King of Beasts

At this moment.

Although Lu Ran really wanted to first reclaim 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 moment later, 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.

“As I expected, the Extreme Storm Slash 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.

“According 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 glanced sideways, here it comes 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: Flawed 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 was coming up soon. Lu Ran originally planned 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 to come 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 Slash. Seeing this, Lu Ran quickly stored it back into the black card to let it rest.

He then swiftly opened his communication device and sent a private message to Pluto: “Let me know when the thunder-type awakening fruit is ready, and I’ll come to pick it up.”

Not long after sending the message, Pluto replied: “A bet is a bet, come 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 to come out.

A moment later, 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 regular 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 purple combat 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 a competent 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’t compare.

“Pluto, walk Passerby A out, and you two could stand to communicate 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.

Now commencing the second update…

Global Evolution now activated.

Effective immediately, within the range of Blue Star, natural energy will massively revive. All uncontracted animals and plants 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 become 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 become 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 become 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 plants are already starting to mutate wildly…”