After leaving the dining hall, Mu Chen was anxious to get back and continue reforging his Dantian, so he once again used the excuse that he needed to rest. Hearing Mufeng mention the family competition in six months had especially stoked his desire to grow stronger. Meanwhile, Mu Bingling was preoccupied with her own future Cultivation. When Mu Chen said he needed rest, she offered to walk him back to his room, but he flatly refused. Unable to persuade him, Mu Bingling could only agree. She watched him go, and only after he disappeared from view did she head toward her own quarters.
PHEW.
Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen lay on his bed again and recited the mantra for the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique, entering his Dantian.
The Profound Old Ghost did not appear by Mu Chen's side tonight. In his words, "If I have to be here every time, you'll never be able to grow." Clearing his head, Mu Chen focused on the familiar scene before him: the Dantian fragments were still revolving slowly around the Dantian Vortex. They all maintained a regular speed, not colliding in the slightest.
"Move!" Mu Chen barked. He instantly channeled his Spiritual Power, and under his control, the Dantian Vortex's rotation suddenly increased to ten times its original speed. The scene from last night unfolded before him once again.
Ever since word got out that the Xuanling Imperial Academy would be recruiting in Luofeng City, the training grounds were filled with figures dripping with sweat. Every junior of the Mu Family was training with everything they had. They were seen there more and more frequently until, eventually, everyone was practically living on the training grounds, leaving only to eat and sleep.
However, during this crucial period, one person was the complete opposite. His appearances became less and less frequent, to the point where he wouldn't be seen for ten days or even half a month at a time. This person was none other than Mu Chen.
Once Mu Chen discovered that he could pause the process of reforging his Dantian at any time, he began to use every available moment to work on it. As soon as his Spiritual Power was depleted, he would exit his Dantian, sit cross-legged, and begin Meditation. This was something the Profound Old Ghost had told him; Meditation could not only absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi but also rapidly restore Spiritual Power. Although Mu Chen was currently completely unable to connect with the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, this method still noticeably increased the speed at which he reforged his Dantian, as he no longer had to worry about oversleeping due to extreme fatigue.
Time flew by, and three months passed in a flash. Mu Chen's Dantian had undergone a tremendous change. More than half of the once-dense Dantian fragments had vanished as a result of them colliding and merging. Strangely, although the number of fragments had decreased dramatically, the volume of each fused fragment had not increased. Instead, they had become much smaller.
Furthermore, these fused Dantian fragments seemed to have developed a consciousness of their own. They spontaneously separated into nine distinct zones, all centered around the Dantian Vortex. Mu Chen was merely surprised when he first witnessed this, but when he once again channeled his Spiritual Power to accelerate the vortex, an incredible scene unfolded.
It was as if an invisible wall existed between each of the nine zones. Whenever a Dantian fragment tried to cross the boundary, it would be repelled back. This forced the fragments within each of the nine zones to only collide and merge with other fragments from the same zone.
Mu Chen was ecstatic when he saw this. This phenomenon was none other than a sign that the reforging of his Dantian was reaching the Late Stage. The Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique referred to this as Differentiation. The entire Elixir Field Space would be divided into nine zones, and eventually, a Dantian would form within each one. As for what Attribute they would possess, that would depend on the choice the Primordial Qi itself made when it was absorbed in the future.
Seeing this clear progress, Mu Chen channeled his Spiritual Power with even greater effort. It was worth noting that over these three months, it wasn't just the reforging of his Dantian that had progressed; his Spiritual Power had also strengthened severalfold. Just one month in, his once-withered Spiritual Power had already recovered to the level of a normal person. Now, with another two months having passed, Mu Chen's Spiritual Power had shockingly surpassed that of an ordinary person by more than two times. As a result, his complexion now had a healthy, rosy glow, a complete change from his former frailty.
Spurred on by his progress, Mu Chen left his room even less frequently in the time that followed. In the end, he practically sealed himself inside, even having a Maid bring his meals to his room. In the meantime, both Bi Wan and Mufeng had their doubts, but they were always put at ease whenever they saw Mu Chen's complexion and physical condition improving day by day. He had often shut himself in his room in the past, so they were already used to it. Aside from the occasional visit to check on him, they rarely disturbed him.
Another two-odd months passed. It had now been over five months since Mu Chen began his Cultivation of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. Inside his Dantian, the Dantian Vortex was still turning slowly, just as it always had. Eighteen Dantian fragments were distributed around it in a very orderly pattern. It was just that these eighteen fragments had now become perfectly round, like tiny spheres. However, Mu Chen was currently frowning, staring blankly at the Dantian Vortex before him with a puzzled expression.
"Mmm, that was a nice nap. I say, Xiao Chenzi, you've been staring at those eighteen spheres for hours now. Aren't you tired?" Just then, a lazy male voice spoke up.
"Master, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Xiao Chenzi," Mu Chen said helplessly.