King of Beasts

“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, planning 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.

Such comments 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 relationships, 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———” 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 low combat 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 become 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—how 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—” 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 related to his future food supply, the Sudden Death King could only walk out step by step, casting a disdainful glance 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 could communicate 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 they lacked 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 popular 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 Chen commanded.

In the next moment…

“Flamethrower!” To gauge the Sudden Death King’s strength and show off a little, Lu Teng cleverly chose to have the Flame Lion use a release-type skill instead of a close-quarters attack.

Whoosh!

Upon receiving the command, the Flame 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 claw and teeth combat.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flames 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 exclaimed 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 accept that his cricket couldn’t harm it, but even the Flame Lion’s flamethrower 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 claws by consuming the Heart of the Bug. Further treated with the rare resource Dragon Blood Crystal, its development was far beyond what the newcomers in Green Sea City could comprehend.

“Keep going!” Lu Teng, not willing to accept defeat, ordered. The Flame Lion launched another flame attack at the Sudden Death King. When the flames died down, the Sudden Death King still stood there unfazed, without even a burn mark.

Lu Teng, the Flame 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 translator, 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—why 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 flames earlier, it had already assessed that the Flame 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 flaunting its defensive prowess.

Suddenly, its entire body surged with electricity. Blue and white currents flowed through its black scales. In an instant, it was armored with a thick, intimidating layer of Thunder Armor, studded with protruding spikes and fully covering its body.

This wasn’t merely energy overlay—it was energy shaping!

“What the hell! Thunder attribute?” Lu Teng was freaked out, unable to comprehend 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 clad in Thunder Armor, they realized it actually belonged to the thunder attribute, known for its devastating power!

“It’s over. Lu Teng’s Flame 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.

“Yilang, what do you think?” Among the fourth-generation beastmasters, a female college student asked Lu Yilang, who wore glasses and was more low-key compared 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 Yilang adjusted his glasses.

“It’s smarter than me. I’ll trust it and pick a different opponent when the time comes.”

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—actively attacking would only reveal its weaknesses. Fully committing to defending against the enemy’s strikes ensured its invincibility status!

“Roar!!”

The Sudden Death King maintained its defensive stance.

“Damn it, Flame Claw!”

Feeling the countless eyes on him, Lu Teng couldn’t hold out any longer. He commanded the Flame Lion to attack. This time, the Flame Lion ignited flames on its limbs, and its claws became enveloped in a red glow. It then lunged at the Sudden Death King, intending to use the combined power of fire and its sharp claws to inflict damage.

“Roar!!!”

In an instant, the Flame Lion closed in and slashed at the Sudden Death King’s body… more accurately, at its Thunder Spike Armor. The interplay of electricity and fire caused an explosive reaction. The Flame Lion’s claw was hit by searing pain, followed by a terrifying current coursing through its body.

Crackling.

In the next moment, sparks flashed across the Flame Lion, and it collapsed, 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 short compared 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 Flame Lion’s stamina wasn’t enough to support multiple releases of flames.

“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 Yilang. 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, explaining 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—like explosions from the interplay 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…