Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Mufeng inwardly looked down on him, but on second thought, Mu Zheng truly had diligently devoted most of his life to the family. He sighed and said, "In these past three years, Chen’Er met a great master who healed his Dantian. But Chen’Er himself isn’t too sure how it was done. The bottom line is, he can practice Cultivation now. And..."

"And what? Spit it out!" Mu Gu Tian immediately pressed.

"And all these pills... the kid won them in a bet with a Holy Hall Student from the Imperial Academy. The student he beat seems to be the only son of the Imperial Left Minister." Mufeng rubbed his nose and said, a little awkwardly.

Grand Elder Mu Guangyi curled his lip and said, "How could that Holy Hall Student be so weak?"

Mufeng shook his head. "It’s not that he was weak, but that Chen’Er is too strong. That student is the number one fourth-year at the Holy Hall, and his Martial Artist Realm has reached the level of a Three-Ring Martial Spirit. But even at that realm, he was defeated by Chen’Er. I heard he was thoroughly convinced by his loss, so he agreed to give Chen’Er these pills to settle the bet."

The men suddenly fell silent. Mu Yeqiu sighed. "It seems my guess was correct. When I went to Bifeng Garden earlier, I kept feeling that something about Chen’Er was different. Thinking about it now, it was his aura. The aura of a superior. Now I finally understand what he said on the day he left."

Yes, those words. "So what if I’m a waste? So what if I’m a cripple? I never thought you were any better than me. You ignorant fools! I, Mu Chen, will teach you all a lesson right here: never look down on anyone. Today, I have no strength, no right to speak. You can trample my dignity as you please. But remember this: one day, I, Mu Chen, will make every single person who has trampled upon me pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold, even ten thousandfold! Don’t think I’m just making empty boasts. In this world... there is no such thing as a permanent waste!"

"In this world, there is no such thing as a permanent waste. Well said. Well said." Mu Gu Tian’s voice suddenly grew hoarse, his eyes turning slightly red. "Good lad. You truly are a child of my Mu Family. You were a genius when you were born, and you are still our Mu Family’s genius today. Everyone, go and prepare. Tonight, we will hold a welcome feast for my grandson, Chen’Er! The Mu Mansion will host a grand banquet, and we will invite the Wang, Li, and Chen families to attend."

"Alright! I’ll handle it. It’ll be my way of making amends to Chen’Er. As his second grand-uncle, I was often quite harsh with him." Mu Zheng’s aged face was filled with guilt, and he turned to leave.

Mu Gu Tian suddenly called out to him. "Second Elder, Grand Elder, Third Elder, each of you take one Martial Spirit Essence Pill and one Martial Power Pill. Consume them after the banquet tonight. The day after tomorrow, at the Emperor’s Relics, will be the moment for our Mu Family—the dark horse—to strike. The time for revenge has come!"

"Yes!"

The elders’ spirits were instantly lifted to a fever pitch. Each one was flushed with excitement. The long-standing pressure had filled them with loathing for the Chen and Li families. Everything they had dished out would be returned in full at the Emperor’s Relics!

Time passed quickly. Mu Chen stretched comfortably and woke up. He shook his head. ’I’ve gotten lazy these past few days,’ he thought. Picking up the Profound Jade Box from beside his bed, Mu Chen deliberately added another thousand jin of weight to it. ’This can be a little punishment, I suppose.’

"Chen’Er."

A familiar voice came from outside. Mu Chen hurried over and opened the door, his eyes immediately falling upon Mu Bingling, who was dressed in a white silk gown. She wore the same white as three years ago, her hair flowing freely down her back. From its lustrous sheen, it was clear Mu Bingling had just washed it; it looked soft and elegant.

"Sister, you’re here," Mu Chen said gently.

Mu Bingling giggled and spun around in front of him like a gracefully dancing Spirit Butterfly. "Well? Do I look good?" she asked.

Mu Chen’s face flushed red. He looked away and mumbled, "Very pretty. You look good in anything, Sister."

Hearing this, Mu Bingling couldn’t help but smile. She took Mu Chen’s hand and led him out of the courtyard. Mu Chen asked in confusion, "Sister, where are we going?"

"To the main family courtyard, of course! Grandfather has invited all the prominent figures in the city today. It’s all to welcome you back. You’re the guest of honor!"

Mu Chen was stunned by her words, but after a moment’s thought, he understood why this was happening. It didn’t bother him, though. ’I must protect the family.’

When they arrived at the main courtyard, countless people were already gathered there, all beaming with smiles. However, Mu Chen could still clearly see faint disdain in some of their eyes. He paid it no mind and let Mu Bingling lead him to a table at the edge of the festivities.

Due to Mu Bingling’s beauty, nearly everyone stared at her in awe. But when they saw the young man whose hand she was holding, their awe turned to bewilderment.

"Huh? Who’s that blue-haired young man? He doesn’t look like he’s from the Mu Family," one of the guests said.

"I don’t know, but why is he dressed like that? And that black box on his back... no matter how I look at it, it looks like... a coffin!"

"Hey! Don’t say such unlucky things. But... you don’t think he’s the one Miss Bingling likes, do you? I wonder which family’s young master he is. He’s quite handsome," another guest speculated.

’I’m speechless,’ Mu Chen thought, listening to everyone’s speculation. ’My appearance changed so much that I’ve earned a new title: Miss Bingling’s fiancé. What is this nonsense? Still, if it wasn’t me, if it was really Sister’s fiancé...’

A sudden, inexplicable sourness washed over his heart, and his expression turned ugly for a moment. But then he froze. ’I just imagined some hypothetical person and felt such immense hatred for them. What does that mean?’

He turned his head to look at Mu Bingling, only to find that she had lowered her head. He could see the blush on her neck; the girl was actually shy. Seeing her like this, Mu Chen felt an inexplicable joy. The already unsettled strings of his heart were plucked once more. He gently tightened his grip, holding her hand a little more firmly.

"Heh, the Mu Family must have lost their minds. Throwing such a grand banquet for a good-for-nothing who’s been gone for three years. Are they afraid the people of Luofeng City won’t find out their waste is back?" a cold sneer came from behind Mu Chen.

Mu Chen frowned. The voice was familiar. Turning his head, he saw it was none other than the Head of the Chen Family, Chen Wenfu. Behind him, the Head of the Li Family, Li Zongtang, looked at the grand decorations with utter disdain and chuckled. "They’re just desperate for attention. Just treat it as a free meal and a show, Brother Chen. Why get so worked up? Besides, the Mu Family’s good days are numbered."

"True enough. HAHAHAHA! Let’s go enjoy this last meal from the Mu Family."

With that, Chen Wenfu walked toward the head table, laughing loudly. As he passed Mu Chen and Mu Bingling, he glanced at them and made a soft sound of surprise. Li Zongtang followed his gaze and saw an exceptionally beautiful young woman and a handsome young man who looked perfectly matched. They continued on and quickly took their seats.

"Isn’t that Mu Bingling? When did she return to the family?" Li Zongtang said in a low voice.

Chen Wenfu snorted. "So what if she’s back? Her beauty has certainly become even more stunning, I’ll give her that. It’s a pity, though. In just a few more days, she and her family will disappear from Luofeng City forever."

Shaking his head, Li Zongtang said with a sigh, "The Mu Family can’t blame anyone else. If they must blame someone, it can only be themselves for choosing the wrong side."

"Heh, enough of that. The time to launch our attack will be after the Emperor’s Relics event ends tomorrow."

After speaking, the two fell silent and feigned rest in their seats. Just then, a greeter at the entrance shouted, "The Head of the Wang Family has arrived!"

Mu Chen turned his head again. The Head of the Wang Family, Wang Mo, was already sitting with Mu Gu Tian, who had gone up to welcome him. "Brother Wang, welcome! Please, have a seat."

Wang Mo smiled and said sincerely, "Ah, Old Gu, congratulations on finding your grandson."

Mu Gu Tian smiled back and gave a quick wink. "The joy is mutual. Come, let’s sit down first."

Wang Mo was taken aback for a moment, then nodded naturally and sat down with Mu Gu Tian. With that, all the guests had arrived. Mu Gu Tian stood up with a broad smile. "If I could have everyone’s attention, please. I’m sure you all know why I’ve invited you here, so I won’t belabor the point. In short, I invited you here to eat, so let’s eat! Serve the food!"

As Mu Gu Tian finished speaking, beautiful maids brought countless delicacies to every table, much to the satisfaction of the hungrier guests. For a time, sounds of polite chatter and congratulations rose from every table as everyone began to feast. However, from beginning to end, Mu Gu Tian never pointed out Mu Chen, which undoubtedly left Chen Wenfu and Li Zongtang feeling a little confused.

"Patriarch Mu, we’ve been here for a while, but I have yet to see your precious grandson," Li Zongtang finally couldn’t resist asking with a smile.

Mu Gu Tian made a sound of acknowledgement. "Ah, about that. Chen’Er was feeling a little unwell after his journey back yesterday, so he won’t be attending today. I apologize to you both on his behalf."

"Oh, that’s quite alright. We were merely curious. Do tell your esteemed grandson to take care of his health." Li Zongtang curled his lip as he spoke the pleasantries, then went back to chatting casually with Chen Wenfu.

As for Mu Chen, he was sitting in a corner and had already used his Spiritual Detection to listen in on their conversation. From their words, he learned that the Chen and Li families planned to attack the Mu Family as soon as the Emperor’s Relics event was over. They had likely chosen this timing because they intended to find an opportunity inside the relics to assassinate the Mu Family’s leadership, making it much easier to absorb the family. Moreover, judging from his grandfather’s excuse, it was clear he was trying to keep Mu Chen’s presence a secret. ’It seems Grandfather already knows my true strength.’

After eating a few bites, Mu Chen didn’t bother extending his Spiritual Power again. The information he had gathered was enough. The banquet had started quickly and ended just as abruptly. Everyone left with a strange feeling. ’Did Mu Gu Tian really just invite us all for a simple meal?’ they wondered.

But their host offered no explanation, and no one dared to ask. They all knew that while the four great families of Luofeng City appeared powerful, their relationships were in fact extremely fraught. The overt conflicts were becoming more and more obvious, and the other guests just hoped they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.