Chapter 100
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Chapter 100: Master-Level Potential, Yan Yunyu’s Change in Attitude
The successful writing granted Mu Lin many insights, visibly reflected on his proficiency panel.
After fully sketching Vajra Strength, it materialized as a skill on his proficiency panel.
The recent success also translated into proficiency points, boosting Vajra Strength’s progress.
Unlike ordinary cultivation methods, Mu Lin’s profound foundation and accumulated insights awarded him not a mere +1 or +2, but a staggering seventy-three points at once.
[Vajra Strength, Level 1 Entry (73/109)]
What delighted Mu Lin more was that mastering Vajra Strength also advanced his master-level calligraphy and painting skills—calligraphy rose by 3 points, painting by 2.
"Training both simultaneously… Makes sense. Talismans are built from characters, formations from patterns. Drawing Vajra Strength doubles as practicing calligraphy and painting."
Without hesitation, Mu Lin began sketching Vajra Strength anew on White Paper.
His solid foundation spared him the repeated failures typical of novice talisman makers. During the second assessment, his brushstrokes succeeded flawlessly again.
This time, Vajra Strength’s proficiency surged by 49 points.
The total 73 + 49 surpassed the skill’s limit, triggering its natural upgrade.
“Buzz…”
A mild headache struck as fresh insights flooded Mu Lin’s mind, deepening his grasp of Vajra Strength.
He continued writing—once, twice, thrice… seven, nine, ten repetitions.
Bolstered by his potent spiritual control and master-level calligraphy and painting, he worked without pause. More remarkably, his success rate hit ninety percent.
Each attempt yielded new revelations. On the Attribute Panel, numbers flashed: +21, +33, +42, +19, +17…
In mere hours (measured by incense burns), Vajra Strength soared to Level 3 Mastery.
[Vajra Strength, Level 3 Mastery (1/6000), Trait: Vajra Strength, Stacking (Max three layers)]
Progress then stalled. Further gains required stacking three layers of Vajra Strength.
This sparked clarity: “Master-level calligraphy and painting give me an edge in crafting talisman formations, but they’re adjacent paths, not identical. Their aid diminishes by one tier.”
Simply put, those skills could rapidly elevate any talisman formation to Level 3 Mastery, after which their influence waned.
“Not entirely.”
Testing further, Mu Lin found his master-level painting’s structural precision and ink-piercing intent maintained a fifty percent success rate even when stacking three layers.
Don’t think this is simple. Drawing Vajra Strength alone is flat design work, but stacking three layers creates a three-dimensional effect. The difficulty skyrocketed over ten times when moving from two-dimensional to three-dimensional.
The jade slip given by Master Meng Rui mentioned this concept.
Records showed ordinary talisman makers at Level 3 only achieved a 10% success rate when stacking Vajra Strength to the third level – succeeding just once every ten attempts.
Compared to them, Mu Lin’s success rate was five times theirs.
"What’s frustrating is my proficiency only increases by +1 when I succeed. Worse, only successful third-level stacked drawings count. Drawing lower layers endlessly won’t help at all."
During Levels 1 and 2, Mu Lin’s Vajra Strength proficiency soared effortlessly with casual practice.
Now, despite exhausting himself to complete a third-level stacked drawing, he only gained 1 proficiency point.
This drastic slowdown left him deeply discouraged, sighing repeatedly.
While Mu Lin brooded, Yan Yunyu watched in stunned silence.
She’d observed his entire talisman formation process with skepticism.
Coming from merchant stock, she believed buying talismans with Spirit Stones was smarter than crafting them personally.
Watching Mu Lin work, she nearly blurted out: "Quit wasting time! Tell me what materials you need – I’ll buy them! Just focus on cultivation!"
But she stayed quiet – in mere moments, Mu Lin had evolved from clueless beginner to functional talisman maker.
He’d actually created a working talisman formation.
Though Yan Yunyu usually looked down on low-level craftsmen as glorified laborers…
"He actually succeeded? And this fast?!"
She inhaled sharply, shock replacing her earlier contempt.
Unlike Chu Lingluo (who avoided worldly affairs) and Mu Lin (whose Night Fire Lantern ordeal caused memory loss), Yan Yunyu understood cultivation economics.
Her merchant family training taught her harsh truths:
Mid/low-level crafters – whether talisman makers, alchemists, or artifact crafters – held no bargaining power due to oversupply.
Powerful clans mass-produced pills and basic artifacts, keeping producer status low.
"If you won’t do it, others will" applied perfectly here.
But high-level crafters reversed this dynamic.
Advanced artifacts couldn’t be machine-made. True masters became rare treasures in the realm of cultivation.
This was especially true in turbulent times.
Qi Practitioners spent recklessly on survival essentials – pills, artifacts, talismans meant life itself. They’d bankrupt themselves for quality gear.
Scarcity and irreplaceability made high-level crafters indispensable.
Yan Yunyu knew any shop securing a high-level artisan gained unshakable stability.
During her apprenticeship in the family shop, Yan Yunyu witnessed numerous business conflicts where rivals tried to poach high-level craftsmen through connections. Successfully stealing such talent could make even century-old establishments crumble overnight.
The Yan family had begun valuing high-level craftsmen, though as an aristocratic clan, they merely treated them as capable employees. Yet such employees could never equal the family leaders in status.
What startled Yan Yunyu was Mu Lin’s exceptional case. Observing his rapid improvement with each talisman inscription, she realized with shock that he was advancing toward master-level proficiency.
"Hiss…!"
A master of artifact forging, alchemy, and talismans commanded great respect even in the Yan family. Yan Yunyu would address such figures as "uncle" or "elder" with honeyed deference. The privileged status of Puppet Master Meng Rui proved this – wealthy families clamored to send their children to study under her. This same Meng Rui dared refer to Chu Lingluo’s mother as "that woman" without consequence.
Master-level craftsmen were living treasures and strategic assets, individuals worthy of marrying into the Yan family. Though Mu Lin hadn’t truly reached this rank yet – even mastering Vajra Strength wouldn’t suffice – a real talisman master needed expertise in numerous talismans and the ability to create superior-grade ones, which Mu Lin still lacked.
Yet his astonishing speed of advancement convinced Yan Yunyu of his inevitable success. This realization kindled new ambitions.
"Perhaps claiming first rank in the Taoist Palace isn’t my only path. The Yan family’s power lies in commerce. With this future master’s assistance through shop management, I could earn the elders’ approval and control my own fate."
No sooner did this thought form than bitterness twisted her features. Her brilliant plan faced one obstacle – the strained relationship caused by her earlier actions.
‘Damnation! I shouldn’t have dismissed him so hastily…’
Noticing the dejected Chu Lingluo nearby softened her regret slightly.
‘At least I’m not the only one who misjudged. There’s still time to mend things.’
Seizing the moment when Mu Lin completed a talisman, she interjected: "Young Master Mu, wait. You should inscribe the formation on proper talisman paper."
When met with suspicion as she offered the paper stack, Yan Yunyu sighed. "You needn’t guard against me so fiercely. I confess to past wrongs against you, but survival demanded it – failure to claim first rank would reduce me to a family pawn. Now our fates intertwine. Aiding you serves my own interests. I mean no harm."
