Chapter 136 – The Future and Catastrophe

To look down on Puppetry Art and offend countless Puppet Masters was something Mu Lin was unwilling to do, especially since he currently had a request of Master Meng Rui, making him even more reluctant to wear that label.

However, as for Master Meng Rui’s students, Mu Lin had no requests of them; on the contrary, he had conflicting interests with them, so he didn’t mind offending them.

Thus, finding explanations rather troublesome, Mu Lin decided to cut the Gordian knot and sever his entanglements with them directly.

“You…”

This approach proved highly effective.

The blunt mockery made Qiao Huihui’s face flush with anger once she realized what was said.

Moreover, Mu Lin’s words not only angered Qiao Huihui but also infuriated all of Master Meng Rui’s students. This time, even Luo Shan lost his favorable impression of Mu Lin.

“Such arrogance!”

“Who do you think you are…”

Their intense hostility quickly placed Mu Lin in a situation where he was condemned by all, and his location became isolated from the crowd.

Yet, this did not affect Mu Lin’s state of mind. Instead, he felt a sense of relief at having found peace.

‘Yes, just like this. I have no time to entangle with you all. I’ll win, take the reward, and leave…’

…

Many people glared angrily at Mu Lin because of his words, but among them was not Qin Yuan, Master Meng Rui’s only inner disciple.

At that moment, he was conversing with a few others in a corner.

If Mu Lin possessed some Celestial Eye Ability, he would have discovered that their casual talk was merely a cover, and what they were truly discussing was concealed by some exquisite Illusion Art.

“Was that provocation from Mu Lin also within your predictions?”

Hearing Qin Yuan’s inquiry, a man with a fox-like demeanor surrounding him sighed and spoke.

“Qin Yuan, don’t regard us Saviors as gods. Our leader indeed has the ability to foresee the future and has witnessed the collapse of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty and the arrival of endless calamities, but our leader only prophesies some critical junctures. Trivial matters and insignificant individuals are not within our leader’s prophecies.”

These words silenced Qin Yuan. After a long while, he spoke self-mockingly, “Can a waste like me be considered critical?”

“Heh, Brother Qin, don’t belittle yourself. In our leader’s predictions, you, who will inherit Master Meng Rui’s legacy, are destined to become a new-generation Puppet Master. Driven by hatred, you will resist Evil Aberrations to the death, especially against the Night Demon, where you will become a main force…”

The mention of ‘Night Demon’ seemed to provoke Qin Yuan, instantly turning his eyes red.

“No need to tell me, I will slaughter all those monsters!”

Having said this, he glared with bloodshot eyes at the fox-like man.

“Zuo Li, don’t you have predictive abilities? Tell me, where is that monster, the Night Demon?”

Upon hearing this question, Zuo Li did not answer but waved his hand dismissively.

“I’ve said it before, Brother Qin, don’t rush. With your current strength, seeking out the Night Demon would only be suicide… You wouldn’t want the Yannan Qin Family lineage to be completely severed, would you?”

“…”

These words restrained Qin Yuan’s anger, calming him down slightly.

Seeing this, the man named Zuo Li continued, “Of course, the forbidden Night Demon is beyond our current strength to confront directly, but we can first sever its followers. According to our leader’s prediction, in three or four months, a calamity will descend upon Anping City in Mist Province. During this disaster, the Night Demon’s followers will also participate. That is when we will need Brother Qin to contribute your strength.”

“I will do my utmost… but I am only at the Spirit Pool realm. Am I truly qualified to participate?”

Zuo Li replied, “Yes, you are. The calamity descending in three or four months is called the Phantom Realm—a bubble formed by the compression between worlds, a sealed independent space. This space is like a crevice; high-level Qi Refiners cannot enter. Only those at the Spirit Pool or Spirit Sea realms can enter. At that time, we will rely on Brother Qin and your Flower and Butterfly to contribute greatly.”

“Flower and Butterfly are not mine; they belong to Master Meng Rui.”

“But Master Meng Rui values you highly. This assessment was specifically prepared for you.”

…

Mu Lin was unaware of their conversation. At that moment, he was quietly waiting for the competition to begin.

He did not have to wait long. Soon, Master Meng Rui emerged from the room.

Glancing at the crowd, she revealed a faint smile and said, “Welcome, everyone, for taking time out of your busy schedules to observe my disciple’s assessment…”

Addressing the attendees from noble families and influential clans, the charming and alluring Master Meng Rui exchanged polite words. Her smiling demeanor made many of the nobles and dignitaries feel respected.

Afterward, Master Meng Rui skillfully mingled and conversed with the assembled dignitaries.

Seeing this, Mu Lin said nothing.

However, Qin Yuan frowned and remarked, “You say Master Meng Rui values me. In the future, will I also have to waste a lot of time dealing with others?”

Hearing this, Zuo Li scoffed.

“You’ve misunderstood something. Compared to you, Master Meng Rui values her own time more and has no interest in entertaining these people.”

“Eh?!”

These words left Qin Yuan stunned. Pointing at Master Meng Rui, who was skillfully navigating the social scene, he asked, “Then what is this?”

“What else could it be? Puppets. Remember one thing: everything you see is Master Meng Rui’s puppets. As for her main body, according to our leader, even if the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty collapses or Mist Province falls, Master Meng Rui’s main body has never appeared.”

“So that’s how it is…”

…

Mu Lin paid no attention to Master Meng Rui’s socializing. Standing in a corner, he simply closed his eyes and rested quietly.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Master Meng Rui’s socializing finally concluded. During this time, Mu Lin also learned about the competition format she had designated.

The competition was divided into two stages. The first stage was a preliminary elimination round, with a total of six spots.

The selection method was an arena defense competition, meaning anyone could become the arena master and accept challenges from others. As long as they held out until the end amidst the challenges, they would qualify.

The second round was a conventional arena battle, where participants fought one-on-one in pairs.

Rankings were then determined based on the outcomes of the battles.

There was nothing noteworthy about the competition format. What surprised Mu Lin was the rewards Master Meng Rui offered.

According to her, the fourth to sixth places would only receive consolation prizes—some materials for crafting puppets.

The third-place winner would receive an external enhancement talisman array similar to Adamantine Force.

Second place is a puppet blueprint independently designed and optimized by Master Meng Rui.

Most importantly, the winner will gain ownership of Flower and Butterfly.

“???”

To be honest, upon hearing this, Mu Lin was stunned.

Based on the test during his initiation, Mu Lin knew that Master Meng Rui followed the path of sensibility. The so-called path of sensibility meant that puppet masters on this path did not view their puppets as tools, but rather as friends, family, and companions.

Because of this, Mu Lin couldn’t understand why she would give away ownership of Flower and Butterfly.

“Could it be that she was just speaking casually at the time, and the real her is like me, treating paper figures and puppets as tools?”

“No, probably not. More likely, she has her own plans…”

Thinking this, Mu Lin turned his attention to Qin Yuan.

If Master Meng Rui had a plan, it would definitely involve him. Mu Lin hadn’t forgotten that this Qin Yuan was personally sought out by her.

Considering Master Meng Rui’s plans and his own goals, after some thought, Mu Lin still stepped forward.

“Master Meng Rui.”

Seeing Mu Lin raise his hand to ask a question, Meng Rui raised an eyebrow and said indifferently:

“What is it?”

“Yes, do you remember our agreement? If I win, you’ll help me create a puppet paper figure.”

“Of course I remember.”

“But this assessment reward doesn’t include a paper figure puppet as an option. I’d like to ask you to change the first-place reward to this, just for me.”

Mu Lin made this suggestion because he didn’t want to cause trouble.

He was well aware of his goal—to ask Master Meng Rui to create a Starlight Paper Figure capable of connecting with the Northern Dipper Seven Stars to accelerate his cultivation speed.

As for other troublesome matters, he didn’t want to get involved and had no interest in dealing with them.

After stating his suggestion, Mu Lin could sense that Master Meng Rui understood the reason behind his proposal.

However, whether it was due to confidence in her disciple, feeling that the Puppetry Art was being underestimated, or some other reason, she didn’t follow Mu Lin’s lead.

Lying lazily half-reclined, she chuckled and said, “No need for such trouble. If you win first place with a paper figure you created yourself, helping you craft a Starlight Paper Figure can be an additional condition.”

After saying this, she seemed to remember something and sneered, “Oh, right, I recall Dongfang Ya thinks highly of you. It seems now that not only has she grown shorter, but her judgment has also worsened.”

These words immediately made Mu Lin’s gaze turn cold.

Mu Lin held great respect for Dongfang Ya, who had helped him a great deal.

Thus, others’ mockery of her made him extremely uncomfortable.

“I actually think Teacher Dongfang’s judgment has always been excellent.”

Such a direct rebuttal caused the smile on Meng Rui’s face to fade slightly.

Of course, mindful of her status, she had no intention of taking action.

“Not convinced?”

After asking this, without waiting for Mu Lin’s response, she continued:

“Since you’re not convinced, let’s make a small wager. If you win, I’ll not only hand Flower and Butterfly over to you and craft a Starlight Paper Figure for you, but I’ll also personally provide the Spirit Stones to upgrade the paper figure’s quality by one tier.”

“Don’t worry about me playing tricks. In front of that little shorty, no matter what, I don’t want to be seen as a sore loser.”

“Of course, since it’s a wager, there must be a penalty. If you lose, you’ll have to accept the consequences.”

“However, as your senior, I wouldn’t go so far as to take your things. Let me think… I’ve got it!”

At this point, Meng Rui’s face lit up with delight and mischief:

“If you lose, you just have to run up to Dongfang Ya and call her ‘shorty’ once.”

“How about it? That’s a pretty generous condition, isn’t it?”

Such words and tone made Mu Lin’s gaze grow even colder.

Staring straight at Meng Rui, Mu Lin said quietly:

“You shouldn’t insult Teacher Dongfang.”

(End of Chapter)