After the two left, Zhou Ran glanced at the time and saw that there were about 10 hours left. It seemed that he had to start training immediately.
He immediately pulled down the roller shutter and summoned the interface of the interdimensional rift in his mind.
He spent 10 points to enter a plane fragment.
'Successfully arrived at plane fragment 77.'
'Time limit: 3 days.'
'Obtained system protection: Absolute Defence.'
This time, Zhou Ran was lucky to encounter a plane fragment highly suitable for cultivation, with exotic beasts everywhere.
Zhou Ran immediately summoned his Shadow Moon Dog and World-Destroying Thunder Tiger, launching into intense cultivation. His goal was clear: to elevate both beasts to the fifth tier within the time limit.
Time flew by.
The three days in the plane fragment passed in the blink of an eye.
With a flash of light, Zhou Ran's figure reappeared in the shop. This time, not only had he successfully broken through to the fifth tier with both beasts, but he had also collected a wealth of beast food and materials, making it a highly fruitful outing.
"I didn't expect this 77th plane fragment of Fenglin Haishan to be so powerful. I'll definitely go back to this plane next time." Zhou Ran was overjoyed.
'Notice to host: Planes are random. Position 77 does not guarantee the same position next time,' the system echoed in Zhou Ran's mind.
'... '
Zhou Ran was speechless. He had been too naive...
After sighing silently, Zhou Ran began to organise his loot. After the system's appraisal, he placed each item on his shelves.
Before he knew it, the sky had grown dark, and it was already 6 PM.
Zhou Ran immediately hopped on his bike and rushed home.
'Mom, I'm back!' Zhou Ran burst into the house.
'What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?' Wang Qian asked.
"I just received an order that requires me to provide on-site service, so I'm in a hurry." Zhou Ran couldn't tell his mother that he was going treasure hunting, so he told a little white lie.
"That's great! Go wash your hands quickly; I'll heat up your meal right away." Wang Qian was delighted to see her son taking his job as a breeder so seriously, and she couldn't help but smile, her pale cheeks seeming to flush with colour.
Zhou Ran washed his hands and sat obediently at the dining table, ready to eat.
At the same time, he was deeply conflicted about whether to tell his mother that he had become a beast tamer, as this was still a major matter.
"Just say it! If I can return safely this time, I'll tell my mother right away," Zhou Ran clenched his fist.
Soon, several hot dishes were served.
Zhou Ran wolfed them down in a few bites, then rushed upstairs to take a hot shower.
"Mom, I'm leaving now. The journey is a bit long, so I might be back very late. Don't wait up for me." Zhou Ran glanced at the time—it was almost 8 o'clock—and immediately bid farewell to his mother before heading to the shop.
"Alright, be careful on the road!"
...
8 o'clock in the evening.
A black armoured vehicle pulled up outside Zhou Ran's shop.
There were five people in the car. The one in the passenger seat, wearing black sunglasses and holding a cigarette in his mouth, said casually, 'Is that person really that powerful?'
'Wang Ge, that's a ninth-tier canine-type beast. Even my powerful two-headed hellhound was scared into submission.' Li Feng looked helpless.
Another burly man in a vest said, 'Whether he's strong or not aside, the fact that he has a ninth-tier beast proves he must have a powerful family backing him. Let's hope this brings us some surprises.'
'Yeah, big brother, maybe it's someone sent out for training by one of the inner city families. Let's just hope for the best.' A young man in green sitting in the driver's seat chuckled.
'Hmph, I hope it's not just a showpiece.' Wang Tao puffed on his cigarette, gazing at the sky in solitude.
Jiang Yuxi, standing nearby, remained silent, simply staring blankly behind her, waiting for Zhou Ran.
'Here it comes!' Jiang Yuxi's expression flickered as she shouted.
A yellow electric scooter slowly approached from the distance on the street.
'Are you sure it's from an inner city family? They're riding such a shabby electric scooter...' Wang Tao was so shocked that his cigarette fell to the ground.
'We didn't wait too long, did we?'
Zhou Ran spotted an armoured vehicle parked outside his shop from a distance, and the strong Star Spirit energy fluctuations emanating from it immediately led him to guess it was Jiang Yuxi's teammates.
"We just arrived too." Jiang Yuxi smiled.
"By the way, Mr. Lin, let me introduce you. The young man in green driving the vehicle is He Ziming, a Five-Star Beast Tamer."
"The one in the passenger seat is our deputy captain, Wang Tao, a six-star beast tamer."
"And this muscular man in the vest is our captain, Han Chengyong, a seven-star beast tamer." Jiang Yuxi got out of the vehicle and introduced each of them to Zhou Ran. At that moment, Zhou Ran suddenly felt a powerful star spirit force scanning him, so he immediately activated his divine perception technique to forcefully repel it.
'Huh?' Wang Tao was a bit surprised. This young-looking teenager could actually resist his starlight energy.
'Nice to meet you,' Zhou Ran said politely, clasping his hands together, while exchanging a glance with Wang Tao.
Jiang Yuxi sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly said, 'Alright, alright, the crack is about to open. Let's get going.'
She opened the car door and gestured for Zhou Ran to get in.
"Mr. Lin, sit next to me," Li Feng said eagerly.
Zhou Ran did not refuse and sat down steadily.
"Let's go."
As Captain Han Chengyong shouted, the armoured vehicle started up and sped towards the Holy Emperor Mountain in the northern part of Xuan Zhong City.
"Hehe, I heard that Mr. Lin has a ninth-tier beast. I wonder what it is." Wang Tao, sitting in the passenger seat, initiated a conversation with Zhou Ran, clearly testing the waters.
'Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog.' Zhou Ran didn't dodge the question, responding casually.
The car fell silent, especially He Ziming, who was so surprised he couldn't even drive steadily.
Everyone in the car was a seasoned beast tamer. Upon hearing the name of this beast, they all became restless. After all, this was the legendary king of dog-type beasts!
"Haha, Brother Li is indeed a young prodigy. With such a powerful beast, you're sure to become a Nine-Star Beast Tamer in the future!" Han Chengyong laughed.
Wang Tao, sitting beside him, said nothing, silently smoking his cigarette.
'Wow, Mr. Li, you actually have a Liu Ying Huan Yue Dog. No wonder the two-headed hellhound acted like a mouse seeing a cat last time...' Li Feng shrugged and said.
Zhou Ran smiled slightly and looked out the window.
'By the way, Mr. Lin, where do you live? Are you a student at the Xuan Zhong Beast Academy?' Han Chengyong suddenly asked.
Zhou Ran furrowed his brows. He was just doing a task and didn't want to be pryed into.
"I'm just an ordinary commoner. I couldn't possibly get into the Xuan Zhong Beast Academy." Zhou Ran replied casually.
Han Chengyong's lips twitched slightly.
Someone who possesses a ninth-tier Beast King is an ordinary commoner?
And couldn't get into the Xuan Zhong Beast Academy...