Chapter 154
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Chapter 154: Magical Power Rising Value, Mid-Level of the Spring Fountain (Seeking Subscriptions)
Though Mu Lin had the idea to gather the stars’ power and form the Celestial Lord’s armor, his power of the Zi Wei Emperor Star was too weak and his rank too low. Even bronze-level armor remained beyond his reach.
After some daydreaming, he turned his attention to improving his magical cultivation—his true foundation.
Over the next few days, he focused entirely on this. The extraordinary effects of the Big Dipper Zi Wei formation and his relentless effort caused his cultivation to surge rapidly. Within days, he broke through the Spring Fountain’s early stage and reached the mid-level.
Once his magical power stabilized, Mu Lin immediately took out the Ascending Spirit Pill provided by the Taoist Palace and swallowed it. For most, the best time to take this pill was when advancing from the Spring Fountain’s late stage to the Spirit Pool, as it helped bypass the bottleneck. But for Mu Lin—whose cultivation methods far surpassed his magical power level—bottlenecks didn’t exist. His only challenge was refining enough magical power.
“If my magical power grows, my cultivation advances!”
With this belief, he consumed the pill early.
*Boom…*
The pill felt like an explosion inside his body, unleashing torrents of energy. Yet, despite its intensity, Mu Lin kept it under control.
“Big Dipper Zi Wei formation, activate!”
“Substitute Paper Figures, refine it now!”
With six paper figures and his high rank aiding him, he refined the pill perfectly, wasting almost none of its power. This efficiency pushed him not just into the Spring Fountain’s late stage but far beyond it.
“At this rate, another half-month to a month and I’ll advance again…” He paused, startled by his own speed.
On the surface, advancing every half-month seemed absurd. But considering his daily use of Moonlight Essence and Morning Purple Air—alongside six paper figures and the Big Dipper Zi Wei formation accelerating his training tenfold—it made sense. This was why heirs of powerful clans outpaced free cultivators so easily.
Yet even clan scions couldn’t maintain such speed forever. Cultivation wasn’t just about magical power—it required comprehension. Without deepening their understanding, they’d hit a wall no matter how much power they accumulated. In fact, their advanced methods often trapped them longer than ordinary cultivators. This reliance on insight was why free cultivators still existed and powerful clans didn’t dominate everything.
“Comprehension is key. Thankfully, mine improves quickly.”
“From now on, facing clan scions won’t be a fight against higher ranks.”
“From now on, those with low cultivation and weak magic are them – I’m the powerful one.”
This thought sent a surge of excitement through Mu Lin. He eagerly imagined overpowering those aristocratic disciples with his cultivation.
But he quickly dismissed the fantasy.
Ordinary clan youths could be surpassed, he realized. Yet those with secret advantages – like Blood Cherry from Yuhu Academy who naturally bonded with spiritual weapons – inherited ancestral legacies. Their cultivation speeds matched his own boosted progress.
“Damn… I have to grind my way up even with cheats. They just inherit ancestor power and skyrocket! At least their family blessings have limits. I’ll surpass them eventually.”
…
Mu Lin maintained his Hard Practice as days blurred together. Three days before the Southeast League Examination, Dongfang Ya arrived at Anping Taoist Palace with exam details.
Mu Lin frowned upon learning the event would be held at Yuhu Academy instead. “Teacher, aren’t all Towers of Illusions connected? Why can’t we test here?”
Dongfang Ya explained patiently, “Yuhu Academy hosts this to promote themselves and recruit talents. They’ve got Time Houses, Spirit Pools, Thunder Prisons – all open during exams. You’d benefit from going.”
Though reluctant, Mu Lin considered it. But why would Anping Taoist Palace risk losing students?
Yan Yunyu giggled beside him before Dongfang Ya could answer. “The Mountain Elder hates this, but Yuzhou leads surrounding provinces. Under the ‘collective growth’ pretense, we must comply.”
The next dawn, Dongfang Ya’s flying ship carried Mu Lin’s team toward Yuzhou. Jing Yeming and Zhou Liang’s group joined separately.
Aboard the ship, Mu Lin finally rested. He gathered Ji Xue, Chu Lingluo, and Yan Yunyu. “We’ll hide underground using paper figure decoys.”
He blew on a paper figure – an ice-cold Ji Xue replica appeared. The real Ji Xue flushed momentarily before asking, “My role?”
“Stay hidden. When enemies chase the fakes, ambush them.”
At Yuhu Academy’s gates, students awaited visitors. Flower Xingyu fanned himself lazily when questioned: “Scouting for Yan Zhanpeng? Please. Our rivals are academy elites. Why bother with outsiders?”
Lin Qi from Yuance’s team fell silent, realizing his own captain’s overcaution. If top teams only competed internally, why monitor external candidates at all?
