Chapter 191: Spring and Autumn Brushwork

"Ah! Grandpa, Grandpa!" Xu Tianyi screamed in agony.

Xu Jishan had been about to leave, but his grandson's agony rooted him to the spot.

"It hurts so much," Xu Tianyi howled.

No matter how agitated Xu Jishan was, he couldn't change the fact that his grandson was injured.

"Quick, get Mr. Chang!"

After a short while, a middle-aged man in a black robe approached. He wore a golden pendant and had a small book hanging on his chest.

"Mr. Chang!" Xu Jishan said anxiously. "Tianyi was viciously attacked and is now in unbearable pain. I beg you to save him!"

Mr. Chang was silent for a moment before asking Xu Jishan, "What happened? Where was Young Master Xu harmed by this scoundrel?"

Xu Jishan briefly recounted what his subordinate had told him, which made Mr. Chang even angrier. "How can such a tyrannical person exist in this world! Let me see what's happened first!"

After a brief examination of Xu Tianyi, Mr. Chang's expression grew even darker. "What a vicious method. It specifically targets non-vital yet excruciatingly painful spots. Even at a hospital, an ordinary doctor would never see the truth. How could they possibly treat Young Master Xu?"

Xu Jishan bowed repeatedly to Mr. Chang and said solemnly, "Mr. Chang, I must trouble you to intervene and free Tianyi from his suffering!"

Mr. Chang smiled faintly. "I follow the divine will to spread Guangming. It is only natural that I should expel the suffering of my brethren! As an Innate Divine Envoy, I am obligated to uphold justice in this world."

In just a moment, Mr. Chang raised a finger. His expression was solemn, and his entire body radiated a divine light. "First, let there be light!"

A speck of light, the size of a grain of rice, shot from his fingertip and entered Xu Tianyi's body.

The agony on Xu Tianyi's face quickly subsided, and his chaotic breathing calmed.

A moment later, he rolled over, stood up, and bowed deeply to Mr. Chang.

"Mr. Chang, thank you!"

Mr. Chang waved his hand and smiled. "It's nothing, I was just doing my duty! It's infuriating that Young Master Xu was so thoroughly beaten and put on the defensive by that arrogant Grandmaster at the pharmacy!"

Xu Tianyi, equally worked up, said, "Exactly! Mr. Chang, you truly understand great righteousness! Worthy of a divine envoy! As thanks, I will donate a year's salary to the parish!"

The corners of Mr. Chang's mouth lifted slightly. He wasn't interested in a year's salary, but in Xu Tianyi's loyalty.

Xu Jishan also said, "The Xu Family is willing to follow you, sir, and spread the glory of the Lord!"

Mr. Chang was very pleased with Xu Jishan's performance. This was precisely why he went around offering his help—to gain this kind of support.

"Mr. Chang, the one who attacked Tianyi is a Grandmaster. If we let him continue to run rampant, I fear it will be detrimental to spreading the Lord's glory."

Mr. Chang's gaze hardened. 'Behind these high-sounding words, Xu Jishan simply wants to use me to kill someone. But the Xu Family has just sworn their allegiance. If I refuse now, it will likely have a poor effect. I might as well take this opportunity to display my power and make the Xu Family submit willingly.'

"Where is that person? Do you know?"

Xu Jishan remembered the subordinate who had been tailing him. "He knows! He followed the man!"

Realizing he finally had a chance to be in the spotlight, the subordinate hurried forward and said excitedly, "I followed him all the way to the hotel and confirmed that the kid went upstairs. I'm positive!"

'He found his exact location?'

A glint flashed in Xu Tianyi's eyes. 'That kid Mu Lin really isn't getting away this time. So what if you're a Grandmaster? Mr. Chang is in the Innate Divine Realm. Won't killing you be a piece of cake?'

Xu Jishan's eyes were savage as he barked, "Let's go!"

After getting Ye Chunshui settled, Mu Lin returned to his room to find Zhou Qianfan busy on the phone.

"Uncle Zhou, if you're busy, you can head back first. I can figure out how to get back to Anhua on my own."

Mu Lin felt that Zhou Qianfan was tiring himself out by sacrificing work time to accompany him.

Zhou Qianfan laughed heartily. "It's no problem. This is how I usually work. The only difference is whether I'm at home or over there. What's the difference, really!"

Mu Lin pursed his lips. "As long as you don't find it a hassle, Uncle Zhou. You're busy, so I'll go back to my room."

Mu Lin turned and went back to his room, giving Zhou Qianfan space to work.

He sat upright on the edge of the bed, preparing to cultivate, but he couldn't seem to immerse himself in it.

The face of the old man kept appearing in his mind, as if trying to warn him about something.

'What could it be?'

Mu Lin focused his thoughts and realized the old man was speaking.

"Listen up, kid. To walk the path of cultivation, the first thing you need to know is where you stand. My path of Qi Force has the Qi Refining stage as its most basic foundation. Qi Force, projecting Qi Force, and freely controlling Qi Force. As my disciple, freely controlling Qi Force is just the entry level, but in the eyes of mortals, this already makes you a lofty Immortal! Enough to command the wind and rain, to become a lord of a region."

"Above Qi Refining is what is called the Innate Realm. Only when you reach this point have you truly entered the path of cultivation."

"Before that, you are nothing but an ant. Don't get arrogant or complacent. You must know that there are always heavens beyond the heavens, and people stronger than you. If you use your power to do evil, someone stronger will naturally come to put you in your place!"

Xiaomu pouted. "Master, what nonsense are you spouting? Am I that kind of person?"

The old man sneered. "Bad people always think they're good people before they do bad things. Can you guarantee you won't do evil? Always keep your guard up. Don't show off the little bit of skill you have. If you court death, you will die!"

After a pause, the old man added, "Ah, this Innate Realm... on the outside, they give it all sorts of fancy names, tacking on all kinds of bullshit. The Divine Realm, the Perfected Man… After a little praise, I'm afraid you'll forget your own name."

"The Innate Realm is divided into three steps: Qi Condensation, Spirit Refining, and Divine Sense. Within two years, you must succeed in Qi Condensation, or you're not worthy of being my disciple!"

What followed was Xiaomu's bloodcurdling scream.

'Why am I thinking about that old fossil? I obviously can't stand him, so why am I remembering him?'

Mu Lin thought carefully. 'Oh, it's probably related to my cultivation realm.'

On the Innate path, he had already reached the threshold of Spirit Refining.

His Essence, Qi, and Spirit were a whole level stronger than others.

But he hadn't yet entered the Divine Sense stage, so he still had blind spots.

Moreover, in the Divine Sense stage, one's mind could easily cover an area of several dozen meters.

Not a single trace or clue could escape its sweep.

'That Young Master Xu cultivates techniques for controlling the mind. Since he specializes in it, he must have some extraordinary abilities. My Spirit Refining cultivation probably still has blind spots. It would be a huge pain if he exploited one.'

'I still have a lot of Bright God Fruit juice left. I might as well drink some to strengthen myself first.'

Mu Lin went out to get a kettle of hot water, then returned and dripped a few drops of the Bright God Fruit juice into it.

He then poured a cup, waited for the water to cool slightly, and drank it.

He only had a limited amount of the Bright God Fruit, after all. To release its medicinal power completely, he had to drink it slowly like this.

After finishing the cup, Mu Lin half-closed his eyes and circulated his True Qi.

In just a moment, Mu Lin suddenly felt a crisp sound echo in his mind. An instant later, a powerful force spread out, covering the entire room.

A perfect replica of the room, as scanned by his Divine Sense, appeared in Mu Lin's mind.

"This… I broke through just like that?" Mu Lin hadn't expected to break through this stage so easily and enter the next phase of his cultivation journey.

'Now I no longer have any mental blind spots. Even if the Xu Family sends more people, I'm confident I can face them.'

Mu Lin spent a little time consolidating his new realm.

Suddenly, he felt a stir. A group of powerful individuals was heading toward the hotel.

The strongest among them was at the Innate Divine Realm, and that Young Master Xu was following right beside him.

There were also several others with relatively low cultivation levels. Mu Lin figured they were the Xu Family's guards.

'As expected, they're here.'

Mu Lin used the internal phone to call the front desk and asked them to connect him to Ye Chunshui's room.

Because Mu Lin was able to accurately provide Ye Chunshui's name and ID number, the front desk put the call through.

"Miss Ye, please come to the thirty-second floor immediately. Any later and it'll be too late."

Ye Chunshui had no idea why, but since it was Mu Lin who said it, she chose to obey.

After finishing the call, Mu Lin pushed open the door and said to Zhou Qianfan, "Uncle Zhou, go back to your room and lock the door from the inside. Don't come out until I tell you to."

Zhou Qianfan thought for a moment. "Is someone here to make trouble? Is it the Li Family? After the lesson you taught them, they still dare to come back?"

Mu Lin smiled. "If it were the Li Family, I wouldn't need you to hide. These people are a bit more complicated than the Li Family."