Chapter 59 – That's It? Mu Lin's Outburst

On his first attempt at the Tower of Illusory Heavens, Mu Lin charged straight for the Nest. On his second attempt, he lured the enemy out and killed it.

His actions were clean and efficient, allowing Mu Lin to clear two levels in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

At that moment, outside the tower, among the group of Disciples who had been waiting to see him fail, some hadn’t even finished their preparations.

Seeing Mu Lin emerge so abruptly, some of them were stunned and instinctively remarked, “Coming out so quickly… as expected, trash will always be trash. Even if you cling to someone powerful, you can’t change your fate…”

“Hmph, teaming up with Miss Chu Lingluo is nothing but a waste of her time…”

From a common-sense perspective, they believed that even if Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo could clear the second level, it would take them a considerable amount of time.

Now, with Mu Lin emerging so quickly, they assumed he must have failed the challenge.

Holding this belief, they didn’t even bother to check the names displayed on the Tower of Illusory Heavens before instinctively mocking him.

Then, they saw that despite such ridicule, Mu Lin showed no sign of shame. Instead, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

This only fueled the envy and resentment of those who despised him, making them even angrier.

“Even after failing, you have no sense of shame? You…”

The person was about to say more but suddenly froze mid-sentence.

He noticed that the inscriptions on the Tower of Illusory Heavens had changed—Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo’s names were now clearly displayed on the second level, meaning they had successfully cleared the challenge.

This left many in disbelief, unable to accept what they were seeing.

“How is this possible?”

“How did he fend off the ghosts’ sudden ambush?”

“At this speed, they might even clear the third level…”

“…”

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into silence. After a long pause, a voice finally broke the stillness:

“E-even if they clear the third level, it’s all thanks to Chu Lingluo, Miss Chu. That trash has nothing to do with it…”

Their disdain for Mu Lin led many to attribute all the credit to Chu Lingluo.

However, while such remarks would have garnered widespread agreement in the past, this time, very few echoed the sentiment.

They might despise Mu Lin, but they weren’t fools.

Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo’s team consisted of only two people. If Chu Lingluo were the sole contributor, clearing the levels so quickly would imply her strength might rival, or even surpass, that of Ji Xue.

Yet, the gentle and delicate Chu Lingluo seemed nothing like the sharp and formidable Ji Xue.

Thus, as much as they hated to admit it, they had to acknowledge one thing: Mu Lin was no trash—he might even be a genius.

Having proven his talent, Mu Lin could have earned the goodwill of his peers by extending an olive branch.

Unfortunately, Mu Lin didn’t believe their friendship would be of any use to him.

Nor could he afford to be on friendly terms with the other Disciples—he hadn’t forgotten the task assigned to him by Teacher Dongfang Ya.

Compared to the friendship of his peers, Teacher Dongfang Ya’s favor was clearly far more important.

So, while the Disciples remained silent, Mu Lin flashed them a contemptuous smile.

“Is that all?”

“?!?”

“What does he mean?”

Mu Lin’s words instantly drew the attention of many Dao Palace Disciples.

At this moment, they still had no idea what awaited them.

Looking at them and then at the Tower of Illusory Heavens, Mu Lin shrugged, utterly perplexed as he said:

“I’ve been hearing all along how difficult the Tower of Illusory Heavens is, how hard it is to pass through. I was even a little apprehensive at first.”

“But in the end, it’s just this?”

“I didn’t even exert much effort, and those monsters fell down. Hey, can you tell me, where exactly is the difficulty in the Tower of Illusory Heavens?”

“And you’re all second-tier Prodigies, right? How did you fail at something as simple as the Tower of Illusory Heavens?”

  ”……”

Mu Lin unleashed a torrent of criticism toward his classmates who had come to watch him, especially targeting those who had mocked him before, rubbing their faces in it.

Of course, deep down, Mu Lin genuinely believed that he was doing this to ignite their fighting spirit, for their own good, with no intention of retaliating against their mockery.

‘Whether you believe it or not, I believe it myself.’

Mu Lin’s sarcastic remarks proved surprisingly effective. Under his relentless criticism, the expressions of many Disciples twisted in anger.

Originally, some had thought they could coexist peacefully with Mu Lin from now on, but his tirade shattered the composure of many.

Consequently, someone immediately retorted with a sneer: “You bastard, what are you so proud of? That was all thanks to Chu Lingluo, Miss Chu.”

“I’ve passed the second floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens.”

“That’s not your own ability.”

“I’ve passed the second floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens.”

“If you went in alone, you’d definitely fail.”

“I’ve passed the second floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens and am about to attempt the third. Oh, and by the way, whether I pass or not, I’ll still receive a share of the rewards when the Dao Palace distributes them. Annoyed? Angry? Jealous?”

“You bastard…”

With this provocation, Mu Lin successfully angered everyone and thoroughly vented his own frustration.

His actions also caught the attention of many.

One of them was a teacher who had come to observe.

Due to Mu Lin’s inheritance from the Yin Eight Gates, Ma Daoren had always held some dislike for him. Seeing him act so arrogantly now, the Daoist Practitioner shook his head and said, “His talent and strength are decent, but his personality is too overbearing. With such a style, it will be difficult for him to achieve great things.”

Some nearby nodded in agreement with this assessment.

However, their actions darkened Dongfang Ya’s expression.

Glancing at her colleagues, Dongfang Ya snorted coldly and said:

“This was my instruction. Do you have any objections?”

“Huh?”

This statement left Ma Daoren and some other teachers completely stunned.

Even Dongfang Ya’s close friends couldn’t understand her reasoning.

In response, Dongfang Ya explained: “Since being promoted to the Formal Class, many of those second-tier Prodigy Students have grown complacent. Over these past few days, quite a few haven’t been studying diligently. Instead, they’ve been acting like spoiled nobles, attending banquets and parties every day.”

“With such a trend, how can they possibly master Daoist arts? It’s also irresponsible toward their own lives.”

“As their guiding teacher, I want to put a stop to this unhealthy trend. Mu Lin is the catalyst I chose. With him around, the Students in the class will have to work hard if they don’t want to be mocked.”

Normally, at this point, Dongfang Ya’s explanation should have ended.

However, due to the previous misunderstanding from colleagues and the many disciples on-site glaring angrily at Mu Lin, Dongfang Ya realized that Mu Lin had sacrificed a great deal to accomplish his task.

First, he could forget about making friends in the class.

Second, his reputation for arrogance and audacity would be spread by these people.

This was undoubtedly detrimental to Mu Lin’s future development.

And since such consequences arose entirely because Mu Lin was helping her with her affairs, the kind-hearted and responsible Dongfang Ya felt compelled to compensate him in some way.

As she pondered how to make amends, Dongfang Ya also recalled the rumors from a few days earlier.

‘Using rumors to mislead others into thinking I’m your backer, huh? Sure enough, you’re a cunning one too.’

While inwardly scoffing, she spoke up:

“Choosing Mu Lin as a target wasn’t simply because he was suitable. I also have high hopes for him and intend to take him on as my disciple.”

(End of Chapter)