Beast Tamer Ascension

Chapter 16: The Spirit Bamboo Slayer

Shortly after, Lín Jìng left the Mission Hall with a freshly issued mission scroll in hand.

With this scroll, he could enter the Golden Pearl Grove and freely harvest Spirit Bamboo. Without it, he would be arrested for “damaging sect resources.”

“That senior brother mentioned that using the usual Flying Leaf Technique to cut Spirit Bamboo is laborious. But I wonder how effective the red flying leaf would be.”

Lín Jìng and the Pine Leaf Mouse dismissed the senior brother’s comment. He was referring to regular spirit beasts, not their precious Pine Leaf Mouse. Since Elder Jade had entrusted them with this important task, they were determined to cut enough Spirit Bamboo, even if it meant going without food or drink.

Lín Jìng and the Pine Leaf Mouse hurried to the Golden Pearl Grove, conscious not to waste any time. After all, every ten stalks less would mean one less Spirit Stone earned.

They showed the mission scroll to the senior brother guarding the grove and entered the sea of bamboo.

Inside, they gazed up at the canopy of leaves, the towering Spirit Bamboo exuding a deep, vibrant green that radiated life. The sight made the Pine Leaf Mouse's mouth water.

“Squeak…”

Before it used the red leaf, Lín Jìng bent down and picked up an ordinary bamboo leaf, handing it to the mouse.

“Let’s do a comparison and see the difference in damage to the Spirit Bamboo when using a regular leaf versus your red flying leaf.”

The Pine Leaf Mouse nodded, accepting the green bamboo leaf. With one leaf in each paw, it narrowed its eyes and focused on the nearest bamboo stalk.

“Squeak!” Its spiritual energy surged, and with a flick of its small hand, the green leaf shot forward. The leaf collided with the bamboo, leaving only a barely noticeable nick before disintegrating.

The Pine Leaf Mouse frowned. This Spirit Bamboo was indeed tough. Cutting it with normal effort would mean a long day with little gain.@@novelbin@@

It exchanged a look with Lín Jìng and switched to the red flying leaf for its next attempt.

“Squeak!” The Pine Leaf Mouse leaped from Lín Jìng’s shoulder, tossing the red flying leaf. A red flash cut through the bamboo, followed by a cracking sound as the towering stalk fell.

The test wasn’t over. The red leaf, under the Pine Leaf Mouse’s control, continued slicing through bamboo at incredible speed, taking down several stalks in moments. The efficiency left Lín Jìng and the Pine Leaf Mouse thrilled.

This proved that the Pine Leaf Mouse’s control of the red flying leaf outmatched even a mid-stage practitioner of the important stage in cultivation. Its precision and agility were beyond any ordinary Pine Leaf Mouse.

“We’re going to be rich!” Lín Jìng exclaimed.

“Squeak squeak!” The Pine Leaf Mouse shared his excitement. Though controlling the red flying leaf was exhausting, the thought of the harvested Spirit Bamboo filling its storage pouch fueled its determination.

“We’re not leaving. We’ll stay here,” Lín Jìng suggested.

“I heard a stream nearby. If there’s water, there’s fish. I’ll eat grilled fish, and you can munch on bamboo leaves. Let’s push ourselves to the limit!”

The Pine Leaf Mouse blinked, puzzled. Just moments ago, he said it wasn’t a bamboo rat, and now it was eating bamboo leaves! But food was food, and Spirit Bamboo leaves were certainly better than garden tree leaves.

Their eyes shone with anticipation.

A week later!

The senior brother assigned to guard the bamboo grove noticed something amiss as he meditated in the bamboo hut. He recalled, “A junior brother entered the grove days ago for a harvesting mission, but there’s been no sign of them since.”

“They’re quite diligent,” he mused, glancing at the snacks on the table. Deciding to check on this junior who had received a task from Elder Jade, he took the snacks and entered the grove. The further he walked, the more his eyes widened in disbelief. The once dense bamboo forest had been reduced to piles of cut Spirit Bamboo stacked high.

“What happened?” He was stunned. He distinctly remembered only letting one junior and his Pine Leaf Mouse into the grove, but this scene resembled a mass clearing by the Pine Leaf Mouse tribe.

“Junior Brother, where are you?” Wind spell in action, he swiftly moved through the grove and soon found the Pine Leaf Mouse nibbling on a bamboo leaf, with Lín Jìng massaging it.

“Senior Brother, do you need something?” Lín Jìng paused his energy restoration technique, looking at the wide-eyed senior brother.

“Did you two cut all this?” His face showed disbelief as he looked at the exhausted yet bright-eyed Pine Leaf Mouse.

“Yes,” Lín Jìng admitted with a tired expression.

“Well…” The senior brother hesitated. “Did Elder Jade specify how much Spirit Bamboo he needed?”

Lín Jìng shook his head. “Elder Jade didn’t say, but for the Ascending Dragon Festival, the more Spirit Bamboo, the better. That way, they can build more mechanized bamboo dragons and make the festival even livelier.”

“I’d better check with Elder Jade…” The senior brother couldn’t shake his unease as he turned and left, worried that if Lín Jìng stayed any longer, the grove might vanish.

As he departed, Lín Jìng and the Pine Leaf Mouse, sensing urgency, picked up their pace.

…

Outer Sect, Mechanized Workshop!

Although Elder Jade mainly practiced beast taming, he was a mechanical enthusiast, devoted to studying constructs.

Outside the workshop, a plaque read, “Mechanical Beasts Are Beasts Too.”

At that moment, he was sipping tea and conversing with another elder. If Lín Jìng had been present, he would have recognized the elder as none other than Elder Mo, who had been away for days.

“I just returned, and before reaching Lotus Peak, you stopped me. What’s so urgent?” Elder Mo sipped his tea.

Elder Jade chuckled, stroking his beard. “A month ago, you asked me to look after the Longevity Body you found and placed in the outer sect. I’ve been attentive, even assigning him a custom bamboo-harvesting mission. Isn’t it time you thanked me? Ten stalks of Spirit Bamboo per Spirit Stone—it’s like a gift from the heavens for an outer sect disciple!”

“Ha! Do you expect gratitude for such a trivial thing? You’re always scheming. What do you want from my collection?” Elder Mo scoffed.

“Who’s scheming? I’m just conserving resources for mechanical beast research—” Elder Jade’s words were cut off as a crane landed, delivering a letter.

His expression changed after reading it. “Are you sure the body you brought back is a Longevity Body and not a Wood God Physique?”

“Why?” Elder Mo asked, puzzled.

“The guardian disciple reported that the one sent to harvest Spirit Bamboo is about to clear out the entire grove!” Elder Jade’s scalp tingled.