Chapter 43 – When in Doubt, Quantum Mechanics

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

To advance as quickly as possible, Mu Lin raised his knife and began stabbing himself.

Since the progress of injury transfer was related to the severity of the wounds he inflicted, Mu Lin stabbed himself quite ruthlessly.

Soon, seven or eight wounds appeared on Mu Lin’s body, and blood began to trickle steadily from his skin.

Seeing this, Mu Lin dared not delay and immediately prepared to connect with the Substitute Paper Figure to transfer the injuries.

However, before he could take action, a startled cry rang out beside him.

“Ah…”

As the cry sounded, a vibrant green glow brimming with vitality enveloped Mu Lin’s entire body.

Then, to his astonishment, he discovered that the wounds he had just inflicted were healing at a visible rate.

Before he could snap out of his daze, the injuries vanished without a trace.

This meant that Mu Lin had stabbed himself for nothing, and the pain he endured had been in vain.

“…”

“Who…”

This interruption of his cultivation, coupled with the fact that most disciples in the Formal Class harbored hostility toward him, led Mu Lin to believe the person had done it intentionally. Thus, when he turned to look, his eyes were filled with anger.

However, the anger on his face soon faded.

The one who had acted was not Qi Xiu or others who disliked him, but Chu Lingluo, who had just transferred to the school.

What made it impossible for Mu Lin to stay angry was that Chu Lingluo’s gaze held no hostility—instead, it was filled with innocence and concern.

“Senior… are you alright? Does it still hurt?”

Before she finished speaking, several more Spring Return Arts were cast by Chu Lingluo.

Under the healing power of the vitality-filled Spell, not only were Mu Lin’s recent injuries cured, but even his old scars were healed by the Spring Return Art.

“…”

Looking at his healthy, flawless body, Mu Lin truly didn’t know what to say.

As he remained silent in speechlessness, Chu Lingluo, noticing that Mu Lin no longer had any wounds, let out a sigh of relief. Then, she gently reminded him, “Senior, please be careful during your cultivation next time. Getting hurt is very painful.”

These words only deepened Mu Lin’s speechlessness. After a long pause, he finally spoke, “Is it possible that my Mystical Art cultivation requires self-harm?”

“Huh?”

This left Chu Lingluo stunned.

After processing his words, she immediately clasped her hands together and apologized to Mu Lin with shame. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s fine, I don’t blame you. And thank you—you really did heal my injuries…”

Because his Substitute Paper Figure had not been cultivated to an advanced level, Mu Lin was never able to completely transfer away all his injuries after stabbing himself.

Although he still had Hibernation to consume energy and recover from injuries, such recovery took a considerable amount of time. Coupled with Mu Lin’s diligent cultivation, his wounds had never fully healed, and he often felt lingering pain.

The Spring Return Art just now had been a great help to Mu Lin, so his gratitude was sincere.

However, before he could finish expressing his thanks, some voices interjected between the two.

“Miss Lingluo, there’s no need to apologize to him.”

“Exactly, this is a cultivator from the Yin Eight Gates. Their methods are sinister, ominous, and utterly cruel. Miss Lingluo, given your noble status, it’s best not to associate with him.”

“Huh? I think this senior brother is quite nice, not sinister at all…”

“Miss Chu, don’t be deceived by him. Relying on self-harm to practice cultivation—who knows what malevolent spells he’s cultivating…”

The cultivators who fawned over and flattered Chu Lingluo approached, eager to keep Mu Lin away from the innocent young mistress, as they harbored their own designs on her.

Thus, they spared no effort in slandering Mu Lin.

As for Mu Lin… he paid them no mind.

He knew all too well that he and Chu Lingluo belonged to two different worlds.

Her earlier use of a spell to heal him wasn’t because this noble young lady had any interest in him, but simply because she was gentle by nature and treated everyone with kindness.

Recognizing this, and with his heart set solely on immortality and invincibility, Mu Lin naturally wouldn’t waste time competing with these men for her attention.

“Women only slow down my sword… Well, Yan Yunyu and Teacher Dongfang Ya don’t count as women in my eyes. One is my patron, the other my backer.”

…

As Chu Lingluo was led away by the others, Mu Lin seized the opportunity to resume his cultivation.

“Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!”…

Raising the knife and bringing it down, Mu Lin stabbed himself several more times.

The next moment, the substitute and his main body connected, and the injuries began to transfer.

“Hum…”

Amidst a glow of spell light, the wounds on Mu Lin’s body gradually faded, while the Substitute Paper Figure on the Altar in his dantian gained a few more scars.

The practical experience of transferring injuries deepened Mu Lin’s connection with his Substitute Paper Figure and gave him further insights into its nature.

These insights propelled the proficiency of his Substitute Paper Figure to soar, reflected on the Proficiency Panel by intermittent +1 notifications.

After over a dozen stabs, the +1 notifications chimed eight times in succession, and Mu Lin’s proficiency with the Substitute Paper Figure officially reached perfection.

“Hum!”

For others, perfection meant there was no further progress to be made—only continuous refinement in the hope of a sudden burst of inspiration to break through the spell’s limits.

But Mu Lin was different. When a cultivation method reached perfection, it granted him a sense of enlightenment. In such a state, by circulating the method once more, his realm would naturally and smoothly break through.

“Thud!” “Boom!”

Fully aware of this, Mu Lin decisively stabbed himself once more. This strike felt as if it had pierced through his Ren and Du meridians. As the paper-cutting knife entered his body, a torrent of realizations erupted like a volcano, continuously surging from within Mu Lin’s heart.

“…Cloning, replication—as long as I have enough Mana, I can create a second Substitute Paper Figure…”

“…Huh? Injury transfer can actually be explained by scientific theories from my previous life… quantum theory, quantum entanglement?…”

“…Twins share an inexplicable mental connection; if one dies, the other senses it inexplicably. Could this be the principle behind the Paper Substitute?…”

“…Due to quantum entanglement, cultivating through the Substitute Paper Figure and then having it return to bring back its understanding—such an operation is feasible…”

“…”

A thousand readers of Dream of the Red Chamber will have a thousand interpretations.

So it is with reading, and so it is with cultivation.

Thus, even with the same cultivation method, different practitioners will develop distinct characteristics.

Hmm… because the early stages of cultivation are merely imitation without personal understanding, the characteristics cultivators gain at this point are quite similar.

But starting from the third realm, Expert, Mu Lin and others will incorporate their own insights. Since each person’s experiences differ, as do their thoughts and reflections, from this point onward, the characteristics of the cultivation method will also develop in unique ways.

Therefore, Mu Lin does not know what characteristics others’ Substitute Paper Figures might gain at the third realm, Expert.

However, thanks to the experiences, creativity, knowledge, and insights from his past life, he has truly comprehended the characteristic he has long dreamed of.

“The ability for clones to cultivate—I have obtained it!”

(End of Chapter)