Beyond Mystic City, an endless expanse of water glittered brilliantly under the dazzling sun. With a splash, an Azure Sea Dragon soared from the deep sea to the sky. Atop its head stood a woman in a black diving suit, her gaze unfocused as she looked toward the sun.
“More than half a month has passed.”
The Azure Sea Dragon glided through the clouds as Gu Qingyi muttered to herself. Some time ago, she had used the Azure Sea Dragon to delve into the sea from Mystic City, aiming to both train her familiar and investigate deep-sea threats. This journey lasted over half a month.
Upon emerging, her first thought was, How is Lu Ran doing? Did he successfully break through the ascension realm? How did he perform in the freshman competition?
She had left the trait crystal and beastmaster skills with Manager Ying before departing, but she still felt a bit uneasy. Taking out her phone, she was about to call Manager Ying to check on the situation when a series of notifications popped up, making her pause slightly.
[Tyrannosaurus Rex Resurrected!]
[Pedestrian A slays the Tyrant King T-Rex with a single sword strike.]
[Blue Planet’s first Dragon Chef emerges.]
[Culinary Professor beats Blacksmith Department prodigy in duel.]
The chaotic headlines nearly made her think seawater had seeped into her brain.
“Huh? What did I miss?”
At the same time, Lu Ran had already returned to Sky City. When he emerged from Limitless City, Manager Ying was waiting for him in the living room.
Though Manager Ying had believed that the doofus with Dragon-Slaying Sword Intent would not be at a disadvantage against the King Species T-Rex, seeing how easily Lu Ran had won still made it realize it had underestimated these two.
“It was just attribute advantage.” Lu Ran smiled.
“Also, about that Rare resource you promised... I want an Ethereal Flower. Is that okay?”
“I knew you’d have your eye on that.”
Manager Ying gave a knowing look.
“Fine. I’ll convey your request to Shi Zhen.”
“Shi Zhen, the president of Beastmaster University, right?” Lu Ran asked.
“His Limitless City ID is Earth-Shattering Stone. Like Gu Qingyi, he’s an active first-generation beastmaster and one of the 13 level 5 beastmasters in Xia.
“But... it seems he’s stepping down from frontline duties soon.” Manager Ying sighed.
“What happened?” Lu Ran asked curiously.
“He was cursed during an ascension task in the ascension realm. It left him unsuitable for combat. So, the association advised him to step back and recuperate for a while, giving him the cushy role of university president.
“If the curse can be lifted, he might return to the frontlines. Otherwise, he’ll have to retire.”
Lu Ran nodded, realizing that the beastmaster path left no room for complacency. With this, the 13 active frontline level 5 beastmasters might soon reduce to 12.
“What kind of curse is it?”
“Well, it’s both serious and not. Basically, he offended a witch in the ascension realm, and now, from time to time, he gets cursed to transform into a woman.
“During the transformation, his strength and combat state deteriorate significantly. But at least it’s not life-threatening.”
Lu Ran couldn’t hold back.
How was this not serious?
“Oops!” Manager Ying clapped its paw over its mouth.
Oh no, such sensitive information had just slipped out.
If Shi Zhen found out, it was dead meat.
“I’ve already given you insider intel for free, so keep your mouth shut! And when you meet President Shi Zhen, act normal and don’t snitch on me!
“She—uh, I mean he, doesn’t like meeting people in person. I’ll deliver your Ethereal Flower when it arrives.”
Lu Ran couldn’t fully digest this information. No wonder all news regarding Beastmaster University always featured the vice president.
What kind of curse was this?
Even though Lu Ran didn’t know this Shi Zhen personally, he couldn’t help but feel deeply sympathetic.
He silently thanked Shi Zhen for the advance payment and the Ethereal Flower and resolved that, if he ever found a way to lift the curse, he would help. This curse was downright inhumane.
Turning someone into an old man or a child was one thing, but gender-swapping? How could someone face family or friends like that? And if they had a spouse or children, it’d be even crueler.
“Do you have information on the witch Shi Zhen offended? If I ever enter the same ascension realm, I’d rather avoid her,” Lu Ran said.
Manager Ying extended its paw and rubbed it, indicating this info wasn’t free.
“Forget it.” Lu Ran sighed, brushing off the idea.
“I’ll just steer clear of any women in ascension realms.”
“What??? What kind of logic is that?”
Whistling nonchalantly, Lu Ran decided he wasn’t stingy. He just thought that he wouldn’t be unlucky enough to encounter such a curse.
“Hmm, Dr. Gu is back?”
At this moment, Lu Ran’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Gu Qingyi, who’d been offline for ages, he quickly answered.
“She’s finally back?”
Manager Ying perked up.
“Ask her what intel she gathered in the deep sea.”
“You just want free intel, don’t you?”
“With our relationship, it’s called intel sharing.” Manager Ying corrected him smugly.
“Well then, let’s level up our relationship so we can share intel in the future too...”
Lu Ran quickly answered the call, dodging Manager Ying’s murderous gaze.
On the other end, Gu Qingyi exhaled deeply.
“Lu Ran, I just caught up on the news from the past few weeks. You’ve been busy, haven’t you?”
Initially, the Eagle Federation’s Dinosaur Revival Project had put immense pressure on Gu Qingyi as a Xia dragon researcher. However, once news broke of Lu Ran crushing the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad, that pressure evaporated.
Instead, the Federation’s Dinosaur Life Research Institute now faced immense pressure from Xia’s Dragon Chef, Lu Ran. The reversal left Gu Qingyi dazed. After all, Lu Ran was just a fourth-generation beastmaster.
What did he do in the ascension realm to inherit Flame Quake Emperor’s legacy?
“Well, thank you for the compliment,” Lu Ran replied with a radiant smile.
“I’m heading to Sky City now. We’ll talk in person.”
After spending so much time in the deep sea, Gu Qingyi should have reported to the alliance headquarters, but she was more eager to visit Sky City first.
“By the way, you’re asking for the Ethereal Flower to awaken your familiar’s space attribute, right?” Manager Ying asked.
“I suggest you consult her opinion later and follow the optimal fusion sequence for awakening.”
“I know.” Lu Ran nodded.
The third trait for Sudden Death King was undoubtedly going to be a dragon attribute trait. As for Captain Doofus, even though Lu Ran was tempted to awaken its Space attribute, he wasn’t planning to do so at level 30.
It would either be at level 40 or level 50, but definitely not level 30. This was because, at level 30, familiars faced a crucial milestone which was first-stage evolution.
This evolution differed from the previous two trait fusions in that it profoundly impacted the familiar’s species, form, attributes, gender, abilities, and talents. It would integrate all of the familiar’s previous potential and talents, driving the familiar to complete its transformation.
During this process, the familiar’s form would change drastically, with some even evolving into entirely new species. It was like a fish leaping through the dragon’s gate.
Even if the prior three fused traits were only traits, this evolution could introduce new attributes. Some familiars might even undergo gender changes during this phase.
The species talent awakened during a level 30’s evolution, also called the evolution talent, was generally much stronger. This evolution was also a key stage where many familiars would elevate their species rank significantly.
Most beastmasters’ familiars would cross into King Species during this first-stage evolution. If they missed this chance, it would become much harder to achieve later.
To ensure Captain Doofus’ evolution would be flawless, any new trait fusion at level 30 had to synergize perfectly with its existing Weapon Control and Nature Manipulation traits, as well as its species, attributes, and talents.
If Lu Ran were to fuse the space attribute at level 30, it would essentially create a new pathway for Captain Doofus. While the space attribute was undoubtedly powerful, it might not integrate seamlessly with its evolution process.
At level 30, Captain Doofus needed a trait that could enhance its evolution, not simply add a powerful new attribute. The space attribute could wait until Captain Doofus reached level 40, 50, or even 60, and sought second-stage evolution, when there would be more room for error.
Thus, Lu Ran had already decided. If he obtained the Ethereal Flower, he would either save it for Captain Doofus’ level 40 evolution or evaluate its suitability for his third or fourth familiar.
Not long after, Gu Qingyi arrived at Lu Ran’s dormitory. After more than half a month apart, Lu Ran couldn’t help but feel that Dr. Gu’s skin seemed smoother.
Is this from being immersed in seawater? No, that doesn’t make sense. Constant exposure to water should make the skin prune up... not improve it.
“What are you staring at?” Gu Qingyi asked sharply, noticing Lu Ran’s wandering eyes on her arm.
“Oh, nothing! Dr. Gu, it’s great to have you back.” Lu Ran laughed awkwardly.
“How was your harvest?”
“It wasn’t small, but not as big as yours,” Gu Qingyi replied, her gaze deepening as she studied him.
For someone to inherit the Flame Quake Emperor’s legacy during their first ascension realm breakthrough, there weren’t many like him on Blue Planet.
“Little Qingyi, what’s the situation in the deep sea?” Manager Ying jumped in, clearly more interested in this question.
“The situation is not optimistic. The deep-sea environment has become extremely hostile. The spatial magnetic fields are unusually chaotic, disrupting the transfer function of identification cards. Additionally, there are far more level 40 and 50 aquatic beasts in the deep sea than strong beasts on land.
“Fortunately, their focus remains on competing for deep-sea resources, so they’re not particularly interested in land. However, if this continues, I fear that level 60 or even level 70 beasts with strength far surpassing land creatures will emerge.
“If that happens, even if they don’t intentionally target the land, their overwhelming strength could still threaten it. A single battle could alter the external environment, triggering tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters.
“Moreover, as they evolve, some aquatic beasts may develop the ability to survive on land. It’s not impossible for them to set foot onshore.”
The deep sea was too competitive. It wasn’t far-fetched for some creatures to evolve land survival traits just to seek out less crowded habitats. This was a classic case of evolutionary pressure.
Gu Qingyi then turned to Lu Ran.
“No matter what, we must prepare for the worst. As global evolution accelerates, the most significant threat to humanity might very well come from the ocean.
“Green Sea City as a coastal city faces considerable potential danger. As its leader, you should start paying attention to the ocean’s movements.”
“Uh...” Lu Ran’s expression grew serious.
Is Dr. Gu implying that I should strike preemptively? Should I aim to dominate the near seas and become the King of the Coast?