Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

"Ah, found it."

Slightly pleased, Mu Chen pulled a rectangular white crystal from one of the men’s waists. He gave it a light squeeze. It was cool to the touch. This was a type of crystal he had never seen before, but aside from being quite pure, it didn’t seem to have any other special features.

After stowing the crystal, Mu Chen took three more from the other men’s waists. He kept one for himself and then beckoned to Lei Yun’Er and Lei Yue’er behind him.

Lei Yun’Er and Lei Yue’er glanced at each other and ran toward Mu Chen. Before they even reached him, he thrust his arm forward, and two white crystals flew toward them.

Catching the crystal, Lei Yun’Er looked at Mu Chen quizzically. "What’s the meaning of this?"

Mu Chen smiled. "They’re for you. Don’t refuse just yet. Let me ask you a question first."

Lei Yun’Er paused her motion to toss the crystal back and frowned. "What question?"

Mu Chen said, "I know the final rewards for the camp battle are given based on the number of crystals obtained. First place gets thirty days of Cultivation Resources, right?"

Lei Yun’Er nodded impatiently. "Everyone knows that."

With a faint smile, Mu Chen continued, "Then let me ask another thing. In past camp battles, has there ever been a situation where two or more people ended up with the same number of crystals?"

"The same number of crystals?" Lei Yun’Er nodded. "Of course that’s happened. What are you getting at?"

But just as the words left her mouth, both she and Lei Yue’er froze. Then she said, "You mean, if several people tie for first place, how are the rewards distributed?"

"Exactly."

Lei Yun’Er said, "That’s never actually happened. As you know, people don’t just participate in the camp battle for Cultivation Resources. More importantly, it’s about proving their strength to the other students of the Inner Mountain. Since they’re all trying to prove themselves, no one would willingly give up crystals to let someone else tie. Besides, there’s no rule against snatching crystals from people in your own camp, so there’s always only been one person in first place."

Mu Chen smiled. "So that means there’s no rule saying you *can’t* get the reward if you tie for first, right?"

Lei Yun’Er shook her head. "Of course not. Why would they withhold the reward just because of a tie for first place?"

"That’s great." As he spoke, Mu Chen walked over to the two girls and said, "From now on, we’ll hunt down students from the White Camp, snatch their crystals, and then divide them into three equal shares. That way, there’s a high chance we’ll all tie for first. When that happens, all three of us will get the reward of one month’s worth of Cultivation Resources."

"But..."

Before Lei Yun’Er could finish, Mu Chen placed his right hand on her head and stroked it gently. He said warmly, "No ’buts.’ I’m not interested in proving my strength or whatever. All I know is that this way, the three of us can maximize our rewards. Just listen."

"’Just listen...’"

"Ngh..."

The unfamiliar sensation on her head made Lei Yun’Er’s heart skip a few beats. This was the first time she didn’t retort when Mu Chen told her to ’just listen.’ She silently savored this feeling she had never experienced before. The warmth from his large hand, the gentleness in his voice, the sense of security from his tall frame, and those breathtakingly beautiful eyes... all of it caused the tough facade she had forced herself to maintain for so many years to slowly melt away.

’So this is what it feels like to be cared for, to be comforted... I have to admit, it feels really, really good.’ As the older sister, this was the first time she had ever been consoled by someone else. In the past, no matter how much she suffered or how wronged she felt, she had always forced herself to endure the pain and put on a strong front. But in reality, she wasn’t strong at all. She was, after all, just a sixteen-year-old girl who had lost her mother and lacked a father’s love.

Her nose tingled, and with trembling hands, Lei Yun’Er reached up, grabbing Mu Chen’s hand and pressing it against her head, guiding it to gently tousle her hair. The scene should have been incredibly awkward, and Mu Chen should have felt embarrassed. But when he felt her trembling fingers and her shaking body, how could someone like him, who had been through so much, not understand? He knew that this seemingly short-tempered and tough girl actually carried a heart full of untold stories.

"Sister..."

Lei Yue’er’s eyes were a little red. If there was one person in the world who could understand Lei Yun’Er, it was her. Having spent sixteen years together, relying on each other day and night, how could they not know each other inside and out?

Time passed, second by second. After about five minutes, Lei Yun’Er let out a deep breath and took Mu Chen’s hand off her head. She turned away, removed her mask, and gently wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. Then, as if nothing had happened, she put the mask back on. When she turned back around, the slightly more mature Lei Yun’Er had returned.

She shyly thanked Mu Chen, accepted the crystal, and then walked quickly ahead, leaving him with the sight of her small figure retreating into the distance.

Pressing his lips together, Mu Chen let out a soft sigh. He extended his left hand to Lei Yue’er. He didn’t say a word, but she understood what he meant.

She nervously reached out her small hand, wanting to place it in his, but she was a little afraid. Growing impatient, Mu Chen simply took her hand and pulled her along toward Lei Yun’Er.

Lei Yun’Er was walking fast, but Mu Chen was faster. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her hand, giving her no chance to pull away. He smiled. "Hey, just for today, why don’t you try being your true self?"

"’Be my true self.’" Lei Yun’Er’s body trembled. Her struggles gradually ceased. With a vulnerable look in her eyes that Mu Chen had never seen before, she looked into his and whispered, "Can I?"

His violet-blue eyes were full of mirth as he gave a slight nod. "Of course you can."

At his words, Lei Yun’Er bit her pink lip with her small canine teeth and tightened her grip on Mu Chen’s hand. He could clearly feel the force, a feeling that reminded him of how he had once been afraid of losing Bing’Er. Looking at the two girls, Mu Chen couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to them in their past.

Sunlight streamed down, birds sang among fragrant flowers, and the morning dew sparkled like crystal. The three figures—one tall, two short—walked hand in hand, their shadows stretching long in the sun...

...

"Yun’Er, watch out!!"

"CRACKLE... BOOM!!"

The moment Mu Chen’s warning faded, a figure in white, accompanied by a flash of silver Thunder Light, carved a graceful arc through the air. Lei Yun’Er clenched her small fist and giggled. "Brother Mu Chen, don’t underestimate us. Don’t forget, we’re also Eight-Ring Thunder Attribute Martial Emperors. How could we let someone bully us?"

Lei Yue’er also made a small fist at Mu Chen and said in her soft voice, "That’s right, that’s right! Don’t underestimate us, Brother Mu Chen."

Although Lei Yue’er’s expression and actions were nearly identical to her sister’s, her soft voice couldn’t replicate Lei Yun’Er’s feisty tone, making her seem quite cute instead.

Mu Chen chuckled, quickly looting a few crystals from the defeated figures. A grin spread across his face as he said, "Quick, quick. Time to divvy up the loot."

Lei Yun’Er was immediately displeased, pouting as she said, "What do you mean, ’divvy up the loot’? You make it sound like we’re doing something bad."

"Heh, it’s more or less the same. But look, we got an unexpected bonus this time."

As he spoke, Mu Chen dangled three black crystals in front of the two girls. "I didn’t expect these six to have collected three black crystals. It looks like three people from our side have already been eliminated."