Chapter 683: Foreign Object
On a seemingly random trip here to the extraterritorial land, Lin Jin managed to get the profound immortal, Miao Yan Zhenren, to craft him a magic treasure that he would never be able to obtain otherwise.
With the Purple Thunder Needle, Lin Jin could unleash up to two hundred percent of the Body-Recast, Psyche-Refining Needle Technique’s potential. It made Lin Jin a much stronger foe too.
This was like changing a fowling-piece for a bazooka, a winning lottery for a pauper.
Lin Jin was thrilled, to say the least.
Only the Purple Thunder Needle could make a noticeable difference when treating Mr. Qi. Although Lin Jin could have used the Thunderfire Needle which he crafted with divine lightning, it surely wouldn’t be as efficient as the Purple Thunder Needle.
“I’ve exhausted quite a bit of energy in crafting this Purple Thunder Needle, not to mention the many valuable materials I invested in it. As the pinnacle of our era has passed, some things are lost forever after being used up,” said Miao Yan Zhenren.
Lin Jin understood what he was trying to say.
“You can rest assured, Miao Yan Zhenren. With this Purple Thunder Needle, I confidently say that we have an eighty percent chance of treating Mr. Qi successfully,” replied Lin Jin positively.
He wasn’t being entirely honest. Lin Jin had absolute faith he could successfully treat Mr. Qi.
Of course, he would never say that out loud, since it would make the feat appear effortless. How could he highlight his credit without having some hurdle to clear?
Lin Jin was already used to playing such mind games.
Upon hearing Lin Jin’s response, Miao Yan Zhenren was delighted. Even Mr. Qi started breathing heavily out of excitement. This illness had been torturing him for thousands of years, so he couldn’t even begin to describe his misery. Forget eighty percent, he was willing to try his luck even if the chances were a measly ten percent.
Mr. Qi got up at once and asked eagerly, “Mr. Lin, do you really have eighty percent confidence?”
Lin Jin nodded. “I do.”
“Great, this is wonderful!” Mr. Qi started pacing back and forth.
Miao Yan Zhenren stood up out of enthusiasm as well. “Mr. Qi, please don’t be too anxious. I’m sure preparations are required for the treatment as he must be exhausted from his previous encounters.”
Lin Jin had just returned from being abducted for days on end. Even Miao Yan Zhenren would avoid making such a rash decision if he was placed in Lin Jin’s situation. Despite his eagerness to see Mr. Qi cured, he felt they should let Lin Jin rest up for a few days first.
Mr. Qi considered his suggestion and thought it made sense. He had already been waiting for thousands of years so he could afford to wait a few more days.
On the other hand, Lin Jin did not want to waste his time.
“I do not require rest. I’m an appraiser, which is somewhat similar to a physician. Benevolence is required of a healer, and since I can treat the illness, I can’t possibly wait around doing nothing. Now, let us begin the operation.”
Both Miao Yan Zhenren and Mr. Qi were delighted to hear this.
“Really?”
“Mr. Lin, if you can cure Mr. Qi, our Mystery Dao Sect will henceforth honor you as our most valued guest. The entire sect would be at your command for whatever you need.”
Lin Jin smiled. Since he said they could begin now, they could start immediately.
“Mr. Qi, please revert to your original form,” said Lin Jin.
Had anyone else said this, Mr. Qi would have flared up in anger. No monster, not even immortal beasts, enjoyed being asked to revert to their original forms. After all, they only cultivated Transfiguration because they wanted to look like humans.
Lin Jin was different, so Mr. Qi didn’t get annoyed. He transformed immediately right after Lin Jin had spoken. Dazzling lightning bolts lit up the space and after a blinding flash, Mr. Qi transformed into a Qirin beast.
Standing at nine feet tall, the Qirin had a sturdy build. Being one of the sacred beasts, his domineering aura was difficult to miss. Electricity surged ceaselessly through his body. His scales were packed with buzzing electric current, and some were even formed entirely from electric sparks.
A thunder Qirin was Mr. Qi’s actual form.
“I’ll be in your care, Mr. Lin,” said the thunder Qirin.
This was Lin Jin’s first time seeing a Qirin in real life. Despite his shock, he didn’t go into a daze. He studied the Qirin’s figure before reaching out to press his hand onto the Qirin’s wound.
The injury was somewhere in Mr. Qi’s spine.
In most cases, he would have been fine if no one touched it. If someone were to touch that injury, the pain would be so excruciating that he would fall to the ground. Miao Yan Zhenren was so frightened he was at a loss for what to do. It wasn’t until Mr. Qi finally got used to the pain that he said, “Mr. Lin is truly impressive. I didn’t tell you where my injury was but you could instantly tell. Also, I can feel that you have just pierced the Purple Thunder Needle into me.”
Lin Jin inserted the Purple Thunder Needle directly on the Qirin’s injury.
Lin Jin smiled. “Your spine is fractured and many of your meridians are damaged as well. Like mulberry silk being snipped off, to treat this, we’ll have to rearrange your veins and mend it one by one. We’ll also have to fix your spinal column as well.”
His description was so detailed that it made their scalps prickle.
The Qirin’s body wasn’t entirely made out of flesh. Certain parts of his body were formed by different lightning types.
One might ask, why must Lin Jin use the Purple Thunder Needle? The reason was because thunder attribute needles were the only things that could mend the Qirin’s damaged veins and bones.
After all, it too was made of lightning. Any needle would have just evaporate into air upon making contact with the beast. They couldn’t possibly last until Lin Jin finished the treatment process.
Without saying too much, Lin Jin dished out every skill he had in his arsenal. This treatment process was immensely challenging. Although he had detailed instructions from the museum, to operate without a single accident required his undivided attention.
Lin Jin cast aside all miscellaneous thoughts to focus on controlling the Purple Thunder Needle, mending all the damaged areas in Mr. Qi’s body.
Miao Yan Zhenren stood aside to watch in silence. He made extra care not to make any sounds that might disturb Lin Jin while he worked. As a profound immortal, his experience and knowledge were undoubtedly extensive. He could tell how eminent Lin Jin’s skills were, and many parts of the mortal’s execution confused him too.
Time slowly trickled away.
Mr. Qi didn’t move as if he was fast asleep.
That was because Lin Jin had pierced his acupoints to numb his senses; the sacred beast was as sound asleep as a dead pig.
Lin Jin had no other choice but to knock out the Qirin. Otherwise, Mr. Qi wouldn’t be able to endure the excruciating pain when Lin Jin mended his spine and meridians.
Lin Jin knew that pain endurance had nothing to do with cultivation level. A creature would still feel pain and there was a limit to endurance. Hence, after performing a trick that provided a full body anesthesia, it became easier for Lin Jin to mend the damaged parts.
According to his estimation, mending all damaged areas with the Purple Thunder Needle required about eight to ten hours, fourteen at most.
Yet, at the tenth hour, Lin Jin was hit with a problem as he worked on the spine.
There was someone buried inside Mr. Qi’s spine.
Problem was, Lin Jin never noticed this foreign object the entire time. This itself, was practically impossible. After all, the museum’s evaluation was never flawed.
Yet, unlike previous instances, the museum didn’t inform him about the small foreign object embedded inside Mr. Qi’s spine. This was a first for Lin Jin.