Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Life returned to its usual rhythm. Mu Chen’s days fell into a simple routine: Primordial Qi Body Tempering, training his arm strength, and studying the Copper Bell. When he was hungry, he ate dry rations. When he grew tired, he circulated the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique to restore his energy and stamina. Mu Chen was content. He could use a Cultivation Technique even as a Martial Disciple, which allowed him to forgo sleep and rest. Having fallen years behind everyone else, Mu Chen now seized every available moment to focus on his Cultivation.

Cultivation was always a tedious affair, and even more so when done alone, with not a single person to talk to. Occasionally, however, Mu Chen would pause his training late at night as familiar faces surfaced in his mind.

’Father, Mother, Sister, I swear I will become an indomitable expert.’ Clenching his fists, Mu Chen looked up at the night sky with determination. The countless stars gave him a sense of vastness, making him feel serene and relaxed.

In the days that followed, Mu Chen’s training became increasingly heavy, and he grew even more diligent. Through the long, repetitive cycles of depletion and replenishment, he had completely mastered the key to recovering his stamina. After every session that exhausted him, he would push himself to a state of absolute fatigue. Only by doing so would his recovery become ever faster.

「A month later.」

Lying in front of the rock face, beads of sweat dotted Mu Chen’s face, yet the corners of his mouth were turned up in an expression of comfort. Over the past month, his body had been tempered by Primordial Qi, and his physical toughness had increased dramatically. He believed that even if he were to slip from the cliff now, he wouldn’t be seriously injured. Moreover, thanks to swinging the forty-kilogram Black Iron Lock Chain every day, his Cultivation had reached the level of a Fourth-Ring Martial Disciple two weeks prior.

Such a cultivation speed was something others could only dream of. This achievement was not only due to his possession of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique, but more importantly, it was thanks to Mu Chen’s diligence and unyielding will. An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to endure it for even ten days, let alone a whole month.

His persistence also brought about corresponding changes in his body. He had originally been only 1.6 meters tall, but within a month, nourished by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, he had grown considerably. He now appeared to be about 1.65 meters tall. Furthermore, his once frail body now looked somewhat sturdy.

Mu Chen was undoubtedly happy to see these changes. Feeling his strength grow day by day, he dedicated himself to his Cultivation with even greater fervor, becoming completely immersed in his training.

Meanwhile, in a place unknown to Mu Chen, a pair of purple eyes within the Extreme Spirit Pearl revealed a flicker of surprise, which quickly turned into gratification. The eyes, filled with a Barbaric Aura, appeared for only an instant before vanishing once more.

Looking at the notches carved into the wall, Mu Chen murmured, "It’s been a month."

With that, Mu Chen swung his left arm, and the Black Iron Lock Chain whipped out, smashing against the cliff face and sending shattered rock flying.

Mu Chen continued to swing his left arm, wielding the Black Iron Lock Chain like a long, black whip. It let out a sharp WHOOSH as it cut through the air, leaving deep gashes wherever it struck.

’It’s time to leave this place.’ He gave the Black Iron Lock Chain a sharp tug, his left hand shooting out to catch the end. Glancing at the numerous nicks and gashes now clearly visible on the chain, Mu Chen gave a slight smile.

Mu Chen had lost count of how many times he had faced this cliff. He once thought that he could scale it as long as he overcame the issue with his left arm, but he had been wrong. Two weeks ago, he had challenged the cliff face again, but he failed. The price of failure was a six-meter fall. Fortunately, after a month of being nourished and tempered by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, his body was already comparable to that of a Martial Artist. As a result, the fall only left him with some bruises and minor cuts; his bones were unharmed.

It was after that fall that Mu Chen resolved not to attempt the climb again until he became a Fifth-Ring Martial Disciple. Two days ago, he had felt the breakthrough to the Fifth Ring approaching, but two days had passed with no progress. After thinking it over, he arrived at a key realization. ’I’ve probably hit a bottleneck.’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

’Logically, there shouldn’t be any bottlenecks in the Martial Disciple realm.’ Shaking his head forcefully, Mu Chen looked at the cliff face again. He focused on a protrusion he had studied many times. It was the only spot from which he could safely begin the final ascent to the top.

With that thought, Mu Chen stomped and leaped upward. His left foot landed squarely on the protrusion as his left hand expertly found a hold in a rock crevice. The current Mu Chen was a world apart from the boy who had first arrived. With a sudden burst of strength from his left arm, he hauled himself upward, his body launching forward like an ape. He accurately found another handhold and then leaped to the next one using the exact same technique. The entire sequence was executed in one fluid motion, without a hint of awkwardness.

No one had taught him this climbing technique; he had developed it entirely on his own through insight and repeated trial and error.

WHOOSH!

Another leap brought him half a meter higher. After securing his hold, Mu Chen found himself at the midpoint of the cliff face. He pressed his body flat against the rock and took a shallow breath, surveying the path above. This was the exact spot where he had fallen before. The reason was simple: from here on up, there were no more handholds or footholds.

The last time he had reached this point, he had decided to take a leap of faith, only to discover there was nowhere to land, causing him to plummet. But this time was different. Over the past two weeks, he had found a way to the top.

Mu Chen locked his gaze on a tree trunk growing out of the cliff face two meters away. With a powerful swing of his left arm, the Black Iron Lock Chain shot from his hand like a black iron whip, wrapping itself securely around the trunk with pinpoint accuracy.

A smirk touched Mu Chen’s lips. He kicked off the cliff, using all his strength to swing out. With this new pivot, he used the tree trunk and the Black Iron Lock Chain to launch himself three meters up and across, to where many similar trunks grew.

He chose a trunk at random and landed securely. Then, his left arm erupted with power, and with a single, sharp tug, he retrieved the Black Iron Lock Chain. Now, Mu Chen was only four meters from the top of the cliff, and with plenty of handholds available, this section could no longer hold him back.

He once again employed his ape-like climbing technique, and with a few quick leaps, he conquered the remaining four meters.

"Haha, I’m finally making it to the top!" Mu Chen laughed, already able to see the green grass above. He had truly grown weary of that forgotten place below.

However, just as Mu Chen planted his foot on the final handhold, a loud CRACK echoed. The exposed tree root he was holding onto suddenly snapped. Mu Chen froze for an instant before his entire body pitched backward into the open air.

’It’s over!’ he thought in terror. He was more than ten meters up! A fall from this height would leave him crippled, if not dead.

’No! I refuse to be crippled here!’ Mu Chen roared. Just then, a warmth spread through his body. On instinct, he flung the Black Iron Lock Chain in his left hand out with all his might, smashing it against the cliff face. In that instant, the chain acted like an all-penetrating Sword Blade, embedding itself deep within the rock. The momentum of his fall abruptly halted, leaving him dangling in mid-air.

’Phew... Thank goodness I broke through. It’s true what they say—advancement only comes quickly when you’re on the verge of death.’ Mu Chen let out a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his temples. He quickly found a new hold. Feeling the surging power coursing through his body, he started climbing toward the top once more. Thankfully, he was much more careful this time and successfully reached the summit of the cliff.

Gazing out at the endless plains before him, Mu Chen was struck by a profound sense of how much things had changed. Just two days ago, he had been cultivating in the difficult environment at the bottom of the cliff. Now, a wide, long road stretched out before him. For a moment, he just stood there, stunned.

After a moment, a roguish voice suddenly spoke up. "Brat, are you done gawking yet? Even I can’t stand to watch anymore. Did staying down there for so long make you stupid?"

Mu Chen started. "Master?"

The Profound Old Ghost’s transparent form coalesced before Mu Chen like a swirling vortex of air. He smiled faintly. "Mm. I woke up a moment ago and was about to go back to sleep, but then I thought of you, kid, and decided I’d pop out and check on your progress."

As he finished speaking, the Profound Old Ghost looked Mu Chen up and down with a hint of a smile, then nodded. "Not bad, kid. Advancing five tiers in a single month to reach the Fifth-Ring Martial Disciple realm... an achievement like that would make you a genius among geniuses anywhere you go. Have you gotten used to the weight of the Black Iron Lock Chain?"

Mu Chen said nothing, simply giving his left arm a natural swing. He caught the Black Iron Lock Chain with ease. The Profound Old Ghost nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Now, take the ten-kilogram and twenty-five-kilogram Black Iron Blocks from your pack and lock them to the end of the chain. It’s time to increase your load."

Mu Chen remained silent. A month had passed, but he hadn’t forgotten his duties. He obediently took out two palm-sized Black Iron Blocks and quickly locked them onto the chain. Feeling the new weight, he gave a wry smile. His left arm, which he had just gotten used to, once again felt impossibly heavy.

Whether it was intentional or not, Mu Chen was surprised to discover that the added weight of the two Black Iron Blocks brought him to the absolute limit of his endurance. Any more, and he wouldn’t be able to move an inch. Any less, and it wouldn’t be effective for his training.

The Profound Old Ghost glanced at the gashes on the Black Iron Lock Chain and said, "It’s less than an eight-day journey to the Demon Beast Forest from here. Your strength is still pitifully weak, so I have no choice but to use these inhuman methods to excavate your potential. By the way, how is your research on that bell coming along?"

Mu Chen finally spoke. "I’ve made no progress at all. But starting today, I’m going to focus my efforts on studying it."

"Good. The bell is actually the most important thing. Let me give you a hint: the reason the bell chimes when you move is that you have too much wasted motion. Well, I’m tired. Time to sleep." After saying his piece, the Profound Old Ghost yawned. His body, condensed from Primordial Qi, burst apart into a shower of light and vanished without a trace.

Mu Chen was completely resigned when it came to the Profound Old Ghost. He was thoroughly used to the old man’s habit of appearing and disappearing without a trace. Nevertheless, Mu Chen committed every single one of the Profound Old Ghost’s words to memory.

"The Copper Bell rings because I have too much wasted motion," Mu Chen murmured, repeating the Profound Old Ghost’s words. He untied the Golden Copper Bell from his waist, held it up before his eyes, and began to examine it closely.