Chapter 84
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Chapter 84: Substitute Training, Achieved!
"Thud!"
The knife stabbed downward, sending instant agony through Mu Lin’s arm. Yet with a mere thought, the wound began vanishing—not healing, but shifting elsewhere through Injury Transfer.
As the injury relocated to the Substitute Paper Figure, his technique’s progress ticked upward by 1.
This increment pushed the Substitute Paper Figure to its peak at Level 3 Mastery: (8100/8100).
"Hum…"
At full proficiency, a flawless clarity washed over Mu Lin. Suddenly, understanding struck like lightning—a revelation from his Perfectly Devoted Heart.
He grabbed the paper cutter and rammed it into his own chest.
"Thud!"
Stabbing himself had become routine, hardly worth mentioning.
But this time was different.
Instead of targeting limbs or harmless flesh, the blade pierced straight through his heart.
"CRUNCH!!!"
Even Mu Lin couldn’t shrug off this devastation. His heart spasmed, blood gushing from his lips as death’s shadow loomed.
As a human without a demon’s regenerative power—and lacking the Spring Fountain Realm’s physical resilience—this fatal wound would kill him if left unaddressed.
Here lay the trial to reach Master Level: Qi Practitioners must stake their lives by striking their own vitals. Only by transferring a lethal injury at death’s door could one advance. Success meant growth; failure meant oblivion.
Some attempted safeguards, but doubt crippled their chances. Unless blessed with freakish talent or perfect compatibility, such cautious cultivators always failed.
Mu Lin faced no such hesitation.
Guided by divine intuition, he effortlessly shifted the fatal wound into the Substitute Paper Figure.
But more than injury transferred—Mu Lin’s consciousness flooded the paper figure through their bond.
This spiritual fusion granted him unprecedented understanding of the Substitute Paper Figure. As the fatal wound relocated, proficiency ticked up once more.
Already at maximum capacity, this final point triggered the technique’s advancement.
Floods of enlightenment merged with his spirit’s connection to the paper figure, hurling Mu Lin into sudden comprehension.
His thoughts accelerated a hundredfold. Inspiration detonated like fireworks, blending past-life knowledge with raw creativity.
Guided by this storm of insight, the Substitute Paper Figure’s advancement bent to Mu Lin’s will, carving a path entirely its own.
“…I had understood the method of constructing meridians…”
“…Once successfully constructed, I could finally cultivate… What a pity these paper figures are limited by their materials. Their cultivation efficiency is only half of mine…”
“…Luckily, my strong spirit allows me to create more Substitute Paper Figures. Now six can exist at once…”
Normally, Mu Lin’s thoughts would’ve stopped there. But this epiphany sparked wilder ideas.
“…Wait. If materials limit their cultivation efficiency, could better materials make them surpass me…?”
“…Possible. High-quality materials might work… And I could carve formations inside their bodies to boost efficiency…”
“…Might fail, but who cares? They’re just paper figures. No harm in experimenting…”
“…Problem is, upgrading materials and formations would skyrocket their cost. The better they are, the less disposable they become. Can’t upgrade all six—need some left for Injury Transfer and combat…”
“…Good thing I have enough to separate into battle units and cultivation units…”
“…Shame about Dongfang Ya’s Puppet Master contact being unavailable. Otherwise, I’d already know which materials and formations to use instead of just guessing…”
“…Even if I studied puppetry now, a few days wouldn’t teach much. But since upgraded paper figures act like puppet substitutes, I’ll need a Puppet Master’s knowledge eventually…”
His mind raced during this epiphany—countless ideas flashing in mere seconds.
Soon his thoughts veered elsewhere:
“…So that’s how quantum mechanics works…?”
“…If injuries and curses can transfer, what about fatigue…?”
“…Curse techniques and Substitute Paper Figures are linked… If I curse enemies by transferring paper figure injuries to them, could I reverse it? Transfer their injuries to my paper figures…?”
“…Making Substitute Paper Figures for others seems useless… Wait—no! I could charge money for this…”
Progressing from Level 3 Mastery to 4th Level Master transformed his Substitute Paper Figures, the core technique of his Great Yin Living Scripture. This epiphany lasted unusually long—a full tea’s time.
When it faded, his Substitute Paper Figures had evolved dramatically.
Original abilities: Clone Illusion and Injury Transfer. Now Injury Transfer shifted 80% of damage.
“Guess full 100% requires Master level.”
“Makes sense. Complete Injury Transfer would grant limited immortality. Too overpowered for anything below Master.”
Clone Illusion improved more: six figures summonable at once, plus expanded functionality. They could finally cultivate—though each only worked at half Mu Lin’s speed.
“No matter. Six figures triple my cultivation speed. Combined with my own efforts, that’s quadruple speed!”
