Chapter 323

Chapter 323: The Overbearing True Spirit Domain Chart

“How could it be so fast!”

Dongfang Ya, Si Ye, and Meng Rui had all anticipated Mu Lin’s monstrous talent to some extent.

Yet in their minds, even if Mu Lin progressed swiftly, it should’ve taken him half a day.

After all, refining the essence into the soul was far harder and riskier than Refining the Evil into the body.

This wasn’t mere speculation—all three women had undergone the Condensing Essence stage themselves, having personally endured the grueling process of refining essence into the body.

To refine essence into their souls, each had suffered spiritual injuries and struggled through nearly a year of torment.

The mere memory of that pain still made their bodies shiver.

Thus, they believed even a prodigy like Mu Lin should respect the inherent difficulty and peril of refining essence into the soul.

But now, it seemed the essence itself had bent to accommodate Mu Lin, rather than him respecting its challenges.

‘Wait—the real shock isn’t his speed… He Refined the Evil in an incense-burn’s time and the essence in an hour of meditation… His realm grew higher, yet his training speed accelerated instead of slowing!’

At this realization, Dongfang Ya, Si Ye, and Meng Rui exchanged looks of disbelief, their eyes filled with shock.

“At this rate, he might reach the Celestial Master realm in under a century…”

Such advancement speed shattered Meng Rui and the others’ understanding.

Even Si Ye, with his noble upbringing and vast knowledge, had never encountered anything like Mu Lin’s case.

Yet after the initial astonishment, Si Ye felt lingering delight.

Though past conflicts left Mu Lin cold toward him, his daughter Chu Lingluo remained unscathed by their feud.

Her position in Mu Lin’s life stayed secure.

‘No—complacency is dangerous. Mu Lin’s talent now draws attention beyond powerful clans—even regional princes offer county princesses in marriage. Lingluo’s standing must be reinforced… My personal influence won’t suffice. The family must invest more in him.’

Si Ye’s scheming mind raced through possibilities during Mu Lin’s brief advancement.

Distracted by these calculations, he missed Mu Lin’s furrowed brows.

Dongfang Ya, however, noticed immediately. Her joy for Mu Lin’s progress held no ulterior motives.

“Mu Lin, what troubles you? Why no smile after advancing?”

Her question deepened Mu Lin’s grimace.

“Teacher Dongfang… I didn’t advance.”

“What?”

Dongfang Ya froze momentarily before offering comfort: “Failed to refine the essence inside the body in one attempt? Don’t despair. Soul-related refinement is tougher than bodily Evil refinement—failure’s normal. I needed nine months to barely succeed. With your gifts, you’ll—”

Learning Mu Lin hadn’t refined the essence within the hour of meditation, Dongfang Ya felt unexpected relief.

This version of Mu Lin finally seemed human rather than some incomprehensible monster.

…

Overhearing this exchange, Master Meng Rui and Si Ye similarly exhaled subtle sighs of relief upon confirming Mu Lin’s setback.

Mu Lin had put too much pressure on others before.

It made people feel their own cultivation seemed like a joke compared to his.

Unlike Dongfang Ya, who solely worried about Mu Lin’s safety, both Si Ye and Meng Rui felt relieved yet slightly disappointed.

They quickly suppressed their disappointment and approached to comfort him—even without instant success in refining the essence into the soul, his talent still surpassed ordinary cultivators and most geniuses.

A Mu Lin like this was someone no one wanted to cross.

Though Si Ye was technically Mu Lin’s father-in-law, he still avoided displeasing him.

“Dongfang Ya’s right. Speed doesn’t matter… This might even be better…”

“A cultivator’s path isn’t just about rushing forward. Going too fast leads to shaky foundations and hidden dangers. We should prioritize steady growth—each step firmly planted. Slower progress gives you time to plan your next moves.”

The three women took turns comforting him, which Mu Lin found both touching and awkward.

As they kept talking, Mu Lin raised his hand to halt them.

“Enough, enough! I’m fine. Besides, I’ve already refined all the essence Prince Liang gave me into my soul.”

“Huh???”

All three women froze.

After a long pause, Dongfang Ya blurted out: “You refined a whole batch of essence into your soul in one hour of meditation? Are you even human?”

Hands on hips, she glared at him, torn between frustration at his speed and bitterness over her own past struggles.

Meng Rui and Si Ye wondered why he hadn’t advanced after absorbing the essence.

“Full refinement without advancement… Did Prince Liang give inferior essence or hold back part to blackmail you? He can’t be that stupid or petty, right?”

Giving partial resources to control others was typical powerful clan behavior.

No—this was how ordinary cultivators were kept in check.

Powerful clans often doled out essence, cultivation methods, and resources sparingly or in flawed versions to maintain leverage.

But this treatment only applied to average talents.

Geniuses and unparalleled geniuses received entirely different approaches.

Powerful clans might be ruthless, but they weren’t fools—they dealt fairly with true talents.

For peerless prodigies like Mu Lin, clans would freely offer gifts without demands, aiming to build goodwill.

This wasn’t kindness but long-term investment.

They hoped when Mu Lin became a Celestial Master-level powerful being, he’d repay them greatly.

Moreover, threats wouldn’t work.

Even celestial-level high-level resources weren’t rare for mage-realm cultivators—many could provide them.

Thus, Prince Liang’s residence couldn’t possibly threaten Mu Lin.

Such schemes would only earn his anger without benefits.

Si Ye couldn’t fathom why Prince Liang would act so foolishly.

However, just as she frowned in contemplation, Mu Lin’s next words left her bewildered.

“It wasn’t Prince Liang’s fault either. The essence he provided was enough.”

“Then why didn’t you advance?”

Si Ye pressed, while Mu Lin sighed helplessly.

He recalled the moment of refining the essence into his soul—when absorbing the Aurora Heavenly Essence, he’d assumed he would need Substitute Paper Figures like during Refining the Evil, using them to redirect harm.

He’d planned to sacrifice over a hundred paper figures to pave his path of Condensing Essence.

Not that this was cruel—since Substitute Paper Figures were mere shells made from his blood and spiritual Mark, he’d only lose materials.

At the time, he’d even joked about it.

This showed Mu Lin never doubted his ability to refine the essence.

In truth, refining the essence into his soul proved easier than expected. He didn’t use a single Substitute Paper Figure.

As the essence entered his soul, the True Spirit Domain Chart he’d condensed surged forth.

“Whoosh!”

Like a ravenous devourer, the Chart swallowed the Aurora Heavenly Essence whole.

The sight startled Mu Lin at first, but he soon realized: since he’d fused everything into the True Spirit Domain Chart, it was his very soul. Refining essence into it made perfect sense.

Accepting this, relief washed over him.

The Chart’s immense power and high rank made refining Aurora Heavenly Essence effortless.

Moreover, the Chart hungered for resources and excelled at dominion, eagerly subjugating foreign gods’ power.

If it could withstand deities’ forbidden power, mere Heavenly Essence posed no challenge.

True enough.

The essence caused no disturbance within the Chart. Under the King of Hell’s pressure and willing heart fire’s blaze, it was fully Refined in moments, becoming part of the Chart’s foundation.

Absorbing Aurora Heavenly Essence altered the Chart.

Firstly, Mu Lin could now create new divine roles within it—like Purifier Envoy or Calamity Guardian.

Secondly, the City God and King of Hell gained power to cleanse grievances.

This purification trait from Aurora Heavenly Essence manifested as follows: souls tainted by turbid energy or twisted into evil ghosts by lingering resentment could now be purified.

The King of Hell and City God’s cleansing could remove such corruption, restoring sanity.

Though unexpected in the grim Underworld, this made sense—the Yin Court’s righteous deities terrify evil spirits but protect ordinary souls.

Cleansing grievances became virtuous merit. Aurora Heavenly Essence’s integration smoothed Mu Lin’s path through the Underworld’s ways.

Yet one problem remained unforeseen.

The True Spirit Domain Chart’s capacity resembled an ocean. One Heavenly Essence portion couldn’t fill its void.

As the Chart embodied Mu Lin’s soul, this meant his spirit remained unfilled too.

“Ten more Heavenly Essences. At least ten to barely satisfy the Chart for advancement.”

“Thirty-three for perfection.”

While others needed one essence, Mu Lin required thirty-three—a staggering demand he’d never anticipated.

“A strong foundation isn’t always convenient.”