Beast Tamer Ascension

Chapter 30: Unexpected

"He Yiming, Qi Refining 7th Layer, Pet Beast: Fighting Ape, Qi Refining 7th Layer."  

...  

"Qin Caixin, Qi Refining 6th Layer, Pet Beast: Tree Bear, Qi Refining 7th Layer."  

...  

"Ziran, Qi Refining 6th Layer, Pet Beast: Fire Spirit Sparrow, Qi Refining 7th Layer."  

...  

At the outer sect,  

the Inner Sect Examination registration was in full swing!

The cultivation levels of the disciples were generally normal.  

That is, until... Lin Jing arrived.  

He walked up to the registration table, and Elder Yu, already aware, casually asked, “Name?”  

“Lin Jing.”  

Elder Yu scanned him with his divine sense and said, “Lin Jing, Qi Refining 3rd Layer, Pet Beast: Pine Leaf Mouse, Qi Refining 7th Layer!”  

Upon hearing this, many of the outer sect disciples murmured amongst themselves.  

"Wasn’t that Pine Leaf Mouse just at the Qi Refining 4th Layer? How did it get to the 7th so quickly?"  

"The key point isn’t that the pet beast is at Qi Refining 7th Layer, but that the Beast Tamer is only at the 3rd Layer?"  

It was rare for a Beast Tamer at the early Qi Refining stage to have a pet beast at the late Qi Refining stage in the outer sect.  

Of course, no one dared to look down on Lin Jing or the Pine Leaf Mouse, given their notoriety. The dismantled Mechanized Bamboo Dragon was the perfect testament to their capabilities.  

Upon hearing the other disciples' discussion, the Pine Leaf Mouse, who was lying with its shoulders and eyes closed in Lin Jing’s robe, shook its head.  

If it had focused entirely on cultivation, it might have already reached the Foundation Establishment stage!  

The Pine Leaf Mouse had deliberately slowed its cultivation down, following Lin Jing's advice.  

For Qi Refining cultivators, Foundation Establishment was the process of solidifying one’s cultivation base and enhancing one’s physical constitution.  

Ordinary cultivators could only reach a few opportunities for acquiring the later stages of spiritual bodies.  

Cultivators with innate physical constitutions needed to choose appropriate resources during Foundation Establishment to continue strengthening their physiques.  

Likewise, spirit beasts and demon beasts followed similar processes.  

They needed to optimize and enhance their bloodlines during the Foundation Establishment process, ideally undergoing a bloodline evolution.  

The Pine Leaf Mouse, while powerful, did not possess a strong innate bloodline, so its Foundation Establishment process was particularly crucial. The Glazed Immortal Eyes had granted it abilities, but hadn’t strengthened its bloodline.  

Without perfect Foundation Establishment conditions, rashly advancing could be detrimental.  

Foundation Establishment was about laying a foundation for invincibility!  

Time passed slowly, and Lin Jing felt that accumulating resources and breaking through at his own pace was the best approach.  

After Lin Jing completed his registration, he stepped aside, and then Senior Brother Ziran walked up to him.  

“Lin Jing, your progress is astonishing,” Senior Brother Ziran greeted him with a smile.  

“The astonishing one is the Pine Leaf Mouse. I’m the one moving at a turtle’s pace,” Lin Jing replied.  

“Senior Brother is being modest. Fortunately, this time there are the Demon Hunting Hall disciples joining us, or this examination would be too easy for you guys,” Senior Brother Ziran said with a smile.  

“Is that so?” Lin Jing wasn’t too concerned about the Demon Hunting Hall disciples. As long as they didn’t come looking for trouble, he wouldn’t seek them out either. With so few disciples, the bulk of the points would still rely on demon beasts.  

“Of course. The Demon Hunting Hall disciples are all tough characters. Despite knowing the death rate in the Hall’s trials is extremely high, they still decide to join. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were carrying a blood debt and were desperate for strength to take revenge on some Yuan Ying ancestor. To be honest, I really don’t want to take the exam with them.”  

As they were talking about the Demon Hunting Hall, the disciples from the hall arrived and also registered.  

Although their cultivation levels weren’t particularly outstanding, the outer sect disciples all knew of their strength.  

“I’m the one who wants revenge,” muttered Senior Brother He Yiming, who had been severely injured by a Demon Hunting Hall disciple. After recovering, he had broken through to Qi Refining 7th Layer, which he considered a blessing in disguise.  

“Lin Jing seems to be the real headache…” Sister Caixin thought to herself.  

She still hadn’t figured out how to counter the red flying leaf technique that could change direction mid-flight.  

“Registration is now complete! A total of 20 disciples will participate in this year’s Inner Sect Examination.”  

“Next, Elder Li and I will lead you to the outskirts of the Great Wasteland, where we will act as your examiners. Your task is to survive for three days using any means necessary!”  

Elder Yu gave a brief explanation of the examination’s contents, confirming that it was largely the same as in previous years. However, there were more points available for competing with fellow disciples, likely a change requested by Elder Li.  

“Alright, all disciples participating in the Inner Sect Examination, come forward.” At this moment, a large flying vessel was floating in the sky. Upon closer inspection, it didn’t exactly resemble a typical flying vessel.  @@novelbin@@

It looked more like a demon beast shaped like a fish... no, perhaps it was better described as a mechanical beast—one of Elder Yu’s creations.  

Elder Li stood atop the mechanical fish, his expression emotionless as he addressed the disciples below.  

---

Before long, the 20 disciples boarded the mechanical fish.  

The fish began flying toward the outer edges of the Beast Taming Sect and the Great Wasteland.  

Onboard the mechanical beast, the atmosphere between the 20 disciples began to grow tense. Whether familiar or unfamiliar, they were now all competitors, sizing each other up and recalling each other’s signature techniques.  

“We will soon reach the Great Wasteland. Before the trial begins, I must remind you once again.”  

“The Inner Sect Examination should be approached according to your ability. Don’t do anything beyond your means. That won’t earn you any extra points; it will only cause you to lose points!”  

“Besides myself and Elder Li, some elders from the inner peaks may also be observing you secretly with their divine senses. So, perform well, and remember that if you face life-threatening danger, prioritize protecting yourself and your pet beast. The elders will step in to rescue you, but that will result in automatic disqualification. Do you all understand?” Elder Yu said.  

“We understand, Elder!” the outer sect disciples said in unison, bowing respectfully.  

“This kind of thing shouldn’t be spelled out so clearly. If we protect them too much, how can we test their true abilities?” Elder Li snorted coldly from the side.  

“Trials, examinations—they should be full of unexpected situations. That’s when you truly see who has the real skills!”  

Many of the disciples thought to themselves that Elder Li was just sitting comfortably, not experiencing the hardships of cultivation.  

But perhaps it was Elder Li’s ominous words that were prophetic. Suddenly, there was a deafening boom in the sky, shaking the mechanical fish.  

Everyone looked up in alarm, and saw a massive hole in the sky, with brownish light spreading from it.  

“What is that?” the disciples and their pet beasts stared at the hole in the sky.  

Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse, who had been enjoying the scenery near the edge of the mechanical fish, also looked up, their expressions changing.  

Moments after the hole appeared, a thick beam of light shot down. The target wasn’t anywhere else—it was aimed straight at the mechanical fish, or more precisely, at Lin Jing himself!  

“What is that?!” Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse tried to move away, but it seemed as though they were locked onto.  

“We’re in trouble. It’s coming straight for us.”  

Lin Jing’s vision blurred as the Pine Leaf Mouse placed a paw on its storage bag, only to realize that none of the items it had hoarded were useful for this situation.  

“Could it be the Yin Corpse Sect trying to capture us? No, this is still within the sect... How can they be so brazen?”  

Their consciousness began to blur, and the world around them was consumed by the light.