Chapter 26 – Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture: First Realm Entry

“……”

Such a reversal was something Jiang Yun had not anticipated, and thus, he stood there with his mouth agape for a long while, utterly at a loss for words.

His hesitant, speechless expression made Mu Lin anxious.

Thinking that Jiang Yun was unwilling to spend money, Mu Lin quickly began his sales pitch.

“Young Master, when pursuing a girl, you have to be willing to spend money. If you don’t spend, how can you show her your sincerity and make her feel that you value her?”

“Don’t think that Paper Folding models are worthless. Does Miss Yan Yunyu really want your money? No, what she wants is your attitude…”

“Besides, spending more money is beneficial for you too. This way, you can use Spirit Stones to outshine commoners and those from humble backgrounds…”

In his previous life, merchants’ marketing tactics could sell apples on Christmas Eve for dozens of yuan each, and flowers on Valentine’s Day were frighteningly expensive.

The most successful marketing case, however, was undoubtedly diamonds—an ordinary glass bead, bound with love, eternity, and immortality, saw its value inflated by thousands of times.

Now, Mu Lin borrowed these marketing strategies and unleashed them upon Jiang Yun.

In the end, a dazed Jiang Yun was persuaded by Mu Lin and parted with a considerable sum of money before leaving.

As for Mu Lin, he was already considering enshrining Yan Yunyu at home.

She was truly his lucky star.

At his most impoverished moment, she had spent an exorbitant amount on his practice works… Artworks, helping him survive the initial hardships.

Now, although she didn’t need to spend money herself, her presence acted like bait, luring countless young masters from wealthy families and making them willing to open their purses.

“Yan Yunyu gains Artworks, I gain wealth, and those young masters gain the chance to win Yan Yunyu’s favor. This is a triple win!”

Mu Lin could already foresee the scene of Spirit Stones rolling in.

And indeed, that was exactly what happened.

Among the competing young masters, they feared not the high price of an item, but the possibility that others might have what they lacked.

After Jiang Yun brought Mu Lin’s creations over, other young masters, unwilling to fall behind, flocked to Mu Lin, eager to spend Spirit Stones on his items.

Among them were those who refused to negotiate, demanding in a commanding tone that Mu Lin hand over his items as tribute.

To this, Mu Lin would not indulge them.

If they mocked him, he had no interest in explaining himself, but expecting something for free was out of the question.

“Mu Lin, Brother Qi Xiu asking for your things is giving you face. Others don’t even have the chance to curry favor with him. He has a Second-Class Spirit Root Talent, something you can’t compare to…”

“Get lost.”

“You bastard, I’m telling you, don’t be ungrateful…”

“Three. If you haven’t left my Courtyard by the time I count to zero, tomorrow, rumors will spread in the Dao Palace that you’re paupers. I wonder how Miss Yan Yunyu will view you then—stingy, petty, like street thugs.”

“You…”

“Two.”

“Xu Wu, let’s go.”

Realizing that Mu Lin was completely unyielding to coercion, Qi Xiu finally left with a dark expression.

As he departed, the look he cast at Mu Lin was far from friendly.

Mu Lin, however, couldn’t care less.

A Second-Class Spirit Root held no intimidation for him. As time passed and the difficulty of Cultivation Methods increased, Mu Lin’s cultivation speed would even surpass his.

Someone like that—offending him was no big deal.

“No, it should be said that he offended me, actually planning to freeload my things using his reputation, and when that didn’t work, resorting to threats. I’ve taken note of this grudge.”

The constraints of the Dao Palace, combined with Mu Lin’s assertiveness, ultimately meant that only two or three unscrupulous individuals tried to get Mu Lin to work for free, only to be berated and driven away by him.

The rest all paid for their purchases.

In fact, in their eagerness to be the first to deliver the items to Yan Yunyu, they nearly started bidding against each other.

Fortunately, Mu Lin only wanted to earn a bit of money and had no desire to stir up trouble.

Thus, he didn’t resort to auctions or selling to the highest bidder, even though that would have earned him more.

Instead, he sold one item to each person, citing the need to show respect to everyone.

Once this matter was settled, Mu Lin’s reputation immediately improved.

Moreover, since the items would now pass through others’ hands and Mu Lin would no longer meet Yan Yunyu directly, many scions of aristocratic families saw him as no longer a threat.

As a result, when they left, they didn’t hesitate to offer plenty of praise.

“Brother Mu is truly generous.”

“Not bending for wealth—no wonder Brother Mu can create such elegant items.”

“If it weren’t for Miss Yan Yunyu’s restrictions, I’d have bought several pieces to display at home.”

“…You all flatter me too much.”

…

With immediate payment and deposits, Mu Lin collected a full five hundred Spirit Stones in just two or three days, instantly filling his wallet.

At the same time, Mu Lin also learned a lesson.

“In this world, there’s no profit to be squeezed from the poor. The truly wealthy are all from the aristocratic families. To make a fortune, you have to earn it from them.”

This was just like in his previous life, where luxury brands also targeted the rich.

Of course, not everyone could successfully sell their items.

Although Mu Lin had his marketing tactics, there was one key point: the items he created by combining Paper Crafting, Painting, and Calligraphy truly possessed artistic value.

What made them even more precious was that Mu Lin had the artistic masterpieces from his previous life to draw inspiration from.

These things were common in his past life but seemed novel in this world. As a result, Mu Lin’s creations gained the admiration of so many and were even collected by that Eldest Young Mistress.

In any case, this turmoil, through a twist of fate, concluded with Mu Lin making a substantial profit.

There was also a lingering ripple effect… Several scions of aristocratic families spent hundreds of Spirit Stones to purchase Paper Crafting artworks from Mu Lin. Once this news spread, Mu Lin’s reputation was elevated once again.

His identity as an art Master was now firmly established.

His popularity in the Selection Class also surged dramatically—originally, the girls only thought Mu Lin had the potential to break into high society, but after this incident, they realized it wasn’t just potential; Mu Lin had already entered high society. Once this became known, those girls who felt hopeless about their own cultivation and sought someone to latch onto naturally looked at Mu Lin in a completely different light.

Unfortunately, while they were interested, Mu Lin remained indifferent.

He only wanted to cultivate.

As for Zhuang Ding, being a bully who feared the strong, he discovered that Mu Lin had connections with so many scions of aristocratic families and immediately backed down, no longer daring to cause trouble for Mu Lin.

Thus, Mu Lin found peace.

And on the nineteenth day after entering the Dao Palace, after much diligent cultivation, Mu Lin finally pushed the Cultivation Method, the Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture, to 358/360 points late at night.

“Just one or two more cultivation sessions, and my Cultivation Method will advance to the proficient level!”

At this thought, Mu Lin’s heart immediately began to pound.

Advancing to proficiency meant he could seek the opportunity for Spirit Awakening, and potentially advance into the Formal Class, becoming a B-Grade Elite assessed by the Dao Palace and receiving a large amount of free resources. How could he not be excited at the thought of this?

(End of Chapter)