King of Beasts

Chapter 78: First Evolution

Two hours later, General Ha, feeling restored after a short nap inside his contract card, was now full of energy.

At this moment, Lu Ran had headed to the Teleportation Plaza to meet Dr. Gu.

Gu Qingyi: [I’m at the third stone pillar.]

The Teleportation Plaza had several large stone pillars. Lu Ran arrived at the specified location but still couldn’t find Gu Qingyi.

It wasn’t until a hand was placed on Lu Ran’s shoulder that he turned around abruptly.

“Dr. Gu?” Lu Ran looked at the quietly approaching figure beside him. First, a faint fragrance wafted over, followed by the sight of Gu Qingyi’s delicate face beneath her golden-brown hair.

“Have you been here all along? I couldn’t find you just now,” Lu Ran said, puzzled. He had been looking very carefully.

“I wear an accessory that reduces my presence. As long as I don’t engage in conversation or become the focal point, my presence can drop to the minimum,” Gu Qingyi explained with a smile.

Lu Ran was about to ask about the accessory, maybe even get one himself, but considering his increasing debt, he decided to hold off. He’d buy one when he had more money in the future.

“Are you ready? Let’s go.” Gu Qingyi said, looking toward one of the many teleportation gates. “I’ll take you to ‘Tranquil Island.’ It’s a public secret realm with no level restrictions. The creatures inside are generally between level 20 and level 40.”

“Alright,” Lu Ran nodded.

Soon enough, after a brief teleportation, the two arrived inside the Tranquil Island secret realm. Once there, Gu Qingyi took the lead, saying, “This secret realm is similar to the Thousand Rocks Mountain Range. Because there aren’t many rare resources here, not many people come, but eventually, it will likely become crowded.”

“After all, since there are no level restrictions, many advanced beastmasters will bring lower-level beastmasters here to hone their combat skills. The creatures in Tranquil Island are typically very combative but desperately poor,” Gu Qingyi laughed.

Lu Ran’s lips twitched. Even the creatures were poor enough to be disdained by beastmasters.

The teleportation point where they arrived seemed to be on the edge of the island. Venturing inward revealed dense forests, while outward was an endless expanse of sea.

On the beach, Gu Qingyi pondered for a moment and then said, “Let’s fuse the trait right here.”

Without hesitation, Lu Ran took out the black card and summoned General Ha.

From the circle, General Ha walked out with an imposing demeanor.

“You’ve been raising him well,” Gu Qingyi admired, nodding as she observed the over two-meter-long, elegantly built Erha, with its powerful limbs that exuded strength.

Its thick black and white fur and deep icy blue eyes made it look exceptionally handsome.

Lu Ran certainly had an eye for pet beasts. He first picked one of the most handsome dogs in the canine world, Erha, and then a red-eyed eagle lizard, the most striking in the lizard species. He was evidently a lover of good looks.

With a snap of Lu Ran’s fingers, General Ha dropped his imposing facade and stuck out his tongue, showing a cheerful expression as he greeted Gu Qingyi warmly.

“Woof woof,” he barked.

Gu Qingyi smiled back, then turned to Lu Ran and said, “The ‘lifebound weapon’ you mentioned that fuses with his teeth, it should be ready, right?”

It was Lu Ran’s peculiar nurturing approach, combined with the fact that it had been a long time since anyone used the weapon mastery trait for pet beast training, that had drawn the attention of Dr. Gu, an evolution scholar. She wanted to witness the evolution’s results firsthand.

“It’s ready,” Lu Ran reached out, and the next moment, the Ice Sky Greatsword materialized in his hand.

He gently tossed it, and General Ha immediately caught it. The Ice Sky Greatsword reverted to its true form—a colossal sword radiating a fierce icy wind!

A giant dog paired with a giant sword.

The icy blue sword light made General Ha look even more majestic.

“This…” Gu Qingyi couldn’t help but ask, “Who forged this weapon for you?”

“House of Forging, Master Lin.”

“Oh, him,” Gu Qingyi nodded in acknowledgment.

“The attack power of this sword should place it among the top tier of rare weapons, but it seems to have some side effects. It’s draining his physical strength to maintain this form, right?” she observed.

“Yes,” Lu Ran confirmed, “So, Dr. Gu, I’ll start the fusion now to avoid wasting too much of his stamina.”

“Alright,” Gu Qingyi nodded, watching General Ha with keen interest.

Lu Ran took out a palm-sized trait crystal.

The usage method for a trait crystal doesn’t involve feeding it to the pet beast; you simply place it close to the pet beast’s body. If the conditions for fusion are met, the pet beast can absorb it on its own.

Lu Ran stepped forward and brought the trait crystal near General Ha, who appeared calm on the surface but was just as nervous as Lu Ran.

“Don’t resist the crystal’s fusion,” Gu Qingyi advised from the side.

As the crystal neared General Ha, the weapon mastery crystal began to emit a pale blue radiance. Under the glow, it magically fused into General Ha’s back, merging with his body.

General Ha, still holding the sword, looked back and felt no immediate change…

But moments later, his expression suddenly turned fierce!

“Woof!!” A strong aura started to emanate from him, and the wind force within him involuntarily dispersed. Seeing this, Gu Qingyi stepped forward to pull Lu Ran back, maintaining some distance between him and General Ha, while she continued to observe him intently.

[Can this Erha successfully fuse with the weapon mastery trait?]

[Will it awaken a species talent?!]

Gu Qingyi was filled with anticipation.

When a pet beast fuses with a trait, it always gains some enhancement, regardless of compatibility.

However, the ideal scenario is when the pet beast, after fusing with the trait, combines its own strength with the trait’s power to awaken a species talent!

This species talent, which can also be considered a species skill, is extremely powerful and can significantly enhance a pet beast’s combat capabilities!

In other words, a trait fusion that doesn’t awaken a species talent is not a perfect fusion and will affect the pet beast’s evolution at level 30.

Species talent… this is an advantage that newly awakened attributes don’t have. Gu Qingyi had investigated and found that Lu Ran’s senior brother, the Eagle Hero, didn’t have his pet beast awaken a species talent after fusing with the weapon mastery trait. Some foreign pet beasts that had fused with this trait also failed to awaken a talent.

So, after all this time, another young beastmaster and his pet beast had chosen this trait. Will they succeed?

Under Gu Qingyi’s expectant gaze, a sudden fusion of white and blue light enveloped General Ha’s enormous form, as well as the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth. The radiance wrapped around them, making General Ha and the sword appear as one.

Boom!!

With a deep growl from General Ha, chaotic air currents erupted from his body, lifting the surrounding sand into a whirlwind, as if encasing him in a violent sandstorm. The wild energy was earth-shaking.

“How’s it going?” Lu Ran asked anxiously.

“So far, it looks promising. Its species potential is being unearthed and enhanced!” Gu Qingyi replied.

This was a common scene during an evolution when the species level increased. The attributes’ energy within the pet beast would invariably agitate to some degree. Yet the following changes were startling, even for an evolution scholar like Dr. Gu, who widened her eyes in amazement.

In addition to the wind force, a burst of frost force suddenly bloomed from within General Ha, instantly freezing every grain of sand into snowflakes, which were swept into the mini tornado.

“How is this possible?” Gu Qingyi muttered in disbelief. “Even if its wind force had been enhanced by the Seed of Cold Wind, this level of power… it’s equivalent to awakening the frost force… unless…”

Before she could finish her thought, an even more shocking scene unfolded. Accompanied by a skyward howl, the chaotic winds carried the sound of swords ringing. The storm encasing General Ha began to shape itself, transforming into numerous ice swords hovering in the air, spiraling around him.

As Lu Ran saw these ice swords forming, he felt a sense of being drawn back to Blizzard Mountain. Yet, instead of a mountain, a colossal sword peak towering into the clouds stood before him.

“It’s artistic shaping! He has upgraded his sword momentum to sword intent! Only through artistic shaping can a pet beast’s attacks carry other attribute powers!” Gu Qingyi’s excited voice rang out. This Erha, at just level 10, had grasped such a high-difficulty technique as artistic shaping!

What incredible insight! Was it due to the weapon mastery trait?

“Is it Blizzard Sword Intent?!” Lu Ran exclaimed, breaking free from the illusion. He stared in awe at the fantastical scene before him.

Was this what his master had described as sword intent?

This dog actually comprehended it at this moment!

The benefits from this evolution are likely beyond imagination.

Could it be… a success?

Boom!

Just then.

Cold winds swept through, the radiance dissipated, and countless ice swords fell to the ground, freezing the sand. General Ha looked as if he stood in a cemetery of ice swords, holding the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth, his eyes sharper and more focused than ever, signifying the completion of his evolution.

Since this was just a minor evolution due to trait fusion, General Ha’s appearance had not drastically changed. The only noticeable difference was the three white streaks on his forehead, resembling burning flames, now more subdued and resembling sword scars, giving his face an even more imposing look.

“Awooo!!!!” General Ha turned to look at Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi, feeling extraordinarily good. He couldn’t help but smile; he felt completely integrated with the Ice Sky Greatsword!

A terrifying power lurked within him. If he were to encounter that Demon Bull again, a simple sword qi would be enough to injure it! See? In General Ha’s dictionary, there is no word for failure!

Gu Qingyi’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at General Ha. Her eye of data, a higher-level capability than Lu Ran’s, allowed her to see other people’s pet beasts’ levels.

[Species]: Sword-Holding Dog

[Attribute]: Wind

[Species Level]: Upper Supernatural

[Growth Level]: Level 10

However, upon seeing this, Gu Qingyi frowned. The earlier spectacle was far beyond what an upper supernatural level could showcase. She glanced at Lu Ran, who was currently overjoyed.

“Did it succeed? Did it awaken a species talent?!” Gu Qingyi quickly asked.

“Ah, yes, it did,” Lu Ran responded excitedly.

He took out his contract card, which displayed the following information:

[Species]: Sword-Holding Dog

[Attribute]: Wind

[Species Level]: Upper Supernatural (Middle Commander)

[Growth Level]: Level 10

[Species Talent]: King of Swords (When this pet beast uses sword-type weapons, depending on the sword’s quality, its attack power, defense power, speed, vitality, mental strength, resistance, and energy are all enhanced… gaining a temporary new species level!)

Seeing this, Gu Qingyi’s eyes widened in astonishment. The King of Swords talent was extraordinary, granting comprehensive enhancements based on the sword’s quality and potentially raising General Ha’s combat capabilities to a whole new level during battle!

“What an incredible talent…” Gu Qingyi breathed, still in awe.

With the King of Swords talent, General Ha had indeed received a tremendous boon from this fusion. As Lu Ran and Gu Qingyi celebrated this success, they both knew that this was just the beginning of General Ha’s journey towards even greater strength and potential.

“A species talent, King of Swords!” Lu Ran exclaimed joyfully.

“Its species talent allows it to significantly raise its species level while holding a sword. Right now, even though it’s just an upper supernatural species, with the Ice Sky Greatsword, its attributes are comparable to a middle commander species!”

“This talent is incredibly strong!”

“The Ice Sky Greatsword is merely of rare quality. If it were given an exquisite-level, epic, or legendary sword, wouldn’t its attributes rival those of a sovereign species pup… or even an overlord species pup?!”

As Lu Ran spoke, he couldn’t help but rush over and embrace General Ha. He knew General Ha wouldn’t let him down.

Having been anxious for countless days, Lu Ran finally felt a sense of relief. The first step was considered a success.

At the same time, Gu Qingyi was taken aback upon hearing Lu Ran mention the King of Swords species talent. Her expression turned incredulous. No way, how could there be such an overpowered species skill… one that could temporarily boost its species level through a weapon?

As a first-generation beastmaster, she understood just how remarkable this species talent was…

Watching Erha, who looked bewildered as Lu Ran showered him with kisses, Gu Qingyi fell into deep thought.