Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 2861: Meng Baiʼs Swift Progress

With Meng Bai having reached the Nascent Soul realm, his training only grew more intense.

He now had several more skills he could learn, as well as the ability to progress further in the ones he already knew.

Not to mention, he could now create formations that were far more complex, and talismans that were significantly more potent.

In the days that followed, Lin Mu threw Meng Bai into a harsh training regimen that included both theoretical study and practical combat.

With his breakthrough, Meng Bai felt like an unfettered bird. He passed all tests with ease, finding every talisman easy to draw, each formation simple to understand, and every skill as effortless as lifting a finger.

His cultivation base also began to rise steadily, as the Spirit Qi accumulated within him from years of eating Little Shrubbyʼs food finally showed its effect.

It was as if a dam had burst—sealed Spirit Qi surged through him, refilling his Dantian to the brim and continuing to expand its capacity.

His Nascent Soul, now basking in the ocean of Qi, absorbed the energy like a starving man at a banquet. It grew rapidly, shimmering with power.

Within just three months, Meng Bai had reached the Child Soul Stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Another six months later, he had already progressed to the Adolescent Soul Stage.

This speed was astonishing—even faster than Lin Muʼs own progression when he had been in the same realm. But it wasnʼt unreasonable.

Meng Bai had started from a high foundation.

He had access to the best resources, a well-tempered body, and most importantly, he had the guidance of not just Lin Mu, but also Monk Hushu and many of the monks and elders of the Green Lotus Temple.

Over time, many of them had grown fond of the boy.

Perhaps it was because they already admired Lin Mu, or maybe it was Meng Baiʼs unshakable dedication and humility that won them over.

He never slacked off.

Even outside of his training, he helped the monks with chores, accompanied Lin Mu during routine tasks, and joined the younger disciples in sparring sessions.

Those monks-in-training who were still below the Immortal realm often challenged him, as he was the most suitable opponent for them.

Fighting Lin Mu was an impossible task—so they aimed to at least defeat his disciple.

However, that was far easier said than done.

While Meng Bai had occasionally lost at the beginning, as he gained more combat experience and learned how the monks fought, his growth became frighteningly fast.

Soon enough, he was defeating his peers with ease.

Then, he began dominating them—both metaphorically and, quite literally, wiping the floor with them during matches.

Even back when he had been in the Core Condensation realm, he had managed to hold his ground against early Nascent Soul realm monks.

Now, he was defeating peak Nascent Soul cultivators and had even managed to push a Dao Shell realm monk to a standstill in a duel.

His spear skills had become deadly.

With no more limitations from his cultivation base, it wasnʼt long before he comprehended Spear Intent.

It happened during one of his spars against a Dao Shell realm monk when Meng Bai was pushed to his absolute limit.

At that critical moment, his spear resonated with him.

He lashed out with a thrust so powerful it blasted the monk off the peak.

For a moment, he was too stunned to even understand what had happened—until Lin Mu explained it to him.

He had reached the initial stage of Spear Intent.

With this new level of comprehension, Meng Baiʼs power surged again.

Fighting opponents beyond his realm became almost routine. As long as his enemies didnʼt use Dao Skills, he could even hold his own against Dao Embryo cultivators.

His understanding of the Water Generalʼs Armament Technique had also reached full mastery. He could now use it instinctively, without needing to consciously focus on its execution.

It had become a part of his very being.

He had even started integrating it with his spear techniques, developing his own weapon style and creating original skills—such as the Flowing Spear, which he had used during his Nascent Soul breakthrough.

But Meng Bai wasnʼt the only one making progress.

Lin Mu, too, had experienced steady development in his own cultivation.

His Omnicore Ascendancy Technique had further refined his elemental cores. As he absorbed the spiritual materials he had gathered from previous adventures, his cores grew more potent—though none had yet reached completion.

Still, it was meaningful progress.

His Qi cultivation was extremely stable. In fact, if he desired it, he could have attempted another breakthrough at any time.

Yet Lin Mu chose to hold back.

He had a hunch—an instinctive feeling that his next Immortal Tribulation wouldnʼt be ordinary.

And he trusted that instinct.

After all, Senior Xukong had warned him long ago: if one advanced too rapidly within the Immortal realms, the heavens might view it as a challenge—and respond with increasing severity.

This was especially true for someone like Lin Mu, whose talent was seen as dangerously high by the Heavenly Dao.

Fortunately, he didnʼt face the same constraints in body cultivation.

His Tyrant Bull Marrow Secrets had reached the peak of the fifth stage, with the Four-Legged Bull Form fully established.

He had even made some progress toward the sixth stage, needing only more time to accumulate the necessary foundation.

His Three Apertures Invoking Technique had also advanced.

He had successfully connected a second aperture, entering the next stage of the technique.

The three apertures now aligned like gems on a divine string, pulsing in sync with his Immortal Essence.

Lin Mu hoped to reach the third stage soon, which required forming a link between the first and third aperture—creating a closed circuit of power.

Yet, this dual-approach was proving to be far more complex than he had anticipated.

Controlling two streams of Immortal Essence simultaneously required exceptional precision, and he found himself caught at a bottleneck that demanded more time, effort, and perhaps a stroke of inspiration to overcome.