Beast Taming: My spirit beast bloodline is overloaded

Chapter 114 Map of the Immortal Beast Ruins
The Soul-Capturing Vine is unique; it can devour the spiritual power of humans, beasts, and plants to strengthen itself.

Because it was so incredibly powerful, it was once listed as one of the forbidden beasts.

Later, people discovered that the Soul-Sucking Vine wasn't as bad as they had imagined, because this plant spirit beast wouldn't actively kill people or beasts for spiritual power; it only required replenishing its spiritual power once a month to satisfy its cravings.

Even after it forms a contract with a human beast tamer, its personality becomes very docile. Most importantly, it cultivates its spiritual power very quickly through meditation.

So later, someone researched a method of beast taming, which is that a beast tamer with strong mental power can let it absorb it once a month.

However, ordinary beast tamers would find it difficult to control, and the Spirit Devouring Vine's attack methods are relatively weak, generally focusing on cultivating spiritual power, so most spiritual-type beast tamers would not favor it.

"It seems to have some compatibility with the Heavenly Spirit Body," Lin Chen said. "I just don't know if Young Master Qin will like it."

The spirit beast and the beast tamer must be on the same page for it to work together, since they will be fighting partners who live together in the future.

Lin Chen then glanced at the starting price and changed his mind, saying, "It seems we should consider the price first."

Li Zhen saw it too.

The starting bid is 15 million.

This price isn't considered expensive for a sacred beast, but the Soul-Devouring Vine is unique and not many people want it. If it were any other combat-type spirit beast, it would definitely cost twice as much.

Lin Chen had previously thought that he could also contribute, but now it seems that even if he emptied his savings, he still couldn't afford it.

However, this is impossible, as Lin Chen still needs to raise money to prepare the evolution materials for Xiaobai.

"After so many failed auctions, the price probably won't go up much," Li Zhen thought, though he was eager to try his luck.

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen exclaimed in surprise, "President, you're so rich? You're not thinking of embezzling public funds, are you? But I can pretend I didn't see it."

Li Zhen rolled his eyes again, but this time he didn't curse Lin Chen. Instead, he said very seriously:

"You could say it's public funds, or you could say it isn't. Every Monster Hunter Guild has this kind of money; it's either the legacy left by deceased monster hunters or unclaimed benefits."

“We usually use this money to help the poor, provide medical care and other charitable services.”

"This is also the idea proposed by the person who created the Monster Hunter Guild."

"Qin Shaoshao is a martyr and hero, which meets the criteria."

Li Zhen called his assistant in again and asked, "How much of the donation is left?"

The assistant got angry this time and said, "It should be twenty million."

After saying that, he left immediately, saying he wouldn't interrupt their conversation.

Li Zhen shook his head speechlessly, while Lin Chen asked with concern, "Won't people criticize you for spending such a large sum of money?"

"A straight body casts a straight shadow," Li Zhen said. "What do I have to fear when I'm upright and honest?"

Lin Chen glanced at Li Zhen with some admiration.

“However, this means the guild really has no surplus resources. We might not be able to buy the auxiliary materials we promised you before.” Li Zhen pretended to look troubled as he looked at Lin Chen.

"I knew it." Lin Chen smiled wryly, but he didn't mean to make things difficult for Li Zhen.

Li Zhen has already helped him enough; one can't keep taking advantage of the same person all the time.
“However, I’m a man of my word, so I’ll give you 200,000 yuan out of my own pocket.” Li Zhen took out 200,000 yuan directly.

This money was the money Xu Youzhen received for his previous act of "playing the lute to a cow."

"That's fine too. Two hundred thousand is enough to buy one kind of auxiliary material." Lin Chen was delighted upon hearing this and didn't think too much about it.

Li Zhen showed a look of joy.
"President, what are you laughing at?"

"nothing."

"I get the feeling that you don't want me to be too rich."

"Absolutely not."

After finishing his sentence, Li Zhen added with an air of righteous indignation: "Would I, a dignified chairman, covet your three million?"

"."

Lin Chen had initially believed it, but this time he truly didn't.

How did Li Zhen know he had three million?

It's obvious they've been calculating behind the scenes; now they've finally exposed their true colors.

Outside Nine Star City
About fifty kilometers to the west, Huang Xiaotian squatted on the ground, examining the scene for a long time with his brows furrowed.

Xia Yu, who was standing next to him, reminded him, "There's no information ahead, we can't keep chasing."

Huang Xiaotian nodded in agreement. Since the Wu Lei incident, he has become increasingly cautious in his actions.

The new team member next to him asked, "Captain, have you found anything?"

The beast tide that appeared in Nine Star City came and went in a hurry.

Furthermore, although this beast tide is not of a high level, it is a rare and unique beast tide.

The so-called non-species beast tide means a beast tide launched by monsters of different species.

These beast tides are generally large in scale and far more dangerous than similar beast tides. It was only after this fact was detected that Nine Star City issued an emergency city lockdown notice.

Because the level of non-similar beast tides is generally level four or above.

Therefore, Huang Xiaotian suspected that this wave of beasts was suspicious, and might even be a scout coming first.

"The enemy withdrew quickly, they were organized and disciplined, and there were even suicide squads," Huang Xiaotian said with great concern. "We need to send a reminder to the city when we get back."

Beast tides are no joke. If it were a large-scale beast tide of level five or above, even if a small city like Nine Star City could hold it off, the casualties would be enormous.

After surveying the area again, Huang Xiaotian decided not to go any further and led Team Thirteen in a safe direction.

Lin Chen returned home and told Qin Shaoshao what had happened.

"If it's too much trouble, then forget it," Qin Shaoshao said. "You can also give me the location of a secret realm, and I'll find it myself."

Although Qin Shaoshao is from a different generation, he knows that money is a precious thing in any era.

Lin Chen was ashamed.

This method is indeed cost-effective; even Li Zhen considered it.

But they were afraid that Qin Shao Shao would get addicted to killing and wouldn't be able to suppress the "negative energy" in his body, turning him into a killing god.

Isn't that why the Celestial Spirits of history became famous?
Therefore, Lin Chen could only quickly say, "It's alright, Chairman Li is rich, there's no need to feel guilty. The descendants of this city owe you."

Qin Shaoshao didn't say much.

In the past two days, Lin Chen also noticed that Qin Shao Shao had become more interested in reading, such as the basic care of spirit beasts.

He guessed that Qin Shaoshao hadn't really rediscovered her love for life, but rather was trying to make some changes.

The monthly auction was in five days, so Lin Chen stayed at home for five days without going anywhere. During that time, he went to deliver barbecue seasoning to a barbecue restaurant once, where he was caught by Jiang Dadong and had a long chat. It turned out that Jiang Dadong had heard about the King of the Beef competition and wanted to confirm whether it was Lin Chen.

When he learned that it was indeed Lin Chen, he became extremely excited, saying things like he had always felt that Lin Chen was no ordinary person.

On the fifth day, Lin Chen took Qin Shaoshao to the guild, since contracting a spirit beast also depends on whether it suits one's taste.

Upon seeing Lin Chen arrive, Li Zhen stood up and said, "Let's go."

Lin Chen looked around and asked, "Just the two of us?"

"otherwise?"

"Isn't it dangerous for us to go?" Lin Chen said. "This auction is not safe. If we buy something good, we might get robbed as soon as we leave the auction. It's better to bring more people."

Qin Shaoshao is strong in combat, but we try our best to avoid letting her take action.

I'm afraid she'll get addicted to killing.

"Are you suffering from paranoia?" Li Zhen said speechlessly, "That auction is in the most prosperous area of ​​the city center. Those who can participate are all the big families in the city. You can run into them every time you walk by. Who would dare to make a move?"

"Uh," Lin Chen said, feeling embarrassed. He thought to himself, "Were all those novels I read before just lies?"

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Does the chairman have any enemies or people he doesn't get along with in the city? Tell us in advance so we can prepare countermeasures and prevent the price from being inflated."

"."

Li Zhen was speechless again and said, "There are definitely people we don't get along with, but if he dares to raise the price, we'll just give it to him. Flying pigs are hard to find, but there are plenty of spirit beasts that can run on the ground. If this city doesn't have them, we'll go to the next city to buy some."

"That seems to be true." Lin Chen pondered, thinking that those novel authors really did make things up.

Why are there so many dangers and schemes involved in just attending an auction?

Then, remembering something, he whispered, "I wonder if I can pick it up."

"Don't even think about it," Li Zhen said. "There are definitely bargains to be found, but it's basically impossible in this small city. There are only so many things to sell, and there are even more appraisers than auction items. They're professionals, so why would you want to find a bargain?"

"..." Lin Chen sweated and said with a wry smile, "It seems to make some sense." The auction house is called Shifang Pavilion. It is a state-run auction house of the Cangling Ancient Kingdom, with branches in cities large and small throughout the country. It is under the management of the Beast Tamer Guild.

This is also a major source of income for the Beastmaster Guild, as transactions generated within the guild generate taxes at a rate of 11.2%.

Every year, the Beastmaster Guild earns a considerable amount of income through auctions.

Therefore, Lin Chen's previous worries were somewhat unnecessary. Robbery certainly exists, but it's basically impossible in a small city unless you actually buy something priceless.

In a small city like Nine Star City, no major forces from other cities have come to participate in the bidding during the 12 auctions held throughout the year.

Li Zhen led them outside the auction house, where they saw Shi Xing, the person in charge of the auction.

The other party was clearly surprised to see Li Zhen, and immediately cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "President Li, what brings you here today?"

"Sect Master Shi doesn't welcome you?"

"How dare I?" Shi Xing said with a wry smile. "I told my servants just a couple of days ago that it must be because we didn't do a good job that Chairman Li was unwilling to come to our auction."

"Master Shi is joking. The reason I didn't come before was simply because I was short of money."

After exchanging polite greetings, Shi Xing looked Lin Chen up and down and said, "This one should be the champion of the Bull King Tournament."

Lin Chen cupped his hands in greeting.

Xiao Bai was taken into the Beast Taming Space, but Shi Xing still recognized it from the little fox on Lin Chen's shoulder.

After Li Zhen gave his introduction, Shi Xing smiled and said, "He is indeed a handsome man."

Lin Chen cupped his hands in greeting again, smiled politely, and responded without saying anything more.

Shi Xing then looked at Qin Shaoshao and asked, "Who is she?"

Before Lin Chen could explain, Li Zhen said, "She is Lin Chen's distant cousin."

Lin Chen smiled wryly upon hearing this. Wasn't this the excuse he had made up before? He hadn't expected Li Zhen to remember it.

Qin Shaoshao remained silent throughout, simply standing to the side.

Shi Xing didn't ask any more questions. Although Qin Shaoshao was stunning in both temperament and beauty, Shi Xing, who was in such a position, had seen all kinds of beauties.

"Do we still need to verify the funds?" Li Zhen changed the subject.

"President Li, are you giving me a warning?" Shi Xing smiled wryly and quickly gestured, saying, "Come, please come in, three distinguished guests."

Shifang Pavilion is not large, and there are not many private rooms. Since Li Zhen has come, there must be one available.

After Li Zhen sat down, people started coming in one after another, from all sorts of forces, big and small.

Although some forces won't act unless they have something they want, they still have to give face to the Ten Directions Pavilion, otherwise they won't invite you again.

After all, they only need to come once a month, and the person who comes doesn't necessarily have to be the head of the family.

Unless, of course, this thing is very important to them.

"This is Ning Ziming's mother, Wen Xia." A noblewoman with fair skin and an elegant demeanor walked in from outside, and Li Zhen introduced her.

Lin Chen took a few more glances and found that they did indeed look somewhat similar.

Wen Xia also went to the private room with her servants, but unexpectedly, after a short while, she was heard saying outside the door:
"Ning Jiawenxia requests an audience."

Li Zhen opened the door, and Wen Xia said with a smile, "Greetings, President Li. Back when Mo'er was in the guild, she received a lot of help and care from you, President Li."

"Madam Ning, you're too kind. We were just following the rules," Li Zhen said politely.

However, Li Zhen quickly realized that Wen Xia hadn't come to see him, because she was staring intently at Lin Chen.

Lin Chen felt a little guilty
He had previously swindled Ning Ziming out of 100,000 yuan, and that kid even got 200,000 yuan from his family.
"You must be Lin Chen. I've heard Mo'er mention you before."

Wen Xia said a lot. She said she rarely heard Ning Ziming mention people his own age, which meant he considered Lin Chen a friend.

"It's strange, he doesn't seem to be competing with you, he's just targeting Ning Tian," Wen Xia said again.

Lin Chen naturally didn't get involved in such family matters, but instead asked, "Brother Ning, have you sent any messages recently?"

"Yes, he is preparing evolution materials and has discussed with the catalyst master to give the snow lion a final push in preparation for next year's Spirit Academy assessment."

Wen Xia did not hide anything because she knew her son and had also investigated Lin Chen.

In her opinion, Lin Chen was of good character and had strong abilities, making him a rare talent worthy of Ning Ziming's deep friendship.

After some casual conversation, Wen Xia took her leave. Soon after, several other groups arrived, all of them targeting Li Zhen.

Until the Li family arrived.

"Lin Chen?"

This Li family is naturally the Li family of Li Zaiqing.

Although the Li family is not as good as the Ning family, they are still a respectable family.

His father, Li Gao, was also with him, but Li Gao only glanced at Lin Chen and nodded.

He had also heard Li Zaiqing talk about Lin Chen, and he hoped that Li Zaiqing could get to know more talented young people.

So, the old ones talk to the old ones, and the young ones talk to the young ones.

Li Zaiqing did not hide the purpose of his visit, telling Lin Chen that he came to purchase the main materials for evolution.

At this auction, there was a high-quality bear-themed main material.

"Brother Lin, are you also here to buy materials?"

"More or less," Lin Chen nodded.

He wasn't lying; there was indeed a supplementary material he needed here. Li Zhen also advised him to buy it if the price was right, otherwise he would have to look for it elsewhere later.

After chatting for a while, Li Gao prepared to take his leave. Unexpectedly, Li Zaiqing only noticed Qin Shaoshao at this moment. He looked at Lin Chen with some surprise and asked, "Her?"

“My distant cousin, you’ve met her before,” Lin Chen said.

“Right, I almost forgot.” Li Zaiqing immediately understood.

He had naturally met Qin Shaoshao before; the four of them had agreed that this matter should not be revealed to outsiders.

Once outside, Li Gao noticed Li Zaiqing's unease and asked, "What happened to that girl just now?"

"It's nothing," Li Zaiqing thought for a moment, then made up an excuse, saying, "She's just a bit pretty."

Once the number of attendees had arrived, the auction was ready to begin.

Li Zhen and his group soon received a list of auction items, which included the spirit beast Devouring Vine, the auxiliary material Blood Ox Hide, and the main material Black Heart Bamboo, which Li Zaiqing had just mentioned.

The Soul-Eating Vine is considered one of the most valuable items, ranking high on the list, and has failed to sell at auction many times.

However, it is not the most.

The item listed as having the most failed auctions was a map.

More than 99 auctions failed to attract bids.

"This thing is still here." Li Zhen was somewhat surprised after seeing it.

This wasn't his first time visiting Shifang Pavilion, but the last time he came was several years ago.

"What did you come from?" Lin Chen asked.

The "Ten Directions Pavilion Scam"

Lin Chen didn't understand.

Li Zhen then said, "You should know the origin of the name Nine Star City, right?"

Lin Chen nodded.

Nine Star City is naturally related to the Nine-Tailed Divine Fox.

"Legend has it that after the Nine-Tailed Divine Fox transformed into a Daoist, it left behind a ruin here." When Li Zhen said this, Lin Chen seemed to get excited.

Ruins of a mythical beast?!
This level of achievement caused a nationwide sensation.

Li Zhen immediately poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Don't even think about it. If it were true, would it even be your turn?"

"Then why has it been around all this time, and why was it auctioned for 30 million?" Lin Chen asked curiously.

"It's just a gimmick to attract people," Li Zhen said. "This auction is all about greed."

As Li Zhen was speaking, a woman dressed in a simple yet alluring outfit walked onto the stage, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

It's obvious that she's today's auctioneer.

(End of this chapter)