Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

As a result, countless young people fought tooth and nail every year, trying every conceivable method to get into the Imperial Academy. But the Academy only enrolled students once a year, accepting just one thousand people. Thus, every single spot was exceptionally precious.

The Imperial Academy was situated in the western part of the Xuanling Empire’s Royal Capital, near the Demon Beast Forest. Essentially, the entire western region was the Imperial Academy’s domain. In front of the academy gates lay an enormous plaza, a space nearly half the size of Luofeng City. Today, however, it was packed to the brim with people, leaving not a single empty space.

The clamor was like crashing ocean waves, rolling in one after another, threatening to flip the entire Royal Capital sky-high. Yet, amidst this crowded plaza stood a blue-haired youth in a snow-white robe, a long black case slung across his back at the waist. Many of the people around him wore looks of displeasure, and some had even begun to curse under their breath. This person was, of course, none other than Mu Chen, recently returned from the Eternal Frozen Snowfield. Thanks to over a year of intense training, Mu Chen had shot up to about 1.8 meters, giving him a very tall and slender, but not particularly brawny, appearance.

"Hey, punk! Get that coffin of yours out of the way," a bare-chested, fierce-looking young man snarled, flipping Mu Chen the middle finger. Several other applicants standing nearby immediately chimed in with jeers.

Mu Chen’s brow furrowed. He was accustomed to solitude, and the surrounding din made his ears ring incessantly, giving him no peace. Now, with someone cursing at him right to his face, Mu Chen felt a surge of anger. His Primordial Power gushed forth, and the surrounding air temperature instantly plummeted by more than ten degrees.

The few applicants closest to him shivered involuntarily. They all stared at Mu Chen in horror and immediately fell silent. Even the fierce, bare-chested young man who had just been cursing vanished without a trace, as if terrified Mu Chen had set his sights on him.

Mu Chen shook his head, resigned. ’His mindset was mature, so of course he wouldn’t lower himself to bickering with these ordinary people.’ Just then, a large bald man strode out from inside the academy. Veins bulged on his forehead as he turned and bellowed, "All of you, shut the hell up! Anyone else who wants to make a fuss, I’ll revoke your application status!"

The bellow was like a lion’s roar, powerful enough to make one’s ears go numb. Fortunately, Mu Chen’s Spiritual Power was formidable, and he quickly blocked the sound waves, so he was largely unaffected. What surprised him, however, was that roughly a tenth of the applicants also stood their ground nonchalantly, appearing completely unaffected. ’Looks like Master was right,’ he thought. ’The Extreme Martial Continent is never lacking in geniuses.’

After that thunderous shout, the entire plaza did indeed fall silent. After all, no one wanted to make a bad impression on the academy at a time like this. Just as everyone was trying to make sense of the situation, an elderly man in black robes suddenly appeared on the registration stage in the center of the plaza. All the instructors in charge of registration, including the bald man, bowed to him in unison. The old man waved his hand, turned, and announced in a resonant voice, "Greetings, everyone. I am Di Cang, the Vice-President of the Imperial Academy. First, I welcome you all. However, I must now inform you of a hard truth: the Imperial Academy accepts only one thousand students each year. This means that among all of you gathered here, only one percent—or perhaps even fewer—will be able to stay."

An uproar swept through the crowd.

Even though everyone knew this rule, they still couldn’t help but gasp. A one-percent chance was simply too slim.

"Alright, I won’t waste any more words. We will now begin the first round of the new student selection: a test of everyone’s Primordial Power purity. In addition, if any of you are attribute martial artists, you may come directly onto the stage and stand beside me." The old man unleashed his Primordial Power, his voice spreading across the entire plaza. All the instructors took their positions, and in front of each of them lay a translucent, irregularly shaped stone—the tool used to test Primordial Power purity.

No sooner had the black-robed elder spoken than twenty-seven people leaped from the crowd onto the stage. Seeing so many jump up at once, the elder’s sharp gaze swept over every one of them. A faint smile touched his features as he chuckled, "It seems this year’s crop of new talent is quite good. Twenty-seven attribute martial artists. The twenty-seven of you need not participate in these tedious selections. You are now official students."

Upon hearing this, the twenty-seven new students became ecstatic. They all stood ramrod straight, looking down haughtily at the sea of other applicants who were now staring up at them with undisguised envy.

Mu Chen shook his head inwardly. ’These people are like children before me, completely beneath comparison.’ He himself was an attribute martial artist who possessed nine different attributes, one of which had even become an Extreme Attribute. Frustratingly, it was precisely because he was a martial artist with nine attributes that he gave off the same reading as an attributeless martial artist to any observer.

"Huang Bin. Primordial Power purity: Low Grade. Fail! Next."

A young man walked out of the line, his head hung in dejection. He had clearly failed.

"Zhang Xiaoshan. Primordial Power purity: Middle Grade. Pass! Next." Another youth of about sixteen or seventeen emerged, his face beaming with joy.

"Qing Lei. Primordial Power purity: High... High Grade! It’s actually High Grade! Pass!"

The moment they heard a student with High Grade Primordial Power purity had appeared, all the instructors’ gazes shot like lightning to lock onto the youth named Qing Lei. He was an exceptionally thin boy, around the same age as Mu Chen at only fifteen, but his face was etched with firm resolve.

Just then, his sharp eyes landed on Mu Chen, whose own eyes were closed. The moment their gazes met, Mu Chen knew this boy was far from ordinary. What Mu Chen didn’t realize, however, was that the youth named Qing Lei was even more astounded. He could clearly see that Mu Chen’s eyes were closed, yet in the instant their gazes connected, he felt as if he had been targeted by an Ancient Wild Beast.

Both were lost in their own thoughts, but at that moment, an instructor called Mu Chen over. The instructor’s gaze immediately fell on the long black case slung horizontally across Mu Chen’s back, and he frowned in confusion. However, academy rules forbade instructors from prying into a student’s private affairs, so he said nothing, simply instructing Mu Chen to place his palm on the irregular stone.

Mu Chen said nothing, simply extending his left hand and pressing it gently onto the stone. It felt surprisingly warm to the touch, which was a first for him. From the previous tests, he had gathered that Primordial Power purity was categorized by color: yellow for Low Grade, red for Middle Grade, and green for High Grade. Mu Chen didn’t know if a higher grade existed, but he was certain his own purity had reached the highest possible level.

To avoid causing a stir, Mu Chen slowly broke down and diluted the Primordial Power within his body before gradually releasing it. Thanks to being possessed by the Profound Old Ghost a few times, his control over Primordial Power was already masterful. The stone gradually shifted from colorless to yellow, and the light continued to intensify. Though the process was slow, it was steady. Finally, the yellow light seemed to hit a threshold and abruptly shifted to red. Just to be safe, Mu Chen intentionally made the red glow a bit richer before pulling his hand away.

"Mu Chen. Primordial Power purity: Middle Grade. Pass!"

The instructor frowned. He felt this youth was a little too composed. Moreover, the purity reading had clearly still been rising, yet he had decisively pulled his hand away. Shaking his head, the instructor thought to himself, ’What the hell am I thinking? How could a little brat possibly control his Primordial Power with such precision?’

"Next!" The instructor quickly immersed himself in testing the next applicant. As for Mu Chen, he was just another face in the crowd. After all, the trials yet to come were far more brutal.

While the plaza was a cacophony of noise, the academy grounds beyond were tranquil. A young woman walked slowly along a wooded path toward the academy gates, her gaze lowered. Her silhouette was long and slender, her perfect figure enveloped in a form-fitting blue dress with wide sleeves. A flowing sash cinched a waist so slender it looked as if one could encircle it with a single grasp. On the sash, a metal-inlaid character for ’Xuan’ glinted with a peculiar light—the identifying mark of a Core Disciple of the academy’s Holy Hall.

"It’s been three years..."

A soft sigh escaped the young woman’s lips, her voice a gentle murmur. Slowly, she lifted her head, revealing a face of world-toppling beauty in the summer morning light. She was only fifteen, exuding a fresh, natural purity that was so striking it could make one’s heart ache, enough to captivate anyone at first sight. The gentleness of her lowered head was like a water lotus, too shy to withstand the cool breeze. Her skin was as fair as ice and snow, and a hint of sorrow clung to her delicate brows. Her large blue eyes held a maturity that belied her age. Her small, crimson lips were slightly parted, forming a curve in the sunlight that was neither smile nor sorrow. In her hand, she clutched a piece of Warm Jade, worn smooth from being handled over and over.

Her long black hair cascaded like a waterfall down to her waist. For some reason, her silhouette from behind carried a faint air of sorrow. The hem of her dress swaying, she slowly made her way toward the plaza...

Suddenly, a dashingly handsome man appeared behind her. His features were almost beautiful. He spotted her immediately, and a flicker of greed flashed through his eyes before he instantly adopted a debonair and charming demeanor. He quickened his pace to catch up. "Oh? Isn’t this Bingling? Fancy seeing you out for a stroll today."

The young woman was indeed Mu Bingling, and the man speaking to her was none other than Xuan Yu, the Second Prince of the Xuanling Imperial Family. Mu Bingling didn’t even need to look to know who it was. This Second Prince was constantly pestering her. In terms of strength, she was far more powerful than Xuan Yu, but he always pestered her with a certain degree of tact, annoying her without ever crossing her line. As a result, Mu Bingling could never find a proper excuse to deal with him and could only resort to ignoring him.

"Do you need something?" Mu Bingling asked, her face a mask, completely devoid of emotion. Her voice was as cold as a specter from the Eternal Frozen Snowfield, enough to make one shiver involuntarily.

Faced with Mu Bingling’s attitude, Second Prince Xuan Yu merely offered a faint, gentle smile. "Bingling, you truly live up to your title as the academy’s Ice and Snow Goddess. Your tone is as chilly as ever."

Hearing Xuan Yu’s voice, Mu Bingling felt disgusted with him from the bottom of her heart. She was no naive young girl; his hypocritical facade was completely transparent to her.

Just as Mu Bingling was feeling thoroughly annoyed, a fiery red figure leaped out from a side path. It was another beautiful young woman. While her features were not as delicate as Mu Bingling’s, her blazing red dress and her bewitching, flame-red hair were enough to capture anyone’s attention.