Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Zhun Cang’s eyes widened again. He muttered, "What kind of monster is this kid? His immense strength is one thing, and his precise control of Primordial Power is another, but what is the deal with that bizarre defensive method and those strange silver chains?"

Di Cang frowned as well. Of course he knew what those silver chains represented—Spiritual Treasure Soldiers! How could an ordinary person possibly possess such a weapon? On top of that, the kid’s Body Technique, Combat Skills, and even that pair of eerie purple pupils were all things no normal person could have.

"I don’t mean to pry into your background, but you have to tell me one thing: are you a disciple from one of *those* families, out getting experience?" Cold sweat beaded on Di Cang’s brow. He had to consider the possibility. If Mu Chen was truly a disciple from one of those families, then under no circumstances could he be offended. Taking him as a disciple would be even more out of the question.

"’Those families?’" Mu Chen asked instinctively. "What families? Which ones are you talking about?"

Mu Chen looked utterly baffled, so much so that he had fired off three questions in a row. Dark lines marred Di Cang’s forehead; he couldn’t tell if Mu Chen was playing dumb. ’Then again, it seems none of *those* families have the surname Mu,’ he thought. So, Di Cang tried a different question. "In that case, which town are you from?"

"Luofeng City. The Mu Family!"

"What? The Mu Family? Then your relationship with Mu Bingling is...?" Zhun Cang pressed.

Mu Chen nodded. "She’s my older sister."

Di Cang and Zhun Cang were both speechless. ’What is going on with Luofeng City?’ First, there was the heaven-defying Mu Bingling. Then came Wang Junyao with her Ice Flame Body. And now, a Mu Chen who was even more of a freak had appeared out of nowhere. ’Has that town been blessed by the gods? Why does it keep producing such monsters?’

"That..." Di Cang glanced at the silver chains floating around Mu Chen and swallowed hard.

Mu Chen glanced at his Shattered Star Lock Chain and smiled. "Actually, I wasn’t with my family for the past three years. I left to gain experience. During that time, I faced many dangers, but with those dangers came many fortuitous encounters. These things are the fruits of those encounters. As for the rest... I suppose my physique is just special."

Of course, he couldn’t tell them the whole truth, so he gave a vague, perfunctory answer and didn’t elaborate.

However, Di Cang gleaned a lot of information from his words. ’No wonder! I knew a disciple from some family clan could never possess such rich combat experience. Your fortuitous encounters are truly enviable.’ "Rest assured, I will absolutely not go back on my promise to you. However, for the rest of this fight, you may no longer use your Spiritual Treasure Soldiers or any other external weapons. You must use your own strength, because ultimately, a Martial Artist can only rely on themself."

Mu Chen agreed with Di Cang. His Master had taught him more than once that a Martial Artist does not rely on Divine Weapons, Combat Skills, or medicinal pills, but on themself. One’s own strength is the only true foundation.

"That was just my Spiritual Treasure Soldier acting on its own to protect me. I won’t let you land a blow so easily next time." As he spoke, Mu Chen’s Purple Sky Demon Pupils began to spin rapidly. ’From what just happened, the ability of the Purple Sky Demon Pupils is exactly as Master described. It can predict an opponent’s attacks and even see their openings, not just slow down their movements.’

Di Cang gave a slight nod, but he couldn’t hide the smile playing on his lips. ’As long as he isn’t a disciple from one of *those* families, I still have a chance to take him as my own.’ He was secretly thrilled. ’If someone from the Holy Hall comes to recruit this year, there’s no way they’ll pass up on Mu Chen. This is my chance—a chance to finally beat that old broad.’

"Here I come!" Mu Chen shouted, then flickered with his Mist Step to appear at Di Cang’s side. With the predictive power of his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, Mu Chen could see Di Cang’s reaction the instant he decided to make it.

As Di Cang raised a fist and gathered Primordial Power, Mu Chen did the same. Their Primordial Powers, one ice and one fire, constantly clashed, but Mu Chen’s Ice Attribute was clearly superior to the Black Flame. Di Cang threw a punch, but in the exact instant his arm shot out, Mu Chen moved. Swift as lightning, he flashed to Di Cang’s side. Only then did Di Cang’s fist fly past where he had been. The timing of their movements created an incredibly jarring visual.

WHAM! Di Cang felt a heavy impact on his waist and instinctively formed a shield of Primordial Power to protect his left ribs. Still, the massive force of the blow sent him skidding several meters to the side. He then stared blankly at Mu Chen, not even sure himself what had just happened.

Zhun Cang, observing from the sidelines, saw everything with perfect clarity. To him, the situation looked completely different. It was baffling; Mu Chen had clearly moved to Di Cang’s left, but Di Cang, as if completely oblivious, stupidly threw a punch at the empty air in front of him. Then, while Di Cang was attacking nothing, Mu Chen seized the opportunity to land a fist on his left ribs, sending him flying.

"This... Old Cang, what are you doing?" Zhun Cang asked in confusion.

"This kid’s tricky," Di Cang said in a low voice. His figure flickered, and he once again gathered his Primordial Power for another punch. However, the previous scene repeated itself almost exactly. The moment Di Cang threw his punch, Mu Chen dodged it and simultaneously launched a counterattack.

This time, however, Di Cang was clearly prepared and managed to dodge Mu Chen’s blow. But in the exchange that followed, it was as if Mu Chen could see the future. Not a single one of Di Cang’s attacks landed; each time he struck, Mu Chen had already dodged and was launching a counterattack of his own.

’Is it those eyes?’ Di Cang suddenly realized, his focus drawn to Mu Chen’s eerie purple pupils. ’An ability to see through an opponent’s moves and predict them? What an interesting kid.’

"Enough, I’m done! I already know your limit," Di Cang said, waving his hand with a shameless grin.

Mu Chen was taken aback. "Why?"

"No reason. Your limit is a Two-Ring Martial Spirit. The strongest Two-Ring Martial Spirit, of course. An ordinary Martial Artist would probably need to be a Five-Ring Martial Spirit to break through your fighting style."

"Huh?" Mu Chen frowned. ’Somehow, I feel like my limit is higher than a Two-Ring Martial Spirit,’ he thought.

"Don’t believe me?" Di Cang chuckled, stroking his beard. He then raised his own power to the Martial Artist Realm of a Two-Ring Martial Spirit, his aura instantly doubling in intensity. "Go on, try me. You absolutely won’t be able to dodge my attack this time."

Mu Chen nodded. The six ice-blue snowflake imprints in his pupils started spinning again. Di Cang let out a sly chuckle and threw a punch so powerful it made space itself tremble. Mu Chen’s pupils contracted violently. He saw the attack clearly, but he realized his body couldn’t keep up with his eyes. Even though he could see the attack’s trajectory, his body couldn’t react in time.

"See? I wasn’t lying, was I? Your body is fast, but your Martial Artist Realm is what it is. If your cultivation level doesn’t increase, it doesn’t matter how many talents you have—they’re just auxiliary. True experts absolutely do not fight with their physical bodies. For example..."

BOOM! The Primordial Power in Di Cang’s body erupted, instantly forming a storm of energy. Six green Martial Rings appeared at his feet.

"This is the power of a Sixth-Ring Martial King. A Martial King expert doesn’t attack directly with their physical body." With that, Di Cang threw a punch at the empty air. The space before his fist rippled, and a moment later, with a loud CRASH, a huge gash was torn into the far wall.

"Could your eyes even see the speed of my punch?" Di Cang grinned.

Mu Chen shook his head with a wry smile. All he had seen of Di Cang’s last punch was the resulting spatial ripple; he hadn’t seen the fist itself at all.

"Kid, those eyes of yours are incredible. The reason you couldn’t see my attack wasn’t because your eyes are weak, but because *you* are too weak. If your cultivation was at the Martial Spirit Realm, I believe you could definitely see through the attacks of a Martial King. Your physical abilities would also improve dramatically as your Martial Artist Realm increases," Di Cang said with a smile. "Don’t let such a gift go to waste."

Mu Chen’s brow furrowed, and a flicker of yearning flashed in his eyes. "What should I do? Please guide me, Vice-Dean."

"Guidance? Heh, I’ve already completed the first matter. Now for the second. Are you willing to become my disciple? My first disciple, and also my last."

"Disciple?" Mu Chen’s mind buzzed as a sentence from the Profound Old Ghost echoed in his ears.

"Silly boy, given the talent you’ll display in the future, countless experts will want to take you as their disciple. What will you do then?"

"I’ll refuse them! I have only one Master, and that’s you!" Mu Chen had said with absolute certainty.

But the Profound Old Ghost had smacked him soundly on the head and cursed, "Idiot! Refuse them, my ass! Of course you accept them all! A master is someone you keep in your heart, not on your lips. The most important thing is what you can learn. Listen up, silly boy. In the future, if someone wants to take you as their disciple, don’t refuse. Agree to it. Then, bleed them dry of all their knowledge and all their treasures. Why would you pass up on such a great deal? Of course, there’s a minimum requirement: anyone who takes you in must have a cultivation level above that of a Martial Emperor. Ignore anyone weaker, because only those at the Martial Emperor level or higher have anything good."

His Master’s words were still vivid in his mind. For some reason, now that his Master could no longer speak to him, he found himself missing those words with an unusual intensity. Mu Chen stared intently at Di Cang, a faint smile gracing his lips. "I can accept your offer. However, please forgive me, but I cannot call you Master. Let me call you Teacher instead. That is my only condition."

Di Cang roared with laughter. "You have a Master already, don’t you, kid! And one who showed you the path in life, am I right?"

Mu Chen froze for a second, then nodded. ’Are all these old guys this sharp?’ he thought to himself.

Di Cang laughed heartily again. "Haha, fine! As long as you agree to be my disciple, that’s all that matters. A title is just a title. Kid, I’m going to make you an expert in the shortest time possible, because we don’t have much time left."

"Don’t have much time left?" Mu Chen asked, puzzled.

Di Cang sighed. "You heard what Zhun Cang told you earlier, right? Do you know what determines a nation’s strength?"

Mu Chen shook his head. "What is it? Isn’t it a country’s comprehensive national power?"

Di Cang shook his head with a wry smile. "Wrong. A nation’s strength is judged by a single competition: the Extreme Martial Continent’s Imperial Competition."

"Imperial Competition?"

"That’s right." Di Cang looked toward the horizon, his voice grave. "The Imperial Competition is held once every five years. It has been three years since the last one, meaning a new round will begin in just two years. The Xuanling Empire is already in a critical situation. The surrounding nations have been eyeing our territory like hungry tigers. If we once again rank outside the top one thousand in this next competition, the Xuanling Empire will become a thing of the past. Our families, the people of the Xuanling Empire, will be enslaved by other countries. That is something I’m sure you would not want to see. Therefore, I will use every means necessary to help you grow stronger as quickly as possible. The process may be agonizing and incredibly difficult, but I need you to endure it."