Chapter 119 - Level 1 Beastmaster

The Spirit-Converting Pot! Flame Spirit! When Lu Ran saw these two rewards, he could barely contain his joy. The Spirit-Converting Pot was practically tailor-made for the beastmasters of Limitless City.

In secret realms, most plant-based resources were actually unripe. Those that had ripened had already been consumed by transcendent creatures. Only the unripe ones remained, typically guarded by ferocious beasts.

As a result, most of the resources circulating in Limitless City were far from optimal quality. Some grass-type familiars could artificially ripen these resources, but such familiars were rare and expensive to maintain.

Often, unless there was a specific need, people only consumed these resources as ordinary food since ripening them wasn’t cost-effective.

But now, with the Spirit-Converting Pot, Lu Ran could specifically purchase Rare resources of poor quality. By placing them in the pot for some time, they would instantly upgrade from the lowest quality to perfect quality.

This saved him crystal coins without compromising on the quality of his ingredients. Over time, it could save Lu Ran a significant amount of money. When the Spirit-Converting Pot wasn’t in use, he could even use it to resell ingredients for profit.

With this item, Lu Ran could ensure that all the ingredients he used for cooking for his familiars were of the best possible quality.

It could be said that this was the perfect culinary tool for the profession of a chef. A reward for the secret realm tailored for chefs. For once, Lu Ran found it unexpectedly reasonable.

As for the beastmaster skill Flame Spirit, Lu Ran felt it was even more valuable than a fusion skill. With this, even if a beastmaster didn’t rely entirely on their familiars, they could still have decent combat power, culinary capability, and forging ability, making them far less restricted.

Having or lacking a Fire-attribute familiar was no longer relevant. This was because the Flame Spirit skill allowed a beastmaster to temporarily grant the Fire attribute to any of their contracted familiars.

If Lu Ran learned this skill and cast Flame Spirit on Captain Doofus, the familiar would temporarily gain both wind and fire attributes.

At that point, not only could it unleash Blizzard Sword Qi, but producing Flame Sword Qi would also be effortless. This would greatly expand their range of abilities.

Alternatively, Flame Spirit could be applied to Sudden Death King. Normally a Lightning Dragon, it would become a Lightning Flame Dragon after receiving Flame Spirit.

Lu Ran imagined that Flame Spirit could also serve as a detonator. If an enemy approached the lightning-armored Sudden Death King, Lu Ran could directly apply a buff.

Under the overload of intertwined lightning and fire, Sudden Death King could explode like a nuclear bomb. Once the explosion ended, Sudden Death King, with its formidable defenses, would emerge unscathed, whereas the enemy would be annihilated. Reduced to ash.

In summary, no matter the familiar’s type, pairing it with Flame Spirit would lead to innovative skill combinations. After some thought, Lu Ran decided that since this beastmaster skill was specifically developed by Emperor Flame Quake for cooking and forging, it would be his first priority to learn it!

So far, no Blue Planet beastmaster had been known to possess the Flame Spirit skill. Lu Ran suspected there might be unknown applications and untapped potential for it.

After all, it was a skill developed by both the Chef Ancestor and Weapon Ancestor, so its upper limit was likely very high. As for fusion skills, those could be explored later since they weren’t urgent.

However, even though Lu Ran was eager to learn Flame Spirit, he chose not to break through the bottleneck immediately. At the moment, they were still at the assessment venue.

If he broke through here, Captain Doofus, whose level had been suppressed for a long time, might skyrocket several grades in one go. To avoid drawing undue attention, it was best to wait until the assessment concluded.

“Examiners, the other participants are still waiting for their evaluations. Shouldn’t we proceed?”

Seeing the three examiners still eating, Lu Ran couldn’t help but feel exasperated. Not because he was concerned about the mutant dragonfish.

“Oh, right.” The plump chef wiped his mouth and took a deep breath.

“Indeed. Let’s continue. Next!” the female examiner agreed.

“Sudden Death King, correct? Once the assessment is over, stay behind,” the white-haired examiner said to Lu Ran.

Each year, the top-performing participant in the gourmet assessment would be recommended for training at a holy site for culinary arts. Without a doubt, Lu Ran was the best this year, and the white-haired examiner planned to reserve the spot for him.

“Yes!” Lu Ran immediately understood what the examiner was referring to, and his mood soared.

By now, Captain Doofus was finally relieved of its duty as fish cutter. Its gaze wandered, its canine nose sniffing out the food prepared by other participants, drooling slightly.

So unfair. I want to eat too...

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus nudged Lu Ran, directing his attention to Bai Ling, who had returned and was carefully collaborating with the white tiger on a dish of boiled eggs! Boiled eggs might seem simple but achieving perfection wasn’t easy.

Bai Ling appeared to have hunted down Rare ingredients and was aiming to fully unleash their potential. Every stage of her process demanded precise temperature control. Although Bai Ling didn’t have a fire-type familiar, she did have a water-type familiar!

At the moment, in front of Bai Ling, a pot of water had been formed by the white tiger extending its paw and externally projecting energy.

A fire burned beneath the pot while the white tiger painfully dipped its paw into the water, using its body to continuously monitor the temperature. It was evident that both Bai Ling and the white tiger were going all out to pass the assessment.

“Done!”

After what felt like an eternity, Bai Ling, drenched in sweat, announced that her dish was complete. Since Lu Ran had already passed the assessment, the final number of successful participants in this breakthrough secret realm depended on the examiners’ evaluation of her boiled eggs.

Bai Ling quickly served the dish to the examiners.

“This is... boiled Rare Crocodile of Death eggs?”

For the second time that day, the examiners were surprised to see a Rare ingredient used to create a dish. The chubby examiner quickly cracked open an egg, and the three examiners each took a piece, sampling both the egg white and yolk together. Their expressions immediately became ones of bliss.

“Impressive. Although the cooking technique is a bit rough, you’ve done your best to preserve the delicate flavor of the Rare Crocodile of Death eggs. Your pursuit of ingredient quality makes you a qualified gourmet hunter!

“Pass.”

“You’ve passed.”

The three examiners, under Bai Ling’s tense gaze, announced their decision. Upon hearing this, White Tiger Sis clenched her fists and almost jumped for joy.

“Yay!!!”

Bai Ling shouted in excitement, and at the same time, the system notification of her breakthrough completion rang in her ears.

She seemed quite satisfied with the reward she had earned. With a joyful expression, she turned to look at Lu Ran. After all, at this moment, the only one who could truly understand her feelings, aside from her contracted familiar, was the fellow Limitless City participant, Lu Ran.

“Congratulations,” Lu Ran said with a smile from afar.

Perhaps it was her good mood, but Bai Ling suddenly found Lu Ran much more agreeable to look at.

As time passed, the Special-grade Assessment eventually concluded. Of the 72 participants, 26 successfully passed. Among them, 24 achieved success by elevating commonly found ingredients to the level of Unique dishes through superb culinary skills.

One participant succeeded by using Common culinary skills to preserve the flavor of Rare ingredients. Finally, Lu Ran, who displayed both extraordinary culinary ability and perfect ingredients, emerged as the undisputed first-place winner.

Following this, the successful participants were led by the chubby examiner to the Beastmaster Association for registration.

As the standout performer of the event, Lu Ran was asked to stay behind. The elderly examiner and the female examiner regarded Lu Ran with utmost seriousness.

“To think that Cang Lan Province has produced such a talented young chef,” the elderly man said.

“I am Gao Tian, a level 4 Gourmet Hunter and top-grade chef. I suspect we will soon be colleagues.”

“And I am Jin Yan, a level 3 Gourmet Hunter and top-grade chef. You’re quite remarkable,” the female examiner remarked, her gaze filled with admiration.

“You probably understand why we’ve asked you to stay behind, don’t you?

“Each assessment has a recommendation spot for one participant to undergo advanced training at a unique site. Do you have a location in mind? We can make the arrangements for you.”

The examiners had not introduced themselves to any other participant, but their willingness to do so with Lu Ran showed how highly they valued his potential. Clearly, they believed he was destined to become a renowned chef.

“Thank you, Examiners Gao and Jin.”

Stroking Captain Doofus’ head to calm it down, Lu Ran said, “Would it be possible for me to train at Dragon’s Valley?”

“You wish to comprehend Dragon Culinary Intent and become a Dragon Chef!?”

Gao Tian was stunned. He had expected Lu Ran to focus on further honing Ice Culinary Intent or enriching his repertoire with Fire Culinary Intent. But to aim directly for the pinnacle of Dragon Culinary Intent. That was a bold leap!

“Are you serious?” Jin Yan frowned.

“Did your mentor never tell you that Dragon Culinary Intent is one of the hardest to master? Choosing this path could waste this opportunity.”

Everyone aspired to learn from Emperor Flame Quake and create dishes that could nurture dragons, but few had the skills to match their ambitions.

“I still want to choose this path,” Lu Ran said firmly.

Other options like Fire or Wood Culinary Intent could be practiced within Limitless City’s secret realms, but the unique environment for training Dragon Culinary Intent was far more elusive.

“Very well.”

Gao Tian sighed, realizing it was pointless to dissuade Lu Ran. From Lu Ran’s ingredient selections, he could tell that the young man was someone who relentlessly pursued perfection.

“There shouldn’t be an issue. Since you’ve made up your mind, we’ll report your request. By the day after tomorrow at the latest, someone will arrive in Cang Lan City to escort you to Dragon’s Valley.”

“Thank you!” Lu Ran said joyfully.

Success!

Now, all he needed to do was stay near Dragon’s Valley until his time ran out. As for how much he could gain during this period. That would depend on fate.

***

That same day, Lu Ran returned to his inn. The moment he got back, he immediately removed his restrictions.

[You have reached the advancement requirements for a level 1 Beastmaster. Would you like to advance now?]

“Yes.”

In an instant, a warm current surged through Lu Ran’s body. His already robust physique and mental strength became even stronger. He felt like the term superhuman now barely did him justice. Quickly, Lu Ran activated the Eye of Detection to examine his own attributes.

[Species: Human]

[Beastmaster Level: 1]

[Beastmaster Skills: Super Beast Mimicry]

[Special Abilities: Telepathy, Blizzard Sword Intent]

During the Beginner Secret Realm phase, whether it was the Beginner Trial Secret Realm, Beginner Secret Realms, or the Beginner Ascension Realm, Limitless City provided trial participants with the Eye of Detection to enhance their survival chances.

However, once a participant progressed beyond the beginner stage, this beginner privilege was no longer available. It had to be said that the Eye of Detection was incredibly useful, but obtaining it beyond the beginner phase required one of two methods.

The first method was acquiring it during the initial Beginner Trial Secret Realm. And another method was to achieve a high score in the ascension realm for each advancement level, which granted a chance to receive an Eye of Detection.

At this point, Lu Ran’s Eye of Detection had already been upgraded from Beginner to Intermediate. Combined with the temporarily enhanced features of the beginner version, the information it displayed had increased significantly.

Skills like Telepathy and Blizzard Sword Intent, which were previously hidden abilities, were now visible. Of course, Lu Ran could view this information about himself because it was his own data.

To date, he had never heard of an Eye of Detection that could access the personal details of other beastmasters. At most, it could display basic information about their familiars.

Lu Ran also checked Captain Doofus’ contract card. With his ascension, Captain Doofus’ level had risen significantly!

[Name: Sword-Bearing Dog]

[Attribute: Wind]

[Species Rank: Superior Transcendent]

[Growth Level: Level 15]

[Fusion Trait: Weapon Control]

[Species Talent: Sword Sovereign]

[Skills: Haste, Sword Qi, Wind Roar, Wind Blade, Gale Wings, Storm Slash, Blizzard Sword Intent, Sword Control]

Captain Doofus’ growth level had jumped by five levels after overcoming its bottleneck. Lu Ran concluded that the results were due to the Rare-grade familiar food, the Hell-difficulty Secret Realm trials, and the culinary training over the past few days.

“I wonder if Captain Doofus can reach level 20 in half a month,” Lu Ran murmured.

If both his contracted familiars reached level 20 by then, his strength would undoubtedly become an overwhelming force among other fourth-generation beastmasters.

His current configuration was simply too comprehensive. Both Captain Doofus’ second trait and Sudden Death King’s second trait were already prepared, thanks to Dr. Gu Qingyi.

Satisfied with his progress, Lu Ran retrieved the Flame Spirit Skill Card and chose [Learn] without hesitation.

The flaming dragons slumbering in Dragon’s Valley were of the fire attribute, and their dragon aura contained fiery energy. Lu Ran believed that mastering fire-related abilities would help him better comprehend Dragon Culinary Intent.

As the Flame Spirit Skill Card was activated, Lu Ran felt a surge of heat forming within him. Soon, a red, ethereal figure resembling a matchstick man began to take shape inside his body.