Museum of Deadly Beasts

Surprisingly, the flames on the blood droplet weren't extinguished nor did they burn the blood ghost's body. They could see the unique droplet floating atop the blood ghost, trying to merge with its body.

This didn't go on for too long and the blood soon melted into the pet beast. Instead of distinguishing, the ember continued burning, moving around slowly inside the blood ghost's body.

As if it was mapping out the blood ghost's veins.

Like intricate patterns on a leaf, the light crossed and overlapped but ultimately gathered into a single core.

Lin Jin's drop of blood became the blood ghost's core. The fiery lines functioned as its veins and it wasn't long before the blood ghost gradually came under his control.

Both Lin Jin and Shu Xiaolou knew that contracting a second pet beast, and a Rank 5 one at that, wouldn't be so easy.

Sure enough, the next instant, the blood ghost expanded abruptly, roaring ferociously as it did so. The sudden burst of energy was so strong that nearby trees were uprooted.

Scarlet light emerged from the blood ghost's body and turned into the shape of a scythe, which swung at Lin Jin.

It wanted to cut Lin Jin in half.

Lin Jin quickly invoked a spell, using his blood contract to forcefully restrain the blood ghost. Still, the situation remained dangerous. One careless mistake and he'd lose his life to the blood ghost.

Shu Xiaolou wanted to step in and help.

However, she knew that outsiders shouldn't interfere with a blood contract process or the failure rate would increase.

It wasn't like she would just stand there and watch Lin Jin die either. If push came to shove, she would still intervene. Just not now.

Also, she wanted to see how Lin Jin planned to solve the problem. If he managed to pull it off successfully, his second contract method would be superior to hers. In case he failed, she was more than willing to teach him her method.

The blood scythe was only a few inches away from Lin Jin's solemn face.

He had already anticipated the process to be this tough. After all, the Blood Demon Twins had to use both their bodies to counteract and control the blood ghost. Lin Jin was doing this alone, not to mention this was his second contract. To exercise complete control over a Rank 5 blood ghost in a short span of time was impossible.

Lin Jin knew that. However, the perfect contract method offered by the museum could help him solve this problem.

"Xiao Huo!" Lin Jin called out.

Like before, Xiao Huo instinctively leaped out from Lin Jin's arm, as if he already knew what Lin Jin intended to do next.

Xiao Huo proceeded to howl at the sky before forcing out a drop of blood from between his brows.

Blood of a fire wolf.

Then, the wolf's blood was dropped into the struggling blood ghost.

Shu Xiaolou's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wh-what does this mean?"

She totally did not expect Lin Jin to blend the blood of his first pet beast with the blood ghost. Before seeing this with her own two eyes, it never even crossed her mind that this was a possibility.

'There's no use in doing that. Is he trying to use his first pet beast's blood contract energy to subdue the second pet beast? Impossible! He's just fooling himself! There's no significance in doing that." With her vast knowledge of beasts, she immediately denied this possibility.

The reason was simple. Xiao Huo's blood contract energy was the same as his owner's. To use the same energy two times does not double one's strength. It simply did not work that way.

In essence, the first pet beast and its owner would have already merged into one being.

However, knowing how capable Lin Jin was, Shu Xiaolou figured he would never do something so pointless. There must be a deeper meaning to his actions.

Shu Xiaolou continued pondering the possible explanations before one arose in her mind.

'He couldn't possibly be…'

Initially, there was a look of shock in her eyes, followed by that of delight. Being a painting spirit who had studied beast appraising for five hundred years in the Beast Appraisal Pavilion, her knowledge and skills definitely put her among the top few beast appraisers alive in this world. Lin Jin wasn't joking when he thought she was qualified to be a Rank 6 beast appraiser.

"I got it," Shu Xiaolou mumbled to herself. "Lin Jin isn't trying to use his first pet beast's strength to subdue the second one. He wants it to form a contract with the second beast together. To think such an unbelievable solution exists in this world. No, something's missing. A cultivation method. A cultivation method that allows a blood contracted pet beast to form pacts with another beast. That should be the key, and Lin Jin must have it as well! Otherwise, he wouldn't have decided to go down this path."

After figuring it all out, Shu Xiaolou grew even more excited when she looked at Lin Jin again.

She was acting like the time when she asked Lin Jin for the pulse-seeking technique several days ago. Though, compared to that, her curiosity for this secret cultivation method was far greater.

If Lin Jin wasn't in the midst of contracting his second beast, Shu Xiaolou would have pounced at him and pester him with more questions. She would do anything for him as long as he decides to pass on his knowledge.

For example, she was willing to teach him all the beast appraising methods she knew.

Like a cat on a hot tin roof, Shu Xiaolou grew increasingly impatient. However, she knew that Lin Jin couldn't be disturbed right now.

Just then, there was movement in the distance. Several flying beasts were speeding their way.

Shu Xiaolou noticed them at once. With a frown, she faded into thin air and in the next second, she was blocking the path of the people who were heading towards Lin Jin.

These people were the lecturers of Heavenly Spiral Academy.

Zhong Zifeng was here as well.

Besides Zhong Zifeng, there were several other teachers including Appraiser Yang and Appraiser Ouyang.

The lecturers were immediately enraged by someone abruptly blocking their path.

"This must be one of the fiends who knew snuck into the academy and attacked Lecturer Lin," Appraiser Ouyang yelled as he readied himself for battle. Zhong Zifeng on the other hand came to a grinding halt.

"Stop right there. She's not a fiend but a senior of our academy," said Zhong Zifeng after recognizing Shu Xiaolou. Then, he stepped forward and bowed.

"A senior of the academy?" The other lecturers were stunned. The faces of those who figured what was happening immediately turned pale. Like Zhong Zifeng, they hurried forward and bowed humbly before Shu Xiaolou.

Boasting a history of more than six hundred years, Heavenly Spiral Academy had various legends. Nearly everyone at the academy had heard that they had a Rank 5 beast appraiser.

This was no secret and this prominent figure was currently Heavenly Spiral Kingdom's state preceptor. His name was Sima Qing.

Sima Qing was Mr. Zhong's junior, and both of them learned under the same teacher.

The former became one of the academy's most influential figures. However, there was another legend that Heavenly Spiral Academy actually had one other Rank 5 beast appraiser.

Unlike Sima Qian, this appraiser was incredibly elusive, hence why not many people were aware of her existence. In the past, however, many prominent figures in the academy would frequently mention how amazing this senior was.

Having witnessed how cautious and respectful Mr. Zhong was behaving, they were quickly reminded of that mysterious Rank 5 beast appraiser.