Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Boundary Breakthrough, Mage

"The so-called Grave Lord inheritance turned out to be a god’s tomb?!"

Mu Lin stared in shock as Ji Hongyu nodded dazedly.

"No one anticipated this. We only learned the truth after detecting unusual movements from the evil gods… Many descendants of evil gods have arrived, including trueborn offspring. To counter them and seize divine relics, Taoist prodigies and scions from powerful clans came."

"Demon sect members also increased."

"With the current priority being resistance against foreign gods invasion, Taoists and demons temporarily allied to expel all outsiders."

"Thus Taoists and demons aren’t foes anymore. Outsiders – whether monsters, evil spirits, or evil god worshippers – became the common enemy."

Mu Lin agreed with this temporary alliance against external threats. Yet he felt restless – not because of cooperating with demons, but due to the divine relic’s proximity and his own perceived weakness.

"What a waste. This godly relic’s immense opportunity lies within reach, yet I can’t compete."

Having recently endured a strike from High Mastery of Transformation cultivator, Mu Lin should’ve basked in glory. His self-deprecation seemed odd, yet genuine.

The reason became clear:

At Yuhu Academy’s Time Tower in Yuzhou, Mu Lin’s true body opened his eyes.

A worried voice immediately sounded:

"Mu brother, I brought foundation-enhancing resources – Earth Essence Yuan Liquid, Six Yang Yuan Ginseng Soup, Heavenly Yang Enhancing Pills…"

Yan Yunyu laid out priceless items. The Six Yang Soup alone required six-century-old angelica, ganoderma, ginseng, black chicken, turtle, and antlers simmered for six months.

This spiritual meal’s overwhelming vitality could make ordinary people bleed from seven orifices just from smelling it.

The Earth Essence Yuan Liquid proved even rarer – one drop condensed from a hundred Earth Essences, worth 100,000 Spirit Stones and nearly unobtainable. Without profits from his True Meaning Diagram of doppelgänger cultivation, Mu Lin couldn’t afford this despite his talents and connections.

These preparations served one purpose – breaking through from Spirit Sea Realm to Refining the Evil Realm.

Mu Lin’s main body hadn’t even reached Refining the Evil Realm yet. His alarming cultivation speed worried Yan Yunyu, Chu Lingluo, Dongfang Ya, Master Meng Rui, and Si Ye.

"Mu Lin, reconsider!" Dongfang Ya spoke first. "Your progress is dangerously fast."

Yan Yunyu wrung her hands. "Please wait longer, Mu brother."

Even Chu Lingluo’s mother and Si Ye joined the chorus of concern.

"Cough, Mu Lin, even though we don’t know why, you don’t need to rush like this. Your current training speed is already the fastest among your peers. Even Blood Cherry only just reached this realm."

"After being persuaded by the Ge family, Blood Cherry plans to stabilize her cultivation for a month. You could do the same."

Everyone urged Mu Lin to slow down and be more cautious. The reason was simple – his terrifying rate of improvement had shocked them all.

It should be remembered that Mu Lin had only been cultivating for about half a year. While early-stage progress tends to be quick, his speed defied all logic.

Where did his companions stand?

Those who entered Anping Taoist Palace with Mu Lin as fellow Level 3 Spiritual Root holders had barely completed their hundred days of awakening. Most lingered between mid or late stages of awakening.

Zong Xiu, the chubby youth who became Mu Lin’s first friend, had reached full Qi Practitioner status. As a Level 2 Spiritual Root holder, he was attempting to break through from awakening to Spring Fountain.

Ji Xue, Anping Taoist Palace’s top prodigy with Level 1 Spiritual Roots, stood around mid-late Spring Fountain stage.

Yan Zhanpeng from Yuhu Academy, who constantly sought to challenge Mu Lin, had reached Qi Practitioner stage.

Blood Cherry and Tian Yun – one being a magical blade relic’s chosen wielder (spiritual weapon) who could upgrade through slaughter, the other possessing time manipulation allowing her future self to manifest – despite these extraordinary abilities, both only reached mid-late Spirit Sea stage.

Due to their rapid advancement, they needed extended periods of enhancing foundations before attempting Refining the Evil.

Against this backdrop, Mu Lin’s progress became incomprehensible.

During the hundred days of awakening, his speed had been remarkable yet plausible. Upon entering the Formal Class, boosted by Chu Lingluo’s early support and Yan Yunyu’s later provisions, his cultivation speed remained justifiable.

But after joining Yuhu Academy, his advancement spiraled beyond control. Within mere months, he surged from Spring Fountain to Qi Practitioner, then into Spirit Sea. Now he aimed to break through Spirit Sea into Refining the Evil – a pace transcending mortal limits.

Si Ye’s attitude reflected how shocking this was. Having seen countless prodigies, he’d initially scorned Mu Lin at Anping Taoist Palace as unworthy of his daughter. When Mu Lin left Yuhu Academy, he’d only been impressed by the youth’s combat abilities, still considering his cultivation ordinary.

Now witnessing Mu Lin’s training speed, unease gripped him.

"Too fast…"

Though all advised restraint, Mu Lin… declined.

First, the divine relic’s awakening left him no time to wait. Second, the Spirit Sea to Refining the Evil breakthrough that stymied others meant nothing to him.

Not only had his supreme cultivation methods erased this bottleneck, but his City God avatar had already surpassed Refining the Evil and even Condensing Essence. These realms held no secrets for one who’d experienced beyond them.

Contemplating this, Mu Lin quietly replied:

"Don’t worry, I’ve got this figured out. I won’t gamble with my future."

As he spoke, Mu Lin made preparations for his breakthrough.

A crimson figure carrying a long sword and a bright red wine gourd at its waist emerged from Mu Lin’s body—the manifestation Zhong Kui.

Uncorking the gourd, he stored most of the resources gathered by Yan Yunyu, Si Ye, and Meng Rui inside it.

Mu Lin’s true form couldn’t process such vast resources quickly.

Thus, he needed Zhong Kui’s bright red wine gourd to absorb and Refine them, allowing Mu Lin to directly draw from Zhong Kui’s magic during his breakthrough.

The portion left unused was reserved for enhancing his foundations.

The Refining process took hours. Once ready, Mu Lin closed his eyes, activated his Trait of Transcendence, and triggered the overload of his Dragon Body alongside Sky-High Technique Spells: Power of the Purple Emperor and City God…

These abilities temporarily boosted his physical strength, magic, and spirit cultivation to staggering heights—though the surge would leave him weakened afterward.

"Hum!"

The Root Word ‘Fix’ materialized on Mu Lin’s forehead, attempting to lock his enhanced state as permanent.

This was akin to stacking floors without a foundation—a folly by conventional wisdom.

Luckily, Mu Lin had stockpiled resources for enhancing foundations.

*Gulp…*

He swallowed the remaining resources instantly.

These materials began grounding his unstable "floating tower," but it wasn’t enough. "The energy’s insufficient—can’t even build the framework!"

His gaze shifted to Zhong Kui.

*Whoosh…*

The manifestation’s gourd opened, releasing a stream of cool, liquefied magic into Mu Lin’s body.

This energy had been Refined over days within the Time Tower, accumulating vast reserves.

As Zhong Kui was Mu Lin’s manifestation, their magic shared the same origin, allowing seamless absorption.

Gradually, Mu Lin’s fluctuating aura stabilized, his "tower" gaining a solid base.

"It actually worked."

Dongfang Ya and Si Ye had seen this multiple times, yet it still astounded them.

"This cultivation method… makes my past Hard Practice seem pointless!"

Si Ye couldn’t argue. Watching Mu Lin leap hundreds of steps ahead while they inched forward through daily meditation shook their heart of the Dao.

"Can’t compare to a monster like him… Cultivation’s personal. No comparisons…"

After repeating this mantra, Si Ye steadied his mindset—until he glanced at his daughter.

Chu Lingluo, having reached Spirit Sea through Dual Cultivation and Manjusaka, faced no bottlenecks until combining Essence and Evil. Worse, Mu Lin’s rapid growth with the Other Shore Flower meant her potential soared beyond his.

"Will she surpass me so soon?"

The thought drained him. Years of toil paled against her innocent ascent, leaving Si Ye hollow.

"What was the point of my struggles?"

Meanwhile, Mu Lin sensed completion—his advancement to Refining the Evil succeeded. Changes rippled through him.