Instead of keeping it a trade secret, Lin Jin told Tan Xun his technique. Tan Xun was so deep in thought that he didn’t even realize that wine was spilling from the cup he was holding.
He had delved into a state of contemplation and analysis that nothing else could possibly catch his attention.
An hour later, Tan Xun was able to process the few simple lines that Lin Jin had conveyed to him. By now, Lin Jin had already eaten his fill.
He hadn’t had anything to eat throughout the day so Lin Jin was starving.
When Tan Xun finally regained his senses, he immediately noticed the puddle of wine on the table, which he wiped away immediately. It was amazing how much knowledge he had gained in such a short span of time. At the same time, he had come to learn of a few exquisite techniques. At the very least, he now understood how spirit veins were reforged. However, knowing was one thing and further research was needed before he could put it to use. Every appraiser had different skills sets and capabilities so there would be disparities, even though the technique was the same.
Of course, there were some parts that confused Tan Xun so he humbly sought Lin Jin’s explanation. Lin Jin answered Tan Xun’s questions accordingly. These questions ranged from beast appraisal skills to the various approaches when administrating acupuncture.
Most people would find this scene peculiar because Tan Xun looked like a student receiving lessons from Lin Jin, the teacher. What made it bizarre was the age disparity between this student-teacher pair.
Funnily enough, neither Tan Xun nor Lin Jin realized this. Or rather, given their personalities, they didn’t actually care.
One had a thirst for knowledge while the other enjoyed discussing the technical processes. As they talked, the topic moved from spirit veins restructuring to beast appraisal techniques and beast differentiation. They even talked about the usage of pills and medicine.
When the conversation became much more general, they shifted from studying mode to discussion and research. After all, Tan Xun was a veteran Rank 3 beast appraiser and one of the most prominent figures in the Jade Dragon Kingdom, so he must have some unique insights that he had yet to share with others. Their exchange got increasingly exciting and enjoyable that hours passed by without them realizing it. It was currently pitch dark outside but it didn’t seem like their conversation was going to end soon.
At first, Tan Xun had thought of turning the tables to regain some esteem. And yet, as time went on, he was baffled by how Lin Jin had no shortcomings whatsoever when it came to beast appraising.
No sub-topic on the study could pose a challenge for him.
Hence, further down the discussion, it became a studying session again with Lin Jin as the lecturer.
The liquor bottle was empty and the three dishes were cleaned up but both men had no intentions of stopping.
Still waiting outside for about six to eight hours now, Chu Chenghe looked helpless. He could vaguely hear the discussion going on inside but was too apprehensive to enter. He could only continue waiting anxiously outside the room.
The weather was still chilly in March. At one point, Chu Chenghe could hold back no longer, so let out a sneeze.
Given how late it was, his sneeze was so loud that Tan Xun and Lin Jin could even hear him from inside.
Tan Xun wore an enthusiastic expression until he heard the sneeze. Immediately, he remembered his friend who was waiting outside.
‘Oh no, I forgot about Appraiser Chu,’ he thought to himself.
Glancing at the sky, it should be about one in the morning now but Tan Xun hadn’t realized time passing at all.
“Appraiser Tan, who’s outside?” Lin Jin asked.
After giving it some thought, Tan Xun spilled the beans and without wasting a single second, Lin Jin rose from his seat to invite Chu Chenghe inside.
Sure enough, Appraiser Chu was shivering uncontrollably outside the room. Even after entering the room, he was still freezing cold. Guilt was clear on Tan Xun’s face as he mused, ‘How did I forget about him?’
Lin Jin performed a little trick to warm up the room. After all, playing with fire was just child’s play to him.
By the time Chu Chenghe felt warm again, he and Tan Xun were too embarrassed to continue disturbing Lin Jin.
It was terribly late after all.
Seeing them to the door, Lin Jin said with a smile, “Both of you are my seniors so if you need anything in the future, feel free to drop by my place. I’m more than willing to discuss the study of pet beasts with my seniors.”
Tan Xun wanted to shake his head.
‘Discuss?
‘This was a one-sided lecture, okay? I find it almost impossible to believe that I’ve been surpassed by a junior, even after all the time I’ve spent working in this field.’ However, Tan Xun wasn’t frustrated at all. On the contrary, he was in a pretty good mood.
After all, it was a good sign that the next generation was getting better than their predecessors. Tan Xun was delighted that a prodigy like Lin Jin had appeared in Jade Dragon’s headquarters.
Chu Chenghe shared the same idea. He roughly understood how Lin Jin’s ‘spirit vein restructuring’ worked now and an idea came to his mind.
“Appraiser Lin, your spirit vein restructuring method is remarkable enough to be made into a book. I’m sure that it could cause an uproar here if the book was published. We’re not being over-confident here but frankly speaking, based on our assessment of your skill, you can probably qualify as a Rank 4 appraiser.’
Tan Xun’s eyes lit up at this.
“He is correct. Appraiser Lin, you already qualify as a Rank 4 beast appraiser with this spirit vein restructuring technique alone. Why don’t you go for it?”
After hearing both Rank 3 beast appraisers mention this, Lin Jin’s temptation was aroused.
The value of a Rank 4 beast appraiser’s value couldn’t be compared to a Rank 3 appraiser. If possible, even Lin Jin would like to try to get such a title. What surprised him the most was the fact that both Tan Xun and Chu Chenghe were the first ones to bring up the suggestion.
However, Lin Jin wasn’t sure of the protocols so he decided to seek their guidance.
Tan Xun answered, “The Beast Appraisal Headquarters of an intermediate country can grant beast appraiser titles up to Rank 3. Anything above that and you’d have to get the Headquarters of a premium country to do it. We can write you a letter of recommendation to undergo an assessment at Heavenly Spiral’s headquarters.”
“It’s going to be that much of a hassle?” Lin Jin immediately grew reluctant after hearing it. To think advancing to Rank 4 would be so troublesome that he had to travel to the Heavenly Spiral Kingdom.
Right, didn’t Appraiser Tan’s daughter, Tan Lin, visit the Heavenly Spiral Academy a little while back?
Tan Xun might not be bluffing when he said he had connections there.
Lin Jin gave it some thought. Advancing his rank was definitely necessary as it was something useful. He could also meet other Rank 4 beast appraisers and see how far up they’ve advanced.
However, that would be something for the future. Lin Jin still had things to do at the moment.
Lin Jin saluted Tan Xun and Chu Chenghe. “Seniors, it wouldn’t be too late for me to travel to Heavenly Spiral sometime in the future. When the time comes, I will have to trouble you with the recommendation letter. As such, please accept my apology in advance.”
“Ah, don’t mention it!”
“Don’t worry and leave that to us.”
With this, Tan Xun and Chu Chenghe bid him farewell. It was very late at night now. After freshening up, Lin Jin lied down to rest. However, he didn’t get a good night’s sleep because his mind was flooded with thoughts of becoming a Rank 4 beast appraiser.
While Lin Jin may say that he didn’t particularly care about these superficial titles, in actuality, he was fairly excited by the prospect of being promoted.
