Chapter 164 – The Mindset of the Strong

Mu Lin held an immense fondness for the Time Chamber.

This undisguised admiration was noticed by Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo.

Realizing he had thoughts of entering the Time Chamber, the two girls immediately grew anxious.

“Brother Mu, you can’t go into the Time Chamber.”

“Big Brother Mu, I know you need to improve your strength, but there’s no need to rush. Besides, with the Dao Palace and Teacher Dongfang Ya protecting you, your safety is assured. We really don’t need to waste our potential by entering the Time Chamber.”

While Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo were persuading him, Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu hesitated for a moment before also offering words of advice.

“Young Master Mu, trading potential for time truly isn’t a worthwhile action.”

Hearing their persuasion, Mu Lin nodded.

“You’re right. It’s indeed not cost-effective for the Main Body to enter the Time Chamber.”

At this point, Mu Lin smiled again and said, “But who said I was going to send my Main Body in?”

As he spoke, he took out a Paper Figure and blew on it casually.

With a “whoosh,” the Paper Figure grew in the wind, quickly transforming into a Clone nearly identical to Mu Lin.

After exchanging a glance, the Substitute Paper Figure received its orders and walked toward the Time Chamber.

Seeing this, the onlookers immediately understood that Mu Lin intended to have his substitute cultivate.

But because of this, their expressions twisted somewhat.

“Your Paper Figure can help you cultivate!”

“Mhm.”

Nodding, Mu Lin calmly replied, “Without this ability, I wouldn’t have been able to master Mystical Arts so profoundly in just three or four months. And without the assistance of those Mystical Arts, I wouldn’t have been able to leave my name in the Majestic Thunder Pool.”

Mu Lin’s explanation was perfectly reasonable, and because of this, Yan Yunyu and the others believed him.

At the same time, Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu also resolved a doubt in their hearts.

—They had always wondered how Mu Lin, as a commoner disciple from an outer Dao Academy, had managed to raise his Cultivation Level so high in such a short time.

Originally, the two thought Mu Lin possessed a great secret or some precious treasure.

But now, they knew it wasn’t a treasure; rather, he possessed a powerful Mystical Art.

Just as they were thinking this and feeling both shocked and envious of Mu Lin’s Mystical Art, Mu Lin continued speaking.

“Speaking of which, my Clone technique is quite common—it’s the Paper Substitute from the Paper Crafting Scripture. To give it the ability to cultivate, I expended tremendous effort and endured countless hardships, finally raising it to Master Grade.”

“Fortunately, it seems my arduous training wasn’t in vain.”

“…Master.”

Hearing this, Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu’s prying vanished without a trace.

That Master Grade Mystical Art was something they couldn’t achieve in a short time.

…

Sensing their prying disappear, Mu Lin also breathed a sigh of relief.

What he had just said was intentional.

Mu Lin knew very well that as he performed better and his fame grew, he would inevitably attract the attention of many people.

His experiences would also be thoroughly examined and scrutinized by many—the world was never short of clever individuals who would undoubtedly probe into why he was so powerful and grew so quickly.

Among them, some would analyze, while others would be unable to resist taking action.

Although Teacher Dongfang Ya would protect him, the saying goes: “Thieves can strike any day, but one cannot stay on guard every single day.”

Unwilling to fall into such a predicament, Mu Lin offered a plausible answer.

“I have a clone, and the clone can cultivate. That’s how I’ve been able to grow so rapidly. If you want to reach my level, go and practice the clone technique. By cultivating it to the Master Grade, you too might have the chance to soar in cultivation level like I have.”

Once they understood the principle, and even knew the mystical art Mu Lin practiced—which wasn’t particularly rare—others would shift their focus and not pay excessive attention to him.

As for whether revealing this would lead others to practice the substitute technique and diminish his advantage, Mu Lin could only scoff inwardly.

“A Master Grade Substitute Paper Figure isn’t so easy to cultivate.”

Moreover, Mu Lin had the innovative ideas from his past life, mixed with some quantum mechanics, which allowed his Master Grade Substitute Paper Figure to cultivate. Others, even if they advanced to the Master Grade, might not necessarily gain the ability for their clones to cultivate.

Of course, these were all minor details. Mu Lin knew very clearly that his true trump card was actually the Proficiency Panel. With it, his mystical art cultivation progressed at an astonishing speed.

“Without the Heavenly Dao rewarding diligence and the principle of ‘once proven, forever proven,’ even if others could make their substitutes cultivate, the gap in our cultivation efficiency would still be over a hundredfold!”

…

Guarding the core technology tightly while releasing secondary technology to make money—this was the approach of major corporations in his past life. Mu Lin was now doing the same, though for self-preservation, he was using the fact that clones could cultivate to misdirect others’ attention…

“Wait, I could also make money from this.”

At this thought, Mu Lin’s eyes lit up.

“I’m now a True Intent painter and can create True Intent Diagrams. Moreover, I possess the ability to manifest clones. Therefore, I can infuse the essence of clone cultivation into the diagrams, allowing others to comprehend and learn from them.”

In this world, mana is the foundation of everything, and nearly all aristocratic family disciples prioritize its cultivation. Undoubtedly, the ability for clones to cultivate would be immensely helpful for these aristocratic family disciples, multiplying their cultivation speed several times over.

Consequently, the True Intent Diagrams of clone cultivation, painted by Mu Lin as the pioneer and living advertisement, could fetch astronomical prices.

“Bathing in Moonlight Dew no longer seems like a distant dream for me.”

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. More importantly, he was in dire need of spirit stones.

Despite appearing carefree and lacking nothing at the moment, Mu Lin hadn’t forgotten that his rapid cultivation was largely supported by Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo behind the scenes. However, as a man, relying on others indefinitely was not what he wanted.

Moreover, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo couldn’t support all his expenses. Why hadn’t Mu Lin replaced all his paper figures with Star-Twilight Marquis Paper? It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he simply couldn’t afford it, which was why he had to settle for ordinary paper figures.

As for sandalwood, Mind-Clearing Jade Pendants, Bodhi Beads… these items could enhance comprehension, yet Mu Lin had never equipped them during cultivation. Was it because he looked down on them? No, the key reason was still a lack of funds.

Beyond all this, Mu Lin now had two major expenses to contend with. One was the Jade Lake Dao Academy points. Whether it was the Majestic Thunder Pool or the Time Tower, he would frequent these places, and they required academy points.

Admittedly, Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu had points, but those were obtained by their families through spending Spirit Stones, resources, or connections. Could Mu Lin keep using them for free indefinitely?

Secondly, there was the matter of the Jiao Dragon’s molting.

After each molting, Mu Lin’s potential would be completely depleted. He needed to accumulate it anew to restore his potential and break through in the Thunder Pool.

However, if left to natural recovery and gradual accumulation, Mu Lin could only molt once every three to five months.

And this was only possible with the Spiritual Meals provided by Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu. Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person would need two to three years to accumulate enough energy for a single molting. After all, each molting increased Mu Lin’s overall constitution by sixty percent.

To avoid spending so much time, Mu Lin would need to purchase Natural Treasures that replenish blood and vitality—and in large quantities at that. This was yet another expense.

“And then there’s the Time Tower. While inside the Time Tower, my cultivation speed increases by three to five times, but the consumption of Moonlight Jade Dew and Dawn Purple Qi also increases correspondingly…”

Originally, due to his Clone’s cultivation, Mu Lin’s resource consumption was already three to five times that of others. Now, with an additional three- to fivefold increase, the sheer volume of resources required was enough to make his scalp tingle just thinking about it.

Fortunately, as the saying goes, misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and blessings may harbor misfortune. While his resource consumption was high, the cultivation level he would have reached only after three to five years could now be achieved in just three to five months. This made Mu Lin feel he was getting a great deal.

“I must paint this True Intent Diagram!”

While pondering this, Mu Lin also summoned his recently restored Substitute Paper Figures (which had been consumed in the Majestic Thunder Pool) one after another, sending them into the Time Tower to cultivate.

Watching the figures enter the Time Tower in succession, Lin Qi and Hua Xingyu were left gaping, speechless.

“One, two, three… five, six… six Clones. His daily cultivation speed is six times ours, no wonder his strength improves so rapidly.”

Hearing Lin Qi’s words, Hua Xingyu smiled bitterly and said, “Not six times. With the Time Tower, his current cultivation efficiency is eighteen times ours… no, wait, it’s thirty times now!”

Thirty times the speed—this completely shattered Hua Xingyu’s composure. Usually dressed as an elegant and noble young master, he couldn’t help but utter a curse.

“Damn, with a cultivation multiplier like that, I’d dare to compete for first place… no, the top three in Jade Lake Dao Academy!”

Lin Qi also felt utterly helpless:

“Exactly. To be honest, even if you offered me a Heaven-Rank Technique, I wouldn’t trade it for this Clone technique!”

The two of them sighed in admiration and envy.

Just as they were green with envy, Mu Lin spoke to Yan Yunyu.

“Yan… Yun Yu, how many Spirit Stones do you think I could sell the True Intent Diagram of Clone cultivation for?”

“Huh?”

“Wait, you’re planning to sell the True Intent Diagram for Clone cultivation?!”

The first to react to Mu Lin’s words weren’t Yan Yunyu—before she could even process it, Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi couldn’t help but jump in.

At the same time, their hearts pounded uncontrollably.

It was impossible not to be excited. The combination of Clones and the Time Tower could instantly increase cultivation speed by nearly thirty times. What Qi Refiner wouldn’t be dazzled and thrilled by such news?

In any case, both Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi had already decided in their hearts that if Mu Lin truly could produce such a True Intent Diagram, they would absolutely buy it, even if it meant bankrupting themselves.

This scene brought a faint smile to Mu Lin’s lips.

For his own safety, and more importantly, to divert others’ attention, the Clone Cultivation Technique was something Mu Lin had to disseminate.

Otherwise, in his current vulnerable state, he could not withstand the covert scrutiny of the numerous Aristocratic Families.

Of course, Mu Lin could have chosen another path—lying low.

But pretending to be weak for too long risks turning one into the real thing.

Once he chose to hide, Mu Lin would never gain Yan Yunyu’s regard, let alone receive cultivation guidance from Dongfang Ya, the Dao Palace, or Master Huarui.

Without these abundant resources, Mu Lin’s cultivation speed would slow by at least thirtyfold.

Under such circumstances, the time required for him to become a powerhouse would also extend by twenty to thirty times. Such a prolonged growth period would leave his cultivation path riddled with hidden dangers, which was why he was unwilling to lie low.

However, simply giving away the technique for free would be a boon to others, something Mu Lin found rather displeasing.

Now, things were better: by releasing news of the technique to ensure his safety, and then profiting from the True Intent Diagram, he could achieve both safety and Spirit Stones.

While Mu Lin was thinking this through, upon hearing his inquiry, Yan Yunyu actually shook her head.

“Brother Mu, you can’t release the true intent of this technique! It’s your core, the foundation for you to become a powerhouse, and a heritage that can be passed down as a family treasure!”

These words immediately made Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi’s eyes turn red with greed, and they glared at Yan Yunyu with clear hostility.

Unavoidably, in their view, she was obstructing their Cultivation Paths.

Yan Yunyu felt their gazes but paid them no mind. She was utterly opposed to Mu Lin releasing the true intent of his technique.

In her eyes, she would eventually marry Mu Lin, and thus his technique would belong to her and their future children. How could she possibly agree to selling their family’s core heritage?

Having said this, she even clung to Mu Lin’s arm and spoke with utmost sincerity:

“Young Master Mu, if you lack Spirit Stones or resources, you can tell me. Whether by pleading or borrowing, I can deliver the resources to you…”

Chu Lingluo: “M-me too.”

Mu Lin understood Yan Yunyu’s reason for refusal. Selling a core technique for profit was indeed something only a fool would do.

But the key point was that Clone Cultivation was not Mu Lin’s core—it wasn’t even a secondary core—and he had to discard the Clone Technique to divert attention.

Of course, Mu Lin would not state such considerations directly. After a moment of thought, he came up with a better explanation.

“The core essence cannot be sold? Heh, Yun Yu, you’re clever, but you lack the mindset of a true powerhouse.”

“A true powerhouse never fears others surpassing them; they only rejoice at gaining another rival.”

“I aspire to be the strongest, to hold all victories in my hands. I will never retreat from any direct challenge; I will only face it head-on!”

“Mystical Arts, Cultivation Methods—if they want to learn them, let them. Those who learn from me will thrive; those who merely imitate me will perish. Since this concept was pioneered by me, I am not afraid of anyone surpassing me.”

“I will walk at the forefront and continue to create and comprehend even more techniques!”

Mu Lin’s righteous and fearless demeanor earned a mix of admiration and peculiar glances from Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi.

Clearly, they did not approve of Mu Lin’s heroic spirit.

—Well, not only did they not believe it, but Mu Lin himself didn’t believe it either.

As for Yan Yunyu, with her deep scheming nature, she was even more skeptical.

Among those present, only Chu Lingluo, with her innocent heart, was captivated by Mu Lin’s words, her eyes shining with admiration and looking at him with utmost reverence.

Of course, despite their disbelief, everyone wore expressions of respect.

Among them, Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi deliberately maintained such expressions to gain insight into the true intent of Clone cultivation.

As for Yan Yunyu, after realizing she couldn’t sway Mu Lin’s will, she had no choice but to agree and follow his lead.

However, she also devised a ruthless move.

“Brother Mu is truly a hero. I am but a mere woman, lacking the mindset of a true powerhouse. Please forgive my shortcomings.”

After such praise, she shifted her tone:

“As for the True Intent Diagram, since Brother Mu insists on selling it, then so be it. However, Mystical Arts should not be passed on lightly. Once this diagram is drawn, others will only have the right to view it, not take it away. As for the price per viewing, let’s temporarily set it at 8,888 Spirit Stones for good luck.”

“?! !”

These words made Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi widen their eyes in shock.

Neither of them expected Yan Yunyu to be so ruthless, setting such an exorbitant price.

8,888 Spirit Stones was no small sum, even for the descendants of Aristocratic Families.

Moreover, observing the True Intent Diagram did not guarantee mastery. Viewing it multiple times would also drain Hua Xingyu and Lin Qi’s vitality.

Sensing this, Lin Qi couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t this price a bit too high…”

“Hmph.”

Unfortunately, before he could finish his complaint, he was interrupted by Yan Yunyu, whose expression turned icy.

“Do you think Brother Mu Lin’s Mystical Art true intent isn’t worth this price?”

“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant, it’s just…”

Yan Yunyu: “If that’s not what you meant, then it’s fine. Besides, we aren’t forcing you to come view the True Intent Diagram. If you think it’s too expensive, you don’t have to buy it. I don’t mind.”

Regarding the sale of this True Intent Diagram, Yan Yunyu’s attitude was clear—buy it if you want, or get lost if you don’t.

…………

(End of Chapter)