Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"Uh..." Mu Chen rubbed his nose sheepishly. "My apologies, I was being presumptuous."

Shan Qiuhen waved his hand. "Since this was an assessment, rewards for passing are a given. And because the assessment you passed was no ordinary one, the rewards will naturally be far more generous."

"The first reward is access to Holy Tomb Mountain’s unparalleled cultivation resource: time in the Five Elements Sacred Domain. This is the very same resource mentioned during the Empire’s tournament. Due to the special circumstances at the time, the Elders of Holy Tomb Mountain have discussed the matter and decided to set your standard resource reward at an initial fifteen days. In other words, you will be able to cultivate in the Five Elements Sacred Domain for a full fifteen days."

"The additional reward for passing this particular assessment is another fifteen days of cultivation time, for a total of one full month in the Five Elements Sacred Domain. This is likely the greatest reward ever given to new disciples in our history."

"Wait."

Mu Chen suddenly interrupted Shan Qiuhen. Although it was extremely impolite, he simply had too many questions about what had just been said. If he didn’t get answers now, he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on whatever came next.

"Elder Shan, I have a question, if I may."

Surprisingly, Shan Qiuhen wasn’t angered by the interruption. Instead, a knowing smile touched his lips. "Go ahead."

Seeing Shan Qiuhen smile instead of getting angry, Mu Chen’s expression became even more respectful. "You just mentioned the Five Elements Sacred Domain. I’d like to understand what exactly it is. And why did those Outer Mountain members lose their composure so completely when they heard they would be compensated with three days of access?"

"Is that all? HAHA..." The one who spoke this time wasn’t Shan Qiuhen, but Zhu Jiuqian, a massive wine gourd hanging at his waist. "If that’s the question, I’ll answer it for you. I guarantee my explanation will be simpler and more to the point than Old Dan’s."

Shan Qiuhen just pursed his lips, tacitly agreeing with Zhu Jiuqian.

"The so-called Five Elements Sacred Domain consists of five special, independent spaces formed from the condensed, lingering power of the great ancestors who perished after the Holy War, back when Holy Tomb Mountain was first established. Each of these five special spaces contains a single Attribute Elemental Power, and its purity and density far exceed that of any other place on the Extreme Martial Continent. As for which five Elemental Power Attributes are represented, you can probably guess from the name."

"Still don’t get it? No problem, I, Old Zhu, will explain it in more detail." Seeing Mu Chen and the others looking completely lost, Zhu Jiuqian cleared his throat and continued, "These five special spaces act as a single entity, constantly refining the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. They compress and temper this Primordial Qi, finally storing it within the five spaces. The Five Elements Sacred Domain only stops this refining process when the independent spaces are completely full."

"The Five Elements Sacred Domain itself doesn’t consume any of this refined, Pure Elemental Power. So what is it for? Cultivation! That’s right, it’s for cultivation." Elder Zhu Jiuqian answered his own question. "If you’re a Gold Attribute Martial Artist, you can enter the Golden Sacred Domain and absorb its singular, incredibly pure Gold Attribute Elemental Power. If you’re a Fire Attribute Martial Artist, you enter the Fire Sacred Domain to absorb its singular, incredibly pure Fire Attribute Elemental Power. The same applies to the other attributes."

"And let me tell you, our ancestors have confirmed that the purity and density of the Primordial Power in the Five Elements Sacred Domain is sixty times greater than in the Outer Realm! Sixty times! What does that mean? It means your cultivation speed inside the Five Elements Sacred Domain will be sixty times faster than outside! Furthermore, because the Primordial Power within is so singular, your body won’t have to waste effort expelling other attributes. This will undoubtedly boost your cultivation speed to yet another level! This... is Holy Tomb Mountain’s Mountain Guardian Treasure! Do you understand now?"

HISS...

A collective gasp came from the group. Everyone, including Mu Chen, was stunned speechless. Sixty times the cultivation speed... Just imagine, one day of cultivation in the Sacred Domain was equivalent to two months in the Outer Realm! A mere six days was like an entire year of cultivation outside. And their reward was thirty days. That was equivalent to cultivating in the Outer Realm for... five years!

"Five years!" Long Xiaotian’s entire body trembled with excitement. "That’s like being gifted five extra years of life!"

"Elder Zhu, if I may be so bold," Mu Chen asked, having regained his composure, "for a normal assessment, combined with passing the Empire’s tournament, how many days of cultivation resources would one normally receive?"

"Heh heh, take a guess..."

"..."

"Alright, I won’t make things difficult for you," Zhu Jiuqian said with a laugh. "For a normal assessment, new disciples don’t receive any resource rewards at all. As for those who qualified through the Empire’s tournament, the highest reward is a mere seven days."

"Only seven days..."

Mu Chen lowered his gaze, lost in thought. ’It makes sense,’ he mused. ’Even just seven days is enough to equal an entire year of cultivation in the Outer Realm. A reward like that is already heaven-defying.’

"So, are you satisfied with your reward?" Zhu Jiuqian asked, leaning in.

"Satisfied! Of course, we’re satisfied!" Long Xiaotian replied loudly with a goofy grin.

"Idiot!"

BAM!

With a loud thud, Long Xiaotian felt as if his head had been struck by a mountain. His vision went black, and he nearly fainted. Zhu Jiuqian moved his gourd away and set it aside, rolling his eyes. "You’re satisfied already? What else is there for me to say, then? This is just a common cultivation resource. Inside Holy Tomb Mountain, you can earn this kind of thing through all sorts of channels and missions. It’s a Low Level reward. As for what those missions and channels are, you’ll find out in due time. Now, let me tell you about the second, even more High Level reward."

As if he’d gotten a taste for it, Zhu Jiuqian completely took over the explanation that should have been Shan Qiuhen’s duty. Shan Qiuhen didn’t seem to mind, however. He was the one who gave this speech every year; it was nice to have a break.

"The second reward is that every single one of you will have the opportunity to choose your own mentor. Listen closely: you get to choose your mentor. Such a privilege is unheard of in any other place, any other academy. Since time immemorial, it has always been the mentors who choose the disciples. Here at Holy Tomb Mountain, the weakest of our mentors is a Venerable, while the strongest are Saint Realm Saints. The caliber of the mentor you end up with will depend on your own good fortune. However... you, you, and you—the three of you do not get this reward."

As he spoke, Zhu Jiuqian suddenly pointed in three different directions. The people he indicated were, one, Little Tiger; two, Ta Shan; and three, Mu Chen.

Pointing at themselves, Little Tiger and Ta Shan asked in unison, "Why don’t we get one?"

Zhu Jiuqian laughed heartily. "Because you two are the students I’ve taken a liking to. You’ll be taught by me personally, and you don’t get a say in the matter. As for this little fella..." He gestured toward Mu Chen. "...he’s already been claimed by a certain sneaky old codger. Isn’t that right, Dilaka?"

Dilaka gave a dry cough and shot Zhu Jiuqian a glare. "The rest of you, listen up. In a moment, I will display a Scroll. On this Scroll are the names of several mentors and their Elemental Power Attributes. There is more than one mentor for each Attribute. Who you end up with will depend on your own destiny. Rest assured, however, that no matter which mentor you choose, they are all qualified to teach you. Of course, here at Holy Tomb Mountain, a mentor’s guidance is limited. Your greatest asset will always be yourselves!"

With a wave of his hand, a massive Scroll materialized before the fourteen disciples. Thirty names were written upon it in an exceptionally elegant script. Behind each name was a single symbol representing their Elemental Power Attribute; there was no other information.

"Daiyun, Wind Attribute!"

"Xiao Chen, Wind Attribute!"

"Yan Feng, Fire Attribute!"

"Bai Yi, Fire Attribute!"

"Wen Zhixuan, Thunder Attribute!"

"Shan Bo, Earth Attribute!"

"Qing Kui, Earth Attribute!"

"Ao Han, Gold Attribute!"

"Ge Ling, Gold Attribute!"

"..."

"Murong Yan, Water Attribute!"

The thirty names were easily memorized by the fourteen disciples. Surprisingly, however, there were no mentors with the Ice or Dark Attributes, which left Mu Bingling and Qing Lei feeling a little disappointed.

"Starting with you," Dilaka ordered, his voice low. "Each of you has three seconds. Choose your mentor immediately. A surprise will be waiting for you afterward."

Long Xiaotian was still dazed when he saw Dilaka pointing at him. He quickly shook his head clear, scanned the Scroll, and said, "I choose Yan Feng."

After speaking, he glanced at Mu Chen. ’It’s weird that Mu Chen was already claimed,’ he thought, ’but then again, for someone like him, it feels completely normal.’ As Long Xiaotian made his choice, Ye Shuangshuang immediately added, "I also choose Yan Feng."

Long Xiaotian started. He turned his head and said, "Hey, Arson Queen, why’d you pick the same mentor as me? Don’t tell me... you’ve taken a fancy to this Prince?"

Ye Shuangshuang spat disdainfully. "Hmph, in your dreams. I’m a married woman, thank you very much. This mentor is obviously female. I’m a girl, so I don’t need a reason to pick a female mentor. But for a certain someone to choose a female mentor... what are your real intentions?"

"Get outta here. What intentions? It’s because female mentors are gentler, obviously," Long Xiaotian said, rolling his eyes.

But the moment the words left his mouth, the space before him distorted violently. A huge Spatial Rift tore open, and torrents of scorching White Flame erupted, aimed directly at Long Xiaotian.

Perhaps the Fire Flame erupted too quickly; before Long Xiaotian could even react, he was blasted hundreds of meters backward. To his surprise, however, the White Flame hadn’t caused him any actual harm.

"Heh, my apologies. I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I may be a female mentor, but I am not the least bit gentle."

The White Flame dissipated, and a woman in a white dress with a stunningly curvaceous figure emerged from the rift, swaying as she walked. With every movement, her generous bust bounced, looking as though it might burst free from its restraints at any moment.

"Yan Feng, a Fire Attribute, Peak Nine-Ring Venerable! I’m so glad you chose me as your mentor. Because I’m about to show you the meaning of a true Flame Purgatory!"