Beastmaster King

"Huh? Epic-grade Ape Wine? Damn. It really is a physique-enhancing resource, but I didn't expect it to be a consumable rather than a trait. Still, this thing..." Lu Ran pondered.

Who should I give it to?

In his opinion, the Drunken Battle Mode was the core of this resource, though it seemed to require comprehension. First, he ruled out Baby Cloud and #18, and then Six-Path Flower.

Dark Crow didn't seem suited for Drunken Battle Mode. During his fight with the ape, its drunken state was chaotic. The ape was barely rational. Dark Crow's Spiritual Speech attribute required absolute calm for tactical precision, and it didn't rely on physical strength anyway. It was out.

That left Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King. Sudden Death King was the obvious choice as it specialized in physical combat. As for Captain Doofus, its monstrous comprehension meant it could definitely grasp Drunken Battle Mode. However, after brief hesitation, Lu Ran decided on Sudden Death King. Captain Doofus was already eccentric enough. If it learned Drunken Battle Mode, Lu Ran feared it might accidentally slash at its own beastmaster.

"And not to complain, but what the hell is Happy Beastmaster?" Lu Ran muttered, equally baffled by the other rewards.

Based on Lu Ran's research, most beastmaster skills rewarded by Limitless City were developed by talented beastmasters at some point in history. Since they were man-made, the names were also chosen by their creators. For example, Flame Spirit was named by Emperor Yan himself.

So, Happy Beastmaster... was named by some beastmaster too?

Lu Ran could only sigh. This naming sense was on par with his own. Still, the skill's effect was incredibly valuable.

When using beastmaster skills, the user's stamina consumption and physical strain are halved! It's powerful. Extremely powerful.

It practically doubled a beastmaster's combat endurance. Lu Ran rarely coveted beastmaster skills, but this was an exception. Unfortunately, he was already overflowing with skills, leaving him torn.

[Super Modification, Guardian's Contract, Dragon Amplification, Reincarnation, Purifying Hand, Flourishing Vitality, Armor, Undead Resurrection, Damage Transfer]

He wanted this skill, but he also wanted Guardian's Contract. His indecisiveness struck again.

"But compared to the Happy Beastmaster skill, the trait crystal is the real surprise. Everyone probably expected a physique-enhancing trait to come from this secret realm, but instead, it's a highly flexible 'exchange-type' trait."

Equivalent Exchange...

Lu Ran's gaze flickered.

So, Manager Ying's intel was correct. The Flame Ape King sacrificed something to gain its monstrous physique.

"I can keep this for myself. It'll suit any familiar. Since it's Equivalent Exchange, it's a no-lose scenario. For example, if Captain Doofus fuses with it after unifying the Legendary Wind Seed, it could permanently sacrifice its wind powers to amplify its sword techniques. What would that even look like?"

Lu Ran gulped.

This trait is fascinating. I need to carefully consider how to use it and on whom.

As for the Hundred Styles of Ape Wine recipe, Lu Ran didn't pay much mind to it. What surprised him was that this time, there was no familiar egg reward. He'd grown accustomed to getting an egg every time. The absence felt oddly empty.

"The Time Worm Egg from last time is still sitting in my backpack. It needs Time or Space energy to hatch, and I haven't found a suitable place to incubate it.

"If I ask Six-Path Flower to create a Time Hell as a nursery, it'll refuse outright even if I offer to let it keep the worm. I guess I'll have to ask Dark Crow. Now that it's awakened Time powers and has Spiritual Speech, maybe it can use it to create a temporal incubation space."

Lu Ran nodded. If Six-Path Flower didn't want a Time Butterfly kin, I'll just toss it to Little Deer... the Divine Deer's daughter.

***

[Congratulations to level 5 beastmaster, Pedestrian A, for clearing the level 5 Legendary secret realm, Wumeng Mountain, with a Perfect Rating...]

Meanwhile, the moment Lu Ran cleared the secret realm, the system broadcast echoed across all Limitless Cities.

***

Limitless City #3.

Gu Qingyi, who was nurturing a dragon familiar while awaiting an evolution opportunity, smiled faintly.

***

Private Arena.

Xia Ri, whose clothes had been shredded by whips, and Fang Lan, holding said whip, both looked up.

Now, the entirety of Blue Planet knew Lu Ran had reached level 5. He was just one step away from the planet's top tier. Considering Lu Ran's absurd lineup and his godly performance in the ascension realm, beastmasters worldwide began discussing fervently.

"Solo clearing another Legendary secret realm is insane."

"Actually, that's not even the craziest part. A friend who just came out of the ascension realm said someone in the Stellar Moon Federation, a beastmaster called Beastmaster King, solo-cleared a Mythical secret realm with a single familiar. Holy shit,that'sinsane. Compared to that, Pedestrian A seems tame."

"Really? I find that hard to believe. It's probably fake news from the Stellar Moon Federation..."

"Regardless, we can't treat Pedestrian A as a new-generation beastmaster anymore. Level 5 beastmasters have a level 60 cap for familiars, and the Ten Great Beastmaster Kings aren't much stronger. I bet it won't be long before Lu Ran challenges them."

"A fourth-generation beastmaster becoming one of Blue Planet's Top Ten? I never would've imagined that when the World War update first dropped."

Discussions about Lu Ran's potential challenge to the Ten Great Kings spread everywhere. Beyond Xia, the beastmaster kings of the other eight nations were also uneasy. Anyone who reached that position had their pride, but worry was inevitable. If Lu Ran challenged them and won, it would be humiliating.

At this moment, only a handful of beastmasters noticed something chilling.

***

Limitless City #5.

Pluto, who had come to challenge a Hell-difficulty secret realm, was shopping for resources in Beastmaster Square. When he heard Lu Ran's name, he pursed his lips, having long made peace with the gap between them.

Driven by some lingering obsession, he instinctively checked the Heavenly Familiar Ranking, which was something most people overlooked. Logically, since Lu Ran had challenged a Legendary secret realm in this Limitless City, the familiar he used to battle the boss should have refreshed its record and appeared on the ranking. Yet, Pluto's eyes widened in shock...

Whether it be the Transcendent, Champion, King, or Overlord rankings, not a single category listed any of Lu Ran's familiars!

"Fuck, why does Lu Ran stop competing on the rankings whenI'mnot on them? No, no—this isn't right. To challenge a level 60 Superior-Overlord boss, his familiar must have refreshed its record. There's no way it wouldn't appear on the Overlord Heavenly Familiar Ranking. So, why...?"

Pluto couldn't figure it out, but suddenly, a bolt of realization struck him. Two words flashed in his mind.

Quasi-Legendary.

Pluto's pupils shrank. There were many reasons a familiar might not appear on the rankings. It could have failed to surpass those already listed, not surpassing past records, but that clearly didn't apply here. There was one other possibility, and it was that the familiar's species rank exceeded the ranking's limits.

"No way. Absolutely no way."

Pluto refused to believe it. In his mind, the current ceiling for beastmaster familiars was Superior Overlord.

Lu Ran hasn't even entered a second-stage evolution realm yet. How could he possibly evolve a quasi-Legendary?

To current Blue Planet beastmasters, quasi-Legendary was practically Divine beings.

"Wait! This guy is on good terms with that Legendary being from the Amazon Divine Nation. Could it be?" Pluto's heart dropped.

He felt like he'd swallowed a lemon.

"What's with this lunatic?"

"Ugh, he scared the hell out of me. Why's he shouting?"

"Hey, isn't that Pluto? What's wrong with him?"

"Probably couldn't handle falling behind his former rival. Mental breakdown."

Damn idiots! How can none of you pay attention to the Heavenly Familiar Ranking?

Pluto stormed off fuming. As he left, he tried to message Lu Ran to ask if he really had a quasi-Legendary familiar, only to find that Lu Ran had deleted him.

Pluto was taken aback. After a moment of recollection, Pluto remembered that a long time ago, Lu Ran had contacted him. He'd claimed that a powerful entity was cursing him through his Limitless City ID, and to avoid dragging his friends into it, he'd remove them temporarily and re-add them later.

This was actually part of the precautions Lu Ran took before heading to the Stellar Moon Federation and changing his name. He'd removed everyone except close contacts like Dr. Gu and Fang Lan, ensuring no one would accidentally leak his new ID.

"Damn it!" Pluto howled at the sky.

***

Meanwhile, after exiting the secret realm, Lu Ran quickly returned to Green Sea City.

Manager Ying was already waiting in his room.

"I saw that you cleared the new secret realm, so I came over. So, how was my recommendation?"

Lu Ran was thoroughly satisfied. "It was excellent. I haven't been this pleasantly surprised in a while."

Manager Ying smirked. "Hehe,glad you liked it. This time, I've brought you three more top-tier trait leads!"

"Huh?Three?"

Manager Ying puffed its chest. "You know my efficiency. What, are you surprised?"

"What traits?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow.

He was already content today, but if Manager Ying had more surprises, he wouldn't say no.

"First, the Bloodline Dominance Trait. A familiar fused with this trait gains double the effect when merging other bloodlines, allowing better assimilation and mastery of bloodline powers! I picked this for Sudden Death King after considering what the Divine Turtle said. It's a perfect fit for it."

Lu Ran was stunned, thinking that it did sound ideal.

This cat really delivers.

"Second, the Attribute Fusion Trait. A familiar with this trait can temporarily fuse multiple attribute powers in battle, unleashing stronger skill effects. Take note that it's a temporary fusion, not permanent unification. For example, Baby Cloud can create a water energy bullet or a wind energy bullet, but not one that combines water, wind, lightning, and ice. With this trait, it can achieve that temporarily."

"I think Baby Cloud should try this. It has too many attributes, and unifying them would be messy. But more attributes mean more versatility. If it can temporarily fuse them in battle... imagine the elemental cataclysm!" Lu Ran pondered.

"The last one is for Six-Path Flower. This trait's a bit tricky. It's the Misfortune Trait. A familiar fused with this becomes incredibly unlucky, but any lifeform that harbors hostility toward it suffers even worse luck!

"Normally, I wouldn't recommend it. But Six-Path Flower has the Lucky Clover Trait. Its luck might counteract the misfortune, reducing the side effects. Think of it this way: an enemy's misfortune is your luck. Combining both could let Six-Path Flower master fortune energy better."

Lu Ran couldn't help but praise Manager Ying. "Incredible! You're a lifesaver. It saves me so much trouble."

"Tell me if you want them. Some of the traits aren't in my possession yet. If you're interested, I'll fetch them." Manager Ying waved a paw dismissively.

"Get them all."

"Done." Manager Ying stretched, then glanced at Lu Ran. "Oh, since I've been working so hard to find traits for you, without even asking for payment... Can you do me a favour?"

Lu Ran shrugged. "Name it. We're close. If I can do it, I will."

Manager Ying grinned like a scheming villain. "Hehe.Before you enter your next ascension realm, could you shout something at the ceiling?"

"What?"

"'Daddy Limitless City, please give me a resource in this ascension realm that can evolve a Superior-Overlord Nine-Tailed Cat into a Legendary species. Thanks.' Just like that."

Lu Ran was baffled. "What? Are you using me as a wishing well? How is that possible?"

"Just say it! I'm all about high-stakes gambling. Whether it works or not, I'll handle all your future familiar trait leads!" Manager Ying slammed its paw on the table.

In its experience, nothing was impossible!