Chapter 6 – Paper Folding

The sudden appearance of text before his eyes startled Mu Lin, causing him to open his eyes involuntarily.

He then realized that this text only appeared in his own vision—his furtive glances around drew the attention of some classmates, but they merely frowned at him before returning to their cultivation.

Everyone seemed to ignore the text before his eyes, as if it didn’t exist at all.

‘Or perhaps it truly doesn’t exist—this is a Golden Finger that belongs solely to me!’

Calming himself, Mu Lin stopped making a fuss and closed his eyes to study the numbers before him.

He soon discovered that this was something akin to a Proficiency Panel, capable of recording the progress of his Cultivation Methods.

Although it could only record and not alter progress through point allocation, this was still an immense surprise for Mu Lin.

The ability to record meant it could constantly display his mistakes during cultivation, ensuring he always stayed on the right path.

This alone made Mu Lin feel incredibly fortunate.

Moreover, he vaguely sensed that this Proficiency Panel would solidify his progress, preventing him from forgetting or regressing.

‘If that’s truly the case, then I’ve truly struck gold—this is practically the Great Luo Level of One Attainment.’

The activation of his Golden Finger filled Mu Lin with overwhelming joy.

For the first time, he felt confident that he could master all three Cultivation Methods within a hundred days… This confidence only heightened the exhilaration in his heart.

“Hah…”

It took him quite a while before his emotions finally settled.

Without hesitation, Mu Lin immediately resumed his visualization.

Having already visualized once before, constructing the Longsword during his second attempt became much easier, and he soon succeeded.

Just as he expected, upon successfully visualizing, the progress of Mindscape – Sky Burial City immediately increased by +1.

Visible, tangible progress ignited an endless drive within Mu Lin. For the next incense stick’s worth of time, he immersed himself wholeheartedly in visualization.

Sword form visualized successfully—Mindscape – Sky Burial City proficiency +1, +1, +1, +1…

In one go, he raised the progress of Mindscape – Sky Burial City to First Realm Entry (96/108).

At this point, Mu Lin had no choice but to stop.

It wasn’t that he was lazy or unwilling to continue cultivating, but mental exhaustion had left his mind in a haze. Attempting visualization now would make it impossible for him to successfully construct the Longsword.

Without successful meditation, his Cultivation Method progress naturally wouldn’t increase by +1.

Rubbing his temples, Mu Lin rested for the duration of a cup of tea.

He then realized that, even after resting, his mind remained somewhat sluggish, but he could think a little more clearly, and his physical energy was still ample.

This state made Mu Lin want to do something that didn’t require much mental effort.

And in the end, he did think of something—Paper Folding.

The cultivation of the Blackwater Profound Serpent Mortal Shedding Art required certain aids and couldn’t be practiced yet. The Taiyin Life-Nurturing Scripture, on the other hand, required the appearance of the Moon.

Only Paper Folding didn’t demand too much mental effort from Mu Lin—it mainly involved using his hands.

Moreover, for Mu Lin, who possessed the Paper Crafting Scripture, Paper Folding was an essential skill. Mastering it would always be beneficial for him.

Just like visualizing the sword, the first thing Mu Lin folded was also a sword.

The shape of the sword was extremely simple. The Paper Crafting Scripture recorded no fewer than thirteen methods for folding paper into a sword, complete with instructions. This allowed Mu Lin to produce a decent-looking paper sword on his very first attempt.

What astonished him was that, upon successfully folding his first paper sword, the Proficiency Panel appeared once again.

【Paper Folding, 1st Realm: Beginner (1/33)】

“???”

“This counts as a skill?”

Though surprised, having Paper Folding recognized as a skill was beneficial for him. With the Proficiency Panel, he could grind this skill to mastery in the shortest possible time.

Thus, in high spirits, Mu Lin happily began folding paper swords using the complimentary paper on his desk.

“Swish, swish, swish…”

One paper sword after another was swiftly folded by Mu Lin.

In less than five minutes, he had completed the beginner-level training, advancing his Paper Folding progress to 33/33.

Almost instinctively, he pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and folded it into another sword. This time, he felt a slight sense of enlightenment.

Consequently, for his next attempt, he no longer folded a paper sword but instead crafted a paper crane.

Without much delay, a reasonably well-shaped paper crane soon took form in his hands.

And this was only the beginning.

Soon, a second, third, fourth, fifth… paper crane continuously emerged from Mu Lin’s hands.

Simultaneously, the progress of his Paper Folding skill on the Proficiency Panel soared rapidly.

【Paper Folding, 2nd Realm: Proficient (13/108)】

Since folding paper cranes required little effort, in less than half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, his Paper Folding proficiency had already reached (48/108).

At this point, Mu Lin paused briefly—the paper on his desk had run out.

Fortunately, he had friends. During Zong Xiu’s break, he inquired and discovered that Zong Xiu had no immediate need for blank paper, so Mu Lin borrowed his supply.

“Just some paper, no need to borrow… but why are you folding so many paper cranes?”

Since they would be staying at the Dao Palace for three years and interacting frequently, it was nearly impossible to keep their main cultivation techniques completely hidden. After a moment’s hesitation, Mu Lin explained:

“The cultivation method I practice is the Paper Crafting Scripture. Paper folding is part of my training.”

“Paper Crafting, the legacy of the Yin Eight Gates… I see. Wait a moment, I’ll help you gather paper from the others as well.”

Zong Xiu was momentarily surprised to learn that Mu Lin possessed the legacy of the Paper Crafting Art, but he quickly moved past it, showing little hostility.

This reaction was partly due to the current era. In times of peace, the eerie Paper Crafting Art would naturally be met with suspicion and resentment.

But now, with demonic monsters wreaking havoc and anomalies frequently emerging, humanity faced overwhelming calamities.

The Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty, and people in general, had long ceased to care about distinctions between righteous and evil paths. Instead, they used whatever was available.

For instance, the Dao Palace Library housed demonic path cultivation arts such as the Blood Transformation Divine Blade and the Five Organs Five Ghosts Diagram.

Well… at least most people didn’t mind.

Another reason why Dao Palace Disciples did not look down upon the Paper Crafting Secret Art was that, while the Yin Eight Gates belonged to the heterodox path, most of what the Dao Palace taught were not orthodox cultivation methods either.

The two sides were like the pot calling the kettle black, so naturally, they didn’t scorn each other.

…

Zong Xiu was quite outgoing and helpful, having made many friends in the classroom. With his assistance, it wasn’t long before the paper piled on Mu Lin’s desk reached nearly half the table’s height.

This also made Mu Lin’s Paper Folding endeavors increasingly smooth.

“Swish, swish, swish…”

Time swiftly passed as Mu Lin folded paper, during which he produced some sounds.

Fortunately, not everyone in the classroom practiced meditation or stillness techniques—others made considerable noise as well, with some even practicing swordplay. Mu Lin’s classroom was exceptionally large, resembling an indoor Training Ground.

Their meditation cushions and desks were arranged at the front, while a spacious area at the back was left open for practicing dynamic techniques.

With the noise others made for comparison, Mu Lin’s Paper Folding did not stand out.

As he continuously folded one Paper Crane after another, he soon completed 108 of them, bringing his Paper Folding progress to 108.

Just as when he folded the Paper Sword, reaching perfection in folding Paper Cranes also brought Mu Lin a moment of insight.

When folding Paper Cranes again, he could now do it more swiftly and smoothly.

The only regret was that after achieving perfection in folding Paper Cranes, further folding no longer increased his progress.

This led Mu Lin to a speculation.

(End of Chapter)