Chapter 131 - Emergence of a Powerful Enemy

Limitless City #3, Beastmaster Square.

Lu Ran tossed Sudden Death King into the Training Secret Realm. He then took another glance at his cleaned-up storage before leaving.

Crystal Coin Balance: 208,000

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Equipment: Divine Deer Pendant (Epic), Spirit-Converting Pot (Treasure), Frosty Sky Greatsword (Rare)

Resources: Dog Food x27 (Rare), Frozen Dragonfish x39 (Advanced), Trait Crystal (Nature Manipulation), Beastmaster Skill Cards (Fusion, Undead Resurrection)

It was quite minimalistic. He earned the crystal coins from the ascension realms and the Heavenly Familiar Ranking; they were truly a timely boon.

Among his weapons and equipment, only the Divine Deer Pendant and Frosty Sky Greatsword remained. Weapons like the Wind-Slashing Sword and Speed Crossbow were scrapped during Lu Ran's practice of external energy infusion.

Although Lu Ran had gained a lot from the ascension realms, his principle when it came to resources was simple: Earn from the empire, spend in the empire. Don't bring a single cent back home.

Hence, he used everything to trade for Soul-Cleansing Fruits, develop the Flame Spirit, and learn Dragon Culinary Intent. Without these resources, Lu Ran might not have achieved such swift progress.

Thus, Lu Ran was left with only a few items such as his family heirloom, Captain Doofus’ equipment and food, Sudden Death King’s rations, and newly acquired Trait Crystals and beastmaster skills.

With the freshman competition right around the corner, Lu Ran had to plan how to use his remaining balance of 200,000 crystal coins.

The competition rules were now public. Students could only equip Advanced weapons and armor, with both beastmasters and their familiars limited to one item each.

Moreover, the event organizers restricted weapon and equipment use. Since Captain Doofus’ Frosty Sky Greatsword was off-limits, Lu Ran had to purchase a few new swords to use temporarily.

He also planned to buy resources to help Captain Doofus level up and improve its rations. Captain Doofus’ Rare-grade dog food was still pretty good.

It used to be considered average among Rare-quality food, with its Wind-attribute beast meat, poultry, and fruits being relatively inexpensive. But now, with the Spirit-Converting Pot and Blizzard Culinary Intent, the food quality had significantly improved. Such were the benefits of culinary skills!

Sudden Death King was already at level 20 too. Lu Ran decided to continue feeding it roasted Dragonfish for now instead of investing in other resources.

Enhanced by the Spirit-Converting Pot and processed with Dragon Culinary Intent, the Dragonfish wasn’t inferior to Rare-grade dragon resources. It sufficed for the moment.

Lastly, Lu Ran bought twenty Sky Tree Fruit for 7,000 crystal coins each, totaling 140,000 coins. The Sky Tree Fruit were Rare-grade resources exclusive to Sky Island. Since the location was guarded by Wind-attribute King species beasts, they were pretty hard to obtain.

These fruits primarily enhanced wind-attribute familiars, boosting their energy and mastery over their attribute. Despite their simplicity, their effectiveness made them excellent for leveling up Wind-attribute familiars.

The relatively low price was due to their immaturity. Fully ripened fruits were quickly consumed by the guardian beasts, leaving only the unripe, less effective ones for collection.

Typically, Beastmasters had to rely on powerful Plant-attribute familiars for further ripening, incurring additional costs. However, for Lu Ran, no such expense was necessary. The Spirit-Converting Pot could handle everything.

Lu Ran bought these to help Captain Doofus reach level 20 quickly and merge with the Nature Manipulation trait. With boosted wind mastery from the fruits, it could adapt swiftly to its new trait and achieve formidable combat strength.

"Next stop, weapon shopping."

Lu Ran navigated through Beastmaster Square with clear goals. However, a sudden announcement caught his attention and stopped him in his tracks.

[Regional Announcement: Heavenly Familiar Rankings, Champion Species Rankings Updated.]

[Heavenly Familiar Added]

[Species: Two-Headed Hellhound.]

[Attributes: Dark, Fire]

[Species Rank: Superior-Champion]

[Level: 20]

[Beastmaster: Dog King]

[Reason for Ranking: Mutated evolution from the innate Champion Species Two-Headed Hound. Initial dual attributes with the fused traits Netherflame and Eye of Terror. Critically injured a Superior-Champion Corpse Ape Commander(Level 20) in Beast Corpse Cavern(Hell Difficulty, Level 1 Secret Realm).]

[Ranking: Climbed to 10th on the Champion Species Ranking!]

The announcement drew the attention of all beastmasters in the square. Gasps and murmurs erupted from all directions.

“What the heck?”

“A level 1 secret realm?”

The reshuffling of the Champion Species Rankings wasn’t unusual. However, for a familiar to rank based on performance in a level 1 secret realm was astonishing! After all, only level 1 beastmasters could access level 1 secret realms.

A level 1 beastmaster on the Champion Species Ranking?

Even Lu Ran paused to look at the updated ranking monument.

"Manager Ying, it seems you won't have to wait for me to dethrone the third-generation beastmasters. A fourth-gen has already claimed a spot on the Champion Species Ranking."

Lu Ran was equally surprised.

Who is this Dog King?

A fourth-gen beastmaster’s potential could land them on the Heavenly Familiar Ranking despite their lower combat power, but this level of dominance was unheard of.

However, it was just by chance. The nine heavenly familiars above Dog King were all above level 30 and had undergone three trait fusions. The fact that they could rival those with three trait fusions even though they only had two was simply incredible.

Lu Ran looked at the description of the Hellhound.

Wow, it’s a mutation of the naturally dominant two-headed dog species... What kind of species is this? An experimental breed? Or a mutated creature born after the spiritual energy revival?

Regardless, this Dog King was too strong. He immediately became the center of discussion at Beastmaster Square.

“I’ve never heard of this person before. Is he a fourth-generation beastmaster? Many of them have already ascended to level 1.”

“It’s possible, but could he also be a third-generation beastmaster? Maybe a non-first-tier third-gen that was still lingering at level 1?”

“That’s unlikely. Most third-gen level 1 beastmasters are civilians who lack combat capabilities. They’d never make the rankings based on performance.”

“I read on the forums that the seventy names on the Heavenly Familiar Ranking don’t represent the pinnacle of fourth-gen beastmasters. “

“The truly elite might have contracted Champion familiars right from the start, skipping the Transcendent Species Ranking altogether. Could this Dog King be one of them?”

“That makes sense. I thought the Swordsdog of Pedestrian A was impressive, but now we have a Hellhound, a Champion Species! Its base rank is a whole tier higher than the Swordsdog!”

Some people had begun comparing Dog King to the current Transcendent Species Ranking’s top contender, Pedestrian A. Although the Hellhound ranked tenth on the Champion Species Ranking, it was clear to any discerning eye which one held more weight.

Lu Ran naturally didn’t care about such comparisons. Once Captain Doofus integrated two traits, he believed whatever the Hellhound could achieve, Captain Doofus could as well.

Still, he reflected on the situation.

As Dr. Gu Qingyi mentioned, arrogance is dangerous. There truly are many hidden powerhouses among the fourth generation.

Especially now that a large number of second-generation beastmasters had advanced to level 1, their backing forces undoubtedly provided them with high-quality level 20 familiars and compatible Trait Crystals, much like how Lu Ran had prepared resources for Sudden Death King.

“As if they could compare to Pedestrian A,” someone nearby muttered.

With his sharp hearing catching the comment, Lu Ran turned to see a familiar face staring at the rankings. At first, he assumed it was just one of his many admirers, but instead...

“Huh? Pluto?”

Lu Ran walked over with a surprised expression. He then patted Pluto’s shoulder from behind. “You know this guy? And wow, you’re quite the fan of mine...”

Startled by Lu Ran’s sudden appearance, Pluto spun around in shock. “Shit! Why are you here?”

With his face turning red, he wondered,

Did he overhear what I said just now? I was just mumbling!

Lu Ran smirked. “I asked you a question.”

“I know him. He’s with the Circus,” Pluto replied.

“The Circus? As in one of the four major guilds of Limitless City #3?”

“Yeah.” Pluto shrugged. “The guild leader is his older brother.”

“Doesn’t that make his background similar to yours?” Lu Ran raised an eyebrow. “So why is he doing so well, while you’re just... well...”

“What?” Baffled, Pluto snapped. “He’s just lucky, alright? My second familiar is about to finish training, and it won’t lose to his Hellhound. Plus, with my new trait and beastmaster skills, my Lightning Eagle’s strength will soon undergo a significant transformation!”

Lu Ran glanced at the Transcendent Species Ranking. Pluto’s name no longer occupied the second spot, which likely meant his Lightning Eagle had evolved into a Champion Species.

Golden Lightning, the first trait of Pluto’s familiar, was renowned for its fast leveling capability. Considering Captain Doofus had already reached level 15 shortly after its ascension, Pluto’s Lightning Eagle, well-funded with resources, was probably at level 20 and had integrated its new trait.

“So you’ve reached level 1 as well,” Lu Ran commented. “Looks like you entered the ascension realms earlier than I did.”

“Of course.” Pluto straightened his collar. “I assume you’ll be participating in the Beastmaster University’s freshman competition. I’m done playing with the small fry on the Transcendent Species Ranking. Let’s settle it there.”

He then turned and left.

Lu Ran shrugged. He wasn’t too concerned about Pluto. While Dog King’s traits, Netherflame and Eye of Terror, sounded formidable and likely involved soul or mental attacks, Pluto’s focus on lightning-based abilities posed no threat to him.

Lightning, huh? The thing I fear least!

Lu Ran thought.

With Sudden Death King’s high lightning resistance and Red Lightning Trait, which allowed for lightning-enhanced body training, Pluto would be the perfect sparring partner!

Lu Ran returned his attention to the rankings. Over the past month, the Transcendent Species Ranking had seen significant changes. Positions two through nine had been overtaken by unfamiliar names.

Even Fang Lan had been pushed out. Those on the Champion Species Ranking were all strangers as well. The top spot now belonged to a female beastmaster.

[Species: Light-Dark Butterfly]

[Attributes: Light, Dark]

[Species Rank: Superior-Champion]

[Level: 33]

[Beastmaster: Little Enchanter]

The Light-Dark Butterfly had undergone a partial evolution. Although initially born with light attributes, it later awakened dark attributes.

Such a powerful combination would normally elevate a species to King Species after evolution. Most perfectly evolved species would naturally reach that rank.

However, this butterfly remained a Superior-Champion Species. This strongly suggested a failed evolution. After all, balancing opposing attributes was no simple task.

Still, it was evident that Little Enchanter had poured her heart into the Light-Dark Butterfly. Despite its failed evolution and inability to compete with King Species, its solid foundation secured it at the top of the Champion Species Ranking.

Over time, the monthly resource rewards could potentially help the Light-Dark Butterfly achieve a miraculous second evolution. Awakening new attributes and integrating traits were hallmarks of Limitless City’s evolution paths. Hence, trial and error were inevitable.

Upon checking the King Species Ranking, Lu Ran couldn’t help but be astonished. For the first time, a first-generation beastmaster had taken on the ascension realms. Three spots on the King Species Ranking were occupied by a single name.

“Dr. Gu...” Lu Ran murmured.

The top-ranked familiar on the King Species Ranking in Limitless City #3 belonged to her.

[Species: Azure Sea Dragon]

[Attributes: Dragon]

[Species Rank: Superior-King]

[Level: 58]

[Beastmaster: Gu Qingyi]

Dragon attribute...

Dr Gu’s Azure Sea Dragon was a pure Dragon-attribute species. However, this didn’t mean it only mastered a single attribute. The strength of dragon species lay in their hybrid nature.

The reason the Dragon species was so powerful was that dragons had composite attributes. The attributes from before were all fused into the special dragon energy.

In addition to their immense physical strength, they could also master forces like wind, flames, lightning, and the vast ocean. Every Dragon-attribute being must be proficient in at least two or more types of power.

Eastern dragons typically favored ocean, hurricane, and lightning attributes, while Western dragons leaned toward hurricane, flame, and frost.

Lu Ran shook his head. "Better not dwell on it."

Catching up to the first generation would take a long time.

Still, whether it was the Champion Species Ranking, the King Species Ranking, or even Dr. Gu herself, Lu Ran resolved to surpass them all.

He left the beastmaster square and headed over to the smithy.

“‘Oh, oh, oh? A rare guest!” Master Lin, who had been reading a novel, exclaimed in surprise upon seeing Lu Ran. “Did you just get back from the ascension realm?’”

“

Mm

, long time no see, Master Lin. I need you to forge two swords for me, and they have to be of Advanced-grade quality. One sword should have both conduction and amplification effects, with the core having wind and ice attributes.

“The other should be similar, but the core must be wind and fire elements. Forget it, make four swords. Two of each type, for backup,” Lu Ran added.

I won’t prepare equipment for Sudden Death King since Advanced-grade gear doesn’t improve it much.

Since

its innate defense is far more important, low-tier gear will only affect its performance. After all, it doesn’t have Unique talents, nor has it been trained specifically.

“So, you’re trying to complete the set of Frostmourne and Fire’s Joy?” Master Lin chuckled, guessing that Lu Ran was preparing for the upcoming freshman competition.