Chapter 142
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 142: Merged Transformation, The Contest Concludes (Long Chapter)
From Master Meng Rui’s words, Mu Lin sensed she held him in higher regard than Dongfang Ya did.
This made sense. First, as Master Meng Rui pointed out, Dongfang Ya treated every student in the class with gentleness, leaving her unable to devote her full attention to Mu Lin alone.
Second, Dongfang Ya was an orthodox cultivator who believed true power must arise from oneself.
Though she praised Mu Lin’s ability to channel the power of Heaven’s Funeral to create a domain, she didn’t genuinely approve of it and even harbored concerns.
Master Meng Rui differed entirely. As a puppet master, she saw puppets as external aids and never viewed relying on outside forces as wrong.
Thus, she wholeheartedly admired Mu Lin’s summoning of Heaven’s Funeral’s power.
Their contrasting philosophies naturally shaped how they treated Mu Lin.
In fact, within moments, she’d already devised how to weaponize the perilous domain of Heaven’s Funeral.
“If Mu Lin became my disciple, I’d teach him to craft substitute puppets and master consciousness-transfer techniques. Once he invokes Heaven’s Funeral’s power, he could retreat instantly. The domain’s extreme power would shift from being a mutual-destruction ultimate move to a reusable technique.”
…
Two other factors drew her to Mu Lin. First, their disciplines aligned closely—
paper figures could be classified as puppets, meaning Mu Lin would fully inherit her legacy as her student.
Lastly, pragmatism: witnessing Mu Lin’s capabilities, she knew he’d inevitably rise to prominence.
Having him as her disciple would serve as living proof of her teachings, easing future recruitment immensely.
Fame, profit, extraordinary talent—coupled with Mu Lin’s earlier defiance being not for himself, but for his mentor Dongfang Ya. Though challenging a puppet master had irked her, it revealed Mu Lin’s loyalty and integrity.
Such giftedness paired with gratitude made Mu Lin an irresistible prospect for Master Meng Rui.
While she was captivated, Mu Lin hesitated after snapping from his daze.
Apprenticeship offered advantages, but being caught between Master Meng Rui and Dongfang Ya’s potential clashes would trap him.
Seeking to avoid this, he said, “I’m honored, but need time to consider.”
“Will you consult Dongfang Ya?”
Master Meng Rui smiled, unoffended.
“Go ahead. With her nature, she’ll undoubtedly urge you to accept.”
“……”
Mu Lin couldn’t argue. If this benefited him, Dongfang Ya would likely push him to agree.
…
Master Meng Rui’s unexpected choice turned her and Mu Lin from foes to tentative allies.
This also stemmed from Mu Lin’s displayed potential.
As he’d often remarked—demonstrate formidable power, and the world grows kinder.
Though not yet strong, Mu Lin’s budding promise drew increasing goodwill.
After their truce, Mu Lin assumed the final clash was unnecessary.
Yet to his surprise, Qin Yuan still stepped forward—and Master Meng Rui did not intervene.
After a moment’s thought, Mu Lin grasped her reasoning.
Selection.
Master Meng Rui valued both Mu Lin and Qin Yuan. Though unaware of Qin Yuan’s exact talents, Mu Lin knew anyone Master Meng Rui personally saved must be exceptional.
When two unparalleled geniuses clashed, even Master Meng Rui struggled to choose whom to prioritize. A duel between them became the natural solution.
"Junior Brother Mu, I seek your guidance."
"After you."
Though rivals, Qin Yuan’s courtesy deserved reciprocation. They bowed before summoning puppets. Noting Qin Yuan’s single puppet, Mu Lin kept only the martial judge Funeral Yasha.
Qin Yuan didn’t attack immediately. "I’ve only made one puppet," he offered, "while you have dozens of paper figures. Using just one seems unfair. You may summon up to nine."
The pale-faced youth had reasons to win, but refused overwhelming advantage. The nine-figure limit came from recognizing Mu Lin’s Sky Wall Palace Formation required that number.
Mu Lin studied him but shook his head. "No need. This may sound arrogant, but one Funeral Yasha suffices against you."
"Have care."
With Mu Lin’s warning, the blue-black Funeral Yasha shot forward like raging wind.
Qin Yuan stood firm before the blink-fast attacker, confidence unshaken. His floating Buddha puppet gleamed with colored glass, six arms spread in lotus position. A steel ring haloed it while flames danced in upper palms.
As the Funeral Yasha’s spear thrust came, Qin Yuan focused. Two of the Buddha’s six arms pressed together.
*Hummm…*
Golden patterns lit across the Buddha’s form, spreading through the air to form a glowing shield around both puppet and master.
"Immovable Vajra Barrier Spell!"
*BOOM!*
The spear struck as the barrier solidified. Dragon-enhanced strength delivered tons of force – air cracked around the collision, and hairline fractures snaked across the golden shield.
This scene made Qin Yuan raise an eyebrow.
“Impressive!”
“But it’s over!”
“Mu Lin, you’re strong indeed, but too arrogant…”
As Qin Yuan spoke, one pair of the Six-Handed Glass Buddha’s hands maintained the Immovable King Seal, while another pair holding flames formed the Great Radiance Seal.
“Hum!”
The instant this seal took shape, the flames suspended by the Six-Handed Glass Buddha plunged into its chest.
“Boom!”
The flames caused the patterns on the Six-Handed Glass Buddha to shift violently from gold to crimson.
As the patterns changed, the protective Vajra Barrier transformed abruptly, with blazing flames erupting from its surface.
The flames exploded outward like solar flares.
“Rumble…”
Caught unprepared, the Funeral Yasha became engulfed in the inferno.
Seeing this, Qin Yuan’s face brightened.
“Mu Lin, you’ve lost. Paper figures aren’t true puppets – their composition is naturally weak against fire. Your cultivation methods reek of dark energy, suppressed by my radiant flames.”
“You’re powerful, but under this double suppression…”
Confident of victory, Qin Yuan began explaining Mu Lin’s defeat when his expression froze.
The Funeral Yasha, now a blazing torch, did not crumble to ashes.
The surrounding flames appeared to cause it no harm whatsoever.
With spear raised, it launched a tempestuous assault toward Qin Yuan.
“Boom!” “Crash!”
Under this furious onslaught, Qin Yuan’s Immovable King Vajra Barrier teetered on collapse within moments.
This development shocked Qin Yuan.
While expecting the Funeral Yasha’s strength, he cried out in disbelief: “Why does radiant fire not affect your paper figure?”
As the saying goes – type advantage reigns supreme, countering even gods.
He couldn’t fathom why this doubly-countered Funeral Yasha remained unharmed – flames overwhelming paper, radiant fire repelling dark energy.
To this, Mu Lin would’ve retorted: Darkness? These are official Yin soldiers endorsed by human governance.
They withstand not just flames, but even evil-repelling thunderbolts.
True, most paper figures can’t endure extraordinary flames due to material limitations.
But paper-folders of the Yin Eight Sect knew their weaknesses.
His grandfather, the old paper-folder, had Mu Lin select the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique from the Taoist Palace’s Scripture Pavilion precisely for such situations.
‘With ordinary paper figures, I’d first deploy all-enveloping black fog to set the stage.’
"The black fog blotted out the sky, blocking sunlight and dampening extraordinary flames with its moisture-laden tendrils, even snuffing them out completely."
"Furthermore, the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique addressed the physical frailty inherent to paper folders. Achieving three benefits at once, my grandfather had truly deliberated carefully when urging me to choose this method."
Of course, such tactics applied only to ordinary paper folders. For Mu Lin, Yin soldiers feared no sunlight, eliminating any need for environmental preparation.
As for flames? The paper figure bore etched patterns of a dragon that could summon winds and rain – mere fire posed no threat.
With counters neutralized and special attacks rendered useless against the abnormally powerful Funeral Yasha, Qin Yuan quickly found himself cornered.
This development agitated Zuo Li watching below.
The reason for his acute concern about Qin Yuan’s impending defeat became clear:
"Impossible! The leader’s prophecy can’t be wrong! Qin Yuan is destined to claim victory!"
"The trump card! He still holds his trump card!"
Refusing to accept his leader’s fallibility, Zuo Li stared intently, willing Qin Yuan to unleash his ultimate move.
And indeed… Qin Yuan had prepared such a move.
"Merge! Transform!"
As the crumbling Vajra Barrier failed against Funeral Yasha’s onslaught, Qin Yuan triggered his bloodline talent in desperation.
A strange resonance erupted between him and his Six-Handed Glass Buddha. Mu Lin’s eyes widened as white light flashed – the crystalline Buddha fused completely with its master.
The merged entity retained six arms but moved with newfound fluidity, its enhanced power palpable.
Bolstered by this union, Qin Yuan finally stood equal to his foe.
"Unshakable Vajra!"
"Flame Mantle!"
Golden radiance suffused Qin Yuan’s form as roaring flames cloaked him like divine armor. Engulfed in fire, he launched himself at Funeral Yasha.
"ROAR!"
"KILL!"
"BOOM! CRASH! CRACK!"
Their battle raged with dragon-empowered strikes against flame-wreathed blows. Spectators watched the combatants crash from earth to sky and back again.
Collisions birthed firestorms and dragon cries. The shattered ground melted under intense heat, reforming as glassy slag.
Observing Qin Yuan’s blazing form resembling a wrathful deity, Mu Lin finally grasped Master Meng Rui’s high regard.
This fusion talent profoundly enhanced Puppet Masters – the puppet’s durable frame granted impregnable defense while the master’s spirit unleashed devastating spells.
Even mid-combat, Qin Yuan chanted the Unshakable King’s Fire Mantle incantation. Flames materialized from emptiness, coalescing into fiery lions and wolves that joined the assault on Funeral Yasha.
The combination erased the Puppet Master’s inherent frailty—even making his physical body Qin Yuan’s greatest strength.
"I wonder if he can only merge once or multiple times…"
Though inwardly impressed, Mu Lin remained calm, certain of victory.
He still held several unrevealed trump cards.
One ability he longed to test was Soul Summoning—a celestial trait born when the Great Yin Living Scripture fused with the power of Sui Mu, further evolved through the power of human path. This technique allowed summoning heroic spirits to inhabit paper figures, boosting their rank and power.
True, the method required bloodline ties—something paper figures lacked. Mu Lin also had no remarkable ancestors within recent centuries.
But others possessed what he didn’t. Beyond collecting blood from Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo, one crucial factor enabled this technique’s full potential:
—He’d Refined dragon blood.
This process linked him to the slain evil dragon. Better yet, its recent demise meant minimal energy expenditure when summoning—no need to dredge ancient spirits.
"Funeral Yasha contains my vital blood, which carries traces of dragon blood. Using this connection, I can summon that evil dragon’s soul fragment to possess a paper figure."
Though untested, Mu Lin sensed instinctively that invoking the dragon’s spirit would multiply the Vajra Strength talismans’ power on Funeral Yasha tenfold.
With such an ace, why rush?
Yet he resisted temptation.
‘This ultimate move stays reserved for the Southeast League Examination. While I’m confident of reaching top three, Yuhu Academy’s Qi Practitioners are no pushovers. Better keep backups.’
Forgoing Soul Summoning left Mu Lin ample options. He currently employed the Sky Wall Palace Formation through trickery.
Normally requiring nine participants via Nine Palaces principles, Mu Lin’s mastery now bypassed this—six Substitute Paper Figures hid within him while two more lay dormant in his sleeves.
6+2 units combined with Funeral Yasha covertly manifested the formation. He omitted its signature defenses—no Heavenly Wall barriers, no palace suppression, no domain of Heaven’s Funeral.
Simply linking their spiritual energy to share damage already overwhelmed Qin Yuan.
*Bang!*
"Curse you! How?!"
Qin Yuan seethed as strikes vanished against Funeral Yasha like stones sinking in mud. The paper figure seemed invincible—an unbreakable, tireless monstrosity.
Meanwhile, the Yasha’s counterblows cracked his crystalline form.
"Die! You can’t be unstoppable!"
Being stalled by a single puppet shattered Qin Yuan’s composure. Abandoning defense, he traded reckless blows with the Yasha.
"Bang!"
"Crack!"
As his arm shattered, Qin Yuan finally broke through the Funeral Yasha’s defenses with a desperate palm strike to its chest.
He could feel nearly half his strength disappearing mid-attack, but the blow still left a charred handprint on the demon’s torso.
Before Qin Yuan could celebrate, his face froze – the burn mark was visibly fading before his eyes.
"…Monster…"
The unkillable sight crushed Qin Yuan’s resolve. This was supposed to be a sparring match, but he’d lost all will to fight.
What he didn’t notice was Mu Lin’s raised eyebrow. Though the Sky Wall Palace Formation had redirected most attacks from the transformed Qin Yuan, the relentless assault had taken its toll. The Substitute Paper Figure sharing damage with Funeral Yasha now bore visible cracks.
"Close call. A few more hits would’ve forced me to use another Substitute."
Six paper figures meant six extra lives. That Qin Yuan broke one already proved his strength. Even Funeral Yasha’s main body had gotten pretty hurt.
The fading injuries? A clever trick. Reality wasn’t some game with rigid skills. Through understanding his abilities, Mu Lin had reversed the Injury Transfer principle – channeling the demon’s wounds into the paper figure instead.
"Funeral Yasha’s an extension of myself, forged from my Essence, Qi, and Spirit mixed with other elements… Since it shares half my essence, I can link it to Substitute Paper Figures when focused. Not ideal though – these figures are more valuable than regular paper ones."
The difference between Sky Wall Formation’s attack-redirection and this injury-transfer? One deflects incoming blows, the other heals existing wounds. Obviously, the latter’s trickier.
…
Facing this unstoppable demon, the exhausted Qin Yuan surrendered. Mu Lin’s landslide victory drew mixed reactions from the crowd – awe, respect, fear, suspicion.
But the most conflicted gazes came from the Puppet Twin Flowers and Butterflies.
