Chapter 142 - From Student to Colleague

“What is this? A professor in the Culinary Department?”

Lu Ran’s words left Master Lin silent for a moment. His brain couldn’t process it immediately.

What’s going on?

“You know how to cook?” he asked after a long pause.

Knowing how to cook wasn’t uncommon as every household had a few people who could cook. But the Culinary Department at Beastmaster University wasn’t about ordinary cooking. Its ingredients were all Transcendent Species, requiring terrifyingly precise skills in knife techniques and fire control.

“Oh, I forgot to mention earlier. The ascension realm I entered this time was a chef-type secret realm.

“I gained some insights there. Sort of like you did back in the day...The Fire-attribute power I possess was also obtained there. Since cooking and forging share common ground, I figured that when I got into the university, I’d study forging while pursuing advanced training in the Cultivation Department.”

Master Lin was dumbfounded.

“Damn.”

Master Lin felt like he’d just been sucker-punched.

Wanting to be both a student and a professor at the same time? Why not ascend to the heavens while you’re at it?

Granted, the benefits of being a professor were quite attractive...

“A professor in the Culinary Department isn’t just about knowing how to cook. Are you sure you’re qualified?”

Lu Ran smiled in response to that question.

“Just the fact that I’ve mastered Culinary Intent should suffice, don’t you think?”

The strength of one’s Culinary Intent was the highest standard for evaluating a Beastmaster Chef’s skill! And research on Dragon Culinary Intent was a completely unexplored field on the Blue Planet!

After Lu Ran finished, Master Lin fell silent. Culinary Intent was a derivative technique that surpassed the second stage of energy formation, Intent Formation. Its user needed not only to master Intent Formation but also to have unimaginable talent in Weapon Control.

Moreover, it required at least five to ten years of intensive experience in Weapon Control to achieve the perfect fusion of the two, thereby forming Culinary Intent, which could enhance cooking.

Additionally, Culinary Intent was selective about the type of intent as not all intents were suitable. Even on the Blue Planet, only a handful of Beastmasters had mastered Culinary Intent.

Had Lu Ran... done it?

Master Lin didn’t understand, but soon he realized something. Lu Ran’s doofus, which was ranked as having extraordinary comprehension on the Heavenly Familiar Rankings, might indeed have been capable of mastering the second stage of energy formation, Intent Formation.

Coupled with the fact that the doofus had fused with the Weapon Control trait, this was probably the key!

“You’ve truly mastered Culinary Intent?”

“As genuine as it gets.”

Master Lin fell into thought again.

“Well, then, becoming a professor to research Culinary Intent indeed wouldn’t be an issue. However, it’s not suitable for teaching. Culinary Intent is too advanced. Incoming students are all beginners, so it wouldn’t suit them,” Master Lin explained.

“No problem. I’m good at teaching the basics too,” Lu Ran said.

“Knife techniques, fire control, I can teach both.”

He added, “Besides, even if they can’t learn Culinary Intent now, they can still be exposed to it early on. Who knows what opportunities the future might bring?”

Thanks to Super Beast Mimicry and Weapon Control, coupled with the Precise Knife Technique he’d learned in the ascension realm from the boss lady, Lu Ran’s knife skills had reached an exceptionally high level.

On Blue Planet, he was undoubtedly among the top tier and could easily handle various ingredients. The three pillars of culinary arts which were knife skills, fire control, and ladle techniques, were areas where Lu Ran could effortlessly guide beginners.

In fire control, his Flame Spirit could perceive the optimal cooking temperature for each stage of an ingredient, a vast theoretical system no textbook could fully encompass. He could produce a page of course material just by analyzing a unique ingredient.

Apart from recipe formulations, which required extensive practical research, very few could surpass him in knife and fire control techniques.

Even without Culinary Intent, his top-tier skills in these two areas were enough for him to easily qualify as a Culinary Department professor. One could say the heavens had truly favored him.

Lu Ran’s idea was to use his expertise in knife and fire control to secure a position in the Culinary Department, staying there to dive into advanced Dragon Cuisine recipes.

Recipe formulations, unless self-developed, were the least technical part of cooking. After all, one simply followed someone else’s instructions.

However, Lu Ran’s dilemma was that the Dragon Cuisine he wanted to research had no existing Dragon Chefs on Blue Planet. He had to explore it on his own. He could only hope that the resources in the Cultivation Department were comprehensive enough.

“If you insist...” Master Lin said, his mouth twitching.

“Fine, I’ll give you the contact information for the dean of the Cultivation Department. I’ll also introduce you.”

“Great, great.” Lu Ran smiled.

“Damn...” Master Lin muttered internally.

Lu Ran was someone he’d looked forward to having as a Forging Department student.

Could this really turn into a student-turned-colleague situation?

...

Master Lin hung up his call with Lu Ran and immediately dialed the dean of the Cultivation Department. The dean was one of the first-generation beastmasters. Among the original thirteen who still fought on the frontlines, the rest had transitioned into civilian professions or, like Zhao Chen, retired to administrative positions.

Chu Yan was an early behind-the-scenes pioneer in cultivation. While the first-generation beastmasters charged into battle, he continuously studied cultivation theories, provided guidance, processed ingredients, and maintained a clear division of labor with Combat Beastmasters.

Of course, not being on the frontlines didn’t make Chu Yan weak. Compared to the thirteen at level 5, he was indeed less powerful, but he still ranked as a high-ranking beastmaster.

“Master Lin?”

In an office of the Cultivation Academy, a young man in his thirties wearing a white suit and sporting short red hair answered with surprise.

“What’s the occasion?”

Master Lin was a rising star in the forging field among third-generation beastmasters. His abilities rivaled those of seasoned first-generation blacksmiths.

Chu Yan remembered how his old friend, the dean of the Forging Department, had gone to great lengths to recruit Master Lin for teaching.

Why would this guy be calling me now?

“

Haha,

Dean Chu, I have someone interested in becoming a professor in the Cultivation Department. I’m calling to recommend him.”

“Oh?”

Chu Yan raised an eyebrow. Every department was short of professors. The number of students far exceeded the teaching staff.

“Who is it?”

He thought he’d reached out to almost every possible candidate. Could someone have slipped through the cracks?

“It’s a fourth-generation beastmaster.”

Chu Yan went silent.

“Is it some renowned chef who recently became a beastmaster?” Chu Yan asked.

Professors didn’t necessarily have to come from the ranks of first, second, or third-generation beastmasters. People who weren’t even beastmasters before, as long as they had exceptional expertise in their field, could be hired to teach.

After all, students had to start with the basics. For instance, Culinary Department freshmen only needed foundational lessons in knife skills, ladle techniques, and fire control. Regular chefs could handle these initial courses as there was no need for experts in beastmaster-level cooking.

“Not exactly. I think you might’ve heard of this person. His name is Pedestrian A. He’s the top-ranked on the Heavenly Familiar Rankings of Limitless City #3.

“We’re quite close. His first ascension realm was a chef-type realm, where he comprehended Culinary Intent and achieved a perfect clear. I believe teaching Culinary Department freshmen wouldn’t be an issue for him,” Master Lin explained.

“Holy shit, who?” Chu Yan blurted out instinctively.

“Pedestrian A.”

“It’s him???”

“Looks like you know him. That simplifies things,” Master Lin said.

Chu Yan fell silent. How could he not? A few days ago, a cat had visited him to buy some bird meat. Chu Yan, wanting to be helpful, offered to process it. But the cat had scoffed at him, asking,

Do you know Dragon Culinary Intent?

That question left Chu Yan dumbfounded.

Son of a bitch,

becoming a Dragon Chef isn’t that simple. There isn’t a single chef in the world who has mastered Dragon Culinary Intent.

If not for the fact that he couldn’t beat Manager Ying, Chu Yan might have taught the cat a lesson.

Later, after buying information at a high price, Chu Yan learned from Manager Ying that a fourth-generation beastmaster, favored by Dr. Gu, had mastered Dragon Culinary Intent through swordsmanship, extrapolation, and relentless innovation.

Hearing that Lu Ran, the person in question, wanted to become a professor in the Cultivation Department, Chu Yan immediately agreed without even arranging an assessment.

“Master Lin, no problem. I’ll get his credentials sorted as quickly as possible.”

“Huh?” Master Lin was stunned.

What do you mean sorted? You haven’t even assessed him yet!

...

Meanwhile, while Master Lin and Dean Chu were chatting, Lu Ran wasn’t staying idle. He picked up his phone to check the competition schedule.

It seemed that the matchups for the freshman competition would be announced soon. The official battles would start tomorrow, giving participants half a day to research their opponents and prepare accordingly.

“

Rawr!!!

”

“

Woof!!!

”

Sudden Death King and Captain Doofus were also summoned by Lu Ran to wait together. At present, Sudden Death King had comprehended Dragon Intent, making it overwhelmingly powerful even without using Lightning God Tactics.

As for Captain Doofus, it had now reached level 19, with significant enhancements to all of its attributes. It was only a step away from level 20, where it could gain its Fusion Trait. Lu Ran felt confident that by the semifinals or finals, Captain Doofus would likely reach level 20.

“Group A, first match?”

When the schedule was released, Lu Ran discovered that he was slated for the first match tomorrow. His opponent’s name was Zhou Mo.

Who?

At this stage, everyone used their real names, so Lu Ran realized his alias would likely be revealed soon. But it didn’t matter. Sooner or later, it would happen anyway.

Lu Ran vs. Zhou Mo!

Curious, Lu Ran opened the newly created chat group with his secret realm exploration team.

“Who’s Zhou Mo?” he asked.

Before anyone could reply, someone started spamming his private chat.

[Yang Xishuai: OMG OMG OMG, Lu Ran!!! What’s going on? How are you up against Dog King in the first match!? He has a Two-Headed Hellhound which excels in both fire and mental attacks. Can your lizard defend against that?]

Soon, the group chat also exploded.

[Icy Roads Ahead: Damn, what luck. The first match, and you’re up against a championship contender?]

Zhou Mo, known by his Limitless City #3 alias Dog King, was the Circus Guild’s second-in-command. He was the first fourth-generation beastmaster to make it onto the Champion Heavenly Familiar Rankings.

Though three others had since followed, as the first to achieve it, Zhou Mo remained the most famous, widely considered a favorite to win the competition.

[Safe All The Way: Lu Ran... should be fine, right?]

This was Lu Yi.

[Pig Farmer: Even if you lose, it’s fine. You can still climb the rankings through the loser’s bracket.]

[Five Poisons Saintess: Pig Farmer, what are you saying? Losing? Who’s the Dog King here, anyway?!]

Lu Ran was silent. He shrugged as he hadn’t expected to get such great luck, going up against one of the strongest competitors in the first match. He remembered hearing about Zhou Mo during the preliminary assessments. This guy even managed to give the examiners some trouble.

Mental attacks...

Lu Ran shook his head. Neither Captain Doofus nor Sudden Death King was afraid of that. Captain Doofus, after enduring a dragon’s aura for so long, had developed substantial resistance to mental interference.

As for Sudden Death King, its Lightning Dragon Armor was a perfect inheritance of Dragon species’ superior traits. Its physical, energy, mental, and soul defenses were all extraordinarily high, essentially granting it unparalleled protection. Zhou Mo’s strengths wouldn’t shine here.

After explaining the situation to Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King, the two familiars froze. Captain Doofus, intrigued by the nickname Dog King, looked ready to challenge the title. However, Sudden Death King stepped forward, raising a claw to stop it.

“

Rawr!

(No worries, leave it to me.)”

Suddenly, the normally calm Sudden Death King seemed to have picked up a dislike for canine-type familiars. Maybe this was the result of the Dragon Sword Intent it had learned from Manager Ying, which had some residual hostility toward dog-like creatures.

“

Rawr!

”

Sudden Death King stood tall, exuding confidence. Captain Doofus, feeling momentarily defeated in enthusiasm, backed off but gave a supportive bark as if to say,

Fine, you handle it. I’ll step in later if needed.

Sudden Death King decided to take on other dogs to prove the strength of the Lightning Dragon Armor.

“You don’t actually have to fight over it. Now you can both enter the battle together. This isn’t the preliminary round where the number of familiars is restricted,” Lu Ran explained.

Sudden Death King and Captain Doofus froze.

“Of course, if Sudden Death King wants a one-on-one, I’m fine with that too. Zhou Mo has only revealed one familiar so far, but there might be another hidden.

“In that case, Captain Doofus will stay as our trump card, hidden in the card to protect me and waiting for the perfect moment to deliver the finishing blow.

“Sudden Death King, you’ll go first to probe the opponent’s abilities. With your current Species Talent, you’re practically invincible in this freshman competition, where killing is prohibited...” Lu Ran commented, expressing his appreciation for the competition’s rules.

The freshman competition had multiple layers of protective measures in place, designed to determine winners without risking fatalities. Referees would ensure the safety of both competitors.

Under these conditions, with Sudden Death King’s exceptional defense and its innate injury-triggered power burst, Lu Ran figured that Captain Doofus might not even be needed. Sudden Death King alone could likely take on and defeat many opponents.

Captain Doofus could remain as an ultimate trump card, staying hidden and only appearing at critical moments to catch opponents off guard.

After all, many competitors were undoubtedly concealing their own aces. In a situation like this, it all came down to who could outmaneuver the others by keeping their cards hidden longer.

Revealing too much information too early would undoubtedly be a disadvantage. For instance, knowing that the Two-Headed Hellhound specialized in mental attacks could allow Lu Ran and his team to prepare in advance by purchasing mental defense equipment for the competition, providing some degree of counterplay.

“Rawr???”

Sudden Death King froze.

Could both of us really enter the match together? Damn it, then why did I volunteer myself so eagerly? By “probing,” did Lu Ran mean going in first to take hits and gather intelligence on the enemy’s skills?

“

Woof!

”

Captain Doofus grinned mischievously, placing a paw on Sudden Death King’s back.

Go on then. This is your chance to show off your strong defense!

Captain Doofus loved fighting but hated getting hurt during battles. It fully supported the idea of letting Sudden Death King absorb the hits first and then making its own grand entrance when the time was right.