Chapter 121 – Harvest Time

After hearing Dongfang Ya’s proposal, Mu Lin did not immediately agree but instead spoke earnestly to her: “There’s no need for that, I’ve already made my decision.”

Glancing at Anping Dao Palace and the surrounding students, Mu Lin said calmly, “To be honest, I have no attachment to most people and teachers in the Dao Palace, so whether I leave or not doesn’t matter. But you are here, Teacher. As long as you remain, I will not leave.”

Such straightforward words moved Dongfang Ya, but her somewhat prideful nature kept her from showing it. Instead, she snorted and said, “Hmph, at least you have a conscience.”

Having said that, she turned her gaze to Qi Qiu, tilting her head slightly as she declared, “Did you hear that? Mu Lin won’t be going with you.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Qiu was not angered. He simply looked at Mu Lin and spoke with utmost sincerity, “Student Mu Lin, the doors of our Dao Palace will always be open to you. Whenever you wish to come, you are welcome.”

With that, he left with Wan Yangyu and the others.

After his departure, Dongfang Ya also left. Judging by the direction she headed, it was clear she was going to demand benefits on Mu Lin’s behalf.

With the teacher gone, Mu Lin had no interest in staying longer. Accompanied by Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo, he prepared to continue his cultivation.

As they walked, Yan Yunyu spoke to Mu Lin, “Young Master Mu, you made the best choice.”

“If you had left with Qianyang Dao Palace, you would have gained some benefits, but it would have carried the suspicion of betrayal. As a result, even if you went, Qianyang Dao Palace would use you but never treat you as a trusted confidant.”

“Waiting for the two Dao Palaces to bid against each other would also have seemed like coercion.”

“Instead, now you give the impression of valuing loyalty and righteousness. This will not only earn you Teacher Dongfang Ya’s favor, but others who hear of it will also cease to view you with hostility.”

Mu Lin smiled at this. “I didn’t think that much about it, nor do I care about others’ opinions. It’s just that with Teacher Dongfang Ya here, whether I wait or not, she won’t let me suffer losses. So why bother with unnecessary actions?”

After saying this, Mu Lin seemed to remember something and looked at Yan Yunyu. “By the way, I’ve completed the first stage of our cooperation, haven’t I?”

“More than just completed.”

As she responded, Yan Yunyu was filled with joy. Wealth, fortune, and influence have always been inseparably linked.

The reason the Yan Family’s ancestral cultivation method ranks as a Heaven-Rank Technique is its ability to use wealth to gather fortune, ultimately leveraging wealth and fortune to sway the greater trends of the world.

Conversely, the support of wealth, fortune, and influence also allows the Yan Family disciples to succeed in all endeavors and experience a rapid surge in strength.

This characteristic of the cultivation method is also why she was so determined to become the Dao Palace First of Anping Dao Palace—with the support of wealth, fortune, and influence, even as a Second-Class Spirit Root holder, she could match the cultivation speed of a First-Class Spirit Root holder.

At this moment, she could feel the power of fortune and influence subtly descending upon her. More specifically, the difficulties she previously encountered in her cultivation method now became clear to her with just a moment of reflection.

Moreover, the support of fortune and influence even made Spiritual Energy feel slightly more attuned to her.

Hearing Yan Yunyu’s account, Mu Lin raised an eyebrow.

He was not surprised that the Yan Family’s Heaven-Rank Technique had the ability to gather fortune, consolidate influence, and accelerate cultivation.

No technique that ranks as Heaven Grade is weak.

Just like Mu Lin’s own Heaven-Rank Technique, the Vow-Power Heart Lamp possesses the power to command all things and dominate all phenomena, enabling Mu Lin to achieve Transcendence beyond worldly attachments.

The Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture connects with ancestral spirits, summoning heroic souls.

Meanwhile, the Mindscape – Sky Burial – City God Art allowed Mu Lin to ascend to the heavens in a single step, granting him a divine position and making him a City God.

The Yan Family’s direct lineage cultivation method is on par with Mu Lin’s, if not better, so possessing some heaven-defying abilities is only natural.

What surprised Mu Lin was why the fortune and momentum of just one Dao Palace could empower Yan Yunyu so greatly.

Especially since the people in the Dao Palace were well aware that Yan Yunyu’s first place was not earned by her own efforts but secured through Mu Lin’s help. Under such circumstances, could she still gather fortune and great momentum?

Hearing Mu Lin’s doubts, Yan Yunyu covered her mouth and chuckled.

“Young Master Mu, for others, it is better to accumulate fortune and momentum on their own. But our Yan Family started as merchants, and trade runs through our entire lives. Therefore, we are not fixated on gathering fortune and great momentum ourselves. ‘A favorable wind lends its strength, lifting me to the azure clouds.’ The only Celestial Master ancestor in our Yan Family achieved his status by aiding a rising dragon.”

“So, borrowing fortune and momentum for cultivation is feasible in our Yan Family.”

“Of course, borrowing without repaying breeds enmity. Those with great fortune rarely perish midway. To avoid trouble, while borrowing fortune, our Yan Family also spends vast amounts of wealth.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin immediately recalled how Yan Yunyu had never hesitated to spend money since the start of the term and afterward.

At the time, he thought she was foolishly rich. Now, it seemed the fool was him, while she was full of schemes.

“Did you borrow fortune from me too?”

Hearing this, Yan Yunyu’s heart skipped a beat.

‘It’s finally come.’

Thinking this, she neither evaded the question nor lied. Instead, she wrapped her arms around one of Mu Lin’s arms and said pitifully, “I’m sorry, Young Master Mu. Back when we weren’t close, I did borrow a little fortune from you, but it wasn’t much and had no effect on you.”

“However, borrowing without asking was indeed my fault. This humble servant is willing to accept punishment. Whatever Young Master Mu asks of me, I will agree.”

As she spoke, her face flushed with shyness. Clearly, even if Mu Lin asked her to do something indecent, she would grit her teeth and accept it.

However, Mu Lin did not take advantage of the situation.

Though somewhat embarrassed, it was Mu Lin, who was short on money at the time, who had sought her out first. Therefore, placing all the blame on Yan Yunyu would be somewhat despicable.

At the same time, this incident taught Mu Lin a lesson.

‘Never underestimate others, and never accept pie from the sky. Who knows whether what falls is a pie or poison…’

Seeing that Mu Lin had let the matter slide without punishing her, Yan Yunyu breathed a sigh of relief but also felt a tinge of regret.

It wasn’t that she was fickle; she simply wanted to use this punishment to draw closer to Mu Lin.

Her decision to do so, and her apparent conviction about Mu Lin, stemmed from what followed.

“As merchants, borrowing fortune for cultivation is feasible in our Yan Family. Relying on others to rise is also recognized.”

“As for why I received so much feedback, Young Master Mu, you’ve misunderstood one thing. The fortune I am gathering now… is not limited to Anping Dao Palace’s.”

This left Mu Lin stunned, but he quickly realized.

“The Hidden Dragon Rankings?”

“Yes.”

At this point, even the scheming Yan Yunyu could hardly conceal her excitement.

“Because I entered the Hidden Dragon Rankings, now not only cultivators from Anping Dao Palace recognize me, but also those from Dao Palaces across the entire nation.”

“And others don’t know that I rose by riding on Young Master Mu’s coattails. Plus, before the competition, you gave me the captain position. Now, in their eyes, I broke into forty-third place on the Hidden Dragon Rankings through my own strength and am the most core member. Their mistaken perception has caused massive amounts of fortune and momentum to gather toward me. With so much fortune and momentum assisting me, I have hope of advancing to Gushing Spring within half a month.”

“No, maybe it won’t even take that long… Those paying attention to the Hidden Dragon Rankings aren’t just disciples from various major Dao Palaces. The wealthy and powerful from every city are also watching the rankings, ready at any moment to ‘catch a son-in-law under the list.’ My entry onto the rankings will also draw their attention. Seven days, at most seven days, I will advance to Gushing Spring!”

Thinking of this beautiful future, Yan Yunyu’s delicate jade hands gripping the round fan suddenly clenched tightly.

At this moment, she actually felt some gratitude toward Chu Lingluo’s mother.

‘Auntie, if not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to join Young Master Mu’s team. And if I hadn’t joined the team, I wouldn’t have caught up with this opportunity… The current situation is ten times better than the best fantasy I could have imagined!’

When she first entered the Dao Palace, Yan Yunyu’s most beautiful fantasy was relying on wealth to gather a group of people and seize first place in Anping Dao Palace.

As for entering the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and within the top fifty at that—this was never within her plans. She knew very clearly how powerful Spirit Pool Realm demonic monsters were, and she understood that in just a few months, most prodigies in the Dao Palace could only raise their cultivation level to Gushing Spring. Such individuals basically couldn’t fight Spirit Pool Realm demonic monsters.

At the very least, she had no confidence whatsoever.

That’s why she understood the preciousness of Mu Lin’s formidable strength, and also why she was willing to sacrifice herself to cling tightly to Mu Lin.

‘With Young Master Mu’s help, maybe even top fifty on the Hidden Dragon Rankings isn’t my limit. If he can really take the top three, and in a highly publicized event like the Southern Eastern Region Joint Examination, then me, who cultivates by borrowing fortune, will absolutely be able to soar on this momentum.’

‘Even the position of Yan Family’s legitimate heir… I might not be without a chance…’

Thinking this, Yan Yunyu’s heart beat fiercely. The hands holding Mu Lin’s arm tightened once more—clearly, she knew very well who her current good fortune primarily depended on.

Yan Yunyu was happy, and Mu Lin was also very happy.

Giving up the captain position and helping Yan Yunyu gather fortune—he didn’t do this to win her favor. The two had agreed: she would gain fortune and momentum, while Mu Lin would receive fifty percent of the resources the Yan Family funded her with.

Earlier, it was also her massive resource support that allowed Mu Lin to luxuriously cultivate using Year-End Paper and Dao-Containing Stones.

And now, since she had gained, Mu Lin should also reap his harvest.

“You should have passed the first stage assessment, right? When will your family send you resources?”

Without any thought of reneging, upon hearing Mu Lin’s inquiry, Yan Yunyu immediately said: “Gathering the Clan Elders for discussion, confirmation, and evaluation will take the family five to seven days. However, I still have some spare money on hand and can also ask my parents for an advance. Young Master Mu, if there’s anything you want, I can help you gather it now.”

After speaking, fearing that Mu Lin might feel embarrassed, she straightforwardly added, “Young Master Mu, with your strength improving, our rankings can be higher during the Southern Eastern Region Joint Examination. So, don’t be polite—just say what you want, even if it exceeds the limit, it’s fine.”

“No need, fifty percent is already enough for me. I want six pieces of ten-thousand-year-old Year-End Paper. As for the remaining resources, exchange them all for Moonlight Jade Dew and Dao-Containing Stones that can store Dawn Purple Qi.”

Using ten-thousand-year-old Year-End Paper as consumables was something Mu Lin couldn’t afford at the moment. However, folding them into six Paper Figures, allowing avatars to inhabit them, and using them to increase his cultivation efficiency—this method of use was something Mu Lin could afford with Yan Yunyu’s support.

“Alright, I’ll help you purchase the resources right away.”

(End of Chapter)