"Indeed, not rushing into Foundation Establishment was the right choice."
Lin Jing held the invitation. Although he didn’t know what the blessing of the Star Universe Turtle would entail, given the turtle’s inherited immortal divine techniques and mastery of time in cultivation, it couldn’t be just an ordinary opportunity.
Considering the divine technique attributes, the rarity of this Star Universe Turtle was undoubtedly higher than that of the Pine Leaf Squirrel.
It could even be said that, as a supreme asset of the Celestial Secret Tower, this Star Universe Turtle was definitely one of the most extraordinary treasure beasts of the Celestial Essence Continent.
Perhaps unleashing a blessing was effortless for the Star Universe Turtle, but for the blessed cultivator, it was a great fortune indeed.
"The blessing of the Cosmic Path..."
"Seems to have little relation to extreme fortitude..."
"But since the Celestial Secret Tower hasn’t clarified the blessing’s effects, maybe they vary from person to person. Best to hold onto a sliver of anticipation."
Thinking it over carefully, if there weren’t tremendous benefits, there would be no need for the current top of the Celestial Rankings to waste time participating in the celestial contest.
But now, things were different. The contender must fiercely guard their position, lest they be pushed down the rankings and miss out on the treasure beast’s blessings!
"It’s a shame, though, that two years have passed, and although the Pine Leaf Squirrel constantly devours high-grade plant essences, the Cyan Emperor’s Longevity Technique still hasn’t reached perfection."
On this point, Lin Jing felt some disappointment.
The cultivation technique for extending life certainly wasn’t easy to master...
Only Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Squirrel knew how many plant resources had been consumed during this period.
"It seems relying solely on the Dragon Palace’s geniuses and their sects and families to provide spirit plants isn’t quite enough..."
"Might as well seize this opportunity and open the market beyond the Dragon Palace."
He stored the invitation and changed into a blue and white robe, tying up his long hair.
"Going to the Profound Domain where the Celestial Secret Tower resides, will you stay to look after the place?" Lin Jing glanced into the depths of the cave where the Dragon Carp was engaged in alchemy.
The Dragon Carp flipped over the pill furnace and leaped up!
It’s not staying to watch over the place!
Lin Jing rubbed his forehead and said, "In that case... just let Elder Shen Song continue to watch over you."
The Dragon Carp’s mouth twitched.
Elder Shen Song... Alright then.
No matter who it’s with, as long as it’s not left behind, it’ll be fine.
Now its relationship with Elder Shen Song wasn’t bad either.
All of Lin Jing’s three pet beasts maintained a good relationship with Elder Shen Song.
The Pine Leaf Squirrel, as the Divine Pine Inheritor, naturally had an excellent relationship with Shen Song.
The Ice Soul Gu was always clamoring to recruit more human pets, and shared similar aspirations with Shen Song.
Unfortunately, finding cultivators suitable for being vessels for the Ice Soul Gu, like those with a Twin Body, was too difficult.
The Dragon Carp was no longer the flame-controlling troublemaker that got beaten everyday.
In order to please Shen Song, the Dragon Carp developed the "Demon Smoke Pill," crafted using "Netherworld Ghost Fire" combined with "Tobacco." Although lacking nutrition, the demonic taste appealed greatly to Shen Song, serving as a filial token to him.
"How come you’re still at the Qi Cultivation Stage?"
Dragon Palace organized the Council Hall.
Standing there in full battle armor was Wang Xiao, with a divine body.
After the autumn hunt, under Xu Zhizhi’s repeated invitations, Wang Xiao eventually joined the Dragon Palace, now the Palace’s second military strength.
Seeing Lin Jing still in the Qi Cultivation Stage after five or six years, Wang Xiao fell silent, as he himself had already reached the Foundation Establishment Peak.
He even suspected that he might reach Core Formation, while Lin Jing would still be at the Qi Cultivation Stage!
"As a mortal body, I’m different from you who possess innate divine bodies," Lin Jing entered the Council Hall and said, "Is it just you who arrived?"
"Mortal body? Heh, although I don’t know why you’re hiding a special constitution, you’re definitely not mundane," Wang Xiao scoffed coldly.
At this point, other members of the Dragon Palace also came to the Council Hall.
Yuan Jing, Zi Ling’Er, Xu Zhizhi, Gao Sheng, Divine Array Sect’s Zhou Lang, Ice and Fire Island’s descendant Song Shiqing...
They too received invitations from the Celestial Secret Tower.
While currently only Lin Jing and Wang Xiao from the Dragon Palace had entered the Celestial Rankings, others didn’t lack the strength to join either.
The old guard of Dragon Palace, like Xu Zhizhi, grew deeper in cultivation with age, aiming to make a mark in the upcoming celestial contest. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel{f}ire.net
With their talents once recognized by the Grotto Heaven, rising cultivation eventually means only a matter of time before joining the rankings.
Much like the past when Zhou Lang led the Dragon Palace against the Demon Core Monkey King with his talent in arrays, or Ice and Fire Island’s descendant Song Shiqing exchanged many Dragon Ascending Pills with Lin Jing through Nascent Soul techniques. Now, with cooperation from dragon pets, they too held considerable power.
The Celestial Secret Tower could perceive the fortunes of talents worldwide, and without strength, they wouldn’t have been invited.
"The academy fully cooperates with the celestial contest organized by the Celestial Secret Tower, preparing a spiritual power flying boat for students heading to the Profound Domain. It’ll take about a month to travel from Hidden Dragon City to the Profound Domain," Lin Jing stated as everyone gathered. "I’ve called everyone here for a particular matter..."
"I hope everyone allows their pet beasts more room to display their abilities during the celestial contest. Against weaker opponents, refrain from taking action yourselves and allow the pet beasts to handle it."
"Why?" Wang Xiao asked.
Xu Zhizhi glanced at him, saying, "How is this even a question."
Lin Jing waved his hand and said, "It’s simple: You all surely understand the current state of the Beast Taming Sect from which I come."
"Demons flourish more than humans!"
"To change this situation, there are mainly two ways."
"Either birth a divinity-transformed human race cultivator."
"Or, if the sect’s talents abound with many potential human race cultivators, relying on the fortune of young immortals’ sprouts to overshadow the decadent demons’ fortunes."
"This celestial contest presents a prime opportunity, garnering plenty of attention."
"As I’ve become the Saint Heir of the Beast Taming Sect, naturally, I want to do something for the sect."
"Provided that during this celestial contest, you all cooperate in showcasing the might of beast taming techniques, then even if currently the sect is closed, many families invested in cultivation will still be willing to send promising disciples there. Moreover, loose cultivators tired of idle living may be willing to join and become honored guest elders, securing their future and a chance at prosperity."
In fact, this is something all demon kings reminded Lin Jing before departure—to showcase the sect’s prowess as much as possible outside so more people would join.
Faced with Lin Jing’s request, none of the Dragon Palace members refused—indeed, it wasn’t a difficult task.
"Facing weak opponents, they really aren’t worth my while to deal with," Wang Xiao spoke lightly. A year ago, during the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, he had easily entered the top fifty of the Celestial Rankings casually.
Having increased his cultivation to Foundation Establishment Peak now, his sights were set on the top ten.
"Then I’ll leave it to you all."
Lin Jing chuckled, having stockpiled many Dragon Ascending Pills currently.
With the forthcoming storm of talents converging on the Celestial City, his plan was to seize the chance and heavily sell Dragon Ascending Pills while the Dragon Palace geniuses’ dragon pets dominate.
With so many cultivators gathered, it’s sure to exceed the pills’ values in auction.
Perhaps enabling him to purchase a batch of top-grade plant essences and allowing the Pine Leaf Squirrel once more to push the Cyan Emperor’s Longevity Technique to completion, making the technique completely mature.
"I heard this flying boat even has training rooms prepared. To thank everyone, let me secretly train you all in the next month."
Lin Jing smiled slightly and said, "I know you’ve got Nascent Soul Stage elders, so in terms of the techniques you excel at, there’s little I can guide."
"But in terms of pet beast cultivation, I am quite experienced."
"During this time, your pet beasts have consumed many Dragon Ascending Pills, greatly improving their bloodline quality, but I’ve also secretly observed your pet beasts. Even though their bloodline quality is high, they don’t seem to be able to fully tap into their bloodline potential."
"Once aboard the flying boat, remember to bring your pet beasts to see me."
"Actually, I have another type of pill that delves into pet beasts’ bloodline potential..."
The crowd’s eyes shone; they knew Lin Jing must have other goodies besides the Dragon Ascending Pills.
"If your pet beasts ingest it without dying, their power will certainly rise significantly."
Dragon Palace members: ???