Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 236 When Xia Hengya Arrives at Flaming Mountain
Inside the battle room,

Chen Yuan and Liu Jinglan stood on opposite sides of the field.

next moment,
Liu Jinglan's gaze sharpened, and a thought surged forth. Instantly, a complex and mysterious white summoning array appeared before him. The Crimson Flame Bull, covered in crimson fur, stepped out with its head held high. The white fur around its neck swayed in the wind, and the flames burning at the end of its tail were reflected in everyone's eyes. The flame patterns on the lower part of its limbs were more conspicuous than before.

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered slightly as he muttered to himself, "It seems that many fire-type pets have the same characteristic—flames on their tails."

Normally, the flame burning on a pet's tail can indicate its health status. A strong flame indicates good health, a weak flame indicates poor health, and once the flame goes out, it means that the pet is near death or has already died.

Compared to the last time, the Crimson Flame Bull was noticeably larger, with subtle changes in its physical details, and its aura was far more imposing than before.

Clearly, the Crimson Flame Bull has not only improved in strength, but its quality has also been upgraded to that of a commander.

At the same moment,

As Chen Yuan's thoughts flashed, a striking green summoning array appeared before him. Accompanied by a clear cry, an orange-yellow figure wrapped in white light spread its wings and soared into the sky. Suddenly, starfire fell from its body, and its deep blue eyes gazed at the Crimson Flame Bull below.

"moo"

Clearly sensing the unbridled pressure emanating from the sparks, the Crimson Flame Bull's eyes turned serious. It lightly treaded the ground with its four limbs and swayed its tail from side to side, adopting a posture as if facing a formidable enemy.

As the beast tamer of the Crimson Flame Bull, Liu Jinglan immediately sensed the former's vigilance and unease, and quickly reassured him: "It's alright, Crimson Flame Bull. As a fellow fire-type pet, it can't possibly kill you in one move."

"moo"

Upon hearing this, the Crimson Flame Ox turned around and gave its beast tamer a rather resentful look.

It turns out that even beast tamers only have this much expectation of themselves.
Liu Jinglan coughed lightly, quickly trying to smooth things over: "What I mean is, we are currently in a phase of rapid growth. We need to respect objective facts, face up to the gap between us, and turn that gap into motivation."

the other side,
Staring at the green summoning array in front of Chen Yuan, Jiang Hu's three teammates widened their eyes in unison, their faces full of surprise and doubt: "High-level Beast Tamer!"

Jiang Hu withdrew his surprised gaze, and heard his teammates' exclamations beside him. He twitched his lips and thought to himself, "What a fuss over nothing."

Since he is the champion of an A-level competition, is it strange that he is a high-level beast tamer?

Then, Jiang Hu moved closer to Liu Jingyi, coughed lightly with his fist, and when she looked at him, he gave her a fawning smile.
"What are the champion's hobbies?"

Does this champion need fire-type resources?

Does this champion have any plans to form his own team?

"I can, I really can, I can do anything!"

If we can bring such a strong player into the team, we'll have a chance not only to be in the top ten, but also to be in the top three or even first place!
Liu Jingyi smiled sweetly: "Brother Hu, don't think about it. Brother Chen Yuan is coming with us."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hu's rugged face revealed undisguised disappointment, and he let out a long sigh.

With the champion plus Liu Jinglan, along with Liu Jingyi (a burden), and a female beast tamer whose strength is unknown, the top ten is definitely not a problem, but the hope of breaking into the top three is slim.

But if I teamed up with Liu Jinglan and brought along this champion from out of town, our ranking would definitely improve even further.

at the same time,

The referee provided by the battle club entered the arena. He looked around and, seeing that both sides had sent out their pets, he raised his flag high and shouted, "The battle begins!"

Almost the instant the referee's voice rang out, Liu Jinglan had an idea and quickly issued the command: "Earthfire Lava Abyss!"

Liu Jinglan was well aware of the significant gap between the two, so the battle strategy could not be the same as before.

If we proceed slowly and cautiously, we will definitely be overwhelmed by Yan Yunjun's powerful attacks. It would be better to use the strongest move that Chiyan Niu currently possesses right from the start, hoping to pose a slight threat to Yan Yunjun.

At this moment,

"Moo!"

The Crimson Flame Bull roared with its head held high, its crimson fur dancing in the wind, and the flame patterns surging at the lower part of its limbs bulged like blood vessels.

Its forehooves slammed heavily into the earth, its massive body slamming into the ground, instantly creating dozens of cracks like a spider web—each crack containing boiling lava, with raging fire rising from the ground and shooting into the sky, a storm of heat rushing towards the sparks in mid-air.

"He unleashed a powerful move right from the start!" Jiang Hu couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement upon seeing this.

It's just like Ultraman fighting. First, he uses various basic attacks to deplete the opponent's stamina and weaken their condition, and then he unleashes his ultimate move to finish them off.

However, Liu Jinglan's choice to unleash his ultimate move at the start precisely demonstrates that the Crimson Flame Bull has no chance of winning against the Flame Cloud Falcon and can only use its strongest move first, otherwise it may not have the opportunity to use it later.

Looking at the imposing [Earthfire Lava Abyss], Chen Yuan nodded to himself.

It's a decent fire-type skill, but unfortunately, the Flame Cloud Falcon is soaring in the air and cannot draw upon the power of the earth to ignite the ground fire.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Chen Yuan gave the order: "Spark, Flame Energy Assault."

"Chirp!"

Spark faced the raging heatwave and the surging fire. Its deep blue eyes were as profound as the ocean, calm on the surface but turbulent beneath.

In an instant, Spark stretched out its wide wings, and surging flames emerged. Its fiery red tail trailed a stream of flames as it charged down with a roar!
Amidst the horrified gazes of the crowd, Spark ignored the raging fire, charging forward recklessly without flinching!

Spark swooped down, its eyes bright, its flame-covered body moving through the raging fire, seemingly unaffected, its speed undiminished, and the flames on its body burning even more fiercely.

Liu Jinglan stared in disbelief, then belatedly realized, "That's right, back then, Yan Yun Falcon used the raging fire at the summit of Flame Mountain to temper itself, so how could the ordinary ground fire caused by the Crimson Flame Ox possibly harm it?"

It caused no harm, not even the slightest impact.

Ignoring the fiery earth and heat waves unleashed by the Crimson Flame Bull, Spark instantly closed in on it, locking its gaze on it and exuding an intense sense of oppression.

"moo"

The Crimson Flame Bull tried to resist, but the oppressive feeling from the sparks made it tremble all over and unable to move.

Fortunately, Liu Jinglan's shouts helped it break free from its shock. The Crimson Flame Bull's eyes flickered, and it quickly moved its limbs, preparing to dodge.

boom!
The next second, a burst of flames struck his body, and a deafening explosion resounded throughout the area. The raging flames engulfed his vision, and all that the Crimson Flame Bull could see were those blue eyes, as calm as a deep ocean.

Boom!
The Crimson Flame Bull collapsed to the ground, falling into a coma.

Silence reigned both inside and outside the venue, except for Liu Jingyi, who waved her hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Yay! Brother Chen Yuan won!"

Liu Jingyi's voice broke the silence. Liu Jinglan didn't even bother to reprimand his younger sister who was siding with outsiders. He lowered his head and looked deeply at the charred Crimson Flame Bull, his eyes flickering, as if he was thinking about something.

After a moment, Liu Jinglan put the Crimson Flame Ox back into his pet space. He put one hand in his pocket and smiled nonchalantly: "Losing to the champion is not shameful."

Despite being instantly killed in one hit.

There is an insurmountable gap between the third and second tiers. Although both are fire-attribute, Yan Yun Falcon's combat ability has been tested in many high-level battles, so Liu Jinglan quickly convinced himself to accept this fact.

Anyway, how many beast tamers have been instantly killed by Consultant Chen?
You agree, right, Consultant Shi?
As soon as the battle ended, Jiang Hu grinned and clapped enthusiastically: "Intense battle, wonderful, wonderful!"

"Yan Yun Falcon's performance was flawless; his Flame Energy Assault had reached a level of unparalleled mastery. The Crimson Flame Bull's performance was also..."

When asked about the Crimson Flame Bull, which was instantly defeated, Jiang Hu hesitated for a moment, but he quickly recovered and his smile remained unchanged: "The Crimson Flame Bull's performance was also quite remarkable."

Liu Jinglan's lips twitched.

There's no need to overpraise it.

After saying that, Jiang Hu strode up to Chen Yuan, extended his right hand, and solemnly said, "Advisor Chen, let me reintroduce myself. I am Jiang Hu, one of the top eight contestants in this year's Blazing Fire Cup."

His attitude was completely different from before; his behavior and words revealed respect, or rather, flattery.

Before Chen Yuan could respond, Jiang Hu laughed heartily: "Advisor Chen has come all the way to our Huozhou, it's not easy. Tonight, I'll treat you to a deep dive into our local ethnic characteristics and customs."

Chen Yuan smiled faintly: "Just say what you have to say."

"Ahem." Jiang Hu coughed and then got to the point, "Does Consultant Chen have any ideas on forming a team? I can bring my own investment to join the team."

"Bringing your own investment to the team?" Chen Yuan was taken aback.

This is the first time I've heard of such a claim.

Liu Jinglan explained in a low voice, "It's like paying to buy a team member spot, and then he'll cover all our expenses for participating in this competition." "That's right." Jiang Hu grinned, his rugged face seemingly saying "money is no object." "Consider this money as making friends with Consultant Chen."

In the short time it took for the Crimson Flame Bull to be instantly killed by the Flame Cloud Falcon, Jiang Hu had already given it considerable thought.

Since his family isn't short of money, he might as well spend a small amount to build a good relationship with this Qin Province champion. If he could join his team and venture into the Flaming Mountains together, and achieve a top ranking in the competition, the benefits would far outweigh the investment.

However, Chen Yuan decisively refused: "I'm sorry, I have no intention of forming a team."

The tone of refusal was so decisive and firm that Jiang Hu immediately lost any thought of persuading him.

Liu Jinglan strode over, put his arm around Jiang Hu's shoulder, and said with a grin, "Don't even think about it, Hu Zi. This is a big shot I specially brought from Qin Province. How could I possibly let you have him for free?"

"Alright, the battle is over, let's head out now."

"See you tomorrow."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Jinglan seemed worried that Jiang Hu would continue to say something strange, so she quickly led Chen Yuan and the other two away.

Watching everyone's departing figures, Jiang Hu sighed helplessly, "Well, the big shot has run away."

The next day,

Flaming Mountain.

Although it was 8 a.m., the entrances to Flame Mountain were already crowded with people, and countless beast tamers were waiting for the competition to officially start at 8:30 a.m.

Due to the large number of participants, the organizing committee has implemented a staggered entry system, ensuring that the Beastmasters do not enter the Flaming Mountain from the same entrance.

This competition imposes several restrictions on participating beast tamers, the first of which is that novice beast tamers are not allowed to participate.

After all, considering the spread of wildfires and the raging heatwave, novice beast tamers do not have strong self-protection capabilities. Participating in the competition, let alone winning a prize, is a good thing if they do not waste social resources to seek rescue.

In addition, beast tamers must work in groups of four, and each group must have both water-type and fire-type pets.

Fortunately, this is the Fire State, where the vast majority of local beast tamers own fire-type pets, and beast tamers from other places who have traveled a long way also generally meet this requirement.

The third point is that each team will wear two devices similar to action cameras. The organizing committee will use special methods to record their efforts in clearing wildfires and defeating the wandering ember spirits, so as to facilitate real-time scoring.

Players can also use this machine to check the real-time scores and rankings of all teams.

A beast tamer from another region exclaimed, "Your Fire State is truly amazing! We lose signal as soon as we enter the wilderness, yet you manage to come up with such high-tech gadgets."

A local beast tamer also remarked, "This feature is quite convenient, but it's hard not to feel a bit unbalanced when you see other teams with such high scores."

The bystanders shook their heads and laughed, "What's so unbalanced about this? There are objective differences in strength, so isn't it normal for there to be differences in points?"

At this point, the man suddenly spoke with barely concealed excitement: "I heard that our Huozhou champion has teamed up with a runner-up from Qin Province."

At a certain entrance,
"Xia Heng, this ranking depends on you." The speaker was a tall man in his thirties with well-defined features, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes—a very typical Huozhou appearance.

Xia Heng, dressed in an obviously expensive outfit, smiled slightly and said in a steady voice, "Mulati, you're joking. I'm just going in with you to broaden my horizons."

Murat flashed a bright white smile and spoke with a heavy accent: "Hey, my friend, don't say such things. The two of us together will definitely win first place in this competition."

His two teammates beside him smiled.

Xia Heng responded with a smile, but inwardly he was rather unconvinced.

After his defeat in the Great Wind Cup, Xia Heng did not remain silent. He began to ponder a question: Why couldn't his Raging Crocodile defeat the Flaming Cloud Falcon?
After thinking for a long time, he quickly came up with an idea: since he couldn't find the answer in a short time, he might as well learn more about each type of fire-type pet and find a solution.

So he rushed to Fire State, a place inhabited by many fire-type pets, and found Murati, the champion of this year's Blazing Fire Cup, through various channels, and the two fought against each other.

Murat's main pet is also a fire-type pet, which fills Xia Heng with anticipation, hoping to find a way to defeat the Flame Cloud Falcon.

Unfortunately, after a fierce battle, the raging crocodile emerged victorious.

This brought two questions to Xia Heng's mind.

First, is this all the top-tier skill level of beast tamers in Huozhou is?
Secondly, isn't it that water-type pets can't defeat fire-type pets, but rather that his Raging Raging Crocodile can't defeat Chen Yuan's Flaming Cloud Falcon?

With his doubts growing stronger, and just as the wildfire clearance competition was about to begin, Murat used a legitimate reason to pull Xia Heng into his team: "The Flaming Mountain is home to the most powerful fire-type wild beasts in the Fire Continent. You might find the answer there."

So Xia Heng came here.

He didn't care about the ranking in this competition; he would consider it a success as long as he could find a way to defeat Yan Yunjun.

The other teams waiting at the same entrance couldn't help but sigh when they saw the two exuding a powerful aura: "What's the point of competing? One is the champion and the other is the runner-up. We might as well just give them first place."

“I specifically watched the match videos of the Qin Province Dafeng Cup. This runner-up, Xia Heng, is very strong. I estimate that his 'Raging Crocodile' will not find a match on our side.”

"Wow, if the runner-up is this good, then the champion who beat him must be incredibly strong."

The chatter of others reached his ears, but Xia Heng's expression remained unchanged. Mula, however, grinned and patted Xia Heng's shoulder forcefully: "It's alright, my friend. You gained a lot in Huozhou this time. You'll definitely defeat that person when you get back."

"By the way, what was that person's name again?"

Xia Heng's lips moved, and he uttered two words: "Chen Yuan".

“Yes, yes, Chen Yuan.” Murat nodded repeatedly. “You will definitely be able to defeat Chen Yuan when you go back.”

Xia Heng smiled slightly: "Thank you for your kind words."

During the conversation, it was already 8:30. The staff opened the iron gate, and the group of beast tamers who were already prepared entered in an orderly manner.

Chen Yuan and his three companions entered through entrance number seven. He and Liu Jinglan placed the video recording equipment provided by the competition committee on their chests and strode forward.

The first part of the journey was relatively normal, and the temperature was not high. Everyone was relaxed and at ease, and most of them even chatted and laughed along the way.

However, half an hour later, the temperature soared. Walking on the barren and cracked earth felt like being in a furnace. The air was filled with scorching heat waves, and you could feel the burning sensation under your feet.

As the difficulty of walking increased, the multiple groups that were originally walking together gradually dispersed, and looking into the distance, only the four of them remained.

Although it was December, the scorching sun was still baking the Flaming Mountains in the distance.

Upon closer inspection, flames surged across the desolate land not far away, echoing the crimson smoke and rolling heat waves atop the Flaming Mountain, making the temperature in the entire area even higher than it had been two months prior.

Fortunately, the four of them have greatly improved their strength and coping strategies compared to the last time.

Sparks danced high in the air, and deep blue eyes scanned the surroundings, surveying the situation.

The scorching heat had no effect on it; on the contrary, it made Spark feel physically and mentally happy from the inside out.

Compared to the Qinling Mountains, it is clearly more suitable for living here.

Cola walked slowly beside Chen Yuan, its head slightly raised, continuously stirring up a cool breeze that dispelled the heat surrounding everyone.

"Cola is amazing!" Liu Jingyi's eyes sparkled as she clapped at Cola.

"Ow~"

Cola looked up and met Liu Jingyi's admiring gaze. It couldn't help but raise its head, flick its tail, and show its smugness.

In a place like this, even the boss is no match for me!

Here, Coca-Cola is the one everyone wants!
Chang Yuhuan sent out a water spirit turtle that had already broken through to the second level. It spouted water from time to time, and with the breeze stirred up by the cola, it continuously cooled everyone down.

Liu Jinglan released the Crimson Flame Bull, and had Liu Jingyi sit on its back to conserve energy.

"唳~"

The Fiery Eagle spread its wings and flew high, approaching Spark with the demeanor of a subordinate, its eyes full of curiosity and longing, seeking the latter's advice on how to become stronger.

Before they knew it, a raging wildfire was right in front of them.

(End of this chapter)