Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

The letter ended there. Mu Bingling’s fair hands trembled uncontrollably. As her fingers traced the words, the strokes of one character had already been smudged.

’The ink isn’t even dry yet... Mu Chen... Chen’Er...’ Mu Bingling clutched the letter, and with a surge of Primordial Power, she shot out of the room. A red Martial Ring instantly appeared at her feet, unleashing the power of a First-Ring Martial Artist. Her speed hit its maximum in an instant, kicking up a swirling gust of wind in her wake.

"Mu Chen, wait for me... please don’t leave. Your sister can’t lose you," she whispered softly. A mist formed in her blue eyes as crystalline tears slowly traced a path down her exquisite cheeks.

The streets were still mostly empty. Mu Bingling sped towards the south gate. She had no idea which of Luofeng City’s four gates Mu Chen had left through. With no real destination, her only thought was to find him and bring him back.

Just then, a figure cloaked in black robes and a conical hat emerged from a side alley. The figure watched the girl’s retreating back and heard her whispers, freezing for a moment. Then, shaking their head, they turned and ran with determination in the opposite direction.

This person was none other than Mu Chen, who had left the clan tournament plaza earlier. After much thought, he had finally made up his mind to leave Luofeng City. He had gone home, hastily written the letter, and then gone to the No. 1 Blacksmith Shop. His items were ready and waiting. He had barely taken two steps out of the shop when he saw a white figure speeding toward him. With senses far keener than an ordinary person’s, he recognized the girl’s face in an instant—who else could it be but Mu Bingling? On the verge of being spotted, Mu Chen had no choice but to duck into an alley, only emerging after watching her disappear into the distance.

"Is this really for the best? It seems that Little Dark Kid is heartbroken," the Profound Old Ghost said with a sigh after a moment’s thought.

Mu Chen rubbed the corners of his eyes and forced a smile. "Wouldn’t saying goodbye to her face have hurt her even more?"

"Sigh. You’ve got resolve, kid. A true expert must be able to endure loneliness. This parting is just a prelude to a future reunion. You have your things, so get going." The Profound Old Ghost was philosophical. ’I’m satisfied that my disciple has such determination,’ he thought. ’It’s just hard on that poor girl. Three years of pining...’

"Mm." Mu Chen nodded. He cast one last glance at the retreating figure, now just a blur in the distance, then pulled his conical hat lower and quickened his pace toward the north gate.

"Master, where are we going?" Mu Chen asked after running for some time, having quickly left Luofeng City behind as he traveled north.

The Profound Old Ghost replied calmly, "Just keep heading north. We’re going to reclaim something that was originally yours."

"Something that belongs to me?" Mu Chen couldn’t help but ask.

"Yep. I’m not telling you now. You’ll know what it is when we reach our destination. Heh heh. Just know that it’s a good thing," the Profound Old Ghost said with a sly chuckle.

Mu Chen pursed his lips and pulled out a map he had bought in Luofeng City, studying it intently. The Xuanling Empire was already a remote nation. Even fewer people lived to its north. A thousand li beyond Luofeng City’s northern border lay a vast Demon Beast Forest, a place where mercenaries and family clans often ventured to hunt Magical Beasts for their Demon Crystals and meat.

For travelers coming from afar, Luofeng City served as a final supply depot. This was how Luofeng City, despite its scarce resources and remote location, had grown into a city of significant size.

Mu Chen frowned. "Master, at this rate, if we keep heading north, we’ll enter the Demon Beast Forest in about ten days."

Now that Mu Chen was outside the city gates, the Profound Old Ghost’s resplendent figure suddenly materialized, standing—oh, no, floating—at Mu Chen’s side. He nodded. "Correct. Our first stop is the Demon Beast Forest. You will spend at least a year there."

"What? A whole year?" Mu Chen exclaimed, his jaw dropping.

The Profound Old Ghost flicked Mu Chen sharply on the forehead. "What are you yelling for, you brat?" he scolded. "Mouth gaping open like that, you looking for a teat? What’s wrong with a year? It’s the only place you’ll experience trials of life and death. Relax, I won’t make a good-for-nothing like you attack High-tier Magical Beasts right away."

"Phew, that’s a relief," Mu Chen sighed. "Otherwise, forget a year, I’d be Magical Beast food within a day." Little did he know that his scheming master had left one part unsaid. ’It’s true I won’t *make* you attack High-tier Magical Beasts... but if a High-tier Magical Beast decides to attack *you*... heh heh...’

With a clear goal, Mu Chen’s pace quickened. His slender back was silhouetted by the setting sun, casting a long shadow as he walked off into the distance...

But Mu Chen was long gone. After searching every corner of Luofeng City and finding no sign of him, Mu Bingling completely broke down, dissolving into tears. It wasn’t until Mufeng and Bi Wan returned that night that they realized something was amiss with their daughter.

With red-rimmed eyes, Mu Bingling hesitated for a moment before telling them what had happened. Hearing that Mu Chen had run away from home, they both grew frantic. Even the ever-composed Mufeng was thrown into a panic, completely at a loss. Bi Wan took it even harder; her eyes went red, and tears streamed down her face as she began to mutter to herself.

The commotion drew the attention of Mu Gu Tian and the three elders, who had come looking for Mu Bingling and were shocked by the scene.

"What? Chen’Er ran away? How could this happen?" All the joy in Mu Gu Tian’s heart evaporated. It wasn’t an act; he truly cared about this "useless" grandson of his. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have endured years of pressure from the Outer Realm and the three elders, all while never mistreating the boy.

"Hmph. Let him go. It’s one thing to be useless, but to be so willful on top of it all..." The Grand Elder never had anything good to say about Mu Chen.

The Second Elder, however, was frowning angrily. "That’s enough, you two," he said. "Look at the state you’re in. You’re not children. Besides, didn’t Mu Chen make himself perfectly clear in his letter? He said not to worry, that he’d take care of himself. Since he said that, what’s there to be concerned about?"

Mufeng, hearing this, seethed with righteous indignation. "Chen’Er is Wan’Er’s and my son! Of course *you’re* not worried!" he shouted. "As for why Chen’Er can’t practice his cultivation... who bears most of the responsibility for that? Have you forgotten what happened twelve years ago?"

"You...!" The Second Elder’s face turned beet-red. He trembled with rage, pointing a finger at Mufeng, but was too choked with anger to speak. Mufeng was right. If it hadn’t been for that incident back then, Mu Chen would never have ended up a good-for-nothing.

"Enough! What are you two arguing about? The most important thing right now is to find Chen’Er!" The Third Elder, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His expression was exceedingly grim; Mufeng’s words had once again reminded them of the incident twelve years ago. They felt guilty about Mu Chen, but after so many years, his reputation in Luofeng City had only worsened. People often used him to shame the entire Mu Family, to the point that the three elders’ own vision had become clouded by resentment.

Surprisingly, no one challenged the Third Elder.

"Gutian. Mufeng. You two give the order: take half the guards, split them into four groups, and have them search out from each of the city gates. I want news of Chen’Er. And make sure they bring him back completely unharmed," the Third Elder ordered with a wave of his hand.

"Yes, Elder!" Mufeng and Mu Gu Tian exchanged a look, then turned to the Third Elder with gratitude and replied in unison.

"Alright, time is of the essence; Chen’Er may not have gone far. We actually came today to see Bingling. She brought great honor to the Mu Family in the clan tournament, and this is her reward from the family. Also, have her get ready. She is to head to the Xuanling Imperial Academy tomorrow morning. Make sure she has everything she needs; don’t let the child suffer on the road."

As he spoke, the Third Elder produced two Small Jade Bottles from his sleeve. He set them down and then left the room, feeling the atmosphere was too stifling. The other two elders, surprisingly, followed him out meekly.

Mufeng found their behavior a bit strange but didn’t dwell on it. He and Mu Gu Tian went out to assign the search parties to the guards.

As for Mu Bingling, she had remained seated the entire time, head bowed, without saying a word. In her hand, she clutched the emerald-green Jade Pendant Mu Chen had left behind. The character for "Chen" was carved into it, and her slender fingers traced its form again and again.

DRIP... DRIP...

Two tears slowly fell, splashing against the Jade Pendant. Watching her, Bi Wan’s heart ached. She pulled Mu Bingling into her arms, and mother and daughter once again dissolved into tears together...

「The next morning」

Just as promised, Yan Ruyu, Tang Hao, and an elder in black robes arrived at the Mu Mansion. The entire household was stirred, and they received the visitors with the honors befitting esteemed guests. At noon, a red-eyed Mu Bingling departed with the trio. Taking one last look at her familiar home, she touched the Jade Pendant on her wrist and murmured, "Chen’Er, your sister is leaving now. I’ll be waiting for you at the academy."

Mu Bingling departed. With her were Mu Rongxuan, Wang Junyao, Chen Qing, and Wang Xihai. Their destination: the Xuanling Empire’s Martial Artist Academy...

"Mufeng, now we’re all alone. Our son has run away, and our daughter has been taken away... How are we supposed to live now?" Bi Wan watched Mu Bingling depart, and only when her daughter’s figure had vanished completely did the tears begin to stream down her face.

Mufeng gently pulled Bi Wan into his embrace. "Wan’Er," he said softly, "I was thinking all last night, and I suddenly realized we’ve been wrong. The children are grown. They have their own paths to walk. If we always keep them by our side, protecting and coddling them, they can never truly mature. Both our children have now chosen their own way. We should be proud of them, not miserable. I’m sure Bingling and Chen’Er wouldn’t want to see us like this."

"But..." Bi Wan sobbed.

Mufeng gave a soft chuckle. "You have to have faith in them. They’re our children, after all."

Bi Wan froze for a second, then slowly nodded, a smile breaking through her tears. "Mm."

「Inside the Patriarch’s Mansion」

Mu Gu Tian and Wang Mo sat facing each other. Wang Mo looked somewhat embarrassed. "You see, that girl, Junyao... she’s so headstrong. Insisting she’s still young and has no time for romance."

Mu Gu Tian chuckled. "Well, we old-timers shouldn’t meddle in the children’s affairs anyway. Now, about the Chen and Li Families..." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"I was just about to mention that," Wang Mo said, his expression turning grim as he let out a cold snort. "According to my informant inside the Chen Family, the Chens and the Lis have made a plan. They intend to completely wipe our two families from the face of Luofeng City."

SLAM!

Mu Gu Tian’s reaction was even more explosive. He slammed his hand on the table in a rage. "The Chen and Li Families certainly have ambitions!" he roared. "Do they really think we’re just pushovers they can crush at will?!"

"Hmph. I’ve heard they have secret connections to a major sect. I’m worried about unforeseen trouble," Wang Mo said, rubbing his temples.

Mu Gu Tian’s expression was just as grim. If they truly had a powerful backer, the Mu and Wang families would be at a massive disadvantage. "This is unacceptable. I must go and make preparations immediately, so we can respond when the time comes."