Antarctica, Limitless City.
Shi Zhen, Zhu Kaixin, and the others were teleported out, their hearts pounding wildly. Even as first-generation beastmasters, they had never witnessed something before.
They had just seen the birth of the world’s first Overlord firsthand—an event worthy of textbooks worldwide.
“Where should we spar?”
After leaving, the group used Gu Qingyi’s familiar’s instant teleportation ability to escape the crowded square.
Gu Qingyi then turned to Zhu Kaixin. “Are you a pig? Sparring now? Can’t you use your brain for once?”
She could tell that Zhu Kaixin was eager to test Sudden Death King’s capabilities, but that wasn’t the priority right now. Ensuring Lu Ran’s safe return to Xia was far more important.
Zhu Kaixin scratched his head. “Oh, right.”
“Aha, should we call the old president to escort him?”
Letting Lu Ran’s real-world coordinates remain exposed in Antarctica wasn’t a great idea.
“Hm? I’m fine with anything,” Lu Ran replied, deciding to listen to Dr. Gu for now.
But do they really need the old president to personally escort me?
From what Lu Ran had heard, the man rarely intervened in anything. Most of the time, he acted as more of a symbolic figure, offering advice while leaving tasks to other first-generation beastmasters.
While they were discussing Lu Ran’s safe return, a soft yet sharp feminine voice chimed in.
“Just leave him to me. I’ll create a few more clones to head to Antarctica and escort him back. But you guys shouldn’t just sit around either. Pig God, strengthen the surveillance around the base.
“For now, Lu Ran should stay here in Limitless City since it's relatively safe here. Few would dare make a move under the watch of familiar guardians.”
Manager Ying had appeared nearby and was already walking toward them. The group exchanged looks.
This cat sure moves fast.
Lu Ran’s real-world location was still on a barren icy plain, not within Xia’s Antarctic base. Manager Ying’s suggestion for Pig God to scout the base’s surroundings was meant to identify any factions that might act rashly.
“I’ll go.” Pig God shrugged, not that eager to spar with Lu Ran.
A match between a first-generation and a fourth-generation beastmaster... Even if both had newly evolved familiars, he didn’t like his odds. The gap between a King-rank and an Overlord-rank familiar was too vast.
Having frequently challenged Rank 4 secret realms, they understood the difference all too well.
What if Lu Ran’s Dragon King entered the Heavenly Familiar Ranking after a spar, with a record showing he had crushed Pig God?
As a standout among Xia’s first-generation beastmasters, Old Pig still had some pride.
Besides, Lu Ran’s safety was the priority.
After finishing their discussion, Zhu Kaixin opted to leave the secret realm.
Shi Zhen added, “In that case, I’ll leave first as well. I’ll head to Antarctica shortly.”
He looked troubled. Seeing Sudden Death King’s evolution firsthand had left him so shocked that he felt unwell. He suspected he'd transform into his female form again.
Still, to bolster Lu Ran’s escort team, even if he had to go as a woman, he was determined to head to Antarctica.
Soon, only Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying were left with Lu Ran.
Gu Qingyi massaged her temples.
“Why did you even go to Antarctica in the first place?”
Lu Ran laughed. “Wasn’t it for Captain Doofus?”
Captain Doofus had consumed an enormous amount of extreme ice, refining the quality of its teeth to a rare, exceptional level—top-tier material!
An ice-and-wind elemental fang!
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, nothing will happen to him, even abroad,” Manager Ying said.
“Besides, how was I supposed to know his familiar would evolve so outrageously? If I’d known it would become an Intermediate Overlord, I definitely wouldn’t have let him leave the country,” it added, looking rather innocent.
It sure knew how to make things difficult for itself.
“That said, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go to my shop,” Manager Ying suggested.
“Sure, I actually have something I haven’t told Lu Ran yet,” Gu Qingyi said.
“Same here,” Manager Ying added.
Both turned to Lu Ran, who blinked innocently.
The look in their eyes seemed to say, "Do you have something to confess, too?"
Lu Ran cleared his throat. “Ahem... Yeah, me too.”
Cat Maid Café, Antarctic Branch.
Now that concepts like Limitless City and beastmasters were completely out in the open, Manager Ying’s business had rapidly expanded.
Its operations weren’t limited to Asia anymore—there were now branches in public realms like the International Beastmaster Alliance headquarters in Limitless City.
“Are you two wondering why Sudden Death King evolved into an Intermediate Overlord so suddenly?” Lu Ran asked.
“You don’t seem too surprised by it,” Manager Ying commented.
While Lu Ran had been overjoyed the entire time, he hadn’t shown the same level of shock as the others. It was as if he had expected Sudden Death King to have this potential from the start.
Lu Ran chuckled. “I did have some guesses early on. Actually, there’s something about the last secret realm I didn’t fully explain to you both.”
Manager Ying perked up, its ears twitching. It had known Lu Ran was keeping something from them. “What’s that?”
“So now you’re ready to share?”
Gu Qingyi didn’t mind. Everyone had their own secrets. She had hers, and Manager Ying likely had plenty more. It was the same for Lu Ran. As friends, there was no need to pry into each other’s private matters. After all, those who made a habit of digging into others’ opportunities had mostly been dealt with by the old president long ago.
Lu Ran nodded. “Yeah.”
“It’s actually related to souls. When I used the Soul-Calming Stone to extract Sudden Death King’s soul back into the secret realm, I noticed something peculiar: its soul didn’t match its body. It was still the original Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink.
“So, I delved into Undead Cult research and investigated related materials. I found that, in general, the body develops first, while the soul takes time to adapt. The greater the changes imposed on the body through external forces, the longer the process takes.
“However, evolution can accelerate this alignment. That got me thinking—could it be that beastmasters on Blue Planet struggle to evolve Dragon-attribute species because they focus solely on cultivating bloodlines and Dragon Intent while neglecting the development of a dragon soul?
“There isn’t much knowledge about souls on Blue Planet. During evolution, the soul gradually transforms into a dragon soul, but is such an incomplete transformation truly perfect?
“What if the dragon soul was already fully aligned with—or had even surpassed—the body before evolution? What would happen then?”
Manager Ying finally understood. “You’re saying that before it evolved, you had already cultivated its dragon soul?
“What’s so fucking secret about that? You’re also strengthening Dark Crow’s soul power, aren’t you?”
“That’s different. With Dark Crow, I’m using special soul bones and enhancing them through my Culinary Intent, just like strengthening other attributes. But when cultivating Sudden Death King’s soul, I used... um... unconventional methods.
“I had it mimic undead familiars by consuming souls—specifically, pure dragon souls from Overlord-rank dragons. And not just one. It consumed several. I didn’t mention it earlier because I figured you’d be freaked out.”
Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi were speechless. Their expressions shifted.
Several Overlord-rank dragon souls?
“Hey, hey, hey, what’s with those looks? I'm telling you this because I trust you! Don’t tell me you’re going to shun me now,” Lu Ran said hurriedly. “Those souls had already been purified—they were just pure energy forms. It wasn’t cruel. It’s no different from eating meat.”
Manager Ying’s eyes twitched uncontrollably. It didn’t even know how to respond.
Having a living creature devour souls? Classic Lu Ran. Even members of the Other Shore would kneel before him as the true Living King of Hell. No wonder he was called the Holy Undead Son—birds of a feather truly flock together.
Gu Qingyi, who had been tapping the table, exhaled deeply. “I can accept that."
That explained a lot, including why Lu Ran’s familiar had such extraordinary evolutionary potential. As expected of the Holy Undead Son, he had truly maximized his use of secret realm resources.
Still, for Lu Ran to not only discover this method but also refine it into a viable cultivation technique... His talent was undeniable.
“So what you’re saying is, if living creatures can also consume souls to grow stronger, then the undead consuming souls won’t be looked down upon anymore?” Manager Ying smirked. “Because other beastmasters will start buying souls to enhance their own familiars.”
A genius marketing plan!
“Haha...” Lu Ran scratched his head awkwardly. “It’s not that simple. Making a soul consumable for living creatures is much harder than making it safe for the undead.
“Since Sudden Death King isn’t undead, it can't directly devour souls. I had to process them multiple times and turn them into soul cuisine...”
Manager Ying and Gu Qingyi were speechless again. Even knowing the logic behind it, something about it still felt... unsettling to them.
“All right, I’ve said my piece. Didn’t you two also have something to tell me?”
Manager Ying glanced at Gu Qingyi. It then said, “I’ll go first. Do you remember asking me about Legendary Secret Realms suitable for the Weather Sprite?
“One of them had a boss—a young dragon capable of summoning storms. You listed it as a potential challenge target, right?”
“Well, that secret realm was recently cleared. Apparently, a team made up of beastmasters from four smaller nations raided it.”
“Huh? Fuck!” Lu Ran exclaimed. “It was cleared? By a team cobbled together from four countries?”
“They had no choice. There are too few level 2 beastmasters, so they had to form a team,” Manager Ying explained. “It happened while you were sleeping.”
It then smirked. “But this is actually a good thing. When the secret realm was cleared, new realm data emerged, and I got my hands on it. You remember asking me about legion-type traits, don’t you?”
Lu Ran was stunned. “Hmm?” “Well, this new Legendary Secret Realm’s boss is a Low Overlord capable of commanding countless creatures to combine their strength and form a powerful unified entity. I suspect it possesses legion-type abilities!
“If you’re interested, you should challenge it soon. Now that Sudden Death King has evolved, it should be manageable.
“Even though it might lack in combat techniques and skills compared to the boss, you still have other familiars to back it up.
“This legion-type boss is the first of its kind to appear in a secret realm. Since the location is Limitless City, every nation is probably keeping a close eye on it. If you’re late, someone else might claim it first.”
Lu Ran nodded. “I get it.”
Sudden Death King had just evolved, and it was already being sent off to work. But then, a new dilemma popped into his mind. If the legion-type boss dropped a trait, who should he give it to? The cloud baby or Dark Crow?
Giving it to Dark Crow made sense since it already commanded countless minions. If its third trait turned out to be Undead Clone, allowing it to create countless copies of itself, it could essentially form its own legion.
On the other hand, giving it to his newly hatched familiar would allow it to form a weather legion and harness the power of nature. It would also result in devastating power, an annihilation-level threat to nations. This could steer Weather Sprite toward the path of becoming a Weather Lord.
Lu Ran’s chronic indecisiveness flared up again.
Forget it. Let’s see if the trait even drops first.