Chapter 3 – The Yin Eight Gates and the Paper Crafting Secret Art

After hearing all this, Mu Lin understood the difficulty of choosing a cultivation method.

If they selected an Earth Grade cultivation method, they would likely fail to achieve Spirit Awakening within a hundred days, and at that point, they would face expulsion from the Dao Palace.

But choosing a low-grade cultivation method was also not an option—it offered no future prospects, and naturally, the Dao Palace would not invest in their cultivation.

“A test right from the start, and a rather harsh one at that…”

Halfway through his thoughts, Mu Lin suddenly realized that the harshness of the test was justified.

These were not peaceful times, and the Dao Palace was not training them to cultivate at a leisurely pace.

They were meant to battle Anomaly Evil, demonic monsters, and malevolent spirits.

Such evil spirits were often troublesome, with bizarre and unpredictable abilities. Without clear judgment, one could easily walk to their own death.

“No, it’s not just us who would die… Qi Refiners hold high status. If we make a wrong judgment, the soldiers and ordinary civilians following us would also die in large numbers.”

“Considering all this, is this why they conduct a test before entry—to filter out those who lack self-awareness?”

While Mu Lin quietly pondered the deeper meaning of this assessment, a buzz of discussion filled the classroom.

Ma Daoren did not stop them. He merely said calmly, “Choosing a cultivation method is not mandatory. You have three days to think it over, as long as you make your choice within that time. But remember, these three days are also counted within the hundred-day Spirit Awakening period.”

With that, Ma Daoren stood up first and prepared to head toward the Dao Palace Library.

Seeing this, Mu Lin did not hesitate and immediately followed.

He was not alone—most of the others also stood up and followed Ma Daoren, with only a few hesitating and lingering behind.

Ignoring the latter group, Mu Lin and the others quietly followed Ma Daoren toward the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

After a short while, they arrived at the location of the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

It was a seven-story pagoda, but Mu Lin and the others were only allowed to enter the first floor.

“Alright, go in. You may browse freely and take your time choosing… but remember, the hundred-day Spirit Awakening period has already begun.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd surged into the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

Upon entering, a scene that made Mu Lin sigh unfolded. The previously active disciples from prominent families, upon entering, went straight for certain cultivation methods without hesitation.

While ordinary disciples were still trying to figure out the situation and the layout of the pavilion, those from prominent families had already taken the cultivation methods they needed and approached an elderly man in the pavilion to register.

This left many common-born disciples bewildered.

Mu Lin was not among them, but he understood one thing:

“The competition has begun!”

The time taken to achieve Spirit Awakening would determine their status and resource allocation within the Dao Palace. Those from prominent families were already racing against time.

As he finished his thoughts, some of the prominent family disciples had already picked up jade scrolls to read.

His acquaintance, Zong Xiu, also returned with a few cultivation methods. Seeing Mu Lin, he hesitated for a moment but still came over to remind him.

“Brother Mu, whatever you do, don’t try to be clever and choose the same cultivation method as us. The best isn’t always the most suitable. Before entering the Dao Palace, our parents already had people advise us, selecting cultivation methods for us and preparing all the necessary resources. So, we can start cultivating as soon as we find our methods.”

“But you can’t. If you choose the same method as us but lack the resources…”

Zong Xiu didn’t finish, but Mu Lin already understood his meaning.

Powerful cultivation methods often require rare resources. Blindly choosing a powerful method without considering practicality would make it impossible for them to achieve Spirit Awakening within a hundred days.

As for the extra resources available to children from established families, giving them an advantage over ordinary commoners—is that unfair to the commoners?

In feudal times, fairness was hardly a consideration.

Moreover, the current Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty was, strictly speaking, in a state of war. This meant the higher-ups only cared about the strength of the disciples from the various Dao Palaces, not how they acquired their abilities. As long as they were strong, that was all that mattered.

While pondering these thoughts, Mu Lin clasped his hands in a gesture of gratitude and apology, saying, “Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zong, but my family has also selected a cultivation method for me.”

“Huh?!”

This left Zong Xiu stunned.

“Family, method selected… does your family also have Qi Refiners?”

“My grandfather is considered a Feathered Scholar-level cultivator.”

Hearing this, Zong Xiu’s expression turned somewhat awkward.

“Brother Mu, that’s not fair. You acted so clueless yesterday—were you just making fun of me?”

Not wanting to lose this friend, Mu Lin explained, “That really wasn’t the case. Do you remember the Xiaohuo Lantern disturbance in Anping City a few days ago, Brother Zong?”

“Of course I remember. It’s said the culprit behind it, that Xiaohuo Lantern anomaly, was sealed by our Mist Province’s little Princess…”

Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly paused:

“Wait, Brother Mu, are you one of those whose memories were burned by the Xiaohuo Lantern?”

“Yes, because most of my memories were burned away by the Xiaohuo Lantern, I truly don’t know much about cultivation. I really have to thank you for your explanation yesterday.”

“…You’re too kind. Since your family has chosen for you, you should hurry along then.”

Learning that Mu Lin had a reason and wasn’t deliberately making fun of him, Zong Xiu was no longer angry.

However, it was now his cultivation time, so he didn’t dare chat with Mu Lin any longer and hurried off to cultivate.

As for Mu Lin, he entered the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

But he didn’t immediately choose the cultivation method his grandfather had selected for him. Instead, he first browsed around the pavilion.

Mu Lin had his own reasons for doing this.

As a Qi Refiner who came to the path later in life, Mu Lin’s grandfather had his own unique encounters.

He once stumbled upon the burial site of a senior from the Yin Eight Gates in a cave and inherited that senior’s legacy.

The so-called Yin Eight Gates consisted of Paper Artisans, Coffin Bearers, Coffin Makers, Corpse Carriers, Morticians, Corpse Drivers, Tailors (who mend bodies for the dead), and Executioners.

Mu Lin’s grandfather had inherited one of the Yin Eight Gates’ legacies—the Paper Crafting Secret Art.

Because Paper Crafting Art is often associated with funerals, it appears quite eerie and has an extremely poor reputation. For this reason, if given a choice, Mu Lin didn’t want to choose it.

Although, according to Mu Lin’s grandfather, the origin of this spell lies in the Daoist Sect’s “Sowing Beans to Create Soldiers,” making it the most orthodox of immortal mystical arts.

The paper cranes commonly used by the Daoist Sect are classic examples of the Paper Crafting Secret Art.

Moreover, the core of this secret manual is also quite orthodox.

It requires Mu Lin to cultivate a breath of Vital Creation Qi. For a paper figure to move, the material is not the key; the most crucial element is that breath of Vital Creation Qi.

In immortal legends, when immortals fold paper into soldiers or animate other objects, they first craft the vessel and then blow a breath of air into it. This breath is the Vital Creation Qi, the very source that enables paper figures to move and fight.

However, no matter how beautifully Mu Lin’s grandfather described the Paper Crafting Secret Art, it could not change one fact: ninety-nine percent of Paper Artisans would inevitably stray onto the path of evil, and their reputation was exceedingly poor.

In fact, Mu Lin even suspected that some of the legends his grandfather recounted were likely embellishments by the founders of the Paper Crafting Lineage, meant to glorify themselves.

Unwilling to end up in a situation where everyone would despise him, Mu Lin decided to spend more time in the Scripture Repository Pavilion, searching for a better alternative.

Given the importance of this choice, Mu Lin first took several deep breaths to stabilize his anxious emotions before slowly stepping into the Scripture Repository Pavilion.

“My Spirit Root Talent is mediocre, and I have no innate gifts. I essentially have no chance of competing for first-class, or even second-class treatment. Therefore, rushing to choose a cultivation method and racing against time to cultivate is not necessary for me.”

“On the contrary, choosing the wrong cultivation method would have a significant impact on me.”

Thinking this, Mu Lin was prepared to spend an entire day sifting through the cultivation methods to find the one that suited him.

Since he was unaware of the specific details within the Scripture Repository Pavilion, he had not previously considered which cultivation method to choose.

However, he was very clear about which types of cultivation methods he should avoid.

“Cultivation methods that demand excessive resources, regardless of their strength, are unsuitable for me.”

(End of Chapter)