Chapter 78

"May I try it?" Once Master Shi heard this, he became interested.

He loved appraising these strange and novel gadgets the most.

"No problem." After Lin Jing nodded, Master Shi opened another door behind him, leading to an open-air area.

Seeing this, the qipao-wearing female cultivator took her leave.

"You say this mechanical creation has impressive power. Did you manufacture this?"

Holding the mechanical bamboo gun, Master Shi asked curiously.

After all, saying that even a squirrel holding it could be nearly invincible in the Qi Condensation stage was truly too arrogant.

Many auctioneers liked to exaggerate the effects of the items they were auctioning.

And what they, the appraisers, needed to do was to verify or debunk them!

"Yes," Lin Jing nodded.

"Then I must see..." After speaking, he threw the mechanical bamboo gun to Lin Jing, condensed his protective true essence, and said: "Use this item to attack me. I will experience its power personally!"

"There aren't many appraisers as dedicated as I am nowadays," Master Shi did not forget to sigh with emotion.

"Alright." Lin Jing held the bamboo gun and pulled the trigger. The opponent was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had prepared in advance, so he would definitely not be hurt by the mechanical bamboo gun.

"Water Arrow Spell? There are no water-type formation patterns inscribed inside. How did this water arrow come out... So, this blue spirit bamboo has this effect."

"And that bean was swept out by the water flow—what does that mean?"

"You activated it without using true essence? It seems to be a very pure mechanical creation."

Master Shi chattered on and on until the first spirit bean exploded.

Boom!

Master Shi was swallowed by the explosion's shockwave, his protective true essence trembling. He raised his head slightly and said: "Such strong power! So this bean can explode!"

The second second.

"Wait, why did it shoot out all the beans in an instant!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The spirit beans exploded all at once, causing intense spiritual power fluctuations. The sound resounded through the sky, blowing Master Shi's hair about.

The third second, the fourth second...

Lin Jing changed the magazine with one hand, the attack was continuous, and the firepower never ceased, making Master Shi feel the violent consumption of his true essence. He hurriedly shouted: "No! Stop for a moment, stop for a moment! Are these beans free? Why are you using them like this?!"

"Are you here to sincerely auction things, or are you here to kill me?! Stop quickly!" Observing the posture, he realized Lin Jing wouldn't stop until he blew himself up.

Lin Jing stopped firing and said: "Wasn't this to let you see its attack frequency?"

Master Shi looked at the surrounding rubble, his mouth twitching, and said: "I already know! This mechanism of yours is not suitable for dueling; it is suitable for sieging cities."

"Are you from the Divine Mechanism Shanzhuang? How does the Young Master intend to price it? Besides the mechanical bamboo gun, will these beans be provided as well?" Master Shi pursed his lips and looked at Lin Jing. The Divine Mechanism Shanzhuang was the number one force in the Ancient Kingdom for mechanical arts.

This mechanical bamboo gun had extraordinary firepower and could instantly shoot over a dozen terrifyingly powerful bombs without needing true essence to activate. Such a mechanical device was indeed a massive lethal weapon for the Qi Condensation stage.

Most importantly, Lin Jing seemed not to feel the slightest heartache over those fierce beans, each comparable to a second-rank 'Explosion Talisman'. This was thought-provoking and terrifying, making him feel that this might be a cheap mechanical material newly developed by the Divine Mechanism Shanzhuang!

"One mechanical bamboo gun, plus 500 beans."

Lin Jing smiled slightly and said: "The starting price doesn't matter. I can also give the Lotus Pavilion a higher commission; I only have one requirement."

"Hmm?" Master Shi was puzzled: "What is it?"

"This item has an extraordinary origin. I hope the Lotus Pavilion can promote it on a large scale before the auction."

"Oh? What is its origin?" Master Shi's interest was piqued again. Items with an origin and items without one could differ in price by several times!

"Does Master Shi know the genius disciple of the Beast-Taming Sect, Lin Jing?" Lin Jing said in a low voice.

Master Shi was stunned and recalled: "I have an impression. It seems that yesterday he defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the academy across ranks in the south of the city? I have heard others mention it."

"Do you know that this Lin Jing was chosen by the Bodhi Cave Heaven when he was at the third layer of Qi Condensation!"

"I did not know that! No wonder he is so strong." Master Shi was surprised: "How did this mechanical creation come to be associated with a disciple of the Beast-Taming Sect?"

"Does Master Shi know that at that time, besides Lin Jing of the Beast-Taming Sect, those also sucked into that Cave Heaven included Xu Zhizhi, the proud student of Master Xu from the Literature Domain's Heaven's Luck City; Zi Ling'er, the alchemy genius of the Fire Domain's Cauldron Sect; and Young Hero Yuan Jing, who was then the number one outer sect disciple of the Heavenly Sword Gate!"

"Nowadays, Xu Zhizhi, Zi Ling'er, and Yuan Jing have all entered the Hidden Dragon Academy as special recruits, gifted with extraordinary talent and potential."

Master Shi: "I have also heard of these people. They did indeed enter the Cave Heaven. I didn't expect Lin Jing of the Beast-Taming Sect to have entered with them! I heard that Young Hero Yuan Jing has already reached Foundation Establishment and cultivated the Acquired Sword Body, with astonishing strength. Just after entering Foundation Establishment, he defeated a late-stage Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator with one sword! That Zi Ling'er is also remarkable; it is said that she has already relied on herself to refine a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and may reach Foundation Establishment in a few days!"

Lin Jing nodded: "Then does Master Shi know that among the three Bodhi trees in the Bodhi Cave Heaven, the best Golden Bodhi and Silver Bodhi were not obtained by these geniuses, but were monopolized by Lin Jing and his one pet?"

"What?" Master Shi was stunned. Is that so?

"To tell you the truth, Master Shi, that genius disciple of the Beast-Taming Sect, Lin Jing, used the mechanical bamboo gun I manufactured. Only by him and his pet, the Pine Needle Rat, each holding a gun, could they suppress these three geniuses. It can be said that Lin Jing of the Beast-Taming Sect was the biggest winner of this Cave Heaven! Without this mechanical bamboo gun of mine, he absolutely could not have achieved this."

"Whether it is the literature genius, the alchemy genius, or the sword cultivation genius, all were defeated under this mechanical bamboo gun."

Master Shi remained stunned. Could it really be so?

No wonder this Young Master said earlier that even a squirrel holding the mechanical bamboo gun could be invincible in the Qi Condensation stage.

"I hope that before the Lotus Pavilion auctions the mechanical bamboo gun, it can focus on promoting its battle record! After all, this is the treasure that allowed a third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator to suppress three geniuses at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation with strong destiny without injury."

Master Shi swallowed his saliva. He didn't expect this mechanical bamboo gun to be related to several new-generation geniuses who were quite famous in Hidden Dragon City. He said: "But Young Master, words alone are not proof. How do I know if what you say is true or false?"

"My Lotus Pavilion will not use such unverified information for the promotion of auction items."

Lin Jing said: "Haha, I won't hide it from Master Shi, I am Lin Jing, and I have now also become a student of the academy. If you don't believe me, Master, I can bring Xu Zhizhi over to testify!"

Master Shi:???

Damn it, you kid really didn't come to sincerely auction items. You went around in a circle just to get the Lotus Pavilion to help you advertise and practice the Hidden Dragon Secret Art!

Relying on word of mouth, the speed of news dissemination was bound to be slow. Whether in the past life or the present, news and public opinion were controlled by major forces. As a top-tier force, even if the Lotus Pavilion was just a branch in one city, its influence was quite impressive. Lin Jing directly borrowed the power of the Lotus Pavilion to promote himself and the mechanical bamboo gun.

Before long, the Lotus Pavilion announced the information for the latest auction, also announced the items to be auctioned, and even sent invitations to their VIPs, with very detailed introductions regarding the auction items.

Among them, many cultivators were slightly startled after seeing the mechanical bamboo gun on the list. At this time, Lin Jing's popularity had not yet dissipated.

"Mechanical Bamboo Gun? The personal weapon of Lin Jing of the Beast-Taming Sect in his early years?"

"What, this Lin Jing was actually chosen by the Cave Heaven! No wonder he is so strong. It turns out he obtained opportunities in the Cave Heaven. His future is immeasurable!"

"Academy geniuses Xu Zhizhi, Zi Ling'er, and Yuan Jing once entered the same Cave Heaven as Lin Jing? But were all robbed of the best Cave Heaven opportunities by Lin Jing, who was at the third layer of Qi Condensation, using a mechanical bamboo gun? Is this true or false?"

"It is true. Academy genius Xu Zhizhi responded, stating that no matter who holds this bamboo gun, they are nearly invincible below Foundation Establishment. At that time, even he was no match. It's all true!"

"I heard that Xu Zhizhi, for the sake of the national destiny and to prevent the opportunities of the Ancient Kingdom's cultivators from being taken by foreign cultivators, first killed a terrifyingly strong snowfield body cultivator, consuming a great deal, which is why he failed to snatch the opportunity. It's a pity; I don't know if Xu Zhizhi at his peak could compete with this mechanical creation."

"Lin Jing appeared at the Immortal Guest House to dine, leaving behind the words 'Xu Zhizhi, not bad!' before leaving!"

"Curious, what kind of mechanical creation could allow a low-cultivation disciple of a third-rate sect to snatch opportunities from a group of geniuses from major sects! This Lin Jing, how does a beast-taming cultivator also know mechanical arts?"

"Good stuff, I want to buy it for my illegitimate child for self-defense!"

The Lotus Pavilion did not deliberately promote it, but the list of auction items they announced each time would naturally be watched by a large number of cultivators. Some were happy and some were sad. Seeing that Lin Jing had exposed their Cave Heaven experience for the sake of fame, the female alchemist of the Cauldron Sect was sulking in her cave dwelling, because sisters had already asked her if she had really been beaten up by a squirrel.

The biggest winner was none other than Lin Jing. Before the mechanical bamboo gun was even auctioned, a few days later, the Hidden Dragon mark on the back of his hand had actually turned from white to light blue. The fame of yesterday and the fame of today fermented with each other, making him known to more people.

Of course, the biggest loser was definitely the Pine Needle Rat. Seeing Lin Jing take so much ammunition from the warehouse... it immediately let out ghost-wailing and wolf-howling cries!