King of Beasts

“Come with me.”

“You two, go quickly and report what’s happened here to my parents.”

The ponytailed girl was fascinated upon seeing Lu Ran because, currently, no one in the Emperor Yan Family could cultivate the Flame Sprite to the second stage anymore.

In fact, even those who could successfully learn the first stage of the Flame Sprite were few and far between.

The first stage of the Flame Sprite is the most basic level, which was the stickman Flame Sprite form that Lu Ran initially awakened.

The second stage involves the absorption and fusion of other strange flames into the Flame Sprite’s form.

Lu Ran’s Flame Sprite currently belonged to the second stage. Shortly after he had learned about the Flame Sprite in the first breakthrough secret realm, he had fused the might of the Fire Dragon with the help of the Flame Dragon King, causing a mutation in his Flame Sprite.

Therefore, to the ponytailed girl, Lu Ran’s skill seemed absolutely incredible.

She grabbed Lu Ran by the hand and instructed two guards to take him into the mansion, while Lu Ran didn’t expect her to be so enthusiastic and unrestrained, unlike the demure ladies of ancient times he had imagined.

“Plan, Execution, Integration…” However, as Lu Ran was pulled through the main gate of the Mansion of Emperor Yan, three words popped into his mind.

He wondered if other challengers had been as lucky as him, quickly blending into an imperial clan on their first day.

…

“My name is Yan Yingying. What’s yours?”

As the girl led Lu Ran to a courtyard filled with maple-like plants, she began to inquire about his information.

“Sudden Death King,” Lu Ran replied.

“Sudden Death King, what a unique name,” Yan Yingying tilted her head slightly in thought, but perhaps limited by the grand will of Infinite City, she didn’t ponder it further.

“Could you show me that again, the Flame Sprite?”

“Sure, no problem.” Lu Ran was mentally prepared to demonstrate his Flame Sprite several times today, so he showed it to Yan Yingying once more. After observing the Flame Sprite up close, Yan Yingying took a deep breath, very certain that this was indeed a beast taming skill of the Flame Sprite!

Still quite unbelievable.

A case of bloodline reversion?

As for the ancestor Yan Sizhen leaving a few bloodlines among the common people, Yan Yingying found that to be entirely plausible.

Of course, there’s also a possibility that Lu Ran is a descendant of other strong members of the Emperor Yan Family who drifted into the common folk over the past centuries.

Since the founding of the Beast Taming Empire, which strong figure hasn’t left some romantic debts outside?

In the Beast Taming Empire, the plot of children and descendants of powerful families from the common folk showing up at the door is far from rare.

But that’s not important now.

What is important is that Lu Ran’s bloodline power is now closest to that of Yan Sizhen.

However, Yan Yingying had never seen anyone like Lu Ran before. After all, from the standpoint of the Yan Clan, Lu Ran’s talent is incredibly strong.

“It really is a Flame Sprite…” Yan Yingying murmured, “You wait here with me; my confirmation alone isn’t enough. If the elders at home also verify without issue, then we must indeed share the same ancestor.”

“Hey, Sudden Death King, can you tell me about your situation? How did you find your way to the Imperial City?”

“…”

Following this, Lu Ran began to converse with Yan Yingying, using the lies he had already crafted. At the same time, after receiving intelligence, Yan Feng, the current head of the Emperor Yan Family and a legendary beastmaster, was shocked beyond belief.

He looked at the guard in front of him and said, “Are you sure it’s a Flame Sprite? And that it has cultivated to the second stage?”

“Absolutely genuine. Not only did the Third Miss recognize it, but the Seventh Princess with her recognized it as well.”

Yan Feng was initially delighted, having never expected that a member of the family with such potent latent talent would suddenly return from among the common folk.

In these chaotic times, various powers are accumulating strength to ensure their legacy can continue through turbulent times.

A genius whose bloodline nearly matches that of ancestor Yan Sizhen returning to recognize his ancestry is indeed good news. However, if this information were to leak to others, that would be problematic.

“The Seventh Princess saw it too??” Yan Feng’s mouth twitched.

“Yes…”

The Seventh Princess, a particularly favored daughter of the current emperor of the Beast Taming Empire, knowing about this means that the royal family will likely be informed of Lu Ran’s arrival very soon…

Yan Feng felt an immense headache. He hoped the royal family wouldn’t compete with him for people. Now, as the empire and the four ferocious beast empires are at war, the royal family is also in desperate need of talent.

A powerful legacy like the Flame Sprite is not only coveted by the Emperor Yan Family but certainly by the royal family as well.

Maple Fire Garden.

“So, you’re quite powerful, huh? You managed to make it all the way to the imperial city on your own.”

“That’s true, since you’ve inherited the Flame Sprite and even advanced it to the second stage, your strength must be considerable.”

“Father!”

Hearing this exclamation from the beautiful red-haired girl in front of him, Lu Ran was momentarily startled, thinking she was calling out to him. He wondered if it was some strange custom.

However, as a laugh echoed through the air, Lu Ran turned slightly to find a distinguished middle-aged man approaching.

“Yingying, is this the one claiming to be a descendant of our ancestor who was lost among the common folk?” The middle-aged man smiled while assessing Lu Ran.

“Yes, Father, but he doesn’t seem to be very talkative. It’s tiring trying to converse with him,” Yan Yingying said helplessly.

“Sudden Death King, this is my father, the current head of the Emperor Yan Family.”

“Greetings, My Lord,” Lu Ran quickly bowed, feeling a bit helpless at being called out for being reserved. In an unfamiliar place, it was safer to adopt the persona of someone who speaks little to avoid making mistakes.

As expected, the head of the Emperor Yan Family also asked Lu Ran to display the Flame Sprite.

“Fire Dragon…”

Observing the fiery aura of the Flame Sprite, he took a deep breath and inquired, “How did you advance the Flame Sprite to the second stage?”

“I don’t really know… My Flame Sprite evolved on its own after I nurtured a Dragon-type pet beast. However, before my parents passed away, they mentioned that my ancestor seemed to have had some fortune in Dragon Valley.”

“Dragon Valley… the late Flame Dragon King?” Yan Feng understood that most likely Lu Ran’s ancestor had received a blessing from the Flame Dragon King.

Mentioning the Flame Dragon King brought a look of regret to Yan Feng’s face. Such a mighty pillar of the Yan Clan had unfortunately perished two hundred years ago. Now, only one of the pet beasts raised by the Emperor Yan Sizhen remained alive.

Perished?

Seeing Yan Feng’s expression sent a jolt through Lu Ran’s heart. Did the Dragon King really pass away? With a level that high, a dragon’s lifespan could easily reach a thousand years, right? Was it due to the war?

Originally, Lu Ran had planned to visit the Dragon King again. He had considered the Dragon King’s offspring as a backup option. How could it be gone?!!!

“That’s indeed a Flame Sprite,” the head of the family, Yan Feng, said warmly. “Sudden Death King, right? Child, it must have been quite the journey for you to come all the way from the Flame Dragon Sacred Domain. It’s truly no easy feat.”

“I will notify the elders to prepare the ancestral recognition ceremony for you.”

“Now that you’re here, make yourself at home and consider us your family.”

“Yingying seems to be a bit older than you, so you can call her Older Sister for now. She’ll help you find a room to stay in, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Alright,” Lu Ran replied, touched by Yan Feng’s kindness. He felt grateful to Infinite City for making his integration into this new identity so smooth and easy.

…

Thus, Lu Ran settled into the Emperor Yan Family without any issues. However, despite having the Flame Sprite as proof, as someone with an unknown background, it wasn’t possible for the family to immediately entrust him with any significant role.

After Yan Feng’s warm welcome, a stern and seemingly powerful elder soon appeared in Lu Ran’s courtyard.

“Show me your Flame Sprite,” the elder demanded bluntly, his expression unfriendly. Seeing this, Lu Ran knew he couldn’t refuse. He released the Flame Sprite and asked, “And you are…?”

The elder examined the Flame Sprite with an impassive face before speaking. “Judging by the energy fluctuations of your Flame Sprite, your strength isn’t insignificant. You must have other motives than just ancestral recognition, correct?”

With that, the elder exerted a faint pressure.

“Well…” Lu Ran hesitated, then explained, “When my master passed away, he told me that beast taming cultivation was incredibly difficult. With the current chaotic times, I wouldn’t be able to get far on my own. He knew about my Flame Sprite, so he recommended I come to the imperial city for ancestral recognition.”

“He said having the support of a family would greatly benefit my personal safety, the development of my Flame Sprite, and even in taming new pets. So, here I am.”

“You speak the truth; your master was a wise person,” the elder said, acknowledging Lu Ran’s honesty about seeking ancestral recognition for the family’s protection.

“However, it’s unfortunate that even after recognition, the family can’t help you develop the Flame Sprite. As for that skill of your ancestor’s, no one in the entire Emperor Yan Family has mastered it better than you.”

“No problem. I’m still in need of a powerful pet beast. If the family can help me acquire one, I’d be more than willing to serve the family…” Lu Ran replied candidly.

The elder was taken aback. Weren’t the reports saying this kid was reserved? How did he become so straightforward here? This kid’s goal was crystal clear-ancestral recognition purely to borrow the family’s strength.

Despite this surprise, the elder felt reassured. If Lu Ran had come for recognition without any goal, it would have raised suspicions. But a desire to leverage the family’s power to advance his beast taming was understandable.

“That’s just fundamental. Regardless of any family member, the family will do its utmost to help find a suitable pet beast. After your ancestral recognition, you will naturally be no exception,” the elder explained. “So, you’re seeking ancestral recognition mainly to seek the family’s help in contracting a powerful new pet beast?”

“Yes, that’s the idea. I’ve searched for many pet beasts during my travels, but sadly, none were what I was looking for,” Lu Ran nodded earnestly.

“Heh, how can individual efforts compare with those of an imperial clan? Tell me, what type of pet beast are you looking for? I’d like to hear.”

“I’d like a Pseudo-legendary species pet beast.”

“Ha! Why don’t you just wish for a legendary divine beast?” The old man was exasperated, feeling like this kid was asking for the moon.

Though today’s royal and the five great imperial clans have some records of legendary and Pseudo-legendary creatures, capturing one as a pet is no easy task.

“I’d like that too, but I probably couldn’t handle a legendary divine beast,” Lu Ran replied with an innocent look.

In truth, Lu Ran did know the location of a divine beast, as the Tree King Phantom had told him.

One of the retainers of the Death Dragon resides in the abyss of an endless sea region to the north of the continent.

Lu Ran aimed to nurture a pet beast with high flying speed so that he could one day find the retainer of the Death Dragon.

However, after learning about the relationship between the Star Moon Federation and Blue Star, Lu Ran realized that one day he could personally go to the Star-Moon Continent to find the true Divine Deer. He thus gave up on the idea of using the breakthrough secret realm to seek out the Death Dragon’s retainer.

It was simply too time-consuming and too dangerous.

It would be better to wait until he reached the Star Moon Federation to find the real Divine Deer, and then, through its connections, possibly meet other retainers.

Who knows, maybe the legendary “stone of the other shore” on Blue Star was left behind by the Death Dragon’s retainer.

“You…”

At that moment, the old man was utterly speechless.

He felt an overwhelming urge to strangle this kid.

Initially, he was excited to learn of a family member returning with an awakened Flame Sprite power.

He thought perhaps joining this family with his granddaughter might lead to a great-grandchild with even greater potential.

But then, he realized this guy wasn’t quite the sharpest tool in the shed.

Pseudo-legendary… If Lu Ran managed to contract a Pseudo-legendary pet beast, the old man joked to himself, he’d write his own name backwards!