Lin Jin was suddenly reminded of his pet beast, Xiao Huo.
Compared to this ink monster that was born as a Rank 3, Xiao Huo paled in comparison. But now that Xiao Huo had undergone a 'perfect evolution', using flames to reconstruct his flesh and skin, he was now a Rank 3. In the future, he might not necessarily lose to this ink monster.
However, to others, pet beasts like this were priceless treasures. They wouldn't be sold no matter how much money was offered. It was no wonder Gu Mengzhong was so nervous earlier. If he let this thing escape, he wouldn't even have a place to cry.
The 'Beast Deterrence' rewarded by the museum could barely be used on this pet beast. If it were any stronger, Lin Jin wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Looking up at Gu Mengzhong, the latter's mouth was wide open enough to stuff an egg in.
Gu Mengzhong had been studying calligraphy since he was young and was extremely talented in this area. Later on, he was apprenticed to a famous teacher and after decades of polishing, he finally became a master calligrapher.
It could be said that in the field of calligraphy, Gu Mengzhong was definitely one of the best.
Of course, master calligraphers could form blood contracts with pet beasts too.
In his early years, Gu Mengzhong had a pet beast that he formed a blood contract with. However, it was destroyed in an accident. For the next few years, he didn't form a blood contract with another pet beast. It wasn't that he didn't have any. Many nobles wanted to gift him rare beasts but he wasn't moved.
It was only recently that he'd unintentionally bought an extremely precious Ink Beast.
As a scholar, he couldn't choose pet beasts like the average person. Choosing beasts like wolves, tigers, leopards, beasts of the land, or birds of the sky were for uneducated people to form blood contracts with.
What kind of pet beasts did scholars want?
White cranes, skylarks, bamboo worms, flying fishes. They had to stand out from the masses. Combat strength and potential were secondary. Elegance and nobility were the way to go.
Of course, everyone wanted to fight for the rare beasts here.
Among the most beloved pet beasts of literati, the ink beast was definitely the most sought after. The ink beast was shaped like ink and flowed without a trace. It was a perfect fit for the coquettish needs of literati. Most importantly, a creature like the ink beast wasn't just a flower vase. It wasn't just for its looks, but it possessed unparalleled combat strength.
Two hundred years ago, the great scholar Li Mo, who was known as' Householder Qing Lian ', relied on an ink beast to travel to the ends of the world with his sword. He took care of all the injustices in the world and carried out righteous acts.
He didn't actually carry a sword with him, nor did he know any swordsmanship. He merely relied on the strength of this ink monster. The ink monster could transform into any form.
For example, the shape of the sword.
High-level ink beasts only needed the corresponding 'sword art' to be like the flying swords of real ancient sword immortals. They could behead a person from a hundred steps away.
He was just so handsome and pretentious.
If one were to walk the world in a long robe with the wind swirling around it and meet an evil person, and with a sword technique, the black sword would fly out and the evil person's head would roll down, the world would sing praises of her, and her name would be passed down for generations to come.
This was the ultimate pursuit of scholars.
Therefore, the more one was indifferent to fame and fortune, the more one wanted to be elegant and refined, the more one liked to show off.
Gu Mengzhong was a scholar. Deep down, he was a man of letters. He didn't need to admit it because it was the truth.
Ever since Gu Mengzhong got his hands on this ink monster, he treated it like a priceless treasure. He fed it with spirit stones every day and even visited renowned beast appraisers all over the country to find a way to tame it into a blood pact.
It couldn't be helped. The rarer a species was, the harder it was to form a blood pact with it.
Before this, Gu Mengzhong had tried all sorts of methods and consulted many beast appraisers. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a way to form a blood pact. A Rank 3 beast appraiser gave him a solution, which was to trap the ink monster inside a 'Jadeite Steel Bamboo', paste a beast suppression talisman on it, and feed it with spirit stones every day to see if he could slowly tame this ink monster's wild nature.
However, after using this method for more than a month, it didn't seem to work. This time, there was an accident during feeding and the ink monster broke out of the bamboo.
At that moment, Gu Mengzhong was really scared. He was afraid that the ink monster would escape. If he let this rare xenogeneic escape, it would be almost impossible to catch it again. If that happened, all the effort he had put in would go to waste.
But to his surprise, Lin Jin, who he thought was an irresponsible and prejudiced person, managed to capture the ink monster at a critical moment.
At this sight, Gu Mengzhong's mind went blank.
Wasn't it said that the ink monster was in a liquid form and couldn't be grabbed? That it could only be stored in a special container?
Wasn't it said that the ink monster had a violent temperament and before it was tamed, it was so strong that no one could touch it?
Wasn't it said that Lin Jin was a good-for-nothing from Maple City's Beast Appraisal Association who became an official beast appraiser through sheer luck?
So what was this situation now?
The ink monster that even a Rank 3 beast appraiser wouldn't dare to touch was now obediently being held by Lin Jin without any signs of resistance or attack.
Gu Mengzhong felt like everything he knew had been turned upside down.
Either all the beast appraisers he had met before were good-for-nothings, or this Lin Jin was a skilled master beast appraiser.
All these thoughts flashed through Gu Mengzhong's mind until he was awakened by Lin Jin's voice.
"Master Gu, Master Gu, I'm returning this to you." Lin Jin extended a hand and handed over a glob of black mucus. However, Gu Mengzhong didn't dare to take it and quickly shook his head.
"Erm, Lin … Lin Jin, how did you do it?" Gu Mengzhong asked after snapping out of his daze.
He was genuinely curious.
Moreover, he saw a glimmer of hope. Perhaps today, he could find a way to tame this ink monster and form a blood pact with it.
Although Gu Mengzhong found it ridiculous that Lin Jin was publicly known as a good-for-nothing and was only a Rank 1 beast appraiser, Gu Mengzhong was certain that his intuition was right.
Lin Jin smiled shyly. "Master Gu, beast taming is a basic skill for beast appraisers. It's nothing special."
Basic skill?
Nothing special?
Gu Mengzhong's eyelids twitched. Fortunately, he had regained his composure. After giving it some thought, he realized that he had been prejudiced.
He had never witnessed Lin Jin's abilities with his own eyes. He had only heard rumors about him.
As the saying went, seeing is believing. Now, it seemed like his previous opinions were all wrong. Lin Jin wasn't as unbearable as others had described him to be.
Things were just that amazing. Gu Mengzhong's perspective changed in an instant and he began to reflect on himself for believing the rumors so easily. When he looked at Lin Jin again, not only did he not hate him, he even felt a tinge of admiration.
Lin Jin was neither arrogant in victory nor discouraged in defeat.
Gu Mengzhong asked, "Appraiser Lin, do you know what this is?"
'Test me? '
Lin Jin immediately recited the contents of the stone tablet in the museum.
Not only did he explain the ink monster's basic information, but he also mentioned its rank, attribute, and even its origin and ancestral bloodline. It was extremely detailed.
Gu Mengzhong was dumbstruck. His eyes glinted as he rubbed his hands together in excitement.
Lin Jin's words were the most detailed appraisal conclusion he had heard in recent days. He had only come to Maple City to have Wang Ji take a look at it. Now, it seemed like there was no need for him to do so.
Even Wang Ji wouldn't be able to appraise this monster in such detail.
Now, he was absolutely certain that Lin Jin wasn't as the rumors said he was. Lin Jin was the real deal. Gu Mengzhong was a seasoned veteran so he immediately knew that this was the result of an internal conflict within the local Beast Appraisal Association.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Mengzhong asked the crucial question.
"Appraiser Lin, is there a way to tame this ink monster into a blood pact?"
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