Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Just as the flamboyantly dressed middle-aged man finished speaking, a man in gray, tight-fitting clothes with a medium build and average looks walked out from the crowd. From within the crowd behind him, a short-haired boy of about seven who bore a strong resemblance to the man cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Dad, you can do it! Dad, you’re the best!"

The man in gray turned back, flashed a sunny smile, and gave a thumbs-up. "Of course! Son, just get ready to watch your dad win you that prize! Heh heh!"

As he spoke, the man in gray strode forward to the crystal and announced loudly, "Proprietor! I want to participate."

The flamboyantly dressed middle-aged man exclaimed loudly, "Oh?! Do we have our first challenger?! Then let’s wait and see what happens!! First, please channel your Primordial Power into the crystal!"

The man in gray chuckled, placed his large hand directly on the crystal’s surface, and a flow of earthy-yellow Primordial Power circulated. The transparent crystal erupted with a strong, earthy-yellow light before spitting out three richly colored purple spheres with a PHUT PHUT PHUT.

"Alright, get ready. The Flying Target Device will now launch three targets in succession. Since you’re the first challenger, I’ll give you a hint: the launch order doesn’t correspond to their speed. The first one out could be the slowest, or it could be the fastest. You have three chances! Get ready! Countdown, begin!"

With a loud shout from the proprietor, a countdown timer made entirely of Primordial Power appeared, suspended in mid-air. The man in gray used his Primordial Power to control the three purple spheres, his Spirit focused intently on the Flying Target Device. The moment a target appeared, he would hurl an Elemental Energy Ball!

"Two! One! Zero!"

PHUT PHUT PHUT...

Without any delay, three jet-black targets flew out from one end of the Flying Target Device with a SWISH SWISH SWISH!

"Now!"

With a great shout, the man in gray’s Primordial Power surged. An Elemental Energy Ball shot from his hand, leaving a purple trail as it streaked toward the first target with a SWOOSH. However, just as the purple Elemental Energy Ball flew out, the second and third targets launched one after another. They were so fast they overtook the first target, shooting into the collection port on the other end in the blink of an eye. The man in gray didn’t even have time to react.

What was even more exasperating was that the man didn’t even hit the first target. His first attempt was a complete failure!

"BOO!!"

A chorus of boos came from below. The man in gray just scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin and turned to the dejected boy. "I didn’t expect all the targets to come out at once instead of one by one. Don’t worry, son, I’ve still got two more chances. Your old man will definitely get it next time. Just watch me!"

With that, the man in gray placed his hand on the crystal again. After channeling in more Primordial Power, the white crystal spat out another purple Elemental Energy Ball with a PHUT, bringing his total back up to three with the two he hadn’t used.

The countdown reappeared in the air. The man had learned his lesson this time. He used his Primordial Power to restrain all three Elemental Energy Balls, ready to throw all of them the moment the targets appeared. He figured that whether he hit anything or not, the probability of hitting something with three balls was higher than with just one.

But the moment the target shot out, he realized he was still too naive. This time, the Flying Target Device launched only a single target, and it was incredibly fast. Caught completely off guard, the man reflexively flung all three Elemental Energy Balls at once.

"Damn it!" the man exclaimed.

As expected, although he had thrown three Elemental Energy Balls, he hadn’t aimed, wasn’t mentally prepared, and had been startled by the sudden target. It was a rather large mistake, and in the end, he once again failed to hit a single target.

"Tch!!"

Another round of jeers came from the crowd, but everyone was smiling, so it was clearly good-natured. The man, being rather simple and honest, looked at his son with some embarrassment. "My bad, my bad. One more chance! I’ll definitely get it this time!!"

As he spoke, the man took out his Elemental Energy Balls for the third time. This time, however, his expression was one of immense focus. After his second attempt, he had decided to give up on hitting multiple targets. Instead, he would throw all three Elemental Energy Balls at a single target, which would greatly increase his chances of hitting it!

The countdown ended. Three targets were launched simultaneously from the device with a SWOOSH. The man wasn’t as impulsive this time. He focused on one of the targets and, with a wave of his hand, released all three purple Elemental Energy Balls at once. He sent them flying toward the left of the second target, the right of the second target, and its current position.

"Excellent!!"

The man shouted, confident of victory. Whether his prediction was a little fast, a little slow, or spot on, the target was bound to be hit by an Elemental Energy Ball.

But just as the man was filled with confidence, the foremost of the three purple Elemental Energy Balls shot past the side of the target with a SWISH. It missed by a mere millimeter.

"Oh!! What a pity! You missed by just two millimeters! But I have to announce... challenge failed!!" the flamboyantly dressed proprietor shouted, a look of pity on his face.

Hearing this, the man in gray shrugged helplessly. He scratched his head and waved to the boy behind him, saying sheepishly, "Ah! What a shame! I was so close! Come on, son. Dad will take you to get some tanghulu."

The boy pouted. "Hmph, you’re really no good, Dad. But since we’re getting tanghulu, I’ll do you the favor of not being mad."

The man’s face flushed. He lifted the boy onto his shoulders and pretended to be angry. "Hey! You little brat, show some respect! If you keep making fun of your old man, there’ll be no tanghulu for you!"

The boy immediately begged for mercy. He wrapped his arms around the man’s head as he pleaded, "No, Dad! I was wrong! Let’s go, let’s get tanghulu!"

A blissful look appeared on the man’s face. "Now that’s more like it! Come here, let Dad hold you!"

With that, he lifted the boy from his shoulders into his arms and strode out of the crowd, heading straight for the tanghulu stall not far away.

And Xiao Ying’er had seen it all. The look of disappointment in her eyes instantly transformed into one of infinite longing and envy. She watched them until they were out of sight before reluctantly shifting her gaze to the shelves of exquisite toys.

Unbeknownst to her, as Xiao Ying’er looked at the father, the son, and the shelves, Mu Chen’s gaze was following hers. In the end, both their gazes came to rest on the Original Stone Memory Crystal at the very top of the shelf.

’Does she want that?’

He fell silent, but a powerful urge was swelling in his heart. ’I have to help her.’ This feeling wasn’t born of sympathy or pity, but of a sense of responsibility!

’Yes, responsibility!’

Inside the Extreme Spirit Pearl, the Profound Old Ghost stared silently at Xiao Ying’er and sighed. "Xiao Chenzi, although your Master would love to tell you why you’re feeling this way, I cannot. It’s for your own good, so you can experience it more deeply. This is your responsibility, and your debt."

...

After that, countless other challengers came forward with their children. Perhaps inspired by the first man, every single one of them adopted the same strategy of using three balls to hit one target. Although the success rate remained extremely low, there were still a few who succeeded. The children who received gifts were smug and blissful, while those who didn’t were compensated by their fathers in all sorts of other ways.

But among everyone present, only one little girl’s gaze never ceased to show her envy, her longing, and her intense hope. She watched as the toys on the shelves dwindled one by one, until only the less attractive ones remained.

"Xiao Ying’er, let’s go back." Seeing the crowd gradually dispersing, Yalan’s expression was pained. She gently stroked Xiao Ying’er’s hair, her voice trembling slightly. "Even though Sister Yalan really wants to help you get a prize..."

Hearing this, Xiao Ying’er first froze. Then, the longing, envy, and hope in her eyes instantly dimmed, replaced by a sense of loss, disappointment, and pain so palpable it was almost solid. But she was a sensible and obedient child. She knew that only fathers could participate, and she... she didn’t have a father...

She nodded numbly, a mist filling her ice-blue eyes, but she held the tears back. She had promised her mother that no matter how much pain or sorrow she felt, there were only two places she was allowed to cry: in the warmth of her bed, and in... her daddy’s arms. ’So I can’t cry. I can’t cry...’

But no matter how strong she was, she was still just a three-year-old child. The moment Yalan picked her up, the tears came streaming down...

Seeing that pale yet exquisitely perfect face soaked with tears, Yalan’s heart clenched in pain. As she gently wiped away Xiao Ying’er’s tears, her own began to fall uncontrollably. Just then, a tall figure suddenly appeared before them.

Yalan’s expression hardened, and her tears stopped instantly. She pulled Xiao Ying’er into a tight embrace, warily getting to her feet to stare at the man before them. At that moment, Xiao Ying’er also turned her head and saw the tall figure’s face clearly.

He was an exceptionally handsome man, dressed in magnificent white robes, with a giant black box strapped to his back. He had sharp, sword-like eyebrows and eyes like stars. His skin was so fair that even Yalan felt inadequate by comparison; only the little girl in her arms could match him. His eyes were closed, a concerned smile played on his lips, and his strange, ice-blue hair flowed in the wind.

"What... what do you want?" Yalan said angrily, pushing Xiao Ying’er behind her.

At the same time, she flipped her left hand over, and a Jade Token appeared in her palm. If this man tried anything, she would not hesitate to crush this Jade Token and summon Wan Xianzhong!

This handsome man was none other than Mu Chen. The moment Xiao Ying’er’s tears fell, he could no longer bear the pain in his own heart, and so he had stepped forward. He didn’t answer Yalan’s question. Instead, he slowly knelt down. He looked at the teary-eyed Xiao Ying’er, who was peeking out from behind Yalan, and pointed to the Memory Crystal on the shelf behind her. "Do you want that one?"