Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

A huge question mark materialized in everyone’s mind. At the same time, among the Holy Hall Students, a young woman in a red dress stared blankly at Mu Chen’s retreating figure, her eyes flickering. Beside her, a handsome youth in black robes glanced at her and sighed, "Is... is he really the same guy who was called a cripple back then?"

The young woman in red didn’t turn her head. She said softly, "You should have your answer after seeing Sister Bingling’s reaction, brother."

That’s right. The handsome young man in black was Wang Xihai, the young master of Luofeng City’s Wang Family, and the young woman in red beside him was Wang Junyao. Wang Xihai had originally been a first-year observation student in the outer circle, but due to his outstanding performance, he was transferred to the candidate class. There, his diligence and hard work paid off, allowing him to successfully enter the Holy Hall by placing first in the candidate trials.

Compared to Chen Qing and Mu Rongxuan, he was undoubtedly the most successful of the group. After joining the Holy Hall, he had already reached the realm of a Ninth-Ring Martial Master. Although he was still far behind Mu Bingling and Wang Junyao, he was by no means at the bottom of the pack.

The murmurs gradually died down, and everyone slowly made their way toward the dueling ring...

The night grew darker. Mu Chen walked forward at a slow but steady pace, each step landing firmly on the ground. Seeing him like this, the worry on Mu Bingling’s brow gradually eased. She knew the young man before her would never do something he wasn’t sure about. ’Since he said he’d do it, and he’s doing it, he won’t lose.’

"Sister, you really do look better when you smile."

Only then did Mu Chen, who had been silent the whole time, finally speak. Mu Bingling shot him an exasperated look and chided, "And here I thought you hadn’t even seen me."

Mu Chen turned to look at the stunningly beautiful young woman beside him and smiled faintly. "How could I not? I was just thinking about what conditions I should demand from him. Now that I think about it, I don’t really seem to be lacking anything."

Hearing this, Mu Bingling couldn’t help but laugh. "The fight hasn’t even started, and you’re already so sure you’ll win? Well, in that case, let me give you some information. It might help you decide."

Mu Bingling was truly beautiful when she smiled. Though she had no dimples, her smile seemed to cast a soft mist across her face, giving her a dreamy, ethereal allure. Shaking his head slightly, Mu Chen gave a wry smile. ’Is my self-control really this poor? Every time I see her, I can’t help but just... stare.’

Mu Bingling noticed Mu Chen’s reaction, and a blush crept onto her cheeks. She didn’t act flustered, however, and continued, "Kong Ye Ming. He’s the son of Left Minister Kong Ru. You should have heard that much from Qing Lei. But there’s something you don’t know. Kong Ru controls the entire Xuanling Empire’s Imperial Medicine Vault. He is a true Wise Commander, second only to one and above tens of thousands. Besides his own formidable strength, he has an extraordinary mind, and his mastery of the Alchemy Skill is exceedingly high. So you could make some demands related to medicinal pills."

"Hmm?" Mu Chen’s eyes lit up at her words. ’My family’s resources are scarce. I have to take Kong Ye Ming for all he’s worth this time.’ Having made up his mind, a faint, crafty smile lingered on his lips.

By now, Mu Chen had arrived at the foot of the massive dueling ring. The stage was a perfect square, over a kilometer on each side. Its surface had been forged from Refined Iron, giving it an impressively high-class look.

With a nod, Mu Chen leaped lightly, landing steadily in the center of the ring. The thousands of students behind him quickly followed suit. Seeing Mu Chen already standing on the stage, Kong Ye Ming’s sneer deepened. "Quite direct about seeking death, aren’t you?"

As soon as he spoke, a green light flashed beneath Kong Ye Ming’s feet. With a WHOOSH, he leaped into the air. A green cyclone materialized under him, looking as though a small tornado had swept him off the ground.

"You absolute fool! I’ll show you just how vast the gap is between a Martial Spirit and a Martial Master!" With a sharp cry, three green Martial Rings materialized at Kong Ye Ming’s feet, revealing his cultivation level.

Among the Holy Hall Students, Wang Xihai shook his head. "This battle is extremely disadvantageous for Mu Chen."

Wang Junyao turned to him, puzzled. "Why?"

Wang Xihai sighed. "The rules of a ring challenge state that you win if your opponent is incapacitated or knocked off the stage. However, cultivators at the Martial Spirit Realm are capable of Walking on Air. Therefore, Kong Ye Ming can’t be knocked out of the ring. That means Mu Chen has no choice but to beat him until he’s completely unable to fight."

"That..." Wang Junyao’s mouth fell open. She hadn’t considered that at all.

Some of the other Holy Hall Students who overheard Wang Xihai’s analysis began to mock him. "So that Mu Chen isn’t just weak, he’s brainless too. I have no idea why the Vice-Dean would stick up for someone like that. If this brat loses, the Vice-Dean is going to lose so much face."

"Haha, there’s nothing to see here. The kid might have a decent presence, but that’ll shatter the moment he’s beaten black and blue," another Holy Hall Student chimed in.

"Hmph. He doesn’t know what’s good for him and can’t gauge his own strength. As expected, the outer circle is nothing but trash." Just then, someone walked up from behind them. Only one person could utter such scathing words: Xuan Yu.

Wang Xihai and Wang Junyao both frowned. Even though Wang Xihai was now in the inner circle, he had once been a member of the outer circle. As for Wang Junyao, she frowned for two reasons: one on behalf of Wang Xihai, and the other on behalf of Mu Chen. But in Xuan Yu’s presence, they could only hold their tongues. They themselves might not fear Xuan Yu’s status as the Second Prince, but their families were not under the academy’s protection. Fortunately, Xuan Yu hadn’t spoken loudly; otherwise, he would have undoubtedly caused an uproar among the outer circle students.

Di Cang, Qin Garden, and the others also found their places. This was a battle that the entire academy, students and faculty alike, had gathered to watch. Tie Mu and Tielin found themselves a good spot and sat down. The moment they were seated, two black-robed elders from the Holy Hall suddenly appeared beside them. One of them chuckled maliciously. "Well now, look who it is. If it isn’t the Twin Elders in charge of the Demon Beast Prison. Tell me, how does it feel living with those brutes every day?"

Hearing this, Tie Mu and Tielin both turned their heads. Tie Mu feigned surprise and exclaimed, "Well, I’ll be! I was wondering who it was. Isn’t it the Zhu Brothers, our old punching bags? What’s this, looking to settle the score? Come on, then! Let’s see if you two have made any progress these past few years."

The moment he said this, the faces of the two elders, surnamed Zhu, turned as black as the bottom of a wok. The two were brothers, and everyone in the academy was used to calling them the Zhu Brothers. Their strength was by no means low. Back when the old dean was still around, they often competed with Tielin and Tie Mu in secret. However, whether in official ring battles or private brawls, they always lost horribly. Tie Mu had just struck a nerve, and they were naturally furious. But they quickly composed themselves and smiled. "We’ll admit we can’t beat you. But do you know who Kong Ye Ming is?"

"Who’s that?" Elder Tielin dug a finger in his ear, blew the wax off his fingertip, and asked nonchalantly.

Tielin’s attitude made the Zhu Brothers’ blood boil. Zhu Da sneered, "He is our disciple. This match will show you outer circle trash just how vast the gap is between the Holy Hall and you."

"Hmm?" Tie Mu grunted. "Your disciple? Well, that’s just perfect. Dare to make a bet with us?"

"What kind of bet?" Zhu the Second asked coolly.

"We’ll bet on the outcome," Elder Tielin said, stroking his beard. "If your Holy Hall loses this match, you will give us five Martial Spirit Essence Pills."

"Tch! You’re killing me!" Zhu Da scoffed. "Five Martial Spirit Essence Pills? If Ye Ming loses, I’ll throw in three more. But what happens if *you* lose?"

"If we lose? If we lose, I’ll give each of you a Level 5 Magic Beast Demon Core, plus a horn shed by a Sixth-level Magical Beast during its evolution. What do you say to that?" Elder Tielin said, holding up two fingers and smiling at the Zhu Brothers.

Zhu Da’s eyes lit up. A Fifth-level Demon Core was an extremely precious item, to say nothing of a horn shed by a Sixth-level Magical Beast during its evolution! That was practically an Artifact Refining Divine Grade material. With it, one could forge an Earth-Tier Lower Grade Weapon at the very least. This was far more valuable than Martial Spirit Essence Pills. After all, the pills they had were just filial gifts from Kong Ye Ming over the past four years. As the only son of the man in charge of the Imperial Medicine Vault, coughing up a few Martial Spirit Essence Pills was well within his means.

"Fine! It’s a bet! But to prevent you from going back on your word, I’ll inform the Dean and Vice-Dean and have them witness it for us," Zhu Da immediately agreed, adding the condition after a suspicious glance at Tie Mu and Tielin.

"Heh heh. Then what’s the harm if this old man acts as your witness?" Just then, a wizened voice came from behind Zhu Da. He whipped his head around, his expression changing instantly as he bowed deeply. "Vice-Dean."

Di Cang nodded and held out his hand. "To prevent anyone from reneging on the bet, you’ll leave the wagered items with me for safekeeping."

"This..." Zhu Da hesitated. Di Cang’s face fell. "You bastard," he snapped, "don’t tell me you think this old man would covet a few of your Martial Spirit Essence Pills?"

Seeing Di Cang’s expression, Zhu Da was horrified. He bowed hastily. "No, no, of course not! Here are the eight Martial Spirit Essence Pills."

He placed the eight Martial Spirit Essence Pills into Di Cang’s hand. Di Cang then turned to Tie Mu and Tielin. From their Storage Rings, they each produced a Fifth-level Demon Core. Then, Tie Mu took out a golden, spiraling horn. A faint black line traced the contours of the horn, spiraling up to its tip.

"Huh?" The moment he saw the horn, Di Cang let out a soft gasp. He shot Tie Mu an exasperated look and scolded, "You’ve really got guts, betting something this important against a mere eight of their Martial Spirit Essence Pills."

Tie Mu just chuckled. "That’s where you’re wrong. This is a sure win. We’ve learned far more about Mu Chen in the past ten days than you have."

Di Cang pursed his lips, stored the items in his Storage Ring, and turned his attention to the stage. By now, the two combatants had taken their positions. Kong Ye Ming, dressed in a purple robe with his hands clasped behind his back, stared at Mu Chen with an arrogant expression. Mu Chen, in contrast, stood ramrod straight in his white clothes, his posture neither servile nor overbearing. A faint, inscrutable smile played on his lips, giving the impression that he wasn’t facing a battle, but a minor interlude.

Kong Ye Ming looked at Mu Chen with contempt and held up one finger. "Ten seconds."

Mu Chen smiled faintly and replied coolly, "We shall see."

It was exactly that expression. Every time Kong Ye Ming saw it on Mu Chen’s face, rage would ignite in his heart. ’How dare a mere Martial Master look at me, a Martial Spirit several Great Realms above him, with that kind of expression? It’s as if in his eyes, I’m the one who’s guaranteed to lose! What gives him this confidence?’ The more Kong Ye Ming thought about it, the more furious he became. ’An ant should know its place.’