Chapter 98 – Fifty-Fifty Split

When speaking of her own circumstances, Yan Yunyu couldn’t help but feel a mix of envy and jealousy toward Chu Lingluo.

Not every family treats their children as treasures.

The Yan Family was a merchant clan that valued profit above all else, making familial bonds even more distant and indifferent.

If she failed in her endeavors, she would undoubtedly become a discarded pawn—something she absolutely could not tolerate.

…

Incidentally, Yan Yunyu spoke those last few sentences directly. She said them in hopes of gaining sympathy.

In fact, she succeeded halfway. Upon learning of her “tragic” circumstances, even Chu Lingluo, who had been full of resentment toward her, softened her gaze somewhat.

However, while Chu Lingluo was soft-hearted, Mu Lin was not.

Not only did he not soften, but Yan Yunyu’s account only solidified his resolve to stay out of the matter.

“I’m sorry for your situation, but I’m afraid I can’t help. The competition among aristocratic families is too brutal. I’m not qualified to get involved, nor can I afford to.”

Mu Lin valued himself highly and believed he would inevitably rise to prominence in the future.

Because of this, he didn’t want to stir up trouble now and only wished to focus on cultivation.

With this mindset, even when Chu Lingluo’s mother came looking for trouble, Mu Lin’s first thought was to shake off the problem and continue cultivating peacefully—let alone getting involved with Yan Yunyu, whom he held a grudge against.

As for her tragic circumstances? Hah. There were countless people in this world worse off than her.

She only faced the risk of an arranged marriage; her food, clothing, shelter, and safety were still secure.

In this feudal ancient world, countless commoners froze to death, starved, or were even sacrificed.

Compared to them, Yan Yunyu’s situation was like living in paradise. Thus, her tearful plea stirred no sympathy in Mu Lin at all.

…

Mu Lin’s indifferent attitude made Chu Lingluo grit her teeth in frustration.

However, unlike Chu Lingluo, Yan Yunyu had grown up in a competitive environment and was neither naive nor short-sighted.

She had long anticipated this scenario and had a plan to deal with it.

Looking directly at Mu Lin, Yan Yunyu said calmly:

“I think you will get involved, because this matter concerns you as well.”

“No, it has nothing to do with me…”

“It does. You’re in dire need of spirit stones, aren’t you?”

These words made Mu Lin narrow his eyes.

“What do you mean…”

“As long as I participate in the assessment, my family will provide me with a batch of spirit stones to use. If I pass, they’ll grant me another large sum. The more rounds I pass, the more spirit stones I can control. If you’re willing to help me compete for first place and let me take the honor, I’ll give you spirit stones—a large amount of them.”

This made Mu Lin hesitate.

Spirit stones were indeed his weakness.

The divine soul belonged to the mind; as his realm improved, so would his mental state.

But mana and the physical body were different—they were material.

Whether in this world or according to his proficiency panel, the law of energy conservation applied. Even if his realm advanced, he still needed to absorb energy to gradually elevate his mana and physical cultivation level.

However, his talent was mediocre. Relying solely on cultivation would make his progress slow.

Although, due to the lack of bottlenecks, Mu Lin was only slow in the early stages and could catch up to prodigies later on, this approach carried risks. This world was fraught with dangers, and if he remained weak in the early stages, he could easily die young.

And a genius who dies young is nothing at all.

Unwilling to fall into such a predicament, Mu Lin had been searching everywhere for Spirit Stones to rapidly improve himself.

However, obtaining Spirit Stones was no simple matter.

Now, Yan Yunyu was offering him an opportunity—a chance to take off early with the support of Spirit Stones.

  That was why he hesitated.

Seeing Mu Lin hesitate, Yan Yunyu beside him gave him another reason he couldn’t refuse.

“Also, my situation isn’t as dangerous as it might seem… If my goal were to become the Yan Family’s sole legitimate heir, I would indeed have many enemies, and everyone would try to eliminate me. In that case, you, as my partner, would also face great danger.”

“But I know my limits. With only a Second-Class Spirit Root, I have no chance of competing for the top position in the Yan Family. So, my goal has never been to become the sole legitimate heir. Instead, I aim to clear a few more stages, gain more resources, and take control of my own destiny.”

“This way, I won’t have many enemies, nor will I face extreme targeting… Partnering with me won’t put you in much danger.”

This reasoning convinced Mu Lin.

“I agree. How do we split the resources?”

“Seventy-thirty.”

Mu Lin: “Seventy for me, thirty for you?”

“Impossible. The Yan Family won’t agree to me giving so many resources to an outsider.”

Mu Lin: ‘Whether the Yan Family agrees or not doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you agree. Remember this: by partnering with me and passing the assessment, you’ll still keep thirty percent of the resources. If you don’t partner with me, no matter how many resources the Yan Family has, none of them will be yours!’

‘That still won’t work. Seventy-thirty is too much. The family will definitely notice.’

‘Then let’s split it fifty-fifty.’

‘…I agree.’

Mu Lin: ‘Good. After school, go buy me some Year-End Paper, at least a thousand years old. Also, get me a good Talisman Brush.’

Hearing Mu Lin’s unceremonious orders, Yan Yunyu clenched her fists slightly. However, she didn’t refuse and instead said:

‘I can give you what you want, but only after you help me clear the stages.’

‘No, give me the supplies first. Also, the timing for clearing the stages will be up to me.’

Staring directly at Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin didn’t back down at all.

He wouldn’t follow her pace; he would only proceed according to his own plans. This was a battle for control.

After a moment of staring each other down, Yan Yunyu ultimately gave in.

After being pressured by Chu Lingluo’s mother, she had no other choice.

In contrast, Mu Lin wasn’t in a hurry at all.

If he had thousand-year-old Year-End Paper, he could use it. If not, he could still cultivate.

Because of their differing mindsets, his victory came naturally and easily.

However, after securing control, to soothe Yan Yunyu’s anxiety, Mu Lin explained his reasoning to her.

‘Wasting too much time on the Tower of Illusory Heavens isn’t a good thing.’

‘Our Cultivation Level is our foundation. Right now, you, me, and Lingluo are all in the Spirit Awakening Realm. With our current strength, we can clear the fourth stage, but we definitely can’t clear the fifth—there are enemies in the Spirit Pool Realm there.’

‘That’s why what we should focus on now is cultivation, building up our hidden cards.’

Mu Lin’s words weren’t solely meant to ease Yan Yunyu’s impatience.

He was also determined to claim the title of Dao Palace First—the opportunity to transform into a Second-Class Spirit Root was rare and fleeting. Missing it would leave him filled with regret.

However, after hearing Teacher Dongfang Ya’s explanation, Mu Lin clearly understood that with the transcendent existence of the Jade Lake Dao Palace, his enemies were far from weak—they were, in fact, extremely powerful.

Without the strength of the Gushing Spring Realm, he would have no chance to compete.

“In just a few months, advancing my cultivation level to the Gushing Spring Realm is an extremely difficult task. But what I aim for is to become the Dao Palace First and rank among the top five in the Southeast Region. Such endeavors are only for prodigies—it would be strange if it weren’t difficult!”

Given the immense value of what he sought, the difficulty of obtaining it was naturally extraordinary. Mu Lin had long anticipated this.

In fact, he even felt that merely reaching the Gushing Spring Realm was only the entry ticket. To secure it with certainty, he still needed to enhance his direct combat abilities.

This was also why, during this period, Mu Lin had been relentlessly cultivating and rushing to learn the Puppetry Art.

He was preparing for the joint examination of the Southeast Region.

(End of Chapter)