Chapter 435 – Calligraphy Reaches Transcendence: Trait—Sky Observation

“With a single glance, annihilating billions of insect swarms. Beyond that, he can easily detect anomalies hidden among humans, cleanse land pollution, seal the Forbidden Power within Cultivators, and even enhance their strength… So all-around capable—are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?”

The words brought by Mo Feng truly stunned the other generals of the Black Fiend Legion, followed swiftly by doubt.

It was no wonder they reacted this way; the power of Mu Lin as described by Mo Feng was simply too exaggerated.

Hearing everyone’s skepticism, Mo Feng sighed with emotion. “I understand your doubts, but all of this is indeed true. I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

After speaking, fearing that the others might not believe him, Mo Feng quickly added, “Not only did I see the scene at the time, but the other soldiers also witnessed it. If you don’t believe me, you can summon them and ask.”

These words made Deputy Legion Commander Hei Lan, seated on the high platform, shake his head.

“That won’t be necessary. I still trust your word.”

After saying this, he asked with a serious expression, “Can we invite Mu Lin over? If he is willing to come, I am prepared to share the position of Deputy Legion Commander with him.”

“Impossible. Mu Lin revived the Agricultural Militia. The entire force now reveres him like a deity and follows his commands. Moreover, Prodigies are often proud and unwilling to submit to others…”

Mo Feng left the rest unsaid, but Hei Lan, in his superior position, had already grasped his meaning.

‘Unwilling to obey the Legion Commander’s orders? That is indeed rather arrogant.’

Thinking this, everyone abandoned the idea of inviting Mu Lin. However, having him come to help them identify anomalies or cleanse land pollution was something they urgently needed.

Nevertheless, cautious and resource-strapped Hei Lan had no intention of entrusting everything entirely to Mu Lin.

He merely selected a critical location for Mu Lin to test the waters first.

“You are all aware of the situation at Crimson Flame Valley. Since Mu Lin has such talent, let him try his hand there first.”

“Yes, Deputy Legion Commander. We will go invite Mu Lin immediately.”

…

The Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion were both stirred into action over the matter of Mu Lin.

Similarly, the Insect Apostle was also on the move.

Recognizing the threat posed by Mu Lin, it utilized the insect race’s special adaptability to cultivate some unique insects to deal with him.

“That Mu Lin excels in soul power. Soul-devouring insects should pose some threat to him.”

Beyond breeding insects, it also sought out several other Foreign Races nearby, intending to join forces with them to eliminate Mu Lin.

“Mu Lin is powerful, and if he grows stronger, he will inevitably clear the skies for the Human Race and reclaim the lands humanity has lost.”

“Such a threat should not be faced by me alone. The other Foreign Races must also contribute.”

The Insect Apostle’s plan was sound, but when it went to invite the others, the responses it received were mostly: “Get lost!”

“That’s your problem, none of my concern.”

“Hah, Mu Lin is indeed a great threat, but aren’t you holding the front line?”

“Heh, now you come begging for my help. What were you doing before?”

“If you submit to the great Sovereign, the Sovereign would not mind offering you protection…”

It must be said that while the Foreign Races were at war with Mu Lin, there was no peace among the Foreign Races themselves.

No one wanted to stand up for the Insect Apostle; they would rather watch it die.

Of course, the reason they made this decision, aside from internal discord, was also related to their lack of a profound sense of the threat posed by Mu Lin.

Even within humanity, when they first heard about Mu Lin’s situation without having witnessed it firsthand, they were filled with doubt and disbelief.

The Foreign Races naturally also refused to believe that Mu Lin could truly be so powerful.

In the eyes of many Demons and Monsters, the Insect Apostle was exaggerating Mu Lin’s strength merely to use them as vanguard forces to wear down Mu Lin… and their own power, so that he could reap the benefits without effort.

Don’t doubt it—the Alien Realm’s Demons and Monsters have engaged in plenty of backstabbing among themselves.

Holding such beliefs, the Insect Apostle’s mission naturally ended in failure.

And this, in turn, drove him into a complete rage.

“Bastards!”

“A bunch of short-sighted scum, you have no idea of the threat Mu Lin poses. If he grows, he can endanger all of us!”

At the peak of his fury, the Insect Apostle’s first thought was not to fight Mu Lin to the death.

Instead, he considered relocating, allowing Mu Lin to grow, and watching the other Foreign Races regret their decisions.

And he… truly intended to do just that.

This wasn’t because anger had clouded his judgment, but because he suddenly remembered something with a jolt of realization.

“With such extraordinary talent, could Mu Lin really have no one else guarding him, only a dying old Celestial Master?”

Reasoning from his own circumstances, the Insect Apostle believed that Mu Lin’s surroundings were definitely not guarded by just one person.

Therefore, he concluded that even if he went all out, or even attempted a covert ambush, he might not necessarily succeed in killing Mu Lin.

Instead, he might be fiercely ambushed and killed by Mu Lin’s guardian.

Unwilling to meet such a fate, the Insect Apostle prepared to flee far away.

“You scum are right—if Mu Lin grows, others will deal with him. Since you’re in no hurry, why should I be!”

With this mindset, the Insect Apostle simply ran away.

And his departure brought even greater peace to the areas controlled by the Agricultural Militia.

All of this, Mu Lin remained completely unaware of.

At that moment, he was staring with a peculiar expression at the Secret Realm before him.

Having been constantly busy cleansing pollution, Mu Lin never expected to find a Secret Realm within the contamination—one that, though damaged, was still intact.

Especially since this Secret Realm emanated an aura of profound antiquity, which only deepened Mu Lin’s curiosity.

“Has a stroke of fortune like this truly fallen into my lap?”

Mu Lin was astonished, and so was Sheng Cang.

However, being cautious by nature, Sheng Cang’s first reaction to this suddenly appearing Secret Realm was not joy, but fear that it might be a trap.

“Mu Lin, don’t rush in. This could very well be a trap.”

“You’re right, but whether it’s a trap or not makes no difference to me.”

As he spoke, Mu Lin casually flicked his hand, and over a dozen Mu Lins emerged.

Then, these Mu Lins lined up one by one and began walking into the Secret Realm.

With his Clones, Mu Lin had no fear of any traps.

So what if you can kill me? I have plenty of Clones—take your time.

And so, relying on his Clone army for reconnaissance, Mu Lin easily navigated the lingering dangers within the Secret Realm and thoroughly explored its entirety.

Once everything was investigated, Mu Lin was astonished to discover that this was not a trap at all, but a genuine stroke of fortune.

It was a hidden treasure left behind by an ancient sect.

At the very center of the secret treasury stood a massive stone tablet.

Carved upon the stone tablet were over a dozen ancient and simple characters.

Accompanied by Sheng Cang, one of Mu Lin’s clones arrived before the stone tablet. After taking in the full sight of the tablet, Mu Lin’s pupils abruptly contracted.

On it, he saw a Source Rune—Stabilize!

Moreover, the character for “Stabilize” did not appear particularly special among these dozen or so characters.

This realization made him gasp sharply.

“Hiss…”

“Could it be that all these characters are Source Runes?”

After scanning the tablet in disbelief, Mu Lin found that his speculation was likely correct.

Indeed, every character on the entire stone tablet contained a profound and extraordinary power.

Upon closer inspection, even Mu Lin’s Divine Soul felt strained and dizzy.

Yet, at the same time, he felt as though he had grasped many truths.

Later, some documents Sheng Cang found within the secret realm, along with the knowledge he possessed, further confirmed Mu Lin’s speculation.

“This is a secret realm of the Heavenly Talisman Sect, which perished nine thousand years ago. This sect believed that ‘Talisman characters’ were the foundation of the world—that everything in existence could be defined through characters. To this end, the great masters of their sect devoted themselves day and night to research, ultimately refining over a hundred Source Runes and inscribing them onto stone tablets for disciples to contemplate.”

“The stone tablet before us is likely their treasure for imparting the Dao.”

Having said this, Sheng Cang offered his congratulations to Mu Lin.

“Young Military Lord truly possesses extraordinary fortune. To encounter such a rare opportunity simply while cleansing impurities—it is truly remarkable.”

Sheng Cang congratulated him and marveled at Mu Lin’s incredible luck.

But Mu Lin did not see it that way.

Having already come into contact with the Heavenly and Mortal Paths through the City God and Netherworld system, Mu Lin clearly understood that although the Heavenly and Mortal Paths lacked concrete consciousness, they favored those who benefited them.

“So, is this the reward for cleansing impurities?”

Mu Lin felt deeply satisfied with this.

However, what Mu Lin did not know was that while this was indeed a reward, it was not the only one—there was more to come.

Beyond the heavens, a colossal corpse, as vast as a mountain and as immense as a star, emanated an indescribably terrifying aura as it hurtled like a meteor toward this world.

…

Naturally, Mu Lin was unaware of events beyond the world.

Thus, at this moment, his mood remained quite pleasant.

After obtaining the Source Rune stone tablet, Mu Lin immediately moved it back to his Netherworld Palace, where he devoted himself day and night to contemplation without pause.

Previously, Mu Lin’s cultivation of Source Runes had relied on his own exploration and solitary pondering.

Groping in the dark like this naturally paled in comparison to having predecessors to guide the way.

It was akin to scientific research: for inventions yet to be realized, countless failures were endured before a single success could be achieved.

Sometimes, even thousands of failures led to nothing but fruitless efforts.

Yet once success was achieved, replication became effortless—the difficulty reduced by a thousandfold.

Now, with the Source Runes before him, Mu Lin found contemplation remarkably easy.

This, in turn, caused his skill—Calligraphy experience—to soar rapidly.

In less than three short days, relying on his own comprehension, the assistance of his three hundred clones, and the Attribute Panel, Mu Lin had accumulated enough experience to master his Calligraphy skill.

This time, however, the skill experience Mu Lin had fully accumulated was not limited to Calligraphy alone—it also included Painting.

When Calligraphy advanced to the level of perfection, the painting skill also advanced alongside it.

The two, having advanced simultaneously, unexpectedly merged together.

As a result, a special and peculiar characteristic emerged within Mu Lin’s Sea of Consciousness.

Its name was—Sky Observation!

(End of Chapter)