Gently brushing his sleeve, Di Cang glanced at Mu Chen’s dormitory. The lights inside were still bright. ’Someone must be guarding him,’ he thought. He spread his Spiritual Power out again. After finding nothing else unusual, Di Cang took a step. Accompanied by a spatial ripple, his figure slowly vanished into the night.

In the outskirts of the Xuanling Empire, a figure appeared out of thin air with a WHOOSH. The man coughed violently twice, clutching his chest. "That old bastard is incredible. I was only grazed by the force of his palm strike, yet I’m so heavily injured. It seems the power of a Martial Venerable is truly not something a Fifth-Ring Martial Emperor like me can withstand." With that, the figure endured his injuries and, with another WHOOSH, vanished into the darkness once more...

Inside a small wooden cabin in the outskirts, the three Zhou Family brothers sat cross-legged on a bed. The Zhou Family’s Second Brother said, "Third Brother has been out for several hours now. Why isn’t he back yet? Could he have run into trouble?"

The Eldest of the Zhou Family shook his head. "That’s unlikely. Among all of us, Third Brother’s Body Technique is the best. Even if he ran into a Martial Artist several realms higher than him, he’d still have a chance to escape. Besides, to avoid suspicion on this trip, we all brought plenty of Shadow Concealing Dust. Even if he met an unbeatable foe, he should be able to get away safely."

Hearing the mention of Shadow Concealing Dust, the Zhou Family’s Fourth Son perked up and laughed. "The Emperor truly holds us in high regard. This Shadow Concealing Dust is a luxury item even in Upper-class Empires, yet he prepared two portions for each of us. That’s like being granted two extra lives."

Zhou the Second nodded. "Fourth Brother is right. I wonder how this Shadow Concealing Dust is made. It can instantly hide all of the user’s aura, including their Primordial Power fluctuations. It’s as if they’ve been pulled into another dimension, making it impossible for anyone to know where they’ve gone."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family said calmly, "These things are all handed down from above. Even if you knew where it came from, you wouldn’t be able to get a single speck. The places that can produce Shadow Concealing Dust have surely been monopolized by them."

"Big Brother is right." The other two agreed. It was a cruel world; only with strength and influence could one obtain better resources.

Just as they were about to change the subject, a black figure appeared in the room with a WHOOSH. The Eldest of the Zhou Family’s Spiritual Power was the sharpest, so he instantly perceived who had arrived.

"COUGH COUGH... Big Brother, Second Brother, Fourth Brother, I’m back." The black figure coughed violently, his voice hoarse. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The Eldest of the Zhou Family’s expression darkened. "Third Brother, what happened? Weren’t you just going to scout out the situation? Why are you injured?"

As he spoke, the Eldest of the Zhou Family helped Zhou the Third onto the bed and had him sit cross-legged. The Second and Fourth brothers also gathered around, channeling their Primordial Power into Zhou the Third’s body.

Only when some color returned to Zhou the Third’s face did the three retract their Primordial Power. The Eldest of the Zhou Family said, "Fortunately, it’s just some minor internal injuries, nothing too serious. Otherwise, you’d be bedridden just like the Crown Prince."

Hearing this, Zhou the Third gave a bitter smile. "Big Brother, you don’t know the half of it. That Imperial Academy is bizarre. Spiritual Power can’t penetrate the dormitory buildings; it’s like the walls are enchanted with a power that blocks it. I had to search room by room, since I didn’t know which one that kid, Mu Chen, lived in. This kind of search took a long time and made me easy to expose. I spent a full three hours searching all the regular student dormitories, but I never found a trace of Mu Chen."

Upon hearing this, the Zhou Family’s Fourth Son frowned. "Third Brother, did you forget what Mu Chen looks like?"

Zhou the Third said, "Are you kidding? Of course I know. With such a unique appearance, you’d remember him after just one glance."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family said in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, don’t interrupt. Let Third Brother finish."

Hearing this, the Fourth Brother immediately shut his mouth. Among the four brothers, the Eldest’s word was law.

Third Brother continued, "Of course, I might have had a preconceived notion. I subconsciously assumed that Mu Chen would be living in the regular student dormitories. It was only at the very end that I realized I was wrong. How could such a talented student be assigned to a regular dorm?"

"So, I searched the High Level dormitories next. Just as I reached the last High Level dormitory, an old man suddenly appeared in front of me. Oh, it was that Vice Dean of the academy; you should remember him. And just like that, I was discovered." Recalling the scene, Zhou the Third still felt a little unnerved. He continued, "That old bastard is actually a Martial Venerable."

"A Martial Venerable?!" the other three Zhou brothers exclaimed in shock.

Zhou the Third nodded in response. "Yes, a Martial Venerable. And not an ordinary one, either. He seemed even stronger."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family looked Third Brother up and down. "Third Brother, you actually managed to escape from the hands of a Martial Venerable. How did you do it?"

"I had Shadow Concealing Dust!"

Third Brother’s words left the others utterly speechless. They had just been discussing Shadow Concealing Dust, and now it turned out one of them had already used the luxury item.

Zhou the Third pouted. "Given the situation, how could I not use it? Even after using the Shadow Concealing Dust, I was still grazed by that old bastard’s Primordial Power attack. That’s how I got this internal injury."

"..."

Only the Eldest of the Zhou Family read between the lines. He asked tentatively, "So, you’re saying Mu Chen really is being protected?"

Zhou the Third nodded. "It seems so. And his guardian is a Martial Venerable. If that’s the case, this mission will be impossible unless the four of us strike together. Big Brother and Second Brother, you two will have to trap the Martial Venerable. Fourth Brother will stand guard against any other help that might appear. Then, I’ll use my superior Body Technique to kill Mu Chen quickly. And we have to succeed on the first try. Otherwise, any future attempts will be unjustifiable. We’d completely tarnish the Empire’s reputation and might even face sanctions from the Dynasty."

The Eldest of the Zhou Family nodded. "That makes sense. Alright then. Now that Third Brother has flushed out Mu Chen’s protector, pinpointed his location, and confirmed the man’s Martial Artist Realm, things will be much easier from here on out. All we need to do now is wait for the perfect opportunity. So, for this month, we’ll stay here and recuperate. The moment that man lets his guard down, we’ll strike like tigers and kill Mu Chen in an instant to eliminate this problem for good!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the Eldest of the Zhou Family. The brothers exchanged a look and then fell silent...

Meanwhile, Mu Chen was still having the time of his life inside the Extreme Spirit Pearl. A vast meadow had appeared beneath his feet, something he had spent a great deal of time creating in several sessions. Various flowers and trees dotted the grassland, nearly forming a sea of blossoms. The landscape even featured rolling hills, giving it a natural and pleasant appearance.

Mu Chen looked at his creation and said excitedly, "So this is what it’s like to create things. It’s pretty interesting."

But just as Mu Chen was about to continue his creation, the Snow Qilin suddenly shot out of the Extreme Spirit Pearl. At the same time, Mu Chen felt an immense pulling force instantly yank his consciousness out of the Pearl. The next moment, he saw a flash of light, and the scene of his own room appeared before his eyes.

However, when Mu Chen came to, he immediately noticed that everything around him seemed much clearer. Of course, this clarity wasn’t about the things he could see with his eyes, but the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.

Normally, although Mu Chen’s senses were much stronger than an ordinary person’s, he couldn’t casually see the movement of the surrounding Primordial Qi. But now, just by focusing his spirit, he could see the location of all the Primordial Qi in the air around him. This phenomenon left him a little dazed.

’How can this be?’

He slowly raised his hand. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, as if obeying a command, swarmed toward his palm. In an instant, a warm, colorful ball of light formed between his fingers. It felt as if he could control all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the vicinity, a strangely familiar sensation.

Sitting to the side, both Mu Bingling and Mo Qing were silent, staring at Mu Chen in shock. The scene they witnessed was completely different from what he was seeing. The moment Mu Chen extended his left hand, they felt all the Primordial Qi in the room instantly rush toward him. However, the Primordial Qi didn’t seep into his body to be absorbed. Instead, it swirled around him like children greeting a beloved relative, making him appear cloaked in a seven-colored radiance.

’This feeling... it’s so magical...’

Mu Chen slowly sat up. It was only after he sat up on the bed that he realized a young woman was sitting on either side of him. Rubbing his eyes, Mu Chen asked in surprise, "Why are you two here?"

And with those words from Mu Chen, the Primordial Qi swirling around him completely dissipated. Mu Bingling and Mo Qing were also jolted from their shock. Mu Bingling said, "You were injured and fell unconscious during your fight with He Long, so we came to take care of you."

Mu Chen froze, only then remembering that he had just been in a challenge match. ’Looks like I lost track of things while playing around in the Extreme Spirit Pearl,’ he thought. He did, however, remember that he had won the battle. As for why Mo Qing was also here, he didn’t give it much thought, as he was clueless as a block of wood when it came to matters of the heart.

"What just happened? Why did I see the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi wrap around you?" Mu Bingling asked curiously.

"To be honest, I’m not sure either. When I woke up, the surrounding Primordial Qi just felt so... close, as if it were my own arms and legs, easy for me to control." With that, Mu Chen opened his palm again. Spreading his Spiritual Power, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi once more gathered in his hand, forming a seven-colored ball of light.

"Incredible..."