Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

From ancient times to the present, a saying has been popular in every era: "The Dynasty has the land, but the Central State has the people!" What did this mean? It meant that although the territory of the Dynasty was vast, its population was not even a tenth of the Central State’s. And in terms of the Martial Dao, the Central State was so far ahead that the Dynasty could only gaze at its dust.

In the Dynasty, only Middle and High Level Empires were equipped with Elders and Guardians who were Venerable Realm Strong Persons. But in the Central State, Venerable Realm Martial Artists were as common as cabbages—worthless. You could accidentally kick a rock on the street, have it hit someone, and that person might just be a Venerable Realm Strong Person!

"Is this the Central State territory?"

At the Central State border, a man in white with a huge black case on his back made his way through the surging crowd and stepped through the border gate. He looked up at the words ’Central State’ inscribed above the gate, a wave of emotion washing over him. ’So many years ago, I was just a down-and-out failure from a Border Empire,’ he thought. ’And now, I’ve finally set foot in the land every Martial Artist dreams of.’

"You’re not wrong to call it the Central State territory, but it’s still quite different from the actual outskirts of the Central State, to say nothing of the inner ring."

Beside him was a tall woman, nearly his equal in height. Her beautiful, glossy black hair cascaded over her shoulders. In her hand, she held a Lady’s Sword in a golden Sword Scabbard, her steps elegant as she followed behind the man.

"You know, your black hair actually looks quite nice. It has less of that noble elegance, but it adds a touch of mature composure."

The man glanced at the woman, his long, purple-red hair swaying in the wind, a faint smile ever-present on his lips. Who else could it be but Mu Chen? A year had passed, and while Mu Chen hadn’t grown any taller, his face had lost all traces of immaturity, replaced by a firm maturity.

"Heh... Have pigs started to fly? The blockhead finally learned how to compliment a girl?" The woman smiled faintly. Although her tone seemed to mock Mu Chen, her eyes betrayed an unconcealable delight. This black-haired woman was, of course, none other than Chu Aoqing, who had used a Disguise from Qiao Village.

"Still, your transformation this past year has been astounding. Now, I’m afraid even I am no longer a match for you." Chu Aoqing’s expression grew wistful, her gaze toward Mu Chen softening considerably.

Over the past year, everyone had witnessed Mu Chen’s effort and diligence. Under such intense Cultivation, the speed at which his Martial Arts Realm climbed was nothing short of terrifying. In just one year, he had leaped from a First-Ring Martial Sect to the Emperor Realm. Yes, he had fulfilled the one-year promise. Not only that, his Martial Arts Realm had now reached the Fourth Ring! A Fourth-Ring Martial Emperor!

It was true that after he broke through to the Emperor Realm, Dilaka had given him a priceless Martial Emperor Essence Pill. But even without the boost from that pill, Mu Chen had relied on his own power to reach the level of a Third-Ring Martial Emperor, far exceeding the goal Dilaka had once considered incredibly difficult.

"Sigh... It doesn’t matter if I’m a match for you or not," Mu Chen said, taking a deep breath and giving Chu Aoqing a helpless look. "Even if you let me fight you, I’d still have to find the courage to do it."

Chu Aoqing smiled in satisfaction. "That’s more like it. But what kind of mission did you get from Elder Ling that required you to come all the way to the Central State?"

Mu Chen glanced around and noticed quite a few people were watching them. It was hardly surprising. After all, he’d brought the Profound Jade Fan with him when he left Holy Tomb Mountain, and he was accompanied by a peerless beauty. It would be difficult not to attract attention.

But since Chu Aoqing had asked, Mu Chen couldn’t refuse to answer. With a thought, he released a barrier of tangible Spiritual Power to conceal the two of them. "It’s not a major mission," he continued. "I’m just delivering a letter from Elder Ling to the Ding Palace Master. I think his name is Wan Xianzhong... His surname is Wan..."

The moment he said the name ’Wan,’ Mu Chen’s heart inexplicably clenched. The face of an innocent, spirited girl surfaced in his mind, refusing to fade away.

’A good woman is loyal to one person. I don’t know your background, I don’t know how much potential you have, and I don’t know if you’ll be good or evil in the future, but my heart—Wan Xian’er’s heart—can hold no other. If we are truly fated, we will meet again. If we are not... then just forget we ever had this brief encounter...’

He might not need a lifetime to fully grasp her words, but he would need a lifetime to remember them, for that girl had left an indelible mark upon his heart.

’Wan Xian’Er... It’s been so many years. Where in the world are you?’

Noticing his sudden low spirits, Chu Aoqing patted Mu Chen’s back with a puzzled look. "What’s wrong? You suddenly look pale."

Chu Aoqing’s pat snapped Mu Chen out of his reverie. He forced a smile. "It’s nothing. I was just thinking about some things from the past. But having you with me in the Central State, Aoqing, has really saved me a lot of trouble."

"Heh... that’s not the whole story. First, I’m your personal bodyguard. Second, I need to make a trip back to my family’s manor. After all, I haven’t been home in seven years. Now that I finally have a chance to come to the Central State, it wouldn’t be right not to visit. And don’t forget what you promised me."

Chu Aoqing didn’t seem to mind that Mu Chen had dodged her question. She smiled and said, "So, I can only take you as far as Medicine City, which is the closest city to Ding Palace. After that, I’ll have people from my family pick me up and take me home."

"Oh? Then how will I find you?" Mu Chen asked, puzzled.

"When I leave, I’ll give you a token. When the time comes, just crush it, and someone will naturally come to take you to the manor," Chu Aoqing said with a smile.

"I see. Truly befitting a great family. That’s incredibly convenient."

Mu Chen felt a twinge of envy. If his own clan had something like that, going home would be much easier in the future. But that was just a thought. After all, the people with the highest Martial Arts Realm in his family right now were just him and Bing’Er. To achieve Spatial Transmission over such a vast distance, he would likely have to wait until he became much more powerful.

"What’s there to be envious about? Come on, let’s get something to eat. We’ve been on the road for over a month. We can finally have a proper meal." Chu Aoqing, who was never one to turn down food or sleep, grabbed Mu Chen, zeroed in on a restaurant, and dashed toward it.

Dragged along by Chu Aoqing, Mu Chen could only follow, helplessly rubbing his nose. But she had a point. For a month and a half, they had been rushing, eating nothing but roasted meat every day. While nutritious and not exactly bad, you get sick of eating the same thing. Besides, girls aren’t usually big fans of meat anyway.

However, just as Chu Aoqing was about to step into the restaurant, a figure unexpectedly emerged from within. His appearance was so abrupt that just as his foot landed on the threshold, Chu Aoqing’s foot came down right on top of it. And that one misstep was about to cause a whole lot of trouble...