Chapter 137 – Steel Creations and Paper Figures

Today, Mu Lin had originally intended to keep a low profile—arrive, compete, claim the prize, and leave. That was his initial plan.

But now, Meng Rui’s insult toward Dongfang Ya forced him to make a bold stand.

With this thought, Mu Lin glanced at Meng Rui’s student, murmuring with pity in his eyes, “Don’t blame me if you lose too miserably later.”

…

After speaking with Meng Rui, Mu Lin returned to his spot, waiting for the competition to begin.

His conversation with Meng Rui also left Luo Shan and Qiao Huihui fuming, their faces flushed with anger.

—While Mu Lin was angered by Meng Rui’s insult toward Dongfang Ya, Luo Shan and the others felt that Mu Lin’s confident, assured attitude was overly arrogant and dismissive.

Such an attitude made Luo Shan, Qiao Huihui, and the others regard Mu Lin with intense hostility.

Driven by anger, Qiao Huihui even approached Mu Lin, her tone icy as she said, “When are you planning to step onto the arena? Don’t tell me that someone as confident as you, claiming to take first place, intends to sneak onto it. You can’t hide—I’ll be watching you…”

Hearing this question, Mu Lin didn’t respond. Fearless, he walked directly onto the arena.

His straightforwardness slightly improved Qiao Huihui’s impression of him, even earning a hint of admiration.

“You may be foolish and arrogant, but at least you’re not a coward.”

“Perfect. I’ll be the one to correct your arrogance and show you that Puppet Masters are not a trivial path you can look down upon!”

With that, she pushed aside her indignant classmates, leaped onto the arena, and stood opposite Mu Lin.

Thus, the assessment competition hosted by Master Meng Rui began with Mu Lin and Qiao Huihui as the opening match.

“Bang!”

As soon as she stepped up, Qiao Huihui released her puppet from her storage bag. It wasn’t a humanoid puppet but a steel spider.

In addition to the spider, a winged serpent also hovered in mid-air.

Looking at Qiao Huihui’s puppets and then at the Paper Figure in his own hand, Mu Lin understood why Master Meng Rui was so confident.

Setting aside other factors, one point stood out—materials.

Qiao Huihui’s puppets, whether the land-walking spider or the winged serpent, were crafted from spirit-infused steel and jade. Even without testing, their indestructibility was evident to the naked eye.

Mu Lin had no doubt that if an ordinary person tried to slash them with swords, the blades would shatter before Qiao Huihui’s puppets sustained any damage.

In contrast, Mu Lin’s Paper Figure was light and flimsy, as if a gust of wind could tear it apart.

With such a vast disparity, it was no wonder Master Meng Rui had never paid it any mind.

What Mu Lin didn’t know was that, at that moment, Master Meng Rui was explaining the situation on the field to the visiting scions of noble families.

“Creating puppets consumes a lot of Spirit Stones. The better and stronger the puppet, the more resources it requires. The only drawback of puppets is their cost—aside from that, they are nearly flawless…”

This remark drew laughter from many.

“Master Meng Rui, don’t say that. High cost isn’t a flaw of puppets—it’s a flaw of certain people. We may lack safety, but we certainly don’t lack Spirit Stones, haha…”

“Exactly. As long as they protect our safety and remain loyal, we’re willing to spend a few Spirit Stones.”

“Hehe, that’s good to hear.”

As the spectators chatted and laughed while watching the battle, Mu Lin also made his move. Taking out the Paper Figure, he first took a deep breath, then forcefully blew that breath onto the Paper Figure.

“Hoo…”

With the infusion of living human energy and Heart Image·Fantasy Body, the Paper Figure in Mu Lin’s hand rapidly expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Soon, the shadow of a green-faced, fanged Malevolent Ghost, clad in armor and wielding a Spear, manifested into the world.

Judge, Yaksha!

Fearing an upset defeat, Mu Lin summoned one of his trump cards right from the start.

At the same time, this Yaksha was different from before.

On the dark green body of the Yaksha were intricate patterns and tattoos.

At first glance, the tattoos resembled some cloud-script characters, but upon closer inspection, they looked like a ferocious, clawing Evil Jiao.

The Jiao Dragon coiled around its body, making the Yaksha’s aura even more imposing and terrifying.

“Speaking of which, my Yaksha should now be called a Sea-Patrolling Yaksha, not a Sky-Soaring Yaksha.”

While Mu Lin was musing, Qiao Huihui did not seize the opportunity to attack. Instead, she called out to him, “Summon all your Paper Figures.”

“???”

This shout left Mu Lin momentarily stunned. Just as he was puzzled, Qiao Huihui snorted coldly and said, “To make you accept your defeat wholeheartedly, I’ll allow you to summon all your Paper Figures.”

With a hint of arrogance, she added, “How dare you look down on us… I’ll make you understand that even if you go all out, you’re still no match for me!”

“…You’re truly bold.”

Saying this, Mu Lin naturally wouldn’t actually summon all his Paper Figures.

However, he did take out another ordinary Paper Figure. As living human energy was infused into it, the Paper Figure quickly expanded into a humanoid form.

With a thought from Mu Lin—

“With the will to charge into battle, there is only life or death!”

Amidst the spirited shouts, the Paper Figure lunged toward Qiao Huihui’s Puppet as swiftly as a dragon.

This scene did not please Qiao Huihui. Instead, it made her snort coldly.

“I told you to bring out your full strength… Whatever. Mountain King, Winged One, tear it apart!”

“Hmph, once my Puppet shreds your Paper Figure, let’s see if you can remain so calm…”

“Boom!”

Qiao Huihui muttered to herself with her own plans, but soon, her expression froze, and the indignation in her heart vanished without a trace.

Mu Lin’s Paper Figure collided head-on with Qiao Huihui’s Puppet.

One was a Paper Figure, the other an indestructible Puppet forged from steel and jade.

One was casually folded by Mu Lin, the other a war machine painstakingly crafted by Qiao Huihui with immense effort, energy, and vast resources.

By all appearances, the two were incomparable.

Yet the outcome of their collision defied everyone’s expectations.

“Boom!”

“Clang!”

With a deafening sound, the spider-like Mountain King, which had collided with the Paper Figure first, was actually sent flying by a single spear strike from Mu Lin’s Paper Figure.

When Mountain King’s ton-heavy body crashed onto the ground, it produced an earth-shaking noise, and the ground shattered beneath its impact.

All of this demonstrated Mountain King’s fearsomeness—it was no mere paper tiger.

Yet precisely because Mountain King was so formidable, the Paper Figure Yin Soldier that sent it flying with a single spear strike became even more astonishing.

“This can’t be!”

“What the hell? Mountain King weighs several tons!”

“How is this possible?”

…

The onlookers were all stunned by the Yin Soldier’s spear strike. As the master of Mountain King, Qiao Huihui understood all of its data, but precisely because of this, she found it hard to believe what had just happened.

However, she soon didn’t even have time for disbelief.

The winged serpent in the air also engaged in close combat with the Yin Soldier.

After smashing Mountain King away with a single spear strike, the Paper Figure did not pause. With a firm step, it leaped dozens of meters into the air, raising its spear to strike down at the winged serpent.

This scene startled Qiao Huihui, and instinctively, she issued a command.

“Winged One, Drift Acceleration…”

“Hum!”

Following Qiao Huihui’s command, a brilliant cyan light suddenly erupted from the hovering flying serpent.

Amidst the radiance, the flying serpent’s speed instantly surged dramatically. With this acceleration, the serpent Puppet narrowly evaded the Yin Soldier’s attack.

Moreover, in the next moment, as the serpent’s wings flapped, sharp wind blades were unleashed, slicing toward the Yin Soldier.

“Whoosh…”

Caught off guard, the Yin Soldier was struck by the attack.

This made Mu Lin raise an eyebrow in surprise.

“This Puppet’s abilities are quite impressive.”

The winged serpent was swift and agile, difficult to pin down.

Mountain King, on the other hand, was as solid as a mountain. Although it had been sent flying by the Yin Soldier’s spear strike earlier, the blow had only left a dent on its body without damaging its core.

In fact, in the next moment, as Mountain King activated its ability, an earthy yellow glow emanated from its form. This light merged with the earth, further enhancing the already indestructible defense of Mountain King.

One focused on offense, the other on defense—Qiao Huihui’s two Puppets earned Mu Lin’s genuine admiration.

However, while he was impressed, Qiao Huihui remained utterly perplexed.

She couldn’t understand how Mu Lin’s thin Paper Figure could unleash such terrifying power. “Boom!” “Clang!” Watching Mountain King clash with the Yin Soldier, each collision produced earth-shaking reverberations. The sheer intensity of these confrontations only deepened the confusion in her heart.

“My Mountain King is forged from Mystic Essence combined with Celestial Copper, further refined with Adamantine, and powered by a Fire Essence core. That’s why its strength is unparalleled. But how can your Paper Figure be so formidable?”

“After all, its main material is nothing but a thin sheet of paper!”

(End of Chapter)