Beastmaster King-Chapter 332 - Rigged, Absolutely Rigged

Regarding Lu Ran’s Twin Crows, the alliance had already discussed the matter internally. Such a unique familiar might not be the only one in the world, but it was certainly the only one in this tournament.

It went without saying that such a unique familiar would inevitably spark controversy. Xia naturally wouldn’t allow the tournament organizers to add special rules banning the Twin Crows from competing.

At this point, it depended on how other factions viewed this familiar. Currently, given Lu Ran’s deep association with the Undead attribute, many countries that had no particular fondness for Xia wouldn’t bother opposing the Twin Crows over such a trivial matter.

Allowing Lu Ran’s Twin Crows to compete wouldn’t cause them any significant losses, so they didn’t see the need to antagonize them over it.

From the perspective of countries at odds with Xia, even if Lu Ran were allowed to use a mere level 40 Overlord, it wouldn’t have much impact on the tournament.

Lu Ran, a fourth-generation beastmaster participating in a tournament dominated by second-generation competitors, was already at a disadvantage. If they were to target him further under these circumstances, it would reflect poorly on them.

“If we restrict his familiars, Xia might just replace him last-minute, and Lu Ran could withdraw from the tournament altogether. That would be boring.”

In Alliance City, Pari, the president of the Eagle Federation Alliance, swirled his glass of red wine as he read the announcement, smiling faintly.

If the Eagle Federation targeted Lu Ran over such a minor issue, it would make it seem like they were afraid of him. Instead, allowing Lu Ran to compete without restrictions, only for him to suffer a crushing defeat during the tournament, would be far more entertaining.

Pari dialed a number located in the Other Shore and said, “Dr. Hayden, care to visit Alliance City? Xia’s challenge is coming up, and I’ve arranged quite the show. It’ll be amusing to see Lu Ran, the one who ruined the dinosaur project, humiliated.”

After a moment of silence, Dr Hayden replied, “Pari, forget it. The ancient marine life revival is at a critical stage. I can’t leave...”

Dr. Hayden had lost his fighting spirit. First, the Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad was annihilated by a husky, then the Shieldwing Dragon King crushed the ancient dragons, and later, Lu Ran’s string of miracles left Dr. Hayden with a psychological blow.

The dinosaur revival project, which was largely funded by Pari, couldn’t really be called a failure. However, its impact fell far short of expectations, all because of Lu Ran’s sudden rise. Dr. Hayden had accepted this, but it seemed Pari hadn’t swallowed his pride, given the financial and political stakes involved.

“How boring.” Pari scoffed.

“I mean... You know what, never mind. I’ve changed my mind!”

Dr. Hayden initially wanted to say that crushing Lu Ran with second-generation gatekeepers wouldn’t mean much, since Lu Ran was only a fourth generation. The real satisfaction would come from their own fourth-generation Tyrannosaurus Rex Squad defeating him.

But alas, that goal seemed increasingly difficult, unless the Eagle Federation made another major technological breakthrough, perhaps in the field of mecha familiars.

In the end, Dr. Hayden ultimately decided to humor Pari, given their reliance on his funding.

“Fine, I’ll come see Professor Lu Ran get humiliated.”

Might as well release some tension.

***

Meanwhile, after Lu Ran arrived in Alliance City, he found himself with little to do. With only a day left, he saw no point in training his familiars. It was better to let them rest before the tournament.

“The cooldown for the Evolution Secret Realm is almost up. After clearing the level 3 ascension realm, I’ll evolve Baby Cloud in the Evolution Secret Realm before heading to Stellar Moon Federation.”

The place discovered by the old president had been confirmed as a cross-world teleportation array left by the Divine Dragon’s kin. However, activating it required Space-attribute resources as offerings, and the cost was substantial. Xia hadn’t attempted it yet.

After thorough research, they planned to send a clone of Manager Ying to test it first. If it proved safe, Lu Ran and Manager Ying’s true form would follow to search for the Divine Deer. Safety came first.

It wasn’t that they feared danger in the Stellar Moon Federation, but rather that the old teleportation array might be unstable. If something went wrong, only Manager Ying’s clone would be lost, which was a minor setback.

Before they knew it, the day before the tournament arrived. The matchups for the next day’s challenge were randomly announced.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit...”

“What the fuck?”

Dean Qin and Youxiong reacted calmly when they saw their gatekeeper assignments. While these opponents were somewhat renowned internationally, they weren’t overwhelmingly powerful. With effort, the fourth stage might still be within reach.

It wasn’t that they considered themselves weaker than the fourth stage’s gatekeepers, but the tournament required consecutive battles without rest. By the time they reached the fourth stage, they’d already be worn out from three fights. Naturally, they wouldn’t be in peak condition. But everyone faced the same rules, so it was fair.

However, when the two Xia second generations saw Lu Ran’s gatekeeper lineup, they were stunned. Not only was Lu Ran scheduled to challenge first the next day, but his gatekeeper list was downright absurd.

The first gatekeeper was Leon, a level 4 third-generation beastmaster from Gaul. Among the beastmasters from the third generation, Leon was undoubtedly one of the strongest, having cleared a level 3 Legendary secret realm with three teammates. In Gaul’s third-generation rankings, he was easily on top.

In the entire Alliance Tournament history, only four times had the first gatekeeper been a member of the third generation with Legendary potential. This was because such talents were rare. Yet Lu Ran had somehow drawn this minuscule chance, and that wasn’t all.

The second gatekeeper was Chris, a level 4 second-generation beastmaster from Canada. This was another person who had cleared a Legendary secret realm with a team. Unlike others from his generation, he hadn’t entered an ascension realm because he’d spent too much time on Legendary secret realms.

The third gatekeeper was Takagi Shu, a level 4 second-generation beastmaster from Japan. He was another second-generation powerhouse who had cleared a level 4 Legendary secret realm. Unlike Leon and Chris, who had relied on four-person teams, Takagi had done it with just three, making him one of Japan’s strongest second-generation beastmasters.

Lu Ran had somehow drawn three Legendary-potential gatekeepers in a row. With such a rigged matching system, even second-generation beastmasters from smaller nations would struggle, let alone a member of the fourth generation like Lu Ran. But that wasn’t even the worst part.

The fourth gatekeeper was Jack Miss, a level 5 second-generation beastmaster from the Eagle Federation. If the previous three were nationally renowned, Jack was a global superstar.

Aside from Lu Ran, he was the only one to have solo-cleared a Legendary secret realm, earning him the title of strongest second-generation beastmaster. Even the first-generation beastmasters from the Ten Great Beastmaster Kings, who had attempted Legendary secret realms before their familiars’ second evolutions, had failed to solo-clear.

But Jack had done it, although it was at the cost of four familiars. Later, it was confirmed that this hadn’t weakened him. In fact, it made him stronger. With just one remaining familiar, he had cleared the level 4 ascension realm.

Moreover, his ace familiar had become a Low Overlord at level 50 during trait fusion. It was a terrifying feat of potential. Clearly, channeling all the resources from solo-clearing a Legendary secret realm into a single familiar had paid off.

In the Alliance Tournament, Jack’s lack of familiars wasn’t even a disadvantage, as gatekeepers only needed to fight participants one-on-one. Facing Jack as the fourth gatekeeper was the worst possible scenario.

“Rigged!”

“Absolutely rigged!”

Dean Qin, as a high-ranking academic, should have maintained decorum. But after seeing Lu Ran’s gatekeeper list, he couldn’t help but curse on Lu Ran’s behalf.

“Fucking hell... What kind of joke is this?” Youxiong also felt sickened.

This is blatant targeting. Is it really necessary to go this hard against a fourth-generation beastmaster? Four consecutive gatekeepers that have cleared Legendary secret realms? At least the fifth gatekeeper is somewhat normal.

Assuming Lu Ran wouldn’t make it past the first four stages, the fifth was relatively fair. It was a level 5 first-generation gatekeeper from Egypt with no Legendary secret realm clears, no rumored domain mastery, and only one highlight. It was about a newly bred Overlord, though its level might not even be high.

He might not even be as strong or threatening as Jack. He was the only normal one among the five gatekeepers, but who could even reach that stage?

Dean Qin contacted Lu Ran, urging him to reach out to Senator Zheng. “Lu Ran, you have to protest. This is absolutely rigged.”

Lu Ran replied, “Senator Zheng is already protesting, but the matching was done under the knowledge of the monitoring committee, which includes Xia’s members. The rigging is just that well-hidden. Officially, there’s no loophole.

“From the tournament’s perspective, after so many days of matching, it’s normal for one unlucky person to draw a tough lineup, right?”

Dean Qin was fuming. “Fucking disgusting.”

Once Lu Ran’s gatekeeper list went public, the world erupted. Everyone was baffled by the matchups.

“Oh my god, why does this lineup seem to be targeting Lu Ran?”

“It’s probably just bad luck. If they wanted to target him, why not just ban the Twin Crows and deprive him of an Overlord fighter?”

“Could it be that they want to play victim while still screwing him over?” A Xia netizen vented angrily.

“It’s surely just a coincidence! Lu Ran’s just unlucky! Not that it matters. A fourth-generation beastmaster wasn’t going far anyway. This way, even if he loses, it won’t be embarrassing.”

“The gatekeeper matching is overseen by monitors, including Xia’s own. How could it be rigged? Stop arguing...”

While Xia’s citizens unanimously cried foul, international forums largely dismissed it as bad luck. Xia’s netizens couldn’t sway the global narrative.

“What now?” Even Manager Ying came to ask Lu Ran’s opinion.

“It doesn’t matter. There's no need to protest. Tell the higher-ups to relax. If I can crush these gatekeepers despite the rigging, won’t that just make us look even stronger?”

Lu Ran remained calm while sipping juice on the sofa, replenishing his sugar levels.

The cat stared at him, stunned.

This kid really has no fear...

The sourc𝗲 of this content is fre(e)novelkiss