Chapter 76
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Chapter 76: Magical Item Reward
“Buzz!”
While cultivating the Substitute Paper Figure, Mu Lin activated the amplification ability of the White Paper Altar, boosting the Injury Transfer capability from fifty to eighty percent.
Though this increased the Energy Cost, Mu Lin currently had no shortage of energy.
“Stab!” “Stab!” “Stab!”
With eighty percent Injury Transfer, Mu Lin could freely stab himself without restraint.
Of course, this accelerated the Substitute Paper Figure’s energy depletion—but again, energy wasn’t an issue for him now.
“I’ve never fought a battle this well-supplied!”
Aided by Moonlight Dew, Mu Lin’s cultivation progress soared severalfold.
By dawn, he calculated that continuous use of Moonlight Dew would push his magical cultivation to the Awakened Realm within seven days.
His Substitute Paper Figure technique would also reach complete mastery in the same timeframe.
“Both in seven days? Which to prioritize?”
After some thought, Mu Lin chose… both.
“With Moonlight Dew, I’ll practice cultivation methods at night and train the Substitute Paper Figure by day. In seven days, both my magical cultivation and technique will advance!”
……
The constant visible improvement made cultivation addictively satisfying.
His smooth progress even made Mu Lin forget Teacher Dongfang Ya’s instructions—until she arrived to remind him about an unclaimed magical item.
“My apologies.”
“No matter.”
Learning his forgetfulness stemmed from obsessive training, Dongfang Ya showed no anger.
She brought Mu Lin, Chu Lingluo, and Ji Xue to Elder Qin’s courtyard.
Ji Xue’s presence wasn’t unusual—as a responsible teacher, Dongfang Ya treated all Formal Class students fairly. Mu Lin only received occasional privileges because his progress motivated others, benefiting the entire class.
……
The trio walked in uneasy silence. Ji Xue’s frosty demeanor kept timid Chu Lingluo at a distance, while Mu Lin—having no immediate needs—had no interest in warming up to someone so cold.
This dynamic gave Dongfang Ya a headache.
Midway, she finally advised Ji Xue:
“I know you favor the sword cultivator’s solitary path—one blade overwhelming all. But even sword masters accept allies during their weaker years.”
Ji Xue stayed silent for several breaths. Just as Mu Lin assumed she’d ignore the comment, she replied.
“I wasn’t attached to walking alone.”
“Then you felt there weren’t suitable teammates… True, only Yan Yunyu, Jing Yeming, and Zhou Liang could keep up before. Yan Yunyu schemes too much, Jing Yeming refuses to follow others, and Zhou Liang only half focuses on cultivation.”
“With such personalities, they’re unfit as teammates. What about Mu Lin? I think you three…”
“Teacher.”
Dongfang Ya’s proposal got interrupted mid-sentence.
Surprisingly, the interrupter wasn’t Mu Lin or Ji Xue, but the delicate-looking Chu Lingluo.
Staring firmly at Dongfang Ya, Chu Lingluo declared:
“Teacher Dongfang, we appreciate your concern, but Brother Mu and I alone suffice as a team.”
“……”
Chu Lingluo’s resolve silenced Dongfang Ya.
She nearly retorted, “You call this duo a ‘Team’?”
Yet the girl’s earnest expression stifled the words.
The matter ended unresolved.
……
After three muted minutes, the group reached Elder Qin’s courtyard.
Through Dongfang Ya’s introduction, Mu Lin learned Elder Qin served as Deputy Mountain Elder of Anping Taoist Palace and mastered artifact crafting.
As deputy leader, Elder Qin now rewarded their excellent performance.
The prize? Each could select one medium-grade magic item from Elder Qin’s practice works.
Though called practice pieces, all were mid-tier treasures – remarkably generous.
Chu Lingluo’s wealth allowed gifting premium magic items, but ordinary free cultivators and backgroundless demon hunters typically used low-grade Awakening or Spring Fountain tools.
Medium-grade items required Spirit Pool Realm or Spirit Sea Realm cultivation.
Most Taoist Palace students needed decades to reach Spirit Sea Realm at best.
Thus these weapons served students through graduation and even Demon Exorcism Division service.
Being master-crafted, these medium-grade items remained peak possessions for alumni years after graduation.
Ordinary students craved but couldn’t obtain them.
Ji Xue and Chu Lingluo disdained such rewards.
Mu Lin could actually use these items – choosing one would make it his most valuable possession.
Yet he selected nothing.
Not from arrogance or folly, but calculation.
Upon learning his eligibility, an idea had sparked:
“Rather than claiming a physical item, I should observe and visualize it for reconstruction in my Mind Image world.”
“Then I can fold paper replicas and activate them with breath.”
Choosing an item meant instant use, but visualization demanded tedious steps – prolonged mental simulation, pre-folding paper models, then double energy expenditure for activation and operation.
Superficially, taking an item seemed wiser.
Yet Mu Lin reasoned: claiming limited him to one treasure, while visualization allowed replicating multiple items – even higher-grade ones.
Taking items cost Elder Qin resources, risking greed accusations. But merely studying them transformed demand into mere curiosity.
