Chapter 380 - The First Step to Becoming a Powerhouse

Stellar Moon World, First Continent, Mechanical Capital, Rhodes City.

Due to the Legendary War, the Stellar Moon Continent had been shattered multiple times, turning the massive landmass into four large continents and countless islands of varying sizes.

The cross-world teleportation array was connected to the Starfall Forest, located on the Second Continent, while the Divine Deer now resided in the Clear Spring Valley on the First Continent.

Spread through the four continents were eight megalopolis—cities that had the highest number of Legendary Beastmasters. Although Rhodes City wasn’t one of them, it was one of the few cities renowned for Mechanical-attribute advancements.

The most distinctive thing about it was that most pedestrians had mechanical prosthetics. Even some of the familiars beside the beastmasters were mechanically modified. Some had mechanical legs, and others had half of their faces replaced with mechanical parts.

“Rhodes City was also once called the ‘City of the Disabled’ due to its thriving prosthetics industry. Beastmasters inevitably suffer injuries in battle, losing limbs or having their familiars maimed. Many opt for mechanical prosthetics because treatments like limb regeneration were too expensive. In contrast, mechanical modifications were affordable and restored mobility quickly.

“Some healthy beastmasters even undergo modifications voluntarily, seeking powerful transformations. Their mechanical parts can unleash devastating firepower, suppress ferocious beasts, and even enable flight or deep-sea diving. It’s a cultural trend here.”

Lu Ran and his group were passing through en route to the Endless Sea to find the God of the Abyss. As they disguised themselves, they walked the streets.

The mechanical modification culture was overwhelming. Lu Ran even saw walls plastered with ads for private clinics.

Holiday plans? Take your son to Rhodes Blacklight Mechanical Research for a mechanical arm—the second one half-price!

“Too bad. As the Divine Deer’s messenger, I’ll never lose a limb. Where to next?”

Manager Ying flicked its tail. “Let’s find a small workshop or black market to buy an Advanced or Rare mechanical lightsaber. Getting a Treasure-grade one from a major manufacturer risks drawing attention. You can just use a Treasure enhancement card to upgrade it later.”

Soon, Manager Ying—seeming oddly familiar with the city—led him to a shabby shop in an old district.

Starry Sky Mechanical Specialty Store.

Inside, a curly-haired man with a mechanical arm was slouching on the counter, playing a handheld game. “Yes? Looking for something?”

“Lightsabers. Got any?”

“Sure.” He pointed to a shelf of sword hilts with price tags. “Brand?”

“What’s popular?”

The man grabbed one and flicked a switch. A blazing energy blade erupted.

[Name: Lightsaber]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Description: Advanced weapon powered by electricity or light energy.]

“It’s a classic model. Great for self-defense. It’s also portable, sharper than standard blades, solar-powered, and has a long lifespan. The quality is the same as the ones in big stores, but it’s 5% cheaper here with full after-sales service.”

“Do you have any Rare-grade ones?”

“Bro, this is a small shop. Do I look like I have any? Well, I can custom-make one if you don’t mind waiting.”

Lu Ran scoffed. “Just give me a new one of these.”

“Alright. That will be 5,000 federation coins. You can swipe your card there.”

“Not by card,” Lu Ran said.

𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

“Online transfer would do too.”

“Trade.”

Lu Ran placed one of Captain Doofus’ post-meal Rare-grade fruits on the table.

The shopkeeper stared at it and then shrugged. “That works too.”

With ease, Lu Ran had traded a portion of Captain Doofus’ dog food for an Advanced-grade lightsaber. With the mechanical lightsaber in hand, they continued their journey.

***

Baby Cloud flew high above, carrying the Ruin Branch in its space bubble, while Lu Ran and the others stayed inside the ruin space. They ate, drank, and rested as they pleased.

“So this is a mechanical lightsaber?”

Inside the ruin space, the Six-Paths Flower and the others examined the lightsaber Lu Ran was fiddling with, deep in thought.

“

Awoo~!

”

Captain Doofus looked impatient, urging Lu Ran to stop playing and to give it a try.

The sword spirit and swordgrass exchanged glances, sensing that they could soon have a new partner.

“This feels great. It’s much better than the sword spirit and swordgrass. Capitalists really understand swordsmen,” Lu Ran said, reluctant to let go.

After playing with it for a while, Lu Ran tossed it aside, and Captain Doofus finally got its paws on the lightsaber. It swung the blade with dazzling flair and reached the same conclusion as Lu Ran.

Tastes good.

Most importantly, it was way cooler than the sword spirit and swordgrass. Captain Doofus played with it gleefully.

The Six-Paths Flower, Manager Ying, Sudden Death King, and Dark Crow silently watched as it suddenly unleashed a blinding sword qi, infused with an extremely unique intent. It was so fast that it seemed like a streak of aurora.

[Skill: Aurora Sword Intent]

[Description: Makes slashes as swift as light. The resulting radiance can deal damage.]

“As expected of you.”

Seeing Captain Doofus inexplicably comprehend another sword intent, Lu Ran wasn’t as shocked as he initially would’ve been. After all, the dog was evolving toward comprehension. If it couldn’t outpace other familiars in skill acquisition, its evolution would have been wasted.

“It doesn’t seem like a significant boost to combat power, though,” Lu Ran mused.

“True. Its comprehension is still impressive, but the skills it learns are too scattered. None are deeply developed. Any opponent this skill can defeat, another skill can handle just as easily. It’s not very meaningful. Back to training!

“Among your familiars, aside from that cat, I don’t think any of them can beat that wooden snake. Not even this dog with its two kin. That white-haired girl’s strength isn’t even on par with Emperor Yan’s or Emperor Yun’s at her age. If you can’t even defeat her, how do you plan to challenge Legendaries? You can’t always rely on me!”

The Six-Paths Flower still hoped that Lu Ran and his familiars would reach a level of strength no weaker than its own. Only then would it have reliable allies when the time came to oppose the Beast Gods.

“

Grr... Woof!

”

However, Captain Doofus disagreed with the Six-Paths Flower.

That wooden snake? If I were the one fighting, I would’ve sliced it apart easily. Sudden Death King was just too weak.

And not just the wooden snake. Given a little more time, it would even be able to slice the Six-Paths Flower apart.

Sudden Death King couldn’t help but feel frustrated. “

Rawr...

”

Damn it...

The level gap was just too big. If it were also level 60, it definitely wouldn’t have lost so badly.

“

Caw!

Sister Flower is right, absolutely right!”

Only Dark Crow, the bootlicker, wholeheartedly agreed with the Six-Paths Flower.

Of course, Manager Ying was also exasperated. “Hey! I’m not Lu Ran’s familiar! Let’s get that straight!”

The Six-Paths Flower glanced at Manager Ying. “Oh... really? No wonder you seem much more normal than his other familiars.”

Manager Ying wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult.

“Thanks, I guess...

meow

.” Manager Ying flicked its tail.

Even Lu Ran fell deep in thought. The Six-Paths Flower was right. Compared to those on the Stellar Moon World, Sudden Death King and the others seemed lacking in strength.

On Blue Planet, he had reaped the benefits of being the Divine Deer’s messenger, which helped him surpass some second-generation and a few first-generation beastmasters. However, in the Stellar Moon World, he wasn’t the only messenger of a Legendary being. Bai Lu claimed she wasn’t skilled in combat, and Lu Ran believed her because life-affiliated kin usually weren’t fighters.

“

Ugh,

this is giving me a headache.”

Even if he felt that the Six-Paths Flower could suppress them, that alone wasn’t enough for Lu Ran. Be it Captain Doofus, Sudden Death King, or Dark Crow, he wanted them to be more than strong enough to defeat any opponent.

But how? Fusion Traits? Second Evolution?

While these could further enhance their strength, Lu Ran felt such universal methods weren’t sufficient.

What if, one day, beastmasters in the Stellar Moon World also started fusing traits and evolving their familiars just like I do? What would my advantage be then? I need something unique, something others can’t replicate—a signature power. Perhaps... this is the crucial first step to becoming a true powerhouse.

Lu Ran looked at the Six-Paths Flower and Manager Ying. With determination, he asked, “What if I tried developing a beastmaster skill exclusive to me—one that could drastically strengthen my familiars?”