Vol 6 Chapter 18: Trial
Mosquitoes, pine trees, Gu insects?
Lin Lan’s mouth twitched. What on earth was this.
“Aren’t there any normal ones?” she asked.
“Aren’t these normal?” Lin Jing replied.
At least he hadn’t suggested commanding ghosts or corpses…
Still, he understood why mosquitoes, Gu insects, and a lousy pine tree wouldn’t appeal to a girl.
But in truth, these were fine choices.
Mosquitoes—mosquito beasts—were inhabitants Lin Jing had cultivated inside his internal life-and-death cyclical space using the Blood of the Primal Mosquito blended with his Longevity Immortal Blood. By merging with Lin Jing’s Longevity Immortal Blood, those mosquito beasts had long since broken through racial bottlenecks and no longer obeyed cultivation-stage limits. Their potential was boundless; their lifespans even rivaled those of long-lived dragon breeds. Coupled with their feral tendencies, their combat ability was guaranteed. It wouldn’t be impossible for one day a “Mosquito Heavenly Emperor” capable of ascending to the Immortal Realm to be born.
Pine tree demons.They were formed when the Wood-attribute Pine Leaf Mouse used a pinecone from senior Mo Pine as a core, combined with gene-modified and refined flora and spirit creatures from the Origin Realm. Their potential, naturally, was undeniable.
And the offspring Gu of the Ice Soul Gu—its potential was certainly above both the mosquito beasts and the pine demons...
If Lin Jing were picking a pet beast contract right now, he felt those three would be the most suitable choices for Lin Lan.
“I know what you’re saying—they’re definitely strong, but they’re kinda... weird,” Lin Lan said.
“Aren’t I practicing the Beast Taming Art?” Lin Jing asked. “Are there no normal beasts? Like cats or dogs, instead of pine tree bugs...”
“All right.”
“A Beast Tamer’s pet also depends on the owner’s preference.” Lin Jing stopped walking and said, “Tell me what kind of animal you like. Using the Great Summoning Art, I’ll summon one for you from all across Earth.”
“However, after you contract a beast you like, the second one must be a Gu insect.”
Selecting on Earth might not yield a specimen as innately excellent as the three I can provide, but potential can still be cultivated afterward.
“Really?!” Lin Lan was surprised. You could do that?
Nearby, Mount Lu Recluse remained silent. She had already witnessed Lin Jing’s formidable abilities; whatever he did next no longer surprised her.
“Do you like legendary creatures, like dragons?” Lin Jing asked. He could also find an animal with draconic blood potential and have it fuse with Dragon Carp’s celestial beast blood to evolve.
“Dragon... not interested. I want to contract a giant panda. Is that okay?” Lin Lan’s eyes sparkled.
Lin Jing: “...”
“You’re something else,” Lin Jing said helplessly. This was a real trial—first thing she chose was a national treasure.
“Okay.” Even if Lin Lan was his cousin or only a disciple of Mount Lu Recluse, contracting a giant panda—or even roasting one to eat—no one could complain. After all, a foundation-establishment stage cultivator was rarer by countless times than a giant panda.
“When we get to where we’re staying, you can search for one.” The eight of them descended the mountain and reached their destination: a small town for cultivators.
This cultivator gathering was invitation-only. Powerful cultivators from the Jiangnan region were invited; cultivators from other regions had to apply to attend. Mount Lu Recluse was naturally one of the invitees. Each invited guest could bring people along—disciples, relatives, or even unrelated mortals. Therefore, among the attendees there were many mortals, including some wealthy and influential figures... Cultivators were not ignorant of the secular world; many were supported like fathers by large enterprises, with all sorts of worldly provisions supplied by such capital.
Holding their invitation, Mount Lu Recluse and her party traveled smoothly and soon arrived at a mountain-water villa arranged by the event organizers for her.
There, Lin Jing searched his collections but couldn’t find the corpse parts of an iron-eating beast, so he settled for second best and used bear bones from other bear demons as substitutes. They were bears, after all; difference was minimal.
A moment later, Lin Jing produced—how he’d found it, nobody knew—an approximately one-year-old panda and set it in front of Lin Lan.
Seeing the adorable panda, Lin Lan almost melted.
“??” The little panda, clinging to bamboo and nibbling, still looked somewhat dazed and didn’t know how it had ended up here.
“Being a Beast Tamer is so awesome. It’s way more fun than Master’s so-called ‘Waterfall-Splitting Sword Technique,’” Lin Lan said, rushing up to hug the panda and nuzzling it repeatedly.
“You child!” Mount Lu Recluse scolded, glaring at her. But seeing Lin Jing truly summon a living creature from elsewhere, she couldn’t help taking a deep breath.
A divine method indeed...
“Senior, this giant panda is a rare species. Each one should be tightly regulated by the state. If you suddenly summon one and it’s discovered over there, it could cause unnecessary trouble. Do you want me to contact the Dao Alliance and send them a photo, telling them this panda is being taken by me?”
“All right, thank you.” Lin Jing nodded. Mount Lu Recluse immediately contacted her friend in the Dao Alliance while Lin Jing personally assisted Lin Lan in forming the contract with the panda.
“Is that enough?” After a moment, holding the little panda, Lin Lan clearly felt a deeper connection to it, but she still didn’t understand how to make it fight.
“Not yet. Let me reinforce it a bit and it’ll be ready.” Lin Jing extended his hand and a small squirrel crawled out. Lin Lan saw the Wood-attribute Pine Leaf Mouse for the first time.
Previously, Lin Jing hadn’t introduced his pet beasts to his family, so seeing the Pine Leaf Mouse surprised Lin Lan even more. How could Lin Jing’s own pets be so cute while his recommendations for her were nothing but mosquitoes and Gu insects? If that pine-tree option had been a squirrel, she would’ve chosen it for sure!
The Pine Leaf Mouse was holding a piece of meteoric iron, no ordinary rock—it came from the Meteor Spirit Beast, one of the Origin Realm’s former hegemons and a disciple of the Fuzzy Immortal. The Pine Leaf Mouse hopped onto the panda’s head, opened the panda’s mouth, stuffed the meteoric iron inside, glared at it, and a miraculous scene unfolded.
What had been an ordinary beast panda was instantly wrapped in a celestial light; its cultivation rose rapidly. In an instant, fused with the meteoric iron and its bloodline, it rose to an astonishing Demon Emperor rank! Its cultivation leapt from a mundane beast to the tenth layer of qi training, putting it on par with the Beast Tamer.
A shocking demonic power spread out, and cultivators in the small town who were late-stage qi training or above quickly changed expressions as they detected what had happened.
“What an enormous demonic power...”
They rushed outside to search for the source, but in the next moment the demonic power vanished without a trace.
“All right, that should do for now,” Lin Jing said. “You and it should slowly build your bond. Next...”
“I also have to take care of some serious business.”
His eyes narrowed as Heavenly Demon divine consciousness spread out, waiting quietly for anyone harboring malice toward him to reveal themselves.