Chapter 29: Inner Sect Assessment

"Absurd!"

The news of Lin Jing eating and drinking to his heart's content in the Outer Sect cafeteria reached many people's ears, including Elder Li Hai, who founded the Demon-Hunting Hall.

Upon learning that it was indeed Elder Yu who was opening the green light, he said: "This Lin Jing is a special physique, right? Even if it's a special physique, this preferential treatment is too much."

"The more talented disciples like this, the more they should grow in huge tempering. Being taken care of too well will only waste their talent. Throughout history, haven't most of the great supernatural powers been achieved by mortal bodies?"

"Master, there's no way. How many geniuses with special physiques are willing to join the Beast-Taming Sect? Now that someone is willing to join, the sect must treat them well." Beside him, a hawk demon said: "The few special physiques brought back by Elder Mo, except for this person and Ouyang Hao, have all successfully reached Foundation Establishment and become true-transmission disciples. If they are not given preferential treatment, it will definitely chill their hearts."

"Preferential treatment is natural." Elder Li said: "But there must be a degree! The performance of the Demon-Hunting Hall disciples in the wild training this time has made me even more firm in my own ideas. Cultivation... character should be the first priority!"

"Look at Luoyu, his aptitude is mediocre, but he also passed through his own ruthlessness, fighting spirit, and wisdom, leading two ninth-layer Qi Condensation demon beasts to kill each other, and finally, he, a small mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, became the fisherman who gained the demon beast blood for body tempering!"

"No, although I don't know what Lin Jing's situation is, what physique he has, I can't watch him degenerate like this! I'll go ask him if he wants to join the Demon-Hunting Hall!"

"Master, this is Elder Mo's person. Can you beat him!" The hawk demon looked at Elder Li who was getting up.

"I can't beat him?" Elder Li looked at the hawk demon with cold eyes: "Except for the Sect Master and those few Nascent Soul ancestors, who have I ever feared at the same level?"

"You are not afraid, but I am the one getting beaten." The hawk demon said: "Master, let's wait until after the Inner Sect assessment. In case that kid performs poorly, you will have a reason to ask for him to nurture, right?"

"That's fine." Elder Li said: "Just wait until after the assessment."

Fortunately, Elder Mo and Elder Yu didn't know Elder Li's thoughts, otherwise, they would definitely hammer this old scoundrel who wanted the Longevity Body to suffer.

In the courtyard.

Lin Jing patted his stomach and lay on the bamboo chair, swaying and reading things.

What he was reading... was the announcement of the Inner Sect assessment from previous years.

Over the years, the form of the Inner Sect promotion assessment has actually been about the same. The Elders are too lazy to come up with new tricks every year. At most, they add some small changes while the general rules remain unchanged.

"When signing up, cultivation will be checked. Only if either the beast-tamer or the pet beast reaches the seventh layer of Qi Condensation and above can they participate in the survival trial!"

"In the survival trial, the Beast-Taming Sect will throw the Outer Sect disciples who meet the conditions to the outskirts of the Great Desolate, requiring them to survive there for 3 days."

"During this process, disciples can obtain assessment points. The stronger the demon beast hunted during the period, the higher the points. At the same time, disciples are encouraged to compete with each other. Eliminating other disciples can obtain more points than hunting demon beasts!"

"However, the highest points... are still for subduing demon beasts!"

"If one can make wild demon beasts follow and recognize a master in the Great Desolate, one can obtain far more points than killing demon beasts and eliminating other disciples!" Lin Jing thought of the process of Senior Brother Ouyang subduing the tiger demon.

"Finally... after 3 days, the 8 people with the highest points pass the assessment."

"And this... is not over yet! The 8 people who pass the assessment need to choose the Inner Peak they want to join and conduct an 'aptitude investigation'."

"If you choose Danxia Peak, the Elders of Danxia Peak will let the disciples initially come into contact with alchemy. If during this period, the efficiency of learning alchemy is not high and there is no talent in this aspect, Danxia Peak will not accept the disciple and will throw them to other mountain peaks."

Lin Jing looked at the resources that could be exchanged for assessment points in previous years.

He found that there was indeed a storage bag. The largest one... actually had ten cubic meters!

However, he also found that the points required to exchange for this storage bag were also too exaggerated. Even if he hunted dozens of ninth-layer Qi Condensation demon beasts, he was afraid he couldn't afford it.

This clearly... didn't intend for disciples to exchange for it!

"It can already be predicted that the storage bag sent by Elder Black Bear later will definitely not satisfy the Pine-Needle Rat." With the Pine-Needle Rat's hoarding speed, as long as it puts some ordinary spirit rice and spirit beans in the storage bag, it will be completely insufficient.

"Before contracting it, since I promised it a storage bag, this opportunity... is the most suitable one."

"Two months later... Inner Sect assessment!"

Lin Jing's eyes flickered.

"In previous years' promotion assessments, I have never heard of any disciple having an accident. Without accidents, the assessment must be conducted under the protection of the Elders, and the outskirts of the Great Desolate must have been specially cleared. Since that's the case, perhaps I can be bolder."

With a new goal, Lin Jing continued to prepare for the Inner Sect promotion assessment with the Pine-Needle Rat.

Originally, their daily routine should have become cultivation, hoarding, and cafeteria dining. However, because they were worried that Lin Jing and the others always went to the cafeteria to eat and drink, which had a bad influence, Elder Yu gave Lin Jing and the wild spirit beasts raised by the sect the same privileges.

Delivery to the door, meal delivery.

There was no need for Lin Jing and them to go to the cafeteria themselves. Every meal time, the cafeteria would pack a large amount of dishes and send them to Lin Jing's side.

Lin Jing and the Pine-Needle Rat didn't expect that boring cultivation... could also be so happy.

Time flies like an arrow.

In a flash, more than two months passed. Lin Jing became more and more accustomed to his new life in the Beast-Taming Sect. Several months of getting along made him and the Pine-Needle Rat more tacit, relying on each other. I don't know if it was infected by the Pine-Needle Rat, but even Lin Jing wanted to hoard some resources.

Over the past two months, the Pine-Needle Rat's cultivation successfully reached the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, while Lin Jing's cultivation also reached the third layer of Qi Condensation, mainly because the resources they enjoyed every day were enough to be comparable to true-transmission disciples.

Such massive resources, if changed to other pet beasts and cultivators with outstanding talent, might have reached the peak of Qi Condensation. And on their side, it was purely because the Pine-Needle Rat put a lot of energy into hoarding... Although its cultivation didn't improve much, it hoarded the storage bag sent by Elder Black Bear later to the brim, without a single gap. In the eyes of the Pine-Needle Rat, this was more important than cultivating to the ninth layer of Qi Condensation. It was full of security and a clear heart.

And Lin Jing was purely restricted by the Longevity Body. Even if resources were abundant, plus the Pine-Needle Rat's feedback, he was still a bit short of the fourth layer of Qi Condensation. Although the breakthrough from the early stage to the mid-stage is not as difficult as the breakthrough of small levels, no matter what... he was still in the Qi Condensation stage, which is the easiest to cultivate among many realms.

Lin Jing estimated that if he didn't get the complete Beast-Taming Art and contract more pet beasts, relying solely on the Pine-Needle Rat might not be able to carry him.

"Let's go."

Today is the registration day for the Inner Sect assessment. After registration is completed, I guess I will have to go to the assessment location.

Lin Jing greeted the Pine-Needle Rat.

"Zhi!" The Pine-Needle Rat stretched out its arms and put on the Daoist robe. It wasn't the one from Elder Black Bear anymore, but one Lin Jing made by imitating it... Hanging the storage bag on the inside of the Daoist robe made it more convenient to carry.

"By the way, bring this too." Lin Jing walked to the spirit rice, picked up a mechanical bamboo turtle watering pot the size of a palm, carrying a cannon tube, and spraying water. ===== CHAPTER 30 =====

"Squeak!" The Pine-Leaf Rat stretched out its arms and put on a Daoist robe—not the one from Elder Black Bear, but one Lin Jing had made himself as an imitation... hanging the storage bag inside the robe for greater convenience.

"By the way, take this too." Lin Jing walked over to the spirit rice, picked up a palm-sized mechanical bamboo turtle watering can that was carrying a cannon barrel and spraying water.