Chapter 97
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Chapter 97: Yan Yunyu’s Predicament
Clearly, Mu Lin had no intention of helping Yan Yunyu become number one.
He wasn’t a saint. Even an ordinary person wouldn’t give away their honor.
And given their history of enmity, he hadn’t forgotten Yan Yunyu’s role in provoking Chu Lingluo’s mother to arrive so quickly at the battlefield.
Yan Yunyu knew this too, but believed she could explain herself.
"Even without me, Chu Lingluo’s mother would’ve found out eventually. It wouldn’t have taken much longer—she watches her daughter closely."
Mu Lin acknowledged her Whisper but countered: "True. But you still reported me anyway. Was seeing me with Chu Lingluo so unbearable you couldn’t tolerate it for a single moment?"
This silenced Yan Yunyu. The rift between them ran too deep for simple words to mend.
Their apparent closeness before Chu Lingluo, and Mu Lin’s favor during her rivalry with the girl, were merely acts to complete a mission. Once finished, they’d part ways.
Truthfully, Yan Yunyu didn’t mind this.
She held no affection for Mu Lin, nor any desire to be with him.
When first forced to "date" him by Chu Lingluo’s mother (during that spying incident), she’d considered it pure humiliation—a vengeful punishment.
Which it truly was.
Chu Lingluo’s mother shared this view. To her, associating with Mu Lin tarnished a noble young lady’s reputation.
Under normal circumstances, Yan Yunyu would’ve rejoiced at separating from him.
But things had changed.
Threatened by Chu Lingluo’s mother, her subordinates had fled. Her limited talent made securing first place alone impossible.
Now she needed Mu Lin to claim the top rank.
As Yan Yunyu schemed to repair their relationship, Mu Lin voiced his question aloud:
"Yunyu, why are you so fixated on becoming first?"
He didn’t Whisper this time—he wanted no evasive answers.
As expected, someone answered immediately.
Chu Lingluo had noticed their secret communication. Their hidden exchange before her felt like whispered betrayal, deepening her resentful gaze toward Mu Lin.
She blurted out: "It’s about cultivation methods. The Yan family’s methods require both wealth and luck. Winning first at the Taoist Palace accumulates that luck."
Mu Lin nodded. "Just as I thought."
He’d already guessed this.
Possessing a Heavenly Grade cultivation method himself, he understood through the Heart Lamp of Will’s transformation—its sky-high proficiency requirements taught him one truth: a method’s power directly reflects how hard it is to master.
The more powerful the cultivation method, the harder it was to master.
Heavenly Grade cultivation methods were nearly impossible to learn except for true prodigies.
Days earlier, Chu Lingluo’s mother had explained to Mu Lin about the hidden strengths of powerful clans.
From her words, he learned these clans earned their status through secret shortcuts.
Major families could use their accumulated resources to force their heirs to master Heavenly Techniques, guaranteeing they’d become high-level cultivators.
This was how powerful clans endured for millennia without fading.
Yet Mu Lin had spotted an issue without needing her reminder.
The resources required for these shortcuts were absurdly high.
The Yu family raised spirits while the Ge family bred military leaders—occupying these divine roles let them become high-level Qi Practitioners.
It sounded ideal, but there was a fatal flaw.
How many spirit positions did the Yu family actually possess? How many weapons could the Ge family forge?
Could the Yu or Ge families offer even one such position per year? No—perhaps not even once a century.
These clan resources were like limited slots. Once claimed, others had to wait indefinitely. That was their greatest weakness.
Mu Lin suspected Yan Yunyu’s Yan family operated similarly.
"True, the Yan family’s shortcut doesn’t need specific artifacts—just enough wealth to purchase high-level cultivation."
"But anyone could guess the required sum would be astronomical."
"Like the Yu and Ge families, the Yan clan might only produce one high-level cultivator every few decades. Who’d get that single opportunity?"
Distributing resources among all heirs? Any clan that tried had vanished. Emperor Wu of Han’s “Decree of Kindness” proved that!
…
Piecing together this information, Mu Lin smiled coldly at Yan Yunyu.
"You want me to help you seize first place to gather fortune for cultivation?"
"Yes."
"Only that?"
"Only—"
She stopped mid-sentence under Mu Lin’s icy stare.
She knew his humble origins didn’t make him a fool—he clearly understood more than he let on.
Seeing this, Yan Yunyu dropped all pretense. "Winning first doesn’t just gather class and Taoist Palace fortune. It lets me pass my family’s first trial."
"Just as I thought," Mu Lin nodded.
…
High-level cultivation slots were vanishingly rare. If Mu Lin controlled them, he’d give them to the most talented—a high-level slot would be a mediocrity’s lifetime peak, but a genius’s starting point.
The Yan family clearly agreed. From Yan Yunyu’s words, Mu Lin realized they had no choice.
Yan Yunyu explained, "High-level cultivation seems unattainable to free cultivators, but it’s worthless to powerful clans."
"A clan whose strongest member is merely high-level might as well dig its own grave."
"That’s why slots go only to those with greatest potential—not just Spiritual Roots, but also wit, perseverance, even luck. Hence our Yan family tests through social simulations, not simple talent contests."
"Only those excelling in real-world challenges earn the Legitimate Son designation."
"Of course, not everyone qualifies. The elders limit candidates to direct bloodlines to keep the family head’s lineage pure."
But Mu Lin knew this restriction didn’t soften the competition.
As a major clan, the Yans had dozens of direct heirs—hundreds if counting past generations. With thousands vying for one slot, their rivalry turned vicious.
When Yan Yunyu realized Mu Lin had deduced most truths, she confessed: claiming top rank at the Taoist Palace was her first trial to become the Yan family’s current Legitimate Son.
"Pass, and I advance. Fail, and they discard me."
Her eyes turned sharp as daggers.
"I must succeed. Even if I can’t become Legitimate Son, I need more chances. If eliminated now, I’ll be branded useless—resources cut, forced into marriage, maybe becoming some old man’s consort."
