Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

’Could it be...?’ Mu Chen hurriedly focused his spirit and performed a quick introspection. A few seconds later, his expression lit up with joy. "I actually broke through to the Early Stage of the Kan Realm! This Ice Spirit Grass has given me so many surprises at once."

Overjoyed, Mu Chen decided to test its effects and deliberately spread his Spiritual Power outwards. In an instant, it covered a radius of several thousand meters. This was the first time Mu Chen had ever used Spiritual Detection. According to the Profound Old Ghost, Spiritual Detection couldn’t be used until one reached the Early Stage of the Kan Realm.

"Haha, the people of the Mu Family really are all trash. It was bad enough being the laughingstocks of Luofeng City, but now you’ve come to embarrass yourselves at the Imperial Academy? I’d say you should just tuck your tails between your legs and get the hell out of the Imperial Capital while you still can." An arrogant voice reached Mu Chen’s ears through the range of his spiritual sense.

Mu Chen’s brow furrowed. ’The Mu Family? Luofeng City?’

With that thought, Mu Chen completely unleashed his Spiritual Power. This time, it wasn’t just the sounds that came through; even the scenery within a radius of several thousand meters became crystal clear.

"Chen Qing, this is the Imperial Academy! Don’t go too far!" An indignant roar rang out. Through his Spiritual Detection, Mu Chen could now clearly see the people involved.

There were seven people in total. Five stood on one side, while the other two stood opposite, supporting each other. When Mu Chen got a clear look at their faces, a complex expression crossed his own.

Among the group of five, there were three people Mu Chen recognized. Although three years had passed, their appearances hadn’t changed much. The one standing in the center of the five with a disdainful look was Chen Qing of the Luofeng City Chen Family. Dressed in black with his hands clasped behind his back, he was arrogantly looking down on the two people opposite him. Standing beside him was a man with a fawning expression, someone Mu Chen also knew well: Li Ze, the only son of the Li Family, who was always clinging to the Chen Family’s coattails.

On Chen Qing’s other side, a woman with a seductive expression had her arm linked with his, seemingly rubbing her full chest back and forth against him with deliberate nonchalance. She even wore a look of pleasure, which instantly disgusted Mu Chen. That’s right, this woman was the Li Family’s only daughter and Chen Qing’s fiancée, Li Qianqian.

Mu Chen didn’t recognize the other two, but he guessed they were disciples of either the Li Family or the Chen Family. Without exception, all five of them were watching the two men before them with jeering expressions.

"Mu Rongxuan, oh, Mu Rongxuan. Three years ago, you were a realm below me, and I still considered you a rival. But what’s happened now? You haven’t even reached the rank of Martial Master. Don’t tell me you were infected by that good-for-nothing from your family? Oh, that’s right. I heard that trash couldn’t handle the setback three years ago and ran away from home. Hasn’t been found since. Haha! I bet he’s become Magical Beast dung by now." Chen Qing’s words stabbed into Mu Rongxuan’s heart like a sharp sword.

That’s right. These two were none other than the two legitimate sons of the Mu Family: Mu Rongxuan and Mu Xiaotian...

The day after Mu Chen left, Mu Rongxuan was admitted to the Imperial Academy as a regular student through Special Recruitment. The very next day, after a family send-off, Mu Xiaotian joined the Imperial Academy’s recruitment drive. Fortunately, Mu Xiaotian’s strength was already considerable, and he survived that year’s recruitment trials to be officially accepted into the academy.

However, after being admitted, neither of them had the aptitude or talent to qualify for the Holy Hall. Although the Xuanling Empire was classified as a Low-level Kingdom, its territory was vast, and there were simply too many students with high-level qualifications. Soon enough, Mu Rongxuan and Mu Xiaotian were lost in the sea of ordinary students.

Having not seen them in three years, much of Mu Chen’s hatred toward them had faded. This was a world where the strong devoured the weak, after all. But hearing Chen Qing’s still-arrogant tone and his naked contempt, Mu Chen couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

"Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you’re two realms higher than me! Don’t you forget, our Mu Family still has a genius." The one who spoke wasn’t Mu Rongxuan, but Mu Xiaotian. Mu Rongxuan appeared to be seriously injured; his face was pale, and he could barely remain standing, even with Mu Xiaotian’s support.

Hearing this, Chen Qing sneered endlessly, and the others with him roared with laughter. "Are you kidding me? Mu Bingling isn’t really part of your Mu Family. She’s just some girl your family got lucky and picked up. Besides, Mu Xiaotian, what gives you the right to talk to me? Did I say you could talk?"

BAM!

Chen Qing lashed out with a kick that struck Mu Xiaotian square in the chest. Mu Xiaotian, who was still supporting Mu Rongxuan, had no time to react and could only take the blow head-on. Fortunately, Chen Qing hadn’t used any Primordial Power; the kick was clearly just for humiliation. Otherwise, Mu Xiaotian wouldn’t have gotten away with simply being knocked to the ground.

"Let me tell you, if it weren’t for Mu Bingling, what could a pathetic, useless family like yours possibly accomplish? If it weren’t for Mu Bingling, would your Mu Family still hold the fourth seat among the four great families of Luofeng City? Hmph, don’t make me laugh my ass off. Everyone in your family is just like that piece of trash from three years ago—the sight of you is utterly disgusting. That trash had better be dead out there, because if he isn’t, I’ll make damn sure he kneels before me like a dog."

SWOOSH—

BAM!

Before Chen Qing could even finish his sentence, a white figure appeared before him in a flash and threw a sudden punch, sending him flying.

It all happened so suddenly that no one had time to react, not even Chen Qing, who had been sent flying more than ten meters away.

"Who—!"

The moment Chen Qing landed, the sharp pain in his chest twisted his face into a ferocious snarl. His expression darkened as he began to roar, but just as the word left his lips, a foot stomped mercilessly onto his face.

Everyone stared in shock. Looking up, they saw a figure standing perfectly straight. He was tall and slender, his wide-sleeved, snow-white robe fluttering gently in the breeze. A mane of ice-blue hair cascaded down his back like flowing clouds, and strapped to his lower back was an enormous, jet-black case. White robe, black case, blue hair—the stark contrast of colors instantly seared the image of this man—no, this youth—into their memories.

Stunned for a moment, Chen Qing finally snapped out of his daze. "Who are you?"

Seeing the white-robed man with his foot on Chen Qing’s face, the others were at a complete loss, standing by and watching in silence. Li Qianqian gently tugged on Li Ze’s clothes, hinting for him to say something.

"Hey, kid, who the hell are you? Do you have any idea who we are? You’d better let our captain go if you don’t want to end up disappearing from this academy."

Li Ze’s words were arrogant, but his tone was anything but. He clearly understood that anyone who could send Chen Qing flying with a single punch—even a sneak attack—was no ordinary person.

Mu Chen turned to look at Li Ze and Li Qianqian, a strange smile playing on his lips as he spoke softly, "Don’t you recognize me?"

That smile made Li Ze and the others tremble, and they subconsciously shook their heads. Mu Xiaotian and Mu Rongxuan, on the other hand, stared blankly at Mu Chen. For some reason, they saw a trace of familiarity in his expression but couldn’t quite place who he was.

Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted Mu Chen’s wide sleeve, revealing the empty space where his right arm should have been. The sight made Mu Rongxuan’s pupils shrink violently.

’It’s... him?’

Hearing Mu Rongxuan’s muttering, Mu Xiaotian seemed to realize something as well. Just then, they saw Mu Chen smile slightly and look down at Chen Qing beneath his foot. "I’m that so-called ’trash’ from the Mu Family you were just talking about."

The moment he said this, everyone present was dumbfounded. "That piece of trash from the Mu Family?" Chen Qing exclaimed. "Impossible! How could you be him? He’s a cripple, a good-for-nothing! How could he possibly cultivate—"

"Heh... I recall saying that in this world, no one is trash forever. And that when I returned, I would trample everyone who ever insulted me under my heel. Look. I’ve done it."

With that, Mu Chen flicked his toe, launching Chen Qing’s body half a meter into the air. With a BAM, Mu Chen’s whip kick mercilessly sent him flying once more.

"Tsk... Pathetically weak. When did the Chen Family get so useless? Don’t tell me you all regressed during the three years I was away."

Mu Chen said this, perfectly mimicking Chen Qing’s earlier tone. Hearing his own words thrown back at him, Chen Qing’s face went dark. He sneered, "Think you’re invincible just because you’ve got a little power? Today, I’ll show you that you’re nothing before me."

Chen Qing suddenly raised his arm, and a ball of orange light appeared over it. As his Primordial Power fluctuated, orange Martial Rings materialized one by one at his feet. Mu Chen didn’t even need to look to know. Chen Qing’s Martial Artist Realm was only that of a Third-Ring Martial Master, which was pathetic for a student his age.

"If you hadn’t sucker-punched me, I wouldn’t have looked so pathetic! Hah!" With a great roar, Chen Qing charged at Mu Chen, his fist flying in a vicious strike aimed straight for Mu Chen’s stomach.

But Mu Chen acted as if he hadn’t even seen the attack, ignoring it completely. Veins bulged on Chen Qing’s forehead. ’Since when does a piece of trash dare to look down on me like this?’ He followed through with his punch. CRACK! Before his fist could even reach Mu Chen, a blue wall of ice suddenly materialized in front of him. Chen Qing’s punch slammed right into the one-inch-thick Profound Ice Wall.

"Hmph!" With a muffled grunt, Chen Qing realized his attack had had no effect whatsoever on the ice wall. At Mu Chen’s current level of strength, this wall could withstand an attack from a Grand Martial Master. A mere Third-Ring Martial Master like Chen Qing stood no chance of even rattling it. Worse, the force of his own mighty blow rebounded from the ice, sending a jarring shock back through his arm.

This bizarre method of defense left all seven of them staring, dumbfounded. Mu Chen shook his head. "Too weak."

Mu Chen’s naked contempt made Chen Qing tremble with rage, but then, suddenly, he calmed down. A smirk spread across his face. "You’re definitely not the same piece of trash you used to be. But you’ve only been cultivating for three years. Even if your talent is off the charts, how strong could you possibly have gotten?"

Chen Qing’s words snapped the dumbfounded Li Ze and Li Qianqian out of their stupor. They both started sizing Mu Chen up, realizing that from the very beginning, he hadn’t used a single shred of Primordial Power, relying purely on Body Techniques. ’Could it be...?’

Chen Qing sneered. "That’s right. This guy’s Martial Artist Realm can’t be high. He’s just physically strong. If we all attack together, the result will be different. Get him!" At his command, the others regained their confidence. Igniting their Primordial Power, they all charged at Mu Chen. Without exception, every single one of them was a Martial Artist Level cultivator.