My physique, similar to that of an ordinary person, is without any specific attributes.
After learning this, Lin Jing looked at Elder Mo and said, "Then Elder Mo, I'll choose the Pine Needle Mouse."
"Oh?" Elder Mo said, "Are you sure?"
Lin Jing nodded, "I'm sure."
His thinking was quite simple. With this Longevity Body, it wasn't suitable for going out and fighting early on. Raising a wood-type pet beast that could cultivate Spirit Plants and farm within the sect seemed like a better way to gradually increase strength.
Moreover, although the Longevity Body has no attribute, wood techniques mostly relate to vitality and life force, and a wood-attributed spirit beast would clearly be more suitable for him.
As for pet beasts specializing in combat, it wouldn't be too late to look for them within the sect after his cultivation level increases and he becomes an Inner Sect Disciple.
"Elder Mo, is there something wrong with this Pine Needle Mouse?" Lin Jing asked, feeling uneasy.
"Hm..." Elder Mo said, "The sect has raised many spirit beasts. After they're born, the sect will instill a sense of mission in them, helping to awaken their intelligence, and grant them Spirit Stones monthly to cultivate."
"Those available for cultists to choose from are typically within a year old and can reach Qi Cultivation Level 3 through sect resources, with enough intelligence awakened to understand human speech."
"After all, under such intense cultivation, if they can't even reach Qi Cultivation Level 3 or understand human speech, it means they are not suited for cultivation at all; forget helping human disciples, at least not slowing them down would be good enough."
"And this one... during the last batch of disciples selecting pet beasts, it only reached Qi Cultivation Level 2, thus not meeting the standard."
"Normally, it would be released into the pine woodland afterward and not offered as a pet beast to the disciples anymore."
"But according to the elder in charge of basic spirit beast cultivation, it was found that the reason this Pine Needle Mouse was only at Qi Cultivation Level 2 was due to some special reasons."
"What were they?" Lin Jing was taken aback.
Elder Mo paused, then said, "This Pine Needle Mouse has some quirks—it hoarded the resources the sect provided as if they were treasures, hiding them deeply, without using a single piece, and recently reached Qi Cultivation Level 3 solely on its talent."
"What was it thinking? Does it think the Spirit Stones will multiply if hoarded?"
"..."
"Perhaps for a sense of security," Lin Jing replied.
"Considering its talent is not bad—rarely seen in a decade—this elder decided not to erase its spot and gave it a second chance to enter the outer sect."
"Anyway, let me take you to see it first. If it doesn't suit you, we can check other pet beasts. If you can tame it, its talent would greatly benefit your cultivation." Elder Mo spoke.
"Understood, disciple..." Lin Jing listened and planned to assess it first.
......
Pine Forest Peak.
Two celestial cranes descended.
Soon, Elder Mo and his companions arrived outside a pine forest.
"Pine Forest Peak, the area where the Pine Needle Mouse tribe is active."
Upon entering the pine forest, Lin Jing saw many pine mice. To him, the Pine Needle Mouse seemed like an essence of squirrels, appearing very similar to ordinary squirrels with a soft and shiny fur coat adorned with delicate light yellow stripes, charmingly cute.
A bit like the squirrels of Huang Mountain! Yet, if there's any difference from normal squirrels, it's their bright green eyes, as dreamlike as the blend of fallen leaves and dawn light in the forest.
"Squeak..."
One after another, the Pine Needle Mice jumped by. These mice, just gaining intelligence or lacking it, clearly couldn't speak human words like Elder Black Bear or the celestial cranes earlier.
"Currently, the ones living in the pine woodland mostly don't have the talent or potential to meet contract standards."
Upon arriving, Elder Mo led the way with Lin Jing following closely.
"Except for that one I mentioned earlier with a bit of uniqueness."
Under Elder Mo's guidance, Lin Jing soon laid eyes on the Pine Needle Mouse.
Standing on the ground.
The Pine Needle Mouse sat meditating on a pine tree, eyes closed.
As people approached, it opened its eyes.
"Squeak?"
They locked eyes.
At this moment, a few strands of Elder Mo's disobedient hair floated gently in the wind, adding a sense of carefree and immortal demeanor to him.
"I've already spoken to Elder Jiang. This is a new disciple of the sect, hoping to select you as his first pet beast. How do you feel about that?" He asked the Pine Needle Mouse with arms behind his back.
"Squeak..." The Pine Needle Mouse hesitated for a moment, then looked towards Lin Jing, in a soft voice.
Its bright green eyes observed Lin Jing.
Nearby, Elder Mo said, "You need to introduce yourself. Generally, spirit beasts decide whether to follow based on a disciple's circumstances."
"For Beast Taming Sect Disciples, selecting a pet beast has always been a mutual choice. To take one away, you need its approval too."
"This process also tests disciples; whether they can gain a pet beast's approval based on their abilities is crucial for Beast Taming Sect disciples."
"Only when both cultivator and pet beast recognize each other can cultivation be twice effective with half the effort."
"I see," Lin Jing nodded.
Is it like selling dreams?
However, he's an honest person.
"I am Lin Jing, with a special physique, so my cultivation is somewhat slow. If you become my pet beast, we might need to work harder together."
Lin Jing looked at the Pine Needle Mouse and gave a heads-up about his physical disadvantage since he hoped it would help him cultivate.
After all, the Longevity Body is known for its slow cultivation speed.
He believed sincerity would win it over.
However...
"Squeak!!!" The Pine Needle Mouse was shocked.
If cultivation is slow, wouldn't it use up all the Spirit Stones it had hoarded?
It took a small step back.
Seeing this, Lin Jing fell silent.
Indeed, true feelings are hard to retain from ancient times until now.
To the side, a barely perceptible smile formed at the corner of Elder Mo's mouth.
Quirky pet beasts often have strange personalities and unique mindsets; taming them isn't easy.
Yet, Lin Jing isn't just any person.
Faced with this fellow who could hoard Spirit Stones without using them, as if it quit an addiction, he thought and then said:
"Storage Bag."
When sincerity didn't work, Lin Jing planned to cater to its interests.
Lin Jing spoke, "After becoming my pet beast, I'll save Spirit Stones to give you an independent storage bag with limitless storage space."
"Once we achieve significant cultivation, even gifting you ten larger storage rings wouldn't be a problem."
"If you like hoarding resources, will you still have space for more stuff after the collection grows?"
For the hoarding-loving pine mouse, nothing is more anguishing than insufficient backpack space, Lin Jing was sure.
Pine Needle Mouse: !!??
"Squeak!?"
The next moment, the Pine Needle Mouse indeed lit up with excitement, instantly captivated by Lin Jing's promises.
"This Longevity Body guy is clever," Elder Mo was taken aback.
"A penchant for hoarding items, storage bags..." Compared to these folks, Lin Jing, with prior experience in hoarding in games, recognized best what this hoarding mouse needed.
"This Pine Needle Mouse might not appear smart."
"But, after all, it's only just awakened intelligence."
Beside him, seeing the situation, Elder Mo shook his head. Storage bags, those are costly.
Anyhow, this Pine Needle Mouse seems to have taken the bait.
Soon.
One, two, three... dozens of low-grade Spirit Stones were tossed out from the tree hole under their silent gazes, and finally, the Pine Needle Mouse also emerged.
"Squeak squeak squeak!"
Looking at Lin Jing, the Pine Needle Mouse sounded excited, as if it recognized him and planned to bring all its possessions to join Lin Jing and embark on a new cultivation life together.
Lin Jing also wore a smile.
"For us to buy a storage bag sooner, I'll keep these Spirit Stones for you first. We'll plan and use them reasonably."
The Pine Needle Mouse was startled, looking at Lin Jing's earnest gaze, and nodded in naive agreement.
Full of hope for the future.