Chapter 327 - The Old Man and the Dog

Lu Ran obviously couldn’t send Baby Cloud to battle in the ocean right now. Although it was fast, its level was still too low. But now that it had unlocked the Kunpeng form, leveling up quickly shouldn’t be an issue anymore.

As long as Lu Ran frequently took it to participate in 1v1 high-stakes ranked battles, it would catch up to Captain Doofus and the others in no time. Feeling satisfied, Lu Ran focused on training Baby Cloud to master its Kunpeng transformation.

The Kunpeng transformation consumed too much energy. At the moment, Baby Cloud could only maintain it for a few minutes, but it was not enough. It still needed more training.

Lu Ran planned to wait until it could sustain the transformation for ten minutes before taking it to fight powerful opponents and level up. For now, he returned to the Undead secret realm to nurture his weapon spirit while training the sword spirit and the swordgrass.

This training was especially important. If the sword spirit and the swordgrass could master the sword domain, they could attempt a triple fusion sword domain attack with Captain Doofus.

If Lu Ran mastered the sword domain himself, he could use reverse Super Beast Mimicry to train Sudden Death King and the others. That was why he trained so hard by investing heavily and even using precious resources.

Two days later, the Heavenly Familiar Ranking rewards arrived again, granting Lu Ran three more Treasure amplification cards. Any other beastmaster would have used these Treasure cards on their familiars to boost their strength.

However, Lu Ran was different. Just like last time, he invested all the cards in himself. He refined three more Treasure Soul Cleansing Fruits and ate them all. After two training sessions, Lu Ran had consumed a total of five Treasure comprehension-enhancing resources.

This was an enormous investment, but hard work paid off. With the combined buffs of sword spirit Fusion, Super Beast Mimicry, and Comprehension Boost, Lu Ran finally touched the threshold of a domain.

Damn, this is ridiculously hard!

Lu Ran admitted that he was struggling. According to Master Jiang Dou and the Divine Deer, he was supposed to be a genius in both swordsmanship and transcendent cultivation. Even so, he had burned through five Treasure Soul Cleansing Fruits just to reach this stage. For others, it would be even harder.

Lu Ran stood in an empty field, panting while gripping the Wind Lightning Sword. He had finally comprehended the basic form of a domain, yet he wasn’t particularly excited.

The cost is just too high. I used five Soul Cleansing Fruits, while Captain Doofus only needed one to grasp a domain. Comparing myself to a dog is just depressing.

“But... does this make me the first human to create a domain?”

He wasn’t sure about the Stellar Moon Federation, but on Blue Planet, he had never heard of a beastmaster unleashing a domain without fusing with their beast. But now, he had done it.

Standing in the middle of a field of flames, Lu Ran watched as two divine dragons, composed entirely of fire, materialized behind him. They soared into the sky, unleashing a thunderous dragon’s roar.

These two Eastern Divine Dragons radiated majestic power, but the most striking feature was that each one clenched a flaming divine sword in its jaws. Both swords pulsed with Dragon’s Aura and sword intent, resonating with the dragons’ roars.

To manifest the domain, Lu Ran had to rely on the Flame Spirit’s transcendent state. Within this domain, the Flame Spirit’s temperature increased dramatically. It could ignite space itself and wield unique properties. As long as the domain remained, the flames would never extinguish.

In this space, Lu Ran could summon an infinite number of self-sustaining divine dragons carrying swords to serve as projections of his power, launching attacks on enemies.

The most crucial part was its unique trait. Just like Manager Ying’s domain, Lu Ran could leave the domain after creating it, allowing the Flame Spirit to act as the domain’s core. From the outside, Lu Ran could observe the battle while the Flame Spirit fought within.

Unlike Captain Doofus, who had to remain inside his domain to unleash its full power, Lu Ran’s domain temporarily transformed the Flame Spirit into an autonomous being—one that obeyed its host’s will, inherited its host’s strength, and could battle independently.

“Huh?”

Back in the Undead secret realm, Lu Ran was still experimenting with his Flame Spirit Sword Domain, immersed in the joy of its formation. He hadn’t noticed the slight tremor in the sword he held. Only when the shaking intensified did he finally react.

As Lu Ran looked down at the Wind Lightning Sword in his hand, he was surprised. “Could it be...”

He loosened his grip, and the next moment, the Treasure sword floated into the air, releasing sharp energy waves. A moment later, just like Corpse Dog before it, the sword’s outer shell disintegrated. The forged materials shattered, revealing a newly born black-red-white sword spirit.

[Species: Wind-Lightning Sword Spirit]

[Attributes: Undead, Wind, Lightning]

[Species Rank: Low King]

[Level: 12]

[Species Talent: Guardian Sword (A being with this ability possesses an energy-consciousness that can independently sense external threats and proactively defend itself.)]

“Did it work?” Lu Ran was delighted as he watched the floating sword spirit.

This was the sword spirit he had forged for Master Jiang Dou. After nurturing them in the Undead secret realm for so long, neither the Dragon King Shield nor the Dragonstone Tablet had shown any signs of spirit awakening, yet this one had.

As expected, raising a sword spirit was simple. One just needed to keep slaying the undead. With the experience from the Winter Sword Spirit, Lu Ran wasn’t too surprised that the Wind-Lightning Sword Spirit had awakened.

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Now that the sword domain was complete, Lu Ran had no intention of staying in the Undead secret realm. He sent the sword spirit to the ruin space under Captain Doofus’ care, then left the Undead secret realm.

After briefing Pig God, he prepared to depart from the Other Shore Island. At the same time, he assigned a task to Dark Crow.

“Dark Crow, the Dragonstone Tablet still hasn’t developed a spirit, but I don’t have time to wait. Take it to Mystic Turtle for now. I’ll continue nurturing it when I get the chance.”

“

Caw!

Understood,” Dark Crow responded without hesitation.

“As for Sudden Death King’s Dragon King Shield, there’s no rush. Even if it develops a spirit, he doesn’t have an available kinship slot yet. First, we return to Xia. Then, we split up. I’ll deliver the Wind-Lightning Sword Spirit to my master, and you deliver the Dragonstone Tablet to Mystic Turtle.”

Dark Crow’s gaze sharpened.

After that, it would be time to prepare for the Alliance Tournament.

***

Lu Ran’s return journey was smooth. While riding on the super-fast Baby Cloud, he fed it resources. Thanks to its Natural Manipulation trait, it quickly absorbed the pure nature-energy crystals, recovering its stamina rapidly and maintaining energy balance.

Soon, Lu Ran arrived in Xia’s Golden Hill. Landing outside the Rainbow Dojo, he sniffed the air. He didn’t sense Master Jiang Dou’s presence inside.

As he looked toward the back mountain, he shook his head. “I should’ve contacted the old man in advance. Did he go out, or is he in Limitless City?”

He got no answer after dialing his master’s number. So, he teleported to Limitless City and opened his friend list before finding the ID “Old Sword Saint” and sending a private message.

Pedestrian A:

Master, Master.

Old Sword Saint:

Hm? Did you get kidnapped by a monster?

Pedestrian A:

Master, quit joking! I’m outside Rainbow Dojo. Come out, I have a surprise for you.

Old Sword Saint:

You finally came to see me! Ah, young people these days have no martial ethics! A sneak attack! Oh, sorry. I’m not talking to you.

Pedestrian A:

???

What is this old man up to?

At that moment in Limitless City #3.

Inside an arena, a chubby beastmaster was trembling. A sword was pressed against his throat. The icy chill made his face pale.

An elderly beastmaster was holding the sword. Although his two pairs of large wings were folded, the audience could tell he was in fusion form. From the very start of the battle, the old man had fused with his beast and wielded a sword, effortlessly overpowering the chubby beastmaster and his familiar.

“It’s over.” The master laughed heartily while the audience erupted into a wave of shocked exclamations.

“

Holy shit!

Who is this old man? Not only did he become a beastmaster at his age, but he’s also this strong?”

“Yeah! At his age, normal beastmastery would already be impressive, but he actually chose the fusion skill? Is he not worried about back pain at night?”

“Did you guys see how fast he struck? It was insane! Could this senior be a swordmaster?”

“Fatty is one of the top fighters at Beastmaster University, and he lost just like that?”

“Our association president is also an elder, right? I feel like we’re witnessing the rise of another legendary old master!”

The crowd chattered on as the Old Sword Saint laughed heartily, stepping down from the ring and disappearing from the arena.

Meanwhile, outside Rainbow Dojo, Lu Ran watched as Master Jiang Dou stepped out from the dojo.

“You just can’t sit still, can you?” Lu Ran asked.

“

Hahaha!

Ever since I became a beastmaster, I feel twenty years younger! I think I could fight for another twenty years!” Master Jiang Dou laughed heartily. “So, tell me, what brings the Little Guardian of Xia to visit me?”

“I’m worried you’ll trip and fall, so I brought you another familiar to look after you,” Lu Ran said helplessly.

“Another one?” Master Jiang Dou was surprised.

Currently, his only familiar was a golden eagle, which Lu Ran had gifted him. The reason was that the old man wanted to finish the path that his senior disciple, Condor Hero, had never completed.

“Yeah. It’s a sword spirit, born from a Treasure sword. It’s a Low-King species since birth,” Lu Ran said with a small smile.

The old man was stunned as he had never heard of such a familiar before.

“A sword spirit? No way, no way!” The old man shook his head wildly. “A familiar of this caliber? You should keep it for yourself. Don’t waste it on an old man like me. You should contract it yourself.”

“I already have one! Now we’ll both have our own!”

“Huh? So this is your fourth familiar?” The old man was taken aback again.

Lu Ran replied, “Not exactly. I had Captain Doofus contract it.”

Master Jiang Dou was even more taken aback now.

A sword spirit contracted by a dog?

“

Ahem.

I didn’t mean it like that...” Lu Ran said.