Chapter 79 – The True Intent Painter

Upon realizing this, Mu Lin was dumbfounded.

At that moment, Mu Lin was only somewhat suspicious. But when he told Chu Lingluo about it and asked her if it was true, her response confirmed his suspicions.

“Ah, Brother Mu, didn’t you know? The highest realm for a painter is the True Intent Diagram. I thought you chose this path because you wanted to develop in that direction?”

“Ahem, as you know, I come from a humble background and don’t have much knowledge about cultivation. I enjoy writing and painting simply because I like them.”

After learning that Mu Lin lacked much cultivation knowledge, Chu Lingluo shared everything she knew with him, including some secrets.

Among these was information about True Intent painters.

Thus, Mu Lin learned that becoming a True Intent painter wasn’t just about having exceptional painting skills.

Creating True Intent Diagrams that could immerse others in their scenes consumed a great deal of mental energy. Some powerful diagrams required months or even years of effort from the painter.

There were even cases where True Intent painters, after creating powerful diagrams, exhausted their mental energy and died spitting blood.

At the same time, observing and resonating with the spirit and essence of powerful beings was no easy task.

Mu Lin had also experienced this firsthand.

Because the mind possesses power, when Mu Lin visualized and constructed high-grade magical artifacts in his mind, he felt as if he were being overwhelmed.

It was like a computer with insufficient memory trying to process a large number of ultra-high-definition videos.

And let’s not forget, Mu Lin’s Divine Soul Realm was actually not low—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to visualize and construct high-grade magical artifacts at all.

“Speaking of which, my current Divine Soul Realm should have reached the Spirit Pool Realm, right?”

Yes, Mu Lin’s current Divine Soul Realm was at the Spirit Pool Realm among Feathered Scholars, not the Gushing Spring level he had when Mindscape – Sky Burial City first advanced.

—While cultivating Mindscape – Sky Burial City, the creations in his mindscape gradually increased. These items acted like pillars, expanding his Sea of Consciousness, and his Divine Soul power grew stronger as a result.

Moreover, because Mu Lin didn’t rely solely on Mindscape – Sky Burial City as his Divine Soul cultivation method, his Divine Soul power was now not just at the Spirit Pool Realm but nearing its peak.

There was no other way. Since the Vow-Power Heart Lamp was tempered and strengthened through its confrontation with the Burying Heaven Power, its proficiency increased rapidly. This growth naturally boosted Mu Lin’s Divine Soul Realm.

In addition, when Mu Lin’s Painting, Paper Folding, and Calligraphy advanced to the Master Realm, his insights surged, causing his mind and Divine Soul to grow significantly.

All these factors combined meant that Mu Lin’s Divine Soul Realm was extremely mismatched with his Mana Cultivation.

“My primary cultivation in Mana is still at Qi Drawing, but my Divine Soul Realm has already reached the Spirit Pool. Among Qi Refiners, my situation is probably unique.”

While Mu Lin sighed with a bitter smile, Chu Lingluo continued to explain the taboos of True Intent Diagrams.

Then, Mu Lin was shocked to discover that being a True Intent painter was actually a high-risk profession.

And the stronger one became, the more dangerous it was.

Powerful Qi Refiners (True Lords), demons and monsters, and even some forbidden entities possessed the ability to sense whenever they were thought of.

Moreover, these terrifying beings could descend into others’ Divine Souls and minds through the illusions conjured by those thoughts.

If it were merely some friendly entities, that would be one thing, but many demons and monsters take great pleasure in invading others’ Divine Souls or seizing their bodies.

As for the most terrifying Forbidden Powers, even if they do not actively commit evil, merely visualizing them can cause True Intent Diagram painters to become corrupted by their Forbidden Power, descending into madness.

“Brother Mu, you must be very careful when visualizing in the future, and never venture into any forbidden lands. Being able to resonate spiritually with others or objects is a good thing for you, but it can also be a calamity. Every year, there are True Intent Diagram painters who go mad after observing something terrifying or forbidden.”

“For example, this year’s Xiaohuo Lantern incident—you must have heard of it, right?”

These words caused Mu Lin’s pupils to contract sharply.

“Wait, the Xiaohuo Lantern is also related to True Intent Diagram painters?”

Unaware of Mu Lin’s unusual reaction, Chu Lingluo nodded her little head and said:

“Yes, according to my mother, the root cause of the Xiaohuo Lantern incident was a True Intent Diagram painter who, during meditation, for some unknown reason, visualized the Ancient Underworld Fire Prison—a terrifying place containing eternal forbidden flames. Although the painter only glimpsed it from afar, within the flames, she witnessed the illusion of an entire nation being incinerated.”

“That scene was too overwhelming, burning away the painter’s sanity and making her believe it was the pinnacle of beauty. From then on, she became obsessively fascinated with everything about the Ancient Underworld Fire Prison and sought to bring it down, incinerating a city or even an entire nation, to recreate the breathtaking spectacle of all things being consumed in flames.”

“Fortunately, she wasn’t powerful enough to accomplish this directly.”

“The Xiaohuo Lantern is a monster from the Ancient Underworld Fire Prison and also the True Intent Diagram she painted. After completing it, she offered her own essence blood and Divine Soul as sacrifices, temporarily transforming the illusory Xiaohuo Lantern into reality… or rather, she temporarily became the Xiaohuo Lantern demon.”

“According to her deranged plan, the Xiaohuo Lantern demon would first burn away the memories and Divine Souls of everyone in an area. After absorbing these, she would grow stronger and be able to summon more sinister entities from the Ancient Underworld Fire Prison.”

“You must have heard about what happened next—the Xiaohuo Lantern incident was ultimately suppressed by the Demon Suppression Division.”

“…”

Mu Lin very much wanted to say that he hadn’t just heard about it—he had experienced it firsthand.

However, not wanting to worry Chu Lingluo, he kept this to himself. But after hearing this, Mu Lin indeed abandoned some of his reckless ideas.

In fact, he even considered putting his Divine Soul Cultivation Method on hold.

“Spiritual resonance combined with supernatural Divine Soul—isn’t this just like the ‘Insight’ in Cthulhu mythology!”

Having high Insight isn’t entirely a bad thing, but the world Mu Lin lives in is filled with Anomalies and countless forbidden things. In such circumstances, excessively high Insight is a deadly matter.

“…Better to let things take their natural course. At most, I’ll focus most of my attention on improving my Mana from now on.”

…

After learning of his potential as a True Intent Diagram painter, Mu Lin devoted more attention to Painting alongside his Cultivation Method practice.

As for the risk of being corrupted by Forbidden Powers, one cannot give up eating for fear of choking. Cultivation Methods also carry the risk of qi deviation—Mu Lin couldn’t simply stop practicing altogether.

Moreover, contamination by taboos is a concern for high-level True Intent Diagram artists. At the low to intermediate levels, as long as one is careful, the threat is not significant—instead, the benefits are plentiful.

The greatest advantage is that True Intent Diagram artists can earn Spirit Stones!

This time, it is no longer just some aristocratic families spending Spirit Stones out of interest and elegance.

For many Cultivators, True Intent Diagrams are essential, as they can reduce the time required for cultivation insights.

Therefore, as long as Mu Lin can produce True Intent Diagrams, selling them will be no trouble at all.

…

(End of Chapter)