King of Beasts

Chapter 316: A Cultivation Opportunity

Yan Xiao from the Emperor Yan Family saw Lu Ran’s unreliability, and his impression of Lu Ran instantly dropped below zero.

He wasn’t fond of arrogant young people.

Even if Lu Ran’s talent was indeed impressive and perhaps the closest to Yan Sizhen among outsiders in generations, claiming to be a pseudo-legendary so easily was absurd. Did he really think pseudo-legendaries were as common as cabbages?

“Hmph.”

The elder waved his sleeve, preparing to leave. However, at that moment, Lu Ran spoke again:

“If that’s not possible, an upper overlord would suffice.”

“It’s just that my own pet beast has reached the middle overlord level, and it’s also a member of the dragon clan. So if the potential of a new contract pet doesn’t surpass my own pet, there’s no point in forging a contract.”

“What?”

This sudden change in Lu Ran’s tone made the elder pause and turn to look at Lu Ran.

“Did you say your pet beast has a species level of a middle overlord?”

How could that be!

If Lu Ran had grown up within the family, contracting one or two overlords would be normal.

But for a clansman external to the family to contract an overlord dragon clan, it seemed impossible!

“Summon your pet beast and let me see.”

Lu Ran nodded after hearing this, and a summoning circle appeared behind him.

Under the red lightning, a gigantic Dragon King slowly appeared above Lu Ran, with the slight breeze blowing through Lu Ran’s short hair and the red glow illuminating his face in the evening light.

Feeling the subtle Dragon Might of the sudden death king, the elder took a deep breath, finding it even more unbelievable.

It truly was an overlord…

“Where did you contract it?” the elder asked seriously.

“My homeland.”

“When I contracted it, it was just a lizard. I nurtured it into its current form using Dragon Cuisine cooked with Flame Sprite in dragon form.”

“You’re also a Dragon Chef?!”

“Given your words… you’ve inherited the Flame Sprite, which evolved into a dragon form, so mastering dragon culinary intent is natural…” The elder took a deep breath, extremely surprised, yet inside, waves of astonishment surged.

He initially thought Lu Ran was just a lucky person who inherited the Flame Sprite through ancestral bloodline reversion. However, he didn’t expect that Lu Ran’s own talent was so high, especially in culinary skill, almost rivaling Yan Sizhen the Emperor. Lu Ran could even nurture an overlord dragon clan pet at the stage of a level 3 beastmaster.

It was truly incredible.

The prodigies of several imperial clans who have overlord pet beasts all inherited them through family connections. To nurture an overlord pet beast on one’s own is not something an ordinary second generation could accomplish.

“I underestimated you,” the elder said, rather surprised. “No wonder you dare to pursue a pseudo-legendary species pet; you really have something substantial.”

“Since I haven’t eaten yet and you’re a Chef, show me what you can do.”

“Ah?”

“Alright.”

Lu Ran realized the elder’s unusual status. It is said that to win over an old man, you must first win over his stomach. Lu Ran immediately got to work, taking out his Cooking Utensils and General Ha’s ingredients, skillfully preparing a few modern dishes for the elder with his meticulously honed culinary skills.

After the meal, the elder sipped some wine and thoroughly approved of Lu Ran.

“Hahaha,” he laughed heartily. “I didn’t expect that you’d not only inherit Yan Sizhen the Emperor’s Flame Sprite but also perfectly inherit his culinary manship talent.”

“Your skill level is not much inferior to those of the imperial chefs.”

“You mentioned you’ve been cultivating with your master since your parents passed away. What’s your master’s name? He must be quite a figure to have trained someone as exceptional as you.”

“My master’s name is Los.”

That is the name of his convenient sect leader master…

“Los, you say… I haven’t heard of him.”

“He has always been reclusive. If he hadn’t passed away, I might still be cultivating in seclusion with him.”

Some people are gone before they’re born.

“Your master gave you excellent advice. With such outstanding talent, wandering on your own outside is a waste of potential. Returning to your family is the right choice.” The elder stroked his beard and said, “As long as you genuinely recognize this family and strive for its interests, the family will naturally treat you well.”

“But your appetite is quite large.”

“Pseudo-legendary species, you really dare to speak.”

“Do you know that, under normal circumstances, only the offspring of legendary divine beasts can reach pseudo-legendary species level?”

“This isn’t something an ordinary beastmaster can pursue.”

“It’s precisely because it’s so difficult, and I couldn’t find such an opportunity on my own, that I’ve come for ancestral recognition…” Lu Ran muttered softly.

The elder remained silent.

“Is there really no way? Since becoming a beastmaster, my biggest dream has been to capture and contract a legendary creature.”

The old man felt a twinge of discomfort. Usually, such dreams are only heard from children who have no understanding of the world.

As people grow, they generally come to terms with reality.

Beastmasters like Lu Ran, who still maintain an “unrealistic” dream, are truly rare.

“There is no way,” the elder said. “Currently, the Beast Taming Empire has eighteen Guardian Sacred Beasts, almost all left by powerful beastmasters throughout the empire’s thousand-year history.”

“The Flame Dragon King, which had connections with your ancestors, was once one of the empire’s Guardian Sacred Beasts, but even it is just an upper overlord species.”

“Among the current eighteen Guardian Sacred Beasts, only three have reached the pseudo-legendary species level.”

“Two of them are descendants of legendary divine beasts, and one achieved pseudo-legendary status through evolution.”

“But all of them are around level 90, way beyond what you could contract.”

“Even if they were to have offspring, the species level wouldn’t possibly be pseudo-legendary. At most, it would be an upper overlord, and contracting even an upper overlord is extremely difficult.”

“First, you’d have to compete with the prodigies of royalty and other imperial clans. Then, you’d need to gain the approval of the Guardian Sacred Beasts. Only then, would there be a one in ten thousand chance to gain custody.”

“And that’s the best-case scenario. I haven’t heard of a single Guardian Sacred Beast of pseudo-legendary species showing signs of having offspring.”

“So, you understand why I was tempted to berate you earlier, don’t you?”

Lu Ran looked disappointed, but then he quickly noticed a loophole.

Why was he so obsessed with cubs anyway?

The temporary contract space provided by the infinite city… had no level restrictions!

This meant that as long as he had the ability to defeat an advanced pet beast, it would be perfectly fine to forcibly contract a level 50 or level 60 pet beast.

The infinite city had stated that beastmasters would ultimately bring the contracted pet beast back in the form of a level 0 pet beast egg, so the level of the pet beast contracted in the breakthrough secret realm didn’t actually break the current level rules. It was merely a temporary task contract space.

As a result, if Lu Ran managed to contract a level 90 Guardian Sacred Beast, it would still be in accordance with the rules.

Realizing this, Lu Ran suddenly felt that there was more room to maneuver.

[Convince.]

[Contracting a level 90 pet beast would be difficult, even if the temporary contract space allowed it.]

[How could they willingly follow a young man so easily?]

[But maybe through convincing, it could be achieved.]

[Background of the times: The empire is under siege by the Four Ferocious Beast Empires and it’s not a time of peace.]

[Therefore, the Guardian Sacred Beasts surely want a quick resolution to this situation as well.]

[Key element 1: I am a retainer of the legendary divine deer who loves peace and stability, and I have the contract space granted by the infinite city with no level restrictions.]

[As long as I use the influence of the divine deer and promise to quell the unrest, convincing a Guardian Sacred Beast to form a temporary contract with me for a while isn’t out of the question.]

“What are you daydreaming about now?” the elder asked when he saw Lu Ran suddenly lost in thought.

“I was thinking that it might not be so hopeful to contract another strong pet beast right now…”

The elder scoffed, saying, “You’re only at level 3, why are you in such a rush to contract a new pet beast?”

“This giant dragon you have-you’re nurturing it quite well. The priority should be to make it stronger.”

“And you yourself as well. When you become a legendary beastmaster and practice the improved contract method developed by the empire’s national master, you’ll be able to penetrate the ferocious beast empires and defeat those upper overlord ferocious beasts, forcibly contracting them!”

“Then, won’t high-level pet beasts be yours for the choosing?”

“The day after tomorrow, the family will hold the ceremonial ancestral recognition, and you will fully return to the clan.”

“At that time, I will provide you an opportunity to become even stronger, but whether you can seize it or not is up to you.”

“What?” Lu Ran asked with curiosity.

“Do you know what is most enviable about the various imperial clans?”

“It’s that they all have intricate connections with the Guardian Sacred Beasts. Currently, the Yan Clan maintains an excellent relationship with a combat pet left by Emperor Yan Sizhen.”

“A chance exists for talented clan members to be sent to train with it, to follow its teachings.”

Lu Ran: ! !

Isn’t this a great opportunity to get in touch with high-level pet beasts?

“And what is it?”

“The Lava Disaster Beast,” the elder said calmly. “Like the Flame Dragon King, the Lava Disaster Beast was one of the seven combat pets of Emperor Yan Sizhen. It resembles a turtle, with a volcano on its back, and feeds on volcanic magma. When it fights, it’s as if a natural disaster has erupted-a tremendously powerful war beast.”

“Although it hasn’t reached a pseudo-legendary species level, its combat strength ranks among the top five Guardian Sacred Beasts today. Most importantly, it boasts a long lifespan and is currently still in its prime stage.”

“If you can follow it and cultivate for a while, you will gain immensely.”

Lu Ran was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Lava Disaster Beast…

He recalled that in the level 3 Legendary Secret Realm, there seemed to be a BOSS called the Lava Crocodile, which he had dismissed as a strategy option.

And now there was a Lava Disaster Beast of an upper overlord species…

An upper overlord Lava Disaster Beast… sounds appealing, but Lu Ran was still more inclined toward a pseudo-legendary species pet beast…

Well, if in the end he can’t find a pseudo-legendary species pet beast, he might see if he can convince this old turtle to serve as an alternative to the Flame Dragon King.