Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 364 Congratulations to Consultant Chen for securing the championship of the Donghuang Tournament ahead of schedule.

Qin Province, evening.

After finishing his busy day at work, Li Ming dragged his tired body back to his rented apartment.

He was an ordinary beginner-level beast tamer, working as an assistant in a small pet breeding shop. He mostly interacted with common pets like the Flowing Cloud Sparrow and Bean Chicken.

Despite his limited talent and the fact that his contracted pet was just an ordinary cotton grass, he had an almost fanatical love for all kinds of rare and powerful pets.

Unable to personally experience those wilderness adventures and witness the power of pet beasts, the online platform became his best window to peek into that wonderful world.

His favorite is a video blogger called "Shallow Wilderness Notes".

This video blogger has few followers and her video traffic has always been lukewarm, but she always goes deep into the wild alone to record the real and untamed side of many wild animals with her camera, and she is determined to show the most authentic living conditions of the animals to the outside world. This passion and courage makes him, who has gradually been worn down by life, very admire her.

He also remembered that at the end of the previous video, Shang Qianqian mysteriously announced that her next destination was the depths of the Qinling Mountains, where she would explore a legend about a "mysterious dragon".

"I wonder if Qianqian has updated yet?"

Li Ming habitually slumped on the sofa, took out his phone, and tapped the familiar video platform icon.

I just refreshed the page, and a brand new trending video popped up instantly.

The cover features Shang Qianqian's signature and vibrant smile, against a backdrop of treacherous mountain streams shrouded in mist. The video's title is particularly eye-catching: "The Search for the Dragon in the Qinling Mountains."

"It's updated! They really went to find the dragon!" Li Ming's spirits lifted, and he immediately opened the video, adjusting his body into a comfortable position to enjoy this visual feast.

The video begins with Shang Qianqian's signature selfie perspective.

Wearing professional mountaineering gear, she walked along the snow-covered Qinling mountain path, her breath steaming in the air, excitedly introducing the strange plants and various wild animals she encountered along the way to the camera.

Her partner, the Star-Owl, occasionally appears in the frame, its round body endearing and constantly emitting "coo-coo" warning sounds.

"The Qinling Mountains are so beautiful in winter," Li Ming said, looking at them with great interest, as if he himself had embarked on a hiking adventure.

Unfortunately, he was too busy with work and life to find the time to personally experience the majestic beauty of the Qinling Mountains. Moreover, his cotton grass was not capable of protecting him as he traveled through the perilous Qinling Mountains.

Midway through the video, Shang Qianqian parted a clump of bushes covered in icicles, and after a brief camera shake, a figure unexpectedly entered the frame in a relatively open clearing in the woods.

It was a young man in a dark gray windbreaker, standing tall and calmly watching a battle—a chubby Winter Hound was easily defeating an Ice Fox.

The man had a calm face and sharp eyes. Even though it was only a profile view, his unique aura instantly caught everyone's attention.

Almost simultaneously, the previously sparse barrage of bullets erupted like a volcano.

[Warning: High alert! Non-combat personnel, evacuate!]

[Holy crap! Wild Consultant Chen!!!]

[What incredible luck! She ran into the number one beast tamer in Qin Province as soon as she stepped out the door?!]

The screen was instantly flooded with a dense barrage of comments. Li Ming sat up abruptly, his eyes wide open, and he almost threw his phone away.

"Advisor Chen? It really is Advisor Chen! Qianqian actually ran into him?" At this moment, his heart was pounding, more excited than if he had won the lottery.

As a native of Qin Province, he knew Qin Province’s top beast tamer very well and was fortunate enough to snag a ticket during the Grand Wind Cup to see Consultant Chen in person.

When Consultant Chen appeared in Qianqian's video, Li Ming rubbed his eyes hard, feeling utterly incredulous.

This feeling is like your favorite niche video blogger suddenly engaging in close interaction with a super popular celebrity—a sense of bewilderment as if two different worlds have been connected.

In the video, Shang Qianqian clearly did not recognize Consultant Chen's identity. She greeted him very proactively and warmly, and praised the breeding of Yan Dong dogs as excellent.

[This silly girl, even Consultant Chen didn't recognize her to her face, she couldn't even capitalize on this sudden surge of attention!]

[Wow, a Winter Hound! Could it be Consultant Chen's new pet?]

[Counselor Chen wouldn't be planning to properly breed this Winter Hound and then use it to defeat Zhuang Jianbai, would he?]

Amidst the heated discussion among netizens, the video continued. Soon after, Shang Qianqian voluntarily left, and the microphone caught her explaining in a low voice why she didn't invite Consultant Chen: "This Beast Tamer is not bad, but unfortunately his strength is a bit weak. He only has a second-tier Winter Hound."

"However, his Winter Hound is indeed well-bred, obviously requiring a lot of effort. Hopefully, this beast tamer can make a name for himself with the Winter Hound."

The barrage of comments instantly turned into a uniform "???", followed by a rapid appearance of countless other comments.

[How dare you! Do you know who you're commenting on?]

[Qianqian, you missed the best opportunity to latch onto someone powerful!]

[Help, I'm dying of laughter at Qianqian!]

[Yeah, Qianqian is the first beast tamer to say that Consultant Chen is weak. When her fan club attacks, I'll be the first to run.]

Looking at these comments, Li Ming couldn't help but slap his thigh and burst into laughter.

Video continues.

After overcoming numerous hardships, Shang Qianqian finally arrived at the mountain stream where a giant dragon was believed to have been found, and encountered Zhuang Jianbai and his group. When the majestic and imposing Winter Hound appeared, the live chat erupted once again.

[Yunhua Qin Province Beast Taming Academy First Place!]

[This sense of pressure is even stronger than the last Big Wind Cup!]

Seeing the screen filled with comments, Li Ming adjusted his posture and muttered to himself, "Are there really this many netizens from Qin Province?"

The video edited by Shang Qianqian has a very tight pace. Accompanied by a powerful background music, the Azure Cloud Dragon appears. Its elegant and mysterious dragon posture makes all the viewers hold their breath. The fierce battle between the Winter Dog and the Azure Cloud Dragon is even more exciting to watch.

[Zhuang is awesome! He's still glorious in defeat!]

[Zhuang Jianbai's rate of progress might actually pose a threat to Advisor Chen.]

The Eastern Glory Tournament is going to be interesting.

Li Ming was equally excited, so he changed his position on the sofa with a look of excitement on his face.

However, the next second, that familiar figure once again entered the frame.

When Shang Qianqian belatedly realized that the person in front of her was Consultant Chen, and showed that astonished and shocked expression, the barrage was instantly flooded with "hahaha" and "finally recognized him," and Li Ming also laughed until his stomach hurt.

Then came the climax.

The Wind-Riding Hound went into battle and engaged in an earth-shattering, ultimate showdown with the Azure Cloud Dragon.

When the two sides fought fiercely for dozens of rounds, and Cola finally defeated Bibo Yunchi, the barrage of comments was briefly stunned, as if all netizens, like Li Ming, were so shocked by the duel that they forgot to post comments.

However, when the battle ended, Cola, who was enjoying the joy of victory, suddenly stepped into the fourth tier, causing a dramatic change in the atmosphere. His aura overwhelmed the entire arena, and the barrage of comments went completely crazy.

[Did the Wind-Riding Dog slay the dragon?]

[Zhuang Jianbai: Sorry to bother you.] [Tier 4! The Wind-Riding Hound has reached Tier 4!]

[The wind howls, the wind roars, all my disciples, woof woof woof woof!]

[It feels like we can congratulate Consultant Chen in advance on securing the Donghuang Tournament championship.]

Finally, the scene freezes on the image of the Azure Wave Cloud Dragon carrying Consultant Chen soaring into the sky and quickly disappearing into the sea of ​​clouds.

The camera pulls back to Shang Qianqian's face, which is both excited and tinged with melancholy. Her voice slowly rises, bringing this thrilling adventure to a close: "This concludes the entire 'Searching for the Dragon in the Qinling Mountains.' Next episode will be set on an island."

The screen goes black, and the video ends.

Staring at the black phone screen, Li Ming remained stunned for a long time, his heart filled with immense shock and excitement.

He subconsciously clicked on the comments section and found that countless netizens were discussing the video just like him.

Shang Qianqian became an internet sensation, and the number of views for this video skyrocketed at an incomprehensible rate.

"Long-time fans are relieved; Qianqian has finally grasped the secret to generating traffic!"

"Let's have a rational discussion. What level of combat power does Consultant Chen's Wind-Riding Hound possess now? Does it still have any rivals in the Eastern Empire Tournament?"

"Zhuang Jianbai is truly pitiful. After striving to become stronger, he discovered that the big boss had become even more monstrous."

"Am I the only one curious about the origin of that egg that the Azure Cloud Dragon is paying special attention to? It feels like big news!"

#The Search for the Dragon in the Qinling Mountains#
#Consultant Chen's Wind-Riding Dog Breaks Through to Level 4#
#Wind-Riding Dog VS Azure Cloud Dragon#
#Qianqian missed out on a billion#
In no time, topics related to this video surged to the top of the trending searches at an alarming speed, attracting the attention and discussion of countless netizens.

Countless beast tamers, enthusiasts, and onlookers are discussing the video's content with great enthusiasm. They are amazed by Chen Yuan's unfathomable strength and are filled with unprecedented anticipation for the upcoming Eastern Glory Tournament.

Before the organizing committee of the Donghuang Tournament had even begun its extensive promotional campaign, this video had already sparked a wave of online discussion about the tournament.

Some speculated about who would win the Eastern Empire Tournament, others discussed which Beastmasters would become formidable rivals, and still others pondered the various rewards offered by the tournament.
While staying in his apartment, Li Ming repeatedly dragged the progress bar, watching the scenes of Cola's battles and breakthroughs over and over again, his heart pounding with excitement.

After a long time, he turned off the video and looked out at the city's night sky, as if he could see that legendary figure riding a giant dragon and disappearing into the clouds.

"The Eastern Glory Conference, Advisor Chen," he murmured to himself, his eyes filled with boundless longing.

However, the outside world's disturbances did not affect Xuanhe Town, which is located in the Qinling Mountains. When the dark night covered thousands of mountains, the town lit up with a few lights.

"Chirp~"

Spark folded its broad wings and silently landed at the farm gate. Then, a flash of white light appeared, and it transformed into a fire-breathing bird, landing on Chen Yuan's shoulder.

"Thank you for your hard work." Chen Yuan turned his head to meet her beautiful golden-red eyes and smiled slightly.

Spark carried him from Cloud Ridge Peak all the way to Xuanhe Town, taking several hours, and finally returned to the farm at this moment.

The pre-competition training lasted a total of seven days, which means he had been away from the farm for a week.

Although he had been active within the Qinling Mountains during this period, he was still quite far from Xuanhe Town, and he worried every day that the little ones were not behaving themselves and would cause trouble.

"Chirp."

Spark responded softly to Chen Yuan, then drooped her head, closed her eyes slightly, and entered a state of rest.

Chen Yuan smiled and led the little ones forward toward the farm.

"Ouch!"

With a smug look on his face, Cola charged ahead, his clear and loud bark echoing across the farm from afar.

"Ow!"

Soon, Cola arrived in front of the Iron-Headed Kid guarding the gate. The latter looked Cola up and down with his semi-circular orange eyes, then released the twin blades in front of him, stepped aside, and gestured for Cola to pass.

"Ow~"

Cola didn't rush into the farm. It strode forward until it was only half a meter away from Ironhead, then raised its head high and swayed its fluffy tail from side to side.

Noticing this very ambiguous distance, Tie Touwa frowned slightly and silently took half a step back.

Seeing this, Cola stepped forward again.

Ironhead noticed and retreated again.

As the two little ones pushed and tugged at each other at the farm gate, it was a comical scene.

Cola finally couldn't take it anymore. It roared and stopped Ironhead, then, taking advantage of the latter's momentary daze, quickly put its paw on Ironhead's shoulder and finally grinned, "Awooo~"

How did you know I broke through to the fourth tier?
"Crack?"

Tie Touwa was momentarily stunned, his expression revealing confusion and astonishment.

Cola was very pleased with Ironhead's bewildered expression. It patted the latter's shoulder hard, then raised its head high and swaggered into the farm with an extremely arrogant posture.

Cola's earlier barking had already attracted the attention of the group of little guys, and it went over to them one by one, its mouth wide open, "Awoooooo!"

In no time, the news that Cola had broken through to the fourth tier swept across the entire farm like a tornado.

Runrun Duck was genuinely happy for its good friends. The stronger its friends were, the more carefree it could be, lazing around and leisurely living its little life.

Even though he hadn't seen TV for a whole week, Dian Dian Fei Mao was all smiles. This meant that the overall strength of the adventure team had further increased, and their great name would soon spread throughout the Qinling Mountains.

It, Runrun Duck, Fallen Horned Beast, and Coca-Cola are enough to conquer the Qinling Mountains!
"Alright, stop showing off and get some rest." Looking at the ever-showing Cola, Chen Yuan covered his mouth and yawned, then gently patted Cola's head.

If we're talking about the biggest takeaway from this pre-match training, it's definitely Coca-Cola.

Its skill proficiency not only improved across the board, but it also broke through the bottleneck on the last day and entered the fourth tier, thus achieving a qualitative improvement in combat power.

Now, it truly has the qualifications to compete with Spark.

But Spark also reaped considerable rewards.

During its special training, although it rarely encountered opponents who could confront it head-on, its diligent training day and night further solidified its strength and steadily improved its combat power.

The Morning and Evening Fairy is the one with the smallest improvement, but it is positioned as a healing pet. Chen Yuan's goal for it has always been to make it happy and work hard, without forcing anything else. Anyway, Big Sister and Cola will guarantee you a minimum.

"Ow"

The smug Cola strolled past his friends, but when he reached Chen Yuan, he immediately transformed back into a sycophantic, tongue-licking, head-shaking sycophant.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly: "We can talk about other things tomorrow. The task at hand is..."

"sleep."

(End of this chapter)