"It really is that kid, Mu Chen." The two black-robed elders laughed. In a flash, they appeared at Mu Chen’s side. They sized him up for a moment before one of them exclaimed in surprise, "This kid is a real monster. We haven’t seen him in two years, and he can already give off such a powerful aura."

Mu Chen recognized the two black-robed elders at a glance; they were none other than the Tie Family brothers who guarded the Demon Beast Prison, Elders Tielin and Tie Mu. Rubbing his nose, he smiled. "Not at all. You two Elders, on the other hand, are looking more hale and hearty than ever."

"Get out of here, the kid’s learned how to flatter people." With that, Elder Tie Mu clapped Mu Chen on the shoulder. But that single clap made Elder Tie Mu freeze. His mouth fell open as he stared at Mu Chen’s right arm in disbelief. As if he couldn’t trust his eyes, Elder Tie Mu reached out and squeezed it.

"This... This... Kid, your arm!!" Elder Tie Mu exclaimed, dumbfounded.

After hearing Elder Tie Mu’s exclamation, Xuan Yin and Wu Changqing immediately came to Mu Chen’s side and asked curiously, "Elder Tie Mu, what are you shouting about?"

When Elder Tie Mu saw it was Wu Changqing and Xuan Yin, he immediately bowed respectfully before speaking. "Emperor, Elder Wu, if I remember correctly, this kid Mu Chen didn’t have a right arm. But look at him now." He pointed at Mu Chen’s right arm, gesturing for Xuan Yin and Wu Changqing to see.

Xuan Yin turned to look at Mu Chen’s right arm, his expression immediately turning to one of shock. "This... Mu Chen, your arm has recovered?"

Wu Changqing was just as astonished. As things stood, there was no known method on the Extreme Martial Continent for restoring lost limbs. Ancient literature mentioned that unless a Martial Emperor was willing to expend a portion of their power, not even an expert at the Saint Peak could help a person regenerate a body part. This was precisely why Martial Artists treasured their physical bodies.

’But Mu Chen’s arm has inexplicably grown back. Could the rumors on the Extreme Martial Continent about the Martial Emperors having vanished be a lie? No, that can’t be it. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have stayed in seclusion for so long. There’s only one possible explanation for Mu Chen’s condition, and that’s a fortuitous encounter—an incredibly rare and miraculous one at that!’

Hearing this, Mu Chen nodded. "Yes, I had some fortuitous encounters during these past two years, so my arm recovered. By the way, you just said that registration for the Empire’s tournament has already started? Does that mean I missed it?"

"You didn’t." Xuan Yin shook his head and smiled. "Registration has only just begun. It lasts for three days. And even if you don’t make it back in time to register yourself within these three days, it’s fine, because Low-class Empires have the right to register on a participant’s behalf. So as long as Old Cang registers you, you can compete as long as our Empire hasn’t been eliminated yet. However, Mu Chen, you should still hurry. After all, without you, our Empire probably won’t last many rounds."

Mu Chen smiled faintly. "Emperor, you’re putting a lot of pressure on me by saying that."

"Pressure my ass! You think I don’t know what kind of guy you are?" Just then, a white-haired elder in a white robe appeared out of thin air, his long beard fluttering. The elder’s lips twitched as he said, "All of you, disperse. This little guy doesn’t have much time to catch up right now. Before he heads to the Sacas Dynasty, he has something important to do."

"Yes, Elder Mu!" The appearance of this elder made everyone bow their heads. After their respectful reply, they turned and left, returning to their posts. As they departed, however, every one of them wore a face full of smiles and confidence.

At this moment, Elder Mu still had a crease on his cheek from sleeping. He pouted, glanced at the Snow Qilin, Xiaobai, at Mu Chen’s feet, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes, but he immediately concealed it.

When Mu Chen saw Elder Mu, his expression was also respectful. He called out, "Elder Mu," and then asked with a smile, "Elder Mu, is the tournament being held in the Sacas Dynasty this time? Also, what’s this important matter I need to attend to beforehand?"

Elder Mu didn’t explain much. He simply said, "Follow me," to Mu Chen and flew towards the Library Tower. Mu Chen gave an awkward smile. After a brief mental communication, SHOOOSH, Xiaobai shrank down to the size of a furball. WHOOSH, it disappeared into the space between Mu Chen’s eyebrows, entering the Extreme Spirit Pearl. Mu Chen, meanwhile, followed slowly behind Elder Mu.

"To think a guy like this still exists on the Extreme Martial Continent..."

An ethereal and roguish laugh echoed by Mu Chen’s ear. Mu Chen turned his head in surprise. "Master, are you talking about Elder Mu?"

The Profound Old Ghost nodded. "Mm, this guy’s Martial Artist Realm is quite terrifying. I’m afraid he’s no worse than the guardian elders of those Hidden Clans."

"What?" Mu Chen exclaimed. "Elder Mu is that powerful?"

The Profound Old Ghost chuckled. "I’m surprised too. To find someone like this in a remote place like the Xuanling Empire is certainly novel. Alright, this person has no ill will towards you. Let’s see what he wants you to do."

Mu Chen nodded. A trace of Thunder Light burst from his feet with a ZZT sound. His figure suddenly vanished as if it had vaporized. When he reappeared, he was already beside Elder Mu.

Elder Mu glanced over out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "It seems you’ve had quite a few fortuitous encounters these past two years, kid."

After hearing the Profound Old Ghost’s assessment, Mu Chen was naturally even more respectful towards Elder Mu. He scratched the back of his head and said, "Not at all, just a few minor encounters."

"Hehe, is that so..." Elder Mu chuckled twice and didn’t dwell on the topic. Instead, he abruptly changed direction, flying towards the Holy Hall.

Although two years had passed, Mu Chen was still familiar with the paths within the academy. Judging from the direction Elder Mu was flying, it was clearly towards the Tower of Calamity. ’Could it be...?’

"Figured it out?" Elder Mu smiled, anticipating his thought.

Mu Chen nodded but didn’t speak. Elder Mu continued, "Although I don’t know how strong you’ve become, I still want to see if the rumors about the Tower of Calamity are true. With your current strength, achieving a perfect clear on the remaining three floors shouldn’t be a problem."

"Does Elder Mu have that much confidence in me?" Mu Chen asked.

Elder Mu was noncommittal and said nothing more. He accelerated and landed at the entrance of the Tower of Calamity. There, a black-robed elder was sitting leisurely in a rocking chair, sipping fragrant tea. This person was, of course, the elder who guarded the Tower of Calamity, Wu Kui.

Sensing a fluctuation beside him, Wu Kui narrowed his eyes. When he realized it was Elder Mu, he quickly stood up. "Elder Mu."

Elder Mu gave a simple nod, glanced at Mu Chen who had just landed behind him, and said, "Kid, go on in and give it a try."

The corner of Mu Chen’s mouth lifted into a grin. He gave Wu Kui a friendly glance and said, "Since Elder Mu requests it, I’ll go challenge it again."

’Actually, Elder Mu doesn’t know this, but I’d already planned on challenging the Tower of Calamity. My Cultivation for the past year or so hasn’t given me any real chance to test my strength. Now that I’m back in the Xuanling Empire, isn’t the Tower of Calamity the perfect testing ground? If I can get a perfect clear, my power will rise again. And that legend... I’m really looking forward to seeing if it’s true.’

With a thought, the ring on Mu Chen’s left hand flashed, and a white jade Jade Token appeared in his hand. Wu Kui looked at Mu Chen, then at the Jade Token, and thought to himself, ’This kid looks a little familiar.’

Striding up the steps, Mu Chen embedded the Jade Token into the slot by the door with a CLICK. A bright light suddenly burst forth from the token.

"Challenger, Mu Chen. Challenge Record: Perfect Clear, Twelve Floors."

A dispassionate, ethereal voice descended from the sky. The moment it finished speaking, Mu Chen’s body was instantly enveloped in a brilliant light. WHOOSH, he vanished from the entrance.

"Mu Chen?!" Wu Kui was suddenly taken aback. His expression then turned somewhat solemn. ’I don’t think I’ve seen this kid for two years. Don’t tell me he plans to clear the entire Tower of Calamity today?’

"Challenger, Mu Chen. Current Level: Thirteenth Floor."

His vision blurred for a moment before gradually coming into focus. Before him was a vast blue sky. To be precise, there was nothing but the blue sky—no land, no water, only sky.

"The Tower of Calamity always manages to create the strangest scenes," Mu Chen muttered to himself.

"Ooh, so this is the Tower of Calamity."

The moment Mu Chen finished speaking, the Profound Old Ghost appeared beside him like a phantom. Accustomed to this over the years, Mu Chen was unfazed. He simply nodded and said, "This is the Tower of Calamity. According to the level classifications I remember, this floor is already at the Magical Beast Guardian tier, the Beast Spirit Dao!"

"The Beast Spirit Dao, eh? A battlefield in the sky. Looks like this Magical Beast is bound to be a flying one. Xiao Chenzi, Flying Magical Beasts are very tricky to deal with, you know." The Profound Old Ghost crooked a finger, and out of nowhere, a table, a chair, and a set of wine cups materialized. "Finally, something to watch. I’ve been bored to death these past few years."

Watching his master prop his legs up on the side, Mu Chen’s eye twitched, his face a mask of speechlessness. Just then, a wave of Primordial Power radiated from directly in front of him. Mu Chen’s expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "It seems the Magical Beast appearing this time is no simple foe."

The words had barely left his lips when a spatial vortex, like a black hole, suddenly appeared in the spot Mu Chen was staring at. From the other side of the vortex, Mu Chen could clearly feel a terrifying pressure.

"SCREEE!!"

Immediately after, the piercing cry of a goshawk echoed from the spatial vortex. Following that, a huge black shadow shot through the vortex with a WHOOSH, soaring directly towards Mu Chen. It was so fast that it tore through the surrounding air.

’So fast!’

Even Mu Chen couldn’t help but be surprised. With a Flash of Thunder from his feet, his entire figure instantly dissipated. By the time he reappeared, he was already a thousand meters away from the huge black shadow.

"That’s..."

Sitting in mid-air, the Profound Old Ghost looked at the massive black shadow with some surprise. A grin spread across his face. "Now this is getting fun. I didn’t expect the Magical Beast guarding this floor to be *that*. Its power has been suppressed quite a bit, though. At this level, it’s hardly enough of a challenge..."

By now, Mu Chen had already committed the Magical Beast’s appearance to memory. It was a colossal Flying Magical Beast. It had the powerful body of a lion, the head and broad wings of a goshawk, and a pair of sharp eagle eyes fixed deadly on Mu Chen. Its sharp claws scraped restlessly, as if ready to tear him to shreds at any moment.

Mu Chen’s pupils shrank. "A Griffin Beast!"