King of Beasts

Chapter 94: Beyond the Jianghu, Yet Still Known

“A crow?”

Zhao Chen recalled that among the powerful mutated beasts in Green Sea City, there was indeed a crow. Officer Luo Shang had reported this to him.

“Yes, a mutated crow that has awakened the language talent.”

“Not only can it communicate normally with humans, but it can also understand and somewhat converse in other species’ languages.”

“Quite abnormal, I’d say.”

“When I’m not around, if you have issues communicating with mutated beasts, just find it. However, be aware that it often spouts nonsensical words as well, so take what it says with a grain of salt,” explained Lu Ran.

They say that whatever is lacking internally will be enhanced when evolving. Lu Ran pondered how this crow ended up awakening a language talent, which seemed weirder than having enhanced attack, defense, or speed.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore. How many people in Green Sea City are willing to apply for the beast taming university?” Lu Ran changed the topic, not wanting to delve deeply into the King’s Seven Beast Generals.

“Hmm… Currently, Green Sea City has a total of 149 beastmasters, all of whom are fourth-generation beastmasters.”

“Out of those, 77 meet the requirements and are willing to apply for the beast taming university. Oh, this number doesn’t include you and Fang Lan.”

“Including you two, that makes 79!”

“That’s quite a few people,” Lu Ran remarked in surprise. “Anyone particularly impressive among them?”

“Yes, the top three on the list are quite outstanding.”

Saying this, Zhao Chen handed the list to Lu Ran, who took it and began to read carefully.

Lu Yilang, age 22, male, senior at Green Sea University. His family owns a Border Collie. He has awakened mental talents and possesses the only mental-type pet beast in Green Sea City, showing great potential for development.

Lu Teng, age 24, male, employee at Green Sea Wildlife Park. After awakening a black card, and with official approval, he attempted to contract a lion cub he had raised by hand. The contract was successful, and his pet beast has awakened fire talents, showing great potential for development.

Miao Zhuang, age 20, male, a cowherd from Xindong Village in Green Sea City. He contracted his family’s cow, which mutated back to an ancestral form and awakened dark talents, showing great potential for development.

“The pet beasts of these three individuals are all upper supernatural species, and their attributes are quite rare. Lu Yilang’s pet beast is very intelligent and can now perform mental power release and mental power shaping. Lu Teng was originally preparing to join the official strategy team in Jinling as a reserve member. However, upon someone else’s suggestion, he decided to develop a lifestyle-related occupation considering his initial attribute being fire. He frequently challenges secret realms, and his combat power is quite good.”

“Miao Zhuang has only recently become a beastmaster and is still full of uncertainties. But with some cultivation, he’s sure to become a formidable force. The combat strength of the bovine species is not weak either.”

“Besides these three, there are a few others with considerable talents. Take a look…”

Lu Ran scanned the list and noticed a few familiar names like Yang Xishuai and several long-time “rivals.” Bug fighting was popular in Green Sea City among both young and old, so it was quite rare to see that 14 out of the 77 had initial pet beasts that were bugs.

After all, who would choose seemingly weak bugs as their initial pet beasts to challenge the dangerous trial secret realms unless they truly loved bugs and firmly believed in their bond with them?

“There are quite a few talented individuals,” Lu Ran remarked after skimming the list, mildly surprised.

“Right? I hadn’t realized that Green Sea City had so many promising young beastmasters either,” Zhao Chen laughed. If it were only those three, it wouldn’t be much. But adding you and Fang Lan, who are both potential contenders for the divine beast leaderboard, Green Sea City really is a treasure trove of talents and hidden dragons!

Afterward, Lu Ran and Zhao Chen discussed a bit more and agreed to bring the seven general beasts to Green Sea Stadium at 3 PM for a public display.

…

In the afternoon.

At the Beast Taming Edifice in Green Sea City, a large conference room was filled with 77 young beastmasters.

Each of them displayed expressions of excitement and anticipation as they engaged in conversations with one another. Given that the total number of beastmasters in Green Sea City was just over a hundred, many of them knew one another.

Among them were also a small group of “celebrity figures.” Recently, some civilian beastmasters had helped chase away dangerous creatures within the city, allowing a portion of them to gain a reputation!

“Hey, do you guys know what kind of person our chairman is? Is he a second-generation or a third-generation beastmaster?” a chubby kid chewing gum asked curiously. The more impressive the parachuted-in chairman, the better the association’s future prospects.

“Our Green Sea City should be in the second batch of cities to establish a Beast Taming Association, right? Looks like Green Sea City’s beast taming talent is pretty good!” a freckled-faced young guy with glasses commented.

“Of course! The Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, is right here in Green Sea. She’s ranked tenth on the divine beast leaderboard and is famous across several neighboring provinces. How could the higher-ups not take this seriously?”

“Apart from Fang Lan, the strongest fourth-generation beastmaster in Green Sea City should be Teng-Ge,” someone remarked, directing attention to a young man in an orange T-shirt.

Lu Teng was the one who had contracted a flame lion and worked as an animal caretaker. As people praised him, he couldn’t help but smile broadly, though he modestly replied, “No, my lion is too gentle, not fierce at all, and its combat power isn’t that great.”

Despite his humility, everyone knew better. A large fierce beast, even if gentle, has inherent powerful attributes! Many were now regretting not working as caretakers for fierce beasts in a zoo.

“By the way, why hasn’t the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden shown up…” someone wondered aloud, noticing Fang Lan’s absence.

At this moment, the door opened, and Zhao Chen, the chairman of the association, walked to the podium, looking at the young beastmasters of Green Sea City.

“Hello!”

“My name is Zhao Chen, and I’m the chairman of the Green Sea Beast Taming Association.”

As he finished speaking, the fourth-generation beastmasters quieted down and directed their attention to this middle-aged man.

Zhao Chen smiled slightly and said, “From now on, if you have any difficulties, you can come to me.”

“Today is our first meeting, so let’s get to know each other.”

“Besides getting to know each other, you might have noticed that those invited are all young beastmasters who intend to apply to the beast taming university.”

“Out of the 79 young beastmasters in the city who intend to apply, 77 have managed to come today. Two others couldn’t make it due to other commitments.”

Everyone knew that one of the two absent individuals was the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan. As for the other, it remained a mystery. Yang Xishuai, seated among the crowd, looked around in search of Lu Ran’s presence.

His expression was puzzled. Had Lu Ran “missed” this meeting? Or perhaps he didn’t plan to apply to the beast taming university? That seemed unlikely. Where else would he go if not to the university? Yang Xishuai deduced that the other absentee was likely Lu Ran, who was seen with Fang Lan earlier. It made sense for both to be absent together if they were acquainted.

“You probably know that the beast taming university also trains combat-type talent. To select outstanding individuals, shortly after school starts, the university will hold a Freshman Tournament,” Zhao Chen continued.

“In my view, this tournament is far more important than the entrance exam. If you can achieve a good ranking, it will significantly benefit your personal development and the entire Green Sea City.”

“However, since the university recruits nationwide, the competition will be fierce. For most of you here, achieving a good result will be very challenging.”

Who’s being underestimated here?

The beastmasters thought to themselves. Maybe we won’t even make it past the preliminaries!

Today’s young generation might lack many things, but self-awareness of their abilities isn’t one of them.

“But if you don’t give it a try, how will you know your limits? Therefore, Green Sea City has decided to launch a training program for new beastmasters. This is my first policy since taking office. Those among you who intend to participate in the Freshman Tournament can stay afterward, and I’ll explain the detailed plan.”

Zhao Chen’s announcement caught the newcomers off guard. Green Sea City planned to invest resources in nurturing them?

Most of the beastmasters present had never entered a secret realm and had relatively low trial scores. They were in dire need of resources.

With enough resources…what if someone unexpectedly performed outstandingly and secured a good rank?

Zhao Chen’s words reignited a spark of hope in many.

“Is there anyone here not planning to participate in the Freshman Tournament?”

Unexpectedly, no one spoke up. It seemed that no one wanted to miss out on this opportunity.

Zhao Chen had anticipated this and said, “Alright then. I won’t waste any more words. Let’s talk about my upcoming policies. The association will hire professional nutritionists to develop pet beast training plans and meal combinations for you. Practical combat training is equally important, and you’ll likely need to spar with each other to gain experience.”

“In addition, I will arrange for a few supernatural beings over level 10 with strong capabilities to serve as advanced training partners. Anyone who performs exceptionally well during training will receive additional resource allocations!”

“These resources may even include trait crystals!”

“Next, follow me to the nearby Green Sea Stadium. The nutritionist I brought is already there, ready to assist you. You’ll need to release your pet beasts and engage in some simple sparring with the supernatural beings I mentioned. She will record the data and afterward provide some advice.”

After Zhao Chen finished speaking, there was a moment of silence among the crowd.

Holy crap, did he say trait crystals were among the resources?

“Chairman, you’re brilliant!” someone exclaimed joyfully.

“Don’t worry, Teng-Ge will definitely achieve outstanding results and not let the association down!”

Lu Teng: ?

Who the heck shouted that? He looked around.

As Zhao Chen concluded, the beastmasters below were buzzing with excitement. It appeared that Green Sea City was making a substantial investment this time!

Including trait crystals?

Nothing could be more enticing to them.

“Haha, alright, let’s go. Whether you can earn these resources will depend on your performance,” Zhao Chen said with a smile. Trait crystals… while the rarest ones might be out of reach, even the ordinary ones would be quite beneficial for novices.

The beastmasters chattered excitedly as they followed Zhao Chen to the stadium, discussing the advanced training with the supernatural beings.

“Our chairman must be a really impressive person!”

“He even managed to arrange for supernatural beings as training partners.”

“Probably borrowed pet beasts from some of his beastmaster friends. Seasoned beastmasters also cultivate ‘new pets’ that would be perfect for us to train against.”

The group of beastmasters grew more convinced of Zhao Chen’s immense influence and capabilities!

Soon, everyone arrived at the Green Sea Stadium. The scene before them left them in awe.

At the center of the stadium stood a woman in a black silk uniform, presumably the nutritionist that Chairman Zhao Chen mentioned. While her attire was indeed eye-catching, what truly captivated the young beastmasters were the seven supernatural beings surrounding her!

There was a giant turtle resembling a black fortress;

A massive golden cricket hovering in mid-air;

A colossal red serpent, extending several meters in length with a thick, robust body;

A one-eared, ferocious beast known as the ‘White Tiger’;

An ice sparrow standing on an ice-covered ground, resembling a crystalline phoenix;

A bipedal lizard, covered in black scales with imposing red eyes, akin to a monster straight out of a movie—Godzilla;

And a mysterious black crow perched on the giant turtle’s shell.

Each appeared immensely powerful and highly formidable.

As the beastmasters took in the sight of these supernatural beings, some started feeling a sense of familiarity.

A few recalled something and spoke up.

“Wait, isn’t that golden cricket the same one that appeared in Maple Park?”

“And isn’t that the white tiger that helped the police with an investigation?”

“That crow looks just like the one that was seen in the skies over Green Sea City!”

The beastmasters suddenly realized that these supernatural beings weren’t borrowed pet beasts from Zhao Chen’s friends. They were, in fact, local entities of Green Sea City— even some of the strongest mutated beasts from the early days of spiritual energy resurgence!

But no one was more shocked than Yang Xishuai. Pointing at the sudden death king, he exclaimed, “Wait, isn’t that Lu Ran’s pet beast? How is it here too?!”

Though it had been on all fours back then and was standing on two legs now, Yang Xishuai could never forget this lizard. It was undoubtedly the same species.

His words drew the attention of the nearby beastmasters.

Hurriedly, Yang Xishuai explained, “This lizard seems to be the pet beast of a classmate of mine. We’ve battled before.”

Seeing the beastmasters so energized, with some even recognizing Lu Ran’s potential pet beast, Zhao Chen smiled and said, “Yes, these powerful mutated beasts are indeed local to Green Sea City.”

“That red-eyed eagle lizard, indeed, belongs to another fourth-generation beastmaster. He couldn’t attend today due to some special circumstances, but he left his pet beast to serve as your sparring partner.”

“Hm, he and the Five Poisons Cult Holy Maiden, Fang Lan, are considered the two strongest beastmasters in Green Sea City. I hope that one day you all can be as exceptional as they are, or perhaps even surpass them.”

After Zhao Chen finished speaking, Yang Xishuai and the other beastmasters were once again taken aback. They hadn’t expected Zhao Chen to reveal that the top two fourth-generation beastmasters in Green Sea City were not present.

They knew of Fang Lan… But the other one, the classmate Yang Xishuai referred to as Lu Ran… Who was he? Most of the people present had never heard of him.

Was this lizard really his pet beast?

To leave one’s pet beast behind for them to spar with, even in one’s absence… Just who was this person?

“Caw!!! Are these the ones?!” At that moment, the dark crow began squawking with its sharp beak again.

“They don’t look like they can fight at all! And they think they can surpass King Lu? No way, absolutely no way!”

Zhao Chen: …

Damn it, even though Lu Ran had mentioned this crow liked to spout nonsense, I didn’t expect it to start so quickly. I’m just trying to be polite here! What’s the rush?

And what’s with calling him King Lu?

“Well, it’s getting late. Each match should be kept under three minutes, so take turns selecting your opponents. Ms. Hua will record your battles and provide training feedback within two days,” Zhao Chen instructed.

As his words fell, many eyes fixated on the lizard that Zhao Chen mentioned belonged to Lu Ran.

If they had to challenge one anyway, those confident in their skills, like Lu Teng, wanted to see what kind of person this Lu Ran truly was… To just leave his pet beast like this.

Feeling the intense gazes directed at it, the sudden death king looked utterly confused, not understanding what was going on…