The Jade Dragon Festival was a traditional festival of the Jade Dragon Kingdom. It began on the first day of the third month at the beginning of spring and lasted for seven days. It had been more than three hundred years since the establishment of the Jade Dragon Kingdom.
The Jade Dragon Festival was actually a ceremony to thank the jade dragon deity and pray for the dragon deity to surrender.
It was for this reason that Lin Jin, who was dressed in formal attire and looked completely different from his usual self, found it strange and absurd.
He had personally killed the jade dragon deity a few days ago. Who would have thought that he would be hosting a blessing ceremony for the jade dragon deity now?
This was simply …
Lin Jin was at a loss for words. He didn't know how to describe his current mood.
He felt like laughing.
Very few people knew about the jade dragon deity. Emperor He Qian knew that this matter couldn't be leaked and couldn't be leaked. Hence, the 'jade dragon deity' totem that the people worshipped was no longer the same jade dragon deity that Lin Jin had killed.
As a totem and a religion, the jade dragon deity was perfect and sacred.
But to be honest, the jade dragon deity that Lin Jin had met wasn't sacred at all. Instead, greedy, cruel, and selfish were the best words to describe it.
However, the ignorant people still worshipped the jade dragon deity as the Jade Dragon Kingdom's guardian deity. This worship had been rooted in their hearts for centuries. On the surface, the jade dragon deity seemed powerful, but in fact, it was merely a tool of the He family.
A dragon made of tools.
As it had been going on for more than three hundred years, the blessing ceremony was complicated. Instead of being held at headquarters, it was held on a wide street outside that led all the way to the Jade Dragon Temple.
The place was already packed with people. It was said that many people had arrived before dawn, hoping that they could go to the Jade Dragon Temple to offer incense.
The people were superstitious about this. In fact, forget the fact that the old dragon was already dead, even if he was still alive, he wouldn't give the people any blessings.
"Appraiser Lin, you may begin!"
An appraiser beside him reminded him.
Lin Jin nodded and began the boring and complicated ceremony.
In previous years, the Jade Dragon Festival's blessing ceremony had always been hosted by an appraiser from headquarters. However, most of the time, it was a rotation of familiar faces.
But this year, many people realized that the host this time was a new face.
Not only did he have a new face, but he also looked very young.
Some were curious while others were suspicious. The identity of the young appraiser became a hot topic of discussion, especially when they saw the three-ringed beast emblem sleeve band he was wearing. Many of the more knowledgeable ones were confused.
In the Jade Dragon Kingdom, a Rank 3 beast appraiser was a rarity that could be counted on one hand. Many people could even recite the names of every Rank 3 beast appraiser in the kingdom as if they were their family jewels.
However, many people did not know who this young man was.
By the time the ceremony was halfway through, many people learned that the host of this year's blessing ceremony was a man named Lin Jin. He hailed from Maple City and was the youngest Rank 3 beast appraiser in the Jade Dragon Kingdom.
"Even if he's a Rank 3 beast appraiser, isn't he a little too young? The Jade Dragon Festival is such a solemn occasion. Can this young lad handle it?"
Someone asked.
And there were quite a few people who thought so.
Along the way, tens of thousands of citizens formed a stream of people, following the blessing procession to Jade Dragon Temple.
As the most important festival of the year in the entire Jade Dragon Country, many high-ranking officials of the imperial court were naturally present. Not only were the high-ranking officials here, but many members of the royal He family were here as well.
At the Jade Dragon Celestial Temple, the officials were dressed neatly and stood solemnly. Further inside were the members of the He Clan.
As the emperor, He Qian had to be present as well. Behind him were the princes and grandsons.
A few princesses were present as well. This year, the sixth and seventh princesses were here as well.
He Qing had been cooped up in the palace for too long. She was a playful girl who enjoyed lively events, so now that she had the chance, she wanted to join in the fun.
On the contrary, He Yu liked to be quiet. She usually did not attend such boring celebrations, but this time, she had come. She had even taken the initiative to beg He Qian to come. The main reason was that He Yu had whispered something to her.
"I heard that the host of the Jade Dragon Festival's blessing ceremony is Appraiser Lin."
With that, He Yu arrived. From the very beginning, she had been peeking outside as if waiting for someone.
Beside her, He Qing giggled and whispered, "It's not time yet. Sister Yu, this isn't like you. Are you that eager to meet Appraiser Lin?"
He Yu blushed at He Qing's words but she forced a straight face and said, "Don't talk nonsense. Appraiser Lin saved me before and I've never had the chance to thank him in person. This time, I just wanted to thank him in person."
"I understand, I understand." He Qing gave her a knowing look.
The two conversed softly. After all, this was a very solemn occasion.
In previous years, the emperor's blessing ceremony was hosted by the palace's ceremonial officials. But this year, His Majesty didn't follow the usual practice.
Instead, he waited for the host of the Beast Appraisal Association Headquarters to host the blessing ceremony.
This had happened in the past but rarely. Of course, there were well-informed officials in the imperial court who knew that this was because of Appraiser Lin.
Moreover, the incident two nights ago had shaken the entire royal capital. After all, thousands of city guards had been mobilized to hunt down Yang Qingshi.
This order was given by the Lieutenant Governor, but the one who put him in charge was His Majesty.
Hence, the upper echelons were already discussing and exchanging information about Lin Jin. All in all, Lin Jin was extremely capable and His Majesty valued him highly.
However, most people still had reservations about his capabilities. Still, everyone knew that this Jade Dragon Festival's blessing ceremony would be a great test for Lin Jin.
This was because the last segment of the celebration was to randomly select a person to promote their pet beast by drawing lots. This was a beast appraiser's most powerful technique. For Rank 1 and Rank 2 beast appraisers, no one could say with absolute confidence that they could promote a Rank 1 pet beast to Rank 2. As for Rank 2 to Rank 3, it was even more difficult. Rank 1 beast appraisers couldn't do it, but a Rank 2 beast appraiser might be able to do it by chance.
Even a Rank 3 beast appraiser couldn't guarantee a hundred percent success rate. Fortunately, as long as one was a Rank 3 beast appraiser, they would have a high chance of advancing from Rank 1 to Rank 2. Moreover, most of the people here owned pet beasts that were Rank 1. Hence, for the past few decades, Rank 1 beast appraisers had been advancing from Rank 1 to Rank 2. The only difference was that the pet beasts were different.
Even so, to be able to randomly select a pet beast and promote it from Rank 1 to Rank 2 was a huge test of a beast appraiser's abilities. At the very least, a Rank 2 beast appraiser wouldn't be able to do it.
Hence, if Lin Jin could successfully promote a pet beast from Rank 1 to Rank 2, it would at least prove that he was a Rank 3 beast appraiser.
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