Mu Chen looked at the stern-faced Instructor Mo, forced a stiff smile, and nodded. Instructor Mo was a Divine Soul Stage expert; naturally, it was hard for him to hide anything.
"You shouldn't have the authority to cultivate it yet, should you?"
Instructor Mo said in a deep voice.
Mu Chen blinked, but said nothing. He had already cultivated it; there was no way to make him undo it.
Instructor Mo looked at Mu Chen's expression, the sternness on his face softening slightly. This kid didn't seem to care about his threats. He shook his head helplessly and said:
"Can't you stop causing trouble, you rascal?"
"I just wanted to try it out. If there's a problem, I'll stop cultivating it. I value my own life more than anyone else," Mu Chen replied with a dry laugh.
Instructor Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he hesitated slightly before asking: "You succeeded in cultivating it?"
"Just initial success."
Mu Chen extended his hand, and a faint black seal flickered into view.
Instructor Mo saw the black seal, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. Although he had already sensed it, when Mu Chen truly confirmed that he had managed to cultivate the Senluo Death Seal in such a short time, his heart couldn't help but tremble.
Such talent was probably not inferior to those monstrous geniuses participating in the Spiritual Road.
"Are you very interested in the Senluo Death Seal?" Instructor Mo glanced at him. From the time he had taken Mu Chen to the Spiritual Art Chamber, he had noticed Mu Chen paying attention to this spiritual art.
"I feel like this spiritual art isn't simple," Mu Chen thought for a moment before replying. Although the spiritual art was only high-grade Mortal-tier, he vaguely felt that something was off.
"Oh?" Instructor Mo's brows arched as he looked at Mu Chen.
"I feel that the Senluo Death Seal has great potential. The manual says that achieving initial success is just the beginning... I clearly feel there must be some method to make the Senluo Death Seal's power even stronger," Mu Chen mused.
Instructor Mo's eyes narrowed, a look of surprise flashing through them.
Mu Chen stared at Instructor Mo, then suddenly smiled somewhat slyly: "Instructor Mo, you must know a lot about the Senluo Death Seal, don't you? I can tell from your expression that you're also interested in it."
Instructor Mo rolled his eyes at the little fox in front of him, then nodded helplessly: "I also cultivate the Senluo Death Seal."
After speaking, he extended his hand, and a black seal also appeared within it. However, Instructor Mo's black seal was much deeper, and its fluctuations were far more intense than Mu Chen's.
Mu Chen stared at the black seal in Instructor Mo's hand in surprise, then chuckled softly: "Just as I thought, this spiritual art isn't simple. Otherwise, with Instructor Mo's discerning eye, why would you pay attention to it?"
Instructor Mo was a Divine Soul Stage expert, ranked among the top powerhouses in the Northern Spiritual Realm. If the Senluo Death Seal were merely an ordinary Mortal-tier spiritual art, it would absolutely not have caught his eye.
"You little brat..." Instructor Mo chuckled, scolding him lightly. This kid truly had a glib tongue. He pondered for a moment before slowly saying: "Do you want to know the true power of the Senluo Death Seal?"
Mu Chen's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
"It's very simple."
Instructor Mo smiled faintly and raised his left hand. To Mu Chen's surprise, another identical black seal lay within his palm.
Could the Senluo Death Seal actually be used to condense more than one seal?
Mu Chen's eyes lit up as excitement washed over his face. He stared intently at Instructor Mo and muttered,
"So it's not that the Senluo Death Seal lacks subsequent cultivation methods. Rather, its true power lies in stacking multiple seals together, layering them to multiply its power exponentially?"
Instructor Mo nodded.
“Indeed. However, the Senluo Death Seal's demands on spiritual energy are incredibly harsh. Even at my level, I can only condense two seals. Each additional seal brings a far more terrifying backlash. I once attempted to condense a third, but the recoil nearly crippled me. I haven't dared to try since.”
Mu Chen felt a shiver of agreement. Just the other day, when he condensed the first seal, he had to exert every ounce of his strength to withstand the violent impact of its formation. If he tried to condense a second one now, his body would likely shatter before he even realized what went wrong.
“You have only just formed your first seal. Do not rush to condense a second one, lest you suffer a backlash.”
Instructor Mo cautioned.
Mu Chen nodded. Although he eagerly anticipated unleashing the true power of the Senluo Death Seal, he understood that biting off more than he could chew would only lead to disaster.
Seeing this, Instructor Mo said no more and waved his hand, dismissing him. Mu Chen bowed and turned to leave. On his way back, he spotted a young girl standing on her tiptoes in the distance, peering in his direction. It was Tang Tian'er.
“Are you alright? Why did Instructor Mo call you out here?”
Tang Tian'er ran over to ask the moment she saw him. After all, Mu Chen's cultivation of the Senluo Death Seal was technically against the rules, and she had been worried he might face punishment.
Mu Chen smiled and shook his head. He glanced down at the black seal in his palm, a sudden fire igniting in his heart. The Senluo Death Seal was truly extraordinary. It seemed he would have to dedicate a lot of effort to mastering it in the future.
...
Night fell. Mu Chen sat cross-legged in silence, his hands swiftly weaving hand seals. A wisp of dark spiritual energy flowed and gathered at his fingertips.
"Pop."
Just as the spiritual energy began to coil together to form a seal, it suddenly lost control, trembled violently, and quietly dissipated.
Mu Chen looked at his empty palm and shook his head helplessly. He had only wanted to see if he could condense a second seal, but the result was just as he had expected—a failure.
The difficulty of condensing a second seal far surpassed that of the first.
“I guess I can only take it one step at a time.”
Mu Chen muttered. He closed his eyes halfway and focused his mind. Circulating the Great Pagoda Art, he drew in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from his surroundings, refining it into wisps of dark spiritual energy that surged into his spiritual sea.
As the spiritual energy accumulated, Mu Chen channeled a portion of it down his arm to nourish the black seal in his palm, causing the dark imprint to grow increasingly profound.
...
The sparring match in the training grounds where he defeated Luo Tong significantly boosted Mu Chen’s reputation in the Eastern Branch of the Heavenly Class. Some disciples, who had previously relied on their seniority to look down on him, now dared not show the slightest disrespect towards this newcomer. As for Tan Qingshan, his fierce and wild aura had terrified Jiang Li so badly that he fled with a pale face, making everyone realize that this quiet and reserved youth was not someone to be easily provoked. Consequently, the following days were peaceful and comfortable for the two of them; with no one looking for trouble, Mu Chen was able to enjoy some much-needed quiet.
In this tranquil atmosphere, Mu Chen was able to focus his mind entirely on cultivation. During the day, he made full use of the training grounds' Level 3 Spiritual Gathering Array, and the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea grew increasingly abundant.
As night fell, he would gently nurture the dark seal in his palm, attempting step by step to condense the second Senluo Death Seal. However, he failed every single time.
Despite his repeated failures, Mu Chen did not give up. He vaguely realized that these failures were making him increasingly proficient in forming the hand seals, and at the same time, his control over the Senluo Death Seal was becoming smoother and more natural.
The feeling of getting one step closer to success each day filled his heart with joy.
Time quietly slipped away. In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
Although this half-month of cultivation had not yet helped Mu Chen break through to the late stage of the Spiritual Movement Realm, the spiritual energy in his Qi Sea was undoubtedly much stronger than it had been half a month ago.
As his spiritual energy grew, cultivating the Senluo Death Seal became easier. His control over the first Death Seal had reached a much higher level of precision, and it no longer consumed as much energy as it did during his fight with Luo Tong.
As for condensing the second Death Seal, Mu Chen could vaguely sense the threshold, but his spiritual energy was still slightly insufficient to achieve success, which left him feeling a bit regretful.
…
In the cultivation grounds, when Mu Chen heard the bell signaling the end of the session, he opened his eyes. Savoring the sensation of spiritual energy surging within his Qi Sea, he smiled and stretched his back, weary from sitting for so long.
"Hey."
A sweet voice called out from beside him. Mu Chen turned his head to see Tang Qian'er smiling at him, her beautiful eyes filled with anticipation.
"What is it?" Mu Chen asked, puzzled.
"Tomorrow, we are going to the Northern Spiritual Realm for cultivation," Tang Qian'er chuckled softly.
"We're leaving tomorrow?" Mu Chen was startled, then smiled and nodded. Immersed in cultivation for half a month, he had almost lost track of time. However, this was a timely coincidence; currently, he could not condense the second Senluo Death Seal due to insufficient spiritual energy, and the Northern Spiritual Realm was rich in spiritual herbs. If he could find some, his problem might be solved.
"This time, when we go to the Northern Spiritual Realm for our training, you need to show a bit more enthusiasm," Tang Qian'er instructed seriously. "I heard that Liu Mobai from the West Branch is also participating, and he's teamed up with Hong Ling. We can't let them beat us."
"Liu Mobai, huh..." Mu Chen smiled. The strongest expert in the Northern Spiritual Academy. Could this training trip to the Northern Spiritual Realm be considered their first real clash?
How interesting.
Mu Chen's eyes gleamed. In the Spiritual Road, he had never feared anyone, and it would be no different in this Northern Spiritual Realm.