Lin Mu thought about High Elder's offer and understood that this was probably related to the face of the Temple. It became apparent to Lin Mu why the man was willing to offer an even greater reward.
'The temple would certainly not want to tarnish its reputation. Guess this much is fine.' Lin Mu thought.
"I shall wait for the reward then." Lin Mu showed his agreement.
"Good, you won't regret it." High Elder Juxue said with a smile continuing to stroke his beard. "Now, go on then. We'll probably resume the battles tomorrow." He informed.
Lin Mu cupped his hands in farewell and left the Victor's pavilion.
The High Elder certainly gave Lin Mu a lot to think about.
Lin Mu even wondered if he should ask for a Mental Defense skill as a reward for winning the tournament. Since the temple could offer what one wished for within its limits, it would be a wholly acceptable choice.
Of course that was only possible if Lin Mu won it in the end. Having faced Dugu Shanhe, Lin Mu understood more of his limits and knew that he needed to take his opponents even more seriously. It also taught him about his reliance on his space skills.
'If I had my spatial skills, most of the fights would become a lot easier. Even in the case of Dugu Shanhe, I could have simply used Fade before I even saw him.' Lin Mu continued to analyze where he was lacking as well as where he could improve.
Having limited the use of Spatial Skills also ended up teaching Lin Mu how to better use them. He was finding solutions that he couldn't before due to a lack of perspective. Now that he couldn't use the Spatial Skills, he was finding even better uses for them.
While thinking of all this, Lin Mu ended up reaching the Spring Valley Restaurant.
~gasp~
His entry was met with several shocked reactions from the staff as well as a few customers that were there. It was clear that the recent result of the match was still shocking to them and even if Lin Mu wasn't at fault here, they couldn't help but feel a bit scared of him.
Lin Mu didn't mind it though and found it normal.
'Isn't that exactly what the world of cultivation is? Gathering respect either through Merit or Fear…' Lin Mu thought to himself as he went up to the top floor.
"Brother Mu Lin! Are you okay!?" Lin Mu's companions though were very concerned, surrounding him the moment they saw him.
"I'm fine, let's go in first." Lin Mu replied.
"Ah yes," Lu Xu nodded his head and closed the door once they were all inside.
"What happened there in the Spatial Plane?" Qian Wen questioned.
This was something that was expected and Lin Mu had already come up with an answer for them while keeping in mind that he needed to hide what High Elder Juxue had talked to him about.
"Dugu Shanhe was using a Forbidden mental technique as High Elder Juxue announced. It certainly caught me off guard." Lin Mu stated before explaining a few more details.
Lu Xu and the others all heard in silence, feeling surprised that Lin Mu was even able to come out unscathed.
"I don't think any of us would be able to survive it if it was against Dugu Shanhe." Ming Dandan said feeling anxious.
"Indeed… Skills like that are hard to resist." Luo Liqin agreed.
"Even skills that defend against Mental Attacks might not hold up against Dugu Shanhe perhaps. After all, his skill seems to be too strong for most." Ming Aolian replied. "I am sure none of the Blue Mountain Palace's skills would be effective against it."
The group talked for a while before Lu Xu asked something.
"Did High Elder Juxue trouble you?" Lu Xu inquired.
"Not at all. He just wanted more information from me, that's all." Lin Mu replied quickly. "Also, the tournament should resume by tomorrow as per the High Elder's words."
"Oh? That's good." Lu Xu seemed excited. "I can't wait to beast up Yao Changying." He joked.
"Sure…" Ming Aolian smirked knowing it wouldn't be possible.
"Hahaha," Qian Wen and Luo Liqin laughed while Lin Mu chuckled as well.
Time passed quickly and soon they got the notice for the commencement of the Tournament.
"Looks like they'll start first thing in the morning." Lu Xu said after checking the token.
"Don't worry, I'll be ready this time." Lin Mu assured him.
In fact, his Immortal sense was already extended in the sky, and had been observing the arrays for a while now. As soon as Lin Mu knew the Spatial Plane was ready, his immortal sense would infiltrate it right away.
And sure enough, just an hour later Lin Mu sensed the arrays changing once more.
"It is time…" Lin Mu muttered while looking at his companions that were either cultivating or studying.
It was clear that Lin Mu had given them a passion for both now. Or perhaps being with him had given them quite a lot of motivation too.
The benefit though was for both sides as Lin Mu felt good having some friends too.
Granted he was keeping a lot of secrets from them. Secrets that could endanger them if they learned of them.
'Can I truly consider them my friends when they don't even know my real name?' Lin Mu wondered before shaking the thought out of his mind. 'I shouldn't bother with that and simply focus on the things that are important.' He said to himself.
~SHUA~
More time passed and the day had finally arrived, and along with it the Arrays were triggered causing everyone to look up at them.
"I'll head out now," Lu Xu opened his eyes, rousing from his cultivation session.
"Good luck! We'll be cheering you on." Ming Aolian said.
"Haha, with Brother Mu Lin here, it is Yao Changying that needs luck, not me." Lu Xu laughed before heading out.
