The two turned around together and saw a beautiful woman in a dark robe approaching from the corner with light, graceful steps. She had delicate features, a tall figure, and long, straight legs.
Her perfectly tailored, ink-black robes outlined her graceful curves.
Her long, silky black hair was tied in a ponytail that fell to her lower back.
As the beauty swayed her slender waist, her youthful figure moved with a lively bounce. Her simple look was enough to make hearts flutter.
"Senior Qian'er."
Mu Chen brightened at the sight of her and waved from afar.
Tang Qian'er was the daughter of Tang Shan, one of the Eight Commanders.
She was exceptionally beautiful, with an elegant bearing and a fine figure. Both intelligent and beautiful, she was hailed by admirers as one of the Northern Spiritual Academy's—and even the entire Hundred Spirit Continent's—two great beauties.
Who knew which lucky man would be fortunate enough to win her heart one day?
"What a coincidence. Hong Ling's here too."
The dark-robed girl had been smiling brightly, but her smile quickly faded.
Looking at this beauty, who was every bit her equal, she felt a sudden surge of danger. She sensed a kindred spirit—and a rival.
Without either of them realizing it, their gazes had already clashed countless times.
In a sense, both Tang Qian'er and Hong Ling had grown up with Mu Chen.
But Hong Ling was far too passionate in her pursuit of him, as if she might gobble him up at any moment. It made him instinctively keep his distance.
Tang Qian'er, on the other hand, played the role of a gentle older sister and was much easier to get along with.
"Why have you come looking for Junior Mu Chen, Qian'er?"
"Could it be that, like me, you're here for the King's Tribute Festival?"
How could Hong Ling, the mature beauty, admit defeat? She subtly switched the way she addressed him, then launched a direct offensive with a teasing smile.
Childhood sweethearts? Who wasn't one?
"Hmph, none of your business, you pest."
Seeing her longtime rival—someone she'd competed with since childhood—expose her intentions on the spot, Tang Qian'er glared at her in embarrassment, her every move brimming with charm.
Unable to keep up her guard, the dark-robed girl waved to Mu Chen and fled in disarray.
In the end, she was reserved about her feelings and couldn't be as uninhibited as Hong Ling.
"Looks like Qian'er, just like me, has a soft spot for our young lord."
Having driven off a rival, Hong Ling grinned like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
When it came to teasing, a hundred Tang Qian'ers couldn't match her.
Every gesture she made exuded a captivating, irresistible charm.
"Is that all it is? I'm almost embarrassed to point out the obvious!"
Mu Chen felt his heart stir as he looked at her, then instinctively turned his gaze away.
A young man had to protect himself when he was out in the world!
"Young lord, if there's nothing else, Hong Ling will take her leave."
Amusement filled the red-robed girl's long, phoenix-shaped eyes, as if they could speak.
She bent one shapely leg, then swayed her slender waist and sauntered away with languid grace.
Clever and perceptive, she knew better than to press too hard. Too much was as bad as too little.
Hong Ling wouldn't repeat the mistake her mother had made.
"Transform the body into a pagoda and prove the Great Dao of the spirit."
In the spotless quiet room, an arcane, abstruse chant rang out like an ancient bell, echoing with the sound of the Great Dao before gradually seeping into the depths of the unseen void.
Mu Chen sat cross-legged on a cushion, eyes shut and breathing steady.
Strands of spiritual energy in the air were drawn in by an invisible force, passing through his pores and along the meridians throughout his body. Following an exceedingly complex course, they entered the sea of qi in his abdomen.
After the Ancient God Canon transformed them, the clear, colorless spiritual energy gradually became dark, profound Dark Spirit Power. It was subdued to the utmost, yet astonishingly domineering and sharp.
That was the famed Pagoda Divine Power of the Great Thousand!
Dark Spirit Power poured continuously into the depths of his sea of qi, where it circled quietly. Compressed and accumulated again and again, it eventually formed crystals of spiritual power that sank into the mist below.
This power had long surpassed the limits of what the Sensing Realm could contain.
Mu Chen could break through to a higher realm and claim its fruits whenever he wished.
Hum!
After the Great Pagoda Art had completed eight minor cycles, an arcane vibration suddenly rippled through his body. The spiritual power in his sea of qi began to resonate and shudder violently.
The art's circulation sped up of its own accord, accelerating again and again.
As a gentle warmth washed through him, the Dark Spirit Power circling above his sea of qi suddenly writhed and coalesced out of thin air into a mysterious light pagoda about the size of his palm.
The pagoda was pitch-black and nine stories tall, its aura ancient and profound.
Yet it was incredibly illusory, like a sandcastle that would collapse with the first gust of wind.
The second realm of the Pagoda God Art: Form Condensation!
Even the meridians through which the divine art flowed seemed to outline a strange, mysterious pagoda. The two resonated with each other, as if poised to join forces and break through the Sensing Realm.
Just as the barrier to the Spirit Movement Realm was about to collapse, a stream of pure intent suddenly descended, restraining the restless Dark Spirit Power. The sea of qi in his abdomen fell still.
"Whew. What a pleasant surprise."
Mu Chen abruptly opened his eyes, a gleam flashing through their depths.
Half a year had passed since the King's Tribute Festival was announced. He'd thought he would be lucky just to bring the Pagoda God Art to the peak of its foundation-building stage. He hadn't expected a twist of fate to let him enter the Form Condensation stage.
"My Divine Meridians..."
Mu Chen didn't get up right away.
He recalled the mysterious points of light that had appeared within him the last time he'd examined his body.
His gaze turned distant.
Back then, Qing Yanjing had sealed his Spirit Vein not only to keep the clan from discovering him but also to stop her child from becoming consumed by cultivation and neglecting the tempering of his character.
Like the Flame Emperor and the Martial Ancestor, peerless prodigies who had broken through the shackles of their planes and shattered the void, one could become a Heavenly Sovereign even in a Lower Plane where spiritual energy was desperately scarce.
Of course, his mother hadn't simply held him back.
The Pagoda God Art she'd left him was the key to unlocking the seal on his Spirit Vein.
Once he cultivated to the Pagoda Manifestation Realm, solidifying the light pagoda within him and projecting it outside his body, the Eight Spirit Veins and Nine Divine Veins would awaken in turn. The various wonders of the Pagoda Divine Power would emerge as well: amplifying spiritual power, sealing it, and more.
By then, the light pagoda would no longer be an illusion. It would be real.
He could even nurture it as a life-bound Spirit Artifact, raise its grade, and summon it to fight his enemies.
"Brother Chen!"
As Mu Chen stepped out of the quiet room, a sunny young man who had apparently been waiting for him sprang out of nowhere. He grinned brightly at his boss.
"Little Nine, were you the one who told my dad last time?"
"You traitor! Take this!"
Mu Chen's eyes lit up, and he swung a punch at the newcomer.
Little Nine was Lie Jiu, the son of the commander Lie Yan and Mu Chen's childhood friend.
"Brother Chen, Brother Chen, stop! I know I was wrong!"
"Ow, that hurts! Wait, your little brother has something important to tell you!"
The sunny young man dodged and howled for mercy.
The two of them laughed and tussled for a while before finally stopping.
"Fine, what did you come to see me about?"
"Brother Chen, have you been cultivating so long that you've lost your mind? The Spirit Road Selection has begun!"
Lie Jiu rubbed his bruised eye and grumbled in displeasure.
All he'd done was tell the king about Mu Chen's injury last time. Was that really worth getting punched over?
Before you continue