Chapter 136: Dr. Gu: Huh?

Outside of Shanghai, on the vast, endless expanse of water.Under the sunlight, the sea surface sparkled.

With a splash, a blue-green Eastern divine loong soared from the deep sea into the sky. Atop its head stood a woman in a black wetsuit, her eyes dazedly looking at the sun.

“More than half a month already.”

The vast sea azure dragon soared through the clouds as Gu Qingyi murmured to herself.

Some time ago, she had ventured deep into the ocean from Shanghai, riding the vast sea azure dragon. Her goals were twofold: to train her pet beast’s strength and to investigate deep sea threats. This trip had taken her more than half a month.

After emerging, Gu Qingyi’s first thought was about Lu Ran.

Had he successfully passed the breakthrough secret realm?

How had he performed in the Freshman Tournament?

Leaving the trait crystal and beast taming skill with Manager Ying before she left, she still felt a bit uneasy.

Gu Qingyi took out her phone, just about to call Manager Ying to ask for an update, when a series of news notifications popped up, leaving her slightly stunned.

Headlines like “Tyrannosaurus Rex resurrected!” “Passerby A’s sword slash defeats sovereign Tyrannosaurus Rex” “First Dragon Chef on blue star born” “Culinary Department professor joins forging department and crushes combat genius” and other chaotic news made her almost think her brain was waterlogged.

“Huh?”

“What have I missed?”

…

At the same time, Lu Ran had already returned to Sky City.

When he emerged from infinite city, Manager Ying was waiting for him in the living room.

“Hey, not bad.”

Though Manager Ying had thought that Erha, with its sword intent of the Dragon Slayer Sword, wouldn’t be at a disadvantage against the Tyrannosaurus Rex, seeing Lu Ran win so easily made it realize it had underestimated these two.

“It’s just attribute restraint,” Lu Ran smiled.

“By the way, about the exquisite resources…”

“I want an ethereal flower, is that okay?”

“Knew you’d be fixated on that.” Manager Ying showed a knowing expression: “Got it, I’ll relay your request to Shi Zhen.”

“Shi Zhen, he’s the president of beast taming university, right?” Lu Ran asked.

“His infinite city ID is Earth-shattering. Like Gu Qingyi, he’s one of the first-generation beastmasters, one of the 13 Level 5 beastmasters in Xia Country.”

“However… it’s likely he’ll have to step down from the frontline soon,” Manager Ying said.

“What happened?” Lu Ran asked curiously.

“He got hit with a curse in the breakthrough secret realm, making him unfit for combat. So the guild leader suggested he step down for some rest, and that’s why he was given the leisurely position of university president.”

“If the curse can be lifted, he might return to the frontline. If not, he might have to retire altogether.”

Lu Ran nodded, realizing how unforgiving the path of beast taming could be. This meant that the 13 active frontline fighters might soon be reduced to 12.

“What kind of curse is it?”

“Well, it’s serious but not life-threatening…”

“He offended a witch in the breakthrough secret realm, causing him to occasionally transform into a woman. During the gender transition, his power significantly decreases… But at least his life isn’t in danger.”

“Damn!” Lu Ran couldn’t hold back. How could that not be serious?

“Uh-oh,” Manager Ying covered its mouth. Oops, it had just spilled some high-level intelligence. If Shi Zhen found out, he would definitely kill it.

“I gave you this intel for free, so don’t spread it around. And when you meet President Shi Zhen, stay calm and don’t sell me out!!”

“Okay, he’s not one to show his face often. I’ll bring you the ethereal flower when it’s ready.”

“Damn.” Lu Ran still couldn’t quickly accept it. No wonder it’s always the vice president appearing in the news about beast taming university. So that’s why…

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Although he didn’t know this big shot Shi Zhen, Lu Ran felt deep sympathy for him.

First, he thanked him for the advance payment of his teaching salary, and then for the ethereal flower…

If he ever found a way to lift the curse, he would definitely help him!

This curse was too inhumane. Even turning someone into an old man or a child would be better than a gender change.

How could he face his relatives and friends? If he was married with kids, it would be even crueler.

“Do you have any intelligence on the witch Shi Zhen offended? Just in case I ever enter the same breakthrough secret realm, I can avoid her,” Lu Ran asked.

“Information like this isn’t free,” Manager Ying extended its cat paw, rubbing it together to signify payment.

“Forget it.” Lu Ran sighed, feeling a bit exasperated. “I’ll just avoid any women in any secret realms I enter.”

“???”

“What kind of logic is that?” Manager Ying was puzzled.

Lu Ran whistled, not because he was unwilling to spend the money, but because he thought it was unlikely he’d be unlucky enough to encounter such a curse.

“Wait, is Dr. Gu back?” Just then, Lu Ran’s phone rang.

Lu Ran picked it up and saw that the caller was none other than Gu Qingyi, who had been out of touch for a long time.

“Is she finally back?” Manager Ying’s eyes lit up. “Ask her what intelligence she gathered from the deep sea.”

“You just want free intel, don’t you?”

“With our relationship, it’s called intelligence sharing,” Manager Ying corrected.

“Then I think our relationship could also level up to intelligence sharing…” Lu Ran quickly answered the call under Manager Ying’s murderous gaze.

“Ah…” On the other end, Gu Qingyi took a deep breath.

“Lu Ran, I just went through the news from the past few weeks.”

“You’ve really made a name for yourself.”

Originally, with the Eagle Federation’s resurrection of dinosaurs, Gu Qingyi, as a Loong-type researcher in Xia Country, would have been under immense pressure.

But when the news came out that Lu Ran had easily defeated the Tyrannosaurus Rex team, that pressure vanished.

Instead, the Federation’s dinosaur life research institute found itself under tremendous pressure from Xia Country’s Dragon Chef, Lu Ran.

This reversal left Gu Qingyi a bit bewildered. After all, Lu Ran was just a Fourth Generation rookie.

What exactly had this guy done in the breakthrough secret realm to receive Yan Sizhen’s inheritance?

“You’re too kind, Dr. Gu,” Lu Ran said with a bright smile.

“I’m heading to Sky City right now.”

“We’ll talk when we meet.”

After her return, Gu Qingyi should have reported to the Alliance headquarters first, but she only wanted to go to Sky City immediately.

“By the way,” Manager Ying spoke up, “You want the ethereal flower to awaken your pet beast’s Space attribute, right?”

“I suggest you ask for her advice later to ensure the best order for fusion and awakening.”

“I know.” Lu Ran nodded.

The third trait for Sudden Death King would definitely be a Loong-type trait.

As for General Ha, even if Lu Ran wanted it to awaken the Space attribute, he wouldn’t do it at level 30.

It would be more appropriate at level 40 or level 50, but not at level 30.

That’s because at level 30, pet beasts face a crucial turning point: their first stage of evolution.

This evolution differs from the previous two trait fusions in that it has the greatest impact on species, form, attributes, gender, abilities, and talents!

It will integrate all the pet beast’s previous potential and talents, prompting a transformation.

During this process, the pet beast’s form will change significantly鈥”it could even become a different species, like a fish leaping over the dragon gate. Even if the previous three fusions were all traits, new attributes could emerge during this evolution, and some pet beasts might even change gender.

The species talent awakened at the level 30 stage is also called an evolution talent and is generally stronger.

This evolution is also the key stage for a significant increase in the pet beast’s species level.

Most beastmasters’ pet beasts achieve the sovereign species level during this level 30 evolution stage. If this opportunity is missed, it becomes much harder later on.

If Lu Ran wanted General Ha’s first evolution to be perfect, the new power fused at level 30 had to be chosen with great care.

It had to be highly compatible with the traits of weapon mastery, nature control, as well as General Ha’s species, attributes, and talents.

If he fused the Space attribute at level 30, it would be like opening a new track for General Ha. Although the Space attribute is strong, its power might not integrate perfectly into the upcoming evolution.

At level 30, General Ha needed a trait that could assist in a perfect evolution, rather than adding a powerful new attribute.

The Space attribute could be pursued at level 40, 50, or 60, during the second stage of evolution, as a new power domain to fuse. This would allow for a higher margin of error.

So, after obtaining the ethereal flower, Lu Ran thought it over. He would either give it to General Ha at level 40 or see if it would be suitable for his third or fourth pet.

Before long, Gu Qingyi arrived at Lu Ran’s dormitory.

After more than half a month apart, Lu Ran couldn’t help but feel that Dr. Gu’s skin looked much more tender. Was it from soaking in seawater? That shouldn’t be the case… Constant soaking should have caused her skin to prune, not rejuvenate.

“What are you looking at?” Gu Qingyi noticed Lu Ran glancing at her arm and questioned him.

“Oh, nothing. Dr. Gu, you’re finally back.” Lu Ran laughed awkwardly and said, “How did it go?”

“The results were significant, but not as impressive as yours,” Gu Qingyi replied, giving Lu Ran a deep look. An emperor’s inheritance in the first breakthrough secret realm was a rare achievement on the entire Blue Star.

“Qingyi, how are things in the deep sea?” Manager Ying was very concerned about this issue.

“The situation is not very optimistic. The deep sea environment is now extremely harsh, with spatial magnetic fields in complete disarray. The teleport function of identity cards doesn’t work properly anymore. Additionally, there are many level 40 and level 50 ferocious beasts in the deep sea, far exceeding the number of powerful land-based beasts.”

“Fortunately, their focus is solely on competing for deep-sea resources, so they shouldn’t be too interested in the land for now. However, if this continues, I’m worried that soon the deep sea will give rise to level 60 or even level 70 creatures, far surpassing the strength of land-based beings.”

“When that happens, even if they have no interest in the land, their sheer power could pose a great threat. A single battle could affect the external environment, causing tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other disasters.”

“Furthermore, as evolution progresses, some marine creatures may evolve the ability to survive on land. It’s not impossible for them to come ashore.”

The intense competition in the deep sea could drive them to evolve land-survival abilities to find new territories, which aligns with evolutionary principles.

Gu Qingyi looked at Lu Ran, “No matter what, we must prepare for the worst. With the intensifying global evolution, the ocean is likely to become the most threatening area for humanity.”

“Green Sea City, as a coastal city, faces significant potential threats. As its overseer, you need to pay more attention to the ocean’s movements.”

“Uh.” Lu Ran’s expression became serious. Was Dr. Gu suggesting that he should strike first, conquer the coastal waters, and become the King of the Coastal Waters?