Chapter 303 - Peak Battle

Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King were still far from reaching level 40. If they wanted to level up quickly using resources, it would take multiple Treasure-grade resources. But if those Treasure resources could be saved, it meant they could allocate more to skill enhancement.

Of course, besides them, Lu Ran was also eager to increase Baby Cloud’s level. After all, a higher level would allow it to move more freely in the ocean.

After selecting Peak Battle, two additional options appeared: Standard Peak Battle and Extreme Peak Battle.

[Standard Peak Battle: You will be matched against a level 3 beastmaster for battle. If you win, participating familiars will gain a certain amount of growth experience. If you lose, participating familiars will enter a weakened state for a period of time.]

[Extreme Peak Battle: You will be matched against a level 4 beastmaster for a challenge above your level. If you win, participating familiars will gain a large amount of growth experience...]

“Interesting.” Lu Ran furrowed his eyebrow.

A level 3 beastmaster’s familiars could reach a maximum of level 40, while a level 4 beastmaster’s familiars could go up to level 50. If the opponent had high species rank familiars and stronger beastmaster skills, it would still be possible to win, but it would be tough. On the other hand, the growth experience gained would be significantly higher.

Lu Ran was immediately tempted, but for his first battle, he chose to try the standard mode first. As for the higher-ranked challenge, he could attempt that later.

[Standard Peak Battle]

Lu Ran made his selection, and another prompt appeared.

[Choose Battle Format: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3.]

[Note: You can only summon the specified number of familiars in the battle.]

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Lu Ran selected 2v2 without hesitation. After all, he only had two familiars available at the moment—Sudden Death King and Baby Cloud. Captain Doofus was training with Corpse Dog, and Dark Crow was busy training his crow legion. That left only Sudden Death King and Baby Cloud, who were currently following Lu Ran.

[Matching in Progress...]

[An opponent has been found.]

[Teleportation countdown: 10...9...]

[Randomly generating battle map...]

[Map generation complete.]

[You will be teleported to the battlefield: Green Valley.]

***

At the same time, inside an arena in the Coffee Kingdom of Limitless City, a lavishly dressed girl adorned with gold and diamonds also completed her matchmaking.

***

Torrents of water cascaded from the mountain tops like waterfalls, and two figures emerged in the lush valley. As Lu Ran stood by the stream, he gazed at the girl opposite him. She had the demeanor of a wealthy heiress.

The girl stared back at him with a proud expression and said, “Why are you hiding yourself so much?”

The Peak Arena concealed both players’ IDs during the battle. Only after the match ended would their identities be revealed. Seeing Lu Ran in a mask, sunglasses, and a cap, the girl couldn’t get any useful information—not even his nationality.

However, Lu Ran recognized her nationality from her language.

Seriously? Good thing I’m fluent in dozens of languages. The arena doesn’t even provide translation support.

He had learned them using the Soul Cleansing Fruit. In ascension realms, Limitless City automatically translated different world languages, but apparently, the Peak Arena didn’t bother with such a feature.

“Let’s start,” Lu Ran casually replied in English with a strong foreign accent, momentarily confusing the girl.

Then, he began summoning his familiar. A black contract card floated around Lu Ran. He chose to summon only Baby Cloud at first.

According to the Peak Battle rules, only participating familiars would gain experience. If the total experience awarded is fixed, then won’t that mean splitting it between two familiars would reduce their individual gains?

Lu Ran intended to test this theory.

“

Drip... Drip...

”

The wealthy girl also summoned her familiar but showed a surprised expression when she saw the baby cloud.

An elemental creature?

She didn’t seem to have the Eye of Detection, so she had no idea about Baby Cloud’s level. However, she immediately became serious. Elemental creatures were extremely rare on Blue Planet. She might not have recognized Lu Ran’s identity, but she was now taking him seriously.

Two loud roars echoed as the girl’s two familiars appeared. Neither side exchanged further words. Instead, a clash of dragon aura and tiger aura erupted that pressed down on the baby cloud.

“Drip—!”

Baby Cloud, only in the low 20s and without much battle experience, was instantly overwhelmed. Its form started to disperse under the sheer pressure.

“Huh? Shit.”

Lu Ran wasn’t shocked because the opponent suppressed Baby Cloud or had two King familiars. But because...

[Species: Diamondstone Dragon]

[Attribute: Rock]

[Species Rank: Superior King]

[Level: 31]

At that moment, Lu Ran connected the dots regarding her nationality and had a realization.

Why does this thing look exactly like the Diamond Dragon? Holy shit. Could this wealthy heiress be the same girl who traded for an Absolute Comprehension Trait with Manager Ying?

Her second familiar was a Light-Rock dual-attribute tiger, a Low King at level 33.

Both of the opponent’s familiars had King ranks similar to Baby Cloud, but their levels completely overwhelmed it. It was only natural that baby cloud struggled against their aura.

“You’re only using one familiar?” The wealthy heiress frowned as she saw Lu Ran send out only the baby cloud.

Elemental species are incredibly rare, but judging from the clash of aura, this Weather Sprite seemed weak.

Lu Ran sighed. It was unrealistic to expect Baby Cloud to handle them alone. In this battle, Baby Cloud would be the one getting beaten. It was a good thing he hadn’t chosen Extreme Peak Battle because this first match wasn’t going well.

Still, Lu Ran felt he could put up a fight. There was no need to summon Sudden Death King just yet. With a snap of his fingers, the sky darkened. The pressure that had nearly crushed baby cloud’s form caused it to let out a pitiful cry. Its entire form turned black as dark clouds instantly gathered overhead. Heavy rain began to fall, accompanied by the sound of rumbling thunder, partially neutralizing the opponent’s aura suppression.

The raindrops, falling like water bullets, carried destructive power. This was because Baby Cloud had mastered phase two of Energy Acceleration, allowing its power to penetrate defenses with high impact.

Moreover, water countered rock. The Diamondstone Dragon and tiger immediately formed a Rock Armor to block the rain. However, despite their defenses, the raindrops left small dents and cracks in their armor, as if trying to wear them down.

Hmm... it looks powerful, but in reality, it’s just a few scratches. The level gap is still too big.

“

Rawr!

”

A dazzling beam of light gathered in the white tiger’s mouth, and with a thunderous boom, it pierced through the dark clouds, blasting a massive hole in the downpour. The rain abruptly stopped, and Baby Cloud’s sobbing cry came to an immediate halt.

Fortunately, as an elemental lifeform, Baby Cloud had no fixed form, meaning the opponent had no idea where its core was. Otherwise, that attack might have defeated it.

“You’re still not summoning your second familiar? Fine, I’ll make you.”

The wealthy heiress had now confirmed that this Weather Sprite was weak. Its species rank might not be bad, but its level was undoubtedly low. And the fact that Lu Ran was still refusing to summon his second familiar made her feel insulted. She commanded the tiger to stop the rain completely before launching a direct assault on Lu Ran.

Like a blur of light, the white tiger dashed forward at a high speed, raising a massive paw to strike. From the wealthy heiress’ perspective, Lu Ran would be forced to summon a second familiar now. After all, there was no way that Weather Sprite could protect him.

However, that was just her assumption. What happened next made her widen her eyes in shock. Just as the tiger’s strike was about to land, Lu Ran calmly extended his hand. A swirl of water vapor instantly condensed into an ice blade.

As he held an ice sword, his gaze carried the chill of winter. He blocked the tiger’s strike head-on. The tiger was incredibly strong, forcing Lu Ran to slide back slightly with his feet sinking into the ground.

However, the tiger was in a much worse state. Its expression shifted from aggression to panic as deep sword intent wounds formed across its body. Along with the flowing blood, frost rapidly spread. And in the blink of an eye, the massive beast was encased in ice, resembling a massive ice sculpture.

Lu Ran sighed. “I have perfectly fine familiars to fight, yet you insist on attacking me? Why?”

The wealthy heiress’s expression changed instantly. She suddenly realized that Lu Ran wasn’t an ordinary Beastmaster. He was one of those self-enhancement beastmasters who trained himself using his familiars’ power.

“Since that’s the case...”

Lu Ran acknowledged that Baby Cloud couldn’t handle two King-rank opponents alone, or even one. He wouldn’t make things difficult for it. After all, this opponent was no ordinary level 3 beastmaster. He crushed the ice sword, and then looked up at the baby cloud hovering in the sky.

“Give me a Lightning-attribute one.”

“

Drip!

”

Baby Cloud was overjoyed that it no longer had to fight. The sky turned pitch black once again. Thunder rumbled as bright flashes of lightning illuminated the battlefield, and a massive white thunderbolt descended straight toward Lu Ran.

The wealthy heiress’ expression shifted again. For the first time, she activated a beastmaster skill. With a loud crack, the tiger’s strength surged. It instantly shattered the ice around it, its body growing larger. It let out a fierce roar, baring its fangs at Lu Ran but suddenly froze. Because at that moment, it saw something terrifying in Lu Ran’s eyes.

Lu Ran unleashed Sudden Death King’s Dragon Aura, directly through his gaze. The tiger’s mental state was suppressed, and Lu Ran’s figure disappeared from its vision.

When it finally reacted, an unbearable pain surged through its soul. Its heart convulsed violently, its entire body trembling as electricity crackled across its form.

The moment lightning struck Lu Ran, his hair stood on end, turning pure white like a thunder god. Bolts of lightning coursed through his entire body. A lightning blade materialized in his hand, continuously surging with electrical energy. The blade’s power stimulated his cellular activity, granting him a terrifying burst of speed and strength.

Two months ago, Lu Ran wouldn’t have dared to try something this reckless. But after enduring Sudden Death King’s Red Lightning for so long, he had built up considerable lightning resistance. Now wielding lightning itself, Lu Ran’s very presence exuded a destructive force.

The wealthy heiress was completely panicking. Her Diamondstone Dragon let out a roar, its body crystallizing to form a crystal barrier to shield its master. It also fully crystallized itself to increase its defense significantly.

However, Lu Ran wasn’t attacking the body. He was striking the spirit. His Psychic Sword Intent had nothing to do with physical defense. In a blinding flash, Lu Ran’s body turned into a streak of white lightning that dashed past the enemy.

“Who exactly are you...?”

For the first time, the wealthy heiress wanted to know who this terrifying opponent was.

How have I not heard of him before...?

However, the next moment, her face turned blank.

“Thanks for the Absolute Comprehension Trait. By the way, you need to improve your training methods for your Diamondstone Dragon.” Lu Ran smirked.

Before she could react, lightning pierced through her. Along with her familiars, she was instantly transferred to the medical bay.

***

[Battle Over.]

[Winner: Pedestrian A]

[Loser: Diamond Heart Heiress]

***

[Congratulations! Your familiar, Weather Sprite, has leveled up to 23.]

[You will exit the battle arena in 10 seconds...]

Inside Peak Arena, Lu Ran held his Lightning Blade, watching the baby cloud cheer triumphantly in the sky. He rubbed his chin.

Two levels up? Not bad. I wonder how much experience it would lose if Sudden Death King helped it level up...

If he kept letting Baby Cloud solo opponents, it might reach level 30 quickly.

“Should I try Extreme Peak Battle next? As long as I don’t get matched against some monster, it should be fine. Worst case scenario, I just surrender. Losing some experience isn’t a big deal as I can always earn it back.”

10 seconds later, Lu Ran exited Peak Arena and queued up for another match.