Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 237 Pets and their physical constitutions cannot be generalized.
Sparks flew in the air, and scorching heat waves blew in all directions. The sparks, carrying a burning heat, made the heat unbearable for all living things on this barren land.

However, fire-type pets that inhabit this place are an exception.

"Those are Blazing Lizard Monsters, right?" From a distance, Chen Yuan spotted two Blazing Lizard Monsters beside the blazing wildfire.

Chen Yuan was no stranger to these temperamental beasts that lived in the Flaming Mountains; in fact, he was quite familiar with them, having had close encounters with them more than once during his last visit to the Flaming Mountains.

Despite the distance, its identity could be recognized simply by its silhouette and crimson body.

The two Exploding Flame Lizards were approaching the wildfire.

The raging wildfire was far more powerful than the sporadic ground fires that had previously sprung up at Flaming Mountain. Waves of heat rolled in one after another, and the scorching heat could be felt from a great distance.

But at the very heart of this wildfire lies a fire-type spiritual plant that captivates all fire-type pets.

These two Blazing Lizard Monsters were no exception; they had come specifically for this spiritual plant.

"These pets really have a keen sense of smell," Liu Jinglan muttered, then rolled up his sleeves and grinned. "But you're unlucky to have run into us. You'd better hand over this spiritual plant."

After saying that, he told Liu Jingyi to get down and led the Crimson Flame Ox strode towards the forest fire.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

Dozens of floating fireballs suddenly burst out from the wildfire, their outer flames crimson and their inner cores dark blue, their features indistinct, only leaving comet-tail-like trails of flame as they moved.

It's like a living flame.

Liu Jinglan suddenly stopped, turned to look at Chen Yuan, and chuckled: "These are the Wandering Fire Spirits, which are born from the wildfire. They grow stronger by absorbing the energy of the wildfire and will attack any creature that gets close to the wildfire without hesitation."

"We can use this battle to learn about them."

Chen Yuan nodded in agreement, then looked up and stared intently.

These wandering ember spirits are clearly not very strong individually; only one is at the second tier level, while the rest are all at the first tier.

These first-tier ember spirits clearly regarded their second-tier counterparts as leaders, following closely behind and launching coordinated attacks under the latter's command.

All the wispy elves surrounded the two second-tier Explosive Flame Lizard Monsters, who were enraged and spewed forth raging flames, erupting with a deafening roar.

The ember spirits scattered in an instant, and after the flames subsided in mid-air, they formed an encirclement that tightened and approached layer by layer.

Suddenly,
The flames of the second-tier Ember Spirit flickered at a high frequency, which seemed to be a signal to launch an attack. The other Ember Spirits immediately spewed out magma-like fire chains, which wrapped around the two Blazing Lizard Monsters.

Liu Jinglan said in a low voice, "This is the Flowing Fire Chain."

As a qualified beast tamer, Chen Yuan was naturally familiar with this fire-type skill. Its effect was similar to the [Flame Prison] skill that Spark had mastered, both of which could bind the opponent.

However, when a dozen or so Flame Spirits simultaneously unleashed [Fire Chains], the combined power of their attacks successfully bound the Blazing Lizard Monster in a short period of time.

Then, something unexpected happened to Chen Yuan.

The leading second-tier Flame Spirit's body swelled with flames, and as its aura surged, it charged straight at the two Blazing Lizard Monsters. The surging flames exploded instantly, sweeping away wave after wave.

In an instant,
The second-tier Flame Spirit that charged towards the two Blazing Lizard Monsters caused a deafening explosion. Its swollen flames exploded, creating a deafening roar and sending layers of flames soaring upwards, the resulting shockwave spreading in all directions.

Even from a distance, Chen Yuan was affected by the gust of air, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He squinted and murmured, "This is..."

"Blazing Martyrdom?"

Blazing Martyrdom differs from most fire-type moves. It is a self-destruct attack that draws upon the fire energy within the body to launch a self-destruction against the opponent, creating a large area of ​​burning and destruction, with immense power.

However, after using this move, the pet's condition will instantly become precarious, reaching its lowest point.

Unless the situation is dire, no pet would use this skill.

But at the very beginning of the battle, the second-tier Flame Spirit did not hesitate to use [Blazing Martyrdom].

Is this guy really that hot-tempered?

Is this really reasonable?

With his doubts lingering in his mind, Chen Yuan continued to gaze ahead.

As the shockwave dissipated, the scene ahead came into view—the area where the Explosive Lizard Monsters were located was now a deep crater, with clusters of flames left by the explosion burning on the barren land. The two Explosive Lizard Monsters were covered in wounds and their auras were weak, but they had not lost their ability to fight. Instead, they looked at the second-tier Wandering Fire Ember Spirit with extremely hostile eyes.

This second-tier Flame Spirit is in a very dangerous state. Its flames are no longer burning as fiercely as before, and appear very dim, as if a slight breeze could extinguish them completely.

Chen Yuan even suspected that the wandering fire spirit was on the verge of death.

But under everyone's watchful eyes, the writhing ember spirit, dragging its precarious body, suddenly turned around and slowly approached the raging wildfire.

As the wildfire approached, the state of the Wandering Flame Spirit began to recover at a visible speed. The crimson outer flames were no longer dim, and the dark blue inner flames exuded a sense of depth.

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered, and he nodded thoughtfully: "It seems that the forest fire is indeed very beneficial to the Wandering Fire Ember Spirit."

Drawing upon the forest fire not only promotes the growth of the wandering ember spirit, but also helps it recover from injuries.

Unfortunately, if wildfires are left unchecked, they will continue to ravage the environment, and the presence of wandering embers will also have a severe impact on the local ecosystem.

While the second-tier Flame Spirits were absorbing the mountain fire to recover their strength, the other Flame Spirits were not idle. They cooperated with each other to launch a series of attacks on the two Blazing Lizard Monsters that had suffered explosion damage and had little strength left.

Before long, the two Blazing Lizard Monsters let out a wail and collapsed unconscious on the ground.

The group of ember spirits floated around the Exploding Flame Lizard Monster once before returning to the wildfire to continue absorbing its energy.

After this battle, Chen Yuan had gained some understanding of the Ember Spirit.

Their attack methods are relatively simple; the only thing to watch out for is the self-destructing attack, "Blazing Martyrdom."

"let's start."

The thought flashed through his mind, and Chen Yuan stepped forward.

As a team with a clear division of labor, each person's responsibilities are very clear:
Chen Yuan was responsible for dealing with the main battlefield, while Spark and Cola were the main forces in defeating the Wandering Fire Ember Spirit;

Liu Jinglan and Chang Yuhuan were responsible for the flanks to prevent wild pets from launching sneak attacks.
Liu Jingyi and Lieyan Diao have the easiest duties, but they must always be vigilant about situations from all directions.

Clearing the wildfire was even simpler; the Spark, Crimson Bull, and Fiery Eagle took turns absorbing the flames, and the Water Spirit Turtle didn't even need to lift a finger.

At Chen Yuan's command, Spark and Cola were the first to attack.

"Chirp!"

Sparks soared high, but as they approached the wildfire, they folded their wings, swooped down, puffed out their cheeks, and emitted bright flames from their beaks. Suddenly, a surging pillar of fire burst forth from it, tearing through the air.

The pillar of fire surged with tremendous speed. The two writhing ember spirits were completely unaware of the danger approaching from above and were struck with a deafening roar, instantly collapsing to the ground.

The next instant, the remaining ember spirits sensed a strong danger and all turned to face the sparks in mid-air.

Even when facing Spark, whose strength far surpasses their own, these wandering ember spirits show no fear, their expanding, burning flame bodies preparing for a counterattack.

"Ow!"

Just then, a lithe figure rushed in, enveloped in a whirlwind. Cola's light brown body burst into view, and sharp wind blades gathered around him shot out, rushing into the wildfire and accurately hitting three wandering fire spirits!

Without any chance to resist, the three ember spirits fell at the same time.

"Ow!"

The cola flicked its tail and became instantly excited.

The leader defeated two, and I defeated three. If we round it up, I'm stronger than the leader!
The sudden attack by Spark and Cola enraged the group of Ember Spirits, who launched a counterattack led by the level 2 Ember Spirits.

However, these ember spirits had just gone through a fierce battle and had not fully recovered. In addition, they were only at the first level. Under the combined attack of Spark and Cola, they were repeatedly defeated and fell one after another.

However, wary of the self-destructive attack of the second-tier Flame Spirit, Chen Yuan and the others did not approach the battlefield. He was also cautious and ready to raise his mental energy shield at any time.

After a while,
Only the second-tier Flame Spirit remained on the field. Its flames rapidly expanded, and its outer flames burned brightly. It seemed to be brewing [Blazing Martyrdom] again.

"Flame Surge, Wind Blade".

Chen Yuan's gaze sharpened; he did not intend to let Youhuo Jinling use this skill smoothly, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

next moment,
A surging pillar of fire and a barrage of wind blades erupted simultaneously, striking the last wandering ember spirit from both sides. Accompanied by a violent explosion, black smoke billowed out.

As the voice of the source point echoed in his mind, the black smoke dissipated, and the group of wandering fire spirits, lying unconscious on the ground, came into view.

Chen Yuan glanced at them and asked, "Is defeating them enough? No other treatment is needed?"

Liu Jinglan shook his head: "The Wandering Fire Spirits are born alongside the mountain fire. Once the mountain fire is cleared, they will obediently return to the mountaintop and dwell forever in the flames on the mountaintop, without affecting the environment and creatures below the mountain."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan no longer hesitated and headed straight for the wildfire.

When he was only ten meters away from the raging wildfire, the scorching heat and sweltering waves made it impossible for Chen Yuan to get any closer, so he could only watch from a distance.

Hot, too hot.

Chen Yuan took a few steps back, and only after the scorching heat stopped hitting his face did he speak: "Bring out the spiritual plants inside first, and then start absorbing them."

"Chirp!"

Spark nodded, swooped down, and charged directly into the wildfire. Its sharp claws grabbed a fiery red spiritual plant and threw it in front of Chen Yuan.

This is a relatively common level-three spiritual plant, the Burning Grass.

According to the team's distribution principle, all harvested spiritual plants are put together and converted into contribution points after leaving, which are then distributed according to each person's contribution.

Of course, you can also choose not to exchange for it and take the spiritual plant directly, in which case the corresponding contribution points will be deducted.

After carefully storing the spiritual plants, Spark, Crimson Flame Ox, and Fiery Eagle approached the mountain fire and began to absorb their essence.

Wildfires contain surging fire energy. If one can absorb it, it will greatly benefit one's growth. It will not only continuously temper the body, but also enhance one's affinity for fire energy and slowly improve skill proficiency.

However, with wildfires raging and energy surging, not every fire-type pet can absorb it with ease.

Liu Jinglan's voice suddenly rang out: "Advisor Chen, drawing fire from the forest is actually a technical task, because the energy contained within is extremely violent. It is difficult to draw it out smoothly by brute force alone. Unless the pet beast itself is strong enough to overwhelm this violent energy, we can only do it slowly and carefully."

He paused, then smiled slightly: "So, when facing this violent energy, we must follow its nature and proceed slowly, and avoid being too hasty."

"Advisor Chen, your area is limited by the environment, so you almost never encounter wildfires." "Our Fire State is different; wildfires aren't anything new here. You can have Yan Yun Falcon observe the Crimson Flame Bull's movements first, learning how to safely and efficiently extract resources from the mountains."

But before he could finish speaking, it was as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat, and his voice abruptly stopped.

Looking up, one sees sparks swirling in the air above the raging wildfire, their wings flapping violently to whip up a gale, while their cheeks puff out, their dark blue eyes blazing with bright flames, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression.

The next moment, the wildfire surged even more fiercely, swaying wildly, sometimes growing an inch larger, sometimes shrinking into a ball.

Suddenly,
The surging mountain transformed into clusters of thin, elongated flames, which were continuously absorbed into the flames like smoke and clouds.

In no time, the wildfire that had been burning fiercely disappeared, leaving only a desolate and scorched land.

The Crimson Flame Ox closed its eyes, gathered its energy, and prepared to connect with the mountain fire using its spiritual power. It would first communicate with the fire in a friendly manner, and then slowly absorb its energy.

But when it opened its eyes, the raging wildfire had vanished. The Crimson Flame Ox tilted its head, its eyes filled with confusion: "Moo?"

What about my huge wildfire?

Meeting Liu Jinglan's horrified gaze, Chen Yuan clenched his fist and coughed lightly, giving a more reasonable explanation: "Spark's physique is rather special."

Liu Jinglan: "."

This isn't special, it's outrageous.

Wildfires are raging, and forcibly absorbing their energy could backfire, resulting in injuries or even death from the raging flames engulfing the body.

Therefore, we must be extremely careful when drawing firewater from wildfires and not blindly pursue speed.

The fire, however, completely ignored the potential negative impacts of the wildfire, swallowing it as easily as drinking water, with the whole process taking less than a minute.

Was the wildfire too gentle, or was the spark too violent?
But Liu Jinglan quickly recalled the last time Yan Yunjun forcibly flew to the top of Flaming Mountain and rushed into the even more dangerous mountain fire, and suddenly felt relieved.

The physical constitution of different pets cannot be generalized.

After absorbing the wildfire, Spark's eyes became brighter, and the flames on its tail grew even stronger. It folded its wings, slowly descended to the ground, and began to digest the fire.

"Wow~"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Flame Eagle came to Spark's side, acting like a little fanboy protecting her.

"Ow?"

Cola couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Why does the boss lady have little fans wherever she goes?
Why can't I do it?

But Cola quickly remembered that his Paw Patrol had more than a dozen members of all sizes, which completely outnumbered the big sister's little fanboy, so he grinned and smiled with relief.

After a while,
Spark completely digested the fire-type energy in its belly. Chen Yuan summoned the data panel and saw that Spark's level had not increased, but the proficiency of each skill had slightly improved.

Since breaking through to the third tier, Spark's progress has become increasingly slow, a slight improvement that is already quite remarkable.

Chen Yuan thought to himself, "If we can draw more forest fire water, it should be very helpful for Spark."

He hadn't cared much about the wildfires before, but now it seems that finding the Blazing Flower and drawing fire from the wildfires are not mutually exclusive; he can do both at the same time.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Chen Yuan turned to look at Liu Jinglan: "Next time we encounter a forest fire, let the Crimson Flame Ox and the Blazing Flame Eagle absorb the flames."

Liu Jinglan didn't stand on ceremony and grinned, "Okay."

Liu Jingyi didn't care about any of that. She stood on tiptoe and looked at the machine hanging on her brother's chest, her bright eyes full of anticipation: "Brother, take a look at how many we have now?"

As Liu Jinglan took the machine down, he muttered to himself, "He didn't put in any effort during the earlier battles, but now he's anxious to see the rankings."

Liu Jingyi blinked: "Brother, weren't you just watching the game too?"

Liu Jinglan hesitated for a second, then pretended not to hear the words and turned on the machine. The lit screen displayed real-time scores and rankings:

First place: Team You Said (33 points)
Second place: Wild Wolves Roar Team (30 points)
Third place: I am speechless (28 points)
10th Place: Don't count on our team (21 points)
Liu Jingyi looked incredulous and pointed her finger at the glowing screen. Liu Jinglan quickly put the device away, frowning, "What are you doing?"

"Brother, is this machine broken?" Liu Jingyi turned to look at Liu Jinglan, her eyes filled with confusion. "Brother Chen Yuan defeated so many wandering fire spirits and even absorbed a ball of mountain fire, so why are we only ranked tenth?"

After a moment's thought, Liu Jinglan offered a reasonable explanation: "That's normal. After all, the competition has just begun, and each team's starting situation is bound to be different."

“Some teams may encounter wildfires after only a few steps, while others may walk for most of the day without seeing any trace of the wandering ember spirits.”

"It's still early, so we can't tell much yet. We should just focus on the final rankings."

"I'm with you."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Jingyi interrupted him, "With Brother Chen Yuan here, we're definitely number one!"

Liu Jinglan sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Another day of my younger sister siding with outsiders.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the jumbled thoughts, then glanced at the second-ranked [Wild Wolf Howling Team], rubbed his chin, and muttered, "Such a... such a simple name, could it be Murat's team?"

"Mulati?" Chen Yuan asked casually.

"Yes." Liu Jinglan nodded and explained, "Mulati is the champion of this year's Blazing Fire Cup. His initial pet is a fire-type Scorching Mane Wolf."

"He really likes wolf-like pets and is determined to make a contract with every kind of wolf-like pet in the world. Only he would come up with such a team name."

Chen Yuan chuckled softly, "That's quite interesting."

Some beast tamers are like him; they can form a contract with any beast regardless of its species or attributes, as long as they take a liking to it.
Some beast tamers, like Jiang Wenning who has a particular fondness for the ice attribute, specialize in a single attribute.
Some beast tamers, like this Murati, have a preference for a particular type of pet.

Regardless of the method, as long as the beast tamer and the pet are willing, no one else has the right to interfere.

Liu Jinglan stroked his chin and continued, "I heard that Murati has recruited a very powerful beast tamer from another region into his team. That person's strength seems to be no less than his. The two of them together are probably a threat to us."

Liu Jingyi clenched her fist: "I believe in Brother Chen Yuan!"

Chen Yuan smiled and said nothing.

After checking their current points and rankings, the group didn't waste any time and continued deeper into the heart of the Flaming Mountains.

The further they went, the higher the temperature became, the more intense the wildfires grew, and the more numerous and powerful the wandering ember spirits became.

There weren't many wild pets around, which suggests that the appearance of the Wandering Fire Spirits is indeed a serious threat to their survival.

They encountered other beast tamer teams along the way, but the competition was fierce and both sides were busy searching for the Mountain Fire and the Wandering Fire Spirit, so they didn't have much contact and left in a hurry.

As evening approached, the crimson sunset against the sky and the wildfires burning across the region created a breathtaking spectacle, and the temperature began to drop rapidly.

Chen Yuan tightened his clothes and his lips moved slightly: "Let's find a place to rest."

"Ow"

Cola, with its ears drooping, was the first to respond.

Its stamina is not unlimited, and it cannot always create a cool breeze to cool down the body. Whenever the breeze dissipates, its thick fur becomes a heavy burden that Cola longs to unload.

And with bare feet on the barren earth, the faint heat scorching the soles of their feet, Cola looked on with envy at the Big Sister and the Flaming Eagle flying in mid-air.

If only I could fly.

Just then, Cola perked up its ears and keenly overheard its owner's conversation.

Liu Jinglan: "In this year's Blazing Flame Cup, there is a very interesting wind-type pet."

Chen Yuan asked, "What's so interesting about it?"

Liu Jinglan kept his eyes straight ahead and slowly said, "That's a Cloud Wind Leopard. It's very agile and makes its opponents very troublesome."

"But that's not the point; the point is that it can fly."

"It can fly?" Chen Yuan stopped and looked at him with curiosity.

"Ow?"

Cola widened its eyes, raised its head, and silently placed its paws behind Liu Jinglan.

If Liu Jinglan hesitates, Kele will urge him without hesitation.

Liu Jinglan laughed and said, "Isn't it interesting?"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "That Cloudwind Leopard seems to have used a special method, enveloping its entire body in wind energy, thus successfully achieving brief flight."

Chen Yuan nodded thoughtfully, then his eyes lit up.

The Cloudwind Leopard is an option, and the Wind-type Hound, which is also a wind-type pet, is certainly an option as well.

A bold idea popped into Chen Yuan's mind, and he suddenly turned his head to look at Cola.

"Ow!"

Without Chen Yuan saying a word, Cola had already started trying. It suddenly whipped up a gale, and wild wind energy enveloped its entire body. The next second, it clearly felt its body begin to move upward.

"Ouch!"

Cola's eyes lit up with excitement, and he shouted excitedly.

Master, I can fly now!
However, the wind energy that enveloped his entire body seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall and dissipated with a bang, causing Cola to fall to the ground.

"Ow"

The excitement in his eyes vanished instantly, and Cola raised his bewildered eyes.

what?
Can't I fly?
Chen Yuan fell into deep thought: "As expected, making cola fly is not that simple."

He had actually had many ideas before and had Cola try them out, but it was obviously not an easy task to get a wingless pet to master the ability to fly.

"But it doesn't matter. Since that Cloud Wind Leopard gave the answer, we can definitely do it too."

(End of this chapter)