Chapter 44: The Black Chili Pepper

Chapter 44: The Black Chili Pepper The Beast Taming Sect possessed three major inheritance techniques and ten core secret techniques, all of which Lin Jing was already somewhat familiar with. In addition, the sect had dozens of ordinary beast-taming spells, most of them created by the third-generation sect master. The first generation founded the sect, the second reformed it, and the third created its techniques—each generation of sect masters was incredibly talented. However, Lin Jing had no intention of cultivating the ten core techniques for now. As someone with the Longevity Body, his cultivation level was still too low to keep up with his beast companion. Even if he learned them, the improvement for the Pine Leaf Mouse would be minimal. Instead of investing his energy there, it would be more worthwhile to study mechanization techniques or alchemy, both of which would better enhance both himself and the Pine Leaf Mouse. As for the three major inheritance techniques, those were non-negotiable. Whether it was the Fusion Secret Art or Beast-Weaponization, both significantly boosted a cultivator’s strength. In particular, the Beast-Weaponization technique reminded Lin Jing of a certain mythical figure—Yang Jian summoning the Howling Celestial Dog. In literary terms, it was often described as "summoning" the dog. Similarly, once Lin Jing mastered Beast-Weaponization, he could “summon the Pine Leaf Mouse!” “Elder Mo, after I return, I will focus on tempering my body, honing my soul, and refining my qi,” Lin Jing said. “So, you want to learn it all!” Elder Mo remarked. “No matter, you’ve got plenty of time ahead of you, and sooner or later, you’ll have to learn everything.” “Since you both seem to have nothing else to discuss, you should hurry back and train. I’ve got work to do as well,” Elder Mo continued. “Elder Mo!” Lin Jing added, “I’ve acquired a seed of a Malignant Plant. I’d like Elder Black Bear to evaluate its effects later.” Elder Mo paused before replying, “Has it offended you recently...? Testing it on yourselves could be dangerous, but I’ll have it seek you out later.” “It’s been through a lot, even if it hasn’t done much good, so remember to leave me a piece of it alive.” --- After their visit with Elder Mo, Lin Jing and Senior Brother Ouyang parted ways—one returning to his cave, the other leaving the sect to carry out the "investigate missing beasts" mission he had just accepted. On his way back, Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse passed by the spot known as the Leap of Tiandu. The Pine Leaf Mouse was still fixated on its desire to leap over the clouds. Completing a feat that even its ancestors had failed to achieve… If it succeeded, it would earn its own page in the family annals! “With just your physical strength, it’s impossible unless you awaken a beast king's bloodline. I told you to practice the Flying Leaf Technique, but you didn’t listen. Regretting it now, aren’t you?” Though the Pine Leaf Mouse’s Crimson Flying Leaf Technique was indeed formidable, it relied heavily on the mystique of the red flying leaves. Its ability to control the leaves depended on the strength of its mental power, which had room for improvement. If the Pine Leaf Mouse had trained regularly, increasing its mental strength, its speed and control over the flying leaves would undoubtedly improve, making such a leap feasible. “Squeak…” The Pine Leaf Mouse shed its cumbersome robes, signaling its resolve to start practicing immediately. “Since there’s pressure at that spot, when we return, I’ll use Thousand Transformations Illusions to simulate a beast king’s aura and help you train your mental strength,” Lin Jing said with a smile. “But before that, let’s head back and mature the Fire Cloud Pepper seeds!” --- Sёarch* The Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The inner peaks’ Spirit Qi was indeed far richer than that of the outer peaks. Whether in terms of cultivation speed or the growth rate of spiritual plants, the inner peaks were leagues ahead. Lin Jing was particularly relieved that Elder Yu hadn’t cut off his access to the outer sect dining hall despite his promotion to the Inner Sect. Meals continued to be delivered daily by Heavenfeather Cranes, significantly lightening the burden on both Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse. Time flew by, and the Fire Cloud Pepper, a first-rank Malignant Plant, was successfully matured by the Pine Leaf Mouse. However, the yield was low—each pepper plant produced only twenty fiery red peppers. “Spiritual plants already turn fierce upon fusion; can you imagine what a malignant plant will become after fusion?” Black Bear Monster arrived as promised, bringing along the same ninth-stage Qi Refining white mouse it had used previously. Upon seeing the vibrant red peppers, the white mouse fainted before even taking a bite. Opposite him, Lin Jing addressed Elder Black Bear. “As extremes meet, I believe malignant plants could very well transform into spiritual plants.” “Go ahead, Xiao Song, use your Glazed Immortal Eyes,” Lin Jing instructed the Pine Leaf Mouse. Facing the pile of Fire Cloud Peppers, the mouse took a deep breath, removed its cooling bamboo-leaf blindfold, and activated its Glazed Immortal Eyes! Most of the fiery red peppers disappeared, replaced by… a pitch-black pepper. The eerie color made Elder Black Bear cast a skeptical glance at Lin Jing. This is what you call a spiritual plant? It’s blacker than me! Luckily, it had the foresight to bring the white mouse. Shaking the mouse awake, it pointed to the black pepper. “Little white, see that black pepper? Eat it. If you survive, I’ll reward you with a big opportunity!” The white mouse, trembling with fear, couldn’t resist the coercion of a Monster Core Stage beast. It reluctantly crawled toward the black pepper, shaking all the way. “Don’t worry! It’s just a mutated first-rank Malignant Plant. You’re at the ninth stage of Qi Refining—what’s there to fear? Regular peppers only produce mundane flames, weaker than a commoner’s cooking fire. Even if it mutated, it shouldn’t be that strong!” the Black Bear Monster reassured it. Encouraged, the white mouse mustered up its courage, shut its eyes, and swallowed the black pepper in one gulp. The cave grew silent. Lin Jing, the Pine Leaf Mouse, and the Black Bear Monster all stared intently at the white mouse, waiting for its reaction. The next moment, the white mouse turned to the Black Bear Monster, opened its mouth, and startled it. But nothing came out. “Ha! A failed mutation?” The Black Bear Monster laughed, relieved. “Looks like even rare beast abilities can fail sometimes.” Before it could laugh further, its expression shifted dramatically. It felt a scorching heat in its soul. As it quickly inspected itself, it found black flames burning within—flames that didn’t harm the body but ignited the soul, intangible yet terrifying. “Nether Ghostfire! The magic flame that burns souls, used by Nether Hall demon cultivators!” it cried, hurriedly extinguishing the flames. Fear filled its eyes. “This is the godforsaken Death Pepper!” “Destroy it! Destroy it all now!” it exclaimed, pulling up the pepper plants and burning the remaining Fire Cloud Peppers. “You two better not mess with this again! This is ghostfire, the core technique of Nether Hall! If the Demon-Slaying Bureau mistakes us for colluding with demon cultivators, we’ll all be in trouble! Our Beast Taming Sect doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation with them already.” Watching the Black Bear Monster’s panic, Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse were stunned. Ghostfire? “Elder Black Bear, can this ghostfire be used for alchemy?” Lin Jing asked curiously. “Alchemy? Are you planning to use it for the living or the dead?” the Black Bear Monster glared. “I’m begging you, don’t cultivate this thing anymore! Even if we aren’t demon cultivators, getting caught with it will cause a lot of problems. Unless you’re planning to infiltrate the demon sects yourself.” “You want special flames for alchemy, right? I’ll find you a Beast Flame to use instead. Please, don’t grow this thing again,” it pleaded earnestly. “This isn’t just a malignant plant—it’s a demonic one! Using it would make us look like demon cultivators.” Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse nodded obediently. If it was that dangerous, they wouldn’t grow it anymore. Absolutely not. The Black Bear Monster looked at the still-alive white mouse and declared, “Not bad. I hereby appoint you as the personal test subject of Lin Jing, the future holy son of the Beast Taming Sect. Quite the opportunity, isn’t it?”