Number one in the Outer Gate

In the Outer Gate's Central Plaza, as everyone talked, a smiling young man walked out from behind the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon.

Lin Jing... recognized him at once. He was the senior brother who had guarded the Spirit Bamboo Forest.

He stepped forward and announced loudly, "Greetings, everyone! I am Fang Yonghao of the Inner Gate, at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. Elder Yu has entrusted me with hosting the Outer Gate's Dragon-Vying Beast-Battling Event for the Rising Dragon Festival!"

"Starting now, any Outer Gate disciple may challenge the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon. Once the challenger is ready, I will activate it. Within a certain range, it will automatically detect and seek out enemies to fight."

"Would any junior brother like to challenge it? Today and tomorrow, each person may challenge it once per day! Rewards will be based on your best result."

When Senior Brother Fang finished, silence settled over the crowd. No one wanted to be the first challenger, mainly because they still knew nothing about the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon's attack patterns. Charging in blindly would only end in failure.

Only after more than ten seconds of silence did an "I'll do it" break the stillness.

Lin Jing, who had been about to step forward, paused and looked over along with the Pineleaf Squirrel.

The disciples cleared a path, revealing a dark-skinned young man with an ape a head shorter than him at his side.

The ape had sharp eyes and a powerful body. Most striking of all... unlike the disheveled white fur elsewhere on its body, its hands and feet seemed coated in a strange metallic sheen, giving it an imposing air.

It was a Battle Ape, one of the Beast Taming Sect's five basic spirit beasts!

Notably, the Battle Ape also carried a long-handled weapon wrapped in white cloth on its back, looking every inch a master.

"It's Senior Brother He!"

"Senior Brother He Yiming, number one in the Outer Gate!"

He seemed to enjoy considerable prestige in the Outer Gate. His appearance immediately sent ripples through the crowd.

"Senior Brother He has held first place in the Outer Gate Beast Arena for years."

"Behind him, Senior Brother Ziran and Senior Sister Caixin take turns holding second place."

"To think Senior Brother He would lead the charge for us and test what this bamboo dragon is really made of!"

As the other disciples discussed this, a young man outside the crowd, leaning against a tree and reading My Sword Spirit Wife, and a somewhat frail-looking woman surrounded by several female disciples both turned their gazes toward the Outer Gate's number one.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Fang. I am He Yiming, at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. My pet beast, a Battle Ape, is at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. We have come to challenge the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon!"

Senior Brother Fang smiled back. "Hello, Junior Brother He. I've long heard of your reputation in the Outer Gate. I imagine you'll be among the next group of disciples to enter the Inner Gate."

"Thank you for the praise, Senior Brother Fang." He Yiming cupped his fists, then followed his Battle Ape forward and raised his head slightly to look at the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon.

"In that case, I'll activate the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon. Please prepare yourself, Junior Brother." With that, Senior Brother Fang took out a bell strung on a bamboo cord.

As he shook the bell, a flash of white light crossed the hovering Bamboo Mechanical Dragon's eyes. The next instant, the whirlwind surrounding it began flowing even faster.

Whoosh! As the bell rang, the Battle Ape beside He Yiming also took down its weapon and flung away the white cloth. As the strips fluttered away, what lay beneath was revealed to be... a hoe used for mining!

Though it looked rather absurd, few Outer Gate disciples laughed.

"A Spirit Artifact!"

This hoe was a Spirit Artifact forged from spirit ore by an artifact refiner!

"I heard Senior Brother He Yiming was lucky enough to dig up a piece of bright jade stone while carrying out a sect mission in the mines. To commend him, the sect specially rewarded him with a Spirit Artifact hoe. Looks like it was true."

At the sight of that extraordinary hoe, many disciples looked envious. With such a hoe, its mining efficiency was beyond imagining, and the speed at which one accumulated resources... would multiply several times over. No wonder Senior Brother He sat on the throne as number one in the Outer Gate!

Listening to everyone's discussion, Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel fell silent. That worked too?

"Hah!" Once it drew its Spirit Artifact hoe, the Battle Ape seemed possessed by divine strength. It unleashed terrifying power and, accompanied by a vortex of spiritual energy, leaped straight up. In a flash, its explosive strength carried it before the bamboo dragon's head, where it swung the hoe... straight into the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon!

Its speed and explosive power... were both outstanding, comparable to a body cultivator of the same level.

With a bang, the hoe struck home. Many Outer Gate disciples drew a deep breath at the sight, their faces full of admiration. Mechanical beasts reacted slowly... to them, the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon had clearly failed to keep up with the Battle Ape's speed!

He Yiming smiled as well.

Before their eyes, the bamboo dragon opened its mouth, and the dragon pearl held inside rapidly shifted from white to red, orange, yellow, and green!

Green? Only green?

The blow had been formidable, but to everyone's surprise, the dragon pearl only reached the fourth reward tier... and the bamboo dragon's head had not even tilted from the impact.

After all, the Battle Ape was also at the seventh layer of qi refining. In a battle between equals, the bamboo dragon's response was far too calm.

The next instant, the Outer Gate disciples' expressions changed. After taking the blow head-on, some power seemed to awaken within the bamboo dragon. Its enormous tail whipped around at tremendous speed and, in the blink of an eye, slammed into the Battle Ape above its head with a bang, sending it flying dozens of meters!!!

Bang! Bang! The Battle Ape and the spiritual hoe hit the ground separately. The Battle Ape had even passed out. Despite its reputation for "steel sinews and iron bones," it had failed to withstand even a single strike. At this sight, many faces shifted again and again.

He Yiming himself instantly wore an expression of disbelief.

"A green dragon pearl. Junior Brother He, keep at it and try again tomorrow," Senior Brother Fang comforted him.

"Senior Brother, is this bamboo dragon... really only at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer???" He Yiming refused to believe it.

Senior Brother Fang said, "It is, though this bamboo dragon may have the best possible configuration for the Qi Refining Seventh Layer. You should count your blessings. As far as I know, the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon provided for the Inner Gate's Rising Dragon Festival celebrations... has actually reached the early stage of foundation establishment. That's a first."

He was very glad he had received this mission. Otherwise, he would have had to challenge a foundation establishment bamboo dragon like the other Inner Gate disciples. The mere thought frightened Fang Yonghao. And all this... he was not sure whether he had a certain person to thank for it.

"No one else?" Several minutes later, after Senior Brother Fang replenished its Spirit Stones and restored the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon's expended energy, there were still no new Outer Gate Disciples willing to challenge it.

The challenge by the Outer Gate's number one had not bolstered the other disciples' confidence. Instead, it had made them even more uneasy.

"Come on, you're already here." Senior Brother Fang smiled, finding the sight of these junior brothers highly amusing.

"Has it recovered? We'll go, then."

At last, another voice rang out.

At those words, another path opened through the crowd, revealing the person within.

A handsome young lad, with a Pineleaf Squirrel standing on his shoulder.

Compared to He Yiming, few people recognized this youth. Of course, that did not mean no one did.

Seeing that it was Lin Jing, Senior Brother Ziran from the Mission Hall and Senior Brother Fang Yonghao, the forest guard, both froze.

"I am Outer Gate disciple Lin Jing, at the second layer of qi refining. My pet beast, a Pineleaf Squirrel, is at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. We have come to challenge the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon!"

After introducing himself, Lin Jing headed toward the arena with the Pineleaf Squirrel.

"Who's that?"

Second layer of qi refining? Qi Refining Fifth Layer?

Everyone stared. While such cultivation levels did not prevent someone from challenging it-even the lowest tier offered a reward-after witnessing the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon's power, the many Outer Gate disciples could not help admiring Lin Jing's courage in stepping forward so decisively.

"You..."

After Lin Jing entered the arena, Senior Brother Fang Yonghao's expression turned peculiar. "Are you sure you want to challenge it?"

The culprit... had appeared!

"Senior Brother, we meet again. Thank you for your 'care' last time!" Lin Jing greeted him with a smile.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!!" The Pineleaf Squirrel also looked at him.

If he had not gone and tattled, they might have been able to chop spirit bamboo for another two days.

"Not at all." Senior Brother Fang did not understand what he meant. "In that case, I'll activate the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon again. Junior Brother... please be careful, both of you!"

With that, he used the bamboo bell again and activated the mechanical beast.

At this moment, most people still believed this unfamiliar Outer Gate disciple would, at best, merely go through the motions.

Then the bamboo dragon activated, and Lin Jing slapped his pocket. A red maple leaf sprang out and was caught by the Pineleaf Squirrel on his shoulder.

It flung the leaf with all its might. In an instant, the Red Leaf became a crimson meteor hurtling toward the bamboo dragon, its speed far surpassing the Battle Ape's explosive burst.

"Good heavens, it's that fast?!" A disciple who also raised a Pineleaf Squirrel froze at the terrifying speed of this Flying Leaf Technique.

Did they spend every day doing nothing but practicing the Flying Leaf Technique, without farming or cultivating their spiritual energy at all?

"No wonder they dared to challenge it. They've got a few tricks up their sleeves."

As everyone marveled, their expressions changed once again.

After the Flying Leaf Technique struck the bamboo dragon with precision... it actually sliced its body open in an instant. The Red Leaf embedded itself firmly in the bamboo dragon's body, like a dragon-slaying blade plunged into a great dragon!

"Roar!!!" Though the bamboo dragon felt no pain, it still opened its mouth when the Red Leaf cut into its body, producing a rumbling vibration from its mechanisms that sounded like an angry roar.

Red... orange... yellow... green... cyan... blue!

With the flying leaf's hit, the dragon pearl's color jumped all the way to blue. This meant the destructive power of the Pineleaf Squirrel's Flying Leaf Technique was at least two tiers above the Qi Refining Seventh Layer Battle Ape's attack with a Spirit Artifact!

Such a sight defied everything they knew. After all, compared to the Battle Ape, the Pineleaf Squirrel was not proficient in combat spells.

"Blue?!" In the distance, He Yiming, who had been crouching down to feed the Battle Ape a healing pill, abruptly stood and looked at the dragon pearl in the bamboo dragon's mouth.

"Is it because of that Red Leaf?!" Of course, some guessed something, believing the Red Leaf was no ordinary object.

"It must be a leaf from a Fierce Plant worth more than the Spirit Artifact hoe! And that Pineleaf Squirrel can wield it so effortlessly!"

But more intense than any of this was the bamboo dragon's reaction. No one had expected that after being wounded, emerald-green Spirit flames would spread over its body. It looked nothing like a wood-type mechanical beast.

As the emerald-green Spirit flames appeared, they instantly engulfed the red maple leaf.

"...How can this Mechanism Dragon use fire spells too?" The Outer Gate disciples were thoroughly humbled. Using wind was one thing, but now it could use fire as well. A bamboo dragon capable of two types of spells was practically a hellish challenge for beast-taming disciples who had only just stepped through cultivation's door.

"It opens its mouth when damaged, exposing the dragon pearl."

"It moves slowly at first and has little inclination to attack, giving the challenger one chance to strike before defending and counterattacking."

"But destroying it from the outside would be very difficult."

"So we need to make the bamboo dragon open its mouth first, then..."

"Its weakness should be inside its mouth."

"To defeat a mechanical beast, we have to quickly smash its intricate mechanisms." Elder Yu probably was not twisted enough to give a Qi Refining mechanical beast an impenetrable defense.

While most disciples were still shuddering at the bamboo dragon's strength... Lin Jing, muttering to himself, had already shaken another ten Red Leaves from his pocket.

Everyone: ???

Wait, you...

The Pineleaf Squirrel held five in each paw, spreading them slightly apart.

It hurled ten shots in succession, sending ten brilliant streaks of red light straight toward the bamboo dragon's head.

The other Pineleaf Squirrel Beast Tamers found this technique bizarre, even uncanny.

Moreover, everyone realized that Lin Jing intended to destroy its internal mechanisms through its mouth. The idea was undoubtedly sound, but against a moving bamboo dragon, how could a Flying Leaf Technique that attacked in straight lines possibly go so smoothly...

The bamboo dragon tilted its head slightly. At most, the flying leaves would graze its face.

But the next instant.

"Object-Controlling Art!" Lin Jing extended his hand, formed a seal with that hand, and made a directing gesture.

The next instant, the Red Leaves made sharp turns in rapid succession as the Pineleaf Squirrel worked with Lin Jing to control them.

Guided by this method resembling the "Object-Controlling Art," they flew into the bamboo dragon's newly opened mouth.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

The sounds of various mechanisms breaking rang out. The dragon pearl inside the Bamboo Mechanical Dragon's mouth first turned purple, then... also gave a sharp crack as it fractured. The wind and fire surrounding the airborne bamboo dragon died out, and it soon fell from the sky like a heap of loose parts.

Bang!

It crashed to the ground.

The entire scene fell silent.

At the sight... the Pineleaf Squirrel rejoiced inwardly.

That fragile? I saved my Spirit Beans Bomb!

It quickly ran forward, wanting to retrieve its flying leaves.

"Who exactly is this person? What's his background?" At this moment, that was the only thought the many disciples had about Lin Jing and his companion. Having joined the Beast Taming Sect some time ago, Lin Jing had finally entered the view of every Outer Gate disciple.

"Senior Brother, does this... count as a successful challenge?" Lin Jing also looked at the forest-guarding senior brother.

Fang Yonghao's mouth twitched. You harvested the materials used to make the bamboo dragon, and now you've dismantled it too. Junior Brother, do you have a grudge against bamboo?!! And why wasn't there the slightest fluctuation of true qi from your Object-Controlling Art?!