Beastmaster King-Chapter 273 - Alternate World Beastmaster

Tree World City of the Divine Tree Continent was a city completely intertwined with nature. Aside from a few particularly large buildings, many shops and residences were built directly on trees. The roadsides were lined with spirit plants that continuously emitted natural energy, nourishing the life force of this great city.

As a familiar system prompt ended, Lu Ran opened his eyes and found himself standing outside a treehouse, queued up in a long line.

So this is the Divine Tree Continent.

Due to cultural differences, the architectural style of this plant world was vastly different from the Stellar Moon Continent and Blue Planet in Lu Ran’s memory. He felt momentarily dazed, but he quickly pushed aside any surprise or confusion and readily accepted the ascension realm that Limitless City had arranged for him.

Limitless City wouldn’t set him up for failure. Lu Ran quickly recalled information about the plant world of the Divine Tree Continent. Unlike the Stellar Moon Continent, where beastmaster skills were developed by the first emperor of the Beastmaster Empire, the origins of beastmaster abilities on the Divine Tree Continent were undocumented.

However, what was recorded was the profession of plantmaster had been pioneered and refined by a particular individual. Additionally, the Divine Tree Continent had no concept of nations. Instead, cities served as the primary gathering places for humans.

In these cities, top-tier experts provided protection, while ordinary people served as cheap labor like tending the city’s gardens and creating a favorable cultivation environment for the strong. Due to Blue Planet’s limited exploration of the Divine Tree Continent, Lu Ran only had fragmented information in his mind. That said, his plans remained unaffected.

First, perfectly complete the ascension mission, achieve an SSS rating, and claim the best rewards. Second, find a space storage item capable of carrying living beings. Third, gain insight into fusion domains and other advanced techniques, allowing Sudden Death King and Dark Crow to begin learning domain abilities.

These goals were feasible in any world. The cultivation system of the Divine Tree Continent wasn’t fundamentally different from that of the Stellar Moon Continent. In fact, some suspected that the Divine Tree Continent was the the Stellar Moon Continent, just from a different era. Now that he was here, Lu Ran found himself with an additional goal.

“Didn’t I promise Fang Lan that if I ever entered a plant world, I’d find her the best vicious plant? Shit. I was just joking. How was I supposed to know I’d actually end up in a niche plant world?”

Lu Ran was speechless. If he’d known he would actually enter a plant world, he wouldn’t have agreed so easily. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to help Fang Lan, but it was just that finding such a plant wouldn’t be easy. It would likely require significant effort.

“But then again...”

Lu Ran suddenly recalled the Longleaf Swordgrass inside his Spirit-Converting Pot. That meant the swordgrass had returned to its homeland.

Haven’t I been searching for a way to awaken the swordgrass’s intelligence?

Despite extensive research on Blue Planet, he had found no solution. However, now that he was in the Divine Tree Continent, perhaps meeting a skilled plantmaster would provide him with the answer. But there was one thing Lu Ran needed to be cautious about: this ascension realm wasn’t a faction-based confrontation.

If he died here, he would die for real. He wouldn’t be revived. On top of that, other trial participants from different worlds had also entered the ascension realm. Unlike in his level 1 ascension realm, he couldn’t afford to act recklessly.

Whether facing other participants or the powerful figures of this realm, he had to be extremely careful. There was no room for mistakes.

With that in mind, Lu Ran surveyed his surroundings. Various voices filled the air.

“This year’s registration turnout is huge. Brother, where are you from?”

“Hundred Flowers City? Whoa, that’s pretty far. Me? I’m from Wisteria City.”

***

“Have you heard? The champion’s prize for this tournament is personally provided by the city lord.”

“That legendary plantmaster? No way.”

***

“So, this is the registration site for the Plant-Beast Tournament,” Lu Ran muttered.

Judging by the scene, participants weren’t just from Tree World City. Talents from surrounding smaller cities had also gathered here.

What about my identity?

Lu Ran took out a letter that had been in his hand since the moment he arrived and glanced at it. It was a recommendation letter for the Plant-Beast Tournament.

The recommending party? Beastmaster Lodge. What the hell was that?

“Wait a second.” Lu Ran recalled a system prompt from earlier.

[Tip 4: Beastmaster Lodge was an ancient beastmaster faction. Its members travel across the Divine Tree Continent, seeking a path for beastmasters to survive in this new era.]

So that was it. My identity is a member of a mysterious organization. Is there no additional information? Whatever. I’ll just submit the letter and get it over with.

Limitless City’s arranged identities were usually reliable. Participants just had to not do anything reckless. As Lu Ran studied his background, his eyes remained busy.

He noticed many people dressed in bizarre outfits. Some plantmasters looked like primitive tribesmen, dressed in grass clothing. Others wore revealing grass skirts, exuding wild allure. However, most were dressed in standard cloth garments or beast-hide armor.

Of course, these people weren’t his main concern. Although he kept his head down, his vision functioned like Dark Crow’s Evil God’s Gaze. It was thanks to Super Beast Mimicry that granted him a full 360-degree view. His observational range was vast.

Through their attire, speech, and expressions, he quickly identified three other trial participants in the line. He was certain because, aside from standing out from the locals, they each held a recommendation letter just like him.

“These three...”

All three had East Asian features—two males and one female. Their outfits and demeanor resembled students. Moreover, when Lu Ran observed them, he noticed that two of them looked nervous. Their eyes were filled with apprehension and disbelief.

What are they so shocked about? Are they surprised to be matched against alternate-world beastmasters? Are all three of them alternate-world beastmasters?

If so, then I might have overestimated my competition. While there are certainly strong individuals in other worlds, that doesn’t mean I’ll encounter them right away. Still, I can’t be careless.

Lu Ran took note of the third participant who was the only one who remained composed. His demeanor was calm, suggesting he was stronger than the other two. However, he looked even younger than Lu Ran—probably around fifteen or sixteen. That age made it hard to take him seriously.

As Lu Ran observed him, the boy with sharp features and an intense gaze suddenly looked in his direction, as if sensing someone was watching him.

Lu Ran withdrew his gaze and handed his recommendation letter to the woman at the registration window. It was his turn. The moment the clerk saw the letter’s contents and insignia, she showed a brief look of surprise.

“Lu Ran, age eighteen. Representing the Beastmaster Lodge. Registration complete. The preliminaries begin in seven days. Arrive at the designated location on time.”

“Understood.”

Lu Ran finished his registration and left immediately. His next priority was finding accommodation. Although he had no currency from this world, he had valuable resources. Selling a small portion would be enough to cover his expenses.

Meanwhile, the other three trial participants also completed their registration. Recognizing each other as fellow countrymen, they quickly struck up a conversation.

“Are you Liu Man from the neighboring campus?”

“And you’re Jiang Ming, the one who specializes in dragons?”

They exchanged glances, looking slightly surprised. It was clear that they weren’t strangers. Before they could continue their conversation, their attention shifted to the young boy who had remained composed the entire time. They rushed over in disbelief.

“Yu Rui? Are you Yu Rui?”

The boy who was slightly younger than Lu Ran furrowed his brows and responded, “What do you want?”

“It is you!”

Liu Man and Jiang Ming seemed to be shocked and relieved as if they had found a strong presence.

“We’re students from Stellar Moon University. Did you hear the system prompt just now? We actually got matched against an alternate-world beastmaster! There’s an alternate world connected to Limitless City!”

“I heard it.” Yu Rui nodded. “What’s so strange about that?”

Liu Man frowned.

“Didn’t you see the recent World War event update? There were plenty of analyses about it. But to directly encounter an alternate-world beastmaster in an ascension realm is still shocking. What do they even look like? Are they just like us? Or are they humanoid beasts with animal heads? Are we enemies or what?”

Though they were older than Yu Rui, both Liu Man and Jiang Ming were looking to him for guidance. However, Yu Rui didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the direction Lu Ran had gone.

“I already spotted him. If you’re asking about differences, there don’t seem to be many. Besides, he’s already noticed us too. I didn’t sense any hostility from him for now... Let’s not talk here. We should find a quieter place.” Yu Rui pressed his lips together, deep in thought.

His mind lingered on Lu Ran’s aura. Something about it was unsettling. Liu Man and Jiang Ming nodded. The three quickly located an inn and booked a private room.

“Rui, should we make contact with that alternate-world beastmaster? Maybe we should capture him and force some information out of him?” Jiang Ming suggested.

Yu Rui turned to Jiang Ming. “I strongly advise against that. My instincts tell me that guy is not easy to handle. Even if you two are elite students from Stellar Moon University, you might not be his match.”

Jiang Ming chuckled. “That’s why we have you, Rui.”

Both Liu Man and Jiang Ming exchanged knowing glances before turning back to Yu Rui with expectant expressions. The reason they deferred to him wasn’t just his calm demeanor, but it was his background. Yu Rui’s father was a Legendary plantmaster. At his young age, Yu Rui had already cultivated an Overlord-rank plant familiar.

Even though Liu Man and Jiang Ming were top students, standing before a top-tier beastmaster prodigy like Yu Rui made them feel somewhat inadequate. To Jiang Ming, no matter how powerful Lu Ran was, he was still a level 2 beastmaster at best. Could he really be stronger than Yu Rui?

“Forget it. Unless he shows hostility first, we should observe him before taking action. Our priority is to complete the ascension mission. When the Plant-Beast Tournament begins, we’ll be able to see his true strength. Once we gauge his abilities, we can decide on our next steps,” Yu Rui said.

“Makes sense.” Jiang Ming nodded. “Alright, we’ll follow your lead, Rui. But seriously, what is Limitless City? It not only allows us to travel through time but also connects us to alternate worlds?”

“Who knows? But one thing’s for sure: Limitless City’s existence has revitalized our stagnating beastmaster civilization. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. Rui, do you have any insights?” Liu Man gazed expectantly at the boy who was much younger than her.

Clearly, just like on the Blue Planet, none of them from their world knew the true origins of Limitless City.

“Don’t call me Rui. Just use my full name. And I don’t know, but my father suspects that Limitless City is connected to the Four Supreme Divine Dragons and the great catastrophe recorded in history,” the young boy said.