Chapter 86 – The First Chance to Break Through to Yongquan Realm

Embarking on the path of invincibility now was undoubtedly an ambitious aspiration. What left Mu Lin with mixed emotions was that, after the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, he discovered this ambition was not without the possibility of success.

He had advanced.

Under the 12-fold speed, in merely the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, Mu Lin’s cultivation level (Taiyin Life-Nurturing Qi) advanced to the Spirit Awakening Realm.

Although he had long been on the verge of a breakthrough, such speed still exceeded Mu Lin’s expectations.

Moreover, from this incident, Mu Lin estimated that with Substitute Paper Figures—and more crucially, with ample Moonlight Jade Dew—in just one month, merely one month, he could cultivate from the early Spirit Awakening stage to Spirit Awakening Perfection.

For ordinary people, reaching Spirit Awakening Perfection would encounter a bottleneck.

They must advance their cultivation method to the third realm, Expert, to break through their cultivation level once more.

Many say that mana is easy to cultivate, but realms are difficult to elevate—this is precisely what they mean.

—Mana cultivation is not something that can be raised at will; humans have their limits.

Although cultivation can break through these limits, each realm advancement only breaks through a little. Therefore, Qi Refiners must not only cultivate mana but also comprehend the laws of heaven and earth to elevate their own realms.

Cultivation methods are the connection between humans and the natural world. Thus, specifically, when a cultivator reaches a bottleneck and wishes to advance further, they must advance their cultivation method.

And this is only for a Daoist Novice breaking through to a Feathered Scholar.

Upon reaching the realm of Condensing Gang and Refining Sha, mere comprehension is insufficient for a Qi Refiner to advance.

The way of heaven is to diminish the excessive and supplement the deficient.

The way of humanity is to diminish the deficient and supplement the excessive.

What Qi Refiners call Condensing Gang and Refining Sha is precisely because they cannot break through their limits by relying solely on themselves; they must draw upon the essence of heaven and earth (Gang Qi, Baleful Qi) to supplement themselves, allowing their capacity and limits to break through once more.

Of course, that was still far off for Mu Lin.

At this moment, what Mu Lin pondered was that Qi Refiners would encounter a minor bottleneck from Spirit Awakening Perfection to the Feathered Scholar realm.

And what stirred joy in Mu Lin’s heart was that, unlike his mediocre Spirit Root and slow mana cultivation advancement, the elevation of cultivation method realms had always been his forte!

“Advancing Taiyin Life-Nurturing Qi from the second realm to the third requires only 3,300 proficiency points. For me now, I won’t even need a month to advance it!”

This statement was not born of Mu Lin’s arrogance, but because Paper Substitutes were his clones. When a Paper Figure Clone returned to Mu Lin’s main body after cultivation, it would not only bring back refined mana cultivation but also seamlessly merge its comprehension of the cultivation method with Mu Lin.

Therefore, although the speed of Mu Lin’s cultivation method proficiency increase was not as high as the 12-fold rate of his mana cultivation, it was still seven times that of ordinary cultivators.

“Each cultivation session allows me to gain +1 proficiency point. At sevenfold speed, that’s +7 points per session… The 3,300 points for Taiyin Life-Nurturing Qi aren’t even enough for me to grind through in a month!”

“And once my cultivation method advances, I will have no bottleneck. So, one month later, I will likely smoothly advance from Spirit Awakening Perfection to Gushing Spring! As for Ji Xue, even if her mana cultivation advances quickly, if luck is not on her side, she could potentially get stuck.”

“Thus, it is possible for me to be the first to break through to Gushing Spring!”

At this thought, Mu Lin’s eyes lit up.

At this very moment, he truly felt that the path was not in the future but right beneath his feet.

“The Paper Substitute ability is incredibly powerful… Hmm, Lingluo’s Moon-Swallowing Toad has also been a huge help to me. Without her resource support, my progress would never have been this fast.”

“I must repay her properly in the future…”

…

With his Mana Cultivation soaring at an astonishing rate, Mu Lin spent the next few days with a constant smile on his face.

Even though Ji Xue had made further progress during these days, achieving the same results as Mu Lin in the Tower of Illusory Heavens, the joy on Mu Lin’s face remained impossible to conceal.

In fact, even being pushed out of the Hidden Dragon Rankings didn’t cause Mu Lin the slightest bit of anxiety.

  Yes, Mu Lin had been pushed out of the Hidden Dragon Rankings, and after being on the list for only five days, he was squeezed out.

This was normal. The Great Spirit Imperial Dynasty had a population of over a hundred million, with countless Prodigies. The Hidden Dragon Rankings were open to all Dao Palaces, making the competition within them exceptionally fierce.

Not attempting the Tower Challenge for several days, it would have been strange if Mu Lin hadn’t been pushed down.

However, after he was knocked off the rankings, some murmurs inevitably arose in his class.

“I told you, Mu Lin only got on the list by luck. As soon as the real Prodigies started making their moves, look, he fell right off.”

“Ranked ninety-third on the Hidden Dragon Rankings—this might be the peak of Mu Lin’s entire life.”

“Prodigies are Prodigies after all. Someone like Mu Lin, from a humble background, simply can’t compare…”

Fortunately, such voices didn’t affect Mu Lin’s mood in the slightest.

He continued cultivating step by step, with no intention of rushing into the Tower Challenge.

“For me right now, my strength is growing with every passing second. In this situation, isn’t it better to just immerse myself in cultivation? How could I possibly have time for the Tower Challenge!”

Holding this mindset, Mu Lin let people talk as they pleased. Every day, he cultivated, cultivated, and cultivated without pause.

And his Mana Cultivation grew rapidly through this arduous and diligent training.

Soon, another week passed.

By now, Ji Xue and Yan Yunyu, as the class leaders, were already tackling the fifth floor of the Tower of Illusory Heavens.

As Mu Lin still hadn’t taken any action, more and more people in the class began to believe that Mu Lin lacked staying power.

Even some of the instructors started to think the same way.

Naturally, others’ discussions didn’t affect Mu Lin in the slightest.

He was immersed in the delight of his rapidly improving cultivation.

If possible, Mu Lin would have liked to continue this intense cultivation indefinitely.

However, though he didn’t want trouble, the tree may wish to remain still, but the wind will not cease.

The trouble that was bound to come eventually arrived.

One day, after finishing his cultivation and on his way home, a young woman dressed as a maid stopped him on the road.

“Yan Yunyu is looking for me? Does she want me to create a Paper-Folding Artwork? I’m sorry, I don’t have time right now…”

“It’s not for that.”

The one who came to summon Mu Lin was Yan Yunyu’s maid, Xiao Xue. Noticing Mu Lin’s reluctance (women only waste my time—right now, I just want to cultivate), she reminded him, “This matter is very important, and it also concerns Miss Chu Lingluo. You’d better come along.”

Seeing the maid’s serious expression and considering that this was within the Dao Palace Academy, where there wasn’t much danger, Mu Lin eventually followed her.

Then, in Yan Yunyu’s residence, Mu Lin discovered that the room wasn’t occupied by Yan Yunyu alone—there was also a young woman dressed in palace attire.

Seeing her face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Chu Lingluo, Mu Lin’s body instantly stiffened, and his pupils contracted.

Not being foolish, he easily understood that this person was a family member of Chu Lingluo, and… she did not come with good intentions.

…

(End of Chapter)