Chapter 344 - Returning to the Roots

"Come with me. You two, go and report what happened here to my parents."

The girl with the tied hair was very excited to see Lu Ran. Right now, there wasn’t anyone in the entire Yan imperial family who could cultivate Flame Spirit to the second stage.

In fact, there were only a handful that were even capable of achieving the first stage, which only comprised the basics. This was why Lu Ran’s Flame Spirit initially looked like a stick figure.

The second stage was to allow the Flame Spirit to absorb other unique flames.

Lu Ran's Flame Spirit was currently considered to be at the second stage. Not long after he first acquired it back in the ascension realm, he absorbed the power of the Flame Dragon from the Flame Dragon King, which resulted in his Flame Spirit mutating.

To the girl, Lu Ran’s skills were nothing short of amazing. She grabbed Lu Ran and ordered two guards to bring Lu Ran into the mansion. Lu Ran didn't expect her to be so enthusiastic. It wasn’t anything like what he imagined women from ancient times to be like.

As he stepped into the Yan clan’s mansion, a single thought ran through his mind:

Success!

He then wondered if the other trialists were as lucky as him to muddle their way into an imperial clan on the first day.

***

"My name is Yan Yingying. What is yours?"

When they arrived in a courtyard planted with maple trees, the girl began to try to find out more about Lu Ran.

"Sudden Death King," Lu Ran answered.

"Sudden Death King... What a unique name." Yan Yingying tilted her head and thought about it for a second, but possibly due to the restriction imposed by Limitless City, she didn’t dwell on it too long.

"Can you show me your Flame Spirit again?"

"Yeah, no problem." Lu Ran was prepared to show his Flame Spirit as many times as it took.

After observing Flame Spirit more closely, Yan Yingying took a deep breath and was even more sure that it was the Yan Emperor’s beastmaster skill!

How incredible! Is it a bloodline atavism?

Yan Yingying didn’t question Emperor Yan having other descendants amongst the populace.

There was also the possibility that Lu Ran was the descendant of some other powerful Yan imperial family members that have disseminated into the general population over the past few centuries.

Since the founding of the Beastmaster Empire, countless powerful individuals have been known to sow wild oats. Throughout the empire, there was plenty of drama involving descendants of powerful figures from major families cropping up among the common folk.

However, all that was off topic.

The important thing was that Lu Ran had the purest Yan imperial bloodline at the moment. It was the first time Yan Yingying saw anything like it. From the clan’s perspective, Lu Ran’s talent was almost unimaginable.

"It's really a Flame Spirit..." Yan Yingying murmured.

"Let’s wait here. This isn’t something I can confirm by myself. The clan elders will also have to verify that we share the same ancestor.

"Hey, Sudden Death King, can you tell me about yourself? How did you find your way to the capital?"

Lu Ran went on to spout his pre-fabricated story to Yan Yingying. Simultaneously, Yan Yingying's father, Yan Feng, received news of what happened and was shocked. He was the current head of the Yan imperial clan, on top of being a Legendary beastmaster.

He looked at the guard who came to report the news and said, "Are you sure it's the Flame Spirit? And it's been cultivated to the second stage?"

"Yes, sir, it’s true. The third lady wasn’t the only one to recognize it. The seventh princess, who was with her, also recognized it."

Pfft.

Yan Feng was very happy at first. He didn't expect a highly talented clan member to suddenly appear. Nowadays, the world was in chaos, and various forces were accumulating power to prepare for the tumultuous times ahead.

A genius on par with the Yan emperor had returned to his ancestral clan to acknowledge his ancestry. As long as his identity could be verified, then it was undoubtedly a good thing, but if the news spread, then it would turn into the opposite.

"The Seventh Princess also saw him?" Yan Feng's mouth twitched.

"Yes..."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The Seventh Princess was a princess who was relatively favored by the current emperor. Therefore, if she knew about Lu Ran, then the royal family wouldn’t be far behind.

Yan Feng started to get a headache. He hoped that the royal family wouldn’t try to steal Lu Ran from him. Now that the empire was at war with the Four Great Beast Empires, the royal family was also lacking talent.

Such a high compatibility with the Flame Spirit was rare even within the imperial clan, much less the royal family.

***

Back in the Flaming Maple Courtyard, Yan Yingying was still questioning Lu Ran.

"So, you are very strong? You must have traveled a long way to arrive in Imperial Beast City. That would make sense. You inherited the Flame Spirit skill and cultivated it to the second stage. You couldn’t possibly be weak.

"Daddy!"

Hearing the beautiful red-haired girl suddenly yelling “daddy” made Lu Ran jump. For a moment, he thought she was calling

him

that.

Is she into something weird?

However, a laugh sounded behind him, and when Lu Ran turned around, he saw a middle-aged man with an extraordinary air about him.

"Yingying, is this the alleged distant relative of ours that was born amongst the people?" the middle-aged man asked with a smile as he looked over Lu Ran.

"Yes, dad! However, he’s not good at holding a conversation. Talking to him has been so tiring." Yan Yingying pouted.

"Sudden Death King, this is my father, the current head of the Yan imperial family."

"Greetings, Patriarch Yan." Lu Ran politely bowed. Yan Yingying’s complaints about him made him feel a bit awkward.

In an unfamiliar place, the more you talked, the easier it was to mess up. Establishing a dull and taciturn personality was the safest play.

As expected, Patriarch Yan asked Lu Ran to show his Flame Spirit.

"A flame dragon..."

Sensing the aura of a flame dragon from Lu Ran’s Flame Spirit, Yan Feng let out a sigh.

“How did you cultivate the Flame Spirit to the second stage?"

"I’m not quite sure myself. My Flame Spirit evolved after I cultivated a Dragon familiar. Before my parents died, they told me that our ancestor once had a fortuitous encounter in Dragon’s Valley."

"Dragon’s Valley... Could it have something to do with the deceased Flame Dragon King?" Yan Feng assumed that Lu Ran's ancestor was most likely blessed by the Flame Dragon King.

Mentioning the topic of the Flame Dragon King made Yan Feng feel some regret. It was a pity that such a powerful backer of the Yan Clan fell over two hundred years ago. Now, there was only one of Emperor Yan’s familiars holding down the fort.

Deceased?

Lu Ran’s heart skipped a beat when he saw Yan Feng's expression. The Flame Dragon King died? A dragon of its level should be able to easily live to a thousand years old. Did it fall in battle?

Lu Ran was planning on relying on the Flame Dragon King to cheese the ascension realm.

The Flame Dragon King was supposed to be his ticket to first place. How could it just kick the can?

"It’s undeniably a Flame Spirit." Yan Feng said gently.

"Sudden Death King, right? You must have worked hard to get here, my child. The journey from Flame Dragon Sanctuary isn’t an easy one.

"I will notify the elders to prepare a ceremony for you to acknowledge your ancestors.

"Now that you’re here, there’s no need to be shy. Please treat this place as your own home.

"Looks like Yingying is a little older than you, so you can call her ‘big sister’. She will find you a room while I prepare everything else."

"Okay."

Lu Ran was moved to receive such kindness from Yan Feng. He was moved by the kindness of Limitless City. It was just too easy to create an identity in this ascension realm.

***

Lu Ran smoothly moved into the Yan mansion, but because he came from an unknown background, even with the Flame Spirit, the Yan family didn’t put him in an important role right away.

After Yan Feng was done talking him up to the rest of the family, another elder soon visited Lu Ran’s courtyard.

"Show me your Flame Spirit."

Seeing that this elder was rough and unfriendly, Lu Ran naturally didn’t resist. He revealed his Flame Spirit before asking, “Sir, who are you?"

Seeing the Flame Spirit, the old man’s expression went blank for a moment before he managed to reply.

"Based on the fluctuation, your strength is quite formidable. On the surface, you have come to acknowledge your ancestors and return to your roots, but it shouldn’t be that simple. You must have some other agenda."

When he said this, he unleashed a faint pressure.

"Um..." Lu Ran was startled.

"Before my master passed away, he told me that the path of the beastmaster was a difficult one. With the world descending into chaos, I won’t be able to make it on my own. Given my Flame Spirit, he suggested that I come to Imperial Beast City to acknowledge my ancestors.

"He said that with the help of the family, my personal safety, the future development of my Flame Spirit, and the acquisition of new familiars would be much easier. So here I am."

"Your master was a wise man. He’s absolutely correct."

Seeing that Lu Ran’s honesty admitted that he came seeking protection, the elder felt more at ease.

"Unfortunately, even if you acknowledge your ancestors, the family can't help you develop your Flame Spirit. Currently, there isn’t anyone in the entire Yan imperial family who is more proficient in the skill than you.”

"That’s okay. I’m still lacking a powerful familiar. If the family can help me in that regard, I will still be willing to serve the family."

Huh? Didn't that damn girl say that he’s not good at speaking? Why is he so straightforward all of a sudden? His motives are clear.

The old man was upset, but now that he had felt things out, he felt much better.

If Lu Ran said that he didn’t want anything, then he would be even more concerned. However, Lu Ran clearly stated that he needed the family to assist him with becoming a more powerful beastmaster, which was a good enough motive.

"This is the benefit of having the right background. No matter who, the family will do its best to assist members of the family in finding a suitable familiar. Once you acknowledge your ancestor, then this will apply to you as well.

"Is that really all you want? To have the family assist you in acquiring a more powerful familiar?"

Lu Ran eagerly nodded.

"Yes, that is what I’m hoping for. During my journey, I have found many familiars, but none of them were to my liking."

"Haha! How can your personal strength compare to that of an imperial family’s? Tell me, what kind of familiar are you looking for? Let’s hear it."

"I want a quasi-Legendary familiar."

Pfft!

"Why didn’t you just straight up say that you want a Legendary familiar?"

The old man was furious, thinking that this kid was dreaming.

Although the current royal family and the five great imperial families had records of Legendary and quasi-Legendary creatures, who could actually capture one as a familiar?

"I do want one, but I don’t think I can beat one in a fight," Lu Ran answered innocently.

In reality, Lu Ran actually knew where to find one. The Tree Monarch had given him the information previously.

A kin of the Death Dragon lived in the depths of the boundless oceans north of the continent. Lu Ran wanted to cultivate a high-speed flying familiar specifically to find this kin of the Death Dragon.

But now that Lu Ran discovered the relationship between the Stellar Moon Federation and Blue Planet, he found out that he had the option of seeking out the Divine Deer instead, so the Death Dragon’s kin wasn’t that attractive to him anymore.

It was too time-consuming and dangerous.

It was better to wait until he contacted the Divine Deer and had it introduce him to its various kin.

Perhaps the rumored Stone of the Other Shore was a relic left behind by one of the Death Dragon’s kin.

"You..."

The old man didn’t know what to say. He wanted to strangle this kid.

He was quite excited at first to learn that a clan member with a second-stage Flame Spirit had been discovered.

He thought that if he matched him with his granddaughter, then they would give him a great-grandson of immense potential.

However, it turned out that this guy was an idiot.

A quasi-Legendary... If Lu Ran could contract a quasi-Legendary familiar, then the elder would be willing to write his name backwards!