Beast Tamer Ascension

Chapter 20: Dragon Battle Beast Fight

Mechanical Technique

Among the various arts in cultivation, some techniques are easier to learn than others. For example, Beast Taming is relatively easy to get started with.

Even if other cultivators don't practice the Beast Tamer Technique and cannot form a bloodline contract with spiritual beasts, there are other methods, such as pills, magical tools, and poisons, to control demon beasts.

Apart from the Beast Taming Sect, it’s common in other sects for cultivators to keep one or two pets or mounts.

As for the Mechanical Technique, Lin Jing didn’t know much about it, but he had heard that Elder Yu had been obsessed with it for years, yet he still couldn’t create mechanical beasts that could match the combat strength of his contracted spiritual beasts.

"Elder Yu seems to want to pass on his Mechanical Technique legacy. It’s quite a deep passion of his, but within the Beast Taming Sect, I doubt anyone would be willing to learn the Mechanical Technique," Lin Jing said, crossing his arms and continuing to study the task announcement. From a rational point of view, mechanical beasts, lacking intelligence, were much weaker than spiritual beasts that had their own ideas.

The upgrade of a mechanical beast relies entirely on the mechanic. For more complex mechanical beasts, the mechanic has to invest a lot of effort into controlling them during combat. Moreover, repairing a damaged mechanical beast is more difficult. But a spiritual beast... not only can it cultivate on its own, but it can also fight by itself. Even if it gets injured, there are healing pills or herbs available. A mechanical beast, on the other hand, can’t eat healing pills.

Mechanical beasts might have their own benefits, but they didn’t seem relevant to most Beast Taming Sect disciples, since the sect didn’t have any advanced techniques suitable for learning the Mechanical Technique.

Therefore, this reward wasn’t particularly appealing to Lin Jing.

Although, looking at it from a long-term perspective, learning more things wouldn’t hurt for a Longevity Body like his.

"With the Qi Refining Seventh-Level Bamboo Dragon, it should be manageable," Lin Jing thought.

He stepped back from the crowd. Cultivation level is one thing, but combat ability is another. For example, even though most cultivators at the Qi Refining Seventh Level might not be able to beat a Sword Cultivator, when combining mechanisms and dragons, the result wouldn't likely be weak.

However, spiritual beasts were even stronger. Although the Glazed Immortal Eyes couldn't let the Pine Leaf Mouse fight on a much higher level, it provided unimaginable suppression at the Qi Refining stage. For example, the Spirit Bean Bombs synthesized using the Immortal Eyes were very powerful, so much so that they shocked even the Black Bear Monster. Their power was enough to severely injure those in the late Qi Refining stage.

"It’s a shame the rewards aren’t cumulative. Once you reach the final tier, you can’t receive the rewards from the previous ones," Lin Jing mused.

The Sixth-Tier reward, the "Dragon Blood Pill," was also decent. It’s a second-grade pill made from the blood of a Flood Dragon. After taking it, it could enhance a beast’s bloodline with a small chance of granting it dragon veins!@@novelbin@@

Of course, in terms of value, even without including the Mechanical Technique insights, the "Ingenious Soul Core" would definitely surpass the Dragon Blood Pill. However, Lin Jing thought that if he got the "Ingenious Soul Core" and sold it to buy a storage ring, Elder Yu would likely be furious.

"Only three days left until the Dragon Ascension Festival," Lin Jing thought as he returned to the courtyard, glancing at the Pine Leaf Mouse, who was sitting cross-legged under a barren tree, cultivating.

Behind it, there were piles of red Flying Leaves and Spirit Bean Bombs!

Since discovering the power of the red Flying Leaves, the Pine Leaf Mouse had stopped collecting Spirit Stones. Its cultivation now focused more on a single line of effort.

In the morning, it would drowsily hasten the growth of Spirit Rice and Spirit Beans. Then, it would sit nearby, replenishing its energy with Spirit Stones and Spirit Recovery Pills. Next, it synthesized golden Spirit Rice and devoured it with an expression of resolve. With perfect digestion, it would convert the nutrients from ordinary Spirit Rice into spiritual energy.

After filling its stomach, it would proceed to synthesize more red Flying Leaves and Spirit Bean Bombs, accumulating them.

Thus, the number of red Flying Leaves and Spirit Bean Bombs kept increasing, while the Spirit Stones and other resources became scarcer. But the Pine Leaf Mouse didn't mind.

After all, Spirit Stones wouldn't help in battle, but red leaves would.

The Pine Leaf Mouse wanted to take advantage of the Dragon Ascension Festival to earn more resources, hoping for big returns with little effort.

Thanks to its tenacity, the resources sent by the sect this month, along with task rewards and Spirit Recovery Pills, had mostly been consumed by the Pine Leaf Mouse.

Unlike Lin Jing, who hadn't gained a single Spirit Stone, the Pine Leaf Mouse had made significant progress. Its cultivation had reached close to the fifth level of Qi Refining while synthesizing its trump cards.

Lin Jing, on the other hand, had only eaten some leftover Spirit Rice and made himself some leaf fried rice.

If there was one thing that set Beast Taming Sect disciples apart from cultivators of other sects in terms of beast-raising, it would definitely be that most Beast Taming Sect disciples gave the best resources to their spiritual beasts, while cultivators of other sects would only give their pets or mounts leftover resources.

Lin Jing quietly returned without disturbing the Pine Leaf Mouse, sitting down nearby to read.

After a while, the Pine Leaf Mouse stopped cultivating and approached Lin Jing to learn about the rewards for the "Dragon Battle Beast Fight"...

Upon hearing that the best rewards were for the Mechanical Technique and mechanical materials, it was immediately disheartened.

"Zhi! Zhi Zhi! Zhi Zhi Zhi!"

"Calm down, the Mechanical Technique isn't that bad. After learning it, you don’t necessarily have to make mechanical beasts."

"Have you heard of the 'mechanical gun'?"

"Using that thing to shoot Spirit Bean Bombs would definitely be far more efficient than throwing them with the Flying Leaf Technique, and it would consume much less of your own energy."

With Lin Jing’s comforting words, time passed slowly.

Before they knew it, the day of the Dragon Ascension Festival arrived.

The Dragon Battle Beast Fight event would start at noon on the day of the festival.

In the courtyard, Lin Jing wore his usual outer sect disciple robes, with the Pine Leaf Mouse, now at Qi Refining Fifth Level, sitting on his shoulder. The mouse looked conflicted as it glanced at the bulging pouches of Lin Jing's robe, which contained all its possessions.

The thought of the upcoming battle possibly causing it to lose most of its belongings made the Pine Leaf Mouse want to back out.

"Zhi..."

Lin Jing didn’t care what the Pine Leaf Mouse was thinking. After three days, he returned once more to the central plaza.

The plaza was even more crowded. Though the event hadn’t started yet, people and their spiritual beasts had already gathered, surrounding the square.

There were many outer sect disciples wearing the same attire, varying in age from as young as ten to those who looked like senior disciples—whether due to age or rapid growth.

In the center of the square, a vivid bamboo dragon was floating mid-air, aided by a small wind formation.

Lin Jing looked up. The bamboo dragon was several yards long, with each bamboo scale gleaming with a greenish glow. Its head was exquisitely crafted, with two dragon eyes carefully carved from bamboo and shining brightly. The dragon’s horns were made of tough bamboo joints, sharp and upright, adding an air of majesty.

Its mouth was slightly open, revealing a complex internal mechanism. One could vaguely see the intricate bamboo wheels and thin bamboo threads interwoven to form gears, and... a white Dragon Orb.

"This year, Elder Yu’s mechanical dragon seems much more refined than in previous years," one disciple whispered, admiring the bamboo dragon.

Its body was covered in neatly arranged bamboo scales, all carefully polished. The dragon's spine was lined with bamboo joints, creating a smooth curve, resembling the spine of a true dragon. The entire mechanical structure appeared very fluid.

"Yeah, it doesn't even seem like a Qi Refining beast. It looks more like a Foundation Establishment beast that’s been forcibly downgraded to the Qi Refining stage," another disciple speculated maliciously.

"They’re probably overthinking it. It’s just for the festival. Elder Yu wouldn’t go to the trouble of making something this elaborate to bother us," another disciple said dismissively.