Chapter 35: Chapter 32: Thunderbolt and Mist Step

Then, a baby-like laugh echoed in Mu Chen’s mind. Mu Chen was startled, but he didn’t move. The voice had appeared after the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit released its Spiritual Power, so it had to be related.

"Did you make that sound just now?" Mu Chen asked tentatively, looking at the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit.

The Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit hopped twice on the Jade Pillar Platform, looking at Mu Chen with a grin. Then, it closed its eyes again, and another burst of Spiritual Power erupted.

"Mmm, it... was... my... voice."

It was a pleasant, somewhat childish voice, but one could faintly tell that its owner was a young girl.

"Can you tell me why you summoned me here?" Mu Chen asked with a friendly smile.

"Save me. Save... me... get... me... out."

The voice was halting, evidently awkward because it was unfamiliar with human language.

"How do I save you?"

"The... stone... outside... outside... shatter..."

Although Mu Chen didn’t fully understand, he got the gist of the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s meaning. He searched around and, sure enough, lying behind the Jade Cylinder on the emerald-covered ground was a black stone that was completely out of place. It seemed that was the medium his Master had used to Seal the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit.

"You want me to shatter this?"

He walked over to the black stone, raised his left hand, still bound by the Black Iron Lock Chain, and channeled his Thunderous Fist Force. With a BOOM, he smashed it onto the black stone.

CRACK.

The power of a Peak Ninth-Ring Martial Disciple erupted in an instant. The black stone, which had lain dormant for a hundred thousand years, shattered with a bang, dissolving into motes of dust that slowly vanished.

RUMBLE...

The moment the black stone shattered, the Independent Space at the bottom of the pool began to shake violently. The vibrations were so intense that the surrounding green jade couldn’t withstand the strain, and massive cracks rapidly spread out like a spiderweb.

"Quick... quick... leave..."

As Mu Chen stood there stunned, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s anxious voice filled his mind. It jolted him back to his senses. He immediately turned and ran. What was originally a sealed wall now had a barrel-sized gap due to the tremors. Water from the pool outside shot in like a geyser. Fortunately, Mu Chen’s speed was astonishing. Using Deceptive Step, he plunged headfirst into the column of water amid a thunderous roar, swimming against the current.

Once outside, Mu Chen didn’t look back. He twisted his body and shot toward the surface of the pool. He had left in such a hurry that he hadn’t taken in much air, so he had no choice but to race upward with all his might.

SPLASH...

HUFF... HUFF...

He broke through the surface of the water, gasping for air. The severe lack of oxygen made him incredibly dizzy. He used all his strength to crawl ashore. Without the five-hundred-jin weights, he might have floated to the surface with ease. But with them on, plus the Adhesive Force of the whirlpool created by the collapsing cave, Mu Chen had almost been dragged back down.

’Imagine a warrior at the Peak of the Ninth-Ring Martial Disciple Realm drowning in a pool. If word of that got out, it would become the joke of the century.’

Lying by the edge of the pool, Mu Chen was soaked to the bone. To calm his ragged breathing, he quickly began to circulate the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique. Having a Cultivation Technique was so much more convenient; you could use the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to nourish every part of your body.

As the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique circulated, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that filled the cave suddenly gathered toward Mu Chen at an unimaginable speed. In an instant, rings of white Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi formed a three-meter-wide white vortex above his head. The vortex constantly shifted until it finally funneled down, slowly drilling into Mu Chen’s Celestial Spirit Acupoint.

Starting from the Celestial Spirit Acupoint, streams of pure Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi flowed down from the top of his head. After circulating once through all his meridians, bones, and organs, it automatically converged toward Mu Chen’s Dantian.

Discovering this phenomenon, Mu Chen’s expression changed drastically. He never would have imagined that circulating the Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique this time would absorb so much Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. What astonished him even more was that no matter how he tried to guide it, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi completely ignored him.

Inside Mu Chen’s body, nine colorful Dantians were floating up and down in a profound trajectory. It seemed completely random, yet it also seemed to follow some indescribable rule. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi converged from all his meridians into the main channel connecting the nine Dantians, then automatically split into nine fine streams, each flowing into the Dantian of its corresponding Attribute.

This cycle repeated over and over. As if aided by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, the nine Dantians began to spin faster and faster, in an increasingly bizarre manner. The reaction in the Outer Realm was even more intense. The white Primordial Qi vortex above Mu Chen’s head expanded several times in size. For a moment, the entire space where the Sun and Moon Pool was located was enveloped in waves of white Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. At a glance, it looked just like a fairyland on earth.

But unbeknownst to any observer, behind this picturesque scene, Mu Chen was feeling inexplicably helpless. He could only let his Dantians absorb more and more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi at an ever-increasing speed. He could even clearly feel his meridians being stretched to their absolute limit.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Mu Chen’s face was flushed blood-red. The veins on his temples, arms, and neck bulged grotesquely, looking like vines wrapping around his body.

’Pain. Excruciating pain. What is this feeling?’ Long before, Mu Chen had already felt that his meridians could no longer withstand this massive amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. But after so long, he clearly felt his meridians being ruptured multiple times. However, each time they burst, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi would automatically and rapidly repair the damaged meridians, making them wider and tougher.

But as his meridians became wider, the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi he absorbed also increased with their expansion. In an instant, the repaired meridians were torn apart once more, only to be ruptured again by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. This cycle repeated endlessly.

Of course, Mu Chen could feel the benefits. His meridians had already expanded several times over since this began. But the excruciating pain of his meridians rupturing each time would turn his face deathly pale. Although the pain was not even half as bad as when his Dantian was Reforged, the sheer number of times it happened was unbearable. In the short time it took for an incense stick to burn, Mu Chen had already experienced the agony of his meridians tearing apart countless times.

Eight hours later, the nine Dantians inside Mu Chen’s body suddenly let out a humming sound, followed by a burst of brilliant light.

"ROAR!"

Following a tremendous roar, a powerful ring of Qi Force instantly blew away the gathered Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, revealing Mu Chen’s figure clearly. He no longer showed any sign of pain. His complexion was ruddy, and his expression was serene. However, a thin layer of pale yellow mucus had condensed on the surface of his body. Upon closer inspection, this yellow mucus also emitted a faint, foul odor.

"A First-Ring Martial Artist..."

With a slight smile, Mu Chen awoke from his Meditation. He hadn’t expected that the sudden incident at the bottom of the pool would actually give him the opportunity to break through to the Martial Artist realm. The series of events just now had all been caused by his breakthrough from a Martial Disciple to a Martial Artist.

He just didn’t know that when others broke through, they felt a sense of comfort and euphoria. His breakthrough, however, was accompanied by immense pain. The reason was none other than the nine Dantians in his body. When an ordinary Martial Disciple breaks through to the Martial Artist realm, they only need to fill a single Dantian with Primordial Qi. But Mu Chen was different. He possessed the Nine Spirits Dantian. Every time he broke through to a new Great Tier, he had to completely fill all nine Dantians with Primordial Qi. This required absorbing nine times the amount of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi as an ordinary Martial Artist. When inhaling this much, his meridians naturally couldn’t handle the volume, which led to the infinite cycle of rupturing and repairing.

He felt his power—it was definitely more than ten times stronger than before. Suddenly, a faint stench wafted from his body. Mu Chen frowned slightly. He was no longer a novice just starting his cultivation journey. This pale yellow mucus was the last and most difficult impurity to remove from his bone marrow.

These impurities, which could normally only be completely purged upon reaching the Martial Spirit realm, he had now completely eliminated. This was closely related to the fact that Mu Chen had been tempering his body with Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi every day during his time as a Martial Disciple. The current Mu Chen was already far ahead of others at the same level.

"Wooo... wooo..."

Just as Mu Chen was about to wash the impurities off his body, a cheerful cry entered his ears.

Following the sound, Mu Chen smiled faintly. A spiral-shaped droplet of water, wreathed in red and blue, was floating playfully in the air. Its cute little face curiously sized up Mu Chen, who was lying on the ground. Who else could it be but the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit? After being released from its Seal, it had been delayed below for a long time. The sight that greeted it upon emerging was Mu Chen using his Qi Force to disperse the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

"You’re out."

As he stood up, a series of crisp cracking sounds came from all the bones in his body. Vaguely, Mu Chen felt as if he had grown a little taller.

In fact, his feeling was spot on. After breaking through to the Martial Artist realm, his bones, meridians, and even his internal organs had all been strengthened and enhanced to a certain degree. This was especially true for his bones, which supported his entire body and were always the most thoroughly strengthened part of any enhancement. Therefore, it was natural for Mu Chen’s height to change significantly after the breakthrough.

His height shot up from 1.6 to 1.7 meters in an instant. The current Mu Chen, aside from the lingering immaturity on his face, looked nothing like his real age in terms of height. An outsider would definitely assume he was fourteen or fifteen, but only those who knew him knew that he was only twelve years old.

Hearing Mu Chen speak to it, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit’s little face broke into a cute smile, and it spun around, bouncing in the air. Suddenly, its small nose twitched twice, and its brow furrowed deeply. It let out a strange "wooo" sound and flew behind Mu Chen. Just as Mu Chen was about to turn and see what it was doing, a great force came from behind before he could even move. Caught off guard, Mu Chen yelped as he was pushed into the pool.

"COUGH, COUGH... COUGH, COUGH..."

Plunging suddenly into the water, Mu Chen was instantly submerged. Unfortunately, he hadn’t closed his mouth and nose in time. The cool pool water rushed into his mouth, causing him to cough violently. Even while coughing, Mu Chen didn’t forget to glare fiercely at the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit by the water’s edge.

"Hee hee..."

Seeing Mu Chen’s miserable state, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit at the edge of the pool became incredibly cheerful. It circled continuously in the air, sometimes cheering with glee, sometimes spinning around Mu Chen like a mischievous child.

Shaking the water from his hair, Mu Chen irritably mimicked the Profound Old Ghost’s tone, saying, "You little brat, are you trying to drown me?"

"Wooo?"

Hearing this, the Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit stopped its bouncing. It seemed not to understand what Mu Chen had said, tilting its head and letting out a confused cry.

Looking at the adorable Sun and Moon Immortal Spirit, Mu Chen couldn’t help but crack a smile. Since he was already in the water, he might as well strip off all his clothes and quickly wash away the impurities on his body. He returned to the bank and changed into a fresh set of clothes. He sighed. He had no idea how many sets of clothes he had gone through already. Luckily, knowing he would be away for a long time, Mu Chen had brought plenty of clothes—enough to last for three years.