In the central square of the Outer Gate, amidst discussions, a smiling young man walked out from behind the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon.
Lin Jing... immediately recognized the person as Senior Brother Shoulin from the Spirit Bamboo Forest earlier.
He stepped forward and said loudly, "Greetings, everyone, I am Fang Yonghao from the Inner Sect, with a Qi Cultivation of level nine, entrusted by Elder Yu to host the Dragon Ascent Festival's Bamboo Dragon Beast Fighting event for the Outer Gate!"
"From now on, any Outer Gate disciple can challenge the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon. Once you're ready, I will activate the Bamboo Dragon. It will automatically sense and seek out enemies within a certain range and engage in combat."
"Is there any junior brother who wants to challenge it? For today and tomorrow, each person can challenge it once per day! Rewards will be given based on the best performance."
"Of course, if you are not satisfied with your performance, Elder Yu has said you can support it with 10 Spirit Stones to get an additional challenge attempt..." Senior Brother Fang's words fell, and the scene fell silent. No one was willing to be the first to challenge, primarily because they still didn't know the attack mode of the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon. Recklessly challenging would only lead to failure. Given the limited attempts, who would want to spend Spirit Stones to buy additional tries!
Until after over ten seconds of silence, a voice said, "I'll do it." breaking the calm.
Lin Jing, who intended to step onto the stage, paused and looked along with the Pine Leaf Mouse.
The other disciples made way as a dark-skinned young man, accompanied by a monkey shorter by a head, appeared.
The monkey had a round, sturdy body, with thick limbs, a red face resembling a stump-tailed macaque. Most notably, its hands and feet seemed covered with a peculiar metallic texture, appearing very formidable.
It's precisely one of the five foundational spiritual beasts of the Beast Taming Sect—the Fighting Ape!
Notably, this Fighting Ape was carrying a long-handled weapon wrapped in white cloth on its back, exuding the demeanor of an expert.
"It's Junior Brother He."
"Outer Gate's first, He Yiming, Senior Brother!"
This person seemed to have considerable reputation within the Outer Gate. His appearance instantly caused quite a ripple.
"Currently, in the Outer Gate's beast fighting arena, it's Senior Brother He who is ranked first."
"Following him, Senior Brother Ziran and Senior Sister Cai Xin hold the second spot."
"Who would have thought, Senior Brother He would lead us to test the Bamboo Dragon's capabilities first!"
The other disciples buzzed with discussion. Outside the crowd, a young man leaning against a tree reading "My Sword Spirit's Wife," and a slightly weak-looking woman surrounded by several female disciples, also turned their gaze towards this Outer Gate's number one.
"Hello, Senior Brother Fang, I am He Yiming, with a Qi Cultivation of level six. My pet beast, the Fighting Ape, is at level seven. I come to challenge the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon!"
Senior Brother Fang responded with a smile, "Hello, Junior Brother He, I've long heard of your reputation in the Outer Gate. It seems among the next batch of disciples entering the Inner Sect, there will be you."
"Thank you for the praise, Senior Brother Fang." He Yiming clasped his hands in salute, then, along with his pet beast, the Fighting Ape, stepped forward and looked slightly up at the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon.
"In that case, I'll activate the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon, please be prepared." After Senior Brother Fang finished speaking, he took out a bell strung together with bamboo rope.
As he shook the bell, the eyes of the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon glimmered with a white light, and the whirlwind around the Bamboo Dragon began to swirl more swiftly.
"Swoosh!" As the bell sounded, simultaneously, the Fighting Ape beside He Yiming also took off its weapon, tossing the white cloth aside, revealing... a hoe used for digging!
Though it seemed somewhat absurd, few Outer Gate disciples laughed.
"A Spiritual Artifact!"
This hoe was crafted by an Artifact Refiner using spiritual minerals, turning it into a Spiritual Artifact!
"It's said that during a sect mission in the mining area, Senior Brother He Yiming was exceedingly fortunate to unearth a deeply buried 'Bright Jade Stone.' To reward him, the sect specially awarded him a Spiritual Artifact hoe, and it seems to be true."
Upon seeing the extraordinary hoe, many disciples showed envious expressions. With such a hoe, mining efficiency is unimaginable, and the speed of accumulating resources... will multiply, no wonder Senior Brother He can hold the current Outer Gate's top position!
Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse listened to the discussions silently. Is this okay?
"Ha!" With the Spiritual Artifact hoe in hand, the Fighting Ape seemed divinely aided, bursting with terrifying power. Accompanied by a cyclone of spiritual power, it leaped directly up and, in an instant, with powerful burst force, jumped in front of the Bamboo Dragon's head, using the hoe... to strike the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon!
Speed, burst strength... both were extraordinary, comparable to a Body Cultivator of the same level.
With a "bang," the hoe successfully hit. For this scene, many Outer Gate disciples took a deep breath, showing admiration. The Mechanical Beast's reaction was slow... in their view, it was clear that the Mechanical Bamboo Dragon couldn't keep up with the Fighting Ape's speed!
He Yiming also smiled as a result.
Watching as the Bamboo Dragon opened its mouth, the Dragon Pearl within quickly shifted from white to red, orange, yellow, and green!
Green? Just green?
The strike was powerful, but unexpectedly, the Dragon Pearl only reached the fourth tier reward... Moreover, the Bamboo Dragon accepted the blow without even tilting its head.
It's worth noting, the Fighting Ape is also at Qi Cultivation level seven. In a battle of the same level, the Bamboo Dragon's reaction was overly calm.
The next moment, Outer Gate disciples' expressions shifted drastically as the Bamboo Dragon, after withstanding a hit, seemed to awaken some power. Its massive tail swung rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, with a "bang!" it smacked towards the Fighting Ape above its head, instantly sending the Fighting Ape flying dozens of meters away!!!
Bang! Bang! The Fighting Ape and the Spiritual Hoe both hit the ground, the former knocked unconscious. The so-called "steel-boned" Fighting Ape couldn't even withstand a single blow. This scene made many people's expressions change drastically.