Chapter 147: Chapter 144: Deceitful Forbidden Land

’Is it advancing again? That’s impossible. A single Level 6 Demon Core doesn’t contain that much Primordial Power, does it?’

Mu Chen pondered for a moment before shaking his head. It was difficult for him to understand this unknown phenomenon with his current experience. He reached out to examine the Primordial Power fluctuations within the Snow Qilin’s body. Finding its Primordial Power exceptionally stable with no abnormalities, Mu Chen decided to let it be.

He slowly walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. Everything outside was silent. Clearly, every student had entered a state of Cultivation. This was also why the academy was comfortable letting male and female students live in the same High Level dormitory building. In the regular dorms, many students would still be sparring with Martial Skills or exchanging insights by their doors at this time of night. But in the attribute martial artist dorms, there was no communication at all. Everyone minded their own business, treating each other as rivals as they cultivated desperately, trying to prevent others from surpassing them.

Mu Chen could only feel helpless about this. ’It’s true that Cultivation is a personal journey, but sometimes, communication is necessary. What you know, I don’t, and what I know, you don’t. If we shared that knowledge, both of our experiences would naturally grow. Similarly, if attribute martial artists sparred frequently, we would all gain a better understanding of our own Attribute’s strengths and weaknesses. By playing to our strengths and mitigating our weaknesses, our Combat Techniques would naturally improve.’

Gazing at the Back Lake under the night sky, Mu Chen’s Mental Realm gradually calmed down. He didn’t open the window this time for two reasons. First, he wasn’t wearing any clothes. Second, he was still a little worried that Mo Qing might also be next door, enjoying the night view. With a SWISH, he drew the curtains shut and quickly lay down on his side on the bed.

For ordinary people, sleep is the best form of rest. But for Martial Artists, Cultivation is. The Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique circulated continuously within his body, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi began to form a gray vortex that converged on Mu Chen.

The location of the Imperial Academy had been chosen with great care, so the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here was the densest in the entire Imperial Capital. Feeling the endless stream of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, Mu Chen was quite pleased. To break through a realm, his Nine Attributes Dantian needed to be filled with nine times the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi of others. Furthermore, the constant compression from the Profound Jade Fan meant the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi he needed to absorb was even more immense. This undoubtedly made Mu Chen’s Cultivation path far more difficult. If the grade of the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique wasn’t unknown, Mu Chen would have mistaken it for a White Tier Cultivation Technique.

’It seems advancing my Martial Artist Realm through normal means is simply unrealistic.’ A purple light suddenly flared in Mu Chen’s eyes. ’The only way is with the Ultimate Attribute Spirits!’

Mu Chen knew that to improve, he had to find the Ultimate Attribute Spirits as soon as possible. But without his Master’s guidance, where was he supposed to find them?

"Sigh!"

Mu Chen sighed softly. He suddenly felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of duties and tasks he had to bear. Improving his strength, finding the Ultimate Attribute Spirits, waiting for his Master’s Awakening, and dealing with his missing arm—any one of these tasks would be incredibly difficult for anyone, let alone a boy who wasn’t even fifteen years old.

’The Tower of Calamity... For now, it’s the only shortcut.’ Mu Chen slowly closed his eyes and entered a state of Cultivation once more. Today was the second day of the week, which meant the Tower of Calamity would open in three days. ’I have to obtain the special reward for a perfect clear, no matter what. Otherwise, the impending arrival of He Long will throw my life into chaos.’

The night passed without incident. The next morning, all the students from the special class gathered in front of a pentagonal building. It wasn’t particularly tall, only seven stories high, but the scholarly aroma drifting from within was enough to tell this was a haven for literature. A massive, sculpted book was embedded above the main entrance, upon which were carved two large words: Library Tower.

This was clearly where the academy’s books were kept. Standing before the students was Lingyun, still dressed in a black gown, her mature and enchanting smile greatly surprising the students passing by.

"Which instructor is that? She’s so beautiful..." A passing student froze as he walked past the Library Tower.

Following him, one student after another began to slow down, their gazes frequently landing on Lingyun’s face. Lingyun’s senses were incredibly sharp. Noticing the numerous gazes upon her, she immediately looked up, frowned, and said, "A bunch of little brats. Scram and get back to class!"

Her voice was laced with powerful Spiritual Power. The students who had stopped looked as if they had seen something terrifying and fled at top speed. In an instant, the once-bustling area in front of the Library Tower became completely deserted.

A corner of Lingyun’s mouth lifted. "Mm... much quieter. Students, your task today is to browse books about Magical Beasts, especially those that correspond to your current Martial Artist Realm Level. You must thoroughly understand their habits, weaknesses, and strengths. Tomorrow will be your first time entering the Demon Beast Prison for a life-and-death trial. Only by understanding your opponents can you seize the initiative in battle. Go on, you have from now until five in the afternoon."

Mu Chen was the first to step forward. For him, reading had long since become a habit, a hobby. He had always craved books and knowledge. ’Martial Artists are not just simple-minded brutes; it’s just that in this world, martial prowess is revered above all else.’

Upon entering, Mu Chen immediately spotted an old man sitting at a desk near the entrance. This elder had white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard. If not for the drool that dripped onto the desk as he slept, Mu Chen would have surely thought him an expert with the air of an immortal sage. Alas, that image simply couldn’t hold up.

"Mmm... some kids have arrived..." After all the students had entered, the old man cracked his eyes open a sliver and mumbled, "Go get whatever you want to read. Don’t forget to put it back where you found it..."

He fell asleep again midway through his sentence, not even wiping away the drool at the corner of his mouth. Mu Chen smiled faintly, finding the old man quite interesting. However, when Mu Chen saw the countless books arranged within the vast space, which covered several thousand square meters, he no longer had the attention to spare for anything else.

After a brief observation, Mu Chen understood. The books placed on this first floor were all general knowledge. This so-called general knowledge consisted of regional introductions, records of great achievements from various eras, wars and conflicts, heroic figures, and detailed descriptions of the continent. This kind of information held absolutely no attraction for Martial Artists. What they always wanted were Cultivation Techniques, Combat Skills, and Secret Techniques. As for other general knowledge, it was of no concern to them. Therefore, the students who entered naturally skipped the first floor and headed straight for the martial knowledge section on the second.

Mu Chen and Mo Qing were the only two who remained. At that moment, however, both of them only had eyes for the books. Since they were choosing different types of books, neither of them noticed the other.

The old man at the door, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise. Then, a grin spread across his face. ’These two little kids are rather interesting.’

"Detailed Geography of the Xuanling Empire... Detailed Geography of the Celestial Eagle Empire... Detailed Geography of the Mile Empire..."

Mu Chen’s hand brushed over one "Detailed Geography of the Empire" after another, but he didn’t take any of them. ’These aren’t what I need.’ He continued browsing. ’"Abridged Geography of the Extreme Martial Continent"... "Abridged Geography of the Deceitful Land of Despair"... Found them! These are the two.’

Mu Chen joyfully pulled the two books from the shelf. Because they were "abridged," the books were quite thin, and Mu Chen easily took them down. It seemed no one had read them in a very long time, as they were covered in a thick layer of dust. With a flick of his wrist, the dust fell from the books in a single sheet. From this move alone, a discerning eye could tell the incredible degree of precise control Mu Chen had over his Primordial Power.

The reading area was near the main entrance, where there were several large windows. The material of the windows was rather peculiar; no matter how bright the light was outside, the light that shone in was always soft. Choosing a random spot by a window, Mu Chen quickly began to read.

Just as Mu Chen opened the first page, a figure slowly sat down across from him. Mu Chen looked up and was somewhat surprised to see it was Mo Qing. Before Mu Chen could speak, Mo Qing smiled first. "Why didn’t you go upstairs?"

Mu Chen made a sound of understanding and smiled back. "Compared to all that martial knowledge, I’m more interested in Ancient Literature, geography, and historical biographies."

Mo Qing was a little surprised. She smiled gracefully and said, "You’re quite special. Don’t all boys like fighting and killing?"

Mu Chen said, "Well, it probably has to do with habits I formed as a child."

"Oh, then let’s get to reading. I need to read this book too." As she spoke, Mo Qing opened a small but rather antiquated-looking book. Mu Chen glanced at it; the title was *Minstrel’s Journal*. Books of this type were generally records written to sing the praises of certain heroes, and they inevitably contained some exaggeration. However, the author’s writing was still exceptionally captivating. Mu Chen had read a few such books in his family’s Library Pavilion.

Once Mo Qing opened the first page of her book, her expression became completely focused. Mu Chen was about to lower his head to read, but after a sudden glance at Mo Qing, he found he couldn’t look away. The soft morning sunlight poured in from the window, passing through the glass and shining on Mo Qing’s jet-black hair, giving it a faint golden glow. Paired with her focused expression, Mu Chen found himself somewhat captivated. Setting aside the hideous scar on her face, Mo Qing was truly an impeccable young woman—a charming figure, snow-white skin, and a gentle, graceful temperament. Everything about her seemed to suggest she should be a peerless beauty, yet that face was so discordant on her.

’Is that really her true face?’

Mu Chen asked himself this question silently, but received no answer. His curiosity was exceptionally strong, and he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in his heart. Shaking the complicated thoughts from his mind, Mu Chen finally lowered his head as well and began to browse the two books he had picked out.