Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"The qualification... to enter Ancient Ruins..."

Mu Chen was inwardly shocked. Ancient Ruins... Those were the highest level of ruins, like the Tower of Calamity—a separate space that countless Martial Artists yearned to enter, yet one that held innumerable hidden dangers.

As Mu Chen recalled, Di Cang had once told him that ruins were divided into two categories: Ancient Ruins and those formed postnatally. Ancient Ruins were said to be created by gods or by nature itself. No one knew how they came to be, nor why they contained things so alluring to Martial Artists. They might be a type of Independent Space from Ancient Times, or perhaps ancient battlefields. In short, their appearance was not the result of human interference; they had formed on their own.

These postnatally formed ruins were also known as King’s Relics, Emperor’s Relics, Venerable’s Relics, Saint’s Relics, and Emperor’s Relics. Without exception, they were all resting places that renowned experts of the continent had prepared for themselves before their demise. They were concealed and difficult to discover, but the level of danger within them was nowhere near comparable to that of Ancient Ruins. This was because postnatally formed ruins were mostly trials left by predecessors for their descendants, or even martial inheritances for their own lineage. The focus was on testing successors, not on the principle of survival of the fittest.

Ancient Ruins, however, were different. They were nature’s own proving grounds. While they held innumerable treasures, those were items the ruins had "collected" for themselves; they belonged to the ruins. If a group of people suddenly tried to enter and seize them, the Ancient Ruins would certainly not let them come and go freely. That was why, out of every ten people who entered an Ancient Ruin, at most only two or three would emerge alive.

But one might ask, why would such "selfish" Ancient Ruins open at all? Of course, nature has always shown humanity mercy; otherwise, humans could not live peacefully on this continent, and the Ancient Ruins are no exception. There is a saying: "Just when you think all paths are lost, a new village appears amidst the willows and flowers." Nature always leaves a sliver of hope for humanity, a glimmer of opportunity. Whether you can seize that opportunity and ascend like a dragon depends on your own destiny.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward. Since it was a high-stakes gamble with one’s life on the line, the potential gains were naturally benefits one could not hope to obtain in an entire lifetime. This was the allure of the Ancient Ruins.

However, the rules for opening these Ancient Ruins had long been in the hands of countless major families. In theory, they could have hoarded the opportunity, allowing only their own family members to enter and thus strengthen their clan. But they didn’t. This world was never supported by a single family, and no family would dare claim to be the Overlord of the Extreme Martial Continent, reigning supreme over all of humanity. Biting off more than one can chew and acting out of pure self-interest would only provoke the outrage of the entire continent. To avoid public outcry and pressure from all sides, every family controlling an Ancient Ruin’s opening would release seventy percent of the entry qualifications to the outside world.

The remaining thirty percent of the slots were reserved for their own family. Of course, even this thirty percent was enough for a family to flourish in the current era without being pushed into the eye of the storm. Even so, the total number of entry slots never exceeded one hundred people—another one of the Ancient Ruins’ limitations on humanity.

Behind his closed eyelids, the raging flames of battle ignited in Mu Chen’s eyes. He had always been a battle enthusiast, filled with intense curiosity about the continent’s unknowns. These Ancient Ruins were clearly different from level-clearing-style relics like the Tower of Calamity; they were more about competition and conflict. Inside, it wasn’t just a test of one’s strength, but also of one’s wisdom and cunning. Otherwise, no matter how powerful someone was, in that world of only a hundred people, they could easily become the first to perish.

Seeing Mu Chen’s excited expression, Xu Fei wasn’t the least bit surprised. In a deeply tempting voice, he asked, "What do you think? Are you interested, Brother Mu Chen?"

Mu Chen took a deep breath. "You could say that. After all, at my core, I’m a Martial Artist through and through."

Xu Fei chuckled. "I knew you’d react this way. That’s why I deliberately saved this reward for last."

Mu Chen shook his head with a wry smile. "In that case, Brother Xu, when is this Spirit Selection Conference held?"

Xu Fei replied, "Your timing is perfect. The Spirit Selection Conference is in four days, but it’s being held in the Fenglan Imperial City. If you don’t have much else to do, we can leave tomorrow. The sooner we get to the Imperial Capital, the sooner we can complete the registration procedures. You know, if you’re even a little late, you’ll be disqualified."

Mu Chen nodded. "Sounds good. I’m only passing through Stone City anyway, so leaving tomorrow works for me."

Xu Fei clapped Mu Chen on the shoulder. "Then you should hurry back and get some rest, Brother Mu Chen. You just finished a long journey, and now you have to set out again tomorrow without a proper break. That’s no way to keep a clear head. As it happens, I need to find a decent Beast Vehicle. We’ll set out at dawn tomorrow and travel at full speed. We should reach the Imperial Capital in about two days."

Mu Chen nodded. "That works. I’ll head back to the inn, then. I’ll be waiting for you at the entrance tomorrow morning, Brother Xu."

With a smile, Xu Fei turned and headed toward the marketplace, presumably to purchase a Beast Vehicle. In truth, Xu Fei had underestimated Mu Chen’s mental fortitude. Mu Chen’s Spiritual Power had already reached the High Level Realm of the Late Stage of the Kan Realm. Without a Cultivation Method for Spiritual Power, a person would need to reach the Emperor Realm in their Martial Artist Realm just to achieve the Late Stage of the Kan Realm. Therefore, for Mu Chen, a mere five days of focused travel was nowhere near enough to cause him any mental fatigue.

Mu Chen glanced back one more time at the magnificent and luxurious Spirit Selector Guild, a slight smile playing on his lips. ’I have to take first place.’ With that thought, he too turned and walked in the direction of the inn. Wan Xian’Er was still there by herself.

Back at the inn, the dinner rush was in full swing. Mu Chen’s appearance—blue hair and a black box on his back—immediately drew countless eyes. At first, people merely sized him up with curiosity, but when they noticed the three resplendent feather insignias on his sleeve cuff, their expressions instantly turned respectful.

It wasn’t that the people here didn’t respect Martial Artists; it was simply that in their hearts, the status of a Spirit Selector was a notch higher. Thus, they had a natural pecking order when it came to treating the two. It was just like the difference in status between a Cauldron Master and a Martial Master. If a Cauldron Master and a Martial Artist were to stand before someone in power, the attitude toward the far rarer Cauldron Master would naturally be more deferential. The people of Stone City were no different—rarity begets value.

Noticing the stares, Mu Chen simply offered a friendly smile and headed up the stairs to the second floor, leaving the crowd with the sight of his lean yet straight back. He had already eaten around three, so he wasn’t the least bit hungry now.

Watching Mu Chen’s retreating figure, some of the people who had been at the stone-gambling event that morning began to whisper among themselves.

"Wasn’t that kid the blue-haired youth who just arrived from out of town this morning?"

"You mean the little guy who got that Rare Attribute Spirit Crystal by luck?"

"Yeah, but just now I saw with my own eyes the Spirit Selector Grade on his cuff. That’s the mark of a Third Grade Spirit Selector!"

"I saw it too! I thought it was a trick of the light. Could it be that this morning, it wasn’t luck, but his actual skill?"

"That must be it. To be a Third Grade Spirit Selector at such a young age... I bet in a few years, this kid will definitely become a Spirit Selection Master."

"Haha, I think so too..."

Having already reached the fourth floor, Mu Chen wryly rubbed his nose. His senses were too sharp; he had heard every single word of the conversations below. He glanced toward the service counter he’d passed and saw it was empty. ’They must have all been sent out on errands by demanding guests at this hour,’ he mused.

’’People are really treated differently depending on their status. This world is truly one where the strong devour the weak. If you’re not powerful enough, you’re just at the mercy of others.’’

Sighing, he shook his head and walked the few steps to Wan Xian’er’s door. Just as he was about to knock, he sensed faint traces of Wood Attribute Elemental Power emanating from within. A slight smile touched his lips; he knew Wan Xian’er was absorbing the Wood Attribute Spirit Crystal. He slowly lowered his raised hand. The last thing a person needed during cultivation was to be disturbed. Mu Chen hung the plaque on Wan Xian’er’s door, the one that read: "Do Not Disturb."

Back in his own room, Mu Chen placed the Profound Jade Box by his bed and sat down, reflecting on the day’s events. From the moment he met Xu Fei, he had been absorbing a stream of new knowledge and insights. Although it was all easy enough to grasp, the words that sparked his ambition continued to echo in his mind.

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen calmed his racing thoughts. With a flick of his wrist, a Wind Attribute Spirit Crystal appeared in his hand.

’It’s time to absorb these two Attribute Spirit Crystals and see if my theory is correct.’

With that thought, Mu Chen used his Primordial Power to suspend the Attribute Spirit Crystal in the air before him. Lying on his side on the bed, he began to rapidly circulate the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. Faint wisps of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi began to gather from the surroundings, seeping into his pores at an extremely slow pace.

Next, Mu Chen focused his intent, locking the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique’s absorption onto the Wind Attribute Spirit Crystal. WHOOSH! Streaks of light green Pure Elemental Power shot out from the crystal and were drawn directly into his Dantian. At the same time, as if sensing the fluctuations of Wind Attribute Elemental Power, the Wind Attribute Dantian within him—which had always served as a reservoir for Primordial Power—began to float up on its own. It stopped above his Dantian Vortex and started to spin rapidly.

The Spirit Crystal outside his body seemed to answer the call of his Wind Attribute Dantian. It suddenly erupted, releasing a massive amount of pure Wind Attribute Elemental Power that surged toward Mu Chen’s abdomen. The Dantian and the Spirit Crystal acted as a single unit—one transmitting, the other absorbing—with no need for any conduit or guidance from a cultivation technique.

This was the first time Mu Chen had ever encountered such a bizarre phenomenon. By the time he fully registered what was happening, the Wind Attribute Rare Spirit Crystal had already turned into a transparent husk, its Primordial Power completely gone.

Upon sensing his Wind Attribute Dantian again, Mu Chen was astonished to discover that his Wind Attribute Elemental Power had been significantly strengthened.

"Could it be...!" Mu Chen said in shock, feeling the faint green energy swirling around his fingertips. "These Attribute Spirit Crystals can strengthen my Attribute Elemental Power..."