Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"That just leaves the two of you." Great Elder Dilaka glanced at Zhan Peng, then at Guo Zijie, his gaze finally settling on the latter. He sighed helplessly, "If I recall correctly, Guo Zijie, you’re a Poison Cauldron Master, yes? You should understand the kind of situation a Poison Cauldron Master faces on the continent. I don’t know what your mentor, your academy, or your Empire was thinking to let you continue down this mistaken path for so long. But here at Holy Tomb Mountain... we truly have no Poison Cauldron Masters. So, your choice of mentor..."

Upon hearing this, Guo Zijie gave a bitter smile. After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "I know. I realized it the moment I saw the list of mentors. Forget Holy Tomb Mountain; there isn’t a single Poison Cauldron Master in my own Empire. I might be the Empire’s most invisible yet most unique Poison Cauldron Master."

Looking at his own hands, Guo Zijie’s voice trembled slightly. "Just as Great Elder Dilaka said, Poison Cauldron Masters are a cursed group, and I am no exception. Back at the academy, I had no friends. No one wanted to associate with a Poison Cauldron Master like me. But becoming a Poison Cauldron Master was definitely not my teacher’s fault. It’s because... my body is unable to sense any Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi other than the Poison Attribute..."

"You might not believe this, but even as a Poison Cauldron Master, I have never killed an innocent person. I’ve relied only on myself to cultivate to the Emperor Realm. After all, the academy had no mentors who could teach me. So, before coming to Holy Tomb Mountain, I had already prepared myself mentally."

The wide brim of his hat couldn’t hide Guo Zijie’s bitter smile. He walked alone to where the mentors were, standing there in silence. But behind him, no mentor’s gaze fell upon him.

This sense of loneliness deeply moved everyone present. Besides Mu Chen, the one who felt it most keenly was Qing Lei, from back before he had met Mu Chen.

Sighing softly, Dilaka said gently, "While I can’t help you in other ways, Holy Tomb Mountain does have a large collection of materials and notes on Poison Cauldron Masters. After all, they are a group the entire continent targets. As they say, ’know thy enemy’ to better crusade against them. I will now grant you permission to unconditionally access and read all of these materials and notes. Since you were able to reach this level of cultivation on your own, your talent for Poison Cauldron Master cultivation must be extraordinary. With these resources, you can still reach great heights. Furthermore, you might just be the first Poison Cauldron Master ever to be recruited by Holy Tomb Mountain."

"Ah?!" Guo Zijie, who had been lost in his sorrow, was suddenly jolted from his stupor. He exclaimed, "Is... is this real?"

Dilaka smiled. "Of course it’s real. But don’t celebrate too early. As I’ve said, regardless of their motives or moral character, Poison Cauldron Masters will always be the target of the continent’s crusades. Therefore, you will be under constant surveillance by Holy Tomb Mountain. If we discover you making any excessive moves, Holy Tomb Mountain will eliminate you without mercy. Of course, your personal freedom and private space will not be restricted. Can you accept that?"

Guo Zijie was overjoyed. "I can! Of course, I can!"

’Surveillance? I’ve been used to that since the moment I started my cultivation as a Poison Cauldron Master. Being a Martial Artist, being able to continue my cultivation, feeling the Primordial Power flowing through my body—for me, this is the greatest blessing heaven could bestow.’

"That’s for the best."

"Um, can I choose now?" Zhan Peng, who had been waiting on the side, was getting impatient and actually spoke up.

Dilaka turned his gaze and nodded. "Go ahead. In my eyes, you’re the most cunning one here, little fellow."

"Hehe." Zhan Peng scratched the back of his head and said, "I choose Qing Kui."

As soon as his voice fell, a dull THUD came from above. The smoke and dust cleared, revealing a wizened old man in a green robe.

"Come."

No extra words, no grand entrance, no display of powerful Combat Skills. But as the image of the wizened old man was reflected in Mu Chen’s eyes, he felt an indescribable sense of solidity and power.

Zhan Peng swallowed hard and hurried forward, his eyes filled with nothing but joy.

’This Zhan Peng... I’ll have to pay more attention to him in the future.’

Mu Chen secretly felt something was off. Although Zhan Peng was an Earth Attribute Martial Artist, Mu Chen couldn’t sense even a hint of Sharp Qi from the boy. Sharp Qi was a measure of aggressiveness; even a defense-oriented Earth Attribute Martial Artist should possess powerful offensive capabilities. Yet, he couldn’t detect a single trace of it from Zhan Peng.

"The mentor selection is now complete. This is one of the rewards Holy Tomb Mountain has given you. However, you must be wondering why only those three had no right to choose. It’s not because Holy Tomb Mountain lacks Ice Attribute or Dark Attribute mentors. It’s because... they are the ones who are chosen by mentors..."

CRACKLE...

Suddenly, the temperature in the entire space plummeted to a terrifying degree. Even Dilaka and Shan Qiuhen couldn’t help but frown, releasing their Primordial Power to envelop themselves. The others fared even worse; at the very least, the Venerable Realm mentors were all forced to manifest their Martial Rings.

"What’s going on? This temperature is approaching Absolute Zero! Could a Great Power be unleashing a Secret Technique?"

Murong Yan quickly deployed a Water Pattern Barrier, enveloping Xuan Moqing to protect them from the freezing cold. But Mu Chen, Mu Bingling, and Qing Lei were in an awkward position, as they had not yet chosen a mentor and were still standing in their original spots.

Dilaka was about to go and protect them, but he was surprised to see an extremely strange marking appear between Mu Chen’s eyebrows. No, in his understanding, it wasn’t just a marking, but something called an Array Map.

Now, at the very top of this Array Map, a diamond-shaped Ice Crystal, shimmering with a crystalline blue light, was emitting a brilliant glow. And it was because of this strange transformation that Mu Bingling and Qing Lei, standing right next to Mu Chen, seemed completely unaffected, as if the freezing cold had no effect on them whatsoever.

’How does a monster like this even exist?’ Dilaka’s eyes flashed repeatedly. The young man before him was an enigma wrapped in layers of fog. Every time you thought you had lifted his veil, you discovered it was merely the tip of the iceberg. Looking again, you’d find he was just as mysterious as ever, unchanged.

HUFF... HUFF...

The moment he activated his Extreme Ice Attribute, Mu Chen felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and his consciousness flickered. If Mu Bingling hadn’t quickly supported him, he probably would have fainted on the spot.

"Chen’Er, you..."

Before Mu Bingling could finish, Mu Chen waved his hand to show he was fine. He took two deep breaths and replied, "I’m okay. My Primordial Power is just depleted from the earlier fight. It’ll get better after some rest."

His words might have fooled Mu Bingling and Qing Lei, but he knew the true state of his own body. Summoning the War Ancient Tree had consumed nearly all the Primordial Power in his Dantian. Not only that, but even more bizarrely, the Extreme Ice Dantian and Extreme Wood Dantian, which had established new main meridians, had stopped automatically absorbing external energy.

That was bad enough, but while everyone was choosing their mentors, Mu Chen had been continuously circulating his Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. He had just managed to recover some Primordial Power, only for it to vanish in an instant when he activated his Extreme Ice Attribute. This phenomenon sent Mu Chen into a panic. The results of his Introspection showed that all nine of his Dantians were sealed by a layer of gray rock. When he tried to ask his Master, he realized his Master had already gone into hiding. He was ninety percent certain this strange phenomenon was related to unleashing the War Ancient Tree. As for how to solve it, he would only find out when his Master reappeared.

"Huh?!"

Just as everyone was feeling bewildered, a faint cry of surprise echoed from the void. Immediately after, a huge ripple, about a hundred meters in diameter, suddenly spread across the sky. The stunning head of an Eight-tailed Snow Fox emerged from it, its pink eyes locked onto Mu Bingling. A jolt originating from its bloodline shot deep into its soul, faintly making it want to bow its head in submission!

"This is! The Royal Vein!! To think I can still see a member of the Royal Vein clan! Master! This must be an illusion!"

The Eight-tailed Snow Fox ignored the shock of its own ability to speak human words, shouting this sentence in excitement. Its cold voice held an indescribable excitement as its massive body burst out of the void, shooting toward Mu Bingling in the blink of an eye!

"What’s going on?!"

Mu Chen was slightly startled. He took a step and instantly appeared in front of Mu Bingling, blocking her. His Ice Extreme Demon Pupils spun rapidly, and with a SWOOSH, two beams of ice-blue light shot out, blasting directly at the Eight-tailed Snow Fox.

But unexpectedly, the two beams of light, as thin as silk threads, completely dissipated without even stirring the fur of the Eight-tailed Snow Fox. The gap in power... was too great!

But just as Mu Chen thought the giant fox was about to attack them, it strangely stopped right in front of Mu Bingling, its pair of pink eyes shimmering with a gentle light.

Mu Bingling tugged on Mu Chen’s hand and shook her head in bewilderment. She then walked around him and stood before the Eight-tailed Snow Fox. She reached out with a slender finger, wanting to touch the fox’s forehead.

Mu Chen was alarmed at the sight and was about to pull Mu Bingling’s hand back, but he realized the giant fox wasn’t emitting even a hint of a dangerous aura. Not only that, but to Mu Chen’s astonishment, the Eight-tailed Snow Fox slowly lowered its head, closed its eyes, and gently nuzzled against Mu Bingling’s palm, letting out a comfortable purr.

"Why... Why do I feel such a strong sense of affinity for it? It’s like... it’s like family."

Mu Bingling’s expression shifted from confusion to surprise, then softened into one of extreme gentleness. This was the first time she had shown such an expression to anyone other than Mu Chen, Mufeng, and Bi Wan.

"Because... we are family..."

The Eight-tailed Snow Fox lingered for a moment, nuzzling Mu Bingling’s hand again before slowly moving its head away. It then sat down in front of her, just like her Guardian God.

"Hu’Er... It seems you were right, Nameless. This little girl is indeed the last of the Snow Moon Spirit Foxes, and a member of the Royal Race at that."

The space twisted, and along with the appearance of three figures with completely different styles, an unprecedented, overwhelming pressure descended from the heavens...