Chapter 349 - The Quasi-Legendary Six-Path Flower

In the thousand-year empire, it seemed only the first emperor had ever nurtured a quasi-Legendary familiar. Upon hearing this, Lu Ran sighed deeply. But there was no helping it.

In the early days of the empire, the beastmaster system was still in its redevelopment phase. Unlike later-generation beastmasters, who stood on the shoulders of their predecessors, the path for the empire’s early beastmasters was far more arduous.

This was similar to how the first-generation beastmasters on Blue Planet had a harder journey than the fourth-generation beastmasters.

The number of beastmasters who nurtured quasi-Legendary species in the later stages of the empire far exceeded those in the early and middle periods. Even the Legendary beastmasters born in each era only emerged toward the end of their respective times.

Given this, Lu Ran had limited choices. The first emperor had nurtured a quasi-Legendary fox. The fourth empress was fortunate enough to contract a descendant of a Legendary lifeform, which was also why the third emperor entrusted her with great responsibility, making her the first female emperor.

Starwing Butterfly... Foxes and butterflies...

Both were undoubtedly excellent options. After all, they were quasi-Legendary.

To put it in perspective, even with the Broken Horn of the Divine Deer, Captain Doofus only barely qualified as quasi-Legendary because it lacked the corresponding combat prowess despite the species rank.

If Lu Ran could contract a true quasi-Legendary, he wouldn’t just dominate Blue Planet. Even in the Stellar Moon Federation, he could walk sideways without fear. The potential of a quasi-Legendary was just that formidable. In the absence of true Legendaries, quasi-divine beings stood at the peak, overlooking all Overlords.

Even Lu Ran wasn’t confident he could nurture Sudden Death King and the others to quasi-Legendary status during their second evolution. The higher the species rank, the harder it was to improve. This was unlike the early stages, where fusing a single trait could elevate the species by several ranks.

However, whether it was the Fox God or the Butterfly God, Lu Ran’s attention instantly shifted to the last name Emperor Yun mentioned. At the same time, he felt a strange sense of temporal dislocation.

“Emperor Yun, did you just say the Six-Path Flower? If I’m not mistaken, is that a plant? Can plants even cultivate?”

Of course, plants could cultivate, but that was only after the Divine Tree appeared and shattered the rules. This was still the early stages of the beastmaster era. But as soon as he asked the question, Lu Ran realized the answer.

Take the Divine Tree, for example. As the plant sovereign that broke the rules set by the animal god, it must have gained sentience in an extremely ancient era. Similarly, aside from it, there must have been other exceptionally gifted plant lifeforms that developed sentience despite the rules suppressing them.

This was similar to how humans, despite being suppressed, could still produce Legendaries. They were just rare and not as widespread as in the Plant Era, making it seem like they didn’t exist.

“

Haha,

why couldn’t Transcendent lifeforms emerge among plants? Although exceedingly rare, with only a handful in the entire world, they do exist.” Emperor Yun smiled faintly.

“Is that so!”

Realizing this, Lu Ran grew incredibly excited.

As a plant quasi-Legendary that gained sentience so early, could the Six-Path Flower be a high-level divine spirit in the future Plant Era? It is possible. Looking at it this way, the Six-Path Flower’s potential might far exceed quasi-Legendary. Ah, if only I could find a seedling of the Divine Tree right now. But the Six-Path Flower isn’t bad either. Just its name sounded incredibly powerful.

Lu Ran’s heart raced. He knew Limitless City wouldn’t let him down.

“It seems you’re quite interested in plant lifeforms,” Emperor Yun observed.

“Yes,” Lu Ran nodded.

“Good. In a few days, I’ll arrange for you to meet the Six-Path Flower. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to train under her.”

Soon after, Lu Ran was dismissed.

The empress looked at Emperor Yun and asked, “Have you decided to take him as your disciple?”

“Yes, but the specifics of our master-disciple relationship will depend on his interaction with the Six-Path Flower. We’ll have to trouble her again,” Emperor Yun murmured.

According to ancient records, the Six-Path Flower was a rare and exceptionally powerful plant lifeform. Its form was that of a six-petaled flower, each petal a different color representing a unique talent. They were the Celestial Path talent, the Mortal Path talent, the Asura Path talent, the Hell Path talent, the Hungry Ghost Path talent, and the Beast Path talent.

However, these six talents were merely manifestations. The Six-Path Flower possessed a seventh core talent, which was the ability to perceive good and evil. Thus, it was also known as the Flower of Good and Bad by the imperial and royal families.

The Six-Path Flower fed on good emotions and bad emotions. The more good emotions it absorbed, the stronger its Celestial, Mortal, and Asura Path talents became. Conversely, the more bad emotions it consumed, the stronger its Hell, Hungry Ghost, and Beast Path talents grew. This was also why the Six-Path Flower chose to remain in the Beastmaster Empire.

Humans were the most emotionally rich and extreme in their expressions of good and bad. To ensure a perpetual feast, the Six-Path Flower came to the heart of the empire and made a pact with the first emperor.

It would stay in the human kingdom to feed on their emotions, and in exchange, if the empire faced annihilation, it would lend its power to help, provided it was capable.

Emperor Yun had met the Flower of Good and Evil before. His master, the previous emperor, had taken him to see it.

In truth, it was because the flower sensed his good heart, one that cared for the nation and its people, and recognized his astounding potential that he gradually stood out among the previous emperor’s many disciples.

After a decade of observation, the fifth emperor also confidently passed the throne to him. If he were to take Lu Ran as a disciple, Emperor Yun planned to first bring him to meet the Six-Path Flower and let it assess the nature of his heart.

***

Before long, Lu Ran returned to the Yan clan estate. As soon as he arrived, Yan Feng hurried to his courtyard.

“Sudden Death King! You met Emperor Yun, didn’t you? What important matter did he summon you to the palace for?”

Lu Ran clasped his hands and said, “Nothing too important. He just wants to take me as his disciple.”

Oh, just a disciple?

Yan Feng had been worried it was a marriage arrangement...

Suddenly, Yan Feng’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What? A disciple?”

“Yes...”

“Did you accept?”

“How could I refuse?”

Yan Feng stood frozen. The emperor taking a disciple was no small matter. Moreover, Emperor Yun had never taken a disciple before. This meant that Lu Ran would be his first.

Such an important decision, and Emperor Yun had made it so abruptly?

Even if Lu Ran had inherited Flame Spirit and contracted an Overlord, surely such a significant decision warranted deeper scrutiny.

Unbeknownst to Yan Feng, the seventh princess had given a strong push. Emperor Yun concluded that rather than marrying off his daughter, taking Lu Ran as a disciple offered better value.

“Sudden Death King, you are really lucky. Emperor Yun has never taken a disciple. As his first, your future is now boundless.”

“His Majesty is too kind... I’m just as surprised.”

At this point, Yan Feng could only offer reluctant congratulations. Upon reflection, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Compared to becoming a royal son-in-law, Lu Ran being taken as Emperor Yun’s disciple was something Yan Feng could accept.

To be precise, the Yan clan valued Lu Ran’s bloodline above all else. If Lu Ran were to marry into the royal family, ensuring he left behind a robust bloodline within the Yan clan would be difficult. But now, as a mere disciple, Lu Ran could still marry within the Yan clan, passing down his pure bloodline.

Though Lu Ran’s loyalties might later waver between the royal family and the Yan clan, preventing him from fully prioritizing the Yan clan’s interests, as long as he married a Yan woman, it wouldn’t be an issue.

Looks like Emperor Yun is giving the Yan clan some face, not pushing things to the extreme.

Yan Feng smiled. “By the way, Sudden Death King, have you decided on a new name?”

“Yes. I’ll just go by Yan Lu.”

“Excellent.”

Although Yan Feng didn’t understand the meaning behind the name, as long as it carried the Yan surname, it was fine.

That same day, the Yan clan’s elders discussed Lu Ran’s acceptance as Emperor Yun’s disciple. While they were somewhat resigned, like Yan Feng, they found it acceptable.

Moreover, this might not be entirely a bad thing. As Emperor Yun’s top disciple, if they could ensure Lu Ran remained loyal to the Yan clan, it could even be beneficial. Lu Ran might secure significant advantages for the clan.

However, the challenge was how to make Lu Ran, who had just returned to the clan, feel tied to the Yan clan.

After much deliberation, the most cost-effective solution seemed to be arranging a marriage for him as soon as possible, allowing his wife to influence him. Only by fully integrating Lu Ran’s bloodline into the Yan clan could they strengthen his sense of belonging and pride in the family.

The next day, the Yan clan held a grand ceremony to formally welcome “Yan Lu” back into the family. The event caused a stir, and soon, all the imperial and Legendary families in the capital learned of it. Even teahouses and taverns buzzed with discussions.

“Who is this Yan Lu?”

In a teahouse, two distinctively dressed men and women sipped tea quietly. Hearing the chatter, they exchanged puzzled glances. Had Lu Ran seen them, he would have been shocked. These two were none other than the Golden Generation siblings from India, the psychic duo Jialan and Jiana.

They had met Lu Ran in the Evolution Secret Realm, inviting him to visit India’s Psychic Association. However, after Lu Ran evolved an Undead familiar, drawing hostility from various nations, the siblings were spooked, and their communication abruptly ended. Now, they had somehow matched into the same secret realm as Lu Ran.

“Historical records of this period’s ascension realms don’t mention any imperial family members being welcomed back. It’s probably not a big deal. No need to pay attention,” said Jiana, the woman with special abilities.

“I was just wondering if it might be another participant,” Jialan mused.

“Unlikely. The imperial family’s heritage runs far deeper than even Legendary families. How could a participant cause such a commotion?”

“But what if it’s Lu Ran? The Yan imperial family is descended from Emperor Yan Sizhen. And according to records, Lu Ran inherited Emperor Yan’s Flame Spirit. He’s also high-level enough to enter ascension realms now.