Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Mu Chen turned at the sound and immediately saw the large group of over thirty people. One, two, three... thirty-three, thirty-four. Thirty-four students, not a single one missing. Mu Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although every one of them was injured, and quite seriously at that, as long as they were alive, there was still hope and a future.

Mu Chen wasn’t the only one startled. The Holy Hall had fifty or sixty people present, and every one of them wore a shocked expression. The reason was none other than these thirty-four young men and women, their bodies steeped in a palpable Evil Qi. Although their strength wasn’t great, their aura was as fierce as a pack of tigers. Each one’s gaze was profound, as if they had seen through the veil of life and death, ready to charge and tear apart any enemy stronger than themselves without a moment’s hesitation. More importantly, whether it was an illusion or not, these thirty-four students made them feel a suppressive pressure that inspired fear.

Glancing over the crowd, Mu Chen quickly spotted Mo Qing, Little Tiger, Qing Lei, and Ye Shuangshuang at the back. They exchanged smiles and Mu Chen nodded, congratulating them from the bottom of his heart. "Congratulations, everyone, on your triumphant return!"

Mu Chen knew these people were no longer the same greenhorns from just two days ago. Having experienced a life-and-death struggle, their minds and spirits had undergone a world-shaking transformation. Now, the look in each of their eyes told Mu Chen that they had grown up.

"Brother Mu Chen, I’m hungry! I want to eat your barbecue!" Little Tiger blurted out, carefree and utterly oblivious to the setting. He always said whatever was on his mind.

However, his words stirred up quite the commotion, and the Demon Castle students began to murmur among themselves.

"What? The class leader can make barbecue? I want some too!"

"I’m hungry too. We haven’t eaten much these past two days."

"Class Leader, can we eat with you too?"

"Class Leader, me too..."

Listening to everyone’s words, Mu Chen felt a great sense of warmth. ’A class, a team... this is how it’s supposed to be, isn’t it?’

"Of course, it’s no problem. After I finish my challenge, our whole class will go for barbecue. You can eat until you’re stuffed!" This was the first time Mu Chen had said such a long sentence in front of everyone, and it was also his first real interaction with his classmates as their leader.

With that, Mu Chen resolutely reached out and inserted the Jade Token in his hand into the slot. The tower door flashed with blue light, and his figure vanished from sight. The moment Mu Chen disappeared, Di Cang and Lingyun emerged from the side. Wu Kui, who had been sitting expressionlessly in a rocking chair, lazily stood up upon seeing Di Cang’s arrival.

"I wouldn’t have guessed you think so highly of this kid. To think you’d actually come to watch," Wu Kui said, pursing his lips.

Di Cang chuckled. "Of course. He is my disciple, after all. And this group of kids behind him... I’m keeping a close eye on all of them."

"Not bad. They’re good stock. It seems you’ve really been making preparations out there all these years," Wu Kui remarked.

"You think I need you to tell me that? In any case, I came today to witness a miracle," Di Cang said.

"A miracle?" Wu Kui repeated, puzzled.

"Just watch." Di Cang said no more, his eyes fixed intently on the Tower of Calamity.

...

SWISH! Mu Chen’s figure appeared inside a strange space. It was wide-open and brightly lit, with no obstacles in sight. It didn’t feel like the inside of a tower at all; it was more like an open plain.

’It must be designed like this to make combat easier,’ Mu Chen thought to himself. Just then, a cold, emotionless voice echoed through the tower.

"Challenger, Mu Chen. Record: None. First floor."

The voice was sonorous. While the words could also be heard from the outside, the sound wasn’t nearly as rich and powerful as it was in here. Mu Chen carefully surveyed his surroundings as his Spiritual Power spread out in all directions like a giant web. His powerful Spiritual Detection enveloped the entire combat area, ensuring that the slightest disturbance would not escape his notice.

The moment the cold voice faded, Mu Chen’s Spiritual Detection rippled. He looked toward the source of the disturbance and saw a figure that looked exactly like him materialize from thin air. Beneath its feet, nine orange Martial Rings shimmered with dazzling light. A slight smile touched Mu Chen’s lips as he murmured, "So that’s the gimmick."

That was right. The Tower of Calamity was set up so that for any challenger, regardless of their starting level, the hostile illusion they faced would be exactly one Martial Artist Realm level higher. If you were a First-Ring Martial Master, the illusion would be a Second-Ring Martial Master. If you were a First-Ring Martial King, it would be a Second-Ring Martial King. However, after careful observation, Mu Chen discovered that the illusion only copied his appearance and Martial Artist Realm, nothing else. For example, Mu Chen was carrying the Profound Jade Box on his back, while the illusion had nothing.

Mu Chen immediately understood this was the fair part of the Tower of Calamity’s design. The illusion’s Martial Artist Realm was one tier higher than the challenger’s, but it couldn’t use any of the challenger’s items. Otherwise, ninety-nine percent of challengers would likely fail to even clear the first floor.

’No wonder Teacher said this place would be my stage. It seems he was absolutely right. That special reward... is as good as mine!’

Suddenly, a torrent of violent Primordial Power erupted from within Mu Chen. With a stomp of his foot, Thunder Light surged. CRACKLE! Mu Chen’s figure vanished in a flash. The illusion across from him froze, a flicker of confusion on its face. ’It can think!’

Mu Chen’s burst of speed was too abrupt. The Ninth-Ring Martial Master illusion couldn’t adapt to it at all. In the instant it was stunned, Mu Chen had already appeared behind it. Thunder Light crackled along his arm. His expression hardened as he let out a low roar, "Thunderbolt Fist!"

CRACKLE! Mu Chen’s fist slammed hard into the spot over the illusion’s heart. With almost no resistance, the illusion was completely unable to withstand Mu Chen’s immense power. Its body instantly burst into a cloud of smoke and vanished from the first floor’s combat area. The entire fight hadn’t lasted even a second before Mu Chen destroyed the Guardian Illusion.

VMMMM!!!

A deep hum emanated from the ancient, weathered Tower of Calamity. Immediately after, a golden pillar of light emerged from the tower’s body, shooting into the sky with a thunderous boom. The pillar was incredibly dazzling. Throughout the territories of the Xuanling Empire, countless eyes turned to stare at the Imperial Capital.

At the same time, inside the Imperial Academy’s Library Tower, a sleeping administrator—a man with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard—suddenly snapped his eyes open. A ring of golden light flashed in his pupils. The old man, who had been sitting at the counter, slowly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already high in the sky above the Tower of Calamity.

"A perfect clear! It’s actually a perfect clear! I am fortunate enough to witness a perfect clear once again." Golden light flashed in the old man’s eyes, and his voice trembled as he spoke. He was so high up that almost no one below could see him. Most importantly, he emanated no fluctuations of Primordial Power, nor did he manifest Elemental Wings. He simply stood steadily in mid-air as if on solid ground.

On the Empire’s rear mountain, Elder Wu Qingsong, who was deep in his Cultivation, was also jolted awake by the golden pillar of light that pierced the clouds. He transformed into a cyan whirlwind and vanished from the mountain in an instant. Meanwhile, Xuan Yin had been sitting on his throne, listening to reports from his ministers, but the sudden, sky-piercing golden pillar immediately captured everyone’s attention. The tallest structure in the Empire was undoubtedly the Imperial City in the Imperial Capital, and Xuan Yin happened to be facing the pillar of light, his face bathed in its golden glow.

"That is..."

Xuan Yin rose swiftly and walked out of the Imperial Palace gates. Standing in the square, he stared up at the sacred and majestic golden pillar of light. His ministers followed him out, equally stunned by the sight before them.

"What in the world is that?" one minister asked.

"It seems to be coming from the Imperial Academy. Could it be a celestial phenomenon triggered by one of the students?" another minister replied.

"This golden light radiates a profound majesty, yet it holds no malice. I believe I’ve read a record of this somewhere," a middle-aged man with black hair and a black beard, dressed in the robes of a chancellor, said gravely. This was none other than Kong Ye Ming’s father, the Left Minister in charge of the entire Imperial Medicine Vault, Kong Ru. After Kong Ru spoke, the other ministers tried to recall such a record, but after a full minute, none could say for sure.

"That is the phenomenon displayed when someone clears the Imperial Academy’s Tower of Calamity. According to the records, this sight means someone has achieved a perfect clear."

A voice drifted from the void, arriving before its owner. As the words faded, an old man in cyan robes appeared out of thin air beside Xuan Yin. His hands were clasped behind his back, his eyes flashing with a wise glint. Behind him, three other figures materialized. They were none other than the other three National Guardian Elders of the Xuanling Empire: Elder Li, Elder Yin, and Elder Sun.

"A perfect clear!" Xuan Yin exclaimed.

"Indeed. I trust Your Majesty knows what a perfect clear of the Tower of Calamity signifies," Elder Wu said with a delighted expression.

"What does it signify?" Xuan Yin froze for a moment, then a realization dawned on him. He said excitedly, "A Martial King!"

The ancients once calculated that if someone achieves a perfect clear of the Tower of Calamity once, the lowest level their Martial Artist Realm will reach is the Martial King Realm! If they achieve a perfect clear twice, their minimum potential becomes the Martial Sect Realm. Three times means the Martial Emperor Realm. Four and five times correspond to the Martial Venerable and... Martial Saint Realms!

Of course, this statistic only applies to those who achieve a perfect clear. It is not to say that a Martial Artist cannot break through to the Martial King Realm without one—that would be incorrect, as everyone’s potential is different. It’s simply that a perfect clear of the Tower of Calamity reveals the baseline of one’s potential. From ancient times to the present day, every recorded person who has achieved a perfect clear has reached their minimum potential realm. This is the true power of the Tower of Calamity: to foresee one’s potential.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty!" Elder Wu was the first to speak, clasping his fist and smiling at Xuan Yin.

Although the other ministers didn’t fully understand the implications, it clearly sounded like a wonderful development, so they all followed suit with congratulations and pleasantries. But Xuan Yin was in no mood to listen. His eyes remained fixed on the Imperial Academy, watching until the golden pillar of light slowly faded away.