Beastmaster King-Chapter 145 - Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad!

After Lu Ran’s match concluded, he returned to the preparation area via the contestants’ tunnel. Compared to when he had entered the arena, the preparation area was now populated by many more young men and women.

When Lu Ran appeared, the eyes of these freshmen uniformly fixed upon him. Truthfully, the match between Zhou Mo and Lu Ran was highly anticipated.

While both competitors had shown remarkable performances during the preliminary evaluations, Zhou Mo was seen as having the upper hand due to his position on the Champion Familiar Ranking.

However, no one had expected the so-called Dog King Zhou Mo to be defeated by Lu Ran with such decisive ease.

“Fang Lan isn’t here?”

Noticing Fang Lan’s absence in the preparation area, Lu Ran shook his head. However, as he prepared to leave, he suddenly caught sight of a red figure.

The aura emanating from this individual was distinctly different from the other freshmen in the room, making Lu Ran feel as if he was staring at a sharp, peerless swordsman.

Raising his head, Lu Ran looked toward the red-clad girl leaning against the wall in a corner. She seemed to be meditating, but as Lu Ran passed by, she opened her eyes.

“Do you need something?”

“Are you Xia Ri from the Scorching Fire School?” Lu Ran asked.

“And you are?”

Xia Ri glanced at Lu Ran, aware that he was the formidable competitor who had just won his match. However, she found it odd for someone of his identity to suddenly mention the term Scorching Fire School.

“From Rainbow Dojo,” Lu Ran said with a smile.

“I’ve heard about you from Master Jiang Dou. I look forward to meeting you in the arena. Don’t lose before that happens.”

With that, Lu Ran walked past her. Both the Rainbow School Swordsmanship and Scorching Fire School Spear Techniques were part of Xia’s cold weapon schools. Since Master Jiang Dou hoped for a confrontation between them, but Lu Ran felt that not fighting her would be a bit of a shame.

After Lu Ran left, Xia Ri frowned. Rainbow School...? Wasn’t that a school for swordsmanship? How could Lu Ran be from Rainbow Dojo? That didn’t make sense...

She had watched his earlier battle. The defensive prowess of Lu Ran’s dragon lizard was indeed remarkable, but she couldn’t see how his style was connected to Rainbow School.

Unlike her, who wielded a spear during combat while in fusion with her familiar and could awaken her Spear Intent, Lu Ran’s fighting style seemed unrelated.

She believed that her own Spear Intent, combined with her weapon, would be more than enough to deal a fatal blow to the dragon lizard. Even though Lu Ran had performed remarkably in his last match, she didn’t think much of it.

The so-called Dog King Zhou Mo? In her view, he was simply reliant on his familiar’s superior species traits. Against someone with real skill, his flaws would become obvious immediately.

If Lu Ran could wield Dragon Intent, and she could wield Spear Intent, their duel would be a fair match. But now hearing Lu Ran claim to hail from a swordsmanship school, she couldn’t help but feel puzzled.

Could it be that Lu Ran had mastered fusion techniques, enabling him to fight with a sword while fused with his dragon lizard? Her mind began simulating scenarios of Lu Ran fighting in such a manner.

Next up were two Combat Department freshmen preparing for their match. If nothing unexpected happened, the winner of this match would face Lu Ran in the next round. Neither of them was a seeded contestant, though both had participated in multiple rounds of combat during the qualifier matches.

One of them, hailing from Limitless City #2, had contracted a Rock-type Brown Bear. While he only had one contracted familiar, it had been nurtured to level 20 and possessed two fused traits, showcasing impressive strength.

The other competitor came from Limitless City #5 and had so far only revealed one familiar which was a Rock-type Giant Serpent. This familiar had demonstrated just one trait and appeared to be below level 20.

The two Beastmasters had distinctly different backgrounds. One was a former forest ranger, while the other was a snake handler by trade. Many spectators believed the Rock-type Brown Bear had the upper hand in this Rock-type showdown.

However, what no one anticipated was how this relatively unremarkable match, between contestants who were far from being championship favorites, would turn into a spectacular battle.

Gong Kaixin, the snake handler, unveiled a second familiar during the battle which was an Earth-type Giant Turtle with a level similar to his Rock Serpent.

While the addition of the second familiar didn’t guarantee victory, given the relatively low levels of both the turtle and serpent, the turning point came when Gong Kaixin showcased a powerful beastmaster skill: Fusion.

“Even this is possible!?” exclaimed Pluto, who was in another preparation area, visibly stunned as Gong Kaixin merged the turtle and serpent into a creature resembling Xia’s Black Tortoise, a mythical beast. This new hybrid easily overpowered the Brown Bear.

“Where did this Gong Kaixin come from?” shouted Bai Ling, the top contestant from Limitless City #5. She watched as a hidden talent from her city not only emerged but also mimicked the legendary Four Saints concept. Her expression soured further as she observed the feat.

“Fusion beastmaster skills? This might be the first time we’ve seen this in the competition,” the venue erupted in excitement.

Outside the arena.

“Fusion skills... Currently, there’s no reliable way to acquire this particular beastmaster skill. It can only be obtained randomly through rewards in Beginner Trial Secret Realms or ascension realms.

“Combining a turtle and snake, following the Black Tortoise route. This freshman named Gong Kaixin has a bold vision. Is he trying to replicate and cultivate one of our ancient mythical beasts?”

“Unbelievable! The first match featured Lu Ran displaying the rare Dragon Intent, and now the second match has unveiled a formidable Fusion skill. What other surprises await us in this competition?”

The three deans overseeing the tournament showed keen interest. No wonder the competition president had offered rewards so enticing that even seasoned beastmasters were tempted.

These incentives had clearly drawn out an array of remarkably talented newcomers. If such individuals continued to emerge, Xia’s beastmaster field would undoubtedly experience rapid growth.

In the arena, the serpent-turtle hybrid roared, its massive form boasting both a turtle head and a serpent head. Its overwhelming presence rivaled the earlier Two-Headed Hellhound, proving that a familiar seemingly from Hell wasn’t necessarily superior to a mythical creature.

Displaying defenses and strength on par with Sudden Death King, the hybrid made short work of the Brown Bear. The second match was another upset!

This unexpected result left many spectators wondering if Lu Ran, who had been favored as a new championship contender, might now be in trouble.

It wasn’t that the serpent-turtle hybrid was outright stronger than Sudden Death King, but rather, it had the advantage of being an Earth-attribute familiar, which countered Lightning attributes! After all, Lu Ran couldn’t possibly master every counter attribute!

“Damn it, a Black Tortoise mythical creature!? This Gong Kaixin, what kind of godly beastmaster skill does he have?”

Among the spectators, Pig Farmer and the rest were envious. Even their rock-amplifying or lightning-amplifying skills seemed to be lacking when compared to the Fusion skill.

“This fusion beast doesn’t appear to be weaker than the Two-Headed Hellhound, and it might even be stronger. It’s probably not on the Champion Heavenly Familiar Ranking only because a fusion doesn’t count as a single entity,” Lu Yi speculated.

Across the preparation areas, contestants fiercely debated the unexpected emergence of this dark horse. Even Lu Ran couldn’t help but take note. The opponent’s skill was indeed impressive.

It’s not the fusion between beastmaster and familiar, but the fusion between two different familiars where they combined to achieve a synergistic effect greater than the sum of their parts.

I want that... However, Captain Doofus and the Sudden Death King were unlikely to be compatible for fusion.

“So, my next opponent is him.”

Recognizing that the Black Tortoise creature was potentially as powerful as the Two-Headed Hellhound, Lu Ran began to wonder how many other hidden talents still hadn’t revealed their true strength.

No matter what, it didn’t change his resolve. After all, he had his own hidden cards to play.

The competition continued. As the matches approached the final rankings stage, things unfolded just as Lu Ran had expected. Former favorite Zhou Mo, who had been heavily hyped as a top contender, was no longer considered a major threat.

After all, he was merely a fourthe-generation beastmaster from one of the Limitless City guilds, whose fame was built on seizing early opportunities and excessive self-promotion.

Instead, contestants like Gong Kaixin, who had hidden their true strength, began to dominate the spotlight. However, neither Lu Ran nor these rising stars captured the most attention. That distinction went to a girl with special abilities from Imperial Capital, rumored to have awakened telekinesis.

This mysterious beastmaster, known for wearing a white fur cloak, had drawn attention not just for her special abilities, but also for her recently revealed background.

She had a younger sister. This sister was currently Xia’s second strongest beastmaster, the most powerful female beastmaster, and also someone with special abilities. In fact, she was the strongest person with special abilities in the country.

A family of two with special abilities! According to what Manager Ying said, even Gu Qingyi’s abilities were inferior to the younger sister.

The younger sister had awakened her special abilities even before the Spiritual Energy Revival, rising to prominence as Xia’s second-ranked Beastmaster. After the revival, the elder sister also awakened her abilities, displaying extraordinary power.

Compared to this family’s legacy, Dog King Zhou Mo’s reputation as the second-generation beastmaster seemed laughable by comparison.

Even though the girl with special abilities had yet to fully showcase her strength, she had effortlessly defeated every opponent thus far using only basic telekinetic moves. No one doubted that she was the ultimate boss of this freshman competition.

With a sister as powerful as Xia’s second-ranked beastmaster, how could she be weak? As the day’s matches concluded under the scrutiny of various interested parties, Fang Lan advanced with ease as predicted.

However, to everyone’s surprise, the biggest news in Xia wasn’t related to the competition or the speculation about tomorrow’s matches. Instead, a headline from across the ocean in the Eagle Federation swept the globe and even claimed the top spot on Xia’s trending topics.

[A Cross-Era Invention! Prehistoric Giants Extinct for 65 Million Years Have Been Revived!]

[Breaking News from the Eagle Federation! According to the Eagle Federation Research Institute, dinosaurs were successfully resurrected using biotechnology as early as a month ago.]

[Unmatched Talents. Research Shows That Dinosaurs Have a Lowest Base Species Rank of Champion, with Tyrannosaurus Rexes Classified as Superior-Champion Species!]

[A dragon subspecies with the bloodline closest to the dragon type has been born.]

[The Eagle Federation Secretly Forms an Eight-Member ‘Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad’ of Fourth-Generation Beastmasters, All of Whom Make the Champion Heavenly Familiar Ranking!]

[The Eagle Federation is Undoubtedly the World’s Greatest Nation!]

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

[A reporter from the Eagle Federation has released exclusive first-hand footage of an interview with the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad! The video includes the squad members’ evaluations of the first day’s battles in Xia’s Freshmen Competition.]

What infuriated Xia’s beastmasters most was the content of this interview. In the video, a pale-skinned, brown-haired young man smirked and remarked.

“They all seem so average. Especially that lizard with Dragon Intent. It’s laughable that so many people find it impressive. For us in the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad, Dragon Intent is just standard.

“Of course, it’s not fair to compare them to us. After all, our familiars are the result of countless scientists’ wisdom and are nurtured by a team of dozens of experts.

“Comparing us to others would be bullying. But I’ll say this. If our squad entered Xia’s freshmen competition, we’d sweep the top ten spots.”

“Damn it! Arrogant bastards!”

Many of Xia Country’s Beastmasters felt their blood boil, wishing they could punch the smug speaker. However, on international platforms, the mood was celebratory.

People marveled at how the Eagle Federation had not only resurrected dinosaurs but also provided Tyrannosaurs as familiars to fourth-generation beastmasters.

In comparison to ancient tyrants like the Tyrannosaurus Rex, creatures like the Northeastern Tiger and Polar Bear suddenly seemed trivial.

Even though the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad’s boastful words were infuriating, beastmasters from other nations saw their claims as factual rather than provocative.

After all, how could a Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink compare to a Tyrannosaurus Rex? But Xia’s fourth-generation beastmasters refused to remain silent.

They flooded the internet to argue and debate with their foreign counterparts. Amid this chaos, Lu Ran, one of the individuals at the center of this storm, silently browsed the news in his dorm room.

“Dinosaurs revived... This was actually possible? This is so soon. They’re claiming all eight members of the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad possess Dragon Intent? What a joke.”

Still, reflecting on the Eagle Federation’s vast resources and possible investments in this project, Lu Ran couldn’t dismiss the idea entirely.

“Lu Ran!” As he pondered, Manager Ying suddenly appeared in his room.

“You’ve seen the news, haven’t you? That defector, Dr. Yun Han, is one of the creators behind the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad! Did you see how one of them insulted your Sudden Death King? Are you letting that slide?”

“What are you trying to do?” Lu Ran glanced at her, sensing her intention to stir things up.

Manager Ying grinned mischievously. “I just didn’t want you to stew in anger. Consider this a free piece of intel!”

“Based on my information network, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad will be setting up a public challenge arena in a public realm tomorrow. They’ve openly invited fourth-generation beastmasters from all nations to take them on.

“They’re even dangling the promise of dinosaur familiars as bait to recruit foreign talent. It’s all part of a PR stunt to flaunt their strength while stepping on Xia’s fourth-generation beastmasters.

“I suspect that once this news spreads widely, some of our competitors, including some of you currently participating in the freshman competition, won’t be able to resist heading there to challenge them.

“So, what about you? Do you have any plans? The higher-ups are quite supportive of slapping these Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad members in the face.

“Here’s another juicy bit of insider news. The elders have said that anyone who takes down all eight members of the squad might not get a familiar King Species egg, but they’ll be granted resources of equivalent value to the Ethereal Flower, the second-place prize of this competition.”

“Is this for real?” Lu Ran asked.

“Why would I lie to you?”

Manager Ying said, “I’m also pissed off by their arrogance. I was just thinking, doesn’t your husky know Dragon-Slaying Sword Intent? Even though those Tyrannosauruses have a high base species and understand Dragon Intent, you still have a chance, right?”

Lu Ran nodded thoughtfully. “Captain Doofus should reach level 20 in the next two days. If their arena remains open by then, I’ll go take a look at this Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad.”

Actually, even if Manager Ying hadn’t pushed him, Lu Ran would have sought out the arena himself upon hearing the news. After all, Captain Doofus still had a score to settle with Dr. Yun Han, one of the masterminds behind the Tyrannosaurus project.

If they could humiliate the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad, it would count as sweet revenge.

“By the way, where’s Dr. Gu Qingyi? It’s been days without any sign of her,” Lu Ran suddenly asked as he imagined she’d be pretty interested in this news.

“Little Qingyi?”

Manager Ying replied, “She’s off on a deep-sea expedition. The threats lurking in the ocean around Xia are too unpredictable, so she’s investigating whether any creatures could pose a danger to our territory.

“She’s expected to be back in about two weeks. Based on the timeline, she should be returning soon. When she does, we’ll feast! No one has more Dragon resources than her!”