Chapter 359

Chapter 359: The Greatest Genius of the Human Race?

Watching Luo Chen being beaten repeatedly, the southern aristocrats regained their calm mindset. They even started joking around.

"Losing to Mu Lin isn’t shameful," became the common jest among southern aristocrats – and their genuine belief.

As for the northern aristocrats… Though unwilling to accept the outcome, they secretly shared this sentiment.

Nobody blamed Luo Chen. He’d tried his hardest and possessed impressive cultivation. But Mu Lin was simply more monstrous, less human.

Who else could summon multiple Transformation-level combat powers before fully completing his Transformation advancement? This defied all logic.

The northern scholars wallowed in bitterness, abandoning hopes of victory. Yet Luo Chen, living up to heaven’s favor, kept struggling even in despair.

"Calamity comes!"

Seeing his manifestation shrink, he immediately summoned calamity to replenish his form.

Given time, he truly could’ve succeeded.

The Transformation Realm indeed surpassed the combining Essence and Evil realm completely. Beyond stronger spell power and fewer weaknesses, Transformation manifestations could rapidly absorb forces of nature for recovery.

This also reflected the exceptional strength of Luo Chen’s calamity manifestation.

Yet despite Luo Chen’s desperate efforts to restore himself through calamity absorption, Mu Lin granted him no respite.

Within the grand hall, Mu Lin gazed toward Luo Chen, his face hidden beneath the seven-tasseled crown. A single command echoed:

"Fix!"

The quiet word unleashed mysterious ripples across the entire City God Realm.

Every creature felt the world freeze.

Luo Chen experienced this too. With a complete manifestation, he might’ve resisted the fixing technique briefly.

But his shrunken form meant diminished power. His weakened state couldn’t withstand Mu Lin’s Root Word.

Predictably, Luo Chen hung frozen midair.

Though immobilized briefly, moments decide battles between masters. For Mu Lin, this instant sufficed.

Clattering chains materialized behind Luo Chen, piercing his manifestation’s heart and ensnaring his soul.

Silent divinity activated. Sealing commenced.

Soon, the Infinite Chains completely bound Luo Chen’s soul.

With his soul captured and powers silenced, defeat became inevitable.

This loss concluded the grand, prolonged challenge tournament – ending with Mu Lin’s complete victory.

"…"

Ten battles, ten victories. The fighting arena fell silent for a moment.

Then endless cheers and roars erupted from the crowd.

"Mu Lin, forever victorious!"

"We knew Mu Lin wouldn’t fail!"

"Haha! What’s your northern forbidden power worth? The south has Mu Lin!"

"Where’s your arrogance now, northerners?"

"Challenging Lord Mu Lin was your worst mistake…"

Being southern territory with more southern aristocrats, the arena overflowed with triumphant cheers for Mu Lin’s victory.

Southern cultivators now regarded Mu Lin with deep reverence, admiration, and hope.

Yet Mu Lin paid little attention to the adoration. He hadn’t meant to join this match, let alone mock northern aristocrats.

"Why provoke me?"

With a sigh, Mu Lin departed immediately after winning to resume his cultivation.

Though he left, the ripples of his victory spread outward.

The first affected were… Si Ye and the Yan family.

While Mu Lin’s dazzling performance shattered expectations repeatedly, people could accept his miracles given his supreme talent and history of slaying evil gods’ avatars.

"But how could a combining Essence and Evil realm cultivator summon multiple Transformation manifestations?"

"Don’t ask me! If I knew, I wouldn’t be sitting here!"

"That evil energy defense against Transformation attacks – how much has he Refined?"

"Tell us how to join Mu Lin’s faction! Are men really excluded?"

After the match, southern aristocrats alternated between celebrating and taunting northerners while dissecting Mu Lin’s every move.

For days, all Yuzhou City and southern territories buzzed about Mu Lin’s exploits.

Though Mu Lin dominated conversations, discussions about Yan Yunyu and Blood Cherry remained lively.

Blood Cherry’s growth made sense – she’d been a prodigy wielding magical blades before joining Mu Lin. But Yan Yunyu shocked everyone.

This former subordinate had suddenly become extraordinary.

Amid debates about Yan Yunyu’s rise, some began mentioning Chu Lingluo’s circumstances too.

“I remember, Chu Lingluo and Yan Yunyu both joined Mu Lin around the same time. Why didn’t she show up this time?”

“Maybe she got dumped?”

“Could be. Lately, Yan Yunyu’s been running around doing all sorts of work for Mu Lin, while Chu Lingluo barely did anything…”

The truth was, Mu Lin hadn’t cast Chu Lingluo aside. Back when he was weak, she’d helped him greatly. As his first woman, he’d given her the title of Manjusaka Sovereign, putting her in charge of the Other Shore Flower Sea.

This granted immense power—when her Life and Death Illusion reached full strength, her combat power might even match Yan Yunyu’s Infinite Chains. Her absence from the battle wasn’t due to weakness; she simply disliked fighting, and Mu Lin didn’t force her.

Even Yan Yunyu’s participation wasn’t strictly necessary. Among Mu Lin’s followers, only Blood Cherry—now fully matured—could truly stand alone in battle.

Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo held different roles—they were harem consorts. Mu Lin treated them accordingly. He saw Yan Yunyu’s fighting as playful mischief, while allowing the shy Chu Lingluo to avoid conflict entirely.

Though Mu Lin understood this arrangement, others didn’t. Even Si Ye grew worried when Chu Lingluo stayed out of the battle. Yet instead of storming the Chu family for answers like before, he idled lazily in Yuzhou City.

Just as he’d anticipated, his calmness made the Chu family panic. They couldn’t afford indifference.

Mu Lin’s talents had always been remarkable. After defeating northern prodigies, he’d cemented his status as the south’s top youth. Some even argued he could claim the title of the Great Spirit Dynasty’s—or even humanity’s—greatest genius.

Such a prodigy was destined to become a sage, possibly an extraordinary one. True peerless talents rarely emerged across generations. In this power-driven world, a sage-level being brought countless advantages: territory, authority, cultivation methods, resources. Followers of such figures rose to greatness alongside them.

Unsurprisingly, nobles and elites flocked to Mu Lin lately. Many offered vast riches just for a chance to serve him—and failed.

The Yan family remained unworried, having secured their place early. But the Chu family grew restless as Chu Lingluo faded from prominence. Soon, their clan elders confronted Si Ye.

“Si Ye, what’s happening between Lingluo and Mu Lin? Have they quarreled?”

“There were no major conflicts. She just felt a bit neglected.”

“???”

“Being neglected isn’t a major issue?”

“Of course not. Yan Yunyu came with the Yan family’s full support and spiritual weapons. Blood Cherry had the entire Ge family backing her too. With both bringing so many resources, it’s only natural Mu Lin would focus on them and overlook Lingluo.”

Si Ye sighed wearily and added:

“More powerful clans will flock to Mu Lin in the future, along with more female companions. That girl Lingluo will likely be pushed aside gradually.”

“But at least Mu Lin isn’t cruel. He won’t force Lingluo into battles. Let her be overlooked – I only care about her safety.”

Though Si Ye adopted a resigned mindset about Chu Lingluo’s situation, the Chu family strongly disagreed.

If no opportunity existed, they might have accepted this.

But now a future Heavenly Master stood within reach – one who’d previously been friendly with them. They refused to miss this prime investment chance, especially during these calamity-ridden times when even royal houses faced uncertainty. The Chu family naturally feared for their survival.

Determined to prevent their thousand-year-old clan’s collapse, they urgently needed strong alliances. Before Si Ye could finish speaking, a Chu clan elder interjected:

“Yan Yunyu has the Yan family! Blood Cherry has the Ge family! Lingluo has our Chu family too – we’d never let our daughter be slighted!”

This declaration secretly pleased Si Ye – his scheme was working. Though inwardly triumphant, he maintained a concerned expression.

“Is this wise? Building ties with Mu Lin now requires massive investments, and Lingluo hasn’t accomplished much…”

“She’s already contributed greatly! Without her, our Chu offspring wouldn’t have accessed the True Meaning Diagram of doppelgänger cultivation.”

“Her future role will grow larger – no, she’s useful right now…”

The elder trailed off hesitantly, but Si Ye already grasped his meaning.

The Chu elders coveted positions in the True Spirit Domain Chart. While unaware of its exact mechanisms, they knew contracting with Mu Lin caused dramatic power surges and potential boosts.

This held little appeal for the elders themselves – established powerful beings wouldn’t submit to a junior. But most had less-talented offspring needing alternate paths. Mu Lin’s divine positions offered exactly that.

Whether for clan interests or their children’s futures, befriending Mu Lin became essential. A Yan family elder stated firmly:

“Si Ye, reassure Lingluo. Tell her the Chu family will always support her.”

“Don’t fret about family objections. I’ll convince the others and the clan leader.”

“Then I thank the Seventh Elder.”