Book 2: Chapter 120: The Former Legend

Vol 2 Chapter 120: The Former Legend "Sorry about that, it was a sudden situation." Lin Jing chuckled and said, "As for my cultivation level... it's hard to explain." He then turned to look at the Jiang siblings. Jiang Qi had grown from a boy into a handsome young man, dressed in a striking red feathered robe, exuding an extraordinary aura. Jiang Lin had also matured, her blue dress complementing her icy temperament, making her look like a celestial maiden in the snow. Seeing Lin Jing, the two were overwhelmed with excitement and immediately bowed in unison. "Senior." "But mid Foundation Establishment is too low. You're at the same level as them!" Xu Zhizhi was at a loss for words. Shouldn't he at least be at perfected Foundation Establishment by now?! "My talent isn't great, can't be helped." Lin Jing smiled. Because he had gained extra lifespan through his breakthroughs, he didn't feel particularly troubled. Once his Heavenly Demon Physique was fully cultivated... everything would change. "The number one on the Genius Rankings is calling himself untalented..." Xu Zhizhi was speechless. "Relatively speaking... Xu, I've been in seclusion for ten years. Did anything major happen?" Lin Jing asked. "Well, actually, yes. First of all, this Dragon Palace—if you want to keep it running..." "I know about that." Now that he was out of seclusion and planned to stay in the academy as an "eternal student," he certainly wouldn't let Dragon Palace dissolve. "Another thing you might be interested in is the Beast Taming Sect." Xu Zhizhi’s gaze flickered as he continued, "Five years ago, the Ancient Celestial Kingdom and the Snow Plains went to war again." "The Great Wasteland, being close to the Snow Plains, may eventually turn into a battlefield!" "A war..." Lin Jing muttered. "Another one, huh? I wonder how big it will get this time." Conflicts between the Ancient Celestial Kingdom and the Snow Plains were nothing new. The kingdom wasn't just after the fertile lands of the Snow Plains—it wanted to conquer the entire region. This was closely tied to the Second Ancient Emperor. The First Ancient Emperor had destroyed the Immortal Alliance, founded the Ancient Celestial Kingdom, and laid its foundation, earning boundless glory. The Second Ancient Emperor, chosen as the successor when the First Emperor neared his end, had always sought to surpass his predecessor in achievements and power. Rumors said he wanted to unite the entire Tianyuan Continent under his rule, believing that expanding the kingdom’s borders would enhance his True Dragon Secret Art, allowing him to surpass the First Ancient Emperor. And the Snow Plains had become his first target after ascending the throne. However, even conquering the Snow Plains alone was an immense challenge. The Snow Plains tribes revered four totem guardian beasts, each comparable to Dao-Seeking Stage cultivators. Moreover, they thrived in the harsh and frigid environment, making the Snow Plains Cultivators exceptionally powerful. ŕΆɴổВƐṡ The Ancient Celestial Kingdom justified the war by claiming that the Snow Plains Cultivators were being deceived and controlled by these beasts and that the kingdom was acting to "liberate" them from their rule. Because of this, the Ancient Celestial Kingdom and the Snow Plains had remained in conflict. "The Beast Taming Sect is under sect closure, so it shouldn't be forced by the Sect Regulatory Office to send disciples to the battlefield. Unless the Snow Plains breach the Great Wasteland’s defenses, we probably don’t need to worry about it." At this level of war, Lin Jing felt it was beyond him to concern himself—he would just leave it to fate. "There aren't many other major events. Oh, right, the Genius Rankings— since you dropped off the list, a few new number ones have come and gone. The current first place is also a student at the academy. He’s challenged you at Dragon Palace multiple times, but you were in seclusion. The Jiang twins probably know more." Xu Zhizhi shrugged and looked at them. "The Genius Rankings, huh?" Lin Jing turned to the Jiang twins. "Are you two on the rankings yet?" "And... aside from Demon-Slaying Bureau missions, you two mostly rely on the Ice Soul Gu, right? But to truly reach the rankings, you’d need to use it at full power, and you don’t seem confident in doing that." Jiang Qi commented. "Who’s the current Genius Rankings' number one?" Lin Jing asked. "A newer student at the academy, Zhao Qingyue from the Cultivation Zhao Clan," Jiang Qi replied. "She’s related to Zhao Qingquan, the Spring Source Physique cultivator you defeated in the Genius Rankings Battle. If we’re talking lineage, she’s technically his younger cousin. But her talent far surpasses Zhao Qingquan’s—she has the Supreme Yin Physique, a Divine Physique that grants her the phenomenon of Bright Moon Divine Radiance." "She’s probably looking to avenge her cousin. Since you’re both in the academy, she’s challenged you repeatedly." "Senior, this Zhao Qingyue is strong. Her current cultivation is perfected Foundation Establishment, and her Divine Physique Phenomenon, Bright Moon Divine Radiance, is even stronger than a Core Formation Divine Ability!" Jiang Lin added. "Because of this phenomenon, she might be even stronger than Chen Zhong, who had the Innate Dao Physique, when he was at Foundation Establishment!" "The Cultivation Zhao Clan... No wonder they’re the second strongest cultivation family in the Ancient Celestial Kingdom, right after the royal family. They really do have a lot of freakishly talented members." Lin Jing mused. Then, he chuckled. "If she wants a challenge, let’s give her one. One of you go call her over. Tell her Lin Jing will be waiting for her outside Dragon Palace. I’d like to test out some new techniques myself..." Xu Zhizhi immediately perked up and laughed. "Oh, this is gonna be fun. The current Genius Rankings' first place versus the former first place from ten years ago? Feels a little like bullying, but since she’s confident, I’ll go let her know." "Go on, then~" Lin Jing waved him off, then turned to the Jiang siblings. "While we wait, I’ll give you two some pointers on using your Gu techniques." Zhao Qingyue—known as the Bright Moon Celestial Maiden. Many in the cultivation world believed she would be the next Cold Moon Sword Immortal. She had always been diligent, cultivating tirelessly from a young age. Upon her debut, she swiftly took first place on the Genius Rankings, becoming famous across the Ancient Celestial Kingdom. However, she carried an obsession. "You’re strong, but I still feel like you’re not quite at the level of Lin Jing, who defeated my cousin back then." And the reason? Her cousin Zhao Qingquan had a terrible habit of running his mouth and making himself incredibly annoying. "Lin Jing came out of seclusion?" Zhao Qingyue, dressed in flowing white robes, exuded an ethereal and pure radiance as she stepped forward. Her graceful posture resembled willow catkins drifting in the moonlight, swaying gently in the wind. Her face was as flawless and luminous as a full moon. Even Xu Zhizhi nearly found himself lost in her presence. "Bright Moon Celestial Maiden, you should be thanking me. The moment the Palace Master emerged from seclusion, I told him about you first." Xu Zhizhi smirked. "Are you really sure you want to challenge him? He’s ridiculously strong." "Take me to him." Zhao Qingyue had been waiting for years. Who would have thought Lin Jing would remain in seclusion for so long? Even if Lin Jing had already broken through to Core Formation, she still wanted a battle. But when she arrived outside Dragon Palace and saw Lin Jing—at mid Foundation Establishment—she froze, deep in thought. She hadn’t expected that after ten years, his cultivation would still be so low. Seeing his level, Zhao Qingyue deduced that his contract beasts must also still be at Foundation Establishment, given how Beast Taming Sect techniques worked. Since his own level was so low, his beasts couldn't have reached Core Formation either. "Why is his cultivation so slow? Fine if he’s slow, but even his beasts? Did he just sleep for ten years?" Zhao Qingyue was baffled. Lin Jing’s beasts were equally innocent. Helping him break through had taken them over nine years—honestly, not much different from sleeping for a decade. "This is the Bright Moon Celestial Maiden, huh? Truly a proud daughter of heaven." Lin Jing stopped his conversation with the Jiang twins and looked at his challenger. "Your cultivation..." "No need to worry about that. Since you’re eager to fight, let’s begin." Lin Jing said. "You’re the younger one, so you can make the first move." "...You're only ten years older than me. Stop acting ancient." Zhao Qingyue was speechless—especially since his cultivation was lower than hers. "This celestial maiden respects the elderly and cherishes the young. You go first—let me see those so-called Ten Rare Gu that once defeated an Innate Dao Physique cultivator." Zhao Qingyue’s expression remained calm, but she had long been eager to test out the "demonic cultivation techniques" she had heard so much about. "Alright..." Lin Jing couldn't exactly refuse the kind gesture of such a 'respectful' junior. Besides, he wasn’t entirely proficient in his new techniques yet—going first worked just fine. He planned to experiment with Beast Weaponization first. If she wanted to see the Ten Rare Gu, she'd have to get past his weaponized beast first. "Be careful, Celestial Maiden... this technique might be quite powerful." Lin Jing’s voice was calm. The next moment, a ripple of fire-tinged spatial energy appeared before his chest. Inside his Beast Taming Artifact, the Fire Qilin Dragon suddenly felt an unfamiliar, overwhelming beast-taming force surge through its body. This strange sensation made it feel as though it was being reshaped and reforged! Wait... he wasn’t summoning it to fight? He was... turning it into a weapon?! "Armor is too complicated... let's start with a simpler weapon first." Lin Jing reached into his Beast Taming Space with his right hand. The next instant, accompanied by an earth-shaking burst of fire, a long spear materialized—a spear with a flame-shaped spearhead, its shaft adorned with intricate carvings of a fire dragon’s head. As this transformation completed, countless fire threads flickered around Lin Jing's body, coalescing into a phantom fire dragon that wrapped itself around the spear. The temperature in the area soared dramatically. "Not ice, but fire???" Zhao Qingyue was momentarily stunned, as were the Jiang twins. Only Xu Zhizhi immediately understood—it was Lin Jing’s contract beast, the Flame Dragon Carp! BOOM! Though it wasn’t frost power, Zhao Qingyue didn’t dare underestimate this fire. The Fire Qilin Dragon, a beast with Demon Emperor bloodline at late Foundation Establishment, had been transformed into a weapon. When combined with Lin Jing, a monstrous Qi Refinement Thirteenth Stage Foundation Establishment Beast Tamer, the resulting power sent an instant warning through Zhao Qingyue’s mind. She had originally thought… But the next moment, her pupils shrank as her thoughts completely shifted— He simply swung it in a wide arc, and mid-swing, a black flame erupted from within the spear! Everyone present turned pale. "Ghostfire?!" Everyone knew Lin Jing practiced demonic cultivation techniques, but since the Demon-Slaying Bureau vouched for him, it wasn’t a huge issue. However, no one knew that he had also mastered the Ghost Annihilation Art of the Netherworld Hall. Even more terrifying— The Ghostfire fused seamlessly with the fire dragon flames on the spear’s exterior, merging into an overwhelming black inferno. It took the shape of a black fire dragon, clinging to the spear, instantly doubling its power! Zhao Qingyue’s body tensed instinctively in warning. Rare Beast Ability—Flame Emperor! Lin Jing hurled the spear directly at Zhao Qingyue. Her expression changed drastically as she instantly unleashed her strongest Divine Physique Phenomenon—a radiant full moon appeared behind her, casting down boundless divine light. However, the moonlight, which was said to be as powerful as a Core Formation Divine Ability, was instantly devoured by the black flames! BOOM! Lin Jing’s attack shattered her Divine Physique Phenomenon, obliterated her protective True Essence, and sent her hurtling backward. A searing impact struck her abdomen, leaving a charred crater on her robes. "Ugh!" She coughed up several mouthfuls of blood before managing to stabilize herself midair. Clutching her abdomen, she stared at Lin Jing, who was also floating and had already retrieved the spear back into his hands. A wave of utter disbelief surged through her. It wasn’t just her—Xu Zhizhi and the Jiang twins were completely dumbfounded as well. They knew Lin Jing was strong… but they hadn’t expected this. Even Lin Jing himself was a little surprised. "The Beast Taming Sect’s Secret Art—Beast Weaponization… That contract beast…" Zhao Qingyue’s mind was in turmoil. She had expected victory. She had expected defeat. But she had never expected— Was this man a monster? Was that beast... a newly contracted one?! "...A little carp that hadn’t even been contracted before. But it has since leaped over the Dragon Gate and become my third contract beast." Lin Jing gazed at the younger prodigy with a calm expression, his grip firm around the spear. "Celestial Maiden, would you like to continue?" He was quite satisfied with the power of Beast Weaponization. Searᴄh the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. If weapons were this effective...