A burst of laughter erupted, and the expressions of the five people on stage changed. Little Tiger was about to fly into a rage but was stopped by Qing Lei.

"We must learn to be tolerant of ignorant youngsters."

Qing Lei’s composure quickly calmed everyone. Little Tiger shot a cold glance below, slowly unclenching his fists. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Brother Qing Lei is right. If Brother Mu Chen were here, they’d realize just how childish they’re being."

Qing Lei hummed in affirmation. His expression didn’t change, but he was secretly impressed. ’Little Tiger’s temper has really mellowed out. In the past, he would have already charged down there.’

Zhun Cang was still on the high platform, giving an encouraging speech to the students. Behind it, however, an old man in black robes sighed and said anxiously to the woman beside him, "That brat Mu Chen took advantage of my absence to leave the academy on his own. Xiaoyun, you were there. Why didn’t you stop him?"

"And you think anyone could have stopped him? The Imperial Academy was always too small for him; he couldn’t stretch his wings here. The outside world is probably the best environment for him to grow. Teacher, you should know that better than I do."

The two speakers were none other than the founders of the Demon Castle, Di Cang and Lingyun.

Di Cang sighed. "You’re right, but that kid has been gone for far too long. Even if he doesn’t miss his teacher, he should at least miss his partners. Seeing those two girls so worried they can barely eat, it troubles me as well. The Imperial Competition is about to begin. If they can’t steady their hearts, it will affect their performance. At the competition, one careless mistake can lead to grievous injuries. It’s not a friendly place."

Lingyun frowned and sighed as well. "But we have no news of him at all. We can only hope he makes it back before the competition."

Di Cang exhaled. "I suppose that’s our only option. One of us has to stay behind at the academy. Otherwise, that brat Mu Chen might not know where to go."

Lingyun nodded. "Teacher, you can’t be the one to stay. You’re more familiar with the Imperial Competition than anyone. Someone who knows the rules inside and out needs to lead the team so they can quickly acclimate to the format. I’ll stay behind."

Di Cang shook his head. "That’s not a good idea. I’m an old man; leading a group of youngsters would just put pressure on them. You’ve been to the Imperial Competition a few times yourself, haven’t you? I’ll rest easy with you leading them. So, it’s better if I stay. Besides, with Space Transfer, I can catch up quickly when the time comes."

The two of them argued back and forth. Just then, an even more ancient-sounding voice spoke up from beside them.

"So noisy. Neither of you needs to stay. Leave waiting for that brat Mu Chen to me."

Di Cang and Lingyun turned toward the voice and, after a moment of stunned silence, said respectfully, "Dean Shen."

The old man was the Saint, Shen Jianxin, who was also Elder Mu, the administrator of the Library Tower. He stood hunched over with his hands behind his back, rolling his eyes at the pair. "What’s this ’Dean Shen’ nonsense? Call me Elder Mu."

"Elder Mu!" the two hurriedly exclaimed, bowing.

"Look at you two. You’re not even as relaxed around me as that brat Mu Chen. Am I really that scary?" Elder Mu huffed, blowing on his mustache. "Both of you can go to the Imperial Competition without a second thought. I’m here at the academy. As long as this old man is still breathing, the academy isn’t going to collapse. And another thing—that brat Mu Chen will definitely be back. I’ve got a good read on him. He’s a man of his word and never does anything he’s not confident about. When he gets back, I’ll personally see to it that he reaches the competition venue."

With that, Di Cang and Lingyun nodded in unison. "Then we’ll be counting on you, Elder Mu."

"Alright, alright. The Empire Transmission Array is about to activate. It can only be used once every five years. If you miss it, the Xuanling Empire will never have a chance to redeem itself." Waving his hand dismissively, Elder Mu’s figure vanished on the spot.

Di Cang and Lingyun wiped the sweat from their brows, exchanged helpless, wry smiles, and headed down. Zhun Cang had finally finished his long-winded speech. Now, it was time for them and Qin Garden to lead the two student teams to the competition grounds—the grand arena of the Sacas Dynasty!

...

Just as Di Cang and Lingyun were leading the Demon Castle’s team from the Xuanling Empire, a day’s journey away, a colossal Qilin Giant Beast streaked across the sky, wreathed in thunder and lightning. It left behind a mere afterimage before vanishing completely. Had anyone been watching closely, however, they would have been astounded to see a slender figure standing atop the great beast’s head...

This slender figure was none other than Mu Chen, who had spent a full year cultivating in the Netherworld Purgatory. The Qilin Giant Beast beneath him was the Snow Qilin, Xiaobai, now awakened from its slumber. Mu Chen had changed dramatically from two years ago. His striking blue hair was tied back into a long ponytail, with a few strands at his temples fluttering freely in the wind. His handsome face now held a trace of maturity and resolve, and he faintly radiated the aura of an expert.

His snow-white robes billowed wildly in the wind generated by the Snow Qilin’s speed. The black Profound Jade Box was slung horizontally across his lower back. He stood perfectly straight, his posture radiating a world-defying, domineering aura.

And yet, his expression was tinged with anxiety. With a soft sigh, Mu Chen said, "Only three days left until the Imperial Competition. I can’t believe I didn’t make it back on time."

"But there are still three days left, aren’t there?" Beside him, an illusory white figure lay casually, looking completely relaxed.

Mu Chen shot his Master a weary glance and said in a low voice, "Xiaobai, tear space!"

The Snow Qilin had already unfurled its true form, its body, dozens of meters long, generating vortexes of air as it flew. Hearing Mu Chen’s command, it immediately responded, "No problem, Father!"

ROAR!

With that, the Snow Qilin let out a tremendous roar. It raised its giant claws, which were wreathed in black lightning, and slashed at the space before it. Ripping with both claws, it tore open a Spatial Rift in front of Mu Chen.

"Hold on tight, Father. I’m going in!" After saying this, the Snow Qilin kicked off the air and plunged into the Spatial Rift...

「One day later.」

A violent spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted in the sky above the Xuanling Imperial Academy. Almost at the same instant, a Spatial Rift dozens of meters long tore open with a sound like ripping fabric.

RROOOOAR!

A terrifying roar was the first thing to emerge from the Spatial Rift. That single roar put the entire Xuanling Imperial Academy on high alert. In an instant, countless figures in black robes had swarmed to surround the rift. At the same time, an old man in a green robe and a man in a golden robe also flew rapidly to the scene.

"What in the world is that? How could it create such a massive Spatial Rift?!" The man in the Golden Robe looked utterly shocked. Judging from the tremendous beast roar moments ago, this was definitely not the work of a human.

"Could it be a Venerable Beast?!" the green-robed man exclaimed, his expression grave. Only Venerable Beasts could create Spatial Rifts, and only an incredibly powerful one could tear open something so terrifying. ’Why would a Venerable Beast suddenly appear in the Xuanling Empire? Is a Beast Tide about to erupt?’

The academy grounds below were already packed with terrified students, all craning their necks to stare fixedly at the Spatial Rift...

CRACKLE...

A crackle of lightning accompanied a sharp, steel-like claw as it stepped out. The space beneath the claw shattered with a BOOM. Following that, a massive, majestic head slowly emerged from the rift. Its fur, a mix of snow-white and black, was speckled with glowing motes that danced in the wind. Set within completely black eyes, a pair of mercilessly cold, golden pupils stared down at the crowd, filled with contempt.

"It’s enormous!!"

That was everyone’s first impression of the Giant Beast. Awed by its sheer size, they subconsciously overlooked the slender figure standing on its head. Everyone scrambled backward. A Magical Beast of this size was clearly not to be trifled with!

Mu Chen was at his wit’s end with Xiaobai’s roaring. ’I don’t know how he picked up this bad habit, but he always has to roar when he creates a Spatial Rift. I tried to get him to stop a few times, but it was no use, so I just let it go. But now we’re at the Xuanling Empire... isn’t this just asking for trouble?’

Seeing the legion of academy elders staring nervously at Xiaobai, Mu Chen helplessly rubbed his nose. He wanted to say something, but couldn’t think of what, so he just blurted out, "Um... long time no see..."

The moment he spoke, all the black-robed elders simultaneously looked toward the Snow Qilin’s head. Only then did they discover, to their shock, a young man standing atop the Giant Beast.

The young man wore snow-white robes and had a well-proportioned build. His long, ice-blue hair was tied in a ponytail that swayed in the wind. More importantly, on his back was an exceedingly familiar long, black box.

"That’s..." Seeing this, two of the levitating elders came forward. One pointed at Mu Chen and murmured, "Are you... Are you Mu Chen?"

"Mu Chen!"

Cries of surprise rose from the crowd of elders. Clearly, his name was still very familiar among the academy’s senior members.

"Mu Chen?" The green-robed elder was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed. "Emperor, it’s Mu Chen! That monstrously talented brat is back!"

This green-robed elder was none other than the National Guardian Elder, Wu Changqing, and the Emperor was, of course, Xuan Yin.

"Mu Chen!" Xuan Yin slowly approached the Snow Qilin. He looked at Mu Chen, his expression one of pleasant surprise. "It really is you! You little brat, you finally remembered the way back! Registration for the Imperial Competition has already begun!"

"Mu Chen?"

"Who’s Mu Chen?"

"I’ve never heard of him. He looks really powerful, though. Is he one of our academy’s upperclassmen?"

The first and second-year students were all asking each other about him, but the third and fourth-years were gazing up at the sky, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Hmph, what does a bunch of little kids know? That Imro you all talk about? In front of Brother Mu Chen, he’s just a wet-behind-the-ears rookie. Beating him would be the work of a moment," a fourth-year Outer Circle Student snorted.

They had kept quiet before because Mu Chen wasn’t at the academy. To speak up then would have been making empty boasts, giving these hot-headed youngsters ammunition to mock them. But now, not only was Brother Mu Chen back, he had returned riding an unbelievably powerful Magical Beast. Finally, they could put these arrogant underclassmen in their place.

"Exactly! Do you know about the Tower of Calamity? Why don’t you go take a look at the rankings? Brother Mu Chen cleared twelve floors in a single run, with a perfect clear on every floor! Is that the kind of power a mere Holy Hall Student can even dream of comparing to?"

"Heh, they’re just kids. No need to hold it against them. This time, our Xuanling Empire won’t be a laughingstock at the Imperial Competition. And it’s all thanks to Brother Mu Chen!"

"Brother Mu Chen! Brother Mu Chen! Brother Mu Chen!"

A unified chant, far louder than the murmurs of the first and second-years, filled the entire academy. Mu Chen looked down at the strange yet familiar faces below, and a sudden warmth spread through his heart. ’Perhaps this is what a true home feels like. No matter how far I roam, this is the place where I lived for seventeen years.’

And among all the students, a group of thirty youths clad in black emerged from a corner. Watching the familiar figure in the sky, a seventeen-year-old boy’s lips curved into a smirk. "He’s back..."