Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 2 Chapter 114: Renowned Across the Ancient Kingdom

"Congratulations."

The visitor was indeed Mo Qianyi. Upon seeing Lin Jing, she immediately offered her congratulations, though her expression remained neutral.

"I should thank you for not continuing to challenge me; otherwise, I might not have been the last one standing," Lin Jing said, inviting her inside.

"There’s no need to say that. Even if all six remaining contestants had challenged you in succession and one of them eventually wore you down, it wouldn’t change the fact that your overall combat strength was the highest among all participants."

"Besides, based on what you showed, I don't believe you hadn't anticipated that scenario. Would you really have been worn down and defeated?"

Lin Jing simply smiled without answering. Who knew? But he did have one last trump card—one he saw no need to use. Even if he had exhausted himself and collapsed, it wouldn't have mattered.

After all, what he wanted was to be ranked first on the Genius Rankings, not necessarily to be the final victor of the Genius Battle.

"Judging by your expression, did I hit the mark?" Mo Qianyi smirked. A Beast Tamer proficient in Mechanized Arts, capable of dual-cultivating Buddhist and Demonic techniques—who knew how many more hidden cards he had?

"And my item, have you prepared it?"

Mo Qianyi took out a contract scroll and said, "This is a contract from Lotus Pavilion. Let’s sign it first to guarantee the transaction."

—

Shortly after, Tianji Pavilion released the latest Genius Rankings.

This particular ranking was especially anticipated due to the Genius Battle. Not all cultivators could personally visit Tianji City to watch the event. Most cultivators in their respective regions simply awaited the rankings to be announced.

—

Wasteland Domain, Hundred Flower Valley, Beast Taming Peak

"Say, your Holy Son should have participated in the Genius Battle that Tianji Pavilion broadcasted, right? I wonder if Holy Son Lin made it into the top twenty?"

A petite, adorable Hundred Flower Valley female disciple chattered away as she strolled alongside a Beast Taming Sect disciple, her mouth never stopping.

Ever since Lin Jing had displayed his formidable strength during his Holy Son Inauguration Ceremony, the relationship between the two sects had grown much closer. Hundred Flower Valley disciples no longer saw Beast Taming Sect as beggars and even treated them with genuine friendliness.

This left Beast Taming Sect disciples ecstatic, shouting praises for their Holy Son.

"He should be fine, right? Junior Brother Lin is extraordinarily talented. I think he might even make the top ten." Senior Brother Ziran of Beast Taming Sect chuckled, scratching his head.

"Really? Senior Brother Ziran, I heard you once entered a Cavern Heaven with Holy Son Lin. Is that true?" The adorable girl leaned in, her large eyes filled with curiosity.

Under her gaze, Senior Brother Ziran gulped.

Just then, a streak of rainbow light flashed across the sky above Beast Taming Peak.

"Eh? Senior Sister Teng??"

Inside the rainbow light was a Hundred Flower Valley disciple wearing robes embroidered with a yellow butterfly pattern. Upon hearing her junior sister call out, she stopped briefly.

"Senior Sister, aren’t you supposed to be guarding the mountain gate? Why are you here at Beast Taming Peak?"

The petite girl asked curiously.

Taking a deep breath, the Yellow Butterfly Disciple held a stack of newspapers and said, "The latest World Report is out. I came to deliver a copy to the elders of Beast Taming Sect."

"The Genius Battle has ended? Senior Sister, what’s Holy Son Lin’s rank?"

Both the petite disciple and Senior Brother Ziran eagerly awaited the answer.

"Lin Holy Son… I…" The Yellow Butterfly Disciple still looked utterly dumbfounded, unable to express herself properly. Instead, she simply tossed them a newspaper.

"They can read it themselves... I’m leaving."

"I hope their hearts can withstand the shock…"

When Senior Brother Ziran and the male disciple from Hundred Flower Valley grabbed the paper and read it, their pupils shrank.

"F-First place???"

Moments later—

Hundred Flower Valley was in an uproar.

No matter what people were doing, they were all startled by the deafening commotion.

At Beast Taming Peak, there was an eruption of wild howls and bestial roars, so much so that slower disciples thought all of Beast Taming Sect’s contracted beasts had gone into heat simultaneously.

"OOOOHHH!!!"

The Demonic Beast Ancestors of Beast Taming Sect revealed their true forms, roaring in delight.

"I told you he could do it!"

"This Holy Son was the right choice!"

"Genius Rankings, First Place! Even though it's only the Human List, anyone who’s reached first place on this ranking—unless they die prematurely or exhaust their lifespan—has always reached the Nascent Soul Stage!"

"With the fortune he brings alone, Beast Taming Sect should be able to rise again. The potential of a first-place Genius Ranking talent should be more than enough to surpass us old folks, right?"

—

Genius Rankings - First Place: Lin Jing

Cultivation: Qi Refinement Stage 12

Age: 29

Affiliation: Beast Taming Sect

Profile: First place in the Genius Battle. Contracts two beasts—one is a Squirrel Spirit possessing the True Form of a Demon King and powerful Buddhist Arts, the other is one of the Ten Rare Gu of the Gu God Sect—the Ice Soul Gu. Defeated the previous Genius Rankings leader, Innate Dao Physique Chen Zhong, proving himself unrivaled beneath Core Formation!

—

"Too bad it’s just fortune. The Longevity Body makes it hard to convert that potential into actual strength…"

One of the Demonic Beast Ancestors sighed in sorrow. Every previous first-place Genius Ranking holder had stably reached Nascent Soul, but with a Longevity Body, things were much less certain.

Especially now that he also carried the negative effects of one of the Ten Rare Gu.

"Send him a letter. Tell him to stay put in the academy and not roam around. The sect can manage fine without him for now."

Grand Elder Wang Batian shared the same thoughts as Lin Jing himself—he should stay in the academy and develop for a hundred years first.

—

Meanwhile—

Deep inside Hundred Flower Valley, the Valley Master read the newspaper under Elder Fang’s watchful gaze.

Hearing the Beast Taming Peak’s wild commotion, Elder Fang sighed in regret.

"I told you, I told you, Valley Master, you missed out on a heaven-sent opportunity."

"But at least we established goodwill by giving him a bottle of Hundred Flower Honey and a secret technique."

"First place… huh?" The Valley Master’s gaze flickered.

In all these years of close ties between Hundred Flower Valley and Beast Taming Sect, when had the latter ever produced such a monstrous genius?

"But… Ice Soul Gu? Is Beast Taming Sect serious about this?"

She frowned. Being knowledgeable in insect cultivation, she was keenly aware of just how dangerous the Ten Rare Gu were.

—@@novelbin@@

Tianji City

With Lin Jing’s first-place ranking, Tianji Pavilion sent him an invitation.

"Come with me. Master asked me to bring you to receive Senior Starry Cosmos Turtle’s blessing. You must be satisfied now, right?"

"I thought you were still at Qi Refinement Eleven, trying to break through to Qi Refinement Twelve, but you’re actually challenging Qi Refinement Thirteen now?"

Bai Yuran clicked her tongue.

"It’s thanks to the Ice Soul Gu, right? With this, you should unlock your third contract slot. Have you already found a pet beast strong enough to help you break through?"

Lin Jing smiled at Bai Yuran.

"Of course I have. In fact, I entered the Genius Battle just for its evolution. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly."

This was the day he had waited for—the day his Dragon Carp would leap over the Dragon Gate.