Chapter 243: Chapter 238: Mu Chen’s Decision
Mu Chen stood rooted to the spot for a long while before a very important problem suddenly occurred to him. He didn’t seem to know where he was. Furthermore, without his Primordial Power, he had no way to quickly return to the Xuanling Empire.
Looking at the Jade Pendant in his hand, Mu Chen said helplessly, "This is just too irresponsible."
Suddenly, a faint spatial fluctuation emanated from the space behind Mu Chen. An ordinary person would never have been able to perceive such a subtle ripple, but Mu Chen was different. His senses were far too sharp; not the slightest fluctuation of Primordial Power or space could escape his Spiritual Power.
The moment Elder Mu appeared, he saw Mu Chen staring at him cautiously. He said with some surprise, "Not bad, kid. You can even detect such a minuscule spatial fluctuation."
Mu Chen froze for a moment, then called out, "Elder Mu."
In truth, Mu Chen had already figured out a few things from his earlier encounter with those two. For instance, this Elder Mu standing before him had to be an incredibly powerful, reclusive master. The mere fact that he could use Space Transfer told Mu Chen that his Martial Artist Realm was definitely above that of a Martial Venerable.
Elder Mu nodded. "Is everything taken care of?"
Mu Chen naturally knew what Elder Mu was asking about and replied, "It’s all taken care of."
"Alright then, let’s head back." After speaking, Elder Mu grabbed Mu Chen’s arm. With a single thought, they vanished from the valley. No phenomena like Spatial Rifts appeared at all, which showed just how proficient Elder Mu’s Space Control had become.
Along the way, aside from some idle chatter, Elder Mu never asked why those two people had sought out Mu Chen. This couldn’t help but raise Mu Chen’s opinion of the old man once again. Mu Chen deeply admired Elder Mu, for no other reason than the fact that Elder Mu was worthy of his respect.
By the time Mu Chen returned to the Xuanling Empire, only a few minutes had passed. Elder Mu released his arm and chuckled. "So, how was it? Traveling through space is pretty exciting, isn’t it?"
A look of anticipation in his eyes, Mu Chen smiled. "It was definitely exciting. But I don’t know how long it will take for me to reach the realm where I can use a technique like Space Transfer."
Elder Mu laughed. "Do you need to be in a certain realm to use Space Transfer?"
Mu Chen was stunned. "But don’t you have to reach the Venerable Realm before you can comprehend spatial techniques?"
Elder Mu stroked his beard. "Perhaps. But there have been Martial Artists in the past who comprehended spatial techniques while still in the Emperor Realm. It’s just that their comprehension ability was exceptionally high. The reason people say you can only use Space Transfer after reaching the Martial Venerable Realm is that when a person’s body and Primordial Power break through to that realm, they are given an opportunity to perceive space. During this opportunity, however much of the Space Law you can comprehend determines how much Spatial Power you can control."
"Those with high comprehension ability might even grasp fifty percent of the Space Law in the instant they break through to the Martial Venerable Realm. After that breakthrough, their survival and combat abilities will inevitably surpass countless other Martial Venerable experts. It wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to say they could engage in tier-jumping combat."
At this point, Elder Mu paused for a moment before continuing, "Actually, tier-jumping combat was very common thirty thousand years ago. Back then, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi was abnormally dense, and almost every Martial Artist possessed pure Primordial Power. Moreover, because they were born in an earlier era, the Laws between heaven and earth were all very clear, not illusory and ethereal like they are now."
"So for today’s Martial Artists, if one can comprehend twenty percent of the Space Law, they are already considered at the peak among Martial Venerables. Putting other things aside, they would at least have an unparalleled advantage when it comes to escaping. Let me give you a simple example. When I broke through to the Venerable Realm, I comprehended thirty percent of the Space Law. If another Martial Venerable only comprehended ten percent, my Space Transfer distance would be three times that of other Venerables. The speed at which I could execute Spatial Battle Skills would also be three times faster. That is the benefit of mastering a Law."
Mu Chen was puzzled and asked, "Then does that mean if someone enters the Venerable Realm but fails to comprehend the Space Law, they can’t use Space Transfer?"
Hearing this, Elder Mu smiled and shook his head. "Every Martial Venerable knows how to use Space Transfer. The reason is that once you step into that domain of Space Law, the Law itself transmits the method of using Space Transfer to you. It’s as if you were born with it, and you’ll be able to master it quickly."
Mu Chen had a flash of insight. "So it works like that! I get it now. When you reach the Venerable Realm, the Space Law comes to you on its own, so it’s a passive comprehension. But if you actively try to comprehend the Law beforehand, you can gain the power of spatial perception early."
Elder Mu nodded in appreciation. "Your comprehension isn’t bad, kid. In any case, you’ve already broken the records of all Martial Artists for the past thirty thousand years, and your tier-jumping combat ability is ridiculously strong. So, I believe that as long as you put your mind to it, you’ll definitely have a chance to comprehend the power of Space Law ahead of time. Haha, when that day comes, you’ll absolutely be the most eye-catching person on the continent."
"However, if you can comprehend this Spatial Power ahead of time, then when you reach the Venerable Realm and perceive the Space Law again, your understanding will be much deeper than others. If that really happens... even I can’t imagine how terrifying you will become." Elder Mu stroked his beard, a look of shock on his face.
’Indeed, if that were the case, Mu Chen would be too terrifying.’ Shaking his head to cast the thought aside, Elder Mu chuckled. "Enough chitchat. I need to get back and sleep. The Library Pavilion has been closed for so long, those knowledge-seeking children must be getting impatient."
Mu Chen was also a bit tired, so he nodded. "Okay. You should head back then, Elder Mu. I’m going to return to my dorm and get some rest too."
Seeing Mu Chen’s fatigue, Elder Mu turned and said, "Don’t go straight to sleep when you get back. Over the next few days, don’t give up on your Cultivation. It’s completely normal for your body to feel empty after shattering your Martial Rings. If you want to overcome this state of weakness quickly, you must cultivate even harder than usual. The more Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi you absorb, the shorter this period of weakness will be."
Mu Chen already had a vague impression of this. After his last Demonization, it was as if some new information had been added to his mind. It was just that, without his Primordial Power, he was unable to access it.
After speaking, Elder Mu left. Mu Chen watched his figure disappear before slowly heading toward his dormitory. He had some things he needed to figure out now—his path forward, and how he should walk it...
At the same time, Qing Lei, Little Tiger, Mo Qing, Ye Shuangshuang, and Mu Bingling had all returned to the Imperial Capital via the Teleportation Array. It was only noon, still a while before lunchtime, but because the atmosphere that morning had been so tense, Little Tiger and the others were already getting hungry. So, the group decided to go to the cafeteria to eat first. As for Mu Chen’s food, they would just bring some back for him later.
Qing Lei was walking behind the group. He noticed Mo Qing repeatedly look as if she wanted to say something to Mu Bingling but was holding back, seemingly hesitant to speak with others around. So, Qing Lei pulled Ye Shuangshuang and Little Tiger aside and said, "Let’s go to the cafeteria and get the food first. We can let Mo Qing and Mu Bingling have a chat. They haven’t seen each other in a while."
Ye Shuangshuang and Little Tiger were both simple-hearted, so they didn’t notice anything unusual about Qing Lei’s suggestion. They happily agreed, and Ye Shuangshuang grabbed Little Tiger and started running toward the cafeteria, shouting as she ran, "Let’s race, the three of us! Last one to the cafeteria is a pig!"
Qing Lei froze, but in the moment he was stunned, he realized Little Tiger and Ye Shuangshuang had already gotten a big head start. He shouted in mock anger, "Hey, that’s cheating! But if you think you can beat me in a race, you’re still too green!"
After shouting, Qing Lei turned and winked at Mo Qing before dashing off in a flash, his speed reaching an extreme. While everyone else had been cultivating desperately, he had been pushing himself even harder.
Mo Qing watched Qing Lei’s departing back with gratitude. She lowered her head and said to Mu Bingling beside her, "Sister Bingling, I’m sorry..."
Mu Bingling seemed to know exactly what Mo Qing wanted to say. She gently took Mo Qing’s hand and said, "You already call me sister, so why apologize? I’ve seen everything you’ve done. I approved of you before, and now, I approve of you even more. A person willing to give up their life for the one they love... that’s more than enough to show the depths of your love for Mu Chen. And now, Chen’er is starting to accept you too. I’m happy for you. So if I hear you apologize again, I’ll get genuinely angry."
As Mo Qing listened to Mu Bingling’s words, her eyes misted over. Looking at Mu Bingling’s face, Mo Qing gently fell into her embrace, feeling moved and happy. In her eyes, Mu Bingling was truly mature, as if she could calmly think through any situation. Despite their similar ages, she was truly like a mature big sister whom everyone could rely on.
Mu Bingling stroked Mo Qing’s silky hair and teased, "Such soft hair. I bet Chen’er would like this feeling."
Mo Qing stiffened at her words, then broke into a laugh with a PUFF. "No way. Sister Bingling’s hair is obviously much softer."
"Oh? Is that so? I’ve never really noticed. To be honest, I don’t know much about clothes or fashion."
"Ah? I know about that! For a woman like Sister Bingling..."
When women get together, the conversation quickly turns to clothes and fashion. Even women as fairy-like as Mo Qing and Mu Bingling were no exception. But as they were discussing these topics, Mu Chen, sitting in his room, opened his tightly shut eyes and sighed. "Looks like I’ll have to move the plan up after all."
Right now, his strength was undeniably number one among his peers in the Xuanling Empire. However, spurred on by the pressure from Qin Shang and the Turtle Spirit Sect’s Young Master, Mu Chen felt deeply that he could no longer remain a frog in a well, cooped up in the academy. This was not his final stage. He had to leave the Xuanling Empire to search for other Extreme Attributes. Only by finding Ultimate Attribute Spirits could he rapidly increase his own power.
"But... before that, I must restore my body to its complete state!" A sharp glint suddenly flashed in Mu Chen’s violet eyes, and battle intent once again surged in his heart.
