Chapter 831 - 99:
From then on, he understood one thing: people always say the common folk at the bottom are simple and honest.
Simple and honest they may be, but when they start bragging, it’s so over the top it’s ridiculous.
What these villagers said, anyone with the slightest bit of experience outside wouldn’t believe, yet Yin Yue just happened to hear it.
By now Lin Chen had also formed a judgment of Yin Yue: the little girl was very smart, with a maturity that didn’t match her age, but precisely because of her noble status, she was probably completely unfamiliar with ordinary commoners, and had no understanding at all of the way people at the bottom did things.
Knowing Yin Yue had misunderstood, Lin Chen didn’t bother to explain; he himself also had a guess in his heart as to why he was an Abnormal Soul.
Most likely it had something to do with his soul crossing over.
"As for how the Divine Soul transforms into a Martial Soul, our clan’s forebears didn’t leave any extremely precise conditions; they only mentioned that only those whose Divine Soul is abnormal have the chance. Since you’ve already condensed a Martial Soul Map, you don’t need to worry too much about that."
Yin Yue brought the topic back and continued, "Having finished with the Martial Soul and the Martial Soul Map: the Martial Soul Map is what the Martial Soul transforms into. The Martial Soul itself has no offensive power, but the Martial Soul Map does. Once the Martial Soul Map is fully cultivated, when you unleash it, anomalies will appear... These anomalies are the shape of the Martial Soul Map, and each kind of anomaly has its own special effect. If you want your Martial Soul Map to keep growing, you first need to tell me what your Martial Soul Map looks like."
There was a weighing look in Lin Chen’s eyes; as for what his Martial Soul Map looked like, up to now he hadn’t told a single person—his master didn’t even know.
His hesitation was because he was worried that once the shape of his Martial Soul Map was exposed, would it expose his weaknesses?
However, in the end Lin Chen still chose to trust Yin Yue.
From the time he’d been dealing with Yin Yue, she was extremely bad at lying; even in her dealings with him, she laid everything out frankly on the table.
"My Martial Soul Map is an ocean. This ocean is formed from Canglan energy, and beneath the ocean there are many Innate-level Martial Path Wills... This Martial Soul Map is called ’The bright moon rises over the sea.’"
"’The bright moon rises over the sea’?"
Yin Yue shook her head. "I’ve never heard of this Martial Soul Map, but that’s normal... Every Martial Soul condenses a different Martial Soul Map. Based on what you’ve said so far, we can at least confirm one thing: if you want this Martial Soul Map to advance and become complete, you’ll probably need to absorb more Martial Path Wills, or raise the grade of those Martial Path Wills. You’re absorbing flawless-level ones; you’ll need to upgrade all these Martial Path Wills to perfect-level."
Hearing this, Lin Chen gave a bitter laugh. Easier said than done.
He was able to absorb so many Martial Path Wills because the Canglan Secret Realm had opened; and there was still a long time before the next opening of the Canglan Secret Realm. As for raising the grade of Martial Path Wills, that was even harder.
From flawless to perfect... Many Innate Martial Artists comprehend a flawless-level Martial Path Will at the Innate First Realm, and even if they cultivate up to the Innate Fourth Realm and Fifth Realm, they still might not be able to upgrade that Martial Path Will to perfect-level.
"There’s no other way besides that?"
"I’m not sure. My father gave me a lot of Jade Scrolls, and I still haven’t finished reading them. Maybe once I’ve read them all I’ll be able to find another method for you."
"Alright, then I’ll trouble you."
Lin Chen didn’t suggest helping Yin Yue go through those Jade Scrolls; he didn’t even need to think to know that what was recorded in those Jade Scrolls were all secrets, and might even involve hidden matters of the Moon Soul Remnant Race.
"You just mentioned that anomalies have some special effects; what exactly do you mean?"
"The true power of the Martial Soul Map lies in the anomalies. Your Martial Soul Map is ’The bright moon rises over the sea.’ After you’ve successfully cultivated it, when you deploy the Martial Soul Map, an ocean will appear around you. The stronger the Martial Soul Map, the wider the area covered by the anomaly, and within the anomaly your opponent’s strength will be suppressed..."
"Suppress the opponent’s strength?"
"That’s only the most basic effect of anomalies; all anomalies can achieve that. Different anomalies also have special effects unique to themselves. There’s a Martial Artist recorded in our clan whose Martial Soul Map was a lotus platform. As long as one stood within the lotus platform, Innate Power would be sealed. With that anomaly, that Martial Artist was practically invincible below the Myriad Phenomena Realm, and his Martial Soul Map was also known as the Heaven-Sealing Lotus."
"It can do that as well? What was that Martial Artist’s name?"
"It’s far too ancient; ten full millennia have passed. The clan’s Jade Scrolls don’t record his name, only that because he was too arrogant, he eventually angered a Myriad Phenomena Realm powerhouse, who struck out and strangled him to death."
Yin Yue’s expression turned serious. "The Martial Soul Map is powerful, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore Realm gaps."
"Don’t worry; just because I have a Martial Soul Map doesn’t mean I’ll get so arrogant I don’t put Myriad Phenomena Realm powerhouses in my eyes."
A faint smile appeared on Lin Chen’s face. The people of his nation had a particular trait: they suffered from a fear of insufficient firepower. They approached any battle assuming the worst possible scenario.
...
...
After gaining some understanding of his new Life Chart and Martial Soul Map, Lin Chen returned to his calm days of cultivation.
Once he had more than a hundred Innate Crystals, the number of Innate Stones consumed to condense each new Innate Crystal actually doubled, going from the original hundred to two hundred.
The growth of that number struck even Lin Chen as terrifying.
What comforted him was that although Yin Yue was also greatly shocked, the little rich lady was still very trustworthy; she’d promised to cover all the Innate Stones he needed for a year of cultivation, and she really did hand them over.
...
...
A month later, someone came to Linhu Village.
"Lord Lin..."
"Hall Master Tai, just call me by my name; there’s no need for that."
Hearing Hall Master Tai of the Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall address him that way, Lin Chen interrupted. Back then he’d been registered as a disciple at the Mountain Suppressing Martial Arts Hall, and Hall Master Tai had helped him quite a bit.
"Is there something you need, Hall Master Tai?"
Lin Chen took the initiative to ask. He believed Hall Master Tai wouldn’t come to Linhu Village to look for him without a reason.
"Lin... Lin Chen, an hour ago, a message came from the Li Mansion. The Elder Lord has passed away."
As Tai Rubai spoke, Lin Chen’s body trembled, and a trace of sorrow flashed across his face, but he quickly gathered his mind.
"When did Elder Lord Li go?"
"Just last night. I asked the Li Family messenger and learned that a few days ago the Elder Lord’s spirit had already begun to wither and his legs had grown unsteady, and at the ugly hour just before dawn last night, he passed."
"Why didn’t the Li Family notify me in advance?"
Lin Chen was puzzled. Elder Lord Li’s spirit suddenly withering and his legs failing—his family should have anticipated what was coming.
"I suppose... they didn’t want to disturb you."
Tai Rubai offered a guess. Lin Chen now was different from before—he was the number one man of Canglan Island, a famed Celestial Pride throughout the Flame Dynasty.
Though Elder Lord Li had helped Lin Chen on the Martial Path, Tai Rubai himself had been present for what happened in the Li Family back then. Lin Chen had suffered grievances there; who knew whether Lin Chen still secretly resented that?
"What a bunch of bastards!"
Anger surfaced on Lin Chen’s face. While Elder Lord Li was still alive, with his temperament he really wouldn’t have informed Lin Chen when he sensed his end approaching; but after Elder Lord Li passed, the Li Family hadn’t sent anyone to Linhu Village with the news. There was only one reason for that: Li An was feeling guilty and afraid of him.
No wonder Elder Lord Li had been willing to chase him thousands of miles beneath the moonlight back then—he’d seen that his son simply didn’t have the ability to hold up the Li Family.
Feeling Lin Chen’s fury, Tai Rubai’s expression also grew tense; that single bark of rebuke from Lin Chen put him under enormous pressure.
"Hall Master Tai, my apologies. I’m not venting my anger at you. In a moment I’ll go to the Li Mansion with you."
Feeling Tai Rubai’s discomfort, Lin Chen also withdrew his aura. Tai Rubai smiled ingratiatingly, inwardly sighing: worthy of an Innate powerhouse—just a single thread of anger leaking out was more than he could bear.
PS: The update’s late; I wrote a lot of words and then deleted them—two thousand words of cultivation system, but in the end Nine Lamps still felt it was unsuitable, no need to write it in such detail.