Chapter 75 - Insect King’s Revenge (Part 1)

The one who benefited the most from Lu Ran’s control over Green Sea’s wild resources, apart from himself, was undoubtedly Fang Lan. Among the first, second, and third-generation beastmasters, those specializing in Poison-attribute familiars required a significant amount of resources to hone their craft.

A true Poison-attribute master needed extensive experience with various poisonous plants and animals; only by thoroughly understanding and interacting with them could one truly claim mastery of the Poison attribute.

***

Now that the entire Poison-attribute ecosystem of Green Sea was accessible to Fang Lan, combined with the Poison-attribute courses provided by Gu Qingyi and her own extraordinary intellect, Lu Ran could already sense the rise of a formidable beastmaster.

Even without fully immersing herself, she had already crafted a poison capable of countering the Minotaur Boss. With more practice and study, she was poised to become one of the deadliest among the fourth-generation beastmasters.

The Heavenly Familiar Ranking didn’t accurately reflect her true strength. After all, she had to hold back in arena battles, as killing opponents with poison would cause significant backlash. Furthermore, the true essence of the Poison attribute lay in intelligence gathering, crafting targeted poisons, and executing assassinations.

***

Lu Ran and Fang Lan walked side by side through Red Leaf Park, heading toward the back hills where a highly venomous centipede resided. Their presence drew quite a few stares, and the reason was simple: Fang Lan was a well-known figure in Green Sea City.

As the Five Poisons Saintess from Limitless City #3, she was famous far and wide. Her striking purple hair was her signature trait, instantly recognizable to anyone. Unlike Lu Ran, who preferred to stay under the radar, Fang Lan frequently participated in arena battles, further cementing her fame.

Her beauty, paired with the stark contrast of her Poison-attribute familiar, only added to her popularity.

There was yet another reason for the attention. Over the past week, Fang Lan had been highly active, often stepping in to resolve incidents involving mutated beasts. As a result, many in the city now recognized her.

“Isn’t that the Five Poisons Saintess, Fang Lan!?” whispered an awed onlooker.

“Who’s the guy with her? Her boyfriend? Damn, someone actually managed to win over such an extraordinary woman.”

The park was crowded, filled with students from Green Sea University, many of whom were aspiring beastmasters. These students often formed groups to catch mutated beasts, as helping to maintain public safety not only gave them a sense of justice but also earned them academic credits—a win-win situation.

“Isn’t that Lu Ran? The winner of the Insect Fighting Tournament in Red Leaf Park last year!”

Of course, Lu Ran wasn’t entirely unknown. He had his own fanbase, not for being Pedestrian A but for being the best at insect fighting. However, the fact that Lu Ran and Fang Lan were siblings was something only a few people knew.

“It really is Lu Ran! Has he become a beastmaster, too? I thought he’d contract an insect since his insect-fighting skills are so amazing. But it turns out he’s got a lizard?”

One of the older insect fighters spotted Sudden Death King following behind Lu Ran and was surprised.

Over the past week, Lu Ran had been active mostly in less populated areas. While he had subdued a significant number of wild creatures, only the official beastmasters, such as Officer Luo Shang, were aware of his title as King of Green Sea. The general public had no idea how deep the waters in Green Sea really ran.

“It seems like we’re both pretty famous. You’ve done a good job keeping your identity secret,” Fang Lan whispered, amused.

“Isn’t that the norm? Can you honestly say you haven’t run into any trouble since your identity got out?” Lu Ran asked.

“Don’t even get me started! Every day, at least ten classmates ask me for help, and it drives me crazy. And that’s not even counting the awkward stuff, like people constantly hitting on me whenever I eat at Limitless City #3,” Fang Lan sighed, exasperated.

Lu Ran had the right idea. Even after publicly snatching a world boss, no one remembered what he looked like. He truly lived up to his name as Pedestrian A. Meanwhile, Fang Lan regretted her decision to dye her hair such a vibrant purple—it attracted far too much attention.

“Haha.” Lu Ran laughed.

“None of my classmates ever bother me.”

“Lu Ran, is that you!?”

Before Lu Ran could finish his sentence, a young man in shorts came running over, yelling. Both Lu Ran and Fang Lan turned around.

“Dammit, I sent you so many messages, and you never replied. I see now. You’re on a date. Wait, holy crap! Is that the Five Poisons Saintess?” The boy froze in shock when he saw Fang Lan.

“Yang Xishuai?”

Lu Ran recognized the boy immediately. It was one of his high school classmates. A few weeks ago, Yang Xishuai had also become a beastmaster, something he had bragged about in their class group chat. Lu Ran also knew something else about him—Yang Xishuai was the grandson of the man Lu Ran had defeated at the previous insect-fighting tournament.

Hearing Yang Xishuai’s words jogged Lu Ran’s memory. This guy had been pestering him for days, asking if he had become a beastmaster and if he wanted to settle the score for his grandfather in another match. Naturally, Lu Ran had ignored him.

Damn, who knew he’d find me in real life?

He had just been telling Fang Lan that his classmates never bothered him, and now this happened. What rotten luck!

“You two know each other?” Yang Xishuai asked, astonished, looking between Lu Ran and Fang Lan as they stood together. Fang Lan was famous in Green Sea City, having been featured in newspapers multiple times. She was known as the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City and often referred to as the most beautiful flower in Green Sea—albeit a poisonous one. And yet, Lu Ran knew someone like her?

“Fang Lan’s our senior. We went to the same school. Is it that strange?” Lu Ran replied nonchalantly. “So, what do you want?”

Yang Xishuai glanced briefly at Sudden Death King, who stood near Lu Ran. Sensing potential trouble, Sudden Death King fixed a cautious, piercing gaze on Yang Xishuai.

“A beast battle, of course! What else?” Yang Xishuai said.

“Your lizard looks well-trained. It’s huge. What species is it? It looks amazing. But your heart wavered. You didn’t contract an insect, after all. Look at me. I not only contracted an insect, but I also passed the Beginner Trial with it!”

“Check this out. My familiar is an Intermediate-grade Transcendent Species, also known as the Cricket Warrior. Impressive, right?”

Yang Xishuai boasted proudly, though deep down, he knew his success had been aided by some underhanded tricks.

After the Beastmaster Era began, the Xia Empire Alliance started selling a resource called Stinkweed. When crushed and applied to the body, it emitted a scent that nauseated or repelled most transcendent creatures, greatly reducing the risk of being attacked in secret realms.

With Stinkweed, the chances of beginner beastmasters surviving the 24-hour Beginner Trial increased dramatically. Yang Xishuai had been among the first to take advantage of the product. His years of experience in insect-fighting convinced him to choose an insect as his familiar.

Luck had been on his side—most crickets were Low-grade Transcendent Species, but the one he contracted was Intermediate-grade. On top of that, he had entered a secret realm where Stinkweed worked perfectly, allowing him to pass the trial with ease.

“So, how about it? Want to have a beast battle? My Cricket Warrior against your lizard!” Yang Xishuai suggested confidently. “Considering the species, you’ve got the advantage. What do you think?”

“What a mess. You seriously contracted a cricket?” Lu Ran said, shaking his head in annoyance.

He was about to refuse, but Fang Lan smiled and interjected, “Sure! I’d like to see how Sudden Death King fares.”

At the same time, she gave Lu Ran a smug look as if to say,

And you said you were never bothered by classmates! This guy is even worse than mine!

“This... Alright, fine...” Lu Ran relented.

Might as well deal with Yang Xishuai once and for all so he’ll stop pestering me. How did I go from fighting his grandfather to fighting him? This doesn’t make any sense.

“I’ll battle you, but this will be the only time.”

“Deal!” Yang Xishuai exclaimed, eager to start.

Sudden Death King was left speechless.