Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 366 unlocked! The Iron-Headed Kid's Advancement Method!
farm,

The morning light was just right, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

Chen Yuan opened his eyes, lay on the bed staring at the ceiling for a long time, before stretching and slowly getting up.

He slept for a full ten hours and woke up feeling refreshed. The fatigue of the week was completely wiped away by the soft bed at home.

Looking around, Cola was nowhere to be seen. He smiled slightly, already able to imagine Cola's smug yet cautious expression as he tiptoed out.

The little guy has finally broken through to the fourth rank, so it's time for him to go out for a stroll and show off to his friends. Otherwise, what's the point of improving his strength?
Stepping into the courtyard, one is greeted by a vibrant yet tranquil and harmonious scene.

While humming its duck song, Runrun Duck wobbled and sprayed water to water the spirit plants.

Glistening water droplets splashed onto the emerald green leaves, refracting delicate light in the morning glow.

Despite its lazy nature and reluctance to train, the leisurely life on the farm and the abundant breeding resources have allowed its strength to steadily improve, and it now has a certain competitive ability in the third tier.

If left outdoors, Runrun Duck would most likely become a powerful pet that rules a medium-sized lake.

But Runrun Duck has no interest in this; it just wants to live its leisurely, lazy life, and getting up early to water the plants is its greatest effort.

Flower fairies fluttered gracefully above the planting area, their pale yellow gauze skirts swaying gently in the wind, their delicate petals lightly brushing against each and every spiritual plant.

With its graceful movements, specks of golden dust drifted down, accompanied by a burst of vibrant emerald green light. These spiritual plants seemed to be infused with extra vitality, their leaves unfurling more fully, their colors becoming more lustrous, radiating boundless life.

The Fallen Horned Beast was jogging in a corner of the yard. Its massive body moved with a strange sense of steadiness, and its heavy hooves precisely avoided the tender shoots with each thud, producing a dull and reassuring thud.

Even after becoming the champion of the Qinling Riding Competition, the naturally hardworking Fallen Horned Beast still did not give up on its self-discipline, training diligently day after day, which is in stark contrast to the lazy duck.

At the same moment, Sprite and its good friend, the Cold-Blooded Cow, were playing in the unmelted snow. They gently bumped heads with each other, and fluffy snowflakes were splashed up, sparkling in the sunlight, like a silent and joyful dance.

Egg stayed motionless in the lobby.

Since the trip to the Cold Pool ended, Egg seems to have absorbed enough energy and is working hard to digest it, and has not moved at all.

Watching his pets peacefully enjoying the morning, Chen Yuan felt a sense of tranquility and decided to rest for the day and begin new training tomorrow.

Pet training requires a balance of intensity and rest. While hard work is important, the little guys have gone through a week of intensive training and are exhausted. It's time for them to rest and recover.

Good rest can further enhance one's abilities.

He strolled to the farm gate, where Iron Head was standing guard as always—it stood firmly against the door frame, motionless, like a small steel sculpture, with only the occasional flash of light indicating that it was on alert.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Chen Yuan never hesitates to praise the most reliable and capable employee on the farm. He even plans to award Tie Touwa a "Best Employee Model Award" during the Chinese New Year to encourage the other kids to learn from him.

He also considered awarding Runrun Duck the "Living a Life of Leisure and Waiting to Die Award," but then he thought that given Duck's personality, she would definitely see the award as an honor rather than a disgrace, so he had to give up on the idea.

"Do you want to become stronger?"

Do you want to understand the true meaning of life?

Looking at the fierce-looking Ironhead, Chen Yuan carefully chose his words and spoke slowly.

"Crack?"

Iron-Headed Kid looked puzzled and tilted his head.

Why is the farmer saying such strange things so early in the morning?
Is he implying that there was a mistake in his work?
Meeting the serious gaze of the stubborn boy, Chen Yuan coughed lightly and decided to stop keeping him in suspense: "Actually, it's like this, I've seen your performance since you joined the farm."

“You are different from the ducks. You are a good kid who has aspirations for yourself and is responsible for your work.”

Seeing the emotion on Tie Touwa's face, Chen Yuan smiled gently and continued, "Of course, the ducks also have their own advantages."

"But I think you can become stronger, as strong as Cola and the others."

"Ka"

Upon hearing this, Tie Touwa's eyes flickered, and he fell silent.

At that moment, it recalled the scene of confronting the old farmer carrying a hoe for stealing vegetables, and finally being defeated by the big sister.

It recalled the image of the farmer patting his chest, promising that as long as you joined the farm, you would be provided with food and lodging.

It remembered the invincible leader, the valiant Cola, the Morning and Evening Flower Fairy who nurtured the spiritual plants, and the Runrun Duck that watered the spiritual plants.
It felt ashamed, as it was too weak to do anything but guard the gate and felt unworthy of the farm owner's kindness.

"Kick!"

Iron-headed Boy suddenly looked up, his gaze resolute.

However, it wanted to become stronger and better protect the farm.

"Very good, it's good that you have the idea of ​​becoming stronger." Chen Yuan was very pleased to see the reaction of the Iron-Headed Kid.

Ironhead is very strong, ranking fourth in overall strength among farm animals. Using him to guard the gate is actually a waste of his talents.

Chen Yuan knew Tie Touwa's goal.

If one day he were to master his supernatural skills, Tie Touwa would like to leave the farm and see the outside world.

The world is so big, it wants to see it.

With a thought, Chen Yuan saw the current data panel of the Iron-Headed Kid appear before his eyes:

Race: Steel-headed Gopher (Collected)
Attribute: Steel

Level: 23 (Tier 3)

Favorability: 94
技能：钢刃(出神入化5.1/20）+铁臂(精通2.1/7）+钢刺滚筒(精通1.5/7）+冲袭之刃(精通3.1/7）+
Quality: Leadership

Promotion to Morning Star quality requirement: Unlockable

At first glance, Ironhead's data panel seems unremarkable. His level of 22 is average among the third tier, he only has four skills, and his quality is already behind the current top tier.

However, its proficiency with the steel blade has reached an unparalleled level, which is a level higher than perfection.

Day and night of hard work and persistent practice have given birth to a skill proficiency far exceeding that of other pets.

With just this one move, Ironhead can roam freely among third-tier pets. Even Cola, who hasn't broken through to the next level, has to be careful when facing Ironhead, as she might get injured if she's not careful.

Ironhead deserves to be stronger, and Chen Yuan also wants it to become stronger.

"Unlock it for me!"

[Advanced Requirements: Use 2 x Level 4 Steel Core (Refined Steel) and 2 x Level 4 Earth Core Crystal in a Steel Convergence Area.]

“Metal convergence.” Chen Yuan repeated softly, tapping lightly on the door with his fingertips. “I need to ask Brother Xu to help me look for it.”

Having gone through the previous three advancements, Chen Yuan was already familiar with the fixed advancement conditions, and it was clear that this place where metals converged contained a rich amount of steel-based energy.

"I remember that the Beast Taming Shop sells Hundred-Refined Steel Heart, a steel-type resource. It seems I don't need to search for it anymore."

"Earth is a resource. It seems that Ironhead will have more earth attributes after it advances, which corresponds to its habits."

Ironhead is naturally a deep underground creature, skilled at digging. Before its evolution, it was even a ground squirrel, so it's reasonable that it has more earth-type attributes.

Suddenly, Chen Yuan's eyes lit up: "Earth Core Crystal, if I remember correctly, the Beast Taming Market also sells it!"

In a flash of inspiration, he went directly to Zhou Xu and asked him to help him find a place where metal could gather, and at the same time to purchase the advanced resources needed by Ironhead.

If both types of advanced resources could be purchased directly, it would save a lot of tedious work, eliminating the need to search for resources as painstakingly as before.

A short while later, Zhou Xu sent a message:

"Consultant Chen, the place you mentioned will take some time to find, but both of these resources are available in the marketplace. I just asked some private sellers, and they're even willing to give them to you directly."

Chen Yuan chuckled and typed a reply: "Thank you for their kindness, I'll just buy it with my contribution points."

Since Chen Yuan became an advisor to the Qin Province Beast Tamer Association and gained great fame, countless people have expressed their willingness to give him breeding resources free of charge, including many extremely valuable level four resources.

Chen Yuan was aware of their thoughts, but he was unwilling to owe them favors, so he refused them all.

"It seems you'll soon advance and gain even greater strength." Putting away his phone, Chen Yuan looked at the iron-headed boy in front of him and smiled slightly.
Ironhead nodded silently, not excited by the sight, but his vigilance towards the surrounding gazes became even sharper.

Just then, light footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Chen Yuan looked ahead and saw Cola slowly walking back. Its ears, which were usually held high, were now drooping softly, and its fluffy tail hung listlessly behind it. Every step seemed heavy, and it had completely lost the cheerful energy it had when it left home in the morning.

"What's wrong? Did something unpleasant happen when you went out?" Chen Yuan took a step forward and gently stroked its drooping head.

Cola lifted its eyelids, glanced at its owner with its lake-blue eyes, and let out a few muffled but soft whimpers.

It seemed a little embarrassed to speak, and in the end it just buried its fluffy head deep in Chen Yuan's warm embrace and rubbed against him, then walked to a corner of the yard and found a sunny spot to lie down.

"Ow"

Cola rested its chin on its crossed front paws, staring at a busy little ant crawling on the ground, lost in thought for a long time, not even bothering to wiggle the tip of its tail.

After an unknown amount of time, its droopy ears suddenly perked up, its eyes began to shine again, it abruptly stood up, and its tail began to wag again.

Cola ran quickly to Sprite and Frostbite, who were still rolling around in the snow, and let out two loud calls. Then it made a few short and clear low calls to the jogging Falling Horned Beast and the Electric Flying Cat, who was supervising Runrun Duck's watering.

The members of the adventure team quickly gathered around it.

Cola lowered its voice, its face serious as it kept making earnest howls, while using its eyes and subtle gestures to tell the adventure team members everything that had happened that day.

Finally, Cola's eyes gleamed, and it slammed its paw on the ground: "Awooo!"

Catching thieves is our adventure team's duty!
We must seize this opportunity to maintain order in Xuanhe Town and, at the same time, enhance our reputation!
Cola's idea was simple: it would be difficult for it to catch the cunning thief on its own, but with the help of its friends, things would be completely different.

Electric Flying Cat is equally cunning and full of ideas. In addition, its keen sense of smell makes it a great help.

As for the ducks, well, they can make up the numbers too.

Soon, Sprite's light blue eyes sharpened, and she was the first to respond to Cola: "Awoo!"

Thief! Thief!
The Fallen Horned Beast let out a deep growl of agreement; the honest and kind-hearted beast never refused its companions' requests. The Electric Flying Cat excitedly swung its tail, arcs of electricity dancing on its cheeks. Finally, Cola turned its gaze to the Runrun Duck, who had finished watering and was now leisurely lying on the ground basking in the sun.

It walked over and howled in the gentlest voice, trying to explain the plan to catch the thief.

Runrun Duck raised its head, subconsciously shrank back, and lazily flapped its wings, clearly showing little interest in leaving the farm to catch the thief.

Electric Flying Cat nimbly flew to Runrun Duck's ear, its clever eyes darting around before it let out a highly incited cry: "Electric?"

Duck, that thief loves to steal food. You don't want your delicious spirit fish to be stolen by it, do you?

Runrun Duck's eyes widened instantly. It turned its head sharply to look at the fishpond, where a plump and beautiful fish leaped out of the water, splashing glistening droplets under the sunlight.

If the spirit fish is stolen.
The little duck's face fell, then it puffed out its fluffy little chest, excitedly flapped its wings, and looked indignant: "Quack quack quack!"

Catching thieves is our duty!
So, the entire adventure team assembled, forming a not-so-neat but imposing procession, and marched out of the farm gate, attracting the attention of the other members of the farm.

Chen Yuan leaned against the door frame, quietly watching the little guys' departing figures, especially Runrun Duck's adorable, proud and spirited appearance as if it were going on a long expedition, and couldn't help but smile.

Then he looked up at the sky and snapped his fingers lightly.

A streak of golden-red light, as if merging with sunlight, silently soared into the sky, trailing far behind the small group.

Spark concealed most of its aura, like a silent and reliable guardian.

The adventure team began patrolling along the outskirts of Xuanhe Town.

Following the ideas of Electric Flying Cat, they devised a plan to "lure the snake out of its hole".

Electric Flying Cat somehow obtained some small, sweet-smelling snacks and distributed them to everyone, instructing them to pretend to enjoy them, thus tempting the mysterious thief.

Electric Flying Cat stood tall and proud, its face beaming: "Electric!"

This is a strategy it devised based on the other party's actions, guaranteed to be effective!
However, when Runrun Duck held the fish-shaped, fragrant cookie it had been given, the tempting aroma of cream and fish powder wafted straight into its nose.

It blinked, first looking at the biscuit, then at the Electric Flying Cat, and finally couldn't resist its instincts, opening its flat mouth to take a bite.

The electric flying cat was so angry that its fur stood on end. It quickly flapped its wings and pounced over, nimbly snatching back the cookie that had almost been sacrificed prematurely with its claws.

"Electricity!"

Duck, this is a bait to lure the enemy, don't eat it!
Runrun Duck watched helplessly as the delicious food that was about to be eaten flew away. It lowered its head and quacked twice in grievance, pouting its beak high. But it could only watch enviously as its other companions began their performance to lure the enemy.

Time passed slowly, and the delicious food in their hands only attracted a few curious larks and a drooling leaf fox; their target was nowhere to be seen.

Electric Flying Cat circled the area a few times before finally making up its mind.

It flew to Runrun Duck, gave two serious calls, and kept calling out with its claws, "Electric!"

Duck, it's time to take out that thing!

Upon hearing this, Runrun Duck immediately shook its head like a rattle drum, its two wings tightly protecting its body, emitting a resolute quack, as if it were vowing to protect something of utmost importance: "Quack quack!"

No!

Absolutely not!

Sprite walked over and gently rubbed its cool nose against Runrun Duck, letting out a soft whimper.

The Fallen Horned Beast also let out a steady roar, and Cola stepped forward, patted the duck with its paw, its blue eyes full of assurance.

Duck, take it out.

I'll help you catch spirit fish from now on!

After being persuaded and promised by his friends, Runrun Duck went through an extremely difficult internal struggle, his expression constantly changing.

Its little head looked at this and that, and finally, after a great deal of deliberation, it slowly pulled out a small, tightly sealed bag of pet food with a glittering star pattern on it, its face full of pain.

The exact part of the body where the Runrun duck hides its food has always been a mystery.

Then, Runrun Duck shakily stretched out its wings and placed the extremely precious bag of pet food on the ground. Immediately, it gritted its teeth, turned its head, and forced itself to look away.

This bag of food was a gift from the Beast Tamer Association some time ago. It's said to be the latest product developed by a certain company. All the other pets have already finished it, but Runrun Duck still has some left.

As soon as the packaging was torn open, a rich aroma that was irresistibly attractive to pets exploded out and filled the air. The little guys immediately opened their eyes wide, and the sound of them swallowing their saliva was very clear.

I really want to eat it.

The effect of this bag of pet food was immediate. Before long, all sorts of pets were attracted by the exotic fragrance and emerged from all directions—there were Waterwalking Cats jumping down from trees, Cold-blooded Pigs crawling out of the bushes, and even members of the Paw Patrol running out of town.

To prevent his pets' food from being stolen prematurely, Cola quickly let out a very intimidating roar, which immediately scared away all the pets.

In the midst of this minor commotion, Runrun Duck, who was tightly clutching the pet food in her arms, suddenly felt the bag in her arms being tugged by a slight force.

It suddenly lowered its head, its eyes widening instantly in disbelief.

Fortunately, the duck was no longer the clueless little duck it once was. It immediately reacted, excitedly flapping its little wings and making rapid and loud quacking sounds to warn its companions!

The operation began instantly.

"Ow!"

The cola first let out a short but powerful growl, and the invisible air around it suddenly began to swirl. Soon, a strong wind arose, sweeping across the entire area, and snowflakes danced in the air.

The area was swept by a raging wind, with howling gales causing all the pets to sway and temporarily lose their ability to move.

Cola's keen nose twitched rapidly, instantly locking onto that faint, familiar scent in the air.

That's right!

That's the thief!

Electric Flying Cat understood immediately. With a swift flick of its slender tail like a serpent, an electric net woven from fine golden electricity instantly sprang out, precisely covering the area within Cola's sight.

"Coo-choo?"

A shrill scream filled with terror suddenly rang out. Where the electric grid covered, dazzling electricity crackled and popped, and the air twisted and rippled violently. Then, a petite figure was forced to appear amidst countless tiny golden lights.

An electric current surged through its body, causing a series of mild numbnesses and making its movements stiff.

"Electric~"

Seeing that he had easily caught the thief, Electric Flying Cat raised its head high, its face full of pride.

See that? That's the power of Electric Flying Cat!
Ice Crystal Illusion Cat!

Did you see it?
The little ones all looked up and saw clearly the pet that had been forced to appear.

This creature looks like a fluffy kitten standing upright, covered in smooth, glossy dark purple short fur, with only its chest and paw tips adorned with a lighter lavender purple.

Its round little head is topped with a pair of purple antennae with tiny pointed tips, resembling a miniature version of devil horns.

A pair of large, round, amber eyes were wide open in shock and slight discomfort, the pupils shrinking to slits under the light and electric current. A long, thin black tail swished uneasily behind it.

"quack?"

Runrun Duck glanced at the thief, then at Dian Dian Flying Cat, and suddenly stretched out its wings and cried out, "Quack quack!"

Electric Flying Cat, it looks just like you!

"Electricity!"

Electric Flying Cat's eyes widened, and terrifying electric currents flashed across its cheeks.

How is it similar?
It's an evil little cat that stands up, and I'm an invincible, adorable little cat that walks on all fours!

And it has tentacles, which I don't!

Caught red-handed, the mysterious pet was visibly stunned for a moment. Then, it instinctively bared its teeth, trying to make a fierce expression, and made what it thought was a very intimidating chirping sound.

However, its fierce appearance posed no threat to the farm adventure team, who had seen many storms. Instead, its big, round eyes and slightly trembling antennae made it look particularly comical and cute.

The children gathered around curiously, scrutinizing the thief who could turn invisible.

When the pet realized that its attempts to scare the animal were ineffective, it immediately changed its strategy.

Its large eyes quickly filled with water, becoming wet, the corners of its mouth turned down into a pitiful arc, its small ears and antennae drooped pitifully, emitting trembling, soft sobs, its whole body curled up into a ball, trembling slightly.

Its pitiful appearance indeed moved the soft-hearted Runrun Duck and Cola, who even hesitated whether to go forward and comfort it.

"Electricity."

Only Electric Flying Cat remained vigilant, its eyes flashing brightly.

When it first came to Xuanhe Town, it stole fruit and was caught by the farmer, it used this same pitiful act!
Hmph! You can't fool the clever and quick-witted me!
However, just as the Electric Flying Cat was about to speak up to warn it, a cunning glint flashed in the eyes of the mysterious beast, and its figure quickly faded, breaking free from the electric net and disappearing again.

But Coke kept its eyes on it, and almost the instant the latter made a move, it let out a low growl full of warning, and instantly locked onto the rapidly moving scent.

Sprite growled as it blocked the way, the Fallen Horned Beast took a step forward, the Electric Flying Cat prepared its electric net again, and even the Lumpy Duck sprayed water forward.

However, the mysterious pet, with its small size and familiarity with the environment, nimbly moved through the trees, secretly pleased with itself. It even turned back and made a face on the way, then burst into smug laughter.

Just when it thought it was about to disappear back into the shadows and successfully escape...
High in the sky, a dazzling and irresistible beam of light poured down like the magnified dawn itself!

In an instant, endless radiance enveloped the area, dispelling all darkness, and everything became crystal clear, revealing every detail.

At this moment, the mysterious pet was horrified to discover that its most relied-upon invisibility ability was completely ineffective in the face of this pure and holy radiance. Its small, dark purple figure was clearly exposed in the halo, with nowhere to hide.

It slowly and stiffly raised its head, only to see a magnificent Fiery Falcon hovering high in the sky, its golden-red wings seemingly fused with sunlight, looking down at it with a majestic and calm gaze that seemed to see through everything.

"Chirp."

The mysterious pet swallowed hard.

(End of this chapter)