Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Staring dumbfounded at the unremarkable food on the plate before him, Mu Chen took another bite. A peculiar aroma spread from his mouth and nose to his Sea of Souls, like a clear spring trickling through and cleansing his very soul. He finally understood the strange looks from the other students, and why Master Ling had looked so furious when he refused the offer. ’This isn’t just food! This is practically a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure—one that nourishes the soul, replenishes Primordial Power, and strengthens the body!!’

However, little did Mu Chen know that as he was savoring Master Ling’s unique culinary arts, a plot against him was unfolding outside.

"Is that brat in the dining hall?" a tall man demanded, his voice filled with fury.

"Brother Brom, I saw him enter the dining hall with my own eyes! There’s no mistaking it!"

If Mu Chen had been there, he would have recognized the one who replied. Who else could it be but Xiaohai?

As focus fell upon the brute named Brom, his features became clear. His eyebrows were like scorching Fire Flames, and aside from a difference in build, he was a ninety percent match for Broo in appearance. He exuded an aura of immense solidity; a single glance was enough to identify him as a Power Type Earth Attribute Martial Artist!

"Excellent! No one on this first level has ever dared to harm my little brother, Broo! You said this kid is new, right? Then I’ll make damn sure he learns his lesson. The Inner Mountain isn’t some garbage dump like the Outer Mountain. Not just anyone can come here and throw their weight around!!"

As Brom spoke, a tyrannical wave of Primordial Power erupted from his body. The sheer force of it was enough to tell that his Martial Artist Realm had reached the Peak of Seven Rings, and he was even showing faint signs of an impending breakthrough!

"Brother Brom, why don’t we just rush into the dining hall and drag him out? The academy doesn’t seem to interfere in student disputes. Besides, Broo was the one who got hurt first, so we’re fully justified."

The one who spoke was a subordinate standing beside Brom—clearly one of the key members of his faction. But the moment the words left his mouth, Brom shot him a furious glare and began to curse him out.

"Idiot! I tell you to use your brain, but you never listen. Now you’re just spouting nonsense! Use your head! It’s not just first-level students eating in there. If you swagger into the dining hall to drag him out, and some of the proud upper-level students see you, they might think you’re trying to send *them* a message. If they decide to step in, who do you think will be the one to suffer?!"

"Still, to keep the kid from slipping away, send someone he won’t recognize into the dining hall to keep an eye on him. No need to get too close, just keep him in sight. Then, follow him. See if he heads for the academy buildings or the dorms. Once we know his route, we can ambush him at the most secluded spot. And then, heh heh... I’ll be sure to leave him with a lasting psychological scar!"

With that, Brom pointed to a random, unremarkable-looking member of his group. "You go. And remember to use the Communication Crystal Stone."

The man nodded vigorously. ’My lucky day!’ he thought. He was sure to get a handsome reward for completing this task. The mere thought made him excited. With a tap of his toes, he shot toward the pillar of light!

...

Meanwhile, Mu Chen had polished off both servings of food. To be precise, Chu Aoqing had eaten some of the second serving herself. He had no idea what possessed her to willingly share a plate with him, but since the beauty herself didn’t seem to mind, Mu Chen wasn’t about to act coy.

This was a sight that made everyone else burn with envy. There were plenty of students in the dining hall who had entered the Inner Mountain at the same time as Chu Aoqing, but in all that time, they had never seen her share a plate with anyone—not another girl, and most certainly not a boy.

Yet today, she was sharing a meal with a complete stranger. How were the male students who worshipped Chu Aoqing as the goddess of their dreams supposed to handle that?! Their hearts were shattering into dust!

Mu Chen could feel the daggers staring into his back and the killing intent from all directions, but he paid it no mind. ’It’s not my fault this weird situation happened,’ he thought. However, it was Shan Ziyan’s gaze that truly made him feel unnerved; from the start of the meal until the end, she had been giving him a look that could slice him into a thousand pieces.

He hurriedly picked up his empty tray and walked toward the return window. It was at this exact moment that a figure walked in from outside—seemingly casual, but with a furtive air about him. This was none other than the faction member sent by Brom.

Xiaohai had already described Mu Chen’s appearance to him, so the moment he stepped inside, his eyes locked onto Mu Chen. With a flick of his wrist, a diamond-shaped crystal glowing with an azure light appeared in his hand. His lips moved as he quickly relayed a message.

Since Mu Chen wasn’t the only one finishing his meal—countless other students were also getting up at the same time—he failed to notice the man’s odd behavior.

After dropping off his tray, Mu Chen turned to leave. He was thoroughly annoyed by the feeling of every single eye in the dining hall being fixed on him.

However, the moment Mu Chen stepped out of the dining hall, the man Brom had sent followed closely behind, his expression now perfectly composed.

But just because others hadn’t noticed him didn’t mean *no one* had. Chu Aoqing was one of the few who did.

"Sister Qing’Er, are you crazy? Why would you eat with that guy? Don’t you realize you’re basically putting a target on his back?! I bet the upper-level students have already blacklisted him. The first chance they get, they’ll create endless trouble for him!" Shan Ziyan said, grabbing Chu Aoqing’s arm with a pained expression as soon as Mu Chen had left.

Chu Aoqing’s expression flickered at her words. She stood up and said, "I’m afraid I won’t have to be the one to cause him trouble. Trouble has already found him."

As she spoke, Chu Aoqing’s gaze hardened, and her entire aura shifted dramatically! If, when speaking with Mu Chen, she had been like a goofy, carefree young lady, she was now a domineering queen in complete command!!

"Sister Qing’Er, what are you..."

Before Shan Ziyan could finish her question, Chu Aoqing took a single step and vanished from the dining hall. Shan Ziyan stomped her foot in frustration and whined, "That playboy! I don’t know what kind of love potion he fed Sister Qing’Er to make her act so strangely today!" With that, she took off, following Chu Aoqing’s aura.

As for Mu Chen, he left the dining hall and headed straight for the dorms without stopping. Wang Miaoling had already told him there was no need to go to the main academy buildings for now. Mu Chen was happy to have the free time; a structured academy life could never satisfy his cultivation requirements. After all, the goal Elder Xuan had set for him—to break through to the Emperor Realm within a year—was putting him under immense pressure.

’I should head back and focus on breaking through the Beginner’s Chapter of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations. I can take advantage of the fact that my Primordial Power exhaustion hasn’t been resolved yet. Plus, I still haven’t had a chance to check the Storage Ring I got from the Thunder Demon. Time has just been too tight.’

With a plan set in his mind, Mu Chen’s pace quickened. He gathered Spiritual Power beneath his feet, sending out an invisible ripple. His steps accelerated once more.

"Brother Brom, he’s heading toward the dorms now. He’s not moving very fast. He should reach the designated spot in about ten minutes," the faction member sent by Brom reported rapidly into his Communication Device, keeping a great distance from Mu Chen.

He didn’t need to follow too closely. Brom had only told him to report Mu Chen’s general direction, and besides, there was only one main path from the dining hall to the dorms and the academy buildings. They reasoned that as a new student, Mu Chen would be highly unlikely to take a detour back to his dorm.

"Designated spot?"

Suddenly, the man sent by Brom heard a cool, indifferent voice from behind him. It was clearly a woman’s voice, but before he could even turn his head, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

A flicker of deep interest flashed through Chu Aoqing’s eyes. She picked up the Communication Device the man had dropped and placed it in her Storage Ring. ’Communication Devices don’t just transmit sound; they also have a recording function,’ she thought. ’This is perfect evidence!’

Flying along at a low altitude, Mu Chen was naturally unaware of what had just happened behind him, or what was about to happen before him. Right now, his mind was focused on only one thing: Cultivation.

「Ten minutes later...」

"Brother Brom, here he comes!"

Xiaohai’s eyes were sharp, and his memory of Mu Chen’s face was clearer, so he spotted his figure while he was still several thousand meters away, turning his head to speak to Brom.

Hearing this, Brom cracked a grin and smashed his fists together. "Heh heh," he laughed, "My Iron Fists are getting thirsty!"

With that, he locked onto Mu Chen’s position. Brom lowered his center of gravity into a squat, and an immense wave of Earth Attribute Elemental Power swept out from his body. The surrounding sand and gravel seemed to gain a life of their own, flying up to form a high-speed, protective ring around him. In an instant, his right fist was enveloped in thick layers of earthy-yellow Primordial Power. The sheer, heavy presence of his power blasted everyone else nearby back several meters!

At that exact moment, Mu Chen happened to be flying low right above their position. He froze for a second, sensing a terrifying wave of Primordial Power erupt from below. Before he could even investigate what was happening, a burly figure shrouded in sand and stone shot toward him at a speed that surpassed his senses!

’Danger!’

Mu Chen’s scalp tingled. He instinctively gripped his Red-Refined Blue Wings. With no Primordial Power to call upon, he focused all of his Spiritual Power in front of him, creating an invisible wall. He did all this purely on instinct! But the instant he was done, the terrifying figure was already upon him.

"Cold-blooded Impact!!!"

A bellow like that of a Canglan Beast erupted from the burly figure’s mouth. Under this terrifying impact, Mu Chen’s powerful Spiritual Power barrier proved as fragile as paper and shattered instantly!

’Crap!’

BOOM! With a deafening roar, the burly figure’s Iron Fist smashed viciously into the Red-Refined Blue Wings that Mu Chen had raised to defend himself...