Chapter 168 – Dragon-Phoenix Medley

When Yuan Ce took the True Intent Diagram, a myriad of emotions surged within him.

These emotions included excitement, apprehension, nervousness, and unease… The reason for such feelings was his fear that everything before him might be a deception, an illusion.

He wasn’t afraid of being cheated out of money, but if the True Intent Diagram in his hands turned out to be fake, his mindset would shatter completely.

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario he had imagined did not come to pass.

After receiving the True Intent Diagram, his nervous and anxious thoughts vanished without a trace.

“Hum…”

As the True Intent Diagram settled into his hands and he sensed its true intent, Yuan Ce immediately felt as if he had become another person, able to observe his own internal structure in a special way.

At the same time, he also sensed a figure in the mirror connected to his main body, bound by an extremely intimate link.

This unique connection confirmed to Yuan Ce that Clone Cultivation was real…

Yuan Ce’s first observation lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. When it ended, his brows furrowed tightly.

This expression startled Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu, who had arrived shortly after.

“B-boss, is the Clone Cultivation Diagram fake?”

Hearing this question, Yuan Ce instinctively shook his head.

“No.”

“Phew…”

At this, both Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Hua Xingyu grumbled with some dissatisfaction.

“If it’s real, why are you frowning like that? Don’t you know that scaring people can scare them to death? My heart almost stopped just now.”

Yuan Ce smiled bitterly in response. “I didn’t mean to, but there’s no helping it… The Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram is genuine, and we can extract its essence to apply to other Clone Mystical Arts. But this art is too exquisite and too abstruse—rules like quantum entanglement and the observer effect… Forget mastering it, I can’t even comprehend it…”

Here, Yuan Ce summarized his thoughts.

“In short, mastering this Cultivation Method won’t be easy for us.”

Hearing this, Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi weren’t too surprised.

“That’s to be expected. If Clone Cultivation were easy to learn, someone else would have created it long ago—it wouldn’t have survived until now… But even if it’s difficult, we have to learn it. This is a Cultivation Method we can use for a lifetime, even pass down as a family heirloom…”

“I know… Thinking about it now, to create such a method, Mu Lin’s talent is even higher than we imagined…”

The trio’s conversation wasn’t concealed, and Yan Yunyu, standing nearby, overheard it. This confirmed to her that aligning herself with Mu Lin was the best decision she had ever made in her life.

‘Even Yuan Ce can’t claim to learn it easily. For me, mastering it will take even longer—perhaps even a lifetime. But with Brother Mu Lin here, I don’t need to learn it at all now…’

Thinking of the benefits, Yan Yunyu’s gaze toward Mu Lin grew even more tender.

…

Mu Lin paid no attention to the trio’s conversation. Led by Yan Yunyu, he arrived at a restaurant outside the Jade Lake Dao Academy and was… eating.

Yes, just eating, but this meal was anything but ordinary.

It contained nine Yang Lotus Seeds, which could replenish a person’s Qi and Blood in great quantities.

There were also three-hundred-year-old ginseng and lingzhi, as well as black-bone chickens and red snakes with two hundred years of cultivation…

This Dragon-Phoenix Medley left Mu Lin, who possessed the physique of a Jiao Dragon, flushed, sweating profusely, with his Qi and Blood surging wildly.

The suggestion to replenish bodily depletion through eating, to accumulate physical energy as quickly as possible and begin the third transformation, was proposed by Yan Yunyu.

It must be said, this suggestion was excellent.

The ingredients used in this meal were not only precious, but the chef who prepared this Spiritual Meal was also a quasi-Master Grade Spiritual Chef.

With his exceptional skill, the energy in the food before them not only remained undiminished but was greatly enhanced due to the fusion of yin and yang and the convergence of Spiritual Energy.

Moreover, thanks to the quasi-Master Grade Spiritual Chef’s unique preparation methods, this Dragon-Phoenix Medley was extremely easy for the human body to absorb.

This single meal was equivalent to Mu Lin consuming a three-hundred-year-old fierce tiger; his depleted Qi and Blood were instantly replenished by more than half.

Naturally, while delicious, the price of this Dragon-Phoenix Medley was exorbitantly high.

Thirteen hundred Spirit Stones—that was the cost of one meal for Mu Lin.

And this was only possible because Yan Yunyu had connections; otherwise, even if Mu Lin had the Spirit Stones, he wouldn’t have been able to purchase it.

“Amazing!”

“One more meal like this, and the energy within me will be fully replenished. Then, I can undergo the second transformation… Actually, forget it, I’ll wait until after the third meal before breaking through.”

Having experienced molting before, Mu Lin already knew that beyond normal breakthroughs, there existed limit-breaking breakthroughs.

That is, elevating one’s body beyond its limits before breaking through. Doing so would increase Mu Lin’s foundation and deepen his reserves after the breakthrough.

Of course, this approach consumed vast resources and wasted some time. Ordinary Qi Refiners could absolutely not afford it; only the favored scions of Aristocratic Families would undertake such a practice.

But now, possessing the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram, Mu Lin no longer lacked Spirit Stones. Under these circumstances, he naturally wouldn’t shortchange himself.

“I wonder how much my physical Cultivation Level will increase after limit-breaking—seventy percent, eighty percent, or… ninety percent?”

After finishing the meal, with his entire body feverish, Mu Lin indulged in fantasies of the future.

Of course, while fantasizing, Mu Lin’s Clone was also diligently cultivating.

At the same time, Mu Lin did not lose himself in excessive delusion. Soon, he contacted Master Meng Rui using a special Magical Artifact.

He did this both to quickly produce the Clone Cultivation Puppet as a reward for Yan Yunyu, who had rendered meritorious service, and because, after witnessing the wonders of Spiritual Meals, he had other ideas.

“That quasi-Master Grade Spiritual Chef can not only prepare Dragon-Phoenix Medley to replenish Qi and Blood but also dishes like Hundred-Refined Monkey Wine, Yuanyang Lotus Seed Soup, Five Virtues Buns, Crimson Dragon Blood Wine… and so on.”

“Beyond replenishing Qi and Blood, he can also prepare Immortal’s Intoxication, Myriad Flower Brew, and Moonlight Nectar to replenish Spiritual Energy.”

These meals, which were extremely easy to absorb and had no side effects, were almost as effective as elixirs. Eating them daily, Mu Lin believed, would undoubtedly accelerate his Cultivation Level growth.

Thus, he wanted to eat more.

“Unfortunately, I can’t stockpile much. Although Spiritual Meals are excellent, most cannot be stored for long. They need to be made fresh and consumed immediately to achieve optimal flavor and nutrition. This is probably why Spiritual Chefs cannot compare to alchemists.”

And the Clone Cultivation Puppet was the key to him being able to eat more.

…

Relying on the special Magical Artifact, Mu Lin easily contacted Master Meng Rui.

Through the projection, Mu Lin discovered that Master Meng Rui still wore a lazy expression at this moment, lying idly on a bed, while his Flower and Butterfly were also beside her.

This wasn’t because she had taken Flower and Butterfly back, but rather…

“Little one, don’t be too anxious. I’ll do my best to upgrade Flower and Butterfly, but it will take some time.”

Thinking that Mu Lin was concerned about Flower and Butterfly, Master Meng Rui’s words carried a hint of teasing.

  What Mu Lin didn’t know was that at this moment, the room wasn’t occupied by Master Meng Rui alone.

A special projection was also present in the master’s room.

Earlier, the two had been conversing, and their discussion was still related to Qin Yuan.

Looking at Mu Lin in the projection, the blurry figure didn’t belittle him but nodded instead, saying, “So this is Mu Lin? To reach the Gushing Spring Late Stage in such a short time while cultivating both Mana and the physical body—his talent and strength are indeed impressive.”

However, at this point, the blurry figure’s tone suddenly shifted.

“But I still favor Qin Yuan. His achievements have already been verified in the future. More importantly, driven by hatred, he never compromises with Anomalies and never loses heart over failure.”

“After his last defeat at the hands of Mu Lin, he wasn’t discouraged. Instead, he trained even harder, and his strength improved significantly after the loss.”

“Even his talent shows signs of a breakthrough.”

Upon hearing the blurry figure’s words, Master Meng Rui also nodded slightly, acknowledging the statement.

After all, Qin Yuan was someone she had personally saved and even trained for a period of time. Thus, she recognized his resilience, talent, and perseverance. However:

‘You’re right, but I choose Mu Lin!’

“Why?”

‘Why? Naturally because Qin Yuan is merely a Prodigy, while Mu Lin is a once-in-a-millennium monster.’

Of course, Master Meng Rui didn’t voice this last thought.

Nevertheless, her silence made the blurry figure across from her aware of her choice.

Feeling displeased, the blurry figure couldn’t help but say, “You’ll regret this.”

Even as she spoke, the blurry figure didn’t leave but instead prepared to listen to their conversation… She wanted to see what kind of ability Mu Lin possessed that made Meng Rui value him so highly.

Meanwhile, their conversation was conducted through divine sense, so Mu Lin on the other side of the Magical Artifact couldn’t see it. He only heard Master Meng Rui’s teasing remarks about his concern for Flower and Butterfly.

Knowing that she had misunderstood, Mu Lin smiled wryly and said, “Master, I’m not here about Flower and Butterfly this time… I have an idea for crafting a Puppet and would like your help in refining it.”

Hearing this, Master Meng Rui didn’t show impatience. Instead, the smile on her face grew even brighter.

Having recognized Mu Lin’s talent, she didn’t mind his disturbance at all. Her only worry was that Mu Lin might have nothing to ask of her.

“Go ahead, what is it? As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely help you complete it.”

After receiving her affirmative reply, Mu Lin immediately informed Master Meng Rui about his plans for cultivating the Puppet Clone.

However, halfway through listening, Master Meng Rui shook her head and said, “That’s impossible. Your idea is good, but to refine spiritual energy into your own mana, a cultivator’s essence, energy, and spirit must be involved. Only then can the spiritual energy be imprinted with your own mark. A mere puppet can only refine mana that belongs to the puppet itself…”

“I know, but I have a method called the Substitute Paper Figure, which can extract others’ qi and blood, spirit, and mana to create a Paper Figure Clone. However, this clone is constructed from paper figures, so its existence is limited in duration and its capabilities are restricted. Therefore, I want to use the paper figure as the core to construct a puppet, extending the existence time of the Substitute Paper Figure, ideally making it permanent.”

“No, it cannot be permanent!”

“?!?”

The last statement did not come from Mu Lin but from Yan Yunyu.

She was a clever girl. Upon learning about the existence of the Clone Puppet, she not only thought of using it herself but also considered selling it.

And since it was to be sold, it could not be a perfect product.

Otherwise, how would Mu Lin, as the seller, be able to update and upgrade it, ensuring continuous profits?

“Three years… no, we can categorize the puppets into three-year, five-year, and ten-year versions. In short, the puppet must never be permanent.”

Hearing this, Master Meng Rui across from her also nodded and said, “Indeed, we cannot sell permanent ones. Moreover, the quality of the puppets can be differentiated. If your Substitute Paper Figure truly works, I will help you create three versions: the standard edition, the deluxe edition, and the super deluxe edition.”

“…”

Their words left Mu Lin at a loss for words. In the end, he could only sigh and say, “Fine, you two decide. Also, thank you for your trouble, Master Meng Rui.”

The last sentence made Master Meng Rui shake her head with a complex expression:

“No, this isn’t you troubling me. Instead, I should thank you.”

As she spoke, Master Meng Rui looked into Mu Lin’s eyes with endless emotion and admiration.

It was no wonder she felt this way. By taking on this project, she stood to profit as well—and handsomely at that.

As everyone knew, Master Meng Rui was crafting an extraordinary puppet for her own advancement and breakthrough, which meant she was currently in desperate need of Spirit Stones.

Although her ordinary puppets could still be sold, their prices were nothing remarkable.

However, cultivation puppets were a different matter entirely. These were items worth bankrupting ordinary Qi Refiners to purchase and coveted by the Aristocratic Families. In this world where power resides within oneself, most cultivators believed that everything else was illusory, and only their own cultivation level was real.

Thus, elixirs that enhanced cultivation and mana, as well as treasures that aided breakthroughs, were always in short supply. Whenever they appeared, they would spark fierce competition and even lead to bloodshed in the region.

Cultivation puppets belonged to this category.

Once such puppets were created, there would be no shortage of buyers. As a participant, Master Meng Rui could earn tenfold, or even thirtyfold, the amount in Spirit Stones.

More importantly, the cultivation world was one of strict hierarchies.

Without a certain status, many high-level information and materials were simply inaccessible to ordinary people.

For example, the Spiritual Meal Mu Lin had just eaten—without Yan Yunyu, even if he had the money, he wouldn’t have been able to purchase it.

Master Meng Rui’s situation was similar to Mu Lin’s. As an individual, she too was unable to acquire many rare materials.

But now, things had changed.

As soon as the cultivation puppets were brought out, the descendants of the Aristocratic Families, for the sake of their children’s future, would not hesitate to exchange some precious resources.

This would accelerate Master Meng Rui’s collection of resources and also speed up her advancement. Under such circumstances, how could she not look at Mu Lin with appreciation and satisfaction?

“Hum…”

When the Magical Artifact disconnected and their connection closed, Master Meng Rui still felt a surge of excitement.

It seemed she could already envision the scene of her super-limit puppet being successfully crafted.

At the same time, she shared the same feeling as Yan Yunyu.

‘I originally thought that investing in Mu Lin would only yield returns in the future. I never expected that, even before a month had passed, he would give me such a pleasant surprise.’

‘Indeed, choosing him was the most correct decision I ever made.’

While envisioning the future, she suddenly thought of something and glanced sharply to the side. At the same time, a faint smile bloomed at the corner of her lips.

“Heh, you who claim to observe the future—do you still think my choice of Mu Lin was a mistake?”

The blurred figure did not answer immediately, but after a long while, she spoke. Though her words were few, they already revealed her thoughts.

“…Can you sell me a few of those cultivation puppets?”

(End of Chapter)