Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 2 Chapter 8: Promotional Advertisement

“Could I give it a try?” Master Shi's interest was piqued as soon as he heard the question.

He loved appraising all sorts of rare and strange new gadgets.

“No problem.” Lin Jing nodded, and Master Shi opened another door behind him, leading to an open outdoor area.

Seeing this, the Qipao-clad female cultivator excused herself.

“You said this mechanical creation has considerable power. Did you make it yourself?”

Holding the mechanical bamboo rifle, Master Shi asked curiously.

After all, even a squirrel holding it would be nearly invincible at the Qi Refining stage, so such a claim seemed overly boastful.

Many auctioneers liked to exaggerate the effectiveness of the items they sold.

“Yes.” Lin Jing nodded.

“In that case, I’d like to see for myself…” Master Shi tossed the mechanical bamboo rifle to Lin Jing and formed a protective True Qi barrier around himself.

“You attack me with it, and I'll personally experience its power!”

“Nowadays, appraisers like me, who are so dedicated to our craft, are rare to find.” Master Shi added with a bit of self-praise.

“Alright.” Lin Jing, holding the bamboo rifle, pressed the trigger.

Given that the opponent was a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had already prepared, it was certain that the mechanical bamboo rifle wouldn’t harm him.

“Water Arrow Technique? But there are no water formation marks carved into it. How did this water arrow come out… Oh, so this blue spiritual bamboo is the key to the effect.”

“And then the beans were swept out by the water flow. What does that mean?”

“You didn’t activate it using True Qi? Looks like it’s a purely mechanical creation.”

Master Shi continued muttering to himself until the first spirit bean exploded.

Boom!

Master Shi was engulfed by the explosive shockwave. His protective True Qi trembled, and he lifted his head slightly, saying, “Such power! So, these beans can explode!”

The second later...

“Wait, how did you shoot all the beans out in an instant?!”

Boom boom boom boom boom!

The spirit beans exploded all at once, sending a powerful surge of spiritual energy through the air. The sound echoed across the sky, blowing Master Shi’s hair about.

The third second, the fourth second...

Lin Jing quickly swapped magazines with one hand, and the attacks kept coming, never stopping. The relentless firepower caused Master Shi to feel the intense drain on his True Qi. He hastily shouted, “No! Stop! Are these beans made of money? Do you expect me to keep going like this?!”

“Are you here to seriously auction things, or are you trying to kill me?! Please, stop! I can tell by your stance—if I don’t die, you won’t stop!”

Lin Jing ceased firing and said, “I just wanted you to see its firing frequency.”

Master Shi glanced around at the debris, his lips twitching slightly. “I get it now! This mechanical device isn’t suitable for combat. It’s more suited for sieging a city.”

“Are you from Divine Machine Manor? How do you plan to price it? Besides the bamboo rifle, will the beans be included as well?” Master Shi pursed his lips and looked at Lin Jing, thinking of Divine Machine Manor, the top force in the Ancient Kingdom's mechanical arts ranking.

This mechanical bamboo rifle was extraordinary. It could fire dozens of powerful bombs in an instant without the need for True Qi activation. For someone at the Qi Refining stage, it was indeed a deadly weapon.

What stood out most was that Lin Jing didn’t seem at all reluctant to expend the individual spirit beans, which were as powerful as second-tier explosion talismans. This was something that made Master Shi uneasy, making him suspect that these were perhaps cheap new materials developed by Divine Machine Manor!

“One mechanical bamboo rifle, plus 500 beans.”

Lin Jing smiled slightly and said, “The starting price doesn’t matter. I can offer Lotus Pavilion a higher commission. I just have one condition.”

"Mm?" Master Shi was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"This item has an extraordinary background. I hope that Lotus Pavilion can give it extensive publicity before the auction."

"Oh? What's its background?" Master Shi became even more interested. Items with a known background could often be priced several times higher than those without.

"Master Shi, do you know Lin Jing, the genius disciple of Beastmaster Sect?" Lin Jing asked in a low voice.

Master Shi paused for a moment, recalling, "I’ve heard of him. I believe he recently defeated a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the academy in a battle near the southern city, right? I heard some people mention it."

"Do you know that this Lin Jing was selected by the Bodhi Cave Heaven when he was at the third layer of Qi Refining?"

"Really? I didn’t know that! No wonder he's so strong." Master Shi was surprised. "But how does this mechanical creation tie in with a disciple of Beastmaster Sect?"

"Master Shi, do you know that in addition to Lin Jing of Beastmaster Sect, there were also Xu Zhizhi, the proud student of Xu Fushi from Wenyu Tianyun City, Ziling’er, a genius alchemist from the Fire Domain Dan Ding Sect, and Yuan Jing, who was the top disciple of the Outer Sect of Tianjian Sect at that time?"

"Now, Xu Zhizhi, Ziling’er, and Yuan Jing have all entered Qianlong Academy as special students. Their talents are extraordinary, with immense potential."

Master Shi nodded. "I’ve heard about these people. They did indeed enter the Cave Heaven, but I didn't know that Lin Jing of Beastmaster Sect was with them! I’ve also heard that the young hero Yuan Jing has already established his Foundation and refined the Tianjian Body. His strength is astonishing—just after entering Foundation Establishment, he defeated a late-stage Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator with a single sword strike! Ziling’er is quite impressive too. I’ve heard that she has already refined a perfect Foundation Establishment pill on her own, and will likely enter Foundation Establishment soon!"

Lin Jing nodded. "So, Master Shi, are you aware that inside the Bodhi Cave Heaven, among the three Bodhi trees, the best ones—the golden and silver Bodhi—were not claimed by those geniuses, but rather, Lin Jing took them both, one for himself and one for his pet?"

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

"To be honest, Master Shi, it was the mechanical bamboo rifle I made that helped Lin Jing and his pet, the Pine Leaf Rat, each wield one rifle to suppress those three geniuses. You could say that Lin Jing of Beastmaster Sect was the biggest winner of this Cave Heaven event! Without my mechanical bamboo rifle, he would never have been able to achieve such results."

"Whether it's a genius in literature, alchemy, or swordsmanship, they all fell before this mechanical bamboo rifle."

Master Shi was left in shock. Could this really be true?

No wonder this young man had said earlier that even a squirrel holding the mechanical bamboo rifle would be invincible at the Qi Refining stage.

"I hope that before Lotus Pavilion auctions the mechanical bamboo rifle, you can heavily promote its battle record! After all, this item helped a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator suppress three exceptionally talented Qi Refining cultivators at the ninth layer without a scratch."

Master Shi swallowed hard. He hadn't expected the mechanical bamboo rifle to be associated with some of the most famous new-generation geniuses in the current Qianlong City. He said, "But, Young Master, you’re speaking without proof. How do I know whether what you’re saying is true?"

"Lotus Pavilion won't use unverified information in the promotional materials for any auction items."

Lin Jing smiled and said, "Hehe, I won’t hide it from you, Master Shi. I am Lin Jing. I’ve already become a student at the academy. If you don’t believe me, I can bring Xu Zhizhi over to vouch for it!"

Master Shi: ???

Damn it, so this kid isn’t here to sincerely auction anything—he’s just using Lotus Pavilion to help advertise and promote the mysterious Qianlong Secret Technique!

...

The news spread slowly through word of mouth.

Whether in past or present lives, news and public opinion have always been controlled by powerful factions.

Lotus Pavilion, as a top-tier force, had substantial influence even at the level of a single city branch.

Lin Jing took advantage of Lotus Pavilion’s power to promote both himself and the mechanical bamboo rifle.

Soon, Lotus Pavilion announced the details of their upcoming auction, including a list of the items to be auctioned.

Invitations were sent out to their VIP clients, and the descriptions of the auction items were detailed.

When many cultivators saw the mechanical bamboo rifle on the list, they paused for a moment, as Lin Jing's popularity had not yet waned.

"Mechanical bamboo rifle? The weapon used by Lin Jing of Beastmaster Sect in his early years?"

"What? This Lin Jing was actually chosen by the Cave Heaven? No wonder he's so strong—he must have gained some incredible opportunities in the Cave Heaven! His future is limitless!"

"Did the academy geniuses Xu Zhizhi, Ziling'er, and Yuan Jing also enter the same Cave Heaven with Lin Jing? And he managed to seize the best opportunities from the Cave Heaven with his mechanical bamboo rifle, even though he was only at the third layer of Qi Refining? Is that for real?"

"It’s true. Academy genius Xu Zhizhi confirmed it. He said that no matter who holds this bamboo rifle, they’re nearly invincible under Foundation Establishment, and even he couldn’t match Lin Jing back then. It’s all true!"

"I heard that Xu Zhizhi, in order to protect the national fortune and prevent foreign cultivators from taking the opportunities meant for the ancient kingdom’s cultivators, had to kill a terrifying Snowfield Body cultivator first. It took a huge toll on him, which is why he couldn’t seize the opportunity. What a pity. I wonder if Xu Zhizhi in his prime could match this mechanical creation."

"I heard Lin Jing appeared at Xianke Lai for a meal and left a message saying, 'Xu Zhizhi is not bad!' before departing!"

"I'm curious—what kind of mechanical creation could allow a low-ranking disciple from a third-rate sect to snatch opportunities from the hands of geniuses from large sects? How does this Beastmaster Sect cultivator know mechanical techniques?"

"Such a great item! I’m going to buy it for my illegitimate son to protect himself!"

Lotus Pavilion didn’t actively promote the item, but whenever they released the list of auctioned goods, it always garnered the attention of a large number of cultivators.

Some were pleased, some were worried.

When they saw that Lin Jing had publicly revealed his Cave Heaven experience for the sake of his reputation, an alchemist from Dan Ding Sect was sulking in her cave.

Several of her sisters had already asked if she had truly been beaten up by a squirrel.

The biggest winner, however, was undoubtedly Lin Jing.

Even though the mechanical bamboo rifle hadn’t been auctioned yet, just a few days later, the mark of the Qianlong on the back of his hand turned from white to light blue.

His name from yesterday and today had both gained momentum, and he became more widely known.

Of course, the biggest loser was the Pine Leaf Rat.

It had seen Lin Jing take so many rounds of ammunition from the warehouse... and immediately began wailing with a ghostly, sorrowful cry!

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