Chapter 330 – A Peerless Prodigy? We Actually Have One

Obtaining a Heaven-Rank Technique is still quite difficult for Mu Lin at present, but when it comes to just the names and their areas of expertise, they are relatively easy to investigate.

After all, such techniques are mostly renowned far and wide, and once someone masters them, their fame spreads across all nineteen provinces.

Moreover, many aristocratic families have recorded such techniques. If Yan Yunyu, Si Ye, and others return to their clans to request information, they can obtain some names.

Of course, what they can obtain is only the names and some rough details.

As for specifics and detailed information—that is out of the question.

And as for how to cultivate these Heaven-Rank Techniques—that is something even the aristocratic families would like to know.

…

Since obtaining a technique related to existence and nothingness is not something that can be achieved in a short time, Mu Lin immediately shifted his focus to absorbing the Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi.

Although, out of caution, Mu Lin slowed down the absorption rate of this Gang Qi, with the power of the True Spirit Karma Diagram, his refinement remained incredibly fast.

Half a day later, most of the Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi had been absorbed into the True Spirit Karma Diagram.

At the same time, Mu Lin gained several abilities.

First, concealment… also known as the disappearance of presence.

With this ability, Mu Lin’s Netherworld Law Domain would become even harder for others to detect.

When his Yin Soldiers march, unless one possesses special abilities or extraordinary spiritual perception, even cultivators would fail to notice Mu Lin’s army, only sensing a slight chill in the surroundings.

Additionally, concealment can obscure Mu Lin’s traces, making it difficult for divination or detection spells to observe him.

Second is spell dissolution.

The nature of Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi allows Mu Lin to etherealize many spells into nothingness.

However, due to his limited mastery of this ability, Mu Lin must first summon a vast mist to activate this effect.

By shrouding everything in black mist and concealing the forms of those spells, Mu Lin can then etherealize them into nothingness.

Lastly, there is the reverse application of nothingness—existence.

Thanks to the nature of Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi, as long as someone calls out to Mu Lin and visualizes his image in their mind, the Mu Lin in their thoughts will gain a trace of existence power, emerging from nothingness.

Of course, due to his limited understanding of the power of existence and nothingness, the Mu Lin visualized by others possesses only a faint trace of existence power and cannot fully materialize.

But this also serves as a foundation, giving Mu Lin a slight possibility of becoming a Da Luo.

At the same time, that trace of existence power can become a mark—an imprint carrying Mu Lin’s personal aura.

Moreover, since Mu Lin possesses a Grandmaster-level Substitute Paper Figure capable of transmitting power across distances, when others visualize or call his name, Mu Lin can secretly listen to their words or transmit power to bestow blessings or punishments upon them.

“Calling the name of a deity to receive blessings or to mete out punishment from afar… this is becoming more and more like a deity.”

“However, with too many people calling my name, and without divinity to handle countless matters at once… it’s better to block them and leave it to the Substitute Paper Figure to manage.”

“Hmm, I could open a few special channels, allowing Yan Yunyu, Dongfang Ya, and others to call upon me at any time and borrow my power.”

After briefly understanding the nature of Da Luo Vast Heaven Qi and experimenting with it, Mu Lin continued absorbing the remaining Gang Qi.

While he was busy, the conflict between the north and south in Yuzhou City grew increasingly brutal.

Unsurprisingly, the Northern Prodigies continued to dominate their southern counterparts.

As the battles dragged on, many Southern Prodigies even became reluctant to accept challenges.

—Living in the south and blessed with exceptional talent, figures like Yan Zhanpeng and Drunken Wanderer faced little danger. With daily cultivation and sparring, they enjoyed promising futures and the prospect of long lives.

Such an existence was delightful, leaving them with little resolve for life-or-death struggles.

Initially, the northerners’ disparagement and overbearing actions had indeed incited righteous anger among many Southern Prodigies.

Consequently, numerous individuals stepped forward to answer the challenges.

However, those southern cultivators who emerged at the time had yet to shift their mindset. They viewed these encounters as mere contests—defeat meant humiliation, not death.

This explained the high frequency of battles in the preceding days.

Yet, after a series of clashes, they discovered that the Northern Prodigies fought without honor.

Unlike their southern counterparts, the northerners entered the arena with a determination to fight to the death.

As a result, after days of continuous combat, many Southern Prodigies had perished.

  There was no concept of holding back.

Even more terrifying was that most Northern Prodigies harbored Forbidden Power within their bodies.

These Forbidden Powers were often extremely dangerous. Even if they couldn’t kill their opponents outright, once contaminated by such forces, Southern Prodigies would suffer irreparable injuries.

Take Xue Ying, for example. After three battles—one victory, one draw, and one defeat—she survived the loss thanks to her elders’ protection. However, a corrosive force had taken root within her, continuously draining her strength and growing stronger.

This power was akin to cancer in an ordinary human—incurable and potentially capable of severing her Cultivation Path entirely.

The risk of death and the possibility of a severed path—realizing the immense dangers of battling Northern Prodigies, how could those southern talents remain willing to fight?

“As long as I live, I have a bright future. But once I enter a fight, whether I die or am injured, my situation will worsen. Then, my resources, my fiancée, my children… all will slip away. No, I must protect my family.”

“I’m not afraid to fight; I just don’t want to escalate the north-south conflict…”

To avoid combat, the Southern Prodigies had already concocted numerous excuses.

However, their reluctance to accept challenges only emboldened the Northern Wastelands Prodigies further, leaving many southern leaders not only embarrassed but also unable to remain idle.

After all, this north-south conflict involved significant tax revenues.

And when it came to taxes, it wasn’t just a handful of Spirit Stones—it amounted to billions, along with countless rare resources.

These were things that even the leaders of the Aristocratic Families in the Southeast Region could not easily abandon.

Even if they didn’t need them personally, their descendants certainly would.

Thus, upon realizing the unfavorable situation, a secret meeting was promptly convened in a grand hall within Yuzhou City.

Unsurprisingly, Mu Lin’s name was mentioned repeatedly during this gathering.

“One hundred eighty battles, seventeen wins, one hundred sixty-three losses, and now they don’t even dare to fight anymore. Hah, this is our Southern Prodigies. I’m starting to think the Northerners are right—they’re all a bunch of useless trash, not worth cultivating!”

“Ahem… Alright, Patriarch Ge, there’s no need to be so angry. It’s just that our cultivation methods differ…”

“No matter how different, if they don’t dare to fight, they’ll never become true powerhouses!”

These final words left many in silence.

Those who didn’t even dare to fight, lacking the will of a true powerhouse, would indeed find it difficult to become one.

Soon, someone chimed in: “Patriarch Ge, you’re right. We’re at war now, and this can’t continue… I’ll tell those Southern brats that their performance in this battle is tied to their treatment. If they don’t even dare to fight, all their resources will be cut off… At worst, we’ll scrap this generation and focus on cultivating the next.”

Prince Liang: “We can’t rely solely on threats. How about this: each family contributes some resources to create a reward ranking. Those who win will be lavishly rewarded.”

Patriarch of the Chu Family: “The current North-South rivalry is ultimately just a competition, with Clan Elders overseeing it. The danger isn’t that high. If they don’t even dare to participate in something like this, what will they do when the Doomsday Calamity arrives—cower at home and wait for death? I suggest that anyone who refuses to fight should be left to fend for themselves. Also, the resources saved from those who don’t participate shouldn’t be taken back. Instead, they should all be added to the reward ranking and distributed to those willing to fight.”

“…Agreed.”

“And status. Losing is one thing, but if they don’t even dare to fight, they’ll have no place in the Demon Suppression Division of the Southeast Region, as city lords, or in the military…”

After some discussion, the gathered leaders finalized the punishments for those who shied away from battle.

However, even after reaching an agreement, their brows remained furrowed.

Youths are always full of vigor. The Southern Prodigies weren’t initially afraid to fight; it was their repeated defeats that made them hesitant.

The measures they had just agreed upon would indeed encourage the Southern Prodigies to muster the courage to fight.

But the gap in strength couldn’t be bridged by courage alone.

And if the Southern Prodigies suffered too many crushing defeats, it would cause significant trouble for them in the imperial court.

In this world, strength ultimately speaks the loudest.

“We need to find a way to curb the arrogance of the Northerners.”

“But how? Those maniacs aren’t easy to deal with…”

“What about seeking help from the Dragon Clan or the Foreign Races? The Northerners have always harbored hatred toward the Foreign Races, unlike us, who can do business with them. If the North gains the upper hand, the Foreign Races won’t fare well either.”

“It’s feasible, but we can’t rely entirely on the Foreign Races.”

Inside the hall, some pondered methods while others sighed:

“Ah, with the South being so vast, isn’t there a single peerless prodigy who can turn the tide?”

The Earth Immortal who spoke was merely lamenting.

But soon, he noticed that several people in the room brightened at his words, and someone thoughtfully remarked, “If we’re talking about a peerless prodigy, the South does indeed have one.”

(End of Chapter)