King of Beasts

General Ha and the Sudden Death King are both far from reaching level 40.

To enhance their levels using resources, several exquisite resources would need to be invested.

If these level-up type exquisite resources can be saved, they could also significantly enhance their skills.

Besides them, Lu Ran is eager to improve Cloud Baby’s growth level.

After all, with a higher level, Cloud Baby can maneuver better in the ocean.

After choosing a peak battle, Lu Ran was presented with two options: regular peak battle and extreme peak battle.

He clicked on the question marks next to these modes.

Regular Peak Battle: [You will be randomly matched with a ‘Level 3 Beastmaster’ for battle. Upon winning, your combat pet can gain some growth experience. If you lose, the combat pet will enter a weakened state for a while.]

Extreme Peak Battle: [You will be randomly matched with a ‘Level 4 Beastmaster’ for a higher-level challenge. Winning will grant your combat pet a significant amount of growth experience…]

“Interesting,” Lu Ran mused. The maximum pet level for a level 3 beastmaster is 40, and for a level 4 it’s 50. If the former has a higher species level and stronger skill setup, a win could still be possible.

Though challenging, the potential growth experience is enticing.

While intrigued by this mode, Lu Ran decided to first try a regular peak battle for his debut.

As for higher-level challenges, those could wait.

[Regular Peak Battle].

Lu Ran made his choice.

He was surprised by more options.

[Please select a battle mode: 1v1, 2v2, 3v3.]

[Note: After selecting, you may only summon the specified number of combat pets.]

2v2.

Without hesitation, Lu Ran made his choice.

Currently, he only has two combat pets with him.

Sudden Death King and Cloud Baby.

General Ha is training with the Corpse Dog in reality.

The Dark Crow is busy training the Crow army.

Thus, it’s the Sudden Death King and Cloud Baby who are available to accompany Lu Ran.

[Matching in Progress…]

[A suitable opponent has been matched for you.]

[Teleport Countdown: 10, 9…]

[Randomly generating battle map…]

[Map generation complete.]

[You will be teleported to the battle location ‘Green Valley’]

…

Meanwhile.

In a certain arena within Kimchi Country’s infinite city, a young lady dressed elegantly with gold and diamonds also found a match successfully.

…

The sound of rushing water cascaded down from the mountain like a waterfall, as two figures appeared in the green valley.

By the stream, Lu Ran, who had materialized, glanced across at a girl who clearly appeared to be a wealthy heiress and started to ponder.

At this moment, the girl stared back at Lu Ran with a proud look and said, “Why are you hiding so much?”

In the peak arena, during the opening and battle stages, the IDs of both parties are not displayed and are only revealed after the battle ends.

Therefore, seeing Lu Ran in a mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap, she couldn’t glean any useful information, including his nationality.

However, Lu Ran caught on to her nationality from the language she used.

“Well, good thing I’m fluent in dozens of languages; it’s surprising the arena doesn’t offer translation,” he thought, recalling how he had learned through lucid fruit.

If this were in the breakthrough secret realm, infinite city would automatically translate languages from the other world and various countries, but in the arena, it seemed infinite city wasn’t inclined to do so.

“Let’s begin,” Lu Ran said, showcasing his linguistic prowess with a hint of curry-flavored English, leaving his opponent puzzled. The next moment, Lu Ran began to summon his pet!

A black contract card fluttered around Lu Ran, who chose to initially summon only Cloud Baby.

According to the description of peak mode, only combat pets gain experience. If the growth experience to be obtained is fixed, does it mean that with two combat pets, the experience is split, but with one, the experience is fully gained?

Lu Ran intended to test this theory.

“Pitter-patter… pitter-patter…”

As a white summoning circle appeared in the air, a thick mist began to fill the sky. The heiress on the opposite side also started summoning her pet beast, but as she did, she showed a surprised expression toward the weather elf.

An elemental creature???

It seemed she did not possess an intermediate eye of data, so she wasn’t aware of Cloud Baby’s level, which caused her to put on a serious face immediately.

Elemental creatures on Blue Star are rare and valuable. Even though she couldn’t recognize Lu Ran’s identity, she became extremely focused in an instant.

“Roar-” “Howl-“

With two loud roars, the heiress’s two pet beasts took the field. Without further exchange, a clash of Dragon Might and Tiger Might erupted, transforming into a tangible sovereign aura, bearing down on Cloud Baby.

“Pitter-patter…”

Barely over level 20, Cloud Baby, who hadn’t faced many fierce battles, struggled against the pressure, its form almost dissipating and nearly being blown away by the momentum.

“Hmm?”

“Holy…”

Lu Ran was slightly shocked-not by the fact that his opponent could suppress Cloud Baby or that she had two sovereign pet beasts.

But rather…

[Species]: Diamond Dragon

[Attribute]: Rock

[Species Level]: Upper Sovereign

[Growth Level]: Level 31

Lu Ran looked at the shining land-walking dragon with a dinosaur-like appearance across from him, feeling a bit dazed. How come this dragon looks incredibly like a Diamond Dragon?

At that moment, Lu Ran recalled her nationality, feeling even more bewildered. Could this heiress-like girl be the very one Manager Ying made the Ultimate Perception Trait trade with?

Aside from the Diamond Dragon, she also summoned a level 33 dual-attribute Light and Rock-type tiger of the lower sovereign species.

Both pet beasts’ species levels weren’t significantly different from Cloud Baby’s, but their growth levels overwhelmed it. It was normal for Cloud Baby to struggle against such imposing auras.

“Just one?” On seeing that Lu Ran only deployed a single pet beast, her brow furrowed instantly. Though elemental species are exceedingly rare, judging by the clash of auras, this cloud elf seemed quite weak in comparison.

“I’ve hit a tough opponent,” Lu Ran thought somewhat helplessly. It seemed unrealistic to rely solely on Cloud Baby to resolve the situation; Cloud Baby was the one getting beaten up. Fortunately, he hadn’t attempted an over-level challenge. This initial battle wasn’t going smoothly for him.

However, Lu Ran believed he could at least put up a struggle. There was no need to summon Sudden Death King too early.

With a snap of his fingers, Cloud Baby, whose form had been crushed by the intimidation and pressure, let out an aggrieved “wah.” The skies turned dark as black clouds gathered almost instantaneously, rain pouring down in a torrential downpour. Accompanied by thunderous wailing, it seemed to somewhat resist the opposing intimidation.

The raindrops, falling like water bullets, carried destructive force, primarily because Cloud Baby had mastered the second stage of the technique of energy flow, giving the water element great penetrative power.

Moreover, the Water type restrained the Rock type, causing the Stone Dragon and Rock Tiger to swiftly shape a rocky armor to fend off the raindrops. Even so, the relentless “pat-pat-pat” of the raindrops created tiny pits and cracks on their armor, as if trying to wear them down drip by drip.

Hmm… it looked fierce, but in reality, it was equivalent to a superficial scrape.

The growth level gap was just too large.

“Roar!!!” The white Rock Tiger showed a disdainful expression, gathering light in its mouth. With a terrifying roar, a beam of light pierced through the clouds, creating a massive gap in the trajectory of the falling rain, instantly halting Cloud Baby’s rainmaking and cutting off its wailing abruptly.

Cloud Baby: …

Luckily, Cloud Baby was an elemental lifeform with no fixed form. The enemy didn’t know where its essential elemental core was; otherwise, the attack could have taken Cloud Baby out instantly.

“Not summoning a second one?” the heiress questioned. She had noticed the elemental spirit lacked strength. Its species level might be high, but its growth level was undoubtedly low. As Lu Ran delayed summoning a second pet beast, she felt he was underestimating her, prompting the white Rock Tiger to halt the heavy rain and transform into a beam of light, charging toward Lu Ran.

Light Assault!

Swish!

The white Rock Tiger moved at incredible speed, like a beam of light, extending its paw, ready to strike at Lu Ran.

In the heiress’s mind, this move would undoubtedly force Lu Ran to summon a second pet beast. After all, relying solely on that elemental spirit wouldn’t be enough to protect him.

However, real life had other plans.

The next scene left the heiress wide-eyed in disbelief. Facing the Light Assault of the fierce Rock Tiger, Lu Ran calmly raised his hand and, with a mere gesture, conjured a freezing ice sword from the surrounding mist.

Holding the ice sword, Lu Ran’s eyes were filled with the chill of winter as he blocked the Rock Tiger’s hefty paw. The force sent Lu Ran sliding back a bit, his foot sinking slightly into the ground, but the Rock Tiger got the worse end of it.

With a panicked expression, the tiger’s body was marred with several deep wounds from the wild sword intent. Its blood combined with ice, freezing it into a large sculpture of frost right where it stood.

“Tsk tsk,” Lu Ran remarked with mock annoyance, “Why ignore the proper fight with the pet beasts and come after me instead?”

This exchange made the heiress realize that Lu Ran was likely a beastmaster who focused on “honing his own strength.”

Using the pet beast’s power to enhance himself!

“If that’s the case…”

Seeing that Cloud Baby couldn’t single-handedly face two sovereigns-and not even one at that-Lu Ran decided not to push it further. After all, this opponent was not your average level 3 beastmaster.

He shattered the ice sword and instructed the floating Cloud Baby in the sky, “Give me a thunder one.”

“Pitter-patter!!!”

Cloud Baby was thrilled at not having to fight itself.

Boom!!!

The sky turned pitch black once more, with the crackling sound of thunder deafening.

Amidst the darkness, flashes of white sporadically lit up the sky. In an instant, a bolt of white lightning struck directly toward Lu Ran.

This sight changed the heiress’s expression again. For the first time, she utilized a beast taming skill. With a “snap,” the Rock Tiger’s strength surged, breaking free from the ice, even growing slightly in size. It glared fiercely at Lu Ran but soon looked confused.

Because in Lu Ran’s eyes, it saw something terribly terrifying.

Lu Ran unleashed the terrifying Dragon Might of Sudden Death King, erupting directly from the windows to his soul-his eyes.

Due to the suppression of its mental awareness, Lu Ran’s figure vanished before the Rock Tiger’s eyes, leaving it unable to react. When it finally did, it felt a deep, piercing pain in its soul. This pain bypassed its formidable physical defenses, striking directly at its core, causing the Rock Tiger to convulse as if a knife were twisting in its heart, while electricity coursed through its whole body.

At the moment when the thunder struck Lu Ran, his hair turned stark white, reminiscent of Thor, standing on end as the terrifying electricity surged through him. In his hand, he held a blade formed from lightning, which continuously provided electric currents, stimulating his cellular activity and granting him terrifying explosive power.

If this had happened two months ago, Lu Ran certainly wouldn’t have dared such a feat. However, after body forging with Sudden Death King’s Red Lightning for so long, he had developed a certain level of resistance to electricity.

Whoosh.

Seeing Lu Ran transformed into a fearsome, god-like figure delivering mysterious damage, the heiress panicked completely. The Stone Dragon that had been guarding her let out a roar, its body beginning to crystallize, extending into the ground to provide the heiress with a layer of crystal armor.

The Stone Dragon itself also crystallized entirely, giving it seemingly greater defense. Its claws and teeth were fully armed with crystals, yet at this moment, Lu Ran was wielding his mind sword intent, targeting the mind itself, rendering its physical defenses almost useless against the strikes.

In his explosive state, Lu Ran moved like a white lightning bolt, swiftly passing by them in an instant.

“Who exactly are you…” At this point, the heiress was more desperate to know who Lu Ran was, wondering why she had never heard of such a person…

However, in the next moment, her expression went blank.

“Thanks for your Ultimate Perception Trait, but I have to say, your training of the Stone Dragon needs improvement.”

As his words reached her ears, she was struck by lightning and, along with her pet beast, transported to the infirmary.

…

[Combat conclusion.]

[Victorious side: Passerby A.]

[Defeated side: Diamond Girl’s Heart.]

…

[Congratulations, your pet beast ‘Weather Elf’ has leveled up to level 23.]

[You will exit the battle arena in 10 seconds…]

In the peak arena, Lu Ran, holding his thunder blade, watched Cloud Baby clap and cheer in the sky. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Leveled up twice, huh?

Not bad.

If he kept bringing Cloud Baby to solo more opponents, its level might soon reach level 30.

He just wondered how much experience would be shared if Sudden Death King helped to level it up.

“Should I try a challenge against higher-level opponents next?”

“As long as I don’t get matched against those second generation elite monsters, it should be fine. Worst case scenario, I’ll concede if I encounter a tough opponent. Losing a bit of experience isn’t a big deal; I can earn it back later.”

Ten seconds later, Lu Ran also exited the peak arena, deciding to enter another match and see how it goes.