Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Time passed, second by second. The only sound in the office was the rustle of a pen against paper. Finally, after Mu Chen and the elderly man with the surname Du had been standing there for two full hours, Wang Miaoling put down her pen and looked up at Mu Chen.

She adjusted the glasses on her nose with a slender finger, the lenses flashing in the sunlight. Her dark green, phoenix-like eyes quickly sized up Mu Chen before turning to the elderly man. "What is it?" she asked coldly.

The elderly man smiled faintly, shedding his chatty persona for a serious one. His sanctimonious air made Mu Chen marvel. ’He’s practically the emperor of the acting world.’

"Dean of Instruction, it’s like this. Just now, this kid suddenly entered the institute..."

"That’s enough. I understand," Wang Miaoling immediately cut him off, pushing up her glasses. "The root of the issue is this young man, correct? You can return to your post. I’ll handle it from here."

Taken aback by the sudden interruption, the elderly man said after a moment of shock, "Very well, then. I’ll be on my way."

After speaking, the elderly man shot Mu Chen another meaningful glance before turning to leave the office. But before he had gotten very far, a self-righteous voice sounded from within.

"He was drinking heavily at the gatehouse just now."

THUD!

Upon hearing this, the elderly man tripped and fell flat on the ground, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. He roared in his mind, ’Kid! I thought we had an understanding! I thought you knew! Is our pleasant rapport over already?!’

...

Wang Miaoling, on the other hand, simply nodded. "I’ll deal with that. But let’s not talk about him. Let’s talk about you. You’re Mu Chen, right?"

Mu Chen wasn’t surprised that Wang Miaoling knew his name. Instead, he coolly sized her up. ’She’s a capable woman. You can tell from her pinned-up hair and thick-framed glasses that she’s highly competent.’

’Her face... By my standards, Wang Miaoling isn’t exactly beautiful, but she’s far from ugly. The main thing is the cold, aloof aura she gives off.’

"Do I look good?"

Mu Chen gave a dry cough, composed his expression, and nodded. "Not bad."

Wang Miaoling was taken aback for a second, then she let out a chuckle. "You’re rather interesting. Most people answer that question with extreme certainty. You, however, gave me such a lukewarm response. Anyway, you’re here for your Inner Mountain Certificate and Institute Uniform, right?"

"Mhm."

Rubbing his nose, Mu Chen said, "Yes. I assume Dilaka already told you about my situation."

Wang Miaoling nodded slightly. "He did. However, before I give you your uniform and certificate, I must admit I’m very interested in you myself. Within Holy Tomb Mountain, almost everyone knows that Great Elder Dilaka has refused to take any disciples for nearly a century. And yet, he’s chosen you. I’m very curious..."

"I’m just as curious," Mu Chen shrugged. "So I can’t answer that for you."

That part was true. He had no idea why Dilaka had taken him on as a disciple. ’The Extreme Attributes I have now are Ice and Wood. Logically, I shouldn’t resonate at all with Dilaka, who has the Gold Attribute.’

"Fair enough~"

Wang Miaoling shrugged in resignation. From her Storage Ring, she took out two pitch-black robes and eight Jade Tokens of various colors. The tokens were nearly identical to the Assessment Jade Token hanging from Mu Chen’s waist, with the only difference being their color.

"These eight Jade Tokens must be the Inner Mountain Certificates," Mu Chen said.

"Correct. But you can only choose one. Red is for the Fire Attribute, blue for Water, gold for Gold, yellow for Earth, green for Wood, the diamond-shaped one for Ice, the crescent-shaped one for Thunder, and black for Dark. As for the Light Attribute, it seems to have vanished from the continent."

"What’s the significance of there being eight tokens?"

"The token you choose determines which Attribute class you’ll be studying in," Wang Miaoling explained.

Mu Chen continued asking, "Does that mean I have to pick the Attribute I was born with to study? Or that my innate Attribute dictates which of the Holy Domains I must use for my Cultivation?"

Wang Miaoling paused, taken aback. "That’s a rather novel and strange question. In all my decades as the Dean of Instruction, I’ve never heard of a new student choosing to study with a Jade Token that doesn’t match their own Attribute."

"However, the institute actually has no rule stating that a student must choose a Jade Token corresponding to their own Attribute as their certificate and field of study. Likewise, access to the Five Elements Sacred Domain is the same; holding a Gold Attribute Jade Token won’t bar you from cultivating in the other domains. The only condition is that you can actually benefit from being in those other Holy Domains. Otherwise, you’d just be wasting your own Cultivation Resources. Why do you ask?"

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "Oh, no reason. I was just curious. Since I don’t have to choose based on my own Attribute... I’ll take this one."

After sweeping his gaze over the Jade Tokens on the desk, Mu Chen unhesitatingly picked up the red one—the Fire Attribute token.

Wang Miaoling’s face fell. "Mu Chen, you must think this through!" she warned. "Although Holy Tomb Mountain’s teaching quality is higher than any other institute, if you have a different Attribute but study in the Fire Attribute class, your progress will be extremely limited. Aside from combat methods and techniques, you won’t learn anything practical. Are you sure you want to choose so casually?"

"I’m sure. Don’t worry, I’m not one to be irresponsible with my own future." Without hesitation, Mu Chen swapped the White Jade Token at his waist for the new one, revealing a determined smile.

Wang Miaoling sighed in resignation. "Alright, I’ve said my piece. Since you’re willing to be responsible for your choice, I won’t stop you. To prevent any regrets, and out of respect for Great Elder Dilaka, I’ll give you a grace period. If you want to switch back to your own Attribute Jade Token within the next three months, come and find me. You only get one chance, and it’s only for three months. Understand?"

Mu Chen was stunned. ’This is favoritism, isn’t it? It must be. A choice like this is usually set in stone. I can’t believe she’s bending the rules for a new student she just met.’ A warmth spread through his chest, though he knew it was entirely due to his status as Dilaka’s disciple.

"Understood." Mu Chen had wanted to add, ’but I doubt I’ll need to change it.’ However, he thought better of it, worried it would sound like he was rejecting her kindness and leave a bad impression.

"Good." Taking a deep breath, Wang Miaoling rolled her eyes. "Alright, you’re all set. Take the Institute Uniform and your certificate and go change in the break room."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, ’huh’?" Wang Miaoling snapped. "It’s class time! The term started for you this morning. Get changed and get to the Blazing Flame Class!"

Mu Chen grunted in acknowledgment and quickly ducked into the office’s break room. He changed into the Institute Uniform in a flash. The pitch-black uniform felt awkward, as he’d always had an aversion to black clothing. However, since all the Inner Courtyard students wore it, he’d have to adapt. He was just curious why it fit him so perfectly.

He slung Red-Refined Blue Wings onto his back again, attached the Fire Attribute Certificate and Qin Shang’s Jade Token, and quickly walked out of the break room. Because time was short, Mu Chen didn’t bother tying up his long, flowing ice-blue hair, letting it cascade down his back and cover half of the Blue Wings’ sword case.

When Wang Miaoling saw Mu Chen emerge from the break room, a look of surprise crossed her face. "Oh? I didn’t realize. After a change of clothes, you’re actually quite handsome."

Hearing such a tease from Wang Miaoling, of all people, made Mu Chen blush. He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Uhm, where is the Blazing Flame Class? I’m not too familiar with the layout of the institute."

Little did he know that as soon as the words left his mouth, he was met with Wang Miaoling’s angry shout, "If you’re not sure, can’t you find it yourself?! I’m the Dean of Instruction, not a tour guide! Now get lost!"

"..."

Mu Chen, who had fled the Dean’s office at top speed, was now covered in a cold sweat, completely baffled by what had just occurred. He muttered to himself, ’Holy Tomb Mountain is a terrifying place. A chatterbox gatekeeper, a Dean of Instruction whose mood changes faster than you can flip a book... I wonder what kind of weird instructors I’ll run into next... Ugh...’

「At the same time」

After Mu Chen left the office, Wang Miaoling slumped into her chair and tilted her head back. ’A First-Ring Martial Sect, and I can’t even sense a trace of Primordial Power on him. Besides being a little stranger than the average student, there’s nothing special about him. How could a boy like that pass the Inner Mountain assessment and get noticed by Dilaka? I just don’t get it... Could it be that Dilaka went against his own principles just because he hasn’t found a satisfactory disciple in so many years?’

At this thought, Wang Miaoling suddenly sat bolt upright. Smacking her right fist into her left palm, she declared, "That has to be it!"

"What has to be it?"

Suddenly, an ethereal yet ancient voice sounded from behind her. Wang Miaoling froze, then quickly lowered her head in respect. "Grand Elder."

"There’s no need to be so formal every time you see me. You were my student once, after all." Dilaka’s figure slowly emerged from the void, his gaze gentle.

Wang Miaoling started, then raised her head to look at the elderly Dilaka, remaining silent.

Dilaka took a couple of steps to stand beside her. "I know you have many questions for me. Are they about Mu Chen?"

"Yes!"

The single word "Yes!" was uttered with unshakeable conviction, yet it carried a world of confusion and disappointment.

"Hahaha... Is that how it is?" Dilaka chuckled. "Do you think I just picked some random person?"

"Isn’t it?" Wang Miaoling said, crestfallen. "A First-Ring Martial Sect without a trace of Primordial Power. And not only that, he clearly has the Ice Attribute, yet he insists on studying the Fire Attribute curriculum. Is that the kind of choice a genius would make?"

Dilaka’s gaze drifted to the blue sky and white clouds outside the window. A hint of surprise touched his features as he chuckled. "The Fire Attribute, you say? I thought the boy would choose Gold."

"Gold Attribute?" Wang Miaoling suddenly remembered the strange, enormous Sword Scabbard on Mu Chen’s back and started to understand Dilaka’s reasoning. "Now that you mention it, that boy does seem to use a sword. Has he cultivated Sword Intent? But I couldn’t sense any sharpness from him at all."

Dilaka shook his head. "No, he doesn’t have Sword Intent. But he possesses a power never before seen on the entire Extreme Martial Continent. He is a genius, one who surpasses even Qiye. More than that, he’s rational and has a mind of his own, so his choices are bound to have their reasons. Whether he chooses the Ice Attribute, Fire Attribute, Wood Attribute, or suddenly picks another one entirely, there’s no need for you to be worried or surprised. Because to him, it’s all the same."

"All the same?! Why?"

"Because he possesses three kinds of Attribute Elemental Power simultaneously... that we know of..."