King of Beasts

General Ha was furious. Initially, it quite admired this Forgemaster, but it didn’t expect him to be such a person!

Lu Ran felt helpless. As long as they could fix the teeth, it was already a blessing—at least they didn’t need bones. He looked up and asked, “By the way, Master Lin, how many crystal coins will it cost in total?”

Master Lin pondered, “Let me see. Based on the Wind Meteor Sword, I have integrated rare resources like Giant Spirit Ore, advanced resources like Cold Iron, Light Stone, Heavy Stone, numerous ordinary mineral resources for auxiliary forging, and of course, the forging fee…”

“The total price comes to about 50,000 crystal coins, I’ll waive the small change for you.”

“…” Although Lu Ran had mentally prepared himself, learning that upgrading General Ha’s new weapon would cost 50,000 crystal coins still made him feel the pinch intensely.

He showed a slightly pained expression, finally empathizing with those adults struggling to pay off their mortgages.

“Young man, your willpower is lacking!” Master Lin shook his head. “Let me give you a detailed introduction of the Ice Sky Greatsword!”

“The Ice Sky Greatsword can switch freely between two forms. In addition to basic energy conduction and amplification effects, it comes with three skills: Heavy as Light, Light as Heavy, and Tooth Storm!”

“Switching freely between two forms allows it to be more adaptable when facing different opponents. After all, the Greatsword Form consumes a lot of stamina, but in return, its attack power is top-notch among rare weapons.”

“Letting it surpass a Species level or Growth level is a breeze.”

“Considering that your pet beast is constantly growing, I’ve also included Light and Heavy Stones. The sword’s weight can be adjusted according to its growth. In other words, this is a sword that can change its weight!”

“And Tooth Storm relies on those hundreds of teeth. It’s a sword skill contained within the sword itself. If your pet beast is entirely out of energy and in a perilous situation, it can sacrifice those internal teeth to unleash an extremely powerful burst of sword qi, instantly sending out hundreds of sword qi strikes. It’s a last-ditch skill.”

“Of course, after using it, the sword will be virtually half-ruined and would require new teeth to repair.”

“In short, what you see now is just the tip of the iceberg of its functionalities. Rare weapons are not that simple! So, do you feel it’s worth the price now?”

After listening, Lu Ran could only sympathetically look at General Ha, feeling that it would just make it wear out its teeth even more.

General Ha: …

Not long after, Lu Ran left the House of Forging, burdened with debt, and arrived at the Teleportation Plaza in Infinite City No.3.

In addition to forging the sword, Lu Ran also purchased an advanced crossbow for poisoning enemies and a set of dark-resistant clothing to withstand the magical energy aura of the Abandoned Testing Ground, spending a total of 1,288 crystal coins.

“This trip… who knows when I’ll be back.”

Standing near the massive teleportation gate, Lu Ran couldn’t predict. If things didn’t go smoothly, he might have to stay there for ten days or even half a month.

“Still, I must go.” Clad in the Night Cloak, Lu Ran stepped into the teleportation zone…

[Would you like to spend 100 crystal coins to teleport to Xia Country, Infinite City No.5?]

“Yes.” Lu Ran confirmed, and the next moment, his figure vanished from the crowded Teleportation Plaza.

Moments later, with a flash of light, he arrived in his exclusive room.

Lu Ran opened the door. This time, the outside world was not the familiar housing estate but another teleportation plaza. As he stepped out of the teleportation gate’s light screen from his exclusive room, he found himself in a new location.

“So this is Infinite City No.5.” Lu Ran took a quick glance outside before returning to the teleportation gate and re-entering his exclusive room. Though it was called Beastmaster Teleportation, it felt more like the entire space of his exclusive room had teleported with him.

The frustrating part was that Lu Ran couldn’t log off directly at that moment; he would have to teleport back to Infinite City No.3 to return to the real-world teleportation point, incurring another 100 crystal coins.

This unnecessary expense kept many beastmasters from visiting other Infinite Cities and instead focused their efforts on challenging the secret realms within their home city.

In his exclusive room, Lu Ran approached the pillar platform of the secret realm and looked at the screen before him.

The secret realm list had been updated. Although most of the secret realms were similar to those in Infinite City No.3, there were some unique ones that were exclusive to this city.

For instance, the Abandoned Testing Ground was a signature secret realm of this Infinite City.

[Name: Abandoned Testing Ground]

[Secret Realm Level: Novice Level]

[Difficulty: Abyss]

[Challenge Crystal Coins: 1000]

Lu Ran hesitated for a moment, abandoning his plan to explore Infinite City No.5 and deciding to challenge this secret realm right away!

After all, he had been waiting for a week!

During this week, he had been preparing for the challenge, not just idling around.

“General Ha,” Lu Ran called out, and tossed the Ice Sky Greatsword to him.

“Awooo!” General Ha caught it with a serious expression.

He knew that a tough battle lay ahead!

………

At this moment, the beastmasters of Infinite City No.5 were unaware that a Passerby A from Infinite City No.3 had teleported here and was about to challenge their unique Abyss secret realm.

[Teleportation Complete.]

[Current Location: Abandoned Testing Ground (Novice Secret Realm)]

[Difficulty: Abyss]

[Challenge Mission: Defeat the Demon Bull Commander.]

[Secret Realm Introduction: To prepare for war, the Beast Taming Empire began secret research on biological weapons, hoping to create a batch of war beasts proficient in weapon use.

However, war broke out prematurely, causing the empire’s finances to tighten, leading to the project’s abrupt halt.

Numerous testing grounds were abandoned. Some of these grounds still contain sealed experimental subjects from the project…]

[Prompt ①: The maximum stay in a novice secret realm is 8 hours. During this period, challengers can choose to return at any time. Teleportation requires 10 seconds.]

[Prompt ②: …]

Lu Ran and General Ha stood on the smoke-spewing ground, gazing at the collapsed Abandoned Testing Ground ahead, momentarily stunned.

The state of this secret realm looked extremely dire.

Had this place been affected by the so-called war? Otherwise, even if abandoned, it wouldn’t be this chaotic.

“Good thing I prepared in advance.” Lu Ran thought. Following Dr. Gu’s strategy, he had equipped himself with the Night Cloak. Due to prolonged dark creature experiments here, the area was saturated with a significant amount of magical energy aura, severely disrupting mental willpower. While supernatural beings might not be greatly affected, it was better for humans to take some protective measures.

Swish!

Lu Ran’s Night Cloak fluttered. Beside him, General Ha, gripping the Ice Sky Greatsword in his mouth, scanned the surroundings, asking Lu Ran where the enemy was.

“Just wait…” Lu Ran said, looking at the collapsed Abandoned Testing Ground. According to the strategy guide, 30 seconds after a challenger enters the ground, the Demon Bull Commander would break its seal… The uncontrollable experimental Demon Bull Commander would then attack all nearby life indiscriminately!

“Roooar!!!!”

Sure enough, 30 seconds later, with a deafening roar and a thunderous “bang,” the collapsing structure of the abandoned test ground exploded, rocks flying everywhere. A massive figure, towering five to six meters, slowly emerged from the rubble.

The so-called Demon Bull Commander was similar to a Minotaur—a human-shaped creature with a bull’s head, possessing bulging muscles. The one Lu Ran and General Ha faced was far larger than a typical Minotaur, its size rivaling that of a colossal beast.

It wielded a shadowy battle axe, sweeping aside the debris as it climbed atop the ruins. Under the dim, overcast sky, its red eyes glowed with a cold, cruel light.

“Awooo!!!”

As soon as they made eye contact, General Ha unleashed a slash of sword qi, a “friendly” greeting.

But the Demon Bull Commander didn’t even bother dodging the airborne sword qi, letting it hit its body without concern.

Bang!

With a puff of smoke, the sword qi left only a faint white mark on the Demon Bull Commander’s chest, not even breaking its defense.

“As expected, just like the strategy guide said, it has no awareness of dodging attacks. Even if it feels threatened, it only retaliates with skills!”

Lu Ran had General Ha test the waters, confirming once again that the strategy was reliable.

“No more talking, Tenfold Storm Slash!” With Lu Ran’s command, General Ha let out a howl, and in the next instant, its weapon transformed into the Greatsword Form.

An intense aura erupted from General Ha.

Blizzard Sword Momentum!

However, the Blizzard Sword Momentum—invincible against even the Dragon Tail Scorpion—seemed to have no effect against the Demon Bull Commander this time…

“Roar!!!”

The Demon Bull Commander swung its massive head, raising its axe high, and with a heavy smash, it aimed directly at Lu Ran and General Ha…

Boom!!!

In an instant, a massive dark shockwave surged towards Lu Ran and General Ha like an overwhelming tide.

But in another moment, a dazzling icy blue slash, like a blade cutting through waves, split the dark shockwave in two. It was at this point that the Demon Bull Commander instinctively sensed a hint of danger!

“Woof!!! (Can you withstand the power of these hundred teeth?!)”

The Tenfold Storm Slash, enhanced by the new Ice Sky Greatsword, sliced through the Demon Bull Commander’s dark shockwave and landed directly on it.

At the same time, blood trickled from General Ha’s mouth, his teeth on the verge of breaking, his face fierce with determination.

As he said, how could anyone withstand the power of these hundred teeth!

Behind him, Lu Ran held the Divine Deer Pendant, instantly healing General Ha’s injuries.

Although the backlash was healed, this Extreme Storm Slash had drained most of General Ha’s strength; he could no longer release a second slash.

The consumption of the Tenfold Compressed Storm Slash didn’t mean releasing ten slashes; rather, it greatly exhausted General Ha.

“Awooo!!!” After the attack, General Ha bared his teeth at the rising smoke upfront. Lu Ran, eyes serious, waited but heard no prompt sound. He knew that this strike, strong enough to obliterate the Dragon Tail Scorpion, had failed to deliver a fatal blow to the Demon Bull Commander.

Well, it made sense. The Dragon Tail Scorpion was just a wild creature, but the Demon Bull Commander was a product of the highly developed Beast Taming Empire—a war machine experiment, embodying the crystallized wisdom of countless beastmasters. It was no easy foe.

“Roooar!!!!” As expected, in the next moment, Lu Ran and General Ha heard an enraged roar. The smoke was swept away by the strong wind, and in an instant, a colossal Minotaur wrapped in magic energy armor, forged from dark energy, came charging through the ruins!

“Woof!!” General Ha, sword in mouth, looked stunned.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Each step of the Demon Bull Commander shook the ground!

“General Ha, can you handle this?” Lu Ran turned and started running, saying, “Maybe consider mastering the Twentyfold Storm Slash?”

“Woof!!” Seeing the bull charging, General Ha also turned and ran, flipping Lu Ran onto his back.

Twentyfold… forget the teeth, his whole dog head might not survive!

In any case, both Lu Ran and General Ha were now gritting their teeth in pain. Though they had anticipated that this time they might not be able to defeat the opponent instantly, experiencing it firsthand was nerve-wracking.

“Roar!!” The colossal Minotaur, with its magic energy armor shattered in numerous places and black blood seeping from its wounds, had one of its black horns sliced in half. Yet, it remained in an extremely excited state, brandishing its huge axe, charging at Lu Ran and General Ha.

Fortunately, Lu Ran had planned for this scenario. As he twisted his body atop General Ha, a crossbow appeared in his hand.

“General Ha!”

In a split second, Lu Ran shot a poison-tipped arrow, and at the same time, General Ha turned around, mustering his remaining strength to unleash a Roar of the Wind.

“Awooooo!!!”

The gale accelerated the poisonous arrow. The Demon Bull Commander, oblivious to defense, focused solely on attacking, paid no attention to what appeared to be a harmless arrow. Against General Ha’s Roar of the Wind, it continued its charge, undeterred.

Swish.

The arrow embedded itself in the gaps of the Demon Bull Commander’s magic energy armor and wounds. It felt nothing and continued its charge. Seeing their seemingly useless attack, Lu Ran and General Ha had no intention of facing the Demon Bull Commander head-on. They kept running, utilizing their speed advantage.

Kiting strategy! Bullfighting!

“Roar!!!!” Seeing the enemies who had wounded it quickly escaping, the Demon Bull Commander stopped its pursuit and continued to angrily swing its huge axe, sending another dark shockwave surging towards Lu Ran and General Ha.

The dark shockwave swept across the ground, leaving huge cracks as if scorched by black flames. As the shockwave rapidly approached, General Ha unfolded a pair of Wind Wings on his back, swiftly lifting Lu Ran into the sky.

Boom!

Above the huge crater, Lu Ran pulled out the crossbow again, aiming directly at the Demon Bull Commander’s eye and fired!

“Caught you off guard, didn’t I? Luckily, I had the foresight to make General Ha learn Wind Wing!”

Whoosh!

Another arrow struck, directly hitting the eye. Lu Ran’s hunter lineage was evident, each shot a bullseye.

Seeing a flying dog only intensified the Demon Bull Commander’s rage. The energy flow throughout its body accelerated, and in an instant, the shattered magic energy armor began to show signs of repair. The arrows embedded in its chest and eye were also ejected by the violent energy surge. Realizing the Demon Bull Commander had entered a berserk state, Lu Ran didn’t dare to shoot again. Instead, he patted General Ha and said, “Run!”

“Stall for time!”

Lu Ran wasn’t sure if the poison Fang Lan gave would be effective. But seeing General Ha’s Tenfold Storm Slash combined with the rare weapon Ice Sky Greatsword only severely injuring but not killing the Demon Bull Commander, he understood why so few could solo clear the abyssal difficulty of this secret realm.

This level of difficulty… achieving a clear even with a four-person team would be quite impressive.

What followed was a test of endurance between the Demon Bull Commander and General Ha. However, Lu Ran and General Ha had the aerial advantage and the advantage of supplies. While General Ha flew, Lu Ran fed him Ice Honey Tea to restore his stamina.

Below, the Demon Bull Commander continuously vented its fury, its powerful strikes hammering the sky and earth. Each time, Lu Ran and General Ha felt like they were teetering on the edge of disaster. Fortunately, thanks to their training in the Blizzard Secret Realm, General Ha skillfully dodged each attack. Without that, even though the Divine Deer Pendant could heal injuries, they’d be in serious trouble.

And so, Lu Ran and General Ha evaded the Demon Bull Commander for about ten minutes.

General Ha was exhausted, while the Demon Bull Commander still seemed full of energy, making Lu Ran’s scalp tingle with anxiety.

Just as Lu Ran was contemplating whether to bail on this secret realm challenge, a heavenly voice suddenly resonated, sending a shiver through his entire body.

[Congratulations, you have completed the secret realm challenge.]

[Rating: S-level!]

[Congratulations, you have earned 800 crystal coins.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained advanced resource, shadow ore.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained special resource, upgrade card.]

[Congratulations, you have obtained special resource, trait crystal (weapon mastery).]

“……”

Caught off guard by the announcements, Lu Ran was momentarily stunned. He kept patting General Ha’s head and yanking his fur, causing General Ha to be frightened.

“Woof woof…”

General Ha didn’t understand why Lu Ran was suddenly so elated.

Wasn’t it just a failed attempt? That Demon Bull Commander made Boss Lu lose his mind, this grudge…

However, in the blink of an eye, General Ha seemed to understand what was happening. He looked down, showing an insightful expression!

The once violently raging Demon Bull Commander had suddenly become completely still, as if it had lost all vitality in an instant. The glowing eyes dimmed…

“Moo…”

Surprisingly, its final mournful sound was something Lu Ran and General Ha felt they could comprehend.

“Moo… (Despicable invaders, the arrows are poisoned…)”

Its eyes filled with unwillingness, the massive body collapsed heavily to the ground. Both its body and weapon shattered into fragments and scattered away with the wind.

“What do you mean despicable? This is called tactics!!” Lu Ran burst into laughter upon seeing this. He patted General Ha even harder, feeling an immense urge to hug Fang Lan tightly right there. She truly was his lucky charm. Without her poison, he and General Ha might have found it extremely difficult to outlast the Demon Bull Commander.

After all, General Ha was one major species level below their opponent. Even though General Ha had a rare weapon, so did the Demon Bull Commander.

Clearing the realm wasn’t what made Lu Ran so ecstatic; it was the trait crystal with an S-level rating that was rumored to have only a 5% drop rate. He had gotten it on his first attempt.

What was this, European Emperor luck?

Back when he was grinding the Mantis Jungle secret realm for a beast taming skill with an SSS rating, the drop rate was roughly the same, and he didn’t even glimpse a shadow of it after a week. He had thought he was very unlucky, but now he knew what it meant to turn things around.

Was it because of the bad luck last time that he had good luck this time?

“I didn’t expect an S-level rating.”

“General Ha, you’re about to undergo your first-stage evolution soon. How about that, excited?” Lu Ran couldn’t suppress his joy.

General Ha’s expression instantly shifted to one of canine astonishment upon hearing this. Getting rare loot? What luck! Boss Lu… had really made it this time!

……

That day, Infinite City No. 5 was in an uproar.

At the Beastmaster Square.

Beastmasters gathered there were showing shocked expressions upon seeing the updated leaderboard.

[Regional Announcement: The divine beast leaderboard and supernatural species leaderboard have been updated.]

[Leaderboard Divine Beast: Golden Thunder Eagle]

[Attribute: Thunder]

[Species Level: Upper Supernatural]

[Growth Level: 10]

[Beastmaster: Pluto]

[Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from Golden Eagle, awakened Thunder Force, fused with the trait ‘Golden Lightning’. Severely injured the lower commander species · level 10 · Dead Crocodile in abyssal difficulty novice secret realm · Lake of Death by electric shock.]

[Ranking: Elevated to the top of the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!]

“Holy crap, who is this Pluto? Where did he suddenly come from?”

“No idea.”

“I know him. He’s the second-ranked guy from Infinite City No. 3. Damn, just when the leaderboard was about to settle, he couldn’t secure the top spot in his own city, so he came to our city to push for rankings.”

“Why did he choose Infinite City No. 5 specifically?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? Infinite City No. 5 has a generally weaker overall strength…”

The beastmasters of Infinite City No. 5 were furious, extremely displeased with Pluto’s cross-server ranking push.

Especially the local talents who originally occupied the divine beast and supernatural species leaderboards; the fourth-generation beastmasters felt as if they had been genuinely humiliated by Pluto.

“Don’t blame me,” Pluto said, appearing among the crowd. He honestly didn’t care for the title of being first; really, he didn’t. He wasn’t short on crystal coins. Coming to Infinite City No. 5 was purely to follow his elder brother’s request.

Their guild had plans to expand business into Qiong Province, and he came here just to gain some fame in advance…

Still, although Pluto claimed not to care about rankings, he couldn’t help but smile upon seeing himself rise to the top again. This confirmed it wasn’t that he was weak back in Infinite City No. 3’s leaderboard; it was just that Passerby A was too strong.

Besides Passerby A, who else?

As Infinite City No. 5 simmered with excitement, where Pluto rediscovered his confidence…

[Regional Announcement: The divine beast leaderboard and supernatural species leaderboard have been updated.]

[Leaderboard Divine Beast: Snowfield Dog]

[Attribute: Wind]

[Species Level: Middle Supernatural]

[Growth Level: 10]

[Beastmaster: Passerby A]

[Reason for Leaderboard: Evolved and mutated from the Snowfield Dog species, awakened Storm Force with incredible comprehension. In abyssal difficulty novice secret realm · Abandoned Testing Ground, inflicted severe damage to middle commander species · level 10 · Demon Bull Commander by slash.]

[Ranking: Elevated to the top of the supernatural divine beast leaderboard!]

At this moment,

Just like before,

The bustling Infinite City No. 5 fell into instant silence.

The previously triumphant Pluto froze, as if time had stopped.

“???”