Chapter 324 - The Old President Returns

"What do you mean by ‘don’t think about level five’? Are you trying to fire me up?" Lu Ran frowned.

Manager Ying rolled its eyes.

"I’m just being realistic. If you think you can clear all five levels, then shoot for it."

"The old president and Lin Nian will be two of the ten representatives of Blue Planet, so Xia is already guaranteed an abundant amount of resources. Other countries definitely won’t be happy if Xia gets a bigger piece of the pie.

“They will definitely stack the strongest gatekeepers against you. You might even have to fight a first-generation beastmaster from the Condor Federation.

"Although they won’t go overboard, there will be level 60s for sure. Some could have even undergone their second evolution and become Overlords."

"I see."

"They won’t let us take more resources that easily. They’ve already reached an unspoken truce. Ultimately, we can’t monopolize everything."

"Will it be 3v3?" Lu Ran asked.

"No, it will be 1v1 and all five levels have to be challenged in one go," Manager Ying replied.

"1v1?" Lu Ran was actually happy to hear that.

"Is the 1v1 determined by contract cards? Will the alliance say anything if, for instance, I have three familiars in one contract card?"

“What?”

"I’m about to enter Limitless City and see if I can summon three familiars in the 1v1 arena.

"If Limitless City recognizes Corpse Dog, Dogtail Grass, and Captain Doofus as a single entity, then the Alliance should recognize it too. "

"Once they all reach level 40, they should have no problem beating first-generation level 60 familiars in a 3v1 situation.

"This means that I have a real shot at winning all five levels. It’s just up to whether the Alliance will allow it or not."

"Hmmm..." Manager Ying mulled it over for a bit. "It should be pretty obvious! If you were from some third-world country, then it would be an obvious violation of the rules. But since you have a strong enough background, rules can be more flexible.

"The crux of it is whether you can actually win. If you do, then everything is negotiable. If you lose, then you’ll just end up embarrassing yourself."

"I see." Lu Ran tapped his chin.

"The Alliance could never imagine that your Captain Doofus can contract two kin. As long as you don't show your hand too early, they won’t have time to make a rule change. You should be able to catch them off guard. Everything comes down to your ability.

"If you really can pass all five levels..." Manager Ying revealed an evil grin. "It's not that Xia wants to be a bully, but everyone is simply too weak.

"If first-generation veterans can't beat a fourth-generation newbie, then it can’t be considered anyone else’s fault."

Lu Ran fell into deep thought.

"So after all that, when will the competition begin?"

"It starts a week from now and will last for a month. You can join any time during that month.

"Our country can bring three participants. You and Qin Ming have been chosen to fill two of the spots. The last one is still undecided," Manager Ying said.

"It lasts for quite a while. I don’t know when exactly, but I’ll go when I’m ready. I’m not in a rush."

***

The two of them chatted for a while longer before Manager Ying gave Lu Ran the Shape Shift trait crystal.

As soon as he got what he came for, Lu Ran lost interest in chatting and wanted to immediately have Baby Cloud fuse with it.

The process went pretty smoothly, and Baby Cloud successfully filled its second trait slot.

As expected, it also awakened a species talent.

[Species Talent: Adaptability]

[Effect: If the familiar’s form is compatible with its attributes, then it is able to exert even greater power.]

This talent was pretty self-explanatory. The weather sprite currently had the Water, Lightning, and Ice attributes. If it transformed into the Grass-attribute Divine Deer, then Baby Cloud wouldn’t be able to live up to its full potential. Its overall combat capability would be diminished.

If it transformed into a Water dragon, on the other hand, then it would be significantly stronger.

"Remember to give me a heads up once the old president is back." Lu Ran bid farewell to Manager Ying and returned to the Undead secret realm.

Baby Cloud finally had some combat power, and Lu Ran’s other familiars were perfect for it to imitate when transforming.

It could transform into either a Frozen Cloud Sword Dog or Thundercloud Dragon King with great effects.

Within the real secret realm, Lu Ran had Baby Cloud test the Ice Cloud Sword Transformation. It held a sword of ice in its mouth and unleashed a slash imbued with Blizzard Sword Intent that tore through the hordes of Undead creatures.

They tried the Thundercloud Dragon King transformation next, and it obliterated its enemies with lightning.

As awesome as its new transformations were, it wasn’t anything particularly heaven-defying. The Shape Shift trait alone wasn’t enough to put it on the same level as Captain Doofus and his other familiars.

It could only be considered an average King-ranked familiar. Part of the problem was its abilities. Shape Shift couldn’t replicate Captain Doofus' sword intents or Sudden Death King’s defense.

Another part could be the uniqueness of Captain Doofus’ training. Physical attributes like defense could also be incompatible with a cloud. All of these reasons could contribute to an incomplete transformation.

Lu Ran really wanted the old president's Kun Peng Feather to see if it would be any help to Baby Cloud. It needed a more compatible transformation!

***

In an ascension realm based on the Stellar Moon Continent, an old man in a straw hat with a long beard and eyebrows rode a unicorn out of some ruins.

"Hey, you there."

"Why are you bothering an old man like me?"

Many beastmasters surrounded him, but when he sighed, they gulped in unison.

"Where did this old guy come from?”

"He defeated a Legendary figure on a whim!"

"I heard that all this started because Fenglei Mountain was being arrogant and tried to rob the old man. Too bad they ran into someone so ruthless."

"Why have we never heard of him before?"

"It would be strange if you

have

heard of me,” the old president of the Xia Beastmaster Alliance commented as he inventoried his spoils.

Under the surprised expressions of the onlookers, the old man blurred before entirely fading away.

Back in a Limitless City on the Blue Planet, the old man gradually appeared in an exclusive room. He left Limitless City absentmindedly and arrived in a room with abundant spiritual energy and excellent feng shui.

"Little Lin," the old man greeted. As his voice echoed out, footsteps sounded outside the door. A girl with glasses knocked before entering.

She held a notebook and looked at the old man in surprise.

"I see that you have passed the level 5 ascension realm, President."

"Yes." The old man nodded.

"Starting from level 3, ascension realms become increasingly difficult.

"The level 4 ascension realm took the lives of so many first-generation beastmasters. This level 5 ascension realm is bound to reap the lives of many more.

"Now that I’m back, Lin Nian will be going in next. Given her personality, she will run into many dangers."

In the old man’s experience, the lower-level ascension realms were relatively easy and pretty tame. Getting a high score might be a separate issue, but most people shouldn’t have any problems passing them.

However, starting at level 3, Limitless City began to screen out the riffraff. Each ascension realm became increasingly more dangerous. Many decently powerful beastmasters lost their levels trying to ascend.

In order to ensure that the Xia’s power didn’t suddenly plummet, the first-generation beastmasters agreed to enter ascension realms one at a time.

Now that he had passed, the next person in line was due their turn.

Xiao Lin, his secretary, couldn't hold back her curiosity.

"Mr. President, was this ascension realm very exciting?"

"Yeah," the old man replied, stroking his beard.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"The mission forces you to provoke the force of a Legendary powerhouse, and face their onslaught. For ordinary beastmasters, even those who pass will have difficulty surviving for thirty days and leaving alive."

"Thank you for your hard work, sir." The girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Were you injured?"

"Almost. I couldn't hold back and ended up attacking the enemy camp head-on. I lucked out that the Legendary beastmaster that I was pitted against turned out to be a wuss. I would’ve been in serious trouble otherwise. I can’t be so rash next time.

"Please go prepare Lin Nian. Tell her not to be so hot-headed."

Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?

She wanted to say something, but the old president waved at her.

"What happened in the past month while I was away? Hopefully nothing major."

"There was.”

The secretary quickly briefed the president on the major events of the recent month, especially the Black Dragon incident.

Hearing about it, the old president's expression shifted slightly.

"So many things happened in such a short period of time. A level 70 ancient Black Dragon... Fortunately, the children held out, or we would be really deep in it right now.”

"Manager Ying said that the Black Dragon needs to be dealt with within a year," the secretary added.

"That’s a small issue.

“You said that the cat and Lu Ran almost emptied the entire treasury?"

The secretary remained silent for a moment before finally responding.

“That’s more or less correct. The Twelve Zodiacs made the decision together. Although there were some dissenting voices from other leaders, they were ultimately silenced by the Zodiacs."

"Hahaha!" The old president laughed.

"No need to be concerned. No one can say anything as long as they deliver. They sure are brave, though. I didn't expect that cat to be so capable. As for Lu Ran, he has the potential, so I’m not as surprised.”

"At the time, I thought that the cat was planning to run off with our resources," the secretary commented.

"If it did, then it would be finished. Unless it manages to escape to the Stellar Moon Federation, I would personally smash it into a pancake," the old man promised.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. President, Manager Ying reached out to me to let you know that Lu Ran wants to meet you."

"Lu Ran? Where is he?"

"He should be on the Other Shore’s island."

"That’s too far away. Have him meet me in Limitless City."

***

"Lu Ran!"

When Lu Ran finally exited the Undead secret realm later that afternoon, Zhu Kaixin rushed over. He had been inside nurturing the weapon spirit for quite a few days without making an appearance. He had more than enough resources to support his team for extended periods of time.

Before Lu Ran could go back in, Zhu Kaixin quickly stopped him.

"The old president is back. Get ready. He wants you to meet him in Limitless City. Manager Ying said that he will be waiting for you at the Cat Maid Cafe in the Public Limitless City."

"Is the old president into that?"

"What are you talking about? He’s there because it’s convenient!" Pig God exclaimed.

The president is so old. How could he be interested in cat girls?