This was a storage seal embroidered using Cosmos ink as the thread. Using a specialized incantation, Lin Jin knew that this storage seal was just as Appraiser Shu had said. It could store an entire room's worth of items.
With a sweep of his hand, a stone stool beside him disappeared. With another sweep, it reappeared.
Looking at the bit of Universe Ink, it had shrunk a little. However, there was enough left for a painting.
Lin Jin was a man of his word. After asking Appraiser Shu to wait for a moment, he took out a pen and paper and began writing down the pulse-seeking technique. There were a thousand characters in total and it took Lin Jin two hours to finish writing them down.
Right after he was done, the technique landed in Shu Xiao Lou's hands.
As if he had just received a priceless treasure, Shu Xiao Lou started reading it right away. It was already late at night so after some thought, Lin Jin asked, "Is Appraiser Shu's real name Shu Xiao Lou?"
Without looking up, Shu Xiao Lou answered, "You saw it?"
Lin Jin nodded. He knew the man's name. He saw the inscription on the painting on the fourth floor of the Beast Evaluation Pavilion. It was Shu Xiao Lou.
Hence, Lin Jin guessed that this painting was drawn by the man.
"There's a woman in green in the painting. Who is she?" Lin Jin asked.
He was just curious because Lin Jin was sure that the woman in green was the female student who came to his public lecture two days ago. She appeared and disappeared mysteriously, just like Shu Xiao Lou.
"It's me!" Shu Xiao Lou admitted.
Lin Jin's smile froze and stiffened.
He didn't expect this answer.
Not at all.
"You don't believe me?" Little Book Lou glanced up at Lin Jin before disappearing in a flash. In just two breaths' time, a green-dressed woman appeared out of thin air, holding the pulse-seeking technique that Lin Jin had just written in her hand.
"Do you believe me now?" The woman in green smiled. She was indeed devastatingly beautiful but Lin Jin wasn't in the mood to appreciate her beauty. He felt cold sweat dripping down his back as he wondered what this thing was.
It couldn't be a human.
Humans did not have this kind of ability. They could change between male and female, old and young, but they were not demonic beasts either. If they were, the Museum of Deadly Beasts would have reacted the moment they touched each other.
Lin Jin was extremely curious but didn't know how to ask. On the other hand, Shu Xiao Lou didn't feel restrained at all. Before this, she still had to pretend to be that old man, but now that she had changed her appearance, she was much more at ease. Or rather, she was the real Shu Xiao Lou now.
After some thought, Lin Jin decided to ask her directly.
Xiao Shu Lou had no intention of hiding this fact. Her attention was currently focused on the pulse-seeking technique, so she didn't even lift her head as she answered, "Appraiser Lin, your intuition is correct. I am indeed neither a human nor a monster. Five hundred years ago, when the academy was building the Beast Appraisal Hall, an expert stayed overnight in the Beast Appraisal Hall and left a painting in the hall. I am the spirit in the painting."
Little Book Lou spoke casually but his words shocked Lin Jin.
The spirit of the painting.
This must be a type of spirit monster. Lin Jin had never seen one before.
"I can borrow any of the portraits in the painting. However, the first to gain sentience was Green Robe. Hence, my personality is the most suitable for this painting." At this time, Xiao Shu Lou stretched out three fingers. "There are three portraits in the painting. One of them is the old man you've seen before. The other one is the green-robed woman you see now. The last one is the young master. I can use all three of them. For the past five hundred years, I've been studying beast appraising when I have nothing better to do. After all, there are many books in the Beast Appraisal Hall and I've read every single one of them. "
It was no wonder Shu Xiao Lou's beast appraising skills were so profound. She had been studying beast appraising for five hundred years and her knowledge was truly profound.
Lin Jin even found out that Shu Xiao Lou's qualifications as a Rank 5 beast appraiser were self-proclaimed by Shu Xiao Lou. However, based on her actual abilities, she had definitely reached this level.
Also, Shu Xiao Lou was the one who came up with the name. The inscription on the painting was also something she had written several hundred years ago.
This was the first time Lin Jin came into contact with the spirit of the painting and he was amazed. Who would have thought that a painting could give birth to sentience?
This reminded Lin Jin of the Unending Nature Landscape.
That painting contained many sentient consciousnesses, forming a world of its own. It was the place where Du Li, the immortal, had taken refuge. Back then, Lin Jin didn't thoroughly explore the Unending Nature River Painting. Perhaps, an art spirit was born in the painting.
For the next few days, Lin Jin went by his usual routine in the academy. His days were surprisingly organized. Aside from teaching, Shu Xiao Lou would come over to chat with him daily. They were either comparing beast appraising skills or exchanging cultivation insights.
According to Shu Xiao Lou and Lin Jin, they were now considered friends.
Shu Xiao Lou told Lin Jin that Lin Jin was truly a friend. Lin Jin asked, 'Does no one in this academy know of your existence?'
Shu Xiao Lou shook her head.
She told Lin Jin that for the past five hundred years, she knew all the previous masters of the Beast Appraisal Hall. However, they all treated her as an expert and treated her with respect. They weren't as comfortable as when they were together with Lin Jin.
This was mainly because in Shu Xiao Lou's eyes, the knowledge and skills of others weren't worth mentioning. Many of the masters were considered her students. The consequence of being overly respectful was a sense of distance.
Of course, most people didn't know of Shu Xiao Lou's existence. It was no wonder that no one had heard of this teacher after Lin Jin asked around.
Besides, Lin Jin was also observing her. Although Shu Xiao Lou had been around for more than five hundred years, she didn't have a complicated personality. When she appeared as an elderly, her appearance gave off an intimidating aura. But in reality, Shu Xiao Lou was a straightforward person who wouldn't hide anything. However, this didn't mean that she wasn't experienced in society, nor did it mean that she didn't know how treacherous people could be.
On this day, after Lin Jin sent his students away, he started arguing with Shu Xiao Lou again.
This time, they were arguing about the monster's cultivation method.
Both of them had differing viewpoints on certain concepts. Hence, what started out as a normal debate gradually turned into a heated argument.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
Shu Xiao Lou sensed something and immediately stopped talking. She looked up at the sky with a cold expression.
Before they knew it, they couldn't see the starry sky anymore. All they could see was darkness as if a dark cloud was looming over them. It was hard to see any light in their surroundings.
Even the few candles in Peach Blossom Residence seemed to have dimmed significantly.
"The world has changed. Someone has cast a cosmic spell." With Shu Xiao Lou's sharp senses, Lin Jin noticed that something was wrong. He looked around and mused, 'This is similar to my Nebula Barrier.'
However, this was Heavenly Jade Academy. The sudden change made him cautious. He got up and kept his guard up. But when he turned around, he couldn't see Shu Xiao Lou anymore.
Not only could he not see Shu Xiao Lou, but his surroundings had also been plunged into darkness.
In an instant, Lin Jin was shrouded in darkness. He couldn't even hear the sound of the wind. Everything was silent.
Lin Jin knew something must have gone wrong.
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