Chapter 63
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Chapter 63: Fourth Level of the Tower of Illusions, Battlefield
“?!!”
Jing Yeming’s failure in the trial initially stunned Mu Lin, but after consideration, it made sense.
The trials at Tavern Owner Fuyi’s Tavern proved exceptionally difficult.
The first challenge involved recognizing the tavern staff weren’t allies.
This single test alone weeded out countless participants – Tavern Owner Fuyi, his accountant, and waiters showed perfect behavior initially, displaying utmost respect toward Mu Lin’s group.
Such flawless acting made identifying them as enemies nearly impossible at first glance.
Compounding this, villagers, guards, and officers had all been allies during the first two levels.
This pattern made it easy to mistakenly trust the tavern staff. A single misjudgment meant instant trial failure.
Even Mu Lin hadn’t initially detected the tavern owner’s deception.
His decision to send paper figures wasn’t based on suspicion, but standard Paper Folding Lineage tactics – using proxies to fight while hiding in shadows.
This approach effectively neutralized dangers, proving its worth once again.
The second challenge involved overwhelming enemy numbers.
The Tower of Illusions escalated difficulty progressively:
First level – one Awakened Stage enemy with village guard allies.
Second level – two awakening-level attackers with minimal guard support.
Third level – no allies, ambush tactics, and enemies outnumbering them multiple times.
Surviving these odds required exceptional strength most lacked.
Unknown to Mu Lin, a direct confrontation would’ve revealed Tavern Owner Fuyi’s true power. Through sacrificing subordinates via the grotesque pig-headed vendor ritual, the tavern master could ascend to Spring Fountain Realm.
But Mu Lin’s cunning surpassed the enemy’s. His lifelike paper figures systematically eliminated Fuyi’s forces. The tavern owner himself suffered a preemptive strike before proper combat began.
Against such ruthless tactics, Fuyi stood no chance.
Though Jing Yeming possessed Level 1 Spiritual Roots, he lacked Mu Lin’s deceptive arsenal. His impoverished background granted inferior cultivation methods compared to Mu Lin’s top-tier Earth-level Paper Folding Secret Manual – the Taoist Palace’s Scripture Pavilion only offered basic Earth-level manuals.
With mediocre techniques and mere month’s training, failure became inevitable.
After analyzing everything, Mu Lin felt Jing Yeming’s failure was inevitable.
Yet others remained clueless.
Jing Yeming, a prodigy with Level 1 Spiritual Roots, had handpicked teammates but still failed the Tower of Illusions’ third level. Meanwhile, Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo—viewed by many as "a genius dragging along a lapdog"—had cleared it. Even their teacher Dongfang Ya hadn’t foreseen this.
"They actually passed the third level…"
Though she’d used Mu Lin as an example to motivate others and admired his grit, her highest hope was for him to reach the second level and match those with Level 2 Spiritual Roots. Yet now, while most second-class talents still struggled on the second level, Mu Lin had surpassed them entirely. Her emotions churned.
When Mu Lin began ascending to the fourth level after a brief rest, Dongfang Ya shot to her feet.
"Could he really clear the fourth level?"
But no one’s turmoil matched Yan Yunyu’s. Mu Lin had originally been her teammate—she’d shoved him straight into Chu Lingluo’s arms. Now, even her pride couldn’t deny the truth: discarding Mu Lin had been a catastrophic blunder.
Regret whitened her knuckles, yet she remained unbroken. After steadying her breathing, she rallied her team toward the tower.
"Fourth level. We’re taking it."
"I refuse to believe they’ll clear another."
She entered the tower long after Ji Xue had already begun her fourth-level attempt. Mu Lin and Chu Lingluo followed minutes later, their quick recovery aided by spirit meals stored in Chu Lingluo’s bracelet. Nourished, Mu Lin’s stamina and magic surged back swiftly.
As Ji Xue, Yan Yunyu, and Mu Lin’s teams all vanished into the tower’s fourth level, the watching crowd erupted.
"Who’ll top the Formal Class rankings now?"
"Ji Xue! Half-day awakening, monthly peak—she’s our year’s strongest!"
"But Yan Yunyu’s whole team’s stacked with Spirit Stone-fueled power!"
"Ji Xue needs no herd. Wolves hunt alone!"
"Since when do lone wolves beat packs?"
Notably absent from the debate was Mu Lin’s name. After his second-level victory had humiliated them all, none dared invite further mockery by mentioning him. Their whispers changed nothing—inside the tower, Mu Lin’s world whited out.
He awoke on a battlefield.
“Kill!”
A hundred soldiers clashed with monsters under Qi Practitioners’ command. Blood soaked the earth as blades met fangs. Mu Lin scanned the carnage, mind racing:
‘Fourth level’s test… battlefield survival?’
