Chapter 131 – Starlight Paper Figure

“You’re Mu Lin, right? Third-Class Spirit Root?”

“Yes.”

“To be honest, I’m a bit curious—how did someone with a Third-Class Spirit Root manage to get the Dao Palace to invest so many resources in you? Even more curious, how did you achieve such a complete transformation in such a short time?”

These words made Mu Lin tense up. Fortunately, Master Meng Rui soon continued, “But that’s none of my business, and I can restrain my curiosity… Here is the jade scroll for the North Star Purple Tenuity Array. Take it.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Upon receiving the jade scroll, Mu Lin wanted to leave immediately, but Master Meng Rui’s next words made him grit his teeth and recall the term “unscrupulous merchant.”

“I wouldn’t advise you to rush off… if you want to master the North Star Purple Tenuity Array quickly.”

After speaking, she noticed Mu Lin’s peculiar expression.

With a soft “huff,” she exhaled a puff of smoke and waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t misunderstand. There’s no issue with the array. With the Dao Palace as guarantor, I wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, I am, after all, a Master and your nominal teacher. I wouldn’t stoop to such underhanded tricks.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin immediately apologized:

“I’m sorry, Master. I wrongly judged your noble intentions with my petty suspicions.”

After apologizing, he respectfully asked:

“This disciple is dull-witted. What did you mean by ‘mastering it quickly’?”

“If you want to master the North Star Purple Tenuity Array, you must connect with the Seven Stars in the sky. But the cosmos is vast and infinitely distant. Through mere arduous meditation alone, connecting with the Northern Dipper Seven Stars and channeling the Seven Stars Power is not something you can achieve in a short time.”

“Judging from your previous inquiries, I suspect you intend to use paper figures in place of true persons to practice forming the array.”

At this point, she chuckled lightly. “I happen to be an expert in the art of puppetry, and paper figures are a type of puppet. I can use certain materials and talismanic arrays to alter the attributes of your paper figures, granting them a stellar attribute and an innate connection to the Seven Stars.”

Here, Master Meng Rui fell silent.

But Mu Lin had to admit he was tempted.

‘As expected of a Master. If I follow her method, I can easily overcome the step of connecting with the Seven Stars. This way, my Big Dipper Purple Tenuity Array could reach the 2nd Realm of Proficiency, or even the 3rd Realm of Expertise, in a short time.’

Mu Lin didn’t intend to use the Big Dipper Purple Tenuity Array for combat but for cultivation.

Mana Cultivation was his top priority. Therefore, the Big Dipper Purple Tenuity Array, which could aid his cultivation, held immense importance in his mind.

Once he confirmed this shortcut was viable, he promptly asked, “What would it cost to ask you, Teacher, to alter the attributes of the paper figures?”

In response to Mu Lin’s question, Meng Rui gave a straightforward answer, but it left him feeling dizzy.

“Don’t think it’s expensive. There are many puppet forms that connect to the stars, but none made of paper. My work isn’t just crafting—it’s designing.”

“Moreover, the puppet paper figures I design are bound to be top quality. They won’t just connect you to the stars; they’ll also amplify the power during your cultivation.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin acknowledged Master Meng Rui’s point—it truly wasn’t overpriced.

However, while Master Meng Rui’s price was reasonable, Mu Lin had no spirit stones.

‘If I were to take all of Yan Yunyu’s resource shares, I could indeed produce the paper figures that connect to the stars.’

‘But if I really do that, what about my Dao-Containing Stone and Moonlight Dew? And the Three-Origin Heavy Water—I’ve already asked Yan Yunyu to collect it.’

‘Although, with my current Cultivation Level and Mana, I can only bear up to three drops of heavy water at most, this is still a considerable expense…’

After some contemplation, Mu Lin realized that although Master Meng Rui’s proposal was good, he simply couldn’t afford it.

Just as a wryly smiling Mu Lin was about to give up, he suddenly thought of something, and this made his eyes light up.

“Teacher, I heard you’re planning to hold an assessment in the Training Ground?”

Hearing this, Master Meng Rui, who was half-lying on the bed, raised an eyebrow.

“You plan to make this request of me after winning?”

Mu Lin: “Is that not allowed?”

“It is.”

Nodding, Master Meng Rui said indifferently, “You are considered my student, after all—you’ve paid the fees. If you win, I naturally won’t be stingy with guidance.”

“However, what I teach is puppetry, and the assessment is also on puppetry. Therefore, if you participate, you can only use paper figures in battle, and you must fight with an equal number of paper figures.”

This made Mu Lin pause, his expression turning somewhat odd.

Of course, the reason for his odd expression wasn’t that the rules restricted him, but rather—the restrictions were too few.

“Only these? No restrictions on my secret techniques?”

“You may use any secret techniques related to paper figures, as long as you don’t directly attack your fellow students.”

As she said this, a trace of pride and a hint of annoyance flashed in Master Meng Rui’s eyes.

“Hmph, I don’t know what I’ve done to make you look down on the art of puppetry so much… If your crude paper figures can defeat the puppets I teach, not only will I guide you, but I’ll even give you Flower and Butterfly—no problem.”

Clearly, Master Meng Rui was very confident in her puppetry skills.

Indeed, in battles with equal numbers, crude paper figures truly were no match for puppets.

Inferior materials, inferior Mana, inferior cores… With such overwhelming advantages, Master Meng Rui couldn’t even imagine how she could lose.

At the same time, aside from her confidence in puppetry, there was another reason why her last words slipped out.

In her classroom, there was an ace.

‘With that natural-born Puppet Master present, even if you defy common sense, you will still lose.’

‘If you want me to help you design paper figures that connect to the stars, then obediently pay up with Spirit Stones.’

…

After making the agreement with Master Meng Rui, Mu Lin returned to the Dao Palace with the diagram of the North Star Purple Tenuity Array.

Upon returning to his courtyard, Mu Lin naturally first attempted to cultivate this array—if he could connect to the stars without modifying the paper figures, that would be the best choice for him.

Unfortunately, just as he had anticipated earlier, Mu Lin’s cultivation did not go smoothly.

Getting seven paper figures to connect their auras and share their thoughts was quite simple, but the step of linking to the stars—specifically the seven stars of the North Pole—stumped Mu Lin.

Staring wide-eyed at the sky, he watched for a long time but felt nothing.

“Indeed, it’s not working… Hmm, Cultivation Method progress +1.”

Knowing the shape of the Northern Dipper Seven Stars and their approximate positions, relying on his own efforts and a little help from the Proficiency Panel, Mu Lin meditated for half a day and still achieved some results.

It must be said that the Proficiency Panel did not disappoint Mu Lin.

Unfortunately, he could cultivate, but his cultivation speed was extremely slow—well, Mu Lin’s cultivation speed wasn’t actually slow.

Compared to ordinary people, the fact that he gained something from cultivation made his efficiency more than ten times higher than that of ordinary people.

For some obscure and difficult-to-understand Cultivation Methods, Mu Lin’s cultivation speed, with his ability to gain something from cultivation, was hundreds or even thousands of times faster than others.

However, what Mu Lin was preparing to compare himself to was not ordinary people, but himself cultivating the Celestial Fortress Array.

With that Array, he mastered it in one go, reached the second realm in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and reached the third realm in just one night.

Moreover, the third realm was not his limit. With just a few more days of cultivation, he could break through to the fourth realm, allowing the Celestial Rampart Citadel to manifest in the physical world according to his will, rather than dissipating with just a few Yin Soldiers causing chaos.

Compared to such rapid progress in Arrays, he was unwilling to painstakingly cultivate the North Star Purple Tenuity Array.

Especially since he still had a shortcut.

“First place in Master Meng Rui’s Puppet exam will be mine.”

“I need to make some preparations. Although my Paper Figure army is not weak, its strength lies in numbers, not in individual Paper Figures. If I don’t handle it properly, the chances of losing are high… Got it, Talisman Array – Adamantine Force!”

“Since it’s a Puppet duel, I’ll carve Talisman Arrays all over it. If it’s a Master Grade Talisman Array, with nine times the strength and defense, I’d like to see who can break through the Paper Figure’s defense.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin devoted himself wholeheartedly to writing the Adamantine Force Talisman Array.

“Swish, swish, swish…”

After writing like this for a day and a night, another one of Mu Lin’s skills advanced.

This skill was called—Painting.

(End of Chapter)