Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"Suspended City?"

A city floating in the air. Mu Chen couldn’t help but marvel. ’Who came up with this name? It couldn’t be more fitting for the current state of this four-tiered continent.’

"It’s truly incredible. But is there any special significance to the four tiers of the Suspended City?"

As he asked, Mu Chen already had his suspicions. This kind of tiered living arrangement had to be for dividing people by rank. Logically, the first tier of the Suspended City should be where the most students lived—those with relatively lower strength in the Inner Mountain. The fourth tier would then be reserved for the strongest students. But he wanted to know the specific details to set a course for his future.

Because the first tier was definitely not a place he intended to stay for long.

"Special significance? It’s just for ranking the students." Dilaka’s explanation was exactly what Mu Chen had guessed.

"The first tier is the residential and activity area for Basic Level students, whose strength is generally within the Emperor Realm Seventh Ring. The second tier is for Middle Level students, whose strength is typically above the Seventh Ring but below the Peak of the Ninth Ring. The third tier is for High Level students, all of whom are above the Peak of the Ninth Ring. As for the fourth tier, that is the residential area for instructors and another group of Special Level students. There’s no strength-based division for them; only students ranked in the top ten of the Holy List are qualified to live there."

Hearing this breakdown, Mu Chen couldn’t help but smile bitterly. ’So even I can end up at the bottom of the pile.’

"Then what about the Dean and the Elders’ residences?" After asking this, Mu Chen realized his behavior on this journey was exactly like that of a new student—ignorant and full of questions. But not asking left him feeling uneasy, so he didn’t care if he was annoying Dilaka. He’d deal with that if it happened.

In truth, Mu Chen didn’t know that the more questions he asked, the more Dilaka liked him. It was this very quality that made Dilaka feel the greatest difference between him and Qiye.

Although their talent was comparable, one was decisive, open, and proactive, while the other was hesitant, introverted, and passive. Mu Chen was undoubtedly the proactive one.

"We live in another Independent Space within the Eternal Saint Peak. Only Elders and the Dean are there; no instructors or students. Considering your and Xuan Moqing’s special circumstances, your instructors will be Elders. When the time comes, your teacher will give each of you an identification token. With it, you can enter and exit the Elder Space at will," Dilaka said.

"Huh? So there’s more than one Independent Space inside the Eternal Saint Peak?" Mu Chen asked in surprise.

"Haha... Of course, there’s more than one. The Inner Mountain occupies one, the Outer Mountain occupies another, the Elder Space has one, and then there are the Medicinal Herb Garden, Holy Beast Mountain, and many other Independent Spaces. It’s these spaces that form the complete facilities of the Academy. In any case, you’ll get to see them all one by one in the future," Dilaka laughed heartily.

"We’ve been talking for a while, and there are still a few basic things I need to tell you. Although I am your mentor, I won’t be able to meet with you often, as I have many matters to handle on Holy Tomb Mountain. So, in the future, if you need anything or run into difficulties with your cultivation, you can use this to teleport directly to my side."

With a casual wave of his hand, a small rift tore open in the space beside him. A starlike glimmer suddenly flashed from within the rift. In the blink of an eye, two rings, similar in shape but different in color, appeared before Mu Chen. One was blue, the other gold. Just from the color, he knew the blue one had to be for Murong Yan.

"These two rings are the tokens for the Elder Space. When not in use, they can serve as Storage Rings; the space inside is quite ample. Now, the next things I need to tell you about are the basics of daily life—clothing, food, housing, and travel—and where you need to report tomorrow morning."

Handing over the rings, Dilaka continued, "As for clothing, the Academy has a standard Institute Uniform. Of course, you aren’t required to wear it within Holy Tomb Mountain. Holy Tomb Mountain is quite lenient in that regard."

"The second point is food. This one is a bit special. Regardless of which tier they live on, all students and instructors must eat in the first-tier dining hall. There are no class divisions there. So in the dining hall, you’ll see students of all different strengths eating and interacting together. It’s quite a sight."

"Although this is the complete opposite of other formal academies on the continent, there’s a special reason we do it this way. It only takes twenty-one days for a person to form a habit. If you completely separate the high-level students from the basic ones, their worlds will drift apart entirely. Over time, once they get used to it, they’ll start to ignore the high-and-mighty advanced students and lose the courage to compete."

"You know that on the path of cultivation, talent is important. But what you might not know is that perseverance and diligence are even more so. To have perseverance and diligence, you must have competition and a goal. As long as you have a goal, perseverance, and diligence, any gap in talent can be completely overcome."

"Putting the high-level and basic-level students together serves two purposes. First, it allows the basic students to constantly see the high-level ones, solidifying their goal of surpassing them. Second, it lets the high-level students witness the progress and growth of the basic students, warning them not to slack off, lest they be overtaken one day! This is the principle of Holy Tomb Mountain. We don’t want students who lack goals or vigilance. We only want the strong!"

The words were a wake-up call. Mu Chen was deeply moved. He thought about the rigid class divisions in the various Dynasties on the continent and realized it was no wonder that even the strong couldn’t break the limits of their talent. The weak, in turn, had no path to strive along. ’If I ever get the chance to return to the Xuanling Empire, I must popularize this teaching method,’ he vowed to himself.

"Third, Holy Tomb Mountain has no dormitories. Even the Basic Level students live in individual houses, while High Level students reside in luxurious villas. There’s some difference, but it’s not significant, so it’s not something worth chasing. Once your realm is high enough, even a cave can be your home, can’t it?"

He chuckled, then his expression turned a bit more serious. "As for ’travel,’ the last point, it applies in too many ways to list. You’ll need to explore that for yourself. If I told you everything, you might lose the thrill of discovery, so I’ll stop here. Oh, I almost forgot to mention one thing: Basic Level students are absolutely forbidden from entering the second tier of the Suspended City or any area above it."

"What about the High Level and Middle Level students? Can they go down to the first tier where the Basic Level students are?" Mu Chen immediately asked.

"They can," Dilaka replied without hesitation. "Otherwise, how would they eat?"

"Er..." Mu Chen rubbed his nose and chuckled sheepishly. "Right."

Dilaka smiled warmly. "Any other questions?"

"None for now."

Dilaka rolled his eyes. "Really? None at all?"

"Actually, yes!"

"Ask."

"When are we going to get them somewhere to rest? It’s not a solution to keep them floating like this forever," Mu Chen said with a hint of helplessness, glancing at the unconscious people around him.

Dilaka froze for a moment upon hearing this, then chided himself. "Ahem, I got so caught up in answering your questions that I forgot about the important stuff."

It had been a long time since he’d felt this relaxed. Ever since Qiye’s inexplicable demise, he had poured all his time and energy into managing Holy Tomb Mountain. No matter how extravagantly praised a genius student was, none of them could catch his eye. It wasn’t until he saw Mu Chen repeatedly surpass his predictions during the Empire’s competition that his numb heart came back to life, rekindling his desire to nurture a student.

"Hah..."

Exhaling, Dilaka released a gentle wave of Primordial Power that enveloped Mu Chen and all the unconscious people. His figure flickered a few times in space and then vanished without a trace.

The process was so swift that even with his Ice Extreme Demon Pupils activated, Mu Chen couldn’t catch a single trace of Dilaka’s movement. ’It makes sense, though,’ he thought. ’If a mere Martial Sect could easily track a Great Power at the Holy Domain Ninth Ring, where would their prestige be?’

It felt like he had only blinked, but when he looked again, the scene before him had changed. Neat rows of houses lined both sides of an alleyway, and nearly every one was brightly lit. He didn’t know what kind of power was at work here, but from the outside, the Suspended City always appeared to be in daylight. Yet, upon entering, it had turned to night.

"Inside the Suspended City, the cycle of day and night is perfectly synchronized with the Extreme Martial Continent. It’s not that difficult to achieve. Telling you about it now is just empty talk; when you reach that level, you’ll naturally understand." Seemingly sensing Mu Chen’s confusion, Dilaka explained on his own. He then pointed to an ordinary house in front of them and added, "This is Liu Feiyuan’s residence. Wait outside for a moment, I’ll be right out."

Dilaka nodded at Mu Chen and carried Liu Feiyuan, Walking on Air, to the house, leaving Mu Chen standing outside the door. A few breaths later, Dilaka’s figure reappeared. Liu Feiyuan was gone.

"He’s settled in. Next is Ta Shan."

Dilaka lifted the three-meter-tall Ta Shan and flew toward a residence three times larger than the others. The space rippled, and he vanished inside. A moment later, he reappeared.

This process repeated. After a dozen or so trips, he had finally delivered Little Tiger, Ye Shuangshuang, and Mo Qing to their respective residences. To Mu Chen’s pleasant surprise—and he didn’t know if Dilaka had arranged it intentionally—the four of them were housed in adjacent buildings. His own house was on the far right of the group of four. To his left was Little Tiger, then Ye Shuangshuang, and Mo Qing was on the far left.

The house wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. It had two floors, each with two rooms and a common hall. One room was for living, and the other was for cultivation. The layout seemed similar to the dorms at the Xuanling Imperial Academy, but it offered much more freedom.

Sitting cross-legged on the soft, large bed, Mu Chen began to plan for his journey into Holy Tomb Mountain tomorrow. ’To get off to a good start, I need a good plan...’