Tan Xun wasn't joking when he said he would treat Lin Jin to a meal. Of course, given Tan Xun's personality, he wasn't one to be extravagant. He simply brought Lin Jin to a restaurant he frequented in the royal capital and ordered a few more signature dishes than usual.
Of course, Lin Jin couldn't refuse the wine.
It was a rule to treat guests who came from afar with wine.
Truth be told, Lin Jin and Tan Xun weren't exactly close and there was a significant age gap between them. According to Lin Jin, a gap of three to five years could cause a generation gap, let alone a gap of thirty to fifty years.
However, after the meal, Lin Jin and Tan Xun got along well.
The most important thing for people to have the same point of view, which was how they viewed different things. In this aspect, Lin Jin and Tan Xun were quite similar. When it came to beast appraising knowledge, both of them had their own strengths and weaknesses.
Lin Jin had been taking supplementary lessons at the Museum of Deadly Beasts and his knowledge had improved tremendously. No one his age could compare to him. Even the older ones might not be able to surpass him.
And yet, Tan Xun was a man who valued knowledge above all else.
After this discussion, he was the most surprised. Lin Jin knew more about pet beasts than he had expected. In short, his knowledge far surpassed that of a Rank 2 beast appraiser. Even among Rank 3 beast appraisers, Lin Jin's knowledge was more than enough to make him a Rank 3 beast appraiser.
Suddenly, Tan Xun said, "Appraiser Lin, if you were to take the Rank 3 beast appraiser examination now, I think you'd be able to pass."
Lin Jin was stunned. Then, he understood that Tan Xun was affirming his knowledge.
"You flatter me, Elder Tan!"
It was only right for him to be humble.
However, Tan Xun shook his head firmly. "I'm not exaggerating. Your knowledge is truly impressive. I've seen too many talented people in the Royal City headquarters. At least in the past 30 years, no one has been better than you."
If Lin Jin's previous praise was just for show, this time, Tan Xun was being extremely serious.
Lin Jin smiled. Of course, he was happy.
By now, the dishes on the table were more or less finished. Lin Jin was reminded of the human monkey monster he met earlier. After a moment's thought, he asked tentatively, "What's the matter?"
"Elder Tan, is the royal capital peaceful?"
This question was obviously too broad and Lin Jin didn't know how to start so he started with this question.
As an experienced man, Tan Xun could tell that Lin Jin was hinting at something. "Appraiser Lin, the royal capital is the heart of Jade Dragon Kingdom. It's under the emperor's control so it's naturally peaceful. If you have any doubts, you can ask me directly. I may be older than you, but I'm not a pedantic person so there's no need to beat around the bush."
Lin Jin laughed heartily. This was what he was waiting for.
"Alright, alright. Then, Elder Tan, I'll ask you directly."
"Feel free to ask."
"When I first arrived at Royal City today, I encountered a demon beast that could take on a human form …"
Right after Lin Jin said that, Tan Xun was stunned.
"A transformed demonic beast?"
"Not bad!" Lin Jin briefly explained his encounter today. Of course, he left out the part about White Ape. He only mentioned that he encountered him on the road and noticed something was off.
Tan Xun was obviously very concerned about this matter. If anyone else had said it, he might not have believed it. After all, it was extremely rare for a demon to take human form. Ordinary people might not even come across one in their entire lives.
However, as a Rank 3 beast appraiser, Tan Xun was well aware of this. For ancient monsters to cultivate, their first experience was to absorb the spirit energy of heaven and earth. Then, they would come across an opportunity and gain sentience.
This was the first step.
Only after gaining sentience could the monster learn how to cultivate.
After that, the monster could cultivate its first supernatural ability, which was Taoist Speech.
At this stage, the monster was considered very powerful. According to ancient records, at this stage, the monster could already possess various supernatural abilities such as bewitchment, illusion, and dream invasion. An average person would be no match for it.
Transformation was the third step.
In other words, the monster could take on a human form and walk among humans without being noticed.
However, this was something recorded in ancient records. Tan Xun might know about it, but honestly, after living for so long, he had only seen it once when he was still a student.
Tan Xun couldn't help but recall his past.
Noticing Tan Xun's solemn expression, Lin Jin didn't interrupt him but waited quietly. After a long while, Tan Xun said, "When I was still a student, I once encountered a transformed monster in the wild."
Forty years ago, Tan Xun was just a teenage apprentice. Back then, he was just an apprentice who followed a cultivator deep into the mountains to hunt some beasts.
The group spent the night in the mountains. But at night, when Tan Xun went to relieve himself, he ran into a strange old man.
Dressed in brocade, the old man stood on the cliff in front of them, less than ten steps away from Tan Xun. Under the moonlight, Tan Xun could clearly see the man's face.
He was in his sixties and had a muscular build. He had a thick beard and his eyes were filled with hatred.
Back then, Tan Xun didn't know who the man was. He only thought it odd that there was an old man dressed in brocade in the depths of the mountains. There shouldn't be any houses within a hundred miles of this place, and if he had entered the mountains from the outside like they did, how could his clothes be in such good condition? Tan Xun and his group were wearing linen leather armor that had been badly damaged by the branches and rocks along the way. Yet, this old man's clothes looked like they were brand new from a boutique.
Tan Xun was naturally curious and wary. Then, the old man spoke.
The old man questioned them about why they were in the mountains to capture beasts.
Back then, Tan Xun and his group of cultivators had captured seven to eight wolf cubs. After they returned, they were told that they could form blood contracts with pet beasts.
Capturing wild beasts as pet beasts was a way for many people to make ends meet, so there was nothing wrong with it. Hence, the young Tan Xun told the old man the truth.
The old man was clearly still angry. Back then, Tan Xun saw the shadow the old man projected under the moonlight. It was a huge wolf silhouette.
Fortunately, an old cultivator sensed that something was amiss and rushed over to see this scene. He hurriedly apologized to the old man and woke up the others to release the wolf cubs in the cages.
Only then did the old man's murderous aura weaken.
Tan Xun remembered clearly that they all had pet beasts with the highest being a Rank 2 pet beast. However, before the old man, their pet beasts were all curled up on the ground, not daring to stand up.
The mysterious old man left with the wolf cubs while Tan Xun and his group fled the mountains that very night. On their way back, they learned from the old cultivator that the old man they encountered in the forest wasn't human.
It was also then that Tan Xun learned about the transformation method.
Any demon beast that had reached the transformation stage could at least burst out with the power of a Rank 3 beast. According to the old cultivator, if there had been a conflict at that time, the dozen of them would have probably died in the deep mountains and forests.
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