Chapter 257 - The Possibility of Becoming the Master of The Other Shore

“What dropped?”

The Guardian Panda didn’t seem surprised that Lu Ran had cleared the trial secret realm. After all, Lu Ran had two Overlord familiars. If the challenge was meant to test combat potential at the same level, it would’ve been stranger if he hadn’t cleared it.

Of course, hearing that Lu Ran had taken only a few minutes to complete the trial secret realm still made the Guardian Panda twitch.

If only the Youxiong Clan’s descendants were this strong...

“Even though we agreed beforehand that all the rewards are mine, I’m not a petty person.”

Lu Ran grinned while taking out all the Rare-grade resources. He then handed them over to the Guardian Panda.

“Consider these my offerings to you.”

“Hmm?”

The Guardian Panda looked at the pile of Rare-grade resources in its arms and paused.

“There’s no Treasure-grade resource?”

“None dropped. Even if some did... You actually want to take a Treasure resource from me?” Lu Ran’s mouth twitched.

This panda is even more naive than Manager Ying!

“No way!”

The Guardian Panda didn’t understand why there wasn’t any Treasure-grade resource, especially with how efficiently Lu Ran cleared the secret realm.

“Did you get a secret realm card?” The Guardian Panda’s gaze sharpened as it stared at Lu Ran.

“A secret realm card? What’s that?” Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan were confused.

Lu Ran, on the other hand, was a little surprised.

This Guardian Panda seemed to know quite a bit.

It looked like the Youxiong Clan’s ancient tribe had indeed been powerful. Someone in the past must have obtained a secret realm card before.

“Yeah.” Lu Ran nodded.

The Guardian Panda was shocked.

“You lucky dog!”

“This is skill, okay?” Lu Ran sighed.

Why did people always credit my strength to luck?

“Guardian Panda...” Youxiong Anlin teared up.

The Guardian Panda had ignored him again and again.

Have I really been abandoned?

The Guardian Panda glanced at him and then said,

“Some time back, Limitless City introduced many trial secret realms into the outside world. At first, all of these trial secret realms were unclaimed. But the first beastmaster to perfectly clear a trial secret realm could become its master and obtain a Unique secret realm card.

“This Unique secret realm card could turn any object into a secret realm key, allowing the beastmaster to monopolize the secret realm and make it their exclusive territory. The key could also be passed down, allowing their descendants to inherit the role of Secret Realm Master.

“After the first perfect clear, if someone else perfectly cleared the secret realm later, they would only receive a Common-grade secret realm card instead. The drop rate for a Common-grade secret realm card is extremely low. Even clearing the secret realm 100 times might not drop one.

“But it’s still incredibly valuable, as it allows for the creation of a small Real Secret Realm. This small Real Secret Realm can be used to grow spiritual plants or serve as a training ground. It’s far more valuable than a Treasure resource.

“Even the most spiritually rich areas on Blue Planet can’t compare to a secret realm created by a secret realm card.”

“Fuck.” Youxiong Anlin turned to look at Lu Ran.

So this guy had taken the grand prize on his first attempt?

Du Yuan also cast a jealous look at Lu Ran.

Damn lucky bastard.

But then they both realized that Lu Ran didn’t really need a Real Secret Realm. For him, this was probably useless. With his status, he could get anything he wanted with just a word.

Why would he need to farm resources himself? And for training, the training secret realms in Limitless City were already top-tier, far beyond anything on Blue Planet.

“So, perfectly clearing a Real Secret Realm makes you its master?” Lu Ran focused on a different aspect.

But soon, he felt a bit of regret. The Real Secret Realms left behind from ancient times must already have owners. Just like this Youxiong Clan one.

It had already been monopolized using a Unique-grade secret realm card, locked with a key. Finding an unclaimed trial secret realm now would probably be extremely difficult.

Wait.

Lu Ran suddenly fell into deep thought.

Looking at the Youxiong Clan’s trial secret realm, the thing that determined ownership wasn’t the first clear, but the key.

So, what about that Undead Secret Realm from the Other Shore?

Its key had been lost within the ascension realm, meaning it no longer existed. So, was that secret realm now unclaimed or still owned?

If it’s unclaimed, that means it can be claimed. If it’s owned, then where is the owner? Right now, anyone can enter using unique methods, which makes it seem ownerless...

Forget it. I’ll clear it and see if there’s a first-clear reward. That’ll tell me whether it’s claimed or not. Which means... I actually have a chance to become the master of the Other Shore?

If he controlled both the secret realm and the perfect soul food, the Undead attribute would be completely tied to him.

“Alright then~! You guys should challenge the secret realm, too. Guardian Panda, I’m heading out,” Lu Ran said.

“You’re leaving already?” The Guardian Panda frowned. “Do a few more runs! You cleared it so easily! With your luck, maybe you’ll get another secret realm card!”

Don’t you still want to learn Armor Bear Intent?

The Guardian Panda was reluctant to let go of such a perfect participant.

“No thanks. My familiars are actually really tired. Let’s talk about it next time.”

Is he pretending?

Hearing Lu Ran say his familiars were tired, Youxiong Anlin and Du Yuan both looked skeptical.

Was he speedrunning so hard that it exhausted them?

They didn’t know that Lu Ran’s familiars were already worn out before entering the trial secret realm—thanks to half a day of training in the Training Secret Realm.

He wasn’t even in peak condition when he cleared it. And right now, verifying the Undead Secret Realm’s ownership was far more valuable than grinding a claimed trial secret realm.

As Lu Ran turned to leave, Youxiong Anlin hesitated.

“He still hasn’t told me about the later stages...”

The Guardian Panda lightly kicked Youxiong Anlin’s ass. “Have some balls... you’re pissing me off.”

Du Yuan stood silently beside them.

Tragic. Lu Ran was basically the nightmare of all fourth-generation beastmasters.

***

On Other Shore Island in South America.

After a few days, with the Beastmaster Alliance of Xia stepping in, the Other Shore Organization had undergone a complete transformation. Meanwhile, Xia was steadily progressing with its exploration and development of the Undead Secret Realm.

Currently, the one overseeing this operation was Lin Nian. Gu Qingyi had transferred the responsibility to her. As the only beastmaster in Xia specializing in naval combat, Gu Qingyi had too many other tasks.

For instance, monitoring the Merfolk Kingdom was an absolute priority. And with various nations eyeing the Other Shore, it only made sense to have someone as strong as Lin Nian to be in charge.

Sitting in the command center on Other Shore Island, Lin Nian picked up a call from Lu Ran.

“What do you want?”

“Sis, how are things going over there?” Lu Ran asked.

“Stable for the most part. But the Undead Secret Realm is proving difficult to explore. I attempted a challenge myself but only managed to reach the ninth trial before being forced out.

“And unlike the Youxiong Clan’s trial secret realm, which at least dropped various resources, this one only drops Undead Resurrection skill cards and Soul Burn Trait Crystals. Nothing else.” Lin Nian’s tone was clearly frustrated.

Lu Ran chuckled bitterly. “Honestly, the loot from the Youxiong Clan’s trial secret realm wasn’t that great either. And besides, Undead Resurrection is far more valuable than the Armor skill. Just getting that already makes it worth it.

“I’m still here at the Youxiong Clan’s. If things over there are stable, I’ll head over and challenge the Undead Secret Realm.”

Although Lu Ran wasn’t as strong as Lin Nian in combat power, trial secret realms were scaled.

Lin Nian had likely faced level 60 opponents, most of them Overlord Species, making the challenge incredibly difficult. However, Lu Ran’s situation would be completely different. His opponents would be level 30, and their species ranks wouldn’t be as high.

At the level 2 beastmaster stage, Lu Ran was practically unrivaled. He was comparable to Legendary figures from the Stellar Moon Continent. If he could clear the Youxiong Clan’s trial secret realm with ease, the Undead Secret Realm likely wouldn’t be too different.

“Alright, you can come over. Do you want me to pick you up, or are you coming on your own?”

“I’ll have Manager Ying take me there secretly tomorrow.”

Lu Ran didn’t expect any trouble, but bringing too many escorts would only draw unnecessary attention. With the trip to the Other Shore now set, Lu Ran returned to Green Sea City.

After Lu Ran briefed Manager Ying on everything he had learned about the Real Secret Realm and the secret realm cards, Manager Ying pondered for a moment before speaking.

“So, based on what you’re saying, the Undead Secret Realm is most likely in an unclaimed state. That’s why members of the Other Shore were able to enter using a unique method. If you clear it, there’s a high chance that the Undead Secret Realm will become exclusively yours.”

“Exactly. So, how about escorting me there?” Lu Ran said.

“Ugh... making me work again.” Manager Ying groaned. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just let Lin Nian pick you up?”

“This just shows how much I trust you,” Lu Ran said, flashing a grin. “Let’s rest for the night and leave tomorrow.”

Manager Ying grumbled, but it didn’t refuse in the end.

“Why the sudden lack of urgency? Have you decided not to enter the third Evolution Secret Realm?”

“Yeah. The Evolution Secret Realm opening in two days is too soon. I’ll wait for the fourth one instead. It’s only a few days apart.”

“I doubt you’ll make it in time for the fourth one either. There’s barely any time left. And that husky of yours? No way in hell is it going to master a domain before the Evolution Secret Realm opens! Just give up and prepare in other ways.”

Lu Ran paused, then turned to look at it.

“Actually...”

“Hm?”

“Actually, yesterday... Captain Doofus already managed to use a domain for the first time. The reason I wanted to wait for the fourth Evolution Secret Realm was to let it familiarize with it.

“Huh? What?” Manager Ying’s fur stood on its end and its eyes widened in shock.

“That doofus actually learned a domain?”

“Yeah.” Lu Ran grinned. “I used an amplification card to enhance a Soul Cleansing Fruit and fed it to it. It figured it out that same day.

“Although it’s not fully proficient yet, if I give it one more week and another Treasure-grade Soul Cleansing Fruit, its entry-level domain should stabilize.

“Ahem

, if he masters a domain before evolving at level 30, and pairs it with its Absolute Comprehension Trait, I wonder what kind of species talent will emerge?” Lu Ran said with full curiosity.

Sudden Death King and Dark Crow had used resources as their evolutionary foundation. However, Captain Doofus was using a skill. This could result in a completely different evolution path.

Manager Ying was shocked beyond words. It opened its mouth as if to say something but found itself at a loss for words. For context, its true body was a Superior Overlord with the Space attribute. It had only mastered a domain at level 40.

Yet, a Wind-attribute husky achieved it at level 30?

“

Meow!

”

It suddenly felt like ending its life. It just couldn’t accept it.