Chapter 688: A Tragedy And A Blessing
It was mother nature's treasure – a Tian Luo Blood Fruit. Lin Jin had only heard its name from the museum; he had never seen one in person. It was such a rare item that most immortals likely had never seen them before.
It was said to grow on 'Tian Luo' trees that stretched up to ten-thousand-feet tall. No one was sure whether said species even existed. Had it not been for the museum, Lin Jin would have been completely oblivious as to its existence.
The fruits bore by these trees came to be known as the Tian Luo Blood Fruit. In most cases, when these fruits fell to the ground, they would explode with such violent force that it could bring down an entire mountain.
Like actual bombs, there would always be duds. Those that failed to explode would absorb spirit energy from the ground and develop into nature's treasure.
Its rarity meant that it was the most prized among natural treasures. It could be forged into pills or be consumed straightaway. It was so potent that immortals would lose their lives if they ate it. What's more, the fruit was by no means small, so immortals would never consume them for no apparent reason. The only beings that would consume these fruits were beasts.
After being consumed by a beast, there were a few possibilities.
One, the creature would implode and die a tragic death. Two, it would go into a killing frenzy after experiencing a burst of strength, then implode and die. Three, if the beast had a unique bloodline, it would be activated by the Blood Fruit. Regardless of the creature's rarity, rank, or how hidden its bloodline was, it would be activated.
No other item in existence had such an ability. While some beasts had unique bloodlines, they were usually so distant from their ancestor that only bits were left. Under normal circumstances, these creatures would live their entire life without being able to activate their bloodline. In other words, they were doomed to a life of mediocrity. However, consumption of the Blood Fruit could change this truth.
Such was Dopey Bear's case.
Dopey Bear was already strong to begin with; it could overwhelm most half immortals effortlessly. God knows where it obtained a Blood Fruit, but the rampage was undoubtedly the fruit of that incident.
It was an unfortunate situation. Dopey Bear might implode and die after its rampage. That, or it risked being slain by Miao Yan Zhenren during its rampage.
However, since ancient times, fortune and tragedy came in a pair. There would always be an opportunity amidst a crisis.
If Dopey Bear could endure this process and slowly regain its sanity, growth in strength was guaranteed. Thanks to the Tian Luo Blood Fruit, Dopey Bear would experience a tenfold increase in strength and advance to Rank 7.
Rank 7 placed it on the same level as a profound immortal.
As it was freshly promoted, its strength had yet to stabilize. If Dopey Bear was given a chance to continue growing, it could rise above Miao Yan Zhenren someday.
Lin Jin's current mission was to 'comfort' Dopey Bear.
To do so, apart from relying on the hard way, Lin Jin didn't have much of a choice. While Lin Jin may be unskilled in handling humans, he was particularly confident when it came to beasts, especially after firing several hundred needles into its body.
The museum presented him with a remedy for Dopey Bear's current state. Lin Jin chose the most reliable one, which was to pierce Dopey Bear's acupoints to make it regain consciousness temporarily.
Because he needed Dopey Bear to overcome this ordeal itself. It had to be the main driving force since Lin Jin was physically unable to endure the torture.
Time was of the essence. If Lin Jin's plan failed, he had to retreat because a rampaging Dopey Bear was no different from a profound immortal who was hellbent on destroying the world. Who could stop that from happening?
After invoking a spell, Lin Jin clenched his fist and pressed down hard. Every needle pierced through Dopey Bear's thick skin to stimulate its brain.
Once again, Dopey Bear stopped in its tracks.
Unlike earlier, Dopey Bear was now looking around. The savage look in its eyes was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Jin knew this was his chance. If he missed it, god knows what other techniques he had to perform to help Dopey Bear regain sanity again. Perhaps there wouldn't even be a next time.
"Dopey Bear, listen to me," said Lin Jin into its ear.
At first, Dopey Bear was stunned. Then, a look of delight appeared on its face.
It recognized Lin Jin's voice. To the bear, Lin Jin was only second to Zuo Men, and in some aspects, it was superior.
Seeing that his method was working, Lin Jin quickly recited a portion of the Beast Energy Formation, Part Five's formula for Dopey Bear. For beasts, this formula could be considered to be a 'Calming Mantra'.
It could help a creature stabilize its spiritual intelligence and stop its thoughts from leading it astray.
Frankly speaking, even if Lin Jin had more time to come up with a solution, he would still pick this method. Teaching Dopey Bear the beast version of 'Calming Mantra' would prevent it from going on an uncontrollable rampage again.
While it seemed like a simple solution, it was still a crucial step, especially when Lin Jin had only a short period to come up with a plan. That in itself was a challenging feat.
Thankfully, Lin Jin managed to pull it off.
He was only following the museum's instructions. However, from the others' perspective, his actions were mysterious and undecipherable.
All immortals, including Miao Yan Zhenren were awestruck by Lin Jin's performance. The decisiveness, courage, and competence he displayed utterly renewed the view they had toward mortals.
"To think a mortal possessed such capabilities that even immortals could not compare to. Is this the caliber of Curator's student? Amazing! This is truly marvelous!" said Miao Yan Zhenren softly. God knows if he was praising Lin Jin or complimenting Curator. Maybe both.
Dopey Bear acted obediently toward Lin Jin. Aside from its berserker state, it usually did whatever Lin Jin told it to.
And so, Dopey Bear began to chant the Calming Mantra in its mind to resist the chaos brought on by the Blood Fruit. The process was comparable to a tug of war. The support offered by Lin Jin's needles was minimal, and as time passed, their strength faded away completely.
Dopey Bear bore the full brunt of the Blood Fruit's effect. Ultimately, it had to triumph over the fruit and convert its power to its own. Only then could Dopey Bear be considered to have overcome the critical period.
It would, however, be a challenge to overcome this hurdle and expect it to happen peacefully. Lin Jin's forehead glistened with sweat and he was at his limit with the acupuncture solution.
As Dopey Bear's body was beginning to resist the needles, Lin Jin had to retrieve them quickly. Otherwise, all his needles would be destroyed, save for the ones of better quality.
"Dopey Bear, it's up to you now," said Lin Jin as he tucked away his needles.