King of Beasts

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 occupation 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 speculated that this was not only related 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 high compatibility with “beneficial traits.”

Trait fusion requires compatibility—not 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 become 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 the commander 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 were combined 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 of comprehension, even the sudden death king couldn’t compare 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 similar 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 become a peerless swordsman.”

“The second was to become 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 becoming 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 places, 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 black 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 energy compression, 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 similar 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 black cloud.

Above the black 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 black 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 a large harem and many offspring, which severely diluted its resources, causing it to lag 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 special combination 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 the lake…

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’ll compensate 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,’ becoming a dragon turtle. I believe you’ll have the strength to suppress and command 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 cosplay that. Look at General Ha’s strength; it’s because he cosplayed Yazi

2

, another of the Loong’s nine sons. If you also play 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 become 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 occupied 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 black turtle general now? However, conquering the sea was indeed a crucial strategic goal. The Dark Crow’s eyes gleamed with ambition… Given the black turtle general’s steady nature, perhaps it could take on this important task!

Footnote:

1. Biaxia(霸下):

   In Chinese mythology, “Baxia” (霸下), 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—strength, endurance, and protection—by embodying its image.

1. Yazi(睚眦):

   In Chinese mythology, “Yazi” (睚眦) 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 is commonly used in Chinese art and architecture, particularly on weapons, military insignia, and protective talismans. His presence is believed to bring courage, strength, and protection to those who bear his image.

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