The light of the Mirror of Judgment enveloped him, a gentle yet irresistible power.
Mu Chen felt his body grow weightless as endless starlight filled his eyes, stripping away his sight and senses in an instant.
It felt much like stepping onto the Spirit Road, yet carried an added measure of reassurance-the comfort of homeward travel.
The sensation of solid ground beneath his feet returned, and the starlight surrounding him receded like a tide.
Familiar scenery came into view once more-
A square paved with bluestone, old-fashioned buildings, lush spiritual trees in the distance, and the moist spiritual energy of the Northern Spiritual Realm in the air!
The Northern Spiritual Academy.
He was back!
The afternoon sunlight was just right, spilling across the square and lending the bluestone slabs a soft, warm sheen.
A scattering of Northern Spiritual Academy students stood in the square. They had all stopped cultivating, their gazes turning in unison toward the figure who had suddenly appeared at its center.
Dressed in black, he stood tall and straight. The youthful immaturity had faded from his features, replaced by an indescribable calm and depth.
It was Mu Chen.
A brief silence fell.
Then hushed exclamations spread through the crowd like ripples.
"It's Mu Chen!"
"He's back! He's back from the Spirit Road!"
"I heard the Spirit Road is unbelievably brutal. Anyone who makes it back alive is a true genius..."
All sorts of gazes fell upon him-curious, envious, awed, and filled with barely concealed jealousy.
Mu Chen seemed not to notice.
He stood quietly in the middle of the square, tilting his head slightly to look at the familiar sky, and drew a gentle breath.
Compared with the Spirit Road, the air of the Northern Spiritual Realm seemed to hold more of the warmth of everyday life and less bloodshed and killing intent.
I'm home.
The thought rose in his heart, bringing an indescribable peace.
"Mu Chen?"
A voice filled with incredulous delight came from the edge of the square.
Mu Chen turned to see Master Mo striding toward him, his usually composed face now brimming with excitement.
"Master Mo." Mu Chen nodded in greeting, a smile appearing on his face.
"Good! Good! What matters is that you're back!" Master Mo looked Mu Chen up and down, growing more astonished the longer he looked.
The young man stood right before him, his aura tranquil, yet he gave the impression of an unfathomable abyss.
His eyes were as clear as ever, but as their light shifted, they seemed to hold an indescribable weight and power.
"The academy head will be overjoyed to hear you're back!" Suppressing his astonishment, Master Mo reached out and patted Mu Chen's shoulder. "Come, let's go see him!"
Mu Chen nodded and followed Master Mo across the square.
Every student along their path instinctively stepped aside, their gazes following the black-clad figure as an endless stream of whispers filled the air.
A genius returned from the Spirit Road-that distinction shone far too brightly in the Northern Spiritual Realm.
Inside the academy head's office.
Academy Head Xiao sat bent over his desk, attending to academy affairs.
Suddenly, his pen hand paused. He raised his head and looked toward the entrance.
"Academy Head, Mu Chen is back!" Master Mo's voice rang out from afar, filled with barely restrained excitement.
Mu Chen is back?
Academy Head Xiao sprang to his feet, oblivious to the brush and ink his sleeve knocked over on the desk.
Almost the instant he stood, the door was pushed open, and Master Mo walked in with Mu Chen.
At a single glance, the pupils of this Divine Soul Realm cultivator, a man counted among the Northern Spiritual Realm's strongest, abruptly contracted!
He could not see through Mu Chen's strength!
That meant Mu Chen's cultivation had surpassed the Divine Soul Realm!
Then he had reached the Three Heavens Realm!
Towering waves of shock surged through Academy Head Xiao's heart.
He clearly remembered that when Mu Chen had left the Northern Spiritual Academy and entered the Spirit Road, he had only been at the late stage of the Sensing Realm.
The stir this boy had caused on the Spirit Road had likely far exceeded anything he could imagine!
"Good! Good! Good!"
Academy Head Xiao repeated the word three times, the shock on his face gradually turning into uncontainable joy.
He strode up to Mu Chen and studied him carefully, growing more satisfied the longer he looked.
"What matters is that you're back! That you're back!" Academy Head Xiao patted Mu Chen's shoulder firmly. Feeling the solidity of his body, as though cast from iron, he grew even more gratified.
He drew Mu Chen over to sit in a nearby chair, his eyes burning with eagerness. "Tell me quickly-what exactly happened on the Spirit Road? This cultivation of yours..."
Mu Chen smiled and gave a selective account of his experiences on the Spirit Road.
Academy Head Xiao and Master Mo listened with their hearts surging!
Taking on a host of formidable opponents alone, sweeping through the Trial Grounds, slaying an Earth Ranking Spirit Beast with his palm!
Overpowering the assembled prodigies in the final War Realm and claiming the Spirit Crown.
Drawing forth a Heavenly River of spiritual energy during the infusion, overshadowing everyone present through his strength alone...
Especially when he heard that Mu Chen had won the Spirit Crown and prompted the heads of the Five Great Academies to come personally to invite him, Academy Head Xiao grew so excited that he stood and paced back and forth across the room.
"The Spirit Crown! It was actually the Spirit Crown!" Even Academy Head Xiao's voice trembled. "In the hundreds of years since our Northern Spiritual Academy was founded, no student has ever achieved such glory!"
"Mu Chen, the Northern Spiritual Academy is proud of you!"
Master Mo's face glowed as well, sharing in the honor.
"You flatter me, Academy Head. I was merely fortunate," Mu Chen said modestly.
"Fortunate?" Academy Head Xiao stopped pacing and fixed him with a blazing gaze. "Where is there room for mere fortune on the Spirit Road? Everything comes down to strength! Winning the Spirit Crown proves that you were the undisputed best of this year's Spirit Road!"
He took a deep breath to settle his excitement, then sat down again, his expression turning solemn.
"Mu Chen, your cultivation has now reached the Heaven Fusion Realm. The Northern Spiritual Academy can offer you little more assistance. All we can do is grant you unrestricted access to the Book Repository. I hope you won't think it inadequate..."
"The Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy is one of the Five Great Academies, with deep foundations and abundant resources. It is precisely where you can spread your wings."
"Once you arrive, remember to guard against arrogance and impatience, and devote yourself to cultivation. The Five Great Academies are teeming with geniuses. The intensity of their competition is far beyond anything in the Northern Spiritual Realm."
Mu Chen nodded earnestly. "I will keep your teachings firmly in mind, Academy Head."
Academy Head Xiao smiled in relief, then suddenly remembered something. "Right, your father still doesn't know you've returned. Hurry back to the Mu Domain."
"If your father learns that you've returned safely and achieved so much, he'll be overjoyed. The Mu Domain hasn't been peaceful these past few months."
Mu Chen's gaze sharpened slightly. "Not peaceful?"
Academy Head Xiao's smile faded, and he nodded. "The Liu Domain has been making frequent moves over the past few months. If they weren't wary of our Northern Spiritual Academy intervening, they would probably have already started a war!"
"Now that you're back, you can help ease your father's burdens."
The Liu Domain.
A trace of coldness flashed through Mu Chen's eyes.
"I understand." Mu Chen stood. "Then I'll return to the Mu Domain right away."
"Thank you for all the academy's support during this time!"
Mu Chen bowed solemnly, then turned and left.
Watching that tall, straight figure recede into the distance, Academy Head Xiao stood in the doorway for a long time without moving.
"Academy Head, this boy Mu Chen has a boundless future ahead of him," Master Mo remarked softly from beside him.
"More than boundless." Academy Head Xiao slowly exhaled, his gaze far-reaching. "The Three Heavens Realm..."
"The champion of the Spirit Road... our Northern Spiritual Academy may well have produced someone who will truly stir the winds and clouds of the Great Thousand World!"
Before you continue