Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

This was how Broo had managed to gain some prestige and a reputation within his faction. But to think he’d be defeated today by a mere First-Ring Martial Sect using only Spiritual Power... who would believe it if they heard?!

"Xiaohai, what do we do? Look, he doesn’t have a shred of Primordial Power fluctuation. Could he be a Spiritual Martial Artist? If so, I’m afraid this won’t end well for us."

The offensive capabilities of Spiritual Martial Artists defied the continent’s common knowledge. While it was true that the Spiritual Power of Martial Artists at the same level was now basically identical, historical records spoke of a time when the continent was home to many Noble Families who specialized in Spiritual Power Techniques. These martial artists were undoubtedly terrifying, though not as impossible to counter as Poison Cauldron Masters.

After all, back when Spiritual Power Techniques were rampant, so too were artifacts that defended against Spiritual Power. The back-and-forth between them wasn’t always so deadly. However, in the current era, with Spiritual Power Techniques all but extinct, items that defended against Spiritual Attacks have become exceedingly rare and forgotten. A High-tier Martial Artist might be able to produce countless Attack Treasures, Defensive Treasures, Attack Secret Techniques, and Defense Secret Techniques, yet be unable to find a single item to counter a Spiritual Impact.

Force of habit had long since caused them to let down their guard against Spiritual Attacks. Without Spiritual Power Techniques, the only method of Spiritual Attack left was the Spiritual Impact. Thus, no matter what kind of Spiritual Martial Artist one encountered, a single defensive artifact was thought to be sufficient.

Clearly, Xiaohai and the other two currently possessed no such artifacts to defend against Mu Chen’s Spiritual Impact.

"That’s a given. Even Broo couldn’t withstand this kid’s Spiritual Impact, so what chance do we have? But we’re Emperor Realm Martial Artists. Getting away will be easy enough," Xiaohai said quickly, supporting Broo by his other arm.

"Are we just going to let him get away with this?"

Ah Yi was already furious about losing three months’ worth of hard-earned Cultivation Resources in the bet. Now, to inexplicably suffer a setback at the hands of a First-Ring Martial Sect freshman made him even more livid. Not only that, but they were being forced to flee. How could he tolerate this?!

"Let him get away with it? Heh heh... Have you all forgotten who Broo’s brother is?"

Hearing Xiaohai, it suddenly dawned on Lili and Ah Yi. "Brom!" At that thought, a look of pity finally appeared in their eyes.

Although Broo’s own strength was middling on the first level, almost no one dared to provoke him. The reason was simple: he wasn’t alone. Broo disliked being constrained by his older brother and refused to be around Brom, which is why he hadn’t even joined his brother’s faction. That man simply put too much pressure on him.

What Broo hated most was being called "Brom’s little brother." But only Ah Yi, Xiaohai, and Lili knew just how much his older brother doted on him. In fact, if Broo had just told Brom about losing the bet, their resource problem would have been solved instantly. With the backing of the strongest faction on the first level, Brom had a wealth of Cultivation Resources. He could have casually set aside a portion to fix their problem, and they wouldn’t have needed to resort to such dishonorable acts.

But now, Broo had actually been bested by a Martial Sect who had just entered the Inner Mountain. If word of this reached Brom’s ears, the consequences were all too easy to imagine.

"Kid, you’re so dead..."

Xiaohai gave a slight smile, offered the other two a meaningful nod, and flew off, supporting the unconscious Broo. At the speed of a Martial Emperor, the four of them vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye. Only Mu Chen remained, standing there stunned. He shook his head with a wry smile. ’Brom? The strongest faction on the first level? My luck is really rotten. I just arrived in the Inner Mountain, and I’ve already provoked a behemoth.’

But after pondering for only a moment, Mu Chen smiled, feeling relieved. ’Whatever. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Since this Brom is the Power Master of the strongest faction on the first level, his strength must be at the Peak of a Seven-Ring Martial Emperor.’

’There’s no point in dwelling on it. A Sixth-Ring Martial Emperor could already suppress me completely, to say nothing of someone at the Peak of a Seven-Ring Martial Emperor. The most important thing right now is to find the Blazing Flame Class, get settled in, and then focus entirely on my Cultivation. Only by getting stronger can I survive in this Inner Mountain.’

With his focus renewed, Mu Chen once again manipulated his Spiritual Power and flew away...

"Mu Chen? There’s no one by that name in our class."

Within the academy, Wang Miaoling dismissed the female student before her, looking utterly exasperated. This was the third class she had checked, and she still hadn’t found Mu Chen. She fumed, ’Where on earth did that brat go?! He’s not in the Blazing Flame Class, he’s not in the Ice Profound Class, and he’s not even in the Wood Spirit Class! Don’t tell me he skipped out on his very first day?!’

But just as she was passing the Book Tower, she saw a slender, black-clad figure slowly flying toward her. As she got a closer look, her expression instantly twisted.

"MU! CHEN!"

While still a good distance away, he heard a cry filled with shock and anger, causing him to freeze mid-air. An instant later, a sharp, imposing figure appeared right in front of him.

"Dean Wang, you’re..."

Before he could finish, Wang Miaoling moved quicker than a flash of lightning and rapped him on the head. "Where have you been, you rascal?" she roared. "Didn’t I tell you to go to the Blazing Flame Class? And you’re just wandering around the campus!! Don’t think you get special privileges just because Lord Dilaka is your teacher! In my eyes, everyone is treated equally!"

Mu Chen cried out, clutching his head in pain. Although Wang Miaoling hadn’t used any Primordial Power, Mu Chen didn’t have any protecting his body either.

"So, where were you?" Realizing that Mu Chen’s Primordial Power was depleted, Wang Miaoling’s expression softened slightly, but her tone remained icy.

Having been smacked out of nowhere, Mu Chen couldn’t really argue back. He just rubbed his head and said, "I got lost. I had no idea where the Blazing Flame Class was."

Hearing this, Wang Miaoling suddenly realized the fault lay not with Mu Chen, but with herself. Her icy tone softened, and she said, a little awkwardly, "That was my mistake. I apologize."

"Er..." Mu Chen was taken aback. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of respect for the woman who seemingly carried the entire first level of the academy on her shoulders.

’In all my years,’ Mu Chen thought, ’I’ve only ever met two people whose Martial Arts Cultivation is countless realms above my own who would still humble themselves enough to apologize. One was Dilaka, and the other is Wang Miaoling. And both of them are from Holy Tomb Mountain. Anyone else, even if they were in the wrong, would likely have just plowed ahead to protect their own pride.’

"Actually, to find the Blazing Flame Class, all you have to do is infuse your Primordial Power into your Fire Attribute Certificate and press it to the spot between your eyebrows," Wang Miaoling explained. "The directions and a map of the entire academy will be transmitted into your mind like an imprint. If that fails, there’s also a physical map of the academy inside the Book Tower. But you didn’t know any of this, so you can’t be blamed."

It dawned on Mu Chen. He reached for the Fire Attribute Certificate at his waist, about to give it a try, but then remembered he couldn’t use his Primordial Power. He let it go, his brow furrowing in frustration.

’Being without Primordial Power is like being crippled. In this world overflowing with it, I can barely move. In the future, unless I absolutely have to, I will never use my Extreme Attribute’s special Secret Technique again.’

"Well... To be fair, I never asked. A mistake like this is never just one person’s fault, so you don’t need to apologize. Thankfully, there’s still some time before class ends. I should be able to make it if I hurry." With that, Mu Chen turned to head for the Book Tower. If he couldn’t take the shortcut, he’d just have to do it the old-fashioned way.

"Wait!" Before Mu Chen could turn, Wang Miaoling called out to him. She shook her head. "You don’t need to go to class."

Mu Chen froze. After a long, stunned pause, he managed to get out a single word. "Huh?"

Wang Miaoling couldn’t help but smile at his reaction. "I’m saying you don’t have to go to class. Lord Dilaka has already explained your situation to me in detail. For the time being, you just need to focus on restoring your Primordial Power. After that, you are to wholeheartedly use the Five Elements Sacred Domain to raise your Martial Arts Cultivation. With your strength and talent, you don’t need to worry about falling behind in your classes.

"Besides, your current strength is still far too weak. The Inner Mountain isn’t some peaceful, harmonious place. If you don’t have the strength to hold your own, you’ll find it incredibly difficult to survive. No faction will even be willing to recruit you. This isn’t the Outer Mountain!"

With that parting shot, Wang Miaoling turned and added, "Oh, right. Don’t forget to go to the ring-shaped building near the pillar of light for meals. Okay, I’ve told you everything you need to know for now. The academy has business I need to attend to, so I’m heading back to my office. If you have any problems in the future and it’s inconvenient to ask Lord Dilaka, feel free to come find me."

After speaking, the Primordial Power around Wang Miaoling distorted for a moment, and she vanished on the spot.

Mu Chen stood there speechless for a long moment before shaking his head in resignation. This whole morning had been for nothing. However, when Wang Miaoling mentioned the dining area, a wave of hunger hit him. He estimated the time and, seeing it was still early, decided to wander around the academy for another long lap before finally zipping toward the pillar of light on the first level.

With a landmark to aim for and a general description of the dining hall, Mu Chen found his destination with almost no effort. But when he saw the true form of the pillar of light, he was utterly astounded.

That was no giant pillar of light! It was a massive, circular Array Map, nearly a kilometer in diameter! The "pillar" itself was the product of condensed Primordial Power being released from countless enormous crystals embedded within the array!

Looking closely, he saw countless esoteric, ancient Runes carved into the Array Map. As Primordial Power drove the array’s rotation, the runes flickered in and out of brightness, creating an absolutely stunning sight!

’A Teleportation Array Map? Or something else?’

However, just as Mu Chen was lost in thought, countless white points of light suddenly twinkled inside the circular pillar. Each point of light flashed once before transforming into a human figure! People... they were coming down from above!