New Challenges

Chapter 6: New Challenges. In the wondrous yet brutal world of the Spirit Road, Mu Chen had risen to fame after awakening that mysterious power, but it had also plunged him into a new predicament. Like a brilliant rising star, he shone too brightly in the dark night sky, stinging certain people's eyes and kindling the poisonous flames of envy in their hearts. As news of Mu Chen driving back the magical beasts swept through the Spirit Road like a storm, the other cultivators reacted in different ways. Some were blinded by jealousy. They could not accept that a once-obscure youth from the Mu Domain had suddenly gained such astonishing power. These envious cultivators began plotting in secret. They came from different families and factions, and might ordinarily have had conflicts with one another, but their jealousy of Mu Chen now united them, forming a loose alliance against him. At first, they merely spread rumors about Mu Chen behind his back. Wherever those undergoing trials gathered, they embellished tales of how sinister his mysterious power was, claiming that he had been corrupted by dark forces and would bring disaster upon everyone in the Spirit Road. Like a poisonous mist, these rumors slowly ate away at the minds of cultivators who did not know the truth, filling them with suspicion and fear of Mu Chen. Mu Chen soon noticed the strange looks and whispers around him, but paid them little heed. He knew that the innocent remained unsullied; as long as he kept moving forward through the Spirit Road and proved himself through his actions, those rumors would eventually collapse on their own. Yet he had underestimated the malice of those who envied him. Not long afterward, while exploring a mysterious valley in the Spirit Road, Mu Chen encountered the first carefully laid obstacle. As he followed a narrow path through the valley, he suddenly found the way ahead blocked by a seemingly transparent yet immensely tough barrier of spiritual energy. Intricate runes flickered across it, making it clear that someone had deliberately placed it there. Mu Chen tried to unravel the runes with his own spiritual energy and open the barrier, but every time his energy touched it, a powerful backlash hurled it back, leaving his arms numb. While he concentrated on studying the barrier, a swarm of puppets formed from spiritual energy poured out from both sides of the valley. They came in all shapes: some wielded sharp blades, while others bared fangs and brandished claws. They surged toward Mu Chen. His heart tightened as he realized he had walked into an ambush, but he did not panic in the slightest. He swiftly drew his longsword, poured spiritual energy into it, and met the charging puppets. He displayed exquisite swordsmanship, every thrust aimed precisely at a puppet's vital point. Yet these puppets seemed to have been specially designed, with formidable defenses and perfectly coordinated attacks. Whenever Mu Chen attacked one, the others struck from his flanks or behind. He charged left and right through their ranks, but despite his considerable strength, he soon found himself locked in a bitter struggle. Amid the fierce fighting, Mu Chen discovered that the puppets were controlled by a special spiritual energy formation. He fended off their attacks while searching for a flaw in it. After observing them for a while, he finally located the formation's crucial node: a glowing runic core on a huge boulder behind the puppets. Seizing the right moment, Mu Chen shot toward the boulder like lightning. But the puppets seemed to sense his intention and converged to block him, trying to prevent him from reaching it. Mu Chen gritted his teeth, drove his spiritual energy to its limit, and unleashed a powerful sword technique. His spiritual energy became a fierce streak of sword light that pierced the puppets' ranks like a long rainbow piercing the sun, driving them back for a moment. He seized the opening, rushed to the boulder, and slashed at the runic core. With a crisp crack, the core shattered. The puppets instantly lost their power and collapsed to the ground. Mu Chen let out a long breath, but he knew this was only the beginning. Those who envied him would not stop here. Sure enough, in the days that followed, Mu Chen repeatedly encountered traps and obstructions of every kind. Once, while searching for rare spiritual herbs in the Spirit Road, he followed a trail of clues to a seemingly tranquil marsh. The moment he stepped into it, however, he discovered that a powerful suction had locked his feet in place. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank. At the same time, black bubbles began rising from the marsh. As they burst, they released a pungent odor that left Mu Chen dizzy and disoriented. A swarm of eel-like demonic beasts also swam out from the depths. Their bodies were covered in sharp spines and their mouths bristled with serrated teeth as they launched themselves at him. Mu Chen fought to stay clearheaded and tried to use his spiritual energy to break free of the marsh's grip. But he discovered that a special spiritual restriction seemed to permeate the marsh, limiting the use of his energy. In that critical moment, he recalled a method for dealing with similar situations that he had seen earlier in the ancient ruins. He focused his mind, gathered what little spiritual energy he could muster into his palm, and slammed it hard against the marsh. The energy triggered a small explosion in the mire, and the resulting shock briefly weakened its suction. Mu Chen seized the chance to wrench himself free, then used his movement technique to leap onto firmer ground. Facing the attacking demonic beasts, Mu Chen did not retreat. He picked up branches from around him and used spiritual energy to turn them into sharp weapons. A heart-stopping battle erupted between him and the beasts. As he fought, he skillfully used the surrounding terrain to evade their attacks and search for their weaknesses. In the end, he drove them back and escaped the dangerous marsh. Beyond these direct attacks and traps, the envious cultivators placed obstacles in Mu Chen's path in other ways as well. They spread word through the Spirit Road's trading markets, preventing other cultivators from trading with him or sharing information. This made obtaining resources and intelligence extremely difficult, forcing him to spend far more time and effort searching for what he needed. Yet these challenges did not make Mu Chen yield. Instead, they stoked his fighting spirit. He knew that the road to becoming strong would inevitably be strewn with countless thorns. He treated every hardship as an opportunity to temper himself, continually growing through adversity and honing his strength and wisdom as he prepared to face further challenges. Along the way, Mu Chen also made some true friends. They saw his resilience and kindness, refused to be misled by the rumors, and chose to stand beside him. These friends fought shoulder to shoulder with him against the envious cultivators' schemes, becoming his staunchest support in the Spirit Road. Mu Chen also came to understand that, in this place filled with challenges, the power of friendship could not be overlooked. Together with his own strength, it would help him cut through the thorns and brambles on the road ahead.