Chapter 336 - The Strongest of the Fourth Generation Vs The Strongest of the Second Generation

The third gatekeeper’s familiar was pulverized by a dragon that specialized in defense.

President Pari was so mad that he was about to faint. He squeezed down on the metal railing so hard that he actually crushed it.

Dr. Hayden was also speechless. His mind was shaken by that last punch from Sudden Death King.

"It’s too big..."

The gap was just too big. Compared to the dinosaurs he created for the Eagle Federation, Sudden Death King was just too strong.

"President Pari..." Dr. Hayden turned towards the fuming president.

It was obvious that Pari had a hand in Lu Ran encountering so many powerful enemies. However, it didn’t slow down Lu Ran in the slightest.

"Don’t worry, Dr. Hayden," President Pari said. "I expected him to pass the first three levels. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have been crowned the strongest of the fourth generation and creator of miracles.

"That’s why I invited Jack to be the fourth gatekeeper. His strength is even beyond a level 5 first-generation beastmaster." President Pari smiled when he mentioned Jack.

"Alright." Dr. Hayden wanted to say something else, but seeing President Pari’s current state, he decided to let it be.

He could only silently watch the challenge proceed.

While the two chatted, the audience shared a single thought.

Can this really be considered a challenge?

Before Lu Ran, all the other challengers were suppressed by the gatekeepers and passed with great difficulty.

However, Lu Ran turned out to be the one who looked like Cerberus guarding the gates of hell and those poor gatekeepers were the ones who looked like weary souls trying to push through, only to get abused.

"Ha! He’s using that trick again." Pig God was elated as he watched the podcast from the Other Shore’s island.

Hehe. Even I, the almighty Pig God, had a tough time with that dragon king. How could these second- and third-generation beastmasters from second-rate countries beat it? They wouldn’t be able to, even if they pulled dirty tricks. But...

When he thought of Lu Ran’s next gatekeeper, Pig God’s expression became solemn again.

While the first three stages didn’t trip him up, anyone with eyes could see that the worst was yet to come.

Jack solo cleared a Legendary secret realm and was currently a level 5 beastmaster, considered the strongest of the second generation. As if that wasn’t enough, he was from the Eagle Federation, the largest global superpower.

Forget Lu Ran—he would be overkill even if he were placed as a gatekeeper for second-generation challengers.

If Lu Ran hadn't stopped them, Xia’s beastmasters would’ve directly withdrawn from the alliance.

Jack was in a completely different league compared to the other gatekeepers.

"Lu Ran told us to stay out of his business. Does that mean he has a way to deal with Jack?" Shi Zhen frowned as he watched the live broadcast.

Back on stage, Lu Ran calmly looked over at the referee.

"Next."

He didn’t feel any additional pressure, even when faced with the supposedly strongest second-generation beastmaster.

"Interesting." Jack watched Lu Ran from somewhere else in the venue, his blood beginning to boil.

When he cleared a Legendary secret realm by himself by sacrificing four familiars, many experts had their own opinions.

Among them, some analysts concluded that based on his history, he was a narcissist and loved being the center of attention.

Honestly speaking, Jack did have such tendencies, and now that he saw Lu Ran in the spotlight, he was itching to knock the kid down a peg.

This was also why he agreed to President Pari's request so easily. Since both of them had solo-cleared Legendary secret realms, the two were often compared against each other. One of them sacrificed multiple familiars to do it, while the other was able to do it without any casualties at all.

Personally, he believed that higher-level Legendary secret realms were categorically more difficult.

After a while, Jack finally walked out of the corridor and looked at Lu Ran with a calm gaze from across the stage.

By now, Lu Ran had already withdrawn Sudden Death King, intending to summon a different familiar for the next battle.

Jack gently dusted himself off and, without looking at Lu Ran, asked, "Are you going to send out that husky with the domain next?"

"So what if I am?"

Lu Ran opened a bottle of water and took a sip.

"You are really amazing for being able to train a husky to such a high level, but that’s all there is to it.

"I'll warn you ahead of time that I won’t show you any mercy once the battle starts. If you want to surrender, then you should do so now. Don’t cry to me if your familiar ends up dead."

Jack's eyes filled with malice.

Hearing this, Dean Qin and President Youxiong couldn't sit still, but Lu Ran kept his composure and wiped his mouth after he was done with the water.

"Huh? Are you kidding me? Who gave you the balls to be so full of yourself? Just be a good gatekeeper and quit yapping so much. I came here today to clear all five levels. Someone who struggled so much in a Legendary secret realm can’t be that tough," Lu Ran calmly replied.

"Challenger Lu Ran of Xia vs Gatekeeper Jack Miss."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The tense atmosphere caused an eerie silence to settle over the audience. Although Lu Ran swept the first three levels, many people were still nervous about this one.

"Hahahahaha..."

Jack’s laugh coincided with the end of the countdown, breaking the tension in the air.

Hearing Lu Ran's arrogant remark, Jack smiled.

"I admit that you are good, but it's still a little early to brag.

"As for the three guys you just defeated, I could beat all of their familiars at the same time with my one. Do you think that you’re the only one who can achieve 50 times energy compression with some minor injuries? Do you think you are the only one with a domain? I even have an overlord, too. Do you really think you can beat me with just that? What other trump cards could you possibly have?"

Jack summoned his familiar with a mocking smile. He dismissed Lu Ran’s 50 times energy compression and domain, and he wasn’t wrong.

Lu Ran truly did encounter a major enemy that was a cut above the others. If anyone else were so dismissive of Lu Ran’s achievements, the audience would’ve laughed them off the stage.

Jack Miss was a different story.

Four of Jack’s familiars died during a solo clear of a Legendary secret realm. Everyone assumed that those four familiars didn’t die in vain. They must have used some self-harming skills to boost their combat power.

From this perspective, Jack Miss had the capital to be so indifferent to Lu Ran’s 50 times energy compression—the thing that put him on the level of the top ten beastmasters in the world.

Jack must be hiding some terrifying trump card. He was considered the strongest of the second generation, after all.

As for mastering a domain at level 30, it definitely set Lu Ran apart from his peers. Not even the three previous gatekeepers had mastered one.

However, just because they didn’t master one didn’t mean that Jack couldn’t. On the contrary, as one of the strongest beastmasters in the world, Jack had done so long before he cleared the Legendary secret realm.

When people put themselves in Lu Ran’s shoes, they felt a bunch of psychological pressure.

Jack had everything Lu Ran did and had been a beastmaster for far longer than the latter. This clash between the strongest of the fourth generation and the strongest of the second generation was bound to be a fierce battle!

No matter what the result, it would become a historical battle of the Beastmaster Era.

“Roar!”

Jack’s ten-meter-tall gorilla roared as it appeared on the stage. It didn’t have thick-black fur like a normal gorilla. Instead, it was covered in scales with a pair of huge black wings. It looked more like a demon than an animal.

[Species: Demonic Ape]

[Attributes: Metal, Space, Dark]

[Species Rank: Low Overlord]

[Level: 54]

Seeing this monster, many first-generation beastmasters gritted their teeth as sweat dripped down their faces. Jack just became a Level 5 beastmaster not long ago.

The reason why the Demonic Ape reached Level 54 so quickly was that he took it to the Peak Arena and farmed experience points from many first-generation beastmasters’ familiars.

Although he was only a second-generation beastmaster, he was able to bridge the gap between generations like Lu Ran. Jack had become a source of PTSD for many of the first generation.

Many first-generation beastmasters were forced to admit that Jack was leagues above the other gatekeepers. Although Lu Ran was strong, no one thought that he was in for an easy ride.

However, everyone was shocked by what happened next.

It turned out that Lu Ran’s familiar was very different from what everyone was expecting.

Lu Ran's contract card flew out, and a huge ice-blue summoning diagram appeared on the floor. A giant white and pale-blue husky appeared on it. Even though it looked strong and domineering, it had a goofy look in its eyes. It looked like the husky genes were too strong and couldn’t be suppressed through evolution.

“Awoo!”

Captain Doofus let out a long howl. It was excited to finally get its turn on stage.

However, what really drew the crowd’s attention was actually the two swords floating by its side. One was an ice-blue sword-like spirit that exuded a chill that could freeze space itself. The other was an emerald-green sword-like plant that exuded a sharpness that could cut through space.

Two divine swords swirled around Captain Doofus as if they were servants welcoming the arrival of a Sword King.

"This..." Everyone who saw the trio was stunned.

Jack quickly looked at their information. There, he saw the description of the sword spirit and swordgrass.

He can summon three familiars from one contract card?

"What’s the meaning of this?" Jack frowned.

The audience also broke out in a hubbub.

Soon, some people also realized that the supposedly Low-Overlord Sword Domain Dog was now an Intermediate Overlord!

After some careful observation, they discovered that Lu Ran had given it the Space attribute, which was most likely the reason behind its ranking up.

Another Intermediate Overlord!

The crowd was in awe. Lu Ran now had two Intermediate Overlords, but that wasn’t even the most important thing. It paled in comparison to the fact that Lu Ran could put three familiars in one contract card.

"Is that an Undead sword spirit? Did such a familiar exist?"

"Swordgrass? Is that a plant familiar?"

There wasn’t a single person who could take their eyes off of Lu Ran. Under these countless gazes, Lu Ran had his own look of surprise.

"Doesn't the rules state that anything that originates from a single contract card is considered a single entity?"

Lu Ran raised the contract card up next to his face. On it, the words “sword spirit” and “swordgrass” blew the minds of everyone who saw them.

"It's just a method of cultivating familiars similar to the Twin Crows’ situation. Although it can’t be considered a trump card, it’s still a new technique that I developed. What do you think?" Lu Ran asked his opponent. "If you are afraid, I can take back the two swords and just use my husky. Think it over. Don’t come crying to me if your familiar dies."

Lu Ran directly threw back Jack’s earlier threat, making Jack’s face twist.

President Pari actually jolted to his feet, refusing to believe this latest development. It was beyond his comprehension.

He finally couldn't help but start panicking, but when he saw the domineering look in Jack’s eyes, his mind eased a bit.

"How pointless. It’s just two more level 40 Kings. It’s not enough to cause any waves."