CHAPTER 75: CHAPTER 4: SQUIRREL DEVOURING DRAGON PAINTING

No one could have imagined that after Fang Shilin used the power of a magical treasure to once again defeat a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, the next challenger would be a mere Qi Cultivation cultivator.

In this Hidden Dragon City, even a stray dog on the street might be at the seventh or eighth level of Qi Cultivation, so having Qi Cultivation wasn’t all that impressive.

Qi Cultivation Stage... Fang Shilin curled his lips. Winning against a Qi Cultivation cultivator while being at the Foundation Establishment level carried no glory. Instead, it might be seen as bullying the weak and could damage his reputation. But losing to this guy... how could he possibly lose to a Qi Cultivation cultivator?

Either way, this unprofitable challenge wasn’t worth his attention. To Fang Shilin, Lin Jing was just here to cause trouble.

"Wait a minute!"

"That outfit on you..."

Suddenly, Fang Shilin noticed the Squirrel Spirit and the Dragon Carp and asked, "Are you a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect from the Great Wilderness Domain?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.

"Beast Taming Sect?"

"Isn’t that the sect recently ordered by the Sect Management Office to shut down and reform due to excessive demonic luck?"

"I heard every Nascent Soul ancestor in that sect is a Demon King, with not a single human cultivator. Each Demon King has three or four human pets. Terrifying, indeed."

The cultivators present looked at Lin Jing with curious eyes.

Lin Jing had no idea how the rumors grew so far-fetched. He sighed slightly.

"I am Lin Jing of the Beast Taming Sect!"

"The Beast Taming Sect isn’t as ridiculous as you all make it out to be. There’s still one human expert among us."

Fang Shilin, familiar with the Beast Taming Sect as a Great Wilderness cultivator, laughed as he listened to the discussions: "Did all the disciples run to the Ancient Domain after the Beast Taming Sect was sealed?"

"The Ancient Domain is a place where fortune gathers. As a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, coming to the Ancient Domain for training is the best choice to revitalize the sect," Lin Jing said calmly.

"I see. I do sympathize with your ordeal," Fang Shilin said. "Alright, I accept your challenge."

"You’re just in the Qi Cultivation Stage with two pet beasts. One should be contracted, and the other uncontracted, but that’s okay. You can all come at me together; that would be fairer."

If it had been an ordinary Qi Cultivation cultivator, Fang Shilin wouldn’t have bothered accepting the challenge. However, upon realizing Lin Jing was a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, his interest was piqued.

The Beast Taming Sect was, after all, a top-tier sect in the Great Wilderness. Its closure due to excessive demonic fortune was a popular topic. Engaging with them might just broaden the audience for his dueling arena endeavors. Moreover, taking on three opponents wouldn’t be considered as too overbearing when the story is told.

Lin Jing very politely said, "Thank you, but I haven’t yet contracted the Dragon Carp, so it’s improper to send it into battle."

Having said that, he planted his staff on the ground, letting the Dragon Carp play the role of a spectator as he walked forward with the Squirrel Spirit, step by step, to face Fang Shilin.

Seeing this, Fang Shilin narrowed his eyes.

Not only Fang Shilin, but the cultivators present—whether at the Qi Cultivation or Foundation Establishment stage—felt Lin Jing was being too arrogant.

Three against one was already unfavorable odds. Why would he intentionally handicap himself by sacrificing an advantage?

The crowd observed Lin Jing’s cultivation, which was only at the seventh level of Qi Cultivation. Although the core strength of a Beast Taming cultivator lies in their pet beasts, to their eyes, the Squirrel Spirit at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation didn’t have a particularly high cultivation either. After all, this was a major realm difference, not just a minor stage gap.

"This Beast Taming Sect disciple must be trying to raise his own profile to increase the sect’s human luck."

"I wonder what his status in the Beast Taming Sect is, that they’ve fallen to the level of sending a mere Qi Cultivation disciple to revive the sect?"

The people were confused. The main point was... even if a disciple from the Beast Taming Sect could legitimately gang up in a fight, choosing a top student from the academy a whole cultivation realm higher wasn’t a wise choice.

Was he hoping that this would make everyone see the efforts of the Beast Taming Sect?

Fang Shilin still hadn’t stood up. He remained seated in his wooden chair, opening a wooden fan to create a breeze. He didn’t utilize his magical treasures, opting instead to use his own mana to cast an ensnaring spell.

Using a magical treasure against a Qi Cultivation cultivator would be embarrassing even for him.

Swoosh!

Behind him, cracks opened in the ground, spawning numerous vines, resembling dozens or even hundreds of green vine snakes.

The vine serpent attacked, Lin Jing remained expressionless, and the Pine Leaf Mouse felt nothing inwardly, only thinking it was not as powerful as the blood-sucking vine infused with longevity blood.

"Can you go all out?" Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse didn’t move the whole time, and everyone thought they were scared stiff, but the next scene made everyone show a surprised expression, because the vines stopped in midair as they approached Lin Jing, motionless!

They originally thought Fang Shilin was holding back, but when they saw Fang Shilin’s surprised expression, everyone immediately became serious, realizing something was wrong with this Beast Taming Cultivator.

"The Entwining Spell... was interrupted?" Fang Shilin was stunned.

Not only that, as Lin Jing took a step forward towards the seated Fang Shilin, the vines suspended in the air collapsed with a roar, turning into countless green light spots, no longer posing a threat!

The onlookers then realized that at some point, the Pine Leaf Mouse on Lin Jing’s shoulder had its robe fluttering in the wind, one claw forming a seal, seemingly casting some magic to break the Entwining Spell.

"Squeak!" The Pine Leaf Mouse shook its head, seemingly dissatisfied with the opponent’s strength.

"Damn it!" Lin Jing’s advance and the Pine Leaf Mouse’s peculiarity left Fang Shilin baffled. He put away his wooden fan and lightly tapped, using the power of a magical treasure to summon even more powerful vines, a total of seven vines, each like a green azure dragon, roaring towards Lin Jing.

Boom!

But in the next instant, a terrifying "phenomenal apparition" rose behind Lin Jing, a wood-shaped deity manifested, its face unknown, surrounded by the vitality of grass and trees, overlooking the world, as the spring breeze lightly brushed by, rejuvenating all living things, clad in a lush green robe, stepping on the void, slowly descending upon this vibrant land.

Accompanied by the terrifying pressure of this astonishing apparition, Fang Shilin’s mind was violently shaken, and his actions to activate the magical treasure were slowed down, making frequent mistakes.

"Impossible! You’re in the Qi Cultivation Stage?" Fang Shilin was shocked, looking at the apparition. Even among the academy’s monsters, he had never seen such means...

Not only him, the surrounding cultivators watching were also dumbfounded, with mouths agape, unable to believe this was something a Qi Cultivation Cultivator could achieve. Was this person born with an Immortal Body?

How could it be... What shocked everyone the most was when the deity’s image became clear, it turned out to be a gigantic squirrel, grabbing a Cyan Dragon’s phantom in its hands, stuffing it into its mouth, devouring it! Its image exactly mirrored the squirrel on Lin Jing’s shoulder, but its aura was far more terrifying, like the incarnation of the Cyan Emperor, the master of spring.

Phenomenal Apparition, Squirrel Devouring Dragon Painting!

Fang Shilin was momentarily lost, and the green vine dragons driven by his magical treasure also quickly shattered with a roar, aligning the apparition with reality!

"I—"

Fang Shilin wanted to continue to act, but with a "buzz," he found that the wooden chair he was sitting on had actually extended countless wooden strips, binding him tightly. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t break free!

Seeing this, Lin Jing stopped in his tracks.

"Peculiar."

"I am so strong, with the potential for ascension through Beast Taming, yet the sect’s fated fortune is lacking; could the Sect Management Office have made a misjudgment? It seems I need to reverse defeat a few Foundation Establishment Stage to show the Sect Management Office." He muttered to himself, letting everyone hear.

With these words, the phantom of the Cyan Emperor Squirrel dissipated, and Lin Jing turned around to return beside the Dragon Carp. Under the astonished eyes of the cultivators, he picked up the meditation staff and walked towards the distance, leaving behind achievements and fame.

Meanwhile, a small area of the Hidden Dragon pattern on the back of Lin Jing’s hand lit up, and his reputation still needed further fermentation.

...

A Qi Cultivation Battle Foundation Establishment, and an easy victory at that, is undoubtedly a huge topic, especially since it also involves the Beast Taming Sect, which was recently sealed!

In a short time, the information about this battle quickly spread in Hidden Dragon City, making academy student Fang Shilin a stepping stone for Lin Jing from the Beast Taming Sect to gain fame.

"A Qi Cultivation Stage Seven cultivator, a Qi Cultivation Stage Nine Squirrel Spirit, displaying a stunning apparition, easily suppressed a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator holding a magical treasure? And the academy’s Foundation Establishment genius at that?"

"The wooden magic prowess of the Qi Cultivation Squirrel Spirit crushed the Young Valley Master of Changchun Valley? Is this reasonable! What is the Squirrel Devouring Dragon Painting!"

"Who is this Lin Jing, really from this third-rate sect the Beast Taming Sect? Wasn’t it said the demon fortune of the Beast Taming Sect outweighed the human fortune, and yet such a terrifying Squirrel Spirit recognized a Qi Cultivation cultivator as its master?"

"Qi Cultivation defeating Foundation Establishment, it’s hard to imagine being done by a disciple of the Great Wilderness Sect!"

"I’m from the Great Wilderness too, and I’ve never heard of this Lin Jing from the Beast Taming Sect. The Squirrel Spirit is merely one of the five basic spirit beasts of the Beast Taming Sect, with spiritual level bloodline, extremely weak in combat!"

In Hidden Dragon Academy, this news also spread rapidly, with many students laughing at Fang Shilin for getting beaten up when he went outside the academy to show off and gain fame.

In the academy, three geniuses from different regions, a cyan-robed scholar, a female alchemist, and a young sword cultivator, all changed their expressions upon hearing the name Lin Jing from the Beast Taming Sect, recalling certain unpleasant memories.

"He’s here. This freak from the Beast Taming Sect still used a false name last time! Does he have to be so terrifying, starting off by cutting down a Foundation Establishment Stage?"

Lin Jing’s name quickly rose to prominence, but only Lin Jing himself was greatly regretful afterward because in his plan to make a scene, he forgot to ask for the hundred Spirit Stones; fortunately, Brother Fang was his classmate, and there would be opportunities to ask for them in the future!