Chapter 31 – A Hundred Cultivation Arts

Before Mu Lin could say anything about Qi Xiu’s report, Zong Xiu, who was cultivating nearby, hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he stood up and laughed it off, saying, “Hahaha, it’s not that serious. Brother Mu is here because I called him. I have something to discuss with him…”

This man was indeed warm-hearted and sincere. Not wanting Mu Lin to be punished, he tried to brush the matter aside.

However, Qi Xiu had no intention of letting it go.

Born into a humble family, he had received endless flattery after suddenly gaining wealth, which inflated his ego in an incredibly short time. Now suddenly rich, he saw himself as part of the upper class and was extremely sensitive to any perceived disrespect from those he considered beneath him.

Mu Lin’s refusal to show him respect felt like a slap in the face to Qi Xiu, and he wanted Mu Lin punished for it.

This time, he didn’t give Zong Xiu any face and chose to press the issue further.

“Hmph, it is that serious. Just because you weren’t disturbed doesn’t mean I wasn’t. I almost suffered a cultivation deviation earlier.”

To ensure Mu Lin received severe punishment, he even considered deliberately disrupting his cultivation method to feign injury.

Such relentless pursuit made Zong Xiu frown. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, before he could utter a word, a mocking voice rang out in the training ground.

“To nearly suffer a cultivation deviation so easily—I never expected such a useless person to be in the Formal Class.”

“Teacher Dongfang, I request a review of his evaluation grade. Such trash doesn’t deserve to stay in the Formal Class!”

“???”

“…”

These words left everyone present stunned.

Logically, such a mocking statement seemed reasonable, but the problem was that it came from Mu Lin.

Not only did he show no remorse for his mistake, but he dared to resist, talk back, and even mock further—something many had not anticipated.

This caused many to watch with amusement.

As for Qi Xiu, who was being mocked, his face flushed crimson with rage.

“You bastard, how dare you—”

“All of you, shut up!”

He tried to say more, but before he could finish, he was cut off by an impatient Dongfang Ya.

Glancing disapprovingly at Qi Xiu, who had stirred up trouble, Dongfang Ya said calmly, “Mu Lin is not an outsider. He has successfully undergone Spirit Awakening and will be your classmate from now on.”

“Henceforth, he will cultivate here.”

“…”

Her words plunged the scene into even deeper silence. This time, even Mu Lin’s friend Zong Xiu was left speechless, his mouth agape for a long while.

Clearly, no one had considered this possibility, nor had they imagined that Mu Lin, with his Third-Class Spirit Root talent, would stand among them.

After a long pause, astonished voices finally broke the silence.

“Spirit Awakening successful? How is that possible? He clearly has a Third-Class Spirit Root!”

“This doesn’t make sense!”

“I don’t believe it. He must have cheated.”

After the initial shock, disbelief spread among the crowd. Naturally, Qi Xiu was the most agitated.

His greatest sources of pride were his Second-Class Spirit Root talent and his Grade B evaluation. Now, Mu Lin—whom he had looked down upon—had also received a Grade B Spirit Root evaluation, something he found hard to accept.

However, the continuous commotion had already irritated Dongfang Ya, whose temperament was far from gentle.

At this moment, seeing that some were still speaking, a terrifying aura immediately emanated from her.

Under the pressure of this aura, all voices were instantly silenced.

  It was then that Dongfang Ya’s voice, tinged with a hint of frustration, rang out.

“Spirit Root, Spirit Root—only the worthless would clamor that Spirit Root is everything!”

“Among the top powerhouses of the Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, only half possess First-Class or Second-Class Spirit Roots. The rest are all Third- or Fourth-Class Spirit Roots.”

“If you think having a good Spirit Root guarantees a smooth path in cultivation, then get out of the Dao Palace as soon as possible and stop wasting cultivation resources.”

At this point, the petite Dongfang Ya glanced around at everyone. Seeing that they were all listening attentively, she continued:

“Remember, Spirit Root is merely the foundation. Cultivation also depends on comprehension, opportunity, temperament, and even the elusive factor of luck. Moreover, the further you progress, the less significant the role of Spirit Root becomes.”

“Mu Lin’s Spirit Root Talent is indeed average, but with such average talent, he was able to achieve Spirit Awakening quickly and even be rated as B-Grade. This is precisely a reflection of his outstanding ability.”

“In my opinion, half of you may not even achieve as much as Disciple Mu Lin!”

“…”

Many were unconvinced by Dongfang Ya’s final words, refusing to believe they were inferior to Mu Lin.

Nevertheless, her reprimand had an effect. Fearing they might be surpassed by Mu Lin, many disciples who had become arrogant after their promotion calmed down.

As a result, they put in an extra thirty percent of effort in their cultivation.

This scene satisfied Dongfang Ya, and she nodded slightly. Then, her gaze turned to Mu Lin as she said, “Come to my room during the noon break. I have something to discuss with you.”

With that, as a flurry of butterflies drifted by, Dongfang Ya vanished without a trace.

After she left, the others, finding no more excitement to watch, returned to their cultivation.

During this time, few were willing to interact with Mu Lin.

His identity as a Third-Class Spirit Root and Teacher Dongfang’s provocation had made him an outlier in the Formal Class, with many harboring only hostility toward him.

Among them, Qi Xiu held the deepest animosity. But just as Mu Lin had thought earlier, he simply didn’t care.

“With the Proficiency Panel, my cultivation speed will never be slower than his.”

After casting a cold glance at Qi Xiu, Mu Lin also intended to cultivate. However, before he could find a suitable spot, Zong Xiu approached.

After looking Mu Lin up and down, he gave him a thumbs-up.

“To catch up with us Second-Class Spirit Root holders with a Third-Class Spirit Root Talent—I never imagined a genius was right beside me.”

These words left Mu Lin somewhat speechless.

“You flatter me, Brother Zong. I’m just a bit more diligent in my cultivation. Besides, isn’t my cultivation speed still a step behind yours?”

“That’s only for now. As Teacher Dongfang said, the further you progress, the less significant Spirit Root becomes…”

“It’s only less significant, not useless…”

After exchanging a few words, the two shared a smile and rekindled their familiarity.

Then, the enthusiastic Zong Xiu explained many common practices of the Formal Class to Mu Lin.

First was the selection of Spells. Upon promotion to the Formal Class, and more importantly, after being rated as B-Grade Elite, Mu Lin and the others gained another opportunity to enter the Scripture Repository Pavilion to choose a Cultivation Method.

Secondly, there is the Formal Class. In addition to daily cultivation, there will be some instructors who come to teach knowledge of various cultivation arts, such as Talismans, alchemy, Arrays, artifact forging, Puppets, and so on…

“These auxiliary studies are not mandatory. You can attend if you want, and no one will force you if you don’t.”

“Moreover, the instructors usually teach only common knowledge. To obtain advanced auxiliary knowledge, you need to gain the recognition of those instructors and become their disciples.”

At this point, Zong Xiu’s tone carried a hint of envy:

“Our Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty is eager for talent. Because of this, once recognized by the instructors, there is an additional reward for auxiliary studies.”

“If you perform exceptionally well, you can even become a specialized technical expert and avoid going to the battlefield to fight Evil Spirits and Anomalies.”

“Unfortunately, achieving success in any of the cultivation arts requires consuming countless spiritual materials along the way. For poor families like ours, there’s basically no hope.”

(End of Chapter)