Chapter 217 – Heaven-Rank Technique: God-Monarch Summoning Art

Watching Mu Lin’s rapid progress in strength, Yan Yunyu trembled all over—this was both envy and excitement.

She envied how swiftly Mu Lin’s power was advancing, and she was excited because, as his subordinate, she too would reap countless benefits from his growing strength.

However, even though she was close to Mu Lin, after hearing his sigh of “so slow,” her expression nearly twisted in disbelief.

“This is still slow! Brother Mu, the progress you’ve made now would take us half a year to catch up to.”

“Haha…”

Yan Yunyu’s somewhat exasperated words made Mu Lin laugh. But soon, he composed himself and calmly said, “My current rate of improvement isn’t slow, but there are many outstanding talents in the world, and noble families have deep foundations. Above them are the royal descendants and the Forbidden Lands. To surpass them, I must continue to strive.”

Mu Lin stated this ambition as if it were ordinary, yet it deeply shocked Yan Yunyu.

‘Surpassing everyone… So, Brother Mu, from the very beginning, you set your sights on becoming the strongest in the world… This is truly…’

After pondering for a moment, the word that finally surfaced in Yan Yunyu’s mind was—arrogance.

Don’t find this strange. In reality, Mu Lin’s ambition was akin to a high school Prodigy declaring their goal to become the ruler of the world—the ruler of Blue Star.

Hearing such words, calling it arrogance was already Yan Yunyu trying to find a slightly better term for him. Many others would consider Mu Lin, with such ambitions, to be arrogant, delusional, and ignorant of his own limits.

Of course, Mu Lin didn’t care about others’ opinions.

At this moment, he was contemplating how to accelerate his energy accumulation, and in the end, he actually found a way.

“Cultivation Methods!”

“There should be Cultivation Methods specifically designed to speed up energy consumption… No, simply accelerating digestion isn’t enough. The time I have for ‘Fixation’ is extremely short, and in such a brief period, I can’t possibly digest many resources.”

“In this situation, forcibly performing Fixation and making up for the deficit later is indeed feasible, but it could easily damage my foundation. So, I need to find a Cultivation Method capable of storing energy.”

There are actually quite a few such methods. Even in the martial world, there are techniques that convert energy into fat stored on the body, then burn that fat during life-or-death battles for an explosive surge.

In fact, the Yin Seal that Mu Lin envisioned, centered on the character ‘Stabilize,’ is precisely a method for storing energy.

“However, creating my own method is too difficult, and my experience isn’t sufficient yet. For now, I should focus on learning.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin turned his gaze to Yan Yunyu.

“I remember the first-place winner of the Southern Eastern Region Joint Examination receives substantial rewards. When will those be distributed?”

Hearing this, Yan Yunyu couldn’t help but facepalm.

“Brother Mu, you’ve forgotten something. To eliminate the influence of luck, the Southern Eastern Region Joint Examination has two rounds. Only after both rounds are completed will the results be finalized and the rewards distributed.”

“I know, but doesn’t the Jade Lake Dao Academy want me to join? Tell them I’m considering it, but I’d like to receive the rewards in advance… Not all of them, just the Cultivation Methods for now—Heaven-Rank Techniques.”

“…If that’s the case, it might be feasible. I’ll communicate with them right away.”

In matters of communication and negotiation, Yan Yunyu was far more skilled than Mu Lin, so he did not offer any misguided advice in this area. Instead, he focused on refining the remaining resources for stabilizing and nourishing his foundation to replenish the deficiencies in his body.

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mu Lin opened his eyes, and Yan Yunyu had already reached an agreement with the other party.

“Brother Mu, I’ve negotiated with the Vice-Dean of Jade Lake Dao Palace. They’ve agreed to let you select a cultivation method. However, due to Xue Ying’s presence, in principle, you are only allowed to choose Earth Grade Supreme techniques.”

“Of course, after my negotiations and discussions, they’ve agreed to let you learn a Heaven-Rank Technique. But they also set conditions. First, if you don’t achieve first place in the next assessment, you will only retain the technique itself. All other privileges, such as resources, Academy Points, and Magical Artifact embryos, will be revoked.”

“Second, if you don’t achieve first place, you must become a Disciple of Jade Lake Dao Academy. Of course, you can also remain a Disciple of Anping Dao Palace concurrently.”

Upon hearing this, Mu Lin immediately frowned.

“Their demands are so high?”

“Ahem…”

Yan Yunyu coughed awkwardly at his words and explained softly, “Brother Mu, actually, their demands aren’t that high. It’s just that Heaven-Rank Techniques are far too precious… Even the descendants of Aristocratic Families and most Prodigies in Jade Lake Dao Academy don’t have the qualifications to access Heaven-Rank Techniques.”

“…”

Yan Yunyu’s explanation left Mu Lin silent. Only then did he realize that Heaven-Rank Techniques were indeed on a completely different level compared to other cultivation methods.

“I understand. Tell them I agree to both conditions, but I want to select a technique as soon as possible.”

“Alright.”

After some communication, it was finally arranged that Mu Lin could go and choose his technique that very day.

He didn’t delay. Even though his body was still weak, Mu Lin went to the Scripture Repository Pavilion of Jade Lake Dao Academy, ascended to the top floor, and began searching for the technique he wanted.

This didn’t take him much time—even in Jade Lake Dao Academy, Heaven-Rank Techniques were extremely rare. There were only a handful, and many were either incomplete or lacked subsequent parts. In the end, only two or three were available for Mu Lin to choose from.

Choosing between two or three options naturally went quickly.

In the end, accompanied by the Vice-Dean, Mu Lin selected a secret art called the “God-Monarch Summoning Art.”

This was a secret method similar to a Dharma Image, capable of nurturing and commanding a God-Monarch Dharma Image akin to an Avatar.

While such a secret art might not seem directly related to digestion and storage, it actually had some connection.

Of course, the reason Mu Lin chose it was that, in the Scripture Repository Pavilion of Jade Lake Dao Academy, this was the only Heaven-Rank Technique even remotely related to storage and digestion. The others had no connection at all.

‘I miscalculated. I shouldn’t have set my sights on a Heaven-Rank Technique. Such secret arts are indeed powerful at the Heaven Grade, but they are also rare—no, incredibly rare. In my current state, I simply can’t obtain one.’

As Mu Lin was reflecting on this, the seemingly amiable Vice-Dean beside him offered some advice.

“Mu Lin, are you sure you don’t want to choose the Jade Purity Divine Thunder Codex? You must understand that while Heaven-Rank secret arts are powerful, they are also extremely difficult to learn and master. For example, the God-Monarch Summoning Art you hold—the hardest part has never been summoning or commanding, but rather the act of ‘serving and nurturing.'”

“Without the accumulated heritage of a family spanning thousands of years, how could you possibly sustain a God-Monarch of boundless power?”

“And if you cannot sustain a God-Monarch, this secret art becomes useless.”

“In contrast, the Jade Purity Divine Thunder Codex, though also difficult to master, suits your high adaptability to thunder, giving you a greater chance of success.”

The Vice-Dean before him made some valid points, but the issue was that this Jade Purity Divine Thunder Codex needed to be complete.

Indeed, the Jade Purity Divine Thunder Codex stored at Jade Lake Dao Academy was only half, or even one-third, of the full text. To learn it entirely, Mu Lin had no hope even by joining Jade Lake Dao Academy; he would need to go to the Jade Purity Sect for even a sliver of hope.

And since he did not wish to be constrained by others, even though this thunder method was powerful and a direct path to the Great Dao, Mu Lin had no choice but to give it up.

“Thank you for your guidance, Dean, but I’ll pass. I prefer this secret art.”

“…As long as you’re satisfied.”

Seeing that persuasion was futile, the Vice-Dean sighed and said no more.

…

Half an incense stick’s time later, having recorded the secret art, Mu Lin returned to his courtyard.

Meanwhile, Vice-Dean Ji Guan went to the training ground where the Headmaster was.

As soon as he entered the room, before he could even have a cup of tea, a voice rang out.

“Which cultivation method did he choose?”

Hearing this question, Ji Guan immediately replied, “The God-Monarch Summoning Art.”

Upon hearing this name, the Headmaster of Jade Lake Dao Academy frowned.

“Hmm??”

“How could it be this one? I recall this secret art requires a cultivator whose family has had at least a True Lord, if not a Celestial Master, to learn it. Did you not tell him?”

These words annoyed Ji Guan somewhat.

“Headmaster, you underestimate me too much. It’s true he made me lose some face before, but now he is considered a student of our Jade Lake Dao Academy. His outstanding performance benefits me as well. How could I possibly harm him under such circumstances?”

After expressing his annoyance, he added somewhat displeased:

“Not only did I inform him of the flaws in this cultivation method, but I also recommended the Jade Purity Divine Thunder Codex to him. However, he believes in his own exceptional talent and insists on this path. What could I do?”

Considering that prodigies are often arrogant—a common flaw—the Headmaster of Jade Lake Dao Academy sighed.

“Fine, let him choose as he wishes. After all, this cultivation method has no harmful consequences; it will only waste some time.”

“Moreover, we currently have no authority to guide him. Once he enters the Dao Academy and fails to master this secret art, we can then offer him some instruction.”

…

Mu Lin was unaware of the conversation in the Headmaster’s training ground.

Returning to his courtyard, Mu Lin immediately reviewed the cultivation method imprinted in his mind and attempted to practice it.

At the same time, unlike Ji Guan’s thoughts, Mu Lin had great confidence in mastering this cultivation method.

“The God-Monarch Summoning Art—the core of this secret art is to sustain a God-Monarch, then fill it with mana and rules. When used, the God-Monarch can be summoned to battle or fused with oneself to gain immense power.”

It could be said that sustaining the God-Monarch accounted for ninety percent of this secret art, while summoning and controlling it made up only ten percent.

Yet for a mortal to sustain a God-Monarch was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Because of this, this secret technique has a clever workaround. If you have connections, you can find a True Lord or Celestial Master and borrow a wisp of their thought to serve as the core of the God-Monarch.

Alternatively, like the fox immortals of the Demon Fox Clan, you can use a deity nurtured by your own clan as the core, borrowing the power of the clan’s god.

However, aside from Mu Lin not wanting to be controlled by others, one simple fact dashed his hopes.

Humans have no common ruler, and Mu Lin’s ancestors never produced a True Lord. Even if he wanted to borrow, he had no one to borrow from.

“This technique is simply impossible for ordinary people to cultivate… Come to think of it, could it be precisely because ordinary people can’t cultivate it that it was placed intact in the Jade Lake Dao Academy’s Scripture Repository Pavilion?”

Considering that most Heaven-Rank Techniques in Jade Lake Dao Academy were incomplete, Mu Lin once again realized the preciousness and true value of such techniques.

—Heaven-Rank Techniques that can actually be cultivated would never be accessible to ordinary people, let alone mastered.

Of course, Mu Lin was no ordinary person, and he dared to choose it precisely because he believed he had a chance of succeeding.

“After sublimation, the Sky-Scraping Spell can be considered a blank Divinity. This can serve as the core of the God-Monarch Summoning Art. Additionally, the City God, the Ziwei Emperor Star Power, and the Nether Connection Power of the Mount Tai Lord Altar can all be used as rules to fill into the God-Monarch Summoning Art, allowing the God-Monarch to be successfully nurtured.”

Viewed this way, the God-Monarch Summoning Art and the Sky-Scraping Spell – Purple Tenuity Emperor Star Power seemed no different. It appeared Mu Lin had made a pointless choice.

But that was not the case.

“Their relationship is indeed close, but the difference is that the Sky-Scraping Spell, whether it’s the Purple Tenuity Emperor Star or the City God, only possesses status, not power.”

“Every time I use this ability, whether it’s Mana or Divine Soul power, I am completely drained.”

“In contrast, the God-Monarch Summoning Art, besides status, allows me to fill it with corresponding power, making it an external Avatar, a unique Dharma Image.”

“Therefore, the God-Monarch is an upgraded version of the Sky-Scraping Spell.”

…

Besides not consuming Mana when commanding the God-Monarch, another point that excited Mu Lin was that the energy stored within the God-Monarch could serve as a power source for him to use during ‘Fixation’.

“So now, there’s only one problem left: what should I choose as the core of the God-Monarch?”

Mu Lin had encountered quite a few ultra-high-level powers. For example, the Ziwei Emperor Star Power could condense a Star Spirit General.

Using Nether Connection Power as the core could condense a Netherworld Yin God.

Even Jiao Dragon power could be infused to nurture a Water Divine Dragon Lord.

However, precisely because there were so many powers to choose from, Mu Lin found himself tangled in indecision.

(End of Chapter)