Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 3 Chapter 8: The Pledge of Allegiance

"You successfully switched to our cultivation method in just one year?"

At the Illusionary Assassination Hall, Steward Zheng was genuinely surprised to see Lin Jing again.

Elder Qin hadn’t been exaggerating—this disciple was indeed talented!

It seemed he had recruited a remarkable new member for the Illusionary Assassination Hall.

Seeing the True Illusion Essence radiating from Lin Jing, Steward Zheng smiled. "Not only did you switch over flawlessly, but your cultivation didn’t drop at all—you’re still at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Not bad, not bad."

"So, are you here to take on a mission?"

"You still have three years to consolidate your strength—there’s no rush to start missions..."

"Steward, I want to accumulate contributions as quickly as possible and become a Core Disciple." Lin Jing chuckled, scratching his head sheepishly.

Steward Zheng strode forward and, just like a year ago, patted Lin Jing on the shoulder.

"Since you're so eager, I'll give you a task that’s not too dangerous to get you started!"

"If you complete it successfully, I’ll arrange for you to join our elite squad, where you’ll compete against cultivators from other sects for resources and opportunities. That’s not just fighting for our sect—it’s fighting for yourself. The rewards in this process are immense."

As he spoke, he pulled out two portraits.@@novelbin@@

Both depicted a sweet, innocent-looking female cultivator. While their appearances differed, their overall aura felt strikingly similar.

"Pretty, isn’t she?" Steward Zheng asked.

"Very pretty." Lin Jing answered honestly.

"Hmm??" Zheng raised an eyebrow.

He ignored the comment and continued, "Her name is Yanran, a disciple of the Flower Sect. Five years ago, she disguised herself as a rogue cultivator and 'accidentally' encountered an Inner Sect disciple of Thousand Illusions Mountain. Through meticulous planning, she made him fall deeply in love with her."

"They got married, and on their wedding day, he gifted her a magical artifact as a symbol of his love."

"However, after the marriage, she spent months setting up a secret formation to absorb half of his cultivation. Then, using her status, she robbed his family of vast wealth and disappeared without a trace." 𝐑άNＯ𝐁Ê𝙎

"A disciple of the Flower Sect scheming for our sect’s artifacts and cultivation? That deserves death!"

"Of course, that Inner Sect disciple was an idiot to be deceived so easily."

"Despicable acts like these deserve punishment!" Lin Jing added in agreement. "I knew at first glance she wasn’t a good woman."

"You better mean that." Zheng gave him a knowing look. "You’re still young, not even twenty yet. When you walk the cultivation world, be careful."

"Women are nothing special. You practice illusion arts—once you master the Inverse Void Art, you can manifest any kind of Dao companion you desire. Our sect’s secret techniques don’t just transform into demon beasts!"

Lin Jing was momentarily stunned. That sounded wrong, but somehow… made sense.

"Recently, our disciples have tracked Yanran down. She has taken on a new identity, disguising herself and marrying into the Lin Clan of Linlang City."

"The Lin Clan has no ties to our sect. Even if they discovered the truth, they wouldn’t dare offend the Flower Sect, a Nascent Soul-level sect."

"Your mission is not to bring her back alive—if capturing her proves troublesome, just kill her and bring back her head."

Steward Zheng glanced at the file. "Since you’re already at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, this shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

Lin Jing nodded—it was no problem.

What he was really interested in was how many contribution points this mission was worth.

This was his pledge of allegiance.

Whether capturing or killing Yanran, he would be making an irreversible enemy of the Flower Sect. Only by taking this step would Thousand Illusions Mountain fully trust and invest in him.

Linlang City, Lin Clan.

Lin Jing was familiar with this place.

When he first arrived in Qingzhou, he had encountered a Lin Clan disciple—he hadn’t expected his first mission to involve them.

The Flower Sect disciple, Yanran, had reinvented herself as a young female cultivator named Yan Xin and married into the Lin Clan, specifically to a low-talent Lin Clan heir.

Although this Lin Clan heir lacked talent, he was incredibly diligent, earning the favor of the Lin Clan patriarch, who showered him with endless resources and pills, boosting his cultivation to mid-stage Foundation Establishment.

According to Thousand Illusions Mountain’s investigation, Yanran specifically targeted him for these reasons—planning to drain his cultivation and seize the vast supply of pills.

However...

When Lin Jing arrived at Linlang City, things took a bizarre turn.

Hiding in the Lin Clan manor, Lin Jing overheard a furious family argument.

"You just married such an outstanding wife, and now you… You unfilial brat!"

"How could you cultivate that ‘Immortal-Slaying Art’ you found?! It has crippled your ability to bear children!"

The elders were furious.

"You don’t understand. Xin'er is indeed a wonderful woman, but ever since I married her, my body has been deteriorating, and even my cultivation has started regressing!"

"I can’t accept this! I worked too hard to reach this level, only to lose it all?!"

"Meanwhile, my brother Lin Yun cultivated the ‘Immortal-Slaying Art’ and his cultivation skyrocketed—he’s already at early Foundation Establishment! After seeing that… I just couldn’t ignore it!"

"Men must prioritize their cultivation!"

"Prioritize, my ass! Your wife coughed up blood and ran away because of your actions! Instead of going after her, you sit here making excuses?!"

Lin Jing fell silent.

…What the hell?

So someone from the Lin Clan really did cultivate this technique?!

Ironically, this twist completely ruined Yanran’s plan—she couldn’t drain his cultivation because his own choices crippled him first.

This Lin Tian had unshakable willpower. Despite his humble background, he had unintentionally resisted a carefully orchestrated Flower Sect scheme.

But the real question—where had Yanran run off to?

This mission was his first task—his pledge of allegiance to Thousand Illusions Mountain. He could not afford to fail.

Lin Jing pulled out a small creature the size of his arm—a Flame Qilin Dragon.

"The target shouldn’t have gone far. Can you pick up any unusual scents?"

The Flame Qilin Dragon let out a dissatisfied growl.

Finally, some fresh air!

It had been confined for so long, it thought it was finally being set free—only to be used as a bloodhound.

How was it supposed to track scents like a damn dog?

"You're telling me that a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, someone who can identify even the subtlest differences between pill ingredients blindfolded, has a weaker nose than a dog?" Lin Jing asked flatly. "Hurry up and help."

"Grr…"

The Flame Qilin Dragon let out a reluctant snort, sniffed the air—

—and actually detected a lingering medicinal fragrance that didn’t belong to the Lin Clan's pills.

It carried the subtle scent of "Mimicry Flower" extract, a rare shapeshifting ingredient.

Lin Jing’s eyes gleamed.

"Found you."