Chapter 631 - No Use Rushing

“Stop, you filthy duck! He’s one of mine!”

As a peak Primary Divine-grade being that stood on the verge of the cosmic rank, very few lives in existence dared to call the Purification Demon God a filthy duck. However, upon hearing that voice, the Purification Demon God’s beak twitched slightly. From the rippling space wrapped in nine-colored divine light, a cat descended.

“

Quack!

”

The Purification Demon God looked furious as it had already guessed who it was.

Damn it...

—If you don’t want your master turning you into soup, get back to wherever you came from. Your grounding order hasn’t expired yet, has it?

The Gem Queen, the Cosmic-level cat known to countless beings as Teacher Ying, appeared once more. Its voice was transmitted directly to the Purification Demon God's mind.

With this, though the Purification Demon God was clearly unwilling, it slunk away miserably.

“

Quack

.”

—Don’t tell them!

Aside from Lu Ran, who had seen it with his own eyes, the others only witnessed the nine-colored divine light flash before the Purification Demon God scurried off.

Even though they didn’t see the Gem Queen itself, that iconic light was enough to make countless cosmic beings realize Lu Ran was truly the Gem Queen’s employee.

“Follow me.” Teacher Ying ignored the other Divine-grade being from the army and pulled Lu Ran and his companions away.

In an instant, they appeared inside a grand hall. Upon the throne of the Gem Palace, the Gem Queen, now in its human form, glared at Lu Ran in displeasure.

“You actually contracted a polluted species. It was my oversight that allowed the Natural Preservation Army to lock onto you.”

Lu Ran smiled. “It’s fine. Your Majesty, the Gem Queen, that Purification Demon God seemed pretty strong... what’s its background?”

“Of course it’s strong. If I hadn’t stopped it, you’d all be half-dead by now.” The Gem Queen snorted.

“Really? I don’t believe that,” Lu Ran muttered, unimpressed.

The Gem Queen replied, clearly irritated. “What do you know? The pollution fluctuations inside your body are enough to draw the attention of the army’s Purification Demon God and ignite its fighting spirit. That alone says a lot about your power.

“But do you think that, as the army’s second-in-command, it only commands pollution power? It also wields the purification power that counters pollution itself! It’s a being that walks both the Buddha and the Demon paths. Either one of those powers alone could crush an ordinary peak Primary Divine-grade being.”

Lu Ran suddenly understood. No wonder it had Purification in its title. He had faintly sensed that the being’s internal power wasn’t singular. Since the sprite queen of the galaxy went so far as to disregard the old purification faction’s opinion just to support such a demon god, there was naturally a reason.

That duck was a monster. With a single commander like it, the weaker members of the purification association were practically useless.

Lu Ran said with a grin after hearing its explanation, "The stronger, the better. It’s more fun to challenge powerful foes. Since the Purification Demon God wants to fight us, we’ll just fight. It’ll count as a friendly exchange. We have only just arrived in this new universe, so we're still getting used to things. It’s perfect to have a strong opponent to hone ourselves against.”

The Gem Queen froze for a moment.

Are you insane? I just told you that you can’t beat it!

“It seems you’re confident in your own strength. Fair enough...” It could sense the power flowing within Lu Ran.

He had already reached the peak Primary Divine grade as a beastmaster. Before society had a chance to beat him down, it was natural for him not to fear opponents of his level.

It continued, “I understand what you’re thinking, but that one is off-limits. The galaxy sprite and I are old acquaintances. Normally, without its permission, the Purification Demon God isn’t allowed to start large-scale fights. It’s currently under a grounding order.”

The Gem Queen’s voice softened, though its tone carried warning. “When that guy fights at full power, its demonic aura pollutes entire galaxies. It’s happened more than once. It’s been sealed away by the galaxy sprite countless times because of it.

“So forget about fighting it, especially since you have a polluted familiar. Two polluted species clashing could infuriate the galaxy sprite, and if that happens, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Lu Ran fell silent, offering a brief moment of pity for that duck.

So it does have a boss breathing down its neck.

Though, given its temperament, he wasn’t surprised. Even after learning he worked for the Gem Queen, it still wanted to throw hands, completely unfazed by its cosmic rank. With a temper like that, it must have fought secretly plenty of times, probably polluting half the galaxies it went to.

Teacher Ying gazed beyond the Gem Palace, its tone calm. “Don’t worry. You’ll have training partners soon enough. The Keeper of the Universe is organizing the First Universal Beastmaster Tournament, open to all parallel universes. There will naturally be faction divisions. Different universes belong to different factions.

“Since you’re following me, you’ll represent our universe. Aside from you, other cosmic beings in this universe, like the Karnid Queen, the Beast King, the Cosmic Overlord, and so on, have all received the tournament’s notice from the Keeper. So, they’re all cultivating beastmasters to represent our universe in the competition.

“In a few days, I’ll summon them to hold an exchange match between our universe’s representatives. You’ll spar with each other to improve your combat ability. And remember this, you’re my employee. Don’t embarrass me when the time comes,” the Gem Queen added, muttering under its breath.

Lu Ran smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll do my best during the exchange and aim for first place in the Universal Tournament!”

The Gem Queen rolled its eyes. “You’ve got some nerve. If you actually win the championship, I’ll let your cat take my place as the Gem Queen!”

Lu Ran replied, “Right...”

“Enough. I’ve prepared a planet for you. Go stay there for now.” The Gem Queen waved a hand, clearly feeling that Lu Ran was getting way too cocky.

Champion of the First Universal Beastmaster Tournament? Hah... Not in this lifetime.

What Lu Ran didn’t know, and what the Gem Queen didn’t bother to tell him, was that the Keeper of the Universe had a daughter. That daughter had reached the cosmic rank long ago. Her talent was almost on par with the Keeper himself. Now, she too had decided to join the tournament.

To the Gem Queen, it couldn’t even imagine anyone capable of defeating her. Even the newly promoted Cosmic-level Time Emperor would barely stand a chance. And even if, by some miracle, someone stronger appeared, it knew the Keeper would probably tweak the rules for his daughter anyway. This entire thing was a rigged game.

And Lu Ran wanted to win? Dream on.

So its true goal was simple. Forget the championship. As long as its own people could secure good rankings and make the universe aware of its presence, spreading its Gem Queen name across the cosmos, that was enough.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

***

Not long after, on a sapphire-blue planet. As the Gem Queen’s newly hired enforcer, Lu Ran was transported to rest and recover while awaiting the start of the universe’s exchange tournament.

“Limitless City, in the final secret realm, didn’t you say that after regaining your authority, I’d soon gain power close to the cosmic rank? I’ve recovered that authority for quite a while now, arrived in a new universe, and fused with several Seeds of Transformation. I’ve even advanced to the peak Primary Divine grade as a beastmaster. So... how far am I from the cosmic rank?”

Lu Ran had dropped the lighthearted attitude he used with the Gem Queen. He questioned Limitless City seriously. During their journey, he’d already stabilized the power feedback from his familiars’ breakthroughs and his own ascension.

Limitless City replied, “Don’t rush. For humans, breaking into the cosmic rank is relatively simple. As long as you can form a contract with a Cosmic-level lifeform above your own level, you can ascend. You’ve already contracted me, and the Will of the Universe ranks even higher than the cosmic level. In other words, if you wish, you could ascend anytime.

“However, I’m still in a weakened state. With my current condition, helping you break through wouldn’t be ideal. So, rushing won’t help. Would you really want to advance imperfectly? Take your time.”

Lu Ran’s mouth twitched.

Fine.

Since that’s the case, he might as well wait and pound a few of this universe’s contestants in the exchange match and help Limitless City recover a bit more power first.

***

Meanwhile, to improve the strength of the mid-tier contenders and promote cooperation among its representatives, the Cosmic Dream Net Corporation sent out the Gem Queen’s invitations through the Dream Network to several other Cosmic-level factions.

The Giant Beast Empire, World King Star, Karnid Hive, and Sybas Legion all received its messages and began summoning their own human beastmasters to head for Silver Galaxy.

As this universe’s top powerhouses, they were privy to deeper truths. They knew that the Gem Queen had been elevated through the Keeper of the Universe’s own immense effort. It was practically his spokesperson.

Although it might be the weakest among the Cosmic-level beings, its status was anything but ordinary. So, when the Keeper’s “spokes-cat” sent out invitations, every faction responded at once.