As the Heir of the King of Hundred Spirits, Mu Chen had been born into a position second to none but one and above all others. His status was exalted, the Supremes had performed his rites, and the people had prayed for his blessing.
Others might be wealthy, but at most, their families had a few mines.
Mu Chen was different. He was a man destined to inherit an entire advanced continent.
In the future, Mu Chen could spread his arms wide like an accordion, wave them at people, and say, "I've never touched a Spirit Coin. I'm not interested in Spirit Coins at all."
"Release your spiritual energy and let me see."
Mu Feng gathered his thoughts and began inspecting his son's cultivation.
Mu Chen flicked open his palm and activated his cultivation art. A wisp of mysterious spiritual energy immediately surged up from the sea of qi in his abdomen, winding nimbly around his fingertips like a little spiritual snake.
Its color was dark and deep, and it was extremely restrained, yet still gave off a sharp, rippling force.
This unusual spiritual energy was indeed powerful, but it had only reached the peak of the Sensing Realm.
By rights, Mu Chen, who commanded an entire continent, shouldn't have been so weak in cultivation.
He had deliberately suppressed his cultivation because he intended to take part in the Spirit Road Selection six months from now.
Those who entered the Spirit Road had to be under eighteen, and their spiritual energy cultivation couldn't exceed the Sensing Realm. That's right—the Spirit Road's rules really were that bizarre.
Clearly, the Five Great Spirit Academies, which held the Spirit Road Selection, preferred a blank slate.
"You've reached minor success in Foundation Building. Not bad."
"Give it another six months, and you'll reach major success in Foundation Building. Then you can set your sights on the second stage, Form Condensation."
Mu Feng sensed the solid quality of that dark spiritual energy, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
The Great Pagoda Art had three stages: Foundation Building, Form Condensation, and Pagoda Transformation.
All these years, Mu Chen hadn't simply been suppressing his cultivation. He had also been building his foundation.
The firmer the foundation laid by the Primordial God Art in the early stages, the more explosively one could unleash power later on.
"Mother's cultivation insights said that the Pagoda Divine Power transformed from the Great Pagoda Art could seal the spiritual energy of living beings. It's overbearing to the extreme, unmatched by anything else."
"When will I be able to wield such marvelous power?"
"Pagoda Transformation. You need only reach the third stage, Pagoda Transformation."
Mu Feng shook his head and laughed, reassuring his son.
Those who cultivated the Pagoda God Art possessed spiritual energy of a quality far beyond the ordinary during the first two stages, but it still hadn't broken free of its old limits. Only upon reaching the third stage did one undergo a transformation as thorough as shedding one's mortal shell.
It could enhance spiritual energy, seal spiritual energy—there was nothing it couldn't do.
"In a few days, you'll preside over this year's King's Tribute Festival."
"Ultimately, I built this foundation for you. It's time you showed your face and let the ministers below see the bearing of the Young King of Hundred Spirits."
Mu Feng finally got to the point.
The Hundred Spirit Continent had once been an unremarkable advanced continent in the northwestern reaches of the Great Thousand World, a vassal of the Northern Profound Sect, a superpower.
It couldn't compare to the famous Ten Great Continents, or even an ordinary supercontinent.
If the son of the Northern Profound Sect's master—a being of the Immortal Grade Heavenly Sovereign level—hadn't come to take up his fief as the former King of Hundred Spirits, only to eventually be driven away by Mu Feng and his wife, the continent would have been utterly unknown.
An advanced continent was more than enough for an old father to retire in comfort.
Mu Chen, however, had no desire to bask in his ancestors' legacy and inherit the family business.
He answered Mu Feng halfheartedly. "Yes, Father."
In the jade plaza in front of the main hall, a graceful figure leaned lazily against the railing. Her long, narrow eyes occasionally swept over the two ancient doors, which remained tightly shut.
She wore red robes, her figure tall and slender, her curves exquisite.
Her hair was jet-black, her skin snow-white, and she was born with an alluring charm.
Her pretty, fair, oval face brimmed with seduction and allure. Her narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes only added to her beauty. She was clearly a natural-born enchantress.
It was hard to imagine that this was a girl of only fourteen or fifteen, with such a well-developed figure.
In the future, she was sure to become another devastating beauty who bewitched all living beings.
On either side of the hall entrance stood eight loyal palace guards. They stared straight ahead, hands resting on their saber hilts, standing rigidly at attention like spears. Their bearing was stern, their breathing long and steady.
Were it not for their chests rising and falling ever so slightly, people would have thought they were eight Spirit Puppets.
They were merely members of the Palace Guard Army, tasked with protecting the Hundred Spirits Palace, the monarch's residence.
The army was personally led by General Zhou Ye, the King of Hundred Spirits' sworn younger brother. It was small in size, but extremely elite.
So even though this enchantress had been there for quite some time, the palace guards acted as though she were a puff of air. They remained unmoved, their expressions indifferent and their gazes cold.
Then again, anyone who could come and go freely inside the heavily guarded Hundred Spirits Palace had to be someone of considerable standing and distinguished birth.
They might even be the offspring of the continent's ruling elite.
Dare profane a noblewoman of the royal clan? Were they tired of living?
"Creak—"
As the vermilion doors rumbled open from within, a handsome young noble in splendid robes crossed the jade steps and emerged from the magnificent hall, graceful as a piece of fine jade.
"Heir!"
The eight palace guards lining the path seemed to come alive in an instant, after having been as emotionless as Spirit Puppets. They all struck their right fists against their chests and bowed in greeting.
The young noble kept walking, nodding calmly in acknowledgment. He was graceful, poised, and impeccably mannered—clearly a direct descendant raised by a superpower.
The red-robed beauty, who had been leaning against the railing, brightened at the sight and hurried over.
"Where are you off to, Heir?"
The girl named Hong Ling carried a faint, sweet fragrance. With both hands behind her back, she stood at the end of the path, her exquisite figure barring the way, and stopped the young man with a lively smile.
Hong Ling was the daughter of Hong Ling, the former Domain Lord of the Red Domain, and Mu Chen's childhood companion.
"So it's you, Big Sister Hong Ling."
The young noble stopped in his tracks and smiled warmly.
As it happened, back when they were young, Hong Ling's father, the Domain Lord, had once pursued Mu Feng.
"The King's Tribute Festival is coming up. His Majesty appointed Qian'er and me as assistant officiants, to help the Heir oversee the entire ceremony. There are all kinds of tedious details that need to be settled in advance."
The red-robed girl, barely past the age of sixteen, gazed at Mu Chen with her long, narrow eyes, her look fervent and sincere, impossible to meet head-on.
Her dewy eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water.
She hadn't expected that the little brat who used to follow her around as a child, running everywhere bare-bottomed and sniffling, would grow into such a handsome young man, one she couldn't help but think about.
To tell the truth, Hong Ling was a total sucker for good looks.
Whether he was an heir or not didn't matter at all. She simply liked handsome men like Mu Chen. Any children she had with him would surely be as dashing as their father.
To put it plainly, Hong Ling wanted to date the Heir!
Mu Chen, naturally sharp-witted, knew what Hong Ling was thinking.
Alas, if being handsome is a sin, then I've sinned again and again, dug myself in deeper with every mistake, and left myself no way back.
Truthfully, Mu Chen liked a mature beauty like Hong Ling.
But he was still just a child, after all!
According to the customs of the Great Thousand World, he wouldn't officially come of age and undergo his capping ceremony for another four years.
Just hold on a little longer. Growing up comes first. We can talk about it later.
Pah! What kind of wolfish thoughts are these?!
"Junior Mu Chen, I've finally found you."
Suddenly, a pleasant laugh rang out, rescuing the Heir, who had been wondering how to escape, from the spider demon's "Silk Cave"—at least for the moment.
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