Chapter 323 – The Overbearing True Spirit Karma Diagram

“How could it be so fast!”

Whether it was Dongfang Ya, Si Ye, or Meng Rui, they all had some psychological expectations regarding Mu Lin’s monstrous talent.

But in their minds, even if Mu Lin was fast, it should still take him half a day.

After all, Tempering Gang Into Soul was more difficult and dangerous than Sha Refinement.

This wasn’t mere speculation—all three women had experienced the Gang Condensation stage themselves and had truly felt the difficulty of tempering Gang Qi into the body.

In fact, in order to refine Gang Qi into their soul spirits, all three of them had suffered Divine Soul injuries and had endured nearly a year of arduous struggle.

Even now, the thought of that pain made their bodies tremble slightly.

Therefore, they believed that no matter how much of a genius or monster Mu Lin was, he should still respect the difficulty and danger of Tempering Gang Into Soul.

But now, it was clear that it wasn’t Mu Lin respecting Tempering Gang Into Soul—it was Gang Qi giving him face.

‘Wait, the most important thing isn’t just the speed… One incense stick’s time for Sha Refinement, one cup of tea’s time for Gang Condensation… His realm has risen, yet his cultivation speed hasn’t slowed down—it’s actually accelerated!’

Thinking this far, whether it was Dongfang Ya, Si Ye, or Meng Rui, they all exchanged incredulous glances, their eyes filled with endless shock.

“With this kind of advancement speed, could he reach Celestial Master in less than a hundred years?”

Such a speed of advancement completely exceeded the imaginations of Meng Rui and the others.

Among them, Si Ye came from a noble background and was considered well-informed, but even she had never heard of a case like Mu Lin’s.

However, after the shock subsided, what remained in Si Ye’s heart was joy.

Although there had been some unpleasantness in the past, and Mu Lin didn’t have much goodwill toward her now, she had conflicts with Mu Lin, but her daughter Chu Lingluo did not.

Therefore, her daughter’s position was still secure.

“Wait, I can’t be careless. Mu Lin’s talent isn’t just valued by our Aristocratic Families anymore—even the princes who control entire regions are willing to marry their Princesses to him… I need to increase Lingluo’s weight in Mu Lin’s heart… Relying on myself alone won’t work… I should have the family increase their investment in Mu Lin.”

Si Ye was scheming, and in the short time it took Mu Lin to advance, she had already pondered many things.

However, because she was distracted by these thoughts, she didn’t notice Mu Lin’s expression—his tightly furrowed brow.

On the other hand, Dongfang Ya was simply happy about Mu Lin’s advancement and didn’t seek to gain anything from it. Because of this, she was the first to notice that something seemed off about Mu Lin’s expression.

“Mu Lin, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you smiling after advancing successfully?”

This question deepened the frustration on Mu Lin’s face.

“Teacher Dongfang, I didn’t advance.”

“Huh?”

This left Dongfang Ya stunned, but she quickly comforted him, “You couldn’t temper Gang Qi into your body in one go? Don’t be sad. Tempering Gang involves the soul spirit, so it’s naturally more difficult than Sha Refinement. Failing to succeed on the first try is perfectly normal. Your master here spent a full nine months barely managing to succeed. With your talent, you’ll definitely succeed sooner or later…”

Upon learning that Mu Lin hadn’t tempered Gang Qi into his body within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Dongfang Ya didn’t feel disappointed. Instead, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In her view, the current Mu Lin was barely considered “human.” Before this, he was a monster, a freak.

…

The conversation between the two was also heard by Master Meng Rui and Si Ye. Upon learning that Mu Lin had not succeeded, they, like Dongfang Ya, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The pressure Mu Lin had exerted earlier was simply too overwhelming.

It made one feel that, compared to him, one’s own cultivation was nothing but a joke.

However, unlike Dongfang Ya, who was solely concerned for Mu Lin’s safety, both Si Ye and Meng Rui felt a slight sense of disappointment even as they sighed in relief.

But soon, the two women suppressed their disappointment and stepped forward to comfort Mu Lin—even if he hadn’t tempered Gang into his soul in one go, his talent was still beyond the reach of ordinary Cultivators, and even most Prodigies.

No one wanted to offend such a Mu Lin.

Even Si Ye, who could be considered Mu Lin’s mother-in-law, did not wish to upset him.

“Dongfang Ya is right, taking it slow doesn’tt matter… In fact, it might even be better…”

“A Cultivator’s cultivation isn’t just about pursuing speed. Speed often means a shallow foundation and hidden flaws. What we Cultivators should pursue is a solid foundation, taking one step at a time… So, cultivating slowly is indeed better for you. It will give you more time to contemplate your path forward.”

The three women took turns comforting him, which made Mu Lin feel somewhat relieved, yet also somewhat helpless.

Seeing them go on and on, Mu Lin quickly raised his hand to stop their reassurances.

“Stop, stop, stop. No more comforting. I’m fine. Also, the Gang Qi Prince Liang gave me—I’ve already tempered it all, completely refining it into my soul spirit.”

“Huh?!”

These words left the three women stunned.

After a long pause, Dongfang Ya was the first to react: “To actually temper a portion of Gang Qi into your soul spirit in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea… You, you really aren’t human.”

Hands on her hips, Dongfang Ya was both indignant at Mu Lin’s speed and lamenting the hardships she had endured in the past.

Meanwhile, Meng Rui and Si Ye pondered why Mu Lin had tempered the Gang into his body but hadn’t advanced.

“Tempering all the Gang Qi into your body but not advancing… Could it be that the Gang Qi Prince Liang gave you wasn’t enough, or that he gave you inferior quality and then threatened you with the rest… No way, would Prince Liang be that foolish, that petty?”

Giving half first, then using the remaining half as leverage.

Such behavior—the Aristocratic Families were capable of it.

No, it should be said that this was how they controlled most Cultivators.

In fact, to control ordinary Cultivators, the Aristocratic Families not only withheld Gang Qi and Baleful Qi, but also doled out Cultivation Methods and resources layer by layer, or provided flawed versions.

However, such methods were used against ordinary Cultivators.

For Prodigies and peerless geniuses, it was a different approach.

The Aristocratic Families might be ruthless, but they were never foolish. Towards Prodigies, they acted with sincerity and engaged in fair transactions.

And for peerless monsters like Mu Lin, they were even more earnest in befriending them—most of the time, for beings like Mu Lin, the Aristocratic Families wouldn’t even demand benefits. Instead, they would simply give gifts to build goodwill.

In doing so, they weren’t acting out of charity, but rather casting a long line to catch a big fish.

What they sought was for Mu Lin, once he became a powerhouse at the level of a Celestial Master, to lend them a major hand in the future.

At the same time, the reason they acted this way was also because they couldn’t threaten him.

Gang Qi, even Heaven Grade Gang Qi, is ultimately just a resource for the Spell Master realm. Strictly speaking, it isn’t particularly precious, as too many people can provide it, and many are even willing to help Mu Lin.

Therefore, Prince Liang’s Manor is certainly incapable of threatening Mu Lin.

Doing so would only result in offending Mu Lin and gaining nothing.

Thus, Si Ye couldn’t understand why Prince Liang would act so foolishly.

However, just as she frowned in thought, Mu Lin’s next words left her bewildered.

“It’s not Prince Liang’s fault either. The Gang Qi he provided was sufficient.”

“Then why didn’t you advance?”

Si Ye inquired, while Mu Lin could only sigh helplessly.

He recalled the situation during the Tempering Gang Into Soul process earlier—when absorbing the Gang Qi, Mu Lin had initially thought he would need to use Substitute Paper Figures, just as he had during Sha Refinement, to transfer injuries.

That is, using the loss of over a hundred Paper Figures to pave his path to Gang Condensation.

Hmm… this sounded somewhat sinister, but since the Substitute Paper Figures were empty shells created from his blood and spiritual imprints, what he actually lost was merely some materials.

At the time, Mu Lin was even in the mood to joke.

This also indicated that Mu Lin never believed Gang Condensation could hinder him.

In fact, Tempering Gang Into Soul was indeed effortless, even more so than Mu Lin had imagined. He didn’t even need to use the Substitute Paper Figures.

When the Gang Qi entered his soul spirit, the True Spirit Karma Diagram he had condensed directly emerged.

“Gulp!”

Like a gluttonous devourer, the True Spirit Karma Diagram effortlessly consumed the Aurora Celestial Qi.

At first, this startled Mu Lin, but he soon realized that he had fused everything into the True Spirit Karma Diagram. Thus, the True Spirit Karma Diagram was his soul spirit, his Divine Soul. Tempering Gang Qi into the Divine Soul meant refining it into the True Spirit Karma Diagram, so this scene was actually nothing unusual.

Once he accepted this, Mu Lin found himself at ease.

The grand and powerful True Spirit Karma Diagram, with its exceptionally high rank, could easily refine the Aurora Celestial Qi.

Moreover, the True Spirit Karma Diagram was currently lacking nourishment and excelled in the art of domination, particularly in defeating and subjugating the powers of other Deities.

Since it could bear, dominate, and command the Forbidden Power of Deities, refining a mere Heavenly Gang Qi was naturally a trivial matter.

And indeed, that was exactly what happened.

This Gang Qi caused no disturbance within the True Spirit Karma Diagram. After being absorbed into the diagram, the King Yama’s intimidation and the Vow Power Heart Flame burned, and in less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this Heavenly Gang Qi was completely refined by the True Spirit Karma Diagram, becoming one of its foundations.

Due to the nature of the True Spirit Karma Diagram, after absorbing the Aurora Celestial Qi, the diagram underwent some changes.

First, if Mu Lin wished, he could establish another Divine Position within the True Spirit Karma Diagram, such as a Purifying Light Envoy or a Guardian Deity of Misfortune Relief.

Second, the City God and King Yama within the True Spirit Karma Diagram gained the ability to dissolve Resentment.

This was the Purification characteristic of the Aurora Celestial Qi.

Specifically, in the mortal world, some soul spirits are easily tainted by Baleful Qi or turbid energies, or they become Malevolent Ghosts due to harboring Resentment or malice.

Since not everyone possesses strong willpower, such Malevolent Ghosts are easily corrupted by Baleful Qi, becoming insane and frenzied.

While the resentment dissolution ability (Purification) of King Yama and the City God could cleanse the resentment and baleful qi from the souls of malevolent ghosts, allowing their consciousness to return, this ability seemed incongruent with the gloomy Netherworld—but in reality, it was not.

After all, the true Netherworld, though eerie and terrifying, was governed by the Orthodox Gods of the Nether Bureaucracy. Their terror was directed solely at malevolent spirits. Toward ordinary soul spirits, they instead adopted a protective and blessing stance.

Thus, dissolving the resentment of soul spirits was an act of Merit. The integration of Aurora Celestial Qi was also an excellent development for Mu Lin, making his path through the Netherworld Palace and Nether Bureaucracy more majestic and smooth.

However, despite the many benefits, there was one thing Mu Lin had not anticipated.

—His True Spirit Karma Diagram was of too high a grade and possessed too vast a capacity. Its magnitude was like a boundless ocean, so immense that a mere portion of Heavenly Gang Qi could not possibly fill the gaps in the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

And the True Spirit Karma Diagram could be said to be the substantial manifestation of Mu Lin’s soul spirit.

If Aurora Celestial Qi could not fill the True Spirit Karma Diagram, it naturally meant it could not fill Mu Lin’s Divine Soul either.

“Ten portions—I need at least ten more portions of Heavenly Gang Qi to barely satisfy the True Spirit Karma Diagram and set my Gang Condensation path on the road to success.”

“And that’s just meeting the minimum requirement. To achieve perfection without flaw, I would even need thirty-three portions of Heavenly Gang Qi.”

While others could refine just one portion of Gang Qi, he needed to refine thirty-three portions in one go. This situation was something Mu Lin had never anticipated, and it gave him quite a headache.

“Sigh, having a profound foundation isn’t entirely a good thing!”

(End of Chapter)