Chapter 29 – A Mere Fatal Wound

It can be said that with the Substitute Paper Figure, Mu Lin is already difficult to be targeted by curse spells of the same tier. Even curse spells one tier higher cannot do much to him.

Finally:

“The many flaws in injury transfer are my problem, not the Substitute Paper Figure’s.”

“As long as I cultivate the Substitute Paper Figure to a sufficiently high realm, one hundred percent injury transfer is not impossible. At that time, as long as the enemy does not annihilate me in one strike—the kind that can crush even my true spirit into dust—they cannot kill me.”

“As for the issue of the spell’s carrying limit… the Substitute Paper Figure is not limited to just one!”

Thinking of the future, where enemies pierce his heart, crush his head, or even blow him to pieces, and he can still rely on his remaining soul to transfer all injuries, Mu Lin felt a sense of security.

What made him even happier was that even now, he had a way to unleash some of the Substitute Paper Figure’s power.

“Altar, open!”

“Hum!”

With Mu Lin’s low shout, the altar located within his dantian immediately emitted a faint, shimmering light.

This special light amplified the power of the Paper Figure on the altar, deepening its connection with Mu Lin. Then, Mu Lin discovered that with the altar’s amplification, he could increase the transfer of injuries from his Main Body from thirty percent to fifty percent.

More importantly, this transfer was not limited in frequency.

As long as the Substitute Paper Figure existed within his dantian, Mu Lin could continuously transfer injuries outward. Thus, fatal wounds would become severe injuries, severe injuries would become minor injuries, and minor injuries would become tiny scratches.

Thinking of this, Mu Lin smiled.

“Speaking of which, in the future, perhaps I can also say something like, ‘It’s just a fatal wound.'”

Of course, this was just a thought. He dared not say it lightly, as turning a fatal wound into a minor injury was not that easy.

—Fatal injuries would shatter Mu Lin’s head or heart, and after transferring such injuries, the Substitute Paper Figure’s heart or brain would be left vacant.

Such vital organs were not easy to repair, even with abundant Mana, let alone when Mu Lin’s internal Mana was not abundant.

“So, I still need to cultivate, and even more, I need to raise the Paper Figure’s level!”

Thinking of this, Mu Lin looked at the changes on his Attribute Panel.

Then, he discovered that the proficiency limit of his Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture had suddenly skyrocketed by more than tenfold.

【Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture, 2nd Realm Proficient (1/3300), Traits: Spirit Awakening, Spirit Foundation (Burial Heaven White Paper Sacrifice), Substitute Paper Figure】

Another thing that made Mu Lin raise an eyebrow was that the Substitute Paper Figure also had a Proficiency Panel, and it started directly at the 2nd Realm.

【Substitute Paper Figure (Innate Spell), 2nd Realm Proficient (1/810), Traits: Clone Phantom, Injury Transfer】

“Having a Proficiency Panel means the Substitute Paper Figure does not improve along with the Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture’s proficiency but requires separate cultivation from me.”

Upon reaching this thought, Mu Lin was not overly troubled. Separate cultivation would indeed occupy some of his time, but since Mystical Arts are somewhat easier to cultivate compared to Cultivation Methods, his Substitute Paper Figure would be able to reach higher tiers more easily.

“Moreover, the wonderful uses of the Substitute Paper Figure are not limited to just injury transfer…”

……

The success of Spirit Awakening and the condensation of his Spirit Foundation kept Mu Lin happy for quite a while. It took a long time for him to calm his emotions and continue cultivating.

Thus, time swiftly passed as Mu Lin immersed himself in cultivation, and soon, the next day arrived.

Overjoyed, Mu Lin skipped breakfast and hurried straight to the classroom.

His arrival immediately drew a crowd around him.

“Brother Mu, you’re here so early.”

“With such diligence, no wonder your paper folding and painting are at a master’s level.”

Some were delighted by Mu Lin’s arrival, others indifferent, and naturally, some were resentful.

Watching Mu Lin surrounded at the center, Pang Ding’s gaze turned dark and gloomy.

Noticing this, some disciples with low talent who relied on him, though not daring to openly provoke Mu Lin, quietly comforted Pang Ding, saying, “Young Master Pang, there’s no need to be upset. For us Qi Refiners, painting and paper crafting are ultimately minor skills. Cultivation Level is our true foundation. Once you successfully undergo Spirit Awakening, he will understand the gap between you and him.”

“That’s right. By then, these short-sighted people won’t even have a chance to curry favor with you.”

“Young Master Pang, there’s no need to be angered by a bunch of fools.”

These words made Pang Ding laugh.

“Hahaha, you’re right. Getting angry over a group of petty people is indeed me being too attached…”

Filled with pent-up frustration and flattered by the praise, Pang Ding was already preparing to cultivate diligently, planning to thoroughly mock Mu Lin once he advanced.

However, before his fantasy could fully form, the next scene shattered his composure.

As the class bell rang, Ma Daoren entered the classroom.

Before he could even sit down, Mu Lin stood up.

At first, Mu Lin’s action didn’t attract much attention; everyone assumed he had a cultivation question to ask Ma Daoren.

But soon, a statement that left them stunned echoed through the classroom.

“Teacher, I have successfully undergone Spirit Awakening.”

The words caused the classroom to fall abruptly silent. After a long pause, a voice filled with disbelief rang out.

“That’s impossible!”

The one voicing doubt was Pang Ding. He couldn’t earn money as well as Mu Lin, nor was he as popular. His only source of pride was his Second-Class Spirit Root talent.

But now, before he, with his Second-Class Spirit Root, had even undergone Spirit Awakening, Mu Lin had succeeded first. This was something he couldn’t accept.

And he wasn’t the only one surprised. Ma Daoren was also utterly perplexed.

Having once considered supporting Mu Lin, he had investigated Mu Lin’s background.

Thus, he knew that although Mu Lin had an inheritance, it was from an unorthodox path.

He also knew that while the Paper Artisan Lineage’s inheritance was obscure and often led to early death, its grade was not low. Therefore, he couldn’t understand how Mu Lin, without a prominent family background and with poor Spirit Root talent, had succeeded in Spirit Awakening in just around twenty days.

“Could it be that he didn’t use the Paper Artisan Lineage’s Cultivation Method for Spirit Awakening?”

Though puzzled, Ma Daoren was far more composed than Pang Ding.

Thus, he didn’t show his confusion and instead said, “You’ve succeeded in Spirit Awakening? Are you certain?”

“Yes, I’m certain.”

“Very well, come with me. I’ll take you to test your Spirit Foundation level.”

With that, he left the classroom first. Seeing this, Mu Lin quickly followed.

Along the way, though reluctant to have too much contact with Mu Lin, who belonged to the Yin Eight Gates, Ma Daoren’s sense of duty led him to impart some basic knowledge to Mu Lin.

“Using an Earth Grade cultivation method to successfully achieve Spirit Awakening between seven and thirty-three days can earn you a B-grade evaluation. However, B-grade is further divided into three tiers: B-upper, B-middle, and B-lower. The tier you receive determines the treatment you will enjoy.”

“For instance, the most crucial point is that after obtaining a B-grade evaluation, you can re-enter the Scripture Repository Pavilion to select an Earth Grade spell. Those with B-lower can only choose Earth Grade Low Rank spells, B-middle can select Earth Grade Middle Rank, and B-upper can pick Earth Grade High Rank… We’ve arrived.”

As he spoke, Ma Daoren led him to a classroom where two people were already waiting.

One was male, the other female—one old and one… young??

Seeing the little girl who appeared to be at most twelve or thirteen years old, Mu Lin was momentarily stunned.

His gaze immediately displeased the little girl.

“Hmph!”

With a cold snort, a powerful pressure emanated from the girl, accompanied by icy words from her lips.

“You’re thinking something inappropriate.”

“I wasn’t.”

(End of Chapter)