Book 2: Chapter 48: The Autumn Hunt Begins!

Vol 2 Chapter 48: The Autumn Hunt Begins! Lin Jing silently retrieved a vial of beast blood from his storage pouch and poured it onto the Blood Devil Vine. This beast blood came from a Foundation Establishment Flood Dragon. As the vine absorbed the dragon’s blood, it began to transform. Moments later, faint bloody shadows appeared around it, and the vine disappeared, replaced by a massive Blood Flood Dragon, soaring into the sky. “Roar!!!” The dragon’s power was extraordinary, emanating an oppressive aura close to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, despite the beast blood being far from pure. Its ferocious crimson eyes locked onto Lin Jing, and it lashed out with savage blood claws! Seeing this, Lin Jing raised his arm. Buddha's light radiated from his body as his hand moved to grab the dragon. A colossal golden Buddha Palm manifested in midair and seized the Blood Dragon firmly. Diamond Palm. The Blood Dragon shattered under the palm’s might, disintegrating entirely. The vine, now drained of power, fell lifelessly to the ground, its ferocity gone. The combination of Lin Jing's Eleventh Stage of Qi Refinement and Buddhist techniques easily subdued this unorthodox creation. “After the vine absorbs blood and transforms into a Blood Demon Beast, you can’t control it?” Lin Jing asked the Pine Leaf Mouse. “Squeak!” The Pine Leaf Mouse squeaked, suggesting it be controllable. “? You just watched it attack me!” Lin Jing retorted irritably. “This thing’s too dumb. It doesn’t seem to have much potential on the market. Plus, it’s too similar to blood demon techniques. At best, it might pair well with that Ghostfire Pepper.” From the void came the mischievous laughter of the Pinecone, clearly amused by the vine’s antics. Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse resumed their experiments, testing whether Glazed Immortal Eyes could further synthesize materials post-Foundation Establishment. However, every attempt ended in failure. Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They also tried synthesizing non-plant resources, which similarly failed. “Maybe it really is tied to the Pine Leaf Mouse’s attributes…” Lin Jing speculated. The Pine Leaf Mouse currently possessed wood-based attributes. If it could cultivate metal, water, fire, and earth attributes in addition to wood, would it then be able to synthesize items of corresponding properties? “There’s no rush. Let’s wait and see if it can master the Five Elemental Forces in the future. Using wood as the foundation, the five elements could give rise to each other, culminating in a Five-Element Monster Core, which might evolve the Glazed Immortal Eyes even further.” The Glazed Immortal Eyes were the key to the Pine Leaf Mouse’s strength. After planning out the Pine Leaf Mouse’s cultivation path, Lin Jing suddenly thought of something. “What about the Dragon Carp? Still not awake?” “It must be exhausted. It can rest at home during the Autumn Hunt; it’s unlikely we’ll miss any major opportunities.” Two days later. The Autumn Hunt of Hidden Dragon Academy officially began. “All students participating in the Autumn Hunt, proceed to the Transmission Mountain to prepare for teleportation to the Lin Jing Mountain Range!” A commanding voice echoed across the academy. Moments later, streaks of light flew out from various peaks. Young cultivators, some riding demonic beasts, others flying on swords or clouds, descended toward Transmission Mountain. One of the academy’s front mountains, Transmission Mountain, was now enveloped in a vast light barrier. Junior cultivators had constructed a teleportation array, preparing to send the academy’s prodigies to the hunt’s location. “The Cangmang Mountain Range… Where is that?” Soon, over two hundred Foundation Establishment talents from various forces across the Nine Domains gathered near the array. Most knew little about this so-called Cangmang Mountain Range. “It’s a perilous area on the border of the Ancient Domain, teeming with fierce beasts. However, for us, it’s not overly dangerous—there are hardly any great demons there. It seems the location was chosen purely for the event.” “I wonder what rare beasts the academy brought from beyond the Ancient Celestial Kingdom this time! Those exotic creatures are the real prizes!” The participants buzzed with excitement. Rare beasts from foreign lands were more valuable than local ones, their materials fetching prices ten or even a hundred times higher. Even though many of these prodigies came from affluent backgrounds, no one objected to gaining more resources. The rare materials from such beasts could significantly aid their cultivation. Lin Jing, clad in white with a gourd hanging from his waist, descended quietly among the crowd. Among the two hundred-plus participants, most were strangers to him. However, several older students exuded powerful auras, and a few even seemed threatening. “Ninety-eighth on the Genius Rankings, sixty-sixth, thirty-first…” Lin Jing recognized a few renowned prodigies. He also spotted Liu Yu, whom he had briefly met before, and Chu Ren of the Chu family, who had previously sought to purchase the Rising Dragon Pill formula. Both glanced at Lin Jing, their expressions calm and unreadable. However, the most striking figure in the crowd was a silver-armored youth accompanied by a Battle Tiger. Both exuded overwhelming power, causing even some seasoned students to look wary. “No doubt about it—that’s a Battle Tiger with Demon King Bloodline! And its forehead bears dragon scales—could it also have dragon blood? The Wang Family’s Heavenly God Physique… Could it be…” Indeed, the silver-armored youth was Wang Xiao, who had vanished after his confrontation with Lin Jing’s Dragon Carp months ago. Now he had returned with a king-level battle pet! Wang Xiao gave Lin Jing a taunting glance, leaving Lin Jing speechless. This guy… had raised a king-blooded battle beast. Lin Jing doubted it was solely the Rising Dragon Pill’s doing; the Battle Tiger’s bloodline was likely already near king-level and had been enhanced with dragon blood before being nurtured by Wang Xiao’s fortune. “With a Heavenly God Physique and a king-blooded battle beast, even with Wang Xiao’s current cultivation, senior students might avoid crossing him,” Lin Jing mused, his expression calm. He didn’t consider Wang Xiao a threat. “Palace Master.” Moments later, Xu Zhizhi approached Lin Jing with the Dragon Palace group. The Autumn Hunt had no strict rules, so students could form teams for hunting. Those with organized groups held a clear advantage when vying for rare spirit beasts. In public, Xu Zhizhi addressed Lin Jing respectfully as “Palace Master,” instantly elevating Lin Jing’s status among the students. Lin Jing acknowledged Xu Zhizhi, Gao Sheng, Ziling’er, and Yuan Jing with a slight nod. This scene amused many senior Foundation Establishment students. A group of Foundation Establishment cultivators calling a Qi Refinement cultivator “Palace Master” seemed absurdly comical. “Once the hunt starts, let’s give them some ‘special care,’” the seniors whispered among themselves. As the group gathered, a woman clad in a magnificent imperial palace gown appeared in the sky, radiating authority. Upon seeing her, the students saluted immediately. Lin Jing recognized her—one of the Nascent Soul Realm guardians of the academy. “The Autumn Hunt begins now. Enter the teleportation array,” she announced softly, her voice graceful yet commanding. “The Cangmang Mountain Range will be monitored by academy instructors and Tianji Pavilion cultivators. Seize this opportunity.” The mention of Tianji Pavilion caught everyone’s attention. Known for its ability to divine secrets, the pavilion produced the Genius Rankings and Physique Rankings. It was one of the few non-official forces capable of disseminating information across the entire Ancient Kingdom instantaneously, with widespread credibility. Hearing this, Lin Jing stepped into the glowing barrier. Meanwhile, in a distant region of the Celestial Domain, a young girl gazing at a star chart noticed a sudden celestial shift. “Master, it’s the sign of the Dragon Devourer! In the Ancient Domain, a wild prodigy is about to defeat a Genius Rankings cultivator! Should I observe further?” she exclaimed.