Chapter 329 - Setting the Stage, Global Attention

Lu Ran felt a surge of excitement. This old man is someone worth dealing with. No wonder he’s the strongest in Xia, or maybe even the strongest in the world. He didn’t hesitate at all in providing an Epic resource.

However, if Lu Ran stood in the old president’s position, he would likely feel frustrated too. There’s no use being strong by yourself if the second and third generations aren’t. In a battle where solo strength wasn’t enough to determine victory, resources couldn’t be secured by just one person.

After holding the presidency for so long, the old president must have suffered quite a bit watching the second and third generations fail to meet expectations. This time, he was placing his hopes on Lu Ran.

“Dominate it? Then it’s decided. I’ll be waiting for your domination. Soon, Xia will make an official announcement confirming its participants. However, while the announcement will reveal the participants, remember not to expose too many of your hidden cards in Limitless City before the International Alliance Tournament. Otherwise, those people will have time to prepare and counter your abilities.

”In the Peak Arena, avoid revealing too much of your strength. Your familiars are only at around level 30, and levels are still relatively easy to improve. If you need any resources to level up, request them directly from the association.

“For the sake of Qin Ming and Youxiong, and to ensure you all perform well, the association will allocate a batch of resources for you. Your task is to enhance your foundation based on the strength you have already revealed. Without power, beastmaster battles are all about information asymmetry,” the old president advised.

“I understand.”

Lu Ran felt pleased after hearing that the association would invest more resources in him. While the Peak Arena could also be used to level up, the growth provided by resources was simply superior. The former only provided basic-level increases and balanced attribute growth.

However, spending resources not only boosted levels but also enabled extreme specialization in certain attributes or abilities. With high-quality resources, even species potential and energy techniques could be improved. If resources and funding were sufficient, investing in resources would undoubtedly be the better choice.

Lu Ran immediately made a firm pledge to the old president, promising to dominate in the International Alliance Tournament.

Shortly after, Xia officially launched a campaign to promote its participation in the upcoming tournament.

***

As the International Alliance Tournament approached, every country was actively discussing its chosen representatives. In Xia, students at Beastmaster University and members of the second and third generations, who were the backbone of Xia’s Beastmaster Community, were eager to know who would represent them.

”Dean Qin should be one of them, right? My professor said he’s considered the strongest of the second generation, second only to the old president and the Twelve Zodiacs.”

“What about Youxiong, the guild leader of the Living Fossil Guild? He recently formed an alliance with an ancient creature and just broke through to level 50. There’s an 80% chance he’s in.”

“As for the third slot... It’s hard to say. Do you think it might be Bai Qi? The leader of the Four Saints Guild lost all his familiars, but he was able to convert them into Undead familiars with national support. His strength not only recovered but even increased. Would they send him to promote the Undead attribute?”

“If they want to promote the Undead attribute... Why would they send Bai Qi? They should just send Lu Ran.”

“But Lu Ran is only a level 30 beastmaster. Unless the International Alliance allows him to use a familiar legion, which is unlikely under the 1v1 rules, it would be difficult. Beating a third-generation beastmaster might be fine, but even he’d struggle against top second-generation beastmasters, right?”

The debate over the third representative was heated. However, the association didn’t leave the public guessing for too long before officially announcing the chosen representatives.

[International Alliance Tournament: Xia Representative Team Confirmed!]

[Participants: Qin Ming, Youxiong Jiyuan, Lu Ran]

[Qin Ming: Second-generation beastmaster, Head of the First Division’s Raid Team]

[Youxiong Jiyuan: Second-generation beastmaster, guild leader of Xia’s number 1 guild, the Living Fossil Guild]

[Lu Ran: Fourth-generation beastmaster, founder of the Flood Dragon Squad, leader of Project Netherworld]

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The moment the three names were revealed, Xia fell into silence. Qin Ming and Youxiong Jiyuan weren’t surprising, but the country was shocked to see Lu Ran included.

If this were a tournament for fourth-generation beastmasters, or even third-generation ones, no one would question the decision. Most people would even believe that Lu Ran could dominate the competition.

However, the International Alliance Tournament was centered around second-generation beastmasters. Currently, the top second-generation beastmasters already had familiars at level 50, which were much stronger than Lu Ran’s strongest familiar.

Moreover, the strongest of them had already cultivated Overlord familiars. Unlike when the Evolution Secret Realm first appeared, Overlords were no longer unattainable. Yet Xia still chose to send Lu Ran. What were they planning?

At Beastmaster University, when Qin Ming saw the official list released by Xia, the corner of his mouth twitched.

“As expected, it’s this brat...”

Who would have thought that the guy who had participated in the freshman competition under his watch just half a year ago would now be his teammate on the international battlefield...?

At the Youxiong Estate, the guild leader of the Living Fossil Guild, Youxiong, was slightly surprised when he saw the list.

“So the rumors were true. Lu Ran is in. But is he really ready for the International Alliance Tournament with familiars at level 40?”

There was another major concern. A beastmaster with level 50 familiars had two additional beastmaster skills compared to one with level 40 familiars. This could be a decisive factor in battle.

At that moment, it wasn’t just Xia discussing the news. The announcement of Lu Ran representing Xia quickly spread across international forums.

As a global sensation, Lu Ran’s participation in a second-generation beastmaster tournament immediately unsettled several hostile nations.

The Eagle Federation.

Upon receiving the news, the president of the federation, a blonde youth in a wine-red suit, personally went to visit someone in an estate. Moments later, he looked up and saw a white-haired youth lazily walking out, yawning.

“If it isn’t President Pari. What do you want?”

“Jack. It’s about the International Alliance Tournament,” the blonde youth replied coldly.

“I already said, I won’t participate unless I get to keep 100% of my earnings. You think I’d take your previous offer of 20%? Am I a beggar?” Jack replied impatiently.

Pari replied nonchalantly, “Then, 50%, but under one condition.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “50%? That’s quite high. Fine, 50% it is. What’s the condition?”

“According to the latest information, Lu Ran, the so-called ‘strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in the world,’ will be competing as a participant in this tournament. Aside from being a participant, I also want you to be a gatekeeper. I’ll arrange everything. You’ll be the fourth gatekeeper and will go up against Lu Ran.

“No matter which familiar he sends out, I want you to cripple it. As the ‘strongest second-generation beastmaster,’ it shouldn’t be a problem for you to crush a fourth-gen, right?” Pari’s gaze was sharp.

“You’ve even solo-cleared a Legendary secret realm. Don’t tell me you can’t handle this? The format is 1v1. Even if you’ve lost four of your familiars, it won’t affect your performance, will it?”

Jack paused, then sneered. “You really hold grudges, don’t you? Lu Ran wrecked your precious Dinosaur Revival Project, and you’re still bitter about it. Instead of wasting time targeting a fourth-generation beastmaster, why not focus on improving your own strength?”

Pari was the leader of the Eagle Federation Association, but whether he was even in the top three of his own country was debatable. Currently, everyone knew that the strongest beastmaster in the Eagle Federation was the only person on Blue Planet who had successfully evolved a mecha familiar, which was not Pari.

Pari’s expression darkened as Jack was getting on his nerves.

But then Jack smirked and shrugged. “Fine, I’ll accept your offer. Not because I’m doing you a favor, but because... If Lu Ran faces me, he’s already doomed. Crippling his familiar is a given.”

“Good.” Pari sneered and turned away, not wanting to waste another second speaking to this lunatic.

Jack wasn’t just any second-generation beastmaster. Aside from Lu Ran, he was the only other person who had solo-cleared a Legendary secret realm, but at the cost of sacrificing four of his own familiars.

Now that Xia had sent Lu Ran to the International Alliance Tournament, it was the perfect opportunity for the Eagle Federation to get their revenge legally and within the rules. All of Lu Ran’s familiars were Overlords. No matter which one was crippled, it would be a devastating blow.

***

Meanwhile, Lu Ran remained unaware that an entire country was scheming to make his path harder. But even if he knew, he probably wouldn’t care.

As long as they were targeting him within the rules, he would accept it calmly. After all, in any competition, there was no such thing as “friendship first, competition second.” The moment interests were involved, conflict was inevitable.

Following the old president’s instructions, Lu Ran obediently refrained from revealing his hidden cards too early. With the association’s resources backing him, even without gaining experience from the Peak Arena, his familiars were leveling up rapidly.

Especially Sudden Death King, which carried the Nine-Colored Meteorite Fragment—an item that boosted its level. Soon, it reached level 40. Upon reaching level 40, Lu Ran wasted no time in fusing it with an Energy Halo Trait.

When Baby Cloud fused with Nature Manipulation and Shapeshifting, its species base was already so high that even after fusing with them, its species rank remained as an Intermediate King.

The same applied to Sudden Death King. As an Intermediate Overlord, its base was already overwhelming. Even after fusing a new trait, its species rank remained the same. However, it gained a new ability and species talent, which satisfied Lu Ran.

[Species Talent: Energy Shield (A familiar with this talent will receive the defensive boosts of the Energy Halo when using energy-based offensive skills, making them indestructible and extremely difficult to break through.)]