A gentle breeze swept by, lifting Mu Chen’s long, ice-blue hair and revealing a fair, handsome face to the crowd. Though they knew he was young, they couldn’t help but marvel when they saw just how youthful his features were.

"The Tang Family? Are they supposed to be impressive?"

That single sentence made the Guard Captain choke back the threat he was about to utter. ’That’s right,’ he thought, ’the Tang Family... are they really that impressive? I’m their strongest Guard Captain, one of the top experts in the entire family. Yet he sent me flying with a single punch. Would someone like that truly fear the Tang Family?’

Tang Yu was still writhing on the ground. He had already vomited up everything in his stomach, but he couldn’t stop dry heaving. As the onlookers watched his pained expression, they could only shake their heads and sigh. The Guard Captain looked at Tang Yu rolling on the ground in agony and couldn’t bear the sight. In a low voice, he said, "Young man, I know you’re very strong, but you should know that there are more than a dozen of us here. If this really comes to blows, it won’t end well for you. Why not just let this go!"

"Let it go?" Mu Chen cracked a small smile. "I think you’ve got it wrong. Take a look at my friend, then take a look at your young master. The two are hardly comparable. Of course, I can let this go... just as soon as I’m done beating your young master into the same state."

The Guard Captain’s brow furrowed, but then he suddenly laughed. "It seems you have no intention of letting this end amicably. Very well. I’d like to see just how capable a brat like you really is! Get him!"

With that, the dozen or so men adjusted their formation and instantly surged toward Mu Chen. At the same time, green and yellow Martial Rings flashed into existence beneath each of their feet. Mu Chen’s expression remained indifferent. He watched them charge at him as if he felt nothing at all, the picture of composure.

Suddenly, one of the guards appeared at Mu Chen’s side in a flash and threw a punch aimed straight at his face. But at the very instant the punch was thrown, Mu Chen’s figure flickered, and the fist passed straight through where his head had been.

"An afterimage!"

The guard faltered, his body lurching forward from his own momentum. Just then, Mu Chen’s true form appeared at the guard’s side. He raised his left hand and brought it down in a swift, heavy blow that slammed into the man’s back. The immense force sent the guard screaming and hurtling toward the ground.

But before the guard could hit the ground, a black shadow shot upward from below—it was Mu Chen’s Whip Kick.

BAM!!

The poor guard had expected to hit the ground and blissfully pass out, but that was just a fantasy. Mu Chen’s Whip Kick sent his falling body flying backward like a kicked ball. The guard slammed heavily into another one of his charging comrades, and the two went down in a heap. The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth curled upward. He took a quick step, and amidst a burst of Thunder Light, his form dissolved into countless afterimages that weaved between the dozen or so guards.

With a series of dull thuds, each of Mu Chen’s punches incapacitated another guard. He wasn’t using his full strength, but broken bones and knockouts were unavoidable.

In less than three minutes, only Mu Chen and the Guard Captain remained standing in the clearing. Mu Chen looked as unruffled as ever, as if taking down all those men had been completely effortless. And in fact, it had been. Inside the Tower of Calamity, an all-out Mu Chen could even force back Aiolos, a Fourth-Ring Martial King. What chance did these Martial Spirit Guards, who had only recently advanced, stand against him?

Among those of the same rank, he was the King!

The Guard Captain stared at his subordinates moaning on the ground, the corner of his eye twitching uncontrollably. ’To take down all of these Martial Spirit Guards in under three minutes... even I couldn’t do that.’

"Just who are you?" the Guard Captain asked, his voice laced with apprehension.

Mu Chen replied, "Mu Chen. A first-year student at the Xuanling Imperial Academy."

"A freshman from the Imperial Academy? Impossible! How could a freshman be this strong?" the Guard Captain exclaimed.

"Still planning to stop me?" Mu Chen shrugged with a smile. "If you are, I’ll just have to break a few of your bones, too."

"Break a few of my bones? Heh heh, you’ve got some nerve, kid. You’re the first person to ever dare say something like that to me, Tang E. I was just being cautious about your background before. But since you’re just from the Xuanling Imperial Academy, there’s no need to hold back. Die!"

With a furious roar, Tang E clenched his fists. An immense surge of Primordial Power erupted from his body, forming a swirling vortex that enveloped him completely. At the same time, nine green Martial Rings materialized beneath his feet. A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit!

The surrounding crowd gasped in terror and stumbled back a few more steps. Some were stunned into silence, while others began to mutter in low voices.

"A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit! Heavens, that kid is done for." one onlooker said, looking at Mu Chen with eyes full of pity.

"I agree. That expert was probably just worried about the kid’s backing before. Now that he knows he’s only a student, he doesn’t have to hold back," another person added.

"Looks like things are about to get ugly."

"..."

Of course, Mu Chen heard the crowd’s chatter, but he didn’t feel the slightest bit of worry. ’Just a Nine-Ring Martial Spirit,’ he thought. ’Hardly worth my notice.’ He was no longer the Wu Xia Ah Mon of old. His trials in the Tower of Calamity had resulted in a quantum leap in his strength. To repeat, among those of the same rank, he was the King!

"A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit... Mu Chen... run!"

Kong Ye Ming’s face was a mask of horror when he saw his opponent’s Martial Artist Realm. That level of power represented the most elite forces of a major family! Even his own Kong Family had only two Nine-Ring Martial Spirit experts.

Mu Chen turned to Kong Ye Ming with a look of resignation. "You should save your breath. I know what I’m doing. Just rest for now. Give me five minutes, and I’ll come help with your Healing after this is over."

With that, Mu Chen fixed his gaze on Tang E and thought with anticipation, ’This is a perfect chance to test out my current strength.’

"Hah!"

With a sharp cry, an immense, ice-blue Primordial Power erupted from within Mu Chen. As four green Martial Rings appeared beneath his feet, he smoothly entered his combat stance. The Red Lotus Ice Technique began to circulate on its own, and four Ice Crystal Petals materialized out of thin air, spinning slowly behind him.

This series of changes stunned everyone. Kong Ye Ming stared at the four green Martial Rings beneath Mu Chen’s feet, his mouth agape in disbelief. "Holy crap! A Four-Ring Martial Spirit? How did he do that?"

You couldn’t blame Kong Ye Ming for his shock. While Mu Chen was taking on the Tower of Calamity, Kong Ye Ming had been in his family’s secret chamber, consuming a pill refined by his father. As a result, he knew nothing about Mu Chen’s string of perfect clears. That was why Xuan Yin had to ask him to deliver the Medicinal Herbs in the first place.

It wasn’t just Kong Ye Ming who was surprised by Mu Chen’s Martial Artist Realm; even Tang E’s jaw dropped, leaving him speechless. ’That kid is only fourteen or fifteen, right? A Four-Ring Martial Spirit at that age? Is... is there anyone like that in the entire Xuanling Empire?’

"A Four-Ring Martial Spirit! That kid’s a Four-Ring Martial Spirit! No wonder he could take out those Martial Spirit Guards so easily," the onlookers exclaimed one after another.

"So young... it’s no wonder the kid is so arrogant. But he’s facing a Nine-Ring Martial Spirit," an old man said with a sigh.

"Exactly. How can you even compare a Nine-Ring Martial Spirit to a Four-Ring one?"

"..."

The crowd remained surprised and respectful of Mu Chen, but they didn’t like his chances. On the Extreme Martial Continent, the gap between each realm was enormous, let alone a gap of four. It was simply an overwhelming difference.

Of course, what the crowd was saying was exactly what Tang E was thinking. "Heh, you certainly have the talent to be arrogant," he sneered. "But you’ve made a fatal mistake. You shouldn’t have shown such arrogance in front of someone so many realms above you. Because doing so will be the death of your future!"

Mu Chen frowned, deliberately playing dumb. "So, you’re saying it’s not too late for me to turn back now?"

"Hmm? I never said that. You’ve already shown your talent. If I let you go today, in just a few short years, you’ll surely grow to a terrifying level. If you decided to come after the Tang Family then, wouldn’t that be a great calamity? Since I’ve discovered you this early, allow me to eliminate you just as early." Tang E’s lips curled into a cruel smile. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Mu Chen’s expression relaxed into a smile. "Then let’s see you try. Taotie Seal, First Layer: Open!"

With a soft cry, Mu Chen’s arm suddenly flared with a brilliant red light. Immediately after, a blood-red beast’s head materialized over his shoulder. Then, a strange, spiraling red pattern emerged, coiling around his arm and encasing it completely, making it look like a red spiral drill.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but this transformation gave Tang E an immense, crushing sense of pressure, as if he were being stared down by a terrifying ancient Giant Beast. The feeling was so unsettling that he subconsciously wanted to retreat.

Tang E shook his head violently, trying to banish the thought. ’What am I thinking?’ he told himself. ’He’s just a wet-behind-the-ears kid with a Four-Ring Martial Spirit. I’m a Nine-Ring Martial Spirit! Even in a direct clash of Primordial Power, there’s no way I’d be at a disadvantage!’

With the Taotie Seal released, Mu Chen felt a torrent of red energy surge violently from the beast’s head, flooding his entire body. In an instant, his own strength skyrocketed to a terrifying level. He now felt as if he could destroy a building with the flick of a finger!

’I can barely control this much power. Looks like I’ll have to use this more often to get used to it...’ Mu Chen lifted his gaze to Tang E, a smirk playing on his lips. In a flash of electricity, he shot behind Tang E. Thunder Light and Primordial Power enveloped his fist as he unleashed a blow with world-shattering force!