Chapter 157 – The Jiao Dragon Body and the Power of Thunder

Prejudice in people’s hearts is like a towering mountain, difficult to uproot.

In the eyes of the disciples of Jade Lake Dao Academy, they are inherently stronger than those from outer-state Dao Academies.

Moreover, leaving a name on the stone tablet of the Majestic Thunder Pool is something even their own academy’s Prodigies struggle to achieve. Therefore, they do not believe Mu Lin can accomplish it either.

Holding such thoughts, when they see Mu Lin eager to try, they naturally view him as arrogant and ignorant of his own limitations.

“Hmph, I admit you have wealth, but no amount of money will let you leave a name in the Thunder Pool! That depends on strength, not power!”

However, while looking down on Mu Lin, they do not dismiss him as completely worthless.

Just like Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi, after realizing that Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu were not the country bumpkins they had imagined, their attitude toward Mu Lin also changed rapidly.

Hua Xingyu: “How many meters do you think Mu Lin can pass?”

Hearing this question, Lin Qi pondered for a moment before giving an answer.

“36 to 42… The average performance in our Dao Palace is 33 meters. Since Mu Lin has gained the favor of two noble ladies like Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo and even aspires to compete for the top three—though such ambition is somewhat arrogant and laughable—he must possess some ability.”

“So, I believe he will exceed our Dao Palace’s average, but at most, he won’t surpass 42 meters. Our leader possesses a Pure Yang Body, excels in the Overlord Body Technique, and, due to his pure yang constitution, has strong resistance to thunder. Yet even he only reached 49 meters. Mu Lin definitely cannot surpass our leader.”

Hua Xingyu nodded at this speculation but then shook his head.

“I have a different view. Mu Lin might likely be below 33 meters.”

This statement made Lin Qi frown.

“Underestimating others too much isn’t wise. We were just proven wrong because of that earlier. Do you want to be humiliated a second time?”

Hua Xingyu: “No, no, this isn’t pure arrogance. I have my own reasoning… How about we make a bet?”

“What do you want to bet on?”

Hua Xingyu: “Let’s bet on how to deal with Mu Lin. If you win, during the assessment, you can do whatever you want, and we won’t interfere. But if I win, we take the lead in guiding things.”

Hearing this, Lin Qi did not immediately agree but frowned instead. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“Haha, you’ve already guessed it, haven’t you? To join forces against a common enemy. Of course, this has nothing to do with you… Our leader intends to use Mu Lin as a spear to test Chu Hongxuan.”

“…”

Yan Zhanpeng was actually planning to ally with outsiders, which left Lin Qi speechless.

But as Hua Xingyu said, even if Yan Zhanpeng wanted to use Mu Lin as a spearhead to test others, his targets would be Chu Hongxuan in third place or the twin siblings in second place. The likelihood of him targeting their own team was low.

Therefore, after some thought, Lin Qi was prepared to agree.

However, he was quite curious about one thing.

“Aren’t you afraid of things backfiring by allying with Mu Lin?”

“What if Mu Lin and his group actually take the top three spots? Our entire class would be utterly humiliated.”

“And at that point, you, who orchestrated all this, would also be punished by the elders of the Dao Palace.”

This made Hua Xingyu laugh.

“Have a little faith in our boss… This time, our boss has set his sights on the top two and is eyeing the first place throne.”

Lin Qi: “…So that guy is finally no longer hiding. Since you’re confident, fine, let’s make a bet.”

Just like that, Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi beside them communicated via voice transmission and prepared to place a high-stakes bet based on Mu Lin’s performance.

Their goals were also different. Lin Qi intended to investigate Mu Lin’s information thoroughly and then have Yuan Ce take action to quickly eliminate Mu Lin, which was also a task assigned by the Dao Palace.

They needed to ensure the supreme and inviolable dignity of Jade Lake Dao Academy, not allowing anyone else to challenge it.

As for Yan Zhanpeng, who enjoyed playing schemes, he planned to use Mu Lin as a pawn to test Chu Hongxuan’s strength.

Meanwhile, as Lin Qi agreed to the bet, a smile appeared at the corner of Hua Xingyu’s mouth.

“Thank you, Brother Lin. We’ll take over guiding Mu Lin.”

Lin Qi: “You’re celebrating too early. I still believe that Mu Lin, who has gained the favor of two noble ladies, won’t be that weak.”

Hearing this, Hua Xingyu didn’t argue but smiled and said, “You’re right, Mu Lin’s strength indeed won’t be too weak. But have you forgotten one thing?”

“What thing?”

Hua Xingyu’s mysterious and smug smile already made Lin Qi sense something was wrong.

And soon, Lin Qi realized his guess was correct—he was most likely going to lose this bet.

Hua Xingyu: “Mu Lin is indeed not weak, but the fundamental Cultivation Method he practices is from the Yin Eight Gates Paper Artisan lineage.”

“And the Mystical Arts of this lineage are known for their anomalies, not the path of body refinement.”

“Not to mention, Thunder, as the pivot of heaven, is the most yang and domineering, suppressing all evil spirit powers. And Mu Lin’s Yin Eight Gates inheritance happens to be countered by Thunder.”

At this point, the smile on Hua Xingyu’s face grew even wider:

“Now, do you still think Mu Lin can reach 36 meters?”

“…”

Such words made Lin Qi open his mouth several times, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Only after a long while did an angry voice burst from his mouth.

“Damn it, I’ve been tricked!”

“No, you’re just too foolish.”

…

Mu Lin was unaware of the two’s bet and Lin Qi’s distress, nor was he interested in paying attention to it.

After using one of Chu Lingluo’s slots, he had already entered the Majestic Thunder Pool.

“Zzzap…”

Upon first entering the Thunder Pool, a torrent of lightning surged into Mu Lin’s body, making his hair stand on end.

At the same time, the excessive current also electrified Mu Lin’s flesh, leaving him tingling all over.

“Intense enough!”

At the edge of the Thunder Pool, the electric stimulation didn’t make Mu Lin uncomfortable. Instead, the tingling sensation made him feel thoroughly comfortable all over.

This happened partly because the Thunder in the Majestic Thunder Pool was primarily focused on creation and vitality, best at nourishing the body.

Another reason was that Mu Lin now possessed a Jiao Dragon Body.

Summoning wind and rain was the innate ability of a Jiao Dragon, and in nature, Thunder was inherently inseparable from wind and rain. Being able to command wind and rain, Mu Lin naturally could also slightly control Thunder and had strong resistance to thunder power.

Of course, Mu Lin entering the Thunder Pool wasn’t there to resist the thunder power.

In fact, he wasn’t even there to temper himself with the power of lightning.

He had more important things to do.

“Zzzap…”

Closing his eyes, Mu Lin, within the Thunder Pool, released his body and mind, allowing the electric currents to surge into his body.

Then, while undergoing the baptism of thunder power, Mu Lin carefully perceived his surroundings.

After a few breaths, Mu Lin discovered, with delight yet unsurprisingly, that his Jiao Dragon Body was absorbing the life-giving and transformative thunder.

Energy that resonated with his origin continuously flowed into his body, causing his Jiao Dragon Body to grow rapidly.

This brought an expression of ecstatic joy to Mu Lin’s face.

“Indeed, this is my Fortunate Land… Jiao Dragons can summon wind and rain, and similarly, places where wind and rain converge can nurture Jiao Dragons.”

“Although this place is not the most ideal geomantic treasure favored by Jiao Dragons, but rather a Thunder Pool, which is one layer removed, the presence of life-giving and transformative power here makes its effects no less than those of a geomantic treasure.”

“My Jiao Dragon Body still has nine moltings to break through its limits, and they… might be achieved here!”

Having confirmed this, Mu Lin was already prepared to immerse himself in the Thunder Pool every day for the coming days.

…

“Hum…”

After absorbing at the edge of the Thunder Pool for a while with his eyes closed, Mu Lin took a step forward, heading toward the center of the pool.

—Relying on the Jiao Dragon’s control over thunder power, Mu Lin discovered that the thunder at the periphery could indeed promote physical growth.

But the further inward he went, the higher the quality of the thunder, and the stronger the life-giving and transformative power, resulting in a better stimulating effect on the physical body.

To achieve the fastest and best growth, he had to move toward the center of the Thunder Pool.

“Splash…”

Taking step after step, Mu Lin steadily made his way toward the center of the Thunder Pool.

(End of Chapter)