God of Calmness

Early that morning, after putting his troubles to rest,

Ma Hongjun headed toward Shrek Academy, feeling refreshed.

The sprawling academy now had only two students, him and Oscar, making it seem terribly deserted.

By the time he reached the village entrance, Flender had already been waiting there for quite a while.

"Did you get it sorted out?"

"Yes, teacher. There's nothing to worry about now."

"Then go back and train properly. Don't slack off all day. You can't even keep up with Oscar, a support Soul Master."

Ma Hongjun stuck out his tongue. He was still quite afraid of Flender, so he obediently returned to his dorm and sat down to cultivate.

It wasn't until noon that he woke from his meditation.

He patted his rumbling stomach, planning to go find something for lunch.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt that the Evil Fire produced by this session of cultivation had been less than usual.

A week later, he realized something was definitely wrong.

Normally, his Evil Fire flared up once for every week of cultivation.

But now, with the end of the week approaching, he felt he could still keep it under control.

It wasn't until two more days had passed that he felt the heat of the Evil Fire burning through his body return.

"Looks like I'll have to trouble Big Brother Lu Xian again."

Just as the chubby boy was about to head for Red Light Street, a chill surged from within him and spread through his whole body.

Ma Hongjun, who had been burning up all over, shuddered.

It felt just like when he had drunk that glass of ice water at the Broom Shop.

Just as before, the heat that had faded soon came rushing back.

He had barely taken a few steps when a cold voice called out in his mind.

"Boy, are you content to be driven by Evil Fire like this, becoming nothing but a machine that knows how to satisfy its desires?"

"Who?"

The startled chubby boy nearly jumped on the spot. He warily searched his surroundings but didn't find anyone.

Then the cold voice sounded in his mind again.

"Don't bother looking. I'm inside your body."

"Huh?"

"W-who are you?"

Hearing that the other party was inside him, Ma Hongjun—who hadn't seen much of the world—panicked. He was afraid it might hurt him.

"Don't panic. You may call me the God of Calmness."

"Only a Soul Master who can control his desires has a chance to reach the summit."

"...A god?"

Ma Hongjun's eyes widened. He couldn't understand why a deity had inexplicably taken an interest in him.

"Um, what?"

"Lord God, is there something you need me to do by coming into my body?"

"Strictly speaking, I'm merely a remnant soul of the God of Calmness, here to choose a new inheritor."

"Boy, do you want to inherit the Godhood of Calmness?"

Ma Hongjun stood frozen for several seconds, still unable to believe that a pie had just fallen straight into his mouth.

"My lord, why did you choose me?"

"My talent is decent, but my Martial Soul has a huge flaw."

The god in his mind seemed to have expected him to say that and spoke slowly:

"The flaw in your Martial Soul will gradually turn you into a puppet of desire."

"But overcoming desire and remaining calm at all times is your advantage."

"Those whose Martial Souls have no flaws lack this advantage, because they never know when they might fall prey to all kinds of desires."

"And you, who can rise again after falling into desire, are the inheritor I need."

"Whoa!"

The fat on the chubby boy's face trembled for a moment.

Though the god's words were profound, they were enough to make one thing clear to him.

He was the person best suited to inherit the God of Calmness.

And his advantage came from the Evil Fire that had consumed him ever since his Martial Soul Awakening.

"My lord, if I accept the inheritance, will I be free of the Evil Fire?"

"No. You must defeat the Evil Fire before you qualify to inherit the Godhood."

"I understand. I want to give it a try."

No matter what, the opportunity had landed right in front of him. Ma Hongjun had no reason to turn it down.

As soon as he finished speaking, the ice cube in Ma Hongjun's abdomen transformed into a streak of light and shot straight into the space between his brows.

A pale blue divine pattern in the shape of an ice cube appeared on his forehead.

"The God of Calmness's 99 Trials are now open."

"First Trial: I'm in Charge of My Evil Fire."

"For one week, you are not allowed to go to Red Light Street to vent your Evil Fire."

As the announcement of the God Trial rang out, Ma Hongjun froze before he could even celebrate.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Was this for real?

He was already on the verge—was he really supposed to force it all back just like that?

That could kill a man!

Just as Ma Hongjun was utterly despairing, the divine pattern on his forehead suddenly glowed with a pale blue light.

Then a wave of coolness flowed through all his limbs and bones.

The sudden chill made Ma Hongjun shudder.

"W-well, if this happens every time I can't take it anymore, maybe I can hold out after all?"

"Whatever, I'll give it a try. It's only a week, right?"

After closing the door, Ma Hongjun climbed back onto his bed and sat down to meditate.

He was only meditating. He didn't dare try cultivating now.

Otherwise, the Evil Fire he produced over the next week would be even harder to bear.

And so Flender discovered this astonishing sight.

His student, who should have headed for Red Light Street by now, wasn't setting foot outside the dorm. He stayed inside and went nowhere.

Along with his worry, a hint of relief welled up in Flender's heart.

It meant that Ma Hongjun had finally started trying to control the Evil Fire within him.

A week later, Ma Hongjun was disheveled in his dorm, his eyes blazing red.

Clearly, he had reached the very limit of his restraint.

"Hold on a little longer. The week's almost up. I can't let all my effort go to waste."

"Ah!"

"Fuck, I can't hold it in anymore! Cuihua, I'm coming!"

He flung open the door and, without even taking the time to tidy himself up, made straight for Red Light Street.

[Wish Rank: F. Executor completion rate: 100%.]

[Reward: 20 days of cultivation; Soul Ring lifespan increased by 10 years.]

Inside the Broom Shop, Lu Xian was delighted with his reward. It meant that starting today, he could develop in three directions at once.

Well, of course, you could also call it two and a half. Given the Soul Ring lifespan, he could just barely count Gangzi as half a person.

Lu Xian hadn't forgotten his new employee, either. He immediately handed over the reward.

Ma Hongjun had rushed all the way to Suotuo City, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

A chill instantly brought him back to his senses.

"First Trial of the God of Calmness completed."

"Reward: 10 days of cultivation; Soul Ring lifespan increased by 5 years."

He felt his Soul Power rise by a notch, and the Evil Fire was suppressed a little.

Without a word, Ma Hongjun turned around and headed straight back to Shrek.

"Red Light Street? Not even a dog would go there."

"I'm a man destined to become a god!"

When he returned to the academy, Flender stared in confusion as Ma Hongjun entered the dorm.

"What's going on? Why are you back so fast this time?"

"Oh no. Did the kid bottle it up so much that he's cured himself for good?"

Flender hurried anxiously to Ma Hongjun's dorm and knocked on the door.

"Hongjun, what's going on?"

"Why are you back so soon?"

"Don't worry about me, teacher. From today on, I'm not going to Red Light Street anymore."

Flender grew even more anxious when he heard that.

"Kid, don't do anything stupid! You have to learn to control your Evil Fire gradually. You can't fix it all at once!"

"This time, your teacher can't pay for you to go out. Hurry up and take care of it yourself."

"No, I'm not going! If you want to go, go yourself!"

"From today on, call me Pure and Clean Ma Hongjun."