"Sigh... Silly boy. I finally managed to awaken, only to see a scene like this. Wan Xian’Er... Is that the young lady’s name..."

An ethereal, ancient voice slowly drifted out from the cave. The next moment, a white figure suddenly appeared in the space beside Mu Chen. The figure was tall and slender, showing no signs of age, his elegant blue hair flowing as if stirred by an unseen wind. In the glow of the surrounding moss, a handsome face so beautiful it would make any woman feel inadequate came into clear view.

It was a man! A devilishly charming man!

"Xiao Chenzi... Master has returned..."

The soft call seemed to carry boundless emotion. With a gentle wave of his large hand, a soft ripple of Primordial Power swept over Mu Chen, slowly lifting him up.

"A Nine-Ring Martial Spirit? Heh heh... It seems I wasn’t asleep for too long."

The man’s voice was ancient. He gently stroked Mu Chen’s long hair, a faint smile gracing his lips as he gazed at the refined face that had lost its childishness. "The silly boy has grown up." He then glanced at the white ball of light hovering over the pool. "And it seems you’ve had quite a few fortuitous encounters."

Sighing with emotion, the man’s gaze shifted back to the jade-green pool, which now only had a third of its Spiritual Liquid remaining. Familiar scenes flashed through his mind like a movie reel. That’s right, this man was none other than the Profound Old Ghost, who had slumbered within the Extreme Spirit Pearl for three years.

’That brat, he really didn’t listen to me. But if he didn’t meet the conditions, how did he manage to retrieve the map from my Seal?’

The Profound Old Ghost was puzzled but couldn’t figure it out for the moment. He had no choice but to sit quietly and wait for Mu Chen to awaken. Meanwhile, Mu Chen was wrestling with a tormented dream.

In his dream, Mu Chen stood in a field of flowers filled with fluttering Spirit Butterflies and a riot of colorful blossoms. But none of this captured his attention. Across from him stood three women. One wore a blue dress, an ice-cold beauty whose smile could topple cities. Another was Wen Wan, gentle and virtuous, serene and mild, soothing to behold with just a single glance. But the one who concerned him the most was the third woman. She wore a white dress, ethereal and otherworldly, but her face was a mask of cold fury.

"Mu Chen, I hate you!"

Scene after scene appeared before Mu Chen. In them, he saw himself pinning the white-robed young woman to the ground like a wild beast, doing such an outrageous thing. Mu Chen felt his throat go dry and itchy as he mumbled, "That’s... Wan Xian’Er..."

"Father once said that a good woman is loyal to one man. Although I don’t know your background, or how much potential you have, or whether you will be good or evil in the future, my heart... Wan Xian’Er’s heart... can no longer hold another. If we are truly fated to be, we will meet again. If not... then let’s just forget this hasty encounter ever happened..."

"Forget this hasty encounter..."

"Forget it..."

"I hate you..."

"Hate you..."

The two voices intertwined and echoed in Mu Chen’s mind. With a jolt, his head throbbed, and he sat bolt upright, panting heavily. His back was already drenched in sweat.

’Those images... they were all real...’ Mu Chen stared at his hands, where the faint, sweet scent of Wan Xian’Er still lingered.

"They are real."

Suddenly, an ancient, ethereal voice spoke beside his ear. Mu Chen froze, turning his head with a dazed expression. A single glance was all it took for him to be stunned into place.

"Master..."

Seeing the Profound Old Ghost smiling at him, Mu Chen’s nose suddenly tingled, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Master... you’re awake? This... this isn’t an illusion, is it?"

Hearing Mu Chen’s familiar voice, the Profound Old Ghost’s throat bobbed. He said softly, "Xiao Chenzi, what you’re seeing is real. Master is awake."

"Master!!"

THUD. Mu Chen’s knees hit the ground heavily. Tears had already welled up in his eyes. Three years. Never in his wildest dreams had Mu Chen imagined he would reunite with his master under these circumstances.

"These three years have been hard on you." The Profound Old Ghost’s voice was also a little hoarse. He could hardly imagine the hardships a child with a crippled body had to endure to get this far. With no background, no support, and not even proper guidance, how much effort and determination must it have taken to reach his current level? After all, he was still just a boy of fifteen or sixteen.

"It wasn’t hard! For the past three years, Chen’Er has never forgotten Master’s words. On the path of the strong, one cannot cry hardship!" Mu Chen looked at the Profound Old Ghost with a resolute expression, his eyes filled with tenacity.

The Profound Old Ghost’s expression froze for a moment upon hearing this, then he boomed, "On the path of the strong, one cannot cry hardship... Well said, very well said! Master is proud of you! Now get up, and tell me everything you’ve been through these past three years."

"Okay!" Mu Chen agreed, quickly getting to his feet. He began to recount his experiences over the last three years to the Profound Old Ghost. One might hide things from strangers or even family, but before the Profound Old Ghost, Mu Chen held nothing back, not a single word. He spoke for several hours straight. When Mu Chen had finished his story, the Profound Old Ghost sighed endlessly, his heart filled with even greater admiration for the boy.

"That’s my story for the past three years. Although I had a few close shaves with the Death God, I miraculously pulled through each time. Speaking of which, Master, how did you awaken?" Mu Chen asked curiously.

"How did I awaken?" The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. "I should be asking you. Given the soul trauma I suffered three years ago, I should have slept for at least thirty years, or even longer. But just yesterday, I suddenly felt a powerful life force surge into my body. It was this ceaseless torrent of life force that completely restored my Soul Power. Not only that, my Soul Power is now even stronger than before."

The Profound Old Ghost ruffled Mu Chen’s hair and smiled. "So, from now on, you’ll never be alone again. With Master here, no difficulty is too great."

Mu Chen sighed, a guilty look on his face. "Master, when I woke up just now, a lot of fragmented memories came back to me. Did I... Did I do that kind of thing to Miss Xian’Er...?"

The Profound Old Ghost nodded but didn’t elaborate. He simply said with a hint of regret, "That little girl, Wan Xian’Er, is a good girl..."

Hearing this, Mu Chen fell silent. In his heart, he had always thought of Wan Xian’Er as a younger sister. He never imagined he would commit such a beastly act while recovering his arm.

Seeing Mu Chen’s silence, the Profound Old Ghost sighed. "Xiao Chenzi, as a man, what you need to do now isn’t to blame yourself, feel guilty, or regret it. A real man takes responsibility for his actions. Since you did it, you must be accountable for what you’ve done and face it head-on. On this point, that little girl has thought things through very clearly. Since she is resolute for your sake, you must not be unworthy of her resolve. Some things may seem like mistakes now, but who’s to say they aren’t the arrangements of fate, moving in mysterious ways?"

The Profound Old Ghost’s words echoed in Mu Chen’s mind. ’The arrangements of fate...’

Mu Chen’s expression shifted from shame to confusion, and then from confusion to determination. He smiled. "Master is right. Since I was the one who made the mistake, then I will be the one to face it. I must reap the consequences of the seeds I have sown. Xian’Er, no matter how powerful your background is, since our paths have crossed, we won’t just forget each other and go our separate ways..."

With these words, the knot in Mu Chen’s heart completely unraveled. Smiling at the Profound Old Ghost, Mu Chen’s lips curved upward. "It really is better having Master around."

The Profound Old Ghost smiled, but then his eyes fell on Mu Chen’s new arm. He asked in surprise, "Is that your restored arm? But why does it look like that?"

Mu Chen paused. To be honest, in all this time, even he hadn’t taken a good look at his new arm. Prompted by the Profound Old Ghost, Mu Chen subconsciously raised his right arm. What met his eyes was a black limb that shimmered with a metallic luster. Strange white patterns ran across its entire length, looking like engravings on a piece of Arm Armor.

"A black arm..." Mu Chen murmured. He suddenly clenched his fist, and a spatial fluctuation appeared in his palm. Just by making a fist, a powerful gust of wind was generated in his hand. Feeling the immense, tangible power, an extremely excited glint appeared in Mu Chen’s eyes.

’So strong!’

This arm was even stronger than his Profound Dragon Arm!

’And that’s without infusing any Primordial Power. What if I do?’ The moment this thought appeared, Mu Chen’s heart pounded. With a mental command, the terrifying Primordial Power in his Dantian surged toward his right arm. But as the Primordial Power gathered in his arm, a tremendous roar echoed through the cave. A vortex of air erupted, and within this Qi Force, a heaven-shaking, ancient Evil Qi emerged!

A large amount of black energy spewed from Mu Chen’s arm. It was black Zhi Yan flame, which instantly filled the entire cave. The moment it touched the ceiling, the glowing moss was incinerated without a trace.

The Profound Old Ghost stared in shock at the towering black flames and said in a low voice, "What a terrifying Flame Level!"

"ROAR!!"

A bestial roar erupted from Mu Chen’s mouth. The instant the black Zhi Yan flames formed, his eyes turned crimson. Not only that, but the clothes on his body were also completely burned to ash, and his skin once again took on a cracked appearance, like magma flowing beneath the surface.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Blood! I want more blood!"

With a series of furious roars, Mu Chen swung his black arm, wildly striking everything around him. Each blow released terrifying heat and Evil Qi, forcing even the Profound Old Ghost to take a few steps back.

’This can’t go on. Xiao Chenzi can’t control this arm at all right now. It’s too powerful!’

His figure flashed. The Profound Old Ghost’s eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of demonic purple pupils. In his vision, Mu Chen’s fist gradually slowed down, finally freezing in place.

’Now.’

BANG!

With a dull thud, Mu Chen was struck heavily on the back of his neck. His vision went black, and he collapsed to the side...