Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"But none of that posed a major threat to the Mu Family. Our market share isn’t that large to begin with—a fifth of it is just a dozen or so shops. The devastating blow came last year, when Li Zongtang, the Head of the Li Family, and the Chen Family’s Grand Elder both broke through to the Martial Spirit Realm. If it weren’t for Bing’Er being a student at the Holy Hall, which makes the Chen and Li families hesitate to act against us without absolute certainty, this place would likely have been a pile of rubble by the time you returned this year."

A sudden weight settled in Mu Chen’s heart. He felt a sense of oppression, especially after hearing the line, "Our market share isn’t that large to begin with—a fifth of it is just a dozen or so shops." He asked, "But what about the Wang Family? Didn’t they help us?"

"No, Chen’Er, you can’t say that about the Wang Family." Bi Wan squeezed Mu Chen’s hand, having clearly noticed the change in his expression. She spoke earnestly, "The Wang Family has already helped our Mu Family so much. If it weren’t for them back then, we would have lost more than half of our market stalls. It was only because of the Wang Family’s intervention that the Chen Family took just one-fifth."

Mufeng nodded in agreement. "That’s right. The Wang Family are our benefactors, and you must never forget this debt. The reason the Mu Family is still under so much pressure, even with their help, is that the Wang Family has no Martial Spirit Strong People aside from their Patriarch, Wang Mo. Our opponents have three Martial Spirit Strong People, while we only have one. With such a massive disparity in power, the Wang Family can barely protect itself. How could we, the Mu Family, have the audacity to keep relying on their protection?"

Mu Chen said with shame, "It seems I was mistaken. Things have developed beyond what I imagined. Father, don’t worry. The Mu Family will absolutely not disappear from Luofeng City." As he spoke, Mu Chen stood up, an astonishing aura erupting from his body. "Whoever wants to destroy my Mu Family, I will exterminate their entire clan!"

The moment he spoke, a tyrannical killing intent, so potent it felt tangible, burst forth from Mu Chen’s body. Sensing this ferocious Evil Qi, Mufeng couldn’t stop a cold sweat from breaking out on his back.

"Chen’Er, you..." Mufeng stared blankly at Mu Chen and murmured.

’He knew that such a powerful killing intent could only be born from countless slaughters. Just how many life-and-death struggles has my son endured over these three years to possess such a potent killing intent?’

Mu Chen quickly realized he had lost his composure. His Extreme Ice Dantian rapidly released a stream of cool Primordial Qi, dissipating his killing intent. Mu Chen shook his head, and with a flash from his ring, a purple medicine bottle and a hundred yellow medicine bottles appeared.

Mufeng was taken aback. "Chen’Er, what are these?" he asked, puzzled.

Mu Chen smiled. "I won all of these from Kong Ye Ming. Ten Martial Spirit Essence Pills and one thousand Martial Power Pills. With these, the Chen and Li families are nothing to fear. I took a look just now. Grandfather’s Martial Artist Realm is already half a step into the Martial Spirit Realm. The Third Elder is also at the Peak of Nine-Ring Great Martial Master. As for the Second Elder and the Grand Elder, they are both Nine-Ring Great Martial Masters. If we give each of them a Martial Power Pill and a Martial Spirit Essence Pill, our Mu Family will produce three new Martial Spirit Strong People. Including you, Father, the Mu Family will have four Martial Spirit Strong People. At that point, the Chen and Li families won’t be able to touch us."

"Martial Power Pills! Martial Spirit Essence Pills?! These are Fourth and Fifth Grade elixirs! And so many of them! Heavens, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Fourth and Fifth Grade elixirs." Mufeng was utterly astonished. He picked up one bottle to look, then another, even uncorking one occasionally to take a light sniff. "They really are Fourth and Fifth Grade elixirs! This rich medicinal fragrance, this swelling fluctuation of Primordial Power... No, there’s no time to lose. I must go see your grandfather immediately." As he spoke, Mufeng suddenly stopped. He opened the purple medicine bottle, took out two pills, and said, "Chen’Er, keep these two Martial Spirit Essence Pills for yourself."

But Mu Chen shook his head. "I still have three more. A person can only use a Martial Spirit Essence Pill once. I only need one, so that’s enough for me. Let’s give these two to the Wang Family. After all, without them, our Mu Family might have been scattered and homeless by now."

Mufeng thought for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right. This way, we can make the Chen and Li families suffer a hidden loss during the expedition to the Emperor’s Relics. Haha, I’m getting excited just thinking about the Mu Family gaining three more Martial Spirits."

With that, a green vortex of qi swirled at Mufeng’s feet, and he rose into the air, disappearing from Mu Chen’s sight in the blink of an eye.

"Honestly, your father... He didn’t even care about his appearance, going to see your grandfather all disheveled." Bi Wan shot an exasperated glare in the direction Mufeng had disappeared. She then said, "Chen’Er, Bing’Er, you two go wash up. You must be tired from your journey, so get some rest this afternoon."

Mu Chen and Mu Bingling exchanged a look, and after acknowledging her, they returned to their respective rooms. Looking at his familiar, clean room, Mu Chen felt a warmth spread through his heart. It was clear someone cleaned it every day. His fingertips gently traced every familiar corner of the room, and a sense of home washed over him. He took a quick bath and lay down comfortably on his bed. As he closed his eyes, his mind filled with memories of his three years of wandering life. Now that he was finally home, an immense sense of relief settled in his heart, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

「In Mu Gu Tian’s room」

At that moment, Mu Gu Tian was cultivating with his eyes closed. Although he claimed not to feel much pressure, he alone knew that the combined Martial Spirit Number of the Chen and Li families was one greater than that of the Wang and Mu families. If he could break through now, it would undoubtedly bring the two sides to an equal footing.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

Just then, the sound of knocking came from the door. Mu Gu Tian frowned. No one would normally disturb him at this time. To prevent anyone from interrupting his Cultivation, he had even given specific orders to the guards to keep watch.

"Come in," Mu Gu Tian said, his voice indifferent but laced with a hint of anger.

CREAK...

As the door opened, a figure flashed inside and quickly shut it. Startled, Mu Gu Tian saw that it was Mufeng and chided him, "Ah, it’s you, Feng’Er. Why didn’t you say anything when you came in? I thought it was an assassin from the Chen Family."

Mufeng smiled slightly. "Father, I’ve come to discuss an urgent matter concerning the rise of our Mu Family. This must be discussed in secret. Please summon the three Elders."

Hearing that it concerned the family, Mu Gu Tian immediately glanced left and right, then said, "In that case, I’ll go get the three Elders. We’ll talk in the family’s secret chamber."

Following Mu Gu Tian’s instructions, a maid quickly brought the three Elders over. The Second Elder, Mu Zheng, was still fuming. He snorted, "Gutian, what did you call us for now? If it’s about that boy Mu Chen again, don’t even bother. I don’t care. Do whatever you want with him."

Mu Gu Tian said in a low voice, "This matter concerns the rise of our family. Let’s go to the secret chamber." With that, Mu Gu Tian sat on the bed. There were thirteen posts on the headboard, and after he gently twisted one of them, a faint grinding sound came from behind a folding screen.

"Follow me." Mu Gu Tian led the way behind the screen. A large scroll painting was hanging on the wall there. He gently lifted the scroll, revealing a dark passageway before the four men. As they followed Mu Gu Tian down the passage, they arrived at a room at the end. The furnishings inside couldn’t have been simpler; there was nothing but a table.

"Alright, Feng’Er, you can speak now," Mu Gu Tian said after leading everyone to sit down.

Mufeng nodded and said, "Chen’Er’s return this time has brought our family a chance to rise."

The Second Elder, Mu Zheng, scoffed. "Give it a rest, Feng’Er. You can’t say three sentences without mentioning that boy. ’Brought the family a chance to rise’? Don’t make me laugh. I’d be satisfied if he just stopped causing trouble for the family."

Mufeng said nothing in response. He simply stated calmly, "This is what Chen’Er brought back for the family this time. After you see it, you’ll know whether I’m joking or not." With that, his ring flashed, and a hundred yellow medicine bottles materialized before the four men.

Mu Gu Tian and the three Elders were startled. Mu Yeqiu picked up a medicine bottle, uncorked it, took a sniff, and then froze. He asked excitedly, "Feng’Er, tell me, what is this elixir?"

Mufeng replied with a rare hint of pride, "The yellow bottles are all filled with Martial Power Pills! One thousand Martial Power Pills in total!"

"What?!" The three Elders and Mu Gu Tian cried out in unison. The four of them shot to their feet, staring dumbfounded at the medicine bottles that now covered the entire table.

"M-Martial Power Pills! A thousand of them! Heavens, what on earth did that boy do?" Mu Yeqiu’s jaw dropped, his face a mask of disbelief.

Mu Gu Tian, being the head of the family, quickly regained his composure despite the immense shock he felt. ’This can’t be the most shocking part,’ he thought. ’There must be something even more astonishing to come.’

Mufeng smiled. "This is just a small part of it. The real game-changer for our family is this." As he spoke, he flipped his wrist, and a purple medicine bottle, glowing with a crystalline light, appeared before the four men.

"This is...?" the Second Elder, Mu Zheng, asked, his voice trembling.

"A Fifth Grade Elixir, the Martial Spirit Essence Pill."

Mufeng had only spoken nine words, but those nine words struck the four men’s hearts like a bolt from the blue.

"It’s actually a Martial Spirit Essence Pill... My heavens, how could an elixir of this caliber possibly appear in our family?" Mu Gu Tian could no longer maintain his calm demeanor. He snatched the purple medicine bottle and cradled it in his hands, examining it closely.

"One, two, three, four... nine. Nine pills! There are actually nine of them!"

"Nine pills?!" Mu Yeqiu, Mu Zheng, and Mu Guangyi all slumped back into their chairs at the same time. The sudden rush of fortune was so overwhelming they could barely handle it.

Mufeng continued, "I’m sure you all understand the value of these elixirs. With them, our family’s strength will rise by several levels. Especially you, Father, Grand Elder, Second Elder, and Third Elder—you will be able to break through to the Martial Spirit Realm in an instant. From now on, the Mu Family will be the family with the most Martial Spirits in Luofeng City! What reason would we have to fear the Chen and Li families then?"

Mufeng’s words sent them all into a reverie. ’The Martial Spirit Realm... a transcendent realm of power...’ But Mu Yeqiu quickly calmed down and asked urgently, "Feng’Er, tell me honestly, how did Chen’Er get these elixirs?"

After he finished speaking, Mufeng paused in thought before saying, "Father, you three Elders... Chen’Er can cultivate now. And in just three years, he has already reached the realm of a Sixth-Ring Martial Master."

"Hm? Chen’Er... he can cultivate now? How is that possible? Wasn’t his Dantian shattered?" the Second Elder, Mu Zheng, interjected. It had to be said that the appearance of these items had drastically changed his opinion of Mu Chen; the boy he once considered a cripple was now addressed as "Chen’Er."