King of Beasts

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 also come 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 quickly complete 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 contemplation, 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 relatively complete world projection, then it would all come 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 planned 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 become 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 a complex 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 place… Why open a store? It’s not like I can’t af—actually, I can’t afford to take care of her.

After they both left, Lu Ran lay 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 relaxed, 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 his commands, 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 become a death dragon myself!

“Woof!” General Ha was only concerned with one thing—when 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…”

“After coming 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 become 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 claim 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 a landmark 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 moments later, 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 Ran laughed, 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 exclaimed. “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 particularly 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 become 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 Chen come 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 plan 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…”