Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 2 Chapter 113: The Third Contract

Just as Lin Jing had anticipated, displaying overwhelming strength would make the other prodigies abandon even the thought of resisting.

Under his gaze, even Mo Qianyi hesitated, uncertain of how she could possibly defeat him.

Fighting a mechanized cultivator was notoriously difficult because one had to break through their many layers of mechanized defenses to strike them directly. However, for Lin Jing, who possessed the Ice Soul Gu, this was hardly an issue.

High-level mechanized cultivators formed a direct connection between their mind and their mechanical creations, linking them through a soul core. Yet, the toxic energy of the Ice Soul Gu could travel through this very connection, delivering its poison to the cultivator.

In other words, their greatest strength became their fatal weakness!

"Looks like the Starry Cosmos Turtle’s blessing is out of reach," Mo Qianyi sighed.

In truth, when she first saw Chen Zhong’s Spell Spirit Origin, she had already started doubting her ability to defeat him.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, someone even stronger than Chen Zhong had emerged!

If the second-ranked prodigy had already recognized the insurmountable difference in strength, how could the others not see it?

The remaining prodigies quickly came to terms with reality—challenging Lin Jing now would only humiliate themselves. Winning would be impressive, but if they lost, they’d be ridiculed for lacking self-awareness.

Not everyone had the courage to challenge someone far stronger than themselves. Such individuals were rare.

“No one else?” Tian Huihua chuckled, watching the silent prodigies.

With the top prodigy replaced, and someone contracting one of the Ten Rare Gu, this Genius Rankings Battle had proven well worth hosting.

"If there are no more challengers, then the final champion of this Genius Rankings Battle is—Lin Jing of the Beast Taming Sect! Three days from now, the Tianji Pavilion will release an updated Genius Rankings, based on the performances in this battle!"

“Wait, no way… Are you telling me the final champion is actually…?”

“Is there even any doubt? Didn’t you see his strength?”

A nearby cultivator took a deep breath and looked at Lin Jing, who floated above the icy battlefield, his presence almost ethereal.

“That guy… contracted one of the Ten Rare Gu!”

"If you’ve studied history, then you’d know just how much trouble the Ten Rare Gu caused the Ancient Celestial Kingdom in the past. Countless powerful cultivators perished trying to eliminate the ten Gu Masters who controlled them."

"The Gu God Sect… is not weaker than the Spirit Dao Sect, the number one sect of the Ancient Celestial Kingdom. In fact, it might even be stronger. The Ten Rare Gu were originally their lost relics. Now that one of them has resurfaced… this guy is in danger. The Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect will have a rough road ahead."

"The Gu God Sect will never allow something like this to remain outside their control. The moment a Rare Gu is born, they will stop at nothing to retrieve it."

As the audience whispered among themselves, they could already envision the storm Lin Jing was about to face.

The Ten Rare Gu were even rarer than Spell Spirit Origins, but they were also an incredibly dangerous burden.@@novelbin@@

Lin Jing remained expressionless, hovering above the battlefield, sensing the cautious gazes of the prodigies and the murmurs of the audience.

Of course, he understood their concerns.

But the moment he obtained the Ice Soul Gu, its exposure had been inevitable. Since it couldn’t be hidden forever, he might as well use it to cement his dominance.

At that very moment, Lin Jing felt the power of the Hidden Dragon Seal surging, its fortune energy growing at a terrifying rate—and this was before the official rankings were even updated!

His blue eyes flickered toward Tian Huihua, as if to say:

"You revealed this much about me just to boost your Tianji Pavilion’s newspaper sales… so I assume I’ll be taking first place in the rankings, right?"

Though it was eight versus one, he was a Beast Tamer. It was perfectly fair to use all of his contracted beasts!

"What a terrifying prodigy… Longevity Body, Ice Soul Gu—can he even survive long enough to reach the Nascent Soul Stage?"

Tian Huihua met Lin Jing’s piercing gaze, feeling a strange sense of curiosity.

Meanwhile, within the Academy’s faction, Mr. Cao, who had been watching the entire battle, sighed deeply.

“No wonder Tian Huihua went to such great lengths to ensure Ice Soul participated in the Genius Rankings Battle…”

As someone proficient in fortune-reading, Mr. Cao had always known Lin Jing was exceptional. However, even his insight fell short compared to the Tianji Pavilion’s foresight.

He never would have expected that the talent he discovered in the Great Wasteland would climb to first place on the Genius Rankings.

Countless Academy prodigies had achieved this before, and even Mr. Cao himself had once been ranked first in his youth.

But back then, the competition was nowhere near as fierce as it was now.

"The Ice Soul Gu… so that’s his fortuitous encounter."

For someone not born into a great sect, such achievements were impossible without a stroke of fortune.

Mr. Cao privately sent a transmission to the other Academy elders:

"In the coming days, protect Lin Jing. I will try to persuade him to return to Hidden Dragon City via teleportation array. Now that the Ice Soul Gu has been exposed, his return journey will be anything but peaceful."

The other elders silently nodded.

At the very least, the Spirit Dao Sect disciple didn’t take first place this time.

The Academy elders had always disliked the Spirit Dao Sect’s unwillingness to join their ranks and cultivate using Hidden Dragon fortune energy. Seeing one of their own surpass the Spirit Dao Sect prodigy was deeply satisfying.

With the Genius Rankings Battle concluded, Lin Jing returned to his inn and immediately sought out Senior Pine to request a Dragon Carp to warm his body.

"You really know how to put on a show," Senior Pine chuckled. "You went beyond your limits with the Ice Soul Gu, just to scare those prodigies, didn’t you?"

Normally, Lin Jing only partially merged with the Ice Soul Gu, fusing its cold energy with his true energy. Even then, it was painful.

But this time, Senior Pine had seen him completely merge—body, mind, and soul—with the Ice Soul Gu’s power.

As a result, even his soul had suffered frost damage, not just his physical body.

“I had no choice,” Lin Jing sighed. “Didn’t you see how powerful that Spell Spirit Origin was? Even after inheriting your bloodline and mastering your divine techniques, my Pine Leaf Mouse still couldn’t completely counter it.”

“If I didn’t fully merge with the Ice Soul Gu, I wouldn’t have been able to crush that guy.”

At Lin Jing’s words, the Pine Leaf Mouse, who was snacking on sunflower seeds, spat out a shell in protest.

"Don’t blame me! You’re the one with a low cultivation level! If you had reached Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, we wouldn’t have struggled so much—you could’ve fought a hundred rounds on your own!"

Senior Pine laughed heartily at the Pine Leaf Mouse’s response.

"Well, at least now you have no choice but to rely on the Ice Soul Gu. Now that it’s been exposed, the Gu God Sect’s cultivators will surely emerge soon… Heh heh heh."

Lin Jing rolled his eyes.

It didn’t matter—he had already decided to seclude himself in the Academy for at least sixty years.

He wouldn’t leave unless the Academy collapsed—which, realistically, wasn’t happening anytime soon.