Chapter 253 – Burning Fortune: Great Luck

“Tell me about the other uses of fortune within your Yan Family.”

“Yes, Brother Mu.”

Yan Yunyu had no qualms about revealing the secrets of her family’s cultivation method to Mu Lin. Nestled in his arms, she shared everything she knew without any psychological burden.

“In the eyes of the Yan Family, fortune is a universal force, but it never directly enhances our strength or acts directly; instead, it works indirectly.”

“For example, our Yan Family has a secret technique called Treasure-Seeking Art. By burning fortune, we can vaguely sense where treasures are located. Then, by searching there, we have a certain chance of obtaining treasures through ruins, tombs, or stumbling upon bargains from vendors. Sometimes, treasures even come to us directly.”

This made Mu Lin’s eyes light up, and he instinctively asked, “Can we specify the type of treasure?”

Yan Yunyu: “Yes, but it requires burning more fortune.”

Seeing that Mu Lin was deep in thought but hadn’t asked her to stop, she continued.

“Besides enhancing comprehension and seeking treasures, burning fortune can also grant us a period of strong luck. In cultivation, this can bring us opportunities and breakthroughs. If pursued by a powerful enemy, it can help us escape with a slim chance of survival… In the secret realm, my cousin Zhan Peng survived precisely through this method.”

“Hmm… Strong luck can also manifest in the crafting of mystic treasures and the refining of elixirs. For important mystic treasures and elixirs, we burn a large amount of fortune to ensure their success. This method is also why our Four Seas Pavilion has spread across the world.”

“Ouch…”

The sudden tightening of Mu Lin’s hand on her chest made Yan Yunyu let out a small cry of pain, and she gave him a reproachful look.

Only when Mu Lin showed a hint of apology did she continue:

“Beyond enhancing ourselves, by burning fortune, we can also suppress others. This is a suppression of fate and fortune, causing enemies to be plagued by misfortune.”

“However, this suppression is not without countermeasures. If the enemy’s fortune is too strong, not only will we fail to suppress them, but we may even suffer a backlash of fortune and be plagued by misfortune ourselves.”

“Oh, right, wealth is also a form of fortune. By burning the fortune contained within treasures, we can make a magical artifact instantly unleash ten times its power. Of course, after doing so, the artifact’s fortune will be depleted, and it will shatter…”

Listening to Yan Yunyu’s explanation, Mu Lin realized that the power of fortune and momentum was indeed universal, even touching upon the elusive principles of fate and causality.

However, just as Mu Lin was marveling at the profound heritage of the Yan Family and how this ability deserved to be called Heaven Grade, even ranking among the powerful within that grade, Yan Yunyu’s expression suddenly turned serious, and she earnestly advised him:

“Brother Mu, the ability of fortune is powerful, but I suggest you avoid burning too much at once or using it excessively.”

“Hmm?”

This suggestion caught Mu Lin off guard, and he instinctively wanted to ask “why.” But before he could speak, he began to ponder.

“Fortune can be depleted? Excessive consumption will affect oneself?”

“Brother Mu is indeed clever.”

After praising Mu Lin, Yan Yunyu then spoke gravely, “Fortune represents blessings and opportunities. If you burn too much at once, Brother Mu, your fortune grade will drop.”

“And when virtue does not match position, calamity is sure to follow. Just as Brother Mu, you now possess the fate of a prince’s descendant. The protection of such a fate ensures that even if you gain benefits, your own fortune can withstand it. Others, wary of your future, rarely come looking for trouble.”

“But if Brother Mu’s fortune suddenly declines, falling to green, white, or even gray-black levels, then some ill-intentioned individuals will set their sights on you, bringing countless troubles. Or perhaps hidden Evil God followers might suddenly come to assassinate you.”

This explanation made Mu Lin understand why the Yan Family, despite controlling the power of fortune and influence, ultimately remained mere merchants rather than the imperial family of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty.

Clearly, although they knew how to use ‘money,’ the fortune and influence they themselves accumulated were insufficient.

At the same time, he also understood more clearly why Yan Yunyu was so desperate to become famous and accumulate fortune and influence. For them, fortune and influence represented everything.

However, thinking about the drawbacks of consuming too much fortune and looking at the burning fortune above Yan Yunyu’s head, Mu Lin couldn’t help but frown.

“Since burning fortune is dangerous, then you…”

“Hehe.”

Mu Lin’s concern made Yan Yunyu laugh. Pressed close against him, she traced circles on his chest with her finger while smiling and saying, “Brother Mu, I only meant you shouldn’t burn too much at once, not that fortune cannot be used at all.”

“As long as there are no major fluctuations, fortune is a power that can gradually recover over time.”

“I see, that makes sense.”

After obtaining enough information, Mu Lin sat quietly to one side, pondering how to use his own fortune.

Beside him, Yan Yunyu was also curious.

Since their relationship was already intimate enough, she didn’t keep her questions to herself but asked directly.

“Brother Mu, how do you plan to use your fortune?”

“I plan to burn some fortune to find certain treasures.”

“Huh?”

This answer somewhat exceeded Yan Yunyu’s expectations.

Instinctively, she advised, “Brother Mu, burning fortune to search for treasures isn’t a cost-effective action, especially since we currently have many Spirit Stones. If you want any treasures, I can buy them for you.”

“Even if I can’t buy them, the Jade Lake Dao Academy and the Demon Suppression Division have them. I haven’t yet finalized the terms of your joining with them. If there’s something you particularly want, Brother Mu, we can have these two organizations help search for it.”

This suggestion made Mu Lin tempted for a moment, but he soon shook his head and said, “Never mind. This matter is very important to me, and I don’t want the Demon Suppression Division or the Jade Lake Dao Academy to know about it.”

The treasures Mu Lin needed were naturally those related to Human Dao or imperial dynasty fortune that could manifest the City God.

However, the City God was one of Mu Lin’s trump cards and, in Netherworld mythology, the intermediary connecting humans and underworld deities.

If possible, Mu Lin didn’t want forces from the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty involved.

“By burning fortune to find more Fortune Treasures of imperial dynasty fortune, my connection to the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty will be reduced. This way, my City God won’t be constrained by the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty either.”

Some City God positions are conferred by imperial decree, and such deities will also fade away with the dynastic changes.

Other City Gods, however, are worshipped spontaneously by the people. These deities can enjoy incense offerings that endure for thousands of years.

Although for Mu Lin, both the City God and the Dharma Image Zhong Kui were merely transitional stages—his ultimate goal had always been to become the Lord of Mount Tai, the Great Emperor of Lidu.

Nevertheless, if he could remain unconstrained, he preferred it that way.

…

Once his goal was set, Mu Lin, who had always been decisive, immediately wanted to act.

However, he soon remembered that he ultimately relied on the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, borrowing Yan Yunyu’s power.

Moreover, Yan Yunyu’s comprehension of this method was not flawless. Therefore: “If I use it directly, I can obtain guidance through strong luck by burning my fortune.”

“But this process would inevitably waste a great deal.”

Thinking it best to save as much as possible, Mu Lin ultimately postponed the burning of his fortune until nightfall.

Then, at midnight, when Mu Lin and Yan Yunyu merged as one, their minds and bodies intertwined, their harmony reached its peak.

In this state, Mu Lin could nearly perfectly replicate Yan Yunyu’s abilities.

Subsequently, under the guidance of the exhausted Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin slowly began to burn his fortune.

“Hum…”

As his fortune started to burn, an intangible guidance emerged in Mu Lin’s heart.

Initially, however, this guidance was vague and unclear, and Mu Lin could not act upon it at all.

He was not worried about this.

Although burning his fortune slowly alleviated Mu Lin’s burden, sparing him the agony of fortune backlash, the gradual burning also required an accumulation process.

“Seven to ten days before the guidance becomes completely clear… that’s acceptable.”

…

Relying on Yan Yunyu’s abilities, Mu Lin slowly converted his accumulated fortune into tangible benefits.

After reaping these benefits, a different thought arose in his mind.

“Come to think of it, could I recruit more daughters from aristocratic families?”

Having just cultivated with Yan Yunyu, Mu Lin was already thinking of other women, making him seem like a heartless scoundrel.

In reality, this was not the case.

Mu Lin’s desire to recruit other daughters from aristocratic families was not driven by their beauty or his own desires.

What he coveted were the abilities of other aristocratic families.

“As the ‘Strongest King,’ possessing the Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts, the more subordinates I have, the better, and the stronger their abilities, the better.”

“Lingluo allows me to use the Azure Emperor Scripture, Yun Yu enables me to burn my fortune. If I recruit more daughters from aristocratic families, I might gain other abilities.”

For instance, the Ge Family’s ability as the Lord of War greatly intrigued Mu Lin.

Tian Yun of the Feather Clan’s future self also made him envious.

However, despite these appealing ideas, Mu Lin ultimately shook his head and dismissed them.

Involving other daughters from aristocratic families was too troublesome and unsafe.

Not everyone was as loyal to Mu Lin as Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu.

The former was due to her pure nature, while the latter was initially undervalued by her family and clearly understood who held her future.

Thus, both women were wholeheartedly devoted to Mu Lin, which involved a certain degree of serendipity.

However, other daughters from aristocratic families would not be like this. Under their families’ upbringing, many young women would prioritize their families above all else.

If Mu Lin were to take them into his harem, he would have to remain constantly vigilant and could never truly connect with them heart-to-heart.

Aside from the fact that doing so would be exhausting and prone to trouble, one key point made Mu Lin give up on the idea—if the other party did not open their heart to him, even if he borrowed their abilities through the King’s Domain, he would only be able to utilize ten to twenty percent of their power.

“The effect is too poor. With that time, I might as well focus more on cultivating my cultivation method, or seal a few more anomalies and refine them with the Vow Power Heart Flame.”

…

After careful consideration, Mu Lin ultimately abandoned the idea of seeking out more daughters from aristocratic families.

However, even though he gave up, many aristocratic families were still eyeing him covetously.

To be honest, this was largely due to the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram and… Yan Yunyu’s actions.

Aristocratic families still held great pride. Merely having exceptional talent, Mu Lin might receive some investment, but those families would not easily marry off their daughters to him.

However, the value of the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram was immense, and Yan Yunyu stubbornly refused to release it for sale. This left many wealthy and powerful individuals with plenty of spirit stones but unable to make a purchase.

In such a situation, their impatience naturally led them to set their sights on Mu Lin.

“Entrusting such an important matter to Yan Yunyu, that Mu Lin is ultimately too young. He cares deeply about his women.”

“Or perhaps he simply has no one else to rely on?”

“Whether he’s too young or lacks capable people, I only care about one thing: the girls from our Ge Family are no worse than Yan Yunyu. Since Mu Lin is willing to let them hold power, if our daughter marries him, she might also have a chance to control the distribution of the Clone Cultivation True Intent Diagram.”

This statement stirred the hearts of many aristocratic families.

And what happened next made them unable to sit still any longer.

(End of Chapter)