, vanished in the river of history,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. Could it be that in the more distant past, divine spirits of the elemental species and legendary lives of animal species had shed? Elemental species were indeed strong. Take general ha, for instance, who fused with nature control and awakened a talent in gale swordsmanship. This talent actually somewhat limited General Ha¡¯s performance. To perfectly utilize this talent, its sword techniques must be trained in the direction of ¡°wind.¡± For instance, using ice sword techniques requires employing the Blizzard Sword Intent. For grass sword techniques, countless des of sword qi must create a sword leaf storm. Even in the future, if it awakens to Space elemental, General Ha¡¯s strongest sword technique would still have to be rted to wind. Such as the space-element de Space Storm. Only in this way can the Gale Swordsmanship talent be activated to maximize the power of its sword techniques. Simultaneously, by learning and using such sword techniques, General Ha would find them more intuitive. While focusing on wind-style sword techniques isn¡¯t necessarily a waste of talent, inparison, it is far less suited to natural control than the weather elf. The weather elf had just awakened the ¡°Shapeshift at Will¡± talent. With each new ¡®natural¡¯ attribute it gains, it can acquire a corresponding special cloud form ording to the type, allowing it to better control the rted natural weather! This talent has immensely amplified the potential of the weather elf. Initially, when the weather elf was newly born, Lu Ran was conflicted about whether to train it intensively in one or two specific weather directions or allow it to develop multiple weather forms for a more diverse approach. Now it seemed there¡¯s no need to worry. The Shapeshift at Will talent clearly indicated that Lu Ran should awaken more attributes in the cloud baby, developing a variety of weather forms. Then,bined with the Weather Blessing talent, it could support more pet beasts. ¡­ After emerging from the secret realm, Lu Ran, riding on the cloud baby, set off towards the coastal waters. During this time, the citizens of Green Sea City witnessed an astonishing spectacle. The clouds on the horizon turned a deep red, akin to a fiery cloud, as if a volcanic crater were erupting below, dazzling to the eye. Beastmasters walking their pets on the streets all stopped in their tracks to admire the breathtaking scene in the sky, taking out their phones to capture photos. ¡°Fiery cloud!?¡± ¡°How did a fiery cloud suddenly appear? But it¡¯s so beautiful.¡± When these stunning photos were posted online, someizens remarked: ¡°Still taking pictures? Run! It¡¯s only noon, and fiery clouds usually appear at sunrise or sunset. I think it¡¯s most likely the awakening of an ancient creature causing this phenomenon.¡± Nowadays, with ancient creatures awakening worldwide, some people¡¯s alertness levels have skyrocketed, bing suspicious at the slightest movement. With such a reminder, an anomaly was indeed noticed in Green Sea City. As the fiery cloud appeared, the temperature around rose by several degrees, the city became extraordinarily hot, and the sun even more scorching. Fiery cloud has always been just a term, but who would have thought that this time it would truly seem like a fire, slightly defying scientific exnation. Fortunately, just two minutester, the Green Sea City officials issued a notification, stating that it was merely caused by a powerful beastmaster passing through with a pet beast, hence the phenomenon. ¡°What kind of pet beast could it be¡­¡± Without the announcement, it was fine, but once it was announced, it sparked even more intense discussion and spection among the beastmasters of Green Sea City. A pet beast capable of causing such a widespread atmospheric change in Green Sea City must at least be level 50 or above! The one causing all this was none other than Lu Ran and hispanions. After contracting with the cloud baby, Lu Ran suddenly remembered an idea he had once had. Using the me Sprite to enhance the weather elf! The me Sprite¡¯s beast taming skill can imbue the contracted pet beast with the fire attribute. Lu Ran had previously used this to reduce General Ha¡¯s intelligence, ignite the sudden death king, and imbue the dark crow with the soul fire effect. Now, having contracted with the weather elf, Lu Ran quickly tried it out. And then he discovered¡­ [Name]: Weather Elf (Sunlit Form) [Attributes]: Fire (Water, Ice, Thunder) [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 21 [Species Talent]: Weather Blessing, Shapeshift at Will [Skills]: Rainmaking, Snowfall, Thunder, Sunlit Form (can harness the power of the sun to control sunlight temperature). In addition to its original three attribute forms and weather skills, the weather elf surprisingly awakened a new form due to the possession of the me Sprite. Without a doubt, this was the result of a fascinating chemical reaction between the newly awakened ¡°Shapeshift at Will¡± species talent and the me Sprite¡¯s beast taming skill, as manifested in the fiery cloud form. As for why the weather elf, with such a low level, could influence phenomena over most of Green Sea City, it was purely because the me Sprite enhanced its power. The weather elf might still be weak, but that doesn¡¯t mean Lu Ran is. ¡°This me Sprite skill is amazing, Yan Sizhen the emperor is truly a genius.¡± Only now did Lu Ran realize the wisdom of Emperor Yan Sizhen. On the Divine Tree Continent, most skills can¡¯t be used across different species. For example, the City Lord Master¡¯s family legacy, Seal Transformation, can only be used on animal pet beasts. But the me Sprite could be used not only on animals, necromancies, and humans, but even on elemental creatures. This alone shows how remarkable the talent of Emperor Yan Sizhen is. However, if there is a drawback to the me Sprite skill, it is that it can only be used on one¡¯s own contracted pet beasts and not on other people or any random creatures. Otherwise, it would be even more functional. Yet, this is also amon characteristic of most beast taming skills. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s y next time.¡± After arriving at the coastal waters with the cloud baby, Lu Ran withdrew the me Sprite from it, and it immediately reverted to its pure white form. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± The weather elf was puzzled about what Lu Ran was nning. Lu Ran tapped his head, feeling that the cloud baby¡¯s intelligence wasn¡¯t very high, possibly on par with General Ha. If it were the dark crow, it probably would have already figured out Lu Ran¡¯s intention from the previous phone call. ¡°You dummy, didn¡¯t you hear me on the phone saying we¡¯re going on a deep sea adventure?¡± Lu Ran said helplessly. ¡°Come on, teach me how to swim.¡± The weather elf pouted. Of course, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t asking the weather elf to teach him real ¡°swimming.¡± Back in the day, Lu Ran had actually learned swimming and diving with his dad in Hawaii, so he had some basic skills. However, facing a deep sea adventure was a whole different ball game, and his basic skills wouldn¡¯t cut it. In fact, even international athletes would have trouble. He needed to grasp some supernatural ability. Lu Ran had casually mentioned to Dr. Gu about a ¡°suitable water trait,¡± but finding such a thing wasn¡¯t easy. However, not finding a trait didn¡¯t mean Lu Ran couldn¡¯t ess water-based supernatural power. Let¡¯s not forget, he had super beast mimicry. The cloud baby, as a water-elemental lifeform, could naturally move perfectly in the water. So, as long as Lu Ran followed it, with it moving underwater, Lu Ran could follow and move underwater as well. Before long, through super beast mimicry, simr to how he acquired the dark crow¡¯s reconnaissance technique, he could learn the cloud baby¡¯s ability to survive underwater. With that, Lu Ran would have the basic confidence needed to venture into the deep sea with Dr. Gu. Lu Ran took out a swimsuit from his storage space, asked the cloud baby to provide some cover, changed into it, and then performed a graceful dive into the ocean, motioning for the cloud baby to join him. ¡°Caw caw¡­¡± As Lu Ran was learning underwater survival, the legion of dark crows flew densely out of the secret realm. The lead dark crow looked toward the ocean with a serious expression. ck Turtle General. Your undercover mission is about to end soon! Now that it had reached level 40 and controlled such a vast legion, the dark crow believed it wouldn¡¯t be long before it discovered the ck turtle¡¯s location. ¡­ Coastal waters. Lu Ran moved skillfully through the seawater, while nearby, General Ha paddled effortlessly with a doggy paddle. Only the sudden death king seemed unustomed to swimming with itsrge body, iling about like a giant oaf drowning. Lu Ran recalled that it used to have no issues. Why is it acting so foolish now? Even if it awakened the rock trait, which is countered by water, it shouldn¡¯t be unable to swim, considering it can take water-based ultimate moves without trouble. ¡°Practice.¡± ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t get startled and discharge electricity,¡± Lu Ran instructed the sudden death king. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The sudden death king grumbled, suggesting maybe it should just jump into the sea? ¡°Are you trying to trigger a tsunami and flood Green Sea City?¡± Lu Ran red; the sudden death king¡¯s ¡°meteor tactic¡± would definitely cause a sea quake if it mmed down¡­ ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha gave the sudden death king a disdainful look, then froze the sea surface and stood on it, leaving only the weather elf and the corpse dog to continue exploring the deeper sea region. Having been together for a month, these two baby pet beasts seemed to be constantlypeting with one another at everything. General Ha quickly noticed this and threw a challenging nce at Lu Ran. ¡°Woof woof woof.¡± Boss Lu turned around: ? The dog was suggesting apetition to see whose pet beast would be stronger. ¡°You nning a rebellion?¡± Chapter 272: The Old Turtle’s Tracks Lu Ran was amused by General Ha. ¡°You think being a dog is not enough for you, huh.¡± ¡°Woof.¡± General Ha turned his head gracefully, looking towards the sky. ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran pondered, feeling that his authority had been challenged. But it didn¡¯t matter; General Ha was asking for it. There was no way it could surpass him. ¡°You keep an eye on those two, I need to take a rest.¡± Lu Ran smirked and walked onto the ice surface created by General Ha, sitting down cross-legged. The chilly sensation invigorated him. Sword Spirit, Middle Sovereign, necromancy, ice, and space attributes.Weather Elf, Middle Sovereign, water, ice, and thunder attributes. From the species perspective, they were evenly matched, but in terms of attributes, the Sword Spirit had the advantage. However, in terms of potential, the Weather Elf was actually greater. After all, it was contracted by Lu Ran, so it could enjoy the fusion trait and first-stage evolution advantages, something the Sword Spirit contracted by General Ha couldn¡¯tpare to. Therefore, when General Ha brought up apetition, Lu Ran immediately thought it was crazy. If General Ha could win, Lu Ran would retire on the spot. ¡°But the Corpse Dog is supposed to learn sword intent and sword domain from General Ha, all arebat power moves.¡± ¡°The Cloud Baby, on the other hand, is more of a support¡­ Hmm.¡± Lu Ran fell into thought, suddenly realizing that sly General Ha wasparing abat pet to a support pet, huh? But the problem wasn¡¯t too big. Besides its support abilities, the Cloud Baby was also an area attack mage. And a high-frequency damage elemental mage at that. The Cloud Baby¡¯s talent was strong, particrly outstanding in the energy flow technique. It reached the second stage of energy flow technique naturally with barely any training, possibly because it was an elemental lifeform. This indicated that in the future, it would have the fastest skill release speed within Lu Ran¡¯s team. This talent,bined with various area attack weather skills, would undoubtedly make it a firepower cannon, capable of casting skill after skill, overwhelming opponents with firepower. ¡­ During his break, Lu Ran organized his backpack and took out a bottle of silvery blood. [Name]: Rhinoceros Blood [Rarity]: Rare [Introduction]: Blood of the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros, known for enhancing the sharpness of metals. Hmm, this was offered as an awakening material by the Sword Grass Family. Honestly, this family is quite secretive, especially about the types of blood they provide. ? Little did they know, the moment Lu Ran received the gift, he knew exactly which ferocious beast this blood hade from. The Eye of Data doesn¡¯t bother with fancy details. After obtaining the awakening resources, Lu Ran did some research and found that the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros is a rare beast on the verge of extinction, with very few left. Although the environment where Sword Grass grows oveps with the habitat of the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros, it¡¯s quite challenging for the non-sapient Sword Grass to just happen to cut down a Golden-Horned Rhinoceros. The rare opportunity would be when a foolish Golden-Horned Rhinoceros mistakes the Sword Grass for food and loses its tongue in the process. On the Divine Tree Continent, although the Golden-Horned Rhinoceros is nearly extinct, the Sword Grass Family seems to maintain a certain number, ensuring that their Sword Grass can sessfully awaken its Sapience. ¡°Three enhancement cards, set one aside for this bottle of blood to use for awakening the Sword Grass.¡± ¡°But there¡¯s no rush. It can be used to enhance suitable resources for General Ha and the Sudden Death King, pushing them to level 40.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be long before another 3 enhancement cards arrive.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s goal this time is to nurture General Ha and the Sudden Death King to level 40, and then re-enter the breakthrough secret realm. As for Cloud Baby, Lu Ran also aims to raise its growth level; however, he isn¡¯t in a hurry to fuse its third trait until the Evolution Secret Realm¡¯s cooldown is over. For now, simply fusing a second trait or awakening a new attribute is fine, but for full evolution, it¡¯s best to wait until the Evolution Secret Realm opens. ¡°Later, I¡¯ll exchange unused resources for crystal coins. The remaining coins can be used to nurture ordinary Crows and see how high the crow flock form can level up.¡± ¡°As for the leveling resources for General Ha and the others, enhancement cards will be used¡­¡± ¡°I just wonder when Fang Lan wille out to select a ferocious nt. She entered two days after me, so she shouldn¡¯t have any mishaps in the secret realm, right?¡± As Lu Ran was arranging resources, a faint aura of Dragon Might suddenly emanated from afar. Although this Dragon Might wasn¡¯t as pure as the Sudden Death King¡¯s, its intensity far surpassed the Sudden Death King¡¯s menace. A gleaming azure light shimmered on the ocean surface as Lu Ran stood up from the iceyer, looking towards the distance. Before long, a massive divine dragon burst forth from the sea amidst countless crystalline sshes and soared straight into the clouds. It then circled within the cloudyers, slowly extending its head. Perched atop the enormous head of the divine dragon was a woman wearing a ck tight-fitting wetsuit, which entuated her alluring figure. With dripping wet hair, she removed her goggles, flicked away the water droplets from her hair, and spoke with a smile: ¡°It¡¯s been over a month, Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Dr. Gu, you¡¯re here fast.¡± Lu Ran looked up and said, ¡°Oh, it finally reached level 60.¡± Looking closely at the Vast Sea Azure Dragon, Lu Ran noticed its growth level was now at level 60. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The dragon head of the Vast Sea Azure Dragon disyed a fawning expression,cking the majesty of a divine dragon, mainly because it recognized Lu Ran as an excellent Chef specializing in Dragon Cuisine. ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Qingyi replied regretfully, ¡°Unfortunately, for now, it remains the only one to reach level 60. The necessarybat pets to team up with it are still a few levels behind.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a year left, plenty of time,¡± Lu Ran assured. ¡°While resources are scarce over at the Star Moon Federation, here, with many beastmasters making it onto the overlord divine beast leaderboard, suitable exquisite resources will start to flow abundantly, making level advancement rtively easier.¡± ¡°Practicing swimming, huh?¡± Gu Qingyi assessed Lu Ran, who was in a swimsuit, and, noting his fairly robust build, smiled brightly. This prompted Lu Ran to quickly and bashfully cloak himself with the necromancy robe. ¡°Ahem, just give me one more day,¡± Lu Ran coughed lightly and said with a slight blush, ¡°I¡¯ll soon be fully adapted to underwater activities.¡± ¡°Honestly, I could manage on my own,¡± Gu Qingyi sighed, ¡°Borrowing water-type pet beast abilities through super beast mimicry for underwater survival is fine, but it could turn hazardous if you get caught in conflict.¡± ¡°The spatial maic fields in most deep-sea areas are chaotic right now, making teleporting to Infinite City for escape quite a hassle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mainly about the old turtle I mentioned on the phone earlier,¡± Lu Ran sighed. ¡°It was previously captured by the Fishman Empire, and now that they¡¯re at war with the Dragon Pce, I¡¯m worried about it.¡± ¡°I also want to take the opportunity to look for any trace of it.¡± ¡°The ocean is vast,¡± Gu Qingyi remarked. ¡°Trying to find a single creature is like searching for a needle in a haystack.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll search slowly. The dark crow is working hard right now,¡± Lu Ran said, ncing back towards the Green Sea. For an ordinary beastmaster, finding a single creature in the deep sea would be nearly impossible, but Lu Ran was different¡­ The dark crow could utilize the Evil God¡¯s Eye to directly gaze deep into the ocean or even across it. Although this process could strain its eyes, the divine deer antler could heal them, making it a good exercise. Once they can pinpoint the ck turtle¡¯s location, with Lu Ran¡¯s current strength, he should be able to bring it back. Furthermore, he should be able to ensure it won¡¯t be captured again. Letting the old turtle wander all this time weighed on Lu Ran¡¯s conscience. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll help you when the timees,¡± Gu Qingyi said, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s resolve. She continued, ¡°Are you going to keep practicing? My precious pet beast came with an empty stomach just for this¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go back quickly,¡± Lu Ran responded hastily. ¡­ Soon, they returned home. Lu Ran nned to first satiate Dr. Gu and then prepare cuisine for the pet beasts. ¡°Poof-¡° However, once at Lu Ran¡¯s home, when Dr. Gu couldn¡¯t help but ask about Lu Ran¡¯s experiences in the breakthrough secret realm, a certain cat¡¯s chattiness left Dr. Gu momentarily dumbstruck on the sofa, nearly spitting out her fruit juice. ¡°A ruin space?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right-¡± Lu Ran called out from the kitchen amidst the sound of cooking. ¡°This seriously boosts my safety. If I encounter danger, hiding in the ruin space isn¡¯t a bad option.¡± Another use of the ruin space is that the owner can enter it personally. Lu Ran had already tested it; even within the ruin space, he could teleport to Infinite City. With that, encountering danger would be quite difficult for him. ¡°This¡­¡± Gu Qingyi was momentarily dazed as Manager Ying patted her with a cat paw. ¡°I understand how you feel. At least he didn¡¯t bring back a divine beast cub or something.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Gu Qingyi nodded hesitantly. Well¡­might as well ept it. While Lu Ran wasn¡¯t the first to bring back an epic item from the breakthrough secret realm, in terms of equipment quality, the ruins space of the Tree King probably ranks at the very top. Gu Qingyi sighed. Honestly, if Lu Ran had been part of the First Generation, with his ¡®golden child¡¯ status at Infinite City, he could probably give the Star Moon Federation a massive surprise. Unfortunately, when Blue Star learned that the opponents in the world battle also included Legendary-level beings, it became clear that pinning hopes on the quick rise of the second, third, or fourth generations was unrealistic; even the First Generation itself faced enormous pressure. After all, no one from the First Generation had yet reached level 6. ¡°Herees the food¡­¡± Lu Ran had prepared a simple meal of ten dishes and a soup. As they sat down to eat, the two, along with the cat, started discussing Lu Ran¡¯s level 3 Legendary Secret Realm. ¡°Still haven¡¯t decided.¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°But I¡¯ll most likely choose a light or dark Legendary Secret Realm.¡± When choosing a Legendary Secret Realm, it¡¯s preferable to go for rare attributes. For light or dark, Lu Ran thought of enhancing the weather elf. If Manager Ying couldn¡¯t find a suitable trait for it soon, they¡¯d have to gamble on the secret realm. Awakening the light attribute would further enhance the weather elf¡¯s speed. Awakening the dark attribute would allow the weather elf to develop a weather condition that could also aid the dark crow legion. Honestly, from a Blue Star native¡¯s perspective, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t sure what powerful light or dark weather patterns might exist, but the weather elf isn¡¯t from Blue Star; it¡¯s a creature from the Elemental Age of the Star-Moon Continent. There could be all sorts of strange weather attributes from the other world. Given the ¡°Shapeshift at Will¡± talent description, Lu Ran felt confident enough to attempt awakening all sorts of peculiar attributes for the weather elf. ¡°Light and Dark, huh¡­¡± Gu Qingyi took a bite of food, about to say something, when suddenly, shouting from outside interrupted them. ¡°Big King, Big King!! I¡¯ve found the ck turtle general¡¯s coordinates!!¡± ¡°But for some reason, it¡¯s surrounded by dragons, possibly in the Dragon Pce. I got spotted and didn¡¯t dare investigate further. Ah, my eyes!!¡± Chapter 273: The Old Turtle Has a Turbulent Fate No one expected that at this moment, the dark crow suddenly brought intelligence from the ck Turtle General. Lu Ran put down his chopsticks and looked in astonishment at the dark crow that had just flown in from the balcony. What did this guy just say? At this moment, the dark crow had its eyes covered with a ck cloth, seemingly to prevent its bleeding eyes from scaring the two beautifuldies. However, while the cloth covered its eyes, it couldn¡¯t hide its excited heart. The dark crow gestured animatedly, continuing to ask, ¡°Big king, what should we do?¡± ¡°That ce doesn¡¯t seem close.¡± Lu Ran nced at Dr. Gu and Manager Ying, who had also paused their meal. Both the person and the cat were lost in thought. ¡°I fused a new trait into the dark crow; its strength has significantly increased, which also seems to have brought about a transformation in its reconnaissance abilities.¡± Lu Ran bit his finger, guessing that the dark crow had used the Evil God¡¯s Eye during its ¡°swarm form¡± to investigate.Using the ¡°parts¡± left by the ck Turtle, finding it was indeed possible and exciting. However, what was the old turtle doing in the Dragon Pce? Logically, that ck Turtle should be fighting in the Fishman Empire right now, shouldn¡¯t it? ¡°Your old turtle, with the Dragon¡¯s Bloodline you nurtured, might have been captured by the Dragon Pce during its battle with the Fishman Empire,¡± Manager Ying sipped some fish soup to calm herself. ¡°Speaking of which, I suddenly recalled that our predicted scene was the ck Turtle leading tens of thousands of shrimp soldiers and crab generals. But ording to recent intelligence, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals are primarily soldiers of the Dragon Pce, not the Fishman Empire.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Damn,¡± Lu Ran was speechless. ¡°It¡¯s just a turtle; why are the Fishman Empire and the Dragon Pce fighting over it?¡± ¡°Maybe it encountered a stroke of luck in the deep sea,¡± Gu Qingyi suggested. ¡°The number of supernatural resources in the deep sea is several times that of thend.¡± ¡°Yes, yes!!¡± The dark crow suddenly remembered something. ¡°When I caught a glimpse earlier, the ck Turtle General seemed different from before, looking much stronger. The purity of the Dragon¡¯s Bloodline has improved significantly, not much different from the pet beasts in the Jiao Dragon team.¡± ¡°It must have had some fortuitous encounter.¡± Lu Ran fell silent. With things as they were, what more could he say? One can only say that the old turtle has a turbulent fate. ¡°Don¡¯t worry just yet,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Manager Ying¡¯s foresight is unlikely to be wrong.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lu Ran nodded. He then took out the divine deer antler and began to heal the dark crow. Golden-green healing waves filled the room, and both Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying paused as they looked at the antler in Lu Ran¡¯s hand. Manager Ying immediately jumped over to Lu Ran¡¯s side to examine the antler. ¡°Thank you, big king.¡± The dark crow, satisfied after its healing, flew away contentedly. ¡°This¡­,¡± Manager Ying eximed in disbelief at the sight of the divine deer antler. ¡°Is it a legendary item?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not a legend, but an epic-level item close to legend quality,¡± Gu Qingyi remarked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an epic-level heirloom of Lujia Vige, the divine deer antler,¡± Lu Ran exined casually. This was the first time he had shown this item to Manager Ying and Dr. Gu. ¡°It¡¯s a healing-type epic item, so if you ever suffer severe injuries, juste to me.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, feeling that the divine deer antler no longer needed to be kept hidden. His current strength was already on par with the second generation. Once General Ha and the others increased their levels and overcame a breakthrough secret realm, showcasing it for battle wouldn¡¯t be a problem, as they would have enough strength to face any envy or covetousness. ¡°What a pity, though¡­¡± Manager Ying stared at the item in amazement and added, ¡°Ruins space or divine deer antler, it¡¯s always epic resources that can¡¯t be used.¡± ¡°One is growth-type, and the other healing-type¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Qingyi chuckled, noticing Manager Ying¡¯s longing look. ¡°Manager Ying is probably thinking that if it were a recovery-type epic resource, borrowing some of its power might awaken her main body.¡± ¡°Why is it so troublesome for your main body to awaken? Haven¡¯t many ancient creatures already awakened?¡± Lu Ran asked, puzzled. ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Manager Ying shook her head. ¡°Every creature¡¯s way of sleeping varies depending on the individual. Some creatures can awaken even in a state of hunger, while others need to restore themselves to peak condition before awakening. Overall, if my main body wakes up, its strength might not differ much from its peak state, or it could even be stronger, skipping many stages of power recovery.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be like that giant snake in Africa, which needed to devour a whole country just to regain some strength.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Lu Ran replied skeptically, curious about how strong Manager Ying¡¯s peak battle power truly was. ¡°Let¡¯s just eat,¡± Manager Ying said, wiping away tears, sighing inwardly. After finishing the meal, Lu Ran originally nned to continue preparing food for his pet beasts. However, an update from Infinite City interrupted him mid-preparation. ¡°Breaking news! Major updates areing to the Infinite City arenas worldwide¡­¡± [A brand-new battle mode update-it¡¯s the dawn of an era where the strong be even stronger!] [This update, I¡¯d call it the biggest perk before the world battle!] Honestly, Infinite City¡¯s facilities received updates every month. What started as basic infrastructures gradually evolved to include arenas, guild buildings, shop rentals, and teleportation circles. People like Gu Qingyi, part of the First Generation, could truly appreciate the changes over the past three years. However, not every upgrade in Infinite City stirred such intense discussion. Thest time it was this lively was during special updates like the divine beast leaderboard, the Legendary Secret Realm, and the Evolution Secret Realm. With constant TV broadcasts and phone news alerts, Lu Ran and the others immediately caught the headlines. ¡°I knew Infinite City wouldn¡¯t just let Blue Star walk into a death trap,¡± Manager Ying remarked, staring at her phone screen. ¡°This update is indeed something,¡± Gu Qingyi said, mildly surprised. ¡°With this, the gap between Blue Star and the Star Moon Federation should close significantly in the short term.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a great thing,¡± Lu Ran agreed, brightening up. [Peak Arena] This was the new mode just rolled out in the arenas. The arena, ever since it was introduced, has been somewhatckluster. It merely offered a stage for beastmasters to spar, without any special rewards. The format relied primarily on beastmasters cing ¡°crystal coin bets¡± to make matches more interesting. As a result, top-tier yers seldom engaged there, preferring to conquer frontline secret realms instead. After all, few would willingly give away free crystal coins to strong beastmasters. Comparatively, the rewards for tackling secret realms were far more substantial. However, with the introduction of the Peak Arena, everything changed. Although the Peak Mode doesn¡¯t offer crystal coins or resources as rewards, it provides something equally valuable: growth experience! In the Peak Arena, opponents are randomly matched based on the beastmaster¡¯s level. The winning side¡¯sbat pet receives special rewards simr to those in the novice trial secret realm, allowing direct gains in growth experience and an increase in growth level. Conversely, the losing side faces penalties, with their pet¡¯s growth experience decreasing. If the experience drops too low, their growth level will decline. Upon this update, beastmasters quickly recognized the arena as Infinite City¡¯s new tool for Blue Star¡¯s beastmasters to level up. Currently, the Star Moon Federation¡¯s strongest echelon of beastmasters stands at level 7 legends, while Blue Star¡¯s top beastmasters are still struggling at level 5 breakthrough secret realms, not yet reaching level 6. As pets reach higher growth levels, advancing bes increasingly difficult. Without special mechanisms, it¡¯s challenging for Blue Star¡¯s beastmasters to catch up quickly with the Star Moon Federation. This disparity in levels made Blue Star doubtful of their chances in the world battle. But now, the emergence of the Peak Arena has sparked a glimmer of hope among Blue Star¡¯s beastmasters. ¡°With this, as long as I keep winning, my other pets might reach level 60 sooner than expected,¡± Gu Qingyi remarked, surprised by the news. ¡°This update came just in time,¡± Lu Ranmented. ¡°Had it been dyed even a day, I would have used the enhancement card to boost upgrading-type resources for my pets¡¯ growth levels.¡± ¡°Now, I can rely on the arena for growth level increases directly,¡± he continued. ¡°As for resources, I can save upgrading-type resources to purchase other types, like Comprehension Enhancement resources.¡± Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran exchanged a nce, nodded in agreement, and headed straight into Infinite City to try out the Peak Arena. At that moment, there were surely plenty of people queuing up for matches in the arena. In no time, the room was left with just a puzzled cat on the couch, clutching a phone and wearing a bewildered expression. ¡°Why are you two in such a hurry?!¡± ¡­ Infinite City No. 3. After teleporting in, Lu Ran left his private room and made his way to the arena area. It was indeed packed with beastmasters, and the air was filled with the hum of discussions. ¡°Wow, so you can gain experience by winning matches? If I keep winning and there¡¯s no bottleneck in leveling up my pet, could I, a Fourth Generation, stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Generation and even have a shot at the world battle?¡± one beastmaster eximed. ¡°You¡¯re daydreaming! You can¡¯t win every match,¡± another retorted. ¡°Someone just came out of a battle and said that the experience gained from a win isn¡¯t much; you need a lot of victories to see noticeable improvement. When you really think about it, it still consumes resources, especially healing supplies.¡± Lu Ran casually found an automatic registration pir tform and began operating it like a touchscreen tablet. [Wee to the Beast Taming Arena.] [Please select a battle mode.] ¢Ù: Normal Battle (includes scheduled room battles, za random battles) ¢Ú: Peak Battle (includes regr peak battle, extreme peak battle) Lu Ran opted for number ¢Ú. ¡°Let¡¯s see how effective this is. If I can quickly level General Ha up to level 40 here, it¡¯ll save me a lot of hassle.¡± Chapter 274: Peak Battle General Ha and the Sudden Death King are both far from reaching level 40. To enhance their levels using resources, several exquisite resources would need to be invested. If these level-up type exquisite resources can be saved, they could also significantly enhance their skills. Besides them, Lu Ran is eager to improve Cloud Baby¡¯s growth level. After all, with a higher level, Cloud Baby can maneuver better in the ocean. After choosing a peak battle, Lu Ran was presented with two options: regr peak battle and extreme peak battle. He clicked on the question marks next to these modes. Regr Peak Battle: [You will be randomly matched with a ¡®Level 3 Beastmaster¡¯ for battle. Upon winning, yourbat pet can gain some growth experience. If you lose, thebat pet will enter a weakened state for a while.] Extreme Peak Battle: [You will be randomly matched with a ¡®Level 4 Beastmaster¡¯ for a higher-level challenge. Winning will grant yourbat pet a significant amount of growth experience¡­]¡°Interesting,¡± Lu Ran mused. The maximum pet level for a level 3 beastmaster is 40, and for a level 4 it¡¯s 50. If the former has a higher species level and stronger skill setup, a win could still be possible. Though challenging, the potential growth experience is enticing. While intrigued by this mode, Lu Ran decided to first try a regr peak battle for his debut. As for higher-level challenges, those could wait. [Regr Peak Battle]. Lu Ran made his choice. He was surprised by more options. [Please select a battle mode: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3.] [Note: After selecting, you may only summon the specified number ofbat pets.] 2v2. Without hesitation, Lu Ran made his choice. Currently, he only has twobat pets with him. Sudden Death King and Cloud Baby. General Ha is training with the Corpse Dog in reality. The Dark Crow is busy training the Crow army. Thus, it¡¯s the Sudden Death King and Cloud Baby who are avable to apany Lu Ran. [Matching in Progress¡­] [A suitable opponent has been matched for you.] [Teleport Countdown: 10, 9¡­] [Randomly generating battle map¡­] [Map generationplete.] [You will be teleported to the battle location ¡®Green Valley¡¯] ¡­ Meanwhile. In a certain arena within Kimchi Country¡¯s infinite city, a youngdy dressed elegantly with gold and diamonds also found a match sessfully. ¡­ The sound of rushing water cascaded down from the mountain like a waterfall, as two figures appeared in the green valley. By the stream, Lu Ran, who had materialized, nced across at a girl who clearly appeared to be a wealthy heiress and started to ponder. At this moment, the girl stared back at Lu Ran with a proud look and said, ¡°Why are you hiding so much?¡± In the peak arena, during the opening and battle stages, the IDs of both parties are not disyed and are only revealed after the battle ends. Therefore, seeing Lu Ran in a mask, sunsses, and a baseball cap, she couldn¡¯t glean any useful information, including his nationality. However, Lu Ran caught on to her nationality from thenguage she used. ¡°Well, good thing I¡¯m fluent in dozens ofnguages; it¡¯s surprising the arena doesn¡¯t offer trantion,¡± he thought, recalling how he had learned through lucid fruit. ? If this were in the breakthrough secret realm, infinite city would automatically trantenguages from the other world and various countries, but in the arena, it seemed infinite city wasn¡¯t inclined to do so. ¡°Let¡¯s begin,¡± Lu Ran said, showcasing his linguistic prowess with a hint of curry-vored English, leaving his opponent puzzled. The next moment, Lu Ran began to summon his pet! A ck contract card fluttered around Lu Ran, who chose to initially summon only Cloud Baby. ording to the description of peak mode, onlybat pets gain experience. If the growth experience to be obtained is fixed, does it mean that with twobat pets, the experience is split, but with one, the experience is fully gained? Lu Ran intended to test this theory. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­ pitter-patter¡­¡± As a white summoning circle appeared in the air, a thick mist began to fill the sky. The heiress on the opposite side also started summoning her pet beast, but as she did, she showed a surprised expression toward the weather elf. An elemental creature??? It seemed she did not possess an intermediate eye of data, so she wasn¡¯t aware of Cloud Baby¡¯s level, which caused her to put on a serious face immediately. Elemental creatures on Blue Star are rare and valuable. Even though she couldn¡¯t recognize Lu Ran¡¯s identity, she became extremely focused in an instant. ¡°Roar-¡± ¡°Howl-¡° With two loud roars, the heiress¡¯s two pet beasts took the field. Without further exchange, a sh of Dragon Might and Tiger Might erupted, transforming into a tangible sovereign aura, bearing down on Cloud Baby. ¡°Pitter-patter¡­¡± Barely over level 20, Cloud Baby, who hadn¡¯t faced many fierce battles, struggled against the pressure, its form almost dissipating and nearly being blown away by the momentum. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Holy¡­¡± Lu Ran was slightly shocked-not by the fact that his opponent could suppress Cloud Baby or that she had two sovereign pet beasts. But rather¡­ [Species]: Diamond Dragon [Attribute]: Rock [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 31 Lu Ran looked at the shiningnd-walking dragon with a dinosaur-like appearance across from him, feeling a bit dazed. Howe this dragon looks incredibly like a Diamond Dragon? At that moment, Lu Ran recalled her nationality, feeling even more bewildered. Could this heiress-like girl be the very one Manager Ying made the Ultimate Perception Trait trade with? Aside from the Diamond Dragon, she also summoned a level 33 dual-attribute Light and Rock-type tiger of the lower sovereign species. Both pet beasts¡¯ species levels weren¡¯t significantly different from Cloud Baby¡¯s, but their growth levels overwhelmed it. It was normal for Cloud Baby to struggle against such imposing auras. ¡°Just one?¡± On seeing that Lu Ran only deployed a single pet beast, her brow furrowed instantly. Though elemental species are exceedingly rare, judging by the sh of auras, this cloud elf seemed quite weak inparison. ¡°I¡¯ve hit a tough opponent,¡± Lu Ran thought somewhat helplessly. It seemed unrealistic to rely solely on Cloud Baby to resolve the situation; Cloud Baby was the one getting beaten up. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t attempted an over-level challenge. This initial battle wasn¡¯t going smoothly for him. However, Lu Ran believed he could at least put up a struggle. There was no need to summon Sudden Death King too early. With a snap of his fingers, Cloud Baby, whose form had been crushed by the intimidation and pressure, let out an aggrieved ¡°wah.¡± The skies turned dark as ck clouds gathered almost instantaneously, rain pouring down in a torrential downpour. Apanied by thunderous wailing, it seemed to somewhat resist the opposing intimidation. The raindrops, falling like water bullets, carried destructive force, primarily because Cloud Baby had mastered the second stage of the technique of energy flow, giving the water element great prative power. Moreover, the Water type restrained the Rock type, causing the Stone Dragon and Rock Tiger to swiftly shape a rocky armor to fend off the raindrops. Even so, the relentless ¡°pat-pat-pat¡± of the raindrops created tiny pits and cracks on their armor, as if trying to wear them down drip by drip. Hmm¡­ it looked fierce, but in reality, it was equivalent to a superficial scrape. The growth level gap was just toorge. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The white Rock Tiger showed a disdainful expression, gathering light in its mouth. With a terrifying roar, a beam of light pierced through the clouds, creating a massive gap in the trajectory of the falling rain, instantly halting Cloud Baby¡¯s rainmaking and cutting off its wailing abruptly. Cloud Baby: ¡­ Luckily, Cloud Baby was an elemental lifeform with no fixed form. The enemy didn¡¯t know where its essential elemental core was; otherwise, the attack could have taken Cloud Baby out instantly. ¡°Not summoning a second one?¡± the heiress questioned. She had noticed the elemental spiritcked strength. Its species level might be high, but its growth level was undoubtedly low. As Lu Ran dyed summoning a second pet beast, she felt he was underestimating her, prompting the white Rock Tiger to halt the heavy rain and transform into a beam of light, charging toward Lu Ran. Light Assault! Swish! The white Rock Tiger moved at incredible speed, like a beam of light, extending its paw, ready to strike at Lu Ran. In the heiress¡¯s mind, this move would undoubtedly force Lu Ran to summon a second pet beast. After all, relying solely on that elemental spirit wouldn¡¯t be enough to protect him. However, real life had other ns. The next scene left the heiress wide-eyed in disbelief. Facing the Light Assault of the fierce Rock Tiger, Lu Ran calmly raised his hand and, with a mere gesture, conjured a freezing ice sword from the surrounding mist. Holding the ice sword, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes were filled with the chill of winter as he blocked the Rock Tiger¡¯s hefty paw. The force sent Lu Ran sliding back a bit, his foot sinking slightly into the ground, but the Rock Tiger got the worse end of it. With a panicked expression, the tiger¡¯s body was marred with several deep wounds from the wild sword intent. Its bloodbined with ice, freezing it into arge sculpture of frost right where it stood. ¡°Tsk tsk,¡± Lu Ran remarked with mock annoyance, ¡°Why ignore the proper fight with the pet beasts ande after me instead?¡± This exchange made the heiress realize that Lu Ran was likely a beastmaster who focused on ¡°honing his own strength.¡± Using the pet beast¡¯s power to enhance himself! ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± Seeing that Cloud Baby couldn¡¯t single-handedly face two sovereigns-and not even one at that-Lu Ran decided not to push it further. After all, this opponent was not your average level 3 beastmaster. He shattered the ice sword and instructed the floating Cloud Baby in the sky, ¡°Give me a thunder one.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!!!¡± Cloud Baby was thrilled at not having to fight itself. Boom!!! The sky turned pitch ck once more, with the crackling sound of thunder deafening. Amidst the darkness, shes of white sporadically lit up the sky. In an instant, a bolt of white lightning struck directly toward Lu Ran. This sight changed the heiress¡¯s expression again. For the first time, she utilized a beast taming skill. With a ¡°snap,¡± the Rock Tiger¡¯s strength surged, breaking free from the ice, even growing slightly in size. It red fiercely at Lu Ran but soon looked confused. Because in Lu Ran¡¯s eyes, it saw something terribly terrifying. Lu Ran unleashed the terrifying Dragon Might of Sudden Death King, erupting directly from the windows to his soul-his eyes. Due to the suppression of its mental awareness, Lu Ran¡¯s figure vanished before the Rock Tiger¡¯s eyes, leaving it unable to react. When it finally did, it felt a deep, piercing pain in its soul. This pain bypassed its formidable physical defenses, striking directly at its core, causing the Rock Tiger to convulse as if a knife were twisting in its heart, while electricity coursed through its whole body. At the moment when the thunder struck Lu Ran, his hair turned stark white, reminiscent of Thor, standing on end as the terrifying electricity surged through him. In his hand, he held a de formed from lightning, which continuously provided electric currents, stimting his cellr activity and granting him terrifying explosive power. If this had happened two months ago, Lu Ran certainly wouldn¡¯t have dared such a feat. However, after body forging with Sudden Death King¡¯s Red Lightning for so long, he had developed a certain level of resistance to electricity. Whoosh. Seeing Lu Ran transformed into a fearsome, god-like figure delivering mysterious damage, the heiress panickedpletely. The Stone Dragon that had been guarding her let out a roar, its body beginning to crystallize, extending into the ground to provide the heiress with ayer of crystal armor. The Stone Dragon itself also crystallized entirely, giving it seemingly greater defense. Its ws and teeth were fully armed with crystals, yet at this moment, Lu Ran was wielding his mind sword intent, targeting the mind itself, rendering its physical defenses almost useless against the strikes. In his explosive state, Lu Ran moved like a white lightning bolt, swiftly passing by them in an instant. ¡°Who exactly are you¡­¡± At this point, the heiress was more desperate to know who Lu Ran was, wondering why she had never heard of such a person¡­ However, in the next moment, her expression went nk. ¡°Thanks for your Ultimate Perception Trait, but I have to say, your training of the Stone Dragon needs improvement.¡± As his words reached her ears, she was struck by lightning and, along with her pet beast, transported to the infirmary. ¡­ [Combat conclusion.] [Victorious side: Passerby A.] [Defeated side: Diamond Girl¡¯s Heart.] ¡­ [Congrattions, your pet beast ¡®Weather Elf¡¯ has leveled up to level 23.] [You will exit the battle arena in 10 seconds¡­] In the peak arena, Lu Ran, holding his thunder de, watched Cloud Baby p and cheer in the sky. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. Leveled up twice, huh? Not bad. If he kept bringing Cloud Baby to solo more opponents, its level might soon reach level 30. He just wondered how much experience would be shared if Sudden Death King helped to level it up. ¡°Should I try a challenge against higher-level opponents next?¡± ¡°As long as I don¡¯t get matched against those second generation elite monsters, it should be fine. Worst case scenario, I¡¯ll concede if I encounter a tough opponent. Losing a bit of experience isn¡¯t a big deal; I can earn it backter.¡± Ten secondster, Lu Ran also exited the peak arena, deciding to enter another match and see how it goes. Chapter 275: Threat from the Dragon Palace Infinite City No.3, Arena. After Lu Ranpleted a match, he felt this new mode was quite appealing. For most beastmasters who believe they are powerful, this ce could be considered a dreand. Just as Lu Ran was thinking about experimenting once more to see how much experience the Sudden Death King could gain, a hand rested on his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Lu Ran turned his head slightly and whispered. It could only be Dr. Gu who found him. ¡°Don¡¯t challenge again for now,¡± said Gu Qingyi. Lu Ran, puzzled, looked at Dr. Gu, who was wearing a fox mask, ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either, but Manager Ying asked us to leave immediately.¡± Gu Qingyi shook her head. She had just matched a 1v1 and easily defeated her opponent. Although her pet beast was still level 1, it gained considerable growth.If one does not lose and keeps winning consecutively, this ce is indeed a level up paradise. However, she felt it might only be limited to the near future. In a couple of months, there might not be many ordinary beastmasters left in the Peak Arena; only a batch of strong beastmasters would remain. By then, achieving consecutive wins would be as difficult as climbing the sky. In the end, only those who are invincible at the same level might slowly ascend. ¡°What¡¯s up with this guy?¡± Lu Ran scratched his head. ¡­ Since Manager Ying had called them out, they naturally had to go see what was happening. At this moment, Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi had just exited the infinite city and saw Manager Ying on the sofa with several tabletsid out. Her cat paw moved quickly as she kept flipping through screens. ¡°Ying?¡± Gu Qingyi asked aftering out, looking at Manager Ying who had messaged her toe out. ¡°Not long after you left, I just got some intelligence,¡± Manager Ying said without lifting her head, continuing to process the information. ¡°Is it some special Legendary Secret Realm that just popped up?¡± Lu Ran opened a drink and gulped it down. Swinging two swords was exhausting work; he needed to replenish his energy. ¡°No!¡± Manager Ying sighed, ¡°Qingyi, you¡¯re going to have trouble.¡± Gu Qingyi¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change as she waited for Manager Ying to continue. Being one of the few First Generations in Xia Country, she had developed a strong mental resilience. ¡°Earlier, Lu Ran¡¯s dark crow discovered that the ck turtle is at the Dragon Pce, so I employed my intelligencework to take a deeper look into the Dragon Pce.¡± ¡°And then, I uncovered something remarkable.¡± ¡°Do you know why the Dragon Pce is at war with the Fishman Empire?¡± asked Manager Ying. ¡°Scrambling for resources, fighting for territory?¡± Lu Ran responded instinctively. For any nation, intelligence resources are limited, and not much is known about the deep sea affairs by most countries. Although the depths are equally formidable, the current scenario involves a chaotic warlord era in the deep sea, which doesn¡¯t significantly impact thend. Thus, the intelligenceworks of various countries are more focused on investigating the ferocious beasts onnd. If asked why the sea powers are battling, Lu Ran could only think of resourcepetition at the moment. ¡°Yes,¡± Manager Ying nodded and said, ¡°However, ording to my intelligencework, the resources theypete for this time are somewhat different.¡± ¡°In ancient times, there was an invincible Dragon King of the deep sea, said to be the closest to the Legendary Dragon n. It lived for a very long time and was one of the overlords of the strongest echelon in the deep sea.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, as spiritual energy dissipated, the old Dragon King¡¯s age became a burden. Eventually, its time was up, its life exhausted, and its body naturally disintegrated as the spiritual energy faded.¡± ¡°However, a dragon pearl from its body was preserved. This legendary dragon pearl was said to contain incredible power and was a treasure of the Dragon n, capable of helping the Dragon n touch the Pseudo-legendary species.¡± ¡°At that time, the dragon pearl was fiercely contested by countless powers of the deep sea.¡± ¡°But in the end, no side sessfully imed it; instead, the dragon pearl was identally shattered into four fragments and scattered across the ocean.¡± ¡°As spiritual energypletely faded, this contest over the dragon pearl couldn¡¯tst long.¡± ¡°Until now, with the resurgence of spiritual energy.¡± ¡°The Fishman King of the Fishman Empire is suspected to have obtained a dragon pearl fragment.¡± ¡°And the Dragon King of the Dragon Pce is also suspected to have acquired at least one dragon pearl fragment.¡± ¡°The reason for the conflict is that the Dragon King of the Dragon Pce wants to take the resource from the Fishman King, gather the fragments, and see if they can piece together the true epic dragon pearl.¡± After hearing this, Lu Ran nodded. It turns out that the fight is still over resources-specifically, the epic resources passed down from the Ancient times. ¡°But wait a minute,¡± Lu Ran paused, ¡°Manager Ying, what does this have to do with Dr. Gu?¡± ¡°Hmm???¡± Lu Ran suddenly looked at Gu Qingyi, only to see her expression growing more serious. Manager Ying said, ¡°Did Qingyi not tell you? She also has a dragon pearl fragment. Her ability to be the first to cultivate a Loong-type pet is thanks to that fragment.¡± ¡°I now suspect that the dragon pearl fragment she found is rted to what the Dragon Pce and the Fishman Empire were fighting over; they mighte from the same dragon pearl.¡± ¡°Thetest news is that the Fishman Empire has suffered a major defeat, and the Dragon Pce has already retreated. It seems the Dragon King achieved its goal and snatched the dragon pearl fragment from the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°This information came from within the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°If the Dragon King intends to collect the entire dragon pearl, I¡¯m concerned that it will turn its attention to thend next.¡± ¡°To Qingyi¡¯s vast sea azure dragon.¡± ¡°This,¡± Lu Ran said, bewildered, while Gu Qingyi also hadn¡¯t expected that the fragment she found had such an origin. ¡°What Manager Ying says is correct. When I was little, I was ying on the beach and identally found a beautiful stone. Because it was particrly pretty, I brought it home and kept it.¡± ¡°At first, I paid it no mind, butter I noticed that some of my pets liked to stay close to the stone, which made me aware of its unusual nature.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t until the first arrival of the infinite city that I brought the stone into a trial secret realm,¡± Gu Qingyi reflected. ¡°It turned out to be an exquisite-level dragon pearl fragment. Because it¡¯s already broken, apart from its remarkable quality, it has no direct use.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t untilter, in a breakthrough secret realm, that I met a skilled cultivator.¡± ¡°She guided me to have one of my pet beasts perfectly integrate the dragon pearl fragment into its bloodline, saying that as the pet beast evolves, it will continuously unlock the fragment¡¯s power.¡± ¡°This is also why I was able to be the first to cultivate a Loong-type pet beast,¡± Gu Qingyi said, looking at Lu Ran and Manager Ying. ¡°If that fragment is indeed what the Dragon King of the Dragon Pce is looking for, its origin is certainly extraordinary. But I¡¯ve already used it in a special way.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the tricky part,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Your dragon pearl fragment has already fused with that dragon. If the Dragon King is truly desperate for the fragment, it might just capture your dragon for study.¡± ¡°After all¡­ there¡¯s also a rumor that the Dragon Pce is currently recruiting creatures of Dragon Blood in the deep sea.¡± Manager Ying nced at Lu Ran, implying that his old turtle might be one of the unlucky ones. ¡°After finding out about this, for some reason, I¡¯ve had a bad feeling, Qingyi. You should be careful,¡± it frowned, deep in thought. Come to think of it, even if its suspicions were correct, why was it having such a strong reaction? After all, it was just an outsider cat in this matter. ¡°Okay.¡± Hearing Manager Ying¡¯s advice, Gu Qingyi nodded, saying, ¡°I¡­¡± She was about to say she¡¯d be careful, but suddenly her phone rang. Gu Qingyi answered it and then disyed aplex expression. ¡°Manager Ying, you¡¯re such a jinx.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Dr. Gu?¡± Lu Ran quickly asked upon seeing the change in Gu Qingyi¡¯s countenance. ¡°Speak of the devil, they just detected a dragon-shaped deep sea ferocious beast rapidly approaching Shanghai,¡± Gu Qingyi said. Lu Ran was astonished and quickly looked at Manager Ying, wondering if it was possessed by a dark crow. But then, Lu Ran¡¯s face also changed, realizing that if Manager Ying¡¯s assessment was urate, this situation would not be easy to handle. ¡­ A short while ago. Boom! In a building established in the deep sea, a terrifying force that churned the sea region erupted. Roar roar roar!! Amidst the ck mes that could burn in the deep sea, a divine dragon, several hundred meters long, roared toward the sky. Its body was formidable, with scales as ck as the abyss. It seemed the divine dragon had justpleted a breakthrough and, unable to contain itself, followed the alluring breath, soaring from the deep sea into the sky. Boom. As it broke through the sea¡¯s surface, the sky above was already thick with dark clouds. However, instead of thunder, the ck clouds flickered with exploding ck mes. The ck dragon¡¯s massive eyes scanned the sea region before focusing on a continent, setting its gaze on a human city. ¡°Roar-¡° It let out another roar, its body engulfed in mes as it streaked across the sky like a meteor. This led to Xia Country¡¯s Shanghai entering a level 1 alert status upon detecting this creature¡¯s approach! ¡°What is that?!¡± In Shanghai¡¯s disaster response center, an elderly man in a whiteb coat stared at the screens disying the terrifying ck dragon, his face filled with shock. There was sheer confusion about why such a monstrous creature from the deep sea was now heading straight for Shanghai. The Shanghai Chapter of the Beast Taming Association responded instantly. Numerous second-generation and third-generation beastmasters quickly assembled at Shanghai¡¯s coastal waters. Warships rapidly congregated on the ocean, and aircraft took off quickly into the sky. At this moment, Gu Qingyi, acting as the Guardian of Shanghai, saw the photos sent by the association and clenched her fists tightly. Just moments ago, they were discussing whether the Dragon Pce would make a big move over a dragon pearl fragment. Now, word came from Shanghai that a powerful ferocious beast was approaching from the ocean, leaving them no time to prepare. ¡°See, see, see!!!¡± eximed Manager Ying, its thoughts in disarray, internally eximing all sorts of expletives. It was just conducting a casual investigation; how could there really be such danger descending? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 276: Epic Level Crisis ¡°Has every gift already been secretly priced?¡±Gu Qingyi¡¯s eyes flickered as she read the message. The dragon pearl fragment had given her a head start, but unexpectedly, it brought about such a disaster. ¡°I¡¯m heading there right away.¡± She replied to the Shanghai Association and prepared to leave for the city. However, Lu Ran stopped her, saying, ¡°Wait, Dr. Gu.¡± ¡°Judging from the photos, that divine dragon is likely above level 70; even the Fishman King wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. Going there won¡¯t help, and you might really become its main target, as Manager Ying predicted.¡± ¡°What should we do then?¡± Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran, who shrugged helplessly and said, ¡°I mean, Manager Ying and I should go with you, at least to help a bit, especially when it comes to escaping.¡± Manager Ying: ? ¡­ As the Black Dragon appeared, the sky and earth changed color. In Shanghai, numerous gathered beastmasters stared at the enormous divine dragon in the sky, nearly scared out of their wits, their faces turning exceedingly pale. The news spread nationwide at incredible speed, with photos of the Black Dragon taken by bystanders rapidly shared online. People all over the country were in shock as they watched the catastrophic scene behind the Black Dragon. Of course, the most tense were the beastmasters in Shanghai. Recently, countries around the world had been experiencing attacks by powerful ferocious beasts, with even small nations being wiped out by ancient creatures. Xia Country was relatively fortunate to have avoided any significant disasters so far. But with the appearance of this Black Dragon, the beastmasters in Shanghai were filled with overwhelming fear. Judging by its might, this Black Dragon was far more terrifying than the giant snake that rampaged across the African continent. [Species]: Black Abyss Dragon King [Attributes]: Loong-type (Dark, Water, Fire) [Species Level]: Upper Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 70 Some beastmasters with intermediate eye of data shivered upon seeing the data of this Black Dragon. Without a doubt, it was a top-level ancient creature. ¡°Roar!!!¡± The Black Abyss Dragon King flew over Shanghai, showing a disdainful expression as countless weapons targeted it. In its disdain, its eyes revealed confusion because the breath it was searching for was strongest here, but upon its actual arrival, the scent abruptly vanished. [I am looking for a dragon pearl fragment.] [It is here among you.] [I give you 10 days to find the fragment and hand it over, and we will part peacefully.] [If not, I will return in 10 days to search for it myself, and I cannot ensure that there will be no destruction during the search.] Despite its disdain for the surrounding warships, aircraft, and beastmasters, the Black Abyss Dragon King dared not act rashly. Recently, the international alliance had bombarded an ancient giant snake with multiple nuclear missiles, and ferocious beasts worldwide had sensed the terrifying power of these weapons. ? Although some ferocious beasts believed they¡¯d evade such a weapon if they were forewarned, they remained somewhat wary of human technological advancements. Noticing the trail went cold, the Black Abyss Dragon King left a few telepathic declarations, deciding to let humans find and surrender the dragon pearl fragment themselves. The dragon pearl fragment was useless to humans, and it believed they wouldn¡¯t foolishly become enemies with the Dragon Palace. After speaking, the Black Dragon King turned its body and flew away under the anxious gaze of countless people. Only after its figure disappeared did the massive protective forces gathered in Shanghai breathe a sigh of relief, feeling a lingering dread. ¡°What on earth does that creature mean¡­¡± A retired First Generation stood on a high tower, puzzled as he watched the Black Dragon¡¯s departing silhouette. A dragon pearl fragment? Did Xia Country possess such an item? ¡°Damn, this guy is too arrogant.¡± After the Black Dragon left, a hot-tempered beastmaster immediately cursed. ¡°But it has the means to be arrogant.¡± ¡°Blast it with nukes,¡± someone retorted, ¡°just like other countries did.¡± ¡°Too difficult, the use of those weapons is heavily restricted with stringent conditions.¡± As they watched the Black Dragon King¡¯s departure, many were breathing heavily, feeling as if they had walked through the gates of death. Cold sweat broke out among the entire populace of Xia Country, yet globally, few nations felt a common sense of hostility. On the contrary, they were watching the situation unfold as a joke. The intelligence about the Black Dragon King¡¯s arrival in Shanghai was quickly gathered by major countries. ¡°So, this Eastern giant is also targeted by ferocious beasts, and it¡¯s a dragon-shaped ancient creature!!¡± ¡°I wonder what they plan to do.¡± ¡°This Black Dragon King should be from the Dragon Palace, a deep sea overlord. In case of conflict, nuclear weapons would be difficult to use effectively, and considering Xia Country¡¯s situation, they likely won¡¯t resort to nukes easily.¡± ¡°So, will they back down?¡± ¡°Same as before, cede territory and pay reparations with a friendly smile.¡± With disasters occurring frequently worldwide, even the Eagle Federation has experienced chaos caused by ancient creatures twice. Now that Xia Country faces a threat from such a being, it has immediately drawn global attention. There¡¯s even a considerable group of people lamenting why a direct conflict didn¡¯t break out. ¡°It actually left.¡± On the highest tower in Shanghai, Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying appeared, looking out at the now-calm sea region. The three were slightly breathless from their rushed journey. Understandably, they were quite tense approaching the situation, unsure of what they would face. Fortunately, the situation wasn¡¯t as dire. ¡°It really came for the dragon pearl fragment,¡± Manager Ying commented. ¡°It seems the Black Dragon King can vaguely sense the dragon pearl¡¯s energy, but can¡¯t pinpoint its exact location.¡± ¡°Since Qingyi has been living and training intensively in Shanghai, the residual energy here might be the strongest, attracting it over.¡± ¡°What should we do next? We don¡¯t have a dragon pearl fragment to give it,¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°Manager Ying, come on, even if there were a fragment available, we can¡¯t just hand it over,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I know that!¡± Manager Ying replied. Surrendering resources won¡¯t earn gratitude from the other side. Both the history of the blue star and the Star-Moon Continent teach one lesson: weakness only invites more oppression. If Xia Country were to back down to the Black Dragon King now, the only future waiting them would be rife with further extortion by ancient creatures. S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If a Black Dragon King can come today, tomorrow could see the arrival of a White Dragon King, and the day after, a Red Dragon King. In contrast, the Dragon Palace could gain significant notoriety in the beast world if it compelled a major human nation to submit. This stance taken by the Black Dragon King, regardless of whether Gu Qingyi can produce a dragon pearl fragment, inevitably strains the relationship between both sides. ¡°The other members of the twelve branches should be arriving soon.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet with them first,¡± Gu Qingyi said, sighing deeply. Lu Ran and Manager Ying could sense her frustration. ¡­ At the Shanghai Association, a meeting of the twelve branches was convened. With the exception of two members currently abroad, the other ten First Generation members gathered in Shanghai shortly after the Black Dragon King left. Lu Ran and Manager Ying, who were with Gu Qingyi, were exceptionally allowed to participate in the meeting. Thud. Someone thumped the table, annoyed. ¡°Why did this have to happen now? The former guild leader just entered the breakthrough secret realm not long ago, isn¡¯t that supposed to be confidential news?¡± ¡°Is it possible that the Black Dragon is a level 70 upper overlord? Even if the former guild leader were here, it would be hard for him to defeat it.¡± ¡°This is quite the dilemma you¡¯ve handed us,¡± someone remarked, as the group discussed the matter. Lin Nian, among them, also looked at Gu Qingyi with a sense of helplessness. Like Manager Ying, the First Generation knew how Gu Qingyi cultivated her Loong-type, so they understood what the Black Dragon King meant by a dragon pearl fragment. ¡°We must find a way to prepare for a confrontation. After all, it¡¯s unreasonable to expect Gu Qingyi to hand over her Vast Sea Azure Dragon that has fused with a dragon pearl fragment,¡± Shi Zhen said, sighing. ¡°But the Black Dragon King resides in the deep sea, making it impossible to initiate combat. If it shows up near Shanghai, even if we resist with all our might, it would cause significant destruction here, regardless of whether we can defeat it. Winning might be possible, but the cost would be hard to bear.¡± ¡°There are already discussions in the outside world, suggesting we just hand over the dragon pearl fragment,¡± Zishu said, holding up his phone. ¡°Of course, there are those who advocate for combat, and the internet is already abuzz with debates.¡± The First Generation members fell into silence. Fortunately, the public wasn¡¯t aware of the connection between the dragon pearl fragment and Gu Qingyi; otherwise, her situation could become incredibly awkward, with a high chance of moral pressure being applied on her. In times like these, most people might prefer to see an individual sacrifice their own interests for the sake of peace. ¡°The international alliance isn¡¯t offering any proactive support.¡± ¡°This situation¡­¡± Listening to the discussion, Gu Qingyi spoke up, ¡°This all started because of me, and I cannot let innocent people get hurt because of it.¡± ¡°So what can you do?¡± Lin Nian retorted, looking at her, ¡°Surrender?¡± Gu Qingyi responded calmly, ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Even if I end up dying, surrendering is not an option. I¡¯ll leave Xia Country and go to an uninhabited island to negotiate directly with the Black Dragon King. If it understands the dragon pearl fragment has already been used and stops pursuing it, that would be ideal.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not satisfied with that outcome and wants more, I¡¯ll fight it myself.¡± ¡°The fact that the Black Dragon didn¡¯t attack directly this time shows it¡¯s somewhat wary of human nations. After I confront it, regardless of the outcome, it¡¯s likely it won¡¯t attack Shanghai again.¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey -¡± Manager Ying chimed in from the side, ¡°Even if your Vast Sea Azure Dragon evolves into an upper overlord, you can¡¯t win a battle against it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re basically going to your death.¡± ¡°I agree,¡± Lin Nian said. ¡°But what about using Gu Qingyi as bait to lure the Black Dragon King elsewhere?¡± ¡°If negotiations fail, we¡¯ll strike the Black Dragon King together. I refuse to believe that, with so many of us, we can¡¯t take it down.¡± ¡°Does anyone disagree?¡± Shi Zhen, after a moment of silence, said, ¡°The risk seems too great. The high-level members might not approve of such a plan, especially with the former guild leader currently absent. A failure could mean devastation for Xia Country.¡± Lu Ran, who had been listening quietly, also felt the gravity of the situation intensifying. Ten days¡­ Among the First Generation, Lu Ran suddenly suggested, ¡°Perhaps we can offer the necromancy system as a reward to enlist strong individuals from other countries for assistance?¡± ¡°That might be a possibility, but given that we¡¯re facing a level 70 Loong-type boss, we wonder how strong these so-called allies can truly be. There¡¯s a fear that if things go slightly south, they¡¯ll just flee to Infinite City.¡± Zhu Kaixin shrugged, ¡°It feels like a dead end. We can¡¯t just do what the online critics are mocking, like ceding territory and paying compensation, offering resources to appease the Dragon Palace-it¡¯s unacceptable.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we let Dr. Gu face danger alone,¡± Lu Ran said, standing up. ¡°Let¡¯s not rush into a decision. We might see a turnaround within these ten days.¡± The group exchanged looks, understanding that it¡¯s impossible to reach a resolution in such a short time. ¡­ After the initial meeting of the twelve branches dispersed, the large conference room only had Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying remaining. ¡°Perhaps,¡± Gu Qingyi hesitated for a while, ¡°perhaps we should just go with my original suggestion. It seems like the way to minimize losses.¡± ¡°Dr. Gu, that¡¯s foolish,¡± Lu Ran replied, exasperated. ¡°Can you guarantee that sacrificing yourself will stop the Black Dragon King from attacking Xia Country? The dragons are greedy, and it might just demand even more.¡± ¡°With conventional strength¡­ it¡¯s indeed difficult to oppose that Black Dragon King.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll think of something, find a way¡­¡± Lu Ran frowned deeply. Gu Qingyi glanced at Lu Ran, slightly speechless. As a level 3 beastmaster, what could Lu Ran come up with? Yet, Gu Qingyi felt touched by Lu Ran¡¯s concern. ¡°Divine Deer,¡± Lu Ran said slowly. ¡°The Divine Deer is a legendary life, a retainer of the Creator Divine Loong, a level 100 legendary species. If we could secure the Divine Deer¡¯s help, the Black Dragon King wouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Manager Ying interjected. ¡°Where are you going to find a Divine Deer?¡± ¡°You¡¯re more likely to see my main body awaken than find a Divine Deer.¡± ¡°Could your main body really face the Black Dragon King?¡± Suddenly, a voice came from behind the door. Lin Nian, who had left earlier, seemed to have returned. Her eyes, shimmering with mental power, were fixed on Manager Ying. She asked, ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Manager Ying suddenly felt it had spoken too much, but then it looked at Gu Qingyi and turned its head seriously, saying, ¡°Little mind-power girl.¡± ¡°Do you want to take a gamble?¡± ¡°If Xia Country expends all its national power to try to awaken my main body, then perhaps I can give it a shot.¡± ¡°Manager Ying??¡± Gu Qingyi turned sharply to Manager Ying, puzzled by its sudden show of Domineering Energy. Wasn¡¯t this creature always complaining about its own weakness? ¡°Is it possible?¡± Lu Ran asked Lin Nian, ¡°Because I¡¯d like that too! If Xia Country¡¯s association could marshal its resources to enhance my current Pet Beast Legion, I would also want to participate. Though, to be honest, I¡¯m still more inclined to search for the Divine Deer.¡± Chapter 277: The Deeply Hidden Intelligence Dealer ¡°What are you doing?¡±If it were someone else, Manager Ying certainly wouldn¡¯t want to interfere. However, because of a good relationship with Gu Qingyi, Manager Ying had intended to use this opportunity to leverage Xia Country¡¯s resources to accelerate the awakening of its main body. But Lu Ran, this young man, always seems to want to stick his nose in everything. Lu Ran¡¯s resources +1. Cat¡¯s resources -1. Manager Ying calculated in its mind¡­ ¡°Your crow is only at level 40. Why are you causing trouble? Do you really expect to raise its swarm form to level 70 in just 10 days?¡± Manager Ying said indignantly. ¡°This isn¡¯t causing trouble,¡± Lu Ran analyzed. ¡°Who said I need the crow legion to face the Black Dragon head-on?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just focus on ganging up on the Black Dragon, it¡¯s not alone.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you, that the Dragon Palace is a deep-sea power gathering countless sea beasts? Besides a level 70 Black Dragon King, who knows how many subordinates the Black Dragon has.¡± ¡°In terms of the number of supernatural beings, the ocean completely overwhelms the land.¡± ¡°The Fishman Empire, such a colossal force, lost to the Dragon Palace. Surely, that wasn¡¯t all done by the Black Dragon alone?¡± ¡°By then, someone has to monitor this group of sea beasts.¡± ¡°My dark crows can scout from ultra-long distances, even across the ocean to check on the deep sea. A little investment won¡¯t be a waste of resources.¡± ¡°Moreover, in the case of unexpected developments ¨C like if you injure the Black Dragon heavily, but it escapes to the deep sea ¨C the only forces that might quickly locate it and deliver the finishing blow are likely the dark crow legion.¡± Lu Ran laid out the strategic value of the dark crows one point at a time, making Manager Ying pout. There seemed to be¡­ some logic? ¡°What is a swarm form?¡± Lin Nian asked slowly. What kind of trait allowed Lu Ran, as a level 3 beastmaster, to have the confidence to suppress numerous advanced sea beasts? Lu Ran replied, ¡°It¡¯s a legion talent. The more crows my Twin Crow controls, the higher its growth level becomes. Its current growth level is 40. After commanding the crows in Green Sea City, it can transform to reach level 45.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s with the supernatural crows hardly receiving any advanced training.¡± ¡°Green Sea City is just an ordinary city within a province, and even just commanding the supernatural crows in this area brings it to level 45. What if we expand this range?¡± ¡°For instance, if we look for advanced crows nationwide and attempt to command them.¡± ¡°Then, by investing resources and nurturing the crow flock, I believe the crow flock form of the dark crow could easily reach beyond level 50, maybe even nearing level 60!¡± ¡°Combined with its long-range reconnaissance and curse killing technique, while it might not affect the Black Dragon King directly, it can certainly instill fear among the Black Dragon King¡¯s subordinates.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Lin Nian remarked in surprise. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s that trait from the queen ant in the Legendary Secret Realm.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Indeed possible. Currently, Xia Country¡¯s high-end combat power is still too limited. I¡¯ll reconvene the twelve branches meeting for another vote,¡± Lin Nian said. The former guild leader had entered the breakthrough secret realm, and she was acting as the interim leader. Manager Ying claimed it could counter the Black Dragon, and Lu Ran asserted that the crow legion could overpower the Dragon Palace; she was willing to believe them. Next, as long as more than half of the twelve branches agree, the exquisite resources from the Alliance¡¯s resource bank can be allocated to Manager Ying, this unconventional totem guardian, and Lu Ran at this crucial moment without issue. In Lin Nian¡¯s view, this battle is one that must be fought. Not because she¡¯s belligerent. The reason is simple. It¡¯s clear that the Black Dragon doesn¡¯t take Xia Country seriously. Whether it¡¯s to establish the Dragon Palace¡¯s status globally or to showcase its own power, the Black Dragon has placed itself in an extremely domineering position. ? In fact, it does have this capability, as humanity currently lacks effective countermeasures against deep sea ferocious beast forces. Even handling ancient creatures on land is challenging, not because they can¡¯t be defeated, but because the cost of defeating them is too high. If ancient creatures invade human cities, should we use bombs or not? Whatever the case, the damage caused is unbearable for any nation. The Black Dragon is likely probing the limits of human countries. Preparing for further territorial invasions on land. Therefore, for future peace, Xia Country must decisively subdue the Black Dragon this time to deter other ancient creatures. If the beastmasters of Xia Country show the slightest weakness in this confrontation, it will only lead to more troubles in the future. However, if they successfully and decisively take down the Black Dragon, showcasing their power, other ancient creatures might think twice before causing trouble or trying to extort resources. This situation isn¡¯t exclusive to Xia Country; every human nation is likely to face the same challenge soon. The weak get bullied, treated like soft targets. Lin Nian left. Manager Ying sat in the chair, deep in thought. It seemed to be imagining its battle scene with the Black Dragon. ¡°Lu Ran¡­¡± At that moment, Gu Qingyi also pondered for a long time and said, ¡°Help me.¡± ¡°I want my vast sea azure dragon to evolve quickly.¡± Lu Ran looked at her helplessly and said, ¡°You specialize in Loong-type beasts. Even if your pet beast evolves, it won¡¯t make much difference in front of the Black Dragon; its bloodline will be heavily suppressed. Rushed evolution would also limit its future potential.¡± ¡°Why not just do as Lin Nian suggested and act as bait honestly?¡± ¡°The main fighters this time should be Manager Ying and its group of ancient creatures.¡± ¡°Once they take down the Black Dragon, you can then use the Black Dragon¡¯s Dragon Blood, Dragon Soul, and dragon pearl as evolution resources to help your vast sea azure dragon evolve.¡± ¡°Let it be arrogant a bit.¡± Gu Qingyi: ??? ¡°Meow??¡± Manager Ying was taken aback and just as it was about to say something, Lu Ran quickly patted it and said: ¡°Manager Ying, are you reliable? Do you really have the confidence to confront that Black Dragon?¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°One-on-one, I can¡¯t guarantee a 100% kill, but sealing it should be no problem.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran asked, ¡°Sealing?¡± ¡°Yes, sealing,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I can seal it within a certain domain or space for several years; that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡± ¡°This was initially a ¡®killer move¡¯ I used for escaping, sealing the enemy for a year or so so I could safely run away.¡± ¡°But it can be used against an enemy as well.¡± ¡°If we can seal it, that might, at least, count as resolving the crisis, right?¡± ¡°After all, by the time it breaks free from the Seal, you all should have leveraged Infinite City to level up quickly, making it easy to wipe it out.¡± ¡°Yes, I once encountered a formidable foe, an overlord of a higher level than it. I couldn¡¯t defeat it, but I did successfully seal it within my domain for two and a half years. By the time it broke free, I had already slipped away from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere,¡± Manager Ying chuckled. ¡°Just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s mouth twitched. Goodness, you used to say you were the weakest among the ancient creatures, but now you¡¯re talking about sealing a level 70 Dragon King? To escape¡­ you sealed an enemy in an interdimensional space for two and a half years??? This cat, something¡¯s off, really off. This domain is definitely not weak. On the contrary, it¡¯s incredibly strong. But¡­ this cat used it just to run away??? Manager Ying snorted and said, ¡°As an intelligence dealer, one of the basic principles is to never fully expose your information.¡± ¡°Qingyi, just do as Lu Ran said, don¡¯t rush evolution. This battle doesn¡¯t require you, so no need for psychological pressure.¡± ¡°As long as Xia Country is willing to invest resources to awaken my main body, I have the confidence to help resolve it for you all.¡± ¡°At the very least, I can Seal it for a year or so.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Gu Qingyi was momentarily at a loss for words. After a slight pause, she walked up and hugged Manager Ying unexpectedly, rubbing it wildly with a smile on her face. ¡°Manager Ying, so are you exposing your strength information for me this time?¡± ¡°Ugh-¡± Manager Ying didn¡¯t expect Gu Qingyi¡¯s embrace to be so overwhelming, and said, ¡°Enough.¡± Meanwhile, Lu Ran watched with dry amusement. ¡°Manager Ying, can you teach me this trick?¡± Lu Ran asked enviously. So that¡¯s what gave Manager Ying its confidence. ¡°I told you, my domain isn¡¯t suitable for you, it¡¯s hard to teach,¡± Manager Ying poked its head out and said, ¡°It involves space and time!!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it just about time? I have Time awakening resources too.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡­ Atop the tallest building in Shanghai. Lu Ran, clad in a necromancy robe, gazed deeply at the ocean. A summoning circle appeared, and two overlapping figures manifested behind Lu Ran. ¡°Big King!!!¡± The Twin Crow emerged and immediately spoke respectfully, sensing an imminent storm, its eyes keenly fixed on the direction of the ocean. Lu Ran glanced down at the citizens starting to hoard supplies again, feeling a headache coming on. Due to numerous global incidents of ferocious beasts attacking cities, the mere appearance of the Black Dragon King sent people nationwide into a hoarding frenzy. Oh well, matters of maintaining order and calming the public¡¯s nerves could be left to someone else. ¡°Dark Crow, from now on, I¡¯m lifting your restrictions. You can start expanding your territory from Green Sea City. First one province, then nationwide. I want you to integrate as many powerful supernatural Crows nationwide within seven days. Can you manage that?¡± S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Caw caw!!!¡± Dark Crow¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°No problem, Big King, leave it to me!!!¡± ¡°Go then-¡± Lu Ran waved his robe, and Dark Crow cawed mischievously, its body slowly merging into the clouds. Blood boiled within it, eager to expand the influence of the Green Sea¡¯s general beasts, but restrained because Lu Ran had never given the order. Lu Ran had no other choice. After all, the territory allocated by the Xia Country Association for raising wild ferocious beasts was initially just Green Sea. However, given the current pressing times and his now remarkable beast taming status, nearly comparable to one of the twelve branches and arguably second to none, expanding this territory was no longer an issue. With Dark Crow as the legion overlord capable of perfectly commanding the supernatural Crows, Lu Ran felt confident that even if they were integrated nationwide, the situation would remain controllable. In fact, it could become even more stable. Watching Dark Crow¡¯s departing figure, Lu Ran sighed a bit in regret. If only the Crow tribe legion could be brought into Infinite City, then he¡¯d be invincible. But that wasn¡¯t a big issue. Even reigning supreme on the Blue Star was quite impressive. After all, obtaining resources isn¡¯t limited to just Infinite City; the resources on Blue Star are still largely unexplored. For instance¡­ Dr. Gu¡¯s fortuitous resources. Lu Ran knew that Dr. Gu had some fortuitous encounter to be able to cultivate Loong-types. Darn, finding an exquisite dragon pearl fragment just randomly on the beach, her luck was better than his. ¡°So, how do you plan to find the divine deer next?¡± ¡°Are you going to use that divine deer antler as a medium?¡± After Dark Crow left, Manager Ying, in one of its clones, appeared beside Lu Ran and said, ¡°Actually, our biggest asset is still that divine deer antler of yours.¡± ¡°Directly inviting those two totem guardians to join the fight might not get a positive response.¡± ¡°But if we can ensure unlimited healing, that changes everything.¡± Currently, within Xia Country, there are two totem guardians: the Panda Guardian of the Youxiong Clan and a newly awakened supernatural Red-crowned Crane. However, inviting these two to battle might prove challenging, as Manager Ying assessed. The Red-crowned Crane is unwilling to leave the land of Xia Country, its habitat. It has promised to assist if the country faces an existential threat, but the issue of the Black Dragon King doesn¡¯t quite reach that level yet. On the other hand, the Panda Guardian is still in recovery. Its deal with Xia Country is merely for food. For just meals, having it risk itself in a weakened state is unlikely to work. Facing slightly weaker foes might be feasible, but fighting a Loong-type above its level is uncertain for the Panda Guardian¡¯s perspective. Without significant benefits, these two guardians certainly won¡¯t risk their lives as the main fighters against the Black Dragon King. ¡°Let¡¯s not worry about them right now. That¡¯s the Association¡¯s headache, figuring out how to communicate with them. We will focus on finding the divine deer. If we can find it, everything else follows,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°We¡¯ll tackle it on multiple fronts. Manager Ying, you can attempt to use the divine deer antler as a medium for the search.¡± ¡°And on another front, we¡¯ll still rely on faith.¡± ¡°Over the past few months, the Power of Faith from Lujia Village has significantly increased, but it¡¯s still not enough. This crisis¡­ well, can¡¯t exactly say divine intervention, but it does present an opportunity.¡± ¡°An opportunity?¡± ¡°With unrest across the nation, major news outlets are bound to feature stories about the ¡®Panda Guardian¡¯ and the ¡®Crane Guardian¡¯ to stabilize public sentiment.¡± ¡°I suppose, in times like these, mentioning an additional Guardian wouldn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°For instance, claiming that there¡¯s also a divine deer protecting Xia Country.¡± ¡°Without a doubt, in the quest for peace and safety, this would lead to a continuous flow of Power of Faith. With the endorsement of the Alliance, the people of Lujia Village would have even more trust in the divine deer.¡± ¡°Who knows, a surge in Power of Faith might just awaken the divine deer.¡± ¡°And even if we can¡¯t find the divine deer, I could have General Ha put on the divine deer antler and cosplay as the divine deer to serve as a battlefield healer. That would be just as if the divine deer had descended, without technically deceiving anyone.¡± ¡°What the heck!!!!¡± Manager Ying was astonished. Could it be that Lu Ran is truly a genius? Chapter 278: How Much Should We Trust A Black Dragon appeared off the coast of Shanghai, demanding resources from Xia Country. In just half a day, it became a hot topic worldwide.The response from Xia Country was swift. The Twelve Branches meeting approved two preparations for war on the same day. In terms of advanced resources, Manager Ying was allowed to select freely to awaken the main body. For basic resources, they coordinated with Lu Ran to cultivate a supernatural Crow to enhance the Dark Crow Legion. With the backing of Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran, Manager Ying, an intelligence dealer who had been dealing with the Xia Country Alliance for two years, seemed more reliable than the Panda Guardian or the Crane Guardian. At the same time, the Alliance used news media to reassure the public. Information about the Panda Guardian, Crane Guardian, Divine Deer, and others was released for the first time. ¡°With this lineup, what are we afraid of? Three Ancient Guardians-if that Black Dragon dares to come, it won¡¯t get away with it,¡± some young people excitedly exclaimed, though regretting their own weakness, wishing they could personally fight the dragon. ¡°I think we should handle this through peaceful negotiation. Even if we win, the cost may be too high to bear,¡± many ordinary people hoped to settle matters peacefully, not wanting to provoke the Black Dragon. Their worry was understandable. Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, nations have rarely achieved complete victory in battles against powerful ferocious beasts, often resulting in significant destruction of cities and severe casualties among ordinary people. Because of this, although the Xia Country Alliance was preparing for battle, they hadn¡¯t explicitly stated how they intended to handle the situation. Lujia Village. Unlike the anxiety elsewhere, the fourth-generation beastmasters in Lujia Village, led by Lu Bing, were pleasantly surprised. They watched the news reports with amazement. ¡°The Divine Deer!!¡± ¡°The official news mentioned the Divine Deer, stating it¡¯s a Guardian of Xia Country, always protecting us!¡± ¡°Not only that, the news also mentioned our Lujia Village!!!¡± In the news, to highlight the strong foundation of Xia Country, reporters conveyed the following narrative: In ancient times, the ancestors of Xia Country lived on this land in tribes, each protected by a formidable totem guardian. Among them was the Lu Clan, known for their bravery in battle, blessed by the Divine Deer, and renowned throughout ancient times. This clan, under the Divine Deer¡¯s blessing, has carried on the legacy to this day. The Strongest Fourth-Generation Beastmaster, the only Dragon Chef, and the pioneer of the overlord era, Lu Ran, the modern father of necromancy, comes from Lujia Village. ? With such recognition from the official Beastmaster Alliance of Xia Country, the name of Lujia Village instantly spread throughout the nation. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If the Xia Country officials simply claimed the existence of a ¡°Divine Deer,¡± ordinary people might not be convinced. However, when linked with Lu Ran, the entire nation had no choice but to believe it. ¡°Wow, Lu Ran is actually from a clan protected by an Ancient Totem Guardian?¡± ¡°What else did you think? Did you assume someone as extraordinary as Lu Ran could just rise from humble beginnings?¡± ¡°I see¡­ No wonder God Lu is so incredible. This adds another layer to his identity. I envy that I wasn¡¯t born in Lujia Village.¡± ¡°Being from a Totem Tribe isn¡¯t necessarily helpful. Even the Youxiong Clan¡¯s Youxiong Anlin, who is also from a Totem Tribe, couldn¡¯t defeat God Lu, could he?¡± ¡°Maybe the Panda Guardian isn¡¯t as strong as the Divine Deer. Giant pandas are so adorable; how could they possibly have any combat power? They¡¯re more like a Living Fossil mascot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Youxiong Anlin, is that polite?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the Panda Guardian, is that polite?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The internet buzzed with heated discussions. While the prowess of the Divine Deer might be unknown to netizens, Lu Ran¡¯s strength was a well-known fact. At this time, many people began to pray to the Three Guardians for protection. Even if some prayers weren¡¯t particularly sincere or grand, the sheer volume was overwhelming. The people of Xia Country, holding onto the belief of trusting just a little, hoped that the Three Guardians could protect them if ferocious beasts really came to wreak havoc in Xia Country. ¡°Oh my gosh.¡± In Lujia Village, even more extraordinary events were unfolding. Lu Bing and others gathered at the Village Committee, feeling overwhelmed by the relentless ringing of phones. In just a short time, calls flooded into Lujia Village from countless real estate companies and large enterprises offering donations to build projects, seemingly wanting to bask in the Divine Deer¡¯s protection. While outside was in flux, the mastermind behind all this had already returned to Lujia Village. Lu Ran sat cross-legged on a cloud, observing the increasingly mature and nearly tangible form of the deer spirit, an embodiment of faith, with a look of surprise. Well then. If he could find the divine deer, he would gladly name that Black Dragon the best MVP. The faith of Lujia Village in the divine deer provided support, but who knew how long it would take for these deer spirits to grow? However, after the current events, an inexplicable surge of the Power of Faith crossed space and arrived here. ¡°Hmm??¡± Since arriving in Lujia Village, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t gone down to meet Lu Bing and the others. Instead, he focused on observing the changes in the deer spirit. An endless stream of the Power of Faith was continually strengthening the deer spirit, its form evolving every moment. Until¡­ Lu Ran let out a small ¡°oh,¡± suddenly noticing that one of the deer spirits had finally broken free from the confines of Lujia Village and ventured beyond its bounds. This sight brightened his eyes with delight. ¡°Cloud baby, follow,¡± Lu Ran instructed the weather elf beneath him. The cloud cautiously tailed the roaming deer spirit. However, to Lu Ran¡¯s annoyance, the deer spirit, now free from Lujia Village¡¯s constraints, did not immediately lead him to traces of the divine deer as he had hoped. Instead, it walked a short distance and began grazing on grass. With no choice but to accept this, Lu Ran redirected his attention to the ruins space. Inside the Tree King¡¯s ruins space. The sudden death king was struggling miserably with defense. General Ha held sword grass in his mouth with the sword spirit by his side, learning and mimicking General Ha¡¯s attacks. ¡°Woof woof!!! (This is the Dragon Slayer Sword Intent!)¡± With divine speed, General Ha darted past the Dragon King¡¯s Shield with the sword grass in his mouth, leaving a deep sword mark. The fierce and tumultuous sword intent emanated from the mark, tearing apart the defenses of the sudden death king. The sword spirit had inherited General Ha¡¯s Blizzard Sword Intent and Soul Slashing Sword Intent and even awakened the Sky-Splitting Sword Intent of its own. However, it hadn¡¯t yet inherited the plant sword intent and Dragon Slayer Sword Intent. Upon hearing about a Black Dragon daring to provoke them, General Ha was eager to battle it. At that moment, he was teaching the corpse dog the Dragon Slayer Sword Intent, so that when the sword spirit possessed it, they could perform a combined Dragon-Slaying Sword Technique! ¡°Roar!!!¡± Under the Dragon King¡¯s Shield, the sudden death king gritted its teeth. That damn Black Dragon King. The sudden death king would remember this grudge. What was the point of acting up in Xia Country, causing this dog to go crazy as well? In the end, it was the one suffering. The sudden death king had rationally analyzed the situation with General Ha. That Black Dragon was level 70, an upper overlord species, while General Ha was not even level 40, and the sword spirit was below level 30. There was simply no way they could defeat the Black Dragon. Yet, at such times, General Ha would always show a wise expression, pretending not to understand. This led the sudden death king to suspect that General Ha merely wanted to use it as a test for the sword spirit, rather than actually wanting to challenge the Black Dragon King. Ridiculous! ¡°Roar!!!¡± the sudden death king bellowed within the ruins space, expressing its desire for a necromantic retainer of its own. Using its scales to forge a shield. Something to shield it from the burdens it shouldn¡¯t bear at its age. ¡°¡­¡± Lu Ran scratched his cheek thoughtfully; it wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t arrange it. General Ha had the sword spirit and would have sword grass in the future. The dark crow had an army of crow soldiers. The sudden death king did seem rather pitiful, still all alone. He couldn¡¯t very well assign cloud baby to accompany it. Cloud baby, with its Shapeshift at Will talent, was destined to be everyone¡¯s helper, not dedicated solely to assisting one pet beast. Upon reflection, replicating the creation of the corpse dog by using the sudden death king¡¯s dragon scales to forge a shield and awakening a shield spirit companion seemed the most fitting. ¡°Sudden death king, I understand your feelings,¡± Lu Ran communicated across the space, his voice resonating in the sky of the ruins: ¡°General Ha, corpse dog, hit a bit harder, knock off more scales.¡± Within the ruins, both General Ha and the corpse dog looked up in shock. The sudden death king also looked up in bewilderment, staring at ¡°Heavenly Lu Ran.¡± ¡°Roar???¡± ¡­ After briefly considering the mental well-being of the sudden death king and its companions, Lu Ran turned his attention back to the deer spirit. This faith-infused deer spirit, after gorging on the Power of Faith, simply collapsed on the spot, looking drowsy. Lu Ran felt a bit agitated, tempted to give it a kick to make it move. Thankfully though, even if this particular deer spirit wasn¡¯t very useful, as the Power of Faith strengthened, more and more deer spirits were breaking free from their geographic confines within Lujia Village and were beginning to venture out. They seemed to be transforming from merely the deer spirits of Lujia Village into deer spirits of the entire nation. ¡°Two tigers~ two tigers~ running fast¡­¡± Lu Ran was observing when his phone rang. After answering, he said: ¡°Dr. Gu? Is something up?¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Monitoring the deer spirits. Only I can see them. I have to keep an eye on them, otherwise, if they vanish without a trace, it¡¯d be troublesome.¡± ¡°Why, did something happen?¡± Lu Ran asked in confusion. Based on their division of tasks, Dr. Gu was supposed to be stationed at the sea region to check for any unusual activity. Of course, during this process, her vast sea azure dragon, merged with the dragon pearl, couldn¡¯t be released to avoid being detected by the Black Dragon King. ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°The Fishman Empire has sent its offspring to land in Xia Country, hoping to seek cooperation.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was surprised, but it made sense. The Fishman Empire¡¯s dragon pearl fragment was stolen by the Black Dragon King, and they suffered a great defeat in the war. Right now, the Fishman Empire probably hates the Dragon Palace and the Black Dragon King even more than Xia Country does. But they can¡¯t beat them in battle. In such a situation, the enemy of an enemy is a friend. It seems the Fishman Empire realized the Black Dragon has now focused its sights on Xia Country and sent an envoy to seek an alliance. ¡°According to intelligence, there¡¯s a fishman prince and a mermaid princess from the Fishman Empire. I remember you and Manager Ying mentioned that the old turtle in Green Sea City was captured by a fishman prince, right?¡± ¡°Could it be this one?¡± Lu Ran: ¡°!!!¡± Chapter 279: The Sincerity of the Fishman Empire ¡°It¡¯s possible!¡± Upon hearing that it was the culprit who abducted the black turtle, Lu Ran was instantly furious.This kid kidnapped the general of the King of Green Sea, and still has the audacity to propose an alliance. ¡°What does the official stance say?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°The Fishman Empire is quite sincere, and they are willing to send the Mermaid Princess to Xia Country for a marriage alliance, or to establish a contract with a human beastmaster.¡± ¡°They also promise that if Xia Country goes to war with the Dragon Palace, the Fishman Empire will send troops to help resist the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the Dragon Palace.¡± ¡°Their only objective is to bring down the Black Dragon King together.¡± While Lu Ran was lost in thought, Gu Qingyi continued, ¡°The high-level members believe an alliance is viable. Although there are risks in forming an alliance with the Ferocious Beasts Empire, having an ocean ferocious beast faction as an ally could indeed ensure the safety and stability of the coastal waters for a long time.¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯s one more condition from the Fishman Empire.¡± ¡°Why do they have so many demands,¡± Lu Ran said speechlessly. According to Manager Ying¡¯s intelligence, if it weren¡¯t for the Fishman King supposedly having some hidden cards keeping the Black Dragon King cautious, the Fishman Empire would have been wiped out by the Dragon Palace by now. ¡°What is it?¡± Lu Ran continued to ask. ¡°The Fishman Empire hopes that if Xia Country is willing to form an alliance, the Mermaid Princess¡¯s marriage partner would be you.¡± ¡°Additionally, if the contract route is chosen, they hope the contractor would be one of the twelve branches or you, to contract with the Mermaid Princess.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Lu Ran was stunned and said, ¡°Could it be that my handsomeness has already reached the deep sea?¡± Gu Qingyi¡¯s exasperated voice came from the other side, ¡°Ever since the Fishman Empire started interacting with the human Alliance, they¡¯ve always had the idea of a marriage alliance, targeting human superhumans.¡± ¡°Your status as a superhuman is no secret, and coupled with your prominence in the human world, it¡¯s only natural they would target your ¡®excellent genes¡¯!¡± ¡°Please allow me to refuse,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°Although I¡¯ve been single for 18 years, I¡¯m not desperate enough to marry a mermaid.¡± ¡°Is there a photo of the Mermaid Princess?¡± Gu Qingyi: ??? ¡°You said you refused.¡± ¡°Marriage alliance is out of the question, but a contract could be considered.¡± Lu Ran said righteously, ¡°If the talent is outstanding, contracting a new pet isn¡¯t a big deal.¡± Lu Ran looked down at the cloud baby beneath him. In fact, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t particularly eager to contract with the Mermaid Princess himself. The main issue was that his contract slots were too limited, and it wasn¡¯t worth sacrificing his potential to contract a pet beast with such a complex background just for the alliance. However, while he didn¡¯t have a contract slot, a pet beast could. If the cloud baby could contract a retainer like the Mermaid Princess, it would be perfect. Even though the weather elf has water abilities and can operate in the deep sea, it¡¯s not specialized in water. In this case, having a retainer specialized in water would undoubtedly make Lu Ran¡¯s activities in the blue star¡¯s sea region much more convenient in the future. ????? Originally, Lu Ran had a fleeting thought of letting the old turtle become a retainer for the cloud baby. But considering personality, Lu Ran indeed felt that the Mermaid Princess might be more pleasing to the eye. ¡°Enough already,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°How could there be a photo?¡± ¡°So, is it confirmed that we are allying with the Fishman Empire?¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Dr. Gu, hand me the communicator; I need to question that fishman prince about the black turtle situation.¡± ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t know the black turtle already had a master at first, it¡¯s still unacceptable that he ended up losing the black turtle to the Dragon Palace.¡± Lu Ran gritted his teeth, unwilling to let the fishman prince off so easily. Want an alliance? He¡¯d have to get past Lu Ran first. ¡­ The fishman prince was only level 49, a lower overlord species, with very weak abilities. Once on land, as long as he was under the surveillance of a First Generation, there was no way he could cause trouble. Inside a dimly lit room, a blue-skinned fishman with a blue shark head continually delighted in tasting various human world beverages. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, jolting him. Previously, regardless of who he faced, he never felt fear. But ever since the Fishman King, his greatest backing, was severely injured by the Black Dragon King, the fishman prince had become much more restrained. He was acutely aware that this mission to form an alliance with humans was crucial and couldn¡¯t afford failure. ¡°Fishman Prince.¡± Dr. Gu, clad in a black trench coat, entered the meeting room. She said, ¡°Originally, we had confirmed the alliance, but after an investigation, we discovered that the Fishman Empire has engaged in activities harming the interests of Xia Country.¡± ¡°How could that be!¡± The Fishman Prince clenched the bottle of Ice Black Tea 1 tightly and exclaimed. ¡°A few months ago, did you send a subordinate to the mainland to abduct a turtle?¡± Gu Qingyi released a wave of authority, leaving the Fishman Prince stunned in place. The bottle of Ice Black Tea fell to the ground. ¡°This, this¡­¡± The Fishman Prince suddenly remembered that something like this had indeed happened. A cold shiver ran through him as he looked into Gu Qingyi¡¯s eyes. He wanted to fabricate a lie but found it difficult to do so. ¡°It seems there was indeed such an incident,¡± he admitted. ¡°That turtle is a general of our King of Green Sea from Xia Country.¡± ¡°As for who the King of Green Sea is, it¡¯s precisely the superhuman you¡¯re seeking an alliance with-Lu Ran.¡± Fishman Prince: ??? ¡°Blah blah.¡± The Fishman Prince was dumbfounded. Gu Qingyi eyed him scrutinizingly and said, ¡°So, regardless of whether we form an alliance or not, to show sincerity, shouldn¡¯t the Fishman Empire return and release the King of Green Sea¡¯s black turtle general?¡± The Fishman Prince¡¯s eyes were on the verge of tears. ¡°I didn¡¯t know the old turtle had this kind of identity at first.¡± ¡°Once it was with me, it didn¡¯t say anything either.¡± ¡°I just noticed its unique strength, so I sent someone to invite it to serve me.¡± ¡°After inviting it, not only did it not reveal its identity, but it also expressed willingness to serve me. I even rewarded it with all kinds of resources to enhance its strength¡­ There was no mistreatment whatsoever!¡± Gu Qingyi was speechless. Of course! If that old turtle had been captured and started shouting, ¡®Release me, or my big king won¡¯t spare you,¡¯ it wouldn¡¯t have survived. It definitely had to bide its time and wait for rescue. From this perspective, Lu Ran¡¯s black turtle general had some brains. It knew to enjoy the Fishman Empire¡¯s offerings while waiting for rescue. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s acceptable,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°So, when will you release the turtle?¡± ¡°This, this¡­¡± The Fishman Prince was at a loss for words, looking aggrieved. ¡°The black turtle general¡­ the black turtle general¡­¡± ¡°The black turtle general has outstanding talent, and with the resources I provided, its Dragon¡¯s Bloodline has been greatly enhanced.¡± ¡°But then the Dragon Palace rose to power, and the Black Dragon King¡¯s generals started capturing dragon-blood creatures to join the Dragon Palace and serve them¡­¡± ¡°The black turtle general¡­ was accidentally captured by the Dragon Palace. I failed to rescue it in time.¡± ¡°This is my fault.¡± The Fishman Prince gritted his teeth, realizing he had made a significant mistake. He hadn¡¯t expected that his thoughtless action from so long ago would offend the King of Green Sea, Lu Ran. ¡°I¡¯m willing to offer an additional gift to seek my brother-in-law¡¯s forgiveness.¡± ¡°When we go to war with the Dragon Palace again, I will certainly help my brother-in-law retrieve the black turtle general, ensuring its safe return.¡± Gu Qingyi: ??? ¡°What kind of gift?¡± S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gu Qingyi didn¡¯t pay attention to the Fishman Prince¡¯s form of address. She knew Lu Ran¡¯s intention was to find out about the black turtle¡¯s situation and maybe get some compensation for the losses. ¡°A divine stone fragment!!¡± The Fishman Prince raised his head and said, ¡°I am willing to give my brother-in-law a divine stone fragment!¡± ¡°Divine stone fragment?¡± Gu Qingyi looked confused, wondering what that was. ¡°Yes, actually, the divine stone fragment was given to me by my father¡­¡± ¡°Originally, our family was in deep sea slumber, but one day, a nine-colored divine stone fell into the ocean, shattering the earth, releasing countless natural energies, and allowing us to awaken.¡± ¡°That nine-colored divine stone, much like the dragon pearl of old, shattered into many fragments and scattered across the deep sea, claimed by countless supernatural creatures.¡± ¡°Our family was fortunate to acquire three pieces; my father gave one to me and one to my younger sister.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still carrying it now.¡± With that, the Fishman Prince reached into his throat, and shortly after, a stone shimmering with nine colors appeared before Gu Qingyi. In fact, as soon as the Fishman Prince mentioned the origin of the divine stone fragment, Gu Qingyi realized what it was. When Infinite City carried out its spiritual energy revival update, the global revival of spiritual energy was triggered by a nine-colored meteorite that fell into the ocean! At that time, exploration teams from various countries immediately started searching for that nine-colored meteorite, but unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t find it. So it shattered into many fragments distributed among ocean creatures? [Name]: Nine-colored Meteorite Fragment [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A mystical meteorite from beyond the skies that, when carried, can slowly enhance the growth level of pet beasts. Gu Qingyi: !!! ¡°My father said that even if you don¡¯t train while carrying this divine stone fragment, your own strength can gradually improve. If you pair it with training, the enhancement is even more noticeable,¡± the Fishman Prince explained. The Fishman Prince was convinced this was a valuable item. However, he felt that the divine stone fragment wasn¡¯t something indispensable to him, and using it as compensation should be sufficient. ¡­ ¡°The meteorite actually shattered into numerous fragments?¡± Lu Ran was stunned upon receiving this intelligence from Gu Qingyi. Learning about the effects and level of the nine-colored meteorite fragment surprised him even more. Wow, it¡¯s practically an automatic training hack. Based on the images captured by satellites at the time, that nine-colored meteorite was enormous. How many pieces did such a large meteorite finally break into? Lu Ran already had a healthy respect for the deep sea, but now he realized that the deep sea definitely harbors many advanced ferocious beasts. Because who knows how many supernatural sea beasts obtained these nine-colored meteorite fragments. The overall level of these creatures is undoubtedly very high, surpassing land-based beasts. ¡°Is it possible to collect them¡­¡± As soon as Lu Ran considered the possibility of a large number of meteorite fragments still in the deep sea, he was excited. Maybe these fragments wouldn¡¯t significantly impact each of his Main Pet, but for Lu Ran, who followed a legion school, nurturing the subordinates of his Main Pet was the challenge. If he could gather a bunch of meteorite fragments, the overall strength of his Pet Beast Legion would definitely increase significantly. ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± Dr. Gu¡¯s voice came through once more to Lu Ran¡¯s ears. ¡°So, how is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Lu Ran sighed, ¡°Considering the Fishman Prince didn¡¯t mistreat the old turtle and invested a lot of resources, I won¡¯t hold this matter against him.¡± ¡°As for the old turtle being taken by the Dragon Palace again, let¡¯s just let it get familiar with the environment there for now.¡± ¡°Once we take down the Black Dragon King, we can support Dr. Gu¡¯s Vast Sea Azure Dragon to ascend as the new Dragon King of the Dragon Palace.¡± ¡°At that time, the black turtle general can become the Turtle Prime Minister.¡± ¡°I remember there¡¯s a big guild in Infinite City No.3 called Dragon Palace City, founded by your fans, right? Well, the true Dragon Palace is coming now.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Gu Qingyi choked a bit. ¡°Do you need the meteorite fragment urgently? If you do, I¡¯ll have a pet beast deliver it to you.¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°The meteorite fragment¡­ Please help and send it over.¡± ¡­ After finishing the call with Dr. Gu, Lu Ran patted the weather elf he was riding and asked, ¡°If I let you contract a retainer, what would you like?¡± ¡°A divine dragon, a turtle, or a Mermaid Princess?¡± ¡°Forget about whales or sharks.¡± Cloud Baby fell into contemplative turmoil. It whined a bit. It¡­ wants¡­ all of them! Having just one subordinate doesn¡¯t really make it a boss, right? It wants a black and white orca as a little brother to rival General Ha. It wants a domineering dragon as a little brother to match the Sudden Death King. It wants a whale that can transform into a bird, a Kun Peng subordinate to compete with the Dark Crow! While Lu Ran was teasing Cloud Baby, suddenly, numerous deer spirits of Faith all looked in one direction and began running swiftly. Seeing this, Lu Ran immediately became alert, interrupting the weather elf¡¯s thoughts. He patted it and said, ¡°Quick, follow that direction!¡± ¡­ The deer spirits kept running while Lu Ran and his companions followed. Although no one could tell exactly why the deer spirits suddenly went wild, Lu Ran was full of anticipation. However, it ended up feeling like the deer spirits were playing a joke on Lu Ran. After sprinting a considerable distance and passing through a city, they stopped and gently grazed on the grass. Lu Ran was both exasperated and amused. Fortunately, the arrival of a white feathered dragon lifted Lu Ran¡¯s spirits, leaving him in a much better mood. This is another one of Dr. Gu¡¯s pet beasts, a feathered sub-dragon that evolved from a bird. It flew over here to deliver the nine-colored meteorite fragment to Lu Ran. After receiving the nine-colored meteorite, Lu Ran tossed a portion of Dragon Cuisine to the feathered dragon as thanks, and then temporarily entered the space within the ruins. He had to trouble Dr. Gu¡¯s pet beast to make the delivery because Lu Ran had a sudden thought. Considering that this meteorite holds magical powers, could it be used for the Sudden Death King to gain some insights? After all, the Sudden Death King has often been mimicking meteorites recently, jumping down from high places. This meteorite might help the Sudden Death King learn meteor intent and be somewhat beneficial! ¡°Wait a minute, this meteorite shattered when it hit the seabed, doesn¡¯t that imply it¡¯s not very sturdy? If the Sudden Death King mimics it, won¡¯t it end up shattering too?¡± Footnote: Ice Black Tea(±ùºì²è): Ice Black Tea is a cold beverage made by brewing black tea and then chilling it. Chapter 280: Finally Meeting the Divine Deer Inside the ruins space.General Ha and the Little Sword Spirit were still sparring with the Sudden Death King. ¡°Shushaa shushaa¡­¡± General Ha held the sword grass in its mouth, and due to the intense slashes, its drool had frozen into icicles. ¡°Woof woof!¡± The Little Sword Spirit transformed into an Erha Crescent Blade, bending its spirit sword body, leveraging the dog¡¯s strength, flying back and forth slashing at the Sudden Death King. ¡°Roar roar!!!¡± The Sudden Death King was having a headache. If it was just General Ha, Sudden Death King would counterattack a bit to increase the training intensity for General Ha. Allowing General Ha to experience the dangers from the king of counterattacks. However, since General Ha had a little sword spirit baby with it, the Sudden Death King was hesitant to strike back too hard, fearing that one counter could instantly finish the sword spirit. And it would be the kind of instant finish that even a divine deer pendant couldn¡¯t heal. But actually, this problem is quite easy to solve. All General Ha needed to do was have the sword spirit possess it. Currently, its teaching method was to let the sword spirit observe and imitate the execution of the Dragon Slayer Sword Intent. However, there was another teaching method, which was to allow the sword spirit to possess its body and personally experience the Dragon Slayer Sword Intent. In that scenario, while the two are united, the primary damage would be absorbed by General Ha¡¯s body, thus sparing the sword spirit from severe impact. It¡¯s just that General Ha was indeed quite cunning, choosing not to use the second teaching method, simply to avoid the Sudden Death King¡¯s counterattacks and not wanting to get injured itself. Nevertheless, although General Ha was thinking beautifully, Lu Ran, the troublemaker, wasn¡¯t planning to let General Ha and the sword spirit learn so easily. The efficiency of this teaching was just too low. General Ha only taught the sword spirit the Dragon Slayer Sword Intent; besides that, they didn¡¯t receive any other kind of training. As for the Sudden Death King, it only improved its defense, without gaining other forms of development. Now with the arrival of the nine-colored meteorite fragment, Lu Ran, the troublemaker, immediately upgraded their training content. After Lu Ran¡¯s meddling, the Sudden Death King equipped the meteorite fragment, transitioning from being a mere punching bag back to using the meteorite training method. ? The sword spirit also possessed General Ha, and now this dog and sword pair¡¯s new training content shifted directly from ¡°slashing the Sudden Death King target¡± to ¡°slashing the meteorite.¡± This shift in training not only left the Sudden Death King stunned but also left General Ha and the corpse dog completely bewildered. For General Ha and the corpse dog, if they couldn¡¯t slash the Sudden Death King back into the sky, they faced the possibility of being directly smashed into a deep pit. As for the Sudden Death King, aside from being slashed, it could potentially suffer secondary damage from crashing into the ground, making it a truly high-pressure training session. On the bright side, the training levels significantly elevated beyond the previous monotonous routine-adding the learning of meteor intent for the Sudden Death King, enhancing the possession ability of the Little Sword Spirit, and increasing General Ha¡¯s resilience to blows. It efficiently achieved multiple objectives with one action. ¡°As expected of me,¡± Lu Ran remarked after implementing the new training content. He promptly wrapped up and left, unconcerned that General Ha and the others might somehow ruin the ruins space. Just kidding, this space was reconstructed by a level 8 legendary Plantmaster, and it¡¯s sturdier than the training secret realm by countless times. If General Ha and the Sudden Death King managed to tear it down, he might as well take on their surname. ¡­ ¡°Hey-what gives?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only been gone for a few minutes, and you guys are playing hide-and-seek with me.¡± After adjusting General Ha¡¯s training content, Lu Ran returned to the floating Cloud Baby. Using his Raven¡¯s Eye, he noticed the Deer Spirit had momentarily stopped but suddenly began running again, quickly darting far away at the blink of an eye. Seeing this, Lu Ran immediately commanded the Weather Elf to keep pace. Lu Ran realized that this herd of deer spirits ran when tired, ate to regain their strength, and then ran again-it was a pattern! However, since he didn¡¯t know where they were ultimately headed, following them was rather mentally exhausting for him. Of course, while tracking them, Lu Ran didn¡¯t always stare at them intensely. Most of the time, he busied himself with his own tasks. For example, setting up a pot mid-air to prepare extra backup meals¡­ Thus, after three days of observation, Fang Lan emerged from the breakthrough secret realm. Unfortunately, due to the Black Dragon King incident, as a level 2 Beastmaster, she couldn¡¯t contribute much. If the former guild leader returned from the breakthrough secret realm, it might be a different story. A level 60 and above Overlord Qilin, combined with the former guild leader¡¯s beast taming skills, wouldn¡¯t necessarily be inferior to the Panda Guardian or the Crane Guardian. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about Fang Lan¡¯s situation later,¡± Lu Ran muttered to himself atop the cloud. Originally, if it hadn¡¯t been for the Black Dragon King incident, Lu Ran would have happily continued afforesting Green Sea City by transplanting the Death Forest there, allowing Fang Lan to freely select and cultivate her poison plants. But now, this affair might have to be postponed for a few days. Tracking down the deer spirits was more pressing! As Lu Ran continued to track the deer spirits over several days, their figures became increasingly majestic with the spreading fame of the divine deer, and they ran for longer periods. Finally, persistence paid off, and this herd of divine deer stopped completely after traversing several provinces, coming to rest in a nature reserve. ¡°Meee~~~~¡± ¡°Meee~~~~¡± Upon reaching the forested mountains of the nature reserve, the deer spirits became highly excited and exuberant. Sitting on the cloud, Lu Ran calmly observed them. Over the past days, Lu Ran¡¯s patience had been thoroughly tested and honed. Unless he saw the divine deer itself, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t prematurely celebrate due to the deer spirits¡¯ unusual behavior. Fortunately, this time, it seemed the deer spirits weren¡¯t playing tricks on Lu Ran. Upon arriving at this place, it was as if they had completed their mission. Amid their enthusiastic calls, they all transformed into faint light orbs and dissipated into the air. With a slight jolt in his heart, Lu Ran surveyed his surroundings and discovered, following their disappearance, the entrance to a secret realm appeared here, resembling a dimensional portal. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Feeling a surge of tension, Lu Ran quickly leaped down from the cloud. Approaching the secret realm entrance, he felt no fear for his safety and decided to attempt entry. However, the first time he tried, Lu Ran¡¯s entire body passed through the portal like it was air, emerging on the other side, indicating a failed entry attempt. He realized that entering might require a key. ¡°The divine antler.¡± Lu Ran took out the divine deer antler, gripping it tightly. The Weather Elf nestled in his hat, watching the portal. This time, holding the divine antler, Lu Ran smoothly entered the secret realm entrance, seemingly crossing through space. His figure disappeared in a flash, traveling from the Blue Star space to another realm. Buzz! Lu Ran¡¯s mind buzzed. Gradually, his vision shifted from black to white. This space was completely white, and as soon as Lu Ran entered, he realized that this space was definitely not created by the Infinite City. Because whenever he entered a trial secret realm opened by the Infinite City, there would always be a system prompt. However, this secret realm seemed like a genuine real-world secret realm, with no trace of interference from the Infinite City. Walking through the pristine white space, Lu Ran looked around, about to call out, when suddenly his heart began to beat rapidly. Turning around, he found himself staring at a majestic white divine deer lying quietly on the ground with its eyes closed. The divine deer had twelve antlers resembling colorful branches extending from its head. Its pure white body shimmered with light points like golden stars, giving it a sacred, elegant, and beautiful appearance. ¡°A divine deer?¡± As Lu Ran¡¯s heart raced, the information about this deer appeared before him. [Name]: ??? [Attribute]: ??? S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Species level]: ??? [Growth level]: ??? ¡°Darn it!¡± Lu Ran cursed under his breath upon seeing only question marks displayed by the eye of data. Was the intermediate eye of data insufficient to read the divine deer¡¯s information? Speaking of which, how does one acquire an advanced eye of data, anyway? He had already achieved several SSS ratings, yet the Infinite City had still not leveled up his eye of data¡­ While Lu Ran was grumbling internally, the previously closed-eyed divine deer finally opened its eyes. As it moved, Lu Ran immediately stopped his train of thought. The divine deer¡¯s golden-green eyes were as captivating as deep stars, drawing Lu Ran¡¯s mind in. For the first time, Lu Ran felt the gap in the hierarchy of life. ¡°Divine deer¡­¡± he murmured, while the Weather Elf in his hat shrank back, not daring to show itself. ¡°Are you¡­ the divine deer?¡± Lu Ran asked again, nervously. The divine deer slowly stood up, carrying an air of nobility. Looking into the void, it seemed to respond to Lu Ran. [¡°I wouldn¡¯t have imagined so much time has passed.¡±] After gazing into the void for a moment, it turned its attention to the antler in Lu Ran¡¯s hand. [¡°I am the divine deer, yet I am not the divine deer.¡±] [¡°You can see me as a clone of the divine deer shaped by energy.¡±] Energy shaping at the third stage-life shaping? ¡°Lord Divine Deer!¡± Lu Ran couldn¡¯t care less about main body or clone distinctions. This was the first legendary living creature he had ever encountered, and he was thrilled beyond measure. ¡°I am your devoted follower!!!¡± The divine deer scrutinized Lu Ran and shook its head, communicating telepathically: [Yet I do not feel any Power of Faith coming from you.] Lu Ran: ??? Lu Ran¡¯s hand, holding the antler, froze in midair. ¡°That can¡¯t be right¡­¡± [That¡¯s not important.] The divine deer looked at Lu Ran. [The fact that you have found this place means the spiritual energy on Blue Star has revived, and you must have many questions. I will help you find the answers.] [If you wish, go ahead and ask your questions.] Lu Ran nodded emphatically. He indeed had many questions. To meet a legendary divine deer, Lu Ran felt as if he was close to grasping the truth of the world. He lifted his head, took a deep breath, and asked, ¡°Lord Divine Deer, as I understand, you are the retainer of the Life Divine Dragon, one of the Four Great Creator Divine Dragons from Star-Moon Continent. But the Star-Moon Continent and Blue Star are not the same place. How did you come to Blue Star, why did you come, and why did you become our Guardian in Lujia Village?¡± [A disaster once struck the Star-Moon Continent, during which part of life forms, as seeds, were teleported to this planet to thrive. I followed to ensure these seeds could successfully transform into life.] Lu Ran¡¯s mouth dropped slightly, his pupils shaking. ¡°So, humans from the Star-Moon Continent and humans from Blue Star originate from the same source???¡± [As for why I protected a group of humans, it was because I knew I wouldn¡¯t remain on Blue Star for long and hoped to have a group of followers to maintain the ecological balance of Blue Star.] [However, before that day came, the environment on Blue Star dramatically changed, forcing me to leave this planet, leaving only a dormant clone behind.] Reflecting on the past, the divine deer continued: [Upon leaving, I left behind an antler and blessed that group, foreseeing that one day, someone with outstanding talent would come, holding the antler, to find this place and awaken my clone.] [It seems that person is you.] After a brief silence, Lu Ran spoke up, ¡°By the way! The Infinite City, Lord Divine Deer, do you know of its existence?¡± The divine deer shook its head: [I am aware of its existence but do not know its origins. Even the Mechanical God might not be able to create such a facility. If anyone could, perhaps it would be the Four Great Divine Dragons. However, these dragons, who govern life, death, and the fabric of space-time, have been missing for a long time. I cannot confirm whether the Infinite City is related to them.] Even the divine deer¡­ doesn¡¯t know about the Infinite City¡¯s origins. For a moment, Lu Ran felt a bit lost. What exactly is the origin of the Infinite City? [Human child, do you have any other questions?] Human child??? Lu Ran¡¯s expression twitched. Although he was still young, he was definitely an adult by now. How could he be likened to a human child! Chapter 281: The Legend Apostle ¡°Yes, there are many.¡±Lu Ran said, ¡°Why is it that humans on the Blue Star cannot carve out a Beast Taming Space like those on the Star-Moon Continent¡­¡± This question had always been a point of contention for Lu Ran. It was also a dilemma that the countries on the Blue Star had been facing. Especially after learning that the beastmasters of the Star Moon Federation are not bound by the black card and can train freely, countries have become more concerned. [Evolution.] [Because the human seeds sent to the Blue Star began evolving from the ¡®low level.¡¯] [The Beast Taming Space is essentially a species talent, a capability only mastered by high-level humans.] [The humans on the Blue Star have not yet evolved to a life level sufficient to grasp the Beast Taming Space.] [Meanwhile, the humans on the Star-Moon Continent have completed this stage of evolution.] The divine deer¡¯s mind was calm, but Lu Ran was somewhat dazed. [How can one evolve?] He pursued. [I do not know.] [However, if my main body were here, I might help you achieve life evolution through legendary power. Other methods you must explore on your own.] Lu Ran felt a wave of despair; he thought it would be better if the divine deer hadn¡¯t mentioned it. ¡°Lord Divine Deer, if I have the opportunity to go to the Star-Moon Continent, can you help me evolve to possess the Beast Taming Space?¡± Facing Lu Ran¡¯s request, the divine deer gave him a deep look. The mind conveyed: [The fact that you have awakened a Special Ability through my blessing indicates your talent is exceptional among the Blue Star humans.] [Would you be willing to become my envoy?] Lu Ran was taken aback. Truth be told, the divine deer might not be aware that Lu Ran had long regarded himself as the divine deer¡¯s envoy. However, when faced with this genuine opportunity, Lu Ran did not agree immediately. Instead, he cautiously asked, ¡°Lord Divine Deer, what must I do to become the divine deer¡¯s envoy?¡± ? The divine deer seemed momentarily absent-minded. [The four divine dragons created the world and maintain the balance of life, death, time, and space, but now they have disappeared, leaving the stability of the Star-Moon Continent facing severe challenges.] ¡°External foes?¡± Lu Ran asked. [Civil strife alone is enough to destroy the world.] [For countless years, the Star-Moon Continent has seen the birth of new legendary creatures, one after another. They vie for resources and battle each other, their actions bringing chaos and frequent disasters to the continent.] [There are struggles for territory between the sea god and the continent god.] [There are conflicts between plant spirits and animal spirits, based on their species.] [There are disputes over Faith among the totem spirits.] S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [As retainers of the four great divine dragons, our duty is to maintain the balance and stability of the continent.] [When the four lord dragons were still present, with their power, we could easily prevent legendary disasters as we traveled across the continent.] [But after the disappearance of these four lord dragons, our own strength is no longer sufficient to counterbalance the legends.] [As my envoy, your task is to grow stronger so that one day, you can assist me in suppressing these legendary disasters!] ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Ran felt his scalp tingle upon hearing this task. Okay, I¡¯m not even a legend yet, isn¡¯t suppressing a legendary disaster still quite far off? However¡­ ¡°Lord Divine Deer, I can.¡± ¡°Without your antler, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am today.¡± ¡°One day, when my strength reaches the legendary realm, I will surely share your concerns.¡± ¡°I would not hesitate to ascend a mountain of knives or descend into seas of fire,¡± Lu Ran said, his headache fleeting, as he did not refuse the role of the divine deer¡¯s envoy. It¡¯s just about suppressing legends, after all. As the most promising beastmaster of the blue star, he is confident that, like the legends of those four eras on the Star-Moon Continent, he will touch that divine realm. [Very well, I will wait for you on the Star-Moon Continent.] nodded the divine deer. [Although the remaining strength I have cannot open a Beast Taming Space for you, I can still offer you another form of help.] ¡°Wait, Lord Divine Deer, how am I supposed to get to the Star-Moon Continent?¡± Lu Ran suddenly asked, puzzled. Now, this Star-Moon Continent seems like an alien civilization. Is it another planet? Could it be that he needs to contract a pet beast capable of cosmic travel¡­ and search slowly? [When I first came to the blue star, I was not alone; other retainers of the dragons came with me. Before they left, they likely set up a teleportation circle on the blue star. You just need to find that teleportation circle.] After the divine deer granted enlightenment, its antlers shone brightly, and at the same time, a glow enveloped Lu Ran. Following a chilly sensation, Lu Ran suddenly looked puzzled. He felt that one of his beast taming skills had been enhanced. [Name]: Retainer [Introduction]: The current effect allows a pet beast under contract to have two retainers. After contracting, retainer life can receive an enhancement in strength, talent, or bloodline from the Main Pet. When retainer life and the Main Pet fight side by side, retainer life can utilize a ¡°fusion skill¡± attached to the Main Pet. Special effect: Retainer life can be considered as one with the main life, entering the same Beast Taming Space. Lu Ran: ??? [As a retainer of the Life Divine Dragon, I have a certain understanding of the power of retainers. I detected that you also cultivate this power, so I enhanced your retainer skill. From now on, your training in this skill will be twice as effective. I hope you can use this power to grow quickly.] Lu Ran was bewildered; he hadn¡¯t expected the divine deer to enhance his retainer beast taming skill. Now the effects of the retainer skill absolutely stunned Lu Ran. Does this mean that General Ha, besides the sword spirit, could soon contract the sword grass as well? And the most revolutionary part is not the increase in the number of retainers. Rather, it¡¯s the special effect that retainer life can be considered as one with the main life, entering the same Beast Taming Space. Doesn¡¯t this mean that three pet beasts will only occupy one contract slot? Wait¡­ he doesn¡¯t have a Beast Taming Space. However, the black card should serve as an alternative Beast Taming Space! Is it possible that the sword spirit, sword grass, and General Ha could all enter one black card, acting as a single pet beast in combat? Could this blessing from the divine deer exploit a bug in Infinite City?? Lu Ran¡¯s heart raced, feeling it was indeed possible, especially since the sword spirit had already exploited a minor bug, indicating that the oversight in Infinite City is not very strict. If he could exploit this bug, it would be incredibly powerful, effectively multiplying the contract slots! Lu Ran immediately thanked the divine deer. ¡°Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!!!¡± The weather elf was thrilled, even though Lu Ran hadn¡¯t yet developed the retainer skill to the level where a second, third, or fourth pet beast could also be contracted as a retainer. Nevertheless, it eagerly anticipated the day it could contract a retainer of its own. ¡°Pitter-patter, pitter-patter!!!¡± At the same time, after confirming that the divine deer was benevolent, the weather elf nudged Lu Ran slightly, reminding him whether he had forgotten the main purpose. Of course, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t forgotten. Still, having received so many benefits from the divine deer and becoming its envoy, he felt a bit awkward about asking for more help without having done anything in return, even though he usually wasn¡¯t so easily embarrassed. [Is there something else? Feel free to speak.] The divine deer¡¯s clone seemed to have noticed that Lu Ran had more to say. ¡°Lord Divine Deer, the surge in deer spirit faith outside, which I used to find you, is due to an incident,¡± Lu Ran explained briefly about the threat posed by the Black Dragon. However, the divine deer shook its head at this. [At this time, I do not possess any power. The Power of Faith that has gathered can only sustain my clone¡¯s awakening momentarily to pass on some skill experience to you. Soon, I will dissipate completely. I cannot help you with this matter; you will need to resolve it yourself.] ¡°I understand.¡± Although the divine deer couldn¡¯t assist, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too disheartened, as they hadn¡¯t pinned all their hopes on the divine deer from the start. If Manager Ying proved to be reliable, they could also deal with the Black Dragon King perfectly. [Hmm.] The divine deer nodded. It gave Lu Ran one last look, its thoughts active for the first time: [A seemingly unreliable young human from the Blue Star, though exceptionally talented, lacks a stable character, possibly due to youth and inexperience. Hopefully, he will grow after arriving at the Star-Moon Continent.] The divine deer didn¡¯t have high expectations for Lu Ran, considering it more of an investment in a human fledgling. After all¡­ even the four legendary beastmasters born on the Star-Moon Continent, with their extraordinary talents, could only contend with legends. Reaching a level where they could suppress legends was still too challenging. ¡­ Outside World. Lu Ran emerged from the Divine Deer¡¯s secret realm, and as soon as he exited, the realm completely collapsed. ¡°A Blue Star person and a Star-Moon person.¡± ¡°Unbelievable.¡± Having gained so much crucial information from the Divine Deer, Lu Ran felt that Manager Ying would certainly be at his mercy afterward. This intelligence was truly priceless. However, the problem was¡­ Manager Ying, as an intelligence dealer, was in it to earn money to awaken her main body. Once her main body was awake, would she still care about such information? ¡°There are many ways to make money, but she chose intelligence work, which shows it¡¯s in her nature.¡± ¡°Curiosity killed the cat. I guess I can still handle her,¡± Lu Ran self-assuredly thought, and then he began notifying relevant parties one by one. He informed Dr. Gu that the Divine Deer lead had failed as it could not be used against the Black Dragon. Dr. Gu wasn¡¯t surprised by this outcome. She replied: [Manager Ying¡¯s main body has already awakened and is currently gathering strength. There¡¯s no issue on this end, so you should personally keep an eye on your crows.] [OKK.] Lu Ran responded. The dark crows were indeed the main force against the Dragon Palace. The strength of Lu Ran¡¯s dark crow legion was that, even from Green Sea City, a dark crow could kill a general within the Dragon Palace with just a glance, across the endless sea region. This was the strategic value of the dark crows. Of course, it did strain their eyes a bit. However, for Lu Ran, who possessed the Divine Deer Antler, these issues were trivial. ¡°Before heading to the dark crows, let¡¯s check out the new effects of the retainer skill.¡± After hanging up the phone, Lu Ran traversed space again, arriving within the branch of ruins. At this moment, General Ha and the Sudden Death King seemed to be taking a truce, with the Sudden Death King curled up in a meteorite crater, peacefully asleep. General Ha, in a state of possession, lay on its back, appearing content. Seeing this, Lu Ran promptly took out the contract black card and retracted General Ha into the card. This act brought a look of surprise to Lu Ran¡¯s face. Because the Corpse Dog possessing General Ha¡­ Sure enough, was simultaneously engulfed by light and retracted into the same contract black card! They were viewed as a single entity along with General Ha! [Species]: Sword Domain Dog [Attributes]: Wind, Ice [Species Level]: Lower Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 34 The black card displayed a series of information on General Ha, including species, level, talents, skills, and more. Additionally, with the inclusion of both entities this time, other information was updated as well! [Retainer]: Winter Sword Spirit [Attributes]: Necromancy, Ice, Space [Species Level]: Middle Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 25 Under the retainer category was detailed information about the little sword spirit. The sword spirit¡¯s data was actually updated on General Ha¡¯s contract card! It seemed that their ability to enter the same black card space wasn¡¯t due to a glitch but rather because the leveled-up retainer skill had been directly recognized by Infinite City. ¡°No more restrictions now!¡± ¡°But I wonder if, as retainers, they can fuse traits and evolve just like normal contracted pet beasts.¡± Lu Ran was excited, planning to awaken the sapience in the sword grass next and have General Ha contract another sword grass, bringing back the Dual Sword school stance. Three pet beasts considered as one entity entering the same black card-who else could do that? Unfortunately, General Ha, the sword spirit, and the sword grass were not at high levels yet. Otherwise, he would have sent General Ha in Dual Sword school style to chop down the Black Dragon and give the public a little shock of the retainer style. For now, since taking down the Black Dragon wasn¡¯t possible, he could only keep this ace up his sleeve for the Blue Star¡¯s top ten experts. At this moment, Lu Ran even had a name ready for the sword grass. Since it would be the second retainer of General Ha, the non-biological younger brother to the sword spirit corpse dog. He decided to call it ¡°Dog Tail,¡± Dog Tail Grass! Chapter 282: Xugou Lu Ran¡¯s three exquisite enhancement cards were originally planned for leveling up. However, with the emergence of the peak arena and the upgrade of retainer skills, it¡¯s obvious where to best use one of these enhancement cards now.He retrieved the rhinoceros blood, a rare quality awakening resource from the Sword Grass Family, from the space backpack in his identity card. Although this rare quality rhinoceros blood should be enough to awaken the Sapience of the Sword Grass, Lu Ran decided to indulge himself. Use the best resources to contract the strongest pet beast! ¡°Enhance.¡± Lu Ran directly used an enhancement card on the rhinoceros blood. In the next instant, the rare quality rhinoceros blood was upgraded to exquisite quality. Actually, from the perspective of the enhancement card, Lu Ran felt that Infinite City was quite user-friendly and considerate. At least there wasn¡¯t a 50% chance of enhancement success. If he were operating Infinite City, Lu Ran certainly wouldn¡¯t be this considerate. He would immediately update Infinite City with an enhancement machine. By paying crystal coins, any resource could be enhanced, but there would be a certain chance of enhancement failure, reverting the resource level to ordinary or the resource becoming damaged. Wouldn¡¯t that be more convenient for reclaiming crystal coins than teleportation fees or ticket fees? After the enhancement was successful, the blood in the container became as active as boiling iron water. Seeing this, Lu Ran immediately laid the Sword Grass flat on the ground. ¡°Roar!!¡± At this moment, the sudden death king, one eye open and one eye closed, peeked over. In fact, the recent training wasn¡¯t enough to knock it unconscious. Lying in the pit was purely to take a break. Similarly, with General Ha, as he was about to awaken the Sapience of the Sword Grass, Lu Ran summoned General Ha and the Sword Spirit, which he had just retracted into the contract card. Their comrade was about to be born, and they deserved to witness it. ¡°Woof!¡± After being summoned, General Ha maintained the posture of sword spirit possession, surrounded by icy blue light spots. It stared at the Sword Grass, and soon a hint of green appeared in its eyes. The green exuded wisdom. Not bad. General Ha smiled, sticking out its tongue, as it imagined itself with the sword spirit possessed, tail coiled around the Sword Grass, and mouth gripping the antler in a majestic manner. ¡°Divine Deer above, bless us.¡± Having invested an enhancement card, Lu Ran was quite anxious, hoping that the awakening of the Sword Grass would be powerful enough to justify his investment¡­ £Ò? He slowly poured the blood over the Sword Grass¡­ Upon contact, the silvery blood quickly enveloped the Sword Grass, flowing rapidly like liquid energy. Buzz!!! Soon after, as this process continued, a fierce swordsmanship intent first enveloped the Sword Grass. The glaring sword intent¡¯s fluctuations made Lu Ran and the others step back. The raging sword intent, like an illusion of light and shadow, seemed to show Lu Ran and the others a blade of grass cutting through the sun, moon, and stars. With a ¡°boom,¡± the sword intent continued to erupt. As they stepped back, they attentively watched as the Sword Grass absorbed all the blood, vibrating and levitating. ¡°Woof!¡± General Ha was the first to sense the anomaly. Its eyes lit up, immediately perceiving the life pulse of the Sword Grass surrounded by the Gale. [Species]: Long Leaved Sword Grass [Attribute]: Grass, Metal [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 25 [Skills]: Plant Sword Intent, Sharp Metal Sword Intent (No matter what weapon is used, adding the Sharp Metal Sword Intent makes it incredibly sharp, slaughtering all.) The Sword Grass floated in the air, and all its data was clear to Lu Ran. Ordinary Long Leaved Sword Grass is just grass-type, but this one also had a metal type. Lu Ran felt that the exquisite-level awakening resource had made it extraordinary. Additionally¡­ with eyes burning with intensity, Lu Ran found that, like the Sword Spirit, the Sword Grass had just awakened but had already mastered an advanced skill like sword intent. Its talent was quite remarkable. ¡°Woof!¡± Although Lu Ran was thrilled, the most excited was definitely General Ha. Seeing its Sword Grass seemingly become stronger, it immediately rushed over and barked at the Sword Grass. ¡°Woof!¡± Sword Grass: ¡°Grass~¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°Grass grass.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°What are you even discussing?¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Lu Ran looked at the conversing Sword Grass and General Ha with a face full of disbelief. Come on, is that really how Sword Grass should sound? The sounds made by the Sword Spirit were already abstract enough, but now the Sword Grass seemed equally off. Imagining Sword Grass, General Ha, and the Sword Spirit sitting around a table chatting felt a bit¡­ indecent. ¡°Roar roar!!¡± Not only Lu Ran, but even the Sudden Death King found it distasteful. Two against one was already quite messy; were they about to escalate to a sinister three against one??? ¡°Stop, stop.¡± As they communicated, Lu Ran felt as if his ears were being assaulted by strange noises, his facial muscles twitching nonstop. Unable to listen any longer, he went over and pulled them apart, then turned his attention to the floating Sword Grass. At this moment, the Sword Grass was quite bewildered also, having just awakened its Sapience. However, one good thing about plant life is that even before they awaken their Sapience, they retain some vague impressions of their experiences. ¡°Grass¡­¡± The Sword Grass looked at Lu Ran sluggishly, roughly remembering that he had been the one taking care of it every day. ¡°Forget it, you¡¯ll get used to it. Anyway, welcome to the team.¡± Lu Ran smiled, extending his hand to place it on the ¡°hilt¡± of the Sword Grass. He gently placed his other hand on General Ha¡¯s head. Time to contract them both! Retainer link! As of now, General Ha¡¯s stats card transformed to this: [Species]: Sword Domain Dog [Retainers]: Winter Sword Spirit, Long Leaved Sword Grass. What an incredible setup! Lu Ran felt that even legendary offspring might not have this kind of treatment. ¡°Missing an elemental lifeform sword.¡± ¡°And a mechanical light sword wouldn¡¯t be bad either.¡± Lu Ran wondered whether General Ha¡¯s retainer setup could continue to level up, but with endless anticipation, he left the ruins space and began searching for the Dark Crow. ¡­ [Help! I saw a bunch of crows today; does this mean bad luck is coming?] [What does a large number of crows indicate?] [Person in¡­] In the outskirts of the Ancient City of the Divine Capital, A fourth-generation beastmaster looked up at the skies, where thousands of crows were swirling, with a look of concern. As she took photos, she browsed the beastmaster forum, searching for keywords and discovering that this anomaly wasn¡¯t just occurring in their area. ¡°Crows are often considered symbols of death or ill omen.¡± ¡°The presence of that Black Dragon has already made people in the country uneasy, and now flocks of crows are migrating restlessly everywhere. Is a disaster really about to happen?¡± ¡°Uh-oh-¡° As a female beastmaster recorded the crows¡¯ behavior, her golden retriever at her feet suddenly turned back and growled softly. The beastmaster quickly turned around too, only to see a young man with a ¡°scarf of unknown white material¡± around his neck walking towards them. ¡°You¡­¡± She was surprised upon seeing his appearance. Lu¡­ Lu¡­ ¡°Crows symbolizing death and misfortune is actually a misconception,¡± Lu Ran said slowly as he passed by. ¡°These labels are simply ones humans have imposed on them. Historically, and in other cultures, crows have been considered symbols of good fortune and wisdom.¡± ¡°You¡¯re Lu Ran!¡± the beastmaster exclaimed, delighted to see him. However, with Lu Ran¡¯s explanation, she raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°Lu Ran¡­ anyone else might have said that convincingly, but I remember you have a crow contracted, right? A cursed crow and a Crow of Necromancy¡­ aren¡¯t those symbols of death and misfortune?¡± Lu Ran cleared his throat awkwardly. This person is tough to convince. Just as Lu Ran was about to provide further explanation¡­ ¡°Ah!!! Ah!!!¡± Among the flock of crows in the sky, one suddenly spotted something and dove down, exclaiming with excitement, ¡°Big King, my Big King, why are you here¡­¡± ¡°Could it be an inspection?!¡± This large, eagle-like crow swooped down, babbling nonsense, leaving the nearby beastmaster puzzled. As the crow approached and landed on Lu Ran¡¯s outstretched arm, she realized what was happening and said in disbelief, ¡°Could this crow be¡­¡± ¡°Yes, the migration of the crow flocks isn¡¯t a sign of disaster. It¡¯s just my pet beast engaging in friendly communication with its kin,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. ¡°It¡¯s the same across the country, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± The beastmaster was stunned upon hearing this, never imagining that the nationwide crow movement was because of Lu Ran. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Lu Ran looked at the Dark Crow, planning to assess the outcome of its efforts in the first stage. ¡°Caw caw!!¡± The Dark Crow nodded enthusiastically upon hearing this, equally excited. In the next moment, a vast flock of crows descended, startling the nearby beastmaster. The dense mass of crows encircled, all in deep black, almost as if they intended to swallow Lu Ran whole¡­ And indeed, Lu Ran did get ¡°swallowed.¡± The black flock enveloped him, and in an instant, apart from a scattering of black feathers, Lu Ran¡¯s figure vanished along with the dispersing crows, leaving an illusion that he had never been there. Up in the sky, as Lu Ran departed, the thousands of crows also began to leave in the same direction. [I am a fourth-generation beastmaster and a supernatural recorder, traveling far and wide to document supernatural events¡­] [Today, I¡¯ve made a huge discovery. Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast can command thousands of supernatural crows-no, judging by reports from all over the country, it might be ten times that number.] [By the way, I remember Lu Ran once solo cleared a legion-type Legendary Secret Realm¡­ Could it be, he¡¯s planning to build a crow legion?] The beastmaster watched the massive black shadow with a shaken spirit, contemplating sharing this intelligence with Xia Country¡¯s beastmasters, yet worried it might have adverse effects on Lu Ran. However, since Lu Ran was so open in front of her, perhaps he didn¡¯t mind others knowing¡­ ¡°No matter what, one thing is certain: there might already be a solution to the Black Dragon incident.¡± Seeing Lu Ran so relaxed and active within Xia Country, the beastmaster felt reassured. A great battle was about to begin. Many wealthy individuals from the coastal areas had already fled to the imperial capital, or to Sky City. They believed that even in a crisis, the Dragon Palace couldn¡¯t threaten the imperial capital or Sky City, where the beast taming university is located. These were ordinary wealthy individuals, not beastmasters. For beastmasters, escape was even easier. They could enter Infinite City anytime; even if a dinosaur extinction-level crisis occurred, they had nothing to fear. In fact, many beastmasters were somewhat eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Black Dragon, feeling overly optimistic. ¡°May the world be at peace~¡± At this moment, Lu Ran was once again lying on a cloud while flying. He gazed at the sky, surrounded by a flock of crows accompanying him. Although it hadn¡¯t reached the deadline Lu Ran set for the Dark Crow, the number of crows it had gathered across Xia Country was already substantial. At this point, Lu Ran¡¯s supernatural crow army had swelled to 100,000. This number was still not the limit, as the number of supernatural crows active in Xia Country far exceeded this. However, Lu Ran was not overly concerned with sheer numbers. The level of the crow flock form depends not only on the quantity of ordinary crows but also on their quality. Striking a balance between the number and the average strength of the individuals is quite important. Pursuing quantity excessively by gathering all the crows together can disrupt many local ecosystems, potentially causing more severe consequences than the Black Dragon¡¯s invasion. Moreover, concentrating a large number of crows for breeding and training demands high resources. Even for regular feeding, the resources needed would be overwhelmingly high. Currently, aiming to deeply cultivate these 100,000 crows is already quite a headache for Lu Ran¡¯s resource reserves alone. However, being the first Pet Beast Legion in Xia Country, Lu Ran can utilize national resources to some extent going forward. Green Sea. It didn¡¯t take long for Lu Ran and his team to return to their territory. Gently landing on Emerald Mountain, Lu Ran¡¯s next task was to see what level the 100,000 crows could elevate the Dark Crow to and how to connect with the Alliance and invest in these supernatural crows. Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Just as Lu Ran landed, a series of claps made his eyes narrow, directing his gaze into the depths of the forest. There, a young man dressed in plain black clothes with an unremarkable face, appearing to be around thirty, walked out, clapping his hands. ¡°Who are you?¡± Lu Ran scrutinized him, ready for combat. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous,¡± the young man said with a warm smile. ¡°My name is Shi Jialiang.¡± ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Lu Ran replied succinctly. ¡°How about sharing your Infinite City ID?¡± ¡°Well,¡± the young man scratched his head helplessly, ¡°It¡¯s normal you haven¡¯t heard of me. I often change my Infinite City ID, so you probably wouldn¡¯t recognize it.¡± ¡°But if I mention my codename, I bet you¡¯ll know who I am.¡± ¡°From the Twelve Branches, Xugou.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°You¡¯re Xugou?¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. He had heard about Xugou from Old Zhu and others in the Twelve Branches. This person came from the police force, and his initial pet beast was a police dog. Even before becoming a beastmaster, he was considered a legendary figure in the police community with comprehensive abilities. After the arrival of Infinite City, he was soon dispatched abroad to carry out special missions, frequently changing identities and Infinite City IDs, and living under various personas in the global scene. He was the most mysterious member of the Twelve Branches. Also, within the First Generation of Xia Country, he was known as a background figure-many knew about him, but few had seen him. This was Lu Ran¡¯s first encounter with him; he and another member had been absent from previous Twelve Branches meetings. ¡°You can verify this with any other member of the Twelve Branches,¡± Shi Jialiang smiled, ¡°I just returned a couple of days ago after finishing things on that end, to see if I could be of any help.¡± ¡°And also to see you.¡± ¡°Why look at me?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°First, to check out your Crow army,¡± Shi Jialiang replied with a smile. ¡°I attended the second Twelve Branches meeting via video. Although the meeting concluded that you can mobilize national resources to cultivate the Pet Beast Legion, there is a condition. Has anyone not mentioned it to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about confirming whether your so-called Crow army truly holds that high strategic value.¡± ¡°Oh, that,¡± Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively. ¡°I thought it was just all talk. I¡¯m not too concerned about it. So, Mr. Shi, you¡¯ve come just to test the strategic value of the Crow army?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly-not just your crows, but also to observe you. I¡¯ve mentioned it to that old man many times. He set up this Twelve Branches and even gave me the Xugou spot. I really can¡¯t figure out the point of it. My identity can¡¯t be revealed¡­ Now, every single member of the Twelve Branches is a national idol, a model for everyone, except for me as Xugou. It¡¯s pointless.¡± ¡°So I¡¯ve suggested many times to him that since your initial pet beast is also a dog, why not pass the Xugou title over to you?¡± ¡°Overall, I feel like you¡¯re more suited to be the dog,¡± Mr. Shi quipped with a mischievous grin. Lu Ran: ¡°Is that polite???¡± ¡°Hey, Professor Lu, aren¡¯t you tempted? This is a position with real power, one that lets you directly access national resources.¡± ¡°Even those few national treasures? You¡¯d have the authority to use them.¡± Lu Ran looked wordlessly at this roguish character, dialing Dr. Gu to confirm his identity, ensuring he was the real deal. ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to keep the position then?¡± Lu Ran raised an eyebrow and asked. ¡°I¡¯m not that interested in the Twelve Branches. Honestly, I¡¯m more interested in the position of the former guild leader,¡± Mr. Shi said earnestly. Lu Ran was taken aback. No, it still seems like you¡¯re the one more fit to be the dog! Chapter 283: Dark Crow VS Cat ¡°Shall we have a match?¡±Lu Ran crossed his arms, unsure how the other party planned to test the power of the Dark Crow Legion. ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Shi Jialiang chuckled, ¡°Didn¡¯t the meeting state that its strength lies in long-range reconnaissance and strikes?¡± ¡°Then show us that, shall we?¡± ¡°How to demonstrate? Is there a target?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes!¡± Shi Jialiang grinned. ¡°In fact, besides your Pet Beast Legion, the capabilities of Manager Ying also need to be certified by the Alliance. Although it claims to have the strength to oppose the Black Dragon, words are not enough, right? Everyone should understand each other¡¯s strengths better to fight together. So soon, the twelve branches will also conduct a strength certification for Manager Ying. I was thinking¡­ you could join in and be responsible for long-range sneak attacks to add some difficulty to the game for it, haha.¡± Lu Ran: ? Damn, this guy is really sly, and Manager Ying definitely wouldn¡¯t like him. ¡°I refuse.¡± Lu Ran shrugged, ¡°Manager Ying and I are as close as siblings. I won¡¯t do sneak attacks like that¡­¡± ¡°Alright, alright, no sneak attacks. But you can at least inform it about this aspect beforehand, right?¡± ¡°That sounds more reasonable.¡± Lu Ran stroked his chin, interested in participating in the sparring between the twelve branches and Manager Ying. Interesting. Honestly, he also wanted to see how strong Manager Ying¡¯s main body really was. Hmm¡­ Recently, the Dark Crow actually developed a new curse, perhaps he could test it on Manager Ying? ¡°Then it¡¯s happily decided!¡± Shi Jialiang smiled slightly, ¡°I¡¯ll notify them.¡± ¡­ Shanghai. After looting dozens of exquisite resources from the Alliance¡¯s resource pool, it was said that Manager Ying¡¯s main body had awakened. Even though the main body had awakened, Manager Ying¡¯s main body never showed up, claiming to be adjusting its state. If not for the clone still being around, the Alliance would have almost thought it had run away. After further communication between both parties, Manager Ying stated that it could spar with experts from Xia Country soon to reassure the twelve branches. ¡°Shall I take the lead?¡± Ultimately, the expert chosen by the twelve branches to engage in the challenge was Chouniu-Niu Youtian. Among the twelve branches, he is a beastmaster with the most distinctive personal combat style, and all his contracted pet beasts serve to strengthen him. Before becoming a beastmaster, he had a unique occupation as a wrestler, hence his robust physique. At this moment, faced with Lin Nian¡¯s task, he asked, ¡°Why is it me?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you always wanted to spar with the Guardian totem of the Youxiong Clan?¡± Lin Nian replied. ¡°Although that giant panda refused you, Manager Ying is also an ancient creature. You can make do with it.¡± ???? Niu Youtian was dissatisfied. How could they be the same? There¡¯s quite a difference between a panda and a cat, alright. ¡°Never mind.¡± He clenched his fists, ready to go. After all, ancient creatures have been awakening for a while, and he hadn¡¯t sparred with any before. He was eager to see what differences there were between ancient creatures and secret realm bosses. On the outskirts of Shanghai. Chouniu VS Manager Ying. Many from the twelve branches gathered on-site to watch. With so many resources invested to awaken Manager Ying, if it ultimately proves unreliable and can¡¯t deal with the Black Dragon, the twelve branches felt that when the former guild leader returned, their lives would be at risk. For sure, they would be reprimanded by the former guild leader. Although the old man seldom managed affairs, he did care greatly about the development of the beast taming domain in Xia Country. Resources must be used wisely. In an abandoned factory, some members of the twelve branches sat on fallen utility poles, some stood on rooftops, and others floated in the air¡­ Chouniu, dressed casually, looked towards a white ragdoll cat clone that appeared instantly, raising an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Isn¡¯t your main body a nine-tailed cat? Where¡¯s the main body? What¡¯s the meaning of sending a clone?¡± ¡°Hah~¡± Manager Ying yawned and said, ¡°Since my main body has awakened, for me, there¡¯s no distinction between main body and clone; each clone is the main body. As for the nine-tail state, it consumes a lot of power. Let¡¯s see if you can force it out.¡± ¡°?¡± Chouniu looked at the confident Manager Ying, twitching his nose. ¡°Enough chit-chat,¡± Lin Nian said. ¡°Manager Ying, you¡¯re aware of Chouniu¡¯s strength. The Black Dragon¡¯s power will exceed his by far, with its abilities being even more mysterious. So now it¡¯s up to you.¡± ¡°In addition to Chouniu, there¡¯s another unknown opponent skilled in the dark power like the Black Dragon. Your task is to defeat them effortlessly.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± Manager Ying replied, glancing leisurely at the twelve branches present. Meanwhile, Chouniu grunted as his form began to change. First, a pair of horns sprouted on his head, and his body expanded several times, transforming into a massive figure several meters tall. This was clearly a Fusion Skill. Then, a suit of crimson-black armor appeared with a flash, enveloping him. This was a beast taming skill that turns pet beasts into armor, which the beastmaster can wear to enhance their strength. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. Chouniu extended his hand, and a massive black hammer appeared in his grip with another flash. This was another beast taming skill, allowing him to transform pet beasts into weapons! It¡¯s safe to say that when the Beastmaster Chouniu of Xia Country¡¯s twelve branches fights, it¡¯s difficult to see what any of his contracted pet beasts actually look like, because his skill setup ensures that these pet beasts exist solely as his accessories! At the same time¡­ In the Green Sea. The scene at the abandoned factory was being broadcast live, allowing Lu Ran and Shi Jialiang to watch. In the footage, the mighty Warrior Niu swung a hammer directly at Manager Ying. This single swing incorporated an incredible amount-energy compression, the power of artistic conception, various traits, and talents of the pet beasts-all layered together. A strike to the ground could potentially cause the collapse of a town¡¯s buildings, yet astonishingly, this strike hit Manager Ying¡¯s mental power shield and vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea, not causing even a ripple. ¡°This cat¡¯s mental strength is absolutely far superior to Lin Nian¡¯s pet beast, even with the enhancements from Lin Nian, it can¡¯t compare,¡± Shi Jialiang observed keenly. ¡°Manager Ying rarely exaggerates. It often downplays its own strength; it¡¯s rare to hear it boast,¡± Lu Ran remarked, familiar with Manager Ying¡¯s tendencies. ¡°It¡¯s your turn,¡± Shi Jialiang said. ¡°We can¡¯t rely solely on Old Niu; he¡¯ll just get trampled.¡± ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll help¡­ but let¡¯s give it a go,¡± Lu Ran shrugged. What Shi Jialiang witnessed next was a scene he would never forget. All across Green Sea City, a massive flock of crows took to the sky, forming a black, ominous cloud. They soared towards the Emerald Mountain, as if guiding the souls longing for the abyss. A terrifying figure emerged, traced out by the countless supernatural crows, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. This figure reminded Shi Jialiang of the ancient giant beasts he had seen wreaking havoc on human cities abroad, yet the aura of this figure was even more sinister, evil, and powerful. ¡°The divine crow,¡± Lu Ran announced, as the entity he referred to as the divine crow turned its gaze towards Shanghai. [Is it really possible??] While Green Sea City and Shanghai aren¡¯t incredibly distant, Shi Jialiang was sure that, currently on Blue Star, no creature could launch a precise attack over such a vast distance. The mere energy expenditure of skills over such a distance would be headache-inducing¡­ However, not long after, an incredible scene unfolded, leaving Shi Jialiang astounded. He leaned closer to his laptop screen, taking a deep breath while watching the livestream. In the video, dark red eyes began to open in the void, watching the fierce battle between Chouniu and Manager Ying. The appearance of the Evil God¡¯s Eye caused the pupils of the twelve branches present to contract, and the battling Chouniu and Manager Ying quickly realized something was amiss. ¡°This is¡­¡± Recognizing the familiar eyes, Manager Ying¡¯s expression changed. Relaxed within the mental power shield, the attacks from Warrior Niu hadn¡¯t affected him at all. Whether using space techniques to easily evade or mental power to strongly resist, it had been effortless. Manager Ying had been waiting for the master of dark power mentioned by Lin Nian while teasing Warrior Niu, but never imagined that this so-called dark master was actually Lu Ran and the dark crows-those unfortunate beings. ¡°Old Niu is no match for this cat. He even tried to unleash his domain, but the cat blocked it with its sophisticated space mastery.¡± ¡°And this cat hasn¡¯t even activated its own domain yet.¡± At this moment, the twelve branches had come to believe in the power of Manager Ying after its main body awakened. Even Gu Qingyi was astonished at how strong Manager Ying turned out to be. However, there was no doubt they still wanted to see the full extent of Manager Ying¡¯s capabilities. They were also eagerly anticipating the appearance of the dark master Lin Nian had mentioned. There was some confusion about whom this so-called dark master was. S~ea??h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. When the Evil God¡¯s Eye made its appearance, their reaction mirrored Manager Ying¡¯s surprise, not expecting that the person referred to was actually Lu Ran¡­ But what astonished them even more was yet to come. ¡°Those unlucky things!!!¡± Manager Ying cursed from within the mental power shield, slightly panicking. It wasn¡¯t really afraid of facing strong power, but it was more anxious about facing bizarre powers. Even though Manager Ying had lived for many years, it had never deeply researched the curse power nor encountered this type of opponent before. If it had any research on the matter, it would have cured Shi Zhen¡¯s curse long ago. ¡°Hopefully, nothing will go wrong?¡± Manager Ying muttered, quickly shifting into a hidden state while still shielding itself with the mental power shield. However¡­ The species talent of the dark crow is target lock, and once locked, there¡¯s no escaping it. Next, under the grave eyes of everyone watching, the white ragdoll cat within the mental power shield started to sprout red hairs, emitting an ominous aura. Upon closer inspection, it became clear these weren¡¯t red hairs at all but something akin to red dandelion fluff, resembling a kind of red plant! ¡°Caw caw!!¡± In Green Sea, the eyes of the divine crow began to bleed. Before it, countless floating red dandelion seeds disintegrated. This was the product of the dark crow¡¯s only successful study of a plant curse from the secret realm dungeon. Chapter 284: The Approaching Battle On the Divine Tree Continent, within the breakthrough secret realm, Lu Ran, after witnessing the effects of numerous ferocious plants, conceived the idea for Dark Crow to study the power of these ferocious plants and investigate plant curses.In fact, Dark Crow had been researching them all along, but the results were sparse-only one success over a long period. The red dandelion, a type of ferocious plant, when its downy seeds land on a living organism, creates a parasitic effect, causing red hair to grow all over the body. This red hair strongly disrupts the body¡¯s energy flow, making it difficult for the organism to release skills. At first glance, it doesn¡¯t seem particularly powerful. However, the red dandelion is renowned in the world of ferocious plants because, despite not being inherently threatening, it serves as an excellent ally to other ferocious plants, often making it hard for prey to resist when they work together. Amongst all the ferocious plants in the ruins given to Dark Crow for study, the red dandelion turned out to be the most compatible with Dark Crow. Its fundamental curse effect is also focused on disrupting the enemy¡¯s spirit, making their overall effects similar. Currently. The curse, combined with the lock, caught Manager Ying off guard, causing a momentary disruption in its energy. Taking advantage of this moment, Chouniu¡¯s eyes lit up, and with a roar, he swung a hammer towards the red-haired cat. With a ¡°bang,¡± the mental power shield, no longer controlled by Manager Ying, shattered under Chouniu¡¯s blow, and the resulting shockwave sent Manager Ying flying out of the factory. This cooperation across such a great distance left everyone present momentarily stunned. But the next moment, they felt a terrifying pressure rising. ¡°Damn Crow.¡± Though hit for the first time, Manager Ying didn¡¯t seem injured, just a bit disheveled and covered in dust. Fueled by anger, Manager Ying found a way to dispel the curse. Although the curse was strange, the Flock of Crows seemed insufficient to affect Manager Ying for long. After a moment of influence, it successfully stabilized the energy flow, enveloping itself in flames to burn away the parasitic red hair. Simultaneously, it glared at Chouniu. Chouniu appeared to be pulled into a trance-like state, standing dazedly as the effects of various skills on his body gradually disappeared¡­ Seeing this, Lin Nian and the many Twelve Branches exchanged glances. ¡°It¡¯s settled then, there¡¯s absolutely no doubt about Manager Ying¡¯s strength,¡± Gu Qingyi spoke up. ¡°Yes, being able to overpower and instantly defeat Chouniu, that level of strength is unquestionable,¡± Lin Nian added. ¡°Additionally, at this moment, Lu Ran is currently with Xugou in Green Sea City.¡± ¡°Even though Chouniu couldn¡¯t do anything against Manager Ying, Lu Ran¡¯s Pet Beast Legion could still interfere with Manager Ying from such a long distance. Their strategic value is clear now, right?¡± A simple clash had everyone present from the Twelve Branches trusting Manager Ying¡¯s strength. At that moment, Zishu jumped down from the rooftop, looked at the proud Manager Ying, and said, ¡°As expected from Manager Ying, it seems we¡¯re all set.¡± ¡°Shall we proceed as planned then?¡± ¡­ A few days later. The deadline spoken by Black Dragon was approaching fast. Although the Xia Country government repeatedly assured the public, anxiety could not be completely allayed. According to the original plan, Gu Qingyi, acting as bait, arrived on an island far from Xia Country. She released the Vast Sea Azure Dragon, allowing its breath to spread as much as possible, in an attempt to lure Black Dragon to come and resolve the issue here directly. Besides Gu Qingyi, many First Generation members had also arrived, though they remained in Infinite City, waiting to come out and engage in a righteous group battle once Black Dragon appeared. Apart from the First Generation, on the island, there was also an interdimensional space created by Manager Ying. Inside, ancient Iron-Eating Beast and ancient Red-crowned Crane were quietly watching the cat before them. ???? In the end, these two ancient creatures were persuaded by Xia Country to participate in the battle. Initially reluctant to join in, the ancient Iron-Eating Beast and ancient Red-crowned Crane were convinced to come over because Xia Country had assured them they wouldn¡¯t need to serve as the main force; they just needed to exert pressure on the Black Dragon. Of course, the main reason they agreed was due to Manager Ying. Using some form of intelligence, Manager Ying managed to coax the ancient Iron-Eating Beast and ancient Red-crowned Crane into taking action. ¡°Don¡¯t look so worried, have a little confidence,¡± Manager Ying said, shrugging at the two of them. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a level 70 Dragon King overlord,¡± the ancient Iron-Eating Beast clicked its tongue. ¡°In ancient times, tribes would avoid such beings if they could. You guys are actually thinking of hunting it.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t be helped; it poses a threat to a great nation. No self-respecting force can accept such a threat,¡± Manager Ying responded. ¡°Hmph, let¡¯s hope everything goes smoothly,¡± the ancient Red-crowned Crane uttered in a cool female voice, understanding human language just as Manager Ying did. Outside World. Gu Qingyi, dressed in a white trench coat, sat atop the Vast Sea Azure Dragon, gazing across the sea region, and let out a gentle sigh. The Black Dragon, having possessed at least two dragon pearls, was highly sensitive to their aura. Back when Gu Qingyi and the Vast Sea Azure Dragon were active in Shanghai for an extended period, the Black Dragon had locked onto their location. Now, with Gu Qingyi and the Vast Sea Azure Dragon deliberately revealing themselves and continuously emitting their aura, the Black Dragon would certainly be aware of their presence. In the Depths of the Sea. A massive form moved swiftly through the water. After some time. The ocean surface began to tremble. Whirlpools, waves, dark clouds, thunder, and hurricanes ¨C various anomalies emerged, accompanied by a Dragon Roar. A massive form appeared from the sea, causing Gu Qingyi¡¯s expression to change as she looked at the colossal creature. ¡°Roar-¡° At that moment, the enormous Black Dragon cast its cold gaze upon Gu Qingyi and the Vast Sea Azure Dragon beneath her, and let out a sinister chuckle. [It seems the dragon pearl is indeed here, but drawing me here implies you don¡¯t intend to hand it over easily.] [Are you trying to lure me here to ambush and kill me?] Unexpectedly intelligent, the Black Dragon King quickly discerned that the Xia Country beastmasters intended to lure it to this location rather than surrender the dragon pearl. ¡°A ferocious beast, but quite clever,¡± Gu Qingyi remarked coldly. Indeed, for this Black Dragon to have grown to level 70, its intelligence was not inferior to that of humans. Xia Country hoped to lure the Black Dragon to an uninhabited area to launch a group attack. However¡­ Gu Qingyi took a deep breath, as the Eye of Data revealed to her that the Black Dragon before them was not the true Black Dragon, but an energy clone!!! [I have given you opportunities, but since you refuse them, don¡¯t blame me for being unkind,] the Black Dragon snarled. [From now on, just having the dragon pearl is not enough. If you don¡¯t compensate me with 2 epic resources, I will flood the continent!!] S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. At present, with the Black Dragon¡¯s clone further threatening them, Gu Qingyi was convinced that the Black Dragon craved more than just the dragon pearl; it had long coveted the land. The situation was moving in a direction everyone found particularly troublesome. ¡°Die!!!¡± There was no room for further threats from the Black Dragon¡¯s clone. A powerful wave of mental power appeared out of thin air, crashing down on the clone and forcibly crushing it. Manager Ying emerged from the void and looked at Gu Qingyi, saying, ¡°As expected from our analysis, the Black Dragon¡¯s initial goal was to threaten Xia Country and extort more resources.¡± ¡°The dragon pearl was merely a start.¡± ¡°The fact that it can send a clone shows it doesn¡¯t intend to engage us directly. Instead, it¡¯s aiming to use the millions of people in Shanghai as hostages to coerce Xia Country into submission, demanding even more resources.¡± The Black Dragon understood the soft spot of human nations ¨C their responsibility to protect countless ordinary people. It was certain that Xia Country would be extremely reluctant to battle near Shanghai, as the collateral damage from the conflict could easily claim millions of lives. The Black Dragon¡¯s plan was to exploit this factor to prevent Xia Country from daring to engage it in battle. Even though Xia Country might have the ability to severely injure the Black Dragon, it believed there was no way to drive it away without paying a price. The Black Dragon wasn¡¯t foolish; it knew how to leverage favorable conditions to acquire resources. However, Xia Country anticipated this possibility and considered the scenario where the Black Dragon wouldn¡¯t take the bait and directly invade Shanghai. As the Black Dragon expected, Xia Country was indeed extremely unwilling to fight or eliminate the Black Dragon near Shanghai. Any damage to Shanghai would be unacceptable to the Alliance, as guarantees had already been made to the people of Shanghai. ¡°Manager Ying, it looks like we¡¯re counting on you,¡± Gu Qingyi said, her expression serious. ¡°Understood.¡± At that moment, Manager Ying¡¯s figure faded away as they performed a space teleportation. At that very moment. The ocean trembled greatly. Scouts from the Fishman Empire, who were collaborating with Xia Country, were alarmed to discover dozens of terrifyingly powerful sea beasts swimming from the deep sea toward various coastal cities in Xia Country. Additionally, the most frightening aura of all was heading straight for the outer sea near Shanghai. Boom!!! The sky over the Shanghai sea region was once again covered with thick clouds and constant thunder. Terrifying energy waves raged across the heavens. Witnessing this change, the people of Shanghai turned pale with immediate panic, realizing the Black Dragon might be making another appearance. Fortunately, the Alliance had anticipated this situation. Official personnel stationed throughout Shanghai quicky maintained order, preventing widespread chaos. However, if the greatest threat-the Black Dragon-was not resolved, maintaining order would prove futile. Once a battle broke out, Shanghai would still risk becoming a wasteland. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± As the enormous Black Dragon approached Shanghai, the internet in Xia Country and international forums exploded with activity. The Black Dragon was coming! But¡­ what stunned both the global audience and the Black Dragon itself was a suddenly appearing enormous figure on Shanghai¡¯s beach, blocking the path of the Black Dragon into Shanghai. ¡°Meow-ow-¡° A loud cat cry echoed across the entire city, leaving many beastmasters stationed in Shanghai bewildered. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± While it was certain that Xia Country would have someone to stop the Black Dragon as it neared Shanghai-possibly the First Generation, Ancient Iron-Eating Beast, Red-crowned Crane, or even the divine deer-that piercing cat cry left everyone puzzled. Who was it? Judging by its sheer size alone, this creature seemed even larger than the Black Dragon. The beastmasters defending Shanghai hadn¡¯t yet caught a glimpse of its main body. Instead, they first saw nine magnificent and breathtaking long tails waving around in the clouds like mountain ranges!! ¡°Nine tails??? Nine-tailed cat???¡± Chapter 285: The Upper Overlord, the Nine-tailed Cat The raging mental strength stirred the sea of clouds, causing chaotic space fluctuations that shook the heavens and earth.Facing the invasion of the Black Dragon, Manager Ying returned to Shanghai ahead of Gu Qingyi and the others, simultaneously reverting to her main body and enlarging herself enough to suppress the Black Dragon. ¡°ROAR!!!¡± At that moment, the Black Dragon calmly observed the suddenly appearing nine-tailed cat, unsurprised by the protective forces of Shanghai. It could sense the terrifying power fluctuations of Manager Ying, but¡­ so what? If they were to battle, it would be the city before them that would be destroyed. Could Xia Country really afford that? ¡°Who are you???¡± In fact, the Black Dragon wasn¡¯t here to fight; it was merely trying to coerce Xia Country into submission, and thus, it hadn¡¯t engaged in combat with Manager Ying immediately. After asking, the Black Dragon coiled its body, its voice causing the earth to tremble and the mountains to shake as it continued: ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, I am going to destroy this city next, because you failed to meet my demands and even tried to resist me, you must pay the price-¡° Destroy the city! The voice of the Black Dragon echoed, chilling the hearts of many in Shanghai. No one had expected the situation to escalate to this extent. ¡°Pfft, you think you can???¡± However, the next moment, a snide female voice rang out, causing the people of Shanghai to pause in surprise. Manager Ying swayed her magnificent tail, her form slowly emerging from the mist, her sapphire-like eyes indifferently watching the Black Dragon. At this moment, countless fearless reporters had arrived at the front lines, documenting this exaggerated scene amidst their fear. A divine dragon hundreds of meters in length faced off against a nine-tailed cat over a kilometer long, a sight that people could hardly believe. No one knew where this nine-tailed cat came from, who she was, or why she protected the outskirts of Shanghai. ¡°I am the manager of the Xia Country Cat-eared Maid Caf¨¦, Ying.¡± ¡°With me here, you can enter this city only if you take my surname.¡± Manager Ying retorted casually, and as she introduced herself, the beastmasters watching the scene finally realized who she truly was. ¡°How is that possible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s actually her!!!¡± ¡°Wait a minute, isn¡¯t the Cat-Eared Maid Caf¨¦ established by a second-generation beastmaster?¡± Countless beastmasters, who were following the shaky and unclear livestream footage, were shocked. Some of the more experienced among them were aware of Manager Ying¡¯s existence, but most of the Fourth Generation were not familiar with it. ? In fact, Black Dragon didn¡¯t care at all about Manager Ying¡¯s origins. It squinted its dragon eyes, unable to believe there could be such a fool. Although the power emanating from this cat was strong, it couldn¡¯t comprehend how a mere cat could confidently challenge a Dragon King like itself. As Manager Ying finished speaking, several First Generation figures appeared on the scene. Lin Nian and others, along with two ancient creatures, also arrived at the scene. Despite the number of people, Black Dragon remained calm, knowing that there was no creature present that posed an absolute threat to it. Moreover, it considered the concentration of Xia Country¡¯s forces here a foolish move. ¡°So, you really want war¡­¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll join you-fools!!!¡± Seeing that Xia Country showed no intention of backing down, Black Dragon King clenched its dragon claws, feeling it must apply more pressure! While its main body remained still, Black Dragon truly wanted to avoid combat until the last moment. Fighting was not its goal; intimidation and resources were. ¡°You really have the nerve to come here. Are you trying to say that your subordinates are now approaching other coastal cities?¡± Superhuman Lin Nian floated in the air, mockingly looking at Black Dragon. ¡°Roar! Roar!!!¡± Black Dragon roared at her, ¡°Just this isn¡¯t enough. I might have to flood ten cities before you realize what kind of being you¡¯re provoking!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s you who doesn¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Do you really think your subordinates can pose any significant threat to Xia Country?¡± Zhu Kaixin, dressed in a white suit, taunted Black Dragon. Indeed, Black Dragon was formidable, capable of intimidating a nation single-handedly. But that was because it was an ancient overlord at level 70. However, most of the high-combat subordinates from the Dragon Palace were only around levels 40 or 50. In normal times, they could indeed give Xia Country some headaches-after all, not every coastal city had experts stationed to prevent ferocious beasts from causing some damage. But at this moment, Xia Country had another trump card! As the Black Dragon neared Shanghai, many people in the coastal cities suddenly noticed unusual disturbances. Chaotic sea regions roared with water tornadoes, as various species of creatures above level 50 led groups of level 40 sea beasts to surface. This scene sent shivers down the spine of the local Beast Taming Association offices that guarded these cities. With only a few First and Second Generation beastmasters mostly concentrated in major cities like Shanghai, the level 50 sea beasts easily overpowered smaller coastal cities like the Green Sea without any trouble. Under normal circumstances, there simply wasn¡¯t enough time for the strong to lend a hand. Countless beastmasters from coastal areas posted about the situation in their cities online. However, since everyone¡¯s attention was focused on Shanghai, these posts only received minimal responses. Until¡­ The beastmasters monitoring the situation in Shanghai heard the conversation between the Black Dragon and Zhu Kaixin. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. What did this mean? The netizens were utterly confused. But then, they were shocked to discover a terrifying dark red eye, over a hundred meters in diameter, slowly opening in the sky above their cities. This sinister dark red eye, the Evil Eye, emitted an ominous breath of death. The beastmasters, unfamiliar with the situation, initially thought it was an attack from the creatures of the Dragon Palace. However, those more experienced ones paused in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s too similar, this eye, it¡¯s just like the Evil God¡¯s Eye from the tales of the Crow of Curses!¡± ¡°The Crow of Curses, that¡¯s the pet beast of Lu Ran, the foremost of the Fourth Generation.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on??¡± ¡°Our city has also seen the Evil God¡¯s Eye.¡± ¡°Ours too!¡± People realized that wherever the sea beasts appeared, a giant Evil God¡¯s Eye also emerged in the sky above the cities, like the eye of the reaper watching over the sea region. The sea beasts, initially waiting for instructions from the Black Dragon King, instinctively showed fear upon seeing the dreadful Evil Eye. And yet, even stranger events were still to unfold. These Evil God¡¯s Eyes continually emanated powerful spiritual power, rendering their forms ever more complete. Before long, massive crows stood in the sky over many cities, like Guardians, protecting these areas. In Green Sea City, which was also one of the coastal cities threatened by sea beasts, the crow¡¯s form was the most colossal. Beastmasters, including Guild Leader Zhao Chen, swallowed hard as they gazed at the crow¡¯s silhouette in the sky, realizing that Lu Ran had stepped in. Green Sea City might not have combat First or Second Generation beastmasters to rely on, but it was well-known that there was a Fourth Generation beastmaster stationed here, comparable to the Second Generation. However, based on various pieces of intelligence, it seemed that Lu Ran was not just guarding Green Sea City¡­ rather, his Twin Crow seemed to appear in every coastal city facing a crisis. How could this be possible? How could a Fourth Generation pet beast create such miracles that even many First Generation beastmasters couldn¡¯t comprehend? ¡°Is Manager Ying reliable over there?¡± In Green Sea City, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t gone to the frontline in Shanghai. Instead, he safeguarded Xia Country¡¯s coastal cities from behind the scenes. Holding the divine deer antler, he stood atop the crow flock, continually healing the dark crow that was bleeding from its eye. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this.¡± With Lu Ran¡¯s command, the dark crow let out a cawing laugh. In recent days, through the nation¡¯s collective effort, its crow flock form had become even more fearsome. Following Lu Ran¡¯s order, the dark crow unleashed its full curse power, shattering the countless exquisite offerings of pig¡¯s blood left by Zhu Kaixin before it. Soon enough, the eerie cawing of crows was heard over many coastal cities. With these calls, the powerful sea beasts approaching the cities all changed their expressions dramatically. ¡°Roar!!!¡± ¡°Roar¡­ snort¡­¡± Under countless horrified gazes, these sea beasts began to bleed from their eyes. Then, their forms abruptly changed, losing their strength. The diverse species-dragons, shrimp, crabs, sharks-all simultaneously began transforming into pig shapes. ¡°This¡­¡± As unbelievable as this scene was, it happened right before their eyes. At this moment, people were more convinced than ever that the eye and the crow spirit were indeed Lu Ran¡¯s handiwork. After all, Lu Ran had once, in the Evolution Secret Realm, used curse power to turn a ¡°foreign friend¡± into a pig. At this moment, dozens of level 40 and 50 sea beasts all simultaneously turned into pigs, some even drowning in the sea. Such a shocking feat could only have been accomplished by Lu Ran; there was absolutely no other person capable of doing this. ¡°Wow, God Lu is incredible¡­¡± Many beastmasters in the coastal regions were stunned, never imagining that such a crisis could be resolved by a fourth-generation beastmaster. Of course, compared to the crisis in numerous coastal cities, the situation in Shanghai was even more severe. After all, there was a game-changing super boss here-the King of the Dragon Palace. In the live footage from Shanghai, as Black Dragon and Zhu Kaixin spoke one after the other, people could see Black Dragon¡¯s expression growing increasingly grim and ferocious. It seemed to sense that all its generals had been dealt with and gradually became furious. ¡°Roar-¡° At this moment, Black Dragon was a bit defenseless, not expecting that Xia Country would be such a tough bone to chew. Enraged, it opened its mouth, condensing a powerful dragon fluctuation. Boom!!!! A terrifying dragon fluctuation, accompanied by a hurricane, blasted towards Shanghai, causing countless people to change their expressions. However, midway through its surge, the dragon fluctuation seemed to fall into another space. It failed to hit its target, instead being spatially redirected to another direction, crashing into the ocean and causing massive waves. ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see how many times you can redirect this.¡± Black Dragon roared, knowing that the consumption of spatial skills was surely greater than its normal attacks. ¡°Hmph.¡± ¡°If you like to attack, I¡¯ll just seal you in an interdimensional space and let you struggle.¡± Manager Ying took a deep breath. Seal! When Black Dragon appeared near Shanghai, the people of Xia Country actually had no intention of confronting it head-on. If Black Dragon were elsewhere, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue, and even nuclear weapons could be considered. But here, unless there were no other solutions, fighting would only be the last resort. The reason why Gu Qingyi pinned her hopes on Manager Ying earlier was precisely because it had extraordinary sealing techniques. Though a seal couldn¡¯t permanently deal with Black Dragon-since it would eventually break free-by that time, there would definitely be beastmasters who could easily suppress Black Dragon. ¡°What?¡± Faced with Manager Ying¡¯s cold snort, Black Dragon showed a bewildered expression. But in the next moment, its body suddenly went on high alert. ¡°Roar-¡° With the warning, it roared again. Immediately afterward, countless people were shocked to discover just how incredibly powerful Manager Ying, the proprietor of the cat-eared maid caf¨¦, truly was. Its next move caused beastmasters worldwide, who were watching, to hold their breath. After teleporting away from Black Dragon¡¯s attack, its gem-like eyes flashed, and its nine tails grew even larger. The long tails swirled together, lightly tapping in the void. Buzz. Subsequently, a mysterious black dot appeared near Black Dragon King. By the time it reacted, the black dot had already started to radiate a dazzling white light, causing a spatial tremor. At this moment, space seemed to shatter into countless fragments. These white spatial shards resembled massive white stones, continually converging towards the black dot. The overwhelming spatial pressure coming from all around was so strong that even the mighty level 70 overlord Dragon King found it difficult to resist. This kind of strong control method-Black Dragon King had rarely seen anything like it. It bore no attack power, inflicted no damage, yet exerted an irresistible pressure, seemingly capable of forever suppressing it. It couldn¡¯t fathom why such a method existed, nor why the user would sacrifice attack power to perfect such a seemingly useless skill. ¡°Domain¡­ unleash!¡± Amidst Black Dragon¡¯s sky-shattering roars, the elegant nine-tailed cat calmly spoke from beginning to end. As its voice fell, the sky thundered, and with a ¡°boom,¡± Black Dragon¡¯s figure was swallowed by the void. In the final moment as countless spatial fragments enveloped Black Dragon, it regretted trying to extort this country. Yet even in the last moment of being sealed, it furiously roared: ¡°Just you wait, this mere seal¡­¡± Black Dragon¡¯s final futile struggle left beastmasters from other countries, monitoring the situation in Shanghai, Xia Country, visibly shocked. They hadn¡¯t anticipated that such a catastrophic threat would be resolved by Xia Country with such ease. In the end, as Black Dragon¡¯s voice faded, Manager Ying looked at the fusion of the void and said, ¡°A mere seal; don¡¯t even think of escaping in less than a year.¡± ¡°And a year from now, forget about the First Generations-even a dog from a fourth-generation beastmaster could easily finish you off.¡± Chapter 286: The Name of the Fourth Generation, Equal to the First The uproar over the Black Dragon event finally concluded with the Black Dragon being sealed.Many beastmasters who closely followed the incident sat silently in front of their screens, swallowing hard. ¡°So powerful.¡± Level 70, upper overlord, Loong-type, ancient creature-this creature had stacked buffs to the max. Yet, such a formidable presence was effortlessly subdued by an intelligence cat. Before this, beastmasters in Xia Country could never have imagined such a depth existed within their nation. Those who had frequented the cat-eared maid caf¨¦, and even the staff of the caf¨¦, were also looking incredulously at the nine-tailed cat on screen. Is this¡­ really Manager Ying? Of course, even though the Black Dragon is now sealed, some people still can¡¯t rest easy. ¡°It wasn¡¯t destroyed, just sealed. What if the Black Dragon breaks through the seal and escapes? Generally speaking, seals are used only against those strong creatures that are difficult to kill or defeat¡­ This is treating the symptoms, not the cause.¡± Someone posted online. ¡°What are you afraid of? Didn¡¯t Manager Ying say that it won¡¯t be able to break the seal for at least a year? I believe in her. Although saying that in a year even a fourth-generation beastmaster¡¯s dog could easily defeat the Black Dragon might be a bit exaggerated, by then, won¡¯t someone of the first-generation beastmasters have reached legend status?¡± ¡°Believe in the wisdom of the ¡®later generations¡¯!¡± ¡°Are you one of those later generations, referring to people a year from now?¡± Debate raged online. ¡°Keep calm! So what if it breaks the seal, if it can be sealed easily once, why not twice?¡± ¡°As long as it¡¯s frequently sealed, it¡¯s permanently sealed!¡± ¡°Until the day it sees the light again, it¡¯ll be surrounded by dozens of pet beasts with levels higher than its own¡­ caw caw.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There is just a concern about other creatures from the Dragon Palace wanting to rescue the Black Dragon, going so far as to actively disrupt the seal,¡± another voiced a worry. Having such a terrifying creature sealed outside Shanghai is like having a nuclear bomb buried right next to your home. In fact, by then, not only sea beasts but also many forces displeased with Xia Country might want to intervene. ¡°Other creatures from the Dragon Palace? You didn¡¯t notice, did you? When the Black Dragon invaded, dozens of advanced sea beasts gathered along the coast and were instantly slaughtered by God Lu¡¯s Twin Crow, reduced to piglets! They were drowned! Even if the remaining sea beasts in the Dragon Palace had more courage, they wouldn¡¯t dare come over! Wow, seriously, how did God Lu become so powerful? What happened just now, I¡¯m only realizing it now¡­¡± Beastmasters from the coastal areas recalled the shocking scene earlier; it was still beyond words for them. After Lu Ran evolved the Sword Domain Dog, he disappeared for a month. Everyone could deduce that he must have entered a breakthrough secret realm. But right now, even if he has emerged from the breakthrough secret realm, as a level 3 beastmaster, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast level is at best level 40. How could a level 40 Twin Crow possibly obliterate enemies across several cities with just a thought? This terrifying curse killing made many beastmasters feel that Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow was even more frightening than Manager Ying, more than the Black Dragon. ?? After all, even they might not be able to achieve such a bizarre feat. Especially foreign beastmasters, upon receiving various intelligence, were utterly shocked and couldn¡¯t understand why Lu Ran, as a member of the Fourth Generation, became the central figure in a city-devastating disaster. Certainly, Lu Ran is a groundbreaking genius beastmaster, but that¡¯s potential. A level 40 Twin Crow, in comparison, doesn¡¯t yet have the combined combat power of a near level 60 sovereign pet beast of a first-generation beastmaster. The coastal cities of Xia Country faced a situation that several first-generation beastmasters together wouldn¡¯t dare claim they could resolve perfectly, yet Lu Ran managed to perfectly suppress the disaster. ¡°What kind of freak is this?¡± Intelligence organizations worldwide felt like their heads were about to explode. However, after delving into Lu Ran¡¯s background, it wasn¡¯t hard to determine how Lu Ran enhanced the combat power of the Twin Crow. According to intelligence records, Lu Ran, during the level 2 beastmaster stage, solo cleared a legion-type Legendary Secret Realm. This achievement would undoubtedly bring Xia Country a legion-type beast taming skill or trait. The Pet Beast Legion, which wins the strong with the weak tactics¡­ can unite the strength of countless pet beasts. If it¡¯s through a legion skill, then Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow being able to wield such terrifying power becomes somewhat more reasonable. In the Ancient City of the Divine Capital, a female beastmaster deeply invested in the Black Dragon incident was thrilled by the various speculations online. She had personally witnessed Lu Ran reclaiming his pet beast from the flock of crows just days ago! With the Dark Crow making a grand impact, the ongoing crow migration events in Xia Country were once again brought to light. People realized that the crows weren¡¯t heralding a disaster; instead, these crows were the hidden guardians of Xia Country. The people of Green Sea City were particularly thrilled, as they had long grown accustomed to the flock of crows patrolling their skies. Now, seeing their city¡¯s guardian become the guardian of the whole country filled them with immense pride. ¡°This guy, sneaky as ever¡­¡± ¡°This kid¡­¡± ¡°God Lu is incredible.¡± Of course, Lu Ran¡¯s involvement in the Black Dragon incident was communicated in detail only to the First Generation to prevent acquaintances from worrying. Fang Lan, Jiang Dou, the Old Gentleman, and the Lujia Village team learned about Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow¡¯s prowess from the news without prior knowledge. Upon seeing these reports, they all breathed a sigh of relief with mixed feelings. This time, what Lu Ran achieved went beyond breaking potential records; he demonstrated terrifying prowess in actual ¡°battles¡± or even ¡°warfare.¡± It¡¯s not just domestic and international peers from the Golden Generation, like Youxiong Anlin and the Princess of Light, who were stunned; even some First Generation powerhouses were utterly astounded. Regardless of the power Lu Ran utilized, his achievements in this incident undoubtedly allow him to stand shoulder to shoulder with the First Generation under the name of the Fourth Generation. Not even the First Generation could have handled this better. ¡°Thankfully, the legion skill relies on a vast number of pet beasts, so it can only manifest power on the blue star and cannot be taken into the infinite city¡­¡± If the Pet Beast Legion could be taken to the infinite city to gather resources, Lu Ran would be truly unstoppable. As the world debated Lu Ran¡¯s feats, he and the Dark Crow continued to monitor the coastal situation. Only after confirming that no more sea beasts from the Dragon Palace appeared did Lu Ran and the Dark Crow finally breathe a sigh of relief. ¡°Great job! I¡¯ll make sure the Alliance rewards you with a nice treat.¡± Lu Ran stood cheerfully on the Dark Crow, saying. ¡°Yay!¡± The Guardian Dark Crow was in high spirits. [Name]: Twin Crow (Crow Flock Form) [Growth Level]: Level 61 Initially, it gathered over a hundred thousand elite crows, and then Xia Country¡¯s resources were made fully accessible to these crows. In a short time, there wasn¡¯t a single crow under level 20, and some with exceptional talent reached level 40, thanks to the exquisite resources provided by both Xia Country and Lu Ran. This high-quality, vast legion catapulted the Dark Crow¡¯s swarm form to over level 60, surpassing the ace pet beast levels of the First Generation. In truth, with a bit more time, the Dark Crow¡¯s crow flock form could become even more formidable. After all, in just a few days, due to needing to reserve enough energy from the divine deer antler for today¡¯s use, there was no opportunity for the Dark Crow to grant its eyeballs to some exceptionally talented elite crows. Without it, Lu Ran believed that even without the exquisite offerings provided by the Pig Deity, the crow flock could rely on its power plus the antler¡¯s curse killing to defeat enemies. ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± Before long, Lu Ran received a call from Shanghai, indicating that the situation there had also stabilized. On the call, Dr. Gu expressed concern about Lu Ran¡¯s status. ¡°How¡¯s the Dark Crow holding up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s doing well. Thanks to the divine deer antler, there¡¯s nothing major to worry about.¡± ¡°In short, mission accomplished. The sea beasts from the Dragon Palace that entered the Xia Country sea region have been curse-killed. Next, the local Beast Taming Association can handle resource recovery.¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. ¡°What about your side?¡± ¡°Things are stable here too. As expected, that Black Dragon couldn¡¯t break Manager Ying¡¯s seal domain,¡± Gu Qingyi reported. ¡°After being sealed, the Black Dragon began relentlessly attacking from inside the seal, trying all sorts of methods, but to no avail. According to Manager Ying¡¯s senses, given its condition, it¡¯ll take at least over a year to break this seal, but¡­¡± ¡°But what?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°But Manager Ying mentioned that releasing this Seal drained a lot of energy, and it would take two and a half years of rest to recover unless there¡¯s an abundance of exquisite resources. If that were the case, it could ensure that even if the Black Dragon breaks the Seal, it could be sealed again¡­¡± ¡°Otherwise, once the Black Dragon breaks free, Xia Country will have to handle it on its own.¡± Lu Ran fell silent, feeling like Manager Ying was extorting them in a way, but he couldn¡¯t really fault it. A domain skill that could seal a level 70 Dragon King for a year would surely require immense energy, and arguing against that seemed pointless. ¡°A year should be enough. By then, not just the former guild leader, even General Ha would likely be able to take down that Black Dragon,¡± Lu Ran said. Gu Qingyi: ¡°?¡± ¡°Have you been watching the live stream?¡± ¡°What live stream? I¡¯ve been busy coordinating with the Dark Crow to scout the sea region.¡± S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, then,¡± Gu Qingyi thought to herself, realizing that Manager Ying just knew Lu Ran too well. ¡°By the way, you mentioned earlier that after handling the Black Dragon, you could extract its Dragon Blood and Dragon Soul to use as evolution resources for your pet beasts. Now that the Black Dragon hasn¡¯t taken the bait, we end up sealing it instead, so there¡¯s no evolution resource,¡± Lu Ran lamented, sounding quite regretful. Gu Qingyi, exasperated, thought, ¡°At a time like this, you¡¯re worried about evolution resources? Just dealing with the Black Dragon is already a victory.¡± ¡°No worries, with the Dragon Palace in chaos, hunting other dragons from the sea floor will be just as effective.¡± ¡°If you ask me¡­¡± Lu Ran suggested, ¡°maybe don¡¯t rush into the evolution of the Vast Sea Azure Dragon. Focus on cultivating your other pet beasts first. Your Azure Dragon already has a Dragon Pearl fragment fused; that Black Dragon likely absorbed one too. Using it as an evolution resource would be perfect for your Azure Dragon.¡± ¡°I think waiting half a year might be worthwhile. Once the beastmasters of Xia Country are strong enough to hunt the Black Dragon, then you can consider evolving your ace Dragon Pet.¡± ¡°Be well-prepared, and utilize the Evolution Secret Realm to aim for evolving an upper overlord, like the former guild leader.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Gu Qingyi pondered Lu Ran¡¯s suggestion, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s discuss it when the former guild leader returns. Anyway, without the power to take down the Black Dragon King in one hit, there¡¯s no way we¡¯d intentionally let it out.¡± Lu Ran shrugged, saying, ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t lay your claim, plenty will be eyeing the Black Dragon King¡¯s remains. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Gu Qingyi: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. ¡°Me?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s gaze turned thoughtful as he replied, ¡°The Black Dragon¡¯s not the main focus anymore. Up next, I aim to collaborate with the Turtle Prime Minister within the Dragon Palace to take control of it from the inside! Dr. Gu, care to join me? The ocean¡¯s resources are incredibly abundant ¨C far more precious than the Black Dragon itself!¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re bold enough, the ocean is your playground!¡± Gu Qingyi: ¡°???¡± Chapter 287: King of the Vast Sea At this moment, a large number of nine-colored meteorite fragments should still be scattered throughout the ocean.This is a super resource that triggered the revival of spiritual energy on the blue star! It¡¯s uncertain whether it¡¯s a treasure from beyond the heavens or manufactured by Infinite City. In any case, each fragment of this nine-colored meteorite is of an exquisite-level, and Lu Ran feels that a complete nine-colored meteorite must be of legendary level, right? In terms of rarity, it doesn¡¯t seem to be inferior to the stone of the other shore, which the other shore desires to find. Currently, these meteorite fragments are scattered in the deep sea. If Lu Ran wants to collect them, he must develop marine forces. If Lu Ran plans to adopt a legion school in the future, these meteorite fragments are indispensable items. To some extent, they can directly solve the problem of low average levels of legion pet beasts. Lu Ran intends that after the dark crow takes a breather, he will have it contact the black turtle. With the Black Dragon sealed, the Dragon Palace is leaderless, which will inevitably lead to a power struggle. At this moment, the old turtle has just been taken into the Dragon Palace and is likely still a minor figure. However, not being a core figure in the Dragon Palace now doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t be in the future. Lu Ran plans to support the old turtle¡¯s rise! He wants it to become a retainer of the cloud baby or the sudden death king, to be the behind-the-scenes controller of the Dragon Palace. Or, if the old turtle is unwilling, not supporting its rise and cooperating with the Fishman Empire is also an option. However, when cooperating with the Fishman Empire, to establish trust, a retainer relationship must still be formed, and the Mermaid Princess, daughter of the Fishman King, must become a retainer of the cloud baby. After several days, Lu Ran has already obtained a photo of the Mermaid Princess. Hmm. To be honest, she is very beautiful. Just like in the legends, the upper body is a beautiful young maiden, and the lower body is a pretty tail covered in scales. The entire body is both alluring and suited for swift swimming. Once trained, she¡¯ll undoubtedly become a powerful marine mage. ¡­ Deep Sea, Dragon Palace. As Lu Ran anticipated. At this moment, not only are the nations of land-based humans experiencing earthquake-like upheavals, but marine forces are also undergoing a certain degree of vibration. Fishman Empire. A submarine realm entirely made of coral and sea cave structures. The Fishman King, having been severely injured by the Black Dragon, was recuperating in a resplendent coral palace reminiscent of a royal abode. On either side, a Fishman Prince with a shark head and a mermaid with a fish tail and human body were attending to him. The Shark Head Prince seemed rather dim-witted. The Fishman King also found him quite annoying. S§×ar?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The fellow went to the land and returned with nothing of value except for a few boxes of Ice Black Tea. Moreover, he even lost the meteorite fragment granted to him, a complete waste. ¡°Father.¡± ¡°In this confrontation between the human nation and the Dragon Palace, apart from providing some intelligence, we didn¡¯t help much.¡± The speaking Mermaid Princess possessed a grand figure, with flowing blue curls cascading down her back and bright blue eyes, a lovely visage, and an ample upper torso. Her lower half, however, was a shimmering sea-blue tail with ripples of light and shadow. ¡°I know,¡± the robust Fishman King contemplated before speaking: ¡°Who could¡¯ve guessed that this human nation would be so strong? You two, share your thoughts.¡± ¡°That human named Lu Ran seemed to have shown an exceptionally outstanding performance in this war¡­¡± ¡°With the Black Dragon sealed, the Dragon Palace has suffered significant losses. Now that the Dragon Palace¡¯s vitality is severely weakened, it seems like the perfect opportunity to counterattack and reclaim our previous losses all at once.¡± The Mermaid Princess floated as she spoke, ¡°Father, I believe that even if we plan to counterattack the Dragon Palace, it should be in alliance with the human nation. I am willing to serve as the envoy, representing the Fishman Empire to negotiate with the human nation.¡± ¡°I want to counterattack!! I want to help my brother-in-law get the old turtle back!!¡± The Shark Head Prince brandished a trident. Seeing this, the Fishman King, disregarding his injuries, kicked him away. At the same time. Dragon Palace. Unlike the headquarters of the Fishman Empire, if the Fishman Empire¡¯s headquarters is a masterpiece of nature, consisting of countless corals and sea caves forming a colossal architectural complex, Then the Dragon Palace¡¯s base resembles an undersea palace, closely resembling the architecture style of the human nation. Indeed, both the Fishman Empire and the Dragon Palace are ancient superpowers dating back to ancient times. During those times, the Dragon Palace had developed the habit of enslaving humans. Coastal humans were subjugated by the ocean creatures, aiding in the construction of the massive Dragon Palace, a history that contributed to the Black Dragon King¡¯s arrogant nature. During that era, human nations and tribes revered it as a divine spirit and placed their faith in it, fearing it greatly. This resulted in the Black Dragon focusing its predatory gaze on the human world immediately upon its awakening. However, across countless years, even though the totemic divine dragon was legendary, modern humans didn¡¯t indulge it. They didn¡¯t view it as a god but as something to stand up against when needed. If totemic creatures had continuously protected humans, it might have been different. But after the retreat of spiritual energy, humans endured countless disasters on their own, without an ounce of protection from any Guardian or totemic spirit. Therefore, even if legendary creatures like dragons appeared now, they weren¡¯t seen as unreachable and almighty. Extortion? Not a chance. ¡°What on earth is happening, what is going on!!¡± Currently, with the Black Dragon King vanished along with numerous sea beasts of the Dragon Palace, turmoil has erupted within the Dragon Palace. In one of the barracks, the Black Turtle was overwhelmed by the commotion outside. ¡°What a calamity.¡± ¡°The world is in chaos!!¡± Tears streamed from the old turtle¡¯s eyes as it recalled its recent experiences. Poor old turtle couldn¡¯t even begin to express its woes: first, it was living peacefully in the Green Sea before getting captured by the Fishman Empire¡­ Fortunately, the Fishman Prince held it in high regard and treated it kindly, allowing the old turtle to live a somewhat peaceful life. But unexpectedly, it was later captured by the Dragon Palace. This time, lounging around was not an option. Upon arrival, the old turtle, along with other captured sea beasts, was assigned to different barracks by the Dragon Palace¡¯s general. It became the vice general, and underwent strenuous training daily. Being just a vice general, the Black Turtle was unaware of the Dragon Palace¡¯s conflict with Xia Country; it simply didn¡¯t have the rank to know. Yet the current chaos inside the Dragon Palace signaled to the old turtle that something significant had undoubtedly occurred. The Dragon Palace was constantly at war, having previously clashed with the Fishman Empire-facts the old turtle was all too aware of. So, at this moment, it felt incredibly troubled, suspecting that another conflict had erupted and might even be affecting the internal affairs of the Dragon Palace. ¡°I, the old turtle, despise chaos.¡± ¡°Compared to here, working over in the Green Sea doesn¡¯t seem so unbearable,¡± the black turtle began reminiscing about life in the Green Sea. Since its capture, it wondered if Lu Ran and the others had thought about rescuing it¡­ But the black turtle also understood the terror that came with the Fishman Empire and the Dragon Palace. It reckoned the chances of Lu Ran coming to rescue it were nearly zero¡­ Zero¡­ ¡°Hmm??¡± The black turtle suddenly looked at a zero that appeared in front of it. No, it wasn¡¯t a zero; it was a dark red eye. Seeing this suddenly manifesting eye, it looked incredulous. But then its expression grew even more astonished as the dark red eye transformed directly into a spirit-mode crow clone. This crow, the black turtle was familiar with. Its mouth opened slightly. ¡°Caw caw!¡± At that moment, the necromancy crow clone, birthed through the Evil God¡¯s Eye, appeared quite excited. It eyed the dazed black turtle and said, ¡°General Black Turtle, found a suitable chance to contact you at last.¡± ¡°You-you-you¡­¡± The black turtle stared in shock at the Dark Crow. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised; it¡¯s me, General Dark Crow.¡± ¡°You¡­ haven¡¯t forgotten your identity, have you? Grand Marshal of the Green Sea Navy, former General Black Turtle of the Seven General Beasts of the Green Sea!!¡± ¡°Damn.¡± The black turtle continued with its mouth agape, never having expected the Dark Crow to appear here in the depths of the ocean. How had that been done? ¡°Could it be¡­¡± Though it didn¡¯t know how the Dark Crow managed this, the black turtle¡¯s heart surged with excitement, ¡°Lu Ran hasn¡¯t forgotten me, right? You¡¯re here to rescue me, aren¡¯t you??!!¡± ¡°Answer me, say yes!!!¡± The Dark Crow looked at the black turtle general with disdain, ¡°So impatient, you are always such a rush.¡± ¡°Of course we never forgot about you. To rescue you, Lu Ran, along with Manager Ying, sealed the Black Dragon King and killed dozens of Dragon Palace generals. The chaos outside is because of this.¡± The black turtle¡¯s eyes widened. What??? ¡°Anyway, the big king has done so much for you; shouldn¡¯t you show some appreciation?¡± ¡°For instance, cooperate with the big king and help him go from being the King of the Green Sea to becoming the King of the Vast Sea???¡± The black turtle: ??? Chapter 288: King of the Vast Sea ¡°What?¡±¡°What???¡± King of the Vast Sea? The black turtle general felt a bit dizzy at this moment; there was indeed a lot of information to process. It sorted things out. First, Lu Ran and his group, in order to rescue it and bring it back to Green Sea City, took down both the Black Dragon King and the generals of the Dragon Palace¡­ Although the black turtle found this hard to believe, it felt that the dark crow didn¡¯t have a reason to lie. After all, if it wasn¡¯t true, it was very easy to uncover this lie since it was inside the Dragon Palace itself. If things had only progressed to this point, the black turtle would definitely feel ¡°immensely grateful and speechless.¡± After all, it would soon be able to return to Green Sea City for a peaceful retirement, which was the life it truly desired. However, now, the dark crow didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of taking it back¡­ The implication between the lines was¡­ for it to remain in the Dragon Palace! ¡°Black turtle general, do you still remember your experiences?¡± the dark crow leaned close to the black turtle, wrapping its head with a wing, and tempted: ¡°Both the big king and I know that you also wish to retire in Green Sea.¡± ¡°But have you forgotten? You had already achieved the retirement life, but the factors from the outside world did not allow you to pursue tranquility.¡± ¡°First, you were captured by the Fishman Empire, and then by the Dragon Palace, leaving you powerless to resist!¡± ¡°A perfect retirement environment is something you must create for yourself!¡± ¡°Now the Dragon Palace is in disorder. If we just walk away, can you guarantee that it won¡¯t be taken over by another sea power, forming a stronger oceanic force?¡± ¡°By then, even if you return to Green Sea City, our peace may still be disrupted by them.¡± ¡°In my view, why not go all out, just like when you once suppressed the coastal waters of Green Sea City for peace, step in again, take over the Dragon Palace, and dominate this sea region.¡± ¡°By then, even if the world is chaotic and you wish to retire, a vast oceanic force will shield you¡­¡± The dark crow continuously analyzed the pros and cons for the black turtle general, plunging it into deep thought. ¡°What you say makes sense, but I¡¯m just a turtle.¡± It might manage to suppress a city¡¯s coastal waters, but the deep sea is filled with monsters! ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The dark crow gave a charming, mischievous smile and said, ¡°The big king will prepare ¡®exquisite resources¡¯ and ¡®exquisite weapons¡¯ to enhance your strength!¡± Black turtle: ¡°What?¡± The dark crow glanced at the damaged stone tablet on the back of the black turtle, shook its head, and said, ¡°This thing needs replacing.¡± ¡°At that time, the big king will prepare an exquisite quality stone tablet weapon for you, one that nurtures spirits, to lend you a hand.¡± ¡°Your task is to climb step by step in this chaotic Dragon Palace using the resources given by the big king, until you rule the vast sea¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± The dark crow saw the black turtle hesitate and said, ¡°I will leave a clone to fight alongside you, so you won¡¯t have to struggle alone.¡± ? Black turtle: %$@%@$@ ¡°Then, with the two of us generals working together, we¡¯ll easily place the big king on the throne as the King of the Vast Sea!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The black turtle showed a look of despair. The crow with eight mouths had said everything; what else could it do? ¡°Once we finish this task, you¡¯ll be able to fully retire!¡± said the dark crow. ¡°Really¡­¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t trust me, you should trust the big king.¡± ¡°There are countless sea beasts with talent and potential. If the big king didn¡¯t consider you one of his own and trust you, why would he go to such lengths to invest resources in you?¡± The black turtle paused, realizing it was true. Thinking carefully, Lu Ran had indeed treated it well¡­ Despite having many better choices, he specifically chose to find this old turtle. Yes!! So many talented young sea beasts with potential, why did they always mess with it! It was infuriating! ¡°Sigh¡­¡± The old turtle sighed. Oh well, since Lu Ran trusted it so much, it should at least try to be of some help. ¡­ ¡°Well done.¡± Green Sea City. The dark crow had returned from scouting. From the reconnaissance, Lu Ran could confirm that the Dragon Palace was indeed in chaos and that there was still a massive number of fierce sea beasts there. Despite the Black Dragon King leading dozens of level 40 to 50 advanced sea beasts to invade Xia Country, that number of advanced sea beasts was far from the limit of the Dragon Palace. Within the Dragon Palace, there were at least hundreds of level 40 to 50 sea beasts. Of course, these sea beasts weren¡¯t exactly loyal followers of the Black Dragon King; they were more like subordinates forcibly subjugated by violence and were scattered throughout the ocean, akin to feudal lords. The loyalty of these sea beasts to the Black Dragon King was questionable; with the Black Dragon King being suppressed by Xia Country, they likely wouldn¡¯t seek revenge. However, not rescuing the Black Dragon King doesn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t covet his position. When the Black Dragon King conscripted the various feudal lords, who knows how many resources were plundered? These resources weren¡¯t necessarily all utilized by the Black Dragon King. A large portion may still be hidden within Dragon Palace City, and to acquire these resources, the sea beasts would likely come to the Dragon Palace for a look. At this moment, it would be the most chaotic stage for the Dragon Palace. Not only sea beasts, but even various human countries might want to join in the scramble. Although Lu Ran hadn¡¯t received any definitive information, he estimated that the upcoming alliance between Xia Country and the Fishman Empire might lean towards the Fishman Empire supplying ¡°contract sea beasts,¡± which Xia Country¡¯s beastmasters would contract to help rapidly cultivate an ¡°oceanic special operations team.¡± Not a navy that operates on the ocean surface, but a special ops team capable of functioning in the deep sea. With this, Xia Country would have the strength to quickly stake its claim during this feudal lord sea chaos. Regarding the exploration of the sea region, Lu Ran didn¡¯t plan to collaborate with the Association; he intended to leverage the dark crow¡¯s unique traits to go solo. Though the black turtle was weak, those feudal sea beasts weren¡¯t particularly strong either. With a bit of investment from Lu Ran, it could soon muster the strength to contend with them. Moreover, the dark crow could always perform its ¡°dark spirit descent¡± to eliminate strong foes on behalf of the black turtle-a potential strain on its eyesight, but a manageable expense nonetheless. Before long, the black turtle would make a name for itself in the deep sea, gathering a large following. Then, around the black turtle, Lu Ran could send the Jiao Dragon from Green Sea into the sea, and soon, he would have some influence in the deep sea. At that point, the dark crow could venture even further to conquer and help him gather resources. ¡°Old turtle, this is for your own good. With the world in such chaos and the constant threats of city or nation destruction, how could you simply lie down and be at ease?¡± Lu Ran shook his head. ¡°Trust me, this is the right path-first gain unmatched strength in the world, then consider retiring peacefully.¡± After connecting with the dark crow and the black turtle, Lu Ran checked his phone. Following the Black Dragon incident, he had received messages from Pluto, Master Lin, and Master Jiang Dou. [You¡¯re strong.] [Amazing!] [You little rascal¡­ impressive!] Lu Ran smiled slightly, responded briefly to most of the messages, and then opened a more significant one. Lu Bing: [Village Chief, you¡¯re super strong, love it, just wish the divine deer had appeared! Oh, by the way, to report to you: the Jiao Dragon team is now preliminarily qualified to challenge a Legendary Secret Realm with a four-person team. Regarding the choice of the first level 1 secret realm type, they plan to seek your advice. Do you have any urgent need for special fusion traits or skills?] S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°It¡¯s starting¡­¡± Reading Lu Bing¡¯s message, Lu Ran let out a long breath. The Jiao Dragon team, nurtured with vast resources, was finally ready to attempt a Legendary Secret Realm challenge. The Jiao Dragon team was quite considerate, aware that their current strength was entirely due to Lu Ran¡¯s investment. Therefore, for their first Legendary Secret Realm, they wanted to know what Lu Ran needed in terms of resources. For example, if Lu Ran needed fire fusion traits, they would challenge a fire-type Legendary Secret Realm. This way, there¡¯s a high probability that they¡¯ll acquire the resources Lu Ran requires. What Lu Ran needs takes precedence over their own needs. ¡°What a pity,¡± Lu Ran thought with a hint of regret as he read the message. In recent days, he had carried out an experiment to see if non-contract retainers like the sword spirit and sword grass could fuse traits. Unfortunately, it failed. It seems that only Main Pets contracted via a contract card can fuse traits. This was a significant disappointment for Lu Ran because if the sword spirit and sword grass could also fuse traits to evolve, he was confident he could cultivate General Ha¡¯s retainers into an overlord species. That would elevate General Ha¡¯s strength to even more terrifying levels. But Lu Ran wasn¡¯t greedy. Having the sword spirit and sword grass share a contract card with General Ha was already satisfying. Moreover, while they couldn¡¯t evolve through Infinite City¡¯s benefits, it didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t find other means to evolve. Back when the beastmaster Yu Rui from the Star Moon Federation mentioned that they had evolved sword grass into an overlord species, he didn¡¯t rely on the power of Infinite City. Instead, he used his own evolution techniques. Just like most wild creatures on Blue Star, which don¡¯t have the benefits of Infinite City but can still evolve using special evolution resources. Therefore, the sword spirit and sword grass still have a chance to become overlords, though the process is a bit more troublesome. In any case, since the evolution shortcut of traits is unavailable, Lu Ran can¡¯t have the Jiao Dragon team help the sword spirit and sword grass acquire traits. This significantly narrows down the options available for the Jiao Dragon team. ¡°General Ha is at level 40, fused with space-type traits, check. The dark crow has already reached level 40, no current needs, check. So the ones in need are the sudden death king and cloud baby.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s arrange for the sudden death king first.¡± Lu Ran replied to Lu Bing: [Find a secret realm boss that excels in support defense.] Lu Bing: [Support defense? Got it!] Lu Bing understood what support defense meant. Support-type pet beasts are quite favored during secret realm team-ups. A single skill buff can massively increase the team¡¯s attack power, defense, and speed. That¡¯s the role of a support-type pet beast. Lu Ran intended to continue his previous plan: have the sudden death king acquire a new support talent at level 40. This way, while its own defense is strong, it can also enhance the defense of all teammates. This prevents it from constantly complaining about being the only one taking hits¡­ After finishing his communication with Lu Bing, Lu Ran called Professor Ye. Professor Ye, the teacher from Beast Taming University who had given Lu Ran the sword grass, was responsible for the real-world secret realm modification in Green Sea City. Lu Ran planned to transplant the ferocious plants he obtained from the breakthrough secret realm to Green Sea, and he might need her assistance. Lu Ran had transplanted the Death Forest to the ruins space, which, thanks to its perfect environment, didn¡¯t pose a risk of killing the plants. However, transplanting them to Green Sea might require expert guidance. As for why they weren¡¯t left in the ruins space, it¡¯s because the training activities of General Ha and others in the ruins space are becoming increasingly intense. Eventually, those plants might get caught in the crossfire and perish. Compared to nurturing ferocious plants, using the ruins space as a portable space for pet beasts and legion pet beasts offers a better value. After getting this botanist (Professor Ye) to lend a hand, Lu Ran cheerfully dialed Fang Lan¡¯s number. ¡°Do me a favor!¡± Lu Ran said as soon as the call connected. ¡°Ugh, what¡¯s up with you?¡± Fang Lan retorted. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Lu Ran feigned ignorance. ¡°Never mind, I won¡¯t ask. What can I help you with?¡± Fang Lan said with a pout. The recent actions of the dark crow had turned it into a Guardian in Xia Country, with Lu Ran even being honored in the Grand Ancestral Temple. She felt helpless. During her breakthrough secret realm adventure, she had crossed paths with beastmasters from the other world and managed to take them down with her poison abilities, earning herself an SS rating. She thought she did pretty well, but who knew that one secret realm later, Lu Ran would become a Guardian of Xia Country. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s your old expertise-researching poison,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re at the university now, right? Go find Professor Ye, then head back to Green Sea with her, and you¡¯ll understand.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Huh, what? There¡¯s a surprise waiting for you!¡± Here¡¯s the thing: while cultivating the dark crow legion, Lu Ran identified a major issue. Dark and mental resources couldn¡¯t both be standard for ordinary crows, and other attributes didn¡¯t significantly enhance the curse power. Through extensive experimentation, Lu Ran discovered that some poison-based crows synergized well with curse power, providing the dark crow with even more potent curse energy. So, Lu Ran decided to focus the dark crow legion on the poison attribute. This trait is relatively inexpensive but still very powerful. However, Lu Ran was not well-versed in poison powers, so he planned to have Fang Lan oversee the Death Forest¡¯s ferocious plants and research poison powers suitable for the crow species. And besides, this might save her from feeling guilty about receiving such a huge gift, lest she get so moved that she¡¯d want to offer herself in marriage. Chapter 289: Ten Thousand Poison Mother Tree Green Sea.After dealing with the Black Dragon, Lu Ran felt completely at ease. He thought he could relax a bit during the transition from level 3 to level 4, but unexpectedly, he had to deal with the troublesome Black Dragon. However, the pressure from the Black Dragon also brought him significant gains. With the divine deer¡¯s gift and the rise of the dark crow legion¡­ ¡°Finally, I should be able to take a break for a couple of days.¡± General Ha would take care of nurturing the sword spirit and sword grass, allowing the three dogs to practice sword intent and the Combined Sword Domain on their own. The sea was under the watch of the dark crow and the black turtle. Even the ordinary crows, Lu Ran planned to have Fang Lan nurture them. This was the life the King of the Green Sea should enjoy. If he had to do everything himself, it would be too exhausting. However, Lu Ran also knew it wasn¡¯t realistic to completely step away from all nurturing tasks. For instance, he still had to personally forge an artifact spirit stone tablet as promised to the black turtle. Moreover, he had to personally take General Ha, the sudden death king, and the cloud baby to the arena for a level up. ¡°No wonder so many beastmasters only nurture one or two pet beasts. It¡¯s truly exhausting to handle more.¡± As Lu Ran stretched, he had already planned his next steps. He would first help Professor Ye transplant the Death Forest, and then focus on nurturing new necromancy equipment. Since he planned to forge a necromancy weapon for the black turtle, Lu Ran intended to forge several at once. After all, nurturing one or multiple is the same; doing them together saves effort and reduces the need to frequently enter the necromancy secret realm. After some calculations, Lu Ran realized he could forge a necromancy shield for the sudden death king to serve as a future retainer, which was part of the original plan. Additionally, he could make a sword spirit similar to the corpse dog for Master Jiang Dou. This old man never stopped causing worry. Lu Ran thought the Old Gentleman should just relax in retirement like the black turtle, but unexpectedly, he recently acquired a black card contract and, at his age, became a beastmaster¡­ To be fair, the Old Gentleman is quite formidable. Given his decent combat strength and that Lu Ran had gifted him a supernatural being with good potential, he directly achieved an SS rating in the novice secret realm. He¡¯s quite proud of it now. To ensure the Old Gentleman¡¯s safety in the future, Lu Ran, as his disciple, needed to prepare something for him. A sword spirit pet beast seemed very suitable for Master Jiang Dou. §² Preferably a sword spirit from a sovereign species. Now, Fang Lan¡¯s family and Master Jiang Dou were Lu Ran¡¯s only remaining relatives, and he didn¡¯t want the Old Gentleman to meet the same fate as the senior brother, the Eagle Hero, who ultimately fell in the breakthrough secret realm. ¡°But with the old man¡¯s strength, it¡¯s hard to imagine him failing,¡± Lu Ran shook his head. Master Jiang Dou was even more formidable than him. This old man had, immediately after contracting a pet beast, comprehended the Rainbow Sword Intent. He didn¡¯t rely on any supernatural skills; he purely comprehended sword intent with his human capabilities. This talent surpassed even Lu Ran¡¯s by many folds, likely a culmination of decades of swordsmanship experience. It should be noted that Lu Ran only learned through a combination of various skills like super beast mimicry and weapon mastery¡­ The older generation just has its unique prowess. However, when the Old Gentleman mentioned this achievement to Lu Ran, there was no hint of boasting or delight in his tone. After all, even a dog had comprehended something as advanced as the ¡°sword domain,¡± so mastering sword intent didn¡¯t seem to be a big deal. From the perspective of the Old Gentleman, as an apprentice beastmaster, mastering sword intent might not be something to celebrate, but from Lu Ran¡¯s perspective, it was impressively strong. Master Jiang Dou truly was one of Xia Country¡¯s top-level swordsmanship masters. Lu Ran believed that if he gave a little push, the Old Gentleman might become the No. 2 former guild leader, killing the younger generation effortlessly with his elder might, bringing some shock to the youth of the Fourth Generation. ¡°Hehe.¡± The more Lu Ran thought about it, the more interesting he found it, feeling that he must gift the Old Gentleman a sword spirit. Thinking of this, Lu Ran called Manager Ying. ¡°Meow?¡± ¡°Manager Ying, I¡¯m planning to visit the necromancy secret realm in a couple of days, how about sending a clone to be my bodyguard?¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± Manager Ying sneered, ¡°You now have the ruins space and the flock of crows; what are you afraid of? Who could pose a threat to you? You¡¯ve matured and should stand on your own!¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy, hanging up now. Besides, every country wants to invite me to open a branch, I¡¯m seizing this opportunity to accept more gifts while the spotlight¡¯s on.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, it¡¯s simply because I¡¯ve exhausted too much energy this time and don¡¯t have the strength to create a clone. You¡¯re on your own.¡± Click! The call ended. Lu Ran: ? ¡°Busy, everyone¡¯s busy. Being busy is good!¡± Lu Ran muttered through gritted teeth as he hung up. He had originally wanted to share the intelligence about the divine deer¡¯s clone, but oh well, it seemed the cat didn¡¯t have the good fortune to hear it. He decided to talk about it later. Manager Ying couldn¡¯t be relied upon, but Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too worried. Indeed, as long as he prepared properly, he could handle traveling alone just fine. On the other side, Lu Ran didn¡¯t have to wait long before Professor Ye and Fang Lan hurriedly arrived. Both of them had already heard about Lu Ran¡¯s third breakthrough secret realm being in the Divine Tree Continent. They also learned that Lu Ran had collected countless ferocious plant resources from there. Professor Ye, wearing glasses, appeared excited. She hadn¡¯t expected to receive such good news just after relaxing from the tense Black Dragon incident. For a botanist, the Death Forest Lu Ran mentioned was incredibly tempting. Fang Lan felt the same way. She felt as if her wish had magically come true; she had asked Lu Ran to find some ferocious plants, and he had actually been teleported to the Divine Tree Continent¡­ ¡°Love you to bits.¡± ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch-¡± As soon as she saw him, Fang Lan gave Lu Ran an enthusiastic hug. Lu Ran initially thought she was just expressing gratitude, but then he suddenly realized her strength had become surprisingly strong, as if she was showing off. ¡°Let go, what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°A reward from the breakthrough secret realm, a beast taming skill, the Ten Thousand Poison Body,¡± Fang Lan said, releasing her grip with a smile. ¡°What is that?¡± Lu Ran escaped from her grasp. Although his main combat strength came from the Flame Sprite and sword intent, his physical strength was also considerable, and Fang Lan, not even in pet beast fusion state, had managed to cause him pain? ¡°The stronger the poison of the pet beast, the stronger the beastmaster¡¯s physique and poison resistance become.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that perfectly suited for you?¡± Professor Ye remarked in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s an excellent skill.¡± S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°After all, it¡¯s an SS rating,¡± Fang Lan smiled slightly. ¡°But enough about me, Lu Ran, where are the plants?¡± Lu Ran sighed and said, ¡°Come with me and see for yourselves first.¡± With that, he took out the branch of ruins and activated its power. Professor Ye and Fang Lan looked around curiously. The next moment, a ripple of space immediately enveloped the three of them. Simultaneously, within the ruins space, the figures of the three began to materialize. At this moment, General Ha and the Sudden Death King weren¡¯t training here; instead, they were resting inside Lu Ran¡¯s black card. The outcome of the Black Dragon incident was unpredictable, and if necessary, they would need to join in and battle the sea beasts. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t afford to waste their energy. Fortunately, the dark crows managed to resolve everything in the end, leaving them unused. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Upon entering the ruins space, Professor Ye and Fang Lan were both taken aback. The entire area was covered in uneven craters, resembling a post-apocalyptic world hit by meteorites. In the distance, a lush green forest stood out like an oasis in the desert. In fact, this ruin had a self-repair function similar to the training secret realm of Infinite City. However, clearly, it hadn¡¯t yet restored the environment that the Sudden Death King had wreaked havoc on in such a short time. Lu Ran didn¡¯t explain the environment. Instead, he summoned General Ha to lead the way into the Death Forest. The ferocious plants over there were mindless and wouldn¡¯t recognize people. If Lu Ran and the others went directly, they¡¯d certainly be attacked. However, with General Ha leading and simulating the legendary breath, it was enough to intimidate these plants. ¡°Wooof!¡± General Ha, upon being summoned, exuded a majestic aura. After a calm glance at the group, it whipped up a gale that transported them to the edge of the forest. At the same time, its domineering energy leaked, intimidating the ferocious plants and dampening their fierce instincts. ¡°Just as promised, take whatever ferocious plants you need,¡± Lu Ran generously stated once they arrived. ¡°Although, to be honest, none of this is particularly useful to me. Once you transplant to the Green Sea, you can do as you see fit.¡± Beside them, Professor Ye wore a look of envy. If only she could have a capable younger brother like Lu Ran. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you up on that offer!¡± she said. ¡°Xiaolan, see which one you like,¡± Fang Lan said with a rosy complexion, her eyes sparkling. She promptly summoned her Daxia wolf spider. Her poison spider had fused with the Poison Plant Control trait, allowing it to transform unawakened, ordinary plants into toxic ones that could be wielded as weapons. After acquiring this trait, Fang Lan had modified quite a few ordinary plants, but with limited success. She had considered purchasing ferocious or spiritual plants from botanists, but these exquisite plants were rare worldwide and not for sale. Meanwhile, the ordinary ferocious and spiritual plants available offered minimal enhancement to her pet beast. Now, with an entire Death Forest brought back by Lu Ran, Fang Lan felt as if she were in paradise. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Catching the scent of numerous exquisite plants, the spider Xiaolan scurried quickly. Lu Ran and Professor Ye exchanged glances and followed with Fang Lan, curious to see what plant the Daxia wolf spider would choose. Before long, Xiaolan arrived at the core area of the Death Forest and found a small seedling, gleefully waving its limbs. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± Fang Lan asked, puzzled, as she stopped. ¡°This¡­¡± Professor Ye focused her gaze, her expression turning to one of surprise. ¡°Huh?¡± Lu Ran was dumbfounded too. ¡°You guys really know how to pick.¡± Fang Lan¡¯s pet beast had ignored the spiritual and ferocious plants that would awaken into sovereign species, not caring for even the commander species. Lu Ran¡¯s eye twitched. This spider had gone straight for the gift from Qing Lianshan-a gift that was the best Lu Ran had received over there. ¡°Is this¡­ a seedling of the spiritual energy mother tree?¡± Professor Ye exclaimed, astonished by the high-quality spiritual energy emitted by the seedling. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s a spiritual plant that, upon awakening, can reach the level of a lower overlord species. It¡¯s the plant with the highest potential in this entire forest,¡± Lu Ran said, looking at the seedling. Nearby, there was actually a seed of a plant belonging to the lower sovereign species, a reward from the breakthrough secret realm, but it paled in comparison to the spiritual energy mother tree seedling. It wasn¡¯t even as impressive as the sword grass. Lu Ran planned to assess its abilities later; if it wasn¡¯t particularly useful, he¡¯d simply give it away. ¡°Xiaolan wants this one?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Fang Lan nodded. ¡°It seems to be really interested in this.¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The spider danced excitedly once more. Through telepathy, Lu Ran heard its inner voice. [Lu-Ge, Lu-Ge, I want this one, please. I can transform the spiritual energy it releases into high-concentration toxic spiritual energy! It¡¯ll be really powerful then!] ¡°Really??¡± At first, Lu Ran thought that the spider might not be making a sensible choice by bypassing so many ferocious plants and selecting this auxiliary spiritual plant. But upon hearing the spider¡¯s idea, Lu Ran was taken aback. Wow, you¡¯re a genius. Transforming a spiritual energy mother tree into a Ten Thousand Poison Mother Tree? Lu Ran realized this might actually work. For Green Sea City and the ruins space, ordinary spiritual energy, no matter how abundant, wasn¡¯t very meaningful-it would at most accelerate the leveling-up of ordinary supernatural beings in Green Sea City. However, transforming the spiritual energy mother tree into a Ten Thousand Poison Mother Tree would be a game-changer. Firstly, Fang Lan would gain a poison plant with overlord potential as a combat asset. Secondly, the toxic spiritual energy would not only serve as a weapon but also aid in nurturing poison-type creatures. For Lu Ran, who planned to cultivate an army of poison crows, this would be more effective than ordinary spiritual energy. ¡°I don¡¯t have any issues with it. Thinking it through, it¡¯s quite cost-effective,¡± Lu Ran said, touching his chin. ¡°But Xiaolan is still just a commander species. Are you sure it can transform a spiritual energy mother tree with overlord potential into a poison-controlled tree?¡± If it could indeed be transformed, that would be incredible. Even though Fang Lan¡¯s poison spider was only a commander species, having an overlord-potential poison plant seedling would let her dominate sovereigns. The Golden Generation would have to flee for their lives upon encountering her. ¡°Woof, woof woof!¡± As Lu Ran expressed his doubts, General Ha looked on with a nonchalant expression¡­ Subduing an overlord seedling? No problem, it would lend a helping paw! Chapter 290: The Rise of the Saintess ¡°Let¡¯s try controlling it first.¡±¡°Although it has the potential of an overlord after awakening, it hasn¡¯t awakened yet and is still in the seedling stage. We can give it a try.¡± Lu Ran looked at General Ha and pondered. ¡°You really are generous,¡± Fang Lan remarked, a smile spreading across her face with excitement. Her spider certainly knew how to choose, as it had selected the most precious spiritual plant seedling of Lu Ran¡¯s right from the start. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Lu Ran shrugged it off. ¡°However¡­¡± ¡°If the spiritual energy mother tree were transplanted to Green Sea City, all supernatural beings there could upgrade faster.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve taken it, shouldn¡¯t you compensate by helping me cultivate a poison Crow legion?¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. Transplanting the spiritual energy mother tree to Green Sea City would at most allow the wild supernatural beings to level up faster. How could the status of those wild supernatural beings compare to that of a powerful poison Crow legion? And certainly not to Fang Lan; her prospects would definitely take precedence. ¡°Of course, no problem!¡± Fang Lan readily agreed. Beside them, Professor Ye watched as the two casually planned the arrangement of an exquisite spiritual plant, her eyelids twitching. [The fate of Green Sea City is being rewritten by these two¡­] She analyzed carefully. If the spiritual energy mother tree were directly transplanted to Green Sea City, the city could potentially become the best feng shui location in Xia Country in the future. But now¡­ she could only predict that Green Sea City would become the most perilous place in Xia Country. Professor Ye couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the sight of the spiritual energy mother tree degenerating into the poison type. ¡°Tssss-¡± With permission from Lu Ran and further approval from Fang Lan, the Daxia wolf spider couldn¡¯t wait any longer. It crawled over eagerly, greedily absorbing the breath released by the spiritual energy mother tree seedling. Next, several of its legs emitted energy bodies resembling purple vines that wrapped around the spiritual energy mother tree seedling. However, even a spiritual plant without sapience wasn¡¯t easy to subdue. The forceful theft by the little spider caused the spiritual energy mother tree seedling to have a stress reaction. With a hiss, a burst of even more violently erupting spiritual energy seemed to attempt to intoxicate the little spider with its high concentration. This tactic was indeed effective; the violent surge of spiritual energy directly burst through the purple energy enveloping the seedling, challenging the little spider right from the start. ¡°Woof-¡° Fortunately, General Ha wasn¡¯t just boasting earlier. Seeing the spiritual energy mother tree seedling daring to resist, it stepped forward. With an air of authority and energy antlers atop its head, it addressed the plant. ¡°Woof! (Give me some respect.)¡± Regardless of whether the seedling could understand, General Ha calmly spoke. Resist what? To it, this seedling was to the spider what sword grass was to itself. Why not let it be used for a bit first? Perhaps a little development could even accelerate the birth of Sapience. ¡°This, this¡­ deer dog.¡± Although General Ha¡¯s earlier attempt to help didn¡¯t catch the attention of Fang Lan and Professor Ye-after all, unlike Lu Ran, they couldn¡¯t understand dog language-they assumed General Ha was simply barking twice. But now, as General Ha did a spot-on impression of the divine deer, the spiritual energy mother tree seedling wilted, allowing the little spider to subdue it. Professor Ye showed an expression of disbelief. She couldn¡¯t comprehend¡­ what exactly happened? ¡°Uh¡­¡± Fang Lan was also dumbfounded, looking at General Ha, not understanding how it could transform like that and, post-transformation, cause the seedling to relinquish instinctually. ¡°Standard procedure,¡± Lu Ran cleared his throat and said, ¡°Look, it seems like it¡¯s subdued the seedling.¡± At that moment, prompted by Lu Ran¡¯s reminder, the two looked again towards the little spider and the seedling. To their astonishment, the little spider had already uprooted the spiritual energy mother tree seedling and somehow planted it onto its own back. ¡°Sss-¡° In an instant, with a flash of light, a bluish-purple Daxia wolf spider with a purple sapling on its back emerged. After making a hissing sound, the tree on its back pulsated, emitting purple spiritual energy like blooming flowers. Seemingly concerned about the toxic spiritual energy affecting the surroundings, the Daxia wolf spider swiftly absorbed the energy back into itself. ¡°Hiss-¡± Observing this, Fang Lan wore an expression of disbelief. ¡°What happened?¡± Professor Ye was surprised that the spiritual energy mother tree seedling was successfully transformed by this poison spider from the commander species. Seeing Fang Lan¡¯s expression of astonishment, she immediately asked. ¡°Nothing, just the toxic spiritual energy earlier was much more potent than the venom of my two pet beasts,¡± Fang Lan explained. ¡°You might not have sensed it, but the toxicity of that spiritual energy was truly terrifying.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for its innate talent as the controller to be immune to toxins, I bet it would have poisoned itself. I reckon if it spreads out, it could knock out a sovereign from the Dragon Clan that¡¯s over ten levels higher without any issue.¡± ¡°Woof woof woof!¡± Just as Fang Lan finished speaking, General Ha leaned over, its intelligent eyes gleaming with a ¡°Let me try?¡± kind of thought. Beside her, Lu Ran ground his teeth and promptly recalled General Ha back into the contract card. Try, my foot. ¡°Enhancing strength is all that matters,¡± Lu Ran nodded, satisfied with the little spider¡¯s success in subduing the seedling. ¡°But the purple spiritual energy is a bit too obvious, maybe work on that.¡± ¡°I get it! It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not too skilled with controlling it yet,¡± Fang Lan¡¯s lips curled up again. ¡°You¡¯re suggesting disguising the toxic spiritual energy as ordinary high-concentration, colorless, and odorless energy, right?¡± ¡°In battle, when enemies are exhausted, they might instinctively and greedily absorb what they think is high-concentration energy, and then¡­¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Lu Ran grinned. ¡°Let it get familiar with it quickly, and then head over to the peak arena to wreak havoc; leveling up will be fast.¡± ¡°OK, OK.¡± Fang Lan was eager and then cleared her throat, ¡°But first, let¡¯s check out the forest situation. Professor Ye is still waiting.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± Lu Ran flashed a sunny smile, ¡°Professor Ye, feel free to pick any ferocious plant you like here. There¡¯s nothing else in abundance but plenty of ferocious plants.¡± ¡°Consider it as your reward for helping us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Professor Ye chuckled as she adjusted her glasses. ¡°I¡¯m already very satisfied with the chance to help. If my old friends knew I had the opportunity to interact with so many ferocious plants, they¡¯d be incredibly envious.¡± ¡­ Next, Lu Ran collaborated with Professor Ye to transplant ferocious plants. Under normal circumstances, these plants wouldn¡¯t survive in the Green Sea. However, given Lu Ran¡¯s status as the Heir of the Tree King and a legendary disciple, he received many gifts during a breakthrough secret realm, including premium soils and fertilizers. Before transplanting, Lu Ran also obtained a cultivation handbook from his City Lord master. With these resources, cultivating an area resembling the Death Forest in Green Sea was a breeze. Transplanting the ferocious plants took around three days. During these three days, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t idle. He traded some unused possessions for a large batch of minerals and used the scales of the sudden death king as the main material to forge three pieces of Soul-Forging Equipment. [Name]: Dragon King Shield [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A peerless shield forged from dragon king scales, capable of reflecting enemy damage within its endurance range and possessing self-repair capabilities. ¡­ S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Name]: Stone Tablet of the Dragon [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A peerless stone tablet forged from dragon king scales, it enhances the user¡¯s Loong-type power and possesses self-repair capabilities. ¡­ [Name]: Wind Thunder Sword [Level]: Exquisite [Introduction]: A peerless divine sword forged from dragon king scales and the sharp teeth of a sword dog, it grants the user the power of wind and thunder, with self-protection capabilities. Crafting these three exquisite pieces nearly depleted Lu Ran¡¯s savings and weakened his soul power to the extreme, even causing a few strands of gray hair. This frightened Lu Ran enough to vow not to use his soul power in the short term. Lu Ran plans to see if the Dragon King Shield can be nurtured to develop an artifact spirit, which could become a retainer for the sudden death king. The Stone Tablet of the Dragon is also intended for the black turtle. If it develops an artifact spirit, it could pair with the black turtle as a partner. If not, it will simply serve as ordinary equipment for it. Lastly, the Wind Thunder Sword is a gift Lu Ran intends for Jiang Dou¡¯s Old Gentleman, hoping the power of General Ha and the sudden death king will protect him. Unfortunately, Lu Ran lacks the energy; otherwise, he¡¯d forge a guardian spirit for father Fang and mother Fang as well. Considering their vigor and presence at the forefront of research at the Beast Taming University, their safety isn¡¯t a major concern, so Lu Ran put that task on hold for now. ¡°I wonder how Fang Lan is doing¡­¡± Lu Ran thought as he finished his seclusion period within the ruins. Looking around the barren space, he nodded in satisfaction. He exited the ruins, intending to ask Fang Lan how well she had adapted to her new abilities, only to find a message from her sent just minutes ago. [We¡¯ve pretty much mastered the new abilities! We¡¯re heading to the peak arena to test them out!] Lu Ran shook his head. Well, then. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder who the lucky opponent matched with Fang Lan would be. One thing was for sure: it would likely be an international beastmaster, as the peak arena hardly ever paired beastmasters from the same region. ¡­ At this moment, in the peak arena. Since this new mode was introduced, traditional arenas had lost their appeal. Beastmasters from various countries flocked to this one. Although the loss from a defeat was significant, the rewards from a victory were great, and many beastmasters were enthralled by the tension and excitement of this competitive mode. After mastering her new abilities, Fang Lan eagerly matched herself with an opponent. However, when she saw who her opponent was on the boundless grassland battlefield, she was momentarily stunned. The person wore a white knight¡¯s outfit, with striking golden hair and a noble demeanor. ¡°You are the Princess of Light.¡± Fang Lan was surprised to find herself matched with the princess from Yinglun, a prodigy who had cleared the Legendary Secret Realm even earlier than Lu Ran. ¡°Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden?¡± The Princess of Light, seeing Fang Lan¡¯s Asian features and purple hair, quickly deduced her identity. Without saying much, she immediately summoned her new pet, a Holy Light Lion King. In response, Fang Lan smiled and summoned her poison spider, saying, ¡°You¡¯re still at level 2? Isn¡¯t your entire Golden Generation already at level 3 beastmasters?¡± ¡°Let me guess, is it because you got eliminated by Lu Ran during a breakthrough secret realm, delaying your progress?¡± Princess of Light: ??? Upon hearing Fang Lan¡¯s comments, a look of irritation appeared on the Princess of Light¡¯s graceful face. What was with this woman, bringing up such a sensitive subject so casually? With a furious gaze at Fang Lan, she declared, ¡°Your words carry consequences. Being from Xia Country, you must know Lu Ran¡­ All of you are quite infuriating.¡± ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Fang Lan said slyly. She twirled her purple hair and licked her lips, remarking, ¡°Looks like you¡¯ll be stuck at level 2 a little longer¡­ I¡¯m just like Lu Ran, never knowing how to be gentle.¡± In the next instant, the Princess of Light¡¯s expression shifted dramatically. Beside her, the Holy Light Lion King also appeared uneasy. A flash of purple crossed their eyes¡­ and then, the Princess of Light knelt down, violently coughing up a mouthful of purple blood, her gaze filled with disbelief. Thud. The sovereign species Holy Light Lion King, beside her, let out a pained wail before collapsing, convulsing uncontrollably. [Combat Conclusion.] [Victorious Side: Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden.] [Defeated Side: Princess of Light.] In Infinite City No. 3 of Xia Country, Fang Lan exited the peak arena with ease and excitement. At the same time, in the beastmaster square, a system announcement sparked an uproar. Because¡­ the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard had been updated. Normally, an update to the divine beast leaderboard might not be noteworthy, but this time, the content was truly significant. Fang Lan¡¯s pet beast had climbed directly to the top of the Commander Divine Beast Leaderboard. The reason for its ascent? In the peak arena, it had poisoned and knocked out the Princess of Light¡¯s sovereign species combat pet, the Holy Light Lion King, in an instant. This update caused Infinite City No. 3 to erupt in excitement. The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, was already a legendary figure in the city¡¯s arena. After clearing the Legendary Secret Realm, she, along with Lin Yin and Summer, became a star in Xia Country. People knew Fang Lan was strong, but they hadn¡¯t realized just how powerful she was-to the point of immediately defeating the Yinglun¡¯s Princess of Light in the arena? The Princess of Light was among the earliest of the Golden Generation to clear the Legendary Secret Realm, boasting an impressively strong background. ¡°Heh.¡± At the beastmaster square, Pluto looked at his own falling rank with a calm expression. Recently, he was defeated by the Jiao Dragon team. Soon after, the team members dispersed to other infinite cities for better rewards, allowing Pluto to naturally regain his leaderboard position¡­ although his ranking improvements had been minimal since. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m used to it. Compared to me, the Princess of Light got it worse. I remember Fang Lan is Lu Ran¡¯s older sister, right? Getting held back in level progression by both siblings, the Princess of Light has it bad. Really, this is nothing, really, hahaha¡­¡± Chapter 291: The Mightiest Elemental Trait News, as they say, spreads the fastest.Lu Ran had just seen Fang Lan¡¯s message when the news that the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden had defeated the Princess of Light popped up on every beast taming app. At this moment, Lu Ran was about to report to Dr. Gu and others about his plan to go to the other shore island when this unexpected news left him silent. ¡°How could it be her?¡± This unfortunate fellow, it seems he¡¯ll have to strive hard to catch up with the progress of the other members of the Golden Generation¡­ he has a long road ahead. However, what does this have to do with Lu Ran? Lu Ran chuckled and was about to continue his call to Dr. Gu when a cat pop-up appeared on the screen, surprising him. Manager Ying! ¡°Aren¡¯t you busy? How do you suddenly have time to call me?¡± Lu Ran answered the call with feigned surprise. ¡°Shall I leave then?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, hey, come on, what¡¯s the good news?¡± Lu Ran laughed. ¡°I knew you must have brought some important intelligence.¡± ¡°Hmph.¡± On the other end, Manager Ying said, ¡°Opening branches globally is to expand my intelligence network. Without my efforts, how could I find a suitable trait for you so quickly?¡± ¡°When I was negotiating with the international alliance, I found a trait suitable for your weather elf.¡± ¡°Really???¡± Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. Don¡¯t be fooled by cloud baby¡¯s current level in the 20s; it had only fused one trait, leaving it pathetically weak, even unable to make it onto the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard. In real battles, it could even get pounded by Fang Lan¡¯s little spider. He desperately needed a strong trait. ¡°You previously asked me to find a weather trait suitable for it, and a speed type trait¡­¡± ¡°So, is it a weather type trait, or a speed type?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Neither.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°There are options, but they¡¯re too mediocre. I don¡¯t think much of them, let alone you,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°The trait I found for you is absolutely perfect, absolutely invincible, and can be considered the mightiest elemental trait.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that obtaining it may be a bit difficult.¡± ¡°What trait is it?¡± Lu Ran eagerly asked. Anything from Manager Ying must be top-notch. Whether it was the Evil God¡¯s Eye trait or the Ultimate Perception Trait, Lu Ran was always satisfied. ¡°Trait name: Shapeshifter.¡± Trait Crystal (Shapeshifter): The elemental lifeform that fuses with this trait can, with the help of specific materials, shape-shift into nearly any creature, gaining some of its abilities. ¡°Elemental lives are the easiest to shape among all species. The Shapeshifter trait is exclusive to elemental lifeforms. The effect is similar to your general ha¡¯s King of Swords talent; both require external aid¡­¡± ¡°After fusion, if you have it cover general ha¡¯s teeth, it can transform into a cloud sword dog. If you have it cover the scales of the sudden death king, it can transform into a cloud giant dragon. If you have it cover a divine deer antler, it can transform into a cloud divine deer. The key is that it can merge some of the transformed creature¡¯s abilities with its own.¡± ¡°For instance, after transforming into a divine deer and performing rainmaking, the rainfall might have healing properties.¡± ¡°The reason I think this trait is impressive is because of its high versatility. By choosing the right high-species creature as the transformation target, it can enhance its control over corresponding weather. Transform into a thunder divine beast to wield endless thunder, or into a wind divine beast to control apocalyptic hurricanes¡­¡± ¡°Ahem, of course, you¡¯ll have to figure out the shaping process on your own.¡± ¡°Additionally, weren¡¯t you looking for a pet beast with outstanding speed? If you help it develop a speed-focused transformation form, that problem would also be solved. It¡¯s truly an all-around trait.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re going to turn it into a shapeshifting wonder!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Lu Ran responded, ¡°It sounds great, but what do you mean by the difficulty being high?¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°Because the holder of this trait doesn¡¯t seem to plan on selling or trading it; it intends to use it for itself. Additionally, it seems you two have a grudge.¡± ¡°A reminder, the other party holds a pretty high status.¡± Lu Ran: ??? ¡°Wait a minute¡­ an elemental type trait¡­¡± Lu Ran paused and said, ¡°You don¡¯t mean to say that this trait is in the hands of a beastmaster named Princess of Light, do you???¡± ¡°Correct! You¡¯re getting smarter!¡± Manager Ying chuckled mischievously. ¡°I only came across this intelligence by chance. The Princess of Light seems to be planning to use this trait for her elemental pet beast when the Evolution Secret Realm opens next time. If you want to trade for it, it probably won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Damn.¡± Lu Ran felt like his head was going to explode. No wonder Manager Ying had such a gleeful tone. Lu Ran couldn¡¯t decide if the Princess of Light was unlucky or if he was. This definitely wouldn¡¯t be an easy trade¡­ ¡°Do you have anything valuable for trade? You never know, she might be willing to exchange,¡± Manager Ying¡¯s voice came through again. ¡°In my years of experience, nothing is irreplaceable. If it¡¯s not enough, just increase the offer.¡± ¡°The problem is, I don¡¯t have much¡­¡± Lu Ran fell silent. He had some valuable items, like a divine deer antler and a branch of ruins, but he couldn¡¯t bear to part with them. There were lesser items like the Leaf of Time, Time Acceleration Inheritance Crystal, and a lucky clover trait, but he was reluctant to give those up too. On the lower end, he had meteorite fragments, the Vibrant Vitality skill, miracle seeds, a blood drop stone, and a lower sovereign plant pet seed with a 100% awakening success rate, but the other party might not be interested. ¡°No rush. She definitely wants to wait for the Evolution Secret Realm, so she won¡¯t use this trait easily. There¡¯s still time,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°I¡¯ll go and negotiate first, see if she has any special needs.¡± ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t mention that I¡¯m the one interested,¡± Lu Ran readily agreed. After Manager Ying¡¯s explanation, he found himself quite tempted by the Shapeshifter trait. However, Lu Ran had a feeling that if the Princess of Light knew he was the one after it, the deal might fall through even if it was otherwise possible. ¡°Also, Her Royal Highness might be under the weather, so be careful when you approach her.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Just take a look at the news. Fang Lan recently poisoned the princess in the arena. Even if Fang Lan went easy, I suspect the princess might have to be bedridden for at least a week or two¡­¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°Alright, alright, is that how you guys want to play it? This just makes my negotiations harder!¡± ¡­ S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Who knew things would line up like this.¡± Hanging up Manager Ying¡¯s call, Lu Ran let out a long sigh. It seems like he should perform more good deeds in the future. Still, if he could acquire the Shapeshifter trait, the development direction for his weather elf would be clear: Shapeshifter support! But whether it would work out depended on Manager Ying¡¯s negotiation skills. ¡°I wonder if the princess would be interested in artifact spirits¡­¡± Lu Ran glanced at the three exquisite pieces of equipment in his backpack, then decided to call Dr. Gu. ¡°All done?¡± A surprised voice came from the other end. ¡°Yes, the relocation of the Death Forest went smoothly.¡± ¡°Do you need more botanists to help take care of it?¡± Gu Qingyi asked. She had seen the Death Forest in the ruins space, filled with high-potential ferocious plants. If they could awaken Sapience, they would become top-tier plant pets. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine with anything. You can discuss it with Fang Lan. I¡¯ve planned to leave the forest under her care since her pet beast has that trait for controlling and modifying plants. I brought the forest over from the breakthrough secret realm precisely to serve as her arsenal.¡± Lu Ran replied. Having already struggled to manage his Pet Beast Legion, he had no energy left to deal with these plants. ¡°You really dote on her,¡± Gu Qingyi chuckled. ¡°Well, I have no choice. She¡¯s my only silly older sister; I have to look out for her more.¡± ¡°When are you going to dote on me?¡± ¡°Uh???¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, his heart suddenly racing. ¡°Just kidding. Your call came at the right time; I was about to reach out to you.¡± ¡°You must have other things to discuss, so do you want to go first, or should I?¡± ¡°Mine¡¯s a small matter; you go first.¡± Lu Ran said helplessly. ¡°The Mermaid Princess from the Fishman Empire has come to Xia Country as an envoy to discuss further alliance details. To ensure close ties, either the Fishman Prince or the Mermaid Princess will need to enter a contract with a Xia Country beastmaster.¡± ¡°It seems the Mermaid Princess has taken a liking to you. Are you interested in forming a contract with her?¡± ¡°Her species level is as high as a lower overlord, which means she has quite significant potential.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Lu Ran was initially interested, as this was effectively a top-tier ocean pet beast. But he suddenly remembered the Shapeshifter trait that Manager Ying had mentioned. If his cloud baby could integrate the Shapeshifter trait and later replicate an ocean overlord¡¯s form, he wouldn¡¯t be as dependent on the Mermaid Princess. It was a conflict of roles. Considering the princess purely as a retainer was just a thought. He didn¡¯t really believe that an overlord¡¯s offspring would willingly become a retainer to a human pet beast. ¡°I¡¯m not interested for now. Why don¡¯t you negotiate and see if you can contract with the Mermaid Princess? Your vast sea azure dragon won¡¯t be able to evolve in the short term, and contracting her could be a major boost to your strength.¡± After Lu Ran finished, there was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a chuckle. ¡°But she came here for you.¡± ¡°A contract is out of the question. I¡¯m worried it might cause misunderstandings, and it¡¯ll be hard to find a wife later¡­ At most, she¡¯d be a retainer to my pet beast, but considering her status, it probably won¡¯t work.¡± Lu Ran shrugged. ¡°A retainer contract? I¡¯ll negotiate that for you,¡± Dr. Gu offered. ¡°Better not; it might affect the alliance if it goes wrong. Xia Country might still hope to use the Fishman Empire to counterattack the Dragon Palace,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal. The Fishman Empire is seeking Xia Country¡¯s help now,¡± Gu Qingyi replied. ¡°By the way, what did you need?¡± Lu Ran said, ¡°I¡¯m planning to go abroad to visit the necromancy secret realm. In the past few days, I¡¯ve forged two pieces of equipment through Soul Forging. I want to see if I can nurture an artifact spirit and research necromancy weapons.¡± ¡°Are you going alone?¡± Gu Qingyi was startled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. With my current strength, I should be able to escape any danger. Besides, as long as I keep a low profile, there shouldn¡¯t be that many threats waiting for me,¡± Lu Ran replied casually. ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Qingyi said. ¡°Be sure to contact the person in charge over there in advance. Currently, Old Zhu is stationed at the other shore island, and he can assist you.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Lu Ran readily agreed. Ah, Old Zhu. During the battle with the Black Dragon, Old Zhu helped a lot. To gather enough offerings for the dark crow¡¯s curse, quite a few of his pigs had been bled¡­ Chapter 292: Who Is the Intelligence Dealer After Lu Ran submitted his report, he left a message for Fang Lan. Without waiting for Fang Lan to emerge from the arena, he tidied up his things and directly rode on the cloud baby, heading towards the necromancy secret realm.Having only had one battle, Fang Lan likely wouldn¡¯t be satisfied. Forget about level 2 beastmasters, even level 3 beastmasters would probably find her difficult to handle. In this case, Fang Lan would definitely need to fight to her heart¡¯s content before coming out. While Lu Ran was on his way to the necromancy secret realm. In the deep sea, within Dragon Palace. Despite its weakness, the black turtle had already mustered a team of shrimp soldiers and crab generals in the midst of the chaotic battle in the Dragon Palace. Lu Ran might not have anticipated that the scene predicted by Manager Ying, of the black turtle leading shrimp soldiers and crab generals into battle, was not for the Dragon Palace City¡­ but for him. At the same time. Antarctica, at the headquarters of the international alliance. Manager Ying was sitting on a high stool in front of a table, opposite a middle-aged man in knight attire who wore a displeased expression. ¡°What do you mean by this, cat?¡± ¡°What could I mean¡­ Your Excellency Knight King? I just saw the news that your country¡¯s Princess of Light was poisoned by Xia Country¡¯s Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, and I wanted to ask if you needed an antidote.¡± ¡°I can try to contact that Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden¡­¡± ¡°I remember you were the mentor who taught the Princess of Light about beast taming, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No need.¡± The Knight King replied calmly, ¡°A priest has already helped the princess detoxify.¡± Looking at this cat, the Knight King felt it was like a cat crying over a dead mouse, feigning sympathy. It seemed like it was here to boast. Who didn¡¯t know that this ancient cat had long been tied to Xia Country? ¡°So, Manager Ying, tell me why you called me here. I don¡¯t believe it was just for this.¡± ¡°No problem then¡­¡± Manager Ying smiled faintly and said, ¡°I heard that the Princess of Light has a shapeshifter trait, am I right?¡± sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Knight King frowned, wondering where the cat had obtained this intelligence. There should be no more than ten people who knew about this trait. ¡°I have a need for this trait. I wonder if Your Excellency Knight King can reach out to the princess for an exchange with me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be quick to refuse.¡± ¡°As far as I know, your country is currently troubled by an ancient giant rat spreading plagues everywhere. Many rural areas have already fallen, and while you can currently control public opinion, once this ancient giant rat reaches the cities, the consequences will be unimaginable.¡± ¡°That rat is adept at earth evasion, even harder to catch than the giant snake in the sea. You won¡¯t be able to catch it. Just give me that shapeshifter trait and ten exquisite resources as compensation, and I¡¯ll handle that ancient rat for you. How about that? It¡¯s quite a deal, isn¡¯t it?¡± Manager Ying spoke calmly, even though it pretended to be in a difficult position with Lu Ran, claiming that this deal was tough- it was all an act! It already knew the pain points of the other party and believed the offer would be hard to refuse. Not only could it profit from the Yinglun Alliance, but it could also gain a substantial reward from Lu Ran. It knew well that Lu Ran had plenty of good stuff. By exaggerating the value of the shapeshifter trait, it was certain that Lu Ran would be tempted. ¡°You¡­!¡± The Knight King¡¯s expression changed. Both the news of the shapeshifter trait and the ancient rat hadn¡¯t spread; how did this cat know? ¡°Make a decision soon. Surely, Your Excellency Knight King and Her Highness wouldn¡¯t want the citizens living under the constant threat of a plague-spreading rat, would they?¡± ¡°Give me some time¡­¡± Finally, even the Knight King couldn¡¯t withstand Manager Ying¡¯s persuasion. He took a deep breath and chose to return to discuss the feasibility of the offer. Manager Ying¡¯s smile widened as it said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Antarctica. Let¡¯s contact each other through international calls then.¡± ¡­ The other shore island. After flying for a long time, Lu Ran finally arrived. Although the cloud baby wasn¡¯t slow, its still leisurely speed made Lu Ran tear up, desperately needing a high-speed transport pet. ¡°Wow.¡± Just as they approached the other shore island, Lu Ran was taken aback, and the cloud baby also looked pleasantly surprised at the sight of the cat before them. Manager Ying sat calmly on a rock, gazing at the clouds. ¡°I thought a pig would come to greet me¡­ Manager Ying, what brings you here again?¡± Manager Ying glanced at Lu Ran and said, ¡°The deal for the shapeshifter trait, just as I thought, they¡¯re asking for a steep price.¡± ¡°What did they want?¡± Lu Ran¡¯s expression changed. ¡°They infuriated me.¡± Lu Ran: ? ¡°They didn¡¯t ask for resources; they wanted me to commit to acting on their behalf three times.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that outrageous? Who knows what they¡¯ll ask me to do then.¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Lu Ran was taken aback. The other side was quite calculating. After witnessing Manager Ying¡¯s strength, they knew that getting Manager Ying to act was the most valuable thing. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I agreed,¡± Manager Ying sighed. ¡°Who could say no, with the cloud baby practically raised by me-it¡¯s like my own child. I had to do it for its potential.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter¡­!!¡± The weather elf was taken aback, and looked at Manager Ying with tearful eyes. In its heart, Manager Ying¡¯s status soared, comparable to Lu Ran. Besides, Lu Ran also felt that something was off, but seeing the cloud baby like this, he realized that Manager Ying had been caring for it for so long that there might truly be an emotional bond. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Manager Ying, I won¡¯t let you suffer a loss,¡± Lu Ran said. That was the line Manager Ying was waiting for. Hurry up, bring out all the exquisite resources, let me choose. ¡°I¡¯ll repay you with a top-notch piece of intelligence!¡± Manager Ying: ??? Manager Ying looked up in astonishment, meeting Lu Ran¡¯s sincere gaze. Who on earth is the intelligence dealer here? At this moment, Lu Ran thought to himself that it was a good thing he hadn¡¯t too early revealed the divine deer information to Manager Ying; otherwise, he really wouldn¡¯t know how to repay such a huge favor. Yes, always keep something in reserve for next time. ¡°What kind of intelligence?¡± Despite wanting Lu Ran¡¯s exquisite resources more, Manager Ying was still very curious about the supposed top-notch intelligence Lu Ran mentioned. ¡°Remember during the Black Dragon incident, when I used the deer spirit to track down the divine deer?¡± ¡°Yes, didn¡¯t you report back then that the divine deer lead had failed?¡± Manager Ying said. Then it paused, continuing, ¡°Wait, because I was busy at the time, I didn¡¯t ask in detail-when you said it failed, did you mean you didn¡¯t find the divine deer? Or something else?¡± Lu Ran smacked his lips and said, ¡°I did say it failed, but I didn¡¯t say I didn¡¯t find the divine deer¡­ none of you asked.¡± Manager Ying: ??? ¡°You found the divine deer???¡± Manager Ying was shocked. ¡°No.¡± Manager Ying: ?? ¡°I found an energy clone left by the divine deer. Its clone doesn¡¯t have enough power to deal with the Black Dragon, but it did provide me with some intelligence.¡± Lu Ran explained. ¡°Can¡¯t you just say it all at once?¡± Manager Ying was getting exasperated. ¡°What kind of intelligence? The suspense is killing me.¡± Lu Ran chuckled, then shared everything with Manager Ying about the Blue Star People and the Star Moon Federation being of the same lineage and why the divine deer had come to Blue Star. Upon hearing this, Manager Ying¡¯s expression shifted repeatedly. ¡°So there¡¯s this connection between Blue Star and the Star Moon Federation.¡± ¡°Besides the divine deer, there are also other retainers of the divine dragon that have come to Blue Star.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s even a teleportation circle that leads to the Star Moon Federation?¡± Lu Ran nodded. ¡°Yes, Manager Ying, this news is quite explosive, right? If we find the teleportation circle in advance¡­¡± ¡°And monopolize it.¡± ¡°The potential benefits would be unimaginable.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this intelligence deserving of being called top-notch?¡± Manager Ying looked at Lu Ran with approval. Excellent, truly a beastmaster I¡¯ve mentored. ¡°Leave the task of finding the teleportation circle to me,¡± Manager Ying said confidently, patting its chest with a cat paw, feeling reinvigorated by a new mission. ¡°Hey.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Aside from the teleportation circle, also help me look for any ancient creatures that are extremely fast.¡± Lu Ran scratched his cheek. ¡°It seems like the shapeshifter trait matter is settled, so next up, I need to find the first shaping template for cloud baby.¡± Manager Ying grinned. ¡°That¡¯s actually the easiest part.¡± ¡°Let me share a secret with you.¡± ¡°The former guild leader has an epic-level material. Although its function is unknown, its origin is anything but simple.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°In the northern seas, there is a fish, its name is Kun. The Kun is so large, it¡¯s beyond measure in thousands of miles. It transforms into a bird, named Peng. The back of the Peng is also beyond measure in thousands of miles; when it flies in anger, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky¡­¡± Manager Ying recited slowly. ¡°That is a feather of the Kunpeng 1 , an ancient divine beast from Xia Country¡¯s Myth and Legend. It¡¯s said to be incredibly fast, possibly the fastest in all of Myth and Legend. You get my drift?¡± ¡°If you can manage to get this national treasure, shape cloud baby into a Kunpeng form, and the world will be its oyster.¡± Lu Ran was stunned. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so shocked. This intelligence is just basic stuff¡­¡± Manager Ying said coolly. ¡°Wait for the former guild leader to return and have a chat with him. Even if you can¡¯t get it permanently, borrowing it for ten days or so shouldn¡¯t be an issue, right?¡± ¡°Hold on!¡± It wasn¡¯t just the intelligence that stunned Lu Ran, although what Manager Ying mentioned was surprising¡­ He quickly looked toward the ruins space. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°The sudden death king¡­ it seems to have finally grasped the meteor intent, or rather, the meteorite artistic conception.¡± Inside the ruins space. ¡°Roar-¡± The sudden death king was slowly getting up from a massive pit, looking pitifully at general ha, raising its small fists as if wanting to strike them¡­ At this moment, it felt an extremely terrifying power within itself. [Skill]: Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist [Introduction]: Contains meteor intent, allowing for an extremely powerful punch after withstanding massive damage. Each punch carries the force of multiple meteor impacts, with incredibly fast speed and strong destructive power. This was clearly a super ultimate move the sudden death king had comprehended after being hit multiple times, combining the force of meteorites and its Heart of the Overlord talent to turn injury into attack¡­ ¡°Impressive,¡± Lu Ran exclaimed, praising the sudden death king¡¯s rise. However, it still hesitated; even after gaining this powerful ultimate move, it couldn¡¯t bring itself to strike at general ha. More precisely, it refrained because it didn¡¯t want to risk hurting the sword grass that general ha was holding. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sudden death king, we¡¯ve reached the other shore island. We¡¯ll soon find the Pig Deity to spar¡­¡± Footnote: Kunpeng(öïÅô): Kunpeng is a mythical creature from Chinese mythology. It is said to be a giant fish called ¡°Kun¡± that can transform into a massive bird called ¡°Peng.¡± Chapter 293: Battle of the Pig and Dog ¡°Meteor Intent?¡±After Lu Ran spoke, Manager Ying, beside him, pouted. What a strange intent, really. Just the sound of it made the sudden death king seem pitiful. Because learning the power of intent is nothing more than ¡°extreme imitation¡±. Imitate advanced creatures, imitate the grand forces of nature, imitate weapons and Equipment¡­ Meteor¡­ imitating a meteor, isn¡¯t that like crashing down from the sky every day! Now that the sudden death king truly understood it, one can imagine how many times it must have been smashed. ¡°Good thing it¡¯s the sudden death king, plus you have a healing-type epic item. Otherwise, if any condition was missing, the pet beast would have met its sudden demise during training, meow.¡± ¡°The sudden death king probably thinks the same,¡± Lu Ran laughed. ¡°But with effort comes reward. Now its attack and speed have transformed due to this intent, and it¡¯s no longer just a big oaf with only species and talent. It finally possesses skills befitting its level.¡± ¡°Off-topic, where did the former guild leader get such good stuff?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Kunpeng, does this mythical creature really exist?¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°This old man has been an archaeologist and mythologist all his life. How could he not have some treasures?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be denied that some divine beast images might be fictional, but since there truly was a supernatural period in Ancient Blue Star, there must have been real divine beasts.¡± ¡°Even if Blue Star didn¡¯t naturally produce divine beasts, you mentioned that divine beasts from the Star-Moon Continent had visited Blue Star. It¡¯s possible that traces of those divine beasts were recorded and passed down to later generations.¡± ¡°Once the former guild leader comes out of the breakthrough secret realm, I must pay him a visit,¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°I haven¡¯t met him yet.¡± ¡°Yes, talk to that old man about the divine deer. If we can be the first to find the Cross-World Teleportation Array and even send a team to the Star Moon Federation for exploration, the significance would be different,¡± Manager Ying calculated. Now that the main body was awake, its pursuits had become simpler. First, set a small goal: become a legendary life. Having experienced the retreat of spiritual energy, Manager Ying the cat now cherishes life more than ever. In the face of such irresistible forces, being of an overlord species is certainly not enough. It plans to pursue a higher level of life. After Lu Ran¡¯s analysis, Blue Star seems to be just a refuge camp from the Star-Moon Continent. In search of the path to legend, it must visit this Star-Moon Continent. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Let¡¯s land on the island first.¡± After exchanging intelligence with Manager Ying, Lu Ran joined it to set foot on the island. At this moment, Zhu Kaixin also emerged from the island. Seeing Lu Ran and Manager Ying arrive together, he exclaimed, ¡°Hmm???¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on, Lu Ran? Weren¡¯t you coming alone?¡± He chuckled at Manager Ying and said, ¡°Looks like Manager Ying still doesn¡¯t trust you, huh? I¡¯ve never seen it so concerned about anyone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too talkative.¡± Manager Ying rolled its eyes at the Pig Deity. ¡°I¡¯ll be staying on the other shore island for quite a while, so let¡¯s have a good exchange.¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for this day!¡± Zhu Kaixin was thrilled. He knew that Lu Ran had first trained the Jiao Dragon team and then provided Gu Qingyi with a large supply of Dragon Blood resources for pet beasts¡­ Now that Lu Ran was finally here, surely he would study the dragon pig and necromantic pig with him. ¡°Oh¡­¡± At this point, Manager Ying seemed to remember something and said, ¡°Old Zhu, help guide Lu Ran to improve his skills.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhu Kaixin was taken aback. ¡°Does Lu Ran really need my guidance? In a year, I might not even be able to beat him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a year away. If my intelligence isn¡¯t wrong, the international alliance should have some major plans.¡± ¡°Hmm? Manager Ying has been gathering a lot of intelligence lately.¡± Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the big plan?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the world battle imminent?¡± Manager Ying replied, rolling its eyes. ¡°The international alliance¡¯s resource vault is still stocked with plenty of resources. Various countries intend to divide some of these resources to strengthen their own powers.¡± ¡°Oh, that matter!¡± Zhu Kaixin said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that too. What¡¯s this about progress lately?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Manager Ying nodded. ¡°The countries plan to divide the resource pool into 11 portions; of course, it won¡¯t be an even split.¡± ¡°Ten of these portions will be given to the top ten arena masters who will finally ascend to the throne of Blue Star¡¯s beastmaster champions.¡± ¡°After all, these ten individuals are the ones who will represent Blue Star in battle.¡± ¡°However, the distribution of these resources will happen in about a year, so there¡¯s still a long time to go. Therefore, the Alliance will preemptively separate the largest portion from the 11 parts.¡± ¡°This largest portion will be contested by the second, third, and Fourth Generation members from each country.¡± ¡°The exact format of the competition isn¡¯t determined yet, but it will definitely exclude the First Generation.¡± ¡°They¡¯re scared, they¡¯re scared,¡± Zhu Kaixin grumbled. ¡°Damn, why aren¡¯t they allowing the First Generation to participate?¡± Manager Ying cast a glance at Zhu Kaixin. Currently, two of the top ten arena masters are beastmasters from Xia Country. If they can maintain their positions, the resources they receive will far exceed those of other countries, so there¡¯s no way Xia Country¡¯s First Generation would be allowed to participate in the distribution of the remaining resources. The throne of the top ten beastmasters on Blue Star is the real avenue for the First Generation to compete for international resources. ¡°As for the second and third generations of Xia Country, well, they¡¯re just average. In my opinion, it¡¯s better to rely on Lu Ran than have hopes pinned on them,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Indeed,¡± Zhu Kaixin nodded. ¡°But surely each country is thinking the same. They know Lu Ran has command over four overlords. Recently, his legion skill showcased great power, and the countries definitely don¡¯t want to give Lu Ran time to grow and represent Xia Country in the allocation of international resources.¡± ¡°Even at present, Lu Ran seems like quite the threat, given that overlord species are indeed formidable.¡± ¡°So if I¡¯m not mistaken, the Alliance¡¯s policy should be decided soon, and the schedule for the competitions over resources will likely be arranged right away.¡± ¡°Ha, targeting me, huh?¡± Lu Ran laughed. ¡°Hmph,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°So my point is, you should work on quickly strengthening your pet beasts¡¯ abilities over the next two weeks, and cultivate all three main pets to level 40.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite the pressure,¡± Old Zhu analyzed. ¡°The current first echelon of the second generation has already gone through the level 4 breakthrough secret realm and become level 5 beastmasters, with their pet beasts¡¯ growth level capped at level 60.¡± ¡°Plus, with the presence of the peak arena, the levels won¡¯t be low at that time.¡± ¡°If any of them manage to cultivate a new overlord species pet and fully utilize the resources, even Lu Ran might find it hard to surpass the generations, especially since his legion skill likely won¡¯t be usable, and there¡¯s at least a level 10 gap.¡± ¡°Heh heh,¡± Manager Ying said, noticing Zhu Kaixin was still worried about Lu Ran. ¡°No need to worry; this guy¡¯s strength isn¡¯t all on the Crow legion. Just look at that sword domain-it¡¯s enough to suppress 99% of the second generation.¡± ¡°Well, if you put it that way¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin remarked. ¡°Oh, right, didn¡¯t you just say you wanted to spar with Zhu Kaixin?¡± Manager Ying turned to Lu Ran and added, ¡°Show him the artistic conception your sudden death king just grasped.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to see it myself, too.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhu Kaixin was bewildered, not understanding how he suddenly became the focus. ¡°Old Zhu, want to spar?¡± Lu Ran asked. Zhu Kaixin sneaked a glance at Lu Ran and said, ¡°You won¡¯t make me use my new pet, right? Because in that case, I¡¯m not going to fight you.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, then smiled. ¡°Of course not. You can use any pet beast you like-the ace with the domain, the other main pets at level 50 or so, either way is fine with me.¡± ¡°1V1?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m in,¡± Zhu Kaixin chuckled. If he used his main pets, there was no pressure. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll take you to a nearby uninhabited island,¡± Manager Ying said with a mischievous grin. ¡°So, would you two call this a dog vs. pig battle? Is Shi Jialiang planning to offer Lu Ran a spot in the twelve branches? Considering his achievement against the Dragon Palace sea beast, the old man might actually agree¡­¡± Zhu Kaixin and Lu Ran: ?? Dog vs. pig battle? How rude! ¡­ Soon, Lu Ran and Zhu Kaixin were teleported by Manager Ying to a nearby deserted island. Manager Ying announced, ¡°I¡¯ll be the referee. The rule is 1V1. Considering neither of you has free time to waste, let¡¯s keep the beastmasters out of the battle. After you finish, you can go about your business.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Zhu Kaixin and Lu Ran nodded in agreement. The two exchanged glances, took a few steps back, and released their pet beasts simultaneously. On Lu Ran¡¯s side, the sudden death king made its appearance. Although it hadn¡¯t leveled up in the arena, with daily resources, battle training, and meteorite fragments, its level had reached 38. ¡°Huff, huff,¡± Zhu Kaixin summoned his pet beast as well-a tall, bipedal rock species pig king. [Species]: Rock Warrior Pig King [Attribute]: Rock [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: 57 The pig king, resembling an orc with a human body and pig head, was strong and robust like the folklore character Zhu Bajie. However, it wasn¡¯t Zhu Kaixin¡¯s ace, just one of his ordinary main pets. ¡°Rock species, huh,¡± Lu Ran noted. ¡°Shield-winged Dragon King¡­¡± After summoning the pet beasts, they each assessed the other¡¯s. Zhu Kaixin said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a 19-level advantage. Still, your level 38 middle overlord dragon king is quite comparable to my mid-50s level middle sovereign pig species. The gap isn¡¯t too vast.¡± ¡°We can definitely have a match.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence; we both sent out defense-focused pet beasts.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Lu Ran agreed. With both sides focusing on defense, there was no pressure. ¡°You can attack first,¡± Zhu Kaixin offered with the demeanor of a senior. ¡°OK!¡± Lu Ran instructed, ¡°Sudden death king, meteor strike!¡± ¡°Roar!!!!¡± The sudden death king roared as Lu Ran gave the command. Zhu Kaixin wasn¡¯t completely familiar with this skill, but it seemed to be a melee attack method. The sudden death king let out a loud roar, spread its dragon wings, and flew low towards the Rock Warrior Pig King with a fierce expression. [Defense up. The opponent is also defense-focused, so their attack is unlikely to be strong.] ¡°Huff,¡± the Rock Warrior Pig King squinted its eyes and simply created an armor of rocks to see what the Shield Dragon King¡¯s destructive power was like. However, when the sudden death king got extremely close to the Rock Warrior Pig King, it didn¡¯t initiate a regular attack. Instead, it hugged the Rock Warrior Pig King tightly, and, with a startled expression on the pig king¡¯s face, it shot up into the sky at high speed. ¡°Roar!! (Hey piggy, have you ever been slammed into the ground like a meteor?)¡± The sudden death king roared triumphantly. Rock Warrior Pig King: ? Chapter 294: Alliance Challenge ¡°Meteor strike¡­ meteor¡­¡±¡°Close.¡± Zhu Kaixin was stunned as he watched the Sudden Death King ascend swiftly and skillfully into the sky. He exclaimed in astonishment, ¡°Meteor strike, you don¡¯t mean dropping the enemy from the sky like a meteor, do you???¡± That was indeed the case. Since the beast specialized in defense and not in attack power, it utilized natural gravity to inflict damage! He smiled, looking at Lu Ran, and said, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t quite understand my pet beast. This beast of mine has fused with the heavy-light rock trait and can fly as well!!¡± Lu Ran responded to Zhu Kaixin, ¡°It¡¯s not about throwing. That would be too easy for the enemy to counter. Meteor strike is about both the attacker and the opponent turning into a meteor, sharing the impact of becoming a meteor. It¡¯s all about who has thicker skin.¡± ¡°So meteor strike is also known as Hugging Beast Kill!¡± Zhu Kaixin: ? How ruthless must a beastmaster be to come up with such a method of attack? He suddenly looked toward the sky, not wanting his pet beast to get hurt, especially since he didn¡¯t have something like the Divine Deer Antler like Lu Ran. ¡°Grunt!!¡± In the arms of the Sudden Death King, the Rock Warrior Pig King received the beastmaster¡¯s command and began to struggle. However, the level 50+ Pig King didn¡¯t seem to have the strength of the level 30+ Dragon King. Seeing that brute force was ineffective, the Rock Warrior Pig King started to gather rock energy for the energy cannon in its mouth, planning a close-range blast at the Sudden Death King. A bright halo spread from the mouth of the Rock Warrior Pig King, but the Sudden Death King was not afraid. The moment the energy cannon was fired, the Sudden Death King drew its wings together, enveloping itself into a ball. The terrifying burst of energy exploded within this sphere, creating a loud boom in the sky. In the next instant, the Sudden Death King, pained, spread its wings, the inside of its dragon wings marred with scars. However, the Rock Warrior Pig King had not anticipated facing such a fierce dragon who would rather take all the damage than let go, even going so far as to fold its wings and seal all the damage within a small space, causing itself to also be affected by the skill¡¯s explosion. ¡°Roar-¡± The Rock Warrior Pig King was furious, about to continue its attack, when suddenly, the Sudden Death King seemed satisfied with its current altitude, its body enveloped in a golden-red glow!!! It was only a moment. The expression of the Rock Warrior Pig King changed instantly. With its trait of mingling light and heavy rock, it was particularly sensitive to changes in weight. In that instant, it didn¡¯t understand why, but it felt an incredibly strong gravitational pull, making it hard to move. Observing closely, it was shocked to discover that the Sudden Death King was starting to fall, transforming into what seemed like a real meteor, no longer in dragon form, but surrounded by a massive wave of meteorite energy, accelerating rapidly towards the ground. Meteor intent! ¡°Holy shit.¡± Seeing this, Pig Deity couldn¡¯t help but feel a headache as he looked up at the sky. So this was the game, huh? Unwary, the situation had turned into this. This Lu Ran really didn¡¯t play by the rules. What was this skill? It could suppress the Pig King¡¯s will to move and acted like a control technique! Indeed, just like a falling meteor, helpless. ¡°This is much more accurate than a direct hit.¡± As Lu Ran reflected, he and Pig Deity were already shielded by a mental power barrier erected by Manager Ying. Seeing this, Pig Deity sighed, he didn¡¯t think a mere collision could cause much damage to the Pig King. ?????¦­O?B¦¥? Moreover, if damage was inflicted, the opponent would have to endure it as well; he wasn¡¯t at a loss. So, it was just a matter of seeing who was tougher- Boom. The meteor fell, punching a huge hole through the clouds, and after a dazzling flash, a more intense ¡°bang¡± followed, causing an unparalleled earthquake on the isolated island! A terrifying crater appeared on the ground, intense hurricanes and tsunamis were about to spread, but were calmed by Manager Ying using her mental power. Inside the crater, the figure of the Sudden Death King slowly rose, its body more damaged, panting heavily. ¡°Roar roar-¡± Simultaneously, an enraged voice echoed from within; layers upon layers of massive rocks formed, and the equally battered Rock Warrior Pig King climbed up the rock steps, fists clenched, and head shaking as it roared furiously at the Sudden Death King in the air, cursing foully. Ouch, ouch, ouch¡­ Even with its strong defense, this strike was excruciating for the Rock Warrior Pig King, nearly breaking its pork bones. Was it necessary? It was just a spar, why resort to such a mutually destructive tactic? It was cursing inwardly, even more eager to curse its own beastmaster, who had promised that the opponent¡¯s attacks wouldn¡¯t be too powerful. ¡°Ha ha.¡± Zhu Kaixin hadn¡¯t expected Lu Ran to play like this. He said to the Rock Warrior Pig King, ¡°Calm down, it seems that¡¯s their limit attack¡­¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the force they¡¯re using, well¡­¡± ¡°Limit attack?¡± Just as Zhu Kaixin finished speaking, Lu Ran exclaimed, ¡°Old Zhu, it¡¯s not over yet! Take this!¡± Huh? As soon as Lu Ran finished, Zhu Kaixin and the Rock Warrior Pig King¡¯s expressions abruptly changed. They looked up at the Sudden Death King in mid-air, who excitedly stretched its arms backward and then threw a punch- Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist! A wave of energy even more terrifying than the previous Meteor Strike, accompanied by red lightning, converged on the Sudden Death King¡¯s fist. Suddenly, a fist shadow like a glowing meteorite descended like a falling star towards the Rock Warrior Pig King in the pit below. Feeling the terrifying destructive power, the Rock Warrior Pig King looked bewildered. ¡°Roar Roar!!! (Have you ever been hit by a meteorite??)¡± The Sudden Death King spoke again. It talked a lot today, clearly a buildup of long-suppressed training frustrations. ¡°Roar Roar!! (Is this thing Level 30?)¡± The Rock Warrior Pig King widened its eyes. ¡°Is this thing over Level 30?¡± Zhu Kaixin was also shocked. ¡°Are you kidding me? The Shield Dragon King is known for its defense, and this punch looks like it could obliterate an island. What the heck is going on?!¡± ¡°Damn, I underestimated you, ordinary second generations would definitely be killed by you,¡± Zhu Kaixin smirked. But as a First Generation, Zhu Kaixin and his team wouldn¡¯t be so easily subdued. Even if the power of the attack was strong, as long as it wasn¡¯t an out-of-the-blue move like before, which softly embraced, it would be manageable. The Rock Warrior Pig King, using some unknown trait, widened its Pig Eyes and somehow managed to brace against the Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist without causing an explosion. It seemed to be trying to deflect the move, twisting the trajectory of the attack. However, the power of the Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist was too immense; the rocks beneath its feet continuously shattered, and its body bent under the strain¡­ ¡°Roar-¡± Fortunately, the Rock Warrior Pig King managed to succeed in the end, twisting the trajectory of the Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist back into the sky, once again tearing through the cloud layer. However, just as the Rock Warrior Pig King was panting heavily, a pair of not-so-clean small hands hugged it from behind again, sending a tingling electric shock as if trying to prevent any retaliation. Rock Warrior Pig King: ¡°¡­¡± Being embraced by the sudden death king, the Rock Warrior Pig King let out a scream that sounded like a pig being slaughtered. It wasn¡¯t afraid of the fall damage. It was just that the plummeting from such a height was too terrifying for it. ¡°Not bad at all.¡± Nearby, Manager Ying nodded approvingly as he watched Lu Ran and Pig Deity exchange moves. It was indeed a rather ruthless combo¡­ ¡­ Several days later. At this point, Lu Ran had settled on the Other Shore Island, battling enemies in the secret realm of necromancy every day. The main purpose, of course, was to nurture the artifact spirit. However, since nurturing an artifact spirit is a time-uncertain task, Lu Ran was unsure when the end would be, so he had never forgotten Manager Ying¡¯s mention of resource allocation from the international alliance. He was constantly striving to enhance his strength. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In fact, he still had two enhancement cards left. After careful consideration, Lu Ran decided not to let any pet beast consume them. Instead, he used them to enhance two exquisite lucid fruits, which he consumed himself. Lu Ran had his reasons for doing so! He wanted to leverage extraordinary Comprehension to learn the domain from General Ha. Since elements like artistic conception can be learned from pet beasts through super beast mimicry, why not the domain? Since beastmasters with Fusion Skills can use a domain while in a fusion state, he believes he should be able to learn a domain through super beast mimicry too. Once Lu Ran, as a beastmaster, learns the domain, he can then use [reverse super beast mimicry] to quickly teach the sudden death king, dark crow, cloud baby, and sword spirit of the sword grass how to use domains. If successful, this approach would obviously be more cost-effective. However, after consuming the two exquisite resources, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t quite managed to learn the domain. But he didn¡¯t give up. The next batch of exquisite enhancement cards was arriving soon. With three more exquisite Comprehension resources, he was determined to master the sword domain this time! ¡°Young Master¡­¡± On this day, Lu Ran emerged once again from the secret realm of necromancy. The vampire count, who was responsible for guarding the entrance, saw Lu Ran and, with a look akin to post-traumatic stress disorder, woefully said, ¡°I hope today I don¡¯t have to be a sparring partner for General Ha and Lord Sudden Death King.¡± In a knowing tone, Lu Ran replied, ¡°You do. This is all for your own good, to enhance your strength.¡± ¡°Without strength, how will you resurrect my parents?¡± ¡°But they¡¯re gone¡­¡± ¡°Who said that? Dying in Infinite City doesn¡¯t mean death. If you gain enough power to alter the will of Infinite City and resurrect the challengers, it¡¯s a breeze. So today, you¡¯ll continue to be their sparring partner,¡± Lu Ran said matter-of-factly. The vampire count felt a pang in his stomach; his strength wasn¡¯t comparable to the Pig Deity¡¯s, and facing the Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist from the sudden death king was truly lethal¡­ ¡°You really hold a grudge, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°He¡¯s got PTSD just from seeing you.¡± After the vampire was sent away, Manager Ying¡¯s figure emerged, smiling slyly. ¡°It¡¯s General Ha and the others who hold grudges,¡± Lu Ran coughed lightly and asked, ¡°What¡¯s up? Did you get the Shapeshifter trait this time?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Manager Ying replied simply, ¡°I got it for you. After you fuse it with Cloud Baby, you can take it to level up.¡± Actually, the princess wasn¡¯t particularly reluctant to part with the Shapeshifter trait. Although the trait seemed high in potential, it required suitable legendary life materials, which weren¡¯t easy to obtain, especially those suitable for pet beasts. On the other hand, by helping the country solve the plague issue, the princess could acquire more resources she needed. ¡°Not bad,¡± Lu Ran said with satisfaction. ¡°I suppose the former guild leader will return soon. Looking forward to it.¡± ¡°Additionally,¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°the international alliance has also finalized the method for resource allocation.¡± ¡°A competition among nations?¡± Lu Ran asked, surprised. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a tournament.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Alliance Challenge. The alliance plans to gather strong individuals from various countries to act as gatekeepers.¡± ¡°The Alliance Challenge consists of a total of 5 stages, comprising 1 Third Generation, 3 Second Generation, and 1 First Generation gatekeeper.¡± ¡°Countries can send their second-generation, third-generation, and fourth-generation beastmasters to initiate the Alliance Challenge, challenging the stages set by the international alliance. The more stages you clear, the more resources you can allocate.¡± ¡°Clearing all 5 stages might be a stretch, but see if you can at least get through 4 stages.¡± Chapter 295: The Return of the Former Guild Leader ¡°What do you mean by not expecting to pass stage 5?¡± Lu Ran frowned, ¡°I suspect you¡¯re trying to provoke me.¡±Manager Ying rolled their eyes, ¡°I¡¯m just being realistic. If you can clear all the stages, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± ¡°With the former guild leader and Lin Nian as two of the ten arena masters, it¡¯s certain that Xia Country will secure a large portion of resources. Other countries wouldn¡¯t be pleased to share more with Xia, so when the First Generation gatekeepers are arranged, you¡¯ll probably face the strongest one, maybe even the First Generation of the Eagle.¡± ¡°While it may not be absurdly strong, I¡¯m sure its pet beast will be at level 60, possibly having undergone a second-stage evolution, becoming part of the overlord species.¡± ¡°Understand?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not going to let us take resources easily; it¡¯s an unspoken rule.¡± ¡°We enjoy the feast, but we have to let other countries at least sip some soup.¡± ¡°Is the rule 3V3?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s 1V1,¡± Manager Ying replied, ¡°but you have to clear all five stages consecutively.¡± ¡°1V1?¡± Lu Ran chuckled. ¡°This 1V1 means a contract card VS a contract card. If I have three pet beasts in one contract card, how will the Alliance respond?¡± Manager Ying: ¡­? ¡°When the time comes, I¡¯ll try out the 1V1 matches in infinite city to see if I can summon all three simultaneously.¡± ¡°If even infinite city considers sword spirit and sword grass as part of general ha, and they are acknowledged as one unit, the Alliance can¡¯t deny it, right?¡± ¡°If General Ha, sword spirit, and sword grass all reach level 40, going three against one, even if the opponent is a level 60 First Generation pet beast, it¡¯s not impossible to win¡­¡± ¡°See? Thinking about it this way, is there really hope to clear all five stages? Would the Alliance recognize it if it truly happens?¡± ¡°This kind of thing¡­¡± Manager Ying smirked, ¡°do you even need to ask?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re from a small country, it would definitely be against the rules.¡± ¡°But as long as you have powerful backing, it¡¯s perfectly legitimate.¡± ¡°However, the key is whether General Ha and the two retainers can defeat the First Generation.¡± ¡°If you win, Xia Country will back you, but if you lose, it would be quite embarrassing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lu Ran said, stroking his chin. ¡°However, the Alliance would never expect your General Ha to have two contract retainers,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t expose yourself, the Alliance won¡¯t have time to change the rules, and you can catch them by surprise.¡± ¡°But everything hinges on your ability to win.¡± ¡°If you can clear all stage 5,¡± Manager Ying grinned mischievously, ¡°it won¡¯t be Xia Country breaking an unspoken rule; it¡¯ll be that the rule itself is too weak.¡± ¡°If the First Generation gatekeepers can¡¯t even beat a Fourth Generation, what can they do?¡± Lu Ran pondered. ¡°So, when is this Alliance Challenge taking place?¡± he asked. ¡°It starts in a week and lasts for 30 days. You can challenge at any time during those 30 days.¡± ¡°We have three challenge slots. One is for Qin Ming, one for you, and the third is yet to be decided,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Oh, then there¡¯s plenty of time,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare when I¡¯m ready, no rush.¡± Lu Ran continued chatting with Manager Ying for a bit. He received the ¡°Shapeshifter Trait Crystal¡± from them. With the crystal in hand, Lu Ran quickly lost interest in chatting and hurriedly prepared to fuse it with Cloud Baby. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The fusion process went smoothly and Cloud Baby¡¯s second trait slot was finally complete. As expected, Cloud Baby also awakened a species talent. [Species Talent]: Adaptability [Effect]: If the shaping target aligns with its own attributes, it can exert even greater power. This talent was easy to understand. Now that the weather elf has water, thunder, and ice attributes, if it shapeshifts into a grass-type divine deer, Cloud Baby won¡¯t achieve a perfect transformation, and its power will be considerably less than that of a real divine deer. But if it shapeshifts into a water-type divine dragon, the transformation effect will be much stronger. ¡°Let me know when the former guild leader returns,¡± Lu Ran said as he bid farewell to Manager Ying and returned to the necromancy secret realm. Cloud Baby has now become combat-ready since the team¡¯s two strong members are well-suited for it to transform into. Whether it¡¯s the ice cloud sword dog or the thunder cloud dragon king, both possess considerable strength. Necromancy Secret Realm. Lu Ran watched as Cloud Baby, transformed into the ice cloud sword dog, wielded an ice sword and unleashed the fierce Blizzard Sword Qi, slaying necromantic creatures left and right. He also witnessed it transform into the thunder cloud dragon king, striking down with even more terrifying thunder, with a single bolt wiping out a vast array of enemies. However, it wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly powerful. Relying solely on the shapeshifter trait wasn¡¯t enough to make Cloud Baby as formidable as General Ha and the others. Currently, it was only at an average sovereign pet beast level. It might have been an issue with its ability development; General Ha¡¯s strongest sword intent and the sudden death king¡¯s top-tier defense weren¡¯t inherited by Cloud Baby. Of course, it could also be that General Ha¡¯s nurturing was too specialized, and the physical prowess of the sudden death king was unsuitable for a shapeshifting creature like Cloud Baby, preventing it from grasping the essence fully in its transformations. Lu Ran realized that they would have to wait for the former guild leader¡¯s feather of Kunpeng to see if it could elevate Cloud Baby. It needed a more fitting transformation target! ¡­ Breakthrough Secret Realm. In the historical projection of the Star-Moon Continent. A tall and sturdy old man with long mustache and eyebrows, wearing a straw hat and gray cloth clothes, slowly emerged from the ruins riding a Qilin. ¡°Sigh.¡± ¡°Why bother provoking me,¡± he mused, while many beast taming experts gathered on the mountain-top swallowed hard. ¡°Who is this elder?¡± ¡°An entire legendary force, wiped out just like that!¡± ¡°I heard it was because this Fenglei Mountain was bullying and trying to snatch this old man¡¯s treasured possession, not knowing they had provoked a tough cookie¡­¡± ¡°How come I¡¯ve never heard of this person before?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯d be strange if you had,¡± said the former guild leader of the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance, counting the spoils while watching the countdown. As time ran out, the spectators watched in astonishment as the elder¡¯s figure gradually blurred, and the surrounding space shattered! Meanwhile, on Blue Star, in Infinite City. The old man¡¯s image slowly appeared in his private room. He left Infinite City in a daze and entered a room filled with mountains and rivers of spiritual energy. ¡°Xiao Lin,¡± the old man called out, his voice remarkably penetrating. A moment later, footsteps approached the door, and a glasses girl carrying a notebook knocked and entered. She looked at the elder with delight and said, ¡°President, you passed the Level 5 breakthrough secret realm.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the old man nodded, then shook his head, ¡°Sigh, starting from the Level 3 breakthrough secret realm, the difficulty just kept escalating.¡± ¡°The Level 4 breakthrough secret realm already caused so many first-generation beastmasters to fall, and this Level 5¡­ it¡¯s likely to claim another batch.¡± ¡°Now that I¡¯m back, it¡¯s Lin Nian¡¯s turn to enter the secret realm, right? With her temperament, she might encounter quite a bit of danger.¡± The novice, Level 1, and Level 2 breakthrough secret realms seemed fairly straightforward and not too hazardous to the old man. Getting a high rating might be a challenge, but passing through was relatively easy. However, starting with the Level 3 breakthrough secret realm, it seemed as if Infinite City intended to filter out the elite. Each attempt grew more treacherous. Many capable beast tamers also met their end within those realms. To ensure that Xia Country always retained its top-level combat strength, the former guild leader and Lin Nian¡¯s group agreed that they, as the first-generation, would enter one at a time. After his turn, it would be another¡¯s. Secretary Xiao Lin was taken aback and said, ¡°President, was this breakthrough secret realm very perilous?¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± the old man stroked his beard and said, ¡°The breakthrough task invariably involves provoking a legendary force, facing their full onslaught. Even if you complete the task, most beast tamers find it difficult to survive the 30 days to exit successfully.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± the glasses girl sighed, ¡°Did you sustain any injuries, President?¡± ¡°Almost,¡± he chuckled, ¡°In the end, I couldn¡¯t hold back¡­ I attacked that force¡¯s main base. Luckily, the legendary beast tamer there was just a push-over, near the end of his days. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve been in real danger. Haha, I mustn¡¯t be so reckless next time.¡± ¡°Later on, you should have a talk with Lin Nian and advise her to be cautious in the breakthrough secret realm.¡± Secretary: ??? Secretary: ??? Is this a case of poor leadership leading to underlings following suit!? She parted her lips slightly to ask more, but the former guild leader waved his hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been away this past month; did anything significant happen?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the secretary quickly reported the critical events from those days, especially the Black Dragon incident, to the former guild leader. Upon hearing this, the former guild leader¡¯s expression shifted slightly, ¡°So much has happened, huh?¡± ¡°A level 70 Ancient Black Dragon, huh¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fortunate these kids managed to hold it off; otherwise, we would have been in big trouble.¡± ¡°Manager Ying mentioned that the Black Dragon needs to be dealt with within a year,¡± the secretary noted. ¡°That¡¯s a minor issue,¡± the former guild leader said. ¡°Did you say that the cat and Lu Ran nearly drained the treasury of advanced and low-level resources?¡± After a pause, the secretary replied, ¡°Pretty much. It was the twelve branches that made the decision. Although some in the governing management disagreed, the twelve branches overruled them.¡± ¡°Haha,¡± the former guild leader chuckled. ¡°Well, as long as the matter is resolved satisfactorily, there¡¯s nothing for anyone to complain about. They do have some guts, and I have to admit, I¡¯m impressed with that cat¡¯s capability. As for that boy Lu Ran having such potential, that¡¯s no surprise to me.¡± ¡°I honestly thought that cat was going to bolt with the resources¡­¡± the secretary confessed. ¡°Then it would have been in big trouble. Unless it fled to the Star Moon Federation, I would have turned it into cat-head cookies,¡± the old man stated. ¡°Oh, right, President, Manager Ying contacted me and said Lu Ran wants to meet you once you¡¯re available.¡± ¡°Lu Ran, huh?¡± the former guild leader mused. ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He should be on the other shore island.¡± ¡°The other shore island¡­ that¡¯s far. Arrange for us to meet in Infinite City.¡± That afternoon. ¡°Lu Lu Lu Ran-¡° Lu Ran emerged once again from the necromancy secret realm. Despite nurturing the artifact spirit for so many days, there still wasn¡¯t any sign of activity. However, with abundant resources, he wasn¡¯t worried about enhancing the overall strength of his team. Zhu Kaixin rushed over, signaling Lu Ran not to proceed with another secret realm challenge: ¡°The former guild leader is out.¡± ¡°Get ready to head to Infinite City. He wants to see you.¡± ¡°Hmm, Manager Ying said to meet at the cat-eared maid caf¨¦ in Public Infinite City.¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°The former guild leader likes that sort of place?¡± Pig Deity: ? ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s obviously just a convenient place to talk!¡± Pig Deity pointed at Lu Ran, implying how ridiculous it was to think that the former guild leader at his age would be interested in catgirls. Chapter 296: Feather of Kunpeng, the Dragon Team’s Great Contribution In a certain Public Infinite City, at a cat-eared maid caf¨¦.When Lu Ran arrived, the former guild leader was already talking with Manager Ying. On the table, there was no coffee or cold drinks. The former guild leader had brought his own thermos cup, with a spirit ginseng floating inside. ¡°Actually, I called you over because Lu Ran has obtained some important intelligence.¡± ¡°Important intelligence¡­¡± The former guild leader looked skeptical. If these words came from Lu Ran, he would believe them. But coming from this cat, he felt like Manager Ying was trying to sell intelligence. Surely, it wouldn¡¯t be simple, free sharing. ¡°How important?¡± ¡°It¡¯s related to the fate of Xia Country!¡± Manager Ying¡¯s eyes were evasive. The intelligence was important, but Lu Ran¡¯s main purpose for coming was certainly not just to share intelligence. Rather, he had his eyes on the former guild leader¡¯s epic materials. However, the goal shouldn¡¯t be exposed so blatantly. Especially since it was the first meeting between Lu Ran and the former guild leader-it was definitely important to build a good relationship first. Gently leading into it. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± As they chatted, Lu Ran entered. The cat quickly teleported him over, and immediately, Lu Ran sat properly in front of the former guild leader. ¡°Are you the leader?¡± Lu Ran looked at the kind-looking old man opposite him and said, ¡°Leader, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you for the first time.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you as well.¡± The former guild leader looked at Lu Ran with a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Manager Ying that you have some intelligence to share with me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, quickly got to the point, and shared the matters related to the divine deer with the former guild leader. Upon hearing this, the former guild leader indeed fell into a long period of contemplation. ¡°What is your plan?¡± After a while, he looked up and asked Lu Ran. Lu Ran said, ¡°I want to find the teleportation circle, go to Star-Moon Continent, and find the divine deer to help me awaken the Beast Taming Space.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s possible to figure out a method for the people of Xia Country to awaken the Beast Taming Space through this opportunity, then perhaps the chances of winning in the world battle a year from now would increase.¡± ¡°Even if we take a step back and lose, even if our side¡¯s infinite city facilities are downgraded or, in the extreme, the infinite city disappears again, as long as we grasp the cultivation system, we have a fallback.¡± ¡°After all, didn¡¯t the Star Moon Federation develop just fine before the appearance of the infinite city? They also produced legendary beastmasters.¡± ¡°Yes, and we can use this opportunity to explore the true situation of the Star Moon Federation.¡± sea??h th§× N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Then, we can crush them.¡± The former guild leader laughed and said, ¡°I thought your focus would be on the fact that Blue Star people and Star Moon Federation people share a common origin.¡± ¡°Wanting to go there to seek peace, cooperation, and development.¡± Lu Ran was also taken aback and smiled, ¡°I¡¯m not a child anymore; such things aren¡¯t possible. Wherever there are interests, there are conflicts. Not to mention Blue Star and the Star Moon Federation, even between Blue Star¡¯s various countries, strife never ends.¡± ¡°Now, the beast taming civilization of the Star Moon Federation is more advanced than ours. Going there to learn from them is the real strategy.¡± ¡°Once we become as strong as the Star Moon Federation, maybe then true cooperation can happen.¡± The former guild leader squinted and said, ¡°I might know where the Cross-World Teleportation Array is.¡± Lu Ran and Manager Ying: ??? ¡°What?¡± The person and the cat were both very surprised. ¡°Years ago, I went abroad on¡­ an archaeology excursion, and discovered an extremely mysterious underground altar. The place had walls carved with images of the time-space divine dragon. Back then, I thought it was another dragon civilization, but after encountering the myths and legends of the Star-Moon Continent, I can confirm that the two soaring dragons represent the time-space divine dragon, which is the creator divine dragon of the Star-Moon Continent.¡± ¡°That image might have been left by their retainer, and that unique altar might just be the Cross-World Teleportation Array?¡± The former guild leader recalled. Lu Ran and Manager Ying exchanged glances, shocked at how the supposed Cross-World Teleportation Array might have been found by the former guild leader decades ago. ¡°But,¡± the former guild leader said, ¡°even if that is really the teleportation array, going to the Star Moon Federation is extremely dangerous.¡± Of course, Lu Ran understood the danger, but don¡¯t risk and reward go hand in hand? What if they could find the divine deer¡­ The divine deer¡¯s energy clone could already enhance his retainer skill to such a degree. If he could train with the real divine deer for a few months, who knows, by the time the world battle arrives, he might be able to completely overpower the Star Moon Federation¡¯s legends. At that point, obtaining both the divine deer¡¯s legacy and the infinite city¡¯s permissions would make life complete. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll accompany him. As long as we don¡¯t encounter anything at the legendary level, I can¡¯t guarantee we will win, but escaping will definitely be no issue,¡± Manager Ying confidently chimed in. The former guild leader fell into deep thought again, considering that Lu Ran¡¯s reasoning might not be entirely out of line. Currently, there is a gap between the top-level forces of Xia Country and the Star Moon Federation. Even though Xia Country¡¯s infinite city facilities might be a bit superior, it¡¯s uncertain whether they could surpass the Star Moon Federation in a year. At times like this, having an extra backup plan brings more hope. Even if they lose the world battle, and even if the infinite city disappears in the future, as long as Lu Ran can devise a way to awaken the Beast Taming Space suitable for the Blue Star People, Xia Country can continue walking the path of the supernatural realm and go far. ¡°So, when do you two plan to set off?¡± Considering the impact on the nation¡¯s fate, the former guild leader couldn¡¯t help but take it seriously. ¡°I think¡­ after I break through to a level 4 beastmaster,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°At the moment, my strength is indeed a bit lacking. A breakthrough to another level would be ideal.¡± ¡°Is there anything else you need me to help with?¡± asked the former guild leader. This question seemed to trigger something. After a moment of thought, Lu Ran said, ¡°Guild Leader, I heard you have a feather of Kunpeng¡­¡± ¡°Could I borrow it for a while?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nurturing a pet beast and seem to need it. If the pet beast is stronger, it might ensure a safer execution of this dangerous mission.¡± The former guild leader fell silent and glanced at Manager Ying. Manager Ying was also taken aback. Wow, Lu Ran seamlessly started asking for resources. Could he really be a genius? But why is this old man looking at me? ¡°I mentioned it to Lu Ran,¡± Manager Ying coughed and said, ¡°It¡¯s that weather elf you brought back from the Elemental Age. Lu Ran gave it a shapeshifter trait. If it has a strong transformation reference, that weather elf could become even stronger.¡± ¡°The Kunpeng is reputed as the fastest divine beast in myth and legend. Using it as a reference for that weather elf could indeed enhance its speed attribute, which would improve Lu Ran¡¯s safety,¡± Manager Ying remarked. ¡°Is that so?¡± The former guild leader looked at the human and the cat, ¡°Is this what you need?¡± With that, he retrieved a white feather from the space within his identity card. [Name]: Feather of Kunpeng [Level]: Epic [Introduction]: Feather of Kunpeng, purpose unknown. ¡°If this is what you¡¯re looking for, you can borrow it. I don¡¯t have any immediate use for it.¡± ¡°I once attempted to have my pet beast comprehend the Kunpeng¡¯s artistic conception through this feather, but after three years of practice, it was unsuccessful.¡± ¡°If you find it useful, you can borrow it until your mission is complete, then return it to me.¡± ¡°Well, if your mission is a success, I don¡¯t mind awarding this resource to you,¡± the former guild leader chuckled. ¡°Really??¡± Lu Ran was stunned by his words. It seemed he really had to go all out to secure the human evolution method. ¡­ After a secret meeting among the former guild leader, Lu Ran, and Manager Ying, the former guild leader left. Manager Ying turned to Lu Ran, ¡°So, when do you plan to enter the breakthrough secret realm next?¡± Lu Ran glanced at it and said, ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take long. I¡¯ll finish the Alliance Challenge, and that¡¯ll be it. Other tasks, like nurturing the artifact spirit, will be done as opportunity allows; it¡¯s not urgent. The level 3 Legendary Secret Realm can be solo cleared anytime without much time investment. I just haven¡¯t found the right one yet. If that¡¯s the case for too long¡­ I¡¯ll just pick one randomly when the time comes.¡± ¡°Alright, alright, then hurry and prepare for the Alliance Challenge,¡± Manager Ying seemed eager to reach the real Star-Moon Continent. ¡°You¡­¡± Manager Ying seemed like it wanted to add something, but¡­ [Congratulations to Level 1 beastmasters: Road Ahead Icy, Pig Raiser, Safe Journey, and That¡¯s Road Not Street on conquering the Level 1 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Armor Mountain,¡¯ starting the path of legend.] An unexpected announcement interrupted. ¡°Huh?¡± Manager Ying was taken aback and looked at Lu Ran, ¡°Is it the Jiao Dragon team?¡± Lu Ran was equally surprised, ¡°Not bad, with so many resources invested, it¡¯s about time we saw some returns.¡± ¡°This Armor Mountain¡­¡± Manager Ying said, ¡°Did you tell them to tackle it?¡± Lu Ran shook his head, then nodded. ¡°I just advised them to find a Legendary Secret Realm where the boss is proficient in support and defense. I don¡¯t know which secret realm they ultimately chose.¡± ¡°Manager Ying, do you have any information on the Armor Mountain Secret Realm?¡± Manager Ying pondered for a moment, ¡°The Armor Mountain Secret Realm¡¯s boss is an upper sovereign species pangolin. Of course, its species name is not that; it¡¯s called the Mountain Drilling King Beast.¡± ¡°The Mountain Drilling King Beast, much like the Diamond Dragon, is a mutant. It¡¯s strong not only in individual combat but also in scenarios where it can leverage the environment, rendering it invincible in defense.¡± ¡°It has a special talent that allows anything it touches to become incredibly hard, almost like enchantment.¡± ¡°When the Mountain Drilling King Beast burrows underground or into a mountain and strengthens the spots it touches, it¡¯s as if it has an indestructible shield.¡± ¡°It¡¯s akin to a human having a portable steel safe house, capable of withstanding an apocalypse.¡± ¡°Can this hardness be applied to other living creatures?¡± Lu Ran quickly inquired. Manager Ying shook its head, ¡°How would I know? The Mountain Drilling King Beast is a solitary creature.¡± ¡°But those four are impressive, managing to take down a boss that¡¯s an expert in defense and escape. They probably used some dirty tricks¡­ Speaking of which, Fang Lan is back. Could it have been poison?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the Dragon Clan underlings of the Sudden Death King.¡± At this moment, Lu Bing and the others started sending messages to Lu Ran to share the good news. Road Ahead Icy: [Chief! Chief! We did it!] [Check this out, can you use this trait?] [Trait Crystal (Energy Halo)]: The pet beast that fuses with this trait can project one of its advantageous physical attributes as an energy halo onto a designated target for a certain period. Chapter 297: The Kun is Too Large to Fit in a Pot ¡°Oh.¡±Seeing the trait information sent by Lu Bing, Lu Ran¡¯s eyes lit up. He had to admit, the Legendary Secret Realm lived up to its name. Even with a four-person completion, the traits it revealed were extraordinarily unique. Lu Ran initially thought that the Mountain Drilling King Beast would at most yield a ¡°defensive auxiliary trait.¡± However, it turned out to provide an all-purpose auxiliary trait. As for what specific effects it could provide, it all depended on the pet beast with the fusion trait. This greatly allowed the user to have space for independent choices, thereby increasing the potential of the trait. ¡°The original plan was to have them help the sudden death king develop traits.¡± ¡°But it resulted in an all-purpose one.¡± ¡°Though, for now, it seems only the sudden death king is suitable in the team.¡± Lu Ran carefully examined the trait description. It can convert one of [its own] advantageous [body attributes] into a [BUFF]. The emphasis was on its own and body attributes. Attributes temporarily enhanced through external tools definitely wouldn¡¯t count as its own. So, General Ha¡¯s own advantageous body attribute should be Comprehension. However, Lu Ran was reluctant to train General Ha for support roles. The dark crow¡¯s advantageous body attribute appears to be eyesight. Cloud baby¡¯s advantageous body attribute is only its self-healing ability. Although the cloud baby can shapeshift, the strength gained post-transformation is not its own advantageous attribute but rather an external boost. Therefore, it seems only the sudden death king, this Dragon King, has outstanding attributes across the board due to its species advantage, with physique, strength, defense, life, etc., having virtually no weaknesses. ¡°After the sudden death king reaches level 40, I¡¯ll fuse it with this.¡± ¡°By then, as a beastmaster, I can benefit from those attributes too.¡± ¡°If I possess the perfect defense of the sudden death king¡­ does it mean I could fall from the atmosphere and not die?¡± ¡°Equivalent exchange, it¡¯s like learning a damage transfer beast taming skill.¡± ¡°Most importantly, this Special Ability seems to be applicable even to inanimate objects.¡± Attributes like Comprehension and eyesight aren¡¯t much use when applied to inanimate objects. But the defense attribute, when applied to inanimate objects, could allow for the easy creation of powerful defensive Equipment similar to the Mountain Drilling King Beast. Lu Ran scratched his chin, pondering while he replied to Lu Bing: [Well done!] sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [The village chief will reward you handsomely.] Encouraged by this success, Lu Ran was slightly excited and planned to further invest in the Jiao Dragon team, hoping they would reveal more unique traits for him to choose from. ¡°Judging by your expression, you had a good harvest?¡± Manager Ying chirped as she noticed Lu Ran¡¯s satisfied grin. ¡°Indeed, I¡¯m off,¡± Lu Ran said, pushing the door open, intending to find Lu Bing and collect the traits. Manager Ying: ??? ¡°You haven¡¯t even told me what you found!!¡± ¡­ Having acquired the feather of Kunpeng and a new trait, Lu Ran had a fruitful day. Upon returning happily to the other shore island, he immediately entered the ruins space. The new trait was temporarily unusable due to the sudden death king¡¯s insufficient level for fusion, but the feather of Kunpeng was something he could let the cloud baby use right away. The effect of the feather of Kunpeng was unknown. The former guild leader researched for years without discovering the shaping artistic conception of Kunpeng, possibly not because of his pet beast¡¯s lack of talent, but perhaps because the feather itself didn¡¯t have that effect. It might not be an item for that purpose. However, for Lu Ran, this wasn¡¯t much of a problem. While learning the Kunpeng artistic conception would be ideal, even if they couldn¡¯t, cloud baby could still use its shapeshifter trait to mimic a simple Kunpeng form to gain some power, essentially a clever workaround. ¡°Cloud baby.¡± In the ruins space, Lu Ran eagerly called out to the cloud baby in the sky. Currently, cloud baby was in the form of a cloud deer, standing on the clouds. From the clouds above, a gentle spring rain was nourishing the flowers and grass on the grounds of the ruins space. The rain fell on General Ha, the sudden death king, and the dark crow, healing their injuries. Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s call, the cloud deer quickly trotted through the air downwards, reverting back into a cloud form during the descent. Lu Ran explained briefly, and in excitement, it handed over its antler, while Lu Ran placed the feather of Kunpeng onto it. Whoosh whoosh! The clouds rolled swiftly, enveloping the feather of Kunpeng. At that moment, cloud baby seemed to go into a trance, like it was starting to unravel the power of the feather. One second¡­ two seconds¡­ Cloud baby floated in mid-air, seemingly dazed for a few minutes. Meanwhile, the sudden death king and the others stopped what they were doing and rushed over. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± General Ha looked skyward, shaking its head and trotting over in an exaggerated swagger, with sword spirit and sword grass flanking it as two devoted guardians. Together, the trio cut a rather comically clueless figure. The sudden death king swaggered over slowly like an old man, as if burdened by some chronic ailment. As for the dark crow, it leisurely perched on a distant tree, able to observe the proceedings without getting any closer. ¡°Pitter-patter-¡° Finally, after a moment, cloud baby moved again. Its mist started swirling more rapidly, surrounded by a violent gale. Lu Ran and his crew took a step back in unison, as in an instant, the sky and sea of clouds heaved and surged, waves crashing. Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~~ In the blink of an eye, the sea of clouds seemed to come alive. Accompanied by a resounding cry that echoed through the sky, a pair of massive white wings unfurled, blanketing the heavens. High above, a gigantic form began to take shape, elusive in its entirety due to its sheer enormity. ¡°Caw caw?¡± The dark crow looked at the figure, slightly stunned. This giant bird dwarfed its legion of 100,000 crows. In fact, just a single wing seemed to surpass the entire formation. General Ha and the sudden death king also glanced upward. This colossal figure, even by turning over, could fly vast distances. ¡°No wonder they say the Kun is so large it can¡¯t fit in a pot,¡± Lu Ran murmured. ¡°But it seems to have taken the Roc form first.¡± ¡°Shrink down a bit,¡± Lu Ran called out. Instantly, the turbulent cloud sea descended with the gale. In a flash, the clouds shrank, and a splendid white mythical bird emerged! Now, it was roughly the size of the dark crow, with its brilliant white plumage and bright blue eyes, it looked exceptionally majestic! Of course, its speed was the most impressive of all. Before Lu Ran and others could react, it had zipped through the clouds and appeared in mid-air, flapping its wings with sharp eyes, provocatively staring at sword spirit and sword grass. ¡°Pitter-patter! (Again!)¡± Lu Ran gave a shout, quickly issuing a command, ¡°Corpse dog, tail, attack.¡± Upon hearing the order, sword spirit and sword grass turned towards cloud baby in its Roc form. Sword spirit moved first, its blade glinting with the fierce intent of the sky-cleaving sword as it surged forward like a shooting star. Sword grass followed closely, embodying the plant sword intent as it transformed into a green streak, slicing through the air straight towards cloud baby. Previously, cloud baby was no match for sword spirit and sword grass. Their sword intents were far more lethal than the weather technique that cloud baby wielded. It had suffered quite a bit in their practice bouts. However, this time, things were different. Facing the attacks from sword spirit and sword grass, cloud baby simply glanced at them nonchalantly and took off, wings spread wide. With a ¡°whoosh,¡± it vanished from where it had been, leaving the flying swords behind to cut through nothing but its afterimage. The real cloud baby had already flown a thousand meters away. ¡°Woof! Woof!¡± General Ha barked instructions quickly, but what followed was a scene of utter playfulness. Sword spirit and sword grass chased cloud baby all over the sky but couldn¡¯t even get close to its tail. The Roc form was astonishingly fast, always leaving only an afterimage for its pursuers, making real contact impossible. Eventually, as if it had enough fun, cloud baby became enveloped in golden thunder, its white cloud body turning black. It transformed into a Roc with a gold and black pattern. With a high-pitched cry, cloud baby displayed its prowess in the sky. Within a second, it left behind a complex trail of light, spelling out ¡°Queen of the Sky!¡± This elaborate path of light hadn¡¯t yet dissipated when sword spirit and sword grass, seemingly stunned by some heavy blow, were struck by cloud baby as it moved through the sky. They both plummeted to the ground. ¡°Woof!!!¡± General Ha looked on, heartbroken. Its swords- ¡°So fast?¡± Lu Ran exclaimed with surprise. ¡°General Ha, sudden death king, dark crow, can any of you match this guy¡¯s speed now?¡± None of the three pet beasts responded, clearly acknowledging that their speed was no match for cloud baby in its Roc form. At this moment, Lu Ran looked up at cloud baby in the sky, taking a deep breath before breaking into a broad smile. Although this transformation relied on epic materials, the results were astonishingly impressive. With this kind of speed, if its defense can be enhanced as well, it could potentially cause considerable destruction just by colliding with things. Cloud baby¡¯s evolution delighted Lu Ran. He immediately tasked cloud baby with quickly adapting to its Roc form and also exploring its potential in the Kun¡¯s form. Since it was the feather of Kunpeng, it¡¯s natural that cloud baby should also be able to take on the big Kun form. If the Roc represents ultimate speed in the sky, then the Kun is synonymous with unparalleled speed in the ocean. Sure enough, not long after, cloud baby transformed into a massive cloud whale, embodying the essence of the ocean itself, literally turning the cloud sea into a sea of clouds as it sped through it at incredible speed. Its speed was equally astonishing. As dark crow commented, ¡°Caw! If the old turtle had half of cloud baby¡¯s speed, we would have conquered ten times the territory by now!¡± ¡°Big King, I strongly suggest sending cloud baby to conquer the deep sea; it seems the old turtle¡¯s speed just isn¡¯t cutting it!¡± Chapter 298: The Old Man and the Dog Lu Ran naturally couldn¡¯t send Cloud Baby to conquer the sea region now.Although it runs fast, its level is still a bit low. However, now that it has the Kunpeng form, leveling up quickly shouldn¡¯t be a problem. As long as Lu Ran frequently brings it to engage in 1V1 top-level battles, its level can quickly catch up with General Ha and the others. Next, Lu Ran, satisfied, began to focus Cloud Baby¡¯s training on mastering the Kunpeng transformation. Kunpeng transformation consumes too much energy, and currently, Cloud Baby can only sustain it for a few minutes, which is not enough and requires further honing. Lu Ran plans to wait until it can maintain the transformation for 10 minutes, then take it to challenge strong opponents to level up. As for now, Lu Ran immersed himself in the Necromancy Secret Realm, nurturing the artifact spirit while training with the sword spirit and sword grass in the sword domain. This training is particularly important. If the sword spirit and sword grass can learn the sword domain, they can attempt a Combined Sword Domain with General Ha. If Lu Ran learns the sword domain, he can then teach reverse super beast mimicry to Sudden Death King and the others. So, Lu Ran is putting in extra effort, even willing to invest significant resources. After two days, the Divine Beast Leaderboard rewards were distributed again. Lu Ran received three more exquisite-level enhancement cards. If other beastmasters had received so many exquisite-level enhancement cards, they would definitely use them on their pet beasts to enhance their strength. But Lu Ran, being meticulous, just like with the last two exquisite-level enhancement cards, invested all of them in himself. He enhanced three exquisite-level lucid fruits and reserved them all for himself. After consuming them over two meals, Lu Ran directly ingested 5 exquisite-level resources for Comprehension Enhancement. In this context, it can be seen as a massive investment, and diligence pays off. With multiple buffs from the sword spirit¡¯s possession, super beast mimicry, and Comprehension Enhancement, Lu Ran finally touched the threshold of the domain. ¡°Damn, this is tough-¡° Lu Ran had to admit it. According to Jiang Dou, the Old Gentleman and the Divine Deer¡¯s opinions, he is considered a genius in both swordsmanship and supernatural cultivation. But even so, it still took a total of 5 exquisite lucid fruits to reach this stage. For others, it would probably be even harder. At this moment, Lu Ran was standing in a vast domain, holding the Wind Thunder Sword, panting heavily. Now, Lu Ran had finally grasped the embryonic form of a domain, yet he wasn¡¯t particularly pleased. The cost was just too great-five lucid fruits. To put it in perspective, General Ha had comprehended it with just one lucid fruit¡­ ¡°But does this make me the first human to cultivate a domain?¡± The Star Moon Federation might not know, but on Blue Star, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t heard of any beastmaster who could release a domain without relying on fusion with a pet beast. But now, he did it. The red earth, the red sky, within a domain of flames, Lu Ran stood still. Two divine dragons, made entirely of flames, took shape and soared up from behind him, letting out an awe-inspiring Dragon Roar- These two Eastern Divine Loongs, majestic and awe-inspiring, most notably held a flame sword in their mouths. These swords were enveloped by both Dragon Might and sword intent, vibrating with each Dragon Roar. Dragons wielding swords! Lu Ran could only unfold his domain by leveraging the supernatural state of the Flame Sprite. Within this domain, the temperature of the Flame Sprite significantly increased, gaining the ability to scorch space, and acquiring a special trait-so long as the domain exists, the flames shall not extinguish. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. In this space, Lu Ran could conjure countless dragons wielding swords, with endless vitality, to serve as projections of his power and attack his enemies. Most importantly, Lu Ran¡¯s domain had a special feature similar to Manager Ying¡¯s domain. After creating the domain, Lu Ran could exit it, leaving the Flame Sprite as the domain core to sustain its existence. He could observe from the outside world as the Flame Sprite battled the enemies within the domain. Unlike General Ha, he didn¡¯t have to stay within the domain to utilize its full potential. In essence, this domain temporarily shaped the Flame Sprite into a living creature that followed the host¡¯s will, inherited the host¡¯s power, and could fight independently. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± In the Necromancy Secret Realm, still experimenting with the Flame Sprite¡¯s sword domain, Lu Ran was immersed in the joy of forming a domain. He didn¡¯t notice the movement of the sword in his hand until its vibration grew stronger, finally catching his attention. Looking at the Wind Thunder Sword in his hand, Lu Ran felt a wave of surprise. ¡°Could it be¡­¡± He gently released his grip, and the next moment, this exquisite divine sword, forged from dragon king scales and the fangs of a sword dog, floated mid-air, radiating a sharp aura. Buzz!!! In the next instant, just like the corpse dog did earlier, the outer materials of the sword disintegrated and shattered. A sword spirit with black, red, and white patterns was born with a thunderous emergence. [Species]: Wind Thunder Sword Spirit [Attributes]: Necromancy, Wind, Thunder [Species Level]: Lower Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 12 [Species Talent]: Guardian Sword (Creatures with this talent possess a consciousness that allows their energy to instinctively sense external threats and initiate defense.) ¡°Did it work?¡± Lu Ran watched the floating sword spirit with a wave of delight. This was the sword spirit he forged for Jiang Dou, the Old Gentleman-a Guardian Sword. After nurturing it in the necromancy secret realm for so long, the dragon king shield and the stone tablet of the dragon showed no reaction, but this sword spirit was the first to materialize. Indeed, if you want to nurture a sword spirit, just keep slashing necromancers. With the experience of the winter sword spirit, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t too surprised that the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit appeared first. ¡°I can¡¯t wait any longer.¡± Now that the sword domain was established, Lu Ran didn¡¯t plan to stay in the necromancy secret realm. He first sent the sword spirit to the ruins¡¯ space, letting General Ha and the others take care of it, then he directly exited the secret realm. After mentioning it to the Pig Deity, he planned to leave the Other Shore Island. During this process, he also assigned a task to the Dark Crow. ¡°Dark Crow, this stone tablet of the dragon hasn¡¯t developed a spirit yet, but I¡¯m out of time. You should take it to the Black Turtle for now; I¡¯ll continue nurturing it when I have the chance.¡± ¡°Squawk! Got it, Big King!¡± Dark Crow, upon being summoned, confirmed the task. ¡°The dragon king shield for Sudden Death King isn¡¯t urgent either. Even if it gets a spirit, he doesn¡¯t have a retainer position yet.¡± ¡°Next, we¡¯re heading back to Xia Country, then we¡¯ll split up halfway. I¡¯ll deliver the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit to my master, and you can deliver the goods to the Black Turtle.¡± Dark Crow showed a sharp look, thinking that the next steps would involve preparing for the Alliance Challenge. ¡­ Lu Ran¡¯s journey back to the country this time was incredibly smooth. Riding atop the supersonic Cloud Baby, he fed it resources while it flew at high speeds. With Cloud Baby¡¯s nature control trait, it could quickly absorb the energy crystallization formed by pure nature force to restore its stamina, roughly maintaining energy balance. In almost no time, Lu Ran returned from the Other Shore Island to Jinling in Xia Country. After landing outside the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, Lu Ran wrinkled his nose, not sensing the Old Gentleman¡¯s presence inside the dojo. He then looked towards the back mountain and shook his head. ¡°I should¡¯ve informed the old man-did he go out, or is he in the Infinite City?¡± He first called Master Jiang Dou, but no one answered. Then, he teleported to the Infinite City and opened his friends list, finding an ID named [Elder Sword Saint], and sent him a private message. Passerby A: [Master, Master.] After a while. Elder Sword Saint: [Hmm? Did the senior brother get taken by a monster?] Passerby A: [Master, stop joking! I¡¯m outside the Rainbow Heaven Dojo-you should come out, I¡¯ve got a surprise for you.] Elder Sword Saint: [!!! You finally came to see me. Ah, youngsters lack martial virtues these days, ambushing me¡­ um, not talking about you.] Passerby A: [???] What the heck is the old man doing? At this moment. Infinite City No. 3. In the arena, on a certain platform. A chubby man was standing there, shivering. A long sword was pressed against his neck, its cold chill making his face go pale. The one holding the sword was a bird-like old man. Although he retracted his two pairs of long wings, the audience could still tell that he was in a fusion state. In fact, from the start of the battle, the old man had entered a fusion state, wielding a long sword, challenging the opposite fat beastmaster and his pet beast by himself. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± the elder chuckled, yet an astonished roar came from the audience seats. ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s the background of this old guy? Being a beastmaster at his age is already impressive, but having such strength too?¡± ¡°Yeah, given his age, it¡¯s already remarkable to practice normal beast taming. He actually chose a Fusion Skill to fight personally and isn¡¯t worried about back pain at night.¡± ¡°Did you see how fast he drew his sword just now? So fast! This gentleman must be some kind of swordsmanship master.¡± ¡°Fatty here is a top student from the Combat Department of the Beast Taming University, and he lost just like that.¡± ¡°Our Association¡¯s president is also an older gentleman! It feels like we¡¯re witnessing the birth of a second former guild leader.¡± As the audience buzzed with discussion, the Elder Sword Saint laughed heartily as he exited the arena and disappeared from the competition grounds. Meanwhile¡­ At the entrance of the Rainbow Heaven Dojo, Lu Ran watched as the Old Gentleman Jiang Dou emerged from inside. He remarked, ¡°You just can¡¯t sit still, can you?¡± ¡°Hahaha, ever since becoming a beastmaster, I feel twenty years younger. I think I can keep going for another 20 years,¡± the Old Gentleman laughed heartily. ¡°So, what brings you here, little Guardian of Xia Country?¡± ¡°I was worried you might stumble and fall, so I¡¯ve brought you another pet beast to take care of you,¡± Lu Ran replied with a hint of helplessness. ¡°Another one?¡± the Old Gentleman exclaimed in surprise. Actually, his current pet beast, a Golden Eagle, was a gift from Lu Ran. As for why it was a Golden Eagle, it was because the Old Gentleman wanted to follow the path that his senior brother, the Eagle Hero, never finished. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a sword spirit, an exquisite sword spirit. It¡¯s an initial lower sovereign species, with potential only slightly less than those cubs that emerge from the Legendary Secret Realm,¡± Lu Ran said with a slight smile. ¡°This¡­¡± Hearing this, the Old Gentleman was taken aback, as he had never heard of such a pet beast. He said, ¡°A sword spirit?¡± ¡°No way! No way!¡± In an instant, the Old Gentleman shook his head frantically and said, ¡°Such an exceptional pet beast, you should keep it for yourself. Don¡¯t think about me.¡± ¡°You should contract it yourself.¡± ¡°I already have one! We both do!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The Old Gentleman was taken aback once again. ¡°I see, so it¡¯s your fourth pet?¡± Lu Ran replied, ¡°Actually, no, I contracted it to General Ha.¡± Master Jiang Dou: ??? You contracted the sword spirit to a dog? ¡°Ahem, that¡¯s not what I meant¡­¡± Lu Ran said, trying to clarify. Chapter 299: I Promise to Dominate ¡°I understand.¡±¡°I know you didn¡¯t mean it that way.¡± Old Gentleman Jiang Dou¡¯s eyes were teary. General Ha contracted with a sword spirit. He also contracted with a sword spirit. Thinking pessimistically, he was on the same level as Erha. But such matters shouldn¡¯t be viewed negatively. Lu Ran, with all his filial piety, couldn¡¯t possibly be such an ungrateful disciple. One must think positively. General Ha is not only a dog but also currently the strongest in swordsmanship on Blue Star. By equivalence, he had the same configuration as the strongest swordsmanship creature on Blue Star! Thinking like this felt much more comforting. ¡°Ahem, Master, let me take you to meet your new pet.¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly and waved his hand, causing a spatial fluctuation to appear around them. Although Master Jiang Dou was curious about what this was, he still eagerly followed him. Inside the ruins space. Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts were not training at the moment. As a beastmaster, Lu Ran was quite considerate. Unlike a capitalist exploiting people, pet beasts only needed to train for a few hours each day, leaving the rest of the time for rest. Of course¡­ due to the presence of the divine deer antler, these few hours of training held hidden complexities, and the intensity might be somewhat unusual. At this moment. When Lu Ran led an old man into the ruins, General Ha¡¯s eyes lit up first, and he excitedly ran over. ¡°Woof!!¡± ¡°General Ha.¡± The old gentleman saw that General Ha was growing bigger and chuckled, ¡°I always thought you had potential, and now you¡¯re getting more and more impressive.¡± ¡°The sword domain is so cool.¡± The old man patted General Ha¡¯s thigh in praise. General Ha panted happily, showing a smile. ¡°Woof woof woof woof!¡± Master Jiang Dou turned back and asked Lu Ran, ¡°What is it saying? It doesn¡¯t sound like it¡¯s happily accepting the compliment.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Lu Ran stood by with a facepalm. He immediately kicked General Ha away. ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Lu Ran huffed with annoyance; what General Ha had just said was that the sword domain was nothing special, as even Boss Lu had comprehended it by now. That nasty dog! If it weren¡¯t for others being present, Lu Ran would certainly educate this dog. He might even let it experience the Hugging Beast Kill from the sudden death king or the pig transformation curse from the dark crow. ¡°You really got a couple of sword life forms for Erha!¡± At this moment, Master Jiang Dou also noticed the two sword spirits and sword grass. By now, he wasn¡¯t a complete novice beastmaster and could instantly tell these were necromancy life and plant life. ¡°Rebuilding the Glory of swordsmanship, General Ha is obliged!¡± Lu Ran said earnestly. Jiang Dou was puzzled: ??? Then what are you up to? He glanced at Lu Ran. This kid might still be thinking about firearms. Old Gentleman Jiang Dou was well aware that in the other world there was a school of mechanical pet beasts¡­ According to online resources, there were things like firearm life, tank life, fighter jet life, and mech life. Young people seemed to like these¡­ ¡°Master, take a look at this.¡± At this point, Lu Ran called over the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit. Under General Ha¡¯s training, the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit already understood that it was to follow this old man for training next. However, after comparing the vibrant vitality of Lu Ran with the less vigorous energy of Master Jiang Dou, it immediately started to wail loudly. This old man looks so weak! Seeing this, Old Gentleman Jiang Dou¡¯s mouth twitched. Great. First Lu Ran refused to follow this old man, and now the sword spirit seemed to disdain him as well. Have people and pet beasts become so realistic these days? ¡°Now, now¡­¡± Old Gentleman Jiang Dou looked at the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit, unsure how to comfort it for a moment. Seeing this, Lu Ran chuckled and said, ¡°Master, just show it something impressive.¡± ¡°Something impressive?¡± The old man instantly understood, then solemnly raised his right hand and extended two fingers. Buzz!!! In the next instant, with a flick of his arm, a dazzling light surged between his fingers, and a sharp sword intent soared to the skies. Lu Ran and the others only noticed a flash in front of their eyes, and then it seemed like a rainbow sword qi hung at the edge of the distant sky, particularly spectacular. ¡°Impressive.¡± Lu Ran was taken aback, not expecting the old man¡¯s sword intent to reach such a level. He was just an apprentice beastmaster. The Wind Thunder Sword Spirit was also amazed by the display. Regardless of what species it belongs to, all life forms ¡°admire the strong.¡± The little sword spirit sensed the powerful sword intent released by Master Jiang Dou and immediately changed its impression of him. In an instant, it moved closer. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Seeing the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit approach him voluntarily, Master Jiang Dou beamed with joy. ¡°Little one, you won¡¯t be wrong following me.¡± ¡°In time, I¡¯ll make you the second creature on Blue Star to master the sword domain!!¡± Next to him, Lu Ran was tempted to correct him that it would actually be the third¡­ or possibly the sixth. However, seeing how happy the Old Gentleman was, he didn¡¯t want to burst his bubble. As long as he was happy, that was enough. ¡°Old Gentleman, if you decide to enter the breakthrough secret realm, remember to be cautious,¡± Lu Ran advised. ¡°Previously, you were likely only to be matched with beastmasters from Xia Country, which wasn¡¯t too concerning. But now, the chances of encountering beastmasters from the Star Moon Federation are increasing¡­ Stay safe.¡± Master Jiang Dou chuckled, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be careful. If it were just me and something happened, it wouldn¡¯t matter much-I¡¯ve lived this long anyway. But now, with the little Golden Eagle and the little sword spirit, I must ensure they grow smoothly, haha.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°And don¡¯t underestimate me. If your former guild leader could become the world¡¯s strongest at his age, give me a few years, and I should at least make it into Xia Country¡¯s top ten.¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Lu Ran conceded. The old man¡¯s competitiveness had resurfaced; as the saying goes, men remain young at heart until they die, still eager to grow stronger even at an age where they might not always hit their mark. Still, with his sword intent technique and a sword spirit, this setup might make it hard for him not to become stronger. After entrusting the Wind Thunder Sword Spirit to Master Jiang Dou, Lu Ran returned to the Green Sea with satisfaction. By this time, the dark crow had already given the stone tablet of the dragon to the black turtle, whose combat power had further leveled up. ¡­ As Lu Ran returned to the Green Sea, news of the Alliance Challenge had already spread across various countries. Although not a traditional tournament, it was the first large-scale beast taming event inviting challenges from all over the world. According to the international beast taming alliance, the Alliance Challenge invited First, Second, and Third Generation gatekeepers from 51 countries to be challenged by second, third, and fourth-generation beastmasters from over 200 countries. Each challenger would be randomly matched against a lineup of five gatekeepers from different countries, making it a grand beast taming event. Every match would be broadcast live around the globe. Ultimately, based on each country¡¯s results, resources accumulated over the past three years in the international alliance¡¯s resource pool would be allocated. It was clear to the discerning eye that this challenge tournament was primarily designed for second-generation beastmasters. After all, to secure more resources, participants needed to clear as many gates as possible. While some third and fourth generations might have stronger potential, they couldn¡¯t compete with the longer development time of the second generation, theoretically making them stronger. Facing fellow second-generation gatekeepers, they would have a better chance of winning. However, as long as there are no strict regulations, there are always variables. At the headquarters of the Xia Country Beast Taming Alliance: The former guild leader reviewed the final recommended lineup for Xia Country¡¯s participation and fell into contemplation. Qin Ming, Xia Country¡¯s strongest second-generation beastmaster and the Dean of the combat department at the beast taming university, recently promoted to Level 5 beastmaster. No problems there. Youxiong Guild Leader, a newly promoted Level 5 beastmaster of Xia Country, who recently advanced through the breakthrough secret realm, a leading figure among the second-generation beastmasters, whose strength had been significantly bolstered by the guidance of the Panda Guardian. Also, no problem. And then, there was Lu Ran, a fourth-generation beastmaster at only level 3. ¡°Five main gatekeepers: one third-generation, three second-generation, and one first-generation.¡± ¡°The third-generation one is likely a Level 4 beastmaster, relatively strong among the third generation.¡± ¡°The three second-generation ones are probably two at Level 4 and one at Level 5, plus the final Level 5 first-generation¡­¡± ¡°Having Lu Ran, a fourth-generation, Level 3, challenge out of his league is interesting. The fact that the twelve branches recommended Lu Ran suggests this kid has a lot of confidence in his capabilities.¡± The former guild leader stroked his beard thoughtfully, and then immediately noticed an attached encrypted intelligence report. [Lu Ran has mastered the beast taming skill, Retainer. His first pet beast, the Sword Domain Dog, has additional contracts with two sovereign pet beasts: the Long Leaved Sword Grass and the Winter Sword Spirit. They can be integrated into a contract card, forming a powerful trinity capable of defeating a First Generation opponent in a 3v1 match-Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi.] ¡°Hmm?¡± After pondering for a moment, the former guild leader made a call to Lu Ran. ¡°Former Guild Leader??¡± On the other side, Lu Ran was a bit surprised to receive the call. ¡°The Alliance Challenge is about to begin, and I saw your name on the Xia Country roster.¡± ¡°Yes, Manager Ying mentioned there could be a lot of resources to gain, so I had Dr. Gu and the others get me selected. Although the opponents are mainly Second Generation, my pet beasts have a certain species advantage, so it¡¯s not impossible to compete.¡± Lu Ran didn¡¯t have any specific resource targets in this tournament; he was purely participating to help Xia Country win more resources. After all, his dark crow legion depended on Xia Country¡¯s resources for sustenance. ¡°The Stage 4 gatekeeper will likely also have overlord species pet beasts, so your advantage won¡¯t be that huge. Many Second Generation beastmasters around the world have already cultivated new overlord species pets.¡± ¡°However, I read in the encrypted intelligence from Gu Qingyi that you have three pet beasts contracted on one contract card???¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If I can use this ace up my sleeve, I might stand a chance against not just the Second Generation but even First Generation opponents.¡± ¡°Do you think this challenge is worth revealing this card?¡± Lu Ran asked. The former guild leader paused, then laughed: ¡°Hahaha, the design of Stage 5 itself wasn¡¯t intended for anyone to clear it. If you can clear all five stages, the resources Xia Country would gain would be immense, enough to recoup the resources invested in the Black Dragon incident instantly.¡± ¡°But how much you wish to reveal is up to you.¡± Lu Ran contemplated and said, ¡°I don¡¯t mind much. I¡¯m only level 3, and my power isn¡¯t fully developed yet; my combat style is always evolving. Showing the retainer skill isn¡¯t a big deal; I¡¯m just concerned that if I truly defeat the gatekeeper First Generation, others might not acknowledge it.¡± The former guild leader replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. The fact that even Infinite City recognizes them as a unified entity-what¡¯s an international alliance compared to that?¡± ¡°Indeed, I initially thought that in this competition involving the Second and Third Generations, Xia Country would once again just be a spectator. Seeing that you have the confidence to participate puts my mind at ease.¡± ¡°Go for it, strive to clear all five stages. If you succeed, the Feather of Kunpeng is yours-no need to wait for the Star-Moon mission to conclude.¡± ¡°Really??¡± Lu Ran exclaimed. ¡°Would I lie?¡± ¡°This is just the Alliance Tournament!!! I promise to dominate!!!¡± Chapter 300: Building Momentum, Global Attention Lu Ran was thrilled inside; this old man is really something, worthy of being the strongest in Xia Country, and indeed, the world.For an epic resource, he showed no hesitation at all. However, standing from the former guild leader¡¯s perspective, Lu Ran guessed he would also be troubled. What¡¯s the use of being able to fight alone when the second and Third Generations are so disappointing? Without the ability to challenge the world single-handedly, resources aren¡¯t something one can compete for alone. It¡¯s likely that the old man, having been the leader for so long, has been frustrated watching the second and Third Generations¡¯ performances. This time, he placed his hope in Lu Ran. ¡°Dominate? Then it¡¯s settled, I¡¯ll be waiting for your domination.¡± ¡°Next, Xia Country will make an official announcement to determine the challengers.¡± ¡°However, while we can announce the candidates, remember not to reveal too many of your trump cards in Infinite City before the Alliance Challenge. The international alliance might prepare and target your abilities,¡± the former guild leader advised. ¡°Especially at the peak arena, don¡¯t expose too much power there. Your pet beast is only at level 30-something. Levels can be raised more easily. If you have any resource needs for leveling up, just apply directly to the Association.¡± ¡°For Qin Ming, Youxiong, and your better participation, the alliance is preparing a batch of resources.¡± ¡°Your task is to upgrade the foundation of your combat prowess beyond what¡¯s already exposed. When absolute power is lacking, beast taming battles come down to an intelligence gap.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Lu Ran replied, pleased to hear that he could get resources from the Association. Although the peak arena also allows for leveling up, the upgrades brought by resources are certainly different. The former only offers a simple level increase and balanced attribute enhancement. But investing in resources can not only boost the growth level, if the resource is good, it can also provide extreme enhancement to a specific attribute or ability, and even uplift species potential and energy techniques. If resources are abundant and funds allow, investing in resources definitely yields better results. Lu Ran gave a solemn promise to the former guild leader to sweep the Alliance Tournament. On the side of Xia Country, they began promoting their participation in the tournament. ¡­ As the Alliance Challenge was about to begin, countries around the world were indeed discussing their national representatives. In Xia Country, students at the beast taming university as well as the second and third-generation backbone of Xia Country¡¯s beast taming domain were all very curious about the country¡¯s selected representatives. ¡°I heard from my mentor that Dean Qin is expected to be one. He¡¯s reputed to be the strongest second-generation, second only to the guild leader and the twelve branches.¡± ¡°What about Youxiong, the guild leader of the Living Fossil Guild? He¡¯s recently made advances with an Ancient supernatural being and even broke through to Level 5, so he¡¯s very likely to secure a spot.¡± ¡°As for the third spot¡­ that¡¯s hard to say. Do you think it could be Bai Qi? The leader of the Four Saints Guild, Bai Qi¡¯s pet beasts were all killed, but he hit a good era. With national support, all his pet beasts were transformed into necromantic pets, increasing his strength instead of decreasing it. Could they send him to promote the necromancy?¡± ¡°If they want to promote necromancy¡­ why send Bai Qi? Just send God Lu.¡± ¡°But God Lu is only level 3. Unless the international alliance lets him use the Pet Beast Legion, but is that possible given it¡¯s a 1V1 rule? Letting God Lu go against a third-generation might be fine, but against the elite second-generation¡­ it might be a stretch.¡± The debate over the third representative continued nationally. However, the Xia Country Association didn¡¯t leave the public speculating for long and soon announced the representatives for Xia Country. ¡°Alliance Challenge: Xia Country¡¯s Representative Team Confirmed!¡± sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Members: Qin Ming, Youxiong Jiyuan, Lu Ran¡± Qin Ming: Second-generation beastmaster, leader of the first official strategy team¡­ Youxiong Jiyuan: Second-generation beastmaster, guild leader of Xia Country¡¯s foremost Living Fossil Guild¡­ Lu Ran: Fourth-generation beastmaster, initiator of the Jiao Dragon team, leader of the Netherworld Project¡­ After the identities of the three representative beastmasters were released, Xia Country fell silent. Qin Ming and Youxiong Jiyuan were expected names with no surprises. But Lu Ran¡­ God Lu was also in the lineup??? The country was in an uproar. If this were a tournament for fourth-generation beastmasters, or even included third-generation beastmasters, everyone would see no issue with this decision and would even believe Lu Ran could undoubtedly dominate the arena. However, this Alliance Challenge¡¯s core gatekeepers are second-generation beastmasters. The current first echelon of second-generation beastmasters are already at Level 5, a full two levels above Lu Ran. Moreover, the elite among these second-generation beastmasters have already cultivated pet beasts of the overlord species. Overlord species are no longer as unattainable as when the Evolution Secret Realm first appeared. In this situation, Xia Country still chose to send Lu Ran to compete. What exactly are they planning? ¡°So it¡¯s this kid after all¡­¡± At the beast taming university, Qin Ming saw the list released by Xia Country and couldn¡¯t help but twitch his mouth. Who would have thought that the guy who participated in the Freshman Tournament under his watch just half a year ago could now be his teammate, representing Xia Country on the international stage. At the ancestral home of the Youxiong Clan, Youxiong Guild Leader also expressed slight surprise upon seeing the list. ¡°The rumors I heard were true; Lu Ran is indeed involved. But on the other hand, a level 40 overlord¡­ isn¡¯t that a bit of a stretch for the international challenge?¡± Another crucial factor is that a Level 5 beastmaster has two more beast taming skills than Lu Ran, which can be key in determining the outcome of a beast taming battle. At this moment, not only in Xia Country but internationally, the news of Lu Ran representing Xia Country in the Alliance Challenge quickly spread across global forums. Lu Ran was already an internationally known figure. Now, seeing Lu Ran looking to make waves in another international event that mainly features second-generation participants, some countries with less friendly ties to Xia Country couldn¡¯t sit still. Eagle Federation. After learning of this development, the president of the Eagle Federation¡¯s Beast Taming Alliance specifically sought out someone for a visit. A young man wearing a burgundy suit and sporting blond hair entered an estate. Before long, he looked up to see a white-haired young man yawning as he emerged. ¡°Isn¡¯t this Guild Leader Pari? What¡¯s up?¡± the white-haired young man asked. ¡°Jack,¡± the blond young man in the suit said, looking at the white-haired young man whose eyes were bloodshot. ¡°It¡¯s about the Alliance Challenge.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve told you, I¡¯m not participating unless I get to keep all the resources I win. Otherwise, we¡¯re done talking,¡± the white-haired young man replied impatiently. ¡°You previously offered two-tenths. Are you trying to patronize a beggar?¡± Guild Leader Pari replied coolly, ¡°Five-tenths, but with a condition.¡± ¡°Five-tenths??¡± The white-haired young man smirked, but admitted it was indeed a high offer. ¡°Fine, five-tenths it is. What¡¯s the condition?¡± ¡°According to the latest information, Xia Country¡¯s beastmaster, Lu Ran-the one hailed as the world¡¯s strongest fourth-generation beastmaster-will participate in the Alliance Tournament as a challenger. In addition to being a challenger, I want you to serve as a gatekeeper. I¡¯ll arrange it so that you¡¯re the stage 4 gatekeeper, and you¡¯ll face off against Lu Ran. I need you to incapacitate any pet beast he sends out,¡± the blond young man said. ¡°As the world¡¯s strongest second-generation beastmaster, taking down a fourth-generation should be no problem for you, right?¡± he continued. ¡°You¡¯re someone who achieved a solo clear of the Legendary Secret Realm-don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t handle this.¡± ¡°The rules this time are 1V1. Even though four of your pet beasts are dead, it shouldn¡¯t affect your ability to perform, should it?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The white-haired young man was taken aback, then smirked. ¡°You hold grudges, don¡¯t you? Lu Ran wrecked that dinosaur resurrection project you invested in, and it seems you¡¯re still sore about it.¡± ¡°I would say, rather than getting caught up with a fourth-generation, you should focus on enhancing your own strength.¡± Although the blond young man was the leader of the Eagle Federation¡¯s Association, there was still debate about whether he ranked among the top three in the Eagle Federation. Everyone currently knows that the strongest in the Eagle Federation is the one person on the blue star who evolved a mechanical pet beast, the transformer, rather than this Guild Leader. Guild Leader Pari showed a hint of displeasure, feeling the other was too mouthy. ¡°However, I agree. It¡¯s not for you, but when that Lu Ran faces me, he¡¯ll surely be crushed. It¡¯s inevitable that his pet beast will be ruined.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± the blond young man replied, curling his lip, not wanting to engage further with this madman who sacrificed four pet beasts for a solo clear of the Legendary Secret Realm. This Jack was, along with Lu Ran, another second-generation beastmaster known for sacrificing four pet beasts to achieve a solo clear of the Legendary Secret Realm. Though he¡¯s hesitant to retaliate against Lu Ran in private, since Xia Country has sent Lu Ran to the Alliance Challenge, it gives Eagle Federation a chance to legitimately retaliate against Lu Ran within the confines of the rules. All of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts are overlord species. Incapacitating any of them would be a fatal blow to Lu Ran. At this moment, Lu Ran is unaware that some countries are already plotting to create obstacles for him in the tournament. However, even if he knew, Lu Ran probably wouldn¡¯t care. As long as the opponent plays within reasonable rules, he calmly accepts the challenge. In any tournament, it¡¯s never just about friendship first, competition second. When interests are at stake, conflicts are bound to arise. Following the former guild leader¡¯s advice, Lu Ran wisely refrains from prematurely revealing his trump cards. Indeed, with the support of the Association¡¯s resources, even without the arena experience boost, Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts have been leveling up rapidly. Particularly, his pet beast, the sudden death king-carrying the nine-colored meteorite fragment as an upgrade item-quickly reached level 40. Once it reached level 40, Lu Ran couldn¡¯t wait to fuse it with the energy halo trait. Similar to the fusion of the cloud baby with nature control and shapeshifter traits, due to the high base species level of cloud baby, the fusion of two traits still leaves it at a middle sovereign level without any increase. The sudden death king experienced a similar situation; its foundation as a middle overlord is so strong that even with another trait fusion, its species level showed no change. However, acquiring new abilities and species talents ultimately satisfied Lu Ran. [Species Talent]: Energy Shield (A pet beast with this talent will have its energy release attack skills enhanced by the defensive energy halo, making them indestructible and hard to break!) Chapter 301: Instantly Becoming a Support Energy shield¡­Clearly, the Sudden Death King has awakened another peculiar talent. Perhaps it¡¯s a case of the heart giving rise to such talents. As everyone knows, the Sudden Death King¡¯s strength lies in its terrifying physical defense. As for its energy release attack skills, like electric discharge, they¡¯re rather mediocre. The electric discharge skill only becomes somewhat effective when it¡¯s been bruised a lot, paired with the Heart of the Overlord talent. While sparring with General Ha, a single electric discharge from the Sudden Death King often ends with it being sliced in half by General Ha¡¯s sword qi, scattering in midair. But with this new energy shield talent, Lu Ran immediately sensed something unusual. Is this meant to make its energy release skills as sturdy as its physical defense? Energy release skills are actually in a tricky spot; their energy structures are unstable. If the enemy is weak, that¡¯s fine-the skill will obliterate everything and crush through opposition. But if the enemy is on par, they only need to release a slightly weaker skill to counteract, causing both skills to explode in the air, effectively neutralizing each other. But if the skill also has defense power¡­ Will it still be easily destroyed? Actually, rather than thinking about Sudden Death King¡¯s thunder abilities, Lu Ran first thought of its rock attributes. After the evolution, the Sudden Death King awakened the power of rock. However, aside from learning the meteor intent, Lu Ran and his team hadn¡¯t really developed it. Lu Ran felt it was time to explore this further. Throwing the shaped rock from the sky like a meteorite! Since the rock has strong defense, there¡¯s no worry about losing power due to friction, making it even more fitting for the meteor intent! Moreover, if the Sudden Death King learns a domain in the future, could its domain become incredibly solid due to this energy shield? Just like Manager Ying¡¯s domain skill, once an enemy is trapped, it¡¯s like sealing them; no matter how hard they try, they can¡¯t break out. The more Lu Ran thought about it, the more potential he saw. ¡°Roar roar!!!¡± In the space of the ruins, the Sudden Death King excitedly roared, expressing its elated heart. Swinging its arms in circles, it bestowed its defense aura onto General Ha and the others. It barked with joy. Finally, it won¡¯t have to be just a meat shield anymore. Under the Sudden Death King¡¯s enhancement, a dark red circle of light immediately appeared beneath General Ha, the Dark Crow, and the others. Then, the dark red circle emanated a dazzling glow upwards. In that moment, General Ha and the Dark Crow felt a qualitative change in their physiques! ¡°What about me?¡± Lu Ran quickly glanced at the Sudden Death King, wanting to be included. ¡°Roar-¡± The Sudden Death King, panting, turned its head. It hadn¡¯t expected applying this buff to be so tiring, but it did the same for Lu Ran. Meanwhile, General Ha and the others began exploring the uses of the defense aura. S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Take General Ha, for instance-surrounded by violent hurricanes, the sword of wind it held in its mouth was continuously compressed¡­ 10 times, 20 times, 30 times, 50 times¡­ General Ha had previously mastered a wounded version of 50 times energy compression. It required holding the Divine Deer Sword to stably release 50 times sword qi. But now, under the enhancement of the Sudden Death King¡¯s defense aura, General Ha didn¡¯t use any healing measures, and the terrifying 50 times energy compression didn¡¯t cause its body to break down or its teeth to shatter. ¡°Uh-¡± General Ha¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. Is this the Sudden Death King¡¯s body?? Amazing. It looked at the Sudden Death King¡¯s body greedily, like a bone. Then, it showed a look of disdain. Useless Sudden Death King. With such a powerful body, its energy compression skill only reached 30 times. If it had such physical quality, it would have mastered the perfect 50 times energy compression long ago. ¡°Roar roar!!! (What are you doing.)¡± The Sudden Death King angrily glared at General Ha, thinking how ungrateful it was to be scolded even after giving it a buff with the defense aura. So what if it¡¯s thirty times? ¡°Roar roar!! (Look at the Dark Crow, it hasn¡¯t even mastered 30 times.)¡± ¡°Caw caw??¡± The Dark Crow, surprised, found itself being belittled by the Sudden Death King right after General Ha did. The Dark Crow wore an indignant expression. How is that comparable??? ¡°You two joined the team earlier than I did and have been training longer! I haven¡¯t even had time to train for energy compression!! Let¡¯s see who can do better in energy release!¡± After saying this, the Dark Crow also noticed the benefits of strong defense. The defense aura provided by the Sudden Death King enhanced the body in every aspect. Though temporary, the Dark Crow even felt its eyes transforming, as if their power had strengthened significantly. Normally, staring into the distance would cause eye strain, but now, like General Ha¡¯s teeth, its endurance was greatly increased. ¡°I feel like with this, I¡¯ll master 30 times energy compression soon enough¡­¡± ¡°The taste of having a powerful body is truly wonderful.¡± The Dark Crow exclaimed excitedly. It soared into the sky, extending its sharp claws, which were compressing an astonishing amount of dark power-10 times, 20 times, 30 times¡­ With a terrifying, black hole-like strike of its claws, the next moment, a deep chasm appeared on the grounds of the ruins, exuding an ominous breath. Seeing this, the Dark Crow¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°This feeling is indeed nice.¡± Lu Ran spoke up as well. ¡°This defense aura is clearly meant to be used in conjunction with energy compression. Energy compression places a heavy burden on the body, and both your and General Ha¡¯s physiques are average. But now, with the Sudden Death King¡¯s defensive blessing, you can handle energy compression levels you couldn¡¯t withstand before.¡± At this point, Lu Ran was also poking his eight-pack abs, testing the hardness of his skull with a brick. Beyond that, he stretched out his hand, with terrifying flame energy compressing around it. 10 times, 20 times, 30 times¡­ The violent flames roared wildly. In the past, by this point, Lu Ran¡¯s hand would have been a roasted pig¡¯s trotter; he hadn¡¯t tried this during domain training for nothing. The reason Lu Ran had to invest so many more resources than General Ha to use a domain was because his mastery in energy compression was always slightly inferior to General Ha¡¯s. Even with the healing of the divine deer antler, his body couldn¡¯t withstand self-inflicted harm as General Ha¡¯s did. If only this ability had come sooner, his training might not have been so strenuous¡­ ¡°Woof woof!!¡± ¡°Grass grass!!¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!!¡± At this moment, watching General Ha, the Dark Crow, and Lu Ran having a blast, the three little ones from the junior group glanced eagerly at the Sudden Death King. ¡°Roar roar!!¡± The Sudden Death King looked at them, frowning. It was out of energy, really not a drop left; it had just finished training and hadn¡¯t rested yet! ¡°With this, the odds are better,¡± Lu Ran remarked, looking at his pet beasts with a smirk, ¡°The Alliance Challenge still poses some pressure because the maximum equipment level allowed during the competition is exquisite-level. ¡°Epic equipment isn¡¯t something every country has; only the major nations can afford it. But exquisite equipment is something every country can bring to the table, which is why there¡¯s a restriction for fairness. Therefore, General Ha¡¯s pseudo-legendary species form and Cloud Baby¡¯s Kunpeng transformation won¡¯t be showcased during the event. ¡°But now, the defense aura from the Sudden Death King might just push your abilities to another breakthrough within these few days! ¡°Before the full onset of the Age of Beast Taming, the highest international record for energy compression technique was 30 times, and energy compression is a crucial combat technique for surpassing levels. ¡°Next, with the defense aura and the divine deer antler working together¡­ General Ha, Sudden Death King, Dark Crow, I¡¯m giving you all a task.¡± ¡°General Ha, by the time of the challenge, aim to master a light injury 50 times energy compression in your normal state and a severe injury 60 times compression. Sudden Death King, aim for an uninjured 40 times energy compression, and Dark Crow, go for an uninjured 30 times energy compression.¡± ¡°Any issues?¡± Lu Ran asked. When the time comes, even if the opponent¡¯s species level matches General Ha¡¯s and their growth level surpasses General Ha¡¯s, once General Ha unleashes 60 times energy compression, it¡¯ll wreak havoc on any opponent. As for the physical strain, well, treatment with the divine deer antler after the battle would suffice. The strategy centers on taking life and death lightly and striking down those who refuse to comply. Lately, I¡¯ve been too focused on unique traits and rare abilities, overlooking the importance of the basics. Energy compression¡­ That¡¯s been my go-to ultimate move for surpassing levels in battles all along. No matter the ability or combat technique, they all require a strong foundation to be wielded more effectively. Energy release, energy compression, energy flow, energy shaping-these are the core elements. ¡°When the time comes, you three will be the main contenders. Give the second generation and First Generation a bit of an energy compression shock,¡± Lu Ran said with a smile. As for the Sword Spirit and Sword Grass, they also need to train in energy compression to better sync with General Ha for the ultimate move. Cloud Baby, on the other hand, won¡¯t be participating in this challenge tournament. Since it hasn¡¯t undergone its first-stage evolution and lacks the boost of an epic item, the pressure would be a bit too much. It needs more time to develop. As Lu Ran finished speaking, the other pet beasts nodded in agreement. However, the Sudden Death King looked bewildered. Wait a minute, this wasn¡¯t its original intention for mastering the defense aura! Wasn¡¯t the plan to enhance teammates so they could take the hits? How did it suddenly end up as training support? Chapter 302: The Top Ten Beastmasters of the Blue Star This month is the month of beast battles.Not all challengers from various countries need as much time to develop as Lu Ran does. Once the Alliance Challenge commenced, they began launching raids for resources. During this period, as the focal point of the Alliance Challenge, Lu Ran remained surprisingly quiet. Everyone knows that the Strongest Fourth Generation must be actively preparing for the Alliance Challenge. Phew¡­ More than twenty days passed. A figure, looking weathered, emerged from the ruins¡¯ space. Having boasted in front of the former guild leader, Lu Ran dared not be complacent. First, for the resources promised by the former guild leader, and second, for his own pride. Lu Ran, having already created so many miracles on the blue star, is now standing on higher ground. Although this challenge is quite difficult and not really suitable for a beastmaster of his level, Lu Ran does not want to fail. Therefore, in the past few days of preparation, Lu Ran devoted himself entirely to training and nurturing his pet beasts, even more than before. Over these twenty-plus days, he didn¡¯t even cut his hair. ¡°You¡¯ve come to pick me up, I see.¡± In Green Sea City, when the time came, Lu Ran looked at the appearing Manager Ying and said with a smile. ¡°Hey, hey, hey, you look like a wild man,¡± Manager Ying remarked, speechlessly, seeing Lu Ran¡¯s disheveled appearance. ¡°For a battle I cannot afford to lose, naturally, I have to prepare thoroughly¡­¡± Lu Ran implied that he was also participating in practice sessions with his pet beasts. Being a superhuman with a domain, he could certainly be considered a special combat force, able to catch strong enemies off guard. Over these days, the two retainer swords and the sudden death king, and dark crow have still not grasped the domain, much to Lu Ran¡¯s disappointment. However, there wasn¡¯t much to regret. Because, even if they don¡¯t have a domain, Lu Ran does. When the time comes, he can lend it to them, so why not? So what if a Level 5 beastmaster has two more beast taming skills than he does? He¡¯ll directly use the domain to enhance his pet beasts! ¡°Seems like you¡¯re pushing yourself quite hard,¡± Manager Ying clicked her tongue, ¡°It makes sense; you¡¯ve applied for quite a few resources from the Association recently, and if you don¡¯t perform well, the former guild leader will most definitely make you pay for it.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± If Manager Ying could view the contract card information of Lu Ran¡¯s General Ha right now, she would be amazed at the current configuration of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts! [Species]: Sword Domain Dog [Attribute]: Wind, Ice, Space [Species Level]: Middle Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 40 [Retainers]: Sword Spirit (Level 40), Sword Grass (Level 40) These two retainers cannot level up via the arena, but that¡¯s not a big issue. With the resources provided by the Association, Lu Ran quickly elevated them to level 40. It¡¯s a pity that Lu Ran thought General Ha¡¯s retainers might surpass its level, but in the end, they were restricted by the contract, unable to level up further. Otherwise, Lu Ran might have requested more resources. However, all this is irrelevant now. What gives Lu Ran the most confidence is that after General Ha awakened the Space attribute at level 40, its species level increased again. Its basic species level rose from a lower overlord to a middle overlord. Space is indeed one of the most powerful attributes, capable of directly enhancing overlord-level potential. However, Lu Ran suspects it¡¯s also related to General Ha¡¯s species, which is inherently connected to Space. In any case, with the awakening of General Ha¡¯s Space attribute, combined with the two retainers, its strength is now exceptional. Lu Ran can¡¯t wait to test his mettle against the second and first generations of other countries. Although Lu Ran has been training intensively these days, he hasn¡¯t completely shut himself off from the world and has been keeping an eye on the happenings of the Alliance Challenge. In the first twenty days, although it was mostly the beastmasters from smaller countries taking on challenges, it provided Lu Ran with plenty of intelligence and broadened his horizons. Notably, throughout more than twenty days of challenges, the best record so far is only passing the fourth stage. No one has yet passed the fifth stage by defeating the first-generation gatekeeper as a second generation, which makes Lu Ran even more eager to see if he can be the first. ¡°Alright, gather your things, it¡¯s time for us to go. Our challenge is the day after tomorrow,¡± Manager Ying said. At this moment, Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader had already headed to Antarctica to witness the battles firsthand. They are also preparing in Infinite City. Only Lu Ran, with access to the space within the ruins, has remained in Green Sea, primarily because it¡¯s a convenient location to observe the growth progress of the dark crow legion and the black turtle. Over these days, with Fang Lan¡¯s assistance, most of the dark crow legion has successfully transitioned to the poison attribute. The Ten Thousand Poison Mother Tree played a crucial role in this process. After focusing on the poison attribute, the dark crow¡¯s mastery of swarm transformation and the power of its curses saw a significant improvement. The curse power can now directly extinguish the life of enemies, making it even more brutal. As for the black turtle, thanks to the amplification from the stone tablet of the dragon and the assistance of the dark crow, it has become a feudal lord in the deep sea. It even helped Lu Ran acquire his first exquisite resource- the nine-colored meteorite fragment. Indeed, the black turtle and its allies managed to seize a piece of the nine-colored meteorite fragment in the deep sea. However, Lu Ran didn¡¯t immediately retrieve it. Instead, he allowed the black turtle to carry it for a while to enhance its level. Lu Ran thinks there aren¡¯t many leaders as considerate as he is¡­ Next, under Manager Ying¡¯s escort, Lu Ran embarked on his journey to Antarctica. While he could certainly travel alone, given the current convergence of international powers, having a bodyguard seemed prudent. ¡­ Antarctica. Alliance City. Despite the harsh conditions, leveraging the power of pet beasts, the International Alliance successfully established a massive international metropolis here. Upon learning of Lu Ran¡¯s arrival in Alliance City today, Dean Qin, Youxiong Guild Leader, and Councilor Zheng from Xia Country, who has been stationed in Alliance City, promptly welcomed Lu Ran. Councilor Zheng is a retired First Generation member from Xia Country. Post-active duty, his main role has been to represent Xia Country in handling affairs within the International Alliance. Many individuals like him reside year-round at the alliance headquarters, working for their respective countries. This time, he is in charge of welcoming challengers from Xia Country. Despite not holding a low position, Councilor Zheng is consistently courteous, personally greeting individuals like Dean Qin, Youxiong Guild Leader, and Lu Ran. ¡°Professor Lu, Manager Ying,¡± Councilor Zheng warmly greeted Lu Ran and Manager Ying, ¡°We¡¯ve prepared a welcome banquet here and have also invited Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader¡­¡± After a round of pleasantries with the hosts, Lu Ran joined Manager Ying and the others to enjoy the unique culinary offerings of Antarctica. In the banquet hall, given that every word spoken by the diners might become classified intelligence, no outsiders were present. Dean Qin, Youxiong Guild Leader, and Lu Ran were not strangers to one another. As soon as the three beastmaster representatives met, they began chatting with laughter. ¡°God Lu, arriving this late must mean you¡¯ve been preparing a secret weapon,¡± Dean Qin said with a chuckle. ¡°Have you been keeping up with the situation of the gatekeepers in the Alliance Challenge? Need any intelligence?¡± Youxiong Guild Leader inquired. ¡°Youxiong, that¡¯s an unnecessary question,¡± Councilor Zheng looked at Manager Ying and smiled, ¡°With Manager Ying around, how could Professor Lu possibly be lacking in intelligence?¡± ¡°Tch, he hasn¡¯t asked me anything yet. You guys chat; I¡¯m going to get something to eat,¡± Manager Ying scoffed, uninterested in socializing with the group of men. Instead, it focused on the lavish buffet prepared exclusively for them. Extravagant indeed. There¡¯s no way they could finish it all. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a general sense from the livestreams, but I¡¯m curious if there¡¯s any behind-the-scenes manipulation within the Alliance,¡± Lu Ran responded softly. ¡°That¡¯s definitely something to watch out for,¡± Councilor Zheng said with a serious expression. ¡°Even with international supervision, the Alliance Challenge has always had its undercurrents. If anything unusual happens during the tournament, my advice would be to prioritize safety and withdraw immediately if necessary.¡± ¡°The battles involving both First Generation and second generation fighters are hard to control. Over these days, there have been numerous casualties. Many pet beasts have died right on the battlefield, and there are cases where severely injured beastmasters haven¡¯t survived.¡± Qin Ming, Youxiong Anlin, and Lu Ran exchanged glances. Qin Ming said, ¡°We¡¯ll keep that in mind. We¡¯re not likely to be taken out swiftly in the second-generation battles unless a gatekeeper of the caliber of the top ten beastmasters appears at stage 5.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t happen,¡± Councilor Zheng reassured with a smile. ¡°Any First Generation of the top ten beastmaster level would surely be barred from participating.¡± ¡°By the way,¡± Lu Ran said, taking a sip of juice, ¡°while we¡¯ve been focused on the Alliance Challenge, what¡¯s the progress on the world battle?¡± Youxiong Guild Leader said, ¡°It¡¯s the same as before-no changes among the top ten arena masters. No one can defeat them.¡± S~ea??h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Sigh, I feel like it¡¯s going to be this group of people till the end,¡± he said helplessly. ¡°Those guys truly are something else,¡± Qin Ming shook his head slightly. ¡°Each of these ten has reached the pinnacle in some specific domain of the world.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve all been promoted to level 6 now, and each has a ruler-level pet beast. And that¡¯s just the basics.¡± ¡°Some have mastered energy flow techniques to what could be described as the strongest in the world.¡± ¡°Others have perfected energy release techniques, again claiming the top spot globally.¡± ¡°There¡¯s even one whose superpower level is the strongest worldwide¡­ And I¡¯m not talking about Lin Nian. Lin Nian¡¯s superpower is just strong mental power. The guy from India is even more outrageous; his superpower is mental control, capable of mentally hypnotizing ancient creatures for his own use and even hypnotizing enemy pet beasts. Although his destructive power isn¡¯t as strong as Lin Nian¡¯s, his evaluation in the superpower domain is higher.¡± ¡°Essentially, in species, domain skills, energy release, compression, shaping, flow, superpower, individual beastmaster combat strength¡­ each of these ten has at least one domain where they¡¯re unmatched by anyone else. To say they represent the pinnacle of global beast taming is indisputable.¡± ¡°How impressive,¡± Dean Qin Ming said wistfully. Although he¡¯s the strongest second-generation in Xia Country, he¡¯s still far from the world¡¯s top ten. ¡°The current world record for energy compression still belongs to that tough guy from the Snowfield, right?¡± Lu Ran asked. Dean Qin Ming nodded and said, ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s said that after his ace evolved into an overlord species, he¡¯s managed to control energy compression to over 40 times.¡± ¡°Incredible¡­ A level 60 overlord pet beast, combined with a 40 times energy compression skill, the destructive power of its skills would be terrifying. Could it destroy a city?¡± Lu Ran was sipping juice through a straw and thought, over 40 times, he might have underestimated these First Generations. However, after the Alliance Challenge, that record might no longer stand. General Ha would likely take it¡­ ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡°Damn. Lu Ran, check out the international alliance forum.¡± While the group was having their conversation, Manager Ying, who was over at the buffet, suddenly exclaimed, though no one knew what had gotten into the cat. ¡°Hmm?¡± Following its suggestion, Lu Ran took out his phone and opened the international beast taming forum. Sure enough, he immediately found a trending post related to himself. Seeing this post, Lu Ran was dumbfounded. The post¡¯s subject was: [By the way, does Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow count as one pet beast or two? If Lu Ran sends Twin Crow into battle, will the Alliance consider it a violation?? Haha.] This post sparked a heated debate. Lu Ran was momentarily speechless; he had been focused on issues regarding General Ha and the retainer and hadn¡¯t even considered the dark crow aspect. The crux of the matter was that someone else had already asked the Alliance this question in advance, and the official response had been given. [Twin Crow is a special case of split evolution, but it is essentially a single entity. As long as the pet beast can be captured and deployed using the same contract card, it complies with the rules.] Lu Ran: ? ¡°Who is this person? I feel like the Alliance will definitely dismiss them after the tournament,¡± Lu Ran thought, while in the distance, only he knew why Manager Ying was laughing so wildly. Chapter 303: A Rigged Game, Definitely Rigged The matter concerning Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow had actually been a subject of discussion within the Alliance for some time.Such a unique pet beast, while not the only one of its kind worldwide, was certainly one of a kind in this challenge tournament. Without a doubt, this unique pet beast form would inevitably stir up controversies regarding the rules. Those from Xia Country and its friendly factions would naturally oppose any special rules prohibiting the Twin Crow from participating. At this point, the view of other factions on this pet beast form would be crucial. In reality, at this current stage, since Lu Ran was deeply tied with necromancy, many countries that weren¡¯t particularly fond of Xia Country wouldn¡¯t bother to oppose the Twin Crow over such a trivial matter. Allowing Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow to compete didn¡¯t really harm them, so why risk souring relations with Xia Country? From the perspective of countries directly opposed to Xia Country, a level 40 overlord wasn¡¯t much of a threat. Allowing Lu Ran to use it wouldn¡¯t significantly impact the tournament anyway. As a fourth-generation beastmaster competing mainly in a second-generation tournament, Lu Ran was already at a disadvantage. Targeting him in such circumstances would look somewhat petty. The main point is¡­ ¡°If we were to restrict his pet beast further, and Xia Country replaced him last minute, Lu Ran¡¯s withdrawal from the challenge tournament makes it meaningless.¡± In Alliance City, Guild Leader Pari of the Eagle Federation swirled his wine glass, looking at the Alliance¡¯s announcement with a slight smile. If the Eagle Federation targeted Lu Ran over such trivial matters, it would seem as though they feared him. On the contrary, if they let Lu Ran compete without restrictions, and then during the tournament, watch him suffer a severe defeat, that would truly be entertaining. He dialed a number, and once connected, Guild Leader Pari said, ¡°Dr. Hayden, are you coming to Alliance City? The Xia Country challenge is next. I¡¯ve arranged quite a show; it¡¯ll be interesting and will make that Lu Ran, who ruined the dinosaur project, look foolish!¡± There was a brief silence on the other end, followed by a voice. ¡°Guild Leader Pari, I¡¯ll pass. The resurrection technology for ancient marine creatures is at a critical stage here. I can¡¯t leave¡­¡± Dr. Hayden had lost his spirit. First, his Tyrannosaurus Rex team was wrecked by Erha, then the Shield-winged Dragon King crushed the ancient dragon, and coupled with the subsequent miracles created by Lu Ran, Dr. Hayden had developed a psychological shadow regarding Lu Ran. Guild Leader Pari had invested significantly in the Dinosaur Revival Project. Although the plan couldn¡¯t be called a failure, its impact fell far short of expectations, all because of Lu Ran¡¯s sudden rise. Dr. Hayden had accepted this fact, but it seemed Guild Leader Pari couldn¡¯t swallow this defeat, especially since he had truly invested money, and the project was linked to his votes for guild leadership, unlike Dr. Hayden who only provided the technology. ¡°Boring guy,¡± Guild Leader Pari sneered. ¡°Mainly¡­ never mind, I¡¯ve changed my mind!¡± Dr. Hayden wanted to say that even if a second-generation gatekeeper crushed Lu Ran, it wouldn¡¯t mean much since Lu Ran was just from the Fourth Generation. The real achievement would be if the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, which they had nurtured, could crush Lu Ran, but that goal seemed a bit challenging now, unless Eagle¡¯s technology made another significant breakthrough. For example, in the field of mechanical pet beasts. However, after some thought, Dr. Hayden realized their research relied on grants from these people, so he decided to go along with Guild Leader Pari¡¯s wishes and take a look for himself. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just watch Lu Ran and see Professor Lu come out looking miserable,¡± Dr. Hayden said, considering it a way to vent¡­ ¡­ S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Meanwhile, after Lu Ran arrived in Alliance City, he found himself with some leisure time. With just a day left, he decided against training his pet beasts, thinking it was better to relax before the tournament. ¡°The cooldown for the first-stage Evolution Secret Realm is almost over.¡± ¡°After coming out of the level 3 breakthrough secret realm, I¡¯ll evolve Cloud Baby in the Evolution Secret Realm, then head to the Star Moon Federation for a visit.¡± Currently, the ancient altar discovered by the former guild leader had, after days of exploration, been confirmed as a Cross-World Teleportation Array left by a retainer of the time-space divine dragon. However, teleportation seemed to require space resources as offerings, and it was quite costly. Xia Country hadn¡¯t begun any attempts yet. According to Xia Country¡¯s research, they planned to first send Manager Ying¡¯s clone to test the waters. If it was safe, then Lu Ran and the real Manager Ying would go together to search for the divine deer. Safety was the top priority. The concern wasn¡¯t about potential danger from the Star Moon Federation. It was about the teleportation circle being too old, possibly causing dangerous transfer issues. If something went wrong, it would only cost Manager Ying a clone-not a significant loss¡­ Before they knew it, the day before the Challenge started arrived. That day, the matchups for the next day¡¯s Challenge were ¡°randomly generated.¡± ¡°What the heck, what the heck, what the heck¡­¡± ¡°Aaaahhhh?¡± Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader showed little reaction upon seeing the intelligence about their gatekeepers. Although these individuals were somewhat known internationally, they weren¡¯t considered overpowered adversaries. With some effort, stage 4 was still within reach. It¡¯s not that Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader thought they couldn¡¯t surpass the gatekeepers of stage 4, but the Challenge required competitors to advance consecutively without breaks, meaning they¡¯d be worn out by three rounds before facing the stage 4 gatekeeper. This meant they wouldn¡¯t be in peak condition. Of course, this rule was the same for everyone, so it was no big deal. However, when these two second-generation Xia Country competitors saw Lu Ran¡¯s lineup of gatekeepers, they were completely shocked. Not only was Lu Ran scheduled for the first challenge tomorrow, but the list of gatekeepers was incredibly formidable! The stage 1 gatekeeper was Leon, a third-generation, level 4 beastmaster from Gaul Country. This person was considered a standout among third-generation beastmasters because he once, along with three teammates, successfully passed a level 3 Legendary Secret Realm. Among Gaul¡¯s third-generation beastmasters, he¡¯s likely in the top few. It¡¯s worth noting that in the long history of the Alliance Challenge, only four times has the first gatekeeper turned out to be a third-generation beastmaster with legendary potential, because such individuals across all generations were quite rare. Yet, Lu Ran managed to encounter this slim probability. And this was just the beginning. The stage 2 gatekeeper was Chris, a second-generation, level 4 beastmaster from Maple Leaf Country. He, too, was a formidable second-generation figure who had teamed up to clear a Legendary Secret Realm. The reason he hadn¡¯t entered a breakthrough secret realm like other second generations was because he had spent too much time in the Legendary Secret Realm. For stage 3, the gatekeeper was Gao Muxiu, also a second-generation, level 4 beastmaster from Neon Country. He was another big shot who had cleared a level 4 Legendary Secret Realm. Unlike Leon and Chris, who completed theirs with four-person teams, he managed with just three. In Neon Country, he¡¯s considered an exceptionally strong second-generation individual. Remarkably, Lu Ran randomly matched up against three gatekeepers, each with legendary potential. With such a terrible matching system, even a fourth-generation like Lu Ran, not to mention second-generations from small countries, would find it tremendously challenging. However, the most daunting challenge was the fourth gatekeeper. The stage 4 gatekeeper was Jack Misi, a second-generation, level 5 beastmaster from the Eagle Federation. If the previous three were only famous within their own countries, Jack was renowned worldwide. That¡¯s because, apart from Lu Ran, he was the only person who had solo-cleared a Legendary Secret Realm, earning him the title of the strongest second-generation. Even the initial ten top beastmaster kings, during their attempts at the Legendary Secret Realm, couldn¡¯t solo clear it since their pet beasts hadn¡¯t undergone second-stage evolution. But Jack accomplished it, although at the cost of four pet beasts. However, it was later determined that this sacrifice didn¡¯t affect his strength; in fact, it enhanced it. He proved his prowess by clearing a level 4 breakthrough secret realm with just one pet beast. Moreover, his ace pet beast reached the low-level overlord species at the level 50 fusion trait stage, showcasing exceptional potential. Clearly, when the resources of a solo-cleared Legendary Secret Realm concentrated on a single ace pet beast, it resulted in a significant power boost. In the Alliance Challenge, Jack having fewer pet beasts wasn¡¯t a disadvantage, as he was the gatekeeper facing challengers one-on-one, allowing him to perform at his best. So, having Jack as the stage 4 gatekeeper marked a truly dire situation. ¡°Rigged!¡± ¡°Definitely rigged!¡± Dean Qin, a high-level member of the academic staff, was expected to maintain his composure, but upon seeing Lu Ran¡¯s list of gatekeepers, he couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud for Lu Ran¡¯s sake. ¡°Damn,¡± Youxiong Guild Leader also felt disgusted. What was this nonsense? This was clearly targeting Lu Ran. Was it necessary for a fourth-generation? Four consecutive gatekeepers who had cleared the Legendary Secret Realm??? At least the fifth gatekeeper was somewhat normal. It seemed they believed Lu Ran couldn¡¯t possibly make it past the first four stages, so the gatekeeper for stage 5 didn¡¯t seem rigged. It was a level 5 First Generation from Egypt, who neither cleared a Legendary Secret Realm nor was rumored to possess any domains. The only highlight was a newly bred overlord pet, but its growth level wasn¡¯t necessarily high¡­ it might not even be as strong or threatening as Jack¡¯s. Perhaps the only normal one among the five gatekeepers, but¡­ can anyone normally make it to stage 5? ¡°Lu Ran, you must protest; there¡¯s definitely something fishy here,¡± Dean Qin urged Lu Ran to contact Councilor Zheng. Lu Ran replied, ¡°Councilor Zheng is already protesting, but the match-up was indeed randomly generated under the full supervision of the supervisory committee, which includes Xia Country representatives. It just means this rigging, if any, is well-disguised, and normally it¡¯s hard to find a flaw.¡± ¡°From the standpoint of the organizers, after so many match-ups, it¡¯s normal to have one unlucky person, right?¡± Dean Qin fumed, ¡°Damn shameless.¡± As soon as Lu Ran¡¯s gatekeeper list was revealed, the world was in an uproar. Everyone was baffled by this lineup. [Oh God, doesn¡¯t this gatekeeper lineup seem like it¡¯s targeting Lu Ran?] [It must be pure bad luck; if they were targeting him, why not just ban the Twin Crow and make him lose an overlord combat power?] [Could it be they want to have their cake and eat it too?] fumed a Xia Country netizen. [Coincidence, really, Lu Ran¡¯s just unlucky! But it doesn¡¯t matter much; as a Fourth Generation, he wasn¡¯t expected to get far anyway. Losing now doesn¡¯t mean losing face.] [The gatekeeper match-up is supervised, and Xia Country certainly has its own supervisors there. How could there be a rigging¡­ stop arguing¡­] Though everyone in Xia Country felt there was rigging involved, world forums largely believed it was just Lu Ran¡¯s bad luck, a sentiment that Xia Country¡¯s netizens couldn¡¯t reverse. ¡°What should we do?¡± Even Manager Ying sought Lu Ran¡¯s opinion. ¡°No worries, no need to protest. Let the high-level members at home rest easy. If I can beat these gatekeepers under these circumstances, wouldn¡¯t that show how impressive we are?¡± Lu Ran calmly sat on the couch, sipping juice to replenish his sugar levels, leaving the cat astonished. This guy really has confidence! Chapter 304: The Beastmaster Steals the Show That evening.Many people connected to Lu Ran sent messages to cheer him on, while some advised him to simply quit. In response to these messages, Lu Ran replied with a crying surrender emoji. However, although he seemed calm on the surface, Lu Ran was quite annoyed internally. He thought to himself, no wonder the Twin Crow was released so comfortably; it was all waiting for this moment. There must be some backstage manipulations. Fortunately, he had been preparing for stage 5 all along; otherwise, if he had taken it easy over the past two weeks, he would have taken a hard fall here. ¡°Mind sharing your pet beast¡¯s attributes?¡± ¡°So I can have some idea.¡± Although Lu Ran expressed confidence, Manager Ying still felt a bit uneasy and decided to ask directly for Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast intelligence. ¡°Nothing much¡­ you¡¯ll see in time,¡± Lu Ran smiled slightly, planning to keep it a mystery. Manager Ying: ??? Lu Ran muttered to himself, indeed, there¡¯s nothing much! Besides ¡°a simple enhancement of the pet beast¡¯s basic energy techniques.¡± The dark crow had been at level 40 for a while, and Manager Ying knew its setup inside out. The sudden death king only gained an additional support ability, which barely enhanced its power, merely giving its attack skill some defense. On General Ha¡¯s side, the only new development was the spatial attribute. However, developing spatial attributes is challenging; Lu Ran and his team hadn¡¯t had time to explore it in such a short time. This spatial attribute only slightly upgraded General Ha¡¯s species level and made its domain skill a little bit stronger. Oh, right, after awakening the spatial attribute, General Ha did gain a new species talent. Just a ¡°worthless¡± species talent¡­ not worth mentioning. [Species Talent]: Space Kill (Pet beasts with this talent can greatly enhance slash damage against space domain-type barriers.) Hmm, it¡¯s somewhat similar to the Dragon Slayer and soul slashing sword intent. Those skills specialize against the Dragon Clan and souls, while this space kill has enormous destructive power against space domain and space barrier-type skills. During the sparring session, when Lu Ran released his domain, General Ha effortlessly slashed it in half, leaving Lu Ran speechless for a long time. Even the sudden death king and dark crow found it extremely difficult to break his domain, which definitely indicated that General Ha¡¯s demolition talent had undergone a second awakening. He guessed that if he told Manager Ying about General Ha¡¯s species talent, Manager Ying would be speechless with frustration. That¡¯s because its strongest domain focused primarily on Seal and entrapment, and if there was a skill like space kill, wouldn¡¯t it be countering its domain skill¡­ ¡°In any case, rest assured,¡± Lu Ran told Manager Ying. ¡°Even if we can¡¯t win, nothing bad will happen to us.¡± ¡°True,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡­ The next day. Unsurprisingly, due to the unfortunate match-up, this Challenge gained unprecedented popularity. The viewership reached the highest level since the Alliance Challenge began. Beastmasters from various countries, regardless of time differences, were glued to their televisions and computers to keep up with the developments. The enormous alliance arena was packed with beastmasters from various nations; they were either gatekeepers or challengers, and at the moment, they were clearly quite interested in the outcome of this challenge. ¡°The main player is entering the scene.¡± On the high pillar platform, a first-generation beastmaster serving as a referee looked to both sides. From the corridor, a young man with blue hair wearing a blue battle uniform and Lu Ran, wearing a dog-head T-shirt, slowly walked out. At this moment, Lu Ran¡¯s opponent, Leon, a third-generation beastmaster from Gaul Country, slightly twitched the corner of his mouth upon seeing Lu Ran¡¯s flamboyant appearance. Becoming Lu Ran¡¯s gatekeeper was unexpected for him, yet facing this prodigy who ushered in the overlord era made him quite anxious. He had been tasked with winning this match and ideally ending Lu Ran in the first stage. Even if he couldn¡¯t, he was expected to exhaust Lu Ran significantly. Leon felt immense pressure. According to the information, Lu Ran¡¯s strongest pet beast could be the level 40 middle overlord Dragon King, possibly the level 40 lower overlord sword dog with domain skills, or perhaps the level 40 twin overlord crow. All formidable opponents. After all, he didn¡¯t have an overlord species pet beast. However, as a Third Generation beastmaster with legendary potential, he had his own strengths. His pet beast had reached level 48, with a growth level cultivated to a very high degree, which involved significant resources and time spent in the arena. He believed that perhaps, with the advantage of growth level, he could put some pressure on Lu Ran. A level 40 middle overlord, by traditional calculations, is equivalent to a level 50 middle sovereign. But his pet beast was an upper sovereign! ¡°Challenger: Lu Ran from Xia Country.¡± ¡°Gatekeeper: Leon.¡± ¡°Battle Rules: 1V1.¡± ¡°Next, please summon your pet beasts. The challenge will begin in 10 seconds!¡± The First Generation referee, a stateless person within the Alliance, took a deep breath, feeling nervous. Because the Eagle Federation had contacted him the previous day, suggesting that he could relax slightly during the battle. What did that mean¡­ The referee understood clearly. It implied¡­ that if Lu Ran was in danger, he should delay the rescue response as much as possible? The referee felt tense inside, as though caught in the middle of a great power struggle, but he didn¡¯t dare to voice his concerns. With the referee¡¯s instructions given, in an instant, on the gigantic arena, Lu Ran and Leon began summoning their pet beasts simultaneously. ¡°Cluck-cluck-cluck -¡° Leon summoned a monstrous bird-like creature, standing seven to eight meters tall. It was covered in explosive muscles and adorned with ice-blue feathers-clearly an ice-type pet beast. [Name]: Ice Feathered Crown Bird [Attribute]: Ice [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 48 ¡°Cluck-cluck-cluck -¡± As the Ice Feathered Crown Bird appeared, its information was promptly displayed on the big screen of the Alliance arena, evidently revealed by behind-the-scenes personnel with the eye of data. At the same time. On Lu Ran¡¯s side, he also summoned his pet beast. Holding the contract card between his fingers, he gently tossed it, and as it spun to the ground, a giant summoning circle appeared. Within this circle, two figures gradually emerged! What Lu Ran summoned turned out to be the Twin Crow, which had been a hot topic of discussion recently, and indeed, it was the dark crow! He tossed out a contract card, and two pet beasts emerged from the same summoning circle, seemingly sending a message to the world: Look, it is a singular pet beast, one and the same. ¡°Caw caw caw¡­¡± Above the summoning circle, the two dark crows soared like twin phoenixes, spiraling upward before landing in front of Lu Ran, one on each side, like loyal guardians. One was the Dark Feathered Crow, adorned with countless Evil God¡¯s Eyes. The other was the Crow of Necromancy, exuding an ominous spiritual power. Though they weren¡¯t as large as the Ice Feathered Crown Bird, their expressions were far more defiant. As the two crows made their entrance, the battle countdown on the screen reached 7. ¡°The Twin Crow, huh¡­¡± At this moment, seeing Lu Ran deploy the Twin Crow, the audience marveled at his audacity. The Alliance allowed him to use it, and he fully took advantage by sending out both at once! A three-bird contest, perhaps? What kind of battle would we witness between two level 40 lower overlords against a level 48 upper sovereign? If the necromantic crow possesses the Crow of Curses, it might compare to a middle overlord¡­ hard to say. Just as the audience was curious about how the battle would unfold, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, the Crow of Curses squinted its eyes and said, ¡°Leave this guy to me. You don¡¯t need to intervene. I feel like this opponent doesn¡¯t even require possession.¡± The crow of death retorted, ¡°How bold, it should be left to me instead. Don¡¯t you dare steal my glory.¡± Audience, opponent, referee: ??? Upon hearing the two crows talk, everyone had a moment of brain freeze. What is going on? Weren¡¯t they supposed to fight together? How are they fighting over who steps in first? And aren¡¯t these two bodies supposed to share one consciousness? Behind them, Lu Ran remained relatively silent. Technically, it¡¯s a single consciousness, but the problem is, the dark crow has a mischievous nature. It talks too much and, out of boredom, has developed the ability to hold conversations with itself¡­ Crow of Curses: ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this!¡± Crow of Death: ¡°No, I will carry you!¡± The two dark crows continued their argument on the battlefield, leaving countless spectators dumbfounded, especially when they realized they could speak foreign languages¡­ A weary Lu Ran didn¡¯t intend to stop them. He knew the dark crow was using tactics to mess with the opponent¡¯s mindset, using trash talk to disrupt their performance¡­ Sure enough, listening to the contemptuous conversation of the dark crow, Leon¡¯s face turned pale. The beastmasters from his country also looked displeased. What a joke, even if the Twin Crow is mysterious, thinking one of them can settle the opponent alone is just dreaming! It¡¯s important to note that the Ice Feathered Crown Bird has fused with a rather impressive trait, the Void Chill, which can even freeze space itself!! While soul power and curse power are indeed eerie, they can¡¯t surpass spatial power. The Ice Feathered Crown Bird, with its mastery of the Void Chill, effectively creates a pseudo-freezing domain around itself. As soon as the battle countdown hit 0, Leon¡¯s Ice Feathered Crown Bird immediately let out a thunderous roar- ¡°Cluck cluck cluck-¡± It glared angrily at its two opponents. As the battle commenced, its wings swept fiercely, unleashing a chilling wind capable of freezing space itself, aimed directly at the two crows! Crack, crack, crack. During this, the entire space of the arena seemed to freeze over, creating an ice-sealed domain that locked both the space between the dark crows and the Ice Feathered Crown Bird, as well as the surrounding space around it. ¡°By freezing the space around itself, it can avoid that crow¡¯s unavoidable curse from landing-¡° Leon had calculated well, bolstered by the ice power from his support pet beast. The audience quickly picked up on Leon¡¯s tactical intent¡­ By sealing off space, he aimed to obstruct the unpreventable curse from striking! Leon had researched all of Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts and devised a strategy against each one! S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, in the next moment, Leon and the Ice Feathered Crown Bird felt a jolt of surprise because an unforeseen turn of events occurred. The two crows narrowed their eyes and calmly watched as the freezing gales approached¡­ In the next instant- A burst of fiery light erupted from behind the two crows. Unbeknownst to them, Lu Ran was already enveloped in flames, using his fingers as a sword. Compressing the sword qi 30 times, infused with sword intent, he charged directly into the freezing winds. ¡°Go.¡± With just a word from Lu Ran, there was a sudden ¡°boom¡± as the terrifying Void Chill was forcibly pushed back. Intense flames appeared right in front of the Ice Feathered Crown Bird, seemingly melting through space. With a bewildered expression, the bird was consumed and knocked over. ¡°Squawk, squawk, squawk-¡± The Ice Feathered Crown Bird let out a stunned scream, engulfed in flames. Unfortunately, the fiery sword qi had dissipated much of the Void Chill¡¯s power, leaving it largely unharmed. Still, Lu Ran¡¯s swift finger-sword maneuver to knock the Ice Feathered Crown Bird off its feet caught everyone¡¯s eyes. ¡°Whoa.¡± In the audience seats, Qin Ming and the Youxiong Guild Leader were taken aback. What just happened?! ¡°You two, hurry up. If you don¡¯t act soon, I¡¯ll finish off the opponent myself and leave you with no chance to shine.¡± Lu Ran¡¯s impatient words echoed in the arena, causing many spectators to gape in surprise. ¡°Caw!!¡± Upon hearing Lu Ran, the two crows immediately fused, whining in compliance¡­ Instantly, the crow of death possessed the Crow of Curses, with the dark crow¡¯s eyes glinting coldly as it pronounced judgment: ¡°Turn into a pig¡­¡± With the freezing space unsealed, the dark crow¡¯s curse descended unobstructed onto the enemy. However, to Leon¡¯s horror, the curse didn¡¯t seem to target his pet beast, but rather¡­ Feeling the internal changes occurring in his body, Leon was filled with dread, recalling the dark crow¡¯s exploits in the Evolution Secret Realm- the pig transformation curse! No, this can¡¯t be!!! The dark crow, showing no adherence to martial ethics, used the eerie skill to bypass the opponent¡¯s pet beast and target the beastmaster himself. This curse made Leon let out a wretched scream: ¡°Wait, wait! I surrender!!¡± ¡°I surrender¡­¡± He cried out in terror, but it couldn¡¯t prevent the dark crow from continuing its move. However, this time the dark crow didn¡¯t employ any sacrifice, so Leon¡¯s soul merely experienced a brief transformation into a pig, leaving him bewilderedly snorting on the ground. This spectacle tightened the pants of the next few gatekeepers, even Jack watching secretly. This move was truly disgusting¡­ At this moment, the Ice Feathered Crown Bird looked utterly startled at its beastmaster. Although it still had the ability to fight, the beastmaster¡¯s declaration of surrender prompted the nearby referee to announce, ¡°The winner is Lu Ran.¡± This left the Ice Feathered Crown Bird exasperated, squawking about having a useless teammate! No one focused on who the winner was; instead, they were all replaying Lu Ran¡¯s fiery sword qi in their minds, each casting a look of surprise at him in the arena. Are you kidding me? Without relying on the power of a pet beast, he managed to directly push back a level 48 sovereign. Is this guy a human-shaped ferocious beast? Is the Flame Spirit Technique that powerful? Without the Crow taking action, he resolved the opponent by himself? Is this some kind of joke? ¡°Next¡­¡± At that moment, Lu Ran let out a relaxed sigh. Stage 1 was no pressure. If it wasn¡¯t for the concern of wasting energy, there would have been no need to use the dark crow; he could have taken down the opponent with his sword domain alone. The combo of super beast mimicry and Flame Spirit Technique isn¡¯t necessarily inferior to fusing with a pet beast. Good, target acquired. Next up, no one should expect to leave easily¡­ Chapter 305: The Thickness of the Shield Brings Reassurance… ¡°What¡¯s going on with this guy!¡±In the arena, Lu Ran and the dark crow remained calm and composed. Their opponent squirmed pathetically like a pig. This development was completely unexpected. Although stage 1 might be the easiest of the five major stages, even Lu Ran¡¯s gatekeeper had legendary potential as a Third Generation. Yet, he was defeated so disgracefully. It seemed as if Lu Ran and the dark crow were not drained in any way. ¡°Useless!¡± From a high platform, Guild Leader Pari of the Eagle Federation maintained a calm expression. While he didn¡¯t expect Lu Ran to be defeated at stage 1, Leon¡¯s performance was simply too pathetic. ¡°This is precisely the difficulty with the 1v1 rule¡­¡± Dr. Hayden, who had hoped to witness Lu Ran make a fool of himself, took a deep breath and shook his head. A 1v1 scenario equally tests a beastmaster¡¯s skills. Because if many pet beasts can be used, some can take on offensive roles, others on supportive roles, and some protect the beastmaster¡­ in such cases, the beastmaster has no real weaknesses. But in a 1v1, it significantly tests the beastmaster¡¯s pet cultivation skills. To cultivate a pet that can both attack enemies and protect the beastmaster is exceedingly difficult. Clearly, the combination of Leon and the Ice Feathered Crown Bird had significant flaws, as the Ice Feathered Crown Bird failed to protect the beastmaster during their battle. And Leon, as a beastmaster, had little resistance against the dark crow¡¯s curse. Unlike Lu Ran, who could rely on his own combat ability to contend with the opponent¡¯s pet beast. By comparing the two, the First Generation powerhouses in the audience could immediately discern the difference between them. ¡°That flame energy just now¡­¡± ¡°It was compressed at least 30 times¡­¡± Some keen-eyed First Generations found it unbelievable. Even though the previous world record for 30 times energy compression was surpassed by many First Generations skilled in this technique after the Age of Beast Taming fully commenced, Lu Ran was only a Fourth Generation. If Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast used this technique, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising-it could be attributed to the species talent of that pet beast and the ample healing resources provided by Xia Country, which wasn¡¯t impossible. However, the fact that Lu Ran, a human, managed to reach such a level¡­ besides the Flame Spirit Technique, what other special beast taming skills had he cultivated? It enabled his physical body to withstand such energy levels, allowing him to demonstrate such mastery in energy control. Clearly¡­ this Strongest Fourth Generation is an existence without any weaknesses. ¡°God Lu is amazing¡­¡± In Xia Country, those who were previously upset by the bias against Lu Ran were now overwhelmed with excitement. That flaming sword qi that defeated the Ice Feathered Crown Bird was incredibly impressive. It was no surprise coming from God Lu, who inherited Yan Sizhen¡¯s emperor-level beast taming skill-he flattened his opponent like preparing a dish, a mere weakling of an opponent! No one expected Lu Ran¡¯s individual combat power to be this formidable, able to restrain a level 40 sovereign. Under the watchful eyes of the world, Leon was carried off, and Lu Ran¡¯s next opponent, the stage 2 gatekeeper, silently emerged from the passage. It was Chris from Maple Leaf Country! This young man with spiky auburn hair¡­ Although he considered himself much stronger than Leon, there was always a risk of something unexpected happening; he too could become a laughingstock if he lost like that. What shocked everyone next was that after Chris walked out, Lu Ran surprisingly recalled the Twin Crow back into the contract card! ¡°Is he not using the Twin Crow?¡± Chris was overjoyed inside. S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Didn¡¯t that Twin Crow hardly use any power? It only cast one curse in the first match.¡± Some were puzzled by Lu Ran¡¯s decision to recall the Twin Crow. ¡°Is it possible that the Twin Crow isn¡¯t as strong in conventional situations as we thought? If I remember correctly, Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow primarily excels in legion skills. There was worldwide discussion when it fought the sea beast. In a 1v1 tournament, its strongest core skill is restricted, so it might not be the strongest among Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts¡­¡± ¡°Lu Ran probably thought using the Twin Crow against a Third Generation wasn¡¯t an issue, but against a Second Generation with legendary potential, he wasn¡¯t so confident. Comparatively, a middle overlord from the Dragon Clan or a lower overlord sword dog with domain expertise might have a better chance of winning!¡± someone speculated. ¡°Of course, it might simply be a strategic recall. After all, if the opponent knows he¡¯s sending out the Twin Crow, they might summon a counter pet beast. If the opponent can¡¯t predict which of his three main forces Lu Ran will send out, they can¡¯t fully strategize against him!¡± As the audience discussed, Lu Ran overheard some of the conversation-his hearing was quite good. He could only say, they were overthinking it. He simply wanted to give each of his three main forces a chance to shine, considering they had been training hard for so long. Otherwise, the dark crow could easily take on three or four opponents on its own, leaving no room for General Ha and the sudden death king. ¡°Challenger: Lu Ran of Xia Country.¡± ¡°Gatekeeper: Chris.¡± Next, the referee swallowed and announced for the challenge to continue. In the next instant, Lu Ran once again summoned his pet beast, while the gatekeeper on the opposite side summoned their beast pet with a serious expression! ¡°Awooooo-¡° On one side of the arena¡¯s summoning circle appeared a giant fox with impeccable proportions and snow-white fur, its expression stern, and a long tail gracefully sweeping through the air. [Species]: Aurora Fox [Attribute]: Light, Ice [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 50! On the other side, amidst a dragon¡¯s roar, people realized which pet beast Lu Ran had summoned. As the massive shadow of shielded wings formed, the sudden death king landed slowly, causing a gale on the arena, looking disdainfully at its opponent. ¡°Roar!!!¡± With both pet beasts present, the audience took a deep breath, and someone remarked, ¡°Lu Ran¡¯s pet beasts are already level 40! They¡¯ve leveled up so quickly, and we haven¡¯t even seen him active in the peak arena.¡± ¡°With his status, talent, and potential, he clearly doesn¡¯t lack resources. With enough resources, leveling up quickly is achievable.¡± ¡°Chris sent out his Aurora Fox, another ice type. Ice is weak against fire! Lu Ran has the Flame Sprite!! I remember that dragon¡­ it should also have a Thunder Flame Dragon mode!¡± ¡°No major issues, Chris¡¯s Aurora Fox primarily focuses on light attributes, with ice as support. With the power of the light attribute, its species is almost an overlord. It¡¯s not going to be easy for Lu Ran to win.¡± A level 40 middle overlord equates to a level 50 middle sovereign, while the Aurora Fox is a level 50 upper sovereign. As people suspected, although Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast species level had the advantage, overall, it wasn¡¯t a huge upper hand. 5¡­ 4¡­ 3¡­ The countdown to the battle continued, and on the arena, the sudden death king and the Aurora Fox locked eyes, their respective beastmasters standing silently behind them, waiting for the fight to begin. Finally. As the number on the screen hit zero, before anyone could react, a spiraling light orb erupted through the void, leaving a trail of light across the sky as it smashed directly into the head of the sudden death king. Boom. A blinding explosion of light ensued. The crowd fell silent. The attack was so fast that almost the instant the countdown ended, it was already formed in the mouth of the Aurora Fox and then unleashed with a roar. Not only was the light orb quickly formed, but its speed through the air was also astonishing, seemingly moving at the speed of light. In comparison, the attack speed of the Ice Feathered Crown Bird from earlier felt as slow as a snail, allowing Lu Ran plenty of time to react and counter. Even though the pet beasts¡¯ species levels were comparable, and their growth level only differed by 2 levels, the skill proficiency difference between Chris¡¯s and Leon¡¯s pet beasts was immediately apparent. In an instant, countless spectators began piecing together their thoughts. ¡°As expected of Chris!¡± ¡°That rotating light orb, shaped into a spiral, gained immense destructive power, and the release speed- the energy flow technique is quite terrifying. The most impressive part is completing a 20 times energy compression in an instant, merging four major techniques into one. Such a complex attack combination executed instantly!¡± Clearly, this was an almost omnipotent pet beast, paired with the powerful light attribute, leaving opponents virtually no time to react to attacks. Bang bang! And the opening attack wasn¡¯t even over yet. Chris and the Aurora Fox unleashed a relentless barrage. Within the next few seconds, compressed spiral light orbs were fired continuously. Unlike the first attack that prioritized straight-line speed, this time, under the second-stage energy release control of the Aurora Fox, the numerous light orbs had varied attack trajectories. They first engulfed the sudden death king, then altered their paths in mid-air to target Lu Ran behind it! In less than 10 seconds since the countdown hit zero, Lu Ran and the sudden death king had seemingly stopped moving under the relentless barrage of dozens of terrifying light orbs. ¡°Ha-,¡± Chris smirked at the success of his blitz strategy. The strategy was effective, but it consumed a lot of energy. Fortunately, not only did Chris have a stamina recovery beast taming skill, but his pet beast also possessed a fusion nature control trait, allowing them to manage. As the Aurora Fox paused to catch its breath after the assault, Chris¡¯s expression shifted. When the dazzling effects of the light pollution faded, the sudden death king still stood firmly on the arena, and even the light orbs that targeted Lu Ran had only managed to add a bit of dust to his clothes. Chris¡¯s mouth fell open. The spectators, no longer blinded or deafened by the spectacle, saw Lu Ran and the sudden death king unharmed and were equally taken aback, some even questioning if Chris and the Aurora Fox were throwing the match. ¡°Hmm? Why¡¯d they stop?¡± With the attacks halted, Lu Ran casually cleaned his ears and said, ¡°Do you need a break?¡± Lu Ran was amused. What¡¯s the use of a quick attack if it fails to breach defenses? The opponent¡¯s plan was solid-using high-speed attacks to disrupt the sudden death king, impede its movements, and then redirecting the trajectory of the light orbs to attack Lu Ran, making it difficult for the sudden death king to react and protect him. The problem was, the light orbs hitting the sudden death king were akin to throwing pebbles at steel, causing limited damage. While the sudden death king¡¯s other abilities were at the level of a middle sovereign at level 50, its defense, enhanced through constant training, injuries, and healing, as well as trait specialization, far exceeded the average of its species. After the sudden death king applied a defense buff on Lu Ran, he stood with the sudden death king, watching the display from the opposing side. ¡°No, impossible,¡± Chris said, eyes wide open as he looked at the unscathed Lu Ran and sudden death king. The beastmasters from Xia Country, who were initially worried about Lu Ran, found the situation extremely absurd. Some suspected Chris was a friendly actor faking his performance. However, the First Generation big shots quickly provided a somber explanation. The glow and explosion smoke from the attacks didn¡¯t obstruct everyone¡¯s view. ¡°The destructive power was genuine. The sudden death king didn¡¯t even flinch when attacked¡­¡± ¡°It even skillfully seemed to release some special skill, providing its beastmaster with a buff.¡± ¡°It appears to be¡­ a defensive support buff.¡± ¡°Under the Shield Dragon King¡¯s buff, Lu Ran stood confidently, allowing the light orbs to land around him¡­¡± This realization dismissed the notion that Chris was throwing the match, but it highlighted the terrifying prowess of the sudden death king and Lu Ran. As most people squinted in concentration, they saw the sudden death king slowly step forward, closing in on the Aurora Fox. With a startled cry, the Aurora Fox unleashed a series of attacks once again, employing even more destructive techniques than before. Boom! An ice sphere laced with swirling dual-colored light smashed into the sudden death king, and the burst of cold and brilliance transformed the entire arena into an aurora-like spectacle. However, it only managed to leave a few frost marks on the sudden death king, barely having any significant impact. At that moment, Chris¡¯s throat went dry as he realized something was seriously wrong. The defense of this creature was startlingly abnormal. Even the Aurora Fox was visibly shaken, its spirit dampened. Chris and his pet beast felt as though a towering mountain was pressing down on them, suffocating them. Surrender! Now, the only thought in Chris¡¯s mind was surrender. Yet, having learned from the previous match, Lu Ran wasn¡¯t going to let his opponent surrender so easily. As Chris¡¯s fear reached its peak, he found himself inexplicably stripped of speech, unable to move his body. His mind, soul, and body trembled uncontrollably. ¡°Roar-¡± The sudden death king unleashed its Dragon Might, infused with mental and soul power. This overwhelming presence spread across the entire arena, making it tremble. Had the Dragon Might been unleashed at the beginning, it might not have had a significant impact on the opponent. However, after all their efforts failed to breach the sudden death king¡¯s defense, the resulting mental and psychological pressure was insurmountable, leaving the opponent as fragile as tissue paper. The sudden death king¡¯s eyes flashed with a red, thunderous glow as it fixed its gaze on the enemy. Its roar was as terrifying as thunder. The earth-shattering Dragon Might, transformed into a tangible whirlwind, swept across the arena. The sudden death king had merely maintained its defense and released its intimidation, yet a second-generation combination with legendary potential found itself bleeding black from mouth, nose, eyes, and ears as their spirit and soul shattered on the stage, left in utter distress. Thud, thud. The opponent collapsed heavily onto the ground. Lu Ran said, ¡°Next.¡± Chapter 306: A Technique Comparable to the Top Ten Beastmasters The second battle once again caught everyone off guard, causing many beastmasters to tremble.Are you kidding me? A legendary potential second generation was¡­ intimidated and defeated in an instant? Yet Lu Ran and his new pet beast appeared unscathed once more. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± marveled an African-American First Generation. ¡°First, apply pressure with your own strong foundation to lower the opponent¡¯s morale, followed by the Dragon King¡¯s intimidation to break the opponent¡¯s psychological defenses. This combination can inflict several times the usual amount of intimidation damage.¡± ¡°This Strongest Fourth Generation clearly possesses exceptional combat talent! The strategy just now used his advantageous attribute to weaken the corresponding attribute of his opponent.¡± ¡°Is this the power of the Strongest Fourth Generation¡­¡± In reality, many people still thought it was somewhat unfair and unfortunate for Lu Ran to be matched against a gatekeeper with legendary potential. After all, no matter how monstrous Lu Ran is, and how strong his potential is, his opponent is still an outstanding beastmaster with legendary potential. But now, with both a legendary potential Third Generation and a legendary potential Second Generation being overwhelmed, silence prevailed. [Legendary potential varies!] As beastmasters who have cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, no one anticipated that Lu Ran, a Fourth Generation who effortlessly solo cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, could exert such a formidable suppressive force against Second and Third Generations who teamed up to clear it. It was something these beastmasters with legendary potential never expected before their clash. ¡°Help, help him-¡° As Lu Ran uttered ¡°next,¡± the unaware Chris was carried away. At the same time, in the preparation room, Gao Muxiu, the next gatekeeper watching the tournament through the window, bit his lip hard. This Xia Country monster¡­ Even he isn¡¯t confident he could instantly defeat Chris. After witnessing the terrifying defense of the Sudden Death King, Gao Muxiu, before entering the stage, was in mental turmoil, analyzing which pet beast to send out to counter this situation. Speaking of which, will Lu Ran continue to send out this Dragon King? After a short while, Gao Muxiu, serving as the third gatekeeper, walked out slowly. Although he tried to maintain composure, the audience could clearly see he was under significant pressure. ¡°God Lu is simply extraordinary.¡± ¡°Is it possible he could clear stage 3 like this???¡± The beastmasters from Xia Country were already satisfied, their faces flushed with excitement. Fang Lan, the people from Lujia Village, and others also breathed a sigh of relief. As for Gu Qingyi and the others from the twelve branches who were watching the battle, they nodded in agreement; Lu Ran indeed lived up to expectations. ¡°Damn, the opponents should have experienced consecutive Hugging Beast Kills,¡± sighed the Pig Deity. In contrast to the excitement of Xia Country, Guild Leader Pari from the Eagle Federation was extremely displeased. He considered these second and third generations to be complete failures. However, he remained patient. If Lu Ran were to be eliminated in the first three stages, then the significant effort he made to bring in Jack would be meaningless. He glanced in one direction, his gaze falling on the face of the strongest second-generation beastmaster, Jack, who appeared calm. Seeing this, Pari heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Are you planning to change your pet beast this time?¡± On the arena, the tall youth Gao Muxiu spoke slowly with his hands in his pockets. ¡°No need, right?¡± Lu Ran looked over and said, ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you in one strike, then the next. I¡¯ll switch them up then and let each pet beast have a warm-up.¡± ¡°You-¡° Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s arrogant words, anger appeared on Gao Muxiu¡¯s face. Many in the audience also looked shocked. Wow, so arrogant. Many from the Golden Generation gazed at Lu Ran on the screen with envy. After all, words like that can only be spoken when one has enough strength and confidence. ¡°I¡¯ve figured out your strategy.¡± ¡°Next, I¡¯ll make you pay for your arrogance.¡± Gao Muxiu adjusted his mindset, realizing Lu Ran¡¯s provocation suddenly confirmed a piece of information for him. Lu Ran likely planned to use the same strategy against him. There¡¯s no denying that Lu Ran¡¯s combat performance and his words put a lot of psychological pressure on him. Facing the awe of the Dragon King wouldn¡¯t lead to a good outcome. But unfortunately for Lu Ran, he didn¡¯t intend to let him have his way. ¡°Challenger: Lu Ran from Xia Country.¡± ¡°Gatekeeper: Gao Muxiu.¡± As the referee gave the command, Gao Muxiu summoned his pet beast. Indeed, Gao Muxiu¡¯s overall strength appeared to surpass that of Chris, evident from his ability to lead a team of only two through the same-level Legendary Secret Realm. This showcased remarkable talent, earning him a spot as the third gatekeeper. The pet beast he sent out was particularly bizarre-an enormous four-headed snake, several dozen meters long, with a robust body covered in dark blue scales. [Species]: Four-headed beast [Attributes]: Mental, Dark, Poison, Water [Species Level]: Upper Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 50 Judging from the pressure emanating from this pet beast, Gao Muxiu¡¯s creature exuded an eccentric, ominous aura. Perhaps only Lu Ran¡¯s Twin Crow could subdue it. Seeing Gao Muxiu¡¯s pet beast, Lu Ran smiled subtly. He had researched Gao Muxiu¡¯s background and knew he had two other pet beasts whose strength rivaled that of the four-headed beast. Since Gao Muxiu opted for the four-headed beast, Lu Ran could roughly deduce his intention. He likely hoped to rely on the mental attribute¡¯s strong resistance to avoid being affected by the Dragon Might. Additionally, the highly corrosive poison and dark attributes might be intended to counter the Sudden Death King¡¯s formidable defense. However, Gao Muxiu¡¯s strategy was overly optimistic. ¡°Boring,¡± Lu Ran said with a yawn during the countdown to the start of the battle. He instructed the Sudden Death King, ¡°In your final match, finish it with one move.¡± ¡°Roar roar-¡° Following Lu Ran¡¯s command, the Sudden Death King nodded. Great. Once this is over, it can go to sleep. The other two heads could be left for General Ha and the Dark Crow to handle. It narrowed its eyes, focusing on the four-headed beast. Hearing Lu Ran¡¯s dismissive words again, Gao Muxiu laughed in disbelief. One move to finish it? He wanted to see exactly how this could be done. The countdown to the battle reached zero. The Sudden Death King stretched out its arm, provocatively curling one dragon finger toward the four-headed beast. ¡°Roar roar roar roar!!!¡± The four-headed beast responded with all heads roaring in anger. With its roar, the air around it exploded, and a mist-like poison gas spread across the arena. Seeing the approaching toxic mist, the Sudden Death King withdrew its arm, casually crossing them over its chest. ¡°Roar¡­ (Dude, have you ever been hit by a meteor with 50 times gravitational acceleration?)¡± The Sudden Death King taunted lightly, remaining calm even as the poison mist approached. In an instant, a terrifying dark red energy surged from its body into the sky! At this moment, the Sudden Death King seemed to unleash an endless burst of power, as if energy was no object. A massive energy apparition enveloped its body, expanding its presence. Those beastmasters who had studied the Sudden Death King¡¯s fighting style anticipated that it might engage in energy shaping to create an energy armor shell for protection. Yet, to their shock, they realized that this explosive force instantly began to frantically compress back into the Sudden Death King¡¯s body! Boom. The incredible energy burst forth from the Sudden Death King. In just a moment, it compressed the released energy to thirty times its original density, and this seemed only the beginning. Centered on the Sudden Death King, the violent dark red energy intertwined and fused, continuously pressing inwards. During this terrifying energy compression process, its form flickered like the advent of a dark red demon. The simplest way to gauge the degree of energy compression is by observing the motion of minute ripples within the liquid-like energy. Presently, many were astonished to discover that the energy enveloping the Sudden Death King had already reached a 40 times compression at an incredibly rapid pace. ¡°It has mastered 40 times energy compression!¡± S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°What a domineering force.¡± ¡°How did it even achieve that? 40 times¡­ The current highest record for energy compression is only around forty-something.¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s related to its strong defense, making it easier to withstand the load of energy compression!¡± Two key factors determine energy compression: energy control and physical resilience! The audience gulped furiously, only to realize¡­ The energy compression continued. 41 times¡­ 42 times¡­ 45 times¡­ During this violent process of energy compression, the Sudden Death King radiated an extremely volatile energy, annihilating everything indiscriminately. Everyone had witnessed its formidable defense, but even now, during this energy compression, its scales began to show cracks. The invading poison gas was also obliterated by the raging energy storm, unable to come close. In the blink of an eye, the Sudden Death King¡¯s energy fluctuations became utterly terrifying. 50 times energy compression! With blood bursting from its body, it achieved 50 times energy compression. Unfortunately, although its physical resilience was strong, its energy control was not as refined as General Ha¡¯s. Beyond 50 times, it could go no further. But that was enough. At this moment, many powerful First Generation figures were in shock, including the Pig Deity from Xia Country and Principal Shi Zhen, who exclaimed. ¡°50 times energy compression!¡± [Did this kid hold back when fighting me?] Pig Deity was stunned watching the livestream. ¡°Hey, hey, isn¡¯t the current arena master in Snowfield only at 40-something times?¡± In the audience seat, Dean Qin nudged the Youxiong Guild Leader, mouth slightly agape. ¡°Yes¡­ Although Lu Ran¡¯s Dragon King achieved 50 times by injuring itself, it¡¯s still incredibly terrifying. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to say this rivals the techniques of the top ten beastmasters.¡± The Youxiong Guild Leader took a deep breath. They all turned to look at stage 3 gatekeeper Gao Muxiu. Originally, Gao Muxiu was eagerly anticipating how Lu Ran intended to defeat him in one blow. Skeptical, he waited. However, when the Sudden Death King, without wasting words, showcased an energy compression skill that rivaled the top ten beastmasters, Gao Muxiu¡¯s face turned pale. No need for Dragon Might now; the mere violent breath of energy surrounding the Sudden Death King was enough to make his heart tremble. ¡°Is it really necessary?¡± At this moment, Gao Muxiu wanted to ask if it was indeed necessary. The Sudden Death King gave its opponent an answer by compressing all its energy, which quickly flowed to its fist. It triggered the activation of the Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist through self-inflicted injuries. Boom!!!! The Sudden Death King threw a punch- With a resounding crash, a fist shadow resembling a meteorite of light and electricity surged forward like a meteor strike. It tore open the specially-made floor of the challenge tournament arena, which had remained intact until now, sending countless stone bricks flying. This overwhelming force, with near-certain lethality, was hurled toward the enemy. Perhaps Gao Muxiu and the four-headed beast tried numerous ways to defend. But it seemed to no avail. This Heavenly Dragon Meteor Fist annihilated everything in its path, and deploying a mental pet beast to defend against Dragon Might? Who told you that Dragon Might was the Sudden Death King¡¯s strongest attack¡­ Bang!!!! After numerous deafening roars, the four-headed beast¡¯s broken body, like a piece of shattered mud, was hurled against the energy shield encompassing the entire arena, causing ripples to ripple through the shield. At that moment, the audience-whether from Xia Country or anywhere else in the world-fell into a long silence. Sensing the audience¡¯s shock, Lu Ran smirked. Really? It¡¯s just 50 times, is it really worth all this fuss? Chapter 307: Strongest Fourth Generation VS Strongest Second-Generation squeak.the gatekeeper of stage 3 was smashed to pieces with a punch from the dragon pet known as the shield. on the high platform, guild leader pari was on the verge of fainting with anger. with a slight squeeze, the metal railing in his hand was crushed. ¡°¡­¡± dr. hayden, responsible for the dinosaur revival project, also looked dazed. when the sudden death king threw a punch, his heart trembled for a moment. ¡°it¡¯s too big¡­¡± the gap was too large. he compared the ancient dinosaurs revived by the eagle federation with this shield dragon king and found the gap growing larger. ¡°guild leader pari¡­¡± dr. hayden looked towards the enraged guild leader pari. he could figure out that lu ran had faced so many strong enemies in the first four stages, largely due to pari¡¯s influence. yet, lu ran seemed completely unaffected. ¡°dr. hayden,¡± said guild leader pari at this moment, ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°it¡¯s well within my expectation for him to pass the first three stages.¡± ¡°if he couldn¡¯t pass even the first three stages, he wouldn¡¯t be the strongest fourth generation who¡¯s constantly creating miracles.¡± ¡°haven¡¯t i brought jack, and stationed him at stage 4?¡± ¡°his strength is even greater than that first generation at stage 5.¡± guild leader pari smiled darkly. ¡°alright.¡± dr. hayden didn¡¯t want to say more when he saw guild leader pari¡¯s expression. he could only quietly turn his gaze back to the arena. at this moment, the audience only had one thought. was lu ran really the one breaking through the stages? before lu ran, every challenger struggled through each stage, often exhausted by the gatekeepers. but with lu ran, it was as if he was the ultimate boss, while the gatekeepers were the pitiful challengers, each one getting utterly defeated. ¡°gah, as expected, they used this trick.¡± on the other shore island, pig deity watched the live stream with pleasure. haha. even zhu zhu xia found that dragon king a bit tricky. how could these second and third generations, who weren¡¯t from beast taming powerhouses, possibly win? a rigged game? useless. however, thinking about the gatekeeper in lu ran¡¯s next stage, old zhu¡¯s expression turned slightly serious. the targeting in the first three stages indeed didn¡¯t affect lu ran much, but anyone could see that the toughest challenge awaited him in stage 4. jack¡­ solo clear of the legendary secret realm¡­ level 5 beastmaster¡­ strongest second-generation¡­ hailing from the eagle federation, the superpower with the highest comprehensive strength on the blue star. having jack serve as a gatekeeper for fourth generation lu ran, or even for other second-generations, seems somewhat excessive. if not for lu ran¡¯s interference, the first generation from xia country had already planned to dismantle the alliance. this person is on a completely different level from the previous three. ¡°lu ran told us not to meddle, implying that he is confident in handling jack?¡± in xia country, shi zhen watched the live stream, frowning. on the screen, after dealing with one opponent, lu ran calmly looked at the referee once more. ¡°next.¡± he showed no sign of treating the strongest second-generation differently from the previous challengers, casually calling for the next one to step up. ¡°interesting.¡± in a certain location, jack observed the much-celebrated lu ran, feeling his blood begin to boil. after jack solo cleared the legendary secret realm at the cost of four pet beasts, many experts analyzed him. some analyses based on jack¡¯s past achievements suggested he was someone who greatly pursued attention, longing to be the center of the world. indeed, jack had such a personality trait, so seeing lu ran in the spotlight only made him more eager to crush him. jack had initially agreed to guild leader pari so readily in part because both were solo clearers of the legendary secret realm. jack was often compared to lu ran, with one sacrificing pet beasts while the other cleared normally, a comparison jack found frustrating. he completely disagreed that the difficulty of low-level legendary secret realms could be compared to advanced ones. soon, jack stepped out of the corridor, his calm gaze fixed on lu ran across the arena. at this moment, lu ran had already called back the sudden death king to rest, planning to let other pet beasts battle. seeing this, before the tournament began, jack dusted off his clothes slightly and, without lifting his head, said, ¡°will you be sending out that husky capable of domain next?¡± ¡°so what if i am?¡± lu ran opened a bottle of mineral water, took a gulp, and took a moment to rest. ¡°to have trained a husky to such a level, you really are impressive.¡± ¡°but, this is where it ends.¡± ¡°just to be clear, i never hold back in a battle, so if you want to surrender, do it now.¡± ¡°otherwise, don¡¯t regret it later if your pet beast gets killed,¡± jack said, his eyes bloodshot. as jack spoke, both dean qin and youxiong guild leader were getting uneasy. lu ran put down the water bottle, wiped his mouth, and showed a confused expression. ¡°huh?¡± ¡°you¡¯re joking, right? who gave you the courage to think you¡¯re so powerful?¡± ¡°just be a good gatekeeper; you¡¯re talking too much.¡± ¡°i¡¯m here to clear stages today, and a guy who struggled through the legendary secret realm won¡¯t be stopping me.¡± lu ran was exceptionally composed. ¡°challenger: lu ran from xia country.¡± ¡°gatekeeper: jack misi.¡± the tension between jack and lu ran made the atmosphere on-site become quite still. despite lu ran¡¯s graceful sweep through the first three stages, a lot of the audience found themselves sweating as stage 4 approached. ¡°hahaha¡­¡± finally, jack¡¯s laughter and the referee¡¯s countdown to the start of the battle broke the tension. in response to lu ran¡¯s brazen comeback, jack laughed and said, ¡°as i¡¯ve admitted, you¡¯re good, but it¡¯s too early for you to shine.¡± ¡°the three guys you just beat-i could handle all their pet beasts with just one of mine without breaking a sweat.¡± ¡°injured with 50 times energy compression? you think you¡¯re the only one who can do that?¡± ¡°domain? you think you¡¯re the only one who can do that?¡± ¡°overlord species? i have them too.¡± ¡°if you think you¡¯ll beat me with these tricks, you¡¯re mistaken.¡± ¡°what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?¡± with a faint smile, jack summoned his pet beast. he had brushed off lu ran¡¯s recent display of 50 times energy compression and the hallmark domain skill of powerful fighters as nothing, yet no one doubted jack¡¯s words. in fact, it only reinforced the feeling that lu ran had encountered a truly formidable opponent, distinct from the previous three gatekeepers. if anyone else had dismissed these top-level techniques so casually, the audience would have scoffed. but this was jack misi. jack misi, who solo-cleared the legendary secret realm at the cost of four pet beasts, led everyone to believe that their deaths were not in vain; they must have harnessed some explosive technique in exchange for immense power. from this perspective, jack misi¡¯s indifference toward the 50 times energy compression, a technique rivaling those of the top ten beastmasters, leaves everyone unable to argue. it¡¯s quite possible that jack misi has some terrifying hidden burst technique as well. after all, he is the strongest second-generation. and the domain¡­ lu ran¡¯s pet beast, mastering a domain skill at level 30, is undoubtedly powerful. it¡¯s worth noting that even the three previous legendary potential gatekeepers lu ran faced hadn¡¯t mastered a domain. however, just because the past three gatekeepers hadn¡¯t, doesn¡¯t mean jack, the strongest second-generation, hasn¡¯t either. in fact, even before jack solo-cleared the legendary secret realm, he was one of the rare few among the world¡¯s strongest echelon second-generation to have mastered a domain skill. with jack¡¯s words, everyone put themselves in lu ran¡¯s shoes, feeling considerable pressure. everything lu ran possesses, so does his opponent. moreover, jack has been a beastmaster far longer than lu ran¡­ this battle between the strongest fourth generation and the strongest second generation is undoubtedly a fierce clash!!! regardless of the result, it will become one of the most classic battles since the age of beast taming began. ¡°roar-¡± jack misi summoned a nearly ten-meter-tall gorilla. unlike a typical gorilla covered in thick black fur, this creature was adorned with chaotic scales and had a pair of massive black wings on its back, making it look more demonic than animal-like. [species]: demon ape [attributes]: metal, space, dark [species level]: lower overlord [growth level]: level 54 upon seeing this monstrous creature, many of the first generation clenched their teeth, sweat dripping down their foreheads. jack had recently become a level 5 beastmaster, and his demon ape had reached level 54 so quickly because he had brought it to the peak arena, where they defeated many from the first generation, using them as a source of experience and nourishment. although this guy is from the second generation, just like lu ran, he had long since crossed generations to overpower the first generation, becoming an indelible psychological shadow for many of them. ¡°that lu ran, he¡­¡± many from the first generation wanted to say that this jack is indeed different from the previous three gatekeepers. lu ran is strong, but it¡¯s likely to be very difficult for him to get past stage 4. s§×arch* the novelfire.net* website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. however, what happened next left everyone dumbfounded. lu ran¡¯s summoned pet beast wasn¡¯t quite what everyone was expecting. lu ran¡¯s contract card floated out, and on the arena, a massive ice-blue summoning circle appeared. from this circle emerged a huge husky, colored in ice-blue and snow-white. although it looked fierce and commanding, the intelligent gaze it cast at its opponent, as if looking at a fool, made people marvel at the husky species¡¯ powerful bloodline; not even a first-stage evolution could suppress it. ¡°woo-¡° as general ha came out, it let out a long howl, expressing its inner joy-finally, it was its turn. but the focus of everyone¡¯s attention was swiftly captured by the two swords hovering next to general ha!!! one sword, ice-blue and spirit-like, emitted a chill capable of freezing space. the other, a vibrant green like a plant, exuded a sharpness sufficient to slice through space. these two divine swords circled around general ha, like sword attendants welcoming the arrival of the king of swords. ¡°this-¡± many people were stunned upon witnessing this, including jack. with his intermediate-level data analysis, he quickly identified the sword spirit and sword grass. the sight was astonishing-lu ran had summoned three pet beasts from a single contract card!!! ¡°what is this supposed to mean??¡± jack frowned. the audience seats erupted in discussion. at the same time, people noticed that what should have been a lower overlord species, the sword domain dog, had suddenly become a middle overlord species! upon closer observation, they realized that lu ran had fused it with the space attribute at level 40, likely the reason for its species upgrade. another middle overlord! countless people were astonished. with this, lu ran now had two middle overlords! however, that was not the main surprise. more astonishing was the fact that lu ran had summoned three pet beasts at once. ¡°sword spirit??? a sword-shaped creature from the necromancy attribute? is there such a pet beast?¡± ¡°sword grass?? a plant life?¡± whether they were spectators, referees, or first generation members from various countries watching the challenge tournament, all eyes were on lu ran. facing countless gazes, lu ran showed a perplexed expression. he said, ¡°isn¡¯t it common knowledge that as long as they¡¯re on the same contract card, they count as one pet beast?¡± holding the contract card between two fingers, he slightly raised the card parallel to his face. the words ¡°retainer: sword spirit, sword grass¡± left many people stunned. ¡°it¡¯s just retainer cultivation, similar to the situation with the twin crow.¡± ¡°this is my new ability. of course, it¡¯s not exactly a trump card. so, can you handle it?¡± lu ran asked playfully, eyeing jack across from him. ¡°if you¡¯re scared, i can put the two swords away and just let my erha play with you.¡± ¡°think about your answer carefully, or else you might regret it if your pet beast dies and you end up crying.¡± lu ran threw jack¡¯s own words back at him, causing jack¡¯s expression to change. at that moment, guild leader pari stood up, finding it hard to believe that lu ran still had such a hidden trump card, one that wasn¡¯t in the intelligence reports. for a brief moment, he felt a pang of anxiety. however, upon seeing the ferocious look in jack¡¯s eyes, his momentary anxiety turned to calm. ¡°meaningless struggle, jack. it¡¯s just two more level 40 sovereigns. as they say in xia country, they¡¯re not enough to change the tide.¡± Chapter 308: The Strongest Across Generations! originally, before the challenge tournament began, lu ran had anticipated disputes would arise after deploying the sword retainers.unexpectedly, even before the match started, the organizers themselves rationalized this situation, and now, regarding jack¡¯s provocation, lu ran was certain that this madman wouldn¡¯t back down. ¡°how exactly did lu ran manage this¡­¡± ¡°the twin crow is one thing, being a split evolution, but what¡¯s going on here? don¡¯t tell me that sword spirit and sword grass were also split from erha!¡± though countless audience members were shocked by general ha¡¯s new form, the organizers had indeed stated that no matter how many entities there were, as long as they were within a single contract card simultaneously, they were considered one. thus, even the referee couldn¡¯t say much at this point. ¡°it¡¯s not just about species; the life forms aren¡¯t even the same, yet they can be included in a single card? did he print his own card, the son of infinite city?¡± ¡°god lu is awesome!¡± ¡°three pets in one card, is this even possible¡­ that¡¯s impressive!¡± ¡°but it¡¯s just two sovereigns, probably not very significant, unlike the twin crow which is a dual overlord¡­¡± discussions from all over the world were endless. there was plenty of discussion on-site as well. jack watched lu ran with bloodshot eyes until, at the moment the countdown hit zero, jack¡¯s voice finally emerged. ¡°demon ape, crush them.¡± ¡°with one move!¡± it seemed he wanted to replicate what lu ran had just done; jack also demanded his pet beast defeat lu ran¡¯s team in one move. ¡°roar-¡± with the order given, the demon ape roared instantaneously, its pupils also filled with bloodlust, implying intense killing intent. buzz! in an instant, ripples appeared in the space, as if black droplets were falling from the void onto the arena. in just a moment, a huge black semi-circular barrier enveloped general ha!!! it¡¯s a domain!! the audience saw jack employing this ultimate domain skill right off the bat, instantly understanding his determination. whether on blue star or the star-moon continent, domain skills are regarded as the decisive finishing blow in battles. because this skill is the pinnacle of a pet beast¡¯s technique fusion. it is their most brilliant strike. most importantly, attacks within the domain are guaranteed to hit. when two evenly matched pet beasts face off, it¡¯s almost always a domain skill that counters another domain skill. whoever¡¯s domain is stronger, who can suppress the other¡¯s domain, will claim victory! however, in that split second, people only saw the demon ape successfully unleash its domain. yet, lu ran¡¯s erha and the two sword retainers beside it had no reaction at all. though lu ran¡¯s erha had used a domain skill in the evolution secret realm, it seemed not to have used its own domain to counter the opponent¡¯s this time and was directly dragged into the enemy¡¯s territory. at this moment, many beastmasters from xia country furrowed their brows with concern. the best time to counter a domain skill is before the domain has fully formed. once dragged into the enemy¡¯s field, the disadvantage is exponentially increased. if lu ran had sent out the sudden death king, it might withstand a domain skill attack, but this sword dog doesn¡¯t seem to have strong defense. ¡°this isn¡¯t good.¡± in the audience seats, some spectators took a deep breath, saying, ¡°it looks like lu ran¡¯s sword dog lacks enough experience in domain combat because it has mastered the domain for only a short time.¡± ¡°no, that demon ape¡¯s domain is just too strong.¡± ¡°combining a powerful space barrier attribute with a domain shell formed by 40 times energy compression, in terms of domain proficiency, besides those top ten beastmasters, there are probably few who dare claim they can surpass it!¡± some of the first generation also kept a composed expression, clearly having experienced the demon ape¡¯s domain skill. ¡°hahahahaha¡­¡± ¡°that sword dog is done for.¡± at this point, the one laughing the hardest was undoubtedly guild leader pari, his laughter was uncontainable. lu ran had completely underestimated jack; he¡¯s a monster too! ¡°domain, demon kingdom.¡± on the field, jack¡¯s voice echoed, his mouth stretching into a crazy grin as general ha was seen falling into the demon ape¡¯s barrier, he focused his gaze on lu ran across the way. ¡°within the demon domain¡­¡± whether or not lu ran had investigated the capabilities of the demon domain, jack planned to explain this skill¡¯s power to lu ran word by word, making lu ran watch his pet beast be judged within it. however, before jack could finish, he saw lu ran responding rather disinterestedly: ¡°are you trying to trap a sword dog like erha?¡± huh? at first, many didn¡¯t understand what lu ran meant, but the next moment, a sudden arc of light appeared across the massive black domain barrier. crack, crack, crack, crack. soon, the sound of cracking could be heard repeatedly, and countless white, web-like fractures spread across the domain barrier. watching these changes to the domain, jack showed a look of astonishment, and in an instant, everyone else, including him, wore expressions of disbelief. boom!!! with a final thunderous roar, an immense white sword qi directly sliced open the domain with a loud ¡°crash.¡± before the astonished gazes of jack, pari, and others, the demon domain shattered completely. the formidable sword qi not only split the domain but seemed to have extra force to spare, cutting through space before finally slicing open the blue star¡¯s space and vanishing into the boundless void. with the domain broken, the scene inside reappeared. a giant dog, possessed by a sword spirit, with a body shimmering in icy blue fluorescence and a space sword grass in its mouth, looked indifferently at the demon ape opposite it. the demon ape, in turn, appeared utterly shocked, its legs seemingly trembling. general ha¡¯s current stance was overwhelmingly terrifying, and as the two pet beasts re-emerged, everyone held their breath. all eyes were riveted on general ha¡¯s vicinity. at that moment, black lightning occasionally arced around it, though a closer look revealed the black flashes weren¡¯t true lightning. instead, they were the result of short-lived space tears in the blue star¡¯s space, caused by the intense sword intent radiating from general ha. ¡°60 times¡­¡± opposite them, jack stared in absolute disbelief at the compressed sword intent surrounding general ha, every terrifying energy fluctuation announcing that this sword dog¡¯s body was infused with sword power concentrated 60 times over. surpassing even the shield dragon king¡¯s compression by a factor of ten, general ha had reached an uncharted realm inaccessible to any blue star beastmaster. sea??h th§× n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. it seemed it had used the 60 times compressed sky-splitting sword intent to break through the domain earlier. ¡°no way, that¡¯s absolutely impossible!!!¡± as the entire arena fell silent, guild leader pari gripped the railing tightly, his eyes red as he shouted, unable to comprehend how 60 times energy compression was possible. the dragon king with its incredible defense could bear 50 times compression due to its strong physique¡­ but this sword dog, this sword dog¡­ ¡°60 times¡­¡± no one knew that far away in the snowfield, the current record holder for the highest energy compression technique also rose from their seat, gazing deeply at the sword dog in the live broadcast. even when the sudden death king demonstrated 50 times energy compression, that person wasn¡¯t moved, yet now, they couldn¡¯t remain calm. this sword dog¡¯s physique was surely less robust than that of the dragon king, but 60 times energy compression signified its energy control had reached a terrifying level. rightfully so¡­ after all, it was a monster that had comprehended a domain at level 30. now, with general ha slicing through the enemy¡¯s domain in one strike, everyone was silent. blood dripped from between general ha¡¯s teeth, either frozen by frost force or absorbed by the sword grass. its eyes sharp, general ha stared at the two opponents, shedding its initial calm demeanor. not because the opponents posed any pressure, but because these two had dared to harbor murderous intent toward lu ran from the start. this grudge wasn¡¯t something that could be settled simply by breaking a domain. ¡°awoo-¡° after dismantling the domain, general ha had no intention of releasing a domain of its own. instead, it shook its head forcefully- the sword it held glowed brightly, and in an instant, violent sword qi transformed into a raging space storm, sweeping toward its foes! void blade storm! the terrifying void blade storm swept across the arena. the demon ape intended to teleport away with its beastmaster, but the suction of general ha¡¯s blade storm was too immense, drawing both the beastmaster and pet beast into the maelstrom, subjected to a barrage of cuts. ¡°you originally¡­¡± in that moment, jack¡¯s pupils contracted, finding it somewhat laughable-laughing at himself. little did he know he was outmaneuvered from the start. boom!!! the chaotic sword qi obliterated the entire arena. in the blurred storm, blood spattered the void, and two shrill screams echoed briefly before being drowned out by the roar of the space. ¡°this-¡° in the next instant, audiences worldwide were shocked as they watched the protective energy barrier of the arena shatter, giving way to a violent void storm that erupted upward, tearing through the sky. and jack and the demon ape¡¯s figures¡­ vanished completely from the arena. everyone was horrified by this sight. the arena was transformed into a massive crater, leaving only lu ran and general ha elegantly perched atop two stone pillars. ¡°fools.¡± lu ran smirked, thinking that assuming the sword spirit and sword grass were merely two sovereigns was a grave misunderstanding. after all, these were retainer skills enhanced by the creator divine dragon, with general ha¡¯s sword intent boost surpassing even that of the divine deer antler! ¡°this, this, this¡­¡± the referee, his face pale, felt a mix of shock and relief at being outside the arena. trembling, he asked in the vast emptiness of the arena, ¡°where is contestant jack¡­ contestant jack?¡± in response to his inquiry, lu ran turned and shrugged, saying, ¡°i don¡¯t know, we hadn¡¯t even exerted full effort, and he just fell. could he have gotten lost in the void¡¯s chaotic currents?¡± from an outsider¡¯s perspective, it indeed seemed like general ha hadn¡¯t fully exerted itself, as it hadn¡¯t even used a domain skill. it had simply relied on regular skills to obliterate an enemy that had deployed a domain. while lu ran feigned ignorance, everyone knew that jack¡¯s fate was likely grim. many beastmasters looked pale and incredulous, as this was an outcome no one had anticipated before. ¡°shit¡­¡± it wasn¡¯t only international beastmasters; even those among the twelve branches of xia country watching the live broadcast couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡°is this lu ran even human?¡± among the first generation beastmasters across various countries, including the most formidable who had ascended the ranks to become top arena masters, they too gasped in astonishment. that jack¡­ surely wasn¡¯t weak¡­ and yet he was dispatched like this? countless spectators were left speechless, mouths agape in disbelief. the battle between the strongest fourth generation and the strongest second-generation had resulted in the latter being utterly crushed. it was that fourth-generation¡¯s pet beast that showcased a technique surpassing those of the top ten beastmasters, shattering a domain with a single strike. is this really erha¡¯s evolution? you¡¯ve got to be kidding. ¡°damn it!!!¡± at this moment, no one was more distraught than guild leader pari from eagle. he was pale, his heart racing, while next to him, dr. hayden gulped nervously, realizing something was off. wasn¡¯t guild leader pari supposed to show him lu ran in disgrace? this shocking outcome left the old man trembling in fear. was this the ¡°good show¡± pari promised? what a joke! dr. hayden stepped back cautiously, understanding that guild leader pari, who orchestrated this spectacle, was finished. pari had drained eagle of so many resources without achieving the goal of undermining xia country. eagle would surely hold him accountable. ¡°if you can¡¯t find him, then so be it. move on to the next one.¡± simultaneously, lu ran¡¯s voice echoed through the arena, frightening the egyptian first generation contestant about to face stage 5 to his core¡­ his mind was reeling; this wasn¡¯t just the strongest fourth generation, it felt like the strongest across generations. he and that dog were like merciless demons, not sparing even a bone. was this really just an 18-year-old kid?!! Chapter 309: The World is Silent eagle.in a desolate town filled with a mechanical, sci-fi aura, devoid of any life. inside a research institute, in front of a young man with short brown hair, a face full of freckles, a mechanical prosthetic limb, and even a mechanical eye, a video call appeared. on the screen, there was a blurry figure. whatever was said on the other end, the freckled young man showed a disdainful expression. ¡°heh, i always said that pari is useless.¡± ¡°relying on some background, sidelining others, turning the association into a one-man show, and having no real strength himself. now look what happened.¡± ¡°that jack is also a fool, getting involved with pari.¡± ¡°regardless of what happens to them next, they¡¯re getting what they deserve.¡± ¡°when the world is like this, they still have the mind for internal conflicts,¡± the mechanical young man said with a sneer, ¡°i agree to your invitation. i, too, need the federation¡¯s strength.¡± ¡°mr. aube, we will certainly fully support you.¡± the video call ended. aube, the transformer of the eagle federation, looked towards the mechanical lab and shook his head. still couldn¡¯t comprehend the thoughts of these politicians. s~ea??h the n?vel?ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. he had once visited the breakthrough secret realm of the machine age, witnessing the ¡°star moon federation¡¯s golden era.¡± during that time, mechanical pet beasts could be controlled by even a child, granting them immense power. an ordinary person, without the strength to even truss a chicken, could intimidate legendary life by simply operating a forbidden weapon button. this was the pinnacle period of human civilization on the star-moon continent. because of that, the breakthrough in the secret realm was extremely difficult, resulting in the blue star challengers¡¯ total defeat, and he lost an arm and an eye in the process. however, aube was not discouraged upon his return. although the breakthrough task failed, it didn¡¯t mean he gained nothing from the mechanical civilization. using those insights, he researched mechanical pet beasts day and night, finally evolving a mechanical pet beast of the overlord species. he became the first blue star mechanic to develop a mechanical pet beast. and the only beastmaster in the eagle federation to become one of the top ten beastmasters. having experienced all of this, aube realized that the political structure on the blue star was insignificant because, even as the best on the blue star, it couldn¡¯t compare to the star moon federation. compared to the brilliance of mechanical civilization, the beast taming system on the blue star was trivial. only by staying at the forefront of the times could one control everything. therefore, pari¡¯s actions against lu ran seemed utterly pointless to him. the current focus of the eagle should be on the star moon federation, not on xia country, nor on lu ran. instead, they should unite all the forces on the blue star that could be united to quickly gain qualifications equal to the star moon federation. ¡°pari¡¯s streak of good luck is over. from now on, the eagle beast taming alliance will be under my leadership,¡± said transformer aube as he looked at the live broadcast and at lu ran on the screen. lu ran was honored as the father of necromantic pets on the blue star. he, on the other hand, was honored as the father of mechanical pet beasts on the blue star. the two were somewhat similar. ¡­ alliance city. due to jack¡¯s mysterious disappearance and the destruction of the arena, the challenge tournament¡¯s continuity was disrupted. there was intense discussion within the officials, yet in the end, no conclusion was reached. during this process, the fifth gatekeeper from egypt couldn¡¯t help but report to the officials, saying he had an upset stomach and wondered if a substitute could temporarily take his place¡­ but in the end, there were no changes made. the only surprise for the stage 5 gatekeeper was that, during this process, lu ran recalled that husky and its two retainers. ¡°hapi, lu ran recalled the sword dog, and his sword dog had used energy compression of 60 times. although it seemed effortless, it must have been at its limit.¡± ¡°the dragon king was the same, fighting two consecutive battles, using energy compression of 50 times. though it seemed like a light blow, it must definitely be heavily strained.¡± ¡°go for it,¡± encouraged the big shot of the challenge tournament officials. temporarily replace you? ridiculous. whether to bring an end to lu ran or get beaten, it¡¯s up to you. the egyptian beastmaster named hapi nodded. that reasoning made sense¡­ then lu ran probably only had the twin crow left to rely on. as some had analyzed, if the twin crow excelled in legion tactics, its individual level must be relatively weaker. this was certain because, by fusing the legion trait, it inevitably incorporated one less trait that would enhance individual combat strength. there¡¯s nothing more to say. finally, the officials announced the continuation of the challenge tournament, and hapi immediately stepped onto the arena. at this moment, the venue had been repaired by an earth pet beast, so there would be no issue with venue availability. as soon as hapi took the stage, he wasn¡¯t as arrogant as jack had been. instead, he smiled and said, ¡°hey, buddy, you¡¯re amazing. go easy on me, alright?¡± ¡°you should go easy on me,¡± lu ran replied kindly. after all, who could strike someone with a friendly face? ¡°ahem, ahem.¡± the referee beside them coughed voraciously. go easy? this is being broadcast live! hapi was clearly nervous about lu ran, definitely. at this point, regardless of how the next battle unfolded, no one would question lu ran¡¯s strength. ¡°challenger: lu ran from xia country.¡± ¡°gatekeeper: hapi.¡± the referee announced the countdown for the final stage. at this moment, spectators worldwide held their breath. lu ran had already proved in the previous four matches that he was entirely different from other challengers. up until now, no one had passed stage 5. would lu ran stand a chance? ¡°the opponent is called hapi. will he be very strong?¡± ¡°well, being first generation, he can¡¯t be too weak.¡± ¡°god lu managed to smash jack, so beating another first generation shouldn¡¯t be a problem. after all, many first generation couldn¡¯t defeat jack.¡± ¡°in perfect condition, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but the problem is, after four consecutive battles, god lu must be significantly drained. the 50 times energy compression, the 60 times energy compression¡­ the strain from such techniques is imaginable.¡± ¡°at this point, the only pet beast god lu can probably send out is the twin crow.¡± people¡¯s assessments were spot on-general ha¡¯s ability to cut through domains and slay enemies was impressive, but the burden from the 60 times sword intent was indeed immense. lu ran chose not to continue using general ha in combat. after all, taking down jack was a task well accomplished. facing the final first generation gatekeeper, lu ran took a deep breath and summoned the dark crow, which had been in the first match. ¡°caw caw caw caw-¡° compared to sudden death king and general ha. the moment the dark crow appeared, it seemed much more talkative. ¡°just as i thought, it takes this general to step in-¡° ¡°huh???¡± ¡°why am i the only one summoned?¡± the dark crow¡¯s cursed crow form was called out by lu ran. at the same moment, hapi also summoned his pet beast. he didn¡¯t summon the newly nurtured overlord species pet beast, likely because its level wasn¡¯t high enough. instead, he directly summoned his pet beast with the highest growth level. [species]: sandstorm sky overlord [attribute]: wind, earth, rock [species level]: upper sovereign [growth level]: level 59 this was a large bird pet beast that resembled a vulture, covered in earth-brown rock feathers, and its appearance was accompanied by a sandstorm. its appearance left the dark crow astonished-another battle of the birds? it¡¯s worth mentioning that, seemingly worried that the dark crow might curse the beastmaster himself right from the start, as soon as the vulture appeared, either by its trait or a beast taming skill, a cluster of spontaneously appearing sand formed an absolute defense, tightly wrapping around hapi. ¡°big king, tell me, what¡¯s the plan!!!¡± regardless of what the opponent tried, the dark crow was fired up; lu ran had sent it out for the last stage, so it had to perform well. this was the power of trust! however, the opponent seemed quite strong¡­ the dark crow pondered; even if lu ran let the crow of death possess it, the dark crow anticipated a tough battle, requiring some sacrifices to win. but what did it mean that lu ran only sent it out¡­ could it be¡­ ¡°just stand by to finish off.¡± ¡°i¡¯ll handle this opponent myself.¡± for the last match, lu ran wanted to finish it quickly and then heal sudden death king and general ha. the dark crow was essentially a scout; in an arena battle, it wasn¡¯t nearly as dominant as sudden death king or general ha. asking it to handle a first generation alone was indeed a stretch unless it sacrificed its eyeball for a curse. but with too many injured in the team, lu ran was concerned that the divine deer antler might not be able to heal them all. well, it is what it is. ¡°ah???¡± lu ran¡¯s words left the dark crow stunned again and took the entire audience by surprise. handle it himself? at that moment, everyone suddenly remembered what lu ran had said in the first match. he had told the dark crow to quickly deal with the opponent, or else he would do it himself¡­ whoa. lu ran was serious? what was he going to do? ¡°hmm?¡± hapi was also taken aback. as the countdown hit zero, lu ran¡¯s hand slowly lifted, and he snapped his fingers lightly in the air. that snap, like a spark igniting a flame, made hapi¡¯s expression shift dramatically. because he¡­ felt a spatial disturbance. even though he hadn¡¯t mastered this skill himself, he had fought against beastmasters who had. ¡°domain-¡± he shouted in disbelief. at this moment, flames flickered in lu ran¡¯s eyes, and a burst of fire erupted from the void. in an instant, a massive red globe of flames enveloped hapi and the vulture, forming a domain right on the arena. this spatial barrier completely surrounded them. at that moment, beastmasters around the world, who were paying attention to this last battle, widened their eyes in disbelief. what did they just witness¡­ within lu ran¡¯s team, aside from that monstrous erha, there was a second pet beast that had mastered a domain? no¡­ it seemed that the one mastering the domain wasn¡¯t a beast-it was lu ran himself. he¡­ with just a snap of his fingers, created a flame department domain. this strongest fourth generation not only mastered shaping artistic conception and swordsmanship will, but also¡­ mastered a domain??? ¡°are beastmasters from xia country all monsters?¡± someone exclaimed, heart racing. it was one thing for xia country¡¯s top thirteen first generations to all master domains, but now even a fourth generation had started to wield dual-domain capabilities. in contrast, despite being a first generation, hapi hadn¡¯t mastered a domain yet. as a result, he had no means to resist when lu ran¡¯s domain pulled him in effortlessly. of course, what made people feel utterly bewildered was that after lu ran created the domain, both he and his pet beasts remained outside of it-only the enemy was dragged into the domain! what is happening inside? the world fell silent. Chapter 310: The Eleventh Beastmaster at this moment, only hapi and the vulture within the flame sprite¡¯s domain knew what was happening.they were utterly shocked as they gazed at the domain, which burned with hellfire reminiscent of the other shore¡¯s netherworld. opposite them stood a figure akin to a reaper. it was a humanoid god enshrouded in netherworld flames, possessing a towering human-like body¡­ behind it were massive, flaming crow wings. its face was inhuman, with eyes unlike those of a human and a crow-like beak, exuding an overwhelming aura of malevolence. crow wings, bird beak, dark hue, red eyes, coupled with eerie spiritual power and flames engulfing it¡­ this was, indeed, the core domain skill of lu ran¡¯s improved flame sprite¡¯s domain. given that the opponent was a first generation, lu ran alone using the flame sprite¡¯s domain would not be able to bridge the powerful level gap, defeating the opponent-even if the opponent did not possess a domain. however, if during the release of the domain, the dark crow¡¯s crow of necromancy possessed lu ran, the situation would be different. lu ran¡¯s originally formidable strength would undergo a transformation. the reason lu ran did not directly summon the two crows was that he needed one necromantic crow to possess and enhance himself. compared to summoning it directly, having it on standby in the card allowed for a quicker possession activation. this is what lu ran meant by using his domain to assist other pet beasts in mastering their domains! this was also the confidence lu ran had in sending the dark crow, who was not adept at arena battles, to face the first generation. ¡°monster¡­¡± within the domain, hapi¡¯s pupils contracted again as he stared at the fire crow god¡¯s phantom, holding a black feather sword. ¡°wasn¡¯t it agreed to go easy?¡± a hint of fear arose in his mind, not knowing what would happen next. would he end up like jack¡­ dying here? just as hapi¡¯s mind became consumed with fear, the giant fire crow god let out an evil laugh. ¡°flame of fear-¡° within this domain, when an enemy¡¯s mind harbors fear, the soul-scorching flames can ignite directly on the opponent¡¯s soul! meanwhile, in the outside world. the dark crow in its cursed crow form understood what was happening, and it pouted. hmph. boring big king. both the first and final strikes were taken by its own hand¡­ not allowing general crow to shine. this grudge¡­ no, how could it hold a grudge against the big king? the dark crow wiped its tears, blaming its own weakness for not being able to easily resolve the enemy on its own¡­ boom!!! just as people were still in awe that lu ran had mastered a domain, this domain didn¡¯t last long before it directly collapsed. however, this time, it wasn¡¯t shattered from the inside. whoosh! by the time people realized what had happened, hapi and the vulture were already engulfed in black flames. one had stopped flying and collapsed to the ground, while the other still stood but with vacant eyes. the flames hadn¡¯t caused any physical harm to them. they appeared to be burning, yet even their clothes remained untouched. however, from their condition, the audience could tell their situation was dire. ¡°is this¡­ their souls being burned???¡± one spectator was utterly shocked. ¡°god lu¡­ showed no mercy.¡± another retorted. ¡°what do you know?¡± ¡°being taken out by the domain directly is better than breaking free and being finished off by that crow, right?¡± the rebuttal was reasonable, and others found themselves at a loss for words. some even began to speculate that, to avoid being turned into a pig, hapi deliberately didn¡¯t struggle with all his might within the domain. regardless, at this moment, everyone held their breath, collectively realizing one thing. sure enough¡­ even this first generation couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being defeated by lu ran. stage 5¡­ seemed to have been cleared. never before had a challenger swept through the five gatekeepers in such a decisive, unstoppable manner. if lu ran¡¯s status were that of a second-generation, the strongest second-generation beastmaster, then everyone would consider this a normal achievement. but lu ran was merely a fourth-generation beastmaster. not only did he take down the strongest second-generation in the process, but he also defeated a first generation¡­ ¡°right now, ordinary first generations, no, even some elite first generations, might not dare claim they could defeat this strongest fourth generation standing before us.¡± high-level members from various countries closely following the challenge tournament were gravely concerned. lu ran¡¯s rise to prominence has been incredibly rapid. previously, his prowess could be attributed to his legion skill, putting him on par with a first generation. now, however, it¡¯s evident that he can rival a first generation purely with the individual combat capability of his pet beasts. many feel that if lu ran weren¡¯t limited by being a fourth-generation beastmaster, without enough time to develop, he would undoubtedly be among the top ten beastmasters of blue star. considering his current potential, calling him the eleventh beastmaster of blue star might not garner much opposition. ¡°referee,¡± lu ran calmly glanced at the referee from the arena. startled, the referee quickly announced that lu ran had cleared the challenge, becoming the first beastmaster to pass through all five stages. at that moment, the world erupted in excitement. especially within xia country, where countless beastmasters cheered. the way they looked at lu ran was nothing short of divine reverence. yet, this also placed immense pressure on two particular individuals. dean qin ming and youxiong guild leader sat trembling in the audience seat, nearly bowing to lu ran. this kid is truly astounding! how could he achieve such greatness? though they enjoyed the spectacle, a sudden wave of pressure hit both of them. if they failed to clear the five stages, would beastmasters in their country relentlessly compare them to lu ran? ¡°not bad.¡± atop a high platform, a large cat stretched and yawned, its mouth curving into a mocking smile as it witnessed lu ran effortlessly dominate the challenge tournament. the way the eagle federation¡¯s people botched their scheme was indeed ¡°impressive.¡± with a gentle leap, it hopped onto a railing, its figure flickering out of sight, only to reappear in front of two figures. s~ea??h the n?vel(f)ire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°isn¡¯t this guild leader pari from the sacred eagle country?¡± manager ying looked at a young man with a pale face, alongside an elder completely drained of vitality, and chuckled. ¡°guardian of xia country, ying,¡± guild leader pari mumbled softly. ¡°here¡¯s a piece of intelligence for free: the sacred eagle alliance¡¯s council has decided to impeach you from your position as guild leader, replacing you with that transformer,¡± manager ying said leisurely before walking away. it had thoroughly investigated who was targeting lu ran. unfortunately for them, they picked a fight with someone whose potential seemed limitless. if nothing changes and guild leader pari loses his position in the eagle federation, his days will likely be grim. he has antagonized numerous factions during his tenure, and given the country¡¯s situation, if he steps down, even some of his country¡¯s own people might strive to bring him down. if pari were the strongest beastmaster in his country, it might be different, but unfortunately, he is not. at this moment, while guild leader pari¡¯s face was pale, manager ying pondered whether to inform the dark crow to place a distant curse of misfortune on pari, ensuring he wouldn¡¯t escape internal punishment from the eagle. lu ran¡¯s participation in the alliance challenge had come to an end. through this challenge, he earned a new title: the eleventh beastmaster. this title reflects his potential, as the beastmasters of blue star believe that given enough time, lu ran could undoubtedly become one of the top ten arena masters, the strongest of them all. after all, he had already broken the personal record of one arena master. with his challenge completed, lu ran went to rest, eager to treat general ha and the sudden death king. once the treatment was over, lu ran stepped out and coincidentally ran into manager ying. ¡°hehe.¡± at that moment, lu ran was beaming with joy, feeling that his more than twenty days of intensive training hadn¡¯t been in vain. after his dominating performance in the challenge, the feather of kunpeng from the former guild leader should rightfully be his now. ¡°feeling happy?¡± though manager ying believed lu ran had a high chance of succeeding in the challenge, even she was surprised by some of the things he showcased during it. but now, that didn¡¯t matter. manager ying said, ¡°alright, you¡¯ve had your moment in the spotlight; now it¡¯s time to get down to business.¡± ¡°what counts as business?¡± lu ran asked with a smile while gulping down a nutritional drink to replenish his energy. activating the possession domain had nearly drained him. ¡°the level 3 legendary secret realm!¡± manager ying replied helplessly, ¡°you should hurry up and clear a secret realm, then enter the breakthrough secret realm. aren¡¯t you in a hurry to head to the star moon federation?¡± ¡°are there any suitable legendary secret realms available?¡± lu ran inquired. manager ying shrugged, ¡°none at the moment.¡± ¡°how can you expect to always stumble upon a legendary secret realm with 100% compatibility? just find one that¡¯s reasonably compatible. you¡¯re doing a solo clear, so the final rewards won¡¯t be too bad.¡± ¡°that won¡¯t do,¡± lu ran replied. ¡°those somewhat compatible areas can be left for the jiao dragon team to clear.¡± ¡°if there¡¯s nothing particularly fitting and we don¡¯t have time to wait, then find me the one that¡¯s theoretically the hardest.¡± ¡°the hardest one to clear means the boss is strong, which also means its abilities are formidable¡­¡± ¡°this way, the rewards might be better.¡± ¡°even if it doesn¡¯t suit my current pet beasts, it might work for future ones. if the reward is good enough, i could agree to contract a pet beast that matches the reward.¡± ¡°the most challenging level 3 legendary secret realm¡­¡± manager ying considered. ¡°that¡¯s an option since your combat strength shouldn¡¯t be squandered.¡± ¡°in the level 3 legendary secret realms, there are no space or dragon-type bosses right now. picking the toughest one is indeed difficult,¡± manager ying pondered for a moment. ¡°if only you were at level 4.¡± ¡°in the level 4 legendary secret realm, there¡¯s a time-type boss that¡¯s considered the hardest level 4 legendary secret realm.¡± lu ran paused and said, ¡°no rush; i¡¯ll challenge it after i finish with the breakthrough secret realm.¡± manager ying rolled its eyes, ¡°that¡¯ll be at least a month from now. let¡¯s hope this secret realm is still around then.¡± ¡°enough about the far-off plans. as for the toughest level 3 legendary secret realm, i can¡¯t pinpoint just one. i¡¯ll select three that are generally considered challenging, and you can choose among them.¡± ¡°sounds good,¡± lu ran agreed with a nod. ¡°the first one features a boss from the middle overlord species category: the demon starfish, with both water and dark attributes. it resides in the deep sea and has instant healing capabilities, making this legendary secret realm virtually unconquerable.¡± ¡°the second boss is the lava crocodile, also from the middle overlord species category. with fire as its primary attribute, it resides deep within a volcano. during battle, it can easily trigger ongoing volcanic eruptions. even elite teams proficient in water and ice attributes find it challenging to fight against, as air battles are often thwarted by the spewing magma.¡± ¡°the third option is the light devourer, another middle overlord species. it¡¯s a dual-attribute boss with grass and light properties. its stamina is boundless, with an incredible recovery speed, and it possesses a well-rounded offense and defense. thus, it¡¯s difficult to overcome it with weaker forces unless there¡¯s overwhelming combat power.¡± ¡°so, any of these catch your interest, meow?¡± manager ying asked with a playful tone. Chapter 311: Demon Starfish Demon Starfish, Lava Crocodile, Light Devourer¡­Lu Ran pondered for a moment. ¡°These three are the most challenging level 3 Legendary Secret Realms.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Manager Ying nodded slightly. Lu Ran plopped down on the sofa beside her, crossing his legs thoughtfully. ¡°The BOSS in the deep sea¡­ there are currently very few beastmasters skilled in maritime warfare, and with this BOSS¡¯s strong self-healing abilities, it¡¯s indeed difficult to strategize.¡± ¡°This Demon Starfish is both water and dark attribute. I need the water attribute characteristics, and the dark ones too. A pure self-healing trait is something everyone needs¡­¡± ¡°It could be an option.¡± ¡°With cloud baby and dark crow here, I¡¯m not worried about deep sea battles. I can give it a try.¡± ¡°As for the Lava Crocodile, I¡¯ll pass.¡± ¡°Magma and power of flames traits aren¡¯t really needed. I¡¯m the only one on the team with control over the power of flames, and with Flame Sprite around, I probably won¡¯t be contracting any fire pets in the future, so I can rule this one out.¡± ¡°Even if cloud baby might practice flame-oriented weather techniques in the future, it might not be the best choice.¡± ¡°Light Devourer¡­ dual grass and light attributes. I currently have a strong grass attribute trait, and I will definitely be contracting a grass pet in the future. Light is also a powerful attribute and complements grass well. Choosing this one seems nice too.¡± ¡°Torn.¡± ¡°The first and third options both seem doable. The things dropped by Demon Starfish might be immediately useful, while those from Light Devourer might be useful in the future.¡± Manager Ying anticipated this dilemma, sighed, and said, ¡°How about you flip a coin?¡± ¡°Let fate decide which challenge.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran took out a lucky clover trait crystal, grabbed a marker, and labelled its two sides as ¡°Ü³¡± and ¡°ãß.¡± With Manager Ying watching him with twitching lips, Lu Ran emptied his mind, closed his eyes, and tossed it onto the sofa. The trait crystal flipped in the air a few times before landing on the sofa. Lu Ran opened one eye to check the result, then fell into thought. ¡°ãß¡±¡­ this means the lucky trait is guiding him to challenge the water and dark attribute BOSS, Demon Starfish. ¡°Trusting you this time!¡± Lu Ran took back the trait crystal and wiped off the doodles with his hand. ¡°Have you decided?¡± Manager Ying asked. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s going to be the Demon Starfish. Where is this secret realm?¡± Lu Ran inquired. Manager Ying replied, ¡°Malai Country. It¡¯s not a big deal, I¡¯ll make the arrangements, and you can just go for the challenge.¡± ¡°Alright, then.¡± ¡°I might as well head over now since there¡¯s nothing else going on,¡± Lu Ran casually remarked. He decided to skip watching the tournament between Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader. There¡¯s no need to prepare extensively for the Legendary Secret Realm. Level 3 Legendary Secret Realm Bosses are all middle overlords at level 40. Although they¡¯re much stronger than usual wild middle overlords since they¡¯re realm Bosses, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for Lu Ran. After all, his team is quite powerful. To truly challenge Lu Ran¡¯s team at the same level, it would probably take a divine beast cub. The only challenging aspect of this realm is the battle environment, but Lu Ran already had a plan for that. ¡°Heading there right away? Alright.¡± Manager Ying chuckled mischievously. Aren¡¯t you practically mocking the international alliance? Immediately tackling the toughest level 3 Legendary Secret Realm right after passing the five-part Alliance Challenge¡­ it¡¯s like saying the challenge was a piece of cake! ¡­ Infinite City, Malai Country. Soon, Lu Ran was teleported there and began examining the secret realm information. [Name]: Demon Sea Cave [Level]: Level 3 [Difficulty]: Legendary [Secret Realm Introduction]: A variant of the Dark Sea Star. This extremely ferocious and mindless demonized mutant creature has caused limitless slaughter in the ocean. Demon Sea Cave is one of the habitats of the Demon Starfish. Here, you¡¯ll encounter a growing stage Demon Starfish and become its prey¡­ (Demon Starfish, water and dark attributes, middle overlord species, level 40.) [Challenge Crystal Coins]: 0 Manager Ying¡¯s Intelligence: [Based on other teams¡¯ challenge experiences, once teleported, challengers find themselves in a high-pressure, icy deep sea, making movement difficult. The first challenge is finding the Demon Sea Cave in the pitch-black deep sea. Without a carrier-like water attribute pet beast, challengers are likely to be eliminated at this stage. Following that is the encounter with the Demon Starfish. This step is also a major challenge, typically recommended for beastmasters with Fusion Skill training and water attribute pet beasts.] Lu Ran looked at the fierce introduction and recalled Manager Ying¡¯s intelligence. He instantly summoned cloud baby and pulled out the feather of Kunpeng. ¡°Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!¡± Cloud baby appeared looking listless. After a month of intense training, it felt a bit left out since it had no role in the challenge tournament, leaving it quite dispirited. Lu Ran patted the floating cloud baby beside him and said, ¡°Next, we¡¯re heading into the Legendary Secret Realm. Battling a BOSS will be exciting.¡± ¡°Pitter-patter!¡± Cloud baby¡¯s eyes lit up as it glanced at the feather of Kunpeng. Was it going to play a key role this time? Lu Ran smiled, ¡°You¡¯re the main mode of transportation.¡± S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Cloud baby: ??? Alright, alright, then it would crash into the BOSS for sure, its hair fluttering wildly. It made sense for a mode of transport to crash, right? Lu Ran: ? ¡°What are you thinking? Do you think my telepathy doesn¡¯t work?¡± ¡°But, since you want to crash into it, I¡¯ll let you. We¡¯re loaded with buffs anyway,¡± Lu Ran¡¯s smile widened. Before long, cloud baby, holding Lu Ran¡¯s feather of Kunpeng, transformed into a giant fish in the designated room. A whale-shaped great Kun! Lu Ran reached out to touch its body and then slipped inside, entering a white room resembling a cloud sea. Inside, Lu Ran could clearly see outside through cloud baby¡¯s body; it felt like boarding a submarine ready to dive into the deep sea. However, one giant fish submarine wouldn¡¯t suffice against the Demon Starfish, so Lu Ran promptly summoned General Ha, sudden death king, and dark crow. In theory, bringing sudden death king, a thunder attribute wild card, into a deep sea battle wasn¡¯t ideal. But thanks to its learned defense aura, sudden death king still held some value. With everyone aboard the giant fish submarine, Lu Ran confidently entered the secret realm. [Teleportation complete.] [Challenge mission: Defeat the Demon Starfish.] The challenge mission is to defeat, not kill, the Demon Starfish. It seems Infinite City has determined that killing the Demon Starfish might be too difficult. As for what constitutes defeat, that¡¯s up to Infinite City¡¯s own judgment. After entering the deep sea, General Ha and sudden death king found everything quite novel, watching the outside world through the water screen window created by cloud baby. Once cloud baby got there, it started swimming aimlessly, waiting for Lu Ran¡¯s instructions. Lu Ran glanced at dark crow and said, ¡°Finding the enemy is your job.¡± ¡°Squawk! Let¡¯s see if I can curse it to death!¡± dark crow proclaimed. It immediately began searching for the Demon Starfish with all its might, and soon enough, discovered a terrifying creature exuding a dreadful aura in a distant sea cave. ¡°Hiss¡­¡± It was a creature with pink skin, resembling a blend between a human and a starfish, its limbs marked with dark stripes. It seemed to be sleeping in the sea cave, but the moment dark crow¡¯s Evil God¡¯s Eye opened at this location, it was stunned by the powerful dark aura emanating from the creature. Dark crow felt its own dark power wasn¡¯t as pure as this thing¡¯s. ¡°You¡­¡± dark crow thought it had hidden its breath quite well, but as soon as its eye appeared, the Demon Starfish abruptly opened its pitch-black eye and, as if teleporting, appeared right behind the Evil God¡¯s Eye, crushing dark crow¡¯s clone eye with a grasp! ¡°Darn it!¡± Inside the giant fish submarine, dark crow blinked hard, dissatisfied, and said, ¡°Its sensory and reaction abilities are strong, and its speed is very fast. I only got a brief look before trying to cast a curse, and it instantly crushed one of the Evil Eye clones.¡± ¡°Big king, give me another chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll definitely bring it down to its knees.¡± ¡°Stronger is better,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°That way, cloud baby can have more fun crashing into it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± dark crow was taken aback-crash? ¡°It seems like it¡¯s being drawn toward us. This saves us the effort of having to find it,¡± Lu Ran mused, stroking his chin as he sat inside the giant fish submarine, looking forward. In the distant sea region, the figure of the starfish creature was speeding through the ocean as if flying. It wore a ferocious expression, seemingly searching for whoever was spying on it. Before long, it locked onto the whale-shaped cloud baby, and a cruel grin spread across its face. At that moment, cloud baby also spotted the Demon Starfish and matched its ferocity with its own. ¡°Pitter-patter! (Shield!)¡± Upon cloud baby¡¯s command, sudden death king, somewhat shocked, cast a shield on it. In the next moment, cloud baby was enveloped in a radiant glow, showcasing speed on par with the Demon Starfish, and with a ¡°boom,¡± it charged towards the incoming creature. Demon Starfish: ? The two figures collided violently with a ¡°bang,¡± sending Demon Starfish reeling backward in the deep sea, its entire body trembling in confusion. It could only feel that its attacks hadn¡¯t broken through the opponent¡¯s defenses. Instead, it was sent flying, dizzy from the impact. Before it could recover from the collision, Lu Ran promptly ordered, ¡°General Ha, Infinite Sword Domain!¡± ¡°Woof¡­¡± In the next instant, General Ha activated the sword domain in the deep sea, encapsulating both their team and the Demon Starfish. At that moment, Lu Ran fully unveiled his tactical plan. ¡°General Ha, use the power of the Infinite Sword Domain to imagine cloud baby as a sword, then enhance its sharpness with sharp metal sword intent. Add sudden death king¡¯s defense aura to the mix, and let¡¯s have cloud baby spar with the Demon Starfish.¡± In the next instant. Amidst the furious roar of the Demon Starfish, it was once again knocked over by the whale, this time with several sword-like gashes on its body, leaving the Demon Starfish visibly shocked. It looked at the whale across from it, baffled. What kind of creature was this? How could something rely solely on ramming with such force? Chapter 312: He’s Starting to Raise a New Pet… The deep sea boss, terrifying to other challengers, is merely a source of entertainment for Lu Ran and his team.In General Ha¡¯s Infinite Sword Domain, anything can be imagined as a sword. General Ha¡¯s sharp metal sword intent can imbue any weapon with the utmost sharpness. The defense aura of the Sudden Death King can grant any target defense to match its own. With these buffs combined, the big fish transformed by the Cloud Baby becomes a swordfish car with astonishing attack and defense power. Repeatedly, the Cloud Baby knocks the Demon Starfish away. However, the Demon Starfish¡¯s self-healing ability is indeed terrifying, quickly recovering even if its body is shattered by the Cloud Baby. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± Faced with the unsolvable whale-headed car relentlessly crashing into it, the Demon Starfish seems furious but helpless. ¡°Woo woo.¡± Initially, the Dark Crow admired the Demon Starfish as a formidable opponent, but now, seeing its pitiable state, can¡¯t help but shed tears. When it comes to being ruthless, Big King takes the lead, making even a respected strong opponent nearly pass out from being hit by an armed baby car. ¡°Pitter-patter!!!¡± Before long, under the relentless efforts of the Cloud Baby, the Demon Starfish is completely overwhelmed and finally loses consciousness. ¡°Hehe.¡± Inside the armed baby car, Lu Ran makes a gesture of prayer for the Demon Starfish. Sorry, but we planned to let you go peacefully. However, transport pets have big dreams too. [Congratulations, you have completed the secret realm challenge.] [Rating: Perfect!] [Congratulations, you have obtained 10 million crystal coins.] [Congratulations, you have obtained 500 upgrade cards.] [Congratulations, you have obtained an exquisite resource, Mutated Tear (when consumed, the life form will undergo humanoid mutation from any species form, with a significant increase in Comprehension during the evolution process).] [Congratulations, you have obtained special resources, Trait Crystal (Demonization: A pet beast fused with this trait crystal can enter a demonized state, dramatically reducing its rationality with a risk of going out of control. In exchange, all attributes of the pet beast are enhanced, and it gains super-speed healing and limb regeneration physical attributes.)] [Congratulations, you have obtained the beast taming skill, Hand of Purification (can remove negative mental and mind states from oneself and pet beasts).] [Congratulations, you have obtained a special resource, Egg of the Dark Sea Star (middle sovereign species, water and dark dual-type ocean supernatural being).] ¡°Darn it.¡± The level 3 Legendary Secret Realm was cleared, but Lu Ran felt a bit dazed looking at the resources that were dropped. What on earth is all this? To Lu Ran, these resources were far inferior to those dropped by the legion type secret realm. He¡¯s somewhat regretting now, wondering why he chose to spend coins on this secret realm. While these rewards aren¡¯t exactly bad, Lu Ran feels they are far from extraordinary. Lu Ran stood there, staring blankly at the resources, trying to see them in a better light. The mutated tear? Isn¡¯t this just an upgraded version of the anthropomorphic trait? The trait is only usable by black card contracted beasts, but the mutated tear should be usable by any pet beast. Lu Ran doesn¡¯t have much use for this. Perhaps sell it at a high price to Manager Ying? So it can cultivate a real catgirl. The demonization trait and the hand of purification beast taming skill seem to be intended for combined use. They can directly create a pet beast capable of super-speed regeneration and limb regeneration, much like the Demon Starfish. ¡°I have telepathy and can awaken a berserk pet beast, proven on General Ha. If I can forgo the hand of purification and solely use telepathy to allow a pet beast to control demonization, the trait could still be very valuable.¡± Lu Ran sank into thought, for instance, considering the Dark Crow. Its Evil God¡¯s Eye is in dire need of healing abilities. Right now, the Dark Crow is still weak, and the divine deer antler can heal its injuries, but Lu Ran estimates that once they undergo their second-stage evolution, the divine deer antler might not be effective anymore. If they want to keep using their skills as they do now, they¡¯ll probably need a legendary-level healing item. Without one, the ability of high-speed regeneration and limb regeneration in the demonization state would suit the Dark Crow well, allowing it to use its Evil God¡¯s Eye even more recklessly. The egg of the Dark Sea Star¡­ might as well not have it. Lu Ran felt a bit dizzy, probably from motion sickness¡­ However, more disoriented than Lu Ran are the beastmasters in the outside world. The moment Lu Ran cleared the new Legendary Secret Realm, the system announcement naturally rang out. [Congratulations to level 3 beastmaster Passerby A for single-handedly completing the level 3 Legendary Secret Realm ¡®Demon Sea Cave,¡¯ achieving a perfect rating and starting the Path of Legend.] Hearing this announcement, many people were dumbfounded. What the heck, weren¡¯t you just in Alliance City participating in the Alliance Challenge?? How did you suddenly go and clear another Legendary Secret Realm? Inside Infinite City, many were left in a daze. ¡°No way, does this guy¡¯s pet beast still have the energy to clear a Legendary Secret Realm???¡± ¡°Demon Sea Cave, I remember, is a Legendary Secret Realm in Malai Country, with a deep sea boss that¡¯s quite difficult.¡± ¡°What the heck, I don¡¯t recall Lu Ran having any pet beast good at maritime warfare.¡± ¡°Malai Country¡¯s beastmasters, quick, check your local sovereign divine beast leaderboard, see which pet beast Lu Ran used to clear the secret realm!¡± Infinite Cities everywhere were abuzz, and Malai Country¡¯s beastmasters were equally bewildered, unsure when Lu Ran even arrived. In Malai Country¡¯s Infinite City Beastmaster Square, indeed, with Lu Ran clearing the Legendary Secret Realm, the sovereign divine beast leaderboard updated. However, the change was not in the overlord species leaderboard. [Regional Announcement: Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard, Sovereign Species Leaderboard updated.] [Leaderboard Divine Beast, Species: Weather Elf.] [Attributes: Water, Ice, Thunder] [Species Level: Middle Sovereign] [Growth Level: Level 35] [Beastmaster: Passerby A] S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Reason for Leaderboard: In a Legendary difficulty level 3 secret realm, Demon Sea Cave, rammed to death a middle overlord species, level 40 Demon Starfish.] [Ranking ascended to first on the Sovereign Divine Beast Leaderboard!] Beastmasters: ??? ¡°What?¡± ¡°Weather Elf?¡± ¡°What kind of pet beast is that¡­¡± ¡°A new pet, maybe??? Lu Ran is raising a new pet??¡± On the international forum, as soon as Lu Ran cleared the Legendary Secret Realm, discussions erupted intensely. It was revealed that Lu Ran had been raising a new pet, which became a key force in clearing the level 3 Legendary Secret Realm! [Weather Elf, sounds like an elemental lifeform. I remember Lu Ran once got a pet beast egg of an elemental kind; it must have hatched from that, right?] [Something¡¯s off; that name suggests a weather-controlling pet beast. Having a water attribute, I can accept that it battles at sea, but what¡¯s this about ramming a Sea Star boss to death? Is there a bug in Infinite City?] [Isn¡¯t the most important question how a middle sovereign defeated a middle overlord??] [There must have been teammate support, right? Didn¡¯t you watch the challenge tournament? That Dragon King can buff teammates with defense; there¡¯s no way it was a solo run. Surpassing by a whole level, it¡¯s impossible.] [It¡¯s already level 35 and still a middle sovereign, so it hasn¡¯t gone through the first-stage evolution yet. It must have fewer than three fused traits. Lu Ran is probably waiting for the next Evolution Secret Realm to open!] Lu Ran¡¯s new pet being exposed instantly sparked a heated debate, with everyone speculating about what kind of creature Lu Ran¡¯s fourth pet beast would ultimately become. Given the precedent of the Sword Domain Dog, Shield Dragon King, and Twin Crow, people believed Lu Ran¡¯s fourth pet wouldn¡¯t be weak. However, just how far it can go might only be revealed over a month later when the Evolution Secret Realm opens again. By then, it is expected that Lu Ran will bring the Weather Elf to evolve. This Weather Elf, as a middle sovereign species, is powerful enough to overshadow nine upper sovereigns on the local divine beast leaderboard, proving its immense potential. It might even become an overlord! ¡­ While discussions raged inside and outside Infinite City, Lu Ran had already returned to reality with his spoils. He indeed planned to take Cloud Baby for evolution in a little over a month. Once he emerges from the new Breakthrough Secret Realm, it should be time. Inside the room, Manager Ying seemed to have been waiting for Lu Ran. It had already seen the news of Lu Ran clearing the Legendary Secret Realm. Seeing that Lu Ran had met expectations by easily conquering the challenge, Manager Ying chuckled. ¡°Got any junk you need me to handle?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of it while you¡¯re off in the Breakthrough Secret Realm for a month.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes.¡± Coming out, Lu Ran responded helplessly, ¡°By the way, have you ever thought about becoming a catgirl?¡± Manager Ying: ??? Something¡¯s off with you, kid. Lu Ran quickly explained the effects of the mutated tear, bringing Manager Ying into deep thought. ¡°It even boosts Comprehension¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re tempted,¡± Lu Ran said seriously. ¡°Get lost!¡± Manager Ying exclaimed, clawing wildly as Lu Ran dodged repeatedly. ¡°I don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°As far as I know, there are no humanoid divine beasts on the Star-Moon Continent. Evolving towards a human form is definitely the wrong path. You keep it for yourself.¡± ¡°Why are the exquisite resources you obtained from the two Legendary Secret Realms so strange? One¡¯s for reproduction and the other¡¯s for evolving into a human¡­¡± Lu Ran shrugged and said, ¡°Who knows, maybe it¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± Manager Ying snorted and said, ¡°It¡¯s no coincidence. I forgot to tell you, but when you first went to challenge the Legendary Secret Realm, Fang Lan from Green Sea City sent word¡­¡± ¡°The plant seed you brought back from the breakthrough secret realm has finally evolved and awakened. In other words, it hatched.¡± ¡°Huh?? Really?¡± Lu Ran asked quickly, ¡°What species is it?¡± To be honest, Lu Ran hadn¡¯t paid much attention to this seed, as it was just a lower sovereign species, while the Sword Grass he had started with was an upper sovereign species. However, since it had a lucky clover trait and he needed a plant pet contract fusion, Lu Ran was somewhat curious. If it was suitable, the lower level didn¡¯t matter that much; he could still make a contract with it. If not, then it wasn¡¯t worth his while. ¡°It¡¯s kind of an unconventional species,¡± Manager Ying said. ¡°Check your phone; Fang Lan should have sent you a message. She used the eye of data to identify it.¡± Lu Ran pulled out his phone; sure enough, there was a message from Fang Lan. Upon reading it, Lu Ran fell silent. Fang Lan: [What¡¯s the deal with this seed of yours? Is it really a reward from Infinite City?] [Species]: He Huan Hua [Attribute]: Grass [Species Level]: Lower Sovereign [Growth Level]: Level 1 [Species Talent]: Endless Vitality (Can release aphrodisiac pollen; pet beasts that absorb the pollen will have increased chances and quality of breeding.) [Introduction]: A special flower pet that uses its fragrance to hypnotize enemies in battle. Lu Ran: ??? What the heck, Infinite City is ruining my reputation. What kind of nonsensical resource and pet beast rewards are these? Alright, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m contracting with this one! I¡¯ll have to find a new plant pet! Chapter 313: A New Breakthrough Secret Realm! He Huan Hua¡­Lu Ran was furious. He couldn¡¯t understand how his experience in the last breakthrough secret realm was linked to He Huan Hua! Why was such a thing given as a reward? ¡°Do you think this is still just a coincidence?¡± Manager Ying cast a deep gaze at Lu Ran. Blood drop stone, mutated tear, He Huan Hua¡­ Can you even look forward to your next reward? ¡°I¡¯m innocent,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°I was actually expecting a powerful combat pet¡­ or maybe an amazing support item¡­¡± ¡°Infinite City doesn¡¯t play fair, does it?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± ¡°In theory, this He Huan Hua should be much rarer than what you mentioned.¡± Manager Ying chimed in, ¡°Breeding high-species pet beasts is always a challenge, and with He Huan Hua, it should ease the burden significantly.¡± ¡°If cultivated well, it might even become a national treasure.¡± ¡°For example, your dark crow legion, high-potential and high-talent crows are always in the minority.¡± ¡°But with this He Huan Hua, you won¡¯t have to search the world for elite crows to breed. You can just pair up the existing elite crows to breed, and the bloodline will only get stronger.¡± Lu Ran twitched his lips and said, ¡°Seems like there¡¯s some truth to that.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like a bad deal, huh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s suitable for careful breeding; it¡¯s just not suited for you to do it yourself,¡± Manager Ying shrugged. ¡°Alright then,¡± Lu Ran pouted. So, to find a pet beast that can fuse with the lucky clover trait, I still have to keep looking. After chatting with Manager Ying, Lu Ran started to reply to Fang Lan: [Just asking if you¡¯re impressed or not.] Fang Lan: [?] ¡°What kind of response is that?¡± Manager Ying said, exasperated. Lu Ran chuckled and said, ¡°This is called ending the topic.¡± ¡­ Within a day, Lu Ran dominated the Alliance Tournament and also easily cleared a Legendary Secret Realm, making the global scene restless today. Later on, both Youxiong Guild Leader and Dean Qin also did well in their challenges. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t ideal to repeatedly target Xia Country, as tough gatekeepers were all encountered by Lu Ran. The gatekeepers that Youxiong Guild Leader and Dean Qin encountered were average in difficulty. As a result, Youxiong Guild Leader also dominated up to stage 4 but unfortunately lost at stage 5. Dean Qin was quite impressive. As the strongest second-generation from Xia Country, the first generation he matched up with, much like Hapi, hadn¡¯t mastered a domain. Therefore, facing Dean Qin, who had mastered a domain, they were ultimately defeated. In the end, two individuals from Xia Country dominated the challenge tournament. This had the high-level members of Xia Country grinning widely. However, Dean Qin and Youxiong Guild Leader weren¡¯t particularly pleased when they learned that Lu Ran had gone back not to rest but to casually clear a Legendary Secret Realm. It made them feel quite envious. ¡°Guild Leader, according to our agreement, the feather of Kunpeng is now mine, right?¡± Before returning to the country, Lu Ran had a video call with the former guild leader, smiling cheekily. ¡°Haha,¡± the old man, who indeed had a playful spirit, replied, ¡°It¡¯s yours.¡± ¡°With the Legendary Secret Realm cleared, when are you planning to enter the level 3 breakthrough secret realm?¡± Lu Ran thought for a moment and said, ¡°In a couple of days, perhaps. We¡¯ve been preparing for the challenge tournament for a long time, and the pet beasts are quite exhausted. I¡¯ll let them rest for two days before moving on.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the former guild leader replied. ¡°Balancing work and rest is crucial.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, you should return to Xia Country as soon as possible. You encountered so many troublesome gatekeepers probably because Parry from the Eagle Federation is targeting you.¡± ¡°However, since losing one of their strongest second-generation members, he won¡¯t have an easy time ahead.¡± ¡°To avoid him getting desperate, it¡¯s safer to be back home.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid,¡± Lu Ran laughed. ¡°If he dares to come, I¡¯ll make sure he doesn¡¯t return.¡± The former guild leader laughed, ¡°I know you¡¯re not afraid, but it¡¯s better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Leave Parry to me; don¡¯t worry about it.¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s not the strongest in Eagle Federation, he¡¯s still a frontline first-generation member and holds a high position. He must possess epic items, so don¡¯t underestimate him.¡± Epic items! Upon hearing this, Lu Ran almost hoped Parry would come over. Sensing Lu Ran¡¯s thoughts, the former guild leader shook his head, ¡°Ah, youth.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll head back home.¡± Following the former guild leader¡¯s advice, Lu Ran didn¡¯t stay long in Alliance City. Upon returning to Xia Country, he first checked on the so-called He Huan Hua and, after shaking his head, began preparing for the level 3 breakthrough secret realm. As for He Huan Hua, it was best to leave it under the care of Professor Ye, the botanist, for now to oversee its growth¡­ This breakthrough secret realm was actually quite significant for Lu Ran. It¡¯s not about reaching level 4 and immediately getting a powerful new pet beast contract, but rather that Lu Ran had a legacy crystal with a time acceleration skill in his pocket. A time-type beast taming skill! If he could learn this, Lu Ran could further close the gap between himself and the first echelon First Generation members. In the blink of an eye, three days passed. During these three days, Lu Ran dealt with some mundane tasks, like handing over unused resources to Manager Ying for trading, and he also cooked up a batch of Dragon Cuisine and soul food to leave behind. As for several pet beasts, Lu Ran simply let them relax. Afterward, with his tasks and the pet beasts¡¯ vacations both completed, Lu Ran prepared everything and informed his acquaintances that he was about to enter the breakthrough secret realm. Upon seeing Lu Ran¡¯s message, Gu Qingyi, Manager Ying, Fang Lan, and others each had different feelings but continued with their own tasks. Of course, Manager Ying was muttering, ¡°The first time was the artistic conception of the dragon, the second was the necromancy Holy Son, the third was the Tree King legacy¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe you can encounter something even more outrageous this time.¡± In infinite city no.3, in Passerby A¡¯s private room. This was Lu Ran¡¯s fourth entry into a breakthrough secret realm, and by now, he was quite familiar with the process. S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. He approached the pillar platform, activated the interface, and opened the secret realm. [Name: Breakthrough Secret Realm] [Secret Realm Level: Level 3] [Difficulty: Unknown] [Challenge Crystal Coins: 0] [Introduction: You will enter an unknown world and undergo a breakthrough trial.] ¡°Please, give me a Machine Age or Plant Age, I¡¯m begging you,¡± Lu Ran took a deep breath and prayed. The breakthrough secret realm consists of four eras: Elemental Age, Animal Age, Plant Age, and Machine Age. Among them, although the Elemental Age is the most ancient, Lu Ran currently had no particular need for it. The Animal Age¡¯s Star-Moon Continent was the same. The Machine Age, however, was different; so far, no one has cleared the Machine Age. If he could enter it, Lu Ran felt there would be numerous benefits to gain. As for the Divine Tree Continent, although Lu Ran had already been there once, he wouldn¡¯t mind going again. It would be a perfect chance for him to search for plants suitable for the lucky clover trait. [Currently matching a suitable breakthrough secret realm for you¡­] [Secret realm matching in progress¡­] [Please wait¡­] [Estimated wait time: 600s¡­] ¡°This time, the wait is quite long.¡± Seeing the full 10-minute matching time, Lu Ran decided to meditate on the spot while waiting. After less than 10 minutes, the matching was completed. [Matching successful.] [Secret realm type: Multiplayer Secret Realm, Cross-World Secret Realm (You have been matched with a beastmaster from another world¡¯s infinite city).] [Teleport Countdown: 10¡­9¡­8¡­] ¡°A Cross-World Secret Realm again, huh?¡± Lu Ran murmured, closing his eyes slightly and allowing infinite city to handle the teleport without much thought. If it¡¯s a Cross-World Secret Realm, then so be it. Buzz! With the 10 seconds over, in the midst of darkness, the secret realm introduction slowly appeared, and Lu Ran listened attentively as phantom text appeared before his eyes. [Target Location: Star-Moon Continent (Imperial City)] Lu Ran: ? Oh great, how did I end up circling back to the Star-Moon Era? [Era Introduction: Year 996 of the Beast Taming Era, the Beast Taming Empire is under siege by the four ferocious beast empires. The national advisor, ¡°Feng Qianli,¡± developed a special contract method. By defeating ferocious beasts and rendering them unconscious, a forced contract can be made to wipe their memories, turning them into pet beasts that only follow commands. Regardless of the species or level of the pet beast, resistance is futile. The risk of directly contracting advanced pet beasts is significantly reduced. To resist the ferocious beast empires, this contract law spread rapidly nationwide. Directly overwhelming powerful ferocious beasts, then brainwashing and capturing them for contracts, quickly became the mainstream beast taming method at this time. Rarely did beastmasters cultivate pet beasts from their infant stages anymore. After some time, the Beast Taming Empire¡¯s power increased significantly, with the potential to counterattack the four ferocious beast empires. In this era, capturing top-notch pet beasts became a prevailing trend. Every beastmaster took pride in capturing powerful pet beasts, venturing into danger zones to seek out the finest ones. Investigation of potential, talent assessment, combat capture-these became the essential skills for beastmasters of this era.] [Breakthrough Task: Capture a pet beast with talent potential exceeding others in this secret realm!] [Prompt ¢Ù: The challenger will receive a temporary contract space, which can be used for capturing pet beasts.] [Prompt ¢Ú: Capturing a pet beast with talent potential in the top two will promote you to level 4 beastmaster.] [Prompt ¢Û: The breakthrough task rating is positively correlated with the captured pet beast¡¯s talent potential.] [Prompt ¢Ü: Achieving a completion rating of S or above will result in the captured pet beast being converted into an egg as an additional reward.] [Prompt ¢Ý: This secret realm is a historical projection¡­] [Prompt¡­] The continuous stream of prompts made Lu Ran ponder deeply. A breakthrough task focused on battling to capture pet beasts, huh. Indeed, combat capturing of pet beasts is one of the mainstream methods for beastmasters to contract pet beasts on the Star-Moon Continent. Not every beastmaster prefers to start from scratch in raising a pet beast. Directly capturing a pet beast with a high species and level is a valid option that can save significant nurturing resources for beastmasters. In fact, even on Blue Star now, there¡¯s a tendency to move in this direction. For instance, the alliance between Xia Country and the Fishman Empire has led many advanced beastmasters to use black cards to contract high-level sea beasts from the Fishman Empire. As for Lu Ran, he personally hasn¡¯t done this before. Whether it¡¯s General Ha, the Sudden Death King, the dark crow, or Cloud Baby, he¡¯s cultivated each from scratch. The only opportunity he had to contract a matured pet beast like the Mermaid Princess, he gave it up to Dr. Gu. ¡°The breakthrough task is to see who captures the most powerful pet beast¡­¡± Lu Ran mused. Moreover, the captured pet beast will be converted into an egg as an additional reward¡­ which means there¡¯s a chance to take it out with him, even though it would be a reincarnated form. Lu Ran quickly brainstormed. ¡°Infinite city is compensating me, huh? Damn, it would¡¯ve been perfect if this task was set in the Plant Age or Machine Age.¡± ¡°But here, as the descendant of the Second Generation Emperor Yan Sizhen, who was exiled among the people, it¡¯s not excessive for me to show my potential and get in touch with the imperial guardian beasts of those upper overlord species, right?¡± ¡°Although I can¡¯t contract them, I do have a blood drop stone. It wouldn¡¯t be too much to have them give birth to an offspring for me to nurture.¡± ¡°What need is there for combat to capture, really?¡± ¡°Wait, as the divine deer¡¯s envoy, is a mere upper overlord offspring really enough to satisfy me?¡± Lu Ran pondered, rubbing his chin. I mean, is there an opportunity to find a Pseudo-legendary species divine beast¡¯s offspring, knock it out, and capture it? Chapter 314: Choice Over Effort Star-Moon Continent, Imperial City.As the capital of the Beast Taming Empire, the Imperial City is full of strong individuals, arguably the place where the combat power of the human species is most concentrated on Star-Moon Continent. Although the Beast Taming Empire is currently besieged by the four ferocious beast empires, leaving countless provinces in misery, within the Imperial City, the atmosphere remains lively and optimistic. Lu Ran walked along the bustling streets, with various street cries reaching his ears, creating a complex feeling in his heart. ¡°It¡¯s the year 996 of the Beast Taming Era, and the sect leader master hasn¡¯t been born yet.¡± ¡°The only identity I can leverage is that of the Yan Sizhen emperor¡¯s lineage.¡± This time, the identity arranged for Lu Ran by Infinite City was that of a talented individual from the populace, responding to the empire¡¯s call for a ¡°national recruitment drive¡± to venture and make a name for oneself in the Imperial City. To combat the four ferocious beast empires, the empire not only launched a national recruitment drive but also promised to grant rank and nobility directly to powerful beastmasters. Thus, recently, many formidable hidden figures from the populace have indeed been flocking to the empire¡¯s capital, seeking development opportunities. Lu Ran estimated that other challengers probably held similar identities. However, the task required the challengers to capture and contract with top-tier pet beasts, not to secure an official position by their own power. Therefore, theoretically speaking, distributing the challengers across the country shouldn¡¯t really affect the task. Yet, Infinite City still gathered the challengers in the Imperial City, making its intentions clear. The Star-Moon Continent is vast, and finding a top-tier pet beast isn¡¯t easy. Forget about 30 days, even 3 years might not be enough for a few level 3 beastmasters to effortlessly find a top-tier pet beast. Therefore, what the challengers needed most was ¡°intelligence.¡± Intelligence on the location and acquisition channels of top-tier pet beasts. Whether it¡¯s from the legendary families of the Imperial City or the military, there are routes for obtaining this intelligence. Not only is the Imperial City the political center of the Beast Taming Empire, but it¡¯s also the intelligence hub of the entire empire. Thus, as Lu Ran sees it, this should be considered a preliminary task. He quickly figured out what he should do next. As he just thought, the plan was to quickly align with a powerful faction¡­ and use their intelligence channels to find premium pet beasts. ¡°My intelligence channel is clear then, I should see if I can reach the royal family through the lineage of the Flame Sprite¡­¡± ¡°However, the current royal family doesn¡¯t seem to be from Yan Sizhen¡¯s line¡­¡± The emperor system of the Beast Taming Empire is somewhat akin to an abdication system. This tradition has been passed down since the early days of the empire. When the Beast Taming Empire was first established, the First Emperor stated that the purpose of the empire¡¯s existence wasn¡¯t for any tribe or clan to permanently become the rulers of humanity. It was to select exceptionally talented beastmasters who could lead more people to live better on this continent. Thus, the God of Hunting did not pass the throne to his offspring but to Yan Sizhen, who pioneered the culinary and forging manship. The God of Hunting believed Yan Sizhen was far superior to his own offspring, which proved to be true, as under Yan Sizhen¡¯s leadership, the Beast Taming Empire flourished even more. To follow the will of the First Emperor, Yan Sizhen, after much consideration, did not pass the throne to his own offspring for the Third Generation emperor but to another formidable figure who could take the empire further. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. For the first thousand years of the empire, this way of passing on the throne remained stable. A significant reason for this was the pet beasts left by the earlier emperors, which served as protective divine beasts for the nation, ensuring that even new emperors would not dare act recklessly under their supervision. It must be said this idea was good. However, over time, this system started to falter; even stable systems have their lifespan. Later, there were emperors who insisted on removing succession obstacles for their offspring, and others who were suddenly overthrown after committing absurd actions, leading the empire into increasing chaos, eventually falling into internal strife like Lu Ran¡¯s level 1 breakthrough secret realm. However, in the Beast Taming Era year 996, based on his textbook memory, Lu Ran recalled that such situations had not yet occurred. At this time, even if the emperor abdicated in favor of another, their families, protected by the national divine beasts, still became super clans not inferior to the royalty. These were called the imperial clans. The current emperor¡¯s family is referred to as the royalty, while the family of the former emperor is called the imperial clan. These two family factions far surpass legendary families and are the true high-level members at the core of the empire. So, the family Lu Ran needed to seek was clear: the imperial clan descended from Yan Sizhen¡¯s lineage. Lu Ran had brushed up on his history knowledge as well. In this era, although the Flame Sprite of Yan Sizhen¡¯s lineage had not yet become something of the past, it had already declined and was no longer the core legacy of the Yan Clan. Nowadays, the Yan Clan commands the empire¡¯s Dragon Legion, maintaining a high status within the empire thanks to the foundation laid by Yan Sizhen¡¯s Dragon Pet. Therefore, Lu Ran believed that when someone like him, a beastmaster possessing the perfect Flame Sprite, appeared before the Yan Clan, they would undoubtedly be overjoyed and eager to bring him into their fold. The reason is simple. The Flame Sprite is no longer the core legacy of the Yan Clan not because they dislike it, but because practicing beast taming skills requires talent. It¡¯s not like on the blue star where a beastmaster just slaps a card on their forehead to learn a skill. The Flame Sprite is a unique skill developed by Emperor Yan Sizhen based on his own talents, so naturally, his descendants who have qualifications and a bloodline close to his would find it easier to cultivate Flame Sprite. With the dilution of the bloodline, it¡¯s inevitable that the Flame Sprite could not continue to be inherited strongly. At this point, if someone like Lu Ran with ¡°atavistic bloodline¡± mastery of the perfect Flame Sprite appeared, and the Yan Clan wanted to enhance the family¡¯s glory, treating Lu Ran as a ¡°stud¡± for breeding would be the fastest and simplest method. This way, the next generation of the Yan Clan would birth many infants capable of mastering the perfect Flame Sprite. Therefore, Lu Ran would certainly be highly regarded if he went there. With some luck, leveraging the strong influence of the imperial clan could easily lead to contracting a new overlord pet as a dowry. As for wanting even better pet beasts, other methods might need to be considered. In summary, choosing a good intelligence channel is certainly faster than foolishly searching the wilderness for powerful pet beasts on one¡¯s own. ¡°Next, I just need to head to the Yan Clan¡¯s family residence,¡± Lu Ran thought, his goal clear. Unfortunately for Lu Ran, after walking for half a day, he hadn¡¯t come across any other challengers. It seemed they were quite spread out. He wasn¡¯t sure how many challengers there were or what their skill levels might be. With only two promotion spots available, Lu Ran needed to ensure that any contracted pet beast was at least at the level of an upper overlord. That was the only way to avoid mishaps. Even contracting a lower overlord was risky, as failure to advance would mean wasting an entire month-something he couldn¡¯t afford. ¡­ Yan Family. As one of the five great imperial clans in the Beast Taming Empire, the Emperor Yan Family held a crucial position within the empire. After searching for quite some time, Lu Ran finally arrived at the Yan Family estate. The estate was made entirely of fiery red bricks, magnificent and grand, larger than a town. Each of the cardinal directions had more than a dozen large gates, and Lu Ran was uncertain which one he should enter through to pay a visit, so he decided to choose one at random. At the entrance, two youths dressed in crimson flame-patterned robes stood guard with spears in hand. Before Lu Ran could approach, one of the young guards frowned and stepped forward, scrutinizing Lu Ran as he asked, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Lu Ran responded warmly upon seeing the guard. ¡°I¡¯m here to visit some relatives.¡± The young guard was puzzled. ¡°Relatives?¡± the guard instantly assumed Lu Ran was a relative of some steward or servant within the mansion and instructed, ¡°Move along¡­ go find your relatives at another¡­¡± He was just about to direct Lu Ran to another gate to register when the main door of the courtyard opened. Two elegantly dressed women walked out arm in arm, chatting and laughing. Noticing the unusual scene at the gate, one of the women, a refined lady with her hair tied up, paused and looked at the guard who was speaking with Lu Ran. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± she inquired. ¡°Third Miss, this person is here looking for relatives and came to the wrong gate, so I was giving him directions,¡± the young guard explained. The lady with the red hair tie nodded slightly, her curiosity piqued as she regarded Lu Ran, who appeared to be around her age. ¡°Who are you looking for among your relatives, and what position does this person hold in the Mansion of Emperor Yan?¡± she queried. Third Miss? Lu Ran glanced at the ponytailed girl and the other elegantly dressed woman beside her. He felt as though he hadn¡¯t chosen the wrong entrance-he had directly encountered someone significant, which was far more efficient than finding the right place and registering slowly. ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Lu Ran said. ¡°When my master passed away, he told me to come to the Mansion of Emperor Yan in the imperial city. He said everyone here is my relative.¡± ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± The ponytailed girl frowned, but Lu Ran continued, ¡°My master told me that I am a descendant of Emperor Yan Sizhen who lived among the common people. He said that by demonstrating this, I could prove my identity.¡± As he spoke, Lu Ran extended his hand, and in the next instant, a small dragon entirely composed of flames appeared, vivid and lifelike. It looked like a miniature fire-breathing giant dragon, spewing flames towards the sky from his palm. Though the Fire Dragon was small, its Dragon Might was almost tangible, warping the surrounding space. Upon seeing the Fire Dragon, the expression of the ponytailed girl changed. The woman in white elegant attire next to her exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Flame Sprite? And it¡¯s a Flame Sprite that has successfully absorbed a strange flame and transformed it into a special flame???¡± ¡°How is this possible?¡± the ponytailed girl asked incredulously, staring at the miniature fire dragon. ¡°It¡¯s been so long; how can someone still master a Flame Sprite of this level?¡± She quickly raised her eyes, which were as clear as red gems, and looked at Lu Ran. ¡°What did you just say? You said your master claimed you are a descendant of Emperor Yan Sizhen living among the populace?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­I think,¡± Lu Ran replied, looking uncertain. ¡°He said if I had nowhere else to go, I could come here.¡± The ponytailed girl was taken aback by the astonishing news. She was relieved she had asked another question. Meanwhile, the two guards beside her stood with their mouths agape, struggling to process what they had heard. ¡°Gong-Jie 1 ¡­¡± The ponytailed girl looked at the woman in white, who smiled slightly and said, ¡°You attend to your family matters; I¡¯ll head back first.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± the ponytailed girl nodded, her eyes clear and bright. She felt as if she had accomplished something significant this time. Footnote: Jie(½ã): In Chinese, the term ¡°Jie¡± (½ã) is a respectful and affectionate way to address an older female friend, colleague, or sister. Chapter 315: Ancestral Recognition? ¡°Come with me.¡±¡°You two, go quickly and report what¡¯s happened here to my parents.¡± The ponytailed girl was fascinated upon seeing Lu Ran because, currently, no one in the Emperor Yan Family could cultivate the Flame Sprite to the second stage anymore. In fact, even those who could successfully learn the first stage of the Flame Sprite were few and far between. The first stage of the Flame Sprite is the most basic level, which was the stickman Flame Sprite form that Lu Ran initially awakened. The second stage involves the absorption and fusion of other strange flames into the Flame Sprite¡¯s form. Lu Ran¡¯s Flame Sprite currently belonged to the second stage. Shortly after he had learned about the Flame Sprite in the first breakthrough secret realm, he had fused the might of the Fire Dragon with the help of the Flame Dragon King, causing a mutation in his Flame Sprite. Therefore, to the ponytailed girl, Lu Ran¡¯s skill seemed absolutely incredible. She grabbed Lu Ran by the hand and instructed two guards to take him into the mansion, while Lu Ran didn¡¯t expect her to be so enthusiastic and unrestrained, unlike the demure ladies of ancient times he had imagined. ¡°Plan, Execution, Integration¡­¡± However, as Lu Ran was pulled through the main gate of the Mansion of Emperor Yan, three words popped into his mind. He wondered if other challengers had been as lucky as him, quickly blending into an imperial clan on their first day. ¡­ ¡°My name is Yan Yingying. What¡¯s yours?¡± As the girl led Lu Ran to a courtyard filled with maple-like plants, she began to inquire about his information. ¡°Sudden Death King,¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Sudden Death King, what a unique name,¡± Yan Yingying tilted her head slightly in thought, but perhaps limited by the grand will of Infinite City, she didn¡¯t ponder it further. ¡°Could you show me that again, the Flame Sprite?¡± ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± Lu Ran was mentally prepared to demonstrate his Flame Sprite several times today, so he showed it to Yan Yingying once more. After observing the Flame Sprite up close, Yan Yingying took a deep breath, very certain that this was indeed a beast taming skill of the Flame Sprite! Still quite unbelievable. A case of bloodline reversion? As for the ancestor Yan Sizhen leaving a few bloodlines among the common people, Yan Yingying found that to be entirely plausible. Of course, there¡¯s also a possibility that Lu Ran is a descendant of other strong members of the Emperor Yan Family who drifted into the common folk over the past centuries. Since the founding of the Beast Taming Empire, which strong figure hasn¡¯t left some romantic debts outside? In the Beast Taming Empire, the plot of children and descendants of powerful families from the common folk showing up at the door is far from rare. But that¡¯s not important now. What is important is that Lu Ran¡¯s bloodline power is now closest to that of Yan Sizhen. However, Yan Yingying had never seen anyone like Lu Ran before. After all, from the standpoint of the Yan Clan, Lu Ran¡¯s talent is incredibly strong. ¡°It really is a Flame Sprite¡­¡± Yan Yingying murmured, ¡°You wait here with me; my confirmation alone isn¡¯t enough. If the elders at home also verify without issue, then we must indeed share the same ancestor.¡± ¡°Hey, Sudden Death King, can you tell me about your situation? How did you find your way to the Imperial City?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Following this, Lu Ran began to converse with Yan Yingying, using the lies he had already crafted. At the same time, after receiving intelligence, Yan Feng, the current head of the Emperor Yan Family and a legendary beastmaster, was shocked beyond belief. He looked at the guard in front of him and said, ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a Flame Sprite? And that it has cultivated to the second stage?¡± ¡°Absolutely genuine. Not only did the Third Miss recognize it, but the Seventh Princess with her recognized it as well.¡± S~ea??h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Yan Feng was initially delighted, having never expected that a member of the family with such potent latent talent would suddenly return from among the common folk. In these chaotic times, various powers are accumulating strength to ensure their legacy can continue through turbulent times. A genius whose bloodline nearly matches that of ancestor Yan Sizhen returning to recognize his ancestry is indeed good news. However, if this information were to leak to others, that would be problematic. ¡°The Seventh Princess saw it too??¡± Yan Feng¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Yes¡­¡± The Seventh Princess, a particularly favored daughter of the current emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, knowing about this means that the royal family will likely be informed of Lu Ran¡¯s arrival very soon¡­ Yan Feng felt an immense headache. He hoped the royal family wouldn¡¯t compete with him for people. Now, as the empire and the four ferocious beast empires are at war, the royal family is also in desperate need of talent. A powerful legacy like the Flame Sprite is not only coveted by the Emperor Yan Family but certainly by the royal family as well. Maple Fire Garden. ¡°So, you¡¯re quite powerful, huh? You managed to make it all the way to the imperial city on your own.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, since you¡¯ve inherited the Flame Sprite and even advanced it to the second stage, your strength must be considerable.¡± ¡°Father!¡± Hearing this exclamation from the beautiful red-haired girl in front of him, Lu Ran was momentarily startled, thinking she was calling out to him. He wondered if it was some strange custom. However, as a laugh echoed through the air, Lu Ran turned slightly to find a distinguished middle-aged man approaching. ¡°Yingying, is this the one claiming to be a descendant of our ancestor who was lost among the common folk?¡± The middle-aged man smiled while assessing Lu Ran. ¡°Yes, Father, but he doesn¡¯t seem to be very talkative. It¡¯s tiring trying to converse with him,¡± Yan Yingying said helplessly. ¡°Sudden Death King, this is my father, the current head of the Emperor Yan Family.¡± ¡°Greetings, My Lord,¡± Lu Ran quickly bowed, feeling a bit helpless at being called out for being reserved. In an unfamiliar place, it was safer to adopt the persona of someone who speaks little to avoid making mistakes. As expected, the head of the Emperor Yan Family also asked Lu Ran to display the Flame Sprite. ¡°Fire Dragon¡­¡± Observing the fiery aura of the Flame Sprite, he took a deep breath and inquired, ¡°How did you advance the Flame Sprite to the second stage?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­ My Flame Sprite evolved on its own after I nurtured a Dragon-type pet beast. However, before my parents passed away, they mentioned that my ancestor seemed to have had some fortune in Dragon Valley.¡± ¡°Dragon Valley¡­ the late Flame Dragon King?¡± Yan Feng understood that most likely Lu Ran¡¯s ancestor had received a blessing from the Flame Dragon King. Mentioning the Flame Dragon King brought a look of regret to Yan Feng¡¯s face. Such a mighty pillar of the Yan Clan had unfortunately perished two hundred years ago. Now, only one of the pet beasts raised by the Emperor Yan Sizhen remained alive. Perished? Seeing Yan Feng¡¯s expression sent a jolt through Lu Ran¡¯s heart. Did the Dragon King really pass away? With a level that high, a dragon¡¯s lifespan could easily reach a thousand years, right? Was it due to the war? Originally, Lu Ran had planned to visit the Dragon King again. He had considered the Dragon King¡¯s offspring as a backup option. How could it be gone?!!! ¡°That¡¯s indeed a Flame Sprite,¡± the head of the family, Yan Feng, said warmly. ¡°Sudden Death King, right? Child, it must have been quite the journey for you to come all the way from the Flame Dragon Sacred Domain. It¡¯s truly no easy feat.¡± ¡°I will notify the elders to prepare the ancestral recognition ceremony for you.¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, make yourself at home and consider us your family.¡± ¡°Yingying seems to be a bit older than you, so you can call her Older Sister for now. She¡¯ll help you find a room to stay in, and I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lu Ran replied, touched by Yan Feng¡¯s kindness. He felt grateful to Infinite City for making his integration into this new identity so smooth and easy. ¡­ Thus, Lu Ran settled into the Emperor Yan Family without any issues. However, despite having the Flame Sprite as proof, as someone with an unknown background, it wasn¡¯t possible for the family to immediately entrust him with any significant role. After Yan Feng¡¯s warm welcome, a stern and seemingly powerful elder soon appeared in Lu Ran¡¯s courtyard. ¡°Show me your Flame Sprite,¡± the elder demanded bluntly, his expression unfriendly. Seeing this, Lu Ran knew he couldn¡¯t refuse. He released the Flame Sprite and asked, ¡°And you are¡­?¡± The elder examined the Flame Sprite with an impassive face before speaking. ¡°Judging by the energy fluctuations of your Flame Sprite, your strength isn¡¯t insignificant. You must have other motives than just ancestral recognition, correct?¡± With that, the elder exerted a faint pressure. ¡°Well¡­¡± Lu Ran hesitated, then explained, ¡°When my master passed away, he told me that beast taming cultivation was incredibly difficult. With the current chaotic times, I wouldn¡¯t be able to get far on my own. He knew about my Flame Sprite, so he recommended I come to the imperial city for ancestral recognition.¡± ¡°He said having the support of a family would greatly benefit my personal safety, the development of my Flame Sprite, and even in taming new pets. So, here I am.¡± ¡°You speak the truth; your master was a wise person,¡± the elder said, acknowledging Lu Ran¡¯s honesty about seeking ancestral recognition for the family¡¯s protection. ¡°However, it¡¯s unfortunate that even after recognition, the family can¡¯t help you develop the Flame Sprite. As for that skill of your ancestor¡¯s, no one in the entire Emperor Yan Family has mastered it better than you.¡± ¡°No problem. I¡¯m still in need of a powerful pet beast. If the family can help me acquire one, I¡¯d be more than willing to serve the family¡­¡± Lu Ran replied candidly. The elder was taken aback. Weren¡¯t the reports saying this kid was reserved? How did he become so straightforward here? This kid¡¯s goal was crystal clear-ancestral recognition purely to borrow the family¡¯s strength. Despite this surprise, the elder felt reassured. If Lu Ran had come for recognition without any goal, it would have raised suspicions. But a desire to leverage the family¡¯s power to advance his beast taming was understandable. ¡°That¡¯s just fundamental. Regardless of any family member, the family will do its utmost to help find a suitable pet beast. After your ancestral recognition, you will naturally be no exception,¡± the elder explained. ¡°So, you¡¯re seeking ancestral recognition mainly to seek the family¡¯s help in contracting a powerful new pet beast?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the idea. I¡¯ve searched for many pet beasts during my travels, but sadly, none were what I was looking for,¡± Lu Ran nodded earnestly. ¡°Heh, how can individual efforts compare with those of an imperial clan? Tell me, what type of pet beast are you looking for? I¡¯d like to hear.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like a Pseudo-legendary species pet beast.¡± ¡°Ha! Why don¡¯t you just wish for a legendary divine beast?¡± The old man was exasperated, feeling like this kid was asking for the moon. Though today¡¯s royal and the five great imperial clans have some records of legendary and Pseudo-legendary creatures, capturing one as a pet is no easy task. ¡°I¡¯d like that too, but I probably couldn¡¯t handle a legendary divine beast,¡± Lu Ran replied with an innocent look. In truth, Lu Ran did know the location of a divine beast, as the Tree King Phantom had told him. One of the retainers of the Death Dragon resides in the abyss of an endless sea region to the north of the continent. Lu Ran aimed to nurture a pet beast with high flying speed so that he could one day find the retainer of the Death Dragon. However, after learning about the relationship between the Star Moon Federation and Blue Star, Lu Ran realized that one day he could personally go to the Star-Moon Continent to find the true Divine Deer. He thus gave up on the idea of using the breakthrough secret realm to seek out the Death Dragon¡¯s retainer. It was simply too time-consuming and too dangerous. It would be better to wait until he reached the Star Moon Federation to find the real Divine Deer, and then, through its connections, possibly meet other retainers. Who knows, maybe the legendary ¡°stone of the other shore¡± on Blue Star was left behind by the Death Dragon¡¯s retainer. ¡°You¡­¡± At that moment, the old man was utterly speechless. He felt an overwhelming urge to strangle this kid. Initially, he was excited to learn of a family member returning with an awakened Flame Sprite power. He thought perhaps joining this family with his granddaughter might lead to a great-grandchild with even greater potential. But then, he realized this guy wasn¡¯t quite the sharpest tool in the shed. Pseudo-legendary¡­ If Lu Ran managed to contract a Pseudo-legendary pet beast, the old man joked to himself, he¡¯d write his own name backwards! Chapter 316: A Cultivation Opportunity Yan Xiao from the Emperor Yan Family saw Lu Ran¡¯s unreliability, and his impression of Lu Ran instantly dropped below zero.He wasn¡¯t fond of arrogant young people. Even if Lu Ran¡¯s talent was indeed impressive and perhaps the closest to Yan Sizhen among outsiders in generations, claiming to be a pseudo-legendary so easily was absurd. Did he really think pseudo-legendaries were as common as cabbages? ¡°Hmph.¡± The elder waved his sleeve, preparing to leave. However, at that moment, Lu Ran spoke again: ¡°If that¡¯s not possible, an upper overlord would suffice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that my own pet beast has reached the middle overlord level, and it¡¯s also a member of the dragon clan. So if the potential of a new contract pet doesn¡¯t surpass my own pet, there¡¯s no point in forging a contract.¡± ¡°What?¡± This sudden change in Lu Ran¡¯s tone made the elder pause and turn to look at Lu Ran. ¡°Did you say your pet beast has a species level of a middle overlord?¡± How could that be! If Lu Ran had grown up within the family, contracting one or two overlords would be normal. But for a clansman external to the family to contract an overlord dragon clan, it seemed impossible! ¡°Summon your pet beast and let me see.¡± Lu Ran nodded after hearing this, and a summoning circle appeared behind him. Under the red lightning, a gigantic Dragon King slowly appeared above Lu Ran, with the slight breeze blowing through Lu Ran¡¯s short hair and the red glow illuminating his face in the evening light. Feeling the subtle Dragon Might of the sudden death king, the elder took a deep breath, finding it even more unbelievable. It truly was an overlord¡­ ¡°Where did you contract it?¡± the elder asked seriously. ¡°My homeland.¡± ¡°When I contracted it, it was just a lizard. I nurtured it into its current form using Dragon Cuisine cooked with Flame Sprite in dragon form.¡± ¡°You¡¯re also a Dragon Chef?!¡± ¡°Given your words¡­ you¡¯ve inherited the Flame Sprite, which evolved into a dragon form, so mastering dragon culinary intent is natural¡­¡± The elder took a deep breath, extremely surprised, yet inside, waves of astonishment surged. He initially thought Lu Ran was just a lucky person who inherited the Flame Sprite through ancestral bloodline reversion. However, he didn¡¯t expect that Lu Ran¡¯s own talent was so high, especially in culinary skill, almost rivaling Yan Sizhen the Emperor. Lu Ran could even nurture an overlord dragon clan pet at the stage of a level 3 beastmaster. It was truly incredible. The prodigies of several imperial clans who have overlord pet beasts all inherited them through family connections. To nurture an overlord pet beast on one¡¯s own is not something an ordinary second generation could accomplish. ¡°I underestimated you,¡± the elder said, rather surprised. ¡°No wonder you dare to pursue a pseudo-legendary species pet; you really have something substantial.¡± ¡°Since I haven¡¯t eaten yet and you¡¯re a Chef, show me what you can do.¡± ¡°Ah?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Ran realized the elder¡¯s unusual status. It is said that to win over an old man, you must first win over his stomach. Lu Ran immediately got to work, taking out his Cooking Utensils and General Ha¡¯s ingredients, skillfully preparing a few modern dishes for the elder with his meticulously honed culinary skills. After the meal, the elder sipped some wine and thoroughly approved of Lu Ran. ¡°Hahaha,¡± he laughed heartily. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d not only inherit Yan Sizhen the Emperor¡¯s Flame Sprite but also perfectly inherit his culinary manship talent.¡± ¡°Your skill level is not much inferior to those of the imperial chefs.¡± ¡°You mentioned you¡¯ve been cultivating with your master since your parents passed away. What¡¯s your master¡¯s name? He must be quite a figure to have trained someone as exceptional as you.¡± ¡°My master¡¯s name is Los.¡± That is the name of his convenient sect leader master¡­ ¡°Los, you say¡­ I haven¡¯t heard of him.¡± ¡°He has always been reclusive. If he hadn¡¯t passed away, I might still be cultivating in seclusion with him.¡± Some people are gone before they¡¯re born. ¡°Your master gave you excellent advice. With such outstanding talent, wandering on your own outside is a waste of potential. Returning to your family is the right choice.¡± The elder stroked his beard and said, ¡°As long as you genuinely recognize this family and strive for its interests, the family will naturally treat you well.¡± ¡°But your appetite is quite large.¡± ¡°Pseudo-legendary species, you really dare to speak.¡± ¡°Do you know that, under normal circumstances, only the offspring of legendary divine beasts can reach pseudo-legendary species level?¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t something an ordinary beastmaster can pursue.¡± ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s so difficult, and I couldn¡¯t find such an opportunity on my own, that I¡¯ve come for ancestral recognition¡­¡± Lu Ran muttered softly. The elder remained silent. ¡°Is there really no way? Since becoming a beastmaster, my biggest dream has been to capture and contract a legendary creature.¡± The old man felt a twinge of discomfort. Usually, such dreams are only heard from children who have no understanding of the world. As people grow, they generally come to terms with reality. Beastmasters like Lu Ran, who still maintain an ¡°unrealistic¡± dream, are truly rare. ¡°There is no way,¡± the elder said. ¡°Currently, the Beast Taming Empire has eighteen Guardian Sacred Beasts, almost all left by powerful beastmasters throughout the empire¡¯s thousand-year history.¡± ¡°The Flame Dragon King, which had connections with your ancestors, was once one of the empire¡¯s Guardian Sacred Beasts, but even it is just an upper overlord species.¡± ¡°Among the current eighteen Guardian Sacred Beasts, only three have reached the pseudo-legendary species level.¡± ¡°Two of them are descendants of legendary divine beasts, and one achieved pseudo-legendary status through evolution.¡± ¡°But all of them are around level 90, way beyond what you could contract.¡± ¡°Even if they were to have offspring, the species level wouldn¡¯t possibly be pseudo-legendary. At most, it would be an upper overlord, and contracting even an upper overlord is extremely difficult.¡± ¡°First, you¡¯d have to compete with the prodigies of royalty and other imperial clans. Then, you¡¯d need to gain the approval of the Guardian Sacred Beasts. Only then, would there be a one in ten thousand chance to gain custody.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s the best-case scenario. I haven¡¯t heard of a single Guardian Sacred Beast of pseudo-legendary species showing signs of having offspring.¡± ¡°So, you understand why I was tempted to berate you earlier, don¡¯t you?¡± Lu Ran looked disappointed, but then he quickly noticed a loophole. Why was he so obsessed with cubs anyway? The temporary contract space provided by the infinite city¡­ had no level restrictions! This meant that as long as he had the ability to defeat an advanced pet beast, it would be perfectly fine to forcibly contract a level 50 or level 60 pet beast. The infinite city had stated that beastmasters would ultimately bring the contracted pet beast back in the form of a level 0 pet beast egg, so the level of the pet beast contracted in the breakthrough secret realm didn¡¯t actually break the current level rules. It was merely a temporary task contract space. As a result, if Lu Ran managed to contract a level 90 Guardian Sacred Beast, it would still be in accordance with the rules. Realizing this, Lu Ran suddenly felt that there was more room to maneuver. [Convince.] [Contracting a level 90 pet beast would be difficult, even if the temporary contract space allowed it.] [How could they willingly follow a young man so easily?] [But maybe through convincing, it could be achieved.] [Background of the times: The empire is under siege by the Four Ferocious Beast Empires and it¡¯s not a time of peace.] [Therefore, the Guardian Sacred Beasts surely want a quick resolution to this situation as well.] S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Key element 1: I am a retainer of the legendary divine deer who loves peace and stability, and I have the contract space granted by the infinite city with no level restrictions.] [As long as I use the influence of the divine deer and promise to quell the unrest, convincing a Guardian Sacred Beast to form a temporary contract with me for a while isn¡¯t out of the question.] ¡°What are you daydreaming about now?¡± the elder asked when he saw Lu Ran suddenly lost in thought. ¡°I was thinking that it might not be so hopeful to contract another strong pet beast right now¡­¡± The elder scoffed, saying, ¡°You¡¯re only at level 3, why are you in such a rush to contract a new pet beast?¡± ¡°This giant dragon you have-you¡¯re nurturing it quite well. The priority should be to make it stronger.¡± ¡°And you yourself as well. When you become a legendary beastmaster and practice the improved contract method developed by the empire¡¯s national master, you¡¯ll be able to penetrate the ferocious beast empires and defeat those upper overlord ferocious beasts, forcibly contracting them!¡± ¡°Then, won¡¯t high-level pet beasts be yours for the choosing?¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow, the family will hold the ceremonial ancestral recognition, and you will fully return to the clan.¡± ¡°At that time, I will provide you an opportunity to become even stronger, but whether you can seize it or not is up to you.¡± ¡°What?¡± Lu Ran asked with curiosity. ¡°Do you know what is most enviable about the various imperial clans?¡± ¡°It¡¯s that they all have intricate connections with the Guardian Sacred Beasts. Currently, the Yan Clan maintains an excellent relationship with a combat pet left by Emperor Yan Sizhen.¡± ¡°A chance exists for talented clan members to be sent to train with it, to follow its teachings.¡± Lu Ran: ! ! Isn¡¯t this a great opportunity to get in touch with high-level pet beasts? ¡°And what is it?¡± ¡°The Lava Disaster Beast,¡± the elder said calmly. ¡°Like the Flame Dragon King, the Lava Disaster Beast was one of the seven combat pets of Emperor Yan Sizhen. It resembles a turtle, with a volcano on its back, and feeds on volcanic magma. When it fights, it¡¯s as if a natural disaster has erupted-a tremendously powerful war beast.¡± ¡°Although it hasn¡¯t reached a pseudo-legendary species level, its combat strength ranks among the top five Guardian Sacred Beasts today. Most importantly, it boasts a long lifespan and is currently still in its prime stage.¡± ¡°If you can follow it and cultivate for a while, you will gain immensely.¡± Lu Ran was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Lava Disaster Beast¡­ He recalled that in the level 3 Legendary Secret Realm, there seemed to be a BOSS called the Lava Crocodile, which he had dismissed as a strategy option. And now there was a Lava Disaster Beast of an upper overlord species¡­ An upper overlord Lava Disaster Beast¡­ sounds appealing, but Lu Ran was still more inclined toward a pseudo-legendary species pet beast¡­ Well, if in the end he can¡¯t find a pseudo-legendary species pet beast, he might see if he can convince this old turtle to serve as an alternative to the Flame Dragon King. Chapter 317: The Royal Test Meanwhile.In the palace of the Imperial City. The seventh princess of the royalty, as per usual in the evening, visited a hall to greet her mother. As soon as she entered, she noticed that her father was also present. ¡°Greeting Father, greeting Mother,¡± the seventh princess said with a bow. ¡°Seven, there¡¯s no need for formalities when there¡¯s no one else around,¡± said a robust, dignified-looking middle-aged man whose dark hair showed a hint of weariness in his eyes. This was Yun Hao, the sixth emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, who ascended to the throne with legendary abilities at the age of just 20. His name is well-documented in history books, being the disciple of the fifth emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, with exceptional natural talent. By 19, he had become a legendary beastmaster, excelling in both literature and martial arts. After much consideration, the fifth emperor, nearing the end of his life, decided not to pass the throne to his own offspring. Despite his children being remarkable, they still fell short compared to his disciple. Moreover, being an orphan, Yun Hao was like an adopted son to the fifth emperor, sharing a bond akin to a real father and son apart from the lack of blood relation. Ultimately, the fifth emperor passed the throne to Yun Hao. Shortly after ascending to the throne, Yun Hao did not disappoint, advancing to level 8 epic, but the long-peaceful empire then faced invasions from the four ferocious beast empires. Yun Hao¡¯s reign as emperor was far from easy. Most of his combat pets had been sent to the front lines, leaving only one to protect him and remain with him in the Imperial City. ¡°Gong¡¯er, come here quickly,¡± the empress said fondly, waving to the seventh princess. Wearing a beautiful dress and exuding an aristocratic elegance, the seventh princess immediately adopted a playful demeanor, smiling as she sat down. ¡°Father, you seem to be in declining health. Is there any way I can help? Why not send me to the front lines?¡± the seventh princess asked her father. ¡°With your limited skills, you would only be a liability for the generals on the front lines,¡± Yun Hao replied. ¡°It¡¯s not the right time for that¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about this. I heard from your mother that you went to see the Yan family¡¯s girl today.¡± ¡°Yes, Yingying came up with a new dish and wanted me to try it¡­ Oh, Father, we were about to go out shopping when I stumbled upon something unusual.¡± ¡°Oh, what was it?¡± Both Emperor Yun and the Empress looked intrigued. ¡°A young man came to the Yan Mansion, claiming he was here for ancestral recognition, saying he was a bloodline left outside by the late Emperor Yan Sizhen.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Yun Hao chuckled and said, ¡°How many romantic entanglements did Emperor Yan have? Even after centuries, there¡¯s still a steady stream of bloodlines returning¡­¡± The Empress gently pinched Yun Hao, who quickly assured her, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I would never do such a thing.¡± ¡°So what happened next? Was the boy genuine or not? It¡¯s not uncommon for people to suddenly claim ties to prominent families these days.¡± Yun Gong¡¯er said earnestly, ¡°He seems to be genuine. The young man¡­ demonstrated Yan Sizhen¡¯s signature beast taming skill, the Flame Sprite.¡± ¡°Moreover, that Flame Sprite seemed to have reached the second stage, successfully evolving after absorbing a dragon form strange flame.¡± ¡°That level¡­ even within the Yan Clan, few legendary figures have likely achieved it.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After the seventh princess spoke, Yun Hao looked momentarily stunned and said, ¡°The second stage Flame Sprite, huh? That¡¯s quite impressive. After so many years, someone else can cultivate the Flame Sprite to Yan Sizhen¡¯s standard.¡± ¡°Seems the Yan Family really got lucky, having a genius drop into their lap out of the blue.¡± ¡°Sigh.¡± Although he initially said they shouldn¡¯t discuss state affairs, Emperor Yun couldn¡¯t help but look troubled. As a newly appointed emperor, Yun Hao mainly had the support of the past emperor¡¯s family, but he couldn¡¯t entirely mobilize the other established imperial clans like the Yan Clan. This led to his lineage bearing the brunt of the current war efforts. Gaining the full support of the major imperial clans was a complex challenge. Each clan had different needs, and they weren¡¯t necessarily united internally, making it extremely difficult to maintain balance. ¡°Since you¡¯re close with the Yan family¡¯s girl, see if you can find out what the Yan Family plans to do with that young man.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The seventh princess took her leave, but her mind was abuzz with thoughts. [The Yan Clan controls most of the empire¡¯s fertile lands and mineral deposits, making it a very powerful imperial clan. The late Yan Sizhen is considered the originator of both culinary manship and forging manship. The empire¡¯s stability back then was largely due to his two secondary professions.] [Since this young man has perfectly inherited Emperor Yan Sizhen¡¯s beast taming skill, he will undoubtedly become an important figure within the Yan Clan. If I can help Father win him over, he could potentially alleviate many burdens in the future.] ¡­ The next day. Most of the Emperor Yan Family had learned about the outsider returning to the family and the upcoming ancestral recognition ceremony. Before the recognition was finalized, Lu Ran continued to keep a low profile. ¡°Gong-Jie, what brings you here?¡± the next day, Yan Yingying planned to take Lu Ran on a tour of the Yan Mansion. But to her surprise, the seventh princess, Yun Gong¡¯er, who had left yesterday, returned for a visit in the morning. Yun Gong¡¯er smiled at Yan Yingying and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you pleased to see me?¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Yan Yingying felt somewhat helpless. Her father had already told her that, until matters concerning Lu Ran were settled, she should avoid letting royalty or members of the major imperial clans come into contact with him. But here was the seventh princess again¡­ ¡°Gong-Jie, do you remember the young man from yesterday? Today, my father asked me to show him around the Yan Mansion.¡± ¡°That person, huh? Has it been confirmed that he¡¯s also a beastmaster of the Yan Clan?¡± the seventh princess asked. ¡°Yes, unless something unexpected happens, the ancestral recognition ceremony will be held tomorrow,¡± Yan Yingying replied. ¡°I¡¯m quite interested in the Flame Sprite as well, so why not let me join you in touring the Yan Mansion?¡± the seventh princess said with a beaming smile, looking at the third miss of the Yan Family. ¡°Yingying, you invited me to try delicious food yesterday, surely you won¡¯t mind my company today?¡± ¡°Not at all¡­ Fine,¡± Yan Yingying conceded, thinking it couldn¡¯t hurt to bring an extra person along. Before long, Lu Ran was slightly taken aback when two stunning young women came to find him. ¡°Let me introduce you, sudden death king,¡± Yan Yingying said. ¡°This is the seventh princess, whom we were with yesterday.¡± ¡°Seventh Princess,¡± Lu Ran said, bowing immediately upon hearing her title. He was taken aback, not expecting the girl who was with Yan Yingying yesterday to have such a royal status. Royalty! ¡°No need for formalities. Is your name really ¡®sudden death king¡¯? What an unusual name,¡± the seventh princess remarked, finding it curious upon first hearing Lu Ran¡¯s name. ¡°Haha¡­ My parents gave me that name; there¡¯s nothing I can do about it,¡± Lu Ran chuckled, scratching his head. Of course, it¡¯s a lizard¡¯s name; it¡¯d be odd if it were normal. ¡°Though it¡¯s odd, it¡¯s quite catchy,¡± the seventh princess smiled slightly. ¡°Sudden death king, is it? I¡¯ve heard stories about Emperor Yan Sizhen from my father since I was young, and I¡¯m very interested in second stage Flame Sprites.¡± ¡°Would it be possible for us to spar a bit?¡± S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Uh?¡± Lu Ran was surprised. ¡°Spar?¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Wait, wait.¡± Yan Yingying, hearing this, was taken aback. Weren¡¯t we just supposed to go for a tour? How did it turn into a match? ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Lu Ran had figured out that the seventh princess was likely trying to test his skills. Since Lu Ran was already dissatisfied with the Lava Disaster Beast, he saw no harm in further interactions with royalty. He wouldn¡¯t refuse the opportunity. A test, huh? Whatever you want to see, I¡¯ll show you! Give me a high price and lure me away. Lu Ran wasn¡¯t actually a descendant of the Yan Clan, so whether he mingled with the Emperor Yan Family or the royalty, it was all the same to him. ¡°Really??¡± ¡°Yingying, please, could you arrange it?¡± The seventh princess looked at Yan Yingying expectantly, clasping her small hands. ¡°I¡­¡± Yan Yingying was speechless. What¡¯s all this about? ¡°Then I must inform my father¡­¡± Yan Yingying said in despair. Seeing no way out of the situation, she glanced upward helplessly. She was the one who initially intended to show Lu Ran around the Yan Mansion, but now they¡¯re going to duel? Hopefully, it won¡¯t complicate things further. ¡°Yingying, you go quickly; we¡¯ll wait here,¡± the seventh princess released her hand and smiled. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll be quick.¡± Yan Yingying promptly went to report the situation, leaving only Lu Ran and the seventh princess on site. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve heard from Yingying that you¡¯re about to undergo ancestral recognition,¡± the seventh princess said warmly. ¡°Congratulations on becoming a beastmaster of the imperial clan. It¡¯s something everyone envies, akin to a carp leaping over the dragon gate. What are your aspirations for the future? With a Flame Sprite similar to Emperor Yan Sizhen¡¯s, you could achieve great things in culinary manship, forging manship, or beast taming.¡± ¡°Compared to those, I hope to make better progress in beast taming,¡± Lu Ran replied with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve come for the ancestral recognition in hopes that, with the family¡¯s support, I can capture stronger pet beasts.¡± ¡°I see,¡± the seventh princess remarked, surprised. ¡°I also heard that the major imperial clans have opportunities to interact with the Guardian Sacred Beasts and even train alongside them. As royalty, have you ever trained with a Guardian Sacred Beast?¡± Lu Ran inquired. The seventh princess smiled softly. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Have you ever encountered legendary creatures?¡± Lu Ran asked. ¡°Hmm?¡± The seventh princess looked at Lu Ran, curious. ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Lu Ran hesitated for a moment and then said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m quite interested in legendary creatures¡­¡± ¡°My master once told me a legend,¡± he continued. ¡°Long ago, when humans first developed beast taming abilities, their rise was rapid, which in turn provoked the wariness of many legendary divine beasts.¡± ¡°As a result, some legendary species changed the world¡¯s rules and placed a curse on the human bloodline, preventing humans from breaking through to the legendary realm.¡± ¡°Only by defeating legendary creatures can humans lift the curse and change their fate.¡± ¡°My master spent his entire life pursuing the legendary realm, hoping one day to defeat legendary creatures. Unfortunately, he never achieved this goal before he passed away.¡± ¡°As his disciple, I intend to carry on his wish, hoping one day to match the legends as a mere mortal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also why I¡¯m here with the Yan Clan, seeking opportunities to grow stronger¡­¡± The seventh princess observed Lu Ran with a mixture of wonder and shock. His gaze was distant, revealing genuine emotion as he stared into the sky. She was deeply surprised by what he shared. Who is this guy, really? At first, she thought Lu Ran¡¯s biggest aspiration might be to become a legendary beastmaster, but to think-Lu Ran actually aims to match the legends as a mortal? Chapter 318: Tiger Emperor Roar The legendary secrets Lu Ran spoke of were unknown even to the seventh princess, who was born into royalty.She had thought that the reason no legendary level beastmaster had emerged among humans was simply because no one possessed the talent and potential; their lifespans limited them. After all, the longest-living humans only had a lifespan of a few hundred years, which was incredibly short compared to some supernatural species. Even though everyone was at a similar level, why was human lifespan so short? Now, hearing Lu Ran suggest that humans might have been cursed with limited potential by a legendary species, the seventh princess suddenly found it somewhat plausible. [I¡¯ll have to consult with Father when I return.] Currently, Lu Ran was using the secrets he knew to impress the royalty. The more he revealed, the more attention he would receive from them. In order to gain the opportunity to contact a Pseudo-legendary pet beast, Lu Ran was willing to give everything. While the two conversed, Yan Yingying reported the situation to her father, Yan Feng. Upon hearing this, Yan Feng¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He knew that once the royalty recognized Lu Ran¡¯s talent, they wouldn¡¯t stay silent. ¡°We can¡¯t let them take him!¡± Yan Feng exclaimed in alarm. ¡°Wait a minute, why did you come here alone? Where are the others?¡± ¡°The sudden death king and the seventh princess are waiting for me over there,¡± Yan Yingying replied. ¡°How could I have such a foolish daughter,¡± Yan Feng lamented. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just giving them a chance to be alone? Any more time and Lu Ran¡¯s secrets will be completely exposed.¡± At that moment, Yan Feng fully understood Lu Ran¡¯s true potential. Not only was he the first bloodline throwback in hundreds of years to reach the level of Yan Sizhen with his Flame Sprite, but he also had an astounding culinary manship talent, having personally nurtured a Dragon King of the middle overlord species. In terms of talent, even among the royalty and imperial clan, he would be among the best, destined to become a legend. If Lu Ran had a profound sense of belonging to the Yan Clan and grew up within it, it wouldn¡¯t be an issue. But Lu Ran was ultimately an outsider, not yet fully integrated into the Yan Clan. If his talent and potential were fully understood by the royalty, and Emperor Yun offered him marriage or a position to win him over, it would be troublesome. As someone new to the imperial city, Lu Ran might not withstand the temptation. Then, naturally, Lu Ran would switch allegiance from the Yan Clan to the royalty. ¡°Why are you scolding me?¡± Yan Yingying retorted, feeling quite unhappy. ¡°What else could I have done?¡± Ignoring her complaint, Yan Feng set off personally, and Yan Yingying quickly followed. Before long, they reached Lu Ran and the others. ¡°Gong¡¯er.¡± ¡°Uncle Yan.¡± Seeing the seventh princess and Lu Ran engrossed in conversation, Yan Feng wiped his brow and said, ¡°I heard from Yingying that you want to spar with the sudden death king?¡± Yan Feng also glanced at the innocent-looking ¡°sudden death king.¡± ¡°Yes, I want to see the combat application of the Flame Spirit Technique of Emperor Yan Sizhen.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s skip the battle, Gong¡¯er. You¡¯re already a Level 5 beastmaster, while the sudden death king is only level 3. Just have him demonstrate the Flame Spirit possession,¡± Yan Feng suggested reluctantly. ¡°Battles are too risky. Tomorrow is the sudden death king¡¯s ancestral recognition ceremony. If he gets injured, it could affect the ceremony.¡± ¡°What do you think, sudden death king?¡± The head of the family, Yan Feng, looked at Lu Ran, emphasizing heavily that the seventh princess was already a Level 5 beastmaster. The outcome of the battle could affect tomorrow¡¯s ceremony! Yan Xiao had already agreed for Lu Ran to train with the Lava Disaster Beast. This opportunity was incredibly rare, and if Lu Ran were defeated by the seventh princess of the royalty before the ancestral recognition and training, it would likely impact his standing within the clan and might cause dissatisfaction among other young members of the Yan Clan. After all, not every beastmaster of the Yan Clan had the chance to train with the Lava Disaster Beast. Despite the hints from Yan Feng, Lu Ran remained unfazed. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Uncle Yan, I won¡¯t use my ace. It¡¯s just a sparring match, not meant to determine a winner,¡± the seventh princess said with a slight smile. ¡°A Level 5 beastmaster, you say?¡± Lu Ran replied. ¡°Before I arrived in the imperial city, I fought off and defeated a Level 5 beastmaster who had ill intentions toward me. The Flame Spirit Technique of Ancestor Yan Sizhen is very powerful; fighting beyond one¡¯s level is no issue.¡± Yan Feng: ? Seventh Princess: ? ¡°Damn,¡± Yan Feng thought explosively. ¡°Is this kid really ignorant, or is he just pretending?¡± The seventh princess, standing nearby, couldn¡¯t help but twitch the corners of her mouth, feeling that Lu Ran was provoking her. Although Lu Ran¡¯s ambitions were grand-wanting to pave the way for humanity by defeating a legendary life-currently, he was merely a Level 3 beastmaster. The idea of defeating her by surpassing his level seemed far-fetched. ¡°Well¡­ alright then.¡± At this point, what could the head of the family, Yan Feng, do? He shot a discreet glare at Yan Yingying before suggesting, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the family¡¯s battle arena for a simple spar. Just take it easy. I¡¯ll supervise the whole process to prevent any mishaps.¡± Whether it was the seventh princess getting hurt or the ¡°sudden death king¡± getting injured, both would be quite troublesome. Before long, Yan Feng had arranged for one of the arenas to be cleared, and instructed people to leave to avoid attracting too much attention to the battle. From the perspective of the core high-level members of the Emperor Yan Family, they naturally welcomed Lu Ran¡¯s ancestral recognition; after all, Lu Ran¡¯s Flame Sprite held immense strategic value. However, from the younger generation¡¯s viewpoint, many were not pleased. Lu Ran¡¯s return inevitably meant competition for family resources, overshadowing their brilliance. An opportunity like training with the Lava Disaster Beast, for instance, was seized by Lu Ran to showcase his potential, much to the chagrin of other young members. ¡°Let¡¯s keep the battle to 1V1,¡± the seventh princess said confidently at the battle arena. Born into royalty, she had not only trained with the Guardian Sacred Beast but also learned from several legendary beastmasters. In terms of beast taming battles, even if Lu Ran inherited the beast taming skill of the Emperor Yan, she felt she could easily handle him. While the Flame Sprite¡¯s strengths lay in culinary manship and forging, enhancing the empire¡¯s power, there were many skills more powerful in beast taming battles that the seventh princess herself also possessed. ¡°No problem,¡± Lu Ran replied as they both prepared to summon their pet beasts. Considering Lu Ran¡¯s lower level, crushing him with her ace wasn¡¯t ideal. As expected, the seventh princess summoned a Level 43 pet beast, likely her secondary pet. [Species]: Wind Demon Emperor [Attribute]: Wind, Dark [Species Level]: Middle Overlord [Growth Level]: Level 43 The pet beast was tiger-shaped, with white fur and dark markings. It soared through the sky on massive dark wings, with a large character for ¡°Emperor¡± etched on its forehead, exuding an aura of power and majesty. Even though it was a secondary pet, it had a species level of middle overlord, which made Lu Ran marvel at the seventh princess¡¯s royal status. On Lu Ran¡¯s side, naturally, he sent out the true ¡°sudden death king.¡± The massive Shield-winged Dragon King descended slowly in front of Lu Ran, its eyes crackling with lightning as it looked at its opponent, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure. ¡°Roar!!!!¡± The sudden death king roared, its Dragon Might on full display, instantly causing the seventh princess to show a look of amazement. ¡°An overlord?¡± ¡°An overlord?¡± Not only was she surprised, but Yan Yingying was also taken aback. No wonder Lu Ran mentioned that he had once defeated a Level 5 beastmaster beyond his level. It turned out Lu Ran had an overlord pet beast! And it was from the Dragon Clan! She turned to her father, who didn¡¯t seem too surprised, and asked, ¡°Father, did you know about this all along?¡± Yan Feng remained silent. By now, not only had they realized it, but the royalty would soon know that Lu Ran had contracted a middle overlord-level dragon. For a Level 3 beastmaster without an imperial clan background to contract a middle overlord, this was beyond simple legendary talent. ¡°Interesting.¡± At this moment, the seventh princess¡¯s interest was fully piqued, curious to see Lu Ran¡¯s true strength. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ¡°Tiger Emperor Roar!¡± She immediately issued a simple command, having the Wind Demon Emperor use its intimidation skill. ¡°Roar-¡° In mid-air, the Wind Demon Emperor tensed its body, opened its abyssal maw, and unleashed a terrifying bellow. A wave of pressure surged towards the sudden death king. The tangible intimidation seemed to form a tiger-shaped illusion in the sky. Boom. The sudden death king took a step back and then unleashed a powerful Dragon Might. In the air, a giant dragon illusion also appeared. The two intense pressures clashed in the sky, piercing a large hole through the clouds. Crack, crack, crack. Fine cracks spread across the stone ground around the battle arena. However, to Lu Ran¡¯s surprise, in this contest of might, the sudden death king was unexpectedly at a disadvantage. The sudden death king retreated another step, its expression growing slightly grim. Seeing this, Yan Feng, the head of the family, slowly said, ¡°The intimidation from this dragon king is strong, but with the enhancement from the beastmaster¡¯s royal bloodline, the pet beast has a hard time losing in a battle of aura.¡± ¡°Not bad¡­ you should use the Flame Sprite,¡± the seventh princess said from across the arena, her arms crossed, looking completely at ease. ¡°Its intimidation has the benefit of my enhancement, so it¡¯s a bit unfair if you don¡¯t use a beast taming skill.¡± ¡°Then¡­ be careful,¡± Lu Ran replied, stretching out his hand as flames enveloped his palm, applying the Flame Sprite to the sudden death king. ¡°Roar roar roar roar!!!¡± With flames covering its body, the sudden death king appeared even more ferocious, letting out a mighty roar. The Flame Sprite gradually formed a layer of flame dragon armor over it, transforming its appearance from the Shield-winged Dragon King into another kind of King of the Dragon Clan! Its fiery red eyes glared fiercely as it extended its midnight black wings. Its robust body became adorned with fiery red scales, a blend of scarlet and dark hues, resembling the embodiment of a fiery abyss. Its domineering dragon gaze shifted toward its opponent, the deep red flaming whiskers drifting in the wind. Feeling the escalating might of the dragon king from the sudden death king, the Wind Demon Emperor remained calm. However, when the intimidating presence of the Flame Dragon King within the Flame Sprite merged with the innate might of the Thunder Dragon King from the sudden death king, the intertwining of thunder and flame intimidation reached the sky. Under the stormy thunder flame, the aura of the sudden death king became violently terrifying! ¡°Roar!!!¡± Suddenly, the Wind Demon Emperor and the seventh princess¡¯s expressions changed, and with a ¡°crack,¡± it was as if the space shattered. The Wind Demon Emperor¡¯s imperial might was suddenly shattered by the thunder flame¡¯s intimidation, breaking like shards of a mirror. The violent intimidatory hurricane then surged toward the Wind Demon Emperor and the seventh princess, blowing them off their feet, unable to remain standing. The seventh princess crossed her arms to shield herself, but the fierce gale flipped her backward. Witnessing this scene, Yan Feng was greatly astonished and rushed to act, while next to him, Yan Yingying also showed a look of shock, unable to understand how the application of the Flame Sprite caused Lu Ran¡¯s pet beast to unleash such a terrifying power. Only Lu Ran understood the principle behind this. It was because, during his training in the domain, the Flame Sprite had been honed to an extremely high level. Moreover, the fusion of the Flame Dragon King¡¯s and Thunder Dragon King¡¯s intimidation was an incredibly risky move. Fortunately, the sudden death king could withstand this burden; if it were an ordinary Thunder Dragon, it would have likely been overwhelmed by backlash before it could even intimidate the enemy. It¡¯s worth noting that the thunder flame dragon¡¯s might is formidable enough to rival even General Ha¡¯s pseudo-legendary pressure. Confronting the intimidation empowered by a princess was naturally manageable. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Yan Feng, the head of the family, caught the seventh princess and immediately inquired, seeing her pale face. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she replied, though waves of emotion surged within her. She took a deep breath and looked at the thunder flame dragon and Lu Ran behind it. She hadn¡¯t expected to lose an intimidation clash with a Level 3 beastmaster. As she glanced at the sudden death king and Lu Ran, a brief illusion crossed her mind. She felt that this combination bore a striking resemblance to the depictions of Yan Sizhen and the Flame Dragon King fighting alongside each other in the imperial city. ¡°Incredible¡­ Is Emperor Yan reborn?¡± At this moment, she had to admit that the second stage of the Flame Sprite was astonishingly powerful.