Chapter 122
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 122: Rewards from the Taoist Palace, Dragon Blood
When Mu Lin made his request, Yan Yunyu left right away to gather resources for him, while Mu Lin started training with Chu Lingluo.
But his training didn’t last long.
Qi Qiu’s actions greatly affected the academy. Even though he didn’t succeed in recruiting Mu Lin, Dongfang Ya ensured Mu Lin stayed at Anping Taoist Palace for now.
Still, his invitation made the leaders of Anping Taoist Palace realize Mu Lin, whom they had underestimated, had become a sought-after talent not bound solely to their institution.
Dongfang Ya, trusted by Mu Lin, proved reliable.
“Hmph, don’t assume Mu Lin won’t leave. He cares for me, not Anping Taoist Palace.”
“The court, nobles, and officials fund this place yearly. If you skimp on students, I won’t stay!”
This threat forced the Taoist Palace to yield.
“Miss Dongfang, we never refused resources.”
“We’re generous with talents…”
“We withheld from Mu Lin earlier because we underestimated him…”
“Remember? After the Southeast Province assessment, you asked to upgrade his Level 3 Spiritual Roots to Level 2. We agreed!”
With Qi Qiu’s offer, Dongfang Ya’s pressure, and Mu Lin’s worth, the Taoist Palace rushed to secure him.
This time, they offered real treasures to keep him loyal.
When Dongfang Ya met Mu Lin, she remarked, “They’re spending heavily—truly desperate.”
“The Mountain Elder needs face. Losing you to rivals would shame him.”
Mu Lin grew curious.
“Their gifts are that good?”
“Yes. Here’s the first one.”
Dongfang Ya tossed him a small jade vial. Inside gleamed a ruby-like blood drop.
The blood pulsed as if alive, shifting shapes—a gem, a fish, even a tiny dragon.
“Dragon blood?”
“Vital blood. Specially obtained for you.”
She explained, “Your Tower of Illusions trial showed your Spirit and Qi are exceptional, but your body lags.”
“For ordinary Qi Practitioners, focusing on Essence, Qi, and Spirit’s latter two suffices. But you’re a Great Spirit Dynasty talent. No weaknesses allowed.”
Mu Lin nodded.
“Thank you, Teacher. I’ll strengthen my body.”
Dongfang Ya said, “Good. One more thing to remember: this dragon blood from the Transformation Realm is packed with massive energy and carries a wisp of the dragon’s soul will. You can’t consume it directly yet. First, you must prepare special spiritual liquid and soak the dragon blood in it to infuse the liquid with its essence.”
“Only this diluted mixture is safe for consumption. I’ve brought the recipe for the spiritual liquid, but you’ll have to ask your little girlfriend for help with the materials and the actual preparation process.”
Mu Lin coughed awkwardly:
“Ahem… Teacher, neither Chu Lingluo nor Yan Yunyu is my girlfriend.”
“Heh.”
Dongfang Ya ignored his protest and moved to the second reward.
“Beyond the dragon blood, the Taoist Palace grants you access to their real Scripture Pavilion to choose a cultivation method. But I delayed accepting this—you know why, yes?”
“Because you fear I’d spread myself too thin?”
His quick answer drew an approving nod.
“Good you recognize this. So—do you still want this reward? I could request a different one.”
Mu Lin answered without pause:
“No changes. I’ll take the cultivation method.”
Dongfang Ya’s brows knitted.
“Explain yourself. Mastering ten half-learned spells can’t compare to perfecting one to master-level.”
Mu Lin knew this well. His skilled Substitute Paper Figure created one clone bearing 30% damage, while the master-level version spawned six clones absorbing 80% damage, plus aided cultivation and stored magic power. A hundred skilled figures couldn’t match one master-level’s value.
Yet he persisted: “I trust my comprehension. I can handle more methods now. More importantly, I need a military formations secret technique.”
“For your paper army.”
“Exactly.”
His fight with Zhuang Ding revealed his spiritual strength could grant temporary consciousness to nearly a hundred Yin soldiers and ghost officials from his Mind Image world. Though summoning them required the vitality of the living, his master-level Substitute Paper Figures now stored that vitality.
But their combat power disappointed him. While they crushed common evil ghosts and mildly hindered Spirit Pool demons like Zhuang Ding, the demon had still breached their defenses to reach him.
The Great Spirit Dynasty’s solution lay in military formations. Among The Arts of Cultivation—talisman formations, puppetry, True Meaning Artists—formations ranked as deepest and most complex. They fell into three types: Heaven formations harnessed the cosmic starry sky and nature itself when perfected; Earth formations drew power from spiritual veins and landscapes.
The human formation gathers the combined strength of many people.
Mu Lin didn’t plan to become a formation master, but he wanted to learn some formations to control his own power.
When Dongfang Ya heard Mu Lin’s idea and his confidence in learning it, she didn’t stop him and began giving advice.
"The Taoist Palace has many military formations—Four Spirit Celestial Formation, Blood Floating Tower Formation, and simpler ones like Crane Wing and Dragon Soar."
"But the Blood Floating Tower needs warriors’ vitality, while the Four Spirit Celestial requires elemental mastery. Neither suits you. Since you can’t learn basic ones like Dragon Soar either, your only option is the Sky Wall Palace Formation."
Mu Lin asked, "Sky Wall Palace? A defensive formation?"
Dongfang Ya nodded.
"Once activated, the Sky Wall Palace Formation links your paper figures’ spiritual energy into a single fortress-like structure. Attacking one of them becomes like assaulting an entire castle."
"The surrounding terrain also hardens under the formation’s influence. If you stay at its center, killing you becomes nearly impossible."
"But positioning is strict. It’s good for defense but poor for attack or retreat."
Mu Lin chose instantly. "This one."
"Eh?" His quick decision startled Dongfang Ya.
"Sure you don’t want to reconsider? I thought you preferred offense."
Mu Lin smiled.
"I do. But with the Paper Figure Curse, others usually attack me first. I just need to sit ready with my formation."
Remembering how his curse had tormented Spirit Pool Realm demons into desperate fury, Dongfang Ya stayed silent.
Finally, she murmured, "That power truly enrages enemies. You needn’t chase anyone—they’ll rush to attack wherever you camp."
"Even cowards would die charging at you."
After explaining the formation, Dongfang Ya revealed Mu Lin’s third and final reward from the Taoist Palace.
Respecting his choices, she offered no restrictions.
"Tell me what you need—magic tools, pills—and the Taoist Palace will provide it."
Mu Lin paused, then requested, "Teacher, could the Taoist Palace fund my exchange with Master Meng Rui for the Polar Violet Formation?"
