Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Little Tiger was quite guileless and didn’t ask what it was. Ye Shuangshuang, however, was very curious and the first to ask, "What is it? So mysterious. Are you afraid of me finding out?"

Mu Chen felt a bead of sweat form as his mouth twitched. "It’s nothing, really. Just a Scroll for a Combat Skill that’s suitable for Little Tiger’s Cultivation. It’ll be a great help in the life-and-death trials to come. It’s just a shame I only have one that’s right for him."

"Oh, you should’ve just said so! I thought you two had some kind of secret deal going on." As she spoke, Ye Shuangshuang gave Little Tiger and Mu Chen a strange look, as if there was something suspicious going on between them.

Hearing this, Mu Chen rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Let’s go get dinner."

"Alright!"

Mu Chen’s suggestion quickly earned everyone’s approval, and the group swiftly headed for the academy’s dining hall. If one were to ask which place students were most familiar with, it was undoubtedly the dining hall. None of them had eaten lunch, so they were all a bit hungry. Before breaking through to the Martial Sect realm, even Martial Artists needed to consume large amounts of energy. However, this changed after a Martial Artist reached the Martial Sect realm. Martial Arts Masters could use the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to supplement their body’s energy needs. Therefore, unless it was out of habit, a Martial Sect expert could go for months without eating a single grain of rice. But Mu Chen and the others? They clearly weren’t there yet...

Following the familiar path, they reached the dining hall in just a few minutes. Due to their dorm upgrade, their dining area should have been upgraded as well. But after Mu Chen’s simple, "I’m not used to it," the group resolutely chose to sit on the first floor.

"Mu Chen!"

Just as Mu Chen was about to sit down, a voice called out from the entrance. Mu Chen looked up, and a warm, knowing smile instantly graced his face. "Bing’Er."

The name seemed to escape his lips subconsciously. Upon hearing it, however, the other students on the first floor revealed suggestive smirks. Only Mo Qing couldn’t help but freeze for a moment when she heard him say "Bing’Er." Following Mu Chen’s gaze, Mo Qing quickly spotted the woman called Bing’Er, and once she did, she couldn’t look away.

’Is that... Mu Bingling?’

Mo Qing could never have imagined that the woman Mu Chen called Bing’Er was none other than Mu Bingling. Of course she knew of the woman called the Goddess of the Academy. It was just that in the past, Mo Qing and Ye Shuangshuang had always dined in the attribute martial artist area on the second floor and rarely saw Mu Chen and his friends. Naturally, she had no idea what kind of relationship Mu Chen and Mu Bingling had.

’The first time I saw Mu Chen and Mu Bingling together was during his fight with Kong Ye Ming. But didn’t everyone say she was Mu Chen’s older sister back then? Why would he use such an intimate form of address?’

Mo Qing’s heart fell into disarray. Her once-calm mind was instantly thrown into turmoil, as if a giant boulder had been dropped into a placid lake, stirring up a thousand waves. Seeing the blissful expression on Mu Chen’s face as he looked at Mu Bingling, Mo Qing’s heart, for some reason, felt a faint, stabbing pain.

"Oh? Two new friends today, I see." Mu Bingling walked over and sat down gently beside Mu Chen. She gave Ye Shuangshuang and Mo Qing a very friendly smile, her gaze growing even softer when it landed on Mo Qing.

Mo Qing had originally thought the Ice Goddess would domineeringly chase them away from Mu Chen’s side, as the rumors claimed she didn’t let anyone get close. But from what she saw today, the rumors seemed completely inaccurate. The art of reading people was a skill she had been taught since childhood. From the aura and disposition emanating from Mu Bingling, Mo Qing could tell she was definitely not the aloof, arrogant goddess of legend. On the contrary, this was an extremely gentle and kind young woman. As Mu Bingling gazed at her, Mo Qing subconsciously averted her eyes, not even sure herself what she was afraid of.

Although Little Tiger was incredibly good-natured, even he could tell the atmosphere was a bit strange. He volunteered, "Brother Mu Chen, you all wait here. I’ll go get our food." With that, Little Tiger took off running. Qing Lei’s mouth twitched, and he forcefully pulled the leg he had just started to extend back under the table. "Damn it, that kid beat me to it," he grumbled. "And they say *he’s* the simple one."

Mu Chen watched Little Tiger run off as if he were fleeing and didn’t understand why, just assuming he was hungry. Seeing Little Tiger about to disappear from view, Mu Chen suddenly shouted, "Don’t bring the whole table over this time!"

"Got it!" Little Tiger yelled back.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Mu Bingling was the first to break the silence. "Hello, my name is Mu Bingling. You must be Mu Chen’s teammates, right? I’ve heard him mention you often."

Mo Qing was staring at the tabletop, lost in thought. Ye Shuangshuang nudged her with her foot under the table and answered, "Hi, I’m Ye Shuangshuang, one of Captain Mu Chen’s subordinates. This is Mo Qing. She’s tagging along with our captain, too."

Mo Qing finally reacted after Ye Shuangshuang’s prompt, offering an embarrassed smile. "Um, I’m Mo Qing, a member of Mu Chen’s team." Her expression was very stiff; then again, Mo Qing’s expression was almost always that stiff.

Seeing Mo Qing’s unnatural demeanor, the smile in Mu Bingling’s eyes deepened. Her lips moved slightly, and a moment later, Mo Qing suddenly looked up, a flash of surprise in her eyes as she stared at Mu Bingling. The two exchanged no more words after that. The rest of the meal was subdued. Even a blockhead like Mu Chen could tell something was strange. He looked quizzically at the three girls, who were only eating and not speaking, and felt extremely awkward himself.

After dinner, Mu Bingling smiled softly. "Mu Chen, come take a walk with me."

Without a second thought, Mu Chen nodded. "Okay."

Little Tiger, Qing Lei, Ye Shuangshuang, and Mo Qing went straight back to their dorms to cultivate. Unlike Mu Chen, they had a mission the next day. As Little Tiger was leaving, Mu Chen gave him the white copied Scroll from his ring, instructing him to practice using the second method. As for the first method of attack, he could figure that out slowly later on.

The so-called first and second methods were the original way of using Blast Fist and the way it was altered by the Extreme Spirit Pearl. Mu Chen held nothing back from Little Tiger. All he knew was that they were his companions, his brothers and sisters.

Inside the training room, Little Tiger opened the Blast Fist Scroll. After reading it, his eyes reddened slightly. His tribe was a Beastman Tribe, but he was the only Beastman who looked completely human. Although the blood of a Beastman flowed in his veins, his appearance was still that of a human. Compared to his strong, burly clansmen, Little Tiger was like an Outsider. Ever since his mother passed away, Little Tiger had lived with his grandmother. She was the only one who treated him like family. Besides her, even his own father was ashamed of him, and when his clansmen bullied him, he could only endure it silently.

It wasn’t until he entered the Imperial Academy, until he met Mu Chen, Qing Lei, Ye Shuangshuang, and Mo Qing, that he finally experienced what friendship and family felt like. Holding the Blast Fist Scroll, Little Tiger’s heart knew, for the first time, what warmth was.

"Brother Mu Chen... Thank you..."

At this moment, it seemed no words could express the emotion in his heart. He could only pour all of his feelings into those two words, "Thank you." But Mu Chen didn’t know that this one casual gift of a Combat Skill would firmly bind the future Beast King to his side, becoming an immeasurably great power on his path to godhood. But that, of course, is a story for later.

After returning to the dorm, Mo Qing seemed sluggish and unresponsive. Seeing Mo Qing in this state, Ye Shuangshuang shook her head, grabbed her, and pulled her into her own room.

"Ngh... Shuangshuang, you’re hurting me." Pulled so suddenly while she was in a daze, Mo Qing frowned and cried out in pain.

Ye Shuangshuang pushed Mo Qing onto the bed in annoyance, her large eyes staring intently at her. "Sister Mo Qing," she said in a low voice, "what are you thinking about?"

Mo Qing shook her head. "I’m not thinking about anything."

"You’re still trying to fool me? Don’t think that just because I’m carefree, I’m an idiot. Heehee," Ye Shuangshuang said, "Sister Mo Qing, you’ve fallen for him, haven’t you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" The tips of Mo Qing’s ears turned red, but she deliberately played dumb.

"Hmph, still playing dumb? You like Mu Chen. You’ve fallen for him, right? Don’t think I can’t see it. I never would have thought that our devastatingly beautiful Ninth Princess, who had practically sworn off love, would one day fall for someone," Ye Shuangshuang sneered.

"I have not!" Mo Qing denied.

"Heehee..."

"Alright, fine! I’ve fallen for him. But so what? Mu Chen likes Mu Bingling. When it comes to looks, she’s every bit as beautiful as I am. As for Cultivation Talent, she’s number one among the third-years at the Holy Hall. And her personality... she’s so gentle and kind. How can I possibly compare to her? Besides..." Mo Qing bit her lip, her eyes welling up. "Besides, Mu Chen doesn’t even know I like him. And... do I really have the right to choose the person I love?"

After she finished speaking, a look of disappointment appeared on her face. No one understood Mo Qing’s situation better than Ye Shuangshuang. As her best friend since childhood, Ye Shuangshuang knew Mo Qing better than her own parents. She knew what kind of mission this gentle, devastatingly beautiful girl carried on her shoulders. Gritting her teeth, Ye Shuangshuang said firmly, "Sister Mo Qing, are you really going to entrust your future happiness to a man whose name you don’t even know? If so, what’s the point of living? It’s better to be bold and fight for it just once. Uncle Xuan Yin is a good father. I’m sure he will support you."

Xuan Yin was indeed a good father. Since the day Mo Qing was born, he had shielded her from countless marriage alliances and all the pressure that came with them. Mo Qing knew all of this.

"Support me? Maybe. But as the ruler of a nation, there are too many things beyond his control. It’s precisely because he’s doted on me so much that I can’t cause him any more trouble. And besides, Mu Chen already has Mu Bingling. What do I have to compete with?" This was also the reason why Mo Qing’s personality was so gentle and virtuous; she didn’t want to make her father worry about her.

"My silly sister, how many wives does Uncle Xuan Yin have?" Ye Shuangshuang asked with a sigh.

Mo Qing was stunned. She mumbled, "You’re saying..."

Ye Shuangshuang nodded and smiled. "As the daughter of an emperor, you should understand this better than anyone. Once you’re married off to another country as part of a political alliance, what kind of life will you lead? Although with Sister Mo Qing’s beauty, you could easily win the deep affection of some Crown Prince, no matter how much that Crown Prince loves you, he’ll still have three thousand other beauties in his harem. Rather than share one man’s love with so many people, isn’t it better to stay by the side of the man you love? No matter how many women he has by his side, it could never be more than an emperor."

"Mu Chen is definitely a good man. His every word and deed reveals an incredible maturity and sense of security. Most importantly, he values relationships and loyalty. If you’re his lover, he will definitely protect you with his life. To be honest, even I was a little moved by him, but I know we aren’t a good match, so I nipped that thought in the bud early on. But you’re different, Sister Mo Qing. I can feel it. You can only belong to this man, and only this man is worthy of having you. I have a premonition that in the near future, the name Mu Chen will resound throughout the entire Extreme Martial Continent. He! Has that ability!"