Fulfill... a wish!
Upon hearing this, the chinchilla, who had been dozing off with little interest, suddenly opened its eyes wide.
It had always been uninterested in the so-called Mechanical Technique rewards, thinking them inferior to Spirit Stones.
But upon hearing Elder Yu's words, the chinchilla instantly became excited.
Requesting a storage bag shouldn't be considered an excessive wish, right?
Lin Jing's interest in learning Mechanical Technique was uncertain for now, but the chinchilla had a newfound urge to craft a Mechanical Beast.
Not for anything else, just for the sake of making a wish.
This tactic by Elder Yu could be considered the strongest apparent ploy.
Even the always composed Lin Jing slightly looked up, seriously meeting Elder Yu's gaze, as if trying to verify whether his words were true.
"Elder, can any reasonable wish really be fulfilled?" he hesitated before asking.
"Of course."
"Elder, we have indeed encountered some issues, but surely within your responsibilities, you can address them..."
"What is it?"
Just when the chinchilla thought Lin Jing was finally going to request a storage bag for it, Lin Jing and it started communicating mentally.
[Storage bags are easy to purchase, but a chance to wish with an Outer Elder is rare!]
The chinchilla was taken aback.
Lin Jing cupped his hands, "Elder, since joining, both I and the chinchilla have large appetites and have never had a full meal. We've never even experienced the canteen. If we can successfully craft a Mechanical Beast, could we... dine for free in the outer sect canteen indefinitely?"
The chinchilla: "!!!"
"Hmm???" Elder Yu thought it was something significant, but he chuckled heartily, stroked his beard, and said, "Such a trivial matter is naturally fine. The canteen always has some leftovers every day, originally intended for the spirit beasts and demon beasts of the sect, just adding two more mouths won't hurt."
Elder Yu was relieved, thinking it fortunate that the outer disciples had limited knowledge and their requests weren't excessive.
"Thank you, Elder! Once we return, we will diligently learn Mechanical Technique!"
Though the chinchilla still wanted the storage bag, it found nothing wrong with this wish.
After all... they had golden Spirit Rice to whet their appetite, one person's daily consumption was equivalent to ten.
If there's a place offering nutritious food for free over time, the saved resources and meal expenses could buy several storage bags.
The chinchilla counted on its fingers, then silently looked at Elder Yu.
"Very well." At this moment, Elder Yu hadn't realized the severity of the issue, and said, "But don't push yourselves too hard; with Mechanical Technique, passion extends your mastery journey."
"Actually, being a Beast Taming Cultivator, it's good to supplement your skills with Mechanical Technique."
"Mechanical Beasts are also beasts; unlike contracted pet beasts akin to friends or family, they often perform more dangerous tasks for Beast Masters, such as probing arrays and exploring perilous areas."
"You've been in the sect for a while now; besides Beast Taming, have you developed an interest in any other skills?" Elder Yu plans to gradually nurture Lin Jing's interest in Mechanical Technique.
"Elder..." Lin Jing replied honestly, "I plan to study Alchemy later and have been memorizing the effects of herbs recently."
"Alchemy..." Elder Yu was speechless, how banal, all Alchemy and Artifact Refining, where's the interest in Mechanical Technique?
He commented, "Alchemy... it's not easy, the primary challenge is tedium, needing to memorize the effects of tens of thousands of herbs before even starting Alchemy study."
"Indeed, memorizing them all has taken me quite a while." Lin Jing sighed, as if reliving his past life filled with academic exams.
He suspected his mental ailments stemmed from the death of too many brain cells memorizing such things.
He passed the exams, but at what personal cost?
Elder Yu: ?
"You memorized the entire Outer Sect's Herbal Encyclopedia?" Elder Yu doubted his ears.
Lin Jing had only been in the sect for a short while; assimilating such a massive amount of complex information would take a Qi Refining Cultivator slowly, the Jade Slips couldn't inject those rapidly, or it would overwhelm the mind.
"Yes." Lin Jing nodded, indeed finding his memory improved since transmigrating; this feeling became more pronounced after cultivating, and with the aid of the spirit-nurturing technique, memorizing wasn't too difficult.
"What is Ye Linglong's medicinal effect?" Elder Yu asked.
"Qi regulation and pain relief; it's a core herb in pills for diseases caused by True Qi imbalance."
"Seven-Star Chrysanthemum."
"Warming and dispelling cold, for refining..."
"Spirit Bamboo Juice!" He pointed at the pile of Spirit Bamboo.
"Calming and awakening the mind, a supplementary for refining Clear Spirit Pill..."
Elder Yu was at a loss for words; he initially intended to dissuade Lin Jing from studying Alchemy, but now he found himself unsure what to say.
Alright then, this clever Longevity Body, learning Mechanical Technique should be a breeze! Learn what you can and as much as you can!
...
After throwing the remaining Spirit Bamboo to Lin Jing and the chinchilla, Elder Yu stopped meddling.
For the troubles caused by himself, Lin Jing and the chinchilla struggled to carry the numerous Spirit Bamboo back to their courtyard.
They could hire a disciple with a Contracted Horned Ox for transportation, but balked at the expense.
Before long, the Spirit Bamboo relocated from the Mechanical Workshop to Lin Jing's courtyard.
Looking at the pile of Spirit Bamboo, Lin Jing pondered, determined to delve into Mechanical Technique for the sake of the outer sect's canteen's perpetual free meal coupon.
"By the way." Lin Jing eyed the pile of Spirit Bamboo, suddenly recalling something.
"Back when we were in the bamboo grove, seeing a pile of Spirit Bamboo, I thought of having you use your Glazed Immortal Pupil to synthesize, but at that time you had expended all your energy just harvesting the bamboo."
"Now, are you interested in trying? This is considered a plant, right?"
"Eek?" The chinchilla hopped off Lin Jing's shoulder, gazing at him, not for making mechanism materials?
"It's just Spirit Bamboo, we can buy more easily," Lin Jing replied, deeming it not a rare resource.
Hearing this, the chinchilla spun in place, contemplating, then agreed it made sense. It focused its Glazed Immortal Pupil on the pile of Spirit Bamboo, testing for any effect...
Suddenly!
A burst of emerald light shot from its eyes.
The divine power of the Glazed Immortal Pupil instantly enveloped ten of the green Spirit Bamboos.
It seems possible!
In the next instant, under the emerald light's cover, the ten Spirit Bamboos gradually... merged into a small blue Spirit Bamboo!
"Eek..." Meanwhile, the chinchilla covered its eyes and yelped, realizing this synthesis consumed significantly more ocular power than synthesizing Spirit Rice or Spirit Beans, feeling its eyes overstrained.
Despite the discomfort, it urged Lin Jing to quickly check the blue Spirit Bamboo's effects.
Heeding its words, Lin Jing cautiously picked up the blue Spirit Bamboo, wary from past experiences with the Black Bear Monster.
"Hmm?" Unbeknownst to him, upon picking it up, a crystal-clear sap oozed out from one end of the Spirit Bamboo.
This reminded Lin Jing of Elder Yu's previous questions.
"Spirit Bamboo Juice? To generate Spirit Bamboo Juice, the bamboo must endure the elements, absorbing celestial dew and soaking in sun and moon Spiritual Qi during growth. These cut bamboos had long lost the chance to produce Spirit Bamboo Juice; could the blue Spirit Bamboo naturally produce Spirit Bamboo Juice?"
Lin Jing analyzed, only to realize the internal pressure of the bamboo increasing, with a "boom," high-pressure water erupted from the bamboo, blasting a large hole in the wall. This wasn't Spirit Bamboo Juice... it was a high-pressure water pipe! The water cannon's backfire from the bamboo propelled Lin Jing mid-air, knocking him backward, smashing into the house, body and hands trembling.