Chapter 158
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Chapter 158: Injuries Vanished, Students Awed
One meter, two meters, three meters… nine meters, ten meters, fifteen meters…
Like a dragon returning to the ocean, like releasing a tiger into mountains.
Relying on his Body of a Dragon’s lightning resistance, Mu Lin walked through the Radiance of Thunder Pool without pain. Instead, he felt the comfort of returning home.
The Body of a Dragon proved truly formidable – what appeared as hellish punishment to others became gentle treatment for Mu Lin.
Yet this comfort only lasted until fifteen meters.
At eighteen meters, the rising value of power within Radiance of Thunder Pool made the electric currents not just tingle, but sting Mu Lin’s flesh.
Understanding dawned – from this point onward, the true thunder baptism would begin.
"Zzzt…"
Rather than fear, this realization drove Mu Lin forward.
"Crackle-boom!"
Violent lightning waves crashed against him like stormy tides.
Forced by the relentless assault, Mu Lin’s body shifted – a single horn sprouted from his forehead while obsidian scales armored his form. His eyes transformed into dark Vertical Pupils, completing his half-dragon appearance.
Though his resistance improved, the thunder’s fury intensified. Countless sparks danced around Mu Lin’s scaled body as electricity kept bombarding him.
"CRACK-SNAP!"
Blinding flashes and deafening booms filled the air. Lightning whips lashed his armored form, leaving scorch marks and cracks across his black scales.
He bled.
"But I endure!"
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Mu Lin pushed deeper into Radiance of Thunder Pool. After twelve more agonizing meters, he reached the thirty-meter boundary.
No rest awaited him.
"BOOM!"
A thunder spear from heaven struck Mu Lin’s skull. The brutal strength Struck Down the unprepared young man, slamming him to the ground.
"Mu brother!"
Chu Lingluo nearly rushed into the lethal pool, but the guardian official blocked her path.
"Peace, girl. He lives. My intervention comes only at death’s door."
This statement slightly reassured Chu Lingluo.
Meanwhile, Mu Lin’s collapse made Flower Xingyu breathe a sigh of relief, while Lin Qi let out a disappointed sigh.
"What a waste. His physical strength wasn’t bad. With proper preparation, he shouldn’t have stopped at thirty meters."
"But he fell."
"…True enough."
Multiple observers noticed Mu Lin’s collapse, assuming he’d reached his limit. Some immediately burst into laughter.
"Knocked down at thirty meters? He wanted to carve his name on the Radiance of Thunder Pool’s stone tablet with this pitiful showing? Trying to kill me with laughter?"
"Fools fear nothing indeed…"
"Show’s over…"
"Rumor says this guy boasted about aiming for top three in the Southeast Province exams back at his Taoist Palace. Our teachers even held an emergency meeting to prepare countermeasures! We’ve been duped!"
The feeling of betrayal wasn’t limited to students. High above, Dongfang Ya and her host teacher remained watching Mu Lin’s progress at Yuhu Academy. When the instructor saw Mu Lin fall at thirty meters in the Radiance of Thunder Pool, he facepalmed hard.
‘To think I overestimated such weakling…’
Mu Lin’s collapse cemented everyone’s belief in his mediocrity. Most attendees could easily reach thirty meters. Thus, Yuhu Academy students completely lost their wariness toward him. Many even compared Mu Lin’s enrollment to "a toddler flaunting gold in crowded streets" – the "gold" being Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo.
Soon, suitors approached the two girls. The casual display of ten thousand academy points had already revealed their noble backgrounds, so the boys opted for showing off rather than bullying.
One young man addressed Chu Lingluo with practiced grace: "Miss Chu, no need for concern. The Radiance of Thunder Pool only turns dangerous past the early stage. Thirty meters is still safe territory." His words aimed to both comfort her and subtly emphasize Mu Lin’s weakness.
Despite his careful phrasing, Chu Lingluo frowned and retreated. Her pure heart – innocent yet perceptive – easily detected hidden agendas. Moreover, her singular devotion to Mu Lin made her hypersensitive to anyone harboring ill will toward him. The smiling youth might as well have worn "VILLAIN" stamped on his forehead.
Before the stunned suitor could recover, an icy voice cut through the air:
"Scram!"
The speaker was Yan Yunyu. Chu Lingluo retreated, but Yan Yunyu didn’t. Instead, she stepped forward and coldly berated the man.
Her frosty tone and sharp scolding in public made the lustful man blush with shame.
"You…"
He tried to speak, but Yan Yunyu cut him off.
She wasn’t someone to provoke lightly. While she’d lower her head for Mu Lin, she showed no such deference to others.
Yan Yunyu had no intention of arguing. She simply told her maid Xiao Xue: "Note his name. Have the Yan and Chu families act. Tell them this man insulted me and Lingluo, attempting to ruin our reputations."
"Yes, miss."
This exchange terrified the man. He knew the Yan and Chu families’ prestige well—their members held third and fourth positions at Yuhu Academy.
The thought of both families targeting him froze his blood.
"Misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding! I meant no harm…"
His pleas fell on deaf ears. Yan Yunyu’s stony face showed she’d decided to "kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."
This calculated ruthlessness was why Mu Lin valued her. Though sometimes unscrupulous, she acted wisely, avoided foolish moves, and never burdened Mu Lin.
Since aligning with Mu Lin, she’d remained steadfast—keeping other men at arm’s length while devising ways to please him and handle his troubles.
Such single-minded devotion made resentment toward her impossible.
…
Their piercing gazes and haughty bearing revealed Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo weren’t gullible girls, but untouchable noble ladies from great houses.
Realizing this, hopeful youths seeking shortcuts through marriage quickly backed off. They knew provoking these women meant inviting the Yan and Chu families’ wrath.
Their envy of Mu Lin burned hotter than ever. None could grasp why these proud noble ladies turned soft and submissive around him.
Even Flower Xingyu and Lin Qi struggled to understand—Yan Yunyu’s gentle demeanor around Mu Lin had fooled them into thinking it her true nature.
Her frosty treatment of others after Mu Lin’s departure proved them utterly wrong.
‘Thank goodness I never crossed them…’
Flower Xingyu and Lin Qi sighed in relief while bystanders muttered:
"What’s so special about that guy?"
"Exactly! How’d he win two noble ladies’ favor? What does he have that I don’t?"
…
Mu Lin remained oblivious to these whispers. Right now, he was hauling himself out of the Thunder Pool, limbs trembling with effort.
"The attack pattern changed!"
The sudden bolt of lightning from the sky struck Mu Lin, knocking him to the ground. Though dazed, his Body of a Dragon granted resistance to thunder, so his injuries weren’t severe. In truth, much of his collapse came from his lack of focus on resisting the lightning.
Unlike others who merely used lightning to temper their bodies in the Radiance of Thunder Pool, Mu Lin absorbed it through his dragon physique. This meant he wasn’t defending fully—he deliberately lowered his guard to let the lightning penetrate him. Combined with the abrupt attack, his fall made sense. But rising again? That was expected.
He kept advancing.
Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three…
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Past thirty meters, the Radiance of Thunder Pool’s assault shifted entirely. Lightning rained from the sky, battering Mu Lin’s body and making him shudder. Prepared now, he stayed upright despite the agony. Yet the relentless strikes took their toll—his black scales cracked, blood oozed, and the acrid stench of charred flesh clung to him.
…
The crowd murmured when Mu Lin rose and trudged onward. Still, his battered state convinced them he’d falter soon.
"He got up again—gutsy, but he’ll stop at thirty-six meters at best."
"Surpassing the Taoist Palace average? No wonder he’s cocky. But aiming for top three? Delusional."
"What’s his secret? How’d he charm two noble ladies… Think he’d teach me? I’d settle for one lady’s favor."
Some admired his grit; others scoffed. A few even fantasized about becoming his disciple. Yet all agreed: thirty-six meters would be his limit. The pool’s steward braced to drag him out any moment.
Then, as Mu Lin teetered on the edge of collapse, he did the unthinkable.
With a rustle, he drew a delicate paper figure from his robe and tossed it.
*Hiss!*
The paper met lightning and vanished in a flash. But as it burned, so did Mu Lin’s injuries—his wounds crumbled to ash alongside the figure.
"?!?!"
