Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"Yes." The seven men responded in unison, then leaped and vanished into the vast, snowy landscape.

Seeing the men had gone into hiding, Han Yifeng glanced once more at his missing right arm, his expression instantly turning ugly. ’A single misstep brings eternal regret,’ he thought. "I wonder if there’s any way to reattach it."

Leaving this mutter behind, Han Yifeng flicked his sleeve and transformed into a streak of green light, disappearing from the town.

Inside a private room in the Celestial Fragrance Pavilion, on a bed made from a Red Simurgh Wood Couch, a young man was unconsciously murmuring softly. Beside him, a young woman dressed in a colorful Ni Chang gown frowned, watching the young man on the bed intently.

The young woman was none other than the Zither Maiden who had blocked Han Yifeng earlier, Qin Wu. However, she had now lost her air of cold, noble elegance. Her once-rosy face was now slightly pale.

"Miss, why did you have to save this guy? You even used a Secret Technique to forcibly raise your realm. Don’t you know how dangerous the side effects of a Secret Technique are? Besides, one look at this kid and you can tell he’s just some country bumpkin from a poor backwater village. What’s the use in saving him?" Beside the young woman in the Ni Chang gown, a sweet-looking maidservant pouted at her resentfully. She then shot a glance at the young man on the bed, her eyes full of disdain.

"Xiaoyu, don’t talk nonsense. Everyone has their own Celestial Mandate. A person’s birth cannot determine their future path. What I can tell you is, the person I saved wasn’t him, but Han Yifeng." Qin Wu chided her softly, then sighed. She turned to look at the Silver-armored Little Beast devouring food on the room’s table, a curious glint in her eyes.

Xiaoyu followed Qin Wu’s gaze toward the little beast. Being naturally airheaded, she hadn’t heard the last thing Qin Wu said at all. Seeing the Silver-armored Little Beast gulping down chunks of black beef, she couldn’t help but pout again and scold, "Eat, eat, eat, all you know is how to eat! How many pieces of black beef is that already? Hmph, you and your master are both bad news."

But the Silver-armored Little Beast completely ignored Xiaoyu, remaining focused on its battle with the black beef on the table. It even let out a few happy grunts from time to time, leaving Xiaoyu utterly deflated.

Qin Wu shook her head with a wry smile, thinking, ’If you knew that this little beast you’re scolding is a Royal Beast, Xiaoyu, I wonder if you’d be proud or terrified.’

The days passed one by one. This was now the fourth day of Mu Chen’s coma. The once-clear skies of Frost Cold Town were now filled with a blizzard of goose-feather snow, mixed with bits of hail that rattled against the Moulded Jade windows. The sound was quite disruptive in the quiet night, and Mu Chen, asleep on the couch, couldn’t help but furrow his brows slightly.

"Miss, this kid has been in a coma for four days. We’ve used plenty of top-grade medicinal herbs on him. Although his sternum hasn’t healed yet, he should have woken up by now. We don’t have any men here, so we can’t even change his clothes or bathe him. The room is starting to stink after all this time," Xiaoyu, who was watching over Mu Chen, began to complain to Qin Wu again.

Qin Wu smiled faintly. "Everyone’s constitution is different. I just examined his physique and found that his physical strength far exceeds that of an ordinary Martial Artist of the same realm. So your standards for ordinary people don’t apply to him."

Xiaoyu huffed twice, then suddenly turned to Qin Wu, staring intently at her stunningly beautiful face without a word. Qin Wu was puzzled. She reached up and gently touched her own cheek, asking in a low voice, "Xiaoyu, what are you looking at? Is there something strange on my face?"

"I’m trying to see if you’ve fallen for that country bumpkin."

"Xiaoyu! What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Ooh, Miss, you’re blushing! I knew it, you’ve fallen for that poor boy."

"You’re getting more and more insolent. See if I don’t punish you."

"Alright, alright, I was wrong..."

Soon, the two young women, close in age, were playfully wrestling in the room. But Mu Chen was oblivious to all of it. After roughhousing for a while, both were slick with sweat and panting delicately. If people in the Outer Realm knew that the Miss Qin Wu they idolized had such a girlish side, one wonders what they would think.

As if suddenly remembering there was someone else in the room, Qin Wu shot up reflexively and quickly straightened her disheveled clothes. She shot Xiaoyu a reproachful look and said, "Look at you, you’re getting completely out of line. I’m the Miss! If he wakes up and sees us like this, how will I ever face anyone again?"

Xiaoyu giggled. "Then you can just marry him."

"You..." Two crimson clouds bloomed on Qin Wu’s cheeks. She subconsciously glanced at the young man on the bed. For some reason, she always felt that this not-so-strong young man was extraordinary. Suddenly hearing Xiaoyu’s laughter by her ear, Qin Wu exclaimed petulantly, "Oh, so you dare to speak such nonsense! I’m going to punish you. Your punishment is to go wipe his body..."

"Huh? Miss, how can I wipe his body? I’m a girl!" Xiaoyu, who had been snickering, suddenly widened her eyes, her face filled with panic.

Qin Wu’s expression hardened, and her entire aura changed in an instant, as if she had become a different person. Her noble Cold Flame temperament radiated out again. She fixed her eyes on Xiaoyu, her tone somewhat stern. "Xiaoyu, go."

"Yes, Miss." Seeing her mistress turn serious, Xiaoyu froze for a moment, then quickly bowed. Pouting, she walked to the side of the couch and hesitated for a long time, her hands fidgeting, at a loss for where to begin. The very instant she steeled herself and placed her hand on Mu Chen’s chest, an intense white light erupted from his left wrist. As the light flashed, a slender silver Locking Chain shot out from his wrist, rapidly encircling Xiaoyu. Its spiraling blades locked onto her neck like a Poisonous Snake, poised to pierce her throat if she moved even an inch.

"AHH!"

This sudden development made Xiaoyu scream instinctively. Qin Wu reacted instantly as well. A blue ring on her finger flashed, and a purple Ancient Rhyme Guqin materialized in her hands. Primordial Power surged, and six yellow Martial Rings emerged from beneath her feet. This was her true strength: a Sixth Ring Grand Martial Master. The other day, she had used a Secret Technique to forcibly raise her Martial Artist Realm.

However, at that very moment, a man with a full head of blue hair and closed eyes abruptly appeared beside Mu Chen. The man was exceedingly handsome—it was the Profound Old Ghost. Of course, Qin Wu and the others could not see him. The Profound Old Ghost turned his head. "She has no ill intent. Do not make things difficult for her."

Hearing this, Broken Star nodded at the Profound Old Ghost in a very human-like manner, then quickly retracted into Mu Chen’s wrist, transforming into the imprint of a star.

"M-Miss... Wh-what was that?" Xiaoyu’s body had gone limp. She stared blankly at Mu Chen, still shaken.

Qin Wu’s brow furrowed even deeper as she murmured, "A Royal Beast, a Spiritual Treasure Soldier... Just who is he...? Could he be a disciple from one of those great clans, out gaining experience?"

She had no choice but to re-evaluate this seemingly frail young man. But the more she looked, the more she felt he was shrouded in a thick fog, impossible to see through.

After that sudden incident, Xiaoyu refused to go near Mu Chen to undress and wipe him down, no matter what. Qin Wu didn’t force her. Gathering her Primordial Power, she gave a wave, and Mu Chen’s upper garments disintegrated, revealing his snow-white skin and... the countless, vivid scars that covered it.

The scars were like ravines, densely covering his entire upper body. Often, one scar would be crisscrossed by even more. What they found even more unbelievable was that he had no right arm—only a clean-cut incision at his right shoulder, clearly man-made. At this sight, Xiaoyu’s heart, which had just calmed down, leaped into her throat again. She clamped her hands tightly over her mouth, afraid to make a sound.

Even the ever-composed Qin Wu’s lips parted slightly. Her gaze wavered, and the faint glint of tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t know Mu Chen, much less where he came from, but those scars still stirred her quiescent heart. ’Just what kind of past did this young man have to endure, to be left with so many marks and yet still live on so tenaciously?’

’If he were a disciple of a great clan, he would never have suffered such grievous injuries. But if he isn’t, then why would he have a Royal Beast as a Guardian and the protection of a Spiritual Treasure Soldier? All of this was a complete enigma. In her eyes, Mu Chen’s identity, already shrouded in fog, was now coated in a layer of frost.’

Looking at his disciple lying on the bed, the not-yet-vanished Profound Old Ghost was also deeply moved. He had witnessed this young man struggle step by step from being a cripple to where he was today. Every scar on his body was a testament to his conviction, to the unwavering belief that he would become one of the strong. "So what if you’re a cripple? So what if you’re disabled? You will always be your Master’s pride. I will ensure that you stand at the pinnacle of this world."

Leaving behind this soft murmur, the Profound Old Ghost turned and vanished on the spot...

That night, the wind and snow seemed to have ceased. All was silent, and the sky was clear and empty. After some encouragement from Qin Wu, Xiaoyu did end up wiping Mu Chen’s upper body. The Shattered Star Lock Chain did not appear this time, which allowed Xiaoyu to breathe a small sigh of relief. "Miss, I’ve finished wiping him down. We don’t have any new clothes for him; I’ll need to go to the market to buy some tomorrow."

"Then go and buy some for him tomorrow morning. It’s late now; let’s go back to our room." Qin Wu nodded, glanced at Mu Chen, then turned and left the room. Xiaoyu tucked Mu Chen in, gently closed the door, and hurried after Qin Wu.

But what they didn’t see was that after Xiaoyu closed the door, Mu Chen’s fingers twitched slightly. At that moment, his consciousness showed faint signs of returning. The first to detect Mu Chen’s stirring was not the Profound Old Ghost residing in his mind, but the Extreme Spirit Pearl. The dim Extreme Spirit Pearl suddenly flashed with countless specks of fluorescent light. As it spun rapidly, a stream of white energy flowed out and slowly trickled along Mu Chen’s meridians into his Sea of Souls. In less than a moment, Mu Chen’s once-dim Sea of Souls slowly brightened, once again resembling a starry sky.

"Ugh..."

A weak groan escaped Mu Chen’s lips. His vision was a blur for a moment before his surroundings sharpened into focus. A sharp pain lanced through his chest. After observing his environment, he realized everything here was completely unfamiliar.

"Master, Master." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

After he called out twice in his mind, the Profound Old Ghost’s devilishly charming voice replied, "My good disciple."