Chapter 18 Sword-Carrying Dog_1

"Ever since I was a child, I've had a dream: to be a righteous swordsman, wandering the world with my sword in hand."

"But as I grew up, I realized that dreams were just that—dreams."

Watching Mr. Husky with a sword in his mouth, Lu Ran couldn't help but feel sentimental, like an old father passing his dreams on to his child.

"Whether I succeed or not, this dream of mine is now entrusted to you, Mr. Husky!"

"You must become a swordsman with a heart full of justice, in my stead!"

"The human society is bound by too many rules and restrictions, but the world of dogs is much freer."

"Come on, take this sword and let your radiance and talent shine!"

"Woof!" Mr. Husky, with the sword in his mouth, seemed to neither understand nor be swayed by Lu Ran's 'brainwashing' pep talk.

What Boss Lu says goes, I guess... Twisting its head, it swung the wooden sword back and forth with increasing proficiency.

Lu Ran looked on with satisfaction.

A student worthy of teaching.

However, whether this training direction was truly viable was something Lu Ran wasn't sure of either.

After all, the image of the mythical Ya Zi was a fabrication of human imagination.

Lu Ran wondered if there was a trait that could enable Mr. Husky to wield weapons more adeptly, considering that traits could grant Pet Beasts incredible special abilities.

This was crucial in determining whether Mr. Husky could continue down the path of the Sword-Carrying Dog.

Presently, due to Super Beast Mimicry and the Meteorite Mine, the route of the Sword-Carrying Dog had the potential to maximize its advantages, which is why Lu Ran had thought of such a breeding method. But as for what lay ahead, he would have to play it by ear... Nevertheless, Beast Training was oftentimes about groping in the dark and creating miracles, wasn't it?

"I remember reading in the breeding manual that Beast Training Techniques are not set in stone and that a Beast Trainer can develop them further with their own talent."

"Do I have the capability to deeply develop Super Beast Mimicry?"

Lu Ran had thought before that since Beast Trainers could emulate their contracted pet beasts through Super Beast Mimicry to gain their strength, was there a possibility to do it in reverse—allowing the Pet Beast to mimic the Beast Trainer and thus acquire some human traits, like using tools?

The biggest difference between humans and animals lies in tool usage and manufacturing; swords, theoretically, are intended for human use.

But what if, Mr. Husky could also learn from Lu Ran? Maybe then, it could become even better at swordplay.

A Beast Trainer mimicking a Pet Beast, and a Pet Beast mimicking a Beast Trainer—in essence, there was no difference.

If it could be achieved, it would be like killing two birds with one stone!

"Finding a new path in something is undoubtedly difficult, but if you just flip it around, the path seems much clearer. This could indeed be a direction for development," Lu Ran felt that Super Beast Mimicry had potential for such an innovative approach.

Just as Fang Lan said, Lu Ran was never one to follow the crowd or take the beaten path. More challenging endeavors only served to fuel his determination.

Planning to research alternative uses for Beast Training Techniques even during his internship phase, he was a rarity indeed!

As for how to develop these Techniques, Lu Ran would first have to gain a deeper understanding of Super Beast Mimicry. After acquiring the Skill Card for the Technique, the basic use for it had already taken shape within his mind.

It was as if the Skill Card had imbued him with certain knowledge.

"Follow my movements next," Lu Ran said.

"Woof!"

In the room, Mr. Husky followed behind Lu Ran, mirroring his sword strikes, striving for synchronized movements.

...

In the living room, Lu Ran had only conducted a preliminary experiment with Mr. Husky, which lasted roughly 30 minutes.

During those 30 minutes, Lu Ran was surprised to find that mimicking Mr. Husky's sword strikes was perfectly feasible.

Even if swordsmanship wasn't one of Mr. Husky's many "talents," it wasn't particularly adept at.

However, after training with Super Beast Mimicry alongside Mr. Husky, Lu Ran could subtly feel a minuscule improvement in his physical condition.

It was a small change, but definitely noticeable—and not just in his head.

Perhaps with more time, his strength would increase, maybe to the point of being able to bare-knuckle fight lions and tigers.

"Huff..." After a while, Lu Ran put down the Iron-Chopping Sword and exhaled a warm breath, feeling somewhat tired.

He glanced at Mr. Husky, who was still lively, twisting its head to perform slashing attacks, and scratched his head.

Not bad, Mr. Husky's energy was indeed plentiful.

Other Beast Trainers might worry about their Pet Beasts developing a rebellious attitude due to exhaustion from training.

But in his case, Mr. Husky might actually complain about Lu Ran not having enough stamina.

"Roar?" Sure enough, seeing Lu Ran pause, Mr. Husky looked over with a puzzled expression.

Why have we stopped training?

"Because I feel your strikes are getting weaker. Didn't you eat? I'll go prepare some food for you," Lu Ran said.

"Woof!" Mr. Husky paused, almost forgetting that it was hungry.

Lu Ran contemplated and turned to prepare food, including his own.

At this moment, he already had some ideas about reverse-applying Super Beast Mimicry.

Although he didn't know whether it would be successful, it would surely shock other Beast Trainers if they knew.

After all, even for advanced Beast Trainers, developing Beast Training Techniques was no small feat.

While preparing food, Lu Ran kept refining his thoughts. The fundamental workings of Super Beast Mimicry were actually quite simple.

After mastering Super Beast Mimicry, the Beast Trainer's brain domain would see the emergence of a unique visionary space.

Super Beast Mimicry, which is the envisioning of the behavior traits of the contracted pet beast and naturally mimicking them with one's body, allows the Beast Trainer to slowly receive feedback as long as the actions of both parties are similar.

And the bridge connecting the Beast Trainer and the pet beast is precisely the psychic power established through the contract.

"The psychic bridge is used to get feedback from Mr. Husky, but if I also want to give some feedback to Mr. Husky, I need to find another bridge. If I still use psychic connections, it will cause a blockage, which is why normally Super Beast Mimicry can't be used for both giving and receiving feedback at the same time," Lu Ran mused.

"Compared to other beginner Beast Trainers, I have a huge advantage, and that's two years of training in Psychic Sensing!"

"After Mr. Husky fell into a frenzy, I was able to awaken it from chaos using Psychic Sensing, which proves that the mind can also become a bridge connecting me and Mr. Husky."

"Perhaps, I can use the psychic link to simulate the bridge built by Super Beast Mimicry and transmit my own insights and gains to Mr. Husky, enabling him to receive double the swordsmanship training!"

Psychic Sensing and psychic bridge, operating at the same time!

Lu Ran felt he could give it a try.

As he thought about it, he quickly prepared some food.

However, as Lu Ran brought the dog food back to the living room, his expression quickly turned dumbfounded.

"Holy crap." Because in the living room, he suddenly saw that the sword in Mr. Husky's mouth was emitting a dazzling white light.

At this moment, Mr. Husky seemed to have wrapped no attribute energy around the wooden sword.

It made the wooden sword look exactly like a Divine Sword.

"How did you do that!" Seeing this scene, Lu Ran's mouth fell open slightly.

Because, according to the training manual, it was already impressive if a pet beast at a low level could cover its body with energy.

And being able to use the energy as a reliance on the body, wrapping it around external objects in contact with the body, was already considered an advanced application of "Energy Coverage."

It would require a very long time of training to achieve.

"Woof!!" Mr. Husky looked at Lu Ran in a mess. It... it wanted to Release Sword Qi.

Why couldn't it do it?

"Holy moly, don't mess around! We are still at home right now!"

"If you really let it out, do you think we can still live here!" Lu Ran quickly called for a halt.

Although the odds were minuscule that a Level 4 Husky could grasp advanced energy techniques like "Energy Release" and "Energy Coverage" after just half an hour of practice, seeing that Mr. Husky had mastered one of them, Lu Ran dared not gamble.

In short, Lu Ran was completely stunned right now.

Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly pulled out the training manual.

He flipped to the Introduction to Species Level.

"The species level of a pet beast determines important physical qualities such as vitality, energy reserves, and physical strength. The higher the species level, the stronger the beast's basic attributes, allowing it to easily overpower lower Level pet beasts in combat!"

"But there is one particular Attribute that the species level does not cover, which is 'learning ability.' A beast's 'comprehension' cannot be directly observed and must be discovered by the Beast Trainer in the process of teaching the pet beast."

"Higher Species Levels result in stronger basic attributes – an innate advantage; stronger learning abilities mean that the pet beast can learn various skills faster – an acquired advantage."

"Thus, the Species Level does not determine everything, and Beast Trainers should be good at discovering the talents of their own pet beasts."

Lu Ran put down the manual and looked at Mr. Husky, completely dumbstruck.

So, it seemed that Mr. Husky, who didn't appear that bright but was fierce in battle, did not have much advantage in Species Level; instead, did it possess a remarkably high talent for learning?

This was just too abstract.

"Woof!" Mr. Husky, although unclear about what Lu Ran was thinking but feeling like he was being looked down upon, took note of this slight once more!

"Come to think of it, I've taught Mr. Husky all kinds of skills, and it indeed learned very quickly. I initially credited this to the Psychic Sensing, believing that it understood faster because of it, but now it seems that it also has an excellent learning ability of its own..."

Regardless, the stronger Mr. Husky became, the better it was.

He knew it, Mr. Husky was not simple!

"Eat up, once you're done, we're going out," Lu Ran said cheerfully as he set down the dog food, intending next to awaken Mr. Husky's Wind Attribute.

However, to awaken the Wind Attribute, it couldn't be done at home. What if something went wrong, and upon awakening the Wind Attribute power, Mr. Husky tore down the ceiling?

Therefore, Lu Ran decided to take Mr. Husky to his secret training ground to awaken the Attribute.

That place was behind the Red Leaf Park, which was quiet all year round with few visitors. He planned to train Mr. Husky there while waiting for Fang Lan.

...

Green Sea City.

Wildlife Park.

A young man dressed in special forces gear, with a gigantic Rottweiler by his side, bypassed several blockades to reach a certain area.

During this time, the officers sealing off the area were astonished by the exaggerated size of his police dog.

"Officer Luo, you're here," said a woman in black, taking charge of the enclosed area inside the wildlife park's ferocious beast zone.

"Xiao Liu, describe the situation again," said the man referred to as Officer Luo, his heart sinking upon seeing the gnawing marks on the ground. The police dog beside him bared its teeth fiercely, but showing signs of timidity upon sniffing certain scents.

"It's not a simple case of a ferocious beast injuring someone. The beast handler received a Black Card, overconfident in his ability to contract the beast. The result was a backlash, and that person has died, but the beast has gone through an initial phase of mutation and evolution and has escaped the zoo. Its whereabouts are currently unknown."

"It's a Northeast Tiger, and the most likely escape route is behind the Red Leaf Park. Although there aren't many people there, it is still connected to Red Leaf Park and the Starlight Villa Area. We need to deal with it quickly; otherwise, any passerby encountering it will be in mortal danger," the woman in black said sternly.