Chapter 70
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Chapter 70: The Warning Bell Rings
The consequences would emerge later. After leaving the crowd, Mu Lin first took time to analyze his weaknesses.
He revisited the recent battle, carefully examining his shortcomings. Through this reflection, he uncovered genuine flaws in his approach.
"In the final fight, I grew reckless. From now on, I must never reveal my true form unless forced to absolute desperation."
Keeping his true body concealed meant Mu Lin could always recover from defeat. After cementing this lesson, he continued his analysis and realized:
"Using the Yin Eight Sect’s Paper Folding Lineage tricks alongside Grandmaster-level papercraft, painting, and calligraphy, I could eliminate Spring Fountain Realm cultivators through ambushes."
"But while I’m strong in stealth attacks, sudden head-on battles expose my limitations."
Though Mu Lin had slain the night demon when it attacked, he remembered relying on its blood to create a Paper Figure Curse beforehand. Without that preparation, victory might’ve slipped away.
"Truthfully, without the pre-made curse, I’d likely have died… The Black Water Mystic Serpent’s boosted realm from my vital blood was temporary. Had the demon stalled longer, I’d have perished."
Weakness one: inadequate direct combat skills.
Weakness two: insufficient magical energy—his most critical flaw.
"My frontal combat issue partly stems from lacking magic reserves. With enough power, summoning hundreds of paper figures would make me unstoppable in open battles."
But such grand displays remained fantasies for now.
Among the three treasures of Qi Practitioners—Essence, Qi, Spirit—Spirit came easiest. Daily channeling Heaven’s Funeral power while resisting the proud heart lamp honed his willpower. The monsters in his Mind Image world grew fiercer under this influence too. Though risky, this process bore fruit—the little girl who sells matches became his hidden ace.
His Essence developed steadily thanks to the Black Water Mystic Serpent’s transformation method. Combined with Snake Swallowing Elephant techniques, hibernation cycles, and Chu Lingluo’s spiritual chef meals, his physical strength surged.
"If nothing disrupts me, my body should reach Spring Fountain Realm strength in three months."
While Essence and Spirit progressed smoothly, his Vitality of the Living cultivation lagged. The Great Yin Living Scripture’s complex energy channels only absorbed moonlight, and his Level 3 Spiritual Roots Talent forced painfully slow progress.
"Another month should bring my magical cultivation to Awakened Realm…"
This pace wasn’t slow—standard Level 3 Spiritual Roots required 60-80 days for awakening. Top-tier Earth-level techniques like his scripture normally took 120-180 days. Reaching it in two months reflected his strong spirit and cultivation method mastery.
However, Mu Lin couldn’t tolerate the reasonable speed of entering the Awakened Realm.
"I need to find a way to boost my magical cultivation speed…"
Here, Mu Lin was searching for a quick method to improve his Cultivation.
After he left, the impact of his first-place victory gradually spread over time.
The first to change were his classmates.
No matter their original attitude toward cultivation, after Mu Lin claimed first place, they all trained harder out of fear of being mocked.
At the same time, many had a fire in their eyes.
"Mu Lin has Level 3 Spiritual Roots and still took first place… Maybe I also have a chance…"
"…Aren’t Spiritual Roots supposed to decide everything…?"
"I’ll gamble on this. If I succeed, I’ll gain everything…"
Though Teacher Dongfang Ya always said Spiritual Roots weren’t everything, no one could deny their huge impact on Qi Practitioners during early cultivation stages. Many still saw Spiritual Roots Talent as an unbreakable barrier.
Countless Qi Practitioners with Level 2 Spiritual Roots had lost the drive to compete with Level 1 Spiritual Roots holders.
But Mu Lin, the "catfish," disrupted everything.
His success ignited everyone’s ambitions, making their confidence and motivation for Cultivation soar.
This development greatly pleased Dongfang Ya, Mu Lin’s mentor.
As a truly responsible teacher who loved guiding juniors, she naturally wished to properly reward Mu Lin for his achievements.
Upon seeing the results, she immediately considered giving him a reward.
Yet deciding what to give troubled Dongfang Ya.
"That brat took first place and entered the Hidden Dragon Rankings. His surprise was too big. I can’t give some half-hearted reward—it must be something he truly needs… Got it!"
Soon, Dongfang Ya thought of an idea. This prompted her to strike Anping Taoist Palace’s warning bell.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Three bell strikes meant nothing to ordinary people.
But Taoist Palace teachers and elders panicked. Many rushed from their closed-door training sessions or rooms toward the bell tower.
Within moments, over a dozen people gathered there.
Several arrivals still wore active spell shields, battle-ready.
Only when no enemies appeared did they relax.
Someone immediately asked Dongfang Ya:
"Elder Dongfang, why sound the alarm? A monster invasion?"
"None. I summoned you for another matter."
After ensuring all were present, Dongfang Ya gestured for them to sit and explained:
"Our Anping Taoist Palace has someone ranked 93rd on the Hidden Dragon Rankings."
Hearing this, some showed joy while others… frowned.
Having a Taoist Palace student enter the rankings affected all teachers.
Those in power never tolerate idle followers.
The Great Spirit Dynasty’s Taoist Palace system included strict evaluation mechanisms.
Students faced assessments—top performers gained rewards and status, while failures faced demotions or expulsion.
The dynasty also evaluated each Taoist Palace. Those passing received more resources; failing ones got less.
If a palace’s students failed assessments for years, its teachers would be replaced.
A past saying claimed "the system is life’s ultimate goal."
While this world wasn’t that extreme, being a Taoist Palace teacher meant stability and royal/clan patronage—a coveted position.
No teacher wanted dismissal.
Their fates directly tied to whether Taoist Palace students entered the Hidden Dragon Rankings… and how high they climbed.
