Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Suppressing the trembling deep within his soul, Mu Chen’s memory flashed back to the moment the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique reforged his Dantian. He would never forget death’s summons from the sky that day. It was the first time he had felt death so close. If his Master hadn’t concealed him, he, Luofeng City, and even several towns near it would have been annihilated in an instant. And what would have annihilated them was just a single, seven-colored bolt of Thunder Light.

The Nine Venerable Thunder Tribulation!

’That’s right. There’s still one tribulation I haven’t overcome.’

"Did you see that clearly, Xiao Chenzi?" At some point, the Profound Old Ghost’s figure had retreated back into the Extreme Spirit Pearl. His gentle voice roused the stunned Mu Chen. "However, that little girl saw the entire fight. You’d best release only a sliver of your soul back into your body for now and put yourself into an extremely weak, comatose state. Otherwise, you’re going to have a major headache."

Mu Chen composed himself, breaking into a cold sweat. ’Thankfully, Master’s reminder was timely. If I’d gone out like that, I would’ve been in huge trouble. I mean, under what circumstances can a Four-Ring Emperor instantly raise their Martial Arts Realm to the Saint Realm? The answer is, of course, never! Still, there are far too many inexplicable things on the Extreme Martial Continent. I suppose I could use the mysterious term "Secret Technique" to cover for it.’

’But! A Secret Technique that could raise one’s Martial Arts Realm from the Emperor Realm to the Saint Realm without a single side effect? Who would believe that?!’ So, Mu Chen immediately took action. He sent a tiny speck of Soul Power back into his body, leaving it with only a faint heartbeat, and then let himself fall into a deep faint.

In the Outer Realm, Chu Aoqing was of course unaware of the discussion between Mu Chen and the Profound Old Ghost. She only saw that after Mu Chen obliterated the Saint Realm elder from the Zhou Family, he plummeted from the sky.

With no time to ponder how Mu Chen possessed such power, Chu Aoqing acted on pure instinct, shooting into the sky to catch him in her arms.

When she looked at Mu Chen, her heart ached for reasons she couldn’t explain. His face was deathly pale, his lips were coated in a layer of frost, and his eyes were shut tight. With a faint heartbeat and a completely limp body, it was as if he had lost most of his life force.

"How could this be?"

Chu Aoqing looked extremely panicked. To get Mu Chen into a room and onto a bed as quickly as possible, she even resorted to using Spatial Transmission. Watching this from within his Sea of Souls, Mu Chen rubbed his nose with a wry smile. "Did I overdo it a little?"

The Profound Old Ghost pursed his lips. "Would it have been convincing if you hadn’t? It’s just, your luck with the ladies is as strong as ever, kid. Judging from this little girl’s reaction... sigh..."

Mu Chen said nothing in response, instead watching Chu Aoqing’s expressions and actions as his own gaze gradually calmed. He was no longer the emotionally dense child he once was. How could he not understand what Chu Aoqing was doing? People naturally develop feelings after spending a long time together, and she was being so obvious and had done so much for him. But the burdens on his shoulders were just too heavy, so heavy he couldn’t spare the mental energy to deal with one romantic entanglement after another.

’Wan Xian’Er, Qin Wu, Bing’Er, Mo Qing, Chu Aoqing... Every one of them was a woman who deserved a partner willing to spend a lifetime cherishing them. Yet, all these women had set their hearts on him. Was he really worthy? The answer was no. He was not a man who deserved to be given their all.’

He let out a long breath.

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen decided to divert his attention. He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn’t be able to resist waking up just to ease Chu Aoqing’s worries.

"Master, that power you just used... was that the Thunder Tribulation?"

The Profound Old Ghost’s gaze had been fixed on Mu Chen. He only averted his eyes when Mu Chen turned to look at him. With a sigh, he said, "Whether it was the Thunder Tribulation or not, you should already have some idea. But right now, I don’t want to talk about the Martial Dao. Let’s talk about something else."

As he spoke, the Profound Old Ghost slowly sat down. By now, the Extreme Spirit Pearl already contained green fields, forests, and rivers, having imperceptibly transformed into a simple, small world. Sitting inside it felt no different from being in the Outer Realm.

"Talk about something else?"

Mu Chen also sat down, a little puzzled. Ever since he had met his Master, the man had been a diligent teacher, focusing solely on his Martial Dao knowledge. This was the first time he wanted to discuss anything else.

"It’s been seven years since I met you, hasn’t it?" A gentle smile touched the Profound Old Ghost’s lips. "I remember when I first met you, you were only about this tall."

Here, the Profound Old Ghost raised his right hand as if to show the height, but he lowered it midway. With an awkward smile, he continued, "And now, you’re a grown man. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve watched you grow up."

As the Profound Old Ghost spoke, Mu Chen’s thoughts drifted back to those early years, and his expression gradually softened.

"Setting aside the twelve years you spent with your birth parents, these seven years I’ve resided with you don’t seem any different. In my heart, you hold a place no less than that of my own flesh and blood. In fact, I’ve long since come to think of you as my own son."

Hearing this, Mu Chen hurriedly said, "I’ve always seen you as my father, too. Everything I have now is because of you."

The Profound Old Ghost gave a benevolent smile, though it was tinged with guilt. "I know. And that’s precisely why I feel so guilty."

"Wh-why?"

Mu Chen froze, completely bewildered. Even his voice trembled as he spoke.

"Because everything I’ve given you hasn’t brought you happiness. It’s brought you pain, pressure, and burdens. Over these past seven years, I’ve watched you every single day. Even during the years I was slumbering, I never missed a thing. As a teacher, I only taught you the Martial Dao. I’m a failure. As a father, I failed to teach you how to do what a man should. That’s why your life is so exhausting now... a failure... So, this is the first time I’ve wanted to have a heart-to-heart with you. I hope that in the conversation to come, you and I can talk like a son to his father..."