King of Beasts

Youxiong Ancient Town.

Inside the Youxiong Clan mansion.

Upon his arrival, Lu Ran was warmly received.

The Youxiong Guild Leader and Youxiong Anlin were both enthusiastic and somewhat troubled.

This guy, just a few days after leaving Youxiong Ancient Town, had now returned with the prestigious title of the Father of Necromancy.

What was he up to this time?

It’s true what they say-comparison is the thief of joy.

Due to Lu Ran’s rising popularity over the past few days, the Panda Guardian took a deeper interest in his profile.

What they found was astonishing.

In terms of strength and potential among his peers, Lu Ran was undoubtedly the world’s best. Attacking such a trial secret realm was sure to yield significant loot.

“Professor Lu…” said the Youxiong Guild Leader, “the secret realm officially opens tomorrow.”

“Additionally, the Guardian Lord would like to invite you and Youxiong Anlin to a duel.”

“Hmm?”

As Lu Ran followed the others towards the inner courtyard, he glanced at Youxiong Anlin, who sighed beside him, and said:

“He mentioned that he wanted to fight after his pet beast evolved.”

“I remember, he wasn’t present in the second Evolution Secret Realm, was he?”

Although Youxiong Anlin’s Panda had reached level 30, he had chosen not to evolve it in the second Evolution Secret Realm.

It seemed he believed the pet beast’s potential hadn’t been fully tapped and wanted to cultivate it further.

“The Guardian Lord, after reviewing your profile, realized that you have a pet beast that has undergone a first-stage evolution and another that hasn’t evolved yet.”

“He suggested that since Youxiong Anlin wants a fair match, let his unevolved pet beast fight yours.”

“A battle before evolution and another after.”

“…” said Lu Ran.

Lu Ran’s mouth twitched as he replied, “I’m not one for casual brawls.”

Just because you say fight, we fight?

“As long as you win, whatever treasures burst forth in the Evolution Secret Realm will be yours alone, with no deductions by the Youxiong Clan. However, if you lose, whatever is dropped, we get to choose first,” the Youxiong Guild Leader explained, relaying the Guardian Lord’s words.

Lu Ran: ?

Although Lu Ran wanted to say that there wasn’t much worth mentioning in your secret realm as it stands.

However, to keep a backup plan, he turned to Youxiong Anlin and asked, “What’s with this Guardian Deity of yours always trying to make you fight me?”

Youxiong Anlin shrugged helplessly and replied, “It’s because it thinks the current Youxiong Clan is too weak.”

“In ancient times, the strength of a beastmaster in a Totem Tribe directly determined the tribe’s living conditions.”

“After some training and understanding the current situation of beastmasters, it has set high expectations for us.”

“For example, its expectation for me is to become the foremost among the Fourth Generation…” Youxiong Anlin felt frustrated.

“Ha… Good luck,” Lu Ran laughed heartily. The Youxiong Clan had not only gained a Guardian Deity but also a parent eager to see their child succeed.

“I won’t hold back in the fight, though.”

“Hold back?” Youxiong Anlin chuckled, “No need!”

“Your Gale Sword Dog hasn’t evolved yet, so it will be a fair fight.”

Youxiong Anlin was very wary of the middle overlord Sudden Death King and the Twin Crow with twin souls in one body.

He could hardly imagine how he would surpass such a monstrous opponent as Lu Ran.

But if it was just the Gale Sword Dog, he felt there wouldn’t be a problem.

As is well known, Lu Ran’s Dragon Chef was bred from the Flame Sprite inherited from Yan Sizhen.

Lu Ran’s Twin Crow was cultivated after reaping numerous benefits from the Cult of Necromancy, thanks to his status as the Holy Son.

If Lu Ran had an ace pet beast, it would definitely be one of these two.

After all, these two pet beasts had perfectly absorbed the gains from Lu Ran’s breakthroughs in the secret realm.

Moreover, the traits they fused with were likely unique and exceptionally rare.

But Lu Ran’s Gale Sword Dog was different!

This pet beast, contracted during Lu Ran’s novice period and not yet fully developed, had merged with traits that anyone could acquire: weapon mastery and nature control.

Its potential, compared to the other two, was worlds apart.

Numerous beastmasters deduced from Lu Ran’s evolution sequence that he might have hit a bottleneck in nurturing the Gale Sword Dog.

After achieving fame, he became more adept at cultivating Loong-type and necromancy species.

Although this pet beast also boasts impressive battle records, Youxiong Anlin, having gained significant benefits from the Guardian, possesses considerable confidence.

Challenging Lu Ran beyond his level might not be feasible, but in a one-on-one battle of the same level, Lu Ran might not be his match.

This was also why he accepted the rule proposed by the Guardian.

“Fine, when shall we do this?”

Seeing this, Lu Ran said indifferently, ready to let General Ha warm up.

“I’ll ask the Guardian,” the Youxiong Guild Leader said thoughtfully.

Youxiong Anlin… that should be no problem.

It’s known that with the Guardian’s help, the Ancient battle beast bloodline of Youxiong Anlin’s Light and Dark Panda was fully awakened. Although an upper commander, its attributes rival those of a lower sovereign.

Moreover, mastering both the top-level light and dark attributes, it’s one of the rare pet beasts in the world that handle conflicting attributes.

The combined power of light and dark, along with the second stage of energy flow, can channel these forces into the enemy, causing damage that can transcend a major level in combat.

Of course, the most terrifying… is still that one move…

The Youxiong Guild Leader couldn’t help but remark that Anlin’s Panda Guardian is indeed the most talented among the Youxiong Clan’s panda pet beasts.

No wonder the Guardian values him highly, hoping he would become the foremost of the Fourth Generation.

Moments later.

The Panda Guardian was awakened, a black and white giant panda with leaf marks on its head, stepping out while holding a bamboo leaf, “Has Lu Ran arrived?”

Its gaze swept over and landed on Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin waiting outside.

“Youxiong Anlin, it’s time to test the results of your training!”

“I understand, Lord Guardian,” Youxiong Anlin said, scratching his head.

Whether he can turn the tables depends on this battle.

First, to knock Lu Ran’s Gale Sword Dog off its pedestal, and then, to evolve his pet beast, challenging those of necromancy and Dragon!

Just after waking the Guardian, the Youxiong Guild Leader said, “There’s no suitable fighting arena inside the mansion, but the town has plenty of flat areas.”

“You could consider going to the park for the fight. It’s currently demolished, and they’re preparing to build a battle arena there. Although it’s not yet constructed, there’s still a vast wasteland available. However, Lord Panda Guardian, such a battle might attract a lot of attention.”

The Panda Guardian cannot enter Infinite City by itself, so Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin naturally cannot go there to fight.

This Guardian also wants to watch the battle.

Recently, the Youxiong Clan just established cooperative relations with various major forces and officials. Currently, many beastmasters are located in Youxiong Ancient Town, also waiting to challenge the trial secret realm of the Youxiong Clan tomorrow.

If they choose to fight in an open area outside, it will inevitably attract a crowd of beastmasters to watch.

“What does it matter?” the Panda Guardian said indifferently, not really believing that any pet beast of the same species and level could defeat its meticulously trained kin.

This was also an excellent opportunity to show outsiders the strength of the Panda species.

Truth be told, although it has become lazy due to the decline in spiritual energy, it was once a war deity in ancient times, and it had fought hard for its species and level.

But now, its kin seemed even lazier than it, which it could not accept.

Reviving the glory of the Panda species felt like a personal responsibility to the Panda Guardian.

It set a small goal for itself: to make the Panda species the strongest among fierce beasts in Xia Country.

Tigers, brown bears, and the like should step aside.

The Panda Guardian had a premonition; it felt the concentration of spiritual energy increasing. With the world’s changes, it was only a matter of time before other supernatural beings like itself from ancient times would awaken.

Whether totem beasts or wild ferocious beasts, it wanted to seize the opportunity before these creatures!

Just like that cat that had already established a multinational intelligence agency, it could not afford to be lazy anymore. It needed to cultivate the Youxiong Clan first.

“Lead the way!”

Soon.

Lu Ran and the others left the large estate of the Youxiong Clan. Lu Ran had been very discreet when he first arrived, but this time, with the Panda Guardian accompanying them, it was difficult not to attract attention.

Inside an all-terrain off-road vehicle, the Youxiong Guild Leader was driving, with Lu Ran in the passenger seat and Youxiong Anlin sitting in the back… The Panda Guardian, however, was seated cross-legged on the roof of the vehicle, its arms wrapped around its chest, gazing straight ahead.

At the moment, guests visiting the Youxiong Clan were still arriving in droves, with luxury cars parked on both sides of the road. When they saw such a group emerging from the grand Youxiong residence, silence suddenly fell.

As the vehicle drove away, they snapped back to reality.

“That…”

“Isn’t that the guardian of the Youxiong tribe?” exclaimed a beastmaster who had seen the guardian before.

“The Panda Guardian riding in a big G

1

?”

“That’s really trendy.”

“Is the driver the Youxiong Guild Leader? What are they up to?”

“It seemed like there were three people in the car, the Youxiong Guild Leader, Youxiong Anlin, and someone wearing sunglasses. Couldn’t make out who it was.”

As people chattered, the Youxiong Guild Leader had already “led the way,” taking Lu Ran and the Guardian to a completely demolished town park, now leveled to the ground and surrounded by barriers.

Despite the disarray on the ground, upon closer inspection, it somewhat resembled an arena.

The vast area should also be suitable for two pet beasts to demonstrate their skills, at least this place wouldn’t be affected no matter how much it was destroyed.

“Come on.”

After getting out of the car, Youxiong Anlin took a deep breath and looked at Lu Ran, who had also stepped out.

“Let’s give it a try.” The Panda Guardian remained seated on the roof of the SUV, chin propped on its hand, watching the two young beastmasters with interest.

As an ace among the second-generation beastmasters, the Youxiong Guild Leader was also very concerned about this battle. Although the opponent wasn’t Lu Ran’s ace, if Anlin could defeat the initial pet beast that had swept through the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, it would be considered a significant progress.

It should be noted that in the Freshman Tournament, facing Lu Ran, Youxiong Anlin and another seeded player had directly forfeited, showing little spirit.

In an instant, Lu Ran and Youxiong Anlin positioned themselves on opposite sides of the ruins in the town park, each holding a contract card.

Pet beasts, summon!

As both of them activated their intention, massive circular summoning circles materialized in front of them. Accompanied by a burst of light, a black and white Erha and a black and white giant panda appeared on the ground!

Both pet beasts squinted at each other, perhaps sensing a kind of destiny due to their similar colors.

“Err-woo-” the Erha growled low.

“Roar-” the giant panda took a step forward.

A great battle was about to erupt!

However, at that moment, the Panda Guardian waved its hand and said, “Wait!”

Footnote:

1. Big G(大G):

   In Chinese, “大G” (dà G) is a nickname for the Mercedes-Benz G-Class SUV. “大” means “big,” and “G” refers to the G-Class model. So “大G” literally translates to “big G,” but it specifically means the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.