King of Beasts

“An overlord?”

“Are you kidding me? An overlord?!”

The overlord species are so rare that even on the Star-Moon Continent or the Divine Tree Continent, ordinary beastmasters can’t hope to encounter them.

Usually, only Legendary level beastmasters can use overlord pet beasts as their standard.

Even for non-legendary beastmasters, only super geniuses with the potential to become legendary or top-level second-generation beastmasters backed by legendary beastmasters have a chance to contract an overlord at lower levels.

At this moment, Shi Ze’s eyes widened with shock. This guy, he’s definitely not a fake, absolutely from the Beast Taming Hall, and possibly the parents or master of Lu Ran are the legendary beastmasters within the hall.

No way this is just an ordinary member of the Beast Taming Hall.

Clearly, this is the young master from Beast Taming Hall out to train!

Everyone’s attitude towards Lu Ran instantly elevated by several levels.

In that instant, Shi Ze felt the trembling of his own pet beast’s body and suddenly understood why Lu Ran dared to confidently challenge levels above his own.

A level 30 overlord species can definitely contend with a level 40 sovereign species, fighting 10 levels above is no problem.

Staring at the giant canine beast with its flowing blue and white fur, the crown of swords on its head, and a domineering face, Shi Ze was at a loss for words.

But the next moment, several members of the Shi Family couldn’t hold back. Seeing General Ha’s stone-cold sharp teeth and claws, everyone knew without a doubt that this pet beast contained horrifying power within.

Yet in this situation, Lu Ran casually took out a piece of sword grass and threw it into the air. The domineering giant canine, upon seeing the sword grass, displayed a remarkably intelligent look, leaped up, caught the sword grass, and struck a battle pose.

Its momentum… even seemed to rise.

“…”

“???”

Are you guys insane!

Even if sword grass awakens, it’s just an upper sovereign at best!

You’re having an overlord beast fight with a mere upper sovereign level sword grass in its mouth, what’s the point?!

Also, why did this canine beast’s momentum actually go up after catching the sword grass!

Everyone was baffled!

Everyone originally thought that Lu Ran’s pet beast would at most be a sovereign species. That would at least make sense for it to be fighting with sword grass. But an overlord and sword grass… how does that even work together?

“Bring it on!” At this moment, General Ha was fully geared up. Lu Ran looked at Shi Ze, whose mouth was twitching uncontrollably, unsure whether to let his Moon Swallowing Dog attack.

One can easily guess with their gut that it’s going to be a tough battle.

“Lu Ran, you attack.” Shi Ze’s Moon Swallowing Dog solemnly conjured a moonlight shield to protect itself. Clearly, they gave up on the idea of ‘sparring’ and turned the fight purely into a ‘test’.

“Alright.”

“General Ha, sword control!”

Hearing the command, General Ha glanced at its kin with a bored expression.

As a dog, you’re just like that Sudden Death King lizard, only knowing defense. How embarrassing!

With a howl, the sword grass in its mouth was instantly swept up by a Gale and shot forward. In just a split second, the Moon Swallowing Dog’s pupils contracted, its moonlight shield shattered into pieces, and the sword grass was just a step away from its head. The flying speed was so fast, even it, a light-type beast, couldn’t react.

No, more accurately, the moment the sword grass attacked, its whole body went into a frenzy, unable to move due to the sword momentum’s lock.

Snap.

Even though the sword grass didn’t touch the Moon Swallowing Dog, a blood dot appeared on its forehead.

A drop of blood trickled down.

“Howl~” The Moon Swallowing Dog rolled its eyes and voluntarily toppled over, indicating surrender.

“What kind of sword control is this?!”

“You’re a wind and ice dual-type dog, aren’t you!”

“What’s the deal with you wielding sword grass?!”

Shi Ze and the others were left speechless. Under the sheer power of Lu Ran’s beast pet, never mind wielding a piece of sword grass, even handling an ordinary foxtail grass would unleash an astonishing force.

Now, he just wanted to say, whatever Lu Ran wanted to research, let him be happy with it.

This isn’t about making it to the top 16~32, considering this strength, getting to the top 8, 4, or even the finals isn’t impossible!

“Thank you for letting me win,” Lu Ran chuckled.

“It’s completely beyond us. If it were an overlord of another species, we might stand a chance. But the suppression from the same bloodline is too overwhelming,” Shi Ze said, his mouth still twitching. “Lu Ran, you really kept that overlord pet beast a secret from me.”

“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have suggested sparring with you.”

“I did mention my pet beast is quite strong,” Lu Ran replied with a smile. “At this level, it should be no problem for you to represent us in the battle, right?”

“No!! Of course, no problem!!” At this moment, even though their own genius had been thoroughly defeated, the Shi Family elder’s eyes were filled with excitement as they looked at Lu Ran, their entire being practically trembling.

A genius capable of contracting an overlord.

What kind of luck had the Shi Family stumbled upon this year to encounter such a genius?

Now, they no longer cared how Lu Ran wanted to nurture his pet beasts. That was no longer their concern as long as Lu Ran was happy. Their primary mission now was to ensure Lu Ran’s happiness.

“Lu Ran, rest assured that we will mobilize the entire family’s resources to help you find a way to awaken the sword grass’s Sapience,” the Second Elder of the Shi Family said with a broad smile. “We have some connections with a Plant Taming Family. I’ll visit them to see if they have any solutions.”

“Thank you,” Lu Ran said, clasping his fists in gratitude.

“It’s the least we can do, young man. Is there anything else you might need?” The two elders of the Shi Family had started calling Lu Ran ‘young man,’ completely disregarding seniority, leaving Shi Ze to roll his eyes nearby.

It’s no wonder the elders kept asking. Lu Ran’s identity is likely very prestigious, and they weren’t sure what resources would suffice. He probably didn’t lack ordinary resources.

Now, for the Shi Family, the outcome of this competition seemed less important than winning Lu Ran’s favor.

[The snowball is rolling…] Lu Ran thought, understanding that General Ha’s overlord species had led these NPCs to wildly speculate again.

Very well.

He wouldn’t be polite.

“Actually, it’s nothing much.”

“I’ve been quite interested in ferocious plants lately.”

“If possible, I’d like to ask the Shi Family to help me find some special ferocious plants, ones that haven’t yet awakened Sapience. The higher the level, the better,” Lu Ran said earnestly. Awakening Sapience would prevent him from taking them along, but unawakened ones were just like ordinary resources and could be taken freely. Since the method for his long leaved sword grass to awaken Sapience was hard to find, Lu Ran planned to find a suitable ferocious plant for Fang Lan before the tournament began.

The group looked at each other again, astonished at Lu Ran’s special fondness for ferocious plants.

If Lu Ran were part of their family, they would certainly break his legs.

A genius beastmaster with an overlord canine beast, spending time researching ferocious plants? Why??

Ordinary beastmasters might not measure up to Plantmasters, but he contracted an overlord ferocious beast.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t control Lu Ran.

“That’s doable!” Elder Uncle Shi Ze said thoughtfully. “We can buy them from the City Lord!”

“Exactly.”

“What kind of ferocious plant are you looking for?”

“Uh, preferably something poisonous,” Lu Ran replied. “What do you mean by buying from the City Lord?”

Elder Uncle Shi Ze smiled, “I can tell you’re not familiar with Tree Realm City.”

“Do you know about the Plant Beast Championship?”

“The first segment is the preliminary round. All contestants must pass through the ‘Death Forest’ to enter the main tournament.”

“The so-called ‘Death Forest’ is actually the City Lord’s private garden. She transplanted hundreds of ferocious plants there. You could say that the ferocious plants from around Tree Realm City have all been moved to the Death Forest.”

“These ferocious plants, though they haven’t awakened Sapience, can cause terrifying damage to living creatures purely through their plant instincts.”

“Every year, this preliminary segment eliminates a bunch of contestants, and only a few, often fewer than 100, make it to the main tournament.”

“The City Lord’s original intention was to clear out ferocious plants to open up good commercial routes for Tree Realm City. However, she later had an epiphany: rather than outright eliminating these ferocious plants, why not utilize them to train the younger generation of Tree Realm City? And so, the Death Forest was created.”

“So, the number of ferocious plants in the City Lord’s collection is unimaginable. If we visit her, we might be able to procure the specific kind you need.”

“I see, the Death Forest…” Lu Ran pondered.

“How about this,” the Second Elder of the Shi Family said, looking at Lu Ran, “Would you like to enter the Death Forest for a trial run?”

“Familiarizing yourself with the environment beforehand will make the upcoming preliminary round much easier to pass.”

“Moreover, you’ll have the chance to personally pick out the ferocious plants you want, and we’ll handle the negotiations with the City Lord for you.”

“Members of the nine prominent families in Tree Realm City have the privilege of entering the Death Forest for training at any time. Therefore, every year during the pre-selection stage, the number of our family members who get eliminated is far lower than that of outsiders.”

“If you’re interested, we can have Shi Ze guide you in and accompany you!”

“Sure,” Lu Ran said, clearly intrigued. “I’d like to check out the Death Forest before the tournament starts. By the way, are there any notable ferocious plants inside?”

“Indeed!” Shi Ze replied, “When it comes to poisonous ferocious plants, the Phantom Orchid stands out. It can disguise itself as ordinary but alluring fruit, and it has the ability to manipulate minds, making people irresistibly want to eat its fruit.”

“But that fruit, even a pet beast of sovereign species will experience sudden death upon ingestion; its toxicity is incredibly lethal.”

“Another one is the Dripping Guanyin. Its leaves often blend in with other tall plants, occasionally releasing a drop of liquid. That liquid is also extremely terrifying; just a touch on the skin causes immediate cell necrosis throughout the body, even sovereign species can’t withstand its poison.”

“Besides these, there are several non-poisonous but equally frightening ferocious plants, like the Dragon Blood Willow. It is said to require dragon blood for growth. The City Lord often feeds the Dragon Blood Willow in the Death Forest with dragon blood. Its branches, when whipped by the wind, are like a divine loong’s tail, capable of instantly reducing a flesh-and-blood body to pulp!”

“And this is just their instinctual behavior without the awakening of Sapience,” Shi Ze shook his head. “It’s a good thing the City Lord has them under control. Otherwise, if these ferocious plants were left unchecked around Tree Realm City and they eventually awakened Sapience, the destruction they could cause would be unimaginable.”

“Is that so?” Lu Ran nodded in agreement. It indeed sounded perilous. No wonder the plants in this world had turned the tables and started hunting animals.

This Death Forest sounds interesting.

If only he could relocate the entire forest. Even if they couldn’t awaken Sapience, moving them to the Green Sea as guardians wouldn’t be a bad idea-as long as he could keep them alive.

He had to find a way to become a disciple.

He needed to cling to the City Lord’s coattails.

Learn a few things before leaving.