Chapter 129 – Heaven-Rank Formation: Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array

Compared to Qi Refiners who rely on their own power to influence the world and unleash Dharma Domains, Mu Lin’s situation is strictly speaking a form of deity invocation—when one cannot access advanced power themselves, they borrow it from the strong.

“Hah…”

“So that’s how it is…”

After hearing Dongfang Ya’s explanation, some sighed in relief, while others looked on with envy and said, “It’s not that simple. Sky Burial City is not a deity, and Mu Lin is not a divinely favored servant. For him to summon the phantom of Sky Burial City and channel the power of Sky Burial City, he must have some foundation… Even if he hasn’t reached the domain level, he has definitely comprehended ‘potential,’ which is a power only Spell Masters can grasp.”

“Ahem, some prodigies can comprehend it even at the Spirit Sea Realm or Spirit Pool Realm.”

“But that’s still at the Spirit Sea level. Mu Lin is only at the Gushing Spring stage.”

Hearing this, Dongfang Ya explained:

“Only his mana cultivation is at the Gushing Spring stage. His divine soul cultivation has already reached the Spirit Sea Realm.”

“…That makes sense then.”

“Sense my foot! Reaching the Spirit Sea in divine soul realm in just three or four months—that’s even more exaggerated than mana cultivation!”

“…”

Confirming that Mu Lin’s divine soul realm had reached the Spirit Sea and that he had comprehended potential, everyone felt complex emotions and regarded Mu Lin with even greater importance. Some even saw him as their equal.

A Qi Refiner who has comprehended potential is almost certain to become a Spell Master.

Moreover, in the eyes of many, Mu Lin could also be considered to have comprehended a domain.

“Although he borrowed external power, the Land of Sky Burial is not controlled by anyone, so its power can be channeled and refined by Mu Lin without obstruction. Thus, his domain is genuine and can be cultivated continuously.”

“And since he can channel and refine the power of Sky Burial City, he faces no bottlenecks not only at the Spell Master realms of Gang Condensation and Sha Refinement but even the True Person bottleneck of the Mortal Shedding Stage won’t be difficult for him…”

Hearing this, some were so envious they considered switching their cultivation path:

“Guaranteed advancement to Spell Master and Mortal Shedding True Person—is the Yin Eight Gates inheritance that good?”

This remark immediately drew a scoff from Elder Qin nearby.

“What kind of perfect scenario is that? The power of Sky Burial City indeed imposes no restrictions on channeling and doesn’t reject your acceptance—it might even actively grant you power.”

“However, while power is easy to obtain, whether you can control this forbidden power is another matter entirely.”

As he spoke, Elder Qin also glanced at Mu Lin. When he saw that the power of Sky Burial City, once channeled down, did not spiral out of control but was firmly grasped by Mu Lin, a flicker of admiration appeared in his eyes.

Furthermore, he noticed that after channeling the power of Sky Burial City, Mu Lin’s body showed no signs of decay, decline, or pallor, which earned him even greater appreciation.

“Of course, this doesn’t apply to Mu Lin. Being able to control the Sky Burial Power now without affecting himself—as long as he isn’t greedy, the Spell Master realm will definitely not hold him back. As for the Mortal Shedding True Person bottleneck… that’s too far ahead to say for sure…”

“Hehe, what’s far ahead is indeed hard to predict, but there is a piece of good news close at hand.”

The last to speak was Dongfang Ya, who playfully turned her gaze toward the Headmaster.

“Regardless of whether he borrowed external power, being able to channel the power of Sky Burial City and form a tiny domain—with such power, Mu Lin’s ranking in this Southern Eastern Region Joint Examination cannot possibly be low.”

“With such a student, Headmaster, you are sure to make a grand impression among the Dao Palace headmasters at this year’s Southeast Joint Examination. For such an outstanding disciple who brings you such honor, won’t you show some appreciation?”

The headmaster addressed as ‘you old sir’ did not appear elderly at all; he looked quite young. Yet his eyes, weathered by time, revealed a man who had experienced many storms.

At this moment, as he looked at Mu Lin, a trace of astonishment flickered in his calm gaze.

However, what surprised him was not that Mu Lin had used the power of Sky Burial City to create a small domain. What left him stunned was: “Dongfang girl, if I recall correctly, you only taught Mu Lin the Celestial Rampart Citadel array two or three days ago, didn’t you?”

“Yes…”

Before she could finish, she too fell silent. Mastering an array in just two or three days and using it as a foundation to channel the power of Sky Burial City—such a feat completely surpassed her imagination.

The other instructors felt the same.

“Two… two or three days? Are you certain?”

“I could accept two or three months, but two or three days… that seems rather exaggerated…”

“Truly, each new generation surpasses the last…”

After these exclamations, the instructors grew even more optimistic about Mu Lin’s future.

Even the headmaster nodded in satisfaction, saying, “Our Dao Academy has indeed produced a hidden dragon this time.”

After a moment of thought, he continued, “For outstanding disciples, the Dao Palace naturally offers support. Since his talent in arrays is exceptional, let him delve deeper into this field. I have a copy of the Twilight Illusion Life-Death Array in my possession. Come to me later to retrieve it and pass it on to him.”

“A Heaven Grade array.”

Her eyes lighting up, Dongfang Ya nodded repeatedly:

“I understand. I’ll give it to him right away.”

If she were in Mu Lin’s position, receiving a Heaven Grade array would have left Dongfang Ya utterly satisfied.

But now, the one receiving the reward was her student. Remembering the respect Mu Lin had shown her in recent days, Dongfang Ya gritted her teeth and pressed the headmaster for more benefits.

“Is that all?”

This made the headmaster of Anping Dao Palace laugh:

“What? A Heaven Grade array still isn’t enough for you?”

“Although a Heaven Grade array is excellent, arrays can be copied multiple times. You, old sir, haven’t actually given up anything. Moreover, if Mu Lin gains more benefits, it will also benefit our Dao Palace. The higher his strength, the higher his ranking will be, and the more attention we’ll receive from the imperial court, noble families, and local magnates.”

To secure more advantages, Dongfang Ya even resorted to provocation.

“Many noble families and wealthy clans in Mist Province are well aware that Anping Dao Palace exists here, yet they still don’t send their most outstanding children to us. Instead, they send them to Jade Lake Dao Academy. Can you tolerate such a situation, old sir?”

“Personally, I cannot bear it.”

“You little girl, daring to use provocation on me.”

Dongfang Ya’s words made the headmaster of Anping Dao Palace shake his head and chuckle.

Nevertheless, her earlier remarks had been quite effective.

“But you are right. Merely giving an array means I haven’t truly given up anything. In that case, I’ll also grant him a Spirit-Boosting Pill to enhance his mana.”

“Although the mana cultivation gained from a Spirit-Boosting Pill may be somewhat unstable and not ideal for ordinary individuals, Mu Lin is different. His realm is high, but his mana is insufficient. For him, the negative effects of the Spirit-Boosting Pill are almost negligible.”

Dongfang Ya also understood the principle of knowing when to stop, and she was well aware that one should not push their luck too far. After securing two benefits, she said no more and instead smiled as she spoke:

“Hehe, then I’ll thank the Headmaster on behalf of Mu Lin.”

…

As for the fact that a hidden dragon had emerged in the Dao Palace, most instructors, while envious, were full of praise and joy.

Especially since this hidden dragon, Mu Lin, could bring honor to the Dao Palace, which in turn would lead to the imperial court and noble families allocating more resources to them—this made them even more fond of him.

However, while some were delighted, there was one person whose expression darkened.

That person was naturally Ma Daoren.

As Mu Lin’s first teacher upon arriving at the Dao Palace, if he had wanted to, he could have formed an extremely close relationship with Mu Lin. Moreover, he had recognized Mu Lin’s talent and had even considered investing in him.

Unfortunately, a momentary lapse in judgment caused him to miss this opportunity.

What made him sigh even more was that the reason he had been unwilling to invest in Mu Lin was his belief that cultivators of the Yin Eight Gates were ungrateful. Yet, when Qi Qiu extended an invitation, Mu Lin’s refusal made him realize that his own prejudice had been wrong.

Mu Lin understood gratitude well and was a person of loyalty and righteousness.

Missing out on such a prodigy naturally left him in low spirits.

Just as he was feeling dejected, a friend’s words darkened his expression even further.

“Brother Ma, I recall Mu Lin came from your class. Encountering such a hidden dragon and not giving us even a hint of it—that’s a bit unfair of you…”

The instructor who spoke these words was joking, hoping to use humor to draw closer to Ma Daoren and then discuss matters related to Mu Lin, ideally arranging an introduction.

—He believed his skill in Arrays was decent, and even though Mu Lin possessed exceptional talent, he still needed to learn the basics. Therefore, he wanted to become Mu Lin’s teacher for the fundamentals of Arrays, so that when Mu Lin rose to prominence in the future, he too would benefit.

Fearing competition from others, he hoped to meet Mu Lin through Ma Daoren.

But to his surprise, after he said this, Ma Daoren simply walked away with a darkened expression.

“What in the world?”

…

Leaving aside Ma Daoren’s distress and the Formation Master’s confusion, Dongfang Ya and the Headmaster, fearing they might disrupt Mu Lin’s cultivation, had cast some discreet Spells when they arrived. As a result, Mu Lin was unaware of their discussion and didn’t even know that instructors had come by.

For now, Mu Lin’s entire focus was on the mutated Sky Burial City.

“Woo woo woo…”

(End of Chapter)