Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Advancement to Condensing Essence in a Breath

Mu Lin’s remarkable performance forced others to reassess their views of him.

While many now acknowledged his eligibility to join the competition, few believed he could ultimately prevail.

Mu Lin neither heard nor cared about these discussions.

External opinions never swayed his focus.

He continued systematically advancing his Refining the Evil progress.

With Substitute Paper Figures assisting him, Mu Lin’s growth defied all expectations.

39%, 47%, 66%, 89%… 99%, 100%!

Exactly as anticipated, within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Mu Lin achieved complete mastery in Refining the Evil.

"Boom!"

At that pivotal moment, Mu Lin felt only one thing – his missing component had been restored.

"This fulfillment… is this true completion?" He murmured contentedly, squinting as bodily and magical wholeness washed over him.

The benefits extended beyond mere satisfaction.

Mu Lin’s flesh and magic essence now bore the Central Earth Evil’s Unchanging trait.

Evil spirits and corrupting forces would struggle to penetrate his enhanced form.

This Unchanging quality also permeated his spells through magic essence, drastically reducing energy dissipation.

His paper figures demonstrated this perfectly.

Previously lasting mere three minutes in the Grave Lord’s tomb’s malignant atmosphere, they now endured ten minutes after absorbing Central Earth Evil’s power.

The Substitute Paper Figures gained unprecedented defensive resilience – opponents would need five to six times their former strength to breach them.

"Wait, more than just defense," Mu Lin realized, "The earth itself empowers us through Central Earth Evil’s connection."

Calculations revealed his magic essence’s potency had quintupled since beginning Refining the Evil.

"And this is merely the foundation," he marveled. "Condensing Essence and subsequent stages promise exponential growth. No wonder Dongfang Ya and Master Meng Rui doubted my readiness initially."

Surveying the tomb’s challengers, Mu Lin noted most were Condensing Essence practitioners with few achieving Essence-Evil synthesis. "Now we stand equal. Even against combined Essence-Evil users, my spell mastery can compensate for their superior energy quality."

As tension eased from his shoulders, Mu Lin drew several deep breaths. Without conscious effort, his cultivation smoothly transitioned into the Condensing Essence stage – an expected progression requiring no celebration.

After all, the Condensing Essence stage focused not on physical strength or magic power, but on the soul.

This was where Mu Lin truly excelled. Moreover:

"Reaching Condensing Essence merely broke through my upper limits. To fully utilize this stage’s power, I must refine the essence into my soul. While Earth Fiends are plentiful underground, Heavenly Essence floats higher and must be sought from the celestial dome."

"I currently can’t refine essence properly, so I’m still one major realm behind true essence-refining cultivators."

Having just entered the Condensing Essence stage, Mu Lin remained similar to when he’d been refining evil. Under these circumstances, he naturally didn’t concern himself.

Yet while he remained indifferent, others were stunned by his advancement speed.

"He… actually reached Condensing Essence…"

"Breaking through in mere breaths – is he even human?"

Some trembled at his progress, while others considered more frightening implications.

"Think – after advancing, might his essence-refining speed match his evil-refining pace?"

"…"

The question left crowds speechless.

After prolonged silence came a hesitant reply:

"P-probably not. Merging Heavenly Essence with the soul is trickier than absorbing Earth Fiends. Soul injuries resist healing… He wouldn’t risk haste."

The uncertain tone betrayed the speaker’s own doubts.

Mu Lin’s track record justified their fears.

Refining evil in an incense-burning time. Advancing realms between breaths. Such monstrous feats made further impossibilities seem plausible.

"Even slowed down, his talent might complete essence refinement in three to five months. Only essence scarcity could delay him – without major power support, self-searching brings danger and decades of delay…"

This reasonable concern met immediate dismissal.

"Mu Lin’s no loner. Though lowborn, the Yan and Chu families plus the Demon Exorcism Division all aid him now."

Many nodded agreement.

Powerful clan elders reasoned: If Mu Lin joined their house or wed their legitimate daughters, they’d gladly collect Heavenly Essence. This proved Mu Lin’s own saying – show enough talent, and the world brims with kindness.

Thus consensus formed – nothing blocked Mu Lin’s Condensing Essence path.

In reality, gift-givers outnumbered clan predictions.

Prince Liang immediately whispered orders to Fu Bo upon the news: "Fetch Heavenly Essence from our vaults. I’ll make it Ling Sha’s dowry – let’s see him refuse that!"

Meanwhile, East Sea King acted bolder. He commanded subordinates to prepare essence combinations forming Xuan Huang’s energy. The ambitious ruler wouldn’t even wait for Mu Lin’s return to deliver it.

“While gathering the Heavenly Essence, find another genius to carry it into the Grave Lord’s tomb and deliver it to Mu Lin!”

“Understood!”

After secretly issuing these orders, East Sea King glanced at Prince Liang with a faint smile.

“Mu Lin will inevitably fall into my snare!”

Both East Sea King and Prince Liang felt pleased.

Prince Liang was certain Mu Lin couldn’t refuse his offer.

The offer was simply too generous.

Alongside the Heavenly Essence, Ji Ling Sha would bring an enormous dowry.

As Prince Liang’s only legitimate daughter, marrying her would grant Mu Lin the full backing of Yuzhou’s royal house.

This included cultivation support through Dragon veins, vast resources, territories, and authority.

Ji Ling Sha’s own beauty further convinced Prince Liang that Mu Lin had no reason to decline.

Her occasional willfulness? She was a princess – a little temper came with the title.

Yet Prince Liang’s generosity came with steep demands.

Marrying East Sea King’s daughter would be a traditional union, but wedding Prince Liang’s daughter meant Mu Lin must join their household.

“The Mu family has but one heir… Perhaps Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu’s children could carry the Mu name.”

“Moreover, Fu Bo and I will oversee everything when Mu Lin enters our family. Ling Sha won’t suffer any mistreatment, and we’ll witness her children’s growth firsthand.”

“Would their offspring inherit Mu Lin’s prodigious talent?”

The more Prince Liang considered it, the more perfect the match seemed. He’d even devised a way to ensure Mu Lin’s compliance.

His satisfaction showed when he addressed East Sea King:

“Condensing Essence won’t hinder Mu Lin. Fourth Brother, what about combining Essence and Evil?”

East Sea King, equally content, responded:

“That should delay him. Refining the Evil and Condensing Essence merely require resource accumulation. But combining Essence and Evil demands Yin-Yang Harmony – balancing Evil energy, Essence, body, magic, and soul into perfect equilibrium.”

“This requires extraordinary cultivation. Earth-level methods need Grandmaster Level attainment, while Heavenly Techniques require Master Level mastery for successful advancement.”

“Even Mu Lin would need a year or two to reach master-level with a Heavenly Technique.”

Had Mu Lin heard this, he’d recognize how cultivation tiers affect progression. Powerful methods ease advancement despite their complexity.

East Sea King added: “Xuan and Yellow level techniques rarely achieve combining Essence and Evil, even at Grandmaster Level. Their users either transcend their methods through genius, adopt superior techniques, or remain permanently stuck.”

“Most cultivation methods have limits. Combining Essence and Evil and High Mastery of Transformation bar ninety-nine percent of cultivators. Harsh realities prevent many from even reaching those bottlenecks.”

…

Confident about securing Mu Lin’s allegiance, both princes remained cheerful.

Meanwhile, deep within the Grave Lord’s tomb, Mu Lin raced forward without a backward glance.

“Absorbing that Evil energy cost me time. Must make up for it now.”

Mu Lin quickened his pace.