Hmph!
Wang Chao, the Heaven Grade student, sneered. He stamped his foot, and powerful spiritual energy surged explosively from within him.
He threw a punch, accompanied by a low boom of compressed air, straight at Mu Chen.
"So strong!"
The many students were deeply shocked.
Wang Chao had actually mastered Ice Profound Energy to a level nearly at the peak of the Spiritual Movement Realm.
Especially since his spiritual energy seemed to carry a terrifying chill of ice.
Even ordinary late-stage Spiritual Movement Realm cultivators would not dare take that punch head-on.
Yet as Mu Chen watched Wang Chao rush toward him, he showed no sign of dodging.
Dark spiritual energy coiled around his fist as he directly met Wang Chao's punch head-on.
He wanted to see just how strong Wang Chao, a late-stage Spiritual Movement Realm cultivator, truly was.
Bang!
A dull sound rang out as their fists collided heavily. The shockwave created by the collision of their spiritual energies immediately stirred up spirals of wind.
Wang Chao's pupils contracted slightly. He could feel a faint sting in his fist.
Although Mu Chen's cultivation was below his, the quality of his spiritual energy was even stronger than the Ice Profound Energy Wang Chao cultivated.
"Ice Seal for a Thousand Miles!"
Wang Chao shouted. Spiritual energy surged from his body, and in an instant, a horrifying icy storm swept out from around him.
At that very moment, the surrounding students felt a piercing cold that seemed to sink into their bones.
They watched as Mu Chen was instantly swallowed by the icy energy.
Previously, even late-stage Spiritual Movement Realm students had been easily frozen and defeated by Wang Chao.
However, dark light bloomed from Mu Chen's body. He was not affected in the slightest; with a mere shudder, he shook off the icy energy.
Dark light flowed through Mu Chen's palm, and the faint black mark within it gradually emerged.
At that moment, it was as though he held a black sun in his hand. The cold and sinister fluctuations it emitted made everyone's hearts tremble.
A cold gleam flashed through Mu Chen's eyes. Within his sea of qi, spiritual energy poured forth without reservation.
The black mark in his palm suddenly shook and appeared before his fist.
Boom!
The black mark shot out. Under everyone's stunned gazes, Wang Chao was sent flying, spraying a mouthful of blood before crashing heavily to the ground.
Brother Yuan had said to make him leave sideways, so naturally, he could not be allowed to walk out standing.
The space fell silent as every gaze fixed on the youth who resembled a black war god.
The faces of the students who had previously shouted that they wanted to challenge Mu Yuan turned extremely ugly.
"Mu Yuan!"
They glared furiously at that shameless fellow. He had tricked them into stepping forward and even putting up stakes, only to run away and send Mu Chen in his place.
Mu Yuan watched it all with a smile, without the slightest sense of guilt.
Just as expected, all those who had called out to challenge Mu Yuan were defeated by Mu Chen.
However, just as Mu Chen defeated his second opponent, a calm voice suddenly drifted over from nearby.
"Mu Chen, come with me for a moment."
Mu Chen was slightly startled. He turned his head and saw that Master Mo had somehow appeared not far away.
Mu Chen paused, exchanging a glance with Mu Yuan. After a brief hesitation, he followed Master Mo under the watchful eyes of the students.
This also made the remaining students who had yet to issue their challenges sigh in relief.
"Fine, I'll let you off today."
Mu Yuan curled his lips as he toyed with the jade bottle in his hand.
Presumably, these fellows would learn to restrain themselves in the future.
As he was leaving, Mu Yuan saw Tang Qian'er's eager gaze and gave a bitter smile.
"You put in quite a bit of effort today too, so this Spirit Nourishing Pill is yours."
As he spoke, he flicked his finger.
"At least you have a conscience."
Tang Qian'er rolled her eyes at Mu Yuan. Still, she did not stand on ceremony and accepted the Spirit Nourishing Pill.
The commotion at the training grounds soon spread throughout the Heaven Grade.
Mu Yuan and Mu Chen became famous once more. Those old students who had originally relied on their seniority no longer dared look down on the newcomers who had just advanced this year.
Mu Yuan was especially troublesome. It was one thing for him to be strong, but he also happened to be exceedingly shameless.
If one was not careful and fell into his trap, there would be no way to guard against him.
Thus, in the days that followed, no one came looking for trouble again. Mu Yuan and Mu Chen finally gained some peace and quiet.
After giving Mu Chen the other share of the cultivation resources they had won, Mu Yuan devoted himself entirely to cultivation.
During the day, he used the third-grade Spirit Gathering Array at the cultivation grounds to prepare for condensing the fourth Dragon Elephant phantom.
The rest of his time was spent practicing the Sword Drawing Art at the training grounds.
Occasionally, he sparred with Mu Chen, calmly reflecting through actual combat.
Sometimes, being fast was not as good as being slow.
Mu Yuan tried practicing every movement of the complete sword-drawing sequence separately.
From the cut at the carp's mouth, to the downward slash, the blood flick, and finally sheathing the sword.
Again and again, he practiced.
In the end, Mu Yuan combined speed and slowness. The changing tempo of his swordsmanship formed a rhythmic cadence, like the natural way of the earth.
Mu Yuan became increasingly adept at the Sword Drawing Art, and the number of times he could draw his sword in a single breath kept rising.
He could feel himself improving, feel himself steadily drawing closer to that realm.
Time passed quietly like this, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had gone by.
Over that half month, the spiritual energy stored in Mu Yuan's fourth void aperture grew increasingly abundant. He was not far from condensing the fourth Dragon Elephant phantom.
Naturally, the Spirit Nourishing Pills had also helped Mu Yuan greatly.
"Hoo."
That day, Mu Yuan drew his sword once more. This time, the sense of rhythm he had pursued for so long suddenly merged into his heart.
As he drew his sword, he naturally entered a state where body, heart, and sword became one. He could clearly feel the sword in his hand cutting through the resistance of the wind!
"I... I did it?"
Mu Yuan stood there blankly before he could not help trying again.
In an instant, his body, heart, and sword became one. He advanced through the air with the sword's shadow, leaving behind afterimages after afterimages and streaks of dazzling sword light across the training ground.
"Hey."
A sweet voice sounded from the side. Mu Yuan turned his head and saw Tang Qian'er and Mu Chen walking over together, Tang Qian'er's beautiful eyes brimming with anticipation.
"What is it?"
Mu Yuan asked with a smile.
"Tomorrow, we're going to cultivate in the Northern Spiritual Plains."
"Didn't you mock us for being too weak and say you wanted to act alone? How about we compete during this trip to the Northern Spiritual Plains?"
Tang Qian'er clenched her small pink fists, brimming with confidence.
After taking the Spirit Nourishing Pill, her cultivation had improved greatly over the past half month. She was nearly at the late stage of the Spiritual Movement Realm.
And there was also Mu Chen, whose strength was no weaker than that of a late-stage Spiritual Movement Realm cultivator.
"We're going tomorrow?"
Mu Yuan was taken aback, then smiled and nodded. He had been so immersed in cultivation lately that he had nearly forgotten the time.
There were spiritual herbs in the Northern Spiritual Plains. If he could find some, the spiritual energy needed to condense the fourth Dragon Elephant phantom could be solved, easing his urgent need.
"There are also Hong Ling and Liu Mu Bai from the West Courtyard. Didn't she boast so boldly back then?"
"It doesn't matter if you lose to Mu Chen and me, but don't lose to them."
Tang Qian'er said seriously.
A gleam flashed through Mu Yuan's eyes.
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