Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

CLICK...

With a sharp click, the reinforced steel door slowly opened from the inside. Two white-haired old men in black and white robes walked out. At first glance, aside from the color of their robes, the two elders looked completely identical.

"Greetings, Twin Elders," Lingyun said, bowing respectfully.

The black-robed elder of the two smiled faintly. "Well, if it isn’t Little Yun’er. Not bad. You’ve already reached such a level. It seems you haven’t slacked off at all these years."

Lingyun bowed once more. "You flatter me. Thanks to the Elders’ guidance, I have managed not to bring shame upon the academy!"

"Haha, alright, that’s enough. You two can stop with the flattery and false modesty. I can’t stand watching from the sidelines anymore. Oh? There are far more new students in the trial this year than usual. It seems the academy recruited some excellent talent."

The speaker was the white-robed one of the Twin Elders. He stroked his beard and spoke, his gaze sweeping warmly over the students participating in the freshman trial.

Only then did Lingyun turn to the crowd and explain, "These are the academy’s Twin Elders. The one in the black robe is Elder Tie Mu, and the other is Elder Tielin. Both are among the most senior elders in our academy."

Upon hearing this, the students’ expressions turned solemn, and they all chanted in unison, "Elder Tie Mu, Elder Tielin!"

The black-robed Elder Tie Mu smiled and said, "Now that you are here, it is time to face the academy’s trial. Your first task is to survive in this Demon Beast Prison for ten days. That is the minimum requirement. Beyond that, each of you must also complete your squad’s assigned mission. This mission may be exceedingly difficult. If you fail to complete it, you will be considered to have failed the trial, even if you manage to survive the full ten days."

After he finished, the white-robed elder continued, "Each squad’s mission is different. The mission’s difficulty will depend on the strength of your squad leader—the stronger the leader, the harder the mission; the weaker the leader, the easier the mission. Now, all squad leaders, come to me."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone inwardly cursed the academy’s cunning. Naturally, every squad had chosen its strongest member to be the leader. This meant every team’s mission was now guaranteed to be difficult.

A number of students quickly stepped out from the crowd; these were the captains of each five-person squad. Their expressions varied—some frowned with wry smiles, some looked indifferent, and others were filled with confidence and conceit. Just then, Mu Chen also stepped forward, his emergence immediately making him the center of attention. Someone laughed and remarked, "Given Mu Chen’s strength, his squad is probably going to suffer for it."

"Not necessarily. He has a knack for fighting above his rank. Maybe they even got the better end of the deal."

A flurry of discussion broke out, with opinions divided. The chatter, however, drew the two elders’ attention to Mu Chen. The white-robed Elder Tielin frowned and said, "So this is the Mu Chen that Yun’er was talking about? Old Cang’s personal disciple?"

The black-robed Elder Tie Mu nodded. "It must be. Old Cang’s standards have always been high. To be chosen as his personal disciple, the boy must have some extraordinary qualities."

Elder Tielin nodded as well, ending the discussion. He surveyed the hundred or so students who had stepped forward and announced coolly, "Now, you will state your names one by one and display your Martial Artist Realm so that I may assign your missions. First!"

"Zhou Kai!"

After announcing his name, Zhou Kai’s Primordial Power surged, and eight red Martial Rings materialized at his feet. An Eight-Ring Martial Artist! Many students looked on in awe. Reaching the rank of an Eight-Ring Martial Artist as a freshman was a sign of immense talent. Moreover, Zhou Kai looked to be only fourteen or fifteen years old. As long as he passed the trial, he had a very high chance of being selected for the elite class to be specially cultivated.

While Elder Tielin handled the roll call, Elder Tie Mu was already recording the information. He had apparently just finished when Tielin shouted, "Next!"

"Zhu Shimao!"

As he shouted his name, Zhu Shimao also revealed his Martial Artist Realm: a Five-Ring Martial Artist. It had to be said that there was a fundamental difference between students who applied on their own and those personally recruited by the academy. The ones the academy recruited were all very young Martial Artists with immense natural talent. In contrast, those who applied independently tended to be older, with slightly higher Martial Artist Realms, as this was the only way for them to stand out during the academy’s enrollment tests. This was also why most of the students in Mu Chen’s year were already at the Martial Artist Realm or higher.

The next while was spent with the captains announcing their names and displaying their Martial Artist Realms. What surprised Mu Chen was that not a single captain was below the Martial Artist Realm. The weakest among them was a Third-Ring Martial Artist, while the strongest had the power of a First-Ring Martial Master. This left Mu Chen truly astonished.

"Qiu He."

This was the one at the First-Ring Martial Master Realm. His appearance naturally caused a stir at the academy, and Elders Tielin and Tie Mu paid close attention to him. Although the young man was already seventeen, a seventeen-year-old Martial Master was considered a genius among geniuses in the Xuanling Empire. He recalled that back in Frost Cold Town, the great young master of Cold City, Han Jun, had only reached the realm of a Second-Ring Great Martial Master, yet he was already sixteen years old.

"A First-Ring Martial Master! You are very good. You may step back for now," Elder Tielin said gently to Qiu He after making a note. The academy needed students like him. That simple phrase, "You are very good," was a clear sign that as long as Qiu He completed the trial mission, he was guaranteed a spot in the fifty-person elite class.

The next few people after Qiu He were all Martial Artists. Having seen Qiu He’s realm, Elders Tielin and Tie Mu merely recorded each subsequent student’s realm before letting them step back.

Since Mu Chen had stepped forward rather late, he was now the last one in line. When everyone else had been recorded, Tie Mu and Tielin walked over to him. After giving Mu Chen a deep, searching look, Tie Mu said, "State your name."

"Mu Chen." The two words were spoken with perfect composure, betraying neither servility nor arrogance, neither conceit nor anxiety.

Elders Tie Mu and Tielin nodded in silent approval. "Release your Primordial Power."

Mu Chen nodded. His body remained perfectly still, but a ripple of Primordial Power began to circulate within him. There was no violent eruption of power like with the previous students, only a subtle fluctuation. Then, six orange Martial Rings pulsed into existence at his feet. A Sixth-Ring Martial Master!

"A S-Sixth-Ring Martial Master!" Tie Mu’s jaw dropped. "And what kind of monstrous Primordial Power control is that? I can’t feel even a wisp of it leaking out."

"Your age?" Tielin was more composed than Tie Mu, but the shock he felt internally was no less than his brother’s.

"Fifteen," Mu Chen replied without any hesitation, his voice still perfectly calm.

Lingyun’s expression flickered, and a peculiar light glinted in her eyes. ’That old geezer... Master’s standards really are high. A fifteen-year-old Sixth-Ring Martial Master... He’s a true monster...’

"What’s going on? Wasn’t Mu Chen a Third-Ring Martial Artist just the other day? How did he become a Sixth-Ring Martial Artist in only one day?" mumbled a student who had personally witnessed Mu Chen instantly kill Balrek.

"What? This has to be an illusion, right? Advancing three entire ranks in a single day? That’s impossible! Did my eyes deceive me that day?"

"You all feel the same way? Could it be that the Martial Rings Mu Chen released that day weren’t for the Third Ring, but the Sixth?"

Hearing the students’ discussion, Mu Chen could only give a wry smile inwardly. ’I just ate a single Ice Spirit Grass. Who would have thought I’d break through three successive Martial Artist Realms? If I told anyone, they’d never believe it.’ So, Mu Chen simply let them speculate. Eventually, they would settle on one explanation and accept it as truth.

However, among the crowd, two people were truly stunned. They were the only ones who knew for a fact that Mu Chen was not a Sixth-Ring Martial Artist two days ago. But the notion of breaking through three Martial Artist Realms in a single day was equally hard to swallow. Unless... unless Mu Chen had some kind of fortuitous encounter...

Elder Tielin swiftly wrote down Mu Chen’s name on his record, then firmly drew a triangle next to it. "Mu Chen, you have greatly surprised me. Perform well from now on."

Mu Chen nodded. With a flicker at his feet, the six orange Martial Rings vanished in an instant, as if they had never been there at all. As Mu Chen turned to leave, a complex and unreadable expression flashed in the eyes of the young man named Qiu He.

Being the center of everyone’s stares, Mu Chen kept a straight face, but he felt a little awkward inside. The moment he returned to his group, Ye Shuangshuang started to rib him. "Wow, Captain, you’re so strong! Why didn’t you tell us?"

Mu Chen rubbed his nose helplessly. "You never asked."

Little Tiger and Qing Lei pursed their lips at the same time and said in unison, "You were hiding it well."

Mu Chen was speechless.

"The tally is complete," announced Elder Tielin, who had remained outside. Elder Tie Mu had already finished his records and disappeared into a room up ahead. "Now, all squad captains, please come to the rear to collect your team’s essential supplies."

Half an hour had passed since Mu Chen’s turn. Elder Tie Mu had presumably gone to prepare the missions for each squad. Led by Elder Tielin, Mu Chen and the other ninety-nine captains entered the building. The moment they stepped inside, the rich scent of old books and paper wafted out. Elder Tie Mu was seated at a long table, and in front of him were one hundred scrolls, each marked with a number. Mu Chen understood that these were the missions their squads would have to complete. To one side of the scrolls lay a pile of Storage Rings, all of which looked to be of rather common quality.

Elder Tie Mu’s gaze swept over the entering students, lingering for a moment on Mu Chen and Qiu He before he spoke calmly. "Here are the missions for your respective squads. The Storage Rings beside them are filled with the supplies you will need for your journey. They contain Healing Elixirs, food, and most importantly, five Signal Flares and a Token. Now, come forward and receive them."

With that, the one hundred captains, their faces alight with excitement, came forward to receive their mission scrolls and supplies. Mu Chen and Qiu He went last. Their scrolls were numbered one hundred and eighty-nine, respectively. After taking his scroll, Mu Chen casually picked a Storage Ring and stepped aside. Before long, all the squad captains had collected their items and were standing to one side.

When he saw that everyone was finished, Elder Tie Mu clasped his hands behind his back and said sternly, "Next, I must impress a few things upon you. The Demon Beast Prison is not as safe as you might imagine. You must proceed with the utmost caution. You are each the captain of a squad. As a capable captain, your duty is to maximize your squad’s chances of survival. In each Storage Ring, there are five Signal Flares. If you feel your life is in danger, do not hesitate, and do not act recklessly. Fire a signal flare at once. There are Elders stationed in every region of the Demon Beast Prison. If a flare is sighted, they will head to your location immediately."