Chapter 184 - Evolution Secret Realm, A Global Sensation

Lu Ran was deeply invested in the development of Lu Village.

He turned to Manager Ying beside him and asked, “Does the Beastmaster Alliance have any Transcendent creatures of the deer species? The kind with an initial species rank of Superior Transcendent.”

“You want to bring them in as second familiars for the beastmasters of Lu Village?” Manager Ying asked as he turned to look at him.

“Exactly.”

“You might as well directly merge Lu Village with Green Sea City and let them find suitable familiars for contracts there.”

“Contracting a deer gives off the impression that Lu Village has its heart set on the Divine Deer, doesn’t it?” Lu Ran smiled.

“I’ve thought about what you just mentioned, too. My idea is to diversify everyone’s team composition. For the development of Lu Village, I’m planning to train them as follows.

“First, using my identity as a Dragon Chef, I’ll gather a group of beastmasters skilled in combat. For their second familiars, they should contract with snakes to form a Flood Dragon Squad. This group will focus on combat, with each having something like one dog and one dragon—basically following a similar route as mine.

“Second, another group of beastmasters will develop in a support-oriented direction for their second familiars, such as healing and recovery abilities.

”This way, when they form teams, they won’t have such glaring weaknesses. I think selecting a group of Grass-attributed deer to train in Lu Village as team mascots would be fitting... Manager Ying, don’t you have any interest in collaborating on this Divine Deer revival project?

“You didn’t think I was bluffing just now, did you? Actually, the Divine Deer...”

Lu Ran was about to recruit Manager Ying to help him strengthen Lu Village when his phone suddenly rang.

He took it out, glanced at the caller ID, and was quite surprised.

“Who is it?” Manager Ying asked irritably.

Who was interrupting Lu Ran at such a crucial moment? Let him finish speaking!

“It’s Little Qingyi,” Lu Ran said.

“Hey! Little Qingyi is my nickname for her. What makes you think you could use it?” Manager Ying said angrily.

Lu Ran chuckled, “I meant, your Little Qingyi.”

With that, Lu Ran answered the call, and Gu Qingyi immediately asked, “Lu Ran, when do you plan to enter the Ascension Realm?”

“What’s wrong? I’ll probably enter in about a month,” Lu Ran estimated.

“A month? A month? That means two months in reality.”

On the other end, Gu Qingyi shook her head and said, “Isn’t your familiar already at level 20? What are you still busy with? Enter the ascension realm as soon as possible!”

“Did something happen?” Lu Ran asked in surprise.

“Just recently, in the Antarctic Limitless City, a unique Public Realm has appeared. Only familiars at level 30 can benefit from it.”

“What?” Lu Ran was stunned.

“What kind of public realm is it?”

Antarctica...

In the past, the continent had no permanent residents. Only scientific researchers from around the world went for work purposes. But now, things were different. The Blue Planet Beastmaster Alliance, a super organization composed of beastmaster forces worldwide, had established its headquarters in Antarctica.

The Limitless City in Antarctica, being a Public Limitless City, housed beastmaster representatives from various nations. It was also referred to as the Super Public Limitless City, as it hosted the largest number of public realms globally.

“It’s a public realm with no level restrictions. I’ve sent you the details so take a look at it,” Gu Qingyi said.

Lu Ran opened the information.

[Name: Evolution Secret Realm]

[Entry Level: Unrestricted]

[Description: Beneath the starry sky lies a region highly beneficial to the evolution of Transcendent species. The Evolution Secret Realm periodically releases large amounts of evolution energy. When Transcendent species evolve during this period, they can unlock greater potential.

[During the surge of evolution energy, the ten familiars with the highest post-evolution potential will receive Stellar Blessings and additional powers.]

[Entry Fee: 100,000 crystal coins]

[Countdown to Next Evolution Energy Surge: 44 days]

“Evolution Secret Realm???” Lu Ran was stunned.

“There’s actually such a secret realm?”

“Indeed, it’s quite unusual,” Gu Qingyi said.

“Legendary Secret Realms, Evolution Secret Realms... I wonder what bizarre secret realms Limitless City will reveal next. Now do you understand why I want you to enter the ascension realm quickly?

“If you challenge the ascension realm now, you’ll emerge in a month. With your familiar’s current accumulation, it should not be difficult to reach level 30 before the Evolution Secret Realm’s energy surge.

“After all, your Scaled Dragon Lizard has consumed so many Rare and Treasure-grade resources, it’s long over-nourished. Taking this opportunity to evolve it into a true dragon should be an excellent choice.

“You obtained the Dragon King Trait in the Legendary Secret Realm, didn’t you? Combine that with the Evolution Secret Realm’s bonuses, and your familiar might evolve into something extraordinary.

“With the Dragon King Bloodline Trait and draconic bonuses, your Sudden Death King should have no trouble securing one of the ten evolution slots, even with other nations’ first, second, and third-generation beastmasters competing. Your advantage is immense, and you’ll get free rewards. Why not take them?” Gu Qingyi laughed.

“Once the Evolution Secret Realm closes, the next opening date is uncertain. Missing it might mean a very long wait.

“Anyway, your Sudden Death King is already ready with evolution traits and evolution resources. I suggest that your Captain Doofus and third familiar wait for the second Evolution Secret Realm to open before evolving, so you can be better prepared.

“But Sudden Death King should seize this chance to compete for one of the ten slots. Having your familiars evolve in batches ensures that each of them maximizes their chances of receiving Stellar Blessings.”

Gu Qingyi’s analysis made sense to Lu Ran.

“Indeed, evolving them separately ensures that each familiar has the highest chance of receiving Stellar Blessings,” Lu Ran nodded.

Combining the evolution of Captain Doofus, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow in one session might be difficult, as they’d not only compete with others but also with each other. Evolving them separately was the wiser choice.

“I originally planned to wait for that egg from the freshman competition to hatch, care for it a bit, and then challenge the ascension realm. It was mainly to allow me to become the first thing it looks at,” Lu Ran explained.

The real reason, however, was that he didn’t want to jump from one Legendary Secret Realm challenge straight into another... He wanted a break!

Gu Qingyi countered, “Hey, does it matter when the egg hatches? You can leave it with Manager Ying. It can delay the hatching time while ensuring it absorbs nutrients continuously, without affecting its development.”

Manager Ying had been eavesdropping the entire time. Initially, it was already surprised by the news about the Evolution Secret Realm, but upon hearing this particular statement, it could no longer hold back.

Damn it. Why does this make me sound like some kind of egg-hatching expert? Delaying the hatching of an egg is indeed possible, but it requires a lot of resources!

“Manager Ying is knowledgeable in breeding techniques too?” Lu Ran asked, genuinely surprised.

“As an intelligence dealer, it dabbles in a bit of everything,” Gu Qingyi said with a smile.

“I understand now. Thank you, Dr. Gu, for the intel.” Lu Ran rubbed his temples.

Originally, he had planned to slack off for a month, but now he had no choice but to prepare for the ascension realm immediately.

“Manager Ying is with you, right? I’ve delivered the message. Have it help you strategize, alright? I’ll hang up now.”

“Got it.”

After a brief exchange, Lu Ran ended the call with Dr. Gu and turned to Manager Ying. He looked at it with a pleading expression.

“Manager Ying, you heard everything. With the Evolution Secret Realm opening for the first time, I have to seize this opportunity to reap the benefits.

“During this period, I’m counting on you to work your magic and take special care of this egg. Also, I’d appreciate it if you could help look after Lu Village as well...”

“Oh, sure. So now I’m not just your bodyguard, but also a babysitter for your familiars and an entire village? Is that it?” Manager Ying grumbled, visibly annoyed at how Lu Ran’s demands kept increasing.

Lu Ran responded seriously, “I have some critical intel. After you hear it, Manager Ying, you might just change your mind.”

“Oh?” Manager Ying was intrigued.

“If I told you that helping to take care of Lu Village could help us quickly locate the Stone of the Other Shore, would you reconsider?”

“What do you mean?” Manager Ying frowned.

“To locate the Stone of the Other Shore, two critical conditions must be met. First, possessing a powerful Undead-attribute familiar. Second, having a part of the Death Dragon’s body. The second condition is the hardest to fulfill.

“After all, the Death Dragon is one of the four Supreme Divine Dragons of the Stellar Moon Continent—a top-tier legendary being. However, we can change our approach. What if we could find the Life Dragon, which is also one of the four Supreme Divine Dragons?”

“What are you getting at?”

“The Divine Deer is one of the three legendary retainers of the Life Dragon. It’s also a Legendary Species! Awakening it could likely help us locate the Stone of the Other Shore, or at least bring us closer to uncovering the truth,” Lu Ran explained.

“Hold on!” Manager Ying was startled.

“What did you just say? The Divine Deer is one of the three legendary retainers of the Life Dragon? Where did you get that intel?”

Lu Ran whistled nonchalantly and summoned his Flame Spirit, a flicker of fire dancing on his fingertips.

“I made a trip to the Stellar Moon Continent, of course. While I didn’t uncover much about the Death Dragon, I did gather some intel related to the Life Dragon.

“Don’t worry. My source is the Flame Dragon King, the ace battle familiar of Yan Sizhen and an over level 80 Superior-Overlord Species and a legendary being. There’s no way the information is fake.”

“Uh...”

Manager Ying’s expression shifted. Then, it angrily raised its paw into a tiny fist and punched at Lu Ran’s face!

“This is such critical intel! Why are you only telling me now!?”

Lu Ran caught its paw with ease and replied, “Previously, without any mention of the Divine Deer, this intel was useless. But now, with the potential of faith energy to awaken the Divine Deer, this intel has become valuable.”

Manager Ying fell into deep thought.

The Divine Deer is apparently one of the legendary retainers of the Life Dragon? Could the Divine Deer really be a legendary being?

Does this mean the Stellar Moon Continent is actually an ancient version of the Blue Planet? If not, why would the Divine Deer appear on the Blue Planet? The Death Dragon... The Life Dragon...

Manager Ying felt that these connections held an enormous hidden truth behind them. It had established its intelligence network not only to earn money and awaken its original form but also because it was deeply curious about the world’s mysteries.

After hesitating for a moment, Manager Ying realized that it needed to help Lu Ran with this. Finding the Divine Deer was undoubtedly a crucial step in uncovering more about the four Supreme Divine Dragons.

“Fine.” Manager Ying nodded after some thought.

It could already tell that awakening the Divine Deer through faith energy would be a massive and long-term project. Just then, Lu Ran glanced at his phone again and noticed that news about the Evolution Secret Realm was already making waves online!

[Evolution Secret Realm! Could this mark the beginning of an era where every third-generation beastmaster owns a King Species familiar?]

Currently, most skilled third-generation beastmasters had already evolved familiars into King Species, but some were still stuck with Champion Species. This Evolution Secret Realm was undoubtedly a blessing for those nurturing new familiars.

Some might even use this opportunity to evolve their familiars into King Species in one fell swoop.

Similarly, first and second-generation beastmasters who were still nurturing new familiars but hadn’t yet initiated their evolution could also take advantage of this realm to boost their familiars’ potential. This realm was truly a blessing for beastmasters of all generations.

Discussions about the Evolution Secret Realm were currently focused on the first, second, and third generations. As for the fourth generation, they were too young. By the time the Evolution Secret Realm opened, most fourth-generation beastmasters wouldn’t have raised their familiars to level 30 yet.

After all, most top-tier fourth-generation beastmasters were still busy conquering level 1 Legendary Secret Realms. Without completing those, they wouldn’t risk advancing their levels just for the Evolution Secret Realm.

Missing a Legendary Secret Realm was a permanent loss, while the Evolution Secret Realm would still be there to explore later. Hence, only a small number of fourth-generation beastmasters, including Lu Ran, had the chance to enter this Evolution Secret Realm.

However, only if they could advance themselves and their familiars to level 30 in time. It was a tight race, which explained the lack of attention on the fourth generation.

[This Evolution Secret Realm might not reveal the strongest beastmaster, but it could certainly show who is the best at nurturing new familiars.]

[The ten familiars with the highest post-evolution potential will receive Stellar Blessings. I wonder what those blessings will be.]

[Who do you think will secure these ten blessings? Will they go to first or second-generation beastmasters’ new familiars, or to third-generation ones?]

[That depends on who has nurtured the familiars with the greatest potential. Personally, I’m more curious about which nations will dominate the top ten slots.]

The international forums were abuzz with speculation.