Chapter 233 - Arrival of the Giant Panda

A few days later, Lu Ran continued nurturing his familiars in Green Sea City as part of his daily routine.

By this point, the Flood Dragon Squad was fully settled in Green Sea City, and each member had chosen their future dragon-attribute partner. Providing them with daily Dragon Cuisine didn’t take much of Lu Ran’s time. After all, developing beastmaster skills through cooking with Flame Spirit was, in itself, a method of training both his beastmaster abilities and culinary craft.

If not for the Flood Dragon Squad, Lu Ran might have idled his way through the past few days. Instead, by investing his efforts into cultivating the Flood Dragon Squad and forming the Netherworld Division, he had inadvertently placed himself on a metaphorical grill, forcing himself to take on many additional tasks each day. This not only enriched his life but also significantly enhanced his strength.

However, compared to the Flood Dragon Squad’s development, Lu Ran naturally prioritized his own familiars. For the past few days, every one of Lu Ran’s familiars had been pushing themselves to their limits.

In the Training Secret Realm.

“Awooo!”

In its quest to surpass Sudden Death King after its next evolution, Captain Doofus had been training relentlessly every day. The Divine Deer Pendant had practically become its exclusive training tool.

In a remarkably short period, Captain Doofus had fully mastered thirtyfold energy compression, even if it cost it hundreds of teeth and countless broken bones. It had also begun testing the limits of fortyfold energy compression, albeit at the expense of significant injuries.

This feat was so advanced that only a handful of familiars from the first generation had managed to achieve it. The synergy between the Divine Deer Pendant and Captain Doofus’s sheer determination had brought its expertise in energy compression to extraordinary levels.

Even without evolving, Captain Doofus could now channel its fortyfold energy compression sword qi in tandem with Dragon-Slaying Sword Intent. It was enough to make Sudden Death King feel pain.

Lu Ran realized that the Divine Deer Pendant might just be the perfect resource for Captain Doofus after seeing it work so fiercely to avoid being overshadowed by Sudden Death King.

When its species rank wasn’t enough, its mastery of techniques filled the gap. A mad dog. It was nothing short of a mad dog.

Even Sudden Death King was startled by Captain Doofus’s demonic pace and dared not slack off. It began working on new abilities under Lu Ran’s guidance.

Having evolved into a dragon, Sudden Death King’s previous trump card—Dragon Intent—was now obsolete. As a Dragon King, it no longer needed to mimic dragons through intent. Doing so would have been a step backward.

Sudden Death King was now a formidable entity in its own right, worthy of being mimicked. It was the Flood Dragon Squad’s familiars that should be mimicking and comprehending its power to learn Dragon Intent.

As for Sudden Death King itself, the path of Biological Intent was no longer suitable due to its strong species foundation—unless it could observe a Legendary Dragon in person. However, such conditions were obviously beyond Lu Ran’s reach.

For now, Sudden Death King had perfectly absorbed Dragon Intent, converting it into latent potential. But apart from its powerful species and innate talent, it had no other advantages.

On the other hand, Captain Doofus, with its remarkable comprehension, had already achieved thirtyfold energy compression without injury, mastered external and flowing energy techniques, and entered the second phase for multiple skills. In essence, it was a combat genius, invincible among its peers.

In contrast, Sudden Death King’s energy techniques, despite having abandoned Dragon Intent, were still in their first phase. It was heavily reliant on its species advantages to dominate battles.

While the differing talents of familiars were to be expected, this imbalance couldn’t persist. Under Lu Ran’s guidance, Sudden Death King began studying Meteor Intent.

Lu Ran’s decision wasn’t arbitrary. After evolving, Sudden Death King had gained the Dragon attribute.

However, unlike Eastern Dragons with attributes of Water, Wind, or Lightning, or Western Dragons with combinations like Fire and Lightning, Sudden Death King’s energy was a mix of Lightning and Rock due to the Heart of the Diamond Dragon.

Beyond the ferocity of Lightning, its dragon energy also possessed the heaviness and durability of Rock, which emphasized defense. While Sudden Death King’s mastery over Lightning was already advanced, further growth required exploring the Rock attribute.

Although the Mountain Intent of the Diamond Dragon was an excellent choice, providing unparalleled durability and raw power, Sudden Death King lacked the innate affinity for it that the Diamond Dragon possessed.

Instead, Lu Ran felt Sudden Death King resonated more naturally with Meteor Intent.

After all, Sudden Death King had been blessed by the Stars and excelled at the Meteor Tactic. It was because meteors aligned well with its Rock attribute.

Lu Ran’s intent was not to have Sudden Death King mimic the destructive force of meteors, as that would clash with its character. Instead, he aimed to teach it to envision itself as a celestial body—enduring immense pressure without breaking, retaining its form no matter the trials.

This perspective would enhance Sudden Death King’s defensive capabilities. It would align with the broader category of Natural Intent, specifically under the subcategory of Calamity Intent.

The training process was straightforward. It consisted of repeated airdrops, simulating meteor impacts to create pressure, and having Sudden Death King act as the meteor itself.

Though it remained uncertain whether this method would help Sudden Death King grasp Meteor Intent, the training would undoubtedly improve its defenses, making it a worthwhile endeavor.

Frankly, it already seemed far superior to concepts like Blizzard Intent or Grass-Wood Intent.

While Meteor Intent training was a focal point, Lu Ran also put serious thought into Sudden Death King’s future role.

After evolving once, Captain Doofus would develop toward the Space attribute, while Dark Crow would be nurtured in the direction of Legion-type development, leveraging collective power to enhance individual abilities.

What about Sudden Death King? Should its defenses be further strengthened?

Lu Ran dismissed this idea.

Sudden Death King’s defensive capabilities were already formidable. Continuing to enhance them would eventually yield diminishing returns, which wasn’t ideal. Instead, Lu Ran sought to improve the versatility of its defenses.

An idea struck him from the Damage Transfer skill he owned. It was a skill that allowed damage inflicted on the beastmaster to be transferred to a familiar. While he had no intention of learning this skill himself, it inspired him.

He wanted Sudden Death King to research support abilities next. For instance, Sudden Death King could use energy formation and energy projection to provide shields for Captain Doofus, Dark Crow, and even Lu Ran himself.

While having Sudden Death King tank damage in the frontlines was effective, its defensive scope was too narrow.

If it could extend its defensive capabilities to teammates, allowing the shields to partially inherit Sudden Death King’s own defensive power, then its formidable defensive strength could become a perfect team-wide asset.

In addition, abilities like creating Defensive Barriers or Energy Protection Zones could significantly enhance its tactical value in defensive strategies.

However, the current challenge was that Sudden Death King’s Dragon Energy, while strong defensively, was separated from its physical and spiritual defensive capabilities.

This led Lu Ran to consider finding a trait crystal capable of unifying all of Sudden Death King’s defensive traits. Once such a crystal was obtained and paired with energy projection and energy formation, Sudden Death King could truly become the King of Shields.

At that point, it wouldn’t need to personally endure every attack. Even Sudden Death King itself would likely be happy with that.

“Three days left...”

Lu Ran walked over to Captain Doofus and asked whether it wanted to evolve in three days.

“Wuuu!

”

Captain Doofus stopped chewing on the swordgrass to look at Lu Ran, and asked if the new weapon had been forged yet.

“Not yet. I haven’t learned Soul Flame yet,” Lu Ran said awkwardly.

Although Bai Qi had sent him several Fire-attribute ferocious beasts, he was still in the process of researching Soul Flame.

“Woof!”

Captain Doofus walked away disappointed, indicating that it wanted to wait until it had the new weapon and mastered Sword Domain before evolving.

It planned to establish an unshakable foundation and ensure that its base would rival Sudden Death King’s before leaping to Overlord. This was the path of the Sword Saint. Captain Doofus wagged its tail as it walked away.

Lu Ran was taken aback and smacked his forehead.

If it doesn’t want to evolve, then fine.

However, Lu Ran wasn’t optimistic about Captain Doofus mastering domain before fusing with the Absolute Comprehension Trait.

After all, according to Blue Planet’s records, the earliest a familiar had ever mastered a domain was at level 40. And that familiar had a Space attribute, which gave it an inherent advantage in learning domain.

On the other hand, Captain Doofus was still at level 30 and hadn’t even undergone its first evolution yet. Still, since Captain Doofus was so determined, Lu Ran naturally supported it. Familiars pushing themselves to excel was something he was happy to see as a beastmaster.

“Before forging the Undead Sword, maybe I should get some Space-attribute ore and try forging a Space Sword for Captain Doofus? Maybe that could accelerate its entry into domain mastery.”

With Captain Doofus set on its plan, Lu Ran turned his attention to Dark Crow. At that moment, Dark Crow was researching sacrifice, exploring how to enhance curses by sacrificing materials.

The Soul Scarecrow was essentially a cursed tool that enhanced the range of soul attacks by sacrificing the enemy’s blood. Through constant use of the Soul Scarecrow, Dark Crow felt it was close to a breakthrough but still lacked something crucial.

“Dark Crow, another Evolution Secret Realm opens in three days. Do you want to evolve?”

“Your Majesty!”

Dark Crow hugged the Soul Scarecrow with a distressed expression. “I need more time... I feel like I haven’t fully mastered Soul Power yet. My soul can only leave my body for one day at most, but it’s far from enough.

“If I evolve like this, I’ll at best reach Superior King. I don’t want to fall too far behind General Doofus and General Lightning Dragon.

Wuuwuuwu

, my King!”

“To be honest, a single evolution doesn’t decide everything. The species rank can always be upgraded further down the line,” Lu Ran reassured.

“

Wuuwuuwuu

, my King—” Dark Crow flew over and clung to Lu Ran’s leg. “My King, I want to become an Overlord. I have to become an Overlord Species. I want to grow stronger so badly.”

Lu Ran was speechless.

Fuck. It was great that they were pushing themselves, but when all his familiars started dismissing Superior-King Species as insufficient, Lu Ran began to wonder if their ambitions were a bit... excessive.

Would he have to skip this Evolution Secret Realm entirely?

With Sudden Death King as the shining example, both Captain Doofus and Dark Crow seemed determined to build solid foundations before evolving, aiming to leap directly into the Overlord Species.

Lu Ran returned to Green Sea City with a troubled expression and slumped onto the sofa. Beside him, the Weather Sprite watched TV without a care in the world.

“Not contracting a third familiar like the Weather Sprite was the right choice,”

“Your familiars are too competitive. It’s still so young. It needs to have a happy childhood,” said Manager Ying, who had come in and joined them to watch TV, its lips curled in mild disapproval.

“Sorry, but I’ve already started nurturing the Weather Sprite...” Lu Ran replied, raising his head faintly.

Strength comes from an early start.

“Hmm? How? It’s been watching TV the whole time, hasn’t it?” Manager Ying asked in confusion.

“Are you referring to the way it uses Water Droplet Formation to form eyes and gain vision?”

Lu Ran looked at the Weather Sprite. At the moment, its cloud-like body had two water droplets molded into the shape of large, crystal-blue eyes, reflecting the image on the TV screen.

“No,” Lu Ran said, pointing at the TV.

On the screen, there was a mob boss dressed in a black suit with a cigarette dangling from her lips. She had just defeated her enemy. Stepping on their head, she declared, “You’ve lost. As per our agreement, you will now serve me.”

“Drip-drip (So cool)!”

the Weather Sprite exclaimed excitedly.

“I’m planning to train baby cloud to become the core of a Weather Legion. Letting it watch shows about recruiting underlings and leading them in battles will build its interest in related topics,” Lu Ran explained.

“It’ll help it naturally develop the inclination to recruit subordinates and lead them into fights. Interest is the best teacher. Who says leisure can’t be a part of familiar training?”

Manager Ying was stunned.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

You’re making an elemental sprite that’s not even a month old watch gangster dramas? Are you training it to be the core of a legion or a mafia boss?

“Originally, I had some important news... But now, I don’t even want to tell you anymore,” Manager Ying said with a sigh, clearly annoyed.

“Huh?” Lu Ran blinked. “What important news? Tell me! I’ve only gotten bad news these past few days. Cheer me up a little! Did you find a suitable trait crystal?”

Manager Ying had already handed over two Rare minerals to Lu Ran, but news about trait crystals was still being gathered. After all, most people who obtained powerful one-of-a-kind trait crystals usually kept them for themselves.

Even if their current familiars couldn’t use them, it was worth keeping the crystals to contract a new compatible familiar later. Only a small fraction of trait crystals ever made it to the market, which made gathering information on them extremely challenging.

“No, it’s not that. But I think you’ll still be interested,” Manager Ying said, looking up at the ceiling.

“Hurry up and tell me!” Lu Ran urged.

“Do you remember Youxiong Anlin?”

Lu Ran thought for a moment. “Yeah, of course. He’s from Xia’s top guild, Living Fossil. He and Du Yuan from the raid team also conquered a Legendary Secret Realm recently. Impressive guys.”

Manager Ying nodded. “The core members of the Living Fossil Guild are actually pretty similar to your Lu Village. The Youxiong tribe also has totemic heritage, passed down from ancient times. While your Lu Village worships a Divine Deer, they revere a panda beast.

“However, unlike Lu Village, which unfortunately never flourished, their tribe has grown strong and evolved into Xia’s largest guild.”

Lu Ran was surprised. “Are you saying the panda beast they worship is an actual Giant Panda that is still alive? That it went into slumber in ancient times and has now awakened?”

Manager Ying glanced at him and said, “Smart.”

Lu Ran froze. “No way. Really?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Manager Ying shrugged. “It was discovered by Youxiong Anlin’s younger sister.”

“So, is this Giant Panda about to die? Or is it lacking a child?” Lu Ran asked.

Manager Ying was baffled.

“Your country finally has a capable Totem Guardian Spirit, and you’re already cursing it? Can’t you hope for the best for once?!”

“Didn’t you teach me this?” Lu Ran asked with an innocent expression.

Yeah, wasn’t I once a kind, rule-following student? When did I become so pragmatic and cynical? Probably after meeting Manager Ying...