King of Beasts

“I heard, Professor Ye, that you brought back a long leaved sword grass from the breakthrough secret realm…”

“I’m quite interested in this plant, so I was hoping to take a look.”

“Oh.” In a certain research institute, Professor Ye was watering flowers while taking the call. She nodded and said, “I see.”

She pretty much understood.

Lu Ran, that dog, was skilled in using sword-like weapons.

Now, it was clear that Lu Ran had a sudden idea to see if the long leaved sword grass could be used as a sword.

“Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem.” However, facing Lu Ran’s request, Professor Ye regretfully said:

“If you had contacted me earlier, there might have been a chance.”

“What happened?” Lu Ran was puzzled.

“That long leaved sword grass is almost dead. It’s already wilted. Its toughness and sharpness are gone, and it’s become very soft.”

“If you want to see it, now is definitely not the right time.”

Lu Ran: ???

Aren’t you a botanist? How could you let it die!

“No problem, Professor Ye. Do you have some time now?” Lu Ran still wanted to take a look.

“Sure, come over to my place. We should live quite close to each other.”

Both Professor Ye and Lu Ran were professors in the cultivating department, but one specialized in cultivation while the other specialized in Culinary.

Their research institutes weren’t too far apart.

In no time, Lu Ran arrived for a visit.

Professor Ye seemed to be in her late twenties, wearing a white lab coat. She had a round face with faint freckles, brown short hair, and glasses.

Upon seeing Lu Ran, she greeted the younger and promising colleague, who was ten years her junior, “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

After a friendly handshake, Professor Ye turned around and said, “If you want to see the long leaved sword grass, follow me.”

With that, she led Lu Ran to a gigantic outdoor research area that resembled a botanical garden.

Along the way, Lu Ran saw many special plants potted in various containers. As for why they weren’t planted in the ground, he realized after reading the information about the soil.

[Red Soil]: Suitable for fire species plant growth…

[Black Soil]: Suitable for dark species plant growth…

Each plant required different types of soil in various colors. It was clear that the ordinary soil from the Blue Star couldn’t meet the growing needs of Professor Ye’s experimental plants.

“This is it.”

Soon, Professor Ye led Lu Ran to a separate area where there was only one plant, illuminated by a special light source providing nutrients. Yet, it still couldn’t prevent the plant from withering.

Lu Ran looked at the long leaved sword grass.

It resembled the “sisal” herb found on the Blue Star.

Of course, the difference lay in the leaves. Sisal had many leaves, often dozens, each resembling a sword.

But this long leaved sword grass had only one leaf.

[Name]: Long Leaved Sword Grass

[Level]: Exquisite

[Introduction]: A rare ferocious plant with a very low probability of developing sapience and beginning an evolutionary path.

As expected!

The introduction of a ferocious plant was quite different from the supplementary resources suitable for pet beasts.

“What a pity.” At this moment, Lu Ran understood why Professor Ye felt so regretful. The green sword leaf that should have been standing tall was now mostly yellow and wilting, with even the sharpest part starting to droop.

This was already a “dying” ferocious plant.

“After I transplanted it from the secret realm to here, I immediately simulated its original environment in every way possible, providing it with the required nutrients…”

“But still, I couldn’t make it thrive as it did in its original habitat.”

“Forget about cultivating it to develop sapience; right now, it’s a challenge to keep it alive as an ordinary plant.” Professor Ye said self-deprecatingly:

“I guess I was aiming too high. For the next phase of plant and pet beast research, I should start with some ordinary species of supernatural plants.”

The main issue was that losing an exquisite ferocious plant was too great a loss to bear.

“Indeed.”

“Professor Ye, would you be willing to sell this nearly dead long leaved sword grass to me?” Lu Ran suddenly asked.

“Hmm?” Professor Ye’s glasses reflected light as she looked puzzled. “If it were in perfect condition, I wouldn’t be surprised by your request. Many have wanted to buy my long leaved sword grass before.”

“But as you can see, it’s already in this state. I’ve tried various methods, including using pet beast nourishment and special resources to rejuvenate it, but nothing has stopped its decline. In less than a month, it will probably die completely. Why do you want to buy it?”

“Wait, you’re not planning to cook the long leaved sword grass, are you?” Professor Ye was incredulous. That was absolutely out of the question. She had cared for this sword grass for a long time, and although it was dying, she had developed some attachment to it. It would be too tragic for its final moments to end up as food.

“Of course not.” Lu Ran’s mouth twitched. Everyone knew that ferocious plants were not suitable as food.

Their nutritional value was probably not even as high as some rare resources.

Low nutritional value aside, most ferocious plants would actually harm the body if consumed.

Just like some ordinary plants on the Blue Star, some are delicious and nutritious, while others are unpleasant and harmful.

“To be frank, I am indeed interested in the long leaved sword grass. If Professor Ye thinks it can’t be saved, why not let me try?”

“If I manage to revive it, it shows my skill, and it’s like finding a treasure.”

“If I fail, I’ll accept the loss, and you, Professor Ye, can at least recover some of your investment.”

“Would you be willing to part with it at a low price?”

Lu Ran asked. If the long leaved sword grass were in a healthy state, he wouldn’t be able to afford it without selling his most valuable resources, even if it hadn’t developed sapience.

However, an almost dead long leaved sword grass gave Lu Ran hope.

Could the Spirit Transformation Pot rejuvenate this withering long leaved sword grass?

Lu Ran had previously bought several nearly rotten plant-based ingredients from the Infinite City. After throwing them into the Spirit Transformation Pot, they became fresh and plump in no time.

Although the long leaved sword grass wasn’t food, Lu Ran felt that reviving it wouldn’t conflict with the operating mechanism of the Spirit Transformation Pot.

The only challenge was that the quality of the long leaved sword grass was very high, nearly matching that of the Spirit Transformation Pot. Reviving it might take a long time, during which Lu Ran wouldn’t be able to use the Pot for anything else.

But that wasn’t a big deal. Recently, he wasn’t short on ingredients or crystal coins. The Beast Taming University had provided him with high-quality Loong food, all extremely fresh, so he didn’t need the Spirit Transformation Pot for now.

Lu Ran was indeed interested in the long leaved sword grass. Its moderate length meant that General Ha carrying it wouldn’t look odd.

At this moment, hearing Lu Ran’s words, Professor Ye frowned, looking at the long leaved sword grass and then at Lu Ran.

Lu Ran claimed he had a way to reverse the condition of the long leaved sword grass?

To be honest, even though she had purchased intelligence from the cat-eared maid café, knowing a few possible methods to reverse its vitality, none of the current techniques on Blue Star could achieve this.

Therefore, she wasn’t very optimistic about Lu Ran.

“It’s possible,” Professor Ye said. She had indeed given up on the long leaved sword grass. According to what Lu Ran said, this way, she could minimize her losses.

Moreover, considering Lu Ran’s promising future, Professor Ye was also willing to do him this favor.

However, even if it was a withered long leaved sword grass, exchanging it for some crystal coins or ordinary resources still felt like a loss to Professor Ye.

After all, she had invested significant effort to obtain and cultivate this sword grass.

“But, may I make a request?”

“I don’t need crystal coins.”

“I would like to ask you, Professor Lu, to help me cook something, a barter exchange.” Professor Ye looked at Lu Ran.

“Dragon Cuisine??”

If Dragon Cuisine could be used for the exchange, it would be the least painful way for Lu Ran to make the purchase.

As expected, in this era, having a unique skill is more valuable than money.

“Sort of. I would like to ask Professor Lu to use your Culinary Intent to help make some fertilizer.”

Lu Ran: ?

Alright, alright, all you cultivation department botanists like to mess with chefs, right?

“I have a few special plants containing Dragon Power that I cultivate. Usually, I water them with Dragon Blood. After seeing you, Professor Lu, I had a sudden idea. What changes would occur in their growth if fertilized with something transformed by Dragon Cuisine?”

Professor Ye adjusted her glasses, her interest piqued. The cultivation of the sword grass had failed, but other experiments were still ongoing.

“No problem,” Lu Ran agreed without hesitation.

From now on, Professor Ye would be his partner. The two would research Loong-type plants together… investing a bit of Dragon Cuisine, it made perfect sense.

Thus, Lu Ran never expected that he could so easily get his hands on the long leaved sword grass through such an arrangement.

Though it was a nearly dead sword grass.

After leaving Professor Ye, Lu Ran placed the long leaved sword grass into the Spirit Transformation Pot.

In fact, it wouldn’t take long. In a day or two, Lu Ran would be able to tell if the Spirit Transformation Pot had any effect on the long leaved sword grass by observing its changes.

If it had no effect, Lu Ran would simply accept it. But if it worked, even if it took a few months to nurture, it would be a huge gain.

Of course, Professor Ye didn’t lose out either, as she could obtain Loong-type fertilizer from the only Dragon Chef, minimizing her losses.

Lu Ran liked these win-win outcomes.

“Alright, as for the weapon, let’s bet on this one for now.” Having set everything in order, Lu Ran decided to make further preparations for the legendary secret realm.

He took out his phone and contacted Fang Lan.

“What are you doing?” Lu Ran asked immediately after the connection was established.

“Conducting an experiment! Waiting for a reaction…” Fang Lan replied.

Fang Lan had also applied for her own laboratory at the beast taming university.

For the university, Fang Lan was a super talent. Although her rank in the Freshman Tournament wasn’t top-notch, the issue was, she wasn’t in the combat department.

She was in the Healing Department, specializing in toxicology.

The number of first three generations of beastmasters in Xia Country was limited.

Most of them were in the combat department.

Even if they had a secondary profession, it was mostly as a chef or a forgemaster.

Doctors, however, were a rare occupation.

And those proficient in poison attributes were even rarer, just a handful.

After all, why would a normal beastmaster forgo the Domineering Energy of thunder or the destructive power of fire to cultivate poison, such a dangerous attribute?

Researching poison, a single mistake could be lethal.

Even if someone started in this field, most would die in the process. Creating a new knowledge domain from scratch is the hardest pioneering effort.

Unlike Fang Lan, who had access to a complete toxicology curriculum at the beginner stage.

Currently, in Xia Country, the number of beastmasters proficient in poison is fewer than ten.

How could the beast taming university not prioritize a poison attribute genius like Fang Lan, who hails from a family of medical experts?

Her training level might even surpass some of the strongest talents in the combat department.

“Did you see the news about the Snowfield Federation tackling a legendary secret realm?” Lu Ran asked.

“I saw it! Are you also eager to conquer a level 1 legendary secret realm? Take me with you! Let’s team up.” On the other end of the line, Fang Lan’s tired voice suddenly became energetic.

“I refuse,” Lu Ran said.

Fang Lan: ???

“Legendary secret realms are different from abyss secret realms. They are extremely dangerous inside. I can’t guarantee your safety. Even for myself, I have to be extremely cautious. One mistake could mean we don’t make it out.”

“Moreover, according to my intelligence, the more people who challenge a legendary secret realm, the worse the rewards. If you don’t have perfectly suited teammates, soloing is actually safer and more cost-effective.”

“Alright,” Fang Lan pouted. She wasn’t unreasonable and knew that challenging a powerful secret realm with an unevenly matched team could be more dangerous than going solo.

The most terrifying thing is having weak teammates.

They could easily become the breakthrough point for a powerful boss.

If a teammate is in crisis and others try to save them, it can disrupt the entire battle rhythm.

Fang Lan clearly did not want to be Lu Ran’s “weak link.”

“However, you might not be able to personally participate in the secret realm challenge, but you can still contribute indirectly. Can you prepare some venom for me like last time when I tackled the Abandoned Testing Ground secret realm?” Lu Ran asked with a smile.

“Heh,” Fang Lan replied. “No problem.”

“But Dragon Clan creatures have very high poison resistance. Their Dragon Blood has innate detoxifying properties. It’s very difficult to create a poison effective against them.”

“If I could enter the secret realm, using poison attribute energy to enhance the venom’s properties would make it much easier. But just carrying the poison might be a bit demanding.”

“So, there’s a way, right?” Lu Ran asked.

“Yeah, I need a sample of the Diamond Dragon’s Dragon Blood, the more, the better. Only then can I concoct a highly effective venom.”

“Can you get it?” Fang Lan asked.

“I can! But give me some time. I’ll get it to you within half a month.”

“Alright,” Fang Lan said. “I’ll wait for your Dragon Blood.”

…

Two days later.

The beast taming university officially started its term.

However, it seemed that Lu Ran neither needed to attend classes nor give lectures.

In the forging department, Lu Ran, due to his mastery of the Flame Sprite, was more skilled in smelting mineral materials than some forging masters. Putting him in ordinary classes with other freshmen would squander this Talent. Therefore, Master Lin decided to give him special tutoring, starting with teaching him inscription engraving.

On the culinary side, they also didn’t want teaching duties to impede Lu Ran’s research time.

Though Lu Ran could teach the basics, it was unnecessary and a waste of his talent. The cultivating department directly set his knife skills and fire skills courses as advanced classes, which only elite students selected at the end of the term could opt for.

Thus, without the interference of trivial matters, Lu Ran dedicated himself to researching culinary arts and training his pet beast.

During this period, he continuously experimented with complex dishes, such as Dragon Beard Noodles, Meat Dragon, Spicy Lobster, and Squirrel Dragon Fish, abandoning the primitive barbecue style and incorporating various supernatural ingredients and seasonings.

There were cases of failure, but also instances where the nutritional value skyrocketed.

But Lu Ran thoroughly enjoyed his experiments. After all, having food made him happy. Even when a dish failed, it just meant the nutritional value didn’t meet the expected greater-than-10 standard. The taste was still decent.

Having just finished a bowl of Dragon Blood Vermicelli Soup, Lu Ran routinely checked on the long leaved sword grass…

“Huh??” After two days, the long leaved sword grass finally showed some changes. Not in a negative direction, but rather, its life form was much better compared to when Lu Ran first brought it back. The withered areas had begun to show a hint of green!

“Come on, grass, give it your best. I don’t expect you to develop sapience like Professor Ye does. Just recover your vitality as a normal sword grass… Then, I’ll let beastmasters from other countries witness what it means for a single blade of grass to cut down a True Dragon!” Lu Ran tried to use telepathy to encourage the long leaved sword grass, regardless of whether the grass, which hadn’t developed sapience yet, could understand.

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