Chapter 82
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
Chapter 82: Heart Lamp of Will Reaches Level 3 Mastery, Dominant Power
The blazing flames melted the lifeless gray within Mu Lin’s soul.
Though the light lasted mere seconds before shrinking rapidly, it left lingering warmth in his Mind Image world.
This light undeniably came from the Heart Lamp of Will—or the proud heart lamp.
As Mu Lin steadied his breathing, his cultivation method progressed from Level 2 Proficient to Level 3 Mastery.
Instead of joy, cold dread gripped him.
"Why?"
"Has forbidden power corrupted me?"
His fear made sense. In a world plagued by evil spirits and forbidden forces, sudden unexplained power surges never boded well—especially for a True Meaning Artist. The Night Fire Lantern incident proved this: that True Meaning Artist gained immense strength after visualizing the Ancient Fire Hell… but went mad.
Relief came as Mu Lin found himself still sane.
"My mind’s clear… though madmen always think they’re clear."
Closing his eyes, he searched inwardly for madness. He discovered no desire for revenge or destruction—only contentment.
"Then I’m unharmed. But why did the proud heart lamp advance? I’ve barely practiced soul cultivation lately."
Perplexed, he soon received answers.
When the advancement finished, the proud heart lamp fused with his soul, delivering Information. Understanding dawned—along with conflicted emotions.
"So… arrogance caused this?"
The lamp hadn’t advanced randomly. It had fed on Mu Lin’s own arrogant emotions, grown heavy enough to trigger breakthrough.
"But when was I ever—"
He froze mid-protest. Memories surfaced: learning of the Taoist Palace’s upcoming assessment, he’d ignored all competitors. With Moonlight Dew, he’d believed steadfast cultivation alone guaranteed victory. He hadn’t bothered recruiting teammates, never once questioned fighting five opponents with just two.
This utter disregard—this unshakable "I’m unstoppable" mindset—was textbook arrogance. Some might call it confidence, but confidence and arrogance share thin borders.
"Maybe rename it the confidence heart lamp? Or belief heart lamp… No. Overconfidence breeds arrogance. Keeping ‘pride’ in the name reminds me to stay wary."
Mu Lin sighed, torn between laughter and chagrin.
What puzzled him was that the advancement of the proud heart lamp also boosted Mu Lin’s soul growth.
At this moment, his spirit cultivation had reached the peak of Spirit Pool realm, just one step away from advancing to Spirit Sea.
"My soul is improving too rapidly."
Mu Lin’s sigh did not linger.
After all, soul advancement wasn’t entirely negative—as long as he avoided resonance taboos, the benefits outweighed the risks.
Especially after the proud heart lamp’s progression, his soul now held tangible power.
Heart Lamp of Will, Level 3 Mastery, Traits: Domination, Detachment
The upgraded Heart Lamp of Will had gained a new trait—Detachment.
This trait originated from Mu Lin’s current convictions.
After obtaining the proficiency panel, his mindset had shifted. He became convinced systematic cultivation would make him surpass all others.
This made him disregard many matters, treating them with indifference.
His aloof perspective manifested as the Detachment trait.
Practically, this meant Mu Lin could now resist external influences through detached mentality.
Whether facing a powerful being’s Oppressive Aura or Strange Powers’ corruption, he could ignite the proud heart lamp to make his soul "detach from worldly constraints," isolating these effects.
"Blocking Strange Powers’ influence—exactly what I needed… Makes sense. Since the proud heart lamp feeds on my thoughts, its traits naturally match my needs."
This ideal alignment resulted from both the Heart Lamp of Will’s extraordinary nature and the high-quality beliefs he’d poured into it.
"Willpower… wishes… prayers… The top-tier Earth-level cultivation method’s traits really do resemble wish-fulfillment."
Here, Mu Lin felt newfound respect for Teacher Dongfang Ya.
"Though Teacher Dongfang Ya’s stature is small, her capabilities tower above others. She showed exceptional generosity when I’d just started my mission without achievements—she helped me exchange merits for this precious cultivation method. I owe her greatly, and hope to repay this debt someday."
While aware of his growing debt, Mu Lin focused instead on the proud heart lamp’s enhancements.
Detachment elevated his spiritual rank while shielding him from influences.
The Domination trait also strengthened with the lamp’s advancement.
Originally limited to his Mind Image world, Domination’s power could now manifest externally through emitted flames.
These cold flames couldn’t burn foes, but their effect made Mu Lin smirk oddly.
Domination still meant domination.
Though tautological, the ability proved formidable.
The flames could command ownerless objects—everything they touched obeyed Mu Lin’s will, though moving controlled items consumed soul power.
This explained why his soul gained tangible strength after the lamp’s upgrade.
More crucially, the flames could seize control of enemies’ weapons and even techniques.
Imagine an enemy’s flying sword being snatched mid-strike—equivalent to public humiliation through stolen control.
Merely envisioning such scenarios made Mu Lin’s pulse quicken.
