Chapter 322 - Battle of the Pig and Dog

“Meteorite Intent?” Manager Ying curled its lips.

What kind of absurd intent is that?

Just from the sound of it, it could already tell that Sudden Death King must have suffered tremendously. Comprehending the power of intent ultimately boiled down to one principle, which was absolute imitation.

Imitating superior lifeforms, imitating the forces of nature, imitating weapons and equipment... Wouldn’t imitating a meteor mean crashing down from the sky every single day?

Now that Sudden Death King had finally grasped it, one could only imagine how many times it had slammed into the ground.

“Good thing it’s Sudden Death King, and good thing you have an Epic healing-type tool. Otherwise, any familiar would have perished during training without one of those.”

Lu Ran chuckled. “Sudden Death King probably thinks the same way, but effort brings reward. Thanks to this intent, its attack and speed have undergone a qualitative transformation. It’s finally no longer just a mindless brute with strong species traits and innate talent, as it finally possesses combat techniques worthy of its level.

“Anyway, you’re straying from the topic. The old president still has something like that? A Kun Peng... That mythical creature actually exists?”

Manager Ying replied, “He has plenty of valuable things. That old man has spent his entire life as an archaeologist and mythologist. Do you really think he wouldn’t have collected some good stuff? While some divine beasts may be fictional, we can’t deny the possibility that true ones existed. Since Blue Planet once had an era of transcendence, real divine beasts must have existed too.

“Even if Blue Planet didn’t naturally give rise to divine beasts, you said it yourself—divine beasts from the Stellar Moon Continent once visited Blue Planet. If those creatures left traces behind, some records could have been passed down through history.

“When the old president comes back from the ascension realm, I must pay him a visit. I’ve never met him in person,” Lu Ran said with a grin.

“Yes, you should also discuss the Divine Deer matter with him. If we can locate the alternate world teleportation array before anyone else, and even send a preliminary team to the Stellar Moon Federation for exploration, the significance of that would be immeasurable.” Manager Ying was calculating its next move.

Now that its true form had awakened, its ambitions had become much simpler. First, a small goal which was becoming a Legendary being. After witnessing the decline of spiritual energy, Manager Ying had grown particularly wary of surviving.

Against such uncontrollable forces, being an Overlord wasn’t enough. It planned to pursue a higher form of existence. After hearing Lu Ran out, it now saw Blue Planet as nothing more than a refuge for those who fled from the Stellar Moon Continent. If it wanted to seek the path of Legendary, that continent was a destination it must go to.

“Let’s head to the island first.” After exchanging intelligence, they left for the island.

At that moment, Zhu Kaixin also walked out from within the island.

He was surprised to see Lu Ran and Manager Ying arriving together. “Huh? What’s going on, Lu Ran? Weren’t you supposed to come alone?”

He chuckled as he looked at Manager Ying. “Looks like Manager Ying doesn’t trust you. I’ve never seen it care so much about someone before.”

“You talk too much.” Manager Ying shot a glare at Pig God.

“I’ll be staying on the island for quite some time. Let’s have some proper discussions,” Lu Ran said.

“I’ve been waiting for this day!” Zhu Kaixin’s eyes lit up with excitement.

He knew full well that Lu Ran had first nurtured the Flood Dragon Squad, then provided Gu Qingyi with a massive supply of dragon blood resources to cultivate familiars. Now, Lu Ran had finally landed in his hands. There was no way he wouldn’t take this chance to study dragon pigs and Undead pigs with him.

At that moment, Manager Ying seemed to recall something.

“Old pig, help train Lu Ran a bit.”

Zhu Kaixin was stunned. “Huh? Does Lu Ran even need my training? In a year, I might not even be able to beat him.”

“That’s in a year. If my intel is correct, the International Alliance is planning something big.”

Lu Ran looked at Manager Ying. “Hmm? You’ve been gathering quite a lot of intel lately. What big plan?”

Manager Ying explained, “The World War is approaching. The International Alliance’s resource vault is still piled up with huge amounts of resources. Many nations intend to distribute some of it to enhance their strength.”

“Oh, that issue! I’ve heard about it too. Why? Is there an update?” Zhu Kaixin asked.

Manager Ying nodded. “The nations plan to divide the resources into eleven shares, though not evenly. Ten shares will go to the ten champions who will represent Blue Planet in the World War.

“However, the resource distribution won’t happen until a year from now. Since it’ll take time, the Alliance will first separate the largest share of the eleven. That biggest share will be fought over by the second, third, and fourth generations of each nation. The competition format is undecided, but the first-generation beastmasters are definitely excluded.”

“The fuck? Why can’t the first generation participate? Are they scared?” Zhu Kaixin was dissatisfied.

Manager Ying rolled its eyes at Zhu Kaixin. Right now, two of the ten champions were beastmasters from Xia. If that remained the same, Xia would already receive far more resources than other nations. There was no way they’d allow Xia’s first-generation beastmasters to compete for the remaining shares.

The ten spots where beastmasters would represent Blue Planet were the true battlefield where the first-generation beastmasters fought for international resources.

“The second and third generations of Xia are honestly mediocre. Hoping they’ll secure resources is pointless. We might as well place our hopes on Lu Ran,” Manager Ying said.

Pig God nodded. “Agreed. However, other nations likely think the same way. They know Lu Ran has four Overlords and that he has recently showcased his legion's overwhelming aura. There’s no way they’ll allow him time to grow stronger and secure resources for Xia.

”Even now, he’s already a major threat. After all, Overlords are still incredibly powerful. So if my judgment is right, the Alliance will finalize its rules soon, and the competition date will be set immediately.”

“Well, well. So, they’re targeting me?” Lu Ran chuckled.

Manager Ying smirked. “That’s why I suggest you take the next half-month to level up your familiars and push your three main familiars to level 40 as soon as possible.”

“That’s a lot of pressure... The top second-generation beastmasters have already broken through the level 4 ascension realms and reached level 5. Their familiars have reached level 60. Plus, with the existence of the Peak Battle Arena, their levels won’t be low.

“If any of them raise a new Overlord familiar with maxed-out resources, even Lu Ran would struggle to bridge the gap. After all, he can’t use his Legion Technique, and there’s still at least a 10-level difference.”

Manager Ying grinned. “No need to worry. This guy isn’t just about his Crow Legion. That sword domain alone could crush 99% of the second generation.”

“Well... fair point...” Zhu Kaixin admitted.

“Oh, right, didn’t you just say you wanted to spar with Zhu Kaixin? Let him experience Sudden Death King’s newly mastered intent.” Manager Ying glanced at Lu Ran.

“Huh?” Zhu Kaixin looked bewildered, unable to comprehend how simply observing the situation had suddenly involved him.

“Brother Pig, how about a spar?” Lu Ran asked.

Zhu Kaixin sneakily glanced at Lu Ran and said, “You’re not making me use my new familiar, are you? In that case, I refuse.”

Lu Ran was stunned before laughing, “Of course not. You can use any familiar you like—even your ace with a domain ability, or any of your main forces above level 50. I’m fine with all of them.”

“One-on-one?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, let’s have fun.” Zhu Kaixin grinned.

If I can use my main forces, then I have nothing to worry about.

Manager Ying giggled. “Great! I’ll take you both to an uninhabited island nearby. By the way, would you two consider this a battle between pigs and dogs? Do you think Shi Jialiang is planning to hand one of the twelve positions to Lu Ran? Based on his achievements in fighting off the Dragon Palace sea beasts, the old man might actually approve...”

Excuse me? Pig versus dog? Where’s your manners?

***

After a brief moment, Lu Ran and Zhu Kaixin were transported to a nearby deserted island by Manager Ying’s spatial ability.

Manager Ying announced, “I’ll be the referee. The rules are simple. One-on-one. Considering you both have busy schedules, let’s not have the beastmasters interfere in the battle. Finish your match and get back to work.”

“Deal.” Zhu Kaixin and Lu Ran nodded.

The two exchanged glances, then simultaneously retreated to create distance before summoning their familiars.

On Lu Ran’s side, Sudden Death King emerged. Although it hadn’t been leveling up through the Battle Arena, it had still reached level 38 thanks to daily resource accumulation, intense combat training, and the meteorite fragments.

Zhu Kaixin also completed his summoning. A huge Rock-attribute pig stood before him.

[Species: King Stone Warpig]

[Attribute: Rock]

[Species Rank: Superior King]

[Level: 57]

This pig had a humanoid build with a pig’s head and a strong physique, resembling the legendary Zhu Bajie. However, it wasn’t Zhu Kaixin’s ace, it was just one of his standard main forces.

“The Rock attribute, huh...?”

“The Shieldwing Dragon King, huh...?”

After summoning their familiars, both beastmasters carefully examined their opponent’s choices.

Zhu Kaixin commented, “I’m 19 levels above you, but a level 38 Intermediate-Overlord dragon should be roughly on par with my level 50+ Superior-King pig. The gap isn’t too big. Looks like we’ve both chosen familiars specialising in defence.”

“True.” Lu Ran nodded.

Since his opponent was also focused on defense, there was no psychological pressure.

“You can attack first.” Zhu Kaixin displayed the demeanor of a senior.

“Alright! Sudden Death King, Meteor Impact!”

“

RAWR!

”

Zhu Kaixin wasn’t entirely familiar with this skill, but judging by its execution, it seemed to be a close-combat skill. Sudden Death King flapped its massive wings and flew low toward the King Stone Warpig menacingly.

Lower your defense. The opponent also specialises in defense. Their attack shouldn’t be too strong.

The King Stone Warpig narrowed its eyes and casually formed a layer of rock armor, intending to gauge the Dragon King’s destructive power.

However, just as Sudden Death King reached extreme proximity to the King Stone Warpig, it didn’t strike. Instead, it wrapped its arms tightly around the pig and soared skyward at high speed. The pig was left in utter shock.

“

RAWR!”

Piggy, have you ever experienced what it’s like to be a meteor crashing into the ground?

The King Stone Warpig was left dumbfounded.