Chapter 160 - Dark Crow: I’m Invincible! (Part 2)

As Lu Ran was leaving Limitless City, a cat paw nearly smacked him in the face.

“You brat! You’ve got guts, daring to solo a brand-new secret realm the moment it appeared. Honestly, I can’t take my eyes off you for even a second.”

Manager Ying pressed its paw against Lu Ran’s face and said, “So? Were you almost done for in there?”

“

Pfft.

”

Lu Ran stepped back, looked at Manager Ying, and said, “You’ve come at just the right time. Spread the word. Tell all the fourth-gens not to solo that Legendary Secret Realm. It’s absolutely inhuman.”

“Only you would do such a thing.”

“Even teaming up won’t work. I feel like even if I had three clones of myself as teammates, we still wouldn’t clear that realm,” Lu Ran stated with certainty.

“Understood.” Manager Ying smirked.

“You losing is completely normal. Information about that Diamond Dragon has already been dug up. Its future contracted beastmaster, Ido, was one of the top legendary beastmasters on the Stellar Moon Continent at the time.

“This Diamond Dragon even had the potential to ascend to the Legendary tier, and it’s fair to say that it played a massive role in Ido’s rise to prominence. Although the one you faced was just a young one, its innate talent and potential are off the charts. It was never going to be weak.”

“Oh...”

“Now then... you’re probably the first beastmaster to enter the Dragon King’s Nest, fight, and live to tell the tale.

Ahem

. I’ve shared so much intel with you before, it’s your turn to give back now. No matter how valuable or trivial, tell me everything you know about the Diamond Dragon.”

Lu Ran fell silent.

I knew it. This kitty came here just to fish for intel.

Reluctantly, Lu Ran explained the Diamond Dragon’s attack patterns to Manager Ying. Honestly, there wasn’t much to say. Its capabilities boiled down to unimaginably strong defense and offense, along with mastery over a special mountain-like intent.

Of course, this was just what Lu Ran had experienced. Whether it had other hidden abilities, he couldn’t be sure.

“The opponent is likely at Energy Formation Phase Two, Energy Compression Phase Two, and Energy Projection Phase Two, combined with a Superior King Species rank. No wonder you couldn’t beat it,” Manager Ying remarked.

“To win, there are only two methods. Either match its species rank or achieve an energy mastery far beyond it. But obviously, for a level 1 beastmaster like you, neither is realistic.”

Lu Ran shrugged at the assessment.

Exactly

.

What annoyed him the most, however, was the zero challenge fee. A challenge this difficult with such a low barrier to entry? It was practically bait for people to throw their lives away!

***

For the next few days, having acknowledged the gap in strength, Lu Ran avoided challenging the Legendary Secret Realm and instead focused on farming difficult and Hell-difficulty level 1 secret realms.

These secret realms featured bosses that weren’t even King Species, making the process significantly easier. Over three days, Lu Ran managed to acquire seven Rare resources capable of awakening secondary attributes.

These included a Spirit Gem and resources for awakening Rock, Wind, Water, Fire, Earth, and Lightning attributes. While the resource haul was decent, the real value lay in the training he received.

Of course, it wasn’t Captain Doofus that benefited from the training. At its current power level, such secret realms no longer posed a challenge. Instead, it was Sudden Death King and Lu Ran himself who gained the most.

After three days of intense combat and special training, Sudden Death King finally mastered Energy Flow: Lightning Flash and Energy Compression: Amplifying Lightning Dragon Armor.

With these skills, its defensive capabilities improved significantly. Meanwhile, Lu Ran’s grasp of the four energy techniques deepened, and his enhanced energy control even made cooking and forging feel easier.

“It’s about time I head back to Green Sea City.”

After days of challenging secret realms, Lu Ran looked at the seven awakening resources in his backpack and decided it was time to distribute them among the Seven Generals of Green Sea City.

By now, the Seven Generals were likely around level 20, and these seven secondary attribute resources needed careful consideration to match each general. The Spirit Gem, however, was reserved for Dark Crow.

That very day, Lu Ran boarded a flight back to Green Sea City. Green Sea City had developed significantly in Lu Ran’s absence, and Dark Crow’s network of spies seemed to be everywhere. Before Lu Ran even reached home, Dark Crow had already received a report from its underlings, notifying it of his return.

“Great King!”

“You’re so strong, my King!”

“The mightiest of the fourth generation!”

Perched atop the door of Lu Ran’s house, Dark Crow greeted him early, chattering with phrases it had likely picked up somewhere.

“Keep it down. If someone hears, they’ll think I taught you this.” Lu Ran sighed, his expression dark.

After all, no normal person would assume a crow was flattering itself. Most would think Lu Ran had instructed it to do so, which would be mortifying.

“

Caw

.”

“I haven’t distributed resources to you all in a while,” Lu Ran admitted.

During his time in the ascension realm, he had relied on the association to allocate resources to the Seven Generals. As their king, he felt a little irresponsible.

How can a king be great if he doesn’t reward his generals often? While he couldn’t speak for the others, Dark Crow and Bee Queen were definitely diligent.

Dark Crow patrolled Green Sea tirelessly, acting as Lu Ran’s representative to resolve disputes between familiars. Bee queen consistently supplied honey as tribute. Both were true models of loyalty and hard work.

“Here.”

Seeing that Dark Crow had indeed reached level 20, Lu Ran tossed it the Spirit Gem, which looked like a marble.

“Wise King!”

Dark Crow instinctively caught the gem in its beak, its expression lighting up with delight despite not knowing what it had just received.

“Just swallow it. It’ll dissolve in your body and awaken your Spirit attribute, granting you the ability to manipulate telekinesis.”

“

Caw!!

” Dark Crow swallowed the gem in one gulp and fell into deep thought.

Lu Ran didn’t rush inside, instead quietly observing. One second, two seconds, three seconds... Suddenly, Dark Crow shuddered as faint red spirit waves began to emanate from its body.

[Species Rank: Low-Champion]

Seeing this, Lu Ran yawned.

This guy has talent, as expected.

“Alright, take your time figuring it out. I’m exhausted. I’ll go take a nap first. Also, inform the other six to meet at Emerald Mountains tomorrow morning. I’ve got gifts for all of them.” Waving casually, Lu Ran entered his house.

Dark Crow, meanwhile, remained outside, savoring the newfound power from the Spirit Gem.

A few minutes passed. Dark Crow’s eyes widened as it felt its Dark power merging with its newfound Spirit power, giving birth to what seemed like an entirely new kind of power.

“My King!”

It was about to fly off and report to Lu Ran but decided to experiment first. Spreading its wings, Dark Crow soared through the city until it spotted a stray cat. The cat had just caught a mouse and was about to enjoy its meal.

“Take it slow, don’t choke,” Dark Crow cawed.

As it spoke, faint dark-red ripples appeared around its beak, forming strange symbols that vanished into thin air. The next moment, the stray cat’s eyes bulged.

It gagged, clawing at its neck as if something were stuck. After struggling for a while, it finally stopped, visibly shaken. The terrified cat abandoned the mouse and ran away.

Dark Crow was stunned. Perching on a tree, it turned its attention to a young man walking down the street, staring at his phone.

“Watch where you’re going, or you’ll hit something!” it cawed again.

“Ah!” With a yelp, the young man slammed head-first into a tree.

Groaning in pain, he rubbed his face and shouted, “Who said that? What kind of jinxed crow is this?!”

He looked around, but finding no one, he turned pale and bolted, clutching his phone.

“Wow.”

Dark Crow was utterly amazed. Its hunch had been correct. After awakening the Spirit attribute, its language ability had undergone strange and fascinating changes. It was as though its words now carried psychic energy, even a hint of magic.

“Word Spirit Curse?

“My King! My King! Don’t sleep! I’ve got great news!”

Dark Crow excitedly flew toward Lu Ran’s house, convinced it had become invincible. With its words alone, it could help Lu Ran conquer the world!

But just as it cawed loudly, it clamped its beak shut, worried that its excited chatter might accidentally curse Lu Ran.