Awakening

After dinner, Lu Ran took a shortcut from the Starlight Villa District into the hills behind Red Leaf Park.

Every kid liked having a secret base when they were young, and he was no exception.

Besides, as far as Lu Ran was concerned, this place was a real treasure trove.

The Insect Kings he found here could easily dominate the Bug-Fighting Tournament.

With such a great spot available, he had no need to compete with those old men for resources on Qingming Mountain, the largest mountain in Green Sea City.

"You can come out now!"

"Woof."

Once he reached the hills behind Red Leaf Park and confirmed that nobody was around, Lu Ran summoned General Ha through the Black Card.

Lu Ran was in a good mood. Having a Contract Card and a Character Card made everything so convenient.

The Black Card let him take General Ha anywhere.

Meanwhile, the Character Card's inventory space let him carry plenty of things that had once been inconvenient to bring along, such as his custom-made Iron-Slashing Sword.

"In a sense, you and the sword make a perfect pair. After all, plenty of places won't let either of you in."

General Ha looked baffled. ???

How was that even a comparison?

"Let's go. We need to head a little deeper," Lu Ran said.

As they walked, Lu Ran recalled the key information about attribute awakening.

Through the Basic Training Manual, Lu Ran had also learned about the other methods of awakening an attribute.

There were roughly five methods.

First, innate awakening. Creatures with a species rank above commander could awaken an attribute through their own natural gifts shortly after birth.

General Ha obviously couldn't do that. This guy had put all his talent points into intelligence. Who would believe it?

Second, awakening through attacks. In nature, low-ranking creatures that had yet to awaken an attribute had a tiny chance of doing so if attacked by power of that attribute.

But this method was extremely dangerous. The odds of surviving were slim.

Third, advanced flow. If an advanced creature mastered Energy Flow to a sufficiently high degree, it could even inject its energy into another creature, nourishing its body and helping it awaken an attribute.

Fourth, nurturing in a blessed location. Creatures that stayed for extended periods in places rich in natural energy also had a chance of awakening an attribute.

However, such blessed locations were generally found in Secret Realms, either guarded by powerful ferocious beasts or occupied by major factions.

Fifth, attribute resources. Certain resources contained pure attribute power. Using them could draw out a creature's potential, allowing it to awaken an attribute.

That was the method Lu Ran and General Ha were about to use.

Little White Dragon had mentioned that joining an organization also offered a free opportunity to awaken an attribute.

Lu Ran figured they probably relied on advanced Energy Flow techniques or blessed locations rich in natural energy.

Large organizations were bound to have plenty of powerful Beast Tamers. There was also a type of Secret Realm called a Public Secret Realm, and the blessed locations within those realms had surely been occupied by major organizations too.

However, according to Little White Dragon, awakening through attribute resources gave pet beasts a greater boost and better prospects for development.

So Lu Ran stopped thinking about the other options.

"This spot will do." At last, Lu Ran reached a clearing with a natural cave, surrounded by dense green trees.

He took the Wind Attribute Awakening Fruit out of his inventory and looked at General Ha beside him.

At that moment, General Ha was baring his teeth at a snake nearby. The abundance of insects and snakes was another reason so few people came here. Unless they had something important to do, nobody wanted to venture into this place.

"Leave it alone for now." Lu Ran tossed the pineapple-shaped fruit with its white skin. General Ha immediately turned his head, his eyes lighting up, and leaped into the air to catch the Attribute Fruit in his mouth.

"Woo!!!" General Ha excitedly held the Wind Fruit between his teeth, drool spilling from his mouth.

He could feel the Wind Fruit's irresistible appeal.

"Go on, eat it." Lu Ran smiled. With permission granted, General Ha opened his jaws wide and stuffed the entire Wind Fruit into his mouth in one bite.

Abyss's gaping maw.

"Urk." But he soon realized that this thing seemed a little too big. He should have eaten it one bite at a time.

"Woo." With his cheeks bulging, General Ha kept working the Attribute Fruit around in his mouth. Under Lu Ran's speechless gaze, he finally swallowed it all.

Huff, huff...

Just eating a fruit had exhausted this dog, leaving him panting slowly.

But soon, General Ha's eyes widened as slightly sky-blue energy gradually emerged from his body...

This was... wind power!

At the sight, Lu Ran sharpened his focus and watched intently!

"Awoooo!!!!"

On the ground!

After General Ha ate the Wind Fruit, astonishing wind power surged from his body.

Sky-blue energy wound around him like faint currents of air.

Stirred by that energy, his fur fluttered in the wind.

A powerful presence burst from him as well, creating faint whirlwinds around him.

The grass on the ground and the green leaves nearby all quivered with his howl!

[Species]: Snowfield Dog

[Attribute]: Wind

[Species rank]: Intermediate Extraordinary

[Growth level]: Level 4

[Skills]: None

"It worked!"

Feeling the breeze against his face, Lu Ran was delighted to see the change in General Ha's attribute.

He could say with certainty that General Ha's combat strength had now risen by more than a single tier!

That was the difference between before and after attribute awakening!

"Woof!!!"

General Ha also looked alarmed after awakening his attribute.

But he soon brought the newly awakened wind power under control, letting it wrap steadily around his entire body.

Looking at General Ha covered in barely visible sky-blue energy, Lu Ran felt that he looked incredibly cool now.

He really did look like one of the divine beasts from myths and legends, majestic and imposing.

"General Ha, run a lap around the flat ground."

Lu Ran pointed toward a relatively level, open area and gave the order.

One lap was probably about two hundred meters?

It was just right for testing General Ha's current speed.

As soon as Lu Ran finished speaking, General Ha answered with a howl and shot forward.

He left nothing but a sky-blue afterimage behind.

No...

Even as he sprinted at full speed, he looked like a sky-blue afterimage.

His figure was both distinct and blurred.

Lu Ran had seen a cheetah run with his own eyes. Cheetahs were known as the fastest-running animals.

But now, all Lu Ran could say was that General Ha's speed absolutely blew a cheetah's out of the water.

It wasn't even a contest.

Lu Ran had forgotten to time him, but the dog completed a lap and returned in the blink of an eye.

"He's only level four. What would he be like at level forty?" Lu Ran marveled.

"Woo!!"

Watching General Ha return, panting heavily, Lu Ran smiled. "Not bad. Next, let's test your attack power."

"Woof!" General Ha calmly looked at the surrounding rocks.

He slapped a paw wrapped in wind energy directly onto a rock on the ground.

Crack.

In the next instant, dense, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the rock before it broke into several pieces.

"Awesome... It really is a qualitative leap."

Lu Ran folded his arms across his chest and nodded in satisfaction. Then he held out a hand, and a wooden sword appeared in it.

"General Ha, catch the sword."

Lu Ran tossed the wooden sword, and General Ha leaped up again to catch it in his mouth.

"Wrap the wooden sword in wind energy, then try attacking again."

"Awoo." Clearly hooked on his newfound power, General Ha tried to recapture the feeling from before.

Before long, not only was General Ha's entire body covered in energy, but white air currents also began swirling around the wooden sword in his mouth.

As if it could conduct electricity, the sword naturally became wrapped in wind energy.

Buzzz-

Soon, as wind energy wound around the brown blade, a sword glow appeared, fading from white into blue. The blue-and-white glow was like a storm spiraling upward, constantly producing the sound of vibrating air currents.

General Ha stared sharply at the blade. Only Lu Ran could understand that fierce gaze.

It was saying, Slash, slash, slash! Cut them all down!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

General Ha instinctively swung his head, executing a sword swing.

The wooden sword seemed to slice through the air, leaving a trail of wind and throwing the surrounding air currents into turmoil.

Unfortunately, General Ha had yet to master Energy Release. Otherwise, he might really have been able to unleash sword aura!

"This feeling..." Watching the wooden sword, Lu Ran felt that General Ha was getting cooler and cooler. How had he never noticed how handsome Silly Husky was before? Even if a rhinoceros famed for its defenses appeared now, he felt that General Ha could cut it down with a single strike!!

However, that impressive moment lasted less than three seconds. Before Lu Ran and General Ha could enjoy it for long, or find a new target to test its power on...

Bang!!!

The wooden sword in General Ha's mouth abruptly burst apart.

It turned into a shower of wood chips that scattered through the air.

The tremendous noise made General Ha jump... literally. He sprang quite high into the air.

"What the hell." Lu Ran stared dumbfounded from beside him. Wait... what had happened?

Watching the wooden sword explode in General Ha's mouth left Lu Ran utterly bewildered.

Had the wooden sword been unable to withstand being wrapped in wind power...?

"Awooo!!!" Once General Ha recovered, he stared in anguish at the wooden sword that had become wood chips.

His sword! Where was his sword?!

He hadn't even attacked yet. How had this sword already given out?

"It's fine... Doesn't that just show how strong you are?"

Lu Ran waved a hand, showing that he didn't mind. He wasn't upset about the loss either.

He had more.

Lu Ran took out the Iron-Slashing Sword. However, after looking at its sharp edge and then at the dazed General Ha, he fell into thought. Was it really safe to let General Ha use such a dangerous weapon now?

"Caw!!!" While Boss Lu was thinking...

A black crow suddenly flew over.

It landed on a tree, looked at Lu Ran, and cawed several times.

[My king, a big cat with yellow fur and black stripes has entered our territory.]

Lu Ran: ?

Lu Ran looked at the crow. Like that Insect King, this crow was one of his subordinates.

And it wasn't just this crow. Lu Ran had actually brought most of Green Sea City's stray cats and dogs under his command too. It was fair to say that he had eyes all over the city.

If Green Sea City's wildlife had a king, it would undoubtedly be Lu Ran.

But ultimately, these were all troublesome ties he had formed while practicing Telepathy...

Still, the news this crow brought was a little strange. A big cat with yellow fur and black stripes? Huh?