After saying that, Liu Yang arrogantly drifted away with Mu Yuan and the other two, too lazy to say another word.
"Brother Yuan, those people from West Courtyard are all more arrogant than the last, especially Liu Yang. He thinks too highly of himself, spoiled and conceited. If he were truly exceptional, the Mirror of Judgment would have chosen him and granted him a qualification for the Spiritual Road."
Su Ling said through gritted teeth, his face livid.
"He's just a dog barking and biting at random. Why lower yourself to argue with a dog?"
Seeing Su Ling's indignation, Mu Yuan pursed his lips and smiled.
"Everyone from the Liu family is the same."
Master Mo looked in the direction Liu Yang had left, his brows furrowing slightly. Clearly somewhat displeased, he then turned to Mu Yuan with a smile and said,
"I heard you can sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth now. Have you entered the middle stage of the Sensing Realm?"
"Master Mo, I've already entered the Spiritual Movement Realm."
Mu Yuan nodded earnestly.
Master Mo: "..."
Could they not have a pleasant conversation?
He obviously did not believe Mu Yuan at all.
Master Mo smiled helplessly, then said to Mu Chen,
"Tomorrow is the competition between the two courtyards. Although Liu Yang's character leaves much to be desired, his strength as the number one student of the West Courtyard Earth Tier is beyond question."
"After releasing his spiritual veins, he possesses strength comparable to the middle stage of the Spiritual Movement Realm. Mu Chen, are you confident about tomorrow?"
He managed the East Courtyard of Northern Spiritual Academy. If the East Courtyard suffered too humiliating a defeat tomorrow, it would not look good on him either.
Clearly, he was placing greater hopes on Mu Chen.
"Master Mo, you think too highly of me. If Brother Yuan loses to Liu Yang tomorrow, then it won't matter even if I take the field."
Mu Chen was telling the truth, but Master Mo merely sighed and left.
If Mu Yuan had entered the Sensing Realm a year ago, Master Mo believed he would have had a seventy or eighty percent chance of defeating Liu Yang.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Still, that boy from the Liu family had prepared thoroughly this time in order to defeat Mu Chen in the Academy Trial.
He was rather looking forward to seeing whether Liu Yang or Mu Chen would claim the title of number one in the Earth Tier tomorrow.
"Why does no one ever believe the truth?"
Mu Yuan was somewhat depressed as he spoke to Mu Chen.
Mu Chen gave him a speechless look. Who would believe that someone could advance from the Sensing Realm to the Spiritual Movement Realm in a single week?
Thinking of Liu Yang's earlier words, Mu Chen asked,
"Brother Yuan, what did Liu Yang mean by saying, 'Stay away from Senior Hong Ling from now on'? Should we ask Senior Hong Ling whose idea that was?"
"No need."
Mu Yuan gave a bitter smile.
He had seen this sort of scene countless times in novels during his previous life.
Without Hong Ling's tacit approval, who would dare spread such gossip about her, considering her status in the West Courtyard Heaven Tier?
So Hong Ling had truly grown up?
Mu Chen understood Brother Yuan better than anyone.
Beneath Mu Yuan's seemingly calm mask of someone who played through life without care lay a passionate heart.
Seeing this, Mu Chen silently made a decision.
Dusk gathered in its long threads of sorrow and watched the earth with dark pupils.
Mu Chen found where Hong Ling lived and headed over.
However, a figure blocked him outside the room.
Liu Mu Bai's lackey, Tong Guan.
"Mu Chen, do you need something?"
Tong Guan asked coldly.
"I'm looking for Senior Hong Ling."
Mu Chen smiled.
"I know. Tell me what it is, and I'll pass it on to Hong Ling for you."
Tong Guan continued.
Mu Chen lifted his head, ignored Tong Guan, and looked toward Hong Ling's room as he said,
"There are some things I need to say to Senior Hong Ling in person."
"Brother Mu Bai is explaining cultivation matters to Hong Ling right now. They cannot be disturbed."
Tong Guan refused Mu Chen's request again.
"What do you mean?"
Mu Chen asked in confusion.
"Do you truly not understand, or does Mu Yuan still cling to some fantasy about Hong Ling? Hong Ling already had Liu Yang pass her words to Mu Yuan. She means that she doesn't want to be too close to Mu Yuan, so he should mind his boundaries."
Tong Guan said coldly.
Mu Chen's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze suddenly sharpened.
"A man who doesn't even dare show himself after being rejected, instead sending someone else to ask on his behalf, has no sense of responsibility at all. You want Hong Ling to be with Mu Yuan? Is he worthy?"
Tong Guan looked at Mu Chen as he spoke.
Mu Chen still ignored him, continuing to look at Hong Ling's room as he said,
"Senior Hong Ling, could you come out for a moment? I want to know what you think."
There was no movement from within the room. Only after a long while did Hong Ling's familiar yet unfamiliar voice emerge.
"Mu Chen, go back and tell Mu Yuan that we're both adults now. We should keep some distance between us."
As Hong Ling said this, she let out a long breath, as though she had cast off a burden and instantly felt much lighter.
But she also understood that she would lose some things.
There were other students at Hong Ling's residence.
The moment they saw Mu Chen, they knew he had come on Mu Yuan's behalf.
Hearing Hong Ling's expected answer, they could not help but take pleasure in his misfortune, as though they were watching a fine show.
Mu Yuan still refused to give up and actually dreamed of courting Hong Ling. He truly had no self-awareness at all.
The two had shared years of friendship and had a good relationship, but that did not mean they could cross the line.
After all, dragons did not dwell with snakes!
The two of them were simply not people of the same world.
Hong Ling's words also made her attitude clear.
How could Mu Chen fail to understand what those students were thinking when he saw their expressions?
"So Brother Yuan had already seen through everything. I only made things worse."
Mu Chen sighed.
The night grew deeper.
Mu Chen returned to his room and saw that Mu Yuan had already been waiting for him inside.
"Brother Yuan, I'm sorry."
Mu Chen lowered his head, filled with deep remorse.
Not long after he had left, more rumors damaging Mu Yuan's reputation had spread throughout the academy.
"It's not like you don't know me. I don't care about those rumors, so why blame yourself?"
Mu Yuan comforted him instead.
Hearing this, Mu Chen raised his head and looked at Mu Yuan. Seeing that his expression remained as calm as ever, he immediately nodded.
"Mm."
"Brother Yuan, you have to make everyone's jaws drop tomorrow."
Mu Yuan flicked Mu Chen on the forehead and scolded him with a smile.
"Worry less about this sort of nonsense in the future. Cultivate properly—that's what you should be doing. I don't want a younger brother whose strength is too pathetic."
"Got it, Brother Yuan. I'll catch up to you."
Mu Chen covered his forehead and chuckled.
After Mu Yuan left, Mu Chen entered a state of cultivation. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth rippled faintly around him before slipping into his body with each breath.
Threads of spiritual energy circulated along the cultivation route of the Great Pagoda Scripture, eventually transforming into pitch-black spiritual power and entering his sea of qi.
Within his sea of qi, the surging pitch-black spiritual power had become increasingly abundant.
Mu Chen could also sense that his cultivation of the Great Pagoda Scripture was not far from reaching the Foundation Establishment level.
Suddenly, his sea of qi trembled slightly.
Mu Chen discovered that the pitch-black spiritual power within his sea of qi was rapidly expanding at an astonishing speed.
Then, he blankly realized that he had actually broken through.
Though delighted by this unexpected breakthrough, Mu Chen could not help but laugh bitterly.
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