"Holy Hall! Do you dare to accept my challenge?"
The words that ca from Mu Chen’s mouth deeply provoked every Holy Hall student, with the exception of Mu Bingling, Kong Ye Ming, and He Long.
"Heh, how arrogant. I, Qin Chuan, will now see for myself if you, Mu Chen, are truly as powerful as the legends say."
With that, a man of about nineteen leaped high from among the Holy Hall students, landing steadily on the arena.
"It’s Qin Chuan! Hehe, even Brother Chuan couldn’t stand it anymore. I heard he led the Qin Chuan Squad to kill a King-level Magical Beast on their last mission." One of the Holy Hall Students stared at Qin Chuan with a fervent gaze, clearly an admirer.
"Of course! Brother Chuan is an Eighth-Ring Martial Spirit, the second-ranked student in the entire Holy Hall! Who the hell is Mu Chen? How dare he spout such arrogant nonsense and provoke the Holy Hall? Brother Chuan could knock him flat with a wave of his hand," another Holy Hall student said.
"Sigh. He’s digging his own grave."
"..."
Standing beside He Long, Xuan Yu smiled. "Prince He Long, see? Isn’t it just as I said? This Mu Chen is incredibly arrogant and conceited."
He Long glanced sideways at Mu Chen. Seeing the thin figure, closed eyes, and missing arm, he sneered, "Arrogant and conceited? Heh, I think he’s just grandstanding. I rember you said he was only a Sixth-Ring Martial Master a month ago. So after a month, what realm could he have possibly advanced to? An Eighth-Ring Martial Master? A Ninth-Ring Martial Master? Or maybe a One-Ring Great Martial Master?"
"Prince He Long is absolutely right. Let’s just watch this kid get beaten like a dog by Qin Chuan." A cold glint flashed in Xuan Yu’s eyes, and the corner of his mouth curved into a sinister smile.
Di Cang had already left the arena after hearing Qin Chuan speak. As he departed, he whispered in Mu Chen’s ear, "Qin Chuan is a sixth-year student, ranked second in the Holy Hall, second only to Amoluo. He’s considered a genius. But for you, defeating him should be easy, right?"
After all, Mu Chen had single-handedly defeated the Tang Family’s entire Elite Guard Team and had destroyed their ultimate treasure, the Primordial Shield, while fending off over ten Martial Spirits and a peak Ninth-Ring Martial Spirit. Of course, only Di Cang knew this. If Qin Yuan knew, she would have never sent Qin Chuan out to die.
Mu Chen raised his eyes and sized up Qin Chuan. The man was dressed in a tight-fitting black outfit that perfectly showcased his balanced, though not overly muscular, physique. His short hair made him look exceptionally sharp.
While Mu Chen was sizing up Qin Chuan, Qin Chuan was doing the sa. After a mont, Qin Chuan suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "So this is the famous Mu Chen everyone’s been talking about. I thought you’d have three heads and six arms. I didn’t expect that not only do you lack them, you’re actually a cripple. I’m very curious, how did soone like you manage to defeat a Three-Ring Martial Spirit as a Sixth-Ring Martial Master? Could it be that the Martial Spirit saw your disability and intentionally went easy on you?"
Mu Chen’s expression didn’t change. He simply said, "Can we start? I hear you’re ranked second in the Holy Hall. As long as I defeat you, I won’t have to challenge the rest."
Qin Chuan’s face darkened. "In such a hurry to get knocked to the ground? Then I’ll be happy to oblige."
With that, Qin Chuan let out a low shout. His entire body was engulfed in a vortex of dark green energy, and eight green Martial Rings instantly appeared at his feet. A shocking wave of Primordial Power erupted from his body. A Wood Attribute martial artist.
Mu Chen remained standing where he was, motionless, as if he were scared stiff. Seeing this, the Holy Hall students began to mock him. "That kid must be terrified by the Primordial Power Brother Chuan just unleashed. Where’s all that arrogance from before?"
"Haha, you have to rember, he’s an Outer Circle student. What are Outer Circle students good for besides bragging?"
"That’s true. And this Mu Chen really talked a big ga."
In that instant, it seed everyone had forgotten the na etched in golden letters on the Tombstone Inscription of the Tower of Calamity...
With Di Cang’s cry of "Begin!", Qin Chuan moved—incredibly fast. Despite his Wood Attribute, he displayed the speed of the Wind Attribute. Mu Chen’s pupils suddenly shrank. Qin Chuan was using a Body Technique Battle Skill!
In a blur, Qin Chuan was already in front of him. Before Mu Chen could react, Qin Chuan’s hand, charged with Primordial Power, chopped down on him like a saber.
THUD! With a dull sound, Mu Chen’s body slamd straight into the ground, dragging a long, narrow mark across the arena’s surface. Fortunately, the arena was very large, and Mu Chen was still several dozen ters from the edge.
Qin Chuan, having landed a successful blow, did not press his attack. Instead, he stared blankly at the motionless Mu Chen on the ground, speechless for a long mont. The previously boisterous Outer Circle students also stared at Mu Chen in disbelief. Only Mo Qing, Little Tiger, Ye Shuangshuang, Qing Lei, Mu Bingling, and the others who were familiar with Mu Chen showed expressions of confusion.
"Hahaha..." Qin Chuan laughed and pointed at Mu Chen. "So you’re just a piece of trash. I really thought soone who’d make such a clamor was so kind of miracle from the Outer Circle. Turns out, it was all just for show."
"Heh..." He Long shook his head. "Low-class Empires really do produce all sorts of people."
Among everyone present, perhaps only Kong Ye Ming and Di Cang remained confident, because the two of them knew far more about Mu Chen’s abilities than anyone else.
"Hey, had enough of a laugh?" Just as the others were still mocking him, a cold voice ca from the arena. "The piece of trash... you must be talking about yourself."
Qin Chuan turned to look at Mu Chen, only to find him standing there completely unhard, watching him with a cold expression. Qin Chuan froze and exclaid, "Th-This is impossible! I used forty percent of my power in that strike! How could a re Martial Master take that head-on and be completely unhard?!"
A corner of Mu Chen’s mouth lifted. "Who told you I was just a re Martial Master?"
The mont his words fell, Mu Chen’s long hair began to stir without any wind. Then, a faint, ice-blue vortex of energy slowly rose from his feet. Mu Chen’s expression hardened. A massive surge of Primordial Power erupted from his body. The ice-blue Primordial Power was so pure it was nearly solid. Five brilliant green Martial Rings instantly spread out from under his feet. But that wasn’t all. At the sa ti the five rings appeared, four Ice Crystal Petals also blood behind Mu Chen’s back.
"A Five-Ring Martial Spirit!!!"
Almost everyone was stunned, including Little Tiger, Mo Qing, and the others; including Di Cang, Lingyun, and their group; and including Holy Hall Students like Kong Ye Ming and Mu Bingling. Xuan Yu’s face paled in horror as he exclaid, "This is impossible! A month ago, he was clearly only at the Sixth-Ring Martial Master realm! How could he break through two Great Realms in a single month to reach the level of a Five-Ring Martial Spirit?! It’s absolutely impossible! He must have used a Secret Technique to raise his Martial Artist Realm!"
Di Cang’s eyes widened as he muttered, "This kid is a monster. That kind of growth is just insane."
Mo Qing watched Mu Chen’s body, enveloped in the ice-blue vortex, his eyes flashing. ’He really is no ordinary person...’
"More than no ordinary person, he’s not human at all," Qing Lei said in a low voice, closing his perpetually gaping mouth.
"So scary..." Ye Shuangshuang muttered, swallowing hard.
Kong Ye Ming’s shock was much less than the others’, as he had previously seen Mu Chen display the Martial Artist Realm of a Four-Ring Martial Spirit. But to break through again to a Five-Ring Martial Spirit within a month... that speed was simply unbelievable.
Mu Bingling gazed at the figure on the arena who had captured everyone’s attention, a surge of joy welling up from the depths of her heart. ’That’s my love. The man I love. Finally, the cripple of the past has fulfilled his promise. There are no permanent cripples, only the will to beco one; only the dignity that allows itself to be trampled!’
"Is this really the sa Mu Chen from Luofeng City?" Yan Ruoshui glanced at the smiling Mu Bingling, then gave a bitter smile. ’There are no permanent cripples. Tang Hao, that joke from the past... is it still funny now?’
Tang Hao’s expression was one of utter horror, but after hearing Yan Ruoshui’s question, he imdiately regained his arrogance and said with a look of disgust, "He’s just a Five-Ring Martial Spirit. It’s been over three years since we left Luofeng City. It’s not impossible for him to get this far if he got lucky and stumbled upon so opportunities."
Yan Ruoshui sneered. "Tang Hao, didn’t you hear what Xuan Yu subconsciously shouted just now? A month ago, he was rely a Sixth-Ring Martial Master. A month later, he’s already a Five-Ring Martial Spirit. Doesn’t that prove sothing?"
"I..." Tang Hao started to explain, but at that mont, Qin Yuan, who was standing to the side, spoke up. "Actually, the increase in Mu Chen’s Martial Artist Realm cos from the Tower of Calamity."
"The Tower of Calamity?" Tang Hao and Yan Ruoshui looked at Qin Yuan at the sa ti.
Qin Yuan nodded. "A lot has indeed happened in the two months you were away from the academy. The biggest event was Mu Chen using the power of an Eighth-Ring Martial Master to shatter Amoluo’s long-standing record, reaching the twelfth floor."
"What?! That kid Mu Chen broke Amoluo’s record in the Tower of Calamity?" Tang Hao looked down at the youth standing ramrod straight below, a storm of complicated emotions swirling within him.
Yan Ruoshui frowned. "But even clearing the Tower of Calamity couldn’t possibly let soone break through to a Five-Ring Martial Spirit in a single month, right? Not even a Holy Grade Elixir could have that kind of effect."
Qin Yuan nodded. "Indeed, not even a Holy Grade Elixir could allow soone to break through to a Five-Ring Martial Spirit in one month. But, what if I told you that this kid nad Mu Chen advanced from an Eighth-Ring Martial Master to a Four-Ring Martial Spirit in under three hours? Would you believe ?"
"Th-That’s impossible."
Tang Hao felt like this was all a dream. Sothing like this was fundantally impossible on the Extre Martial Continent; it defied all common sense. ’Or am I hallucinating? Is everyone hallucinating? Is that kid using an Illusion Technique?’
Qin Yuan’s expression was grim as she said, "Because that kid’s clear wasn’t an ordinary clear—it was a special clear. You are all from the direct lineages of great families. I trust you know what the reward for a special clear of the Tower of Calamity is."
Tang Hao and Yan Ruoshui exchanged a look, a sudden realization dawning on them. "So that’s how it is..."
"So this kid is truly extraordinary. But I have no idea how that old coot Di Cang managed to tie him so firmly to the Outer Circle. Otherwise, our Holy Hall would have beco even stronger." At this, Qin Yuan glared at Di Cang, grinding her teeth. She was completely helpless against him, because the gap between her realm and Di Cang’s was far from small.
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