An Unexpected Turn

"He Yiming, qi refining seventh layer. Pet beast: Battle Ape, qi refining seventh layer."

"Qin Caixin, qi refining sixth layer. Pet beast: Tree Bear, qi refining seventh layer."

"Ziran, qi refining sixth layer. Pet beast: Fire Spirit Sparrow, qi refining seventh layer."

The Outer Gate.

The registration site for the Inner Gate Examination!

Dressed in blue robes, Elder Yu had come in person to inspect the cultivation levels of the disciples registering.

Everyone's cultivation level was fairly normal.

Until... Lin Jing arrived.

He walked up to the registration desk, and Elder Yu asked a question he already knew the answer to. "Name?"

"Lin Jing."

Elder Yu swept him with his divine sense and announced, "Lin Jing, third layer of qi refining. Pet beast: Pineleaf Squirrel, qi refining seventh layer!"

As soon as he finished, quite a few outer gate disciples began murmuring.

"Wasn't that Pineleaf Squirrel only at the fourth layer of qi refining not long ago? It's already at the seventh layer? That was fast!"

"Isn't the real issue that his pet beast is already at the qi refining seventh layer, while the Beast Tamer is only at the third?"

A Beast Tamer in early qi refining with a pet beast in late qi refining... that was quite a rare sight even in the Outer Gate.

Of course, no one dared underestimate Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel. A tree cast its shadow, and a man cast his reputation; the wrecked Bamboo Mechanical Dragon was the best witness to theirs.

Hearing the other disciples' discussions, the Pineleaf Squirrel in Daoist robes sitting on Lin Jing's shoulder shook its head, its eyes closed.

If it hadn't held back from devoting all its energy to cultivation, it might already have reached foundation establishment!

Slowing its cultivation had also been Lin Jing's suggestion.

When qi refining cultivators underwent foundation establishment, they built the foundation of their Dao, a process that strengthened their constitution.

For those with mortal physiques, foundation establishment was one of the few opportunities to develop an acquired spirit physique.

Cultivators born with special cultivation physiques needed to choose suitable resources during foundation establishment to further strengthen their constitution.

The same held true for spirit beasts and demon beasts.

During foundation establishment, they needed to refine and strengthen their bloodlines, ideally achieving a bloodline evolution.

The Pineleaf Squirrel wasn't a spirit beast with a powerful innate bloodline, so its foundation establishment process was particularly important. The Glazed Immortal Eyes had only given it a divine ability; they hadn't strengthened its racial bloodline.

Rushing ahead before preparing the conditions for perfect foundation establishment would do more harm than good.

Foundation establishment... meant laying an invincible foundation!

There was plenty of time. Lin Jing felt it was fine to slowly stockpile resources and make breakthroughs at his own pace.

After completing his registration, Lin Jing stepped aside. Senior Brother Ziran then walked over to him.

"Junior Brother Lin Jing, your progress has been lightning-fast," Senior Brother Ziran greeted him with a smile.

"The Pineleaf Squirrel is lightning-fast. I'm moving at a tortoise's pace," Lin Jing said.

"You're too modest, junior brother. Luckily, the Demon Hunting Hall disciples are an unexpected factor this time. Otherwise, the examination would be far too easy for you two," Senior Brother Ziran said with a smile.

"Really?" Lin Jing hadn't paid much attention to the Demon Hunting Hall disciples. If they didn't come looking for trouble with him, he wouldn't go looking for trouble with them. With so few disciples, the bulk of the points would still have to come from demon beasts.

"Of course. The Demon Hunting Hall disciples are all ruthless types. They knew full well how high the death rate was during the hall's training, yet they still made up their minds to join. Anyone who didn't know better would think every one of them carried a blood feud as deep as the sea and desperately needed strength to take revenge on some Nascent Soul old monster. Honestly, I really don't want to take the examination alongside them."

Speak of the Demon Hunting Hall, and its disciples arrived, registering one by one.

Their cultivation levels weren't particularly outstanding, but the outer gate disciples all knew how strong they were.

"I'm the one who needs revenge," Senior Brother He Yiming muttered in a corner. He had been badly injured by a Demon Hunting Hall disciple, but after recovering, he had luckily broken through to the qi refining seventh layer. It was a blessing born of misfortune.

I still feel like Junior Brother Lin Jing is even more impossible to deal with... Senior Sister Caixin thought.

She still hadn't figured out how to counter that Red Flying Leaf technique that could turn corners.

"Registration is over! A total of twenty disciples will participate in this Inner Gate Examination."

"Next, Elder Li and I will lead you to the outskirts of the Great Wilderness and serve as your examiners. Your task is to use every means at your disposal to survive there for three days!"

Elder Yu explained the examination's rules. As expected, they were more or less the same as in previous years, except that more points could be earned through competition between disciples. That change had probably been made at Elder Li's request.

"All right, everyone participating in the Inner Gate Examination, come aboard." A massive flying boat was hovering in the sky, though a closer look revealed that it differed somewhat from a flying boat.

It looked more like a fish-shaped demon beast... no, perhaps a Mechanical Beast was a more fitting description. It was clearly one of Elder Yu's creations.

Standing atop the mechanical fish, Elder Li Hai spoke expressionlessly to the disciples below.

Before long, all twenty disciples had boarded the mechanical fish.

The mechanical fish began flying toward the Wilds and Wasteland at the edge of the Beast Taming Sect.

A tense atmosphere began to spread among the twenty disciples aboard the mechanical creation. Acquaintances and strangers alike had now become competitors, sizing each other up and recalling one another's signature spells.

"We'll soon reach the skies above the Great Wilderness. Before the examination begins, I must remind you again."

"Know your limits during the Inner Gate Examination. Don't attempt anything beyond your abilities. It won't earn you extra points; on the contrary, it will cost you dearly!"

"Besides Elder Li and me, some elders from the Inner Peak may also secretly observe the examination with their divine sense, so make sure you perform well. And if you encounter a life-threatening crisis, prioritize protecting yourselves and your pet beasts. As soon as the elders notice, they will act to save you. However, an elder's intervention also means immediate elimination. Do you understand?" Elder Yu asked.

"We understand!" The outer gate disciples all saluted in unison.

"You shouldn't tell them that outright. How are we supposed to test their true abilities if we protect them so thoroughly?" Elder Li snorted from beside him.

"Whether it's training or an examination, it takes an unexpected turn to reveal what someone is truly made of!"

Quite a few disciples felt Elder Li was talking without ever having to bear the burden himself. Did he think cultivation was easy for them?

But perhaps Elder Li's crow's tongue had brought bad luck. Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out overhead, making even the mechanical fish shudder. Everyone looked up and saw a huge hole open in the heavens, suffused with brown light.

"What's that?" The outer gate disciples and their pet beasts all turned toward the great hole in the sky.

Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel, who had been leaning against the edge of the mechanical fish and admiring the scenery below, also looked up, their gazes changing.

Moments after the hole appeared, a thick pillar of light blasted down from it. Its target was nowhere else but the mechanical fish-or, more precisely, Lin Jing!

"What the hell?!" As they watched the pillar of light crash down, Lin Jing and the Pineleaf Squirrel tried to dodge, but it felt as though they had been locked onto.

"This is bad. It's coming for us."

Lin Jing's vision went dark. The Pineleaf Squirrel placed a paw on the Storage Bag, only to realize that nothing in its stockpile could handle this situation...

"Don't tell me the Corpse Yin Sect has come to capture us? That can't be right. We're still inside the sect! How could they be this brazen?!"

Their consciousness blurred, and light swallowed their vision.