Chapter 188 – Officers Fighting Over Mu Lin

The Dao Palace was established under the leadership of the imperial family and aristocratic clans, both of which never act without benefit. Consequently, the students trained by the Dao Palace are never provided for free.

Upon leaving the Dao Palace, Mu Lin and the others would have to join the Demon Suppression Division or the military, serving the empire. Since the empire is dominated by the imperial family and aristocratic clans, this essentially means serving the latter two as well.

This system essentially makes the students of the Dao Palace reserves for the Demon Suppression Division and the military… Well, because Qi Refiners are scarce and possess formidable strength, their status is slightly better than that of martial artists. Strictly speaking, they belong to the reserve officer corps.

At the same time, every organization has an inherent instinct to continuously expand, and the Demon Suppression Division and the military are no exception.

Moreover, in any era, talent is the most important resource. This is why the Prodigy assessment held by the Jade Lake Dao Academy attracted many high-ranking officials from the Demon Suppression Division and the military.

They aimed to screen for geniuses through this assessment and recruit them into their ranks in advance—this was also a necessity for them. In this era of war, the various legions and the Demon Suppression Division face immense pressure, making their available combat strength perpetually insufficient.

Because everyone craves talent, geniuses are somewhat in short supply.

With competition so fierce, when a genius appears, if you do not take the initiative to reach out and recruit them early, they will be snatched away by others.

Currently, these officials were quite satisfied with Mu Lin’s performance.

“Possessing immense strength and unstoppable momentum, he is a fierce warrior who should rightfully join my Azure Dragon Legion.”

As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately expressed dissatisfaction.

“Commanding the wind and rain, stirring rivers and seas—Mu Lin clearly excels in naval warfare. He should join my Kunpeng Legion instead.”

“No, no, you’ve all misunderstood. Summoning hundreds of Paper Figures and disguising them as lifelike civilians—such a combat style can easily lure out the Demons and Monsters hiding among humans. He clearly belongs in my Demon Suppression Division.”

In his eagerness to recruit Mu Lin, the officer from the Demon Suppression Division even remarked with admiration, “Those lifelike Paper Figures—even I couldn’t distinguish them. Just this skill alone could save us countless losses.”

“To fully utilize Mu Lin’s abilities, I ask all of you to yield him to me.”

The Demon Suppression Division officer spoke earnestly, but unfortunately, his words found no agreement.

“Luring Demons and Monsters is indeed impressive, but in the military, Mu Lin can also play a significant role. Those hundreds of Paper Figures make for the best scouts.”

Advancing, he can single-handedly take on a thousand, fierce and invincible; retreating, he can serve as a scout, discerning all directions.

Even if stationed far in the rear, he can eliminate Demons and Monsters and protect the peace of a region. Mu Lin’s versatility left both the military and the Demon Suppression Division highly satisfied.

However, because Mu Lin was too outstanding, the several leaders who had come to recruit him refused to yield to one another.

They could not afford to yield either. In the wilderness and borderlands, their comrades, as close as brothers, were fighting against Demons and Monsters. Under such circumstances, recruiting one more powerful genius would increase their own and their comrades’ chances of survival. In such a situation, anyone who dared to show humility would have their head smashed in by the legion commanders.

The several Spell Masters and True Persons, eyeing each other, were all building up their presence, hoping to intimidate the others into backing down.

Unfortunately, their strengths were roughly equal, so none could truly threaten the others.

Seeing this, the steward of the Azure Dragon Legion immediately began pleading poverty: “Brother, it’s not that I’m unwilling to yield, but the front lines are truly on the verge of collapse. If they fall, your rear…”

“You’re still better off. Our Kunpeng Legion is the one truly suffering. After all, we humans live on land—fighting water ghosts is completely unfamiliar to us. Now that we’ve finally found someone capable of aquatic combat, you’re still trying to snatch him away. Are you abandoning the aquatic defense line?”

“Ahem, our Demon Suppression Division must also protect the peace of humanity. Only with stability in the rear can we support the front lines…”

After each had their say, the three men understood: each had their reasons, and none were willing to back down. With a cold snort, they immediately ordered their subordinate strategists to gather information on Mu Lin, discussing what kind of treatment to offer him and how to win him over.

Soon, news of the three vying for Mu Lin spread—largely because the head of the Demon Suppression Division made no effort to conceal it, even actively spreading the word.

His reason for doing so was to join forces with wealthy and powerful figures, pooling resources to keep Mu Lin within the Demon Suppression Division.

The armies stationed at the borders differed from the Demon Suppression Division guarding the rear.

The former faced harsh conditions and had to rely on their own funds and efforts to recruit talent.

The Demon Suppression Division, however, was different. Stationed in various regions, they were essentially integrated with the local elites.

Moreover, their interests were closely tied to those wealthy and influential individuals.

The richer one was, the more they feared death. No wealthy person, anywhere, wanted to be enjoying fine food and music only to be suddenly ambushed by demons and monsters.

Unwilling to meet such a fate, they naturally desired a powerful guardian in their area of residence.

To this end, they had no qualms about contributing money and effort to keep powerful individuals or prodigies in place, ensuring their protection.

“Everyone, you’ve seen Mu Lin’s talent and strength. He alone can deploy hundreds of clones to protect an entire area.”

“And this is just now. If he continues to grow stronger, he might even be able to defend an entire city single-handedly.”

“More importantly, those paper figures, indistinguishable from living people, can easily lure out demons and monsters, ensuring your living areas remain completely safe…”

Hearing this, before the Demon Suppression Division representative could continue, someone immediately spoke up: “General Zhang, I understand. I’m willing to offer a shop to keep Mu Lin in Wandering Dragon City.”

“Ahem, Mu Lin studies at the Anping Dao Palace. He should stay in Anping City. I’m willing to contribute three thousand Spirit Stones…”

Some offered resources, others Spirit Stones—many wealthy individuals contributed money and effort to keep Mu Lin in their regions.

Meanwhile, those who learned of this matter marveled at how highly regarded Mu Lin was by military officers, but more importantly, they realized that Mu Lin was no longer an insignificant figure without power or influence.

Being sought after by the Demon Suppression Division and various legions meant he now had backing. Even the children of the elite would think twice before provoking someone connected to the Demon Suppression Division or the military.

“With such talent, he can now stand on equal footing with the scions of aristocratic families.”

“That’s only natural. To stand out among the five Dao Palaces, he is one of the most outstanding individuals from humble backgrounds. As long as the aristocratic families aren’t foolish, they won’t reject him but will instead seek to recruit him.”

As some wealthy merchants had speculated, there were indeed those who wanted to draw Mu Lin into their own families.

Even the wealthy merchants themselves were tempted.

It was no wonder they felt this way. Qi Refiners inherently held high status, and as a Prodigy among them, whether Mu Lin entered the Demon Suppression Division or joined the military, as long as he survived, he would rise to a high-ranking position.

Many wealthy merchants understood that only by wielding power could their status remain secure and their businesses remain free from prying eyes.

This was true for wealthy merchants, and it was no different for the Aristocratic Families.

Their status was not eternal. To maintain their family’s standing, they too needed to exert effort, placing their trusted confidants and subordinates in the court, the military, and the Demon Suppression Division.

Without capable people to manage such affairs, one need only look at the fate of the four great families—Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue—in Dream of the Red Chamber for reference.

Even families as illustrious as the Four Princes and Eight Dukes, once they lost their influence in the military or the court, would inevitably meet a desolate end, leaving nothing but a vast, empty expanse.

Therefore, any family that wasn’t foolish would consider winning Mu Lin over. And while marriage alliances might be an old-fashioned method, they remained the most practical.

“Mu Lin is already qualified to marry the legitimate daughter of my family.”

At this thought, some noblewomen looked at Chu Lingluo’s mother with increasingly peculiar expressions.

“To actively push away such a son-in-law… your Chu Family truly is remarkable.”

While those noblewomen wore strange expressions, Chu Lingluo’s mother grew increasingly sullen and even more troubled.

By now, as Mu Lin’s performance continued to improve, matters concerning him were no longer just private affairs between her and her daughter. They had become significant issues related to the family’s development.

In such circumstances, having made a wrong judgment, she was bound to face punishment from the family.

“This is troublesome.”

…

At this moment, Mu Lin remained completely unaware of the events and disputes unfolding outside. Moreover, he had no interest in concerning himself with such matters.

While happily clearing away Demonic Fiends, he suddenly noticed something unusual: the Paper Figures he had sent out were being rapidly eliminated. What made his expression darken even more was that those eliminating his Paper Figures were not Demonic Fiends, but… humans!

“I’m being targeted by Jade Lake Dao Academy!”

At this realization, Mu Lin found that he felt no surprise. Instead, it all seemed perfectly reasonable.

(End of Chapter)