Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"Hey, look. That kid is one of the new students this year. I heard he’s super strong—in the first round of the arena battles, he bare-handedly tossed a Five-Ring Martial Artist off the stage like he was throwing a chicken," a student of about seventeen said to the one beside him.

"You saw it with your own eyes?" the other student asked.

"No, I heard it from some of the first-years."

"Tch. You believe the crap new students spout? Hurry up and eat," that student said dismissively.

"It’s not just some rumor. Do you know who got tossed?" said the student who was about seventeen.

"Who? Probably just some nobody."

"Hmph, a nobody? The one he tossed was Balrog. You know Balrog, right? Balrek’s younger brother."

"What?"

"Then that new student is in for it. I heard Balrek just advanced to become an Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master the day before yesterday. He’s easily one of the top three experts in the outer circle of students." As he spoke, the student shot a pitying glance at Mu Chen before lowering his head to eat, ceasing the discussion as if taking his last look at a dead man walking.

’Balrek?’ With his Spiritual Power having reached the Kan Realm, he easily overheard their conversation. ’An Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master? With my current strength, forget a Grand Martial Master—I could even take on a Martial Spirit. If I used the Profound Jade Fan and my Purple Sky Demon Pupils, I could even defeat a Martial Spirit Strong Person.’ Mu Chen’s expression was placid, showing not a hint of concern. Just then, Little Tiger walked over carrying meals for all three of them, though his behavior was truly cringeworthy.

"Ahhh! Brother Mu Chen, come help me! This table is so slippery, the bowls are about to slide right off!" Little Tiger shouted, his head beaded with sweat. He paid no mind to the gawking students around them as he bellowed at Mu Chen.

Mu Chen felt his face darken with exasperation. But seeing the food about to slide off, he had no choice but to brace himself and take the table from Little Tiger’s hands. The wobbly, tilting table instantly became perfectly level the moment Mu Chen took hold of it.

Qing Lei, blushing with embarrassment, pushed his chair over to make room. Only then could Mu Chen set the table down. He turned to Little Tiger, completely exasperated. "Why did you bring the entire table with you?"

Little Tiger scratched his head in embarrassment. "I got there and saw how much food we had, so the cafeteria lady told me to just bring the table over too."

Mu Chen and Qing Lei were both speechless. But when they saw the spread of dishes on the table, they couldn’t help but be impressed. The Imperial Academy really spared no expense. There was Black Crocodile Meat, Violent Turkey, and Heart-Clearing Dessert... Mu Chen even spotted a meat he was extremely familiar with: Giant Wild Boar Meat. And this was just the first floor, the dining area for ordinary students. He hadn’t expected the food to be this extravagant.

"The cafeteria lady told me that my and Brother Mu Chen’s dishes are to increase strength, while Brother Qing Lei’s is for Explosive Power." As he spoke, Little Tiger quickly divided the food into three portions. Mu Chen looked at the meal in front of him. Having consumed countless types of Demon Beast Meat, he instantly recognized the combination—it was indeed designed to increase strength.

After speaking, Little Tiger began to wolf down his food. For some reason, watching the way he ate, Mu Chen almost thought he was possessed by an Iron Armor Steel Fang. A small smile playing on his lips, Mu Chen suddenly realized he was hungry too. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

"Hey, look! Isn’t that Mu Bingling?" a student exclaimed. His voice was quiet, but it still reached Mu Chen’s ears.

"She’s so beautiful... For a woman that gorgeous, I’d be content just to stand by her side and watch her," another student said, a look of pure bliss on his face.

"Sigh, let’s be realistic. Just look at all those guys from the Holy Hall trailing behind her. That should tell you how laughable your fantasy is," a young man of about twenty said, shaking his head with a wry smile.

They were still chattering, but Mu Chen suddenly shot to his feet. The abrupt movement drew the attention of the entire first floor.

"Heh, look at that. The blue-haired kid has so little self-control he just stood right up," a nearby student sneered.

Another student chuckled. "Don’t mock him. Your reaction was even worse when you first got here."

But what they didn’t know was that by the time Mu Chen stood up, Mu Bingling had already been pulled upstairs by a red-haired girl in a red dress. Mu Chen was just about to call out to her when a group of people suddenly stormed in through the cafeteria entrance, marching right up to his table and blocking his line of sight.

Mu Chen frowned. Looking closer, he saw that the one in the lead was a blond young man. He had a tall, burly build with bulging muscles, and he radiated an aura of formidable power.

"Brother, that’s him! That’s the kid who used a dirty trick on the arena stage and made me lose all face!"

A whining voice came from within the crowd. Mu Chen looked toward the sound and saw it was none other than Balrog, the very person he had casually tossed off the stage during the second test.

The blond young man’s face fell. "Shut up!" he barked. "Haven’t you embarrassed me enough?" He then turned to Mu Chen. "You’re Mu Chen?"

"What is it?" Mu Chen remained standing, his posture neither humble nor arrogant, his tone impassive.

At his side, Little Tiger and Qing Lei also stood up. The newcomers were clearly hostile. Though they had been roommates for less than a day, they knew they had to stick together to avoid being bullied.

"Hmph. So arrogant. You’re the first person in the entire outer circle to dare speak to me, Balrek, like that." The blond young man bared his teeth as he approached, his expression dripping with arrogance.

Mu Chen paid him no mind, simply stating flatly, "If you have no business here, please leave. Others are trying to eat."

Mu Chen’s words were a provocation to the entire group. They all rolled up their sleeves, looking ready to charge. Balrek’s chest heaved with rage. "Very good! I was only going to make you apologize to my little brother and call it even. But since your attitude is so vile, don’t blame me for picking on a junior."

The moment the words left his mouth, Balrek roared as Primordial Power erupted from his body. Yellow Martial Rings flashed into existence beneath his feet, one after another, until eight of them spun in place. Seeing that a fight was about to break out, the surrounding students quickly abandoned their tables and backed away to watch from a safe distance.

"Sigh. Just like I said. New students need to keep a low profile. This outer circle isn’t the entrance test; you have upperclassmen to deal with."

"Yeah. I was arrogant once, too, back in my day. The upperclassmen put me in my place so thoroughly... if they hadn’t graduated, I’d probably still be fetching them tea."

"An Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master... Tsk, tsk. Even though Balrek is already twenty-two, he’s still considered a rare genius in the outer circle. Let’s just watch the show. That blue-haired kid is in for it today."

’An Eighth-Ring Great Martial Master...’ Little Tiger’s brow furrowed. He himself was only an Eight-Ring Martial Artist; the difference in power was immense. Even with his Innate Divine Power, he couldn’t hope to hold out for long. Qing Lei’s face was grim.

Mu Chen’s expression remained unreadable. He didn’t show a shred of fear even after Balrek unleashed his Primordial Power. What others didn’t know was that back when he was only a Third-Ring Martial Artist, he had already faced the attacks of a Seven-Ring Martial Spirit Strong Person alone. The amount of Primordial Power erupting from Balrek was completely non-threatening to him.

"I’ll say this one more time. If you have business with me, state it. If not, then leave. I have things to do, and I don’t have time to watch you show off your Martial Artist Realm. Get lost!"

A collective gasp filled the room. Everyone drew in a sharp, cold breath. Their eyes had truly been opened today. They had seen arrogance before, but never anything like this. This was the kind of arrogance that gets you killed.

Even Qing Lei and Little Tiger, standing right next to Mu Chen, stared at him, dumbfounded. They couldn’t understand why their outwardly calm roommate would do something so impulsive. Unless... he had a reason to be this confident.

Upon hearing Mu Chen’s words, Balrek’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. If he hadn’t seen how utterly calm the boy was, he would have assumed this blue-haired teenager was a certified lunatic.

"Kid, you’ve got guts. Shattering Stone Fist!" With that, Balrek completely lost his cool. All of his Primordial Power instantly converged into his fist as he locked onto Mu Chen’s chest and unleashed a devastating punch. Judging by the fluctuations of Primordial Power, a direct hit would mean death or, at best, a crippling injury.

BOOM!

Mu Chen didn’t move an inch, allowing Balrek’s fist to thunder toward him. Just as the Iron Fist was about to connect, Mu Chen’s left hand shot out and struck Balrek’s wrist. The impact sent Balrek’s punch veering off course, and it slammed squarely into a nearby Vajra Jade Table.

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK...

After a series of sharp cracking sounds, the tabletop Balrek had hit shattered instantly, exploding into a shower of crystalline jade fragments. For a moment, no one could believe their eyes. What had they just seen? Balrek threw a punch that was about to hit the blue-haired boy’s chest, but it suddenly veered off target. Was Balrek holding back?

Almost none of the onlookers had seen Mu Chen move. His action was too precise, too fast. At this moment, perhaps only Balrek himself knew what had actually happened.

PLIP!

A single drop of cold sweat trickled down Balrek’s cheek. ’I’ve picked a fight with the wrong person,’ he realized. The people around him were staring at him strangely. Feeling the pressure of their gazes, Balrek quickly retracted his fist. His Primordial Power surged again as he swung his arm, aiming a punch at Mu Chen’s head. This time, Mu Chen was truly angered.

He hadn’t used any real power in that last move. Through countless battles, he had gradually mastered the art of deflecting a great force with a small one. His action had been a warning, telling Balrek to back down. But it was clear his opponent wasn’t going to let things go.

CRACKLE!

Thunder Light crackled under his feet. With a flicker, Mu Chen’s figure vanished. Once again, Balrek’s fist met only empty air. This time, however, everyone stared in shock at the spot behind Balrek. A blue-haired teenager now stood there coldly, three orange Martial Rings spinning at his feet. Not a single person had seen him move.

"I gave you a chance. I’m just a new student; I don’t want to start trouble with anyone. But if you think you can teach me a lesson... you aren’t qualified."

With that, Mu Chen’s left hand shot out and clamped around Balrek’s neck. With a twist of his wrist, he lifted Balrek off the ground as if he were a chick. Then, with a powerful swing of his arm, he hurled him away. It was hard to believe. Given Balrek’s build, he had to weigh over two hundred pounds, yet in Mu Chen’s hand, he seemed as light as a feather.