Northern Spiritual Academy, training grounds.
Numerous disciples were sweating like rain, shouting resounding cries, chaotic yet full of power.
Mu Chen sat under a large tree's shade, lazily leaning against the trunk, his gaze sweeping over the heated sparring matches taking place in the courtyard. These levels of sparring were truly difficult to pique his interest.
"Hey, even if your performance isn't bad, don't be so lazy!"
A beautiful figure suddenly blocked Mu Chen's line of sight, and Tang Qian'er's petulant voice rang out.
Mu Chen gazed intently at the slender waist before him, slowly moving his gaze upwards. An orange top hugged her high, rounded chest; her lithe figure was truly captivating.
Seeing the girl's pretty, reproachful cheeks, Mu Chen stretched his back as he replied:
"It's not that I'm lazy, but this kind of sparring is useless to me."
In the Spiritual Road, he had experienced countless life-or-death brawls. In a place where not even a shred of spiritual energy could be used, he encountered opponents whose wisdom and temperament were pushed to their limits. Just one small mistake, and they would immediately be K.O.'d out with the most brutal outcome. Those individuals could only wait in the safe zone until the training concluded.
Compared to those individuals, the sparring of the Northern Spiritual Academy disciples was much gentler; indeed, it had no effect on Mu Chen.
"Hmph, what a big mouth you have."
Tang Qian'er frowned, looking at his relaxed face, his eyes joyful and gentle, leisurely yet profound, easily drawing people in.
Tang Qian'er sat down beside Mu Chen, reaching up to untie her hair. Her ponytail cascaded down like a waterfall. This captivating sight instantly drew many gazes, many looking at Mu Chen with extreme envy. This guy... he's truly too blessed.
"Oh, right, how is your cultivation of the Senluo Purple Seal progressing? Are there any problems?"
Tang Qian'er turned her head, frowning slightly as she asked.
Mu Chen smiled, extending his hand before Tang Qian'er. Faintly, a black seal seemed to appear and disappear, a dense cold aura slowly emanating from it.
"You've successfully cultivated it?"
Tang Qian'er's small, pretty mouth rounded in surprise, her astonished face quickly grabbing his hand. Scrutinizing the black seal within, her finger lightly traced it, and the seeping cold aura made her soft body tremble slightly.
"Consider it an initial success," Mu Chen gently shook his head, "but it still requires continuous nurturing with spiritual energy." Suddenly, as if noticing something, his gaze swept over the people around them, realizing the intense gazes from all directions were focused on them. He gave a light cough:
"What you're doing is causing quite a few people to bear groundless grudges against me."
Tang Qian'er suddenly snapped back to reality, smiling with a blush, and quickly let go of his hand.
Not far away, Luo Tong watched the scene that had just unfolded, his eyes darkening. Tang Qian'er was the belle of the Eastern Courtyard, and naturally, he was also an admirer. Moreover, her father was a Territory Lord of the Northern Spiritual Realm. His father had once said that if he could win Tang Qian'er, with the two territories united through marriage, the strength of the Luo Territory would undoubtedly greatly increase.
However, the idea remained just an idea. Luo Tong was not as successful as his father had hoped; it was difficult for him to capture the girl's heart. In fact, she was rather indifferent to him. How could he not feel anger in his heart? Now, seeing Mu Chen so close to Tang Qian'er, his jealousy flared up endlessly.
"Brother Luo, that guy is truly presumptuous."
Jiang Li and Teng Yong, standing nearby, also added fuel to the fire with their envy.
Although they felt annoyed, both knew Mu Chen was not to be trifled with, so they didn't dare to act arrogantly and cause trouble as they would with others.
"—Just a newbie who just entered the Heavenly Realm, yet he dares to put on airs in front of me."
Luo Tong's expression was grim. He suddenly shifted his gaze towards a person drenched in sweat in the training ground—Tan Qingshan. He sneered:
"—Jiang Li, go spar with Tan Qingshan for a bit. Remember to guide the newcomer thoroughly."
Jiang Li was startled, a hint of hesitation in his voice:
"—Tan Qingshan and Mu Chen have a very good relationship. If I cause trouble for him, I'm afraid that guy..."
"—With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Luo Tong said, frowning.
Seeing Luo Tong's irritation, Jiang Li didn't dare to say anything further. He stood up and walked towards Tan Qingshan.
In the middle of his training, Tan Qingshan saw Jiang Li approaching. His brows furrowed, but he didn't say a word to the other man, continuing to practice a set of fist techniques.
"—Tan Qingshan, let's spar for a bit. It'll help your cultivation progress faster. As an old-timer, I should take care of a newcomer like you."
Jiang Li said with a malicious smile.
The surrounding disciples heard this and easily understood Jiang Li's intentions. However, intimidated by Luo Tong's gloomy gaze nearby, no one dared to speak up. Besides, sparring was quite normal here.
"—Those guys are truly too disrespectful!"
Tang Tian'er was also drawn to the scene. Her delicate brows furrowed tightly as she made to stand up, but Mu Chen grabbed her hand and pulled her back.
"—What's wrong?"
Tang Tian'er was puzzled. Luo Tong and his group were clearly looking for trouble with Tan Qingshan, obviously trying to 'shake the tree to scare the monkey' with Mu Chen.
"—Although Tan Qingshan is quiet, his personality is very unyielding. Sometimes he doesn't need help. And don't underestimate a man's pride."
Mu Chen replied calmly.
"—Newcomers bullying old-timers—how can this kind of situation be avoided? If I were to step in and help him, perhaps he would face a little less trouble. But in reality, he doesn't need it. In fact, to put it a bit strongly, it might even cause discord between us. Therefore, if he wants to avoid these petty troubles, he needs to show them with his own ability that he's not someone to be easily looked down upon."
"—But he's not Jiang Li's opponent."
Tang Tian'er worried.
"—It's not necessarily about defeating your opponent to win."
Mu Chen smiled.
"—Just let people know that you're not a soft persimmon. Anyone who wants to squeeze you, or even crush you, will have to pay a considerable price."
Tang Tian'er pondered this, feeling that Mu Chen's words made sense, but she still stubbornly retorted:
"—Hmph, you're clearly a year younger than me, yet you're acting like an old man."
Mu Chen chuckled, then looked towards Tan Qingshan, whose expression had subtly shifted. The young man clenched his hands, hesitated for a moment, then looked towards Mu Chen.
Mu Chen smiled and gently nodded.
Seeing Mu Chen's smile, Tan Qingshan's hands clenched even tighter. A fierce glint appeared in his eyes as he replied in a cold voice:
"—Then, Senior Brother Jiang Li, please enlighten me!"
Jiang Li hadn't expected Tan Qingshan to agree so resolutely. He was slightly startled, then subtly curled his lips into a smile. "Truly a young man who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," he thought.
The two slowly backed away, and many surrounding disciples drew closer, though almost all felt sympathy for Tan Qingshan.
Under the watchful eyes of many, the spar began.
Just as everyone had expected, the match was initially one-sided, and the disparity in strength seemed difficult to overcome. Yet, the situation gradually began to transform.
They saw that even though he was repeatedly kicked down by Jiang Li, Tan Qingshan showed no sign of giving up. Instead, as if unafraid of death, he continued to charge at Jiang Li, attacking him, his eyes bloodshot and wild, making the other guy jump in fright.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The two figures clashed in the arena. Though struggling greatly, Tan Qingshan still risked taking several of Jiang Li's punches, returning the favor with a wild, dog-style bite that left a clearly painful tooth mark on the other's body.
Jiang Li sent a punch that pushed Tan Qingshan back, but he immediately lunged forward and bit him again, leaving a bloody mark on his arm. Finally unable to tolerate this "mad dog" style of sparring, he quickly yelled:
"You lunatic!"
Tan Qingshan ignored him completely, his bloodshot eyes still lunging forward.
"I'm not fighting anymore!"
Jiang Li quickly dodged and ran away, looking in dismay at Tan Qingshan's blazing red eyes. His heart filled with indignation, he shouted angrily.
The surrounding disciples also rushed forward to stop Tan Qingshan, pulling him away. But he was truly too crazed; they couldn't pull him away immediately, and his wild display, like a tiger unleashed, sent shivers down many disciples' spines. This Tan Qingshan was indeed utterly deranged.
Under the continuous thunderous shouts of the many surrounding disciples, Tan Qingshan finally gradually calmed down, a smirk playing on his lips. His body ached, and his face still bore a bruise, but it couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
In front of him, Jiang Li's clothes were tattered. Though he had no serious injuries, his face was ashen, and the fear in his eyes was clear for all to see.
Although Tan Qingshan lost in terms of strength, he won in terms of sheer presence, enough to make the disciples of the Eastern Heavenly Courtyard look at him differently.
Tan Qingshan wiped away the blood from his mouth and looked towards Mu Chen. The latter grinned widely and raised a hand in applause, praising him:
"Impressive."
Tan Qingshan shook his head, chuckling heartily, his heart suddenly filled with gratitude for Mu Chen. The latter respected him, giving him the chance to earn respect. Perhaps no old-timer would dare to pick a fight with him again after this.
"That guy is truly insane."
Tang Tian'er also grimaced with a smile; Tan Qingshan's crazed eyes just now had truly made her tremble like a leaf.
Mu Chen smiled and nodded, then stood up.
"What are you planning to do?"
Tang Tian'er asked, puzzled.
"Tan Qingshan has done what he needed to do, now it's my turn. Others 'shake the tree to scare the monkeys,' so I'll 'strike the mountain to scare the tiger' in return. Otherwise, this constant back-and-forth trouble will be exhausting."
Mu Chen smiled, slowly clenching his right fist:
"Besides, I've been wanting to find someone to test out my 'Senluo Death Seal' and see how powerful it truly is..."
Mu Chen slowly stepped forward, drawing many gazes as he walked into the center of the arena. He looked towards Luo Tong not far away.
"Senior Brother Luo Tong, I've just finished cultivating a spiritual art, and I'd like to invite Senior Brother to give me some pointers. Please enlighten me."