Chapter 290 – Advancing to Gang Condensation in a Single Breath

Due to Mu Lin’s outstanding performance, others’ evaluations of him were essentially reassessed.

Now, many believed Mu Lin was qualified to participate in this competition, though not necessarily to win.

Mu Lin neither heard these remarks nor cared about them. Others’ opinions of him could not disturb his mind.

At this moment, he was steadily advancing his Sha Refinement progress.

With the help of the Substitute Paper Figure, Mu Lin’s progress was unimaginably fast.

39%, 47%, 66%, 89%… 99%, 100%!

Just as he had anticipated, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mu Lin’s cultivation level reached the peak of Sha Refinement.

“Boom!”

The moment he achieved peak Sha Refinement, Mu Lin had only one feeling—the missing part of himself had returned.

“Such a sense of fulfillment—is this what completion feels like? Truly exhilarating.”

The completeness of his body and mana made Mu Lin squint in contentment.

However, reaching peak Sha Refinement brought Mu Lin more than just a pleasant mood.

He now discovered that his body and mana had also acquired the characteristics of Central Wuji Sha—immovable and unchanging.

Now, external evil spirits and corruption would find it extremely difficult to erode Mu Lin’s body.

Additionally, this immovable and unchanging nature could be channeled through his mana to affect all his spells.

The specific manifestation was that his mana was less prone to dissipation, allowing his spells to last several times longer.

Take Mu Lin’s Paper Figure, for example.

Originally, in the anomalous environment of the Grave Lord’s Tomb, Mu Lin’s Paper Figure could only last three minutes.

But after refining Central Wuji Sha, when his mana gained the immovable and unchanging characteristic, this duration instantly extended to ten minutes.

Moreover, during this process, Mu Lin’s Substitute Paper Figure also received the enhancement of immovable and unchanging—in simpler terms, its defensive resistance was maximized. Others would need to exert two or three times more force than before to break Mu Lin’s Paper Figure.

“Wait, not just two or three times—more like five or six times. Besides immovable and unchanging, Central Wuji Sha also possesses the ability to stand upon the earth and gain its empowerment. My Paper Figure and Substitute Paper Figure will also acquire this characteristic through the medium of mana…”

After some estimation, Mu Lin realized that before and after Sha Refinement, the quality of his mana had increased by three to five times out of thin air.

“Such a transformation—and this is only Sha Refinement. Gang Condensation brings even more, and after achieving Gang Sha Unity, an even greater transformation occurs. At that point, the quality of my mana might even increase more than tenfold…”

Thinking this far, Mu Lin finally understood why Dongfang Ya and Master Meng Rui did not support his entry into the Grave Lord’s Tomb to compete for this inheritance.

Compared to cultivators who had achieved Gang Sha Unity, he, who had just begun Sha Refinement, was indeed far too weak.

“Fortunately, I’ve caught up now. Moreover, most of the prodigies who entered this place are at the Gang Condensation Realm, with only a handful having achieved Gang Sha Unity. I am now on the same starting line as them.”

“Even if they have achieved Gang Sha Unity, it doesn’t matter. Their mana quality may be higher, but my mastery of mystical arts is not inferior. In a confrontation with them, I might not necessarily be at a disadvantage.”

Having barely caught up in cultivation level, Mu Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, after his cultivation level reached the peak of Sha Refinement, with a few deep breaths from Mu Lin, his cultivation naturally advanced to the Gang Condensation Realm.

Mu Lin was not at all surprised by this.

After all, the Gang Condensation Realm does not emphasize the physical body or mana, but rather the divine soul.

This was precisely Mu Lin’s greatest strength, not to mention:

“Having just entered Gang Condensation, my upper limit has merely been broken. To fully unleash the power of Gang Condensation, I need to temper Gang into my soul. However, while Earth Sha is abundant and can be found on the earth itself, Heavenly Gang Qi is more ethereal and must be sought from the highest heavens.”

“Currently, I am unable to temper Gang at all. Therefore, I am still a full major realm behind true Gang-tempering cultivators.”

For Mu Lin, who had just entered the Gang Condensation Realm, there was little difference from when he was at Sha Refinement. Under such circumstances, he naturally paid it no mind.

However, while he remained indifferent, those outside were astounded by the speed of his progress.

“This… he’s already reached Gang Condensation…”

“Advancing to Gang Condensation in just a few breaths—is he even human?”

Some were frightened by Mu Lin’s rapid advancement, while others thought of something even more terrifying.

“Hey, do you think that after advancing to Gang Condensation, Mu Lin’s speed in tempering Gang will be just as fast as when he refined Sha?”

“…”

Such words left many in silence.

After a long while, a voice finally spoke up:

“…It… it shouldn’t be, right? Gang Condensation involves merging Heavenly Gang Qi with the divine soul. Compared to refining Sha into the body, the divine soul is more complex and harder to control. If it gets damaged, it’s also more difficult to heal. Mu Lin… he probably wouldn’t dare to pursue speed.”

Some believed Mu Lin wouldn’t dare, but even the speaker’s tone was uncertain and filled with hesitation.

Clearly, he lacked confidence in his own speculation.

There was no helping it—Mu Lin had already given people too many shocks.

Refining Sha in the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and advancing to Gang Condensation in just a few breaths.

Having already accomplished such monstrous feats, it seemed only natural that he might do something else equally outrageous.

“Tempering Gang into the soul probably won’t stop Mu Lin. Even if it’s slower, with his monstrous talent, it would take him at most three to five months to complete the tempering of Gang Qi. Now, the only thing that could hinder him is how to find Gang Qi. Without the support of a major power, if he has to search for it himself, it would not only be dangerous but also delay him for over a decade…”

This was indeed a problem, but as soon as it was raised, some shook their heads and dismissed it.

“Mu Lin is not without backing. Although he comes from a humble background, now, whether it’s the Yan Family, the Chu Family, or the Demon Suppression Division, none would hesitate to help him.”

This statement gained widespread agreement.

The reason for this was that the clan elders of those aristocratic families believed that if Mu Lin were willing to join their families or marry their legitimate daughters as his principal wife, these families would not mind collecting Heavenly Gang Qi for him.

As Mu Lin had previously said, when you demonstrate sufficient talent, you’ll find that the world is full of good people.

Thus, in the end, everyone believed that Gang Condensation would not hinder Mu Lin.

In fact, there were far more people willing to offer Mu Lin assistance than the elders of those aristocratic families had imagined.

The moment Prince Liang discovered that Mu Lin had advanced to Gang Condensation in just a few breaths, he secretly transmitted a message to Uncle Fu, instructing him to retrieve some Heavenly Gang Qi from the Prince’s Residence treasury.

“Hmph, I’ll use Heavenly Gang Qi as Lingsha’s dowry, let’s see if you can still refuse!”

Prince Liang was making preparations, while the East Sea King went even further.

He also ordered his subordinates to bring some Heavenly Gang Qi that could combine into Profound Yellow Qi.

And as he prepared for this major move, he didn’t even intend to wait for Mu Lin to come out before handing over the Heavenly Gang Qi.

“While fetching the Heavenly Gang Qi, also find a Prodigy to bring it into the Grave Lord’s Tomb and deliver it to Mu Lin!”

“As you command!”

After giving these secret orders, the East Sea King looked at Prince Liang with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Mu Lin, he will surely fall into my trap!”

The East Sea King was pleased, and Prince Liang was equally delighted.

He believed Mu Lin absolutely couldn’t refuse his proposal.

There was no helping it—he was offering too much.

Besides the Heavenly Gang Qi, Ji Lingsha would also bring a substantial dowry.

Prince Liang had only one legitimate daughter. If the two were to unite, Mu Lin would gain the full support of the Jade Province Prince’s Residence.

Such as assistance in Dragon Vein cultivation, abundant resources, territory, and authority.

Moreover, Ji Lingsha herself was quite beautiful, so Prince Liang couldn’t find any reason for Mu Lin to refuse.

As for Lingsha being somewhat spoiled and having a princess’s temper—well, she was a princess after all, so what was wrong with being a little spoiled?

Of course, Prince Liang offered much, but he also demanded much.

If Mu Lin married the East Sea King’s daughter, his own daughter would be marrying out. But if Mu Lin married Prince Liang’s daughter, Mu Lin would be entering the family as a son-in-law.

“Hmm, the Mu family only has Mu Lin as the sole heir… We can let Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu’s children inherit the Mu family name.”

“Also, when Mu Lin enters our family, Uncle Fu and I will still have many years to live. With the two of us watching over them, Lingsha won’t be bullied at all. In fact, we can even watch Lingsha’s children grow up.”

“I wonder if Lingsha and Mu Lin’s children could inherit Mu Lin’s talent.”

The more he thought about it, the more perfect Prince Liang found the union between Mu Lin and his daughter. And he had found a way to make Mu Lin agree to become a son-in-law.

Thus, his mood was quite cheerful.

In his joy, he even took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the East Sea King.

“Gang Condensation probably won’t be able to hinder Mu Lin’s progress. Fourth Brother, what do you think about Gang Sha Unity? Could that hold him back?”

The East Sea King was also in good spirits. Hearing this, he actually gave a response.

“It should hold him back for a while. Sha Refinement and Gang Condensation—these two stages mostly just involve accumulating resources and don’t involve breakthroughs in realm. But Gang Sha Unity is different. It requires Mu Lin to harmonize Yin and Yang, balance Baleful Qi and Gang Qi, and align his body, Mana, and Divine Soul, bringing his entire being into a state of equilibrium.”

“This demands an extremely high realm. Ordinary Cultivation Methods require reaching the Grandmaster Realm, while Heaven-Rank Techniques require reaching the Master Realm to achieve Yin-Yang harmony and advance to Gang Sha Unity.”

“Even for Mu Lin, reaching the Master Grade with a Heaven-Rank Technique would likely take one or two years.”

Grandmaster, Master… If Mu Lin were here, he would understand that different grades of techniques require different realms to reach certain stages.

In fact, this is how it should be. Powerful techniques are not only immensely strong but also easier to advance with and have higher ceilings.

By the way, the “ordinary techniques” the East Sea King mentioned refer to Earth Grade.

Techniques below Earth Grade—Mysterious Grade and Yellow Grade—have a high probability of failing to advance to Gang Sha Unity even if they reach the Grandmaster Realm.

As for how such individuals advance, either they possess exceptional talent and insight, able to break through the constraints of their cultivation method and bring about its transformation.

Or, they switch to a higher-tier cultivation method.

If neither is achievable, they must be prepared to remain stuck at the bottleneck of Gang Sha Unity for a lifetime.

—No one in this world has ever claimed that all cultivation methods can lead one to become a high-grade cultivator.

In fact, eight or nine out of ten cultivation methods have inherent limits.

Gang Sha Unity and Mortal Shedding Adept stand like roadblocks, halting ninety-nine percent of cultivators.

Of course, due to inferior cultivation methods, scarce resources, and the dangers of the world, even reaching this stage is immensely difficult for most.

…

Outside, both Prince Liang and the East Sea King were quite pleased, confident in their ability to recruit Mu Lin into their ranks.

Meanwhile, inside the Grave Lord’s Tomb, Mu Lin paid no heed to such matters and pressed forward swiftly.

“Absorbing Baleful Qi has already delayed me considerably. I must make up for lost time.”

Mu Lin began to accelerate.

(End of Chapter)