Chapter 49 – Paper Folding Art: Grandmaster Level

He didn’t say anything about not needing protection. Instead, he invited her to sit beside him and began chatting casually while crafting the fairy-tale garden.

During their conversation, Mu Lin also learned that the phrase “he is a good person, and due to his talent, he is subtly envied and excluded by others” had been said by Yan Yunyu.

Mu Lin didn’t know that Yan Yunyu’s obsession with being first was far beyond imagination, but his clear thinking made him realize that there was definitely something fishy about it.

Because of this, he subtly reminded the kind-hearted girl in front of him.

“Ahem, being too trusting of others isn’t a good thing, especially in the cultivation world. You need to change this aspect of your personality.”

These words made Chu Lingluo freeze for a moment, and she said in astonishment, “Huh? I need to change my personality? But my father and mother told me that I’m fine as I am and that I should maintain a childlike heart, saying it helps with cultivation.”

“…”

Hearing this, Mu Lin immediately slapped himself.

“Young Master Mu, what’s wrong? Are you cursed?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just hitting myself for being presumptuous.”

Only then did Mu Lin realize that Chu Lingluo was different from him.

He had no backing and had to be cautious in every aspect of the cultivation world, constantly thinking and scheming to find support for himself.

But Chu Lingluo was different. As a noble daughter of an aristocratic family, few dared to touch her—even if Yan Yunyu wanted to compete for first place, she would do so through indirect temptation rather than direct action.

In fact, what Mu Lin didn’t know was that while Yan Yunyu was tempting him, she was also planning to monitor the progress between him and Chu Lingluo constantly.

Letting the two become friends and keeping Chu Lingluo occupied for a while was fine, but if Chu Lingluo were to lose her innocence due to Yan Yunyu’s schemes, things would become serious.

…

Mu Lin didn’t know about Yan Yunyu’s plans, but he did know one thing: Chu Lingluo didn’t need to be cautious about everything. So, maintaining a childlike heart wasn’t a bad thing for her.

As for whether such a mindset was unsuitable for the battlefield—

“Hah, who said Chu Lingluo must go to the battlefield?”

“Even if the Dao Palace has mandatory military service clauses, with the Chu Family’s status, they could easily assign her a logistics role.”

…

Realizing the difference between Chu Lingluo and himself, Mu Lin stopped giving further advice and focused on crafting the fairy-tale garden.

However, after completing about half of it, Mu Lin suddenly froze.

This daze lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. When he snapped out of it and looked at the various paper-folded figures he had made, he found them increasingly unsatisfactory.

Because of this, he waved his hand, and with a “snap,” a burst of flame shot from his fingertips, incinerating the many paper-folded animals in an instant.

“Ah!”

This scene left Chu Lingluo, who had been watching with great interest, stunned.

“Wh-why? Y-Young Master Mu, do you dislike me and not want to make it for me?”

The blow was so great that tears welled up in Chu Lingluo’s eyes. Her pitiful expression filled Mu Lin with a sense of guilt.

Fortunately, he quickly explained.

“Don’t worry, I’m not refusing to make it for you. It’s just that I’ve had another realization and can now create something even better.”

This wasn’t a lie. Paper Crafting was inherently easier than Painting or Calligraphy.

Yesterday, Mu Lin had the Substitute Paper Figure practice for him throughout the night once again.

This kind of practice, combined with his previous creations, finally allowed Mu Lin’s Paper Crafting skill to advance from the 4th realm Master to the 5th realm Grandmaster.

【Paper Folding, 5th Realm Grandmaster (1/108000), Traits: Grandmaster’s Work, Vivid and Lifelike, Spiritual Resonance】

The moment his Paper Folding skill reached the Grandmaster level, Mu Lin first checked his proficiency. Upon noticing that there were still proficiency prompts beyond the 5th realm, he felt both relieved and sighed.

He was relieved because the 5th realm Grandmaster was already considered perfection, yet it was not the upper limit of the Proficiency Panel. This meant that his other Spells could still achieve breakthroughs beyond the state of perfection.

What made him sigh was that reaching the 5th realm Grandmaster meant the skill had been cultivated to its peak. To break through further would be like forging a new path, and the difficulty of forging a new path was a hundred times greater than following an established one. This was evident from the drastically increased proficiency requirement.

“The good news is that I can still continue cultivating. The bad news is that making further progress will be extremely difficult.”

After this reflection, Mu Lin turned his attention to the traits of the 5th realm Grandmaster.

Grandmaster’s Work was self-explanatory—it meant that the artistic quality of the items Mu Lin folded would skyrocket once again.

Spiritual Resonance, however, was the core of this advancement.

Whether it was Paper Folding, Painting, Sculpture, or Calligraphy, the initial stages of cultivation focused on making things more aesthetically pleasing and realistic.

But by the time one reached the Master and Grandmaster levels, beauty and realism were no longer the ultimate goals of such arts.

At the pinnacle of Painting, Calligraphy, Sculpture, and Paper Folding, artists express their inner emotions, thoughts, and observations of the world through unique creativity and skill, aiming to achieve a state of spiritual resonance with the viewer.

For instance, the peak masterpieces of his previous life, such as the Mona Lisa’s smile or Liberty Leading the People, were works that stirred the soul.

With Mu Lin’s Paper Folding skill advancing to the Grandmaster level, he could now create works that resonated with people’s hearts.

As Mu Lin focused intently and folded a Grandmaster Level animal, he discovered something else.

In his previous life, which lacked supernatural elements, appreciating the beauty of Painting or Calligraphy required a certain level of expertise. One needed knowledge of Painting and Calligraphy to truly grasp the magnificence of Grandmaster Level works, which was why such art was often considered too refined for the masses.

But this world was different. The illusory power of the mind held real strength.

As a result, the animals Mu Lin folded carried a unique charm—a charm that could resonate with people’s hearts, allowing even ordinary individuals to experience the beauty of Grandmaster Level art in their dreams.

For example, when Mu Lin folded a panda, prolonged observation would cause ordinary people’s consciousness to drift slightly. In this dazed state, they would feel as if the panda had come to life, playfully frolicking with an endearing clumsiness.

“The power of the mind is truly miraculous… I wonder how much this spiritual resonance can reduce the cost of my Paper Figure Technique.”

While Mu Lin was pondering the intricacies of Mystical Arts, Chu Lingluo beside him had already been completely captivated by the adorably clumsy panda.

“So cute…”

It took her a long while before she could tear her gaze away. When she finally did, the look she gave Mu Lin was filled with even greater respect.

‘To achieve another breakthrough in Paper Folding in such a short time, Young Master Mu, you truly are a genius, just as my cousin said.’

While feeling respect, Chu Lingluo also noticed that after folding two or three small animals, Mu Lin stopped and began frowning in thought.

‘Is it because of the assessment in a few days…’

Chu Lingluo was pure and kind, not foolish or dull. She knew that the upcoming assessment in a few days was very important for someone like Mu Lin, who came from a humble background.

She also understood that Mu Lin wanted to cultivate first to prepare for the assessment before helping her fold the Fairytale Manor.

Her innate kindness made Chu Lingluo eager to help others. Thus, she leaned closer to Mu Lin and whispered softly.

“Young Master Mu, if you feel troubled, you can cultivate first. The Paper Folding matter isn’t urgent.”

After speaking, to prevent Mu Lin from feeling guilty, she added proactively, “Moreover, I also want to learn Paper Folding. Taking it slow is actually good for me, as it means I can seek your guidance for a longer time.”

These words indeed helped Mu Lin set aside his concerns.

“Then thank you for your understanding, Miss Chu. Actually, I have a method that can balance Paper Folding and cultivation, but I was worried it might seem disrespectful to you. As for learning… whether it’s Paper Folding, Painting, or Calligraphy, you can ask me anytime if there’s anything you don’t understand.”

After saying this, Mu Lin took out a piece of white paper and folded two new Paper Figures capable of resonating with people’s hearts. Then, he colored them with a brush, wrote their True Names and birth dates, and finally, took a deep breath and blew onto them.

With a “whoosh,” as his living breath was exhaled, the Paper Figures instantly came to life and rapidly expanded to the size of a True Person.

The appearance of the Paper Figures, identical to himself, did not surprise Mu Lin. What delighted him was that because they were complete in form and spirit and resonated with his heart, the Mana consumption for bringing these Paper Figures to life was reduced by a full fifty percent.

The Divine Soul consumption was even lower, reduced by seventy percent.

This effectively extended Mu Lin’s endurance.

Additionally, the heart resonance offered two other benefits.

(End of Chapter)