King of Beasts

Lu Ran’s three exquisite enhancement cards were originally planned for leveling up. However, with the emergence of the peak arena and the upgrade of retainer skills, it’s obvious where to best use one of these enhancement cards now.

He retrieved the rhinoceros blood, a rare quality awakening resource from the Sword Grass Family, from the space backpack in his identity card. Although this rare quality rhinoceros blood should be enough to awaken the Sapience of the Sword Grass, Lu Ran decided to indulge himself.

Use the best resources to contract the strongest pet beast!

“Enhance.”

Lu Ran directly used an enhancement card on the rhinoceros blood. In the next instant, the rare quality rhinoceros blood was upgraded to exquisite quality.

Actually, from the perspective of the enhancement card, Lu Ran felt that Infinite City was quite user-friendly and considerate. At least there wasn’t a 50% chance of enhancement success.

If he were operating Infinite City, Lu Ran certainly wouldn’t be this considerate. He would immediately update Infinite City with an enhancement machine. By paying crystal coins, any resource could be enhanced, but there would be a certain chance of enhancement failure, reverting the resource level to ordinary or the resource becoming damaged.

Wouldn’t that be more convenient for reclaiming crystal coins than teleportation fees or ticket fees?

After the enhancement was successful, the blood in the container became as active as boiling iron water.

Seeing this, Lu Ran immediately laid the Sword Grass flat on the ground.

“Roar!!”

At this moment, the sudden death king, one eye open and one eye closed, peeked over. In fact, the recent training wasn’t enough to knock it unconscious.

Lying in the pit was purely to take a break.

Similarly, with General Ha, as he was about to awaken the Sapience of the Sword Grass, Lu Ran summoned General Ha and the Sword Spirit, which he had just retracted into the contract card.

Their comrade was about to be born, and they deserved to witness it.

“Woof!”

After being summoned, General Ha maintained the posture of sword spirit possession, surrounded by icy blue light spots. It stared at the Sword Grass, and soon a hint of green appeared in its eyes.

The green exuded wisdom.

Not bad.

General Ha smiled, sticking out its tongue, as it imagined itself with the sword spirit possessed, tail coiled around the Sword Grass, and mouth gripping the antler in a majestic manner.

“Divine Deer above, bless us.”

Having invested an enhancement card, Lu Ran was quite anxious, hoping that the awakening of the Sword Grass would be powerful enough to justify his investment…

He slowly poured the blood over the Sword Grass…

Upon contact, the silvery blood quickly enveloped the Sword Grass, flowing rapidly like liquid energy.

Buzz!!!

Soon after, as this process continued, a fierce swordsmanship intent first enveloped the Sword Grass.

The glaring sword intent’s fluctuations made Lu Ran and the others step back.

The raging sword intent, like an illusion of light and shadow, seemed to show Lu Ran and the others a blade of grass cutting through the sun, moon, and stars. With a “boom,” the sword intent continued to erupt. As they stepped back, they attentively watched as the Sword Grass absorbed all the blood, vibrating and levitating.

“Woof!”

General Ha was the first to sense the anomaly. Its eyes lit up, immediately perceiving the life pulse of the Sword Grass surrounded by the Gale.

[Species]: Long Leaved Sword Grass

[Attribute]: Grass, Metal

[Species Level]: Upper Sovereign

[Growth Level]: Level 25

[Skills]: Plant Sword Intent, Sharp Metal Sword Intent (No matter what weapon is used, adding the Sharp Metal Sword Intent makes it incredibly sharp, slaughtering all.)

The Sword Grass floated in the air, and all its data was clear to Lu Ran.

Ordinary Long Leaved Sword Grass is just grass-type, but this one also had a metal type. Lu Ran felt that the exquisite-level awakening resource had made it extraordinary.

Additionally… with eyes burning with intensity, Lu Ran found that, like the Sword Spirit, the Sword Grass had just awakened but had already mastered an advanced skill like sword intent. Its talent was quite remarkable.

“Woof!”

Although Lu Ran was thrilled, the most excited was definitely General Ha. Seeing its Sword Grass seemingly become stronger, it immediately rushed over and barked at the Sword Grass.

“Woof!”

Sword Grass: “Grass~”

“Woof!”

“Grass grass.”

Lu Ran: ?

“What are you even discussing?”

“Shut up.”

Lu Ran looked at the conversing Sword Grass and General Ha with a face full of disbelief. Come on, is that really how Sword Grass should sound?

The sounds made by the Sword Spirit were already abstract enough, but now the Sword Grass seemed equally off.

Imagining Sword Grass, General Ha, and the Sword Spirit sitting around a table chatting felt a bit… indecent.

“Roar roar!!” Not only Lu Ran, but even the Sudden Death King found it distasteful. Two against one was already quite messy; were they about to escalate to a sinister three against one???

“Stop, stop.”

As they communicated, Lu Ran felt as if his ears were being assaulted by strange noises, his facial muscles twitching nonstop. Unable to listen any longer, he went over and pulled them apart, then turned his attention to the floating Sword Grass.

At this moment, the Sword Grass was quite bewildered also, having just awakened its Sapience.

However, one good thing about plant life is that even before they awaken their Sapience, they retain some vague impressions of their experiences.

“Grass…” The Sword Grass looked at Lu Ran sluggishly, roughly remembering that he had been the one taking care of it every day.

“Forget it, you’ll get used to it. Anyway, welcome to the team.”

Lu Ran smiled, extending his hand to place it on the “hilt” of the Sword Grass. He gently placed his other hand on General Ha’s head.

Time to contract them both!

Retainer link!

As of now,

General Ha’s stats card transformed to this:

[Species]: Sword Domain Dog

[Retainers]: Winter Sword Spirit, Long Leaved Sword Grass.

What an incredible setup!

Lu Ran felt that even legendary offspring might not have this kind of treatment.

“Missing an elemental lifeform sword.”

“And a mechanical light sword wouldn’t be bad either.”

Lu Ran wondered whether General Ha’s retainer setup could continue to level up, but with endless anticipation, he left the ruins space and began searching for the Dark Crow.

…

[Help! I saw a bunch of crows today; does this mean bad luck is coming?]

[What does a large number of crows indicate?]

[Person in…]

In the outskirts of the Ancient City of the Divine Capital,

A fourth-generation beastmaster looked up at the skies, where thousands of crows were swirling, with a look of concern.

As she took photos, she browsed the beastmaster forum, searching for keywords and discovering that this anomaly wasn’t just occurring in their area.

“Crows are often considered symbols of death or ill omen.”

“The presence of that Black Dragon has already made people in the country uneasy, and now flocks of crows are migrating restlessly everywhere. Is a disaster really about to happen?”

“Uh-oh-“

As a female beastmaster recorded the crows’ behavior, her golden retriever at her feet suddenly turned back and growled softly.

The beastmaster quickly turned around too, only to see a young man with a “scarf of unknown white material” around his neck walking towards them.

“You…” She was surprised upon seeing his appearance.

Lu… Lu…

“Crows symbolizing death and misfortune is actually a misconception,” Lu Ran said slowly as he passed by.

“These labels are simply ones humans have imposed on them. Historically, and in other cultures, crows have been considered symbols of good fortune and wisdom.”

“You’re Lu Ran!” the beastmaster exclaimed, delighted to see him. However, with Lu Ran’s explanation, she raised an eyebrow and said, “Lu Ran… anyone else might have said that convincingly, but I remember you have a crow contracted, right? A cursed crow and a Crow of Necromancy… aren’t those symbols of death and misfortune?”

Lu Ran cleared his throat awkwardly.

This person is tough to convince.

Just as Lu Ran was about to provide further explanation…

“Ah!!! Ah!!!”

Among the flock of crows in the sky, one suddenly spotted something and dove down, exclaiming with excitement, “Big King, my Big King, why are you here…”

“Could it be an inspection?!”

This large, eagle-like crow swooped down, babbling nonsense, leaving the nearby beastmaster puzzled.

As the crow approached and landed on Lu Ran’s outstretched arm, she realized what was happening and said in disbelief, “Could this crow be…”

“Yes, the migration of the crow flocks isn’t a sign of disaster. It’s just my pet beast engaging in friendly communication with its kin,” Lu Ran said with a slight smile. “It’s the same across the country, so there’s no need to worry.”

The beastmaster was stunned upon hearing this, never imagining that the nationwide crow movement was because of Lu Ran.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Ran looked at the Dark Crow, planning to assess the outcome of its efforts in the first stage.

“Caw caw!!”

The Dark Crow nodded enthusiastically upon hearing this, equally excited. In the next moment, a vast flock of crows descended, startling the nearby beastmaster.

The dense mass of crows encircled, all in deep black, almost as if they intended to swallow Lu Ran whole…

And indeed, Lu Ran did get “swallowed.” The black flock enveloped him, and in an instant, apart from a scattering of black feathers, Lu Ran’s figure vanished along with the dispersing crows, leaving an illusion that he had never been there.

Up in the sky, as Lu Ran departed, the thousands of crows also began to leave in the same direction.

[I am a fourth-generation beastmaster and a supernatural recorder, traveling far and wide to document supernatural events…]

[Today, I’ve made a huge discovery. Lu Ran’s pet beast can command thousands of supernatural crows-no, judging by reports from all over the country, it might be ten times that number.]

[By the way, I remember Lu Ran once solo cleared a legion-type Legendary Secret Realm… Could it be, he’s planning to build a crow legion?]

The beastmaster watched the massive black shadow with a shaken spirit, contemplating sharing this intelligence with Xia Country’s beastmasters, yet worried it might have adverse effects on Lu Ran.

However, since Lu Ran was so open in front of her, perhaps he didn’t mind others knowing…

“No matter what, one thing is certain: there might already be a solution to the Black Dragon incident.” Seeing Lu Ran so relaxed and active within Xia Country, the beastmaster felt reassured.

A great battle was about to begin.

Many wealthy individuals from the coastal areas had already fled to the imperial capital, or to Sky City.

They believed that even in a crisis, the Dragon Palace couldn’t threaten the imperial capital or Sky City, where the beast taming university is located.

These were ordinary wealthy individuals, not beastmasters. For beastmasters, escape was even easier.

They could enter Infinite City anytime; even if a dinosaur extinction-level crisis occurred, they had nothing to fear.

In fact, many beastmasters were somewhat eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Black Dragon, feeling overly optimistic.

“May the world be at peace~”

At this moment, Lu Ran was once again lying on a cloud while flying. He gazed at the sky, surrounded by a flock of crows accompanying him.

Although it hadn’t reached the deadline Lu Ran set for the Dark Crow, the number of crows it had gathered across Xia Country was already substantial. At this point, Lu Ran’s supernatural crow army had swelled to 100,000.

This number was still not the limit, as the number of supernatural crows active in Xia Country far exceeded this. However, Lu Ran was not overly concerned with sheer numbers.

The level of the crow flock form depends not only on the quantity of ordinary crows but also on their quality.

Striking a balance between the number and the average strength of the individuals is quite important.

Pursuing quantity excessively by gathering all the crows together can disrupt many local ecosystems, potentially causing more severe consequences than the Black Dragon’s invasion.

Moreover, concentrating a large number of crows for breeding and training demands high resources. Even for regular feeding, the resources needed would be overwhelmingly high.

Currently, aiming to deeply cultivate these 100,000 crows is already quite a headache for Lu Ran’s resource reserves alone. However, being the first Pet Beast Legion in Xia Country, Lu Ran can utilize national resources to some extent going forward.

Green Sea.

It didn’t take long for Lu Ran and his team to return to their territory.

Gently landing on Emerald Mountain, Lu Ran’s next task was to see what level the 100,000 crows could elevate the Dark Crow to and how to connect with the Alliance and invest in these supernatural crows.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

Just as Lu Ran landed, a series of claps made his eyes narrow, directing his gaze into the depths of the forest.

There, a young man dressed in plain black clothes with an unremarkable face, appearing to be around thirty, walked out, clapping his hands.

“Who are you?” Lu Ran scrutinized him, ready for combat.

“Don’t be nervous,” the young man said with a warm smile. “My name is Shi Jialiang.”

“Never heard of it,” Lu Ran replied succinctly.

“How about sharing your Infinite City ID?”

“Well,” the young man scratched his head helplessly, “It’s normal you haven’t heard of me. I often change my Infinite City ID, so you probably wouldn’t recognize it.”

“But if I mention my codename, I bet you’ll know who I am.”

“From the Twelve Branches, Xugou.”

Lu Ran: ?

“You’re Xugou?” Lu Ran was taken aback.

He had heard about Xugou from Old Zhu and others in the Twelve Branches.

This person came from the police force, and his initial pet beast was a police dog.

Even before becoming a beastmaster, he was considered a legendary figure in the police community with comprehensive abilities.

After the arrival of Infinite City, he was soon dispatched abroad to carry out special missions, frequently changing identities and Infinite City IDs, and living under various personas in the global scene.

He was the most mysterious member of the Twelve Branches.

Also, within the First Generation of Xia Country, he was known as a background figure-many knew about him, but few had seen him.

This was Lu Ran’s first encounter with him; he and another member had been absent from previous Twelve Branches meetings.

“You can verify this with any other member of the Twelve Branches,” Shi Jialiang smiled, “I just returned a couple of days ago after finishing things on that end, to see if I could be of any help.”

“And also to see you.”

“Why look at me?” Lu Ran asked.

“First, to check out your Crow army,” Shi Jialiang replied with a smile. “I attended the second Twelve Branches meeting via video. Although the meeting concluded that you can mobilize national resources to cultivate the Pet Beast Legion, there is a condition. Has anyone not mentioned it to you?”

“It’s about confirming whether your so-called Crow army truly holds that high strategic value.”

“Oh, that,” Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively. “I thought it was just all talk. I’m not too concerned about it. So, Mr. Shi, you’ve come just to test the strategic value of the Crow army?”

“Yes, exactly-not just your crows, but also to observe you. I’ve mentioned it to that old man many times. He set up this Twelve Branches and even gave me the Xugou spot. I really can’t figure out the point of it. My identity can’t be revealed… Now, every single member of the Twelve Branches is a national idol, a model for everyone, except for me as Xugou. It’s pointless.”

“So I’ve suggested many times to him that since your initial pet beast is also a dog, why not pass the Xugou title over to you?”

“Overall, I feel like you’re more suited to be the dog,” Mr. Shi quipped with a mischievous grin.

Lu Ran: “Is that polite???”

“Hey, Professor Lu, aren’t you tempted? This is a position with real power, one that lets you directly access national resources.”

“Even those few national treasures? You’d have the authority to use them.”

Lu Ran looked wordlessly at this roguish character, dialing Dr. Gu to confirm his identity, ensuring he was the real deal.

“Why don’t you want to keep the position then?” Lu Ran raised an eyebrow and asked.

“I’m not that interested in the Twelve Branches. Honestly, I’m more interested in the position of the former guild leader,” Mr. Shi said earnestly.

Lu Ran was taken aback. No, it still seems like you’re the one more fit to be the dog!