Chapter 169 – Was a Grandson Before, Still a Grandson Now—Such Is My Cultivation

Mu Lin was unaware of the events that had taken place in Master Meng Rui’s house. After ending the communication, he began his cultivation.

His main body cultivated outside the Time Tower, while his clone practiced inside.

As he cultivated, time continued to flow.

Meanwhile, a large number of people were gathering toward the Jade Lake Dao Academy.

Among those arriving were wealthy merchants, influential nobles, soldiers from the frontier armies, and various officials from the Demon Suppression Division.

Their reason for coming was simple… to recruit talent.

In the previous life, during imperial examinations, there were rumors of “catching a son-in-law under the announcement board.” In this world, Qi Refiners held a higher status than scholars, and those who showed potential were thus valued and invested in by many.

Among them, wealthy merchants could only compete for the lowest-tier talents, while nobles and the military could vie for the highest-tier talents.

Hmm… there were also parents of academy disciples. Since their children were participating in the assessment, they naturally came to watch, or some Elders would evaluate and determine how many resources to allocate.

Whether it was due to sensing the turmoil in the world or the arrival of the Foreign Races attracting attention, in any case, the number of people coming to observe this time was quite large—more than in previous years.

The arrival of so many people also made Yuzhou City exceptionally lively, which, in a way, even affected Mu Lin.

“I’m sorry, Brother Mu. There are too many people in Jade Province right now, and the number of people coming to book meals is also very high…”

Listening to Yan Yunyu’s sincere apology and looking at the crowded surroundings, it was indeed overwhelming.

Seeing this, Mu Lin did not blame her.

“It’s fine, it’s not your fault. Besides, no matter what, you still managed to secure a spot, didn’t you?”

The two of them still came to a restaurant, but unlike the tranquility of a few days ago, the restaurant was now packed, and there wasn’t a single private room available.

From this, one could see just how lively Jade Province was.

While comforting Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin led the two girls toward their seats.

Along the way, not many people paid attention to Mu Lin.

This was not surprising.

Although Mu Lin had created the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram, neither Yan Yunyu, Hua Xingyu, nor Yuan Ce had any intention of spreading the cultivation method diagram.

Especially the latter, who didn’t even want to inform their parents or family.

There was no other way—Yan Yunyu firmly believed that a few Spirit Stones could not compare to the powerful tool of clone cultivation. Therefore, she was determined to sell as few True Intent Diagrams as possible.

With limited opportunities to view the True Intent Diagram and an almost endless number of people wanting to observe it, if too many people knew about it, Hua Xingyu and the others would no longer be able to access it.

Under such circumstances, how could Yuan Ce and the others dare to reveal this information?

The suppression by everyone also kept Mu Lin’s reputation low.

As for this, Mu Lin was in no hurry.

He clearly knew that as the Southeast Region assessment began, his reputation and performance would inevitably spread, and the matter of the True Intent Diagram would eventually be discovered.

Of course, this was secondary. The more crucial reason was that the purchases by Hua Xingyu, Yuan Ce, and Lin Qi meant that Mu Lin was not lacking in Spirit Stones at the moment.

Since he wasn’t lacking, he naturally wasn’t in a hurry either.

“Let things take their natural course…”

While thinking this, Mu Lin continued walking toward his seat in the restaurant.

On either side of him, Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo each held onto one of his arms.

The intimate trio didn’t attract too much attention in the bustling restaurant.

Many men here had female companions; it was not uncommon to see three, five, or even over a dozen.

Mu Lin bringing only two female companions was quite ordinary.

However, just as Mu Lin followed Yan Yunyu’s guidance toward his seat, a voice filled with astonishment and a hint of disbelief suddenly rang out beside them.

“Ling… Lingluo?!”

The sudden voice made the three of them instinctively turn to look.

Then, Mu Lin noticed that Chu Lingluo’s mother was chatting with some noblewomen in a private room.

Now, the door to the room was open, and the group inside looked at Mu Lin and the others with expressions ranging from shock to amusement.

  Seeing Chu Lingluo’s mother, Mu Lin frowned, not wanting to linger.

In contrast, the innocent Chu Lingluo was overjoyed to see her mother.

“Mother!”

After her initial delight, she immediately grabbed Mu Lin’s arm and pulled him toward her mother.

“Mother, this is Brother Mu Lin, my current team leader. He’s a very good person, so capable…”

In front of her mother, Chu Lingluo praised Mu Lin lavishly, elevating him to a level rarely seen in the heavens or found on earth.

Such praise left the other noblewomen puzzled about Mu Lin’s background.

However, just as they were trying to figure out his status, Chu Lingluo’s next words caused the noblewomen’s expressions to turn peculiar.

“Oh, Mother, do you have any Spirit Stones? Mine are almost spent.”

“Brother Mu, once I have Spirit Stones, I can treat you to delicious food just like Yun Yu.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

These words made Mu Lin sound as if he were living off others—though, admittedly, he had done so quite often in the past.

And how capable could a man who lived off others truly be?

Thus, Mu Lin’s “exposure” left many noblewomen with strange expressions.

Chu Lingluo’s mother, on the other hand, looked displeased.

As for Mu Lin, he felt somewhat speechless.

Seeing this, Yan Yunyu stepped forward to explain, “Lingluo, you’ve misunderstood. Brother Mu Lin is now spending the Spirit Stones he earned himself.”

This wasn’t entirely to save face for Mu Lin. While Yan Yunyu had chosen the restaurant, most of the expenses were covered by Mu Lin.

Moreover, securing this spot wasn’t solely Yan Yunyu’s doing; Mu Lin had also played a part.

She had approached Master Meng Rui to secure the reservation, and Master Meng Rui’s willingness to help was largely due to her regard for Mu Lin—even though Mu Lin hadn’t been directly involved, as everything was handled between Yan Yunyu and Master Meng Rui.

However, despite her explanation, the noblewomen in the private room remained unconvinced. Upon hearing that Mu Lin had earned the money for the meal himself, they became even more certain of his humble origins, and their gazes toward him turned somewhat disdainful.

Sensing this, Yan Yunyu immediately wanted to explain further.

But Mu Lin stopped her.

If he wanted to marry Chu Lingluo, it would indeed be proper to curry favor with her mother and her mother’s friends.

However, past disdain and pressure had left Mu Lin with little desire to overly please Chu Lingluo’s mother.

‘I cultivate to live freely and follow my heart. If I have to act subserviently before gaining strength and continue to do so even after, then what’s the point of all this cultivation?’

With this thought in mind, Mu Lin gave a brief greeting and prepared to leave.

Meanwhile, Mu Lin was no longer afraid of Chu Lingluo’s mother.

Having demonstrated his talent, he was now under the protection of Dongfang Ya, Meng Rui, and the Anping Dao Palace.

After this assessment, even more people would surely take him under their wing. Under such circumstances, Chu Lingluo’s mother could not touch him. After all, although the Chu Family was powerful, she was not its head, and the Chu Family would not offend so many people just to save her face.

“Miss Chu, you stay here with your mother. Yun Yu and I will go eat over there.”

“No, I’m coming too! And call me Lingluo!”

“Mother, I’m leaving first. I’ll see you tonight.”

…

After saying his goodbyes, Mu Lin left.

Although he had departed, the discussions about him among the noblewomen in the room did not cease.

Moreover, the looks everyone gave Chu Lingluo’s mother were extremely peculiar.

PS: Wrapping up the previous events. After this, there will be fewer matters related to romance.

(End of Chapter)