Before his trip to Daluo Temple, Lin Jin did a lot of planning in advance. He had decided that he would conceal his actual identity. Though, in order to force his enemy to treat him seriously and with respect, he had to use some other identity.
This was when Curator’s identity came into use.
Not to toot his own horn, but Curator’s name had gained some prestige in the underground society. After all, when he dealt with Snake Country from the Grassy Continent, Curator’s name had already spread like wildfire among the community of villainous experts.
This was, of course, just one part of the reason for using a false identity. If a fight actually ensued and if grudges were created, it would be ideal for Lin Jin to use his real identity.
The opponent could easily track him down after this.
That would place the Jade Dragon Kingdom and Maple City in harm’s way.
This was different if he were to use Curator’s identity. Aside from himself, no one knew about Curator’s background, where he came from, what his name was, and so on. Once he successfully rescued White Ape, they would make their escape as soon as possible. Daluo Temple could search high and low, but Lin Jin had many ways of retreating.
After careful planning, Lin Jin got himself a mask and began painting patterns on it so that it was a replica of Curator’s mask in the Visitation Hall.
He needed a different outfit as well. Once all his preparations were done, Lin Jin put on the mask, carried the little fox Shang’er, and Goldy to Daluo Temple.
Lin Jin could have found a way to contact Black Crow, Madam Ghost Child, and the rest for help, but time wouldn’t allow it. Moreover, Daluo Temple was much more powerful than the Snake Country whom they had faced before.
Lin Jin could open the Visitation Hall whenever he wanted and take refuge inside. That obviously wouldn’t be convenient if he brought the others with him.
More importantly, Lin Jin wasn’t who he used to be. His current strength had already exceeded Black Crow and Madam Ghost Child’s, so if even he couldn’t handle the situation, calling them over would just be dragging them down.
It was his problem and he would deal with it himself.
After a full day’s rest, Lin Jin had managed a full recovery. It was now early morning so there weren’t many pilgrims or devotees heading to Daluo Temple. The mountain paths were peacefully quiet.
Admittedly, this millennium-old ancient temple was situated in the perfect spot. Besides Daluo Peak’s beautiful crests and clear waters, the topography was also splendid with pleasant weather.
Here was a masked man with a fox in his arms, and had a large rooster tagging along.
No matter the location, this getup was surely eye-catching. Even if there weren’t many people on the road, those that were present all looked over at Lin Jin. There were quite a few who pointed their fingers at him and started whispering to each other.
Lin Jin couldn’t be bothered to explain himself. He just focused on climbing the crooked stone stairs up to the mountain’s peak.
As expected of a thousand-year-old temple, even its gates were unique. Before the wide mountain gates were about a dozen young monks, sweeping the floor and splashing water over the steps as part of a daily cleaning ritual.
Lin Jin took a deep breath. Holding Shang’er in his left hand, he extended his right arm and pressed forward into the air.
Simply put, Lin Jin was here to condemn them so there was no need to be polite. It was also part of his plan to make Daluo Temple fear him and to take him seriously. It was pertinent that they knew who they were up against, and how they could not afford to underestimate him. Hence, Lin Jin had to unleash his full potential. Even so, he had to make sure that no one was actually harmed, nor could they take action against him. In other words, he was engaging in an incredibly delicate balancing act.
Lin Jin exerted his Beast Deterrence ability to its greatest potential. He even opened up the Visitation Hall’s door for a brief moment to maximize his might.
The instant Lin Jin pressed his palm forward, an invisible energy enveloped the entire Daluo Peak.
Every monk in Daluo Temple had pet beasts. In that instant, practically all pet beasts shuddered and knelt down in submission. No matter how their owners urged them to get up, none of them would budge.
It was as if a force was pressing down on them.
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This did not just occur inside the temple, but the insects and birds outside suddenly fell silent as well. It was as if a switch had been flipped off inside them.
This was a strange phenomenon and the sweeping monks realized it immediately. Still, they were at a loss for what to do.
Given how long they had existed, Daluo Temple had their own experts as well. Given the oddity of the situation, they instantly knew that a formidable figure was intentionally displaying his supernatural powers.
The temple first fell into chaos before calming down quickly. Lin Jin didn’t have to wait long before many monks hurried outside.
Leading them was a seemingly benevolent old monk.
The old monk’s robes were simple, but he had an indescribable aura around him. From Lin Jin’s observation, the old monk was holding onto a string of nine prayer beads that contained a powerful force within. Apart from that, he must have also cultivated the Beastmaster Scroll to its highest potential.
The other monks behind him didn’t seem average either. At the sight of them, the dazed monks at the entrance quickly pressed their palms together and greeted, “Master Abbot!”
An abbot, the owner of a ten-foot-wide room, was the overseer of their Buddhist sect. They were also commonly regarded as the leader of their temple.
Upon hearing his title, Lin Jin knew that his strategy was working.
While Lin Jin had unleashed his power, no one was physically harmed. Only their pet beasts were intimidated and an individual of substantial cultivation and knowledge should be able to recognize the wonders of his technique. This would be why they could not afford to take Lin Jin lightly.
The appearance of their abbot was the evidence of this.
Lin Jin had established himself as a threat without openly declaring war so his goal had been achieved.
Lin Jin retracted his hand to gently caress the fox in his arms. With a mask on, he exuded an air of mysteriousness. However, the clucking Goldy who was searching for worms beside him spoiled the picture.
To his surprise, the juxtaposition of his and Goldy’s demeanor served to baffle the monks even more, something that was in his favor.
“Greetings, I wonder what has brought you here to our Daluo Temple?” His voice clear and resonant, the abbot spoke in a distinguished tone.
Instead of answering him, Lin Jin continued caressing the fox in his arms. He responded to the abbot’s greeting with a question of his own.
“Daluo Temple has a legacy of over a thousand years so its background is prominent, I’m sure. Master Abbot must be a devotional monk as well. If that’s the case, would you care to tell me what I am currently holding in my arms?”
This was Lin Jin’s strategy. Who cares if they were confused? They all had to follow Lin Jin’s pace.
Otherwise, the spirit energy he had exhausted to intimidate them would have been pointless. This time, Lin Jin wanted to use an authoritative stance to pass ‘judgment’ over Daluo Temple.
Upon hearing Lin Jin’s question, the abbot was stunned.
As Daluo Temple’s head abbot, he was much more sensitive than the average person. Although monks didn’t care for beast appraiser titles, beast appraising was one part of their studies as well.
Hence, the abbot could tell from the start that Lin Jin was holding a fox monster that was fully matured.
Though, the creature seemed to be badly injured. Perhaps it was because of its injuries that it was still asleep.
Seeing how hostile this visitor was, and how he was carrying an injured fox, the abbot figured that the man was probably here to condemn them.
Over the past thousand years, Daluo Temple, there had only been a handful of people who have ever condemned their actions. It had been almost a century since the last time they were condemned, and it appears that this man was about to break this streak.
An abbot was able to rise up the ranks not only due to their
One’s cultivation level, knowledge, or experience were not the sole determining factors for the rise of an abbot up the ranks. Another key factor was the degree to which one was able to exercise self-restraint. By now, hints of annoyance could be gleaned from the faces of a few short-tempered monks behind the head abbot.