Chapter 21
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Chapter 21: The Weak-Kid Gentlemen?
The higher chance of being rated as B-level talent filled Mu Lin with joy.
Soon he discovered more gains from that night.
After multiple hibernation cycles, Mu Lin woke at dawn to find his physical strength had dramatically increased.
"Thud!"
He clenched his fists, observing the faint bulge of muscles as he calculated:
"At least thirty percent stronger."
Though pleased, confusion crept into his thoughts.
"Why? The Great Yin Living Scripture doesn’t enhance the body. If anything, forming the Vitality of the Living drains my Essence, Qi, and Spirit."
He remembered his grandfather – a cultivator yet skeletal and sickly, constantly coughing. The paper folders he’d met shared that pale, drained appearance, like walking ghosts.
Through these observations and his grandfather’s teachings, Mu Lin understood. The Paper Folding Secret Manual offered no body cultivation methods. Creating the vitality required pouring all Three Treasures into paper figures, leaving practitioners perpetually depleted.
Most paper folders supplemented with body cultivation techniques. That’s why Mu Lin had chosen the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique over talisman or curse studies at the Taoist Palace’s Scripture Pavilion.
Yet the manual’s top-tier Earth-level status meant its two core methods overshadowed any supplementary training. Even body cultivators among paper folders remained pale and feeble, their Vitality of the Living still demanding full Three Treasures expenditure.
Mu Lin had braced for gradual weakening. Instead, he grew stronger – a paradox that puzzled him until he considered hibernation.
"My meridian swelling wasn’t severe, yet each recovery took an hour’s hibernation and three bowls of White Rice. Excessive."
"Hibernation doesn’t just heal – it pushes growth. Maybe uniquely for me."
The Black Water Mystic Serpent sought perfection. Mu Lin’s high realm but low cultivation created imbalance – his potential outstripped current power. During hibernation, leftover energy after healing flowed into physical enhancement.
The Transformation Technique thrived on Spirit Rice’s nutrients. Every meal meant progress. His lingering hunger stemmed from the vast energy needed to reach Awakening.
"…So my meridian healing gets neglected for muscle growth?"
Though exasperated, Mu Lin welcomed this trade-off. Increased strength and vitality outweighed minor injuries.
……
Hibernation was a form of deep sleep. With it, Mu Lin no longer needed sleep.
Or rather, hibernation replaced his rest entirely.
He had cultivated all night, yet after hibernating, he awoke refreshed and energized.
With his spirits high, Mu Lin returned to the classroom and resumed practicing the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique.
“Buzz…”
……
In the following days, Mu Lin followed this pattern: the Great Yin Living Scripture at night and the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique by day.
Between cultivation sessions, he practiced the Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral, wrote, painted, or folded paper.
Despite hibernation saving time, the sheer volume of training left him stretched thin. Yet amid his busyness, he noticed the classroom growing more anxious.
Nearly every day, another student Successfully Awakened, becoming an official Taoist Palace disciple and moving to the adjacent classroom.
Each departure filled those left behind with sharper urgency.
The Taoist Palace did nothing to ease this tension. Mu Lin understood why. Strange evil spirits were relentless—some unkillable, others warping minds through negative emotions. Those bound for the frontlines needed unshakable calm.
This anxiety was a test. If one couldn’t stay composed in safety, how could they survive a Life-and-Death battlefield? The Taoist Palace not only ignored the tension but actively made it worse.
Luckily, it barely touched Mu Lin. Watching his cultivation methods grow steadier each day fueled his confidence, shielding him from the class’s unease.
Yet his eight daily meals—three heaping bowls of White Rice each—earned him the nickname “Rice Bucket.”
“……”
“Fine. Call me that if you want.”
Too consumed by training to argue, Mu Lin reaped the rewards of his Hard Practice and the proficiency panel’s subtle aid.
Both the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s Transformation Technique and the Great Yin Living Scripture advanced steadily. The Mind Image · City of Heaven’s Funeral progressed too—daily meditation sped his progress.
His mind’s dwelling now featured a two-section small courtyard filled with dozens of objects. Horses and cranes roamed, and a half-formed martial general stood among them.
Visualizing static objects granted minimal proficiency, but living creatures like horses or cranes awarded ten points each.
The greatest boost, however, came from the Burial Power. Once, after visualizing horses and Flying Cranes, Mu Lin channeled the City of Heaven’s Funeral’s energy.
To his horror, the Burial Power seeped into his mind’s small courtyard. Faint weeping echoed, paper money swirled, and his visualized creatures twisted into mutations!!!
