’I broke through!’

In his Elixir Field World, Mu Chen’s consciousness slowly sank. In the center of his Dantian, a jet-black Dantian vortex was spinning rapidly. This vortex was originally only about a tenth of its current size. This was the most obvious change after advancing to the Martial King Realm. The larger the Dantian Vortex and the faster it spun, the more terrifying the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi it could absorb.

Above the Dantian Vortex, nine crystal Dantians of various colors shimmered with a soft glow. Looking closely, he was astonished. A faint, cyan halo was slowly revolving around each of the crystals. This had never been there before.

’This must be the sign of breaking through to the Martial King Realm. My Dantian also went through a huge change when I broke through from Grand Martial Master to Martial Spirit.’

Quickly withdrawing his consciousness, Mu Chen snapped his eyes open. Two beams of eerie purple light suddenly coiled within his eyes. The six snowflake-like Ice Crystal Marks that had been spinning around his pupils suddenly began to rotate rapidly. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that these six Ice Crystal Marks were gradually drawing closer to his pupils. In the next moment, they were completely sucked into those eerie, vertical pupils.

Seeing this, the Profound Old Ghost smiled faintly. "This kid actually managed to advance his Purple Sky Demon Pupils. It took me until I reached the Martial Venerable Realm to do that."

As he spoke, Mu Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up. The eerie Snake Pupils in his eyes transformed into normal, round human pupils. However, surrounding these round pupils, a massive ice crystal snowflake completely filled his purple irises. His pupils were situated right in the center of this snowflake. The ice crystal snowflake rotated slowly, giving off a stunningly beautiful and shocking feeling. Those eyes possessed a fantastical beauty!

’My Purple Sky Demon Pupils have advanced!’

Through his newfound vision, Mu Chen suddenly realized it was vastly different from before. He remembered that when he first awakened his Purple Sky Demon Pupils, he could clearly see extremely small and subtle traces in his surroundings. But now, Mu Chen felt his field of vision had greatly expanded. If a full view was considered three hundred sixty degrees, his current range definitely exceeded two hundred. This meant that with a slight turn of his head, he could take in a full three-hundred-sixty-degree view. Paired with his meticulous perception, it would be more than just a little difficult for anyone to launch a sneak attack on him in the future.

Hooo...

Taking a deep breath, Mu Chen felt the vigorous, abundant Primordial Power within him. He couldn’t hide the surprise in his fantastical eyes. ’So this is the Martial King Realm. It’s so powerful!’

After Mu Chen’s awakening, the Profound Jade Fan automatically returned to the Profound Jade Box. The Profound Old Ghost chuckled beside him. "This is nothing. You’re about to have an even bigger improvement. You can still advance one more time. I remember you obtained a Martial King Essence Pill in the Demon Beast Forest back then. Now is the perfect time to use it."

Mu Chen nodded. "I just thought of that. I knew I would use it one day, so I’ve kept that Martial King Essence Pill with me all this time."

As he spoke, Mu Chen flipped his wrist, and a Purple Crystal Bottle appeared in his hand. Inside the bottle was a single, pale cyan pill. Perhaps because so much time had passed, the pill’s glow had become very faint.

The Profound Old Ghost glanced at it and said, "It seems to have lost a lot of its medicinal power, but it’s better than nothing."

Mu Chen felt a bit helpless. He had obtained this Martial King Essence Pill from that Mercenary Corps Leader when he subdued the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit. He remembered that the Mercenary Corps Leader’s Martial Artist Realm had only just broken through to Second-Ring Martial King, so it was understandable that the Martial King Essence Pill he refined was only of this quality.

"Just as you said, Master, it’s better than nothing." After speaking, Mu Chen tilted his head back and swallowed the pill. This time, there were no complications. After he completely absorbed the medicinal power, he found that the number of Martial Rings at his feet had increased by one. Although this new one was a bit dim, it still signified that Mu Chen’s realm had reached Second-Ring Martial King.

As the number of Martial Rings at his feet increased, another cyan, ring-shaped halo appeared around the crystals in his Dantian. The two halos revolved continuously, creating a unique spectacle.

"Hoo... Master, I’ve finished absorbing it. What now?" Mu Chen stood up and looked at the Profound Old Ghost with anticipation.

The corner of the Profound Old Ghost’s mouth curled up. He was suddenly reminded of the Mu Chen from before. Pointing at Mu Chen’s body, he said, "Now? Are you trying to tell me you’ve grown up, or that your body is aesthetically pleasing? I never realized you were an exhibitionist, Xiao Chenzi."

Mu Chen froze at his words and looked down. His cheeks instantly flushed red. He was standing stark naked in front of the Profound Old Ghost without a shred of shame. He quickly lowered his head, pulled a set of clothes from his Storage Ring, and put them on. He laughed awkwardly, "Um, I don’t know how this happened either."

The Profound Old Ghost shrugged, his expression turning a bit more serious. "Xiao Chenzi, follow me. The Wood Attribute Spirit’s summons haven’t stopped this whole time. It seems it’s quite willing to be fused with you."

With that said, the Profound Old Ghost’s figure flickered and he stepped out of the cave. In the Outer Realm, the Profound Old Ghost’s Purple Sky Demon Pupils spun ceaselessly. The vast green forest around them slowly dissipated, replaced by a single, colossal tree that soared into the heavens. From below, it was impossible to see where the tree ended.

Seeing his Master step out, Mu Chen glanced at the white ball of light hovering in the cave, shouldered the Profound Jade Box from the ground, and darted out of the cave as well.

"Master, could the Wood Attribute Spirit be at the top of this giant tree?" Mu Chen asked, guessing from the way the Profound Old Ghost was staring up at the sky.

"Correct." The Profound Old Ghost nodded. "From what I can sense, the mature Wood Attribute Spirit is indeed up there. And with its summons, I can clearly feel its exact location. Follow me!"

The moment he finished speaking, the Profound Old Ghost tapped his toes lightly. A cyclone of air spread out from under his feet, and with a SWOOSH, he leaped into the sky. His speed was so great that even the newly advanced Mu Chen was astonished. But this only confirmed his thoughts: ’My Master is incredibly powerful!’

He was about to leap up directly, but then Mu Chen suddenly remembered he had now entered the Martial King Realm. His Elemental Wings had already formed, so he didn’t need to use the combined method of Elemental Power Materialization and Walking on Air to fly. A corner of his mouth lifted. With a thought, a shockwave of Primordial Power erupted from his back, followed by the sudden unfurling of a pair of large, slender Elemental Wings. One was blue and the other black, emanating both a frigid and a scorching aura. The feeling was contradictory and discordant, yet they had unbelievably appeared in the same place.

BANG!

With a flap of his wings, Mu Chen habitually activated his Furious Thunder Force. Surging Thunder Light enhanced the propulsion of his wings. Like a giant cannonball, Mu Chen shot into the sky, appearing behind the Profound Old Ghost in the blink of an eye.

Sensing Mu Chen’s presence, the Profound Old Ghost turned his head back, slightly stunned. "This brat’s speed is insane! This won’t do. Wouldn’t I lose all face if he caught up to me? Hah!"

With a low shout, the Profound Old Ghost, in his soul state, suddenly accelerated. His entire being blurred into a hazy White Shadow in the air. His speed was so fast it seemed to surpass the speed of light. In an instant, he had left Mu Chen so far behind that not even his shadow was visible.

’This...’

Mu Chen originally thought that with his unique dual-enhancement, his speed would be countless times faster than before. And in fact, it was. But now, in front of the Profound Old Ghost, Mu Chen was utterly humbled. That kind of speed was probably close to Space Transfer. ’Just who in the world is my Master, to be this powerful? Why have I never realized it before?’

Focusing his mind, Mu Chen suddenly realized he had lost his Master. Stamping a foot, another surge of Thunder Light erupted, and he shot swiftly upward.

After half an hour of this aimless chase, Mu Chen finally spotted the Profound Old Ghost hovering above him. At that moment, the Profound Old Ghost was staring upward with a look of awe. Mu Chen followed his gaze, and instantly, a tree canopy that seemed to blot out the entire sky filled his vision.

"My God!"

His mouth hung open, his lips trembling, but besides those two words, he couldn’t utter another sound. If the distance from the base of the tree to the canopy was hundreds of thousands of meters, then the canopy itself stretched for a million meters.

’Is... is this still a tree?’

This was what was going through Mu Chen’s mind. Seeing the slightly surprised look on his Master’s face, Mu Chen thought with a sense of helplessness, ’Even Master is making that face. This giant tree must truly be a wonder of the world.’

"Hooo... Wood Spirit! Show yourself."

Taking a deep breath, the Profound Old Ghost called out toward the canopy. In response to his call, the canopy trembled slightly, and a small, emerald Green Leaf slowly drifted down from the sky. When this emerald leaf floated in front of Mu Chen, it suddenly transformed into the image of a small child. The child was dressed in clothes made of jade-green leaves, and its adorable cheeks held a smile that didn’t match its apparent age.

"You’ve finally come..." The voice was incredibly ethereal.

The words seemed to be directed at Mu Chen, but also at the Profound Old Ghost. In any case, after speaking, the green-clothed child slowly retreated some distance, drifting over to a thick branch and sitting down.

"Come, sit."

The child’s mouth didn’t move, yet the ethereal voice rang out again. Mu Chen glanced at the Profound Old Ghost. Seeing him nod, Mu Chen slowly moved over and sat where the child had indicated. The Profound Old Ghost followed close behind, standing by Mu Chen’s side.

The green-clothed child looked Mu Chen up and down, its eyes curving into crescents as it smiled sweetly.

"Are you the guide?"

"Guide?" Mu Chen and the Profound Old Ghost were both stunned, asking in unison.

The green-clothed child looked at Mu Chen in surprise. After examining him carefully once more, it smiled and said, "It seems the guide has not yet been made aware of his own identity. Since that is the case, I cannot say more, lest divine punishment befall me."