Chapter 221 - World in Turmoil

The first Evolution Secret Realm had opened, and the outside world remained intensely focused.

Whether to save money or due to financial constraints, most beastmasters waited outside, eager to gather firsthand information about the evolution outcomes.

Day and night, beastmasters across Europe, Asia, North America, and South America were glued to forums, refreshing constantly.

“It’s so slow.”

“Ten minutes since the Evolution Secret Realm opened, and still no updates?”

“I can’t wait anymore! I need to know how strong the enhancement in this Evolution Secret Realm is. If it’s good, I’ll start saving for a ticket!”

“Wait, look at the international board! White Mouse Reporter just posted something!”

“What? Are the results out?” Gasps filled the forum threads.

White Mouse Reporter? It had to be her!

Renowned for venturing into life-threatening zones like the Amazon Rainforest, White Mouse Reporter was a gold-certified journalist recognized by the International Beastmaster Alliance.

Since the Spiritual Energy Revival, she had consistently risked her life in forbidden lands to deliver headline-worthy, firsthand news. Who would’ve thought she was also covering the Evolution Secret Realm?

“Damn you, Lu Ran!”

Meanwhile, in Europe’s Foggy City, the Princess of Light and her group, who had failed to break through, scrolled through the forums with heavy hearts.

They had originally qualified to enter the Evolution Secret Realm, but bad luck had put them in Lu Ran’s path...

If nothing unexpected happened, Lu Ran had likely rushed into the ascension realms just in time for the first wave of the Evolution Secret Realm.

The question now was whether his familiars could stand against the newly cultivated ones raised by legendary beastmasters from the first, second, and third generations.

“Even though I hate to admit it, with the potential of his two familiars, they might evolve into Superior-King in just one stage.”

Despite her crushing defeat by Lu Ran, the Princess of Light deeply respected his abilities.

Yet, her focus was interrupted when she noticed a bizarre sequence of rapidly trending posts, all from White Mouse Reporter.

[Shieldwing Dragon King: The Most Potential-Packed Familiar on Blue Planet!]

[Dominion Defined: A One-of-a-Kind Species, the King of All Dragons!]

[Evolution Secret Realm Results: Xia’s Pedestrian A Ushers in a New Era!]

[King of Dragons and Overlord of Dragons: Second and First!]

The key takeaway was clear: Lu Ran, the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster, had entered an Evolution Secret Realm dominated by beastmasters from the first three generations—who made up 99% of the participants.

Yet, not only did his familiar’s evolution surpass those of these legendary figures, but it also shattered Blue Planet’s limits, becoming the world’s first Overlord-rank familiar!

Bang!

The Princess of Light slammed her desk and shot to her feet, disbelief flashing in her eyes.

“That dragon lizard?”

Her mind raced back to the battlefield—the memory of that dragon-like beast standing alone, fending off hundreds of familiars.

It was strong, undeniably so, but an Overlord? That’s absurd. I must be dreaming.

“What? An Overlord-rank Dragon?”

Meanwhile, at the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad’s Special Training Base in the Eagle Federation, a group of fourth-generation squad members awaited the results of their experiment.

These results would directly determine their futures.

When they saw terms like “Dragon King” and “Overlord” appearing in the news, their hearts pounded. They assumed it was the work of Haydn, an evolutionary expert, or another top researcher creating an Overlord-rank dragon.

But as they read further, their hearts sank.

“It... it’s that Lu Ran from Xia! His dragon lizard evolved into the Shieldwing Dragon King—an Intermediate-Overlord!”

“What about us? Did we succeed?”

“We did, but... it’s only a King.”

Silence fell over the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad as they stared at the results in disbelief.

Sure, evolving into a Primal Rock Dragon—a Superior-King-rank dragon—was impressive. But compared to an Overlord-rank dragon? It was nothing.

The gold-certified logo of the International Beastmaster Alliance crushed any lingering hope that the news was fake.

The Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad’s evolutionary project had succeeded. This should have been a cause for celebration. Instead, their achievement now seemed like a mere footnote beside one boy’s accomplishment.

“I can’t believe this!”

A squad member who had once mocked Sudden Death King as just a little lizard now felt utterly shaken.

How had Lu Ran not only cultivated a monstrously strong Sword-Bearing Dog but also created a monster like this?

The world’s only Overlord-rank dragon? They wouldn’t have even dared to dream of such a thing.

“This is fake! It has to be fake! White Mouse’s account must have been hacked! Report it!”

Meanwhile, in Xia, a group of Beastmaster University students lounged in their dormitories, aimlessly browsing the forums.

Unlike the disbelief abroad, the reactions here were much louder—and much simpler.

“Holy shit.”

Exclamations echoed from dormitories, classrooms, and campus buildings. Those unaware of the Evolution Secret Realm might have thought an asteroid was about to crash into Blue Planet.

As the news spread, the revelation that Lu Ran had cultivated an Overlord-rank dragon swept through Beastmaster University—no, the entirety of Xia!

“He—”

“This monster!”

“Fuck, an Overlord?”

“Is the Evolution Secret Realm really that overpowered?”

“Huh?”

Even seasoned fourth-generation elites like Pluto, Xia Ri, and Dog King—who had previously interacted with Lu Ran—were stunned. But no one was more shocked than the rookie beastmasters of Green Sea City.

“Fuck!”

Yang Xishuai and his peers felt like they were about to explode. The lizard that had once sparred with them had now become the world’s first Overlord? Was this even real?

“I fought that lizard before! I even evaluated it during a test!”

The beastmasters who had once faced Sudden Death King were left in a daze, their minds buzzing from the revelation.

“Is this what a Dragon Chef is capable of? Who spread that nonsense about him switching to undead studies? Undead? Can they even compare to dragons?”

“Say less. I’m switching majors!”

“Village Chief, you’re insane!”

Meanwhile, Xia’s beastmasters watched as Eagle Federation netizens avoided showing up on international forums, proving just how earth-shattering this news was.

“Even if it’s true, the Overlord status must be thanks to the Evolution Secret Realm!”

“Shut up, you blind fool. Look again. That’s an Intermediate Overlord. No one else’s familiar has even reached Low-Overlord, and you’re crediting it all to the secret realm?”

“Sure, the secret realm is strong, but the best it can do is boost a Superior-King to a Low-Overlord. How do you explain an Intermediate-Overlord? Even the bosses in level 2 Legendary Secret Realms are only Low-Overlords!”

Though a few skeptics remained, they were quickly silenced by Lu Ran’s supporters. Already recognized as a generation-defining figure, his legend only grew stronger, fueling unwavering loyalty.

The shockwaves outside mirrored the astonishment reverberating within the Evolution Secret Realm itself.

“Xia’s rise is unstoppable.”

“This boy might surpass the first generation before the second and third even have a chance.”

“Should we really let him grow unchecked?”

Beastmasters from nations hostile to Xia couldn’t help but feel dread. If Lu Ran kept advancing at this rate, he would become an unbeatable force in international competitions for public resources—like those in Limitless City.

Everyone understood that beastmasters would eventually wield power rivaling nuclear weapons. A Shieldwing Dragon King like this? This was enough to make anyone lose sleep.

“Oh.”

“So much hostility.”

A white cat perched atop a high ledge. Beside it, a cat-eared woman in a maid uniform said, “Don’t worry, Manager Ying will protect him.”

“Seriously...” Manager Ying felt a headache coming on.

Lu Ran’s status as the top fourth-generation beastmaster had already brought enough trouble. But now, “trouble” wasn’t enough to describe it.

He had single-handedly overshadowed the first-, second-, and third-generation beastmasters. And just what had Sudden Death King done?

Its species rank was now approaching the original form of the cat itself. It couldn’t help but feel indignant.

This kid...

Manager Ying’s gaze turned contemplative. As expected, beastmasters chosen by legendary creatures were never ordinary.

“Is that it?”

Noticing the lack of movement from the evolution energy and Stellar Blessings, Lu Ran gently stroked Sudden Death King’s scales, smiling faintly.

“Rawr.”

Sudden Death King’s eyes gleamed with dominance as it cast an indifferent glance at Captain Doofus, its expression full of disdain.

It wasn’t arrogance from newfound strength. Rather, Lu Ran was using telepathy to egg it on, provoking Captain Doofus to spark some team rivalry.

And sure enough, Captain Doofus froze at that smug look.

“Woof!”

It barked furiously, demanding to know what Sudden Death King meant.

Had evolving made it so full of itself? It would definitely remember this grudge.

But the gap between them was undeniable.

Before the evolution, even with the combined efforts of Sudden Death King, Captain Doofus, Dark Crow, Lu Ran, and the Divine Deer Pendant, they likely couldn’t clear a level 2 Legendary Secret Realm or defeat a level 30 boss—a Low Overlord.

Now? Forget teaming up. Even if that boss faced Sudden Death King one-on-one, it might not stand a chance.

That was the difference.

The Dragon King’s Shield trait not only addressed Sudden Death King’s lack of stamina but also ensured its sustainability in battle. Even if the Divine Deer Pendant became useless, Sudden Death King now had its own means of regeneration.

By converting damage into attack power, energy reserves, and life force—combined with near-invincible defense—who could defeat it now?

At this point, Captain Doofus and Dark Crow hadn’t even evolved, leaving them several levels behind Sudden Death King.

Even if they did evolve, catching up would be difficult—Sudden Death King’s evolutionary resources were simply too perfect.

“Y-you!”

Just then, Zhu Kaixin arrived, riding his Great Snow Pig King. They had also received the Stellar Blessings, but it was clear that Lu Ran had completely stolen the spotlight.

[Rank: Superior-King]

[Level: 33]

“Damn.” Zhu Kaixin was dumbfounded.

To be fair, he was quite satisfied with this evolution. His familiar hadn’t awakened any Time-attribute abilities, but that was expected. At the very least, it had absorbed most of the power of its Time-type ice attributes—which was already impressive. After all, it was the Time attribute!

But compared to Lu Ran’s familiar? He was at a loss. He had never found anything particularly outstanding about Lu Ran’s dragon lizard before. Yet after evolving, it had become... this.

If it had simply reached Superior-King, he wouldn’t have been so shocked. But Intermediate-Overlord?

That’s practically hacking!

Zhu Kaixin turned to Gu Qingyi for an explanation, but she only shook her head, just as baffled.

From her perspective, the Dragon King Trait Crystal should have been enough for Sudden Death King to evolve into a Superior-King-rank dragon. With the secret realm’s boosts, even reaching Low-Overlord was reasonable. But this leap straight to Intermediate-Overlord? Even as a doctoral researcher in evolutionary studies, her mind was fried. Lu Ran had to have some unknown cultivation methods!

“Fine! Let’s spar, then!” Zhu Kaixin roared, curiosity piqued. He wanted to see what this Shieldwing Dragon King was truly capable of.

Before reporters could swarm them for interviews, Lu Ran and his group teleported away, leaving behind a crowd of silent, stunned beastmasters from various nations, still staring at the evolutionary treasure land.

“The tides are turning.”

“Yes. This boy cannot be allowed to live. I’m offering a bottle of 1982 Sprite to anyone who assassinates him.”

A gleeful onlooker spoke with a grave expression.