Chapter 275 - Divine Tree

A dog carrying grass... What nonsense. A dog can’t fight while carrying a blade of grass.

Shi Ze shook his head, unable to comprehend it.

“Wait a minute. A dog? Your familiar is also a dog?”Shi Ze was stunned.

“Yup.” Lu Ran nodded. “Didn’t I mention it before?”

“No, you didn’t!

Haha,

this is fate!” Shi Ze laughed. “Now that you’re representing the Shi Clan in battle, it’s even more fitting! Who would’ve thought? Another dog familiar.”

“It really is fate. Speaking of which, I have a cousin who also has the surname Shi. Her name is Shi Xia.” Lu Ran chuckled with a hint of nostalgia.

Fate was a strange thing. If one was willing, one could always find a way to connect the dots.

“Are you serious?” Shi Ze was stunned.

Isn’t this too much of a coincidence?

“If your familiar is also a dog, then we’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Lu Ran smirked. “I’m not interested in postnatal care for female dogs.”

“That’s not all! How about this, when we arrive at my clan’s estate, I’ll arrange for someone to spar with you. It’ll also give the elders a chance to assess your strengths. This way, with seven days left until the Plant-Beast Tournament, we can provide you with some battle resources tailored to your needs! Consider it our welcome gift. The Shi Clan is extremely skilled in raising dog familiars.”

“Sounds good.” Lu Ran smiled.

“Great! We’re almost there.” Shi Ze looked ahead.

The Shi Clan was located in the southern part of Tree World City, spanning several hundred acres. Two horses were pulling the carriage forward. Shi Ze was filled with anticipation, and before long, they arrived at the estate’s grand entrance.

The gates stood open, leading to an inner courtyard. No guards were present, but two imposing white guard dogs lay on each side of the entrance. As the horse carriage approached, the two white dogs stood up and barked fiercely.

[Species: Moonlight Dog]

[Attribute: Light]

[Species Rank: Low Champion]

[Level: 33]

[Description: A dog familiar that grows stronger under the moonlight.]

“Woof! Woof!”

Despite their barking, they showed no hostility. It felt more like a greeting. The carriage stopped in front of the gate. Then, Lu Ran and Shi Ze stepped out, and with a wave of Shi Ze’s hand, the horses turned and trotted away on their own.

He grinned at Lu Ran. “These are our clan’s guard dogs. Every gate has two of them.”

“Light attribute... No wonder your clan doesn’t want to switch specializations. Your heritage in Light-attribute must familiar cultivation runs deep,” Lu Ran remarked, full of astonishment.

“

Haha!

Our clan’s dog bloodline is said to descend from the Legendary Moon Devourer. From Transcendent rank to King rank, they can all grow stronger by absorbing moonlight. It makes them fairly easy to raise.”

Easy to raise, meaning cost-efficient.

Shi Ze first laughed, then sighed. “It was a major advantage until those plant beings ruined it... Any plant can grow by absorbing sunlight. Just like that, our family’s advantage was completely crushed. Plant familiars are both powerful and easy to cultivate. How are we supposed to compete with that?”

Lu Ran was confused.

Are you talking about photosynthesis?

“Fortunately, most plant beings only absorb nutrients from sunlight to grow. We still have a slight edge. Our familiars can wield Light-element attacks, something most plants can’t do. Be careful in our sparring match later!” Shi Ze smirked. “I’ll take you to the main hall to rest first. I’ll call for the clan elders.”

“Alright.” Lu Ran nodded.

Soon, under Shi Ze’s lead, they reached the main hall for guests. Along the way, many attendants greeted Shi Ze as “Young Master,” suggesting his status in the Shi Clan wasn’t low. It was unclear if he was the clan leader’s son or an elder’s descendant.

After a short wait, a middle-aged man and two elders entered the hall. Seeing Shi Ze chatting with Lu Ran over tea, they greeted them with laughter.

“Shi Ze, is this the Beastmaster Lodge’s genius?”

The Shi Clan already knew that Shi Ze had gone to recruit a representative from the Beastmaster Lodge. It was the clan’s decision, after all. The strongest beastmaster in the Shi Clan was only level 6. For a faction like the Beastmaster Lodge, which had legendary beastmasters, they had to show respect.

Frankly, Limitless City’s arrangement of sending Lu Ran as a Beastmaster Lodge genius was excellent. Even if Lu Ran was only level 2, his affiliation alone made any ill-intentioned individuals hesitate before making a move.

“Yes.” Shi Ze stood and greeted them and gestured to Lu Ran, who also rose. “This is Lu Ran from the Beastmaster Lodge. His familiar is also a dog, which makes him a great fit for our clan. He has agreed to represent us in the Plant-Beast Tournament.”

“That’s wonderful! Welcome to the Shi Clan!”

The three elders beamed, their smiles as bright as chrysanthemums.

“Greetings, esteemed elders.” Lu Ran offered a polite bow.

“By the way, Lu Ran is interested in the awakening process of vicious plants. He asked me about methods for vicious plant intelligence awakening. I have no clue. Do any of you know?” Shi Ze asked the elders.

The second elder of the Shi Clan looked at Lu Ran. “Are you interested in this subject?”

“Do you know anything about it?” Lu Ran asked.

“I don’t...” The elder shook his head. “The vicious plants across the continent have always awakened their intelligence and evolved mysteriously since ancient times. However, while there isn’t a definitive method, I have heard a few theories.”

“Please share.” Lu Ran was all ears.

“You might have heard these theories before, but since you’re still young, perhaps not. Let me explain. One theory suggests that in ancient times, the dominant species on this continent were all animals. They were the absolute rulers of this land.

“So, the animals on this continent evolved way faster than any other species. But one day, a Divine Tree suddenly emerged, awakening its intelligence. It suppressed countless Legendary-rank beast species. Its roots spread across the continent and seized control of the world itself.

“Those plants that gained intelligence were granted the Divine Tree’s blessing. This is theory one. If plants wish to evolve, they can only do so through the Divine Tree’s blessing.”

Lu Ran was stunned. This theory existed on Blue Planet as well. Many botanists firmly believed it. After all, intelligent plant life never emerged on Blue Planet, yet it did on the Divine Tree Continent. The difference was one place had no Divine Tree, while the other did.

“The second theory suggests that the Divine Tree altered this world’s rules. It suppressed the evolution of other species while accelerating the growth of plant life. However, for plants to truly awaken intelligence, they still need to meet specific conditions.

“In other words, every plant species requires a different method to gain intelligence. They must fulfill the awakening conditions set by the Divine Tree itself.

“This theory seems more credible than the first. A universal method for plant awakening has never been discovered, but I believe some elite plantmaster clans must have secret techniques to help certain plants gain intelligence.

“However, just like how we beastmasters have our exclusive cultivation systems, these techniques are likely their most closely guarded secrets. They would never share them with outsiders.”

A specific awakening method made sense. But in the end, it all came back to the Divine Tree. It had to be some kind of Legendary-rank plant being. If an entire continent was named after it, how powerful was it compared to the Four Supreme Divine Dragons?

At the very least, it had to be stronger than the Divine Deer. After all, legends claimed it reshaped the entire world’s power balance on its own.

“Alright, thank you.”

Lu Ran hadn’t found the information he was looking for. It seemed like if he wanted to explore further, he needed to interact with expert plantmasters.

Wasn’t the city lord of Tree World City a legendary plantmaster? Didn’t Shi Ze mention earlier that she was interested in taking in a disciple? I wonder if I can get into her good graces while I’m here in the ascension realm.

“You mentioned evolution. Do you have a specific vicious plant in mind?” another elder who was a bit plump, asked.

“I do.” After a brief pause, Lu Ran asked, “Have you all heard of the Longleaf Swordgrass?”

“The Longleaf Swordgrass!”

Shi Ze’s eldest uncle, a buff man, was stunned. “Of course! Among King-rank plants, it’s one of the most powerful vicious plants! Even dragons would be crippled or killed if cut by it! Its blade-like body can even slice through space itself! Once awakened, it becomes a Superior King! A terrifying force! Wait... Don’t tell me...”

“Yes. While traveling across the continent, I stumbled upon an unawakened Longleaf Swordgrass and casually dug it up. Then I realized that its sharpness surpassed my dog’s claws and fangs even in its unawakened state. So, I had my dog fight while holding it in its mouth. And the result was surprisingly effective.

“My dog-carrying-grass combat technique became more refined over time. So I started wondering, what if I combined beast and plant familiars? A human commands the beast and the beast commands the plant. Now, I really want the swordgrass to awaken. If that happens, my dog could become even stronger.”

Everyone was flabbergasted.

“Holy shit! So, “a dog carrying grass” meant this?” Shi Ze was dumbfounded. “Brother, you’re something else. You let your familiar fight while carrying such a dangerous plant in its mouth? Aren’t you afraid it’d slip and cut off its own head?”

“It’s fine. My familiar has excellent control over the swordgrass.” Lu Ran laughed.

“A Grass-attribute dog?” Shi Ze’s eldest uncle raised an eyebrow as it was rare.

“Not exactly. But it has grasped Grass-Wood Sword Intent, so you could consider it half Grass-attribute.”

The reason Captain Doofus could control the swordgrass so well was because of its Weapon Control Trait. It treated the swordgrass as a weapon. Of course, that explanation was hard to clarify, so Lu Ran simply bluffed with Grass-Wood Sword Intent.

“What...” The elders exchanged glances, at a loss for words.

They had never seen anyone make a familiar fight while carrying a vicious plant in its mouth. But after listening to Lu Ran’s explanation, wasn’t this just a variation of how Grass-attribute familiars normally controlled plants?

In reality, Grass-attribute familiars could control common plants. But controlling Transcendent plants was impossible. A Grass-attribute familiar’s control over grass was always inferior to that of plant beings. In the current plant era, Grass-attribute familiars were one of the weakest species.

“What...?” The second elder hesitated, clearly unconvinced.

He simply couldn’t picture how this training method would have any real combat value. Besides, Lu Ran’s familiar wasn’t even of the Grass attribute. Right now, it might barely manage to use the swordgrass, but once the swordgrass fully awakened, Lu Ran’s dog’s head would be in serious danger.

Would a vicious plant like the swordgrass really let a dog keep using it as a weapon?

They simply couldn’t imagine it.

At that moment, Shi Ze laughed bitterly. “Lu Ran, let’s have a sparring match. Show me how your familiar fights.”

Shi Ze felt that only through battle could they truly understand. Rather than finding someone else to fight Lu Ran, he decided to step in himself.

“Sure.” Lu Ran was indifferent.

***

Soon, everyone arrived at the training arena behind the estate. The three Shi Clan elders did not stop the battle. In truth, they were also eager to gauge Lu Ran’s strength. After hearing all these wild theories from him, they began doubting whether he was truly a Beastmaster Lodge genius.

If not for the pressure from the blood seal on his recommendation letter, which is something that couldn’t be faked, they might have questioned his identity altogether.

The massive arena had four pillars at its corners. Shi Ze, standing in the center, was eager to fight. He found Lu Ran quite interesting. What he hadn’t told Lu Ran was that he himself was also competing in the Plant-Beast Tournament.

Last year, he reached the top 32. Lu Ran claimed to have the strength to be in the top 16–32. It was time to see if he was telling the truth.

“I’ll summon first.”

Shi Ze activated his spirit energy, drawing a massive summoning formation onto the battlefield. White light erupted and a giant dog with a moon mark on it emerged, stepping onto the glowing ground. Its blue eyes locked onto Lu Ran.

“Awoooo!”

[Name: Moon Devourer Dog]

[Attribute: Light]

[Species Rank: Intermediate King]

[Level: 35]

At level 35, this Intermediate King exuded an overwhelming presence. But this wouldn’t last for long.

“Captain Doofus.”

As Lu Ran spoke, he began summoning his own familiar. Not just the dog, but even Shi Ze himself suddenly looked stunned. As soon as Lu Ran summoned his beast, a soul pressure originating from deep within its bloodline made the Moon Devourer Dog tense up. It instinctively braced itself in fear, its heart racing. This reaction also transferred to its beastmaster.

Boom!

Under the swirling snow and wind, Captain Doofus made its appearance. Its towering majestic form was several times larger than the Moon Devourer Hound. Even without knowing its species rank, the fear in the dog’s eyes made the answer clear.

“

Awooo~.”

Captain Doofus looked at them indifferently.

“Overlord!” The second elder suddenly exclaimed in shock.

His contracted familiar, residing within his beastmaster space, had clearly identified the massive dog before them.

This was an Overlord-rank dog familiar!

In all of Tree World City, the only known Overlord-rank familiar belonged to the city lord. And even that was a plant familiar.

Yet now, a mere level 2 beastmaster had summoned such a terrifying familiar right before their eyes. They turned to look at Lu Ran, who was still smiling. Their hearts trembled.

Something is very wrong. This guy... He is definitely not just some ordinary Beastmaster Lodge member!