Monarch's Might

"Thank you for saving us, sir!"

While the others were still dazed, Zhang Yun was the first to recover. He called out his thanks to the man standing atop the dragon's head in the sky.

"Stay safe and return to the city as soon as possible." The man swept his gaze over them and nodded slightly. The dragon beneath his feet gave a long roar, beat its wings, and flew into the distance.

Judging by his direction, he seemed to be heading toward Qingzhou City.

"We nearly died out here." Coming to his senses, Liu Gu scratched his head, then hooked an arm tightly around the Wind Lion Dog's enormous head. "We survived!"

"Thank goodness!" Liu Xue and Yan Fan recovered one after the other. Realizing they were out of danger, they looked just as excited.

Du Heng remained silent, but he kept stroking his Steel-Armored Rhino's head with both hands, relief in his eyes as well.

"Meow~"

Purple Cloud's tense body slowly relaxed. The little cat nestled lazily back into Xu Ran's arms, eyes filled with the joy of surviving a brush with death.

Xu Ran reached out to stroke Purple Cloud's silky fur, still pondering the connection between the Lucky Charm and the powerful man who had suddenly appeared.

The system couldn't possibly have conjured someone so powerful out of thin air.

The man had probably already been heading their way, and the Lucky Charm had likely worked through subtle influences to make him notice them and come to their rescue.

Once Xu Ran worked out how it all fit together, his initial surprise faded, but he couldn't help growing more curious about the powerful passerby.

The man had flown toward Qingzhou City when he left. Would they have a chance to meet again?

"All right, let's hurry back to the city."

Zhang Yun glanced at the distant beast tide.

The terrifying strike from that man's Contract Beast had brought the frenzied Supernatural Creatures to their senses.

Combined with the joint efforts of Qingzhou City's powerful defenders, the beast tide was now showing signs of retreat.

This was another victory for humanity.

The city gates would no longer be strictly sealed, so they could retreat into the city.

Still shaken, everyone reined in their joy and set off once more on the Steel-Armored Rhino's broad back, heading toward the gates.

Holding Purple Cloud, Xu Ran suddenly spoke. "Captain Zhang, do you know who that powerful man was?"

"No. He looked unfamiliar, and I've never heard of him." Zhang Yun shook his head, then added, "But I imagine his standing must be at least as high as our Qingzhou City's city lord's."

"A General-Rank Beast Tamer. Someone that powerful can defend an entire Third-Tier Town single-handedly," Liu Gu remarked from beside them. "If only I could reach that level in my lifetime."

Xu Ran nodded in agreement.

A Beast Tamer's level corresponded to the highest growth rank among his Contract Beasts.

That Beast Tamer's Red-Eyed Demon Dragon was at marshal rank, so he was at least a General-Rank Beast Tamer.

Then another question caught Xu Ran's attention.

"Captain Zhang, I remember there being quite a few Commander Rank Contract Beasts in Qingzhou City. Why are there so few at marshal rank?"

That Red-Eyed Demon Dragon was the most powerful Contract Beast he had ever seen in person. It had frightened off a beast tide with a single strike-truly terrifying.

That had sparked considerable interest in Contract Beasts at that level.

If Purple Cloud reached marshal rank someday...

Xu Ran looked down at the innocent little creature in his arms and felt there was much to look forward to.

"Raising a Contract Beast to commander rank and raising one to marshal rank are completely different matters." Zhang Yun shook his head slightly. "Because marshal rank involves the secrets of Supernatural Creature evolution."

"Captain, you know the most, so don't keep us in suspense," Yan Fan urged curiously from beside him. "Tell us!"

Seeing the same curiosity on his other teammates' faces, Zhang Yun gave a wry smile. "All right, I'll explain."

"You should know that all Contract Beasts start out with a species rank of commander species when they're born." Zhang Yun paused briefly. "Only by evolving can a Contract Beast raise its species rank."

"Contract Beasts of different species ranks have different limits on the growth ranks they can reach. Commander Rank is the limit for a Commander Species Contract Beast."

"To break through from commander rank to marshal rank, a Contract Beast must overcome the constraints of its level of existence."

"Only by evolving from a commander species into a monarch species can a Contract Beast break through to marshal rank." Zhang Yun's expression gradually grew serious. "That process is incredibly dangerous."

"If evolution fails, the Contract Beast could be crippled at best, or die at worst."

"Unless you're completely certain, you must never attempt it lightly."

At Zhang Yun's words, the members of the Fierce Tiger Hunting Squad looked apprehensive and nodded together to show they understood.

Xu Ran, however, was slightly lost in thought.

He remembered a reward he had briefly glimpsed on the wheel the first time he entered the system's lottery-the Holy Spirit Race Evolution Route.

Following an evolution route to complete an evolution seemed to carry very little risk...

At that thought, Xu Ran's heart couldn't help beating a little faster.

"Captain Zhang, since commander rank is the limit for commander species, does that mean monarch rank is the limit for monarch species?" he asked next. "And what sort of level is monarch rank?"

"The growth rank above marshal rank is monarch rank." Zhang Yun nodded. "That's also the limit for monarch species."

"It's said that after a commander species evolves into a monarch species, besides gaining a higher growth limit and awakening its own new skills, it also awakens one fixed skill."

"This fixed skill is exclusive to monarch species. Every monarch-species Supernatural Creature possesses it."

"A three-star skill, Monarch's Might."

"That gentleman's Red-Eyed Demon Dragon intimidated everyone with its sheer presence earlier because it was using that skill."

"Rumor has it that among wild Supernatural Creatures, this skill lets its user easily command an entire region and become a king among them."

So that was Monarch's Might?

Recalling how the Red-Eyed Demon Dragon had effortlessly cowed everything around it with its presence, everyone wore a look of longing.

Stroking Purple Cloud in his arms, Xu Ran sank into thought.

Fur Plucking could obtain two-star skills now. If it went up another level, could it pluck three-star skills directly?

If it could, what would happen if I taught Monarch's Might directly to Purple Cloud before evolution?

Under normal circumstances, the skills Commander Species Contract Beasts awakened were at most two-star skills, and mastering three-star skills through learning was harder than climbing to heaven.

Only after evolving into monarch species could they easily master three-star skills through awakening or subsequent learning.

If Purple Cloud could master several three-star skills while still a commander species through Fur Plucking and teaching, would that make Purple Cloud a commander species or a monarch species?

"We can go home now."

As they spoke, the Steel-Armored Rhino carried everyone to their destination. Looking at Qingzhou City's gates right before them, Zhang Yun smiled in relief.

"Come on! Let's head inside!"