Chapter 101 – Ji Xue Advances

Yan Yunyu’s reasoning had some merit, but Mu Lin’s response was just two words.

“Heh heh.”

He simply didn’t believe it.

Once bitten, twice shy—Mu Lin was someone who learned from his lessons.

Moreover, he planned to take away half of the resources in Yan Yunyu’s hands.

Under such circumstances, he didn’t believe that the scheming Yan Yunyu would willingly assist him.

Of course, while remaining cautious, cooperation was still necessary.

In his previous life, even though China and a certain Beacon Country wished for each other’s demise, it didn’t stop them from doing business.

The same applied to Mu Lin and Yan Yunyu—he would simply maintain extreme vigilance during their cooperation.

“What do you want?”

Seeing Mu Lin’s undisguised distrust, Yan Yunyu sighed but said nothing further, only calmly stating, “This humble one wishes to collaborate with Young Master Mu once more. The talisman arrays you draw have commercial value, and I plan to sell them in my shop.”

“The Four Seas Pavilion?”

“No, I plan to open a new shop. Young Master Mu’s talisman arrays will become the treasure of Yulin Shop.”

The shop name made Mu Lin raise an eyebrow, but he didn’t comment, merely asking indifferently, “What about the split?”

“Seventy-thirty, with Young Master Mu taking seventy and this humble one taking thirty.”

“Agreed.”

And so, Mu Lin and Yan Yunyu reached another agreement.

Knowing that the Talisman Array – Adamantine Force could earn money, Mu Lin felt even more motivated to write them.

Admittedly, being supported by Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu meant he wasn’t short of Spirit Stones for the time being.

However, Mu Lin’s pride made him unwilling to rely on others forever.

He intended to repay Chu Lingluo tenfold and escape the predicament of lacking Spirit Stones.

‘I thought my opportunity to earn money would come half a month later, when my Painting skills advanced. I never expected the Adamantine Force Talisman Array to give me such a pleasant surprise.’

…

In the following days, Mu Lin’s cultivation proceeded steadily, and Yan Yunyu opened her shop.

After the shop opened, Mu Lin went to investigate.

This was easy to do—simply fold a Paper Figure, blow on it, and a lifelike ordinary person appeared before him.

After sending the Paper Figure into the shop to investigate, Mu Lin was surprised to find that Yan Yunyu hadn’t played any tricks.

She truly gave him seventy percent of the profits from the Adamantine Force Talisman Array.

Moreover, this seventy percent wasn’t even reduced by taxes or shop rental fees.

“Being so generous… is she afraid that if I discover any deceit, I’ll become angry and refuse to take her on the Tower Challenge?”

Past lessons made Mu Lin consider Yan Yunyu’s actions in the worst possible light.

Due to his extreme vigilance, Yan Yunyu’s actions didn’t improve Mu Lin’s opinion of her—instead, his wariness deepened.

“To endure like this… she’s like a venomous snake. I must be careful…”

…

Although he remained cautious, after cooperating with Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin’s cultivation and life, overall, proceeded smoothly.

For Spiritual Energy cultivation, she provided him with thousand-year-old Year-End Paper. Combined with the Moonlight Jade Dew supplied by Chu Lingluo, Mu Lin’s Qi cultivation efficiency remained around twenty times the normal rate.

At the same time, all the paper he used for Paper Folding was replaced with thousand-year-old Year-End Paper, greatly enhancing his combat power, especially his endurance.

In addition to mana cultivation, Yan Yunyu also contributed to the training of his physical qi and blood.

In recent days, Chu Lingluo continued to meticulously prepare various meals for him.

And starting from a certain day, Yan Yunyu also took action, bringing him a considerable amount of spirit food.

Although she didn’t make it herself but bought it, the vitality and spiritual energy Mu Lin gained from consuming it were real and tangible.

This allowed Mu Lin’s physical strength and qi and blood to thrive as well.

Lastly, the shop she opened gave Mu Lin some extra money.

The triple-layered Adamantine Force Talisman Array sold exceptionally well. A single talisman was sold by Yan Yunyu for a full thirty-six spirit stones, and even at that price, demand still outstripped supply.

Thanks to the Yulin Shop, Mu Lin’s spirit stones finally achieved positive growth, and it was sustainable.

Moreover, all of this required no effort from Mu Lin, as Yan Yunyu handled everything for him.

“As a teammate, she’s indeed doing a great job. Unfortunately, she isn’t the type to willingly stay under someone else. Our honeymoon period of cooperation will only last until the Southeast Joint Exam.”

…

Since all trivial matters were taken care of by Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin could focus entirely on cultivation.

And thanks to his diligent cultivation, Mu Lin’s cultivation level steadily increased.

However, just as he felt everything was going well, something that made him frown still occurred.

Ji Xue—advanced.

With unparalleled talent and the resources provided by the Ji family, she reached the Gushing Spring Realm in just a few short months.

“The barrier between Spirit Awakening and Gushing Spring didn’t hold her back.”

This matter made Mu Lin sigh a little, but it was also within reason.

After all, the gap between Spirit Awakening and Gushing Spring was only a minor realm, and it couldn’t stop some true prodigies.

Her advancement also confirmed one thing for Mu Lin.

During the Southeast Joint Exam, his opponents would undoubtedly all be cultivators at the Gushing Spring Realm, and it wouldn’t even be surprising if some at the Spirit Pool Realm appeared.

In addition to advancing her realm, Ji Xue also accomplished something significant.

Alone, she cleared the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens.

Although, during her first tower challenge, she only received a “Medium” rating.

But even a “Medium” meant that at the Gushing Spring Realm, she had defeated demonic fiends at the Spirit Pool Realm.

It’s worth noting that demonic fiends, due to their anomalous abilities, are generally stronger than humans of the same realm.

Now, Ji Xue was able to fight beyond her realm, which showed that not only was her spirit root talent outstanding, but her combat prowess was also formidable.

Her actions also solidified her reputation as the top student in the class.

Now, whether it was the teachers or the students, everyone felt her first place was indisputable.

This placed immense pressure on Mu Lin’s team.

After all, they aimed for first place.

“Don’t be too disheartened. Ji Xue… she’s an exception. Even in Jade Lake Dao Academy, she’s a top-tier prodigy. It’s nothing if you can’t compete with her…”

Because Ji Xue was overwhelmingly powerful, even Dongfang Ya felt Mu Lin had no chance this time.

To that end, she even comforted Mu Lin specifically.

Mu Lin was grateful for this but didn’t feel he needed comforting.

“Teacher Dongfang, thank you for your concern. I’m not that fragile and won’t be crushed by setbacks. Besides, I haven’t lost yet.”

“…”

These words left Dongfang Ya silent. In the end, she only left him with one sentence: “Seeing you so confident and optimistic puts my mind at ease. But please remember, overconfidence is arrogance.”

Upon discovering that Mu Lin was unharmed, Dongfang Ya departed, yet an anomaly emerged within Mu Lin’s team.

To Mu Lin’s considerable surprise, the one with an icy expression this time was not Yan Yunyu, as he had anticipated.

Upon learning the news of Ji Xue’s advancement and her breakthrough of the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens, Yan Yunyu’s expression did indeed flicker with a moment of anger, but soon her emotions calmed.

This piqued Mu Lin’s curiosity, for he knew well how deeply Yan Yunyu clung to her obsession with being first.

“Advancing to the Gushing Spring Realm and defeating a Spirit Pool—Ji Xue truly is formidable. With her here, your claim to Dao Palace First seems about to slip away. Aren’t you anxious?”

Hearing Mu Lin’s words, Yan Yunyu curtsied to him with a respectful bow and spoke somewhat flatteringly, “I believe in you, Young Master Mu. As the team leader, if you are not anxious, how could this humble servant be in a hurry?”

She continued, “Young Master Mu, please just do your best. Ji Xue is too strong; even if you fail, it cannot be blamed on you. I only ask that, in light of my wholehearted efforts, you might lend me a hand in the future.”

With a fallback plan in place, Yan Yunyu naturally did not cling too stubbornly to her obsession.

At this moment, she was flattering Mu Lin and striving to win his favor, intending to continue cooperating with him even if she failed in the competition for Dao Palace First.

Simultaneously, with her mind at ease, Yan Yunyu noticed something: Mu Lin—did not appear gloomy or troubled.

His calm expression seemed to indicate he had everything under control.

If she had no fallback or were in another team, faced with such a Mu Lin, Yan Yunyu would undoubtedly have judged him as putting on a facade.

However, having spent much time with Mu Lin, she had come to understand some aspects of his temperament.

She clearly knew that Mu Lin’s obsession with Dao Palace First was no less than her own—there was something there that could transform his Spirit Root.

Moreover, he was pragmatic; in most situations, he would not hypocritically conceal his emotions.

Under such circumstances, if Mu Lin remained unanxious, it was highly likely that he truly had a plan.

“Impossible, right? Ji Xue is so strong; how could he possibly contend with her?”

Ji Xue’s overwhelming strength made even Yan Yunyu, who had reached this conclusion, lose confidence in her judgment.

…

Mu Lin had no more time to ponder Yan Yunyu’s thoughts.

After Ji Xue broke through to the Gushing Spring Realm, the one in Mu Lin’s team who reacted most strongly was not Mu Lin, nor Yan Yunyu, but—Chu Lingluo.

Over the past period, Mu Lin had consistently favored Yan Yunyu, constantly exchanging glances and flirtatious banter with her (secretly negotiating and vying for interests), which filled Chu Lingluo with resentment and left her feeling deeply wronged.

“I admit I was wrong to stop you from seeing other girls, but I was here first, and you actually want me to take a lesser position. Besides, aren’t you going to comfort me at all?”

“All you had to do was ask, and I would have forgiven you…”

Chu Lingluo, who stayed by Mu Lin’s side, had been giving him chances all along.

Having multiple wives and concubines—or rather, one wife with several concubines—was quite common in this world.

Mu Lin, who wished to be with several girls, had long been forgiven.

What angered Chu Lingluo was Mu Lin’s insistence on her taking a lesser position.

Yet, despite her anger, Chu Lingluo had continuously given him opportunities.

Mu Lin sensed this, but unwilling to become too entangled with the Chu Family, he did not take the offered way out, and thus, the two remained at an impasse.

However, things changed today.

Previously, Chu Lingluo had always believed that while she was at fault (for not allowing Mu Lin to find more girls), Mu Lin was more to blame, and therefore, Mu Lin had to apologize first before she could forgive him.

But Ji Xue’s advancement left her dumbfounded.

She remembered that the reason Mu Lin resented her was because she had prevented Ji Xue from joining the team—though that wasn’t the truth, it was merely an excuse Mu Lin had casually made, but Chu Lingluo didn’t know that.

In Chu Lingluo’s eyes, Mu Lin’s desire to have Ji Xue join the team wasn’t necessarily because he liked her, but rather because he wanted to cooperate with her to secure the Dao Palace First position, thereby earning rewards that would allow his Spirit Root to transform.

Cultivation Level was the most important thing in this world, and the Spirit Root was crucial to Mu Lin’s future and Cultivation Level. Therefore, even Chu Lingluo acknowledged that Mu Lin’s invitation to Ji Xue wasn’t driven purely by lust but by serious business.

Moreover, Mu Lin was nearly successful in this endeavor. Teacher Dongfang Ya mediated, and Ji Xue was also inclined to agree.

At that time, the Dao Palace First position and a top-five ranking in the Southeast Region were almost within Mu Lin’s grasp.

But in the end, everything was ruined by her jealousy.

‘So, it’s all my fault. My jealousy caused Brother Mu Lin to lose the first position and miss the opportunity for his Spirit Root to transform, which concerns his future… No wonder he was so angry…’

It must be said that Chu Lingluo was too kind and too innocent. Despite it being Mu Lin’s mistake, she was entirely reflecting on herself.

Well… this also had to do with how deeply she loved Mu Lin.

Mu Lin was actually somewhat unaware. In the early days, when he was with Chu Lingluo, he went to great lengths to make her happy and ensure her financial support felt worthwhile, tirelessly drawing from the fairy tales, landscapes, and stories of his previous life.

In Mu Lin’s eyes, this was nothing special.

But one must understand that the fairy tales and stories that had been passed down in his previous world and remembered by Mu Lin were all masterpieces that had endured for centuries, even millennia!

With so many stories all brought forth by Mu Lin alone, the result was that his talent, in Chu Lingluo’s eyes, couldn’t be contained by eight measures—three thousand measures would be more like it.

Faced with such a person, how could the innocent Chu Lingluo possibly resist?

(End of Chapter)