Chapter 14: Body Refining with Primordial Power.
The moment Mu Chen stepped out of the blacksmith shop, he felt a refreshing breeze. But as he looked up, a group of people immediately caught his eye. There were three of them, all splendidly dressed. Leading them was a woman in green, about twenty years old, with exceptionally delicate features. Her skin was as fair as cream, her eyes shimmered like autumn lakes, and a gentle smile always graced her lips. Her looks were in no way inferior to Mu Bingling's, and with her mature charm, she even seemed to faintly surpass her.
'A woman like water,' Mu Chen couldn't help but sigh softly.
Following her were an old man in black with an indifferent expression and a young man in green who looked to be about her age. Their clothes were quite neat, and on each of their cuffs was a special mark—what appeared to be the character for "Profound," formed from strange symbols.
Just then, the group was walking toward Mu Chen. Noticing him staring blankly at the woman, the young man in green behind her shot him a dark look and yelled, "Kid, get out of the way!"
Mu Chen was taken aback, his expression returning to normal. He couldn't help but smile wryly. 'I can't believe just one look at the woman in green was enough to provoke such hostility.'
The woman in green's expression darkened. "Tang Hao," she said coolly, "don't cause trouble for no reason. We are here representing the academy to recruit students. Don't disgrace us."
The woman's name was Yan Ruoshui. In her heart, she was thoroughly disgusted with this Tang Hao. He relied on his status as the sole son of the Imperial City's Tang Family to act arrogant and domineering. Back at the academy, he was constantly pestering her. No matter how she refused him, Tang Hao was utterly impervious to all reason, impossible to shake off. In previous years, the academy's teachers were responsible for recruiting students from the various towns, but for some reason, the academy had dispatched the top student from each grade to do it this year.
Coincidentally, Yan Ruoshui was a sixth-year student, and in her grade, first place wasn't held by one person, but two. Tang Hao certainly had the right to be arrogant; his Cultivation Talent was in no way inferior to the academy's Core Disciples. In a year at most, his martial power would be enough for him to break into their ranks. Ruo Shui sighed inwardly. 'It looks like it'll be hard to get Tang Hao out of my sight from now on.'
The man called Tang Hao immediately beamed at the woman in green, his eyes filled with fiery desire. "Ruo Shui is right. It was I who was rude. We should hurry and get back to business."
Hearing Tang Hao call her Ruo Shui, Yan Ruoshui's brow furrowed. Without even sparing him a glance, she turned to Mu Chen and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, little brother. That's just his personality."
Mu Chen was stunned for a moment; he never imagined she would apologize to him. He quickly waved his hands and said, "It's alright. I have other things to do, so I'll be going now."
Blushing, Mu Chen ran off as if he were fleeing. He had to; Yan Ruoshui was simply too beautiful, and he was afraid that looking any longer would attract unnecessary trouble.
Seeing Mu Chen just run off like that, Yan Ruoshui's expression was complicated. She thought with some annoyance, 'Am I that scary? Did he have to run like he'd seen a ghost? Have I gotten uglier recently?' Touching her cheek, Yan Ruoshui shook her head and led the old man and Tang Hao away. From beginning to end, the old man in black never said a word or even changed his expression...
Mu Chen only breathed a small sigh of relief when he reached the main gate of the Mu Mansion. He muttered to himself, "Who were those three? I don't think I've ever heard of them."
Just then, the Profound Old Ghost's voice rang out. "Hehe, kid, those three just now are no simple characters. A hundred thousand years ago, their talent would have been ordinary, but in this day and age, they're considered geniuses with extraordinary gifts."
Startled, Mu Chen quickly asked, "Then, Master, what level of Martial Artists are they?"
The Profound Old Ghost laughed. "That young lady and the other kid are both Four-Ring Martial Spirits. Reaching that realm at twenty, tsk tsk... But the strongest of them is still that old man. As for his level, I won't tell you right now."
"What? Martial Spirit? A Four-Ring Martial Spirit? At twenty years old?!" Mu Chen was horrified. He had only heard the Profound Old Ghost's first two sentences before he was completely stunned. One had to know, his own grandfather was only a Nine-Ring Great Martial Master, and he was already sixty years old! The gap was terrifying.
"Hmph! The Extreme Martial Continent is vast and boundless, with a population in the countless trillions. Talents like that are nothing! In my day, a peerless prodigy once appeared. He was born a Martial King, became a Martial Venerable in three years, and an Emperor in ten, achieving eternal fame. People called him the Celestial Emperor. But in the end, wasn't he blasted to smithereens by the Taigu Thunder Tribulation?" The Profound Old Ghost spoke with extreme disdain, but when he mentioned being blasted to smithereens by the Taigu Thunder Tribulation, his voice suddenly grew desolate.
Mu Chen was utterly stupefied. "An Emperor in ten years? Damn it, is that even human?"
The Profound Old Ghost said irritably, "He wasn't human to begin with. Alright, I forgot to tell you something today. You, kid, have hit the jackpot."
"What jackpot?" Mu Chen asked, confused.
"When I was examining your body just now, I discovered that even though your constitution hasn't even reached the level of a Martial Disciple, you can bizarrely absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. It's as if there's no conflict between you and the Primordial Qi at all. I figure it must be an effect of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. What do you think that means?"
"I don't know."
"..."
The Profound Old Ghost coughed dryly. "A very direct answer, kid. I like it. It means you can absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi right now, giving you a head start on everyone else. Ordinary people have to reach the level of a Martial Artist before they can absorb it, but you? You're not even a Martial Disciple and you can already do it. Damn it all, you've really struck gold."
Mu Chen was overjoyed, but also utterly speechless. He said, embarrassed, "Master, could you please not be so crude?"
"Screw off! I'm used to it. Is it any of your business?" the Profound Old Ghost retorted, first rolling his eyes. "Now go back. From now on, you will continuously circulate the cultivation technique part of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique without a moment's rest. Use all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi you absorb to nourish your body, and then expel it. As for increasing your strength, that's something to do after you become a Martial Artist. Understand?"
"Understood," Mu Chen replied. He understood what the Profound Old Ghost was saying. The body is a person's foundation; the stronger the body, the greater one's Explosive Power and endurance, and the further one's limits can be pushed. By the same token, even if your Primordial Qi is incredibly pure, if your physical constitution is poor, the limit of the power you can unleash will be determined by your body's strength. Once you reach that limit, continuing to output Primordial Power will only cause your body to burst.
Back home, still no one paid him any mind, and he was happy for the peace and quiet. He returned to his room, closed the door, and the cultivation technique section of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique naturally appeared in his mind. Following its instructions, Mu Chen soon adopted a strange posture. It was extremely peculiar, completely different from the standard meditation posture everyone else used. He lay on his side on the bed, his left hand propping up his head, his right leg bent, and his left leg stretched out straight—the very image of someone taking a nap.
Seeing this posture, Mu Chen was speechless. 'Is this really a posture for cultivation?' But when he tentatively recited the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique's Cultivation Technique Mantra in his mind, streams of white Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi rapidly converged on him. Because this posture left his whole body relaxed and stretched out, the Primordial Qi quickly and unimpeded slipped into his body through his pores.
However, as the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi entered his body, Mu Chen felt as if his body and the Primordial Qi were one and the same; there was no feeling of rejection whatsoever.
"Idiot! Don't stop reciting the mantra! Guide the Primordial Qi to circulate through your meridians, bones, and flesh, or else the mantra will guide it all into your Dantian," the Profound Old Ghost's voice interjected at just the right moment.
Mu Chen immediately used his Spiritual Power to guide the Primordial Qi, making it wander to every corner of his body. Sometimes, a bit of Primordial Qi would accidentally flow into his Dantian, but Mu Chen would always draw it back out to continue nourishing his body.
As the Primordial Qi nourished his muscles, bones, and flesh, a numb, itchy sensation would arise from time to time, making Mu Chen feel both comfortable and yet a little pained. Time always flew by during Cultivation, and the afternoon passed quickly. As usual, a maid delivered his dinner on time.
Truth be told, Mu Chen was indeed hungry. He hadn't eaten since he woke up that morning. Seeing the delicious food and with no one else around, he began to wolf it down. The meal quickly disappeared. Mu Chen didn't have to worry about cleaning up; a maid would naturally come to clear it away.
Although Mu Bingling had come to see him occasionally these past few days, the family competition was fast approaching. To avoid disgracing the family, the young woman had become even more diligent in her Cultivation.
Shaking his head, Mu Chen went back into his room, closed the door, and began circulating the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique again. Time passed, second by second, and two days flew by in Cultivation. Stretching his body, Mu Chen suddenly clenched his left fist and threw a punch through the air.
"SWOOSH..." The air whistled as it rushed past the back of his hand.
"'My speed and strength have both improved a little,' Mu Chen sensed. He realized that both his strength and speed had increased due to being nourished by Primordial Power. Although the improvement was minuscule, he could still feel it. He was already very satisfied with this. After all, it had only been two days. If he continued to nourish his body with Primordial Power until he became a Martial Artist, the benefits of his strengthened physique would last a lifetime. With a solid foundation, his future potential would be even greater.
"Mu Chen, are you awake?" A voice like silver bells came from outside.
Mu Chen smiled slightly and gently pushed the door open. The first thing he saw was Mu Bingling's stunningly beautiful face. What puzzled him, though, was that after half a year of exposure to the wind and sun, almost all the Mu Family disciples had gotten a tan, but Mu Bingling's skin remained as white as snow.
Seeing Mu Chen open the door, Mu Bingling's large blue eyes showed a hint of apology. She said softly, "Mu Chen, I'm sorry. I haven't had any time to spend with you recently. You're not mad at me, are you?"
Mu Chen scratched his head and smiled. "Of course not. You're working so hard for our family's honor. I've actually had a relatively peaceful time lately. All those annoying guys are busy with their Body Forging, so I'm just enjoying the quiet. What brings you here today, Sis?"
Mu Chen's words made Mu Bingling breathe a sigh of relief. She then shot him a reproachful glare and said, "You silly fool. You're probably the only person in the entire Mu Family who doesn't know."
"Uh... what?" Mu Chen started pretending again. How could he not know what day it was?
Mu Bingling placed her hands on her slender waist, leaned forward, and said irritably, "The family competition, of course! How could you forget such an important day? Hmph."
Mu Bingling's fair little face was slightly flushed, her lips opening and closing as she spoke. As Mu Chen watched her, he found himself secretly comparing her to the woman in green he had met two days ago. He quickly came to a conclusion: give Mu Bingling three to five more years, and she would definitely surpass that woman. Lost in thought, he just stared blankly at Mu Bingling.