Chapter 17 - Leveled Up?

Watching this horrendous sight unfold before them, Qian Youde resisted the urge to do anything about it, but his subordinates couldn't stand it any longer and unleashed their pet beasts—prepared to give this conman the beating of his lifetime.

Suddenly, a deafening roar arose from the leopard, it's body emitted muffled cracks as it began to grow a size up.

The remaining fur on the leopard shed off completely as a new layer of silky shiny fur began taking its place—its weary eyes grew sharp and a menacing aura erupted from them. It stomped the ground with such great force, and the stone slab beneath split open.

The leopard's new coat glowed gold as gold energy flowed around it, embracing its body. The leopard could now control gold elemental energy.

The two subordinates slumped on the ground in shock. Their two pet beasts were already cowering behind them, retreating in fear of the strong aura from the leopard, they didn't even dare look in its direction.

"What's going on?"

"I've heard that pet beasts who can control the energy of their elements are level two beasts, could it be..."

Qian Youde saw this and immediately understood what was going on. His blubbery cheeks scrunched up as excitement lit in his eyes.

He bowed again and again at Lin Jin out of pure joy and gratitude, almost kneeling before him.

A master never failed his title.

Who said novel stories were all fiction? He had actually met a real hermetical master! At this moment, that small part of doubt he had vanished without a trace.

They were overwhelmed by this result, including Lin Jin.

He was just curing it, why did it level up?

He dug into the Museum of Deadly Beasts immediately and read the stone plate of the leopard. The treatment for the fur loss caused by fire poison was described on it.

"It's not wrong...I did follow this method. Use spiritual energy to pierce through the Wen Shui, He Tun, Yin Spring, and eight other acupoints, then use the spiritual energy to guide the fire poison out...I didn't do it wrong..."

Lin Jin was bewildered as he realized that there was more to it, so he continued to read on.

"This method is used to get rid of poison and there is a chance of passing it throughout the leopard's meridian. This leopard has been fed well for many years without training, thus excess spiritual energy has been accumulated in the leopard's body. After passing through the meridian, there is a chance of the leopard leveling up."

Lin Jin understood now.

It meant that while Lin Jin had treated it using the method provided by the museum, there was a certain success rate of it leveling up in the process. Whether it would happen or not was based on sheer luck, he didn't expect to actually see it happen.

He looked at the leopard and thought to himself. He wasn't sure if he or the leopard was the lucky one. Nonetheless, it was good news for them. According to the museum, leopards were just pet beasts with a menacing vibe or appearance. It lacked actual potential and wouldn't have leveled up if not for Lin Jin.

Looking at its potential, level two might be its final level. Unless somehow it encountered another miraculous opportunity, there was no way it was going to level up again.

To most people, level two was enough for them anyway.

Lin Jin mused his thoughts into the museum. His arrogant figure seemed mysterious in the eyes of Qian Youde and the others. The two doubtful subordinates ended up bowing to him with utmost respect, daring not to interrupt the 'master' from his thoughts.

Especially Qian Youde.

Before this, he was already certain that he had encountered a hermetical master, now after watching this master's capabilities, his beliefs were frozen solid. Glancing at Jinman's menacing size and shiny fur hyped him up.

After viewing this thought, Chief Wang seemed to not live up to his name when compared to this 'master'. It would be his desire to be able to get to know this master and his origins.

No, he couldn't ask him yet.

Either way, he was overflowing with admiration and respect for Lin Jin. Qian Youde kept imagining how he would invite this 'master' back to his house as a guest, treat him warmly and get to know him better.

A while passed until Lin Jin pulled out of the Museum of Deadly Beasts to see Qian Youde and the others standing respectfully at the side.

Lin Jin cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Qian, are you satisfied with these results?"

Qian Youde vigorously nodded at the words of the 'master' and said, "Yes, I am. Great sir, your abilities are God-like! You were able to treat Jinman and help Jinman level up with such ease! Like a Sage who had come down to earth to shower this world in your wisdom! I am not just satisfied, my respect for you is beyond your imagination, so if I may, I would like to invite you, great sir, to my home as an esteemed guest..."

Lin Jin heard this and waved his hands to dismiss him, "Forget about the guest thing, I am a man who loves to roam the world and humble meals. I did this because of the fate we share, if not for that, I would not work for even silver or gold!"

Lin Jin emphasized the words silver and gold.

After staring blankly at him for a few moments, an idea came to Qian Youde. He immediately took out some money and handed it to Lin Jin. "Great sir, I was in a hurry while leaving from my home today, so this is all I have, please accept my humble gratitude."

Lin Jin's mouth fell into a straight line as he said, "Do you think I helped you for these few pieces of gold and silver?"

Qian Youde rashly replied, "Of course not! But lowly people like me who work for benefit have nothing but a few pieces of silver and gold to offer. Great sir, if you were not to accept it, it would leave me anxious!"

"Alright, fine, leave it and leave me!" Lin Jin waved his hands dismissively.

The deed had been done, it was time for him to make his exit.

Qian Youde dragged his subordinates and left the alley.

After everyone left, Lin Jin collected the money and made his departure. He made multiple turns and made sure that he wasn't being followed before returning home. He let out a breath of relief and changed back into his old outfit. Then, he counted the money, it was three hundred and eighty in total.

No doubt, this was definitely a huge amount for Lin Jin. Even when the association wasn't deducting his salary, they'd only pay him thirty per month, so he'd made a year's worth of salary in less than a day.

Lin Jin who had become rich in just a few hours had a little pride moment of himself.

It was noon at the time and he felt hungry. Lin Jin brought Xiao Huo and Goldy to a tavern nearby to have a feast.

Many savory dishes were served to them. Both Xiao Huo and Goldy were both stuffed from the heavy amount of dishes they had wolfed down.

Xiao Huo was a flame wolf beast, so naturally it revolved around a carnivorous diet, but Goldy was a chicken that also ate meat, so vicious Goldy constantly bullied Xiao Huo while he sat there, scared to fight back for Goldy's meat.

"It's alright, wait till I finish making the six suns beast soul pellet. I'll help you level up and get your revenge on Goldy." Lin Jin said and patted Xiao Huo's head.

******

Inside a luxurious mansion in the outskirts of Maple City, three people were conversing with each other, an old man, a young woman, and a stern-looking elder.

If Lin Jin were there, he'd be able to tell that the old man and the young woman were the two people that ran away after requesting a diagnosis in the association.

"Master Liao, my servant and I have roamed through cities and heard of your name, so we are here to pay you a visit." The young woman who was still disguised as a man said sternly.

Opposing them, sat a man with extraordinary attire, gray hair, and dazzling eyes. Prying over him was a beady-eyed, large, gray-feathered eagle whose size could compare to a person.

"Hahaha, well said, well said. I see that the two of you aren't normal people as well. If I am not mistaken, you must be the one who is seeking help, am I right?" The elder who was called 'Master Liao' spoke with a hint of mystery in his tone, showing off his keen judgment.

The young woman nodded.

"Do the two of you know the rules here?" Master Liao asked.

"Yes, one session per day, a thousand per session, non-negotiable."

Master Liao heard this and nodded.

"Then let us start, you don't have to mention anything else, let me awaken my spiritual eye and discover your problem with my secret method." Master Liao got up and took a written charm with his hands. Then, in a swift movement of his hands, he pinched the charm and it morphed into water. There wasn't any wind but the charm hovered up to his eyes and flowed inside.

"Awaken! Spiritual Eye!"

In a split second, Master Liao's eyes glistened and shone a beacon, making it difficult for people to look at him directly.

The old man in black said softly, "This Master Liao is truly a hermetical master, he certainly has his ways."

The disguised young woman nodded in agreement.

Master Liao stomped his feet on the ground, his beard and hair rustled in the wind while his eyes beamed bright. Then, the light faded and the wind receded. He seemed to have consumed a lot of energy so he sat down cross-legged for a while.

"It may be troublesome for me, but under my spiritual eye, any disease fails to hide from me. Dear friend, if I am not mistaken, you have been injured before and you have suffered from a great internal injury. If it is not cured soon, your life will be in danger, you might not even live past twenty..."

Master Liao said as he pretended to sound like a great master. At first, the young woman was listening, but she cut him off at the sound of his last statement. She sighed and stood up, preparing to leave.

Even the old man in black behind her looked at Master Liao with a hint of disgust.

"Hey, I haven't finished speaking, what is up with you two?" Master Liao showed his irritation with a flicker of panic in his eyes.

Was he wrong?

It shouldn't be. This person came in limping and her face was pale. There was an over 80 percent chance that she had been injured before. How could he be wrong by stating his diagnosis from her injury or illness?

It was apparent that Master Liao was an experienced con artist, but little did he know that the people before him weren't as simple as they seemed.

The disguised woman didn't want to spend time explaining so she made her exit. The old man wanted to fight the elder but she stopped him. "Lu Bo, let it go, this person is just trying to make a living."

The old man in black was obviously hot-tempered. He burst out yelling, "Why is Maple City filled with liars?! There was one this morning and now another one here! This old fella is even worse than the guy from the morning, at least he could tell that it was a curse!"

The woman in disguise was stunned and came to a halt as she heard this.

Master Liao frowned and yelled back, "You two are framing me! Who is the liar?! Explain yourselves!"

After yelling, he slammed his hand onto the table and his pet beast, the large eagle, spread its mighty wings and charged towards them.

It's just that… how can this eagle be a match for the old man? By just striking his finger at it, the eagle cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up. Master Liao who was steaming with fury immediately backed down. He wasn't stupid enough to not know when he met a true master. He cowered in a corner whimpering in silence.

The young woman in disguise had already been long gone.

The old man in black gave one last sneer at Master Liao before quickly catching up to her. After some thought, the young woman fell silent for a few moments before asking, "How did the man in the morning tell that it was a curse?"

The old man was caught by surprise as he replied, "Master, didn't you tell him your symptoms?"

"I didn't say anything!" The young woman shook her head.

An intrigued look shadowed the old man's face, "Could it be that he had actual talent? No way, even if there is a small chance, I have to go ask him."

He said as he immediately turned back to Maple City.

At this moment, a ray of light flew from afar. The silhouette of a dragon could be seen amidst the glow of the light.

The flowing light stopped before the two and a voice spoke out, "An order from His Majesty! The princess, He Yu, and the general, Lu Bin, is to immediately return back to Jade Dragon City with no delay!"