Chapter 33 – The Catfish Effect

In terms of cultivation level, he had reached Gushing Spring, yet his mana cultivation remained at Qi Drawing. By common reasoning, such a situation was virtually impossible.

After all, the saying “Mana is easy to cultivate, but cultivation levels are hard to advance” was a widely accepted truth in the cultivation world.

Normally, Mu Lin would indeed not be in such a state, but who could blame him for being somewhat unusual, and the Proficiency Panel being far too effective?

Fortunately for Mu Lin, the situation he had worried about did not come to pass.

And this matter was related to Teacher Dongfang Ya.

Before she left, she had instructed Mu Lin to come to her room at noon.

Naturally, Mu Lin did not dare to delay. As soon as the bell signaling the midday break rang, he went straight to Teacher Dongfang Ya’s door, not even taking the time to eat.

Before he could raise his hand to knock, a clear voice sounded from inside the room.

“Come in.”

Pushing the door open, Mu Lin found that, as a cultivator, Teacher Dongfang Ya’s room contained few official documents. Instead, it was elegantly arranged, much like a teahouse.

Not daring to look around too much, Mu Lin approached his teacher and respectfully bowed, saying, “Teacher, I am here. What instructions do you have for me?”

“No instructions… Earlier, I used you as an example to reprimand the others. Do you harbor any resentment toward me for that?”

These words caught Mu Lin off guard, but he quickly composed himself and replied repeatedly:

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t dare, rather than not having any? That makes sense. After what I said, the others will see you as a rival, not a fellow disciple. It’s only natural for you to feel resentment…”

“Teacher, you misunderstand. I truly hold no resentment… Even if you hadn’t said anything, the others would never have accepted me.”

This world was unlike his previous life.

In his previous life, the concept of equality among all people was deeply ingrained and even politically correct.

Even if some wealthy individuals or aristocrats looked down on those beneath them, they would never dare to say so openly.

This world, however, was different. The imperial family and the Aristocratic Families genuinely believed their bloodlines were noble. Their behavior had made social classes in this world starkly defined.

As someone with a Third-Class Spirit Root, Mu Lin was seen as inferior by those with Second-Class Spirit Roots.

Thus, even if Teacher Dongfang Ya had not used him as an example, Mu Lin would have found it difficult to integrate into any group.

Unless he were to humble himself and submit—but that was out of the question.

Here, Mu Lin clearly understood his own situation. His clear-sightedness about his circumstances only made Dongfang Ya more satisfied with him. As a result, she said, “You certainly see things clearly. But regardless, I did take advantage of you, so I want to offer you some compensation.”

Noticing that Mu Lin seemed about to decline, she waved her hand and said, “Don’t refuse. This serves my purpose as well. I’m giving you resources in the hope that you can achieve results in the Tower of Illusory Heavens, to sharply provoke the others, to deflate their arrogance and complacency, and to make them cultivate more diligently.”

Hearing this, Mu Lin instantly understood—this was the “catfish effect.”

Dongfang Ya was dissatisfied with the arrogance and complacency of the Formal Class disciples and wanted to spur them into action by making them feel ashamed and then motivated.

Mu Lin was the catfish she had released.

What pleased Mu Lin was that she was a decent teacher. She was indeed using him, but not without compensation—she was offering benefits.

Having figured everything out, Mu Lin naturally agreed repeatedly.

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“Mmm.”

Seeing Mu Lin no longer refusing, Dongfang Ya nodded in satisfaction, then she spoke: “Tell me what you want, and I will decide on a reward based on the situation.”

“Also, the Dao Palace conducts regular assessments. Those with outstanding results will receive rewards from the Dao Palace. If you achieve good results, I will give you some additional benefits on top of the Dao Palace’s rewards.”

These words made the smile on Mu Lin’s face grow even brighter. Who doesn’t love free benefits?

After his delight, and after thanking his teacher, Mu Lin stated his request.

“Teacher Dongfang, it’s like this: I have an opportunity to exchange for a spell. I wanted to ask if there are any mystical arts in the Scripture Repository Pavilion that can resist contamination by evil spirits, preferably those that can resist contamination of the divine soul.”

This made Dongfang Ya raise an eyebrow.

“Not indulging in the anomalous power of the Land of Sky Burial, but instead thinking about how to resist it? Now I truly believe your achievements will surpass most in the Formal Class.”

After this praise, she pondered for a moment before saying: “The Dao Palace Library does have cultivation methods that resist contamination of the divine soul. However, mere guidance doesn’t count as giving you a benefit… Fine, I’ll add some merit points. Go exchange for the Earth Grade Supreme cultivation method—Vow-Power Heart Lamp. This method offers excellent resistance to contamination of the divine soul.”

At this point, Dongfang Ya looked at Mu Lin and instructed him seriously:

“Although the Heart Lamp can resist contamination to some extent, you must not be careless. The Land of Sky Burial is one of the world’s nine great Forbidden Lands. The reason your Paper Crafting Lineage’s cultivation method is only Earth Grade High Rank isn’t because the Land of Sky Burial is weak, but because the sages of your lineage only built a city and took root in a small area on the outskirts of the Land of Sky Burial.”

“But the Land of Sky Burial holds true, great horrors. So, it’s best not to use its power unless absolutely necessary!”

“Thank you for your guidance, Teacher. I will be careful.”

“Hmm.”

With that, Dongfang Ya prepared to take Mu Lin to select a cultivation method. However, before leaving, she remembered something and casually tossed a bottle to Mu Lin.

“This contains some Blackwater Profound Serpent Essence Blood. Take it and use it. Don’t refuse—for me, this is just some trivial item.”

“…”

The thing he had longed for was casually thrown to him as a freebie. This scene made Mu Lin feel that his teacher likely did not come from an ordinary background.

“First, she spent merit points to upgrade my exchange privileges, then she gave me over ten drops of Blackwater Profound Serpent Essence Blood for free. When she took these things out, she showed not a hint of distress… This really doesn’t seem like someone from an ordinary family.”

After a brief moment of thought, Mu Lin… stopped dwelling on it further.

Whether Teacher Dongfang came from a great family was not something he could pry into.

However, his teacher’s actions made Mu Lin realize that she was a truly responsible teacher and a generous person.

Because of this, Mu Lin decided to maintain a good relationship with her.

‘Fawning over her probably won’t work. With a cultivation level of at least Spell Master, possibly even Mortal Shedding Adept, someone of her level must face endless flattery. If I try to curry favor, it might even make her dislike me.’

‘Sending an Artwork? That won’t work either. I can’t afford to offend Yan Yunyu. Since I’ve already made a verbal agreement, I shouldn’t stir up trouble…’

After some thought, Mu Lin helplessly realized that he was too poor—even trying to build a good relationship with Teacher Dongfang Ya was difficult.

‘But that’s how it should be. Coming from a humble background, if it weren’t for the bond between teacher and student, I wouldn’t even have the chance to interact with such a wealthy Spell Master.’

Though troubled, Mu Lin’s contemplation wasn’t in vain. After a while, he truly found a way to please the teacher before him.

“Since she genuinely wants to take responsibility, hopes everyone in the class works hard, and even sought me out as an assistant, I’ll help her out!”

(End of Chapter)