Extreme Spirit Chaos Technique

Chapter 374: Chapter 366: High-class Empire Ranking Competition

At nine in the morning, on the Peak of the Holy Mark, Ye Shuangshuang sat in the viewing seats, her eyes smiling as she scanned the stream of people to one side. She giggled, "It seems a lot more lively than yesterday."

Di Cang nodded. "That’s to be expected. The fights between the Low-class and Middle-class Empires aren’t that interesting. The most essential and exciting part of the Empire Grand Tournament is the ranking battle for the High-level Empires."

Qing Lei grinned. "That’s true. I wonder who designed these viewing seats. When we were in the Low-class Empire section, the perspective was exactly the same, but now that we’re sitting here, the field of view seems much wider. Or is it just my imagination?"

Mu Chen’s enchanting eyes twinkled as he smiled and explained, "No, you’re not mistaken. The distance from these seats to the arena is identical for all Empires. However, in front of this section, there’s an invisible Primordial Qi Wall that can broaden your view, or even zoom it in. It’s quite a marvelous design."

"It’s incredible to think about. Yesterday, we were sitting in the farthest corner of the Low-class Empire section, and today, we’re sitting here."

Mo Qing held Mu Bingling’s hand, and the two leaned against each other as they looked down below, their hearts filled with emotion.

"Hey, look over there! Isn’t that the Xuanling Empire?"

Perhaps because Mu Chen and his group were so eye-catching, someone in the High-level Empire Region immediately recognized them.

"It really is! The biggest dark horses in history! They shot up from the ranks of Low-class Empires to High-level Empires in a single day. That kind of speed is probably unprecedented!"

Another contestant from a High-level Empire said loudly. Clearly, in this world where strength is respected, the power of Mu Chen and his group had earned everyone’s approval.

"That’s Mu Bingling... Hiss... She looked incredibly beautiful from a distance yesterday, but seeing her up close today, she’s truly a one-of-a-kind beauty. And the woman next to her is just as gorgeous. Does the Xuanling Empire produce not only prodigies but also beauties?"

Gazes shifted. People will always be curious about and appreciate beautiful things, so following that person’s words, Mu Bingling and Mo Qing became the center of everyone’s attention.

Although the two of them were long accustomed to such stares, it was still a bit awkward. Admiring gazes were one thing, but the heated, lust-filled ones made them very uncomfortable.

Mu Chen was helpless. What was he supposed to do, go up and beat everyone up? Just then, someone stepped forward and solved the problem for Mu Bingling and Mo Qing.

"Welcome, everyone, back to the Peak of the Holy Mark! I am your host for this Empire Grand Tournament, Shan Ziyan!"

Indeed, it was Shan Ziyan, who had appeared at the opening and closing ceremonies. Her appearance, too, drew countless eyes—including, of course, Mu Chen’s. The reason was simple: from this young woman, he sensed a natural warmth reminiscent of his father.

’This girl...’

Mu Chen subconsciously smiled, a smile filled with infinite longing, completely devoid of any lust.

"Thinking about your parents?"

Suddenly, a sweet, pleasant voice came from beside him. Mu Chen chuckled and nodded. "They say a mother worries when her child travels far, but they don’t know that the child also misses his parents. It’s been two years since I left home. Who would believe me if I said I didn’t miss them?"

"After this competition is over, let’s go home together. It’s been a long time..." Mu Bingling glanced at Mo Qing, the meaning in her eyes obvious.

When Mo Qing saw Mu Bingling’s look, her face suddenly flushed. She felt a mix of excitement and nervousness in her heart.

’Going home together... does that include me? Am I going to meet Mu Chen’s parents? Why am I suddenly looking forward to it?’

Mu Chen smiled faintly, glanced at Mo Qing, and said, "Yes, we’ll all go home together."

"What’s this about going home?"

Suddenly, Ye Shuangshuang popped up out of nowhere, leaning her ear toward Mu Chen. He was taken aback and looked to his side, only to feel a wave of exasperation.

"What are you guys doing?" Mu Chen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at the three of them acting all sneaky, craning their necks to listen.

Little Tiger said earnestly, "I think I heard Brother Mu Chen say he’s going home. I wanna go to Brother Mu Chen’s house too. Can I?"

Qing Lei nodded. "We’ve known Mu Chen for so long, it’s about time we paid a visit to Uncle Mu and Aunt Mu. Brother Mu Chen wouldn’t mind, would he?"

Ye Shuangshuang also joined in on the fun. "Yeah, yeah! I want to go to Mu Chen’s house too! I want to see what kind of parents could raise a prodigy like him! But..." At this point, Ye Shuangshuang suddenly turned to Little Tiger with a worried expression. "Little Tiger, maybe you shouldn’t go."

Mu Chen, Mu Bingling, Mo Qing, Qing Lei, and Little Tiger were all stunned. Little Tiger asked, confused, "Why not?"

Ye Shuangshuang threw up her hands in mock helplessness. "Because you’ll eat Brother Mu Chen’s family out of house and home! With an appetite like yours, his family would be flat broke within three days."

Hearing this, Little Tiger said dejectedly, "Really? Then... then I won’t go..."

"Hahaha..."

Little Tiger’s earnest reaction amused everyone. Mu Chen couldn’t help but pat his head, saying fondly, "Silly boy. Brother Mu Chen’s family isn’t wealthy, but you won’t eat us into poverty in just three days. Besides, my home is very close to the Demon Beast Forest. If you want Demon Beast Meat, we can go hunting anytime."

Hearing Mu Chen’s words, Mo Qing suddenly froze. Though his words were simple, as an Empire Princess, she naturally understood the geographical region where the Xuanling Empire was located. It was teeming with Magical Beasts and fraught with danger. Terrifying Beast Tides would erupt from time to time. And Mu Chen’s home was right on the edge of this perilous land.

’After I get back, I have to get Father to move Mu Chen’s family to the Imperial Capital!’

Mo Qing secretly made a decision in her heart. This would be the first thing she did for her man.

"The ranking battle for the High-level Empires will begin now! I’ll hand things over to Elder Bai! Please welcome Elder Bai!"

Shan Ziyan’s voice, amplified by Primordial Power, startled Mu Chen and the others out of their lively conversation. Mu Chen turned to look down and found Shan Ziyan glaring at him, grinding her teeth. This left him feeling rather baffled. He even thought he might be mistaken, that she was just staring at someone else in their group.

But after a few tentative glances, he realized with a wry smile that she really did seem to be looking at him. He had somehow unknowingly offended the young tournament host.

’Have I met her somewhere before?’

Mu Chen closed his eyes and thought for a good while but came up with nothing. He could only shake his head and clear his mind of distractions. According to the tournament rules, an Empire that advanced through the challenge matches was certain to appear in the first round. The next fight might be theirs. This thought made Mu Chen sit up straight. After all, the High-level Empire competition was nothing like the ones for Low- and Middle-class Empires. This was a gathering of experts from all over! For instance... Mu Chen turned his gaze toward the Ice Emperor Dynasty’s section. There, a scholarly man was smiling and nodding at him. It was none other than Shi Mu Hua, whom he’d seen that morning.

From three other directions, Mu Chen also felt three sharp gazes. For him to perceive their gazes as sharp meant their strength was certainly not to be underestimated.

"Interesting." A faint trace of excitement stirred in Mu Chen’s heart.

"Seriously! I was down there talking until my mouth was dry, and that guy was up there laughing and chatting with other people! How infuriating!" As soon as she returned to the special seating area, Shan Ziyan angrily grabbed Jun Wu’s arm and fumed.

Jun Wu stopped her note-taking and smiled at Shan Ziyan. "What’s wrong now? Who’s made our Miss Ziyan angry this time? Didn’t you host wonderfully? You were poised, articulate, absolutely stunning, and simply delectable."

Shan Ziyan pouted and huffed, "Only you would praise me like that, Sister Jun Wu. But some people think that just because they’ve stolen the show in the tournament, they can ignore my existence! And that’s not all. While I was doing my best to explain everything, that detestable guy was up there chatting and laughing with the people next to him. Isn’t that a blatant disregard for my presence? Has my charm faded?"

Jun Wu broke into a cold sweat. What on earth was this girl talking about? Shaking her head, Jun Wu stroked Shan Ziyan’s hair and feigned anger. "Then tell me who this person is! How dare he disrespect my little Ziyan! That’s like he doesn’t respect me, her older sister, at all!"

"It’s him!" Shan Ziyan clenched her little fists and wrinkled her nose. "It’s that guy who stole the show on the tournament floor yesterday, Mu Chen! That hateful guy!"

"Mu Chen?" Jun Wu smiled wryly. "He doesn’t seem like the type to ignore people, especially when my little Ziyan is so beautiful."

Shan Ziyan huffed. "He did look at me at first and even smiled at me! But a moment later, he was laughing and joking with those two beautiful women next to him. You can tell he’s no good at a glance!"

Watching Shan Ziyan sulk, Jun Wu thought to herself, ’This silly girl. I think you were the one watching him. Otherwise, how would you have noticed Mu Chen looking at you among the thousands of people here... Wait a second. Could it be...?’

"Little Ziyan," Jun Wu’s expression suddenly turned strange. "You haven’t fallen for Mu Chen, have you?"

"Huh...? Huh?" Shan Ziyan was suddenly stunned. She opened her mouth and stammered, "Sister Jun Wu... what... what are you saying?"

Jun Wu repeated herself. "I said, you haven’t fallen for that boy Mu Chen, have you?"

As she spoke, Jun Wu glanced over at Mu Chen in the High-level Empire section and saw him resting with his eyes closed. This made her take a second look. ’This kid is quite handsome,’ she thought. ’Although he’s not as delicate as those pretty boys who look like women, the contours of his face have a very resolute feel to them. It’s impossible to dislike him at first glance.’

Just then, Mu Chen suddenly felt someone watching him. He opened his eyes, and his enchanting, otherworldly blue-violet pupils instantly locked onto Jun Wu’s gaze. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her. He didn’t know why, but he had just felt a strange sensation. Although it was fleeting, he had still managed to catch it.

"And who is she...?"