Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Tears streamed from the corners of Qing Lei’s eyes, dripping one by one into the grass below with a soft PLOP, PLOP. The chirping of insects was the only thing that broke the silence of the night. Mu Chen’s heart was in turmoil. He didn’t know how to comfort Qing Lei; after hearing his story, he suddenly realized his own family might not be as harmonious as it appeared. ’Could my family end up in a situation like this one day?’ He wasn’t sure. All he could do was make himself stronger—strong enough to intimidate the entire family.

For his loving parents, for his doting older sister, he would never allow his family to vanish from the Extreme Martial Continent like a puff of smoke...

He gently patted Qing Lei’s shoulder. Mu Chen knew that right now, Qing Lei needed to be alone to quiet his thoughts. Pouring out his heart today might change his Mental Realm. If he could channel this hatred into a driving force, he would become a terrifying Assassin. All Mu Chen could do at this moment was stand by his side, letting him know he wasn’t alone.

If he couldn’t control this hatred and instead let it fester, he would become nothing but a bloodthirsty "Demon." And a friend of Mu Chen’s could not be a demon. He firmly believed that Qing Lei’s future was destined to be the stuff of legends.

Time passed. The eastern sky slowly began to blush with red, heralding the arrival of a new day. When the first rays of sunlight touched the calm lake, schools of active fish began to surface. Fresh, vibrant air filled the space above the water.

Just then, Qing Lei, who hadn’t moved all night, suddenly stood up. He stared at the red sun in the distance, then spread his arms wide and took a deep breath. Seeing this, Mu Chen, who had been standing beside him, smiled. It was a very happy smile.

Casually grabbing the giant black case beside him, Mu Chen turned and started walking toward the plaza. As Mu Chen turned, Qing Lei turned as well. Watching that tall, straight figure, the corners of Qing Lei’s mouth lifted slightly. In a voice only he could hear, he said, "Brother Mu Chen, thank you..."

In that instant, the gears of fate began to turn. Mu Chen and Qing Lei, two people from different worlds, had finally crossed paths.

When Mu Chen arrived at the plaza, over seven hundred people were already assembled and ready. Almost all the first-year freshmen were standing in neat rows. Seeing this, Mu Chen helplessly rubbed his nose. Not a single instructor had arrived, yet the students were incredibly tense.

Searching around, Mu Chen spotted Little Tiger at a glance, standing in a corner and looking all around. Beside him, two young women stood calmly at the back of the crowd, chatting about something from time to time. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Mu Chen started walking over quickly, but just as he took a step, a figure in black appeared by his side. Mu Chen smiled slightly. "The freshman trial. Let’s do our best together. Don’t forget, you still have a lot you need to accomplish later."

"Mm... Of course!"

This figure in black was the reborn Qing Lei...

The anxious Little Tiger finally saw Mu Chen and Qing Lei and shouted excitedly, "Brother Mu Chen, Brother Qing Lei, what took you two so long? I thought something happened to you!"

Seeing Little Tiger’s panicked expression, Mu Chen and Qing Lei exchanged a smile. Mu Chen patted Little Tiger’s head and said, "Aren’t we here now? Were you afraid your half-baked captain would abandon you?"

Ye Shuangshuang and Mo Qing walked up as well. Hearing Mu Chen’s words, they couldn’t help but smile. "Well then, we’ll be counting on our ’half-baked’ captain to take good care of us ’no-baked’ team members." Ye Shuangshuang winked at Mu Chen.

That wink made Mu Chen swallow hard. You can just imagine: a young woman with a face full of acne making such a flirtatious gesture at you. It was definitely not an enjoyable experience.

Seeing Mu Chen’s awkward expression, both Ye Shuangshuang and Mo Qing covered their mouths and snickered. Mo Qing shot Ye Shuangshuang a look. "Shuangshuang, stop teasing our captain. Be careful or he’ll make things difficult for you."

Just as they were chatting, the instructors finally arrived, fashionably late. Lingyun was in her usual black combat attire. The only difference was that her hair, usually tied up in a high bun, was now in a ponytail held by a ribbon. However, her valiant and heroic aura was not the least bit diminished.

"Hello, freshmen. We meet again. I told you yesterday that I’d be taking you somewhere fun today. Are you all ready?" Lingyun’s voice was sultry, but only Mu Chen knew what her true personality was like.

"We’re ready!" the freshmen shouted in unison.

Lingyun scanned the crowd with satisfaction and nodded. "Very good. In that case, follow me."

With that, Lingyun and the dozen or so first-year instructors started walking in one direction. They were headed to the eastern part of the academy. It was the one place Mu Chen had never been. It was as if all the students had an unspoken agreement never to go that way. Even when new students asked about it, the older students would vaguely change the subject and refuse to discuss it.

After following the instructors for about an hour, Mu Chen and the others finally saw a wide road. At the end of it, a Fine Steel Gate dozens of meters high blocked their path. On the gate was written the large character for "Restriction."

Lingyun was walking at the front. As she approached the Fine Steel Gate, she flipped her wrist and produced a black Jade Token. The moment the Jade Token appeared, the "Restriction" character on the gate flashed with light. Then, a black beam shot out from the character, connected with the black Jade Token, circled it once, and then retreated back into the character.

Then, the "Restriction" character on the gate spun around with a CLANG, and the massive Fine Steel Gate swung open with a CLICK. No one else knew what was happening, but Mu Chen recognized it as a type of Seal, or what could also be called a Restriction. ’Places with things like this are invariably dangerous. So where exactly are they taking us?’

"This is the academy’s forbidden ground, the Demon Beast Prison. Inside are Magical Beasts of every realm that the academy has captured over the years. Although the academy caught them, they aren’t raised in captivity. Instead, they follow the survival-of-the-fittest model of the Demon Beast Forest and are allowed to hunt freely. You could say that the ferocity of the Magical Beasts here is in no way inferior to those in the Demon Beast Forest."

"After so many years of this culling, the Level 1 and Level 2 Magical Beasts that were originally captured have advanced to different stages. And, as far as I know, the strongest Magical Beast in this Demon Beast Prison has already advanced to the realm of a King Beast."

"A King Beast? Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?" a student asked, his face pale.

"Dangerous?" Lingyun gave a sultry smile. "I won’t hide it from you. Every year, some students are lost during the freshman trial. The vice-dean said it at the start of the term, didn’t he? Coming to the Imperial Academy isn’t like arriving in heaven; it’s like arriving in hell! The Demon Beast Prison is the gate to that hell. Entering it proves you are ready to become one of its denizens. Now, I’m giving you a choice. You can choose to enter. You might die, but you’ll have the chance to become a member of the special class or the candidate class. Putting aside becoming famous, you’ll at least be on the path to becoming one of the strong. Or, you can choose not to enter. If you back out now, you won’t risk your life, and you’ll still be freshmen at the academy. However, if you don’t participate in the freshman trial, you’ll be stuck in the ordinary classes forever. Young ones, you have one minute. Make your choice!"

After her words, the students fell silent. A minute later, a full third of the students who had come this far chose to back out, while the other two-thirds chose to stay. Of course, Mu Chen and his group were among those who stayed, without a shred of hesitation.

Seeing that two-thirds of the students had stayed, a hint of a smile appeared in Lingyun’s eyes. "You’ve really surprised me. The caliber of this year’s students is truly impressive. Those who chose to leave can head back the way you came. Your lunch is waiting for you there. For those who chose to stay, I have some bad news... and some good news."

"The bad news is... the difficulty of the freshman trial is different every year. And this year might just be the hardest in the academy’s history, because I am your head instructor."

She glanced at everyone who remained and saw that not a single person showed any emotional fluctuation; every one of them had a resolute expression. Lingyun gave them an appreciative look and smiled. "The good news is, I was just lying to you. Accidents are extremely rare in the freshman trials. Each team that enters will be given five Signal Flares. Furthermore, a dozen or so academy Elders will be stationed in various areas throughout the Demon Beast Prison. As long as you fire a Signal Flare the moment you encounter danger, your life will not be at risk."

"There are many times in life when you must face a choice. Sometimes, a single choice can determine the path of your entire life. Among the students who left, there might be some with more talent than those who stayed. But they are destined never to become strong. To become strong, you must possess an unwavering heart. Clearly, you are stronger than them. Believe me, your future accomplishments will far exceed theirs! Alright, all students who are staying, follow me into the Demon Beast Prison. There, you will receive your first mission since entering the academy."

With that, Lingyun waved her hand and led all the secretly relieved students through the gate. But to everyone’s surprise, the other side wasn’t their destination. Instead, it was a wide road flanked by dense forests. Seeing this kind of scenery, Mu Chen felt a sudden sense of familiarity. He had spent nearly two of his three years of Cultivation in environments just like this. For a moment, Mu Chen felt like a fish returning to water.

Seeing the confused looks on most of the students’ faces, Lingyun, who was walking at the front, laughed. "How could the academy possibly place Magical Beasts so close to the inner campus? Even if the beasts couldn’t get out to harm anyone, the students would never be able to focus on their Cultivation while living with constant roars every day!"

Everyone came to a sudden realization. They walked on in silence, each person filled with a mix of nervousness and excitement. After about four hours, they finally saw another Fine Steel Gate. Only then did the freshmen truly appreciate how vast the academy’s territory was. The world ahead was clearly a small-scale Demon Beast Forest. Through the Fine Steel Gate, the savage roars of Magical Beasts could be heard intermittently from the other side.

"We’re here!" Lingyun nodded to another instructor. Understanding her cue, the instructor took out a black flute from his robes. His eight fingers moved in a blur, and a strange melody was completed in an instant.