King of Beasts

At this moment, Lu Ran gently patted General Ha on the head.

“You’re no doubt my dog, so outstanding.”

“Woof!” General Ha shook its head happily.

Just then, Gu Qingyi walked over and said, “Congratulations, you guys actually made it.”

She smiled. As a scholar researching pet beast evolution, she was undoubtedly delighted to witness the birth of an entirely new evolution chain.

“Moreover, the species talent it awakened is absolutely among the top tier in my impression.”

“It’s hard to imagine such a species talent appearing in a pet beast with its first fused trait.”

“And it doesn’t even seem very compatible with that trait.”

“Considering this, weapon experience, weapon mastery, and lifebound weapon… it seems that a completely new evolution path could indeed be developed.”

If before, her encouragement for Lu Ran to strive towards becoming the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster was just that—encouragement, now she genuinely saw that Lu Ran and General Ha had the qualifications to achieve it.

“Haha, thanks a lot.” At that moment, Lu Ran and General Ha were playfully wrestling, overjoyed.

“Even though you’re 17 and still a minor, you should pay some attention to your image. Don’t act like a child,” Gu Qingyi said as she glanced at Lu Ran. “I know you’re really happy, but the key now is to test its new strength, isn’t it?”

Boys… so childish, Gu Qingyi thought, shaking her head internally.

“Oh right,” Lu Ran responded.

He looked at General Ha and asked, “Did you just comprehend sword intent?”

“Woof!” General Ha looked eagerly at Lu Ran. It had indeed comprehended some new things.

After fusing the weapon mastery trait, it felt a deep connection with the Ice Sky Greatsword— “dog and sword as one.”

Its understanding of the sword had surpassed its previous realm, reaching new heights.

Vaguely, the Blizzard Sword Momentum it had mastered before underwent a new transformation.

General Ha gripped the Ice Sky Greatsword in its mouth, deep in thought, and looked toward the sea.

Just then, a dark shadow appeared on the sea’s surface!

Seeing this, Gu Qingyi looked over and said, “That one. It seems to have been attracted by the commotion earlier.”

“Let’s show it what we’ve got.”

[Name]: Blue Shark

[Attribute]: Water

[Species Level]: Upper Supernatural

[Growth Level]: Level 22

Although it hadn’t surfaced, both Gu Qingyi and Lu Ran had already noticed this ocean predator.

“General Ha!”

Buzz buzz buzz!

The Ice Sky Greatsword vibrated intensely, emitting a chilling aura. With a swift movement from General Ha, a sword qi imbued with Blizzard Sword Intent shot swiftly towards the sea’s surface!

Shush!!

The sea was split in two, and countless waves transformed into ice crystals, exploding upon impact. What astonished Lu Ran the most was the “crack crack” sound as the severed sea froze under the might of the Frost Force.

Ice and water clearly divided!

Inside… appeared a shark sculpture!

An ice sculpture of a shark!

The frozen small shark looked dazed, with a deep gash on its fin.

Until the surrounding seawater rushed in, swallowing up the icy fissure!

A simple stroke of sword qi hadn’t killed the young shark, but the power it exhibited made Lu Ran’s eyes gleam with excitement!

Indeed… Frost Force!

“I told you before, the second stage of energy shaping, Artistic Shaping, can endow pet beasts with incredible skill power.”

“The Blizzard Sword Intent it comprehended is based on Artistic Shaping. Now, it has fully integrated the essence of a blizzard into its spirit.”

“Thus, the sword skills it exhibits are as cold and violent as a blizzard!”

“Now, considering it as dual-attribute isn’t a stretch,” Gu Qingyi said. “Not bad at all, it’s the first time I’ve seen an Erha with such incredible comprehension.”

“Elemental sword intent!” Lu Ran couldn’t help but smile. “I thought I could master it before General Ha, but it seems the weapon mastery trait boosted its swordsmanship talent and experience far beyond mine.”

But that’s okay…

Your sword intent is impressive.

But when I use super beast mimicry,

It won’t be long before it’s mine too!

“You two are starting to show the qualities of ‘experts’ now,” Gu Qingyi smiled. “The key to distinguishing between novice beastmasters and seasoned ones lies in energy manipulation techniques.”

“Since General Ha has mastered Artistic Shaping, you should also try to develop other advanced energy manipulation techniques. Don’t waste that comprehension talent.”

“Although you both have perfectly mastered the basics of the four energy manipulation techniques, that’s just the beginning. In the end, those are things everyone knows. The key is in the advanced techniques.”

“Remember the icy swords that surrounded it earlier?”

“Yes,” Lu Ran recalled, looking at the ground nearby.

The ice swords were almost melted, but the sight of dozens of swords swirling around General Ha was unforgettable.

“That had a hint of the legendary ‘sword control by qi,’” Gu Qingyi smiled. “I’ve seen those fantasy dramas. If its energy release technique can advance to the next level, something like that is achievable.”

“The foundation of energy release is to emit energy outside the body.”

“And further, the emitted energy can be manipulated freely by the pet beast.”

“By then, wouldn’t a gale spinning around the swords resemble the ‘sword control by qi’ from legends?”

Lu Ran was exuberant, “Dr. Gu, you really know your stuff! I had thought about this before.”

“Woof!” General Ha also looked at Gu Qingyi, raising its paw. It acknowledged her understanding.

“Keep at it!” Gu Qingyi chuckled. “I hope to see you take first place in the Freshman Tournament 45 days from now.”

“Freshman Tournament… What’s that?” Lu Ran was puzzled.

“Fang Lan didn’t tell you? After entering the beast taming university, there will be an assessment for freshmen. Based on their performance, they’ll be placed in either elite classes or regular classes and assigned to different campuses for varying levels of training.”

“I think she mentioned it, but I’m planning to apply for the forging department. Isn’t the tournament for the combat department?”

“Uh…” Gu Qingyi paused.

However, considering General Ha’s species talent and combat style, indeed… the forging department seemed to suit Lu Ran quite well.

After all, General Ha’s sword can’t always be forged by others.

“It’s okay. The assessment likely doesn’t restrict by major, so you can participate as a freshman from the forge department,” Gu Qingyi said.

“Is this assessment really that important?” Lu Ran asked.

“Of course,” Gu Qingyi replied. “The beast taming university is a cradle for producing fourth-generation beastmasters, and the officials place a lot of importance on these newcomers.”

“For this Freshman Tournament, the alliance has invested heavily in the rewards!”

“Because of these rewards, many second-generation beastmasters who originally didn’t plan to apply to the university are now coming to earn some recognition. If nothing else, they can claim the rewards and then apply for graduation.”

When Lu Ran heard about the rewards, his previously lukewarm interest peeked.

“The first-place reward is rumored to be a mysterious pet beast egg of a sovereign species.”

“The guild leader acquired it as a reward from a breakthrough secret realm.”

“A sovereign species pet beast egg? Does that mean it’s a sovereign species right from birth?!”

“Yes, inherently sovereign. Without any trait fusion or new attribute awakening, it’s a sovereign species from the moment it hatches. This pet beast egg comes from another world, boasting innate advantages that far surpass any newly evolved beings on Blue Star,” Gu Qingyi explained, glancing at General Ha.

“The pet beasts we beastmasters on Blue Star contract with mostly start as ‘ordinary animals,’ requiring evolution after evolution to increase their species level. But in the Infinite City, which connects to various beast taming civilizations, some pet beasts are born at the pinnacle of Blue Star’s evolutionary spectrum. After all, their parents are already powerful supernatural beings.”

“One could say that a sovereign species cub, even if just born at level 1 or 2, can overwhelm supernatural beings of level 10 or higher in combat power.”

“In general, it’s rare for secret realms to reward ‘real life.’ Therefore, a mysterious pet beast egg of a sovereign species is extremely valuable. After further cultivation by a beastmaster and the continuous fusion of new traits, it might even have the potential to evolve into an overlord species. The guild leader offering it as the top reward shows great hope for the fourth-generation beastmasters.”

“I heard from the guild leader that what hatches from this egg might be a completely new lifeform, not necessarily an animal,” Gu Qingyi smiled.

Lu Ran blinked. What could it be?

“Even the second and third places have substantial rewards. Winning these is the best chance for a fourth-generation beastmaster to quickly rise to prominence. So, are you interested now?”

“I think you might be short on money in the future…” After all, you have a dog that needs a sword to level up.

“Alright! With General Ha’s current strength, winning first place shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Lu Ran looked hopeful.

“Woof!” General Ha nodded confidently. Of course!

When it comes to fighting, it’s never been afraid of anyone!

Just having completed its evolution, General Ha felt very proud.

Trying to emulate it, Lu Ran felt equally confident.

“Be serious.”

“If you think like that, you might face a setback,” Gu Qingyi cautioned. “Don’t let the divine beast leaderboard limit your vision.”

“The world is vast.”

“In the novice stage, you probably haven’t seen many people using beast taming skills, have you?”

“Many talented beastmasters have actually mastered beast taming skills that consume their own stamina to enhance their pet beast’s power.”

“It’s just that in the novice stage, the beastmaster’s physical fitness is limited, and they can’t fully utilize these beast taming skills. But 45 days from now, a significant number of novice beastmasters will have become level 1 beastmasters through breakthrough secret realms.”

“By then, there will be a lot of beastmasters with overpowered beast taming skills.”

“Especially those with backgrounds. As soon as they level up, they’ll be given appropriate trait crystals and beast taming skills—their paths are already paved.”

“Besides, since your General Ha, for the first time, fused a trait and elevated its hidden species to a middle commander level, don’t you think there might be other beastmasters whose pet beasts’ species levels also reached the commander level after their first trait fusion?”

“Once they enter the commander level, their names might not appear on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard. These stronger opponents are your real competition.”

“The most important thing is that the Freshman Tournament probably won’t allow beastmasters to rely too much on external forces, so whether you can use your rare weapon is another matter,” Gu Qingyi smiled.

“If you can only use an ordinary wooden sword then, will it still be as powerful?”

Lu Ran was taken aback, almost forgetting that detail. If weapons and equipment weren’t restricted, second-generation beastmasters would certainly show off their various tricks.

But if weapon and equipment levels were restricted, General Ha would be significantly weakened.

Moreover, Gu Qingyi’s words reminded Lu Ran that excellent fourth-generation beastmasters might not all be on the divine beast leaderboard; if their pet beasts had already reached the commander species level, they wouldn’t show up on the supernatural leaderboard.

They are the most hidden group.

Only someone like Pluto, who is neither here nor there, would care so much about being first on the supernatural leaderboard.

“And there’s more,” Gu Qingyi added thoughtfully.

“Among these people, there might also be superpower users like you…”

“Since the resurgence of spiritual energy, not only have plants and animals been evolving, but humans have too.”

“After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the probability of superpower users appearing in various countries has significantly increased.”

“Currently, I know of a fourth-generation beastmaster who has awakened telekinetic superpowers… he could be very tough to deal with,” Gu Qingyi said, shaking her head.

“I got it…” Drenched with cold reality, Lu Ran shrugged and said, “I’ll do my best to strengthen myself and General Ha during this time.”

“You have at most half a month to prepare.”

“Within these 45 days, you need to enter the breakthrough secret realm and reach level 1 beastmaster status as well.”

“Otherwise, it’ll be incredibly hard to compete with level 1 beastmasters if you’re still an apprentice.”

“And the duration of the breakthrough secret realm is 30 days.”

“That means, once you enter, whether or not you complete the breakthrough mission, you won’t be able to return until the 30 days are up.”

“So, making the most of the breakthrough secret realm to rapidly strengthen yourself in another beast taming world is also crucial.”

“I understand that,” Lu Ran nodded.

“However, my suggestion is not to rush into the breakthrough secret realm. First, spend a dozen days using your advantage at the apprentice stage to quickly accumulate resources in abyssal difficulty secret realms.”

“Then, time your entry into the breakthrough secret realm just before the 30-day deadline. When you come out, it will be time for beast taming university to start.”

“Also, during this time, you need to consider whether to contract a second pet beast. Will you specialize in training just one pet beast, or do you plan to diversify your team? Undoubtedly, there will be beastmasters contracting two pet beasts by then. With just one pet beast, you might face one-on-two situations.”

Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran and General Ha seriously, pointing her finger as she gave advice. Suddenly, Lu Ran felt like she was his high school teacher.

“Ahem… ahem…” Dr. Gu can be pretty strict.

Next to him, General Ha showed a wise expression. It didn’t matter; after all, it didn’t understand. “Boss Lu, just listen to her.”

…………

Infinite City No.3.

[Pluto’s ranking rose to first place on the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!]

The guild’s plan to establish a reputation in Infinite City No.5 suffered a setback. Pluto couldn’t complete the task his older brother gave him and returned defeated to Infinite City No.3.

“Forget it; bad luck for us. That Passerby A is probably in Infinite City No.5 specifically strategizing the ‘Abandoned Testing Ground’ secret realm. With him there, you won’t get the top spot. He wants to farm ‘trait crystals,’ so he’ll likely stay there for a while.”

“In that case, you should come back. Currently, no one knows how valuable the rewards on the divine beast leaderboard are. Since the top spot in Infinite City No.3 is vacant, come back and claim that position,” Star suggested.

Under Star’s advice, Pluto returned to Infinite City No.3 and reclaimed the top spot.

Beastmaster Square.

Beastmasters were gossiping.

“Damn, Pluto is back!”

“Hahaha, the online speculation was right. He tried for the leaderboard in Infinite City No.5 but unfortunately ran into Passerby A over there.”

“Do you think… Passerby A might suddenly come back too?” someone guessed.

In the crowd, Pluto, with his face hidden under a hat, sneered quietly. As if that would happen.

Passerby A probably went there for the weapon mastery trait and plans to farm traits, which could take a while.

He won’t be back anytime soon!

[Regional Announcement: Divine Beast Leaderboard and Supernatural Species Leaderboard Updated.]

[Leaderboard Divine Beast: Species—Sword-Holding Dog.]

[Attribute: Wind.]

[Species Level: Upper Supernatural.]

[Growth Level: Level 10.]

[Beastmaster: Passerby A.]

[Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved from the Snowfield Dog species, awakened storm force, fused with the trait ‘weapon mastery,’ showing extraordinary comprehension. In the Public Secret Realm—Tranquil Island, it split the sea with a single sword, severely injuring a Level 22 Blue Shark from the Upper Supernatural Species while still at Level 10.]

[Ranks first on the Supernatural Divine Beast Leaderboard!]

Just as Pluto was sneering and analyzing, he heard the announcement. He froze for a moment, and the next second, his brain felt like it was hit by a storm, buzzing incessantly.

His expression turned blank and bewildered.

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