Book 2: Chapter 92: Decision

Vol 2 Chapter 92: Decision That very day, Lin Jing sent a message to Xu Zhizhi, summoning the Dragon Palace’s strategist. “You’re finally back,” Xu Zhizhi remarked. “You missed a class!” “No big deal,” Lin Jing replied. The gains from this trip were far more valuable than attending a couple of Academy lectures. News from the Great Wasteland didn’t spread easily to the Ancient Domain, so Xu Zhizhi simply assumed Lin Jing had gone back to visit his hometown. He had no idea that Lin Jing had become the Holy Son of the Beast Taming Sect, secured numerous resources, and, more importantly, ventured out with the sole purpose of helping the Ice Soul Gu reach Foundation Establishment. After this trip, Lin Jing’s strength had reached an entirely new level. Before the Ice Soul Gu had established its Foundation, he and the Pine Leaf Mouse were already formidable opponents for anyone below the Core Formation stage. But now, even an ordinary Core Formation cultivator wouldn’t be too difficult to handle. “Nothing major happened while I was away, right?” Lin Jing asked. It would be absurd if the Dragon Palace collapsed the moment he left, following in the footsteps of the Beast Taming Sect’s downfall. “No issues at all. Ever since you ranked on the Genius Rankings, more and more people have been joining the Dragon Palace, and no one dares to cause us trouble,” Xu Zhizhi said with a grin, fanning himself. “The freshman admissions are coming up soon—I’m planning to make a grand entrance!” “Good.” Lin Jing nodded and continued, “Xu, I need you to handle something for me. I require a large amount of high-grade wood-element materials—third rank or higher, with strong life energy. Announce to the Dragon Palace members that they can exchange these materials for Rising Dragon Pills.” “In addition, I need a fire-attribute cultivation technique and an ice-attribute cultivation technique—both must be high-quality, at least capable of supporting cultivation up to the Nascent Soul stage. I’ll also use Rising Dragon Pills for trade.” “As for the exchange rates, we’ll determine them based on the quality of the spiritual plants and cultivation techniques,” Lin Jing concluded. The Rising Dragon Pills—created through years of synthesis and mutation of spirit plants by Lin Jing, the Dragonblood Carp, and the Pine Leaf Mouse—had become his most valuable trading currency. Xu Zhizhi pondered for a moment before replying, “Getting the spiritual plants won’t be a problem, but high-level cultivation techniques… Cultivation techniques capable of supporting cultivation to the Nascent Soul stage are important inheritances for sects. I doubt many students here have the authority to trade them.” Lin Jing nodded in understanding. A Nascent Soul-level cultivation technique was indeed quite valuable. Even the Everlasting Emperor’s Longevity Art that Divine Pine had imparted to the Pine Leaf Mouse only reached the Nascent Soul level when cultivated to perfection. Of course, that wasn’t due to a lack of potential in the Everlasting Emperor’s Longevity Art—it was simply a technique designed specifically for plant-type creatures, not for beasts. The version Divine Pine had given to the Pine Leaf Mouse was an adapted version, allowing it to cultivate but at a cost—the technique’s upper limit was significantly lowered. “Still, it’s worth a try. Some sects have deep foundations and may have accumulated various techniques beyond their own lineage,” Lin Jing said with a smirk. “I’m sure some people would rather put their ‘useless’ techniques to good use. After all, a Nascent Soul-level technique alone doesn’t guarantee a Nascent Soul breakthrough—but a king-tier bloodline dragon pet has a very high chance of evolving into a powerful Demonic General.” Soon after, Xu Zhizhi left to distribute the sect-wide mission on Lin Jing’s behalf. With that settled, Lin Jing set the Dragonblood Carp to work refining Rising Dragon Pills, while the Pine Leaf Mouse focused on gathering special ingredients for the pill refinement process. For the Dragonblood Carp, the next two years wouldn’t involve any combat training—just pure alchemy. The more pills it refined, the more spirit plants the Pine Leaf Mouse could obtain, which would, in turn, allow it to advance the Everlasting Emperor’s Longevity Art to greater mastery. If the Pine Leaf Mouse could achieve this breakthrough, Lin Jing would have a much greater chance of securing first place on the Genius Rankings. That, in turn, would grant him enough Hidden Dragon Fortune to help the Dragonblood Carp perfect its dragon transformation. If the Dragonblood Carp wanted to catch up to the emperor-tier bloodline of the Ice Soul Gu, then using a vast amount of Hidden Dragon Fortune to trigger its evolution was absolutely crucial. In the end, everything the Dragonblood Carp was working for… was for its own benefit. After Lin Jing explained this, the Dragonblood Carp could only lower its head and grind away at refining pills. As for the Genius Rankings Battle, Lin Jing had no intention of letting the Dragonblood Carp participate. Even though it had reached the extreme stage of Qi Refinement, it still wasn’t comparable to the true geniuses of the rankings as long as it hadn’t fully transformed into a dragon. Thus, the true main forces of the Genius Rankings Battle would be Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse. And if things got too dangerous… If even Lin Jing himself struggled to handle an opponent, then there was no way he could afford to expose the Ice Soul Gu! Of course, while revealing the Ice Soul Gu might put Lin Jing in a precarious situation, looking at it from another perspective—the Ice Soul Gu was one of the legendary Ten Rare Gu. Publicly displaying it would bring significant fame to Lin Jing. Aside from helping the Pine Leaf Mouse evolve, there weren’t many areas where Lin Jing himself actually needed Hidden Dragon Fortune. As someone with the Longevity Body, his cultivation speed was already absurdly fast—he didn’t need to rely on fortune to improve his comprehension. However, the newly acquired Heavenly Demon Physique technique was an exception. This technique was incredibly difficult to cultivate. Many experts estimated that fully mastering it at the Nascent Soul stage would require a massive amount of fortune energy. That meant securing first place on the Genius Rankings was non-negotiable. Considering all this… Lin Jing found himself somewhat willing to expose the Ice Soul Gu, depending on the circumstances. Of course, the reason he wasn’t too concerned about potential risks was simple—after the Genius Rankings Battle, he would retreat into seclusion in Hidden Dragon City for decades, making full use of his cave dwelling’s duration. As long as he stayed within the Hidden Dragon Academy, his safety would be almost guaranteed. “Besides advancing the Pine Leaf Mouse’s Everlasting Emperor’s Longevity Art, my next priority will be breeding more mosquito beasts.” Sёarᴄh the NôᴠeFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Lin Jing took out the Myriad Beast Circle gifted by the Myriad Beast Sect. With two Myriad Beast Circles in his possession now, he could incubate and control even more mosquito beasts. These mosquito beasts weren’t just food for the Dragonblood Carp—they would also serve as the sacrificial energy sources for his mosquito-powered mecha. In the coming weeks, Lin Jing planned to further refine his mosquito-powered mechanical constructs, strengthening his arsenal of combat techniques. While controlling the mosquito swarm directly was already powerful, their individual strength was too dispersed. A more focused method of harnessing their power would allow him to create a flawless combat system. “However… all of this is just external power.” “The most important thing is… my own cultivation.” “I’m currently at the peak of Qi Refinement Twelfth Stage.” “I’m just one step away from Qi Refinement Thirteenth Stage, a realm comparable to the Ancient Kingdom’s strongest bloodline geniuses.” “But this final step is proving incredibly difficult.” “At this point, unless I obtain immortal-grade resources, I won’t be able to advance further in the Qi Refinement stage.” “I can’t progress through ordinary cultivation anymore.” “And relying on pet feedback is no longer an option.” “Since I’m still at Qi Refinement, my contracted beasts—the Pine Leaf Mouse and the Ice Soul Gu—are limited to early Foundation Establishment due to the constraints of the Beast Taming Contract. Unless I break through first, they won’t be able to advance further.” “So… should I wait for an opportunity to push for Qi Refinement Thirteenth Stage? Or should I break through to Foundation Establishment immediately?” “If I break through, I can finally learn the Beast Taming Sect’s true inheritance techniques—my strength will skyrocket, and the Pine Leaf Mouse and Ice Soul Gu will also have a high chance of advancing to mid or late Foundation Establishment. Winning first place on the Genius Rankings would be nearly guaranteed.” “But if I remain in the Qi Refinement stage, my power will be limited… yet there’s a major advantage.” “If I manage to take first place while still in Qi Refinement, my fame will skyrocket, granting me even greater fortune.” Lin Jing fell into deep thought. Should he challenge the Genius Rankings as a Qi Refinement cultivator, proving himself against all odds? Or should he establish his Foundation now—and crush his opponents effortlessly?