Chapter 91 - Heavenly Familiar Ranking Settlement

Limitless City, a lavish restaurant.

Lu Ran, Fang Lan, Pig Farmer, and Lu Bing had just started their victory feast. The resources they had secured earlier were now fully in Lu Ran’s possession. For one meal, he could certainly afford it.

“The Blazing Lightning Ruins doesn’t need to be farmed anymore. I’m only after the ‘Red Lightning Trait,’” Lu Ran said.

“Are you planning to contract a second familiar with the Lightning attribute?” Lu Bing asked curiously.

After all, if he didn’t plan to bond with a lightning attribute, there’d be no reason to farm for the Red Lightning Trait. Awakening the Lightning attribute in Doofus seemed unrealistic. To simultaneously awaken the Lightning attribute and fuse traits would at least require reaching level 30. Besides, his primary trait was Weapon Control, so Lu Bing doubted Captain Doofus would choose such a straightforward path next.

“Yep.” Lu Ran smiled slightly.

He’d heard from Fang Lan that Sudden Death King had been performing quite well, gaining a lot of confidence through constant battles.

“What secret realm should we challenge next?” Pig Farmer asked eagerly. He felt the future was filled with hope. After all, Lu Ran had said that once his own needs were met and his debts were paid off, he would take them to farm for skill cards and Trait Crystals.

Among the four of them, Lu Ran was the only one who had both beastmaster skills and a familiar with a fused Trait Crystal. The other three were basic, without any enhancements. If they could have the same setup as Lu Ran, their strength could become even greater.

“Captain Doofus has already fused with a level 10 Trait Crystal, and Sudden Death King will fuse the Red Lightning Trait at level 10. I remember you already have one beastmaster skill, and once you break through to Level 1 as a beastmaster, you can learn another...” Fang Lan analyzed.

“So, next, it’s either preparing a second Trait Crystal for Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King, or getting you a second beastmaster skill, right?”

“That’s the plan, but I’m not sure what I actually want,” Lu Ran said, picking up a piece of braised pork and hesitating.

If he could prepare everything during the Beginner Secret Realm phase, it would be ideal. However, the Beginner Secret Realms had limited advanced Trait Crystals and skill options. Many powerful traits and rare beastmaster skills were only available in high-level secret realms.

In the Beginner Secret Realm, most of what could be obtained were “attribute-enhancing” beastmaster skills—skills that consumed the beastmaster’s stamina to enhance a particular attribute or energy of the familiar.

While there was technically no inherent strength or weakness in beastmaster skills, depending entirely on the beastmaster’s development, these skills were generally at the bottom of the skill hierarchy and were relatively inexpensive in the market.

Meanwhile, beastmaster skills available only in advanced secret realms were either sky-high in price or simply unavailable. It required one to face formidable bosses of king or even overlord species.

Lu Ran wasn’t a fan of attribute enhancements. He preferred Super Beast Mimicry or the unique skills of his senior, The Return of the Condor Heroes, which had unconventional, unique effects. But in the Beginner Secret Realm, such skill cards were nearly impossible to find. There was a slim chance of obtaining them in public realms, but it would require immense luck.

Back in the day, Lu Ran’s senior, The Return of the Condor Heroes, had acquired “Trait Sharing” while teaming up to explore a public realm. Starting with two special beastmaster skills, he was practically destined.

So, Lu Ran wanted to wait a bit. Compared to Wind Amplifying or Lightning Amplifying abilities, perhaps there were better choices in the Level 1 secret realm.

“What about your plans for the future? Let’s hear your thoughts, and once I’m done here, we can challenge some secret realms,” Lu Ran said.

“I plan to focus on Poison as my main attribute,” Fang Lan said through mouthfuls of food.

“So, my first beastmaster skill will be Poison Amplifying, something I can use long-term. Then, when Xiao Lan reaches Level 10, I want a Poison Healing Trait,” she added.

“Poison Healing Trait? What’s that?”

Lu Bing looked up, glancing at the Five Poisons Saintess, who turned out to be quite amicable. Being teammates made her seem much less intimidating.

“It’s a trait that allows one’s own poison to gain healing and detoxifying properties. Think of it as a ‘fight poison with poison’ trait,” Fang Lan explained with a warm smile.

“Since we often have to study poisons, the riskiest part is poisoning ourselves. Having the Poison Healing Trait would significantly reduce the chance of harming ourselves.”

“Indeed,” Lu Ran nodded. “Can the Poison Healing Trait be obtained in the Beginner Secret Realm?”

Now that Fang Lan was in charge of managing a city of toxic creatures, stronger detox methods were certainly beneficial.

“Yes! It can drop in the Hell-difficulty Misty Marsh Secret Realm! I’ve looked into it!” Fang Lan said, looking hopefully at Lu Ran. Without him, it would be much harder for her to acquire it, likely taking one or two months on her own.

“This secret realm... even for Captain Doofus, I feel like it’d be hard to clear. Wouldn’t it be one of those places filled with toxic gas, marshy terrain, and numerous poisonous creatures?”

Lu Ran’s eyes twitched. He wasn’t confident that he and Captain Doofus could make it through such a realm. This wasn’t about combat power—everyone had their strengths. Captain Doofus excelled at battling fierce beasts but wasn’t suited to navigating a challenging environment filled with poison.

Taking him there would likely lead to disaster, as poison is unpredictable, even for high-ranking species. The Minotaur was a prime example!

“Don’t worry! I’ll have all the necessary anti-poison gear and antidotes ready. I’ve already collected plenty of guides on this secret realm,” Fang Lan assured Lu Ran. It seemed she had planned to enter the Misty Marsh Secret Realm for a long time and had been preparing for it.

“Alright.” With Fang Lan’s reassurance, Lu Ran felt comfortable entering the secret realm.

As for Lu Bing and Pig Farmer, their needs were simpler. Since the selection of skill cards in the Beginner Secret Realm was limited, Lu Bing also planned to choose an Ice Amplifying Skill to complement her wolfhound’s attribute.

On the other hand, Pig Farmer would naturally go with a Rock Amplifying Skill, which could be obtained within the Beginner Secret Realm.

“As for the Trait Crystal, I’ve given it some thought. I think the Permafrost Trait would be nice,” Lu Bing said.

“The Permafrost Trait makes ice creations from my familiar much more resilient, almost immune to fire. Once ice is released, it can last nearly forever, keeping its energy intact. It’s similar to Red Lightning in converting ice energy into a special ice type.”

“I’d prefer the Rock-Eating Trait,” Pig Farmer said.

“With this trait, its diet wouldn’t be limited to meat and vegetables—it could even eat rocks! As long as it eats stones, it could steadily enhance its various attributes. It sounds so convenient!

“That way, I could use any stone resources I acquire as food, aside from selling them. Plus, our country has plenty of rocky mountains. While the quality may be low, the quantity is vast. It feels like my familiar could just feast on the mountains to grow!

“With spiritual energy revival, who knows, famous mountains may emerge as well. Even if stones become extraordinary resources, they’re likely to be low in demand from high-level familiars. We could just go to the mountains to gather food.”

Pig Farmer was certainly a thrifty type. His words made Lu Bing chuckle.

“Eating stones could work. Many secret realms are filled with unclaimed rocks. If they can sustain him, it’d save quite a bit.”

Fang Lan lamented, “There’s also a Poison-Eating Trait, which strengthens toxicity by consuming poisonous substances, but unfortunately, it doesn’t drop in the Beginner Secret Realm.”

Seeing everyone had solid plans, Lu Ran fell into deep thought.

“What’s on your mind?” Fang Lan asked.

“Still deciding.”

“I remember your first beastmaster skill was for strengthening your physique, right?” Fang Lan suggested.

“Then maybe the second one could be for enhancing your familiar.”

The official guidelines for beastmaster skills now recommended a balanced approach, a hard-learned lesson from the first three generations of beastmasters.

Skills that strengthen familiars drain a lot of the beastmaster’s stamina. Beastmasters already have their own limitations, so excessive physical strain can hinder exploration and combat.

The skill that strengthens the beastmaster’s own power is certainly valuable. However, it often leads to overconfidence, encouraging beastmasters to take unnecessary risks.

Even if the enhancement is meant solely for self-preservation and they choose not to join battles, there are still drawbacks. This approach can make it challenging for familiars without enhancements to overpower wild creatures in combat, often resulting in defeat and forcing the beastmaster to intervene.

Overall, the best choice is a balanced combination of both types of beastmaster skills—enhancing both the beastmaster and the familiar equally. This approach allows the beastmaster to have a certain level of physique and self-preservation ability, while the familiar gains battle power, preventing the beastmaster from becoming vulnerable.

“With that said, if I had to choose, I still want a beastmaster skill that grants me special abilities,” Lu Ran mused.

For instance, a skill that allowed him to draw power from his familiar, or one that granted him Fire-attribute abilities. He had just thought about it. If he was going to major in blacksmithing, Fire-attribute abilities would be indispensable.

Either he had to acquire Fire-attribute powers himself, or his familiar had to. But simply having his familiar wield fire wouldn’t be enough; he would also need to harness its Fire-attribute abilities to progress as a blacksmith and one day forge Treasure or even Epic-grade weapons for Captain Doofus.

In this light, skills like “Fusion” and “Trait Sharing,” which his senior, Return of the Condor Heroes, had, seemed useful. Unfortunately, Lu Ran couldn’t access them yet. He sighed slightly.

“I’ll wait until after I break through the ascension realm. As for the second trait of Captain Doofus and Sudden Death King, within the scope of the Beginner Secret Realm, I don’t have any particularly great ideas for now and don’t want to settle.”

“Forget it. For now, I’ll focus on farming crystal coins,” Lu Ran declared.

Everyone nodded and began eating voraciously. Whatever the case, life was finally looking up.

***

Three days later.

Having found a more efficient way to farm money, Lu Ran’s crystal coin earnings had skyrocketed. After giving up on the Blazing Lightning Ruins, he had decided to tackle the Hell-difficulty Secret Realm, "Lava Lake," for his next challenge.

He wasn’t pursuing this realm to fulfill anyone’s needs but because it was widely considered the most lucrative among the Beginner Secret Realms. In Lava Lake, Fire-attribute creatures were abundant, mainly dropping Fire-attribute resources, Fire-attribute enhancing skills, and Magma Trait Crystals.

Fire-attribute materials were highly valuable due to their demand from certain secondary professions and often fetched higher prices than lightning, light, or dark-attribute materials.

The Fire-attribute skills were equally prized. As for the Magma Trait Crystals, they imbued fire with the destructive properties of magma, making them both rare and expensive, thanks to their volcanic power.

In just three days, Lu Ran had collected many advanced materials, including some rare resources. However, annoyingly, despite his efforts, he had only acquired two Fire-attribute skills and not a single Magma Trait Crystal.

“Maybe you're just unlucky,” Lu Ran commented, eyeing Lu Yi, who had brought along his lightning-type mastiff.

With Fang Lan preparing for her challenge in the Misty Marsh Secret Realm, Lu Ran had temporarily invited Lu Yi, the captain of the Lu Village team, to join his realm team. Lu Yi was thrilled to accept, having long envied the experiences Lu Bing had gone through.

His strength was considerable, and his mastiff’s combat power was particularly fierce, especially when combined with lightning. Among the beastmasters in Lu Village, he easily ranked in the top three.

However, Lu Ran still felt that having three people from the Lu family on the same team was somewhat of a curse. Lu Bing, the Pig Farmer, also looked at Lu Yi with suspicion.

After all, whenever Fang Lan was present, their luck had been exceptional. A trip to the Blazing Lightning Ruins had yielded both skill cards and Trait Crystals, not to mention an upgrade card. One of the Fire-attribute skills had even dropped while Fang Lan was around.

“Don’t kick me out! Give me another chance... maybe after I wash my face?” Lu Yi tearfully pleaded.

He didn’t consider himself particularly unlucky. They had just completed another run in the secret realm and exited. Everyone knew that consistently obtaining rare materials was abnormal. This was just a return to the norm, perhaps with a bit of luck still on their side.

Returning to the private room, Lu Ran was in a good mood. With three beastmaster skill cards in hand and a wealth of materials converted to crystal coins, his total assets had definitely surpassed 50,000 crystal coins.

In truth, he had reached this amount earlier, but he had needed to exchange some rare pet food for Captain Doofus and had relied on Fang Lan to arrange a reward for the Seven Generals Familiar in Green Sea City. These various expenditures had prevented him from repaying his debt immediately, as he feared a shortage of circulating funds.

“Speaking of which, isn’t it time for the Heavenly Familiar Ranking to be finalized? If the crystal coin rewards are considerable, I might be able to pay back my debts sooner,” Lu Ran remembered.

He realized the time had indeed come. A month had flown by so quickly. Just as he finished this thought, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Heavenly Familiar Ranking and Transcendent Species Ranking, now calculating results...]